Matzav

Iran is prepared to explore concessions in its nuclear negotiations with the United States, but only if Washington is willing to put sanctions relief on the table, according to Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi.

In remarks aired Sunday in an interview with the BBC, Takht-Ravanchi stressed that meaningful progress depends on the United States demonstrating genuine intent to reach an agreement.

“The ball is in America’s court to prove that they want to do a deal,” Takht-Ravanchi told the British broadcaster. “If they are sincere, I’m sure we will be on the road to an agreement.”

His comments come as the two countries prepare for another round of talks and against a backdrop of heightened tensions. The United States has expanded its military footprint in the Middle East, and officials have warned that military action remains an option if diplomacy fails to rein in Iran’s nuclear program.

President Donald Trump has previously cautioned that Iran could face strikes and ordered an increased American military presence in the region following Tehran’s deadly suppression of anti-government demonstrations that reportedly left thousands dead.

Another session of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear activities is scheduled to take place Tuesday in Geneva. Takht-Ravanchi characterized the initial discussions as “more or less in a positive direction,” while emphasizing that it is “too early to judge.”

A central dispute in the talks involves Iran’s accumulation of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity — a level approaching weapons-grade material and one that has intensified international concern about Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Takht-Ravanchi indicated that Iran is open to addressing its enriched uranium reserves, but only within a broader framework that includes lifting sanctions.

“We are ready to discuss this and other issues related to our program if they are ready to talk about sanctions,” he told the BBC.

When asked whether Iran might again transfer enriched uranium abroad — as it did under the 2015 nuclear agreement that Trump exited in 2018 — Takht-Ravanchi declined to make any commitments, saying, “It is too early to say what will happen in the course of negotiations.”

Tehran has consistently insisted that discussions remain limited to nuclear matters. Takht-Ravanchi explained that Iran believes Washington now recognizes that narrowing the focus is essential to reaching a deal. “Our understanding is that they have come to the conclusion that if you want to have a deal you have to focus on the nuclear issue.” He suggested this marks a departure from earlier U.S. demands that Iran halt all enrichment — a position Tehran argues violates its rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Takht-Ravanchi also reaffirmed that Iran will not negotiate over its ballistic missile arsenal. The United States has pressed for missile restrictions, citing concerns shared by Israel, which views Iran’s missile program as a significant security threat. Defending Iran’s stance, he said, “When we were attacked by Israelis and Americans, our missiles came to our rescue so how can we accept depriving ourselves of our defensive capabilities?”

Although he voiced guarded hope that diplomacy could succeed, Takht-Ravanchi acknowledged lingering mistrust, pointing to what he described as inconsistent messaging from Washington, especially comments from Trump about regime change. “We are hearing that they are interested in negotiations… but we are not hearing that in the private messages,” he said.

He warned that a new armed conflict would have severe repercussions across the region. “If we feel this is an existential threat, we will respond accordingly.”

Even with tensions running high, Takht-Ravanchi maintained that Iran remains committed to pursuing a negotiated outcome. “We will do our best but the other side also has to prove that they are also sincere,” he concluded.

The IDF now believes that Hamas’s military wing used a string of emojis as the coded order to initiate the October 7 massacre. The conclusion was reached after Israeli forces examined mobile phones taken from Nukhba terrorists during the assault.

Security officials said the same emoji combination discovered on those devices had appeared in two earlier episodes — in September 2022 and again in April 2023 — when Hamas had been preparing major attacks that were ultimately called off.

Investigators determined that in the hours leading up to the invasion of Israeli communities near the Gaza border, a prearranged message was distributed to operatives through WhatsApp. Only after reviewing the intelligence did it become evident that this message was the cue for militants to head to mosques and ready themselves for the operation.

According to the assessment, once the message was received, the terrorists gathered either at mosques or at other predetermined meeting locations, where commanders issued final instructions.

From there, some made their way to underground compounds to collect combat equipment, while others went to weapons depots, put on uniforms and tactical vests, and armed themselves with firearms and additional supplies.

The IDF stated that during the two prior instances in which the identical emoji sequence was detected, Hamas did not follow through with its plans, partly because of disagreements within the organization.

Senior military officials conceded that, before October 7, they would not have recognized preparations for a sweeping cross-border assault or the activation of Hamas’s so-called “Jericho Wall” strategy.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., ignited controversy at the Munich Security Conference on Friday by asserting that American assistance to Israel had facilitated what she described as a genocide in Gaza. Her remarks were delivered in Munich, the city historically associated with the rise of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi movement, which carried out the Holocaust.

Her comments criticizing Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza prompted swift condemnation from military analysts, scholars, and Middle East specialists. Israel’s ongoing war effort began after Hamas — designated as a terrorist organization by both the United States and the European Union — launched its Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israeli communities, killing more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals and kidnapping 251 people who were taken into Gaza.

