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President Trump names Monday, October 13, 2025, as Columbus Day.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to discuss President Donald Trump’s Israel-Hamas peace deal, the return of hostages and broader realignment in the Middle East.

WATCH:

Hamas has released photos of its negotiating team in Sharm El-Sheikh reviewing Israeli withdrawal maps for the initial stage of Trump’s Gaza plan.

BDE: Boro Park Scoop regrets to inform you of the petira of Harav Moshe Yitzchok Babad zt”l, son of the Tartikov Rav, whose beis medrash is located on 19th Avenue and 52nd Street. He was 55 years old. The levaya will take place on the first day of Chol Hamoed (Thursday) 1:30 PM at the Tartikover Beis HaMedrash, 19th Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Streets. Kevura will follow in Kiryas Joel. Besuros Tovos!

Chuck Schumer reaffirms his stance that each day his shutdown prolongs, with our troops and federal agents going unpaid, “gets better” for the Democrats as they aim to provide taxpayer-funded healthcare for illegals.

Arab affairs analyst Zvi Yehezkeli cautioned that despite the deep sense of relief surrounding the hostages’ return, the initial phase of the current agreement delivers sweeping benefits to Hamas at Israel’s expense, Arutz Sheva reports.

“This morning we were informed that the hostages are returning and there is no greater joy,” Yehezkeli said. “Now we need to view the agreement from the enemies’ perspective. What are its implications? The first stage is clear: the release of all our hostages and the bodies of the fallen, two years after they were abducted — and, on the other hand, a massive exchange: 250 prisoners serving life sentences and another 1,700 detainees. That is a critical boost to terrorism.”

He argued that the terms of the arrangement reveal how poorly Israel continues to handle negotiations within the Middle East — a weakness that has lingered even since October 7. The current exchange ratio, he said, is worse than in previous agreements and demonstrates that Hamas has succeeded in strengthening its infrastructure both in Gaza and in Judea and Samaria. “I hope Israel insisted that they return to the Gaza Strip and not to Judea and Samaria,” he added.

From Yehezkeli’s perspective, Hamas can now boast that it “took the maximum number of prisoners, stopped the war, remains armed and remains the authority in Gaza,” achieving every one of its key objectives. He noted that the organization never surrendered or disarmed, and that even if international or Arab peacekeeping forces are brought in, Hamas will continue to dominate Gaza. “Those poor people who said there was starvation now receive Egyptian trucks and are happy and coming out of all the tunnels,” he said.

Yehezkeli emphasized that Israel must already be planning for renewed military action once the hostages are home. He expressed concern that President Donald Trump’s involvement in advancing the deal placed excessive emphasis on concessions and reflected misplaced optimism about the nature of peace in the region. “On October 7 they murdered and butchered our women, our children, and our soldiers,” he said. “The Palestinian Authority sees a state and Hamas sees ongoing war and continued rule.”

He advised that Israel approach the next stage with calculated precision, imposing its own conditions while targeting high-ranking terrorists who gain freedom through the deal and ensuring Hamas is stripped of its weaponry. Otherwise, he warned, a new generation will grow up convinced that violence pays. “If Israel acts according to Trump’s agreement and every time it fires a shot he asks ‘why are you doing this,’ we will not have achieved our objectives in Gaza,” he said.

Yehezkeli concluded that Hamas’s ideology, influence, and military capacity remain intact, and that the impending prisoner releases will put dangerous operatives back into circulation. “The war is not over. There is immense joy, but this is not peace nor the end of the war — rather a pause to receive our hostages, and we must continue because Hamas cannot remain in Gaza,” he said.

{Matzav.com Israel}

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced that Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu has chosen the name Shavim L’gvulam (“Returning to their Border”) for the operation to free the hostages. The title draws from a posuk in Yirmiyahu 31:16, which foretells the return of the Jewish people from exile.

According to the current timetable, both the Security Cabinet and the full government are slated to meet today to give their approval for the initial stage of the hostage deal. This phase involves the release of Palestinian security prisoners in exchange for the hostages. The Cabinet will gather in the afternoon, followed by a broader government session later in the day. At this stage, only this portion of the agreement will be brought for authorization.

Once the government grants its approval, the IDF will begin pulling back its forces to a designated line established in coordination with Hamas under the agreement. Israel has pledged to finalize this redeployment within 24 hours. While the precise boundary has not been made public, an Israeli official indicated that it closely resembles the “yellow line” unveiled by President Trump over the weekend, though some modifications were made after consultations with Israeli security officials.

As part of this redeployment, Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza City, which they recently re-entered during Operation Gideon’s Chariot 2. Israel will still maintain control over approximately 53 percent of the Gaza Strip following the maneuver.

After the pullback is complete, a 72-hour period will begin during which Hamas must release the hostages quietly, without any formal public events. Estimates suggest that the surviving captives will be freed on Sunday, while the remains of those who were killed will be returned on Monday.

