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Two days after Israel carried out its strike targeting senior Hamas figures in the heart of Qatar, Israeli defense officials are increasingly concerned that the mission did not meet its objectives. According to a Thursday report on Channel 12, assessments within the defense establishment now lean toward classifying the operation as a failure.

A senior Israeli source acknowledged that while there may have been limited success in eliminating a handful of senior operatives, the primary target was not achieved. “We are continuing to wait for the final intelligence picture and are hoping that perhaps some of the senior officials were killed,” the source said, adding, “as the hours go by, it seems that most of the operation’s goals were not accomplished.”

Updated assessments indicate that Hamas leaders were indeed inside the structure struck by the Israeli Air Force. However, reports suggest that either the munitions used were ill-suited for the designated target, or that the Hamas leaders managed to flee to another room at the moment of impact.

Channel 13 further reported that many Israeli security officials argued against the timing of the strike, describing it as “the most inconvenient moment imaginable.” They had urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to postpone action in light of discussions surrounding President Trump’s proposed framework for a potential deal, stressing that “it would be better to give negotiations a chance.”

A senior Israeli official criticized Netanyahu directly: “The prime minister chose not to accept the position of 90% of the professional bodies who made clear the consequences—among them the IDF Chief of Staff, the head of the National Security Council, and the head of the Mossad.”

Kan News reported that in a cabinet meeting ahead of the strike, Mossad Director Dedi Barnea warned against targeting Hamas leaders during active negotiations. “When there are talks taking place, you don’t eliminate the people you are dealing with,” he cautioned.

Looking ahead, Netanyahu is expected to convene the security cabinet tomorrow to discuss the continuation of Israel’s campaign in Gaza and assess the broader implications of the strike in Qatar.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Israeli President Yitzchak Herzog was the target of a security scare in London on Thursday after a suspicious package was delivered during his official visit, his office said. British and Israeli security personnel moved quickly to secure the object. Officials did not provide details on the contents of the package, but the incident underscored mounting concerns that Iranian-linked groups could attempt to target Israeli officials abroad following the June war with Tehran. Israeli intelligence has repeatedly warned that Iran, working with Hamas, may seek to strike Israeli assets overseas. In response, the Shin Bet has deployed what it described as “unique technological capabilities” to bolster security around Israeli diplomatic missions, delegations and institutions. Some of the measures, officials said, are being used abroad for the first time. Herzog’s trip to Britain has already been marked by political tension. On Wednesday, he met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street in a meeting both sides described as difficult. Herzog criticized the U.K. government’s stance on Israel, while Starmer condemned Israel’s ongoing campaign against Hamas and its strike on terrorists in Qatar earlier this week. “It was a meeting between allies, but it was a tough meeting,” Herzog said later at Chatham House. “Things were said that were tough and strong, and clearly we can argue, because when allies meet, they can argue.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The State Department announced on Thursday that it is keeping watch on the online activity of foreign nationals who are “praising, rationalizing, or making light” of the assassination of conservative figure Charlie Kirk.

Kirk, 31, was gunned down on Wednesday while delivering a speech at Utah Valley University. Authorities are still searching for the shooter.

“In light of yesterday’s horrific assassination of a leading political figure, I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote in a message posted on X.

“I have been disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalizing, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action. Please feel free to bring such comments by foreigners to my attention so that the @StateDept can protect the American people.”

Shortly after Landau’s statement, X users began responding with examples of posts that they said matched his description.

“Hey @Microsoft is this your employee celebrating the murder of Charlie Kirk? Does this align with your company values?” one person asked.

Another user added, “A Somalian American X user celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk.”

{Matzav.com}

In a heartfelt conversation with Bamah magazine, HaGaon Rav Moshe Yehuda Schlesinger, one of the elder roshei yeshiva of our generation and rosh yeshiva of Kol Torah, reflected on the recent horrific terror attack at the Ramot Junction in Yerushalayim in which Reb Levi Yitzchok Pash, a devoted worker of the yeshiva, was murdered.

