A yeshiva bochur was arrested on Sunday evening by military police for desertion from the IDF and sentenced to 14 days in a military prison. The incident began when the 21-year-old bochur was stopped by traffic police on Purim for a routine check. His name came up as an army deserter and he was summoned on the spot to an immediate court hearing. When he arrived at the court, the military police were waiting for him and he was immediately sent to a military trial and sentenced. Kikar H’Shabbat reported that the bochur is a “mitchazeik” [someone growing closer to Yiddishkeit] and comes from a family who became frum in recent years. He is a talmid of the Maorot HaTorah Yeshiva in Telzstone, a yeshiva for bochurim from non-yeshivish backgrounds.

The Israeli Air Force has raised its air defense systems to the highest alert levels amid concerns that the Houthis will strike Israel in response to the US strikes on Yemen over the weekend, Channel 12 News reported on Monday. According to the report, the alert level was raised after a Houthi missile exploded in the Sinai in Egypt on Sunday – an attack that is estimated to have been aimed at Israel. The Houthis overnight Motzei Shabbos and Sunday launched dozens of explosive drones and at least one missile at the USS Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea in retaliation for the US strikes. The drones were all intercepted before reaching the ship.

Recently released Israeli hostage Tal Shoham revealed that Hamas’s terror infrastructure in Gaza remains intact, with its underground tunnel network expanding daily—even after more than a year of war. In an interview with Fox News, Shoham detailed his harrowing 505-day ordeal in Hamas captivity, revealing new insights into the terror group’s relentless efforts to rebuild and strengthen its underground stronghold. Shoham, who was abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7 while visiting his wife’s parents, endured months of physical and psychological torment, starvation, and complete isolation. Despite Israel’s intensive military campaign to dismantle Hamas’s labyrinthine tunnel network, he confirmed that Hamas has never stopped digging—not even for a single day.

Rav Avrohom Gurwicz, Rosh Yeshiva of Gateshead, has thrown his full weight behind the Eretz HaKodesh movement, urging Shomrei Torah u’Mitzvos to sign up and take an active role in the World Zionist Organization (WZO) – countering baseless rumors that he is not supporting voting. This latest endorsement comes after Gedolei Yisroel—HaGaon Rav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, and HaGaon R. Shmuel Kaminetsky, shlita—paskened that Torah’dige Yidden can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines while decisions affecting Yidden in Eretz Yisroel are being made by others. Rabbi Gurwicz had originally issued this call in 5782, but in his latest letter, dated Parshas Ki Sisa 5785, he’s making it clear that he holds voting in the WZO election is a chiyuv.

The US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, responded to a proposal from Hamas, stating that the terrorist organization’s offer was a “non-starter,” adding, “I spent close to seven and a half hours at the Arab Summit, we had really positive conversations there, I would have described it as a ‘game-changer’. We spent a good deal of time speaking about a bridge proposal that would see the release of five live hostages that would have included Eden Alexander. And also see the release of a substantial amount of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, which would be a wonderful thing for these Palestinian families.” “I thought the proposal was compelling, the Israelis were informed about it and advised about it beforehand.

In a high-stakes counterterror operation, Israeli security forces thwarted a planned shooting attack in Jerusalem’s Old City during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The Shin Bet (Israel’s Security Agency) and Israel Police announced Sunday that they had arrested 24-year-old Uday Mobarsham, an Arab Israeli from the village of Makr, who had purchased a homemade rifle and begun training for an attack targeting Israeli police officers and Jewish civilians near the Damascus Gate. Mobarsham, who had been undergoing religious radicalization, was captured in February, just before planning to execute his deadly plan.

FDNY firefighters and Boro Park Hatzolah volunteers are on the scene of a fire in a fourth-floor apartment at 1522 55th Street. Multiple patients are being treated for smoke inhalation. Boro Park Shomrim volunteers assisted in evacuating residents from the building as emergency personnel worked to contain the fire. THIS STORY WAS FIRST PUBLISHED ON THE BORO PARK SCOOP STATUS CLICK HERE SIGN UP TO THE BORO PARK SCOOP WHATSAPP STATUS TO BE INFORMED OF BORO PARK NEWS IN LIVE TIME (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The IDF has removed a group of reservists from their duties in the Gaza Strip following the emergence of a video. The footage, which surfaced online, shows the soldiers firing their weapons into the air during a Megillah reading on Purim, when hearing the name Haman. The incident reportedly took place amidst the festive atmosphere of the holiday, but the IDF deemed the behavior a violation of military protocol and safety standards. An investigation is underway, and the reservists involved have been withdrawn from operational activity pending further review.

After more than 17 months of captivity, Edan Alexander, the last known living American hostage held by Hamas, is set to be released. The 21-year-old Israeli-American soldier has been held since October 7, when he was captured during Hamas’ brutal attacks on Israel. Alexander’s release comes as part of a deal brokered by mediators, which will also see the return of the bodies of four other dual-national hostages. The exact timing of the transfer remains uncertain, but it coincides with high-stakes negotiations in Qatar over a possible second phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Born in Israel but raised in New Jersey, Alexander chose to enlist in the IDF instead of attending college.

Rabbi Yehuda Gerami, the Chief Rabbi of Iran Davened Mincha and Maariv and read Megillas Esther this evening at the site believed to be the kever of Mordechai and Esther in Hamadan, Iran. Young Iranian yeshiva students travelled with with Rabbi Gerami to the Kever. Attached video footage taken for YWN shows the Rabbi and his students, some of whom are training to become rabbinical judges and rabbis, danceing outside the Kever before Mincha. After Mincha, they Davened maariv, followed by Kreiyas Megillah in a nearby Shul next to the Kever. They then broke their fast, and began the journey back to Tehran. Despite geopolitical tensions, the Iranian regime continues to preserve the kever due to its historical significance.