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On Monday night, Hamas transferred to Israel the body of hostage Tal Haimi, bringing a painful chapter closer to closure. Haimi, 41, was killed while courageously defending Kibbutz Nir Yitzchak on October 7, 2023, when terrorists invaded the community. His body was taken into Gaza that day.

Haimi served on the kibbutz’s emergency response team and joined his comrades in fierce combat at the entrance of Nir Yitzchak, holding back the terrorists until he was fatally shot. Initially listed as missing, investigators later determined that he had likely been taken into Gaza. In December 2023, intelligence confirmed his death, and though his family held a funeral, they continued to wait for his remains.

Late Monday, Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that the body had been returned. The casket was taken to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv for identification.

“The Government of Israel shares in the profound grief of the Haimi family and of all the families of the fallen hostages,” the PMO said.

Haimi leaves behind his wife, Ela, and four children — Nir, Einav, Udi, and Lotan, the youngest of whom was born in May 2024, seven months after his father’s death.

“Tal was brought home after 745 days,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement. “Tal loved taking his family on nature trips and camping in the outdoors, was an enthusiastic tools hobbyist, and always knew how to find a solution to any problem that arose.

“On the morning of October 7, he went out to fight against dozens of terrorists in a battle at the gate of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak. Tal and the rest of the quick-response team fought with extraordinary bravery for several hours, and during the battle, Tal fell and was abducted into Gaza.”

Hamas delivered the casket on Monday evening, claiming it had located the body a day earlier. The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed faction of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, later said that it had been holding the remains.

The Red Cross received the casket from Hamas and passed it on to the Israel Defense Forces. Inside Gaza, IDF personnel verified the contents, covered the coffin with an Israeli flag, and held a brief ceremony led by a military rabbi. From there, the casket was taken out of Gaza under police escort to Abu Kabir.

A day before the handover, Hamas had announced it had discovered the remains of a hostage and would return them “if the field conditions are suitable.” That declaration came amid renewed tensions, after a deadly attack in southern Gaza prompted Israeli airstrikes. No transfer occurred that day.

With Haimi’s return, 15 bodies of Israeli hostages are still believed to be held in Gaza, while 13 have been recovered and brought back. Israel accuses Hamas of deliberately withholding some of the bodies, whereas the terror group claims that destruction from the war has made locating them impossible.

Under the current ceasefire arrangement, Hamas freed the final 20 living hostages on October 13, within three days of Israel’s withdrawal to the so-called Yellow Line, as stipulated in the agreement.

{Matzav.com}

Police arrested a man at Atlanta’s bustling airport on Monday after getting a tip from his family that he was planning to shoot up the place, and found an assault rifle and ammunition in his truck outside, the city’s police chief said. Billy Joe Cagle, of Cartersville, Georgia, had described his plan to shoot up the world’s busiest airport on a social media livestream, Chief Darin Schierbaum said during a news conference. “The Cartersville Police Department was alerted by the family of Mr. Cagle that he was streaming on social media that he was headed to the Atlanta airport, in their words, to ‘shoot it up,’ and the family stated that he was in possession of an assault rifle,” Schierbaum said, describing Cagle as a “convicted felon.” Cagle, 49, arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in a Chevrolet pickup truck that was parked right outside the doors to the airport terminal. When police went to the vehicle, they found an AR-15 with 27 rounds of ammunition, Schierbaum said. “We’re here today briefing you on a success and not a tragedy because a family saw something and said something,” the chief said. Cartersville police Capt. Greg Sparacio, whose department received the initial tip from family members, said Cagle “had the intention to inflict harm to as many people as he could.” During the news conference, police showed surveillance video that shows Cagle arriving at the airport and body-camera video of his arrest. A Chevrolet flatbed pickup truck is seen arriving curbside at the airport terminal around 9:30 a.m. and then a man police identified as Cagle is seen entering the airport a few minutes later. He walks over to the TSA security checkpoint and had “high interest in that area,” Schierbaum said. Body-camera footage shows Atlanta police officers, who had a photo of Cagle provided by his family on their phones, approach him and start asking him questions before taking him into custody. As they take him to the ground and put handcuffs on him, Cagle can be heard yelling. Cagle has been charged with making terroristic threats, criminal attempt to commit aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a felon, Schierbaum said. Cagle was booked into the Clayton County Detention Facility on Monday evening, according to online jail records. Attempts to reach his family and co-workers through multiple phone numbers and emails were unsuccessful. It wasn’t immediately clear whether he had a lawyer who could comment on the charges. Nick Roberts, who has known Cagle since high school, texted his friend Sunday night after being concerned by Facebook posts he had made. He said Cagle was struggling with mental health issues. Cagle had posted on Facebook earlier Sunday that he is schizophrenic and was taking medication. Roberts said Cagle called him at about 9 p.m. Sunday night and assured him he was OK. Roberts said Cagle loved his two daughters and worked hard hauling hay and doing fencing work. “I want folks to know that he wasn’t some monster,” Roberts said. “This was a very big surprise for a lot of us that went to high school with him and know him in the community.” Atlanta police will work with federal authorities to determine how he obtained the gun, […]