Speaking during a town hall discussion, Ocasio-Cortez said, “To me, this isn’t just about a presidential election. Personally, I think that the United States has an obligation to uphold its own laws, particularly the Leahy laws. And I think that personally, that the idea of completely unconditional aid, no matter what one does, does not make sense. I think it enabled a genocide in Gaza. And I think that we have thousands of women and children dead that don’t, that was completely avoidable.”

She added, “And, so I believe that enforcement of our own laws through the Leahy laws, which requires conditioning aid in any circumstance, when you see gross human rights violations, is appropriate.”

The Leahy Laws, first introduced in 1997 by former Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., bar the Department of Defense and the State Department from providing funding to foreign security force units when credible evidence exists that those units have committed “gross violations of human rights.”

Tom Gross, an international affairs analyst, sharply criticized Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks in comments to Fox News Digital. “AOC has flown all the way to Munich — infamous as the city in which Hitler staged his Nazi Beer Hall Putsch that marked the beginning of the road to the Holocaust — in order to smear the Jewish people further with a phony genocide allegation.”

Gross continued, “Such preposterous allegations of ‘genocide’ form the bedrock of modern antisemitic incitement against Jews in the U.S. and globally. This shocking ignorance and insensitivity by Ocasio-Cortez should rule her out of any potential presidential bid or other high office.”

Specialists in military history and genocide studies have also challenged the claim that Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to genocide. They argue that the legal definition under international law requires specific intent to eliminate a protected group, a threshold they contend has not been met.

Danny Orbach, a military historian at Hebrew University of Jerusalem and co-author of “Debunking the Genocide Allegations: A Reexamination of the Israel-Hamas War from October 7 2023, to June 1, 2025,” told Fox News Digital that Ocasio-Cortez’s allegation is an “accusation that is incorrect both factually and legally. Under the Genocide Convention, genocide requires proof of a special intent to destroy a protected group, in whole or in part, and as a baseline condition, an active effort to maximize civilian destruction.

“The evidence shows the opposite: as demonstrated in our multi-author study Debunking the Genocide Allegations, Israel undertook unprecedented measures to mitigate civilian harm, including establishing humanitarian safe zones that independently verified data show were approximately six times safer than other areas of Gaza.”

Orbach further stated, “Israel also issued detailed advance warnings before strikes and facilitated the entry of over two million tons of humanitarian aid, often at significant cost to its own military advantage, including the loss of surprise and the sustainment of an enemy during wartime.”

He concluded, “These measures were taken despite Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, its systematic use of human shields and hospitals for military purposes, and a tunnel network exceeding 1,000 kilometers — an operational challenge without historical precedent. Finally, no credible evidence demonstrates the kind of unambiguous, exclusive genocidal intent toward Palestinians that international law requires and that cannot be reasonably interpreted otherwise.”

Conservative commentator Derek Hunter also weighed in, writing on X, “Imagine going to Germany to complain about a fake genocide by Jews…in Munich, of all places. @AOC is about as smart as clogged toilet.”

In December 2024, Germany aligned with the United States in formally rejecting claims that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide.

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Bnei Brak City Council Director-General Yisroel Ehrenstein has sharply criticized police conduct surrounding the unrest in the city, suggesting that the escalation may not have been accidental. In an interview outlining the sequence of events, Ehrenstein argued that the initial confrontation could have been avoided and questioned the manner in which both the military police soldiers and later police reinforcements handled the situation.

According to Ehrenstein, the episode began when two female military police soldiers entered Hagai Street in Bnei Brak. He said the municipality has yet to receive a clear, official explanation regarding the purpose of their visit. “It all starts when two soldiers enter Bnei Brak. We still have not received an orderly briefing explaining why they came and what the objective was,” he said.

He described the initial interaction as verbal provocation involving a small group of youths. “Apparently they encountered a small group of young people — a fringe, as we know there are extremists in Bnei Brak,” he stated. Ehrenstein claimed that local residents attempted to defuse the situation and advised the soldiers to leave the area in order to prevent tensions from rising. “People approached them and said it might be better to leave so there would not be a disturbance,” he said. “They chose to remain and effectively escalate the event. Based on how it later developed, either it was intentional, or there was some process aimed at reaching a certain outcome.”

Ehrenstein maintained that at the outset, the situation was still manageable and had not yet spiraled into violence. Even a motorcyclist who approached the area was reportedly told to leave, and tensions had not yet boiled over. However, he said that within a short time, large numbers of police forces began arriving, which in his view intensified the situation. While emphasizing that the city generally works in close coordination with local policing authorities, he argued that this time outside forces unfamiliar with the city were deployed.

He leveled particularly strong criticism at what he described as the conduct of some of those units. “They brought in forces not connected to the area who behaved in a disgraceful manner,” he asserted. Referring to municipal security camera footage, he claimed to have seen instances in which residents who were not involved in any disturbances were treated harshly. “They take a woman who is simply standing on the side, trembling in fear, and throw her to the ground. It’s horrifying,” he said.