“I know what it means to feel the pain of loss,” Rav Schlesinger said. “I too had a son who was murdered, Hashem yikom damo. It is a pain that endures for years. People sometimes imagine that grief fades with time, but this is not true at all. In fact, the difficulty can even intensify as the years go on.”

Rav Schlesinger himself suffered the tragic murder of his son, Eliezer Schlesinger z”l, who was killed during the First Intifada in Sivan 5748 (1988). Eliezer was returning from Yeshivas Maalot HaTorah near Gan Sacher when he was attacked and murdered by a terrorist from Abu Ghosh. He was buried on Har HaZeisim.

Speaking with deep pain about the loss of Reb Levi Yitzchok Pash, the rosh yeshiva described him as “a unique individual, with remarkable character traits, who was deeply devoted to the bochurim of the yeshiva and constantly sought ways to benefit and assist them. We must learn from his path. I heard that whenever he had spare time, he would enter the beis medrash to sit and learn. Such behavior reveals a person who, despite being engaged in earning a livelihood, constantly sought growth in Torah and yiras Shamayim.”

In his wider remarks published in Bamah, Rav Schlesinger emphasized the importance of reflection and awareness in avodas Hashem. “This is something that obligates every individual. The value of our deeds is determined by the thought and intention we put into them. For us, bnei hayeshivos, whose lives revolve around Torah study and mitzvah observance, it is certainly incumbent upon us to examine our actions so that everything we do comes from an elevated place.”

He stressed that this message is especially relevant in these days leading up to the Yamim Nora’im. “We must arrive at the Days of Judgment with careful thought and reflection on the year that has passed, on everything that has befallen Klal Yisroel in this past year. By doing so, each person will be able to strengthen himself in the areas where he most needs chizuk.”

{Matzav.com}

Shuls should bar individual mispalelim from bringing guns to minyanim unless they are part of an organized, trained security team, according to new guidance released this week by the Secure Community Network (SCN), the security arm of the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The report comes as Jewish communities face heightened threats and as debates over firearms in shuls intensify. Michael Masters, SCN’s national director and CEO, told JNS that “allowing individuals in an unstructured, unplanned way to carry guns in a house of worship is simply not a viable or responsible option given the threat environment or the potential impacts of doing that.” Instead, SCN is urging congregations to formalize volunteer security teams — with clear chains of command, defined roles, and training in threat recognition, crisis response and de-escalation — coordinated with law enforcement and backed by written policies. “Far too few” shuls have what Masters called “a thoroughly vetted, well-thought-out gun policy.” The report stakes out a position in a debate that has quietly divided Jewish institutions: whether armed mispalelim deter attacks or risk turning moments of crisis into chaos. Millions of Americans — including many Jewish families — have purchased firearms in recent years. But SCN warns that unstructured gun carrying could expose synagogues to legal liability and undermine carefully crafted security protocols. The recommendations: Limit armed presence to vetted volunteer teams. Clarify when and how force can be used. Train members on situational awareness and de-escalation. Establish policies for other weapons, including tasers and sprays. Jewish institutions have poured money into security since the deadly Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in 2018, with dramatic increases in patrols, coordination with police, and infrastructure upgrades. Yomim Noraim tefillos are now among the most heavily secured times of the year, Masters noted — though he acknowledged that smaller shuls often struggle with fewer resources. “We are investing more as a community, nationally and locally, in security than we ever have before,” he said. “But the responsibility to do this right has never been higher.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A Nukhba terrorist who was captured about two weeks ago provided the security establishment with an internal glimpse of life in Gaza. In a recording published on Channel 14, the Nukbah terrorist admits that the majority of “innocent Gazan civilians” belong to terrorist organizations. “About 70% of the residents of Gaza belong to the Hamas and Islamic Jihad organizations, the most well-known organizations we have that control the area,” he said. “Everyone belongs to Hamas and Islamic Jihad.” It should be noted that the other 30% may belong to other terrorist organizations located in Gaza, including those affiliated with ISIS, the cruel Mujahideen Brigades terror group that abducted the Bibas family, H’yd, and other groups affiliated with the PFLP, DFLP, and Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. He added that he thinks that at least 70% of the residents of the Strip would immigrate to other countries if they were allowed: “If most people in Gaza had the chance to leave for Egypt, they wouldn’t care where they went—the real goal is simply to escape Hamas’s oppression here.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

In preparation for the upcoming Yamim Nora’im, important changes have been announced within the Gerrer chassidus: the appointment of a new baal tokei’a to blow the shofar in the main beis medrash, and a new permanent gabbai to oversee its operations.