The Donald Trump administration received a significant victory Monday when a federal appeals court ruled the president may proceed with his plan to send National Guard troops to Portland.

A panel of three judges from the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a 2-1 decision overturning one of two temporary restraining orders that had blocked the deployment into the city.

Judges Ryan Nelson and Bridget Bade—both appointed by President Trump—backed the president’s efforts to move federal troops into Democrat-led municipalities.

“After considering the record at this preliminary stage, we conclude that it is likely that the President lawfully exercised his statutory authority under 10 U.S.C. § 12406(3), which authorizes the federalization of the National Guard when ‘the President is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States,’” the majority opinion stated.

During oral arguments, Judge Nelson observed that it “may well be that the forces are used in an improper way” but maintained that the court didn’t “have evidence of that.”

The sole dissent on the panel came from a judge appointed by Bill Clinton.

Earlier in October, a federal judge in Oregon had blocked the National Guard deployment to Portland. The court cited the president’s decision as being “untethered to reality” in her emergency order and warned that he was risking “blurring the line between civil and military federal power – to the detriment of this nation.”

In response, the White House accused the judge of being “untethered in reality” in a sharp statement before turning to the appeals court for relief.

Stacy Chaffin, an assistant attorney general in Oregon, argued that Trump’s portrayal of violence in Portland did not remotely justify federalizing the National Guard. She contended that the city’s demonstrations did not meet the condition of a “rebellion,” one of the triggers the president cited for deploying troops.

President Trump has advocated National Guard deployments in other cities led by Democrats, including Chicago, despite resistance from state officials.

Democrats have accused the president of exaggerating the threat to validate his effort to “federalize” cities, while Trump and his backers point to violent anti-ICE protests as grounds for military intervention.

Separately, on Shabbos, the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals eased a lower-court order blocking the federal deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago, though that ruling limited the soldiers to a reserve base outside the city rather than inside its borders.

On Monday, the city of Portland was hit with a civil-rights complaint amid continuing street protests, accused of employing “race-first” policies even as it pledged to scale back its diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.

{Matzav.com}

A manhunt is underway in France for the four people who staged an audacious daylight robbery at the Louvre museum. But what are the thieves likely to do with the stolen jewelry?

A shortage of air traffic controllers has crippled operations across the nation’s airports, triggering widespread flight delays as the federal government shutdown drags into its 20th consecutive day, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed Monday.

According to FlightAware, approximately 7,850 flights within, into, or out of the United States were delayed on Sunday alone. By early Monday, over 1,000 additional flights had already been impacted.

The FAA attributed major slowdowns at airports in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and Newark over the weekend to staffing shortages, Reuters reported. The agency also warned of potential delays in Las Vegas and Phoenix for the same reason.

“As [Transportation] Secretary [Sean] Duffy has said, there have been increased staffing shortages across the system. When that happens, the FAA slows traffic into some airports to ensure safe operations,” an FAA spokesperson told The Hill.

Reuters also noted that poor weather conditions and the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Austin contributed to additional delays on Sunday.

Earlier this month, Duffy told Fox Business that “53 percent of flight delays were caused by staffing issues,” describing it as a sharp increase from the typical rate of around five percent.

Currently, around 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration employees continue to work without pay during the prolonged shutdown.

Aviation analysts have cautioned that delays may worsen as unpaid employees begin to call out sick, echoing what occurred during the 2019 government shutdown.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has been broadcasting videos in airports blaming Democrats for refusing to fund the government’s reopening—though many airports have chosen not to air them.