At the same time, Ehrenstein made clear that the municipality condemns any violence by residents. “Of course we condemn any form of violence. It is not our way to set motorcycles on fire or overturn police vehicles,” he stressed, adding that those involved represent only a small minority and not the overwhelming majority of Bnei Brak’s residents.

He also pushed back against public descriptions of the incident as a “lynching,” calling that characterization a gross distortion. “To call this a lynching by the residents of Bnei Brak — that word is so far removed,” he said. He added that he reviewed footage showing what he described as harm to uninvolved individuals, including children and women. “I saw how they acted toward an eight-year-old child when a stun grenade exploded near him, a woman being humiliated, and a young boy wearing tefillin returning from cheder being taken even though he did nothing,” he said.

Ehrenstein emphasized that Bnei Brak is a densely populated city, particularly in the afternoon hours when thousands of children and kollel members fill the streets. “During those hours the streets are packed,” he noted, arguing that forceful policing tactics in such an environment heighten the risk of unnecessary escalation and harm to innocent bystanders.

He concluded by saying that city leadership is working to restore calm and renew coordination with law enforcement. The mayor, he said, has spoken with the district commander to ensure that future sensitive incidents are handled in a manner suited to the city’s unique character. The primary goal, Ehrenstein said, is to prevent further violence, restore residents’ sense of security, and return to responsible, coordinated management of public order.

{Matzav.com}

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s upcoming “rental ripoff” hearings are facing backlash after it was revealed that residents of public housing will not be permitted to testify — despite long-standing complaints that the agency overseeing those units is among the city’s most troubled landlords.

The administration is set to hold its first public session on Feb. 26. While promoted as an opportunity for tenants to raise concerns, the hearings will be limited to disputes involving renters and landlords in privately owned buildings. The roughly 500,000 residents living in properties managed by the New York City Housing Authority will not be included in the formal testimony process.

Landlords and housing advocates criticized the city for excluding NYCHA residents while encouraging tenants in private buildings to appear and speak about alleged abuses, including so-called “rental junk fees” tied to amenities such as pet ownership.

“The city’s own tenants—those living in public housing—are demanding a real plan to improve their living conditions,” said Humberto Lopes, CEO of Gotham Housing Alliance. “It appears the Mamdani administration woke up to their own hypocrisy.

“If these hearings were truly about holding bad landlords accountable, the over 500,000 residents in NYCHA would be able to meaningfully participate,” Lopes added. “This is clearly the city trying to distract from its own failures while putting on a show, instead of having a real conversation with property owners, renters, NYCHA residents, and everyone else about how to improve housing for all.”

Following criticism, the mayor’s office revised language on its website, adding a question-and-answer section responding to: “Are these hearings for NYCHA residents too?”

“While these hearings focus on price gouging and living conditions for private-market renters, senior leadership and staff from NYCHA will be on-site to ensure that residents can submit in-apartment repair requests, file heat/hot water complaints, or discuss development-wide issues,” the updated note said.

“In the coming months, our administration will release a housing plan focused on improving housing quality for all New Yorkers, including those in public housing.”

NYCHA has repeatedly been labeled the city’s poorest-performing landlord in annual reports issued by the public advocate’s office.

In 2019, the agency was placed under federal oversight due to dangerous living conditions and controversies that included falsely certifying inspections.

Mamdani pushed back against claims that the hearings should cover public housing, arguing that his administration is pursuing multiple strategies to address housing problems citywide.

“So we are going to be approaching the housing crisis in a wide variety of ways. One of those are these rental rip off hearings,” Mamdani told reporters Sunday at an unrelated event on Coney Island.

The mayor also pointed to what he described as years of inadequate federal funding for NYCHA, noting the authority’s massive capital needs.

“We will also continue to work with NYCHA residents to ensure that they are being delivered the quality of service they’ve long been denied,” Mamdani said. “And while we know that so much of the reason that NYCHA residents are living through a system that requires around $80 billion of capital improvements. By last count, is a lack of commitment from the federal government.”

Still, Lopes and other opponents argue that limiting the hearings to private housing reflects what they see as a flawed housing agenda. Among the policies they criticize is Mamdani’s support for freezing rents on nearly one million regulated apartments through the city’s Rent Guidelines Board.

Attention has also turned to Cea Weaver, director of the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, who has faced scrutiny over previous remarks criticizing homeownership and advocating aggressive government intervention in the housing market.

“Impoverish the white middle class. Homeownership is racist/failed public policy,” she once said.

“Elect more communists,” Weaver also said.

According to the mayor’s website, the hearings will involve the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the Department of Buildings, and the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Other agencies, including NYCHA, will be present solely “to provide resources.”