The announcements come as the community braces for the solemn days ahead, following a period of difficulty due to the weakened health of the Gerrer Rebbe. For the first time, a special chamber has been built within the main beis medrash on Rechov Yirmiyahu in Yerushalayim, connecting the Rebbe’s private residence with his designated place of tefillah.

According to information obtained by Matzav.com, Rabbi Moshe Aryeh Weinstein has been appointed as the new baal tokei’a, succeeding the legendary Rabbi Itche Rosmarin. Already during Rabbi Rosmarin’s lifetime, Rabbi Weinstein was chosen as his deputy and on several occasions blew the shofar in the main beis medrash. With Rabbi Rosmarin’s passing this past Sivan, Rabbi Weinstein has now officially assumed the sacred role.

Rabbi Weinstein is the son of Rabbi Chaim Yisroel Weinstein z”l, a Holocaust survivor who later settled in Yerushalayim and delivered shiurim in Zichron Moshe. Growing up in the Gerrer institutions, Reb Moshe Aryeh married the daughter of Rabbi Zalman Orzel and lived in Bnei Brak, near Rabbi Shlomo Zilberstein, one of the leading rabbanim of the chassidus. In recent years, he relocated to Ashdod.

A man of notable Torah scholarship, Rabbi Weinstein was among the founders of the Rashi shtiebel in Bnei Brak, where the Gerrer Rebbe himself would daven. He is also renowned as an expert sofer STa”M, with many of the greatest rabbanim requesting his exquisitely crafted tefillin. The waiting list for his work was famously long, with wealthy patrons often placing orders immediately upon the birth of a son. His integrity and precision became his hallmark, earning him the trust of the Gerrer leadership. At the outset of the current Rebbe’s leadership some three decades ago, Rabbi Weinstein was appointed to the management board of the Gerrer institutions and has since remained closely involved.

Gerrer chassidim recall that in earlier times, another baal tokei’a, Rabbi Simcha Bunim Shpernovitz—also a sofer STa”M—was affectionately known as “Simcha Bunim Sofer-Shofar,” a testament to the community’s tradition of combining scholarship, craftsmanship, and devotion in this pivotal role.

In addition to Rabbi Weinstein’s appointment, another major position has been filled: Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Schiff has been named the permanent chief gabbai of the great beis medrash.

Rabbi Schiff is the son of the revered longtime gabbai, Rabbi Chanina Schiff, with whom he served for many years. He is considered one of the Rebbe’s close confidants and is highly respected for his authority in overseeing all matters of the beis medrash. Beyond his new appointment, Rabbi Schiff also serves as the rov of a yishuv in Mateh Yehuda and is responsible for distributing the shmuessen of the Gerrer Rebbes.

This marks the second time in Gerrer history that the son of a gabbai has stepped into his father’s role. Following the passing of Rabbi Chanina Schiff in 2008, Rabbi Mendel Binka—son of the previous gabbai, Rabbi Yehoshua Noach Binka—was appointed. Throughout his tenure, Rabbi Yosef Schiff remained by his side, assisting with all aspects of the gabbai duties.

During the COVID-19 restrictions, the Rebbe’s aide, Rabbi Leibel Pazintchevsky, temporarily assumed the role of gabbai. Now, with this latest announcement, Rabbi Yosef Schiff has been formally confirmed as the permanent successor, continuing the legacy of his father.