The shutdown has now entered the record books as the third-longest in U.S. history.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump’s envoys, real estate magnate Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner, privately urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday not to take any steps that could jeopardize the first phase of Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan, according to Israel’s Channel 12. Citing sources familiar with the talks, the report said the pair pressed Netanyahu to “avoid actions that could endanger the ceasefire,” emphasizing that while acts of self-defense are understood, “risking the ceasefire” is not. The envoys reportedly underscored Washington’s desire to “do everything to reach the second phase” of the agreement — a key benchmark in Trump’s proposed framework aimed at stabilizing Gaza following months of conflict. Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who also attended the meeting, assured the envoys that Israel remains committed to the ceasefire framework and expects Hamas to uphold its obligations under the deal, Channel 12 reported. In an unusual move, Witkoff and Kushner also held meetings with senior IDF officials, including the heads of the military’s Technological Division and Military Intelligence. The discussions, authorized by Israel’s political leadership, focused on Israel’s readiness to implement the next stage of Trump’s plan, which envisions the demilitarization and reconstruction of postwar Gaza. Participants reviewed what Channel 12 described as “the entire mechanism for dismantling and demilitarizing postwar Gaza,” with U.S. officials seeking assurance that Israel’s preparations align with Washington’s expectations for the second phase of the ceasefire roadmap. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A decade after doctors began recommending that babies eat peanuts early in life, a new study shows it’s working — big time. Researchers say about 60,000 U.S. children have avoided peanut allergies since 2015, when guidelines flipped from avoiding peanuts to introducing them as early as 4 months old. Peanut allergy rates in young kids dropped more than 40%, according to the study.

Bolivia’s first conservative president-elect in 20 years, Rodrigo Paz, injected a sharp note of realism into his plans to tackle Bolivia’s economic crisis on Monday, a day after his surprise electoral victory signaled the end of decades of leftist rule in the South American nation. After years of government antipathy toward the U.S. under the Movement Toward Socialism party, Paz pledged to rebuild relations with Washington — and attract foreign investment to a country long locked out of international markets. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that Paz’s victory Sunday “marks a transformative opportunity for both nations” to work on investment, immigration, security and other matters. “The message from Mr. Trump’s administration itself is a very clear and open signal,” Paz said at a news conference. “We will have a fluid relationship and commitments to cooperation and joint work between both nations.” Paz won 54.5% of the vote, according to preliminary results. Warming long-frosty ties to the US Paz defeated right-wing former President Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga in Sunday’s presidential election runoff after a campaign in which both candidates reached out to Washington, though Quiroga was seen as having warmer ties with the Trump administration. Quiroga pitched having the International Monetary Fund impose a fiscal shock package to right the economy, an unpopular move with many voters. Sensitive to the country’s deep-seated resentment of such international organizations under leftist rule, Paz rejected an IMF bailout. He did reveal on Monday that he was talking to the Trump administration — among “other friendly countries” — to ensure Bolivia would have fuel imports after he takes office on Nov. 8. “The process is underway. We are coordinating in the best way possible so that the much-needed fuel — gasoline and diesel — can arrive, and from that, we can bring calm to the population,” Paz said, without elaborating. The commodities boom of the early 2000s sent money flowing into Bolivia under then- President Evo Morales as natural gas exports surged. But production slumped and amid profligate spending on fuel and food subsidies, the central bank has practically run out of U.S. dollars. Without the cash to pay for imports, fuel lines stretch along the streets of major cities. Year-on-year inflation soared to 23% in September, the highest rate since 1991. The leader of Paz’s economic team, José Gabriel Espinoza, told The Associated Press that the U.S. wouldn’t supply gasoline to Bolivia but that the Trump administration’s help had been key to “setting up a supply network” to import fuel. An underdog lures former leftists to the right Paz — the son of former leftist President Jaime Paz Zamora — was a political unknown in the early stages of the campaign despite his two decades in politics, first as a mayor, then as a senator. But his pick as a running mate of Edman Lara, a social media-savvy former police captain, transformed his campaign, solidifying his appeal to working-class and rural voters who saw themselves in Lara’s own humble origin story and in his public struggles against what they see as a corrupt establishment. Lara gained fame on TikTok in 2023 after being fired from the police force for denouncing corruption in viral videos. Lara made populist promises like pension increases and cash handouts for the poor that flew in the face of Paz’s grim economic arithmetic, but he […]

