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The IDF and Shin Bet announced Friday that Israeli forces eliminated Anas Mahmoud Ahmed Hamdan, a Hamas company commander who played a key role in the captivity of Israeli hostages and oversaw Hamas propaganda efforts in Khan Yunis. Hamdan was killed in a precision airstrike carried out Thursday in the Khan Yunis area.

According to Israeli security officials, Hamdan was deeply involved in managing Israeli hostages held in Gaza. He took part in their transfer between locations and was involved in arrangements surrounding their release as part of hostage exchange agreements. He also directed the Khan Yunis Brigade’s propaganda operations for Hamas.

The IDF said Hamdan had long served as a trusted aide to some of Hamas’ most senior military leaders, including Mohammed Deif and Rafaa Salameh, maintaining that role for years and throughout the current war.

Israeli officials stated that during the conflict, Hamdan was directly responsible for guarding Israeli hostages and overseeing the filming of captives during Hamas’ staged release ceremonies. Before the October 7 war, he had also been involved in the captivity of Israeli civilian Avera Mengistu.

In recent months, the military said, Hamdan helped train Hamas operatives while working to plan and facilitate terrorist attacks targeting IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians. The IDF described him as an ongoing threat to troops operating in Gaza, adding that he was eliminated in a carefully targeted aerial operation.

The IDF said Hamdan’s death represents a significant operational achievement, removing a terrorist who played a critical role in protecting and assisting senior Hamas commanders responsible for carrying out the October 7 massacre.

{Matzav.com}

The Jewish community in Iran has announced that the kever of Mordechai and Esther in the city of Hamadan has been closed to visitors until further notice, officially citing ongoing renovation work. However, sources familiar with the situation say the closure is actually the result of security threats from extremist groups.

In an unusual public notice, the Iranian Jewish community urged members of the community not to travel to the historic site.

The announcement stated, “To the members of our community: Due to ongoing repairs and improvements at the Tomb of Esther and Mordechai in Hamadan, visits to this holy site will not be possible until further notice.”

Until recently, members of Iran’s Jewish community were required to coordinate visits to the site through the Jewish Association of Tehran. The latest notice makes clear that even those arrangements have been suspended.

“Under the current circumstances, even such coordination is not possible until further notice,” the statement said. “Therefore, all members of our community are requested to refrain from visiting or traveling to Hamadan to the Tomb of Mordechai and Esther until further notice.”

Despite the official explanation, sources familiar with the matter told local media that the closure is not related to renovation work but to threats reportedly made by extremist elements. They pointed to the complete suspension of visitor approvals as evidence that security concerns—not construction—are behind the decision.

The tomb has been the target of anti-Israel demonstrations in the past. Two weeks after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, demonstrators gathered at the site, burned Israeli flags, and staged a protest that was reportedly led by extremist activists seeking to inflame anti-Israel sentiment.

The site was also attacked in April 2024, when Iranian extremists were filmed throwing Molotov cocktails toward the compound while a Palestinian flag was flown over the area.

Despite those incidents, local residents of Hamadan have generally continued to safeguard the historic Jewish site. According to reports, the threats and attacks have been carried out by a small group of extremists rather than by the broader local population.

The Knesset has given final approval to legislation requiring several major government agencies to send recorded voice notifications to Israelis whose mobile phones cannot receive text messages, marking a significant victory for the Chareidi community. The bill, sponsored by Deputy Communications Minister Yisrael Eichler, passed its second and third readings with the support of 16 lawmakers and no votes in opposition or abstentions, becoming law just before the Knesset adjourned ahead of new elections.

Under the new law, the Israel Tax Authority, the Population and Immigration Authority, and the National Insurance Institute will be required to send recorded voice messages to mobile phone users whose devices do not support SMS whenever those agencies issue standard digital notifications. The system must either confirm that the recipient received the message or make several reasonable attempts to deliver it. Recipients will also be be able to replay the recorded message for at least 30 days.

The legislation is designed to address a longstanding problem faced by thousands of Chareidi families who use kosher phones that cannot receive text messages. Until now, many of those users have struggled to receive important notices from government agencies because official communications were often sent only by SMS. Much of the Chareidi community uses these limited-function phones in accordance with the guidance of leading Torah authorities to avoid unrestricted technology.

The explanatory notes accompanying the legislation state that Israel’s Digital Communication with Public Bodies Law requires designated government agencies to provide commonly used public services through digital means. However, the law also recognizes that those services must remain accessible to individuals who either lack digital skills or do not have the technology needed to receive such communications.

Implementation of the new requirements will take place gradually over a period of up to three years. Within the first two years, at least 60 percent of the most frequently used government services must be made accessible through the voice notification system. The law also requires the government to collect data on services made digitally available in Arabic, Amharic, and Russian.

Deputy Communications Minister Eichler welcomed the bill’s passage, saying, “With Hashem’s help, just before the Knesset’s dissolution, we have delivered important news for the public that follows the guidance of the leading Torah sages and refrains from using non-kosher technology. They deserve every right afforded to every other segment of Israeli society.”

He added, “I am pleased that just before the Knesset dissolved, we succeeded in passing this critically important legislation for users of kosher phones who follow the directives of the leading Torah sages. In the next Knesset, we will fight to expand the law so that all government authorities will send necessary voice notifications to everyone who uses phones that cannot receive text messages.”

The legislation is not Eichler’s first effort to improve government accessibility for kosher phone users. He previously promoted a measure that eliminated excess charges on telephone lines used for remote learning, a move that saved thousands of families substantial amounts of money.

Trump Media & Technology Group announced Thursday that it plans to introduce a premium data service offering hedge funds and institutional investors near-instant access to President Donald Trump’s Truth Social posts, seeking to capitalize on the growing demand for faster access to market-moving information.

The new service, called Truth API, is scheduled to launch next month and will be available to hedge funds, high-frequency trading firms, and other institutional clients.

While the company said several customers have already enrolled, it declined to specify exactly how much faster the premium feed will be compared to the publicly available version.

Since President Trump returned to the White House, his Truth Social account has become a major source of breaking news capable of moving financial markets. His posts on tariffs, international trade, foreign policy, and the war with Iran have frequently triggered sharp swings in stocks, bonds, and energy prices.

Many professional trading firms already subscribe to premium data services from platforms such as X and Reddit, where even fractions of a second can provide a competitive edge in reacting to breaking news.

According to Trump Media, the new Truth API is intended to eliminate the delay between the moment a post is published and the moment it reaches institutional subscribers.

Interim CEO Kevin McGurn said the company expects the new service to become an important source of recurring revenue as Trump Media continues expanding beyond social media into cryptocurrency, streaming services, and nuclear fusion technology.

As part of that diversification strategy, Trump Media is pursuing a merger with California-based nuclear fusion startup TAE Technologies.

Last December, the company announced a $6 billion all-stock merger agreement with TAE, marking a significant move into the fusion energy sector. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2026, or earlier, pending regulatory approval and shareholder consent.

Trump Media has not revealed pricing for the Truth API, and company officials have not disclosed how much they expect institutional subscribers will ultimately pay for the service.

McGurn said he believes financial firms will see enough value in receiving Truth Social posts more quickly than they could obtain them through web scraping or other public methods to justify paying for the premium service.

Axios has reported that the platform could eventually introduce multiple subscription tiers, allowing customers to pay higher fees for access to a broader selection of monitored Truth Social accounts.

Shares of Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT) fell about 3% on Thursday, closing at $9.28. The stock has declined roughly 77% since President Trump returned to office in 2025.

{Matzav.com}