Matzav

A fiery exchange erupted at the White House on Friday when President Donald Trump pushed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to agree to Russia’s latest proposal for ending the war, warning that Vladimir Putin had threatened to “destroy” Ukraine if it refused, according to a report by the Financial Times.

Citing multiple sources, the Financial Times said the meeting quickly spiraled into a shouting match, with Trump “cursing all the time.” He reportedly brushed off military maps outlining Ukraine’s battlefronts, demanded that Zelenskyy give up the entire Donbas region, and repeated several of Putin’s arguments from a conversation the two leaders had held the day before.

Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington had been aimed at securing long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to bolster Ukraine’s defenses, but Trump rejected the request, the report stated. The confrontation resembled a tense February encounter, when Trump and Vice President JD Vance scolded Zelenskyy for what they described as insufficient appreciation toward the United States.

European diplomats who were later briefed on the meeting said Trump echoed Putin’s language, referring to the invasion as a “special operation.” According to the report, Trump told Zelenskyy, “If [Putin] wants it, he will destroy you,” and scoffed at the battlefield maps, remarking, “This red line, I don’t even know where this is. I’ve never been there.”

Putin’s new plan, delivered to Trump the previous day, called for Ukraine to yield portions of the Donbas in return for limited territories in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. This represented a slight modification from the proposal Putin presented during his August meeting with Trump in Alaska, when he demanded full control of Donbas to lock in current front-line positions.

Ukrainian leaders swiftly dismissed the offer. Oleksandr Merezhko, who chairs Ukraine’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee, declared, “To give [the Donbas] to Russia without a fight is unacceptable for Ukrainian society, and Putin knows that.” He added that the entire plan was meant to “cause division within Ukraine and undermine our unity.”

{Matzav.com}

CBS’ “60 Minutes” aired a detailed interview on Sunday evening featuring Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, the two U.S. envoys appointed by President Donald Trump who helped broker the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

“The biggest message that we’ve tried to convey to the Israeli leadership now is that, now that the war is over. If you want to integrate Israel with the broader Middle East, you have to find a way to help the Palestinian people thrive and do better,” Kushner said, emphasizing the administration’s vision for long-term regional stability.

Addressing Hamas’s post-war actions, Kushner remarked, “Hamas right now is doing exactly what you would expect a terrorist organization to do, which is to try to reconstitute and take back their positions.”

He went on to explain, “The success or failure of this will be if Israel and this international mechanism is able to create a viable alternative. If they are successful, Hamas will fail, and Gaza will not be a threat to Israel in the future.”

When asked to clarify President Trump’s statement that “Hamas must disarm, or we will disarm them, perhaps violently,” and whether that suggested the U.S. would send troops into Gaza, Kushner responded, “That’s not the intent. [Trump’s] statement is that he wants to see this done, and he’s fully committed to seeing it done. And– and he’s gonna continue to work hard to make sure that it is completed.”

Pressed by interviewer Lesley Stahl on who would carry out Hamas’s disarmament, Kushner explained, “The agreement is that an International Stabilization Force will build a local Palestinian police force, and there will be an agreement reached between them on how to create a secure and viable Gaza. And by the way, none of the reconstruction money is gonna be going in until you have terror-free zones, because nobody wants to invest this money into a place where it’s just gonna get destroyed again by terrorism.”

Stahl then questioned whether Hamas was cooperating sincerely in the recovery of deceased hostages’ bodies. Kushner replied, “As far as we’ve seen from what’s being conveyed to us from the mediators, they are so far. That could break down at any minute, but right now– we have seen them looking to honor their agreement.”

Witkoff recounted a key moment during negotiations in Egypt where Hamas delegates, including Khalil al-Hayya, participated. Al-Hayya survived an Israeli strike in Doha, but his son was killed. “We expressed our condolences to him for the loss of his son. He mentioned it. And I told him that I had lost a son, and that we were both members of a really bad club, parents who have buried children,” said Witkoff.

Kushner reflected on that scene, saying, “What I saw at that moment was very interesting. You had– we go into a room and you have the Qataris, the Turks, and the Egyptians. And then we meet the four representatives of Hamas, which is a terrorist organization. And I’m looking at these guys and I’m thinking these are hardened guys who have been through two years of war. They’ve obviously, you know– they– they green-lit an assault that raped and murdered and did some of the most barbaric things. They’ve been holding hostages while Gaza’s been, you know, bombed. And they’ve withstood all the suffering. But when Steve and him spoke about their sons, it turned from a negotiation with a terrorist group to seeing two human beings kind of showing a vulnerability with each other.”

