Firefighters were ambushed by sniper fire while responding to a blaze in a northern Idaho mountain community Sunday, killing at least two people and unleashing barrages of gunfire over several hours in an attack the governor called a “heinous” assault. The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur d’Alene around 1:30 p.m., and gunshots were reported about a half hour later. Sheriff Bob Norris said officials believe the two people killed were fire personnel. He didn’t know if anyone else was shot. “We don’t know how many suspects are up there, and we don’t know how many casualties there are,” Norris told reporters at a 4:30 p.m. news conference. “We are actively taking sniper fire as we speak.” People are still coming off the mountain, the sheriff said, so it “would be safe to assume” that others were still up there. Gov. Brad Little said “multiple” firefighters were attacked. “This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters,” Little said on the social platform X. “I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more.” Norris said it appeared the sniper was hiding in the rugged terrain and using a high-powered rifle. He said he instructed deputies to fire back. “I’m hoping that somebody has a clear shot and is able to neutralize, because they’re not at this point in time showing any evidence of wanting to surrender,” the sheriff said. An alert by the Kootenai County Emergency Management Office asked people to avoid the area around Canfield Mountain Trailhead and Nettleton Gulch Road, about 4 miles (6.5 km) north of downtown Coeur d’Alene. The fire was still active, Norris said. “It’s going to keep burning,” he said. “Can’t put any resources on it right now.” The FBI has responded to the scene with technical teams and tactical support, Deputy Director Dan Bongino said. “It remains an active, and very dangerous scene,” he wrote in a post on X. Coeur d’Alene is a city of 55,000 residents near the border with Washington. Canfield Mountain is a popular hiking and biking area on the outskirts, covered with trees and heavy brush and crisscrossed with trails. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Recent satellite images reveal ongoing activity and fresh evidence of significant damage at Iran’s underground Fordow uranium enrichment facility following last week’s Israeli and U.S. airstrikes. The site was struck by Israeli forces on June 23, just one day after the U.S. conducted airstrikes using bunker-buster bombs. High-resolution imagery from Maxar Technologies shows an excavator and several personnel near the northern shaft on the ridge above the underground complex. A crane is also seen operating at the entrance to the shaft, with multiple vehicles parked along an access path built to reach the site. Maxar’s photos also show the complete destruction of a facility north of the main compound, surrounded by impact craters and a cloud of dust. Additional damage, including a crater and visible burn marks, is seen on a western access road. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Like clockwork, Carla Johnson sends out letters every spring asking for donations to help pay for the annual Fourth of July fireworks show that draws tens of thousands of people to New Mexico’s largest lake. And she has no reservations about doling out verbal reminders when she sees her patrons around town. There’s too much at stake to be shy about fundraising when donations collected by Friends of Elephant Butte Lake State Park are what make the tradition possible. But even Johnson’s ardent efforts as the group’s fundraiser might not cut it next year if the U.S. and China remain locked in a trade war. With nearly all of the aerial shells, paper rockets and sparkly fountains that fuel America’s Fourth of July celebrations being imported from China, volunteer groups like Johnson’s and cities big and small have been closely watching the negotiations. A 90-day pause on what had been massive tariffs brought some temporary relief, but industry experts acknowledge that the tiff has lit a fuse of uncertainty as the price tag for future fireworks displays could skyrocket if an agreement isn’t reached. Not the first time There were similar concerns in 2019 as trade talks between the U.S. and China dragged on. Industry groups had called on officials then to exempt fireworks from escalating tariffs. The American Pyrotechnics Association and the National Fireworks Association reignited the lobbying effort this spring, noting in letters to President Donald Trump that fireworks play a crucial role in American celebrations. The groups say the industry is made up mostly of family-owned companies that are often locked into long-term contracts that leave them unable to raise prices to offset cost surges brought on by higher tariffs. And there are few options for sourcing the more than 300 million pounds (136 million kilograms) of fireworks needed to feed demands. China produces 99% of consumer fireworks and 90% of professional display fireworks used in the U.S., according to the APA. “I think overall it’s the uncertainty,” said Julie Heckman, the APA’s executive