Members of the Palestinian terror cell arrested last month in the Ramallah area tried to create and launch rockets already at the start of the war in Gaza, according to new details obtained by Ynet. Ynet reports that the cell occupied a great deal of the security establishment’s attention, including the IDF Central Command, the Shin Bet, and the Minority Affairs Unit of the Yehuda and Shomron police district. The threat was viewed very seriously—a threat of rocket fire in Yehudah and Shomron was considered a major potential escalation that would dramatically affect the security balance in the area. Security forces captured the cell after covert investigation and located hidden launch sites and storage areas. The cell leader, Abdullah al-Khatib, began attempting rocket launches immediately after the October 7 massacre. Three days after the war began, he launched a drone carrying an improvised explosive device over the Sde Ephraim farm in the Binyamin region. Security camera footage shows an explosive device being dropped from the drone and detonating above the farm. B’Chasdei Hashem, there were no casualties in that incident. Later, Al-Khatib recruited his brother and a friend and raised funds from their businesses to continue his rocket-launching efforts. At one stage, he instructed his brother and friend to conduct a rocket test targeting the Chareidi city of Modi’in Illit in the Binyamin region, using a cellphone timer to activate the launch. The rockets failed to launch due to what al-Khatib described as a “technical malfunction.” Al-Khatib said in his interrogation that he intended to fire rockets toward Tel Aviv in order to stop the war. The cell invested about 250,000 shekels ($75,000) in weapons and equipment to establish a rocket-launching capability. In total, Israeli security forces uncovered about 15 rockets ready for launch in the Ramallah area, along with a makeshift explosives lab. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Khal Adath Jeshurun of Washington Heights has announced that its longtime mara d’asra, Rav Yisroel Mantel, will be relocating to Gateshead, England, after 19 years of distinguished leadership.

In a letter sent to members and friends of the Kehillah, the Board of Trustees shared that Rav Mantel had approached them after Yom Tov to inform them of his decision to move closer to his children and grandchildren. The Rav explained that both he and the Rebbetzin feel that, as they get older, it has become necessary to be nearer to their family.

Rav Mantel plans to continue serving as rov of Khal Adath Jeshurun for as long as it remains feasible during the transition. The Board expressed its deep appreciation for the zechus the community has had to be led by Rav Mantel, who, together with his Rebbetzin, has earned the admiration of countless Kehillos beyond Washington Heights.

The rov also informed the Board that once he made his availability known, he was advised that he would be offered the position of rov in Gateshead, a role he had been invited to take several years ago but declined at the time, choosing instead to remain with his current Kehillah.

Rav Mantel requested that the membership be notified and that the process of finding a suitable successor begin immediately. A search committee has already been formed, and members are invited to share suggestions with the Board. Rav Mantel has graciously offered to assist in any way possible throughout the transition.

The letter concludes by acknowledging the hashpa’ah Rav Mantel has had on the Kehillah, noting that Hakadosh Baruch Hu has granted the community “exceptional manhigim,” and expressing a heartfelt tefillah that the rov will continue to do so in his new role.

{Matzav.com}

Freed hostage Rom Breslavsky spoke with Ba’al Chessed Shai Graucher, who visited the released hostages along with US donors and gave them gifts. In an emotional conversation, Breslavsky told Graucher that the realization that everything he endured was only due to this Jewish identity is what gave him strength to survive. “They constantly spoke about their Muslim identity,” Breslavsky said. “We’re Jews. Look what happened to me, what they did to me—only because I’m a Jew.” “A Jew needs to know he’s in a lofty place, that he’s different than a non-Jew. We need to strengthen our Jewish identity. I hope that Am Yisrael will remain strong and united.” Breslavsky endured severe torture and brutal daily beatings for months. His mother, Tami, said that upon his return, he constantly repeated, “I’m a Jew.” “I didn’t understand why he repeated ‘I’m Jewish’ and ‘I’m a strong Jew,'” she said. “It was extremely important to him to maintain his Jewish identity because they pressured him to convert to Islam and promised him that if he does, they’ll give him food and soap. But he adamantly refused.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

