High-stakes talks between the US and Hamas, held in Doha, Qatar, over the past week, have centered around the possible release of Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old Israeli-American hostage believed to be the last living US citizen held by Hamas in Gaza. Hamas political adviser Taher Nunu confirmed the meetings, saying, “We have dealt positively and flexibly, in a way that serves the interests of the Palestinian people.” His remarks, filled with diplomatic posturing, starkly contrast the brutality Hamas continues to unleash in the region. This extraordinary move by the Trump administration marks a mindboggling shift in policy, breaking a decades-old US stance against negotiating with terrorists. Since 1997, Hamas has been officially designated a terrorist organization by the US government, yet now, American envoys are sitting across the table from the very leaders who orchestrated the slaughter of over 1,200 Israelis and the abduction of hundreds more. Hamas has made it clear that the release of hostages is contingent on Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, an end to the war, and a total ceasefire—essentially granting the terror group total victory. According to Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem, while the group “does not mind” releasing Israeli hostages with American citizenship, it would only happen as part of a “comprehensive agreement.” Israel, meanwhile, has refused to enter phase two of negotiations, recognizing that Hamas’s demands are nothing short of surrender. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has maintained that any agreement requiring Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in exchange for hostages is a non-starter. Instead, Netanyahu has dispatched a delegation to Doha, led by hostage negotiator Gal Hirsch and senior security officials, to hold parallel discussions aimed at securing the release of more than 24 living hostages and the bodies of 35 others still held in Gaza. As the White House ramps up pressure on Israel to agree to a new ceasefire, concerns are growing that the Trump administration is prioritizing American hostages over the dozens of Israeli captives still in Hamas’s hands. US Special Envoy Adam Boehler has downplayed Israel’s opposition to the talks, insisting that his negotiations with Hamas were “coordinated” with Jerusalem—an assertion Israeli officials dispute. “We were blindsided,” one Israeli official told The Times of Israel. “We found out about the talks after they had already begun. This was not coordination—it was an ambush.” Boehler, for his part, appears to be embracing Hamas’s rhetoric, repeatedly referring to Israeli hostages as “prisoners” while using the term “hostages” to describe Palestinian prisoners held in Israel—a move that echoes Hamas’s own propaganda. When pressed about Israeli criticism, Boehler brushed it aside, mocking Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, saying, “If it was a big deal every time Dermer got a little bit upset… Ron might have a lot of big deals every day.” Perhaps the most disturbing revelation from the ongoing negotiations is Hamas’s new proposal, which Boehler has shockingly described as “not a bad first offer.” According to him, Hamas is now offering a five- to ten-year truce with Israel, during which it would disarm and withdraw from political control in Gaza in exchange for a massive prisoner swap. Under this plan, the US and other international actors would be responsible for ensuring Hamas complies. But why should Hamas be trusted? After repeatedly breaking ceasefires, violating agreements, and continuing its relentless pursuit of Israel’s […]
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar held a tense meeting on Thursday, during which Netanyahu urged Bar to resign from his position – but he refused, Channel 12 reported on Sunday. Prime Minister Netanyahu told Bar during the particularly charged meeting: “We waited for the investigation. Now is the time to hand over the keys.” Last week, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar referred to his responsibility for the October 7th failure in closed-door talks, saying: “I have taken responsibility and I intend to fulfill it. But timing is important.” In addition, he stated: “I will not allow the imposition of a Shin Bet chief from outside the organization.” Bar told his employees that he intends to ensure that a state commission of inquiry is established: “The moment I see that this is happening, I will want to pass the baton to one of my two excellent deputies.” Last week, the Prime Minister’s Office launched an unprecedented attack against Bar following the publication of the organization’s internal investigation into the failures that led to the October 7th attack. According to sources in Netanyahu’s circle, the investigation is an attempt to blur the failure of the Shin Bet itself and deflect the blame towards the political echelon. Sources in Netanyahu’s circle said that the findings of the investigation do not reflect the magnitude of the failure and that Bar completely failed in dealing with Hamas, both in recent years and in the hours before October 7th. They added that the Shin Bet was captive to a flawed conception and did not correctly interpret the intelligence picture. In the situational assessment conducted on October 1, 2023, Bar recommended granting civilian benefits to Hamas in exchange for calm. In another intelligence assessment presented on October 3, the Shin Bet claimed that Hamas wants to avoid a battle against Israel and even emphasized Israel’s potential to maintain stability in Gaza by providing economic opportunities to the residents of the Strip. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
BREAKING: Multiple medics and ambulances are on the scene of a reported plane crash in Manheim Township, Pennsylvania. Multiple victims are being reported.