Explaining the mechanics of the talks, Witkoff noted, “The Qataris were the interlocutors directly talking to Hamas. But then we were on the phone with the Qataris, the Egyptians, and the Turks. And the notion was to convince everybody that those 20 Israeli hostages who were alive, were no longer assets for Hamas. They were a liability.”

“At the end of the day, it goes back to the issues were pretty simple,” Kushner added. “We wanted the hostages to come out. We wanted a real ceasefire that both sides would respect. We needed a way to bring humanitarian aid into the people. And then we had to write all these complex words to deal with the 50 years of stupid word games that everyone in that region is so used to playing. Both sides wanted the objective. And we just needed to find a way to help everyone get there.”

The pair underscored that President Trump remains fully committed to enforcing the deal, adding, “We will not allow the terms of this deal for any party to be violated. And both sides will be treated fairly.”

An excerpt of the interview had been released the night before, in which Kushner and Witkoff described their shock over Israel’s strike in Qatar. “I think both Jared and I felt, I just feel we felt a little bit betrayed,” said Witkoff.

Kushner described Trump’s reaction to the Israeli operation, noting, “I think he felt like the Israelis were getting a little bit out of control in what they were doing, and that it was time to be very strong and stop them from doing things that he felt were not in their long-term interests.”

In the full broadcast, both envoys commented on Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s apology to the Qataris, rejecting the notion that it was imposed by Trump. “I wouldn’t call it forced. I would say that apology was pivotal. It was the linchpin that got us to the next place. It was really, really important that it happened. And I think we spent– with the president, at his direction, we spent a lot of time discussing it with [Minister Ron] Dermer, discussing it with– Prime Minister Netanyahu. And then the president weighed in,” explained Witkoff.

Kushner added, “President Trump had a great line– at his speech in the Knesset where he said, ‘Bibi’s very tough, but that’s what makes him great.’ And ultimately, Prime Minister Netanyahu wasn’t gonna do anything, or say anything, or agree to anything that he didn’t feel comfortable with. But he knew what needed to be done at that moment to make peace. And I give him a lot of credit for meeting the moment and doing what needed to be done in order to get this deal done.”

“The goal of the phone call was to help things move forward,” Kushner continued. “And now there’s a trilateral mechanism between the countries which didn’t happen before. So this is the first time there’s a formal mechanism now between Israel and Qatar. And I believe over time Israel and Qatar could actually turn out to be incredible allies in the region to advance things forward.”

Witkoff concluded, “The apology needed to happen. It just did. We were not moving forward without that apology. And the president said to him, ‘People apologize.’ – I remember him saying, ‘I apologize sometimes.’”

{Matzav.com}

During a conversation with reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night, President Donald Trump affirmed that the Gaza ceasefire was still active, saying, “Yes, it is.”

He elaborated, “We want to make sure that it’s going to be very peaceful with Hamas and, as you know, they’ve been quite rambunctious.”

“They’ve been doing some shooting, and we think maybe the leadership isn’t involved in that. You know, some rebels within. But either way, it’s going to be it’s going to be handled properly. It’s going to be handled toughly but properly,” Trump continued.

Trump’s remarks followed reports that Hamas had fired an antitank missile at an IDF engineering vehicle, killing two Israeli soldiers—an act that constituted a breach of the ceasefire.

In the wake of the attack, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu ordered the suspension of humanitarian aid to Gaza in retaliation for the violation.

Shortly afterward, Israel announced that it would resume sending humanitarian supplies to Gaza.

Although Hamas has released the 20 surviving hostages it was holding as part of Trump’s Gaza plan, the group has failed to return the bodies of those who were killed, claiming it does not know the whereabouts of most of them.

{Matzav.com}

LISTEN:

​​For more info, email bitachon4life@gmail.com.

LISTEN:

In a major policy shift, the Israeli government announced Sunday that bochurim enrolled in yeshivos who have not enlisted in the IDF will lose their National Insurance benefits starting January 1, 2026.