{Matzav.com}

Large crowds from across the chassidic community gathered outside Prison 10 to protest the detention of yeshiva students who had been arrested due to unresolved draft status issues. The demonstration came in response to the imprisonment of Nesanel Maor Yitzchak and Yisroel Meir Taharani — the latter having completed his sheva brachos only the day before — and was framed as a wider objection to what organizers described as the government’s harassment of Torah learners in Eretz Yisroel.

The rally was arranged by the Action Committee established earlier this year at a meeting of prominent chassidic leaders in Ma’ale Hachamisha. At the forefront were representatives of the largest dynasties, including Gur, Vizhnitz, Sanz, Boyan, and Slonim.

The event opened with an address by Rav Moshe Bruner, mashgiach of Yeshivas Sfas Emes in Yerushalayim. Standing beside him was Rav Avraham Mordechai Alter, eldest son of the Gerrer Rebbe, lending the evening heightened significance. In a forceful statement directed at the government, Rav Bruner declared: “We are addressing the Prime Minister and the ministers as clearly as can be: no quotas and no targets! If you want the merit of supporting Torah, then arrange for Torah scholars to be legally registered, and you will gain the zechus haTorah. If not, salvation will come to the Jewish people from another place. We will come out ahead, and you will be the ones who lose — let that be clear!”

The Rebbe of Chug Chasam Sofer also spoke, lamenting what he described as ongoing persecution: “Shamefully, even in 5785, Torah learners in Eretz Yisroel are being targeted. It is not enough that they themselves cast off the yoke [of Torah], now they pursue those who dedicate their lives to it and send young bochurim to military prison. We will not allow it, and they will not succeed in breaking our spirit.”

A broad range of chassidic communities participated in the protest, including Gur–Beit Shemesh, Boyan–Modi’in Illit, Seret Vizhnitz, Sanz, Tchernobyl, and others. Among the prominent figures present were Rav Avraham Mordechai Alter, son of the Gerrer Rebbe; Rav Dovid Twersky, son of the Tchernobyler Rebbe of Beit Shemesh; the Chasam Sofer Rebbe; the Temeshvar Rebbe; Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel Breyer, son of the Boyaner Rebbe; Rav Fishel Hager, son-in-law of the Boyaner Rebbe; Rav Yechezkel Durbarmadiker, Boyaner Rav in Modi’in Illit; and Rav Shraga Feivel Weinberger, Rav of the Yeshuos Moshe Vizhnitz kehillah in Elad and member of the Vizhnitz beis din in Bnei Brak.

המחאה בכלא 10צילום: קובי הר צבי המחאה בכלא 10צילום: קובי הר צבי המחאה בכלא 10צילום: קובי הר צבי המחאה בכלא 10צילום: קובי הר צבי המחאה בכלא 10צילום: קובי הר צבי המחאה בכלא 10צילום: קובי הר צבי המחאה בכלא 10צילום: קובי הר צבי המחאה בכלא 10צילום: קובי הר צבי המחאה בכלא 10צילום: קובי הר צבי המחאה בכלא 10צילום: קובי הר צבי המחאה בכלא 10צילום: קובי הר צבי המחאה בכלא 10צילום: קובי הר צבי המחאה בכלא 10צילום: קובי הר צבי המחאה בכלא 10צילום: קובי הר צבי המחאה בכלא 10צילום: קובי הר צבי המחאה בכלא 10צילום: קובי הר צבי המחאה בכלא 10צילום: קובי הר צבי המחאה בכלא 10צילום: קובי הר צבי {Matzav.com}

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Eliyahu Greenzeig zt”l, one of Yerushalayim’s distinguished talmidei chachomim, who was niftar at the age of 84. In recent years, he endured prolonged suffering with great strength and emunah. His levayah was held at Shamgar, continuing to Har HaMenuchos for kevurah.

Rav Greenzeig was born in Tel Aviv in 1942 (5702) to his father Rav Chaim zt”l and his mother Mrs. Rachel Leah a”h. In his youth, he studied at the Yeshiva LeTzeirim of Or Yisroel in Petach Tikvah, where he was cherished by his rabbeim, including Roshei Yeshiva Rav Yaakov Neiman and Rav Yaakov Rozovsky.

