A train derailed in Egypt’s Matrouh Governorate while heading to Cairo, leaving passengers outraged as help failed to arrive for hours; the accident killed three people and injured 54 others.
Organizers of the “Freedom Flotilla to Gaza” announced that a fleet will depart from Barcelona on August 31 and another from Tunisia on September 4, with around 70 ships expected to join in an attempt to “break the siege,” and Greta Thunberg is reportedly set to sail to Gaza again.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday morning referred to the attempted assassination of Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida at the weekly cabinet meeting, which was held in a secret location. “The IDF attacked the evil spokesman Abu Obeida,” Netanyahu said. “We are waiting for the results. I notice that Hamas’s announcement is a bit delayed; apparently there’s no one to speak for it.” A Palestinian source confirmed to Al Arabiya on Sunday morning that Abu Obeida was killed in the strike. According to the report, Abu Obeida’s family and Hamas officials confirmed his death. There has been no official confirmation from the terror group, which sometimes waits months before confirming the deaths of senior figures. New details about the targeted strike were revealed on Sunday. A Palestinian source told Sky News Arabia that Abu Obeida and his family had rented the apartment targeted in the strike only a few days ago. According to the same source, Abu Obeida’s wife and children were at home at the time of the attack. He noted that “large amounts of banknotes were scattered during the bombing.” IAF fighter jets fired a precision missile at the second and third floors of the building. The operation was overseen by the Shin Bet’s special operations command center in central Israel. The Palestinian source further told Sky News Arabia that after the attack, Hamas terrorists closed off the area around the building and prevented civilians from approaching the area so they could first retrieve the bodies. Abu Obeida, whose real name is Hudayfa Samir Abdallah al-Kahlout, has served as the spokesman for the Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, since at least 2007. He concealed his face behind a red keffiyeh at all public appearances, gradually becoming a symbolic figure of the terror organization. Abu Obeida has been the driving force behind Hamas’ psychological terror warfare, and his elimination could undermine the group’s ability to shape public perception. His loss is expected to have a significant impact on the terror group due to his close ties to senior Hamas officials and his influence on the group’s decisions. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Dovid HaMelech was always praising, composing and singing beautiful songs to Hashem. He encouraged us to do the same “שירו לה’ שיר חדש” – SING TO HASHEM A NEW SONG. Truth be said, we have so many reasons to be thankful and sing to Hashem. So here we are with a new meaningful song “בקשו פני” for the start of חודש אלול. What better time is there then now, to release this hartzedeke melody, as we begin reciting twice daily these holy words in the prayer of “לדוד ה’ אורי וישעי”. It is Hashem’s timeless message to Dovid HaMelech and to all of us. “Seek and be aware of My Presence, everywhere, all the time”. This must be our number one priority and lifes mission. Hashem says, make sure I am involved in your life and take Me into consideration in all your decisions. To that end I thank Hashem for once again conveying His holy message through me in this beautiful melody and simultaneously through the release of the new holy Sefer לפניך. Living Lefonecho Lives is Hashem’s foremost will for all of us. כתיבה וחתימה טובה Check out the all new https://www.lefonecho.com/ website To listen or download Rabbi Yaakov Singer’s entire music album visit https://rabbiyaakovsinger.com/music/ To order the לפניך Sefer in Hebrew or English visit https://www.lefonecho.com/order-sefer Listen to some great Podcasts from Rabbi Yaakov Singer:https://listen.jewishpodcasts.fm/illuminating-parsha-insightshttps://listen.jewishpodcasts.fm/timelyilluminationshiurimhttps://listen.jewishpodcasts.fm/spiritualinspirationrabbiyaakovsingerhttps://listen.jewishpodcasts.fm/pirkei-avos-with-rabbi-yaakov-singer Visit the inspiring https://rabbiyaakovsinger.com/ website
Israel’s military police attempted to arrest an avreich for “draft dodging” in the Chareidi city of Beitar Illit on Motzei Shabbos. Police officers arrived at the home of a family on Elazar Hamoda’i Street in Beitar Illit in an attempt to arrest their son but were unsuccessful since the son is married and no longer lives at home. The “Tzeva Shachor” emergency alert system to activate bnei yeshivos to protest at the scene led to a crowd of Chareidi protesters flocking to the area, and the police officers retreated. The alert system informed the public residing in the area to remain on high alert in anticipation of another arrest attempt, but no additional attempts were made. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Government ministers received a message on Sunday morning that the government meeting later in the day will take place at a confidential, secured site amid threats by the Houthis to avenge the assassinations of senior Houthi leaders in an IDF strike last week. The security cabinet meeting scheduled for the afternoon has also been moved to a secure site. The IDF on Mozei Shabbos confirmed that the Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed Al-Rahawi was eliminated in the Israeli attack along with “a number of ministers.” Israeli media channels, including Kan News, reported that only four Houthi ministers are believed to be still alive. Among those eliminated in the operation were the Minister of Economy, the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Labor, the Minister of Youth and Sports, the Deputy Prime Minister for Defense and Security Affairs, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Deputy Minister of Interior, the Minister of Local Administration in the Houthi government, and the director of the Prime Minister’s office. Some reports said that it is believed that Houthi Chief of Staff Abd al-Karim Al-Ghamari and Defense Minister Mohammed Nasser Al-Atifi were also killed. Others say that they were seriously injured but survived the strike. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Jewish Agency chairman Maj.-Gen. (res.) Doron Almog was forced to cancel a trip to South Africa due to the possibility that he would be arrested for “war crimes,” Kan News reported on Sunday morning. It is believed that pro-Hamas activists in South Africa, which is pursuing legal action against Israel on charges of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, may seek the retired IDF general’s arrest. Almog is a relative of the Goldstein-Almog family, two of whom were brutally murdered by Hamas at Kfar Aza during the October 7 massacre: H’yd, 48, and his daughter, Yam Goldstein-Almog, H’yd, 20. Chen Goldstein-Amog and her three children, 17, 11, and 9, were abducted to Gaza after witnessing the murders of Nadav and Yam. They were released in the first-phase deal in November 2023. This is not the first time that Almog was targeted in a foreign country for his IDF service. In 2005, he and his wife flew to London to fundraise for Aleh Negev, a facility for the disabled he founded. Minutes after landing at Heathrow Airport in the UK, an Israeli embassy official boarded the plane and warned Almog to remain on the plane, explaining that counterterrorism police officers were waiting in the airport to arrest him due to a warrant issued against him for “war crimes’ in Gaza. Almog remained on the plane for two hours before returning to Israel. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
The Hamas terror organization early Sunday morning acknowledged the death of Mohammed Sinwar, nearly three and a half months after the IDF eliminated him in a targeted strike. The announcement was made via the publication of photos of Hamas’s senior “martyrs,” in which Mohammed Sinwar appeared for the first time alongside other slain Hamas leaders, including his brother Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, and Marwan Issa. The captions to the photos confirm their status as “shahids.” Sinwar was killed in mid-May during a joint IDF–Shin Bet operation that targeted an underground Hamas command center beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza. His brother Yahya was eliminated seven months earlier. Although the IDF announced Mohammed Sinwar’s elimination at the end of May, the publication of his photo with the caption “shahid” is the first time that Hamas formally acknowledged his death. Hamas also published footage of Mohammed Deif, the former commander of Hamas’s military wing, who was eliminated by the IDF in July 2024. The elusive Deif is seen in the previously unseen footage alongside other Hamas leaders. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Hamas has finally confirmed the death of Mohammed Sinwar, the group’s top commander in Gaza, who was killed in an Israeli strike last May after taking over from his brother Yahya.
NBC News reports that DNI Tulsi Gabbard shocked CIA leadership, including Director John Ratcliffe, by publicly naming an undercover officer among 37 agents she plans to strip of security clearances for allegedly mishandling classified intelligence.
The U.S. State Department has authorized a major military sale to Denmark, including the Integrated Battle Command System–enabled PATRIOT missiles and associated equipment, with a total value of around $8.5 billion.
The IDF and Shin Bet announced on Motzei Shabbos that a key Hamas official was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Shabbos it is believed the strike targeted Hamas spokesperson Abu Obaida, who has been targeted in several previous strikes.
Israel’s opening salvo in June’s war with Iran was not only military — it was technological. By breaking into the phones of Iranian bodyguards and drivers, Israeli intelligence mapped the movements of the Islamic Republic’s most senior leaders, unleashing one of the most devastating decapitation strikes in modern conflict, according to new reporting by the New York Times. In the early hours of June 13, Israeli forces targeted and killed numerous top Iranian generals and nuclear scientists. Among them were Revolutionary Guards chief Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, Armed Forces chief Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, and missile chief Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh. The precision of the strikes paralyzed Tehran’s command structure for hours, stunning both the regime and its allies. Although Iran’s top officials avoided smartphones, their entourages did not. “We know senior officials and commanders did not carry phones, but their interlocutors, security guards and drivers had phones; they did not take precautions seriously and this is how most of them were traced,” Sasan Karimi, a former Iranian deputy vice president for strategy, told the Times. The very measures Iran adopted to shield its leaders — layers of security and bodyguards — became liabilities. Israeli officials said those guards’ digital footprints allowed the IDF and Mossad to hunt down targets with unprecedented precision. “Using so many bodyguards is a weakness that we imposed on them, and we were able to take advantage of that,” one Israeli defense official told the Times. Iran had been aware of assassination threats and tightened protection of its top brass before the war. But the operational discipline collapsed quickly: guards used personal phones, sometimes posting updates on social media, exposing their principals’ locations. After the first wave of assassinations, guards were ordered to rely solely on walkie-talkies. Even then, lapses proved costly. On June 16, Israeli strikes hit a bunker during a meeting of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. President Masoud Pezeshkian was injured in the leg, and several guards were killed, though senior leaders survived. Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, newly appointed to head the Revolutionary Guards Corps, later acknowledged the depth of Israel’s intelligence penetration. “The enemy gets the majority of its intelligence through technology, satellites and electronic data,” he said. Israel claims its 12-day campaign killed dozens of senior Iranian security officials and at least 11 nuclear scientists. The strikes also damaged uranium enrichment facilities and ballistic missile infrastructure, inflicting what analysts describe as Iran’s gravest security crisis since the 1980s war with Iraq. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks that killed dozens in Israel, escalating the confrontation until a ceasefire was reached on June 24. In the aftermath, Tehran launched sweeping arrests and executions of suspected spies, desperate to root out leaks. Israel has declined comment on those measures. The strikes intensified global efforts to constrain Iran’s nuclear program. Last week, Britain, France and Germany triggered the “snapback” mechanism to reinstate UN sanctions, citing Tehran’s non-compliance with its 2015 nuclear commitments. Iran has threatened retaliation, while negotiations with international mediators remain stalled. Israel, meanwhile, has signaled it is prepared to act again. Officials warn that any attempt by Tehran to rebuild its nuclear and missile programs could trigger a renewed offensive. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Friday struck down a government initiative that would have allowed bochurim and yungeleit who did not serve in the army to travel freely to Uman for Rosh Hashanah without fear of arrest at airports or border crossings. In a sharply worded ruling, Baharav-Miara declared that the arrangement was “contrary to the law” and undermined what she called the state’s obligation to enforce the draft equally. She insisted that the government and its ministers “have no authority” to instruct security agencies to look the other way. Her announcement sparked fierce criticism from chareidi leaders and askanim. One senior political figure accused the attorney general of “seeking to sow division and chaos.” Rabbi Natan Ben Nun, head of Ichud Breslov in Uman, said the decision unfairly tramples on the religious obligations of those who travel to the kever of Rav Nachman of Breslov for Rosh Hashanah. “We hope a solution is found quickly so that talmidei hayeshivos can travel without fear,” he said. The plan, championed by Shas leader Aryeh Deri, had been linked to a funding package of 10 million shekels from several ministries to bolster infrastructure and security in Moldova, the transit point for most travelers to Uman. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu personally raised the matter with the Moldovan prime minister, officials said. But opposition figures pounced. Yair Lapid urged Baharav-Miara to block the plan, calling it “illegal,” and warned he would petition the High Court if the government attempted to move forward. Secular advocacy groups also demanded its cancellation. On the chareidi side, fears of mass arrests have fueled talk of protests. Former Elad mayor Yisrael Porush, head of the advocacy group Magen U’Moshia, warned that if talmidei hayeshivos are barred from flying, “no one will fly.” He said as many as 20,000 could gather at Ben Gurion Airport if the government does not find a solution. Transportation officials condemned the comments as “dangerous rhetoric.” Even within the coalition, not all ministers support the plan. Immigration Minister Ofir Sofer of the Religious Zionist Party said he was troubled that the government was prioritizing funding for travel to Uman “in complete detachment from the difficult situation the nation is facing.” For now, with Rosh Hashanah just weeks away, the fate of thousands of Breslov chassidim hoping to spend Yom Tov in Uman remains in limbo — caught between legal rulings, political fights, and their yearning to be mispallel at the tziyun of Rav Nachman. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The Israel Defense Forces said on Saturday that it had killed the Houthi prime minister and several other senior officials in a strike in Yemen. “Houthi Prime Minister, Ahmed Al-Rahawi, along with additional senior officials of the Houthi terrorist regime were eliminated during an IDF strike in Sanaa, Yemen,” the IDF said in a social media post. The IDF said it had targeted a Houthi site where officials responsible “for the use of force, the military buildup of the Houthi terror regime, and the advancement of terror actions against Israel. The IDF will continue to target all threats against Israeli civilians.” The airstrike was conducted by the Israeli Air Force Thursday using intelligence gathered by the IDF. “The strike was made possible by seizing an intelligence opportunity and completing a rapid operational cycle, which took place within a few hours,” the IDF said. A Houthi statement confirmed Al-Rahawi’s death. It was Israel’s second strike against the Houthis in Yemen in a week. On Sunday, Israel hit Yemen’s capital in response to missiles fired by the Houthis. The attack killed six people and wounded 86 others, according to Reuters, which cited a Houthi Health Ministry spokesperson. “As we warned the Houthis in Yemen: ‘After the plague of darkness comes the plague of the death,’” said Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who was in the IDF central command during the attack. “Whoever raises a hand against Israel, their hand will be cut off.”
The Supreme Court could be forced to prevent Democrat Fed Governor Lisa Cook from attending the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting on interest rates due to allegations of mortgage fraud and a potential firing by President Trump.
President Trump’s HUD Secretary, Scott Turner, is beginning the process of removing illegal immigrants from Section 8 housing, requiring all tenants to provide proof of citizenship.