The decision, revealed in a state submission to the High Court of Justice, follows a previous Supreme Court order requiring the government to terminate these benefits and to clarify within 30 days the timeframe for implementation.

State representatives informed the court that, “after completing discussions between the relevant authorities regarding the necessary transition period, and reviewing the time required for both individual and institutional adjustment, the state will be prepared to implement the updated legal interpretation of the National Insurance Law at the beginning of 2026.”

The move comes as part of the government’s compliance with a petition filed by the Movement for Quality Government, which had demanded an immediate halt to the stipends provided to yeshiva students who have not been formally exempted from military service. The petition argued that “in the absence of a legal framework permitting the non-drafting of students in religious institutions, the state cannot continue to transfer financial support to those not officially exempt.”

The organization welcomed the government’s response, calling it “a significant and faster-than-expected achievement.” Petitioners noted that the relatively short three-month transition period — ending as the new fiscal year begins — would simplify the practical and administrative aspects of the change.

The decision is expected to have far-reaching implications across the chareidi community, affecting thousands of bochurim who currently receive National Insurance benefits as students, as the long-running standoff over ben yeshiva status continues to intensify.

Yerushalayim saw fresh unrest Sunday evening as demonstrators blocked traffic along Bar Ilan Street to protest the recent arrests of bochurim classified by the IDF as draft evaders due to unresolved ben yeshiva status.

According to police, hundreds of protesters gathered at the site, setting bonfires and garbage bins ablaze while hurling stones and other objects at officers. Two policemen sustained light injuries during the clashes.

A senior police officer at the scene issued a dispersal order after participants ignored repeated instructions to clear the roadway. Police said that when the crowd refused to comply, riot control units were forced to deploy measures to disperse the disturbance. Two suspects were arrested and transferred for questioning.

“Even at this hour, police officers together with Border Police forces in Yerushalayim are working to restore order to the area,” authorities stated.

The protest marked yet another outcry against the ongoing arrests of chareidi draft evaders amid the government’s unresolved efforts to formalize the ben yeshiva exemption framework.

Police emphasized that while lawful demonstrations are permitted, “any disorderly conduct, assault on officers, or violent rioting will be dealt with in accordance with the law.”

Footage from the scene shows fires burning along Rechov Bar Ilan as protesters chant and block buses and vehicles, forcing police to seal off surrounding intersections until calm was restored.

President Donald Trump joins ‘Sunday Morning Futures’ to discuss the Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine wars, efforts to strengthen U.S. relations abroad and the push for lasting peace in the Middle East.

WATCH:

During an appearance Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to President Donald Trump to take a tougher stance against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Host Kristen Welker asked, “Part of President Trump’s success with Israel and Hamas was that he applied pressure to all sides. Does President Trump need to get tougher with President Putin?”

Zelensky responded, “Yes. And even more, because Putin is something similar but more strong than Hamas. It’s more bigger war. And he is the second Army in the world and that’s why more pressure.”

Welker followed up by referencing pending U.S. legislation that would penalize nations buying Russian oil and gas. “There’s a bill in Congress that would impose sanctions and tariffs on countries that purchase Russian energy. Is it time for Congress to pass that bill?” she asked.

Zelensky answered, “Yes. Yes. We ask as quick as possible. We ask from Congress sanctions, and we ask to also energy. And we ask him very much. Also support us in the question of children, which is also very sensitive and painful for our nation. Thousands of our children been abducted by Russia. And to recognize Russia’s state of terrorism. It’s the idea of U.S. Congress, not our idea. First of all, it was from Congress and these signals and we’ve been very supportive of this idea.”

President Donald Trump sharply criticized Colombia’s far-left leader Gustavo Petro on Sunday, labeling him an “illegal drug dealer” and announcing that the United States would immediately stop all payments and financial aid to the country.

Trump issued the rebuke in a post on Truth Social, accusing Petro of turning Colombia’s drug trade into its largest industry.

“President Gustavo Petro, of Colombia, is an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields, all over Colombia,” Trump wrote.

“It has become the biggest business in Colombia, by far, and Petro does nothing to stop it, despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America,” he added.

“AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLOMBIA,” Trump declared. “The purpose of this drug production is the sale of massive amounts of product into the United States, causing death, destruction, and havoc.”

Trump then issued a stern warning to Petro, saying that if Colombia’s leadership fails to act, the U.S. will.

