Defense Minister Yisrael Katz on Wednesday announced that he will not allow former Defense Minister and IDF Chief of Staff Moshe (Bogie) Ya’alon to participate in events at IDF bases. The decision was made following a letter sent by Itzik Buntzel, the father of fallen IDF soldier Amit, H’yd, in which he protested Ya’alon’s expected participation in an IDF graduation ceremony.

HaGaon HaRav Kalman Epstein, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Shaar HaTorah-Grodno, has announced his endorsement of Eretz HaKodesh in the upcoming WZO elections. For those unfamiliar, Rav Kalman founded Yeshiva Shaar HaTorah in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, in 1974. His father, HaGaon HaRav Zelik Epstein ZT”L, served as Rosh Yeshiva until his petira in 2009. Over the past 50 years, Shaar HaTorah has produced thousands of Choshuva Bnei Torah, many of whom are now mechanchim worldwide. Just last week, Rav Kalman was featured on the cover of Mishpacha Magazine, where he addressed the urgent issue of the shidduch crisis. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The IDF and Shin Bet have eliminated Rashid Jahjuh, the head of Hamas’ General Security Forces, alongside Ayman Atsalih, the head of Hamas’ Khan Yunis sector within the same division. Jahjuh, who took over after his predecessor Sami Oudeh was eliminated in July 2024, was at the helm of Hamas’ clandestine intelligence operations, responsible for exposing so-called “collaborators,” safeguarding senior Hamas officials, and ensuring the terror group’s iron grip over Gaza. Additionally, he played a key role in Hamas’ propaganda machine, manipulating public perception and rallying support for its militant agenda.

The 17-year-old bochur involved in the tragic accident on Route 17 in Chester, which claimed the life of his father, R’ Mordachai Zafir Z”L, has been discharged from the hospital. The crash occurred shortly before 2 a.m. on March 5th near Exit 126, when a Nissan Altima, driven by Sydnie M. Haines, 25, was traveling the wrong way in the westbound lanes and collided head-on with a 2014 Honda Odyssey driven by Zafir. Both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene. The 17-year-old passenger sustained serious injuries and was initially transported to Garnet Medical Center in Middletown before being transferred to Westchester Medical Center, where he remained in serious but stable condition. ​ After receiving medical care, the bochur has been discharged from the hospital.

El Al has reported its 2024 profits, and it’s staggering – 4.7 times higher than in 2023. The airline’s $3.4 billion revenue in 2024 marks a 37% surge, fueled by soaring ticket prices and a near-monopoly on flights to and from Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war. As international airlines suspended operations, citing security concerns, El Al became the lifeline connecting Israel to the world. However, with that dominance came fierce criticism, as desperate travelers faced skyrocketing fares, limited availability, and accusations that the airline was exploiting the crisis for profit. With most foreign carriers grounded, demand for El Al flights exploded. Many Israelis, fearing cancellations by foreign airlines, chose El Al regardless of price, leading to a 14% average fare increase.

Interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda terrorist, says he is trying to respond to Israeli military actions in Syria with “patience and wisdom”—though it remains unclear how much of either a terrorist leader can truly muster, particularly after his forces just executed a bloody purge that left more than 1,000 dead across Syria. Speaking to Reuters, Sharaa dismissed Israeli concerns that his new regime poses a security threat, despite his well-documented extremist past.

The Beis Din Rabbani HaGadol recently published a sharply worded ruling in which it completely rejected a cruel appeal by Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara against the decision of the Regional Rabbinical Court in Ariel that the religious parents of a mentally ill woman did not have to pay for their daughter to be cremated. The tragic story behind the ruling began in September 2023, when a mentally ill 31-year-old Israeli woman was found lifeless in the town of St. Moritz, Switzerland after taking her own life. The woman’s Israeli passport and her will were found in the room.

Air Canada is blaming a “display issue” after passengers on a recent flight discovered that Israel had been removed from the airline’s in-flight interactive map and relabeled as the “Palestinian Territories.” In a statement addressing controversy, the airline attributed the change to a technical display problem affecting its Boeing 737 aircraft. “Air Canada has been made aware of a display issue with the interactive map on the IFE systems of its B737 aircraft,” the airline said in response to an image of the altered flight map posted on social media. “The issue has affected other carriers using the same system and we are working with the third-party provider on a remedy,” the airline added, indicating that the issue was not unique to Air Canada.

A hellish inferno swept through the East End of Long Island on Saturday, forcing evacuations, choking the sky with thick black smoke, and shutting down the region’s main access road to the exclusive Hamptons. The fires, which erupted across four separate locations, sent panicked residents fleeing as flames devoured homes and businesses in both middle-class neighborhoods and wealthy enclaves alike. As of Saturday evening, authorities had managed to contain just 50% of the fire, even as Blackhawk helicopters rained thousands of gallons of water onto the blazing terrain. The destruction stretched across a two-mile-long, 2.5-mile-wide area, leaving a scar of devastation as firefighters battled against raging winds that fueled the inferno’s relentless advance.

A suspect responsible for breaking into multiple cars and commercial vehicles over the past several days has been arrested following an extensive operation by Boro Park Shomrim. The individual, who stole thousands of dollars’ worth of tools, was taken into custody on Thursday evening at New Utrecht Avenue and 55th Street. Shomrim volunteers meticulously reviewed hours of surveillance footage, identified the suspect’s patterns, and tracked him down. With the gathered intelligence, Shomrim coordinated with the NYPD, leading to the suspect’s arrest. NYPD Sources tell YWN that the individual was already wanted by law enforcement and had several open iCards (Investigation Cards) for burglary.