The Chareidi parties slammed the new clause introduced by Defense Minister Yisrael Katz in an outline of a Chareidi draft law he presented to the Knesset on Tuesday, which states that if Chareidi enlistment target numbers are not reached, personal sanctions will be implemented against lomdei Torah. The Hebrew-language Yated Ne’eman and Hamodia newspapers published reports on Wednesday morning decrying Katz’s decision to include the clause in the draft bill. The Yated report stated: “The Chareidi sector reiterates that it will stand with all its vigor and means at its disposal to ensure that any ben yeshivah who desires to devote himself to Torah can learn Torah without disturbance.

Senator Marco Rubio delivered a forceful condemnation of Hamas during his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, as he seeks to become Secretary of State under President-elect Donald Trump. Rubio’s comments underscored his intent to take a hardline approach against the terrorist group, which he described as a major obstacle to peace and stability in the Middle East. “Hamas sent a bunch of savages into Israel with the express and explicit purpose of targeting civilians,” Rubio said, referencing the Oct. 7 massacre. “How can any nation state on the planet coexist side-by-side with a group of savages like Hamas?” Rubio stated unequivocally that Hamas could not continue to govern Gaza, pointing to the group’s stated goal of Israel’s destruction.

A leaked draft of a potential ceasefire deal in Gaza reveals significant concessions and a detailed timeline for hostilities to ease. The document, reportedly obtained by a Palestinian close to the negotiations, outlines a phased agreement between Israeli forces and Hamas representatives. Under the terms of the draft, Israeli forces would withdraw from populated areas across the Gaza Strip during the initial phase of the ceasefire, which is expected to last approximately six weeks. During this period, a total of 33 hostages—both alive and deceased—would be released by Palestinian factions. In exchange, Israel would free 30 Palestinian minors and women from its prisons for each hostage released.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke about the situation in Syria in a speech to his party on Wednesday. Erdogan said that Turkey will crush terrorism in Syria, adding: “The aggressive attacks on Syrian territory, by Israel especially, must stop as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will cause negative  consequences for everyone.” Erdogan failed to mention the presence of Turkish forces in northern Syria and his threats of military actions against the Kurds in Syria, whom he calls a terror group.

A devastating five-alarm fire broke out early Friday at a Bronx apartment building, leaving at least seven people injured. Firefighters rushed to the scene at 2910 Wallace Avenue, a six-story residential building in the East Bronx, shortly after 1:40 a.m. Dramatic footage captured flames pouring from the roof as the blaze consumed the structure. The FDNY gave the following statement to the media: “We arrived here a little after 1:45 this morning. We found fire in the ceiling above the top floor, between the ceiling and the underside of the roof that’s called the cockloft. It’s an open area for the entire length and width of the building. This building is about 200 feet wide, about 100 feet deep, and we had fire throughout that cockloft.

MTA chair and CEO Janno Lieber shrugged off mounting fears over subway crime Monday, dismissing the very real concerns of New Yorkers as little more than paranoia. As congestion pricing forces more commuters into the transit system, Lieber’s tone-deaf remarks during a Bloomberg Surveillance interview seemed to imply that the wave of recent violence is more psychological than factual. “Some of these high-profile incidents… have gotten in people’s heads and made the whole system feel unsafe,” Lieber remarked casually, as though a string of stabbings and a woman being burned alive in full view of horrified riders were mere figments of public imagination.

IDF Captain Eitan Sheknazi (24), a resident of Eli in the Binyamin area, was killed in in Gaza on Monday. Eitan leaves behind a young wife. He is the tenth solider killed in battle from the community of Eli. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A highly decorated Army soldier who fatally shot himself in a Tesla Cybertruck just before it blew up outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas left notes saying the New Year’s Day explosion was a stunt to serve as a “wake up call” for the country’s ills, investigators said Friday. Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old Green Beret from Colorado Springs, Colorado, also wrote in notes he left on his cellphone that he needed to “cleanse” his mind “of the brothers I’ve lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took.” Livelsberger served in the Army since 2006 and deployed twice to Afghanistan. “This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake up call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence.

The State Department has informed Congress of a planned $8 billion weapons sale to Israel, U.S. officials say, as the American ally presses forward with its war against Hamas in Gaza. Some of the arms in the package could be sent through current U.S. stocks but the majority would take a year or several years to deliver, according to two U.S. officials Saturday who spoke on condition of anonymity because the notification to Congress hasn’t been formally sent. The sale includes medium-range air-to-air missiles to help Israel defend against airborne threats, 155 mm projectile artillery shells for long-range targeting, Hellfire AGM-114 missiles, 500-pound bombs and more. The weapons package would add to a record of at least $17.9 billion in military aid that the U.S.

Interpol recently issued an international arrest warrant for Lev Tahor leader Jonathan Emanuel Cardona Castillo on charges of human trafficking, assault, and child abuse. The Interpol notification was approved by the prosecution in Guatemala and the national civil police. Castillo, who was born in El Salvador and was “megayeir” via the Lev Tahor cult, is accused of severe child abuse. Sources familiar with the matter say that he is known for his cruelty and is essentially the one doing all the dirty work of the cult. Last August, several survivors of the Lev Tahor cult arrived at the cult’s compound in Guatemala to try to meet their family members still in the cult and were confronted by Castillo and other cult members.