“Petro, a low rated and very unpopular leader, with a fresh mouth toward America, better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely,” he concluded.

The comments came just a day after Trump revealed that his administration carried out a targeted strike on “narcoterrorists,” two of whom were nationals of Colombia and Ecuador. The operation reportedly intercepted a vessel carrying a deadly shipment of drugs.

“U.S. Intelligence confirmed this vessel was loaded up with mostly Fentanyl, and other illegal narcotics. There were four known narcoterrorists on board the vessel,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that included footage of the strike.

“Two of the terrorists were killed. At least 25,000 Americans would die if I allowed this submarine to come ashore,” he added. “The two surviving terrorists are being returned to their Countries of origin, Ecuador and Colombia, for detention and prosecution.”

Trump emphasized that his administration “will not tolerate narcoterrorists trafficking illegal drugs, by land or by sea.”

In response, Petro said that one of the men returned to Colombia would face justice there. “We are glad he is alive and he will be prosecuted according to the law,” Petro told AFP.

{Matzav.com}

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed Sunday that the Secret Service discovered a hunting stand overlooking the area where President Donald Trump exited Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida.

“USSS spotted a suspicious stand near the AF1 zone in Palm Beach,” Patel wrote in a post on X, sharing a screenshot of a Fox News report. “The FBI is investigating.”

In comments to Fox News, Patel explained that the Secret Service “discovered what appeared to be an elevated hunting stand” with a clear view of the President’s arrival. He added that “no individuals were located at the scene.”

“Prior to the President’s return to West Palm Beach, USSS discovered what appeared to be an elevated hunting stand within sight line of the Air Force One landing zone,” Patel said, noting that the Federal Bureau of Investigation “has since taken the investigatory lead” into the discovery.

Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told Fox News that agents came upon the structure while performing “advance security preparations” ahead of Trump’s arrival in Palm Beach.

“While we are not able to provide details about the specific items or their intent, this incident underscores the importance of our layered security measures,” Guglielmi said.

The finding comes amid heightened concern for Trump’s safety following two assassination attempts in recent months.

On July 13, 2024, during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks fired from a nearby rooftop with a direct view of the stage. Trump later said he had been “shot with a bullet that pierced” his upper right ear.

Then, on September 15, 2024, Ryan Wesley Routh — who was convicted last month of attempting to assassinate Trump — was caught after a Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of his AK-style rifle “sticking out of the bushes” near Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach.

{Matzav.com}

Despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s insistence Sunday morning that “we will give nothing” to Russia, President Donald Trump pushed back, arguing that conflicts aren’t typically resolved without territory or concessions changing hands.

“Well, he’s going to take something,” Trump said Sunday morning in a televised interview recorded earlier this week after the Zelenskyy meeting at the White House.

“I mean, they fought and he has a lot of property. I mean, yeah, he’s won certain – you say that, he’s won – certain property.”

Trump argued that the United States has a habit of entering wars without securing long-term benefits, and he criticized that approach.

“We’re the only nation that goes in and wins a war and leaves, you know?” Trump said. “Like we did under President [George W.] Bush in the Middle East.

“We go in, we blast the hell out of everybody, destroy the place and then we leave, you know?”

He also invoked his past calls about Syria’s energy resources, saying that when the U.S. stepped into conflicts it often failed to hold strategic assets.

“Remember, I used to say keep the oil?” Trump continued. “I said two things. I said, don’t go in. But then they went in.

“And I said, well, don’t go in, but if you’re going to go in, keep the oil.

“We didn’t keep the oil. What do we do? We blast it to pieces and then we leave, you know? Doesn’t make sense, never made sense.”

{Matzav.com}

A senior Hamas official told Reuters that the terror organization intends to retain security control over Gaza during a transitional stage and cannot guarantee that it will disarm—positions that highlight the serious obstacles facing U.S. efforts to secure a permanent end to the war.

Mohammed Nazzal, a member of Hamas’s politburo, said the group would agree to a ceasefire lasting as long as five years to allow for the rebuilding of Gaza, provided there are assurances that Palestinians are granted “horizons and hope” for eventual statehood.

In an interview from Doha, where Hamas’s leadership is based, Nazzal defended the organization’s recent public executions in Gaza, claiming they were justified. He maintained there are always “exceptional measures” during wartime and alleged that those executed were “criminals guilty of killing.”

