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Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) is calling for the federal government to lift the veil on what she describes as extraordinary — and classified — evidence of unidentified craft and so-called “interdimensional beings.” Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience this week, Luna detailed her work as chair of the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets under the House Oversight Committee, as well as her own experiences during her Air Force service. “Based on the photos that I’ve seen, I’m very confident that there’s things out there that have not been created by mankind,” Luna told Rogan, adding that the phenomena are referred to by officials as “interdimensional beings” capable of operating “through the time spaces that we currently have.” Pressed by Rogan on whether she’d personally witnessed such events, Luna was candid: “Have I seen a portal open? No. Have I seen a spaceship personally? No. Have I seen evidence of this? Yes. Have I seen photo documentation of aircraft that I believe were not made by mankind? Yes.” Luna cited testimony from “very credible people” who reported movements “outside of time and space,” including an incident near Vandenberg Air Base in which witnesses — among them a pilot — described a massive red cube in the sky “bigger than a football field.” She also recounted a personal encounter from her time as an airfield management specialist at Portland Air National Guard Base, when an “airspace incursion” left Air Force pilots “outperformed” by an unidentified aircraft. “They’re like, ‘Eh, we can’t really talk about it,’” Luna said, noting that pilots fear being stripped of flight status if they speak publicly about such sightings. Luna says much of the documentation remains classified, but argues it’s time for the government to release more information to the public. “Transparency is key,” she said — especially when the evidence, in her view, challenges the boundaries of what humanity believes is possible. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

On Sunday, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee ridiculed the BBC after the British broadcaster once again circulated inaccurate reporting on the Gaza conflict.

Earlier that day, the IDF pushed back against a BBC story which claimed that a Palestinian woman who left Gaza for medical care had died of malnutrition.

The patient, Marah Abu Zohry, had been flown to Pisa last Wednesday night on a humanitarian mission arranged by the Italian government.

Two days later, after undergoing testing and beginning medical treatment, she passed away from sudden respiratory failure and cardiac arrest. Italian outlets reported she had been suffering from extreme malnutrition.

In its rebuttal, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) clarified the woman’s medical condition, tweeting: “The facts, which the report did not mention: 20-year-old Marah Zohry suffered from leukemia.”

British columnist Melanie Phillips also blasted the BBC on social media. She wrote on X, “Israel helps evacuate cancer sufferer from Gaza to Italy. She dies there of leukemia. BBC suggests Israel starved her to death. To the BBC, even cancer is Israel’s fault.”

Huckabee reposted her remarks with his own scathing commentary: “Will the BBC retract the story and apologize? Of course. The same day a Baskin Robbins opens a franchise in h—.”

Following the backlash, the BBC later updated its article to include Israel’s clarification that the young woman had leukemia.

The BBC has faced consistent criticism over what many call a pattern of anti-Israel bias, particularly since the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre.

In November 2023, the outlet issued an apology after wrongly alleging that Israeli forces had targeted medical personnel during fighting in and around Shifa Hospital.

Previously, the network had falsely pinned responsibility on Israel for an explosion at a Gaza hospital—an incident later shown to have been caused by a misfired Islamic Jihad rocket. The BBC eventually admitted “it was false to speculate” on the cause.

Earlier this year, the organization came under scrutiny after it was revealed that the narrator of its documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone was the son of a senior Hamas leader.

Amid the uproar, the BBC conceded that the program contained “serious flaws,” and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he is “concerned” about the documentary.

In another controversy several months back, BBC anchor Nicky Shiller described three hostages freed by Hamas as “prisoners,” equating them with jailed terrorists.

That misstep drew sharp criticism, and the broadcaster later issued an apology.

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According to a report in the Saudi daily Asharq Al-Awsat, terror factions inside Gaza are weighing the possibility of relocating hostages into Gaza City in order to connect their fate with Israel’s expected military campaign there. Israeli officials, however, believe the publication is more likely a tactic aimed at stirring resistance to the IDF’s next move.

The article, released on Sunday, claimed that militants are holding internal discussions about transferring captives to Gaza City so their well-being would be directly tied to Israel’s anticipated push to seize control of the territory’s largest urban center.

Representatives from within the groups told the paper that although the idea carries great risk, it is nonetheless under review by senior leaders both within Gaza and abroad. “The goal is to increase pressure on Israel and link the fate of the living hostages to Netanyahu’s decisions,” the report noted.

Up until now, the dominant approach has been to safeguard the hostages’ survival so they could be leveraged for prisoner exchanges or to obtain a ceasefire agreement.