The world of halacha is enveloped in deep mourning last week with the passing of Rav Dovid Konigsbuch zt”l at the age of 77. A towering talmid chacham and visionary pioneer, he stood at the forefront of the halachic solutions that made it possible for observant Jews to navigate the complexities of modern electrical and digital technology on Shabbos. Through his groundbreaking work, most notably with the organization Mishmeres HaShabbos, countless potential violations of Shabbos were prevented in hundreds of thousands of homes worldwide.

Rav Dovid was internationally recognized as an expert in both advanced technology and halacha, yet first and foremost he was a gadol baTorah who toiled with extraordinary dedication in learning. Rav Menachem Karelitz testified that the depth and clarity of Rav Dovid’s penetrating questions during the shiurim of Rav Nissim Karelitz zt”l enriched and expanded the discussions that later formed the basis of many sections of the renowned sefer series Chut Shani. Every emerging technological question was carefully analyzed through his profound Torah lens, with one singular goal: to shield Shabbos-observant Jews from even the slightest concern of chillul Shabbos.

More than fifteen years ago, as the world rapidly transitioned to digital “smart” appliances, Rav Dovid immediately recognized the serious halachic implications embedded in the new systems. While many assumed that simple mechanical adjustments would suffice, he understood that digital circuitry records and reacts to each and every action, raising complex issues of melacha. Together with electronics expert Rima Robruto, Rav Dovid labored tirelessly to develop specialized mechanisms that would allow the safe use of modern refrigerators, air conditioners, and other devices without halachic compromise.

Today, hundreds of thousands of Jewish families benefit from these adaptations every single week. A simple calculation reveals that over the years, billions of potential instances of chillul Shabbos have been prevented through these systems, an incalculable zechus now accompanying Rav Dovid to the Olam HaEmes.

At the levayah, which departed from his home on Chazon Ish Street in Bnei Brak, Rav Eliyahu Beifus, chairman of Mishmeres HaShabbos, delivered heartfelt words of tribute. He described how the enormous zechuyos of the organization — which has raised public awareness about Shabbos observance in the technological age and overseen tens of thousands of Shabbos-compliant appliances — are truly recorded in Rav Dovid’s merit.

Rav Beifus spoke of Rav Dovid’s extraordinary vigilance and foresight, noting that he was the first to identify emerging challenges and transform solutions from theory into practical reality. Yet despite his monumental achievements, Rav Dovid conducted himself with absolute humility. Once others began expanding and advancing the work, he quietly stepped back from the spotlight, returning to his beloved Torah and acts of chessed without seeking recognition or acclaim.

Rav Dovid merited to see his spiritual legacy continued through his son, Rav Yaakov Konigsbuch of the Shearis Yisroel kashrus organization, who follows in his father’s path, dedicating his life to strengthening kashrus and safeguarding the sanctity of Shabbos.

With his passing, generations of Shabbos-observant Jews owe him a debt of gratitude for the tranquility and kedusha of their Shabbos observance.

Yehi zichro boruch.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett arrived in Bnei Brak on Sunday following the violent incident in which IDF female soldiers were attacked, sharply criticizing the government and the chareidi parties. His visit quickly triggered a heated response from Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, who accused Bennett of inflaming tensions and called for his immediate removal from the city.

Speaking in Bnei Brak, Bennett said: “A grave line has been crossed in Israel. Here, in the heart of the country in Bnei Brak — not in Ramallah — a violent mob chased IDF female soldiers, humiliated them and tried to lynch them. Not in Shechem, not in Ramallah — here in Bnei Brak, against our soldiers.”

He continued: “This is what happens when people sense that draft evasion is winning. There is an address for this; it did not happen in a vacuum. Netanyahu and the chareidi parties — what did you think would happen? When you turned a blind eye to the calls of ‘We will die and not enlist,’ what did you think would happen? What did you think would happen when you ignored violence directed at chareidi soldiers who do enlist?”

Bennett added: “Everyone who was involved in this incident will be thrown into jail as quickly as possible. And I say in the clearest terms: under my leadership there will be no place for anarchy or violence. Everyone will serve, everyone will enlist, everyone will uphold the law — and that is how we will unite the State of Israel.”

Deri responded angrily, calling Bennett’s visit a political stunt. In a sharply worded statement, he said: “I call on the Police Commissioner to immediately issue a restraining order barring Naftali Bennett from the streets of Bnei Brak.

“This inciter and agitator came to the city to inflame tensions and exploit a painful situation in order to gather votes for himself. This despicable man, who stops at nothing, is the last person who should be present at this scene.”

Bennett replied to Deri’s demand, stating: “The problem is not Deri, who has grown accustomed to acting as if he owns the country, but Netanyahu, who sold it to him. When Deri calls on healthy young chareidi men not to dare enlist to help IDF soldiers, Netanyahu remains silent, backs him, and advances a draft law that abandons our soldiers.”