Although Hamas has voiced similar positions in the past, the timing of Nazzal’s statements underlines the deep divisions complicating the effort to finalize a lasting truce after the ceasefire’s first phase began, nearly a year after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel.

His comments highlight major differences between Hamas’s stance and the framework outlined in President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, which is expected to guide upcoming talks focused on disarmament and postwar governance.

When asked about Nazzal’s remarks, the Prime Minister’s Office reaffirmed Israel’s adherence to the ceasefire agreement, emphasizing that Hamas has not fulfilled its obligations. “Hamas is supposed to release all hostages in stage 1. It has not. Hamas knows where the bodies of our hostages are. Hamas are to be disarmed under this agreement. No ifs, no buts. They have not. Hamas need to adhere to the 20-point plan. They are running out of time,” it told Reuters.

President Trump’s plan, announced on September 29, called for Hamas to first return all hostages and then disarm, with Gaza’s administration to be transferred to a technocratic council under the oversight of an international transitional authority.

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu publicly backed the proposal, saying it would eliminate Hamas’s military infrastructure, end its political control, and ensure Gaza could never again pose a threat to Israel.

However, the ceasefire agreement signed in Sharm el-Sheikh on October 9 by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and international mediators did not specifically mandate Hamas’s disarmament or the return of all deceased hostages before Israel began releasing Palestinian prisoners.

Despite facing severe military and diplomatic pressure, Hamas continues to resist surrendering its weapons or relinquishing command over Gaza. When asked whether the group would disarm, Nazzal said, “I can’t answer with a yes or no. Frankly, it depends on the nature of the project. The disarmament project you’re talking about, what does it mean? To whom will the weapons be handed over?”

He explained that the question of arms would be part of future discussions involving not only Hamas but also other Palestinian factions, saying the matter “would require Palestinians more broadly to reach a position.”

When Reuters sought comment from Washington, the White House referred the outlet to President Trump’s statements from Thursday.

“We have a commitment from them and I assume they’re going to honor their commitment,” Trump said, noting that Hamas had returned additional bodies, though he did not directly address the issue of disarmament or the group’s continued presence in Gaza.

Nazzal also claimed that Hamas has no interest in keeping the remains of the hostages taken during the October 7 attacks. He said the group has already returned nine of the 28 bodies and blamed ongoing “technical problems” for delays in recovering the rest. He added that “international parties such as Turkey or the US” may assist in the process if necessary.

A Turkish official confirmed last week that Ankara would join a joint task force with Israel, the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt to help locate and recover the remaining bodies.

Hamas agreed on October 4 to transfer governing authority to a technocratic committee and to release all hostages, though it insisted that broader political issues must still be discussed “within a wider Palestinian framework.” All surviving hostages were freed on Monday.

Nazzal concluded that the next stage of negotiations, addressing these outstanding issues, would begin soon.

A senior Hamas operative freed in February as part of the hostage exchange deal following the October 7 massacre is scheduled to appear as a featured speaker at Panteion University in Athens this Wednesday.

According to reports from Kan and Ynet, Abdel Nasser Issa—identified as a top Hamas figure who managed terrorist operations in Yehudah and Shomron—is expected to participate in a panel hosted by several radical organizations, including Gather for Gaza, the Anti-Imperialist Front, the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, and the Masar Badil Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement.

In a statement issued Saturday, Gather for Gaza and Samidoun praised Issa as a “Palestinian national leader, veteran of the resistance movement, and former political prisoner.”

“Join us for a public talk and discussion with Abdel Nasser Issa, a Palestinian national leader and former political prisoner now in exile, to explore the evolving role of the Palestinian diaspora and international solidarity movements in the struggle for liberation from the river to the sea,” the joint statement read.

Organizers say Issa’s address will focus on mobilizing global efforts to advance what he calls the “national liberation struggle,” highlighting how activists and university groups abroad can support the movement.

Reports from Ynet and the Real Price Project indicate that Issa was directly involved in orchestrating two suicide bombings in 1995, which killed 11 people and injured more than 100 others.

The Palestinian Information Center and Al Jazeera note that Issa was captured that same year and sentenced to two life terms, continuing to lead Hamas’s operations among prisoners from within jail. Both Kan and Ynet confirm that Issa was one of the senior operatives released and exiled under the February hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas. The university has not yet responded to inquiries about his scheduled appearance.