But the shifting battlefield reality has prompted consideration of a new course, one in which the captives’ survival would be directly tied to the plight of Gaza’s civilian population.

Insiders further told the newspaper that such a move had not been proposed in other regions under Israeli assault, asserting that “the current plan for Gaza City is the most dangerous of all.”

Meanwhile, Israeli authorities view the coverage as part of a psychological campaign by Hamas, designed to inflame public opinion inside Israel against any ground maneuver in Gaza and to place added political strain on the government.

{Matzav.com}

Former Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler has admitted he was “completely wrong” to label the COVID-19 lab leak theory as “doubtful” in 2020 — a headline he now admits fueled mistrust in fact-checking and misrepresented the uncertainty at the time. Speaking in an interview with theeditors.com founder Ira Stoll, Kessler confronted the fallout from the March 2020 fact check headlined “Was the new coronavirus accidentally released from a Wuhan lab? It’s doubtful.” Kessler said he personally added the “it’s doubtful” line — a decision he now regrets. “One of the reporters on the piece came up to me the next day and said, ‘I think you made a real mistake by putting “it’s doubtful” here. Because I’m uncertain where it stands, and you framed it in a way that made it seem more definitive than what we came up with,’” Kessler recalled. “That’s on me. I screwed up… I was completely wrong about this.” Kessler argued that the original fact check focused primarily on debunking claims that COVID-19 was a bioweapon, rather than fully addressing the broader possibility of an accidental lab release. Still, he conceded that the definitive-sounding headline — and his own public comments — overshadowed the nuance in the piece. At the time, the fact check declared that scientific evidence “strongly supports” a natural origin and suggested that “too many unexpected coincidences” would be required for a lab leak to be plausible, while acknowledging China’s refusal to provide more information. But Kessler himself wrote on Twitter in 2020 that it was “virtually impossible” for the virus to have come from a lab. In 2021, as new information emerged, Kessler revised his assessment, writing that the lab leak theory had “suddenly become credible.” He partially blamed his earlier skepticism on the Trump administration’s handling of the claim, saying officials relied on “vague intelligence” and packaged it with anti-China rhetoric that made it easier for critics to dismiss. The Washington Post was among the earliest outlets to reject the lab leak theory outright, calling it a “coronavirus conspiracy theory that was already debunked” in February 2020. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

On Sunday night, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara submitted her official reply to the Supreme Court in connection with the petitions against Justice Minister Yariv Levin. The matter stems from Levin’s directive to replace the locks on his Tel Aviv office, effectively preventing her from entering the workspace she had long been using.

In her response, Baharav-Miara explained that from the outset of her service she had followed a well-established practice, one that had been in place for at least ten years. According to her, the Attorney General and her staff regularly worked out of the Tel Aviv government compound on days when neither the minister nor the ministry’s director-general were present. She said this arrangement had been coordinated with both offices. Baharav-Miara herself would use the minister’s office, while her team worked from the neighboring rooms.

“Only after the government’s decision, and directly related to it, was a unilateral step taken – with no explanation – to lock the minister’s office,” she wrote.

She went on to argue that the change directly violated clear instructions from the Supreme Court, which had barred any alterations to the current working setup. “It appears the intent was to harm the status of the Attorney General and her professional functioning,” she added.

Justice Minister Levin, for his part, had earlier filed a forceful reply of his own, stressing that the Tel Aviv office was his alone. He accused the court of wasting its focus on trivial matters instead of giving priority to pressing issues concerning citizens’ rights.

“There were days when matters at the heart of civil liberties stood at the top of the court’s agenda – but these are different times,” Levin said. He also pointed to the investigative committee on spyware, which remains inactive due to a court injunction. “While a committee investigating serious violations of civil rights is stalled, matters that are neither urgent nor significant receive immediate judicial attention.”

Levin also took issue with the court’s choice to convene an expanded nine-judge panel for the hearings on this case, describing it as “one of the strangest episodes in the history of the judiciary.”