director. “Yeah, we have a 90-day pause, but are the negotiations with China going to go well? Or is it going to go sky-high again? You know, triple digits. It’s very hard for a small business to plan.” How it began Fireworks have their roots in China. To ward off evil spirits, people would throw bamboo stalks into a fire, causing them to pop as the air inside the hollow pockets heated up. These early firecrackers evolved into more sophisticated fireworks after the Chinese developed gunpowder in the 9th century. By the 15th century, Europe was using fireworks for religious festivals and entertainment. In 1777, they were used in Philadelphia and Boston for what were the first organized Independence Day celebrations. Now, fireworks are synonymous with the summer holiday and with ringing in the new year. Shows have become elaborately choreographed displays that are often synced to live music. In Nashville, the Music City’s award-winning symphony orchestra puts its own spin on the festivities. In New York City, organizers of the Macy’s show will fire off 80,000 shells, with some reaching heights of 1,000 feet (304 meters). The National Park Service promises a spectacular show on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. At Elephant Butte in southern New Mexico, they’re going old school and will light the fireworks […]
A pair of newly dedicated Lakewood wedding halls — Ateres Blima and Ateres Esther, dedicated l’zecher nishmas R’ Ari Stern’s grandmothers — held their kvias mezuzah on Sunday, marking the beginning of a new era in local simcha planning. Located at 400 Oak Street, in a building named in memory of Mrs. Matel Leah Schron a”h, the halls were built to address a pressing need in the community: lowering the overwhelming cost of weddings. Backed by numerous donors and overseen by a board of askanim including R’ Mordy Schron, R’ Menashe Frankel, R’ Ari Stern, and R’ Avraham Meir Retkinski, the project was designed with a clear purpose — to reset community expectations and bring weddings back to a simpler, more manageable standard. At these new halls, the complete wedding package will cost just $13,000, a fraction of the tens of thousands of dollars that families usually pay to marry off a child. The all-inclusive package at Ateres Blima and Ateres Esther is designed for peace of mind: it includes hall rental, catering, photographer, videographer, musician, singer, kallah’s bouquet, artificial floral arrangements, a lavish smorgasbord, and a full seudah. A well-planned schedule will allow weddings to flow smoothly from photos at 4:30 p.m. through to the final dance, with music ending by 11:30 p.m. Each hall will comfortably seat 250 adult guests, with accommodations for children and an on-site shul for davening and learning. Families expecting larger crowds can pay a modest upgrade fee of $500 to expand food options, or $1,000 for a mitzvah tantz celebration, complete with extended refreshments. The halls have already booked 75 weddings, with many more inquiries pouring in — a clear signal that Lakewood’s families are ready for a more sustainable approach to simchas. The initiative extends beyond the halls themselves. Plans are in motion to coordinate affordable options for other wedding expenses, including sheitels, gowns, jewelry, and invitations. A gown gemach, a jewelry gemach, and an interest-free loan program are being developed to help families avoid financial hardship. Organizers also hope to shift community thinking more broadly. Education efforts are planned for local high schools and community gatherings, with the message that the current wedding standards are unrealistic for the majority of families, and that there is no shame in scaling back. An information hotline and a centralized guidance center will help families navigate all aspects of making a wedding affordably, from the vort through the sheva brachos. Ateres Blima and Ateres Esther are poised to become a model for how Lakewood can celebrate its chasunos with simchah, dignity, and achrayus — without burying families under debt. To book your simchah or learn more, call 732-952-1200 or email bookings@ateresestherblima.com
Dear Editor, I read the recent heartfelt letter about the shidduch crisis with deep emotion and full agreement. The pain, frustration, and desperation felt by so many parents of Bnos Yisroel is real — and it is unacceptable that our community has allowed this “shidduch crisis” to persist for so long, largely unchallenged. While the new initiative encouraging girls to wait until Shavuos to begin dating, and boys to return earlier from Eretz Yisroel, is a step in the right direction, it must be the beginning — not the end — of our communal introspection and action. We can no longer ignore a glaring truth: the system is broken. And it is man-made. The numbers don’t lie, and neither does the heartache of thousands of wonderful, accomplished young women waiting months and years just to begin the process. There is one phrase in particular that must be addressed head-on — even if it makes some uncomfortable: the “shidduch freezer.” It has become a sacred cow in some of the larger