The avreich, Reb Aryeh Mordechai Rabinowitz, father of three and grandson of the Mishkenot HaRo’im Rebbe, was released from military prison on Monday after spending three long months in prison. He had been arrested in July during a protest against the chillul kevarim at an ancient beis kevaros in Yehud and was transferred to the military police. Around 30 hearings took place before the long-awaited release, which was obtained with the help of Reb Shimon Shisha—the shaliach of the Eida HaChareidis Beis Din and advocate for imprisoned bnei yeshivos—and attorney Menachem Shtauber, who worked tirelessly throughout the period to ease his conditions and ultimately secure his early release. His Zeidy, the Mishkenot HaRo’im Rebbe, provided constant chizzuk, speaking to him often and strengthening him not to lose heart. Many protests were held demanding his release, and community activists told B’Chadrei Chareidim that his release after only three months was remarkable siyata d’shmaya—beyond natural expectations. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Though the details of the Phase II agreement between Israel, the United States, and Qatar remain undisclosed, one thing is already evident: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has secured his place in Gaza. Newly released photos on Monday revealed Turkish-marked construction vehicles operating inside the Strip — a clear indication that Ankara is wasting no time asserting its influence.

Just last week, Erdogan cautioned that if Israel resumes military operations and breaches the ceasefire, “it will pay a heavy price.” While Iran and its Shi’ite partners appear to have been sidelined, the Muslim Brotherhood’s network, led by Turkey and Qatar, is visibly gaining traction on the ground.

American envoy Steve Witkoff told CBS’s 60 Minutes on Sunday that “estimates for the cost of rebuilding Gaza are around $50 billion,” adding that “we believe the funds will be raised quickly.”

He elaborated that “there are governments in the Middle East that will rush to contribute funding, in addition to the expected European participation.” According to Witkoff, “the first stage of the plan is how to actually launch it, and that’s what I’m working on.” He noted that “securing funding is the easier part and can be achieved relatively quickly, while the real challenge lies in the comprehensive master plan.”

“We are working with a team of experts who have developed master plans over the past two years. We already have ready and comprehensive plans,” Witkoff said, adding that “a council called the Peace Council will be established, and we will be very meticulous in selecting the best talent to work on it.”

He stressed that “we are already talking with contractors from different countries in the Middle East, because we believe regional support is essential, and they know the local market and its dynamics best.”

On Sunday, Minister of Settlement and National Missions Orit Strock blasted the Israeli government’s policy, asking, “How is it that we’re trying to distance Turkey from Syria and bringing them in through the front door – here on our border?” She went on to declare, “I don’t want to see any Turk in Gaza – not on a tractor, not on a jeep, and not on roller skates.”

Yael Sabrigo, niece of kidnapped IDF soldier Lior Rudaeff — whose body remains in Gaza along with the remains of fifteen other soldiers — voiced sharp criticism in an interview with Radio Kol Barama: “The Israeli government chose Qatar and Turkey to be those who enter as an international force into the Gaza Strip. The same entities that have financed terrorism in Gaza for years, finance Hamas and hold up Hamas to this day.”

She added, “The Israeli government chooses to bring fuel into Gaza, the Israeli government chose, at the expense of its citizens, to shape Hamas, to strengthen Hamas, once again. Instead of bringing in bodies that are a bit more neutral, again, the government chose to bring in Turkey and Qatar. The time has come for fixing.”

{Matzav.com}

Freed hostage Eitan Horn tearfully told Ba’al Chessed Shai Graucher about his decision to fast on Yom Kippur for the first time while still in the cruel clutches of Hamas terrorists in Gaza. “It was the first time in my life that I fasted properly,” he said. “I told myself: this Yom Kippur, I’m going to fast—and it will happen. Shortly later—here I am.” Eitan was taken into captivity along with his brother Yair, who was released in February 2025. The two brothers are now reunited with their third brother, Amos, and their parents. Their mother, Ruti, spoke on Kan Moreshet about her long, painful journey until she was reunited with her sons. “From the very first moment, I felt this is what would happen,” she said. “It took a long time, but they’re here. When Yair came back, it was amazing, but we still weren’t complete as long as Eitan wasn’t with us. Only now does my heart truly feel whole.” Ruti described the first days after their return: “He’s home, everything’s fine. We’re all starting to recover. After so much time in captivity, every simple action—brushing your teeth or choosing what to eat—becomes something emotional. It’s a process of healing for all of us, not just for them.” “There’s a lot of joyful crying,” she said. “I always told them we needed to send them strength so they’d come back alive. And now that it happened, they talk among themselves about things only they can understand. We just look at them and give thanks for this moment.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

