Ireland has elected Catherine Connolly, a far-left independent and outspoken critic of Israel, as its next president in a sweeping victory that reshapes the country’s political tone.
Final results released today confirmed Connolly’s decisive win, with 63% of first-preference ballots once invalid votes were excluded. Her rival, Heather Humphreys of the center-right Fine Gael party, trailed far behind at 29%. Though the presidency is largely ceremonial, the result marks a sharp political statement from Irish voters.
At a victory celebration in Dublin Castle, the 68-year-old Connolly pledged to promote unity and uphold Ireland’s tradition of neutrality. “I would be an inclusive president for all of you, and I regard it as an absolute honor,” she said, promising to be “a voice for peace” and to “build on our policy of neutrality.”
Her win was widely expected after polls showed overwhelming public backing, bolstered by endorsements from Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, and the Social Democrats. Connolly, a former barrister who entered parliament in 2016, has built her reputation as an independent voice critical of mainstream parties and Ireland’s alignment with Western military policies.
She has long been a controversial figure for her positions on the Middle East. In September, Connolly referred to Hamas as “part of the fabric of the Palestinian people.” The remark provoked backlash from Jewish groups and political opponents alike.
Amid mounting criticism, Connolly later insisted she “utterly condemned” the group’s attacks but simultaneously accused Israel of committing a “genocide” in Gaza — a charge Israel categorically denies. She also previously alleged that Israel was “behaving like a terrorist state.”
Earlier in the day, Humphreys conceded defeat even before the final votes were tallied, acknowledging the scale of Connolly’s lead.
Connolly has also warned of what she calls the European Union’s “growing militarization” following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, arguing that Ireland should resist pressure to deepen its military ties. Critics, however, say her rigid neutrality risks isolating Ireland from key allies and diminishing its influence in European security discussions.
She will replace Michael D. Higgins, who is stepping down after serving two full seven-year terms since 2011. Connolly thus becomes Ireland’s 10th president — and only the third woman to hold the office.
Prime Minister Micheál Martin congratulated her on what he called a “very comprehensive election victory.” He added that he looks forward to collaborating with the new president “as Ireland continues to play a significant role on the global stage, and as we look forward to hosting the EU presidency in the second half of 2026.”
{Matzav.com}A shocking report from The Daily Mail has revealed that more than 150 convicted Palestinian terrorists, recently deported from Israel under the ceasefire-hostage deal, are now living in luxury at a five-star Marriott property in Cairo, mingling with unsuspecting tourists at the Renaissance Cairo Mirage Hotel.
The former prisoners, many serving life sentences for some of the bloodiest terror attacks in Israel’s history, were spotted lounging poolside, enjoying buffet meals, and sipping drinks at the hotel bar. According to the Mail, journalists who booked nearby rooms found themselves “just a few doors down” from the ex-inmates.
Witnesses described the surreal atmosphere: freed terrorists taking selfies with relatives and fans, while an outdoor wedding played music in the background. Some family members “had flown to be with them,” the report noted, adding that the group appeared to be celebrating openly with “adoring local fans.”
Among those seen at the hotel were several notorious figures. The Mail identified Mahmoud Issa, jailed since 1993 for orchestrating the abduction and murder of Border Police officer Nissim Toledano; Samir Abu Nima, responsible for a 1983 Jerusalem bus bombing that killed six people, including an 11-year-old; and Muhammad Zawahra, involved in a deadly 2024 shooting near a Jerusalem checkpoint.
The weekend also saw a bizarre twist when Akram Abu Bakr, a former Fatah Tanzim commander, held his wedding at the same hotel, reportedly attended by several of the deported terrorists.
Guests were seen “withdrawing wads of cash from ATMs within the hotel,” The Daily Mail said, raising questions about how the lavish stay was being financed. A hotel staff member confirmed to Israel’s Channel 12 that the group had indeed been staying at the property, though he claimed they had since checked out.
Their deportation came under the terms of a U.S.-brokered truce announced on October 13. Israel released roughly 2,000 Palestinian security prisoners — including around 250 serving life terms — after Hamas freed the final 20 living hostages taken on October 7, 2023. Those convicted of particularly severe crimes were expelled from Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, with 154 sent to Egypt.