yeshivos, where boys returning from Eretz Yisroel are told to “settle in” before they are allowed to date. This policy, once created with the best intentions, has become deeply harmful. It must stop. We need our yeshivos — especially the major ones — to lead with courage. They must stop enforcing artificial delays in dating, and instead work hand in hand with the Gedolim and askanim who are trying to restore balance and save a generation from unnecessary pain. Likewise, may I be bold enough to raise another sacred assumption: that every boy and girl must go to Eretz Yisroel after high school or be labeled as “less than.” While there are immense benefits to learning in Eretz Yisroel, we must stop treating it as the only path to success, especially when it creates real hardship in the shidduch parsha. Is it possible that our communal pressure for every 18-year-old to spend a year (or years) “running around” in Eretz Yisroel — disconnected from the timeline and needs of the broader community — has contributed to the very crisis we are now so desperate to fix? Yes, talmud Torah is a supreme value. But so is building a bayis ne’eman b’Yisroel. And so is listening to our Gedolim when they say, “It’s time to change the system.” Let’s have the courage to act. To speak up. To change. To bring our boys home a bit earlier, and let them begin building their futures without unnecessary delay. And let’s give our daughters — each one a precious neshamah — the dignity and chance they so deeply deserve. This is not a crisis of emunah. It is a crisis of community responsibility. We now have the opportunity — and the obligation — to fix it. Sincerely, Y.R.B. The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said Sunday he will not seek reelection, a day after announcing his opposition to President Donald Trump’s tax breaks and spending cuts package because of its reductions to health care programs. Tillis said he was proud of his career in public service but acknowledged the difficult political environment for those who buck their party and go it alone. “In Washington over the last few years, it’s become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species,” he said in a lengthy statement. “Sometimes those bipartisan initiatives got me into trouble with my own party, but I wouldn’t have changed a single one.” Trump, in social posts, had berated Tillis for being one of two Republican senators who voted on Saturday night against advancing the massive bill. The Republican president accused Tillis of seeking publicity with his “no” vote and threatened to campaign against him. The Republican president also accused Tillis off doing nothing to help his constituents after last year’s devastating floods. “Tillis is a talker and complainer, NOT A DOER,” Trump wrote. Tillis won election to the Senate in 2014; he was up for a third term in 2026. (AP)
Chabad Lubavitch of Southwest Florida, led by Rabbi Yitzchok Minkowicz and Mrs. Shani Silver, has announced the arrival of a new young couple, Rabbi Shalom and Devorie Katz, together with their 1.5-year-old daughter, Sheina, who will join as shluchim to serve the region’s expanding Israeli and broader Jewish community. The announcement was made in connection with Gimmel Tamuz, the 31st yahrzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, zt”l, a date marked worldwide to remember the Rebbe’s enduring legacy of Jewish outreach, chinuch, and community building. “In light of the ongoing war in Eretz Yisroel, this is not merely a time of celebration, but one of mission,” said Rabbi Minkowicz. “Klal Yisroel in chutz la’aretz, and especially our Israeli brethren, need a strong and connected kehillah. The Katz family’s arrival is a fulfillment of the Rebbe’s hora’ah to reach every Yid with warmth, care, and ahavas Yisroel.” The new shluchim will focus on developing programs, events, and resources geared specifically toward the Israeli population in Southwest Florida, reinforcing Chabad’s presence and impact in the area. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The changes made to President Donald Trump’s big tax bill in the Senate would pile trillions onto the nation’s debt load while resulting in even steeper losses in health care coverage, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said in a new analysis, adding to the challenges for Republicans as they try to muscle the bill to passage. The CBO estimates the Senate bill would increase the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion from 2025 to 2034, a nearly $1 trillion increase over the House-passed bill, which CBO has projected would add $2.4 to the debt over a decade. The analysis also found that 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill became law, an increase over the scoring for the House-passed version of the bill, which predicts 10.9 million more people would be without health coverage. The stark numbers are yet another obstacle for Republican leaders as they labor to pass Trump’s bill by his self-imposed July 4th deadline. Even before the CBO’s estimate, Republicans were at odds over the contours of the legislation, with some