A masked thief struck The Hustle Wig in Brooklyn in the dead of night, making off with over $30,000 worth of premium hat wigs and supplies in a brazen two-part heist. Surveillance footage captured the suspect—a lone individual on a Citi Bike—arriving at the popular wig retailer at approximately 3:00 AM on Tuesday. With methodical precision, he picked the lock and slipped inside, swiftly loading high-value wigs and supplies onto his bicycle before vanishing into the night. Two hours later, at 5:00 AM, the thief returned for another round, this time grabbing even more inventory along with an assortment of unexpected items—including a panini machine and a first aid kit. Authorities were alerted immediately, and a detective is now working closely with The Hustle Wig to track down the perpetrator. While the crime has been classified as grand theft due to the staggering value of the stolen goods, police do not believe this was a targeted attack. The business is urging anyone with information about the break-in to come forward. Meanwhile, The Hustle Wig remains undeterred, pushing forward with the same energy and commitment that has made it a trusted name in the industry. A video of the crime is available below. If you recognize the suspect or have any relevant information, contact local law enforcement immediately. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Canada’s Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Trump’s 51st state statements: “I joked around and said yeah he’s upset because we burnt the White House down in 1812. Then I thought boy, he’s serious.”
PHOTOS: Thousands of Belzer Chasidim accompanied the son of the Belzer Rebbe home on Motzei Shabbos, following a Shabbos of Achdus. As YWN reported, HaRav Aharon Mordechai Rokeach arrived in NY on Friday morning.
PHOTOS: Thousands attended the Levaya Of HaGaon HaRav Zev Berlin ZT’L, Rosh Yeshivah Gaon Yaakov, and a son-in-law of Maran Hagaon HaRav Shteinman ZT’L. (Photos for YWN by Shuki Lerer)
SPRING VALLEY: Firefighters and other emergency personnel are on the scene of a structure fire in the first-floor living room of an apartment building at 32 Franklin Court, near South Main Street. All residents have been safely evacuated.
Democrat Stephen Smith once again went on a bashing spree against his fellow democrats. His latest outburst was attacking the despicable behavior by the Democrats last week during president trump’s address to a joint session of Congress. “You got the Democrats showing up for Trump’s address to both houses of Congress looking like fools! … Got a representative like Al Green … looking incredibly immature and undisciplined … And then these people holding up their signs … All you did was give the impression anything that Trump favors you’re against. Wow, way to show the American people on the left you’re ready to go do your job … Republicans, you have them reeling. The Democrats are reeling. They are falling backwards. It’s bad!” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Federal immigration authorities have arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a notorious Palestinian “activist” and ringleader of Columbia University’s disruptive anti-Israel encampment movement. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, acting on a State Department order, swooped into Khalil’s university-owned apartment near Columbia’s Manhattan campus, taking him into custody for his role in stoking unrest on university campuses. Khalil’s attorney, Amy Greer, whined to The Associated Press that ICE agents informed her they were executing a State Department directive to revoke Khalil’s student visa. When Greer pointed out that Khalil, who graduated in December, held a green card as a permanent resident, the agents delivered a crushing blow: that privilege was being stripped away too. And rightly so—Khalil’s relentless agitation against Israel’s justified war in Gaza has no place in a nation that cherishes freedom and security. The arrest comes as President Donald Trump boldly vows to deport foreign students and jail agitators who dare to undermine Israel’s fight against terrorism. The administration has zeroed in on Columbia University, a hotbed of radical anti-Israel activity, slashing $400 million in grants and contracts on Friday due to the Ivy League school’s shameful failure to stamp out rampant antisemitism. Greer complained that authorities refused to disclose to Khalil’s wife—eight months pregnant—why her husband was detained. But such details are irrelevant when national security and the defense of democratic principles are at stake. Khalil has since been transferred to an immigration detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey. “We have not been able to get any more details about why he is being detained,” Greer moaned to The AP. “This is a clear escalation.” Indeed, it is—an escalation of justice. The administration is making good on its promise to crack down on those who abuse their status to foment chaos, and ICE deserves applause for its efficiency and courage. A Columbia spokesperson bleated that law enforcement must produce a warrant to enter university property but declined to confirm whether one was presented—perhaps a sign of the school’s reluctance to admit its complicity in harboring radicals like Khalil. Khalil had arrogantly positioned himself as a leading figure in Columbia’s pro-Palestinian crusade, negotiating on behalf of students who erected tents on campus last spring to protest Israel’s efforts to defend itself against Hamas. In September, he brazenly told The Associated Press that the protests would persist “as long as Columbia continues to invest and to benefit from Israeli apartheid”—a baseless smear against a democratic nation fighting for survival. Now, thanks to ICE’s decisive action, this provocateur’s days of sowing discord appear to be numbered. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin has been appointed by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir as the next IDF spokesman. The appointment was approved by Defense Minister Israel Katz.
