The Hamas terror group murdered one of the leaders of the anti-Hamas protests that took place in Gaza last week. Over the weekend, Hamas terrorists abducted Odai Naser Saadi, 22, tortured him for four hours and executed him. They then dumped his body at the doorstep of his family’s home with a message: “This is the price for those who criticize Hamas.” There are also reports that Hamas has been carrying out a scare campaign, threatening anyone who participates in the protests and even those who published the videos abroad. The campaign appears to have been successful as the protests came to a halt after three consecutive days. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

A devastating tragedy struck the Orthodox Jewish community in Flatbush on Shabbos afternoon, when a mother and her two daughters were fatally struck by a vehicle driven by an individual with a suspended license. The horrific incident occurred just after 1:00 p.m. on Ocean Parkway near Quentin Road, as the family was walking home from shul. According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the crash unfolded when an Audi, driven by 32-year-old Miriam Yarimi, collided with a Toyota Camry operated by an Uber driver. The Audi then veered out of control, careening into a crosswalk where it struck the 35-year-old mother and her daughters, ages 8 and 6, killing them instantly. The woman’s 4-year-old son was also hit and remains in critical condition, battling for his life at a local hospital.

Israel submitted a counterproposal to a new Egyptian proposal for a hostage release/ceasefire deal, the Prime Minister’s Office announced on Motzei Shabbos. Hamas agreed to a new Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire/hostage release deal on Pesach and Eid al-Fitr,  Al-Arabay Al-Jadeed reported on Shabbos. The report quoted Egyptian sources who said that Hamas agreed to release US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander along with four other hostages in exchange for a ceasefire and the launch of negotiations on a long-term ceasefire. However, there definitely won’t be a deal by Eid al-Fitr, which begins on Sunday. According to a Kan News report on Friday, Hamas’s willingness to accept a deal is not related to Eid al-Fitr but to the recent protests in Gaza against Hamas.

The heinous Hamas terror organization published another video of hostage Elkana Bochbot on Shabbos afternoon. Last week, Hamas published a video of  Bochbot and Yosef Chaim Ohana, a hostage from a Chareidi family from Kiryat Malachi. In the video published on Shabbos, Bochbot is seen bemoaning his separation from his wife and son and burying his head in his hands, with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu appearing on a screen in the background—in Hamas’s usual attempt to sow division in Israeli society.

The IDF struck a Hezbollah drone storage facility in southern Beirut, targeting Unit 127, the terror group’s aerial force responsible for drone attacks and surveillance operations against Israel. The military emphasized Hezbollah’s use of civilian areas for terror operations, calling it a “cynical use of Lebanese citizens as human shields.” Prior to the strike, the IDF issued evacuation warnings and fired warning shots. The strike was in response to this morning’s rocket fire from Lebanon into northern Israel, which the IDF labeled a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire agreement.

Rabbi Shaya Boas, the Rav of the Ohel Avraham shul in  Vienna, published a sharply worded post on Wednesday on his Facebook account against the IDF, after he published a statement on Wednesday: “Yeah, right – they want to recruit Charedim. They want to destroy [לשמד] Charedim!” In the post, he described the IDF’s conduct towards his son: “My son enlisted through the IDF’s Charedi Administration. After a year of civilian training within the army, he was sent to a cyber course at the IDF School of Computer Science on behalf of the Administration – and this after he refused a prestigious course – only because they demanded that he give up his Chareidi status.” “He asked again and again and was promised: the course will be separated by gender and the food will be Badatz.

Israeli Ambassador to the US, Dr. Yechiel Leiter, revealed this week that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s unusual flight path during his visit to Washington last month stemmed from fears of delay or arrest following the international arrest warrant issued against him by The Hague. Leiter explained that Netanyahu had to avoid flying over Europe, which significantly lengthened the flight time. “When Netanyahu came here last month, he flew 13 and a half hours – instead of 12,” Leiter said in an interview published on Ynet.

A peaceful Asifa led by Sefardi Gedolim and rabbonim against Chareidi conscription into the IDF spiraled into chaos on Shmuel Hanavi Street today, as demonstrators clashed with police and Border Police forces. What began as a peaceful rally, turned violent when dozens of participants blocked roads, damaged buses, and hurled stones and objects at law enforcement. In one alarming incident, a Border Policewoman’s helmet visor was shattered by a stone. Police attempted to restore order with loudspeaker warnings, but as the rioting persisted, officers moved to disperse the crowd using force. Insults like “Shiksa” and “Nazis” were shouted at the officers, drawing sharp condemnation from authorities. One rioter was arrested for attacking police, and efforts to reopen the road continue.

After Israeli leftists spent hours protesting on the streets this week and threatening a civil war, the coalition succeeded in passing a judicial reform bill overnight Wednesday. No other country in the world has a judicial selection process like Israel, with a leftist echo chamber responsible for electing its judges, shackling the elected government.  And the bill that passed overnight, a watered-down version of the original bill, is not enough to change the composition of the courts and its authoritarian power –  it is only a tiny baby step to correcting what is wrong with the judicial system and restoring autonomy to the government.

Israel will move its clocks forward by one hour overnight Thursday, marking the start of daylight saving time (DST). The switch will take place at 2 a.m., with the time jumping to 3 a.m. The six-hour time difference between Israel and the US for the past several weeks will now revert to a seven-hour time difference. DST will remain in effect until standard time resumes on October 26, 2025. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)