{Matzav.com}

A veteran international aid worker has lodged a bombshell whistleblower complaint with the Inspector General of USAID, accusing the United Nations’ top humanitarian agencies — including the World Food Program (WFP) and the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) — of “gross misconduct” and the deliberate obstruction of aid delivery to civilians in Gaza. The detailed allegations, obtained by Fox News Digital, raise questions about the misuse of U.S. taxpayer funds and possible political interference at the highest levels of the U.N. According to the complaint, filed by an aid worker who was in Gaza in July, senior IDF officials directly offered WFP and OCHA security protection and logistical coordination to expedite aid distribution. Both agencies, the whistleblower alleges, refused to even discuss the proposal, which “prevented aid from getting to the people of Gaza.” The whistleblower charges that while the IDF has cleared thousands of tons of U.N. humanitarian goods into Gaza, those supplies remain piled up, undelivered, because the agencies refuse to coordinate with Israeli authorities. “The U.N. must be held accountable,” the complaint reads, urging a full independent investigation to determine whether the refusals originate with field staff in Gaza or are directives from senior U.N. officials in New York, “including the Secretary General himself.” The allegations come as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) — a U.S.- and Israeli-supported charity that says it has delivered 127 million meals since May — faces relentless attacks not only from Hamas but, according to the whistleblower, from the very international aid organizations charged with feeding Gazans. “There is a concerted effort to discredit GHF and any attempts to provide aid outside of the U.N.,” the whistleblower told Fox News Digital. A senior State Department official acknowledged GHF’s efforts to block Hamas looting and said the group’s model “is a threat to how Hamas functions and enriches itself.” The official cited “endless video evidence” of Hamas stealing aid and accused elements of the “aid-industrial complex” of covering up theft by calling it “self-distribution.” The complaint lands amid a broader reckoning over the U.N.’s role in Gaza. A State Department assessment to Congress, obtained by Fox News Digital, concludes the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is “irredeemably compromised” and should be dismantled. U.S. officials confirmed that ongoing USAID OIG investigations have linked UNRWA personnel to Hamas and uncovered “serious shortcomings” in vetting and oversight, as well as credible evidence of systematic Hamas interference in aid delivery. Israeli officials say they have repeatedly offered to arrange armed security for U.N. convoys — standard practice in volatile regions such as South Sudan or Congo — only to be categorically refused when it comes to Gaza. Congressional staffers told Fox News Digital that multiple offices are reviewing the whistleblower’s report. One senior Republican aide called it “one of the more compelling accounts yet” of collusion between Hamas and U.N. agencies to divert or disrupt aid. U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric denied the allegations, calling them “delusional” and insisting that U.N. teams in Gaza coordinate daily with the IDF. The WFP likewise rejected claims it has blocked or impeded aid delivery. But the whistleblower — backed by input from other aid workers on the ground — disputes U.N. portrayals of widespread famine, describing “pockets of severe hunger” but “no evidence of starvation” across […]

On Sunday, Jewish-American commentator and activist Shabbos Kestenbaum delivered a strong rebuke of the huge rallies that swept through Israel, where hundreds of thousands demonstrated against the government and called for the release of hostages in Gaza. He insisted that the outrage was directed at the wrong target.

Posting on X, Kestenbaum explained his position. “I am not Israeli and have never commented on internal Israeli politics. But tonight I have to make an exception. 350,000 Israelis are taking to the street to protest Netanyahu and demand the return of all hostages. But their anger is entirely misplaced.”

He stressed that Hamas—not Israel—bears the blame for the captives’ plight. “That ‘Bring Them Home’ became the mantra instead of ‘Let Them Go’ is so regrettable and makes zero sense. The onus is on Hamas to release the hostages, not Israel! Bibi accepted the ceasefire deal, Hamas rejected it!” he stated.

According to Kestenbaum, such demonstrations ultimately undermine Israel’s position on the world stage. “Go protest at the Qatari embassy, border of Gaza, White House, or UN! A deal requires two parties to agree, Israel has and Hamas hasn’t, so how exactly is protesting the agreeing party helpful? It’s just so, so damaging to the cause,” he wrote.

Still, he made it clear that his words were not meant to diminish the anguish of Israelis. “I do not discount the real pain so many in Israel feel. Diasporic Jewry stands with you. I have proudly spoken at dozens of weekly hostage rallies here in the US. I’m arguing that mass protests against Bibi no longer make sense given that Bibi accepted Witkoff’s plan.”

{Matzav.com}

Sunday marks the 40th yahrzeit of the Steipler, z”tl, the Ba’al Kehillos Yaakov, and the father of HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, z’tl. A collection of stories about the Steipler that were heard over the years from HaRav Chaim, z’tl, were recorded by his grandson, HaRav Aryeh Kanievsky. One story involved an American Jew who wasn’t strictly Chareidi but was a leader of a Jewish kehilla. He once visited the Steipler, z’tl, and handed him a note with his name for a bracha. The Steipler looked at the note and said, “Boys and girls? Chas V’Shalom!” The Jew reeled from shock because at that time he was involved in the construction of a swimming pool for the local Jewish community center that was slated to hold mixed swimming hours. He left the Steipler’s home in a panic and searched for the nearest public telephone. He called home and firmly declared that there would never be a mixed swimming pool in his community.   (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

On Sunday night, Channel 12 News featured an interview with Eli Sharabi, who had endured months in Hamas captivity. The conversation came just hours after large-scale demonstrations were held across the country, with thousands calling for the immediate release of the hostages still trapped in Gaza.