BREAKING: ICE has taken Mahmoud Khalil into custody, a recent Columbia University graduate known for his anti-Israel stance. Khalil is said to have participated in the occupation of a Barnard College building last week and reportedly played a leading role in an encampment at Columbia the previous year, which caused weeks of disruption on campus.
Senator Rick Scott: “People are fed up with wasteful government spending. We’ve had a 2% increase in population in five years and a 53% increase in spending. We will not get interest rates down, we will not get inflation under control until we balance the budget.”
North Korea unveiled for the first time a nuclear-powered submarine under construction, a weapons system that can pose a major security threat to South Korea and the U.S. The state media agency on Saturday released photos showing what it called “a nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine,” as it reported leader Kim Jong Un’s visits to major shipyards where warships are built. The Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, didn’t provide details on the submarine, but said that Kim was briefed on its construction. The naval vessel appears to be a 6,000-ton-class or 7,000-ton-class one which can carry about 10 missiles, said Moon Keun-sik, a South Korean submarine expert who teaches at Seoul’s Hanyang University. He said that the use of the term “the strategic guided missiles” meant it would carry nuclear-capable weapons. “It would be absolutely threatening to us and the U.S.,” Moon said. U.S. National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said that “we’re aware of these claims and do not have additional information to provide at this time. “The U.S. is committed to the complete denuclearization of North Korea,” Hughes said. A nuclear-powered submarine was among a long wish list of sophisticated weaponry that Kim vowed to introduce during a major political conference in 2021 to cope with what he called escalating U.S.-led military threats. Other weapons were solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, spy satellites and multi-warhead missiles. North Korea has since performed a run of testing activities to acquire them. North Korea obtaining a greater ability to fire missiles from underwater is a worrying development, because it’s difficult for its rivals to detect such launches in advance. Questions about how North Korea, a heavily sanctioned and impoverished country, could get resources and technology to build nuclear-powered submarines have surfaced. Moon, the submarine expert, said that North Korea may have received Russian technological assistance to build a nuclear reactor to be used in the submarine in return for supplying conventional weapons and troops to support Russia’s war efforts against Ukraine. He also said that North Korea could launch the submarine in one or two years to test its capability before its actual deployment. North Korea has an estimated 70-90 diesel-powered submarines in one of the world’s largest fleets. However, they are mostly aging ones capable of launching only torpedoes and mines, not missiles. In 2023, North Korea said that it had launched what it called its first “ tactical nuclear attack submarine,” but foreign experts doubted the North’s announcement and speculated that it was likely a diesel-powered submarine disclosed in 2019. Moon said that there has been no confirmation that it has been deployed. North Korea has conducted a slew of underwater-launched ballistic missile tests since 2016, but all launches were made from the same 2,000-ton-class submarine which has a single launch tube. Many experts call it a test platform, rather than an operational submarine in active service. In recent days, North Korea has been dialing up its fiery rhetoric against the U.S. and South Korea before their upcoming annual military drills set to start on Monday. During his visits to the shipyards, Kim said that North Korea aims to modernize water-surface and underwater warships simultaneously. He stressed the need to make “the incomparably overwhelming warships fulfill their mission” to contain “the inveterate gunboat diplomacy of the hostile […]
Hagaon HaRav Shmuel Kamenetzky shlit”a, the zkan roshei yeshiva of America, remains hospitalized after being admitted for medical treatment and evaluation on Shabbos. The Yeshiva of Philadelphia says that the venerated rosh yeshiva’s condition is “stable and improving.” “We look forward to him coming home in a few days,” the yeshiva says. Please continue to daven for Shmuel ben Itta Ettel b’soch sh’ar cholei yisroel. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