resisting the cost-saving proposals to reduce spending on Medicaid and food aid programs even as other Republicans say those proposals don’t go far enough. Republicans are slashing the programs as a way to help cover the cost of extending some $3.8 trillion in Trump tax breaks put in place during his first term. The push-pull was on vivid display Saturday night as a routine procedural vote to take up the legislation in the Senate was held open for hours as Vice President JD Vance and Republican leaders met with several holdouts. The bill ultimately advanced in a 51-49 vote, but the path ahead is fraught, with voting on amendments still to come. Still, many Republicans are disputing the CBO estimates and the reliability of the office’s work. To hoist the bill to passage, they are using a different budget baseline that assumes the Trump tax cuts expiring in December have already been extended, essentially making them cost-free in the budget. The CBO on Saturday released a separate analysis of the GOP’s preferred approach that found the Senate bill would reduce deficits by about $500 billion. Democrats and economists decry the GOP’s approach as “magic math” that obscures the true costs of the GOP tax breaks. In addition, Democrats note that under the traditional scoring system, the Republican bill bill would violate the Senate’s “Byrd Rule” that forbids the legislation from increasing deficits after 10 years. In a Sunday letter to Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, CBO Director Phillip Swagel said the office estimates that the Finance Committee’s portion of the bill, also known as Title VII, “increases the deficits in years after 2034” under traditional scoring. (AP)
JUST IN: Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina says he will not seek reelection after President Trump called for a primary challenge to him over his opposition to the “Big, Beautiful Bill.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY): “Globalizing the intifada by way of example is not an acceptable phrasing. [Mamdani] is going to have to clarify his position on that as he moves forward.”
Muslim socialist Zohran Mamdani DOUBLES DOWN on plans to kick ICE out of NYC Are you committed to keeping New York a sanctuary city? ZOHRAN: “Absolutely…I will be PROUD to stand up…those days [of arrests] are going to come to an END.”
CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings delivered a forceful defense of the Supreme Court’s ruling that effectively ended the use of universal injunctions, calling it a major win for President Donald Trump and a blow to judicial overreach – and used a quote from liberal Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan to prove the left’s hackery. Speaking on CNN Saturday Morning Table for Five, Jennings applauded the 6–3 decision, which fell along ideological lines, as a long-overdue correction to the practice of allowing a single district court judge to block a president’s entire national agenda. “Friday was a great day for Donald Trump,” Jennings told the panel, listing the court ruling alongside stock market gains and Middle East peace developments as evidence of a banner week for the president. “The court really clears the way for him to enact the agenda on which he ran.” Jennings bolstered his argument by quoting none other than liberal Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan. “It just can’t be right that one District Judge can stop a nationwide policy in its tracks,” he recited, noting that Kagan had made the remark in 2022 under a Democratic administration — even though she voted against the Supreme Court’s new ruling. “Just goes to show you that some of these folks really are hacks,” Jennings added, taking aim at what he saw as partisan flip-flopping on the bench. Host Abby Phillip pushed back, noting that “the hackery is definitely bipartisan,” pointing out that Republican figures, including former Trump adviser Stephen Miller, had previously celebrated nationwide injunctions when they blocked progressive policies. Still, Jennings stood firm, arguing the change was overdue. “It’s not right that one of these individual district court judges can act like a king or a monarch and stop the elected president from acting,” he said. The ruling, which conservatives had long sought, will dramatically reshape how legal challenges to presidential authority play out in the lower courts — setting the stage for potentially faster, broader execution of executive orders by Trump as he pursues the policies of his second term. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Sparks of a Nation began as a WhatsApp Status—sharing powerful stories, uplifting messages, and sparks of Yiddishkeit. *Now, we’re bringing that same inspiration to your Shabbos with Sparks of a Nation: Shabbos Edition—a beautifully curated, bi-weekly print magazine.* Each issue is designed to uplift and enrich your Shabbos, featuring heartwarming stories, Torah insights, stunning visuals, and meaningful content the whole family can enjoy—all in a format you can hold, savor, and share. Read more: https://sparksofanation.com/sparks/introducing-sparks-of-a-nation-shabbos-edition-now-at-your-doorstep/
