Matzav

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.

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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.

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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.

Matan Angrest, who was released from Hamas captivity in Gaza, opened up about his harrowing yet deeply spiritual experience during his time in the hands of terrorists. Speaking with Shai Graucher, Angrest described how he maintained his faith and sanity through davening, song, and immersion in Torah study.

“I sang songs to myself, davened Shacharis, Minchah, and Maariv every day using a siddur I found, and we had five Chumashim that I read at least twenty times,” he recounted.

Angrest also revealed a striking personal connection to the parsha with which he celebrated his bar mitzvah, Parshas Mikeitz. “It says there, ‘Mikeitz shnosayim yomim—At the end of two full years,’” he said. “Those words took on a whole new meaning for me.”

He added that when the time came for his release, Hamas refused to let him take his siddur or Chumash with him. “I wanted to bring them with me,” he said softly, “but they didn’t allow it.”

{Matzav.com}

Swiss athletic brand On is being taken to court by U.S. consumers who allege that the company’s pricey running shoes make an “embarrassing” squeaking sound with every step.

The lawsuit targets the brand’s “CloudTec” line — sneakers that sell for about $200 (£150) and are marketed as offering a sensation of “running on clouds.” Instead, the complaint says, they have become a source of frustration for customers, particularly nurses and other professionals who wear them for long shifts.

“No reasonable consumer would purchase Defendant’s shoes – or pay as much for them as they did – knowing each step creates an audible and noticeable squeak,” the plaintiffs stated in their filing.

On, which did not immediately respond to questions from the BBC, has so far declined to comment on the lawsuit. The class action case was filed on October 9 in the U.S. District Court in Oregon.

According to the plaintiffs, several On models are nearly unusable unless owners make “significant DIY modifications.” They accused the company of misleading consumers through “deceptive marketing.”

The group also claims they were denied refunds after reporting the problem, despite the ongoing noise issue, and are now seeking both compensation and reimbursement.

The complaint argues that On could have “fixed the design, and/or offered to fix the shoes or [given] consumers their money back but did none of those things,” referencing models like the Cloudmonster and Cloudrunner among the defective products.

One customer wrote that she was “no longer able to use her shoes as intended due to the embarrassment and annoyance,” saying the squeaking sound made wearing them in public intolerable.

The filing cites numerous social media posts from dissatisfied buyers on TikTok and Reddit, many of whom suggested home remedies to quiet the noise — including rubbing coconut oil on the soles.

On, which counts tennis legend Roger Federer among its investors, has been riding a wave of commercial success. In August, the company announced stronger-than-expected earnings driven by a surge in direct-to-consumer purchases.

Earlier this year, the brand said its Cloudmonster and Cloudsurfer models had played a “significant” role in its expanding sales — the very shoes now at the center of the class action complaint.

{Matzav.com}

The International Criminal Court in The Hague ruled to throw out Israel’s appeal seeking to void the arrest warrants issued for Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The warrants were tied to allegations of war crimes stemming from Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

According to Agence France-Presse, the panel of judges concluded that “the issue, as framed by Israel, is not an appealable issue.” Israel had petitioned the court in May to revoke the warrants while a broader legal question—whether the ICC even has jurisdiction to handle the case—was still under consideration. Israel is not a member of the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.

In mid-July, the court declined Israel’s initial request, declaring that there was “no legal basis” for it. A week later, Israel asked permission to appeal that determination. The ICC issued its latest decision on Friday, releasing a 13-page document that formally dismissed the appeal, AFP reported.

The question of the court’s jurisdiction remains unresolved, with ICC judges continuing to deliberate that matter separately. Meanwhile, in June, the United States imposed sanctions on two of the three judges from the ICC’s pretrial chamber who had authorized the arrest warrants. The move was in response to their approval of the request made by Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan.

Khan himself is currently on leave amid an internal investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct, including claims that he attempted to dissuade a victim from speaking out by warning it could harm his prosecution of Israel. He had already been sanctioned by Washington for pursuing the arrests of Netanyahu and Gallant.

Reports indicate that those sanctions have created serious operational challenges both for Khan personally and for the court at large. Netanyahu has condemned the entire case, stating, “Now Khan has since been suspended, but his preposterous arrest warrants and his patently false charges against Israel have not been removed. They should be removed and removed immediately for justice and for truth to prevail.”

The prime minister blasted Khan’s accusations that he and Gallant used starvation as a weapon and intentionally targeted civilians, calling them baseless and detached from reality. “Israel has let in more than 2 million tons of aid into Gaza. That’s 1 ton of aid per person and, by the way, Hamas stole much of it,” Netanyahu pointed out, emphasizing that the Israel Defense Forces have also “sent millions of texts and phone messages to Palestinian civilians urging them to get out of harm’s way.”

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Britain’s media regulator issued a rare formal sanction against the BBC on Friday, ruling that one of its Gaza documentaries had “materially misled” viewers by concealing the fact that the teenage narrator’s father was a senior Hamas official.

Ofcom, the UK’s broadcasting authority, said the program violated its Broadcasting Code and “had the potential to erode the very high levels of trust audiences would have expected” from a factual news production about the conflict. The watchdog ordered the BBC to publicly acknowledge its findings during the network’s 9 p.m. newscast.

