Hamas has reportedly appointed Ezzedin al-Haddad — a longtime operative known as the “Ghost of al-Qassam” — as the new commander of its Gaza-based operations, following the targeted killings of its two previous leaders by the IDF. According to a Wall Street Journal report citing multiple sources, Haddad, 55, assumed leadership after the deaths of Yahya Sinwar and his brother Mohammed Sinwar, who had led the terror group’s activities in Gaza in succession over the past seven months. Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7th massacre, was killed in an Israeli raid last year. His brother Mohammed, who took over in his place, was confirmed dead after Israeli forces retrieved his body from a tunnel beneath a hospital in southern Gaza.

As Washington prepares for a military parade this weekend to honor the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, a new survey finds that U.S. adults are more likely to approve than disapprove of President Donald Trump’s decision to hold the festivities, which officials have said will cost tens of millions of taxpayer dollars. But about 6 in 10 Americans also say that Saturday’s parade is “not a good use” of government money, including the vast majority of people, 78%, who neither approve nor disapprove of the parade overall, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The survey found that about 4 in 10 U.S. adults “somewhat” or “strongly” approve of the parade, while about 3 in 10 “somewhat” or “strongly” disapprove.

WASHINGTON – John Barnett wasn’t just a Boeing employ

The death toll in floods in one of South Africa’s poorest provinces rose to 57 on Thursday as a top official said rescue attempts had been “paralyzed” by a lack of resources. Rescue teams are still working through debris and floodwater to find missing people after heavy rain caused a river to burst its banks in the predawn hours of Tuesday. Floods hit the nearby town of Mthatha and surrounding areas, sweeping away victims along with parts of their houses and cars. Oscar Mabuyane, the premier of Eastern Cape province, said the floods struck while many people were asleep. The water was 3-4 meters (10-13 feet) high when it flowed out of a river and into nearby communities, he added. “It’s a terrible situation,” Mabuyane told state TV broadcaster SABC.

U.S. wholesale prices rose modestly last month from a year earlier, another sign that inflationary pressures remain mild. The Labor Department reported Thursday that its producer price index — which measures inflation before it its consumers — rose 2.6% in May 2024. Producer prices rose 0.1% from April to May after dropping 0.2% the month before. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, wholesale costs were up 0.1% from April and 3% from May 2024. The readings were slightly lower than economists had forecast. Wholesale energy prices were unchanged, although gasoline prices rose 1.6% from April after falling the month before. Food prices at the wholesale level ticked up 0.1% after dropping 0.9% in April.

A dramatic development late Wednesday night temporarily halted the growing momentum toward dissolving the Knesset. Matzav.com learned that Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, rosh yeshiva of Slabdoka who is currently in the United States on behalf of the Olam HaTorah Fund, instructed that the vote on the proposed dissolution not be brought to the floor this week, giving his instruction via telephone from the U.S.
The directive followed a lengthy phone conversation between MK Moshe Gafni, head of Degel HaTorah, and Rav Hirsch. Gafni reported “significant progress” in discussions between chareidi representatives, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, and Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman MK Yuli Edelstein.

WASHINGTON (AP) —

AHMEDA