BREAKING UPDATE: In addition to the three Israeli hostages to be released tomorrow, five more kidnapped Thai nationals are expected to be released as well.
BREAKING: Israel has received the list of the three Israeli hostages in Gaza set to be released on Thursday, the Prime Minister’s Office announced on Wednesday afternoon.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has identified a potential doomsday scenario: an asteroid, measuring 70 meters in diameter, could impact Earth on December 22, 2032.
Trump plans to issue an executive order aimed at deporting students on visas who support Hamas, targeting those involved in pro-Hamas lawbreaking activities.
Overnight, IDF troops demolished the home of terrorist Tamer Faqha near Tulkarem. Faqha was part of a cell that killed off-duty IDF reservist Elchanan Klein HY’D near Bayt Lid on November 2, 2023. Faqha and other cell members were killed by the IDF in May.
Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff has arrived in Israel after meetings in Saudi Arabia where he met Saudi and Palestinian officials in Riyadh to discuss Gaza’s postwar governance before flying directly to Tel Aviv on his private jet. Witkoff is set to meet Netanyahu and other Israeli officials today, per Axios.
Qatar and Turkey have agreed to offer sanctuary to Palestinian individuals convicted of murder and terrorism who were released as part of the hostage exchange agreement.
Israeli Defense Minister Katz during a visit to the Jenin camp as part of the IDF counterterrorism operation ‘Iron Wall’: “After the operation is completed, IDF troops will remain in the camp to make sure the terror does not return.”
Last night, the IDF prevented the smuggling of 13 weapons and ammunition by downing a drone at the Egyptian border. The Caracal Battalion seized the guns after the drone was shot down.
At least 30 people were killed and many more injured in a stampede at the world’s largest religious gathering early Wednesday, police said, as millions of pilgrims rushed to participate in the Hindu festival in northern India. Police officer Vaibhav Krishna in Prayagraj city said another 60 injured were rushed to hospitals. Authorities expected a record 100 million Hindus to engage in a religious practice at the confluence of three rivers, where the tragedy occurred. The stampede happened when pilgrims tried to jump barricades erected for a procession, Uttar Pradesh state’s top elected official, Yogi Adityanath, said in a televised statement. Indian authorities took more than 16 hours to release casualty figures, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged the loss of lives, calling the incident “extremely sad” and extending his condolences. “Suddenly there was pushing in the crowd, and we got trapped. A lot of us fell down and the crowd went uncontrolled,” the Press Trust of India news agency quoted pilgrim Sarojini as saying. “There was no chance for escape, there was pushing from all sides,” she said. Distressed families lined up outside a makeshift hospital, desperate for news of missing loved ones. Clothes, blankets and backpacks were strewn around the site of the stampede. Millions continued to throng the 4,000-hectare (15-square mile) pilgrimage site despite the stampede, even as police urged them over megaphones to avoid the confluence. “The situation is now under control, but there is a massive crowd of pilgrims,” Adityanath said, adding that 90 million to 100 million pilgrims were at the site. The Maha Kumbh festival, held every 12 years, started on Jan. 13. Authorities expect more than 400 million people to throng the pilgrimage site in total. Nearly 150 million people have already attended, including Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah and celebrities. A sprawling tent city has been built on the riverbanks to accommodate the millions of visitors, with roads, electricity and water, 3,000 kitchens and 11 hospitals. About 50,000 security personnel are stationed in the city to maintain law and order and manage crowds, and more than 2,500 cameras monitor crowd movement and density so officials can try to prevent such crushes. Several opposition leaders criticized the federal and the state government, both led by Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party, and blamed the stampede on “mismanagement” and “VIP culture” — the latter referring to what they say is preferential treatment for politicians and celebrities. “The government should make better arrangements to meet the needs of common devotees,” Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi wrote on social platform X. The 45-day festival is a significant cultural event for India’s Hindus, who make up nearly 80% of the country’s more than 1.4 billion people. It’s also a prestige event for Modi, whose ruling party boasts of promoting Hindu cultural symbols. The Maha Kumbh festival has had stampedes in the past. In 2013, at least 40 pilgrims who were taking part in the festival were killed in a stampede at a train station in Prayagraj. Deadly stampedes are relatively common around Indian religious festivals, where large crowds gather in small areas. In July at least 116 people died, most of them women and children, when thousands at a religious gathering in northern India stampeded at a tent camp in Hathras […]
In a highly relevant Q&A session, Rav Aharon Lopiansky shlit”a delivered a pertinent message on the role of Daas Torah in medical decision-making. The discussion, moderated by Rabbi Sruly Fried of Chai Lifeline, centered around a question posed: Does Daas Torah have a place in medical advice and referrals, and if so, what is its role? Rav Lopiansky’s response was clear and unequivocal: One must differentiate between moral dilemmas and technical expertise. “If someone is building a structure and is unsure if the supports are strong enough, would anyone even have a hava amina to ask Daas Torah? Of course not. You ask an engineer,” he explained. The same applies to vaccines—why should a Rav be expected to be a medical expert? Daas Torah, Rav Lopiansky elaborated, comes into play when a situation involves a moral conundrum, not a factual determination. If a child needs extensive medical care but tending to them would result in neglecting other children—is one mechuyav to