Shas officials were quick to counter with a forceful rebuttal: “Bennett, how dare you speak about ‘selling the country,’ after you disgracefully sold it to Mansour Abbas in exchange for the prime minister’s seat? The public has not forgotten. When you disguised yourself as right-wing, you passionately defended Torah scholars, whom Rabbi Deri spoke about, and the merits they bring to the Jewish people. The moment the right expelled you from its ranks, you joined the left and became the fiercest attacker of the Torah world and an agent of national chaos.

“Your cynical use of IDF soldiers and bereaved families is no less severe than your arrival in Bnei Brak to dance on the blood of the divisions you created. It seems there is no depth to which you have not descended.”

{Matzav.com}

Amid the intense clashes that unfolded Sunday in Bnei Brak, fresh controversy erupted after footage surfaced showing a chareidi woman being forcibly arrested by police. While city residents have strongly condemned the earlier assault on two IDF female soldiers, many are now voicing anger over what they describe as excessive force used against uninvolved civilians.

The video, circulated widely over the past hour, appears to show officers detaining a woman on the street. According to eyewitnesses, she was not participating in the disturbances. The footage quickly sparked outrage on social media and among local residents, who claim the arrest involved unnecessary force.

One resident told reporters that “the woman was simply standing off to the side. She didn’t throw anything and didn’t shout. Suddenly officers came, grabbed her, and took her away by force.”

Residents stressed that their criticism of police conduct does not diminish their condemnation of violence against the soldiers. “The people of Bnei Brak do not accept violence against female soldiers — that is not our way,” said a local resident. “But what is happening now feels sweeping, as if anyone standing on the street is automatically a suspect. There’s a feeling they’re showing a heavy hand for the cameras.”

Others warned that such actions risk harming law-abiding members of the community and further fueling negative portrayals of the city. “We see how Bnei Brak is being presented as if everyone here is violent. That is simply not true and not fair. There is a large, law-abiding public here,” another resident said.

{Matzav.com}

In the aftermath of the painful upheaval in Bnei Brak, Gedolei Yisroel have spoken with clarity and firmness, issuing a strong directive to bnei yeshiva not to take part in, or even be present at, any gatherings that involve confrontation with the police.

The roshei yeshiva of Slabodka, Rav Dov Landau and Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, addressed a letter to the talmidim of the yeshiva following the disturbances that erupted in the city after two IDF female soldiers entered Bnei Brak for military-related activity. During the unrest, dozens of bochurim were arrested, among them several talmidim of Slabodka.

In their letter, the roshei yeshiva wrote: “To the talmidim of the yeshiva, sheyichyu: It is strictly forbidden under any circumstances to participate or to be present among those who go to places where there is confrontation with the police. One must remain in the yeshiva for learning and for all the sedorim of the yeshiva. Chas v’shalom to be in those places where there are clashes with the police.

“Beyond the sakonoh involved, there is a great chilul Hashem, rachmana litzlan.

“With great tzaar and deep charodah, Dov Landau — and of course I join all the above, Moshe Hillel Hirsch.”

The letter comes on the heels of hours of unrest in the streets of Bnei Brak, which began shortly after two IDF soldiers were reportedly attacked by an extremist crowd on Chagai Street. Large police forces were dispatched to the scene and employed crowd-dispersal measures in an effort to restore order. More than 20 individuals were taken into custody and brought to the police station.

Israel Police Commissioner Danny Levy stated that he instructed officers to act with determination against those involved. “I instructed that the lawbreakers be arrested and brought to justice, and so far we have arrested 12 individuals involved in disorderly conduct. We will hold all those involved accountable. We are a state of law and will not permit hooligan behavior in our country,” he said.

Police officials added that forces remain deployed at several locations throughout the city and that additional arrests may follow as efforts continue to restore calm.

{Matzav.com}

Violent unrest that lasted for hours rocked Bnei Brak late tonight, leaving 26 suspects under arrest and five police officers injured, according to law enforcement officials.

The disturbances centered along Jabotinsky Street, where protesters blocked traffic, set fires, and clashed with police.

The tensions continued well into the evening, hours after an earlier incident involving an alleged assault on female soldiers sparked widespread outrage. Large numbers of police officers, along with Border Police riot control units, were deployed to the scene in an effort to restore order. Authorities said crowd-control measures were used to disperse those involved in the disturbances.

Police reported that dozens of rioters obstructed traffic along the major thoroughfare, ignited garbage bins, and hurled objects at officers. Some individuals also attempted to damage passing vehicles, actions that authorities said posed a significant threat to public safety and severely disrupted public order.

In response, substantial police reinforcements, including Yasam forces, worked for hours to disperse the crowds and reopen the road to traffic. The operation included the use of riot-dispersal measures and the arrest of individuals suspected of participating in the violence.

During the confrontations, five police officers sustained injuries and required medical treatment. Police stated that all injured officers were treated and are reported to be in good condition.

“The police will not allow harm to public safety, freedom of movement, or property, and will continue to act decisively against any display of violence or lawbreaking,” the statement concluded.