“Breaches of the code that have resulted in the audience being materially misled have always been considered by Ofcom to be among the most serious that can be committed by a broadcaster, because they go to the heart of the relationship of trust between a broadcaster and its audience,” the regulator said in its statement.

The controversy centers on Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone, a documentary the BBC previously admitted contained “serious flaws” and later removed from its online player. The network had already issued an apology before Ofcom’s ruling.

On Friday, the BBC said the regulator’s conclusions were consistent with its own internal inquiry, which had identified a “significant failing” to uphold its editorial accuracy standards. The broadcaster confirmed it would comply with the sanction.

The program featured narration by 13-year-old Abdullah, whose father, Ayman Alyazouri, serves as Hamas’s deputy agriculture minister in Gaza — a fact that was never disclosed to viewers.

The BBC explained that the production company behind the film, Hoyo Films, bore the primary responsibility for the omission, as it had failed to inform BBC producers about Alyazouri’s role. Hoyo Films has since apologized for the oversight.

The broadcaster faced a wave of backlash over the episode — receiving hundreds of complaints from viewers accusing it of anti-Israel bias, as well as hundreds more protesting the documentary’s removal. Director-General Tim Davie acknowledged both sets of complaints while addressing Parliament earlier this year.

{Matzav.com}

In the context of the U.S.-brokered Israel-Hamas ceasefire that went into effect last week, Israel has released 250 Palestinian terrorists who were serving at least one life sentence for murder. Of those, 160 are now millionaires thanks to the Palestinian Authority’s “pay-for-slay” program, having been paid over 1 million shekels during their imprisonment, according to Palestinian Media Watch.

The 160 released terrorists collectively received at least 229.5 million shekels ($70 million) from the P.A., according to PMW. The other 90 also received a significant sum.

PMW noted that the figure excludes additional stipends for family members, meaning the total payouts were likely far higher.

“The Palestinian Authority ensures that it very much pays to slay,” PMW stated.

“Any government that spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year rewarding terrorists should be designated for what it is—a terror organization,” PMW founder and director Itamar Marcus told JNS.

“Yet the Palestinian Authority, which openly funds and glorifies terrorists, continues to enjoy international legitimacy and generous Western support,” he added.

“Shockingly, instead of cutting ties, the European Union and many European countries partner with the P.A. by paying its civil servants’ salaries—a scheme that frees up the P.A.’s other funds to pay monthly salaries to imprisoned terrorists. This is not legitimate foreign aid; it’s complicity in terror,” he told JNS.

Israel has released a total of 1,950 terrorists as part of the exchange for 20 Israeli hostages and 28 bodies, not all of which have been returned, a “blatant violation” of the agreement, according to Israel’s Defense Minister Yisroel Katz.

Among the released terrorists are:

Maher Abu-Surur, who murdered Haim Nachmani, 29, a Shin Bet agent, in 1993.

Jihad A-Karim Azziz-Rom, who killed Yuri Gushchin, 18, in 2001, and took part in the 2000 Ramallah lynching of two Israeli soldiers.

Mohammad Imran, sentenced to 13 life terms for masterminding a 2002 Kiryat Arba ambush that killed 12 Israelis.

Imad Qawasmeh, serving 16 life sentences for the 2004 Beersheva bus bombings that killed 16 people.

Qassem Aref Khalil al-Asafreh, arrested in 2019 for the stabbing murder of yeshiva student Dvir Sorek, 18, in Gush Etzion.

In February, PMW posted a list of the 734 terrorists released in an earlier ceasefire agreement with Hamas, together with their “salaries”—the dollar amounts each terrorist received from the P.A.’s so-called Martyrs’ Fund while incarcerated.

In total, the terrorists received $141,837,087, or more than half a billion shekels. Of those, 316, or nearly half, received more than a million shekels each. JNS

{Matzav.com}

The Israel Defense Forces announced late Sunday that two soldiers were killed during clashes in southern Gaza.

Major Yaniv Kula, 26, of Modi’in-Maccabim-Reut, who served as a company commander in the 932nd Battalion of the Nahal Brigade, was killed in action in the southern Gaza Strip.

Also falling in the same encounter was Staff Sergeant Itay Yavetz, 21, from the same city. He served as a combat soldier in the Erez Leadership Program, also within the 932nd Battalion of the Nahal Brigade.

During the same confrontation in which Major Kula and Staff Sergeant Yavetz lost their lives, a reservist from the Combat Engineering Heavy Equipment Unit (TZAMA) of the Gaza Brigade sustained critical injuries.

The wounded soldier was transported to a hospital for emergency medical care. The IDF stated that his family has been informed of his condition.

According to preliminary findings, the incident began when terrorists emerged from a tunnel shaft in Rafah at approximately 10:30 a.m. and launched an anti-tank missile at an IDF engineering vehicle.

Moments later, terrorist snipers opened fire at a second engineering vehicle. Within minutes, additional sniper fire targeted IDF personnel operating nearby.

In response to the attack, Israeli forces launched strikes against the area, aiming to neutralize the threat and destroy the tunnel shafts and other terrorist infrastructure. The IDF emphasized that, “These terrorist actions constitute a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement, and the IDF will respond firmly.”