Last October, the United States and Canada imposed sanctions on Samidoun, designating it as a front for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a recognized terrorist organization. Several of Samidoun’s senior officials are alleged to be senior PFLP operatives, and its top leadership reportedly helped establish and continues to serve on the executive board of Masar Badil.

{Matzav.com}

Israel Police on Sunday morning arrested a 41-year-old man from Afula on suspicion of running a large-scale travel scam that left dozens of Chabad chassidim stranded as they attempted to travel to New York for the Yomim Nora’im and Tishrei Yomim Tovim.

According to the allegations, the suspect posed as a travel agent and sold what appeared to be flight tickets for trips to and from New York. However, the tickets were later discovered to be either forged or completely fictitious, leaving many travelers without valid travel arrangements.

In recent weeks, police have received numerous reports from across the country describing the same scheme. Each victim said they paid the man thousands of shekels per ticket, trusting that he would arrange their flights, only to find out at the last minute that they had been deceived.

Accounts from those affected reveal the extent of the chaos: some travelers en route to New York were stranded in Athens after learning that their connecting flights didn’t exist; others reached Ben Gurion Airport and discovered there were no reservations under their names. A few even made it to New York but were left without valid return tickets to Eretz Yisroel.

Investigators from the Northern District Police have so far identified 69 victims who collectively lost over 400,000 shekels to the scam.

Early Sunday morning, after gathering sufficient evidence, police conducted a raid on the suspect’s home in Afula. He was taken into custody for questioning and later brought before the Beis Mishpat HaShalom in Nof Hagalil, where police requested an extension of his detention as the investigation continues.

{Matzav.com}

At his first meeting with Shin Bet field coordinators, incoming agency head David Zini made waves by reprimanding one of them for using the term “West Bank,” according to a report by i24News.

During the briefing, one of the coordinators referred to certain operational measures “in the West Bank.” Zini immediately interrupted and told the group that such terminology would no longer be used within the agency.

“What is this ‘West Bank’? From now on you erase that expression from your lexicon – there is only Judea and Samaria,” he said.

Attendees later told reporters that Zini’s comments carried a clear message: “Do not expect me to continue the line of my predecessors.”

Earlier in the day, Zini met with President Isaac Herzog. After their meeting, Zini reflected on the encounter, saying: “I explained to the lads the symbol we stand before here, and I explained to them what statesmanship is that the Presidency symbolizes and maintains in its apolitical role that is greater than all divisions – by virtue of what we rediscovered here 2,000 years ago – we returned only by virtue of unity, by virtue of our deep roots and our great future. We will act with statesmanship, loyal to this people, to this state, to its values, to all its shades and sides with full loyalty and great unity, and out of great comradeship for the security of the state and its citizens.”

He added, “We came here to receive your blessing and on this occasion to tell you that we will act to do everything and be faithful emissaries to this people with all our strength, as we have done up to now. My whole prayer is that the year and its curses end and a year of blessings begin, that you have a happy holiday, to the whole State of Israel – to our wounded, to our captives who will return safely, and to all the families of the fallen, comfort and consolation – and with God’s help may we have a complete victory and the return of peace to our home in all its aspects and shades.”

{Matzav.com}

Israel announced on Sunday evening that humanitarian deliveries to Gaza would soon resume, reversing an earlier decision to halt the shipments after Hamas violated the ongoing ceasefire agreement.

Earlier that day, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu had ordered the IDF to suspend all aid transfers following Hamas’s assault on Israeli troops stationed in Rafah.

A diplomatic official confirmed that the convoys would shortly begin moving again, explaining, “Because of the massive attacks and the dozens of dead on Hamas’ side, Israel stopped the trucks’ travel today; it will renew at the conclusion of the attacks.”

The official further noted that “Rafah Crossing will open only when we see that Hamas is continuing to return the deceased hostages at a reasonable pace.”

Earlier on Sunday, Axios reporter Barak Ravid revealed that the Trump Administration had cautioned Israel against resuming large-scale military operations in response to the ceasefire breach, including the morning’s assault on IDF forces in Rafah.

According to Ravid’s report, U.S. officials advised their Israeli counterparts that the main strategic goal should be “isolating” Hamas and rapidly establishing a viable alternative to its rule in Gaza.