A Vermont state senator who took part in a Young Republicans group chat on Telegram in which members made racist comments and joked about gas chambers has resigned. State Sen. Sam Douglass was revealed last week to have participated in the chat, which was first reported on by Politico. The exchanges on the messaging app spanned more than seven months and involved leaders and lower ranking members of the Young Republican National Federation and some of its affiliates in New York, Kansas, Arizona and Vermont. Douglass was the only elected official involved. Vermont’s top Republican leaders, including Gov. Phil Scott, quickly called for Douglass to resign. A joint statement from the GOP lawmakers described the comments “unacceptable and deeply disturbing.” Douglass, who was in his first year of representing a conservative district near the Canadian border, said in a statement Friday that he and his wife had received multiple hateful messages and “nasty items” in the mail since news of the group chat broke. “I know that this decision will upset many, and delight others, but in this political climate I must keep my family safe,” Douglass said in explaining his decision to resign. “And if my Governor asks me to do something, I will act, because I believe in what he’s trying to do for the state of Vermont.” Douglass also said he had served in a “moderate fashion,” and touted his efforts to improve Vermont’s welfare system, “Since the story broke, I have reached out to the majority of my Jewish and BIPOC friends and colleagues to ensure that they can be honest and upfront with me, and I know that as a young person I have a duty to set a good example for others,” Douglas wrote, referencing the acronym Black, Indigenous and people of color. Other participants in the group chat have faced repercussions, including a New York Young Republicans organization that was suspended Friday. (AP)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has warned that his Otzma Yehudit party will stop taking part in coalition votes unless the long-delayed death penalty bill for terrorists is brought to the Knesset floor within three weeks.

Ben-Gvir issued the ultimatum Monday during a press conference marking the opening of the Knesset’s winter session following its three-month break.

He reminded reporters that the coalition agreement signed with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s Likud party clearly required progress on the bill, saying it was a firm commitment made before the war began.
“The commitment is written in black and white in the coalition agreements,” he emphasized.

The minister recalled that after the war erupted, he was told that advancing the law could jeopardize the lives of hostages held by Hamas. But in his view, that reasoning never held water. Calling it “an excuse” and a “serious mistake,” Ben-Gvir said that passing such a law during the war would have been “an important lever of pressure on Hamas.”

Now, he argued, that justification no longer exists. “In any case, now the list of excuses is exhausted,” he said, referencing the recent release of the last living hostages from Gaza.

“I am therefore officially announcing that we demand the first law proposal to be advanced in the current Knesset session be ‘the death penalty for terrorists’ law,” Ben-Gvir declared.

“If within three weeks, the law is not brought to a vote in the Knesset plenum, Otzma Yehudit will not be obligated to participate in coalition votes,” he warned.

“It is time for the Likud to honor this commitment, which is, above all, a pledge to the public who voted for a right-wing government,” he added.

His comments come at a precarious time for the government, with the coalition and opposition currently deadlocked at 60 seats each. The stalemate followed the withdrawal of the chareidi factions from the coalition in July amid disputes over the yeshiva draft law.

That balance means that if Otzma Yehudit carries out its threat and stops voting with the coalition, Prime Minister Netanyahu will lack the votes needed to pass any legislation or secure approval for new measures.

Back in September, before the temporary ceasefire and hostage release agreement with Hamas, the Knesset’s National Security Committee had already advanced the bill to the plenum for its first reading. At that point, opponents warned that moving ahead with the legislation could undermine hostage negotiations.

Ben-Gvir, however, maintained that the opposite was true—that enacting the law would have strengthened Israel’s leverage and expedited a deal.

Brig.-Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, who serves as the government’s coordinator for hostages and the missing, spoke out strongly against Ben-Gvir’s move, reflecting the position of the Prime Minister’s Office and the hostages’ families.

“I requested not to allow this conversation to take place,” Hirsch said, making clear that he “completely disagreed with the assessment that moving forward with the bill would help bring the remaining hostages back.”

{Matzav.com}

Demolition crews began tearing down parts of the White House East Wing on Monday as construction starts on President Trump’s ambitious plan to add a $250 million ballroom to the historic building.

Photos from the site show the once-familiar covered entrance—used for decades to welcome tour groups and official guests—now completely removed, with debris scattered across the lawn.

