There was widespread outrage among the Israeli public, including government ministers when Palestinian media reported on Monday morning that the director of Shifa Hospital, where hostages were held and even murdered, was released from Israeli prison, along with 54 other Gazan prisoners, and returned to Gaza. Shifa Director Muhammed Abu Salmiya was arrested in November for carrying out “extensive terror activities for Hamas in the hospital under his management.” The hospital served as a haven for terrorists, Israeli hostages were transferred there, and hostage Noa Marciano, H’yd, was murdered there. Upon his release on Monday, Abu Salmiya immediately began inciting against Israel, claiming that Israel is starving prisoners. “The enemy is committing crimes against medical staff.

Hussam Badran, a top Hamas official, is calling on West Bank Palestinians – including members of the Palestinian Authority security forces – to carry out attacks against Israelis. Badran, a former leader of Hamas’s military wing in the northern West Bank, said, “We are working to expand the resistance in the West Bank.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s support for the hostage release deal presented by US President Joe Biden on May 31 during the weekly government meeting. Netanyahu emphasized that Hamas is the sole obstacle to the release of Israeli hostages. The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement reiterating Israel’s commitment to the May 31 terms, following reports that the US is attempting to modify some of the terms to reach an agreement. Netanyahu argued that a combination of political and military pressure, with military pressure being the most important, would result in the return of all 120 hostages in Gaza. “There is no change in Israel’s position on the release outline that President Biden has welcomed.

Israeli military forces have carried out a targeted operation in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood, resulting in the deaths of at least 40 Hamas operatives, according to an assessment by the IDF. The operation, which began on Thursday, was launched in response to intelligence indicating a regrouping of Hamas members in the area, alongside newly identified infrastructure belonging to the terror group. The IDF’s 98th Division, supported by the 7th Armored Brigade and Paratroopers Brigade, spearheaded the raid. Shejaiya, a focal point in previous ground offensives against Hamas, saw significant activity during the initial months of the conflict, culminating in the dismantling of Hamas’ local battalion by December.

A 15-year-old boy has been found guilty of possessing a semi-automatic weapon while heading to the Israeli embassy in Stockholm, just weeks after Sweden’s intelligence agency warned of Iranian plots to attack Israeli interests in the country. The boy was arrested on May 16 when police stopped a taxi in the Tyreso suburb, en route to the Israeli embassy. He was carrying the gun in his jacket and claimed he was unaware of the weapon’s presence until he was on his way to pick it up. The boy stated he was ordered to collect an item and believed it to be drugs, only discovering it was a gun en route. Despite his claims, the court found the boy guilty, sentencing him to 11 months of juvenile supervision.

Chief Rabbi HaRav Yitzchak Yosef, who concluded his term on Sunday, criticized the judges of the Supreme Court during his shiur on Motzei Shabbos. “The secular judges who aren’t familiar with a Daf Gemara – what do they know? It’s all chukos goyim. They don’t reach the ankles of our Rabbanim. I need to be afraid of them? No. We’ll do what we’ll do.” HaRav Yosef’s statements come after the Supreme Court judges ruled last week that bnei yeshivos must be recruited to the IDf and funding halted to yeshivos and kollelim. In the past, HaRav Yosef said: “The secular need to understand that without the kollelim and yeshivos, the IDF would not be successful. The success of the army is only in the zechus of the Bnei Torah.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

A remarkable discovery has been made at the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, shedding light on the daily lives of prisoners during one of the darkest periods in human history. More than 30 handmade chess pieces have been uncovered beneath the floorboards of a former prisoner block, revealing a hidden aspect of life inside the notorious camp. The 35 chess pieces, crafted from prefabricated cardboard, were found in block 8 of Auschwitz I camp, presumably hidden from Nazi guards. Despite being around 80 years old, the pieces are remarkably well-preserved, with images of rooks, pawns, bishops, and knights still easily distinguishable.

Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly announced on Thursday the imposition of additional sanctions on seven individuals and five entities linked to “extremist settler” activities in the West Bank. The sanctions aim to hold accountable those facilitating, supporting, or financing violence against Palestinian civilians and their property. According to the Foreign Ministry, extremist settler violence has resulted in loss of life, property damage, forced displacement, and insecurity for both Palestinians and Israelis. These attacks undermine Palestinian human rights, prospects for a two-state solution, and pose significant risks to regional security, according to the Canadian government.