Upon arrival in Cairo, the ex-prisoners were greeted by “huge crowds of friends, family and fans,” before heading “to a function room beneath booked for the occasion,” the Mail reported. Photos and videos circulating online show smiling attendees waving Palestinian flags and embracing the newly arrived men.
One of them, Mahmoud al-Arida — a senior Islamic Jihad figure who helped mastermind the 2021 Gilboa Prison escape — even shared a photo of himself enjoying a meal at the hotel. “My first time with a spoon after four long years with local labneh from Arraba and thyme from the Arraba hills,” he wrote. Al-Arida famously used a spoon to dig his way out of the high-security prison.
According to The Daily Mail, Egyptian authorities are allowing the deportees to apply for long-term residency but are closely monitoring their movements. Armed police guard the hotel, and those wishing to leave must request permission. Some, however, have already been cleared to depart — including Basem Khandakji, who participated in the 2004 Tel Aviv Carmel Market bombing that killed three and wounded more than 50.
Security experts are warning that the situation poses a significant risk. Anthony Glees, an emeritus professor at the University of Buckingham, cautioned, “They are our sworn enemies. They will cut off the heads of British soldiers and kill left, right and center.” He added, “We must not let them collect together. There can be no hiding place for these people. Otherwise, you are setting up a terrorist army in exile.”
A retired Israeli intelligence operative identified as “Guy C” offered a similar warning, saying the deported militants now have “no restrictions on their movements in these countries.” He explained, “They can walk freely, travel to Europe – even the UK – receive donations from naive supporters, and gain backing from protesters who already sympathize with them. The first thing these terrorists will do when they reach Turkey or Qatar is contact their associates in Gaza and the West Bank to send money and re-establish their networks. They will quickly regroup and form new terror cells.”
The Mail estimated the cost of housing all 154 ex-prisoners at the Cairo Marriott to exceed £30,000 — roughly $39,000 — per night, with rooms starting around $200 each. The report concluded that it remains unclear who is footing the bill, as Marriott has yet to comment.
{Matzav.com}
The identity of the mystery philanthropist who pledged $130 million to cover U.S. military salaries during the ongoing government shutdown has been revealed as Timothy Mellon, a billionaire railroad executive and descendant of one of America’s most storied banking families, according to The New York Times.
Despite the staggering figure, Mellon’s donation amounts to roughly $100 per service member. The U.S. government typically spends close to $6.4 billion every two weeks on military payroll, meaning the contribution represents only a tiny fraction of what’s required to pay America’s troops.
The arrangement could also violate federal law. The Times, citing individuals familiar with the matter, reported that the use of Mellon’s funds might breach the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits federal agencies from using unappropriated money to finance operations or salaries.
President Donald Trump first announced the contribution Thursday at the White House, calling the donor a “great patriot” and “friend of mine,” though he did not disclose Mellon’s identity at the time.
“And he’s a big supporter of mine,” Trump said the following evening. “He’s a wonderful man, and he doesn’t want publicity.”
Mellon’s fortune, estimated by Forbes to be close to $1 billion, comes from his vast railroad and investment holdings. However, he once dismissed the label of billionaire, insisting in a 2024 email to a news outlet, “Billionaire NOT! … Never have been, never will be.”
His donation is intended to temporarily cover pay and benefits for U.S. troops while the federal government remains partially shuttered, though experts say it’s largely symbolic given the immense costs of military compensation.
With more than 1.3 million active-duty troops, the Trump administration’s 2025 budget projected nearly $600 billion in military pay and benefits. Against that backdrop, Mellon’s $130 million contribution—while headline-grabbing—barely makes a dent.
Mellon, the grandson of former Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon, has long been among Trump’s top political allies. During the 2024 election cycle, he gave $50 million to Trump’s super PAC—one of the largest single political donations ever disclosed, The Times noted.
But the move has drawn concern from lawmakers. A spokesman for Senator Chris Coons of Delaware warned of the dangers in allowing private individuals to fund government functions. “Using anonymous donations to fund our military raises troubling questions of whether our own troops are at risk of literally being bought and paid for by foreign powers,” the spokesman said.
{Matzav.com}
Norway’s national broadcaster, NRK, has sparked fierce criticism after broadcasting antisemitic jokes on a satire program aimed at audiences as young as nine years old.