Federal investigators have obtained DNA from a glove discovered near the Tucson home of Nancy Guthrie, raising the possibility that authorities may have genetic evidence linked to the armed individual seen at the 84-year-old’s door on the night she vanished.

Law enforcement officials told The New York Post that the development could mark a significant breakthrough in the Feb. 1 disappearance of the mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie, potentially providing investigators with DNA connected to their leading suspect.

“The one with the DNA profile recovered is different and appears to match the gloves of the subject in the surveillance video,” an FBI spokesperson told Fox News, which first broke the story.

The glove in question was one of 16 recovered by investigators during the course of the probe. It is believed to be the same glove that FBI evidence teams were seen collecting from the side of a road roughly two miles from Nancy Guthrie’s residence, according to observations previously reported by The Post.

Authorities told Fox News that the glove appears consistent with the black nitrile gloves worn over another pair of gloves by the masked suspect captured on Guthrie’s Nest doorbell camera. Officials emphasized, however, that there is no definitive confirmation that the glove belonged to the suspect, only that it resembles the gloves visible in the surveillance footage.

FBI forensic specialists are now in the process of verifying the DNA findings before submitting the profile to the national crime database in an effort to determine whether it matches any known individuals.

According to an FBI spokesperson, once DNA is received by the bureau, it generally takes about 24 hours to upload it into CODIS, the agency’s nationwide DNA index system.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said Sunday that testing is still underway at a private laboratory in Florida and that final DNA results have not yet been completed.

Nanos told Fox News that certain DNA samples were given priority for analysis, though he declined to provide specifics about which items were expedited or when results are expected. The FBI has indicated it will continue assisting in the investigation according to the timeline established for processing the evidence.

President Donald Trump announced that he will reveal this Thursday that member nations of the Board of Peace have pledged more than $5 billion for humanitarian relief and rebuilding efforts in Gaza, along with thousands of personnel for a U.N.-approved stabilization mission.

In a message posted Sunday on Truth Social, Trump said participating countries have agreed to fund large-scale reconstruction and to provide manpower for an international force and local policing units aimed at maintaining order in the Palestinian territory.

“On February 19th, 2026, I will again be joined by Board of Peace Members at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., where we will announce that Member States have pledged more than $5 BILLION DOLLARS toward the Gaza Humanitarian and Reconstruction efforts, and have committed thousands of personnel to the International Stabilization Force and Local Police to maintain Security and Peace for Gazans. Very importantly, Hamas must uphold its commitment to Full and Immediate Demilitarization. The Board of Peace will prove to be the most consequential International Body in History, and it is my honor to serve as its Chairman,” Trump wrote.

In the same post, Trump highlighted what he described as the board’s rapid progress and broader aspirations beyond Gaza.

“The Board of Peace has unlimited potential. Last October, I released a Plan for the permanent end to the Conflict in Gaza, and our Vision was unanimously adopted by the United Nations Security Council. Shortly thereafter, we facilitated Humanitarian Aid at record speed, and secured the release of every living and deceased Hostage. Just last month, two dozen distinguished Founding Members joined me in Davos, Switzerland, to celebrate its official formation, and present a bold Vision for the Civilians in Gaza, and then, ultimately, far beyond Gaza — WORLD PEACE!” he said.

The establishment of the Board of Peace was backed by a United Nations Security Council resolution and forms part of the administration’s broader strategy to conclude the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Israel and Hamas signed onto the framework last year, with a ceasefire taking effect in October. Despite the agreement, each side has repeatedly accused the other of breaches. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that more than 590 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the territory since the truce began, while Israel says four of its soldiers have died in attacks by Palestinian militants during the same period.

Several key regional players — including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Israel and Indonesia — have joined the board. However, major global powers and longstanding Western allies of the United States have shown greater reluctance.

Trump did not specify which countries are responsible for the financial pledges or which will supply troops for the stabilization mission. Indonesia’s military said Sunday that as many as 8,000 personnel could be prepared by the end of June for possible deployment to Gaza in a humanitarian and peacekeeping role, marking the first concrete troop commitment received by the administration.

Reconstruction in Gaza is expected to be an enormous undertaking. Estimates from the United Nations, World Bank and European Union place the cost of rebuilding at approximately $70 billion. After more than two years of Israeli military operations, vast sections of the territory have sustained severe damage.

Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, an armed international stabilization force would be responsible for maintaining security and ensuring the disarmament of Hamas — a central condition set by Israel. To date, only a limited number of countries have signaled willingness to participate in such a force.

The U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement reached on Oct. 10 sought to end more than two years of fighting between Israel and Hamas. While large-scale combat has diminished, Israeli forces have continued conducting airstrikes and have frequently opened fire near areas under military control.

It remains uncertain how many of the more than 20 Board of Peace members will attend Thursday’s gathering. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met with Trump at the White House last week, is not expected to participate.

