A man in his 30s was murdered by shrapnel from a Hezbollah rocket fired at the northern city of Nahariya on Thursday. Hezbollah fired ten rockets and one hit the park, critically injuring the man. MDA EMT Dor Vaknin, said: “We arrived at an open area near a park and saw a man in his 30s lying unconscious with shrapnel wounds on his body. We performed medical checks but he showed no signs of life and we had to pronounce him dead.” Barak Lavi, a United Hatzalah, volunteer stated: “Bystanders told us he was hit by shrapnel while he was in the public park. Unfortunately, we had no choice but to wait for his death to be pronounced at the scene due to the nature of the serious injuries he sustained.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

The IDF on Thursday morning announced the death of an IDF soldier who was killed in the same incident in which Ze’ev Erlich, H’yd, 71, was killed in southern Lebanon on Wednesday. The soldier was named as Sgt. Gur Kehati, H’yd, 20, from Nir Banim, a moshav in south-central Israel. He fought in the  Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion. Another IDF officer was seriously wounded in the incident and Golani commander (res.) Yoav Yarom was moderately wounded. It was Yarom’s second injury in Lebanon. He lost a leg in Lebanon in 1993 but insisted on returning to service with a prosthesis after undergoing rehabilitation and receiving a prosthesis. He was again seriously wounded in battle eight years ago during a counterterrorism operation in an Arab village in the Shomron.

The Senate on Wednesday rejected three resolutions aimed at limiting the sale of offensive arms to Israel, underscoring growing dissent within the Democratic Party over the Biden administration’s support for Israel during its war against Hamas in Gaza. Nineteen senators – all Democrats – supported the measures, a notable increase from the eleven who backed a similar initiative in January. The resolutions, introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders and co-sponsored by Senators Peter Welch and Jeff Merkley, sought to block future transfers of tank rounds, mortar rounds, and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) to Israel. Sanders argued that Israel’s actions in Gaza violate international human rights laws.

The U.S. State Department issued a strong condemnation of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir following the publication of photos showing him visiting the kever of Rabbi Meir Kahane HY’D, a figure regarded as an extremist by the US. Kahane’s ideology and actions have been associated with terrorism, and his Kach party was outlawed in Israel and designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. In a statement, a State Department spokesperson said, “As we’ve said on previous and similar occasions, celebrating the legacy of a terrorist and a terrorist organization is abhorrent. We strongly condemn any attempt to whitewash acts of terrorism.” The statement underscores ongoing tensions between the U.S.

Two months ago, the Chotam and Bochrim B’Mishpacha organizations submitted a petition to the Jerusalem District Court against Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Mirara and the Justice Ministry, demanding to reveal the number of times a government entity was forced to request alternative legal representation. The goal of the petition is to reveal how often Baharav-Miara, who was hired to represent the government, presented a stance contrary to that of the government – forcing ministers to request private legal counsel. The petition was filed after the organizations requested the data several times under the Freedom of Information Law but did not receive a response.

Sephardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef sharply criticized Pope Francis for suggesting that Israel’s actions in Gaza may constitute genocide, accusing the pontiff of siding with perpetrators of violence instead of victims. The remarks were made by the Pope in a forthcoming book. “It’s very interesting that the Pope doesn’t call for an investigation of the terrible slaughter of Jews last year on October 7,” Rabbi Yosef said in a video statement. “It’s interesting that he doesn’t call for an investigation of the incitement against Jews across Europe, overt antisemitic incitement.” In his book, the pope writes, “According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide.

Amnesty International revealed last week that at the same time that  French President Emmanuel Macron is calling for an arms embargo on Israel due to “harm to innocent people” in Gaza, France is supplying weapon systems to rebels in Sudan who have committed unspeakable war crimes and massacres amid a civil war in the African country. Amnesty obtained evidence of French-manufactured military systems installed on armored vehicles supplied to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Sudan’s most notorious paramilitary group.

A severe and unprecedented incident occurred on Wednesday when an Israeli civilian was killed by enemy fire in Lebanon. The civilian was identified as Ze’ev Chanoch Erlich HY’D. What was the 71-year-old civilian, a well-known historian and tour guide, doing in a battle zone? His friend, a Golani commander, brought him to Lebanon without permission. Details of the incident, which occurred around 3 p.m. on Wednesday reveal that Erlich donned a uniform – without being called up for reserves, and the IDF is investigating whether he entered the area of an ancient fortress in Lebanon. IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi ordered an investigation into the incident, and the Head of the IDF’s Personnel Directorate recognized Erlich as a fallen IDF soldier.

El Al has reported record earnings in the third quarter of 2024, benefiting from a near-monopoly on flights to and from Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza and regional security tensions. The airline posted $1 billion in revenue from July to September, a 43% increase from $696 million during the same period last year. Profits soared to $187 million, up nearly 260% from $52 million in 2023. El Al’s strong financial performance comes as many major international airlines have suspended routes to Tel Aviv due to security concerns. U.S. carriers like Delta, American Airlines, and United Airlines have halted flights indefinitely, leaving El Al as the sole operator of direct routes between Tel Aviv and North America.