A devastating incident unfolded in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Friday morning, when a building collapsed on Israeli soldiers. Sources tell YWN that an explosive device detonated, causing the structure to crumble, killing at least five soldiers and injuring several others, with some in critical condition. Israeli forces responded with heavy shelling as helicopters evacuated the wounded. The IDF is expected to release a statement shortly on this incident. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israel has assured the White House that it will not carry out a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities unless President Donald Trump determines that negotiations with Tehran have failed, according to a report by Axios citing two Israeli officials familiar with the matter. The reassurance was delivered during a high-level visit to Washington last week by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Mossad Director David Barnea, and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi. The Israeli delegation met with senior U.S. officials amid growing concerns in Washington over the possibility that Israel might launch a unilateral attack on Iranian targets, potentially derailing ongoing diplomatic efforts.

In the