Initially viewed as a mechanism focused primarily on resolving the Gaza conflict, the Board of Peace has since evolved into what Trump describes as a platform with a broader global mission. The initiative appears to reflect a wider effort by the United States to reshape international diplomacy and operate outside traditional United Nations structures as Trump seeks to redefine the post–World War II global framework.

Many leading U.S. allies in Europe and elsewhere have declined to join the board, expressing concerns that it could serve as a parallel body to the U.N. Security Council.

Trump also confirmed that Thursday’s event will be held at the U.S. Institute of Peace, which the State Department announced in December would continue operating under the name Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace.

The institute’s headquarters has been the focus of ongoing legal disputes after the administration took control of the building last year and dismissed nearly all of its staff, prompting lawsuits from former employees and executives of the nonprofit organization.

Former chief rabbi Rav Yitzchok Yosef strongly denounced the rioters who clashed with security forces in Bnei Brak, saying their actions constitute a desecration of Hashem’s Name and have no place within the Torah community.

In a sharply worded statement responding to the disturbances that erupted in the city in recent hours, the former Rishon Letzion declared that the behavior of the violent demonstrators must be unequivocally rejected.

“We must strongly condemn the handful of rioters who are desecrating G-d’s Name. The Torah of Yisroel teaches ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peace. There is no place among us for such conduct. They must be denounced and cast out from our camp.”

The Chief Rabbi emphasized that the path of Torah is defined by dignity, restraint, and peace, and that those who engage in violence and public disorder stand in direct opposition to those values.

The unrest reportedly began after female soldiers entered Bnei Brak, leading large crowds to gather in protest. Clashes later broke out between demonstrators and police.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said the incidents were the actions of “a small extremist minority that does not represent the broader chareidi public,” while opposition leader Yair Lapid stated that “there must be a wave of arrests.”

{Matzav.com}

Rav Shlomo Moshe Amar declared during his weekly shiur that it would be preferable to dismantle the official Rabbinate altogether rather than permit women to take rabbinical certification exams, following a High Court ruling requiring their inclusion.

Speaking at his regular class at the Ner HaTorah Beis Medrash on Rechov Bar-Ilan in Yerushalayim, Rav Amar addressed the court’s decision to reopen the Rabbinate examinations after a prolonged suspension and to allow women to sit for the tests.

The renewed examinations come after a period during which they were not administered, largely due to the High Court’s directive mandating that women be integrated into the process.

Expressing deep anguish, Rav Amar said: “In the High Court sit several people who themselves are close to these Reform views, and they think that this is the correct path.

“So about twenty-something years ago, twenty-five years ago, they filed a petition to appoint a woman as a neighborhood rabbi. Since then, no neighborhood rabbis have been appointed. Even our own people who are involved, instead of finding a way to act, they refrain. Since then there are no neighborhood rabbis. Now also city rabbis — most cities do not have rabbis at all. And so it remains. Now they have invented a new invention — it is not new, only now they went to the High Court — and the High Court said that a woman has the right to be tested for the rabbinate and for judgeship. And I hear voices saying that for a long time there were no exams, so they are under pressure — what will be? If we do not hold exams, we will not have rabbis. So they say, let them have permission to be tested, but we will not appoint them.”

Rav Amar voiced strong backing for the current Chief Rabbis and urged them to remain steadfast. He said: “I say, with respect to their honor, thank God I heard that the Chief Rabbis — both the Rishon Letzion, Rav Dovid Yosef, and the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, Rav Kalman Ber — both oppose this with all firmness. They say it is better that there be no exams than that there be exams and we allow a woman.

“But there are those around who are trying to weaken them and fight them. I come to strengthen their hands, that it should not enter their minds, Heaven forbid, even in thought — this is literally an idolatrous thought. It is an idolatrous thought. If, Heaven forbid, they allow them to be tested, in the end they will appoint them. It is better that from now they stop, and that this not come about through us. And even if it causes there to be no rabbis, and even if it causes there to be no rabbinical courts, and even if it causes there to be no Rabbinate at all in Israel. Then we will establish a private rabbinate. There will be private community rabbis, as there were abroad — every community appointed its own rabbi — until God has mercy and they understand what they are doing. I am certain we will not even reach that. We will overcome them, only we must not be afraid.”

He continued with a direct appeal to the Chief Rabbis: “I say to the Chief Rabbis: Stand firm. God has given you great and important positions. The responsibility for the people of Israel rests on your shoulders. Do not place your eyes or your hearts on anyone. Place God before your eyes. Stand firm and do not agree under any circumstances that there be exams for women — not in the rabbinate and not in anything. All matters of the rabbinate belong to men. This is not a shame and not a humiliation for women. It is the honor of a woman — each person with his banner and each person with his camp.

“We will not surrender. We will stand on guard. What the Torah preserved for five thousand years, and for two thousand years in exile we did not allow any woman — except the Reform, and they brought much destruction to the people of Israel, much destruction to the world.