The controversy erupted during the latest episode of Nytt på Nytt, a popular satirical news show that aired tonight. Host Tuva Johannessen joked, “U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson believes reasonable people thank America for bombing ships full of fentanyl — but if you replace fentanyl with Jews, it suddenly doesn’t sound so okay.”
The audience and panel members laughed, prompting Johannessen to continue with another remark referencing an earlier segment about smuggling adult magazines from Sweden to Norway. “Imagine if Jews were being smuggled from Sweden to Norway — that wouldn’t work,” he said.
The exchange drew swift condemnation from Jewish organizations and Israeli representatives, who said such rhetoric crosses every line of decency.
On Elpeleg, an Israeli educator based in Norway who documents antisemitism in the country’s public media, denounced the broadcast, saying authorities have continually ignored repeated complaints. “The hosts’ cynical humor is simply warped. The goal here is to humiliate Jews. What’s worse is that this is a show officially rated for children age 9 and up — practically an invitation for parents to watch with their kids. And then people wonder why antisemitism is surging here,” he said.
This latest scandal followed another troubling broadcast just a week earlier, when an NRK radio presenter made an antisemitic remark on air. “I have a great morning joke for our listeners. Do you know what happened to the Jew who ran into a wall with an erection? He broke his nose,” the host said.
In response, the Israeli Embassy in Oslo issued a sharp rebuke: “Antisemitism is never funny. It is unacceptable for such ‘humor’ to be given a platform by Norway’s public broadcaster and remain online. Action must be taken.” Despite the uproar, NRK declined to remove the offensive clip, offering only a written apology after widespread backlash.
Elpeleg condemned the network’s handling of the situation, connecting it to Norway’s wartime legacy. “It’s 2025, not 1945 — yet we’re hearing Nazi jokes on state TV again. It’s unbelievable that this broadcaster, which collaborated with the Nazis and boosted their morale between 1940 and 1945, is still operating like this 80 years later. Schools have started teaching about the ‘genocide’ to 13-year-olds, but at the same time, this is being normalized on educational television. I’ve worked in education here for 25 years, and I’m stunned. History is repeating itself.”
{Matzav.com}
Senior Hamas terror figure Moussa Abu Marzouk announced that it may take a significant amount of time before the group can locate and return the bodies of the remaining hostages. Speaking to Al Jazeera, he said that the process “won’t take weeks – it could take months.”
Abu Marzouk explained the difficulty of recovering the remains, stating, “I have said in the past that there will be a problem regarding the deceased hostages, because it is difficult to hand them all over and hard to locate them all at once. This won’t take weeks – it could take months.”
He continued by admitting that some bodies may never be found, saying, “It could be that we won’t be able to find some of the deceased hostages. We say clearly: We have no deceased hostages that we are able to hand over.”
Earlier this month, the Hamas leader made a similar assertion, predicting that locating both living and deceased hostages would take “months.” Yet less than two weeks later, the organization freed all 20 living captives in a single day, undermining his earlier claims about the expected delay.
Meanwhile, tonight, as previously reported here on Matzav, President Donald Trump issued a direct warning to Hamas, urging the terror group to promptly deliver the bodies of the slain hostages.
“We have a very strong PEACE in the Middle East, and I believe it has a good chance of being EVERLASTING,” Trump wrote. “Hamas is going to have to start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly, or the other Countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action.”
He pointed out that while some remains may be harder to recover, others are accessible, saying, “Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not.”
Concluding his statement, Trump made clear that his patience is limited: “Perhaps it has to do with their disarming, but when I said, ‘Both sides would be treated fairly,’ that only applies if they comply with their obligations. Let’s see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely.”
{Matzav.com}
Fatah, under the leadership of Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas, declared that any political or administrative arrangement in the Gaza Strip can only take place within the recognized framework of Palestinian national legitimacy — specifically, through the Palestine Liberation Organization and the State of Palestine.
The movement asserted that these are the only legitimate entities empowered to safeguard what it called “the Palestinian national enterprise,” insisting that no external body has the authority to shape Gaza’s governance outside these parameters.
