On Sunday, the Yerushalayim District Court agreed to Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s request to delay his court appearances, meaning he will not be required to take the stand this week.
Earlier in the day, Netanyahu appeared in court to present his reasons for seeking a postponement, citing regional developments as justification for the delay.
Just two days earlier, the court had turned down Netanyahu’s initial bid to pause his testimony for two weeks. He had argued that pressing matters of national importance, including political and security concerns, made it impossible for him to participate in the hearings as scheduled.
In response to that rejection, Netanyahu submitted a renewed application asking to cancel the testimony dates. Accompanying this request was a sealed envelope detailing his schedule for the coming week. His attorney, Amit Hadad, stated, “The defense believed that submitting a request to postpone the hearings just one day after the conclusion of the historic campaign should have been obvious. However, given the prosecution’s position and the court’s decision, a partial schedule for the Prime Minister for the upcoming week is being submitted to the court in a sealed envelope.”
Hadad further wrote, “The partial schedule is due to additional discussions and matters that cannot be outlined or presented in the current format, taking into account the dynamics and ongoing developments. A review of the schedule will clarify the national need for the Prime Minister to devote all his time and energy to the political, national, and security issues at hand. Once the Prime Minister’s schedule for the following week is finalized, a similar envelope will be submitted to the court.”
Despite the submission, the court turned down most of the new request, stating, “Without going into details—generally, the schedule presented does not contain data, details, or extraordinary matters that could justify canceling hearings. The only exception to this is the first item on Monday, June 30, 2025. In light of the mentioned activity, the hearing on that day will start at 11:30. Subject to that, the request is denied.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
The IDF announced on Sunday the tragic loss of Sergeant Yisrael Natan Rosenfeld, a 20-year-old soldier from Ra’anana, who was killed during a military operation in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
Rosenfeld served in the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion, which is part of the 401st Armored Brigade.
The deadly incident occurred in Jabaliya shortly after 11:00 a.m., when an explosive device detonated as a team of IDF Armored Corps soldiers approached a structure during a targeted raid.
Thankfully, no other troops were injured in the blast. The military has opened an investigation to determine the precise details surrounding the event.
Since the resumption of the Gaza campaign in March 2025, 30 Israeli soldiers have been killed, with 21 of those deaths caused by explosive devices.
Since the start of the IDF’s ground operation in Gaza, a total of 438 soldiers have lost their lives.
{Matzav.com Israel}
Popular Israeli actress and children’s entertainer Michal Weizmann, widely known as Michal HaKtanah, made a public commitment to fully observe Shabbos this past weekend, dedicating it as a zechus for the return of the hostages held in Gaza.
“This Shabbos, I chose to stop,” Weizmann wrote on her Instagram account. “A Shabbos of Rosh Chodesh. A Shabbos of new beginnings. A Shabbos I chose to keep in full, turning off my phone, opening my heart, and letting the light in.”
Weizmann explained the intention behind her observance: “I kept this Shabbos for the sake of our hostages, to bring them home now! For our soldiers, that they should return in peace. For my children. And for an entire nation that needs healing.”
She concluded with a heartfelt message of faith and unity: “It was a Shabbos of tikkun, of tefillah, of a silence that shakes the heavens. I’m taking this step with complete faith. Because when we are united and bring light, darkness disappears on its own. I promise you…very soon we’ll see miracles and wonders!”
Amein kein yehi ratzon.
{Matzav.com Israel}
Following the coordinated aerial assault led by Israel and supported by the United States against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, is warning that Tehran may be able to restart its uranium enrichment operations within months.
In a conversation with CBS News—excerpts of which were published yesterday ahead of the full interview airing today—Grossi acknowledged that while the strikes caused some damage to Iranian nuclear installations, “some is still standing.”
“They can have, you know, in a matter of months, I would say, a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium, or less than that,” Grossi explained, emphasizing the limited timeframe Iran would need to resume its program.
On June 13, Israel launched a series of attacks targeting Iranian nuclear and military assets. The operation was reportedly intended to halt Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Shortly thereafter, the United States took part in the campaign, targeting three central installations believed to play critical roles in Iran’s nuclear efforts.
One of the chief concerns of Western powers is the fate of the 408.6 kilograms of uranium that Iran had enriched to 60 percent—far exceeding levels typically used for civilian purposes. If refined further, this stockpile could provide enough material for the assembly of multiple nuclear weapons.
“We don’t know where this material could be,” Grossi admitted during the CBS interview. “So some could have been destroyed as part of the attack, but some could have been moved. So there has to be at some point a clarification.”
Complicating the global watchdog’s efforts, Iran’s parliament recently voted to halt its cooperation with the IAEA. Grossi’s request to inspect the damaged sites, particularly the Fordow enrichment facility, has also been turned down by Iranian authorities.
“We need to be in a position to ascertain, to confirm what is there, and where is it and what happened,” Grossi urged, highlighting the importance of access and transparency in the wake of the strikes.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed Thursday that the military campaign led by Israel had resulted in “serious” harm to Iran’s nuclear installations, marking the first official Iranian acknowledgment of the extent of the damage.
“A detailed assessment of the damage is being carried out by experts from the Atomic Energy Organization (of Iran),” Araghchi said in a statement broadcast on state-run television.
He further noted that Iran was considering diplomatic steps to address the destruction, saying, “Now, the discussion of demanding damages and the necessity of providing them has been placed as one of the important issues on the country’s diplomatic agenda.”
Araghchi emphasized that the situation remains dire, stating, “These damages are serious, and expert studies and political decision-making are underway at the same time.”
His comments seemed to reinforce earlier declarations by US President Donald Trump, who had consistently maintained that the US-led airstrikes in coordination with Israel had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities.
{Matzav.com}Oded (Dedi) Levinson z”l, a veteran Israeli journalist and longtime media personality, passed away at the age of 64 after battling a serious illness.
Levinson, who served for many years as head of the economic division and a prominent broadcaster on Army Radio (Galei Tzahal), was widely known and respected in the world of Israeli journalism. A lawyer by training, Levinson experienced a profound personal transformation, becoming a baal teshuvah and joining the Amshinov chassidus.
In a statement released by Army Radio, the station expressed its sorrow: “Galei Tzahal mourns the passing of Oded (Dedi) Levinson, who for many years hosted the station’s economic program and served as a news and current affairs broadcaster.”
During the 1990s, Levinson also held the role of Public Complaints Commissioner and headed the station’s economics desk. He was deeply involved in the station and served for years as chairman of the journalists’ union at Galei Tzahal. Known for his willingness to help others, Levinson’s voice became one of the most recognizable on the station, and he played a pivotal role in shaping its content and character.
Col. Tal Lev-Ram, current commander of Galei Tzahal, shared the following tribute:
“Even as he battled illness over the past year, Dedi remained in close contact with the station. He offered advice and took a keen interest in everything happening here, driven by a deep sense of connection and belonging. Though his voice fell silent this morning, his legacy, spirit, and immense contributions to Galei Tzahal over the years will remain with us always. Galei Tzahal was his home.”
The levayah was held at the Shamgar Funeral Home and proceeded to Har Hazeisim for kevurah.
Yehi zichro baruch.
{Matzav.com}