prioritize one over the other? That is a moral question. If a critically ill patient has the option of undergoing a painful surgery with an uncertain outcome—should he be forced to go through with it? That is a moral dilemma for Daas Torah. Likewise, he noted, the same applies to matters of shalom bayis or tzedaka allocation—areas where Torah values guide the decision-making process. But vaccines? “Why should a Rav know about vaccines? It’s a technical issue,” he said. To illustrate the importance of distinguishing between ikkar and tafel, Rav Lopiansky recounted a telling story from Rav Chaim Mendel Brotsky shlit”a. A cheder in Yerushalayim proudly advertised that it consulted the Steipler Gaon zt”l on every single decision. Rav Brotsky rejected this approach outright. If they were asking Daas Torah about every mundane detail, from what kind of milk to buy to minor administrative matters, then they lacked basic seichel. This misplaced reliance on Rabbanim for matters beyond their expertise extends to medical matters as well. “If you walk into a bais medrash that looks like it will collapse, and the gabbai tells you not to worry because the Rebbe said it will stand until Moshiach comes, you’d laugh at him,” Rav Lopiansky remarked. “Of course, you ask an engineer.” The sha’alah for Daas Torah only arises if the engineer identifies a slight crack with a minuscule risk—then you ask a Rav if there’s a chiyuv to repair it. Rabbi Fried pressed further: What about a case where a spouse refuses to vaccinate because they were raised in an anti-vaxx household? Would this be a Daas Torah issue? Again, Rav Lopiansky emphasized the need to distinguish between medical and moral concerns. “If the question is about vaccines, ask a medical expert. If it’s a shalom bayis question, ask a Rav.” He likened it to shechita—a Rav proficient in halacha may still not be a mumcheh in sirchos (lung adhesions). “I don’t think anyone ever went to Rav Shach zt”l to ask about a sircha on a lung,” he noted. “The facts have to come from someone who knows the facts,” Rav Lopiansky concluded. When there is a moral question—one that requires a Torah’dike perspective—then Daas Torah has its place. “But a Rav who doesn’t even go online, doesn’t read medical journals—how would he know about vaccines?” (YWN World Headquarters […]
The IDF spokesperson stated on Wednesday that troops thwarted an overnight attempt to smuggle weapons from Egypt into Israel. IDF troops stationed at the border who spotted the drone crossing over the border shot it down. Upon examining it, they found 13 assault rifles along with ammunition. IDF troops stationed near the Egyptian border have thwarted multiple attempts to smuggle weapons from Egypt into Israel in recent months. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday sent an official invitation to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for a meeting at the White House next week. The letter stated: “I look forward to discussing how we can bring peace to Israel and its neighbors, and efforts to counter our shared adversaries.” “It will be my honor to host you as my first foreign leader during my second term.” The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Trump on Tuesday, February 4. Trump’s invitation to Netanyahu immediately after entering office stands in sharp contrast to the behavior of ex-President Joe Biden, who failed to invite Netanyahu, the leader of one of the US’s closest allies until July 2023, over six months after Netanyahu was re-elected in November 2022 election, in one of a series of anti-Israel and pro-terror actions [such as restoring funding to the PA and UNWRA and removing sanctions on Iran] that played a part in motivating Hamas to carry out its assault several months later. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has inspected a facility that produces nuclear material and called for bolstering the country’s nuclear capability, state media reported Wednesday, as the North looks to increase pressure on the United States following the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump. Kim’s visit suggests a continued emphasis on an expansion of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal, though Trump has said he’s willing to talk to Kim again to revive diplomacy. Many analysts view North Korean weapons moves as part of a strategy to win diplomatic talks with Washington that could result in aid and political concessions. The official Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim visited the nuclear-material production base and the Nuclear Weapons Institute. It didn’t say where those facilities are located, but North Korean photos of Kim’s visit indicated that he likely visited a uranium-enrichment facility that he went to last September. That visit was North Korea’s first disclosure of a uranium-enrichment facility since it showed one to visiting American scholars in 2010. During the latest visit, Kim praised scientists and others for “producing weapons-grade nuclear materials and in strengthening the nuclear shield of the country.” On Sunday, North Korea said it tested a cruise missile system, its third known weapons display this year, and vowed “the toughest” response to what it called the escalation of U.S.-South Korean military drills. North Korea views U.S. military training with South Korea as invasion rehearsals, though Washington and Seoul have repeatedly said their drills are defensive in nature. In recent years, the United States and South Korea have expanded their military exercises in response to North Korea’s advancing nuclear program. The start of Trump’s second term raises prospects for the revival of diplomacy between the United States and North Korea, as Trump met Kim three times during his first term. The Trump-Kim diplomacy in 2018-19 fell apart due to wrangling over U.S.-led economic sanctions on North Korea. During a Fox News interview broadcast Thursday, Trump called Kim “a smart guy” and “not a religious zealot.” Asked whether he will reach out to Kim again, Trump replied, “I will, yeah.” Many experts say Kim likely thinks he has greater bargaining power than in his earlier round of diplomacy with Trump because of his country’s enlarged nuclear arsenal and deepening military ties with Russia. (AP)