Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday evening hinted that there has been significant progress in negotiations for a ceasefire/hostage deal in the Gaza Strip, saying that he hopes to announce something on the matter today or tomorrow. In a video message, he stated: “There is now a very intensive operation by the IDF in the Gaza Strip. We also have to deal with baseless international accusations.” “We are doing everything to defeat Hamas and release our hostages in the meantime. This is our top priority, and I hope, I very much hope, we can announce something on this matter today, and if not, then tomorrow.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

White House envoy Steve Witkoff has dismissed claims by Hamas that the group accepted his proposal for a hostage and ceasefire agreement. In an interview with Axios reporter Barak Ravid, Witkoff stated, “What I have seen from Hamas is disappointing and completely unacceptable.” According to reports, Israel agreed to a temporary ceasefire and hostage deal that would involve the return of half of the living hostages and half of the deceased, which would “lead to substantive negotiations to find a path to a permanent ceasefire, which I agreed to preside over.” Witkoff emphasized, “That deal is on the table. Hamas should take it.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

French first lady Brigitte Macron appeared to push her husband away with both hands on his face just before they disembarked from their plane to start a tour of Southeast Asia this weekend. President Emmanuel Macron dismissed the gesture — caught on camera — as just horseplay, but it caused a stir back home. French media on Monday tried to decipher the interaction that cameras spotted through the just-opened door of the plane. The headline of a story on the website of the daily Le Parisien newspaper asked: “Slap or ‘squabble’?

IDF Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee on Monday afternoon re-issued an evacuation notice to the residents of the Khan Younis and Rafah areas in the southern Gaza Strip, calling on them to evacuate immediately westward to the Al-Mawasi area. “The IDF is launching an unprecedented attack to destroy the capabilities of terrorist organizations operating in the area,” the notice stated, adding that the area is now designated as a dangerous combat zone, and that the population has already received several warnings on the matter. It was also stated that terrorist organizations continue to launch rockets from these areas, which increases the danger to residents. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

In a recent interview addressing the second round of the Keren Olam HaTorah campaign, Rosh Yeshivas Slabodka, Maran Harav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, shlit”a, offered sharp insight into two burning questions. As Keren Olam HaTorah continues its ambitious global effort to raise urgently-needed funds—aiming to fill the $107 million void caused by draconian government funding cuts to yeshivos and kollelim across Eretz Yisroel—some have raised difficult hashkafic and political questions. Rav Moshe Hillel, a towering manhig of the generation and close confidant of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, did not shy away.

Attorney-General Gali Barharav Miara on Monday called to implement personal sanctions against draft evaders, including financial sanctions and bans from leaving the country and holding a driver’s license, and announced that draft orders will soon be sent to tens of thousands of bnei yeshivos. Speaking at the Israel Bar Association’s annual conference, she claimed that the non-conscription of bnei yeshivos “harms equality in the most blatant way” and “mortally wounds the basic sense of justice.” She then called to increase and deepen sanctions against drafter evaders, emphasizing: “Effective sanctions must be personal.

For the first time in years, three cases of cholera have been identified in Israel, Kan Reshet Bet reported on Monday morning. According to the report, two Israelis contracted the disease in Ethiopia. The third case, which was recently identified in the Haifa area, was diagnosed in an Israeli who contracted the disease in Israel after drinking well water from Ethiopia brought by one of the other infected Israelis. Cholera is a severe intestinal disease that causes diarrhea and vomiting and can lead to dehydration and even death. The disease is common in developing countries with poor hygiene and sewage conditions. The Health Ministry recommended that Israelis who travel to Ethiopia should avoid drinking tap water or well water, as well as avoid eating street food.

US President Donald Trump is expected to announce a ceasefire in Gaza in the next few days that will include the release of 10 live hostages and the remains of 16 hostages in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire, Arabic media outlets reported on Monday morning. According to the reports, five of the live hostages would be released on the first day of the ceasefire and five on the 60th day of the ceasefire. Additionally, the remains of 16 hostages will be transferred according to a schedule that will allow Hamas to locate them. It was also reported that Hamas demanded the release of all Palestinian prisoners from the Gaza Strip who were arrested before or after the October 7 attack – a demand that Israel has not yet officially responded to.

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman Some seven months ago,  the Rebbe of Karlin was at the Kosel with thousands of his Ch

Senior Shin Bet officials have reportedly threatened to resign if Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu proceeds with the appointment of IDF Maj. Gen. David Zini as the agency’s next director, according to a report by the Kan public broadcaster. In off-the-record conversations over the weekend, Shin Bet field coordinators responsible for the Jerusalem and West Bank sectors blasted Zini’s nomination as politically driven. The officials reportedly raised concerns over what they described as Zini’s “messianic” worldview — warning that his ideological leanings may erode the agency’s nonpartisan identity. No formal resignations have been filed as of yet, and the Shin Bet declined public comment on the matter.