He later advanced to Ponovezh Yeshiva, where he formed close bonds with its roshei yeshiva, particularly with Rav Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman zt”l, the Ponovezher Rav, to whom his grandfather had also been deeply connected.

Following his marriage to the daughter of Rav Bentzion Prag zt”l, Av Beis Din of Agudas Yisroel and one of the gedolim of Yerushalayim, Rav Greenzeig was asked to serve as a maggid shiur at Yeshivas HaGra in Haifa.

Afterward, he settled in Yerushalayim, maintaining close ties with many of the city’s great Torah figures. During these years, he took on the role of editor of the renowned Otzar Meforshei HaTalmud project, republished the commentary of the Abudraham, and authored numerous seforim that earned him wide recognition, including Mikra Ha’eidah, Pekudei Ha’eidah, and Kruei Mo’ed.

He leaves behind a family that follows in his path: his sons, Rav Shimon, Rav Yaakov, and Rav Menachem, and his son-in-law Rav Shmuel Movshovitz.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com Israel}

A town in Westchester County has walked back its earlier rejection of a request by a Jewish group to hold Tashlich in a local park, The Forward reports. On Wednesday evening, the Mount Kisco Recreation Commission voted to grant Chabad of Bedford a permit for the Rosh Hashanah ritual at Leonard Park, easing tensions over whether religious practices could take place there.

The Forward reported that back in June, the Commission had turned down Chabad’s permit request, pointing to a deed restriction that supposedly prohibited religious functions. That position drew criticism after it emerged that the same park had hosted an Easter egg hunt this spring. Tashlich is a ceremony during Rosh Hashanah in which Jews symbolically cast away sins by tossing pieces of bread into flowing water.

“I’m glad that they reconsidered, that they realized that a mistake was made, and they were able to backtrack and do the right thing for the community and for their constituents,” said Rabbi Arik Wolf of Chabad of Bedford.

Mayor Michael Cindrich explained to The Examiner News that Leonard Park is covered by four different deeds, some of which date back nearly a century and contain contradictory provisions. After seeking legal advice, he said the town was told, “the recommendation was to move ahead with it and deal with other conflicts in the future.”

Attorney Lauren Israelovitch of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, who is representing Chabad, praised the town’s reversal but warned that the mayor’s remarks suggested more hurdles may lie ahead when it comes to similar applications.

“While the mayor has described the matter as ‘extremely complicated,’ citing various deeds and conveyances to be reviewed in the coming months so that park rules and restrictions can be clarified, the law is clear: blanket bans on religious activities in a park—without valid time, place, and manner restrictions—are unconstitutional,” she said in a statement given to the Forward.

“We trust the Village will ultimately do the right thing, and we will continue to monitor developments closely,” she added. “If necessary, we are prepared to go to court, though we sincerely hope it does not come to that.”

For now, Chabad has the go-ahead to conduct Tashlich at Leonard Park this year.

“I think it certainly will bring more people out this year who feel grateful that we’re able to exercise our rights,” Rabbi Wolf remarked.

{Matzav.com}

Yerushalayim is facing renewed uproar over the ongoing high school crisis. Despite assurances from the administration of the Old High School and the municipality that two new classes were being opened as an integral part of the institution to accommodate all girls left without placement, parents charge that, in practice, their daughters have been placed in a detached building far from the rest of the student body.

The plan was unveiled last week as a supposed solution to the crisis, with officials announcing that two new ninth-grade classes would be launched under the Seminar Hayoshon’s auspices. The goal, they said, was to provide every girl who remained without a school a proper placement.

But parents say the arrangement amounts to segregation. Instead of joining the high school’s established classes, the new students have been directed to an off-site facility, a move that has sparked intense anger and accusations of discrimination.

In a letter circulated by the high school administration, officials wrote: “Daas Torah has ruled that the Seminar Hayoshon should continue accepting excellent students from quality homes who remained outside for lack of space. At the same time, the current classes will be slightly reduced, and from them, two additional classes will be opened in a new building allocated to the high school by the municipality.”