Several windows facing the Treasury Department have been shattered or removed, and the former White House calligraphy office now has a large opening where its wall once stood.

Originally built in 1942, the East Wing is among the newer additions to the White House grounds. Over the years, it has served primarily as the base of operations for the first lady’s staff and is known to sit directly above a secured underground shelter.

According to the plans, Trump intends to extend the East Wing further south to accommodate a massive new ballroom designed for large-scale state events and ceremonies.

It remains uncertain whether the current East Wing structure will be completely razed before the expansion begins, as White House officials have yet to comment on the extent of the demolition.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a critical-minerals deal at the White House on Monday as the U.S. eyes the continent’s rich rare-earth resources when China is imposing tougher rules on exporting its own critical minerals abroad. The two leaders described the agreement as an $8.5 billion deal between the allies. Trump said it had been negotiated over several months. “In about a year from now we’ll have so much critical mineral and rare earth that you won’t know what to do with them,” said Trump, a Republican, boasting about the deal. “They’ll be worth $2.” Albanese added that the agreement takes the U.S.-Australia relationship “to the next level.” Earlier this month, Beijing announced that it will require foreign companies to get approval from the Chinese government to export magnets containing even trace amounts of rare-earth materials that originated from China or were produced with Chinese technology. The Trump administration says this gives China broad power over the global economy by controlling the tech supply chain. “Australia is really, really going to be helpful in the effort to take the global economy and make it less risky, less exposed to the kind of rare earth extortion that we’re seeing from the Chinese,” Kevin Hassett, the director of the White House’s National Economic Council, told reporters Monday morning ahead of Trump’s meeting with Albanese. Hassett noted that Australia has one of the best mining economies in the world, while praising its refiners and its abundance of rare earth resources. Among the Australian officials accompanying Albanese are ministers overseeing resources and industry and science, and Australia has dozens of critical minerals sought by the U.S. because they are needed in everything from fighter jets and electric vehicles to laptops and phones. The agreement could have an immediate impact on rare earth supplies in the United States if American companies can secure some of what Australian mines are already producing, although it will take years — if not decades — to develop enough of a supply of rare earths outside of China to reduce their dominance. Pini Althaus, who founded USA Rare Earth back in 2019 and is now working to develop new mines in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan as CEO of Cove Capital, said it will be crucial that the contracts to buy materials from Australian mines include price floors, similar to what the U.S. government promised MP Materials this summer, to protect against China manipulating prices. For decades, China has used the tactic of dumping excess critical minerals onto the market to drive prices down to force mining companies in the rest of the world out of business to eliminate any competition. “Taking away that arrow of China’s to be able to manipulate pricing is a crucial first step for Australia and the West to be able to develop critical minerals projects to meet our demands,” said Althaus, who has spent nearly a quarter-century in the mining business. The agreement underscores how the U.S. is using its global allies to counter China, especially as it weaponizes its traditional dominance in rare earth materials. Top Trump officials have used the tactics from Beijing as a rallying cry for the U.S. and its allies to work together to try to minimize China’s influence. “China is a command-and-control economy, and we […]

Former Assemblyman Dov Hikind responds to Satmar’s Sukkos event with Zoran Mamdani, Curtis Sliwa and the Central Rabbinical Congress’s anti-Israel rally on Talkline With Zev Brenner.

WATCH:

The following statement was released by Agudas Yisroel of America:

Thank you President Trump for bringing the hostages home!

As we entered Yom Tov a few days ago, Agudah celebrated the good news that the living hostages were released and expressed our appreciation to President Trump and his administration for brokering this historic deal. Organizational statements are important, but this deserves your personal voice as well.

Please join us in expressing our communal appreciation to President Trump and his administration by contacting the White House directly.

We ask that every person in our community call 202-456-1111 Monday through Thursday between the hours of 10-3 to leave a message at the White House comment line or use the online form here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/.

Feel free to personalize the following message template:

Dear President Trump,

As an Orthodox Jewish American I want to thank you and your administration for brokering the deal that brought back all the living hostages.

Please continue to insist that Hamas return every murdered hostage for a proper burial.

We hope and pray that the deal will also mean the end of Hamas, the end of the war, and the beginning of a lasting peace to the region.

We thank you for standing with the Israel in its time of need and for your commitment to remain involved as the chair of the Board of Peace that will oversee the next stages in Gaza.

{Matzav.com}