The IDF and Shin Bet have jointly announced that they are actively striking terror targets across the Gaza Strip, targeting Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad assets, including terrorist cells, launch posts, weapons stockpiles, and military infrastructure used to plan and execute attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.
The IDF has released footage showing Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, the Director of Shin Bet Ronen Bar, and Chief of the Israeli Air Force Major General Tomer Bar coordinating and overseeing last night’s wave of airstrikes against Hamas terrorists throughout Gaza.
The IDF issues new Gaza evacuation warnings in Arabic, urging residents from Beit Hanoun in the north to southern towns to move west, calling the red-marked areas “dangerous combat zones” amid Israel’s “massive offensive against Gaza terrorist organizations.”
Hopeful news at gas pumps across the nation… the nation’s average price for a gallon of gas has fallen for the fourth straight week. The national average hovering about $3/gallon… 50 cents less than it was this time last year.
The Otzma Yehudit party, led by ex-National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, will rejoin Israel’s government today, less than two months after leaving Netanyahu’s coalition in January over a potential Hamas ceasefire, with a joint statement from Otzma Yehudit and Likud confirming the far-right faction’s ministers will resume their roles.
Secretary Scott Bessent: “On April 2nd, we are going to produce a list of other countries’ tariffs, and we are going to go to them and say, here’s where we think the tariff levels are, non-tariff barriers, currency manipulation… If you stop this, we will not put up the tariff wall.”
*EARTHBOUND!* Stranded astronauts finally headed home after nine months in space, thanks to President Trump enlisting SpaceX boss Elon Musk for a rescue mission. They’re set to splash down off the Florida coast tonight.
Prime Minister Netanyahu held a situational assessment at IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv with Defense Minister Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and military secretary Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman. Although “security chiefs” were mentioned, footage omitted Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, whom Netanyahu plans to dismiss this week.
YWN has obtained the name for Tehillim for an 11-year-old girl who was struck by a vehicle while riding her bike on Ronald Drive in Monsey. She was rushed to Westchester Medical Center in serious condition. The tzibur is urged to say Tehillim for Roisa Fradel bas Esther Chaya Yittel for a Refuah Sheleimah.
A ceasefire in Russia’s 3-year-old war in Ukraine hinges on Moscow accepting the U.S. proposal of a 30-day pause in fighting as a confidence-building measure for both sides to hammer out a longer-term peace plan. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin will look to delay such a temporary truce with conditions meant to divert the peace process and lengthen the war. Ukraine, which faced pressure to accept the ceasefire after U.S. President Donald Trump blocked military aid and intelligence sharing, expects that he will threaten more sanctions on Moscow to push Putin into accepting the terms. As he disclosed that he will talk to Putin on Tuesday, Trump said that land and power plants are part of the conversation around bringing the war to a close, a process he described as “dividing up certain assets.” But beyond the temporary ceasefire, both sides seem unwilling to make large concessions to the other, and both have red lines that they insist cannot be crossed. A look at the issues: What are Russia’s demands? When Putin launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, he demanded that Ukraine renounce joining NATO, sharply cut its army, and protect Russian language and culture to keep the country in Moscow’s orbit. Now, he also demands that Kyiv withdraw its forces from the four regions Moscow illegally annexed in September 2022 but never fully occupied — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. Russian officials also have said that any peace deal should involve releasing Russian assets that were frozen in the West and lifting other U.S. and European Union sanctions. The Trump administration has proposed putting potential sanctions relief on the table. Along with that, Putin has repeatedly emphasized the need to “remove the root causes of the crisis” — a reference to the Kremlin’s demand to roll back a NATO military buildup near Russian borders that it describes as a major threat to its security. He also argues that Zelenskyy, whose term expired last year, lacks legitimacy to sign a peace deal. Kyiv maintains that elections are impossible to hold amid a war. Trump has echoed Putin’s view, speaking of the need for Ukraine to hold an election. Russian officials also have declared that Moscow won’t accept troops from any NATO members as peacekeepers to monitor a prospective truce. What are Ukraine’s demands? Facing setbacks along the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front, Ukraine has backed away from demanding that its state borders be returned to pre-2014 lines, because it does not have the military force capable of reaching that end. Ukraine is asking for a peace deal cemented with security guarantees from international allies that will ensure that Russia is never able to invade again. In lieu of NATO membership — a long-sought desire by Kyiv that appears to be nearly impossible without U.S. backing — what those guarantees might look like is taking shape in parallel talks led by France and Britain. A “coalition of the willing” envisions European boots on the ground and a strong military response if Russia were to launch a new offensive. Zelenskyy has insisted the Ukrainian army be strengthened to withstand future Russian offensives, a costly endeavor that will require quick and consistent support from international allies. A stockpile of weapons, capable of doing serious damage to Russian assets, is another demand. Kyiv also wants to bolster its domestic arms industry to lessen […]
Al Jazeera reports that at least 20 people were killed in renewed Israeli airstrikes targeting Gaza. According to additional Arabic media sources, the casualties include children. Israeli media outlets report that dozens of targets have been struck, with numerous fighter jets involved in the ongoing operations.
