The Israel Defense Forces announced on Friday that Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the IDF’s chief spokesman who became a familiar face during the ongoing war, will conclude his role in the coming weeks and retire from the military. The decision, described as “agreed upon” with the new IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, is widely viewed as a dismissal. Hagari, who took on the role of IDF spokesman in March 2023, has served for two years—a typical tenure for the position. However, sources indicate that his departure stems from Lt. Gen. Zamir’s decision not to promote him to a higher rank, despite Hagari’s high-profile service during one of Israel’s most intense conflicts. “The chief of staff wished to express his great appreciation to Rear Adm.

Nearly two months after an explosion sent flaming debris raining down on the Turks and Caicos, SpaceX launched another mammoth Starship rocket on Thursday, but lost contact minutes into the test flight as the spacecraft came tumbling down and broke apart. This time, wreckage from the latest explosion was seen streaming from the skies over Florida. It was not immediately known whether the spacecraft’s self-destruct system had kicked in to blow it up. The 403-foot (123-meter) rocket blasted off from Texas. SpaceX caught the first-stage booster back at the pad with giant mechanical arms, but engines on the spacecraft on top started shutting down as it streaked eastward for what was supposed to be a controlled entry over the Indian Ocean, half a world away.

The Israel Police Prosecutions Division has filed an indictment against a resident of Cholon, accusing him of transporting a terrorist to Bat Yam, where explosives were placed on buses and later detonated prematurely last month in Cholon and Bat Yam. According to Kan News, the defendant admitted to driving the terrorist twice on the same day in exchange for a payment of NIS 450, but he denied knowing that his passenger was involved in terrorist activity. Investigators determined that on the first trip, he took the terrorist to a West Bank checkpoint, and later in the day, he transported him again, this time from the checkpoint to Bat Yam. During questioning, the defendant insisted that he had no knowledge of the terrorist’s intentions.

Columbia University has initiated a sweeping investigation into students involved in anti-Israel protests, a move that comes as the Trump administration ramps up its threats to slash federal funding to universities accused of tolerating disruptive campus activism. The university’s newly formed Office of Institutional Equity has sent disciplinary notices to dozens of students, targeting actions ranging from posting inflammatory social media content to participating in unauthorized demonstrations that have roiled the campus. The investigation follows months of escalating tensions at Columbia, where anti-Israel protests have frequently disrupted academic life and drawn sharp criticism for crossing into harassment and intimidation.

Shas and Degel HaTorah leaders Aryeh Deri and Moshe Gafni published a joint statement on Thursday morning in a united front against Agudas Yisrael leader Yitzchak Goldknopf, who voted against the state budget despite the allocation of significant funds for yeshivos and Chareidi mosdos. Goldknopf is opposed to approving the state budget until a law regulating the status of lomdei Torah is approved. Deri and Gafni, who are opposed to Goldknopf’s position, explained their reasoning in their statement.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who appointed Gali Baharav-Miara as Attorney General during his term as Justice Minister in the previous government, explained on Wednesday evening why he supports her ouster. “Removing the Attorney General from her position is an exceptional step,” Sa’ar began. “A step that hasn’t been taken since the 1980s.” “But the Attorney General’s performance is also highly exceptional. She has become a full-fledged political player, systematically working against the government with a transparent goal of overthrowing it. Anyone who wants to overthrow the government supports her, and vice versa. This is a place that is untenable for an Attorney General.” “For some time, she has not maintained proper working relations with the government and the ministers.

Facing mounting financial difficulties, administrators of Monsey’s mosdos held an urgent meeting on Wednesday afternoon, to discuss the worsening economic strain that is making it increasingly difficult to meet payroll obligations and cover operational expenses. As the cost of living continues to rise and financial challenges weigh heavily on the broader community, local yeshivos and mosdos are experiencing unprecedented struggles to sustain themselves. Many administrators expressed concerns about their ability to pay rebbeim, teachers, and staff on time, warning that without immediate intervention, institutions may be forced to make difficult decisions. “The financial burden on mosdos has reached a breaking point,” one administrator told YWN.

In a fiery press briefing Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt launched a blistering attack on Democrats and the media, accusing them of orchestrating “the most shameful moment in the history of presidential addresses.” Her remarks came in response to the uproar that unfolded during President Donald Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday night—a moment meant to unify the nation but instead marred by outbursts and protests from Democratic lawmakers. Leavitt’s condemnation was unsparing. Among the most stunning incidents of the night, she noted, was the removal of Rep. Al Green (D-TX), who was ejected from the chamber after loudly interrupting the president, shouting grievances over issues such as Medicaid.

Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters stormed the Milstein Center for Teaching and Learning at Barnard College on Wednesday afternoon, seizing control of the library lobby and disrupting academic activities in a brazen escalation of campus unrest. The takeover, which began around 1 p.m., saw masked demonstrators wielding Palestinian flags, megaphones, and drums, chanting slogans and clashing with administrators as they demanded the reinstatement of three expelled students. The incident ended with an NYPD intervention following a reported bomb threat, underscoring the growing tensions at the Columbia University-affiliated institution.

A 17-year-old girl, critically injured in a horrific car-ramming and stabbing attack near Pardes Chana-Karkur last week, tragically passed away today. The teenager, identified as Yahli Gur hy”d from Kibbutz Maagan Michael, died early Wednesday morning at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Chadera, where she had been fighting for her life since last Thursday’s assault at Karkur Junction. The attack, confirmed by Israeli authorities as an act of terrorism, unfolded on a busy Thursday afternoon when a 53-year-old Palestinian man, Jamil Ziyud Abu Jaab, deliberately drove his vehicle into a crowd of pedestrians at a bus stop on Highway 65.