The letter further stated that the additional classrooms are to function as a full and equal part of the high school: “There is nothing new under the Seminar Hayoshon. The students are an inseparable part of the high school as a whole, in every building, from ninth grade through the end of their studies.”

Parents, however, are unconvinced. They argue that their daughters have been relegated to what they call a “leper building,” isolated from the mainstream of the school. “After being badly hurt during the admissions process, they are now forced to begin their studies cut off from the regular classes, even though they are fine girls from exemplary chareidi homes,” parents said. “If the issue was only a matter of space, the twelfth-grade classes—already well integrated into the high school—could have been moved there. Instead, they are starting ninth grade in isolation.”

The Yerushalayim Municipality responded in a statement: “With the agreement of Mayor Moshe Leon and the Old High School’s leadership, it was decided to open additional classes to absorb the students left outside the system. Due to acute space constraints, the municipality located a nearby building and prepared it with new classrooms. All accepted girls are a full and integral part of the high school in every respect, from the unified educational staff to joint study days and extracurricular programs. Claims of racist discrimination are baseless and are categorically rejected.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Shai Calderon, who heads the Education Ministry’s Chareidi District, issued a stern message to principals of chareidi girls’ high schools in Beit Shemesh, making it clear that refusal to admit students assigned to their institutions would result in the loss of state funding.

According to the directive, school leaders are obligated to take in the students allocated to them by Sunday, September 14, 2025, no later than 6:00 p.m.

Just days earlier, the Education Ministry took the unprecedented step of cutting off funding to a chareidi girls’ school in Yerushalayim after it rejected students placed there through the official enrollment system.

This decisive move underscores a dramatic shift in the Ministry’s approach toward schools that resist compliance with its placement directives, signaling a new era of strict enforcement.

Meanwhile, Degel Hatorah MK Moshe Gafni, speaking at a Beit Shemesh school opening last week, called on Shas to take action: “Open new educational institutions, as would be expected for a quality community, so your daughters have a place to study pleasantly and comfortably, without needing to crowd into our institutions.”

Shas issued a swift reply, declaring: “The Shas movement’s life mission is to establish top-tier educational institutions for the Sephardic public, and that is what it has done, with great success, for decades.”

The party added pointedly: “Kudos to Rabbi Moshe Gafni for emphasizing how important it is that the Shas movement remain strong and independent.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Two Palestinians who tried to infiltrate Israel in the Jerusalem area through the same breach in the security fence that the Ramot terrorists used only days ago were shot and moderately wounded by police officers. However, Ynet carried out an investigation of the security fence near Jerusalem on Wednesday, only two days after the attack, and reported that the breaches were still wide open and security forces were nowhere to be seen in the area. Only one police car passed by on the road in the course of an hour. According to the report, most Palestinians who cross the fence in the Jerusalem area are seeking work, but the Ramot terrorists were not the first to take advantage of the breaches to carry out terror attacks in the city. Meanwhile, Israel’s security bodies are pointing fingers at each other regarding the monitoring of the security fence. Following the attack, the IDF stated that Jerusalem Police are responsible for guarding the fence. But the police issued a statement on Wednesday emphasizing that guarding the fence is a national mission of all security bodies on both sides of the fence and activity by relevant entities is required to prevent the exit of illegal aliens from the Palestinian Authority. The police added that they have warned about the condition of the fence for over a year, but nothing has been done. Over 11,000 illegal Palestinians have been arrested since the beginning of the year, the statement said. “Every illegal alien who enters is a potential for an attack,” a resident of the Jerusalem area said. “It is unfortunate that they only act to close the breaches after six Jews are slaughtered in an attack. Our lives are not expendable. The time has come for security officials to end the infiltration of illegal Palestinians.” According to Ynet, the fact that the terrorists infiltrated through breaches in the seam line so smoothly keeps IDF officials awake at night, and the security establishment fears a wave of copycat attacks by lone terrorists, chalilah. After the October 7 massacre, Israel banned the entry of Palestinian workers into Israel…with exceptions. There are about 8,000 Palestinians whose work is deemed essential who are legally allowed to enter Israel. There are also about 15,000 Palestinians who work on yishuvim in Yehudah and Shomron (where each yishuv sets its own policy on the entry of Palestinian workers). Additionally, security officials estimate that at any given time there are about 50,000 illegal Palestinian workers in Israel. A former security official told Ynet that on one hand, if Israel were to approve the entry of Palestinian workers, it would help the system to monitor them. “It is clear that if Israel wanted to hermetically close all the breaches, it would happen, but it doesn’t, and for years upon years, illegal aliens have entered,” he said. He hinted that security officials may turn a blind eye to the issue since the Palestinian workers are good for Israel’s economy as well as the stability of the PA, but “they wake up only when there is an attack.” “It is clear that now, after the attack, they are not thinking at all about letting workers in, but if they want to close the fence, then they should close it hermetically, all the way,” he asserted. (YWN […]