{Matzav.com}

Morton Klein, the National President of the Zionist Organization of America, reacted to the deadly assault in Rafah today (Sunday), saying Hamas’s renewed breaches of the ceasefire pose a direct challenge to the credibility of President Donald Trump.

“In light of Hamas’s new ceasefire violations – yet again attacking Israel and murdering hundreds of their own people, it’s important to remember President Trump’s pledge that if there is a Hamas violation, ‘the U.S. will support Israel doing whatever it needs to do’ in response,” Klein said. “In order for President Trump to maintain his credibility and never be seen as a paper tiger and in the interests of a true peace, we believe that President Trump will support any necessary Israeli response.”

“History has shown us that not responding to an illegal serious action brings war, not peace. The world didn’t respond to Germany illegally taking over the Sudetenland; the U.S. didn’t respond to Iran taking 66 American citizens hostage; In 2021, President Biden stopped Israel from responding properly to 4,500 Hamas rockets against Israel in a few days – Biden threatened to withhold arms from Israel if it didn’t stop its strong retaliation against Hamas. The U.S. and Israel didn’t respond to Yasser Arafat and Abbas violating the Oslo accords by continued terrorism, incitement and paying Arabs to murder Jews and Christians. This week, the Palestinian Authority paid the released terrorists over $70 million for their murder of Jews,” he said.

He warned: “The world must understand Hamas, Qatar, and Turkey agreed to a deal only because Hamas was in trouble with Israel on the verge of destroying them in Gaza City. They viewed this deal as an Islamic Hudna, a temporary ceasefire until Hamas is strong again after it regroups and brings in new Hamas leadership from the 2,000 released terrorist prisoners.”

“It’s also a mistake to allow Qatar and Turkey any real role in overseeing Gaza. Their leaders have supported Hamas, stating that ‘we are all Hamas’ and continuing to give safe harbor to Hamas leaders,” he said.

“This is a religious war against Jews, Christians and the West – it is not about a Palestinian state or economics. The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) strongly supports Israel responding forcefully to finally destroy Hamas by any means necessary, as President Trump has stated and pledged,” Klein concluded.

Officials confirmed that two IDF soldiers were killed this morning in the anti-tank missile strike near Rafah.

{Matzav.com}

The Trump Administration has cautioned Israeli leaders against launching a fresh full-scale offensive in reaction to Hamas breaching the ceasefire, following an incident this morning in Rafah, Axios correspondent Barak Ravid reported.

Officials in Washington told their Israeli counterparts that the priority should be to isolate Hamas and to accelerate efforts to build a viable alternative to its rule in Gaza as quickly as possible.

Earlier today, terrorists from Hamas fired anti-tank weapons at IDF units in Rafah. The IDF confirmed that an anti-tank missile and small-arms fire were directed at troops working to dismantle terrorist infrastructure in the Rafah area of southern Gaza, despite the ceasefire terms.

The Israeli military said it responded by striking the zone to remove the immediate danger and to destroy tunnel shafts and other military installations used for hostile operations.

After the violation, Prime Minister Netanyahu convened with the Defense Minister and top security commanders and ordered robust measures against terrorist targets across the Gaza Strip.

Defense Minister Yisroel Katz stated: “Hamas will learn today the hard way that the IDF is determined to protect its soldiers and to prevent any harm to them. We have instructed the IDF to act with strength against Hamas terror targets in Gaza. Hamas will pay a heavy price for any shootings and any violation of the ceasefire, and if the message is not understood – the intensity of the responses will increase.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir commented on the incident: “I call on the Prime Minister to order the IDF to fully renew combat operations in the Gaza Strip with full force. The false illusions that Hamas will change its ways, or even abide by the agreement it signed, are predictably dangerous to our security. This Nazi terrorist organization must be destroyed completely – the sooner the better.”

{Matzav.com}

Shlomo Abba Kohn’s levayah will be held at 3:30 p.m. at the Lakewood High School in Lakewood, NJ.

WATCH SHLOMO ABBA COHEN’S LEVAYAH HERE.

Chaim Simcha Grossman’s levayah will be held at 5:15 p.m. at the Lakewood High School in Lakewood, NJ.

WATCH CHAIM SIMCHA GROSSMAN’S LEVAYAH HERE.