In its statement, Fatah stressed that sovereignty over all territories belonging to the State of Palestine — including the Gaza Strip — is a natural and irrevocable right of the Palestinian people and their governing institutions. The leadership, it said, is primarily focused on achieving “a ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from the Strip.”
Addressing ongoing discussions about forming an interim administrative committee to oversee Gaza, the movement described the idea as “an important and necessary step,” but stipulated that such a body must “operate under the authority of the government of the State of Palestine.”
On matters of security, Fatah clarified that “responsibility for security in the Gaza Strip lies solely with the official security forces of the Palestinian Authority.” The group further emphasized that any foreign or international security presence “must be stationed only on the border with Israel and with the explicit consent of the Security Council,” ensuring that Palestinian sovereignty remains intact.
Fatah also voiced firm opposition to “any attempt to impose international educational reforms on the Palestinian people,” warning that outside interference would not be tolerated. It stated that the role of the International Peace Committee should be limited “to monitor the cessation of hostilities and to rehabilitate Gaza,” without encroaching on the independence of Palestinian decision-making.
As for disarmament, the movement made clear that any plan to remove weapons from Gaza must occur “within an overall national framework,” guided by the principle of “one authority, one armed force, and one law.” This approach, Fatah noted, would help secure internal unity while eliminating Israeli “pretexts” for maintaining military operations in the Strip.
{Matzav.com}
As Israel moved into the early hours of Sunday morning, the nation officially ended Daylight Saving Time and shifted its clocks back one hour, marking the start of winter’s shorter days.
At precisely 2:00 a.m., time was rolled back to 1:00 a.m., aligning the country with Standard Time once again. This adjustment will remain in place until March 27, 2026, when clocks will once more spring forward to Daylight Saving Time.
The twice-yearly time changes are regulated by the Time Determination Law enacted in 2013. According to this law, Israel reverts to Standard Time on the final Sunday of October, setting clocks back an hour. The return to longer evenings occurs each spring on the Friday preceding the last Sunday in March, when clocks move ahead one hour.
The goal of the seasonal shift is to synchronize waking and working hours with the reduced daylight of winter months, ensuring that mornings begin in sunlight. However, this also means that nightfall arrives earlier, with dusk now descending in the late afternoon.
Although the change allows many to start their day in brighter conditions, it shortens daylight after work, often leading to heavier traffic in the dark and curtailing outdoor and recreational activities during the early evening.
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump issued a firm call tonight for the Hamas terror group to hand over the remains of fallen hostages without delay.
In his message he declared, “We have a very strong PEACE in the Middle East, and I believe it has a good chance of being EVERLASTING. Hamas is going to have to start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly, or the other Countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action.”
He added urgency, noting, “Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not.”
Referring to earlier commitments, he emphasized: “Perhaps it has to do with their disarming, but when I said, ‘Both sides would be treated fairly,’ that only applies if they comply with their obligations. Let’s see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely.”
The night before, a senior Israeli official told Yediot Acharonot that while Hamas could return the bodies of up to eight additional hostages, the group claimed ignorance of the whereabouts of five others.
“They’re playing games and stalling to prolong the ceasefire even without moving into the second stage, which requires disarmament,” the official alleged.
Though Hamas released 20 living hostages under Trump’s Gaza peace plan, the group has delayed returning the bodies of deceased hostages and insists it does not know the location of most of them.
On Thursday morning, Israel’s Defence Minister Yisroel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and senior officers from the IDF Intelligence Directorate briefed U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance at the Kirya in Tel Aviv.
According to Kan 11 News, the Israeli delegation told Vice President Vance that Hamas is capable of retrieving at least ten of the thirteen hostage remains still in the Gaza Strip, even without external assistance.
The intelligence shared with Vance indicated that Hamas can act independently and does not require the deployment of Arab forces or an “international peacekeeping force” proposed under the Trump framework.
Further warning from military intelligence officials described how Hamas has used the ceasefire to rebuild its position in Gaza: rehabilitating terror tunnels, recruiting new personnel, repairing weapons and reorganizing its command structure. These sources cautioned that Hamas shows no sign of disarming or giving up its authority.
And the message delivered to Vice President Vance was direct: “Progress under the Trump framework cannot currently proceed until Hamas fulfills its part of the agreement.”
{Matzav.com}