President Donald Trump’s security detail has been reinforced in the wake of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, according to a Thursday report in the Wall Street Journal.

The Journal noted that the Pentagon’s annual September 11 memorial ceremony was relocated to a safer site as part of these enhanced measures.

The report further said that tighter protections will be implemented when Trump attends Thursday night’s matchup between the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

According to the paper, discussions are already underway regarding long-term adjustments to ensure Trump’s security at future events beyond this week’s schedule.

The Wall Street Journal also revealed that the firearm recovered from the Kirk shooting contained bullets etched with slogans tied to pro-transgender themes and “anti-fascist” rhetoric. Authorities are now reviewing what role, if any, these markings play in the investigation and examining the suspect’s background.

The FBI has said it possesses sharp images of the shooter, believed to be of college age.

Investigators also located a powerful rifle abandoned in the wooded area where the gunman fled. Fingerprints discovered on the weapon are currently under review.

Footage from the attack shows a bullet striking Kirk in the neck as he clutched a microphone, followed by a collapse as blood flowed. He was immediately transported to the hospital in grave condition and rushed into surgery. Roughly two hours later, Trump announced to the American people that Kirk had died from his injuries.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump is heading to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx for this evenings game.

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu reflected Thursday in an interview with Fox News on his personal memories of Charlie Kirk, the conservative pro-Israel activist who was murdered the day before.

Netanyahu said that he, his wife, and their family are “heartbroken,” and mentioned that during Kirk’s trip to Israel in 2019, his son had the chance to share a meal with him.

“We’re shattered, first as human beings, because a great human being has been taken from us. He was an extraordinary friend,” the Prime Minister said.

He recalled that Kirk had sent him a letter this past May in which he wrote, “One of my greatest joys as a Christian is advocating for Israel and forming alliances to defend Judeo-Christian civilization.” Netanyahu added that “a few weeks before the tragedy yesterday, I called him and I invited him to Israel, and sadly that visit will not take place.”

Netanyahu praised Kirk as a “defender of our common Judeo-Christian civilization. He was unbelievably excited to walk in the footsteps of Jesus here; he valued the bond between America and Israel. He did so many things to defend free speech. He had his truth, he stood up for it, but he said, ‘You can come and debate me.’ He invited that debate; he certainly didn’t invite the violence that tried to silence him.”

Addressing the broader implications of the attack, Netanyahu said it reflects a “worldwide problem. The people on the extremes: the radical Islamists and their union with the ultra-progressives. They often speak about human rights, they speak about free speech, but they use violence to take down their enemies, whether it’s President Trump, who was almost assassinated twice, or they tried to kill me here too, but they got Charlie Kirk, and it’s just heartbreaking.”

Drawing a personal connection, Netanyahu likened Kirk to his own brother Yoni, who was killed at the same age while leading the rescue of hostages in Entebbe. “I’ve thought of my brother all my life, and I’ll be thinking of Charlie all my life. They’re gone, and maybe they’re once in a generation, but those generations live by their legacy.”

{Matzav.com}

Stephen A. Smith speaks on the left celebrating Charlie Kirk’s murder: “I don’t care what his political beliefs were. I don’t care what he felt. I care about the fact that a man was gunned down in front of 2 of his children — he’s dead at the age of 31!”

