As Israeli security forces continue Operation Summer Camps, the largest counterterrorism operation in the Shomron in decades, IDF soldiers and Border Police officers overnight Wednesday killed five terrorists hiding in a mosque in the Nur al-Shams “refugee camp” near Tulkarm, including Muhammad Jaber “Abu Shaja’a,” the head of of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist network in the area. Abu Shahja’a was involved in numerous terror attacks against Israeli targets, including a shooting attack last June that murdered Israeli civilian Amnon Muchtar, H’yd. The security forces also arrested a wanted Islamic Jihad terrorist. Israeli security forces also discovered an explosive manufacturing laboratory and terror command room in a mosque in the Far’a “refugee camp” in the Jordan Valley.

With the fear of an Iranian-Hezbollah attack on Israel still looming, Rosh Yeshivas Mir HaGaon HaRav Eliezer Yehudah Finkel paid a visit to HaGaon HaRav Moshe Shternbuch and asked him what to say to American bochurim or their parents who are afraid of the security situation in Eretz Yisrael. HaRav Finkel asked what to say to the bochurim who are afraid of the “matzav.” HaRav Shternbuch responded: “There were always difficult situations. If they come to yeshivah and learn Torah, we’ll have more zechuyos and then nothing will happen.” HaRav Finkel then asked what to say to the parents of the bochurim who are afraid of the tense security situation. “It’s a mistake,” HaRav Shternbuch responded. “Because if they learn Torah, it will be the opposite – nothing will happen.

New details have emerged about the rescue of Kaid Farhan Al-Qadi from Gaza on Tuesday after 326 days in captivity According to reports, the IDF did not have specific intelligence information about Qadi but did not find him by “chance,” as some outlets reported. IDF forces were operating in the area for days and were on the outlook for hostages. As the forces were searching a tunnel network, they unexpectedly found Qadi, in a tunnel 65 feet underground, alone and unguarded. Channel 12 News reported that when Qadi heard people talking Hebrew, he called: “It’s me, Farhan, don’t shoot!” Even after the soldiers realized that there was an Israeli hostage in the tunnel, it wasn’t a simple operation to extricate him from the tunnel.

President Joe Biden ordered the construction of a temporary pier to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza earlier this year even as some staffers for the U.S. Agency for International Development expressed concerns that the effort would be difficult to pull off and undercut the effort to persuade Israel to open “more efficient” land crossings to get food into the territory, according to a USAID inspector general report published Tuesday. Biden announced plans to use the temporary pier in his State of the Union address in March to hasten the delivery of aid to the Palestinian territory. But the $320 million military-run project known as the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore system, or JLOTS, would only operate for about 20 days.

Farhan al-Qadi, the 52-year-old Israeli-Bedouin man rescued on Tuesday from Hamas captivity, has returned to his home near Rahat in southern Israel to a jubilant welcome. Surrounded by family, friends, and media, al-Qadi was greeted with cheers and celebration as he arrived in a convoy of honking cars. In a tent set up to accommodate the crowds, al-Qadi addressed the press, appearing healthy and composed. “I feel 100 percent,” he declared, before calling for the release of the remaining hostages still held by Hamas. Earlier in the day, al-Qadi was discharged from Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, where staff members lined the halls to bid him a triumphant farewell.

Hamas is reportedly losing control over smaller terrorist factions within Gaza, according to a report by The Jewish Chronicle, citing Israeli military sources. The splintering of command signals growing discontent among Gaza’s smaller terror organizations, which include the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Mujahideen Brigades, the al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades, and the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. These groups have increasingly distanced themselves from Hamas leadership, particularly Yahya Sinwar, the de facto ruler of Gaza. According to the report, these smaller factions are no longer adhering to Sinwar’s directives and are operating independently, further complicating an already volatile situation in Gaza.

The 16th Brigade, under the command of the 252nd Division, has been conducting counter-terrorism efforts in the Central Gaza Strip Corridor in recent weeks. During that time, the troops have successfully eliminated dozens of terrorists and dismantled hundreds of terrorist infrastructure. A notable achievement was the discovery and destruction of an attack tunnel, approximately 3 kilometers long, by the Engineering Unit of the Southern Command, the Yahalom Unit, and brigade troops. Although part of the tunnel was previously destroyed in the 2014 Operation “Protective Edge,” Hamas had attempted to restore and reactivate it. The recently destroyed tunnel did not cross the border, but its dismantling marks a significant blow to Hamas’ underground infrastructure.

A shocking survey by Alums for Campus Fairness has found that 44% of college students and recent graduates rarely or never feel safe identifying as Jewish on campus, amidst a terrifying surge in antisemitism. The survey of 1,171 students revealed that 81% avoid certain places, events, and situations due to antisemitism, while 60% have witnessed faculty members making offensive antisemitic remarks. “The results expose dangerous trend lines for Jewish and pro-Israel students on college campuses,” said Avi Gordon, executive director of the group. “Antisemitism is getting worse.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday kept on hold the latest multibillion-dollar student debt relief plan from the Biden administration, while multiple lawsuits make their way through lower courts. The justices rejected an administration request to put most of it back into effect. It was blocked by 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In an unsigned order, the court said it expects the appeals court to issue a fuller decision on the plan “with appropriate dispatch.” The Education Department is seeking to provide a faster path to loan cancellation, and reduce monthly income-based repayments from 10% to 5% of a borrower’s discretionary income. The plan also wouldn’t require borrowers to make payments if they earn less than 225% of the federal poverty line — $32,800 a year for a single person.

The IDF announced today that the body of an Israeli soldier who was killed and abducted by Hamas on October 7, has been recovered from the southern Gaza Strip. The soldier’s name has not been released at the request of the family. The recovery operation brings the total number of hostages still held by Hamas to 103, including the bodies of 33 confirmed dead. Since the massacre and abductions on October 7, Hamas has released 105 civilians.  Additionally, four hostages were released prior to a weeklong truce in late November, and eight hostages have been rescued alive by Israeli troops. The military has also recovered the bodies of 31 hostages, including three who were mistakenly killed during an escape attempt.