Sharabi recounted the torment of being deprived of food during his imprisonment. “It was deliberate starvation, and you remember it vividly – that kind of abuse through hunger. While we had a single bowl of pasta a day, which was awful in itself, they ate three or four meals daily, including sweets. You see them laughing in your face, flaunting the food, even claiming they’re suffering the same way.”

He went on to describe how humanitarian shipments were diverted underground for the benefit of the captors. “From what we saw, dozens of cartons of aid were brought into the tunnels. On one hand, it’s infuriating – they took control of everything and ate like kings, while we were genuinely starved. On the other hand, you hope that as food arrives, you might be able to ask for something more and they’ll take pity on you.”

Turning to the demonstrations held that evening, Sharabi expressed how much they meant to him. “It warms the heart – it’s amazing. I remember when I was released, I had been cut off from any media for 16 months. When I got out and saw what the people of Israel did for the hostages and their families, it touched me deeply.”

Sharabi emphasized how grateful he remains for the solidarity he has witnessed since regaining his freedom. “Since then, I’ve been full of gratitude. I meet so many Israelis in so many places, and I thank them. It’s incredible. The support gives immense strength to the families who suffer day after day, hour after hour, in uncertainty and sorrow. Seeing the people of Israel standing behind them gives so much strength.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

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TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss Zohran Mamdani’s candidacy as he continues his anti-Trump tour across New York City and the latest on the heated battle in Texas over redistricting.

WATCH:

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back hard on Sunday against questions over whether President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine is being pressured into concessions, calling the suggestion “a stupid media narrative” and insisting that U.S.-led negotiations with Russia remain focused on reaching peace through careful, private diplomacy. Appearing on CBS’ Face the Nation, Rubio rejected host Margaret Brennan’s framing that European leaders were traveling to Washington to prevent Trump from “bullying” Zelensky into a bad deal. “No, it isn’t. That’s not why they’re coming … that’s not true,” Rubio said. “They’re not coming here tomorrow to keep Zelenskyy from being bullied … They’re coming here tomorrow because we’ve been working with the Europeans. We talked to them last week. There were meetings in the UK the previous weekend. We invited them to come. The President invited them to come.” Brennan referenced Trump’s contentious Oval Office meeting with Zelensky in February, where the Ukrainian president was publicly scolded. Rubio dismissed the idea that one episode defined the relationship. “Do you know how many meetings we’ve had since then? … We’ve had one meeting with Putin and like a dozen meetings with Zelensky,” he shot back. When Brennan argued that Trump had threatened to walk out of the Anchorage summit if Putin refused a ceasefire — but stayed for three hours without a deal — Rubio defended the decision. “Our goal here is not to stage some production for the world to say, oh how dramatic he walked out,” he said. “Our goal here is to have a peace agreement to end this war. And obviously we felt … that there was enough progress, not a lot of progress, but enough progress made in those talks to allow us to move to the next phase.” On ABC’s This Week, Rubio sparred with host Martha Raddatz over what, if anything, Moscow conceded during the summit. “Can you name any concessions that Vladimir Putin made during this meeting?” Raddatz asked. “I wouldn’t name them on your program,” Rubio responded. “Why would I do that?” Raddatz pressed again: “Where is the pressure?” “Because you can’t have a peace agreement unless both sides give and get,” Rubio said. “You can’t have a peace agreement unless both sides make concessions. That’s a fact. That’s true in virtually any negotiation. If not, it’s just called surrender. And neither side is going to surrender. So both sides are going to have to make concessions. So of course concessions were asked.” But, Rubio said, publicizing those details would undermine delicate talks. “What utility would there be of me going on a program and tell you we wagged our finger at Putin and told him you must do this and you must that? It’s only going to make it harder and less likely that they’re going to agree to these things. These discussions only work best when they are conducted privately in serious negotiations.” He added that even autocratic leaders must consider domestic constituencies: “People have to go back and defend these agreements that they make, and figure out a way to explain them to people. We need to create space for concessions to be made.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

On Sunday, former Vice President Mike Pence offered praise for President Donald Trump’s persistence in backing Ukraine, even as he noted he would have preferred that the Alaska meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had produced a ceasefire.

“I think he deserves credit as leader of the free world for not giving up on Ukraine, particularly, Jake, since there are many voices in and around the administration that would have cut Ukraine loose months ago. So, I want to commend the president for trying to make progress,” Pence told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”

“I must tell you, I would have liked to have seen a ceasefire, but the truth is that no deal is better than a bad deal,” he continued.

