Israelis stood in silence on Tuesday night as a one-minute siren sounded nationwide to mark the start of the annual Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism.
A total of 23,741 soldiers have died defending Israel, while 3,150 civilians have lost their lives in terrorist attacks throughout the country’s history.
Another siren — two minutes in length — will be heard in the morning on Wednesday, when many Israelis will visit military cemeteries to pay respects to departed family members and friends.

 
The prevailing assessment in the defense and security establishment is that while Israel has restored deterrence against terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip for the short term, in the absence of any advancement towards a long-term peace deal, the calm restored on Monday will not hold for more than a few weeks.
Although no Israeli officials are saying so, Remembrance Day and Independence Day, as well as next week’s Eurovision song competition extravaganza, were main considerations in Israel’s decision to hold back, and the defense establishment was working under instructions not to cross any lines that might worsen the escalation.
Subscribe to The JNS Daily Syndicate by email and never miss our top stories
Your email

Buildings in southern Israel sustained some NIS 50 million ($14 million) of damage in the escalation of the past few days, according to the country’s Renovation Contractors Association.
RCA chairman Eran Siv explained on Monday that buildings in the south of Israel are inherently more vulnerable than buildings in the center.
“Most of the homes in the [southern] area have tiled roofs, so the damage in the case of a direct hit, or even a rocket falling nearby, is much bigger than to a building that has a concrete roof,” he said. “A tile roof doesn’t prevent or stop a rocket from entering, so the damage caused to the structure and the inside of an apartment is much greater.”

Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is apparently still not over her 2016 loss to Donald Trump; reaction and analysis on ‘The Five.’
WATCH:

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge sent well wishes to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after they gave birth to a baby boy, with Prince William telling reporters that he’s “pleased and glad to welcome” his brother to the “sleep deprivation society that is parenting,” the Daily Beast reports.
“We’re absolutely thrilled and we’re looking forward to seeing them in the next few days,” William told The Sun, adding that he has “plenty of advice” to give his younger brother. “I wish him all the best in the next few days. They can settle down and enjoy having a newborn in the family and all the sort of joys that come with that,” he said.

US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Monday commented on the latest rocket and missile attacks from Iran-backed Palestinian Arab terrorist groups towards southern Israel.

A toy museum in Turkey has put on display what it says is a doll with hair from a Jewish girl killed in the Holocaust.
“Before being killed, girls’ hair was cut and used on the dolls produced for rich German children. This is the tragedy of baby dolls with real hair,” museum director Emrah Ünlüsoy told CNN.
The object has been on display at the Anatolian Toy Museum since its opening in 2017, the Turkish edition of CNN and other Turkish media reported last week.
Read more at JPOST.
{Matzav.com}

The latest round of fighting between Israel and Gaza sparked many reactions from Saudis on Twitter. Noteworthy among these responses were tweets, some by prominent intellectuals and journalists, siding with Israel and expressing hope for its safety and victory, while attacking Hamas and its policy, in particular its firing of rockets. Some wrote that Hamas was acting on orders from Iran, in retaliation for the United States tightening sanctions on the Islamic Republic on May 3. It should be noted that this is not the first time Saudi intellectuals and academics have openly expressed support for Israel and criticized Hamas.
The following are some of the tweets:

U.S. Jews are more likely than Christians to say that U.S. President Donald Trump favors Israelis more than the Palestinians, according to a Pew Research poll released on Monday.
Some 42 percent of American Jews complain that Trump is favoring Israelis too much over the Palestinians, while 47 percent of them say he has been striking the right balance between the two.
Meanwhile, 59 percent of U.S. Christians say Trump has been striking the right balance between the Israelis and Palestinians, while only 26 percent say the president is favoring Israelis more than the Palestinians.