President Trump is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Sunday, where he will deliver an address at the Knesset in Jerusalem.

Under the terms of the agreement, Israel will free 250 security prisoners, along with about 1,700 Gazans who were arrested after October 7 but had no direct involvement in the attacks, as well as 22 minors under the age of 18. Additionally, the bodies of 360 terrorists will be returned to Gaza.

The decision specifies that prisoners convicted of murder, manufacturing weapons used in fatal attacks, or directly involved in dispatching terrorists who carried out deadly assaults will be transferred to Gaza or to foreign countries. They will be permanently banned from entering Israel or the areas of Yehuda and Shomron.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Authorities in Beersheba have begun demolishing an apartment building that was directly struck by an Iranian ballistic missile during the final hours of June’s 12-day war. The devastating attack on June 24 claimed the lives of four people — Cpl. Eitan Zacks, 18, his mother, Michal Zacks, 50, his girlfriend, Noa Boguslavsky, 18, and a neighbor, Naomi Shaanan, 73. The building, a relatively new complex equipped with reinforced rooms, suffered catastrophic damage when the missile made a direct hit on two safe rooms on the sixth floor.

UPDATE: An Israeli government spokesperson confirmed that Marwan Barghouti, a senior Fatah leader serving five life sentences for orchestrating deadly attacks during the Second Intifada, will not be included in the reported Israel-Hamas hostage-prisoner exchange.

Preparations are underway at the Knesset for President Trump to visit early next week.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are voicing alarm as worsening air travel disruptions spark memories of the 2019 government shutdown, when similar chaos ultimately pushed President Trump to agree to reopen the government. Many now fear history could repeat itself if the current shutdown continues.

Significant delays plagued airports nationwide on Monday and Tuesday as staffing shortages among air traffic controllers disrupted roughly 10,000 flights. Though the situation slightly improved on Wednesday—with about 3,000 flights still delayed, some due to bad weather in the Northeast—concern is growing rapidly among senators who recall how flight turmoil once became the breaking point that ended the nation’s longest shutdown.

“It becomes a pressure point,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.). “You talk about disruptive — if air travel shuts down and all the air traffic controllers are sick, you basically have shut down the economy.” He added, “I hope we don’t get to that point.”

The 35-day shutdown in 2019 reached its climax when 10 air traffic controllers—six in Northern Virginia and four in Florida—called in sick, setting off massive delays that brought LaGuardia Airport in New York to a standstill and rippled through major East Coast airports.

This time, the fallout has not yet been as severe, though significant issues have been reported at airports in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Nashville in recent days. Over 1,000 flights have been canceled nationwide, with weather contributing to part of the problem.

The Department of Transportation announced earlier this week that more than 13,000 air traffic controllers are continuing to work without pay, as they, along with TSA employees, are classified as essential workers during the shutdown.

Senators are watching the unfolding situation closely, especially as they search for any external factors that might force movement on the stalemate. Democrats are pushing to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire on December 31, while Republicans are refusing to negotiate until Democrats agree to vote on reopening the government.

No progress was seen in the Senate on Wednesday, as Democrats once again rejected the GOP’s “clean” stopgap funding bill for the sixth time, a measure that would keep the government open through late November. Lawmakers on both sides admit that outside pressure—possibly from public anger over disrupted travel—may be what finally brings negotiations back to the table.

“I certainly worry about it,” said Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), whose state saw flight issues this week at Denver International Airport. “I think it is one of many things that is complicating having a government shutdown.”

Hickenlooper added that he and other senators have held several discussions about the growing air travel problems. “In the universe, that means we’re paying attention,” he said, though he noted the issue isn’t yet “dominating” Senate conversations.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), a close ally of Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.), said he has been involved in informal discussions exploring possible solutions. While declining to reveal specifics, he described those talks as “pretty productive.”

Still, some lawmakers doubt that air travel disruptions—even at the scale of 2019—would be enough to break the current impasse. They argue that the administration appears far less inclined to compromise this time around.

“I think they’re too hunkered down,” one Republican senator said. “The difference is that in the past, [it] has been, kind of, hardball that was only pitched out of one corner. This administration is wired for a fight.”

“You’ve got the bully pulpit saying that it’s only happening because the Democrats refuse to fund the government at levels that they’ve voted for in the past,” the senator continued. “They may be erroneously banking on that pressure being what breaks the logjam. I don’t necessarily see it.”

Even so, some lawmakers remain hopeful that a full-blown air travel crisis could again compel swift action.

“Of any of the factors that led President Trump in 2019 to, ‘We’ve got to solve this,’ it was the air traffic control issue. The reason we don’t have a solution now is we have an unengaged president,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.). “I’m hoping he rethinks his ‘be disengaged’ strategy because he’s got the key to helping resolve this if he wants to.”