Pence described the takeaways shared by Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff as “encouraging,” highlighting especially “that there was at least an assent in Putin’s and Trump’s meeting to the United States providing security guarantees” without Washington being forced to give up anything that might endanger the U.S. or Europe.

“But, at the end of the day, it’s important to remember the bad guy here is Putin. Putin launched an unprovoked, brutal invasion more than three years ago. I have traveled to Ukraine twice. I have literally walked the streets, seen the aftermath of that brutal invasion. And now, more than ever, America and our allies need to stand strongly with Ukraine and create the conditions for a just and lasting peace,” Pence added.

Pence urged Trump to deal with Putin with firmness, warning, “In my judgment, Putin is not going to stop until he’s stopped.”

“I served alongside the president for four years. I know his style in dealing with these dictators. It’s the velvet glove, but I think the hammer needs to come, and it needs to come immediately,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that the discussions between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin made sufficient headway to set up a session with Ukrainian and European leaders. Speaking on CBS, Rubio noted the outcome of Friday’s summit warranted the next round of talks.

Rubio explained that in order to secure an end to the conflict, both Kyiv and Moscow would have to compromise, stressing that Washington could not necessarily deliver a guaranteed peace arrangement. European officials will accompany Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to Washington on Monday to join Trump, as the president pushes Ukraine toward a rapid settlement following his meeting with Putin.

“I’m not saying we’re on the verge of a peace deal, but I am saying that we saw movement, enough movement to justify a follow-up meeting with Zelenskiy and the Europeans,” Rubio told the “Face the Nation” show.

His remarks were among the earliest official accounts from an American participant at the Alaska summit with Putin. Trump himself posted online afterward, writing, “BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED!” without elaborating further.

In a separate interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” Rubio said the negotiations had refined the focus to several core matters. These, he said, included finalizing borders, arranging lasting security guarantees for Kyiv, and determining which military partnerships Ukraine could pursue. “There’s a lot of work that remains,” he added.

Putin, for his part, has insisted that NATO membership for Ukraine is off the table. NATO’s Article 5 serves as a collective defense clause, requiring members to defend any ally under attack.

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to Moscow, told CNN that the American side secured “the concession that the United States could offer Article Five-like protection.”

When pressed for specifics, he explained, “the United States is potentially prepared to be able to give Article Five security guarantees, but not from NATO, directly from the United States, and other European countries.” He noted this would be one of the issues taken up in Washington on Monday.

Reports from insiders said Trump and Putin examined proposals under which Russia would return small parts of occupied Ukrainian territory, while Ukraine might in turn give up a heavily fortified zone in the east and lock in the existing front lines elsewhere.

“We may not like it, it may not be pleasant, it may be distasteful, but in order for there to be an end of the war, there are things Russia wants that it cannot get, and there are things Ukraine wants that it’s not going to get,” said Rubio.

In another appearance on ABC, Rubio emphasized that if no agreement were achieved, existing U.S. sanctions on Russia would stay in force, and new ones could also be imposed. He recalled that Zelenskiy’s last White House visit in February ended with shouting, but insisted on CBS that the Europeans traveling to Washington now were not there to protect the Ukrainian leader.

“They’re not coming here tomorrow to keep Zelenskiy from being bullied. They’re coming here tomorrow because we’ve been working with the Europeans,” he said.

“We invited them to come.”

