U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff acknowledged Sunday that Hamas may have “duped” him during critical ceasefire negotiations earlier this month. Witkoff, who spearheaded efforts to extend the fragile truce in Gaza, had believed that his bridge proposal—a deal that could have halted hostilities through mid-April—had been accepted by the terror group. But Hamas pulled back, shattering hopes for a prolonged ceasefire. “I thought we had an acceptable deal. I even thought we had an approval from Hamas. Maybe that’s just me getting duped,” Witkoff admitted during an interview on Fox News Sunday.

In a targeted operation, the IDF and the Shin Bet successfully struck a high-ranking Hamas terrorist operating within the Nasser Hospital compound in Gaza. The strike was the culmination of an extensive intelligence-gathering effort aimed at neutralizing a significant threat while minimizing collateral damage. According to reports emerging from Gaza, the target of the operation was Ismail Barhoum, a prominent member of Hamas’s political bureau. Barhoum was reportedly responsible for overseeing the terrorist organization’s financial operations, a critical role that funneled resources into its militant activities. His elimination marks a significant blow to Hamas’s logistical and operational capabilities.

President Donald Trump on Friday ordered the immediate revocation of security clearances for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Hillary Clinton, Liz Cheney, Jake Sullivan, and every member of the Biden family. The move marks a seismic shift in national security access for former high-ranking officials and sends a clear message that the era of political insiders retaining classified privileges is over. “I hereby direct every executive department and agency head to take all additional action as necessary and consistent with existing law to revoke any active security clearances held by the aforementioned individuals and to immediately rescind their access to classified information,” Trump declared.

A momentous and deeply stirring event unfolded in the hallowed town of Pshischa, Poland on Motzei Shabbos, as for the first time since the Churban of Europe, a Hachnosas Sefer Torah took place within the 400-year-old beis medrash, a remnant of the once-flourishing Yiddishe kehillah that was tragically wiped out in the Holocaust. This historic maamad was led by the Biale Rebbe of Bnei Brak, a direct descendant of the heilige Yid Hakadosh, Rav Yaakov Yitzchak Rabinowicz, zy”a, who founded the Pshischa derech—a derech of avodas Hashem rooted in emes, penimiyus, and avodah sheb’lev.

A shocking incident unfolded when two 14-year-old boys were injured in a public garden in Kiryat Ata due to the explosion of an electronic cigarette they were using. MDA paramedics rushed to the scene, evacuating the victims to Rambam Hospital for urgent medical care. One of the teens suffered severe injuries to his upper body, requiring immediate resuscitation efforts by paramedics. After intense intervention, he was transported to the hospital in critical condition. The second boy sustained moderate injuries and was evacuated in stable condition. Additional MDA teams treated another teenager present at the scene, who had limb injuries and was also moderately wounded. He, too, was taken to Rambam Hospital, where he remains stable. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) issued a fiery declaration on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, vowing to turn President Donald Trump into “the quickest lame duck in modern history,”  as Schumer faces mounting criticism from within his own party for his handling of the latest budget fight and the Democrats’ broader strategy against Trump’s administration. Schumer’s remarks follow a vote on a continuing resolution to avert a government shutdown—a decision that has sparked backlash among progressive Democrats, who accuse him of capitulating without extracting meaningful concessions. His appearance on Meet the Press appeared to be a defensive counteroffensive, attempting to reassure the party’s base that the fight against Trump is far from over.

Yeshiva University (YU) has officially recognized “Hareni,” a toeiva student club, after years of legal wrangling. The decision, finalized following a contentious battle that reached the U.S. Supreme Court, perhaps puts the final stroke on the school’s surrender to secular ideology—and a blatant rejection of the Torah principles that YU once claimed to champion. For decades, YU positioned itself as a stalwart defender of Orthodox Judaism, proudly resisting pressures to conform to progressive societal trends. It steadfastly opposed recognizing the YU Pride Alliance, arguing that such a move would violate its deeply held religious convictions.

CNN senior data correspondent Harry Enten didn’t hold back on Thursday as he mocked President Donald Trump’s historically low net approval rating, exclaiming “Ay caramba!” while breaking down the numbers. During a segment on CNN News Central, Enten—known for his energetic delivery—highlighted just how rare it is for a sitting president to have a net negative approval rating at this stage of his term. According to Enten, Trump is the only president in modern history to hold this dubious distinction twice—once in 2017 and now again in 2025. Comparing Trump’s approval ratings over time, Enten noted that while Trump started his second term in positive territory with a net approval of +7 in January 2025, he has since fallen underwater to -2. “It’s not just in one poll,” Enten emphasized.

As millions of Israelis ran to bomb shelters after Hamas fired rockets at central Israel on Thursday for the first time in months, HaGaon HaRav Berel Povarsky was in the middle of delivering a shiur to a group of bochurim at his home. Seemingly oblivious of the siren, he continued engaging in the sweet words of Torah. The siren was the second one in less than 24 hours. The Houthis launched a missile in the pre-dawn hours of Thursday morning, triggering sirens in central Israel and Jerusalem. B’Chasdei Hashem, the missile was intercepted before it entered Israel. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Photos from the Chasunah of HaChosson Chatzkel (son of Reb Yitzchok Zev) Levine to HaKallah Rochi (daughter of Reb Avrohom) Goodman. The Chosson is an Einikle of the late Telz Chicago Rosh Yeshiva, Hagaon HaRav Avrohom Chaim Levin ZT’L. Interesting to note, that the Chosson is named after his great-grandfather, the famed Mirrer Mashgiach, Hagaon HaRav Yechezkel Levenstein ZT’L, whose Yartzheit was the day of the Chasunah (the 18th of Adar).