President Donald Trump says he is not planning to extend a 90-day pause on tariffs on most nations beyond July 9, when the negotiating period he set would expire, and his administration will notify countries that the trade penalties will take effect unless there are deals with the United States. Letters will start going out “pretty soon” before the approaching deadline, he said. “We’ll look at how a country treats us — are they good, are they not so good — some countries we don’t care, we’ll just send a high number out,” Trump told Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” during a wide-ranging interview taped Friday and broadcast Sunday. Those letters, he said, would say, “Congratulations, we’re allowing you to shop in the United States of America, you’re going to pay a 25% tariff, or a 35% or a 50% or 10%.” Trump had played down the deadline at a White House news conference Friday by noting how difficult it would be to work out separate deals with each nation. The administration had set a goal of reaching 90 trade deals in 90 days. Negotiations continue, but “there’s 200 countries, you can’t talk to all of them,” he said in the interview. Trump also discussed a potential TikTok deal, relations with China, the strikes on Iran and his immigration crackdown. Here are the key takeaways: Few details on possible TikTok deal A group of wealthy investors will make an offer to buy TikTok, Trump said, hinting at a deal that could safeguard the future of the popular social media platform, which is owned by China’s ByteDance. “We have a buyer for TikTok, by the way. I think I’ll need, probably, China approval, and I think President Xi (Jinping) will probably do it,” Trump said. Trump did not offer any details about the investors, calling them “a group of very wealthy people.” “I’ll tell you in about two weeks,” he said when asked for specifics. It’s a time frame Trump often cites, most recently about a decision on whether the U.S. military would get directly involved in the war between Israel and Iran. The U.S. struck Iranian nuclear sites just days later. Earlier this month, Trump signed an executive order to keep TikTok running in the U.S. for 90 more days to give his administration more time to broker a deal to bring the social media platform under American ownership. It is the third time Trump extended the deadline. The first one was through an executive order on Jan. 20, his first day in office, after the platform went dark briefly when a national ban — approved by Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court — took effect. Trump insists US ‘obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear facilities U.S. strikes on Iran “obliterated” its nuclear facilities, Trump insisted, and he said whoever leaked a preliminary intelligence assessment suggesting Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back only a few months should be prosecuted. Trump said Iran was “weeks away” from achieving a nuclear weapon before he ordered the strikes. “It was obliterated like nobody’s ever seen before,” Trump said. “And that meant the end to their nuclear ambitions, at least for a period of time.” Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Sunday on X that Trump “exaggerated to cover up and conceal the truth.” Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” that his […]
Iran’s nuclear program could be back online “in a matter of months,” despite punishing U.S. and Israeli attacks on key facilities, UN atomic watchdog chief Rafael Grossi warned in an interview — contradicting claims from President Donald Trump and Israeli officials that Iran’s nuclear ambitions had been set back for years. Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told CBS News that although damage to Iranian nuclear sites was “serious,” critical capabilities remained intact. “Some is still standing,” he said, adding that Iran could have “a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium” in months, or possibly less. His comments mirror a preliminary Pentagon intelligence report leaked last week that concluded U.S. strikes on Natanz, Fordo, and Isfahan had failed to destroy underground facilities and left most of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile untouched. That assessment, rejected by the White House, suggested Iran was now about six months from nuclear breakout, compared to three months before the U.S. airstrikes. Grossi went further, warning that IAEA inspectors cannot verify whether Tehran secretly moved part of its estimated 408-kilogram stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% purity — material which, if further refined, could fuel more than nine nuclear bombs. “We don’t know where this material could be,” he acknowledged, urging Iran to grant inspectors immediate access. So far, Tehran has refused. Iranian lawmakers voted to suspend cooperation with the IAEA and rejected Grossi’s request to inspect the damaged facilities, especially at Fordo, a key enrichment hub. “We need to be in a position to ascertain, to confirm what is there, and where is it and what happened,” Grossi told CBS. Trump, in a separate interview on Fox News, dismissed concerns about missing nuclear material, insisting, “They didn’t move anything,” and arguing Iran lacked time to hide its stockpile ahead of the strikes. Israel began its bombing campaign on June 13, aiming to cripple Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and to eliminate senior Iranian military figures. The United States followed suit on June 22, hitting three additional nuclear-related sites. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, conceded that damage was “serious,” but declined to share specifics, while Trump claimed the U.S.-Israeli campaign had set Iran’s nuclear work back “decades.” IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effi Defrin echoed that optimism, telling reporters Israel believed the strikes had delayed Iran’s program by “years,” though he acknowledged it was “still too early” to measure the full impact. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Socialist NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is standing firm on his controversial plan to raise property taxes on what he calls “richer and whiter neighborhoods” — and went even further Sunday, saying billionaires shouldn’t exist at all. Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Mamdani claimed his tax plan was “not driven by race” — despite his campaign platform explicitly targeting white homeowners. “That is just a description of what we see right now. It’s not driven by race. It’s more of an assessment of what neighborhoods are being under-taxed versus over-taxed,” Mamdani said. “We’ve seen time and again that this is a property tax system that is inequitable. It’s one that actually Eric Adams ran on, saying that he would change in the first 100 days,” he added. Brushing aside concerns that his rhetoric could turn off voters, Mamdani insisted he’s “just naming things as they are.” While warning that New York City’s tax base is shrinking due to residents fleeing to neighboring states, Mamdani argued that hiking taxes on the wealthy is the only way to save the city. “We are talking about our tax base growing smaller and smaller each day, with New Yorkers leaving to New Jersey, to Pennsylvania, to Connecticut,” Mamdani bemoaned. “If we do not meet this moment, we will lose the city.” Although he acknowledged that he lacks the authority to unilaterally raise taxes without Albany’s approval, Mamdani said his goal is to normalize radical ideas. He explained that his role is to take what “is considered a nonstarter and make it seem inevitable.” Mamdani also took direct aim at New York’s wealthiest residents, saying: “I don’t think that we should have billionaires, frankly.” New York City currently has more billionaires than any other city in the world — 123 in total. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The IDF on Sunday ordered mass evacuations across northern Gaza ahead of an intensified assault against Hamas, even as U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up public pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to lock down a ceasefire deal. The evacuation directive, issued in Arabic posts and in text messages sent directly to Palestinian phones, covers the Jabalia area and most Gaza City districts — neighborhoods that had already been designated as no-go zones weeks ago. Residents were told to head toward the Mawasi area in southern Gaza, a narrow coastal zone where tens of thousands have already sought refuge. “The IDF is operating with extreme force in these areas, and these military operations will escalate, intensify, and extend westward to the city center to destroy the capabilities of the terrorist organizations,” IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee posted on X, warning civilians that Hamas was “bringing a disaster upon you” and urging them not to return to what he called “dangerous combat zones.” The stepped-up warnings come as Netanyahu convenes top security officials Sunday for a progress briefing on the military campaign. According to a senior security source, commanders will tell the prime minister they are nearing key objectives but caution that further expanding the fighting could jeopardize the fate of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. Meanwhile, Arab mediators from Egypt and Qatar, working with U.S. officials, are once again pushing to restart stalled ceasefire talks, seeking to end the 20-month conflict and secure the release of remaining Israeli hostages. Trump, for his part, has gone on the offensive, posting early Sunday on Truth Social: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!! DJT,” while also repeating calls for Israeli prosecutors to drop Netanyahu’s corruption trial, arguing the prime minister’s legal troubles should not derail a hostage deal. A Hamas official told Reuters the group had relayed to mediators its willingness to return to negotiations but stood firm on its core demand: any ceasefire must include an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a full end to the war. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
