The heads of Yeshivas Chevron in Givat Mordechai, Yerushalayim, have issued a directive to discourage bochurim in the fifth year shiur from getting engaged during the winter zeman. The decision comes just days after the leadership of the Ponovezh Yeshiva expressed concerns about extended engagement periods between chassanim and kallahs, as previously reported by Matzav.com.

The son of the Belzer Rebbe, Rav Aharon Mordechai Rokeach, paid a visit on Wednesday evening to the home of Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, rosh yeshiva of Slabodka, in Bnei Brak.
According to sources, the two discussed pressing issues concerning the olam haTorah, as well as the chareidi community’s complex and often tense relationship with the current right-wing government, particularly in light of the ongoing stalemate surrounding the controversial draft law.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made it clear on Wednesday that he will oppose any agreement with Hamas that does not include the release of all hostages, responding to the announcement by US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff about a new proposed deal between Israel and Hamas.
“We need to continue tightening the rope around Hamas’ neck and force it into a complete surrender deal with all the hostages at once,” he wrote in a post on X.
“It would be delusional folly to release pressure now and sign a partial deal with it [Hamas] that would give it oxygen and a lifeline and allow him to recover. I will not allow such a thing to happen. Period.”

In a major milestone, the IDF revealed on Wednesday that it successfully used an unidentified laser defense system—related to the Iron Beam—to take down multiple airborne threats during the ongoing conflict.
Although The Jerusalem Post had previously discovered that Israel had deployed laser defense systems as early as fall 2024, it was prevented from publishing the information at that time due to security restrictions.
The Defense Ministry credits Rafael Advanced Defense Systems for developing the Iron Beam and its related technologies, calling them the world’s most sophisticated operational laser defense solutions. While countries like the United States and the United Kingdom are also advancing in this space, Israel’s system is seen as the most capable.

During a combative address to the Knesset on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu praised what he described as landmark successes in the Gaza war, claiming his administration had achieved “tremendous achievements” that “changed the face of the Middle East” and “broke the stranglehold of the Iranian axis.”
Listing what he called key victories, Netanyahu highlighted the killing of top Hamas operatives, and for the first time, publicly stated that the IDF had taken out Muhammad Sinwar — the brother of Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the October 7 attack.

Iair Horn, who was freed from Hamas captivity in February amid a Gaza ceasefire arrangement, expressed deep uncertainty about the fate of his younger brother, Eitan Horn, who remains in captivity.
At a rally in Hostages Square commemorating 600 days since Hamas’s brutal October 7 attack, Horn described the paralyzing anxiety he lived with underground. “In the tunnels, you can’t know if a terrorist will get up one morning and just shoot you, or if the tunnel where you’re sleeping will be blown up because of a bomb,” he said.
He recalled one terrifying moment during an Israeli strike, when his captors forced them to flee. “They grabbed us and we started running in a totally crooked tunnel, which could collapse at any moment, trying to escape the bombing and toxic fumes.”

A humanitarian relief effort in Gaza spiraled into disorder as thousands of Palestinians, pushed to the brink by severe hunger, overwhelmed a food distribution site managed by a US-funded organization. Israeli forces fired into the air in an attempt to restore order, while American personnel supervising the operation briefly pulled back for safety.
The region has endured nearly three months of severe restrictions on aid, leaving over two million residents in Gaza teetering on the edge of starvation. Last week marked the first instance of aid resuming, albeit in limited amounts.

New York City’s new congestion pricing system brought in $215.7 million over its first four months, even as the Trump administration pushes to halt the program.
Beginning January 5, most drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street during peak hours have been required to pay a $9 fee. By the end of April, those tolls had brought in revenue nearly matching the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s projection of $217 million. The MTA, which oversees the city’s public transit, expects the toll will net around $500 million in 2025 after expenses.

The valuation of New Jersey’s American Dream mall has dropped by $800 million, dealing a serious financial blow to investors who hold municipal bonds secured by payments in lieu of property taxes (PILOTs).
The sprawling 3.5 million square-foot property—home to a theme park, water attraction, and indoor ski slope—was recently reappraised at $2.5 billion by East Rutherford for the quarter ending June 30. That’s a steep decline from its earlier valuation of $3.3 billion, according to an updated tax notice published on the EMMA platform of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board.

In a recorded speech presented to participants at the IHRA International Conference on Combating Antisemitism, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio extended his appreciation to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar for inviting him to address the gathering. The conference, led by Israel, was hosted at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Yerushalayim.