{Matzav.com}

The IDF announced on Sunday the start of a sweeping campaign targeting more than 14,000 alleged “draft evaders,” many of them bnei yeshiva. The operation, titled “Starting Over,” is being billed by the army as a one-time opportunity to enlist without facing criminal charges or penalties. According to officials, men between the ages of 18 and 28 who have not reported for service will now be able to register by phone or through the army’s website. Those who sign up by the 21st of the month and report to training on schedule will see penalties suspended. The army says such recruits will avoid arrest warrants, travel bans, or criminal records, provided they serve without desertion or further violations. “This is a one-time chance that will not return,” a senior officer declared. “We are not granting amnesty, but we are giving evaders the ability to come forward and avoid punishment.” The campaign comes as pressure mounts to conscript yeshiva bochurim, despite the fact that the Knesset has failed to pass a new draft bill formalizing exemptions for lomdei Torah. Military leaders are warning that the number of those they consider draft evaders could rise by 5,000 in the coming months and reach tens of thousands within a year and a half. Officials have made clear that the initiative is directed primarily at the chareidi tzibbur, while claiming that recruits will receive “special accommodations” to preserve their religious lifestyle—though no details were offered as to how such promises would be kept. This latest move follows months of political turmoil in Yerushalayim, including the dismissal of a defense minister and the head of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, as coalition leaders attempt to push through legislation on the draft. Since October 7th, when Klal Yisroel was struck by tragedy and over 12,000 soldiers were killed or wounded, the army has escalated efforts to enforce what it calls “universal conscription.” The IDF said that even a small response to the campaign would bolster its ranks, noting that if only 500 young people comply, it would still mean 500 more soldiers. Officials emphasized the urgency by pointing to manpower shortages after mandatory service was reduced from 32 months to 30. “Do not bring us new requests for exemptions,” one officer warned. “Bring documentation to enlist.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Avishai David, the father of the hostage Evyatar David, who was featured in a psychological terrorism video Hamas published several weeks ago in an emaciated state, spoke with Army Radio on Sunday about his son’s difficult situation and the leftist protests throughout the country, which are ostensibly being held in demand for the release of the hostages. “It’s hard for us after we saw him in such a difficult condition,” he said. “It’s hard for us; it’s hard for him. His suffering makes it hard for us.” David slammed the behavior of the left-wing Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which organized the protest: “This is not the behavior that some of the families want. The hidden goal is first of all to overthrow the government and its leader. There are wonderful people in the Forum, but what is behind it is—the government should go home.” “It is a politically motivated protest that has hitched a ride on the families of the hostages. I say this with sorrow; it’s very difficult for me. There are things that the Forum has done that are wonderful, but every so often the fire rises against the government and against Netanyahu. There is a negative force that does not let go, that will not miss an opportunity to attack the government and overthrow Netanyahu.” David is especially furious that photos of his son from the Hamas propaganda video were used to promote the strike. “We saw the picture on flyers to promote the strike—such an inappropriate strike that isn’t helping anyone. It horrified us that they used the picture of my son, in his condition, for political propaganda. It’s infuriating—the cynicism and hypocrisy are staggering.” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke on Sunday about the protest and did not mince words about whom the protesters are helping. “Those who are calling today for an end to the war without defeating Hamas not only harden Hamas’s position and make the release of our hostages more difficult, but they also ensure that the horrors of October 7 will repeat themselves again and again and that our sons and daughters will have to fight again and again in an endless war,” he warned. “In order to advance the release of our hostages and ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel, we must complete the task and defeat Hamas. This is exactly the cabinet decision that was made last week. We are determined to implement it.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

For 681 days, Matan Zangauker has been held in captivity. On Sunday night, Israelis were confronted with a chilling reminder of that reality when the IDF released a newly obtained video showing the 22-year-old hostage speaking from inside Gaza. The clip, believed to have been filmed several months ago, was published with the consent of his mother, Einav. In the video, Matan addresses his sisters Natalie (“Tato”) and Shani, and his partner, Ilana Grichevsky. “Tato, Shani, Ilana, I miss you. G-d willing, we’ll see each other soon. To all my acquaintances, all my friends — go out, make noise like only you know how, and with G-d’s help we’ll see each other soon.” Matan’s eyes linger at the end of the recording, a silent plea that his mother said haunts her nights. Speaking at Hostages’ Square, Einav Zangauker’s voice cracked with anguish: “I am burning with longing. My whole heart is on fire, my Matan. Your quiet gaze at the end of the video stays with me as I toss and turn at night. It burns that I cannot hug you, hear you, or hold you.” Einav’s grief quickly turned to fury as she accused Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government of failing to prioritize the hostages. “The Israeli government has never made a genuine effort toward a comprehensive agreement or an end to the war,” she said. “They turned the most just war into a false one. If Netanyahu truly wants a comprehensive agreement, he should put a practical plan on the table—otherwise, he is simply lying.” Her words drew thunderous applause from the crowd gathered in Tel Aviv. “There may be no worthy government, but we have a people,” she declared. “We rose on October 7 to save the country, and we rise now to save the hostages and our soldiers. We demand what is rightfully ours—our children. And we will keep demanding it until we get it.” Earlier that day, Hostages’ Square witnessed a painful symbolic act. Ilana, Matan’s partner, stood beneath a chuppah and “married” him in absentia. Holding the poles were parents of other hostages — among them Jon Polin, father of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, murdered in captivity, and Michel Illouz, whose son Guy’s body remains in Gaza. Clad in a black veil, Einav stood by her side. Ilana’s voice broke as she addressed the man she has not seen in nearly two years: “If you hadn’t been kidnapped, we could already have been married. I can’t stop thinking about what was taken from us, about the innocence and love stolen from us in a single day. Our world was destroyed, and you’re not here with me to hug me, and I can’t be with you to strengthen you.” “Matan, my love, I love you. I am fighting for you until you return,” she continued. “Until you and all the hostages come back, we will bring you back alive, and together we will rebuild and, G-d willing, build our Jewish home here in Israel.” As Einav and Ilana concluded their remarks, the crowd roared back in unison: “You are not alone, we are with you.” “My Matan, my hero, I am so proud of you for holding on these 681 days,” Einav told her son from the stage. “We are fighting for you; an entire nation is fighting […]

