Col. Ehsan Daqsa, commander of the IDF’s 401st Armored Brigade, was tragically killed during combat operations in the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday. Daqsa, aged 41, from the Druze town of Daliyat al-Karmel, was a highly respected officer, and his death marks one of the highest-ranking losses for the IDF in the current fighting against Hamas. According to an IDF investigation, Daqsa was leading his unit in Jabaliya, a key location in Gaza where heavy fighting is ongoing. The IDF launched a renewed offensive in Jabaliya earlier this month, based on intelligence indicating that Hamas operatives were using the area to re-establish their operations. He and several other officers dismounted from their tanks to reach an observation point when they were struck by a hidden explosive device.

YWN regrets to inform you of the petirah of R’ Aviezer Shimon Yosef Wolfson zt”l, a respected talmid chochom and former rebbi at Yeshivas Toras Chaim in Moscow, who was niftar today in Yerushalayim at the age of 87. He was the father of Rav Daniel Wolfson, Rosh Yeshivas Netivot Chochma, and philanthropist R’ Uri Wolfson. R’ Aviezer spent most of his days immersed in Torah both in Israel and abroad. Known for his humility and kindness, he was deeply admired for his anivus, generosity, and his ability to connect with both young and old. Throughout his life, R’ Aviezer was renowned for his kiruv efforts, inspiring countless individuals to strengthen their connection to yiddishkeit.

Yigal Calek, the visionary composer, choir director, and founder of the London School of Jewish Song, was niftar today. Yigal z”l, whose contributions to Jewish music revolutionized the genre beginning in the early 1970s, had been seriously ill in recent months. Yigal began his career as a sixth-grade rebbi, but his deep passion for music led him to create the London Pirchim Choir, later known as the London School of Jewish Song. His debut album, Ma Navu (1970), featured iconic songs such as “Sali Umetzudasi” and “Al Zeh Hayah Daveh Libeinu,” and marked the beginning of a groundbreaking era in Jewish music.

Flatbush Shomrim has been contacted by the NYPD and asked to convey this very important message. Last night during the simchas Beis Hashoeva celebration in Crown Heights, several boys were arrested from the Flatbush Community. These are not Crown Heights boys, rather boys who decided to attend and cause havoc. This included fist fights with other boys and incredibly assaulting police officers. This is a huge Chilul Hashem! These boys who are going from Flatbush to Crown Heights to cause trouble, WILL be arrested, and will have records that will follow them moving forward. It’s not worth it!!

We are deep in the Yom Tov season, a time traditionally filled with joy, togetherness, family, and connection. But for someone like me, who battles anxiety and depression, it’s also a time when my world gets turned upside down. Normally, it’s the structure, the distractions, and the steady support of my routine that keep me afloat. Recently, I’ve heard mental illness compared to diabetes—just as a diabetic needs insulin to survive, someone struggling with their mental health often needs medication, therapy, and a lot of support to function. In my community, people know me for running an at-home daycare for 14 years. They know me for the clothing Gemach I run that helps hundreds of families.

Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem has reportedly been residing in Tehran after fleeing Lebanon on an Iranian plane over two weeks ago, according to a report by UAE-based Erem News, citing an anonymous Iranian source. Qassem allegedly left Beirut on October 5 aboard an aircraft used by Tehran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during a state visit to Lebanon and Syria. The source claims that Iran’s top leadership ordered Qassem’s transfer out of Lebanon due to fears of an assassination attempt by Israel. Since Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s death, Qassem has delivered three speeches. The first was recorded in Beirut, but the second and third were reportedly made from Tehran, according to the source. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A mysterious fleet of drones repeatedly breached restricted airspace over a U.S. military base in Virginia for 17 consecutive days late last year, leaving the Pentagon puzzled, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal. In December 2023, U.S. military personnel stationed at Langley Air Force Base along the Virginia coast reported spotting a swarm of unidentified drones entering restricted airspace each night. The drones, which would begin appearing 45 minutes to an hour after sunset, caused significant concern among military officials. One of the officials who witnessed the drones, U.S. Air Force General Mark Kelly, described the first drone he saw as being approximately 20 feet long and traveling at speeds of over 100 miles per hour at altitudes of 3,000 to 4,000 feet.

The IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, revealed footage allegedly showing slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar fleeing to a tunnel with his family on the eve of the October 7, 2023, attack. But what truly stands out in this video, Adraee noted, is not the tactical retreat of a terror mastermind—it’s the designer handbag his wife is seen clutching: a Hermès Birkin bag, reportedly worth $32,000. While most residents of Gaza were supposedly struggling to scrape together enough for basic food, here is the wife of one of Hamas’ top leaders flaunting a luxury accessory reserved for the global elite.

At a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, former President Donald Trump confirmed that he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, discussing the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. During the rally, Trump ripped President Joe Biden for reportedly advising Netanyahu on military decisions. Trump said that Biden told Netanyahu, “don’t do this, don’t do that,” in reference to the war against Hamas and Hezbollah, but that Netanyahu ignored the advice. “Bibi didn’t listen to him and I’ll tell you what, they’re in a much stronger position now than they were three months ago,” Trump said. Trump highlighted recent Israeli military operations, including the assassinations of key terror figures, as evidence of Israel’s stronger stance.