A 16-year-old boy who had been radicalized by an “extremist network” fired a revolver multiple times during an attack at a suburban Denver high school that wounded two students, authorities said Thursday. Some students ran and others locked down during Wednesday’s shooting at Evergreen High School in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. One of the victims was shot inside the school and another outside. The suspect, fellow student Desmond Holly, shot himself at the school and later died, officials with the Jefferson County sheriff’s office said. The school resource officer was on medical leave and two part-time officers who now share the job were not present at the time of the shooting, officials said. The officer working at the school that day had been sent earlier to a nearby accident. Details on how Holly allegedly had been radicalized were not immediately released. They will be disclosed at a later date, sheriff’s office spokesperson Jacki Kelley said during a Thursday news conference. It also remained unclear if Holly had any dispute with the victims or if they were shot randomly. “Based on what I’m telling you about firing and reloading and firing and reloading, it seems like it could be a bit of both,” Kelley told reporters. She described a chaotic scene as students sheltered in place or fled. “He would fire and reload, fire and reload, fire reload,” she said. “This went on and on, and as he did that he tried to find new targets.” But Kelley said he was blocked by secured doors and couldn’t get into areas of the school where kids were sheltering. She added that Holly brought “quite a bit of ammunition” to the school. “The reason we have so many crime scene areas inside is because we have windows shot out. We have lockers that were shot up. We’re finding spent rounds, unspent rounds. So it’s a huge area,” she said. Investigators were searching the suspect’s room, his backpack and his locker as they try to unravel the shooting. They were also in contact with the suspect’s parents. Kelley said authorities would be looking at whether the parents should face any criminal charges for allowing him access to the gun. Holly had ridden a bus to school Wednesday morning, she said. The two victims remained in critical condition Thursday, Kelley said. At the school, cars of students and staffers remained in the parking lot Thursday. Deputies stopped drivers from entering. A command post was set up outside and authorities could be seen coming and going from the school’s front entrance. The Colorado and U.S. flags were still being flown at the top of flag poles. Sila Reilly stopped by to lay flowers to honor those injured in the shooting. Not able to get very close, she secured several bouquets of white flowers on the top of fence post near the school’s baseball field. “I’m tired of this being an everyday crisis,” said Reilly said, noting her son will soon be going to a high school much like Evergreen in another school district nearby. Authorities have not provided further details about just where the shootings occurred on the 900-student campus or what the relationship was between the suspect and the two victims. None of the law enforcement officers who responded to the shooting fired […]

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu has put his signature on a deal advancing the highly disputed E1 settlement initiative, a project that would carve through land the Palestinians claim as part of a future state.

“We are going to fulfill our promise that there will be no Palestinian state, this place belongs to us,” Netanyahu declared while visiting the Ma’ale Adumim community in the West Bank, where the plans envision thousands of additional homes.

“We will safeguard our heritage, our land and our security… We are going to double the city’s population.” His office broadcast the remarks live as he spoke.

Just last month, the E1 blueprint received its final green light from planners, a step that would effectively sever the West Bank and isolate East Jerusalem from it. Though today’s signing was mainly symbolic, it clears the way for authorities to proceed with actual building.

{Matzav.com}

Under the direction of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Israel’s parliament building was illuminated in red, white, and blue to commemorate the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks and to pay tribute to Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was gunned down on Wednesday in Utah.

“Today, 24 years ago, the deadliest terrorist attack took place on the soil of the United States, our closest ally, when four planes carrying passengers were hijacked by Islamist terrorists and crashed in various locations, taking the lives of nearly 3,000 people and changing the skyline of New York,” Ohana declared in a statement.

“Tonight, one of the most prominent voices in the struggle against Islamist terror was murdered, one of the greatest and bravest freedom fighters of our time, Charlie Kirk,” he said.

“In memory of the victims then, and in memory of the victim today, the Knesset is illuminated in the colors of the American flag as a sign of friendship and brotherhood between the two peoples. May God bless the bereaved families and comfort them.”

{Matzav.com Israel}