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff revealed on Sunday that during President Donald Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow accepted that Washington and its European partners could extend to Ukraine a form of protection similar to NATO’s Article 5 as part of an eventual agreement to end the war that has dragged on for three and a half years.

“We were able to win the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” He added that it “was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that.”

At a press event in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stood alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and declared that “we welcome President Trump’s willingness to contribute to Article 5-like security guarantees for Ukraine. and the ‘Coalition of the willing’ — including the European Union — is ready to do its share.”

Offering an early glimpse into what was discussed at Friday’s summit in Alaska, Witkoff said the parties agreed on “robust security guarantees that I would describe as game-changing.” He explained that Russia pledged to put into law a commitment not to seek further territorial expansion in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Washington for the indications that it is prepared to help provide security assurances, though he cautioned that the specifics are still missing.
“It is important that America agrees to work with Europe to provide security guarantees for Ukraine,” he said, “But there are no details how it will work, and what America’s role will be, Europe’s role will be and what the EU can do, and this is our main task, we need security to work in practice like Article 5 of NATO, and we consider EU accession to be part of the security guarantees.”

Witkoff defended Trump’s decision not to push for an immediate ceasefire agreement from Russia, saying the president shifted focus to a broader peace framework because the negotiations had advanced significantly.
“We covered almost all the other issues necessary for a peace deal,” Witkoff said, without elaborating.

“We began to see some moderation in the way they’re thinking about getting to a final peace deal,” he said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that if a ceasefire was not achieved, Trump had already made clear before the summit that there would be “additional consequences.” But he pointed out that any ceasefire arrangement could not have been struck since Ukraine was not present at the table.
“Now, ultimately, if there isn’t a peace agreement, if there isn’t an end of this war, the president’s been clear, there are going to be consequences,” Rubio said on ABC’s “This Week.” “But we’re trying to avoid that. And the way we’re trying to avoid those consequences is with an even better consequence, which is peace, the end of hostilities.”

Rubio, who also serves as Trump’s national security adviser, argued that new sanctions would not be the tool to bring Putin into line, though he did not rule them out completely. He stressed that “the best way to end this conflict is through a full peace deal.”

“The minute you issue new sanctions, your ability to get them to the table, our ability to get them to table will be severely diminished,” Rubio said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

He further cautioned that a final agreement was still far off.
“We’re not at the precipice of a peace agreement,” he said, adding that reaching such a deal would demand time and effort.

“We made progress in the sense that we identified potential areas of agreement, but there remains some big areas of disagreement. So we’re still a long ways off,” Rubio said.

On Monday, Trump will host Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House for follow-up talks after his discussions with Putin. Witkoff said the atmosphere after Friday’s summit was optimistic.
“I think everybody agreed that we had made progress. Maybe not enough for a peace deal, but we are on the path for the first time,” Witkoff said.

He noted that the most contentious issue—territorial swaps—was not on the table in Alaska. “The fundamental issue, which is some sort of land swap, which is obviously ultimately in the control of the Ukrainians — that could not have been discussed at this meeting” with Putin. “We intend to discuss it on Monday. Hopefully we have some clarity on it and hopefully that ends up in a peace deal very, very soon.”

{Matzav.com}

While one yeshiva student from Be’er Yehuda was unexpectedly released from prison, the wave of protests outside Military Prison 10 in Israel continued on Motzoei Shabbos, with thousands from across Chassidic communities gathering to denounce the arrest and imprisonment of yeshiva bochurim and avreichim for avoiding the army draft.

The large demonstration, one of many held in recent weeks, included participation from Chassidic groups such as Gur, Vizhnitz, Seret-Vizhnitz, Boyan, Lelov, and Ziditchoiv.

Yeshiva Bochurim Behind Bars

Currently, five detainees remain behind bars in the military facility:

• Rafael Yitzchakov, talmid of Yeshivas Meoros HaTorah

• Elazar Kaufman, avreich

• Dovid Menachem Mintzberg, avreich

• Dov Aryeh Mordechai Rabinowitz, avreich

• Ro’i Helman, talmid of Yeshivas Etz Chaim under the Ahavas Shalom network

On Motzoei Shabbos, Meir Yona, a bochur from Yeshivas Be’er Yehuda, was released unexpectedly, followed this morning by Baruch Yitzchakov, a talmid of Meoros HaTorah.