“Shall we listen to them? Heaven forbid. We will try to bring them back, to draw them close as we love to do. ‘Let sins cease’ — not sinners; sinners should repent. But the sins, the transgressions, should cease.

“But to surrender, Heaven forbid — there will be no exams under any circumstances. And woe to the one who lends his hand, God save us, he destroys generations, the rabbinate for generations. This is the true destruction. It is destruction from within and from without. We must stand on guard and be careful. ‘One who comes to purify himself is assisted,’ and God assists us — I have no doubt.”

Rav Amar concluded by reiterating that, in his view, maintaining traditional Torah standards takes precedence even over the continued operation of the official Rabbinate itself.

{Matzav.com}

As part of its intensified campaign against cash transactions and the black-market economy, the Israeli government is advancing a proposal that would sharply limit the ability to exchange checks for cash, a move expected to significantly impact gemachs and other non-bank lending institutions.

During deliberations over the Arrangements Law, the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee is set to examine an amendment that would restrict the conversion or cashing of checks and promissory notes to a maximum of 6,000 shekels.

If approved, any amount above 6,000 shekels could not be paid out in cash, except for a small portion amounting to up to 10 percent of the value of the check.

According to the explanatory notes accompanying the proposal, “The practice of discounting promissory notes for cash constitutes a significant risk factor for tax evasion and money laundering through financial entities.”

In order to close what lawmakers describe as a regulatory loophole, the amendment would also revoke the full exemption that supervised financial institutions have enjoyed until now. Loans issued through check-discounting arrangements would be brought under the same strict cash limitations.

The proposed change is expected to create particular turbulence within the chareidi community, where gemachs serve as a primary financial backbone. The widely used model of providing cash in exchange for a postdated check to address urgent liquidity needs would become unlawful for sums exceeding the new threshold.

Despite the far-reaching nature of the proposal, the legal advisory team to the committee has expressed doubts about whether the broader Cash Law has achieved its original objective of curbing unreported capital.

The briefing paper also notes a lack of consistency in the framework, pointing out that while a business owner may still receive a cash loan from a regulated institution, that same individual would not be permitted to discount a check under similar conditions.

A senior Hamas official has drawn widespread condemnation after claiming in a televised interview that Israel staged the October 7 Nova music festival massacre and that Israeli forces were responsible for the killings.

The remarks were made by Osama Hamdan, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, during an interview broadcast by Norway’s NRK television network. According to summaries circulated by blogger Yehuda Teitelbaum, Hamdan denied that Hamas murdered civilians during the October 7 attacks and advanced a series of conspiracy claims about the events of that day.

Hamdan asserted that the massacre at the Nova festival was carried out by Israeli forces, claiming the attack was conducted by Israeli troops who fired from helicopters under the pretext that they were targeting Hamas gunmen. He further alleged that individuals wearing Qassam Brigade symbols at the festival should be investigated.

Throughout the interview, Hamdan insisted that Hamas never deliberately targeted civilians, hospitals, schools, or mosques. He argued that all such accusations are false and maintained that responsibility for civilian deaths lies entirely with Israel.

He also claimed Hamas holds democratic legitimacy because it won Palestinian legislative elections in 2006, while acknowledging that those were the last elections held and that a significant portion of Gaza’s current population was not yet born at the time.

Hamdan maintained that Palestinians in Gaza are free to criticize Hamas and denied the existence of fear or repression in the territory, contradicting numerous reports and testimonies from Gaza residents describing harsh internal crackdowns.

When asked what responsibility Hamas bears for the devastation in Gaza, Hamdan placed full blame on Israel and refused to acknowledge any role by Hamas in triggering the war.

He openly defended beatings, torture, and public executions of Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel, describing such actions as legal, moral, and consistent with Palestinian law, including executions carried out within 48 hours.

Hamdan categorically rejected the idea of disarmament, stating that Hamas would relinquish its weapons only after a full Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 lines, the implementation of a mass “right of return,” and international guarantees—conditions he described as non-negotiable.

Asked whether Hamas would attack Israel again despite the destruction in Gaza, Hamdan declined to rule it out, affirming that the “resistance will continue.”

In February 2025, he said Hamas would rebuild and expand its capabilities in Gaza so it could “attack Israel at any time we want.” He also stated that anyone seeking to replace Israel’s role would be treated as Israel, adding that issues related to weapons, leadership, and the resistance movement are not open for discussion.

His remarks mirror earlier statements he made in December 2023, one month after the massacre, when he told a Lebanese television channel that a “war of liberation is coming,” adding that it would not be “just another October 7” and that he did not believe it was far off. When asked whether he regretted the October 7 attacks, he responded, “Regret crushing an entire division of the occupation army?” He also claimed that all 1,200 people killed near the Gaza border “belonged to the occupation army” and said at the time, “We do not regret October 7.”

{Matzav.com}