With Pesach fast approaching, Israel’s Agriculture and Finance Ministries have announced an increase in the egg import quota to ensure there’s no shortage during Pesach preparations. The new quota is now set at 105 million eggs, with 40 million already imported, ensuring that residents will have ample supply for all their Yom Tov needs. As in previous years, quotas are adjusted in the months leading up to Pesach to accommodate the surge in demand, which typically peaks between January and April. However, this year’s decision to expand the quota even further comes as egg production has been hit hard by multiple factors, including the ongoing war with Hamas, extreme weather conditions, and outbreaks of bird flu. Israel’s egg supply is primarily sourced from the Galil and Golan Heights, where chicken coops typically produce around 1.6 billion eggs per year—approximately 73% of the country’s total production of 2.2 billion eggs annually. However, due to Hezbollah’s continued provocations and attacks, egg production in the North has suffered, necessitating a greater reliance on imports. Despite these challenges, the ministries assured that the price of eggs will remain steady and that with the increased quota, there is no reason to anticipate a shortage. So while Yidden across Eretz Yisroel begin the daunting task of cleaning, shopping, and preparing for the Chag, they can hopefully rest assured that their egg supply is secure, ensuring that Pesach can be celebrated properly. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The State Department says South Africa’s ambassador to the United States, who was declared “persona non grata” last week, has until Friday to leave the country. After Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool was no longer welcome in the U.S. and posted his decision Friday on social media, South African embassy staff were summoned to the State Department and given a formal diplomatic note explaining the decision, department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. She said Rasool’s diplomatic privileges and immunities expired Monday and that he would be required to leave the United States by Friday. South African Foreign Ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said in a television interview on Monday that Rasool was still in the U.S. but would be leaving as soon as possible. Rubio announced his decision in a post on X as he was flying back to the United States from a Group of 7 foreign ministers meeting in Canada. In it, he accused Rasool of being a “race-baiting politician” who hates President Donald Trump. His post linked to a story by the conservative Breitbart news site about a talk Rasool gave earlier Friday in Johannesburg as part of a South African think tank’s webinar. Rasool, speaking by videoconference, talked about actions taken by the Trump administration in the context of a United States where white people soon would no longer be in the majority. It is highly unusual for the U.S. to expel a foreign ambassador, although lower-ranking diplomats are more frequently targeted with persona non grata status. Rubio’s decision was the latest Trump administration move targeting South Africa. Trump signed an executive order last month halting funding to the country. It criticized the Black-led South African government on multiple fronts, saying it is pursuing anti-white policies at home and supporting “bad actors” in the world like the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Iran. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters on Monday that Rasool would give him a report when he returned home. Ramaphosa said his government has “noted the displeasure that has been expressed by the United States,” and particularly about Rasool’s remarks, but stressed that he believed South Africa was in the process of rebuilding its relationship with the U.S. “This is a hiccup, a hiccup we are working on straightening out,” he said. “We will engage with the United States of America in a formal way,” Ramaphosa said. “We will do so with deep respect for them and for President Trump as well. Our relationship with the United States is going to be put on an even keel, so I would like the people of South Africa not to have sleepless nights.” Bruce said the United States expects a certain level of respect. “We’ve had a decent level of diplomacy with South Africa. There are some challenges, but you want people in each embassy who can actually facilitate a relationship,” she told reporters on Monday. “And these remarks were unacceptable to the United States, not just to the president, but to every American.” The Foreign Ministry spokesman said South Africa intended to raise questions with the U.S. over Rubio seemingly announcing on social media that Rasool was no longer welcome in the U.S. before informing him of the decision. Phiri said South Africa believed such matters should first be discussed […]