In recent days, there have been dozens of attempted midnight arrests of additional yeshiva students and avreichim at their homes, including an attempted arrest of a young Sephardi avreich in Givat Mordechai, Yerushalayim, on Motzoei Shabbos.

Thousands Gather in Protest

The demonstration outside Prison 10 drew representation from multiple communities: Gur (Bnei Brak), Vizhnitz (Haifa and Bnei Brak), Seret-Vizhnitz (Haifa), Boyan (Beitar), Lelov (Bnei Brak), and Ziditchoiv.

Rabbonim and admorim addressed the crowd with fiery words:

• Rav Chaim Yisroel Abramczyk, Rosh Yeshivas Chiddushei HaRim, declared: “The Shechinah is in exile. They do not want to allow lomdei Torah in Eretz Yisroel to immerse in Torah. But there is no doubt that Hashem will remove this terrible decree. We are His messengers in this battle.”

• Rav Yosef Tzvi Eckstein, of Gur in Bnei Brak, cried out: “We are standing here at the gates of a military prison—not in Russia, but in Eretz Yisroel. Only here are they throwing into jail those who wish to learn Torah. They will not defeat us.”

• Rav Chaim Meir Weissblum, of Seret-Vizhnitz, said: “Eretz Yisroel without Torah is like a body without a soul. It is Torah that holds the land, no one else.”

• The Ziditchoiver Rebbe of Beitar addressed the gathering with emotion: “We left everything and came here to cry out against the arrest of Jews whose only ‘offense’ was wanting to learn Torah in Eretz Yisroel. We stand with you in your pain. We will not abandon you. Let them learn Torah!” With tears he added, “They are throwing yeshiva bochurim and avreichim into prison. We daven that Hashem save us from this dreadful decree.”

• Rav Dovid Tzvi Biderman, son of the Lelover Rebbe of Bnei Brak, exclaimed: “There is no place for a Torah Jew in the army, even if he is not learning full-time. Have you lost your minds? If a bochur breaks his leg, would you break his head too? You will not draft us—no matter the price.”

• Rav Mordechai Shlomo Brim, of Boyan, told the crowd: “Every mother needs to know that when she sends her child to yeshiva, alongside food and a bed, she must now also prepare for the possibility of him ending up in military prison. But we are strong, and we will stand firm.”

As the chants and cries filled the night air outside Prison 10, the message from the Chassidic community was clear: the arrests of Torah learners will not be accepted in silence.

{Matzav.com Israel}

A Ukrainian sniper has reportedly shattered the world record for the longest confirmed kill, striking down two Russian soldiers with a single bullet from nearly two and a half miles away. The extraordinary shot—measured at 4,374 yards (13,122 feet)—was fired on Thursday near Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, according to Ukraine’s Defense Express. The gunman belonged to Ukraine’s elite “Pryvyd,” or “Ghost,” sniper unit and was operating with the aid of drones and artificial intelligence. Footage released by Ukrainian military channels shows the round fired from a Ukrainian-designed 14.5mm “Alligator” sniper rifle before piercing a window where Russian troops had taken cover. “The bullet went through the window behind which the occupiers were standing,” wrote Ukrainian military analyst Yuri Butusov, who shared the video online. The achievement  appears to eclipse not only the standing global record but also Ukraine’s own previous milestone. In November 2023, a 58-year-old veteran of the country’s Security Service (SBU) hit a Russian target from 4,156 yards (2.36 miles) with a “Lord of the Horizon” rifle. Before Ukraine’s record-breaking shots, the benchmark belonged to a Canadian Special Forces sniper who killed an ISIS fighter at 2.20 miles in Iraq in 2017. The Alligator rifle used in Thursday’s strike was originally marketed not as a weapon for infantry combat but as a tool for destroying equipment. Manufactured by Kharkiv-based XADO-Holding, the semi-automatic rifle fires 14.5mm rounds at speeds exceeding 3,200 feet per second. Its stated effective range was just 1.2 miles—barely half the distance of the latest kill. The claim adds to Ukraine’s growing reputation for redefining long-range precision warfare, blending cutting-edge optics, AI-assisted targeting, and drone surveillance into its frontline tactics. If verified by independent sources, the shot would not only mark a new world record but also underscore how Ukraine is leveraging domestic engineering to challenge Russia with technology once thought impossible in the chaos of war. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)