“It wasn’t the air traffic controllers saying ‘we’re overworked and underpaid,’ it was the economic issue that made Trump realize, ‘Oh wait, we need to have vigorous aviation or the American economy doesn’t work,’” Kaine continued. “This one is really serious and he grasped that six years ago. I think there’s a good chance he’ll grasp it again.”

{Matzav.com}

British counterterrorism investigators disclosed chilling new details about last week’s assault on a Manchester synagogue, revealing that the attacker, Jihad al-Shamie, had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a phone call to police made during the violence itself.

Authorities said the revelations are part of the slow release of facts surrounding the attack, even though police were aware of much of this information within minutes of the incident. On Wednesday, counterterrorism officials confirmed that the 35-year-old Syrian migrant called a police operator as the rampage unfolded, boasting that he had “killed two Jews in the name of the Islamic State.”

According to investigators, al-Shamie had initially approached the Heaton Park Synagogue and was turned away by congregants and volunteer guards. He then returned in a car, deliberately struck pedestrians, and emerged wielding a knife to continue his assault. Worshippers quickly barricaded the synagogue doors, and when police arrived seven minutes after the attack began, they found al-Shamie attempting to stab his way through a window.

Officers fatally shot al-Shamie at the scene. Tragically, a member of the local Jewish community was also killed when a police bullet intended for the terrorist pierced the building’s front door.

Police have stated that the attacker was “influenced by extreme Islamist ideology,” though they have not yet formally classified the event as a terror attack. Counterterrorism authorities added on Wednesday, “We are continuing to investigate the full circumstances and motivation behind what happened. The investigation is continuing at pace.”

In the aftermath of the assault, officials initially claimed al-Shamie had not been known to police—a statement now shown to be inaccurate. As more information emerges, the attacker’s personal background has grown increasingly troubling. According to the Daily Telegraph, al-Shamie was married to at least three women and also involved with a teenage girlfriend.

Despite polygamy being illegal in the United Kingdom, he maintained multiple marriages, all reportedly within the Islamic faith. Two of his wives were said to be white converts to Islam, and one has been arrested on suspicion of terror offenses since the attack.

Reports indicate that al-Shamie fathered three children with his first wife. Another woman has accused him of assaulting her “multiple times,” adding that he justified his behavior by claiming that under Islamic law, he was permitted to have “up to four wives.”

{Matzav.com}

An Israeli government spokesperson clarified that Marwan Barghouti, one of the most well-known Palestinian terrorists, will not be among those released under the reported agreement between Israel and Hamas for a hostage-prisoner exchange. “I can tell you at this point in time that he will not be part of this release,” spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian told reporters. Barghouti, a senior Fatah figure, is currently serving five life sentences for his involvement in orchestrating terror attacks that claimed the lives of five Israelis during the Second Intifada.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, both known for their left-wing policies, lashed out at President Donald Trump after he said they should face arrest for obstructing federal law enforcement operations.

“I will not back down,” Pritzker declared defiantly in a post on X soon after Trump’s comments. Johnson responded by accusing Trump of racism, saying the president “loves arresting black men.”

The controversy began Wednesday morning when Trump took to his Truth Social platform to condemn Pritzker and Johnson for what he described as ongoing interference with federal law enforcement agents working to restore order in Chicago.

“Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also!” Trump wrote.

Both Democrats fired back quickly. Pritzker denounced Trump as an “authoritarian” and insisted that he “would not back down” from defending his policies that shield illegal migrants.

“I will not back down,” Pritzker reiterated following Trump’s comments.

“Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power,” he wrote. “What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?”

Mayor Johnson, meanwhile, accused Trump of racial bias.

“This is not the first time Trump has tried to have a Black man unjustly arrested,” Johnson said. “I’m not going anywhere.”

During an interview later that day on CNN, Johnson escalated his rhetoric, describing Trump as mentally unstable and a danger to democracy.

“Well, you know, first of all, this president is unstable, unhinged, a double minded individual that, quite frankly, is a threat to our democracy,” he said.

He continued, “And it’s certainly not the first time that Donald Trump has called for the arresting of a black man unjustly. I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to stay firm as the mayor of this amazing city, which was voted nine years in a row the best big city in America. And we’re going to defend all of Chicago.”

The president’s outburst came after reports surfaced that Chicago police officers were ordered not to provide assistance to federal agents during a violent confrontation with pro-migrant demonstrators on Sunday. ICE officers had reportedly called for emergency backup when their position was overrun, but local authorities refused to respond.

Adding to the tension, on Monday Johnson announced the creation of “ICE-free zones” across the city, asserting that his new executive orders would prohibit federal immigration agents from assembling on municipal properties to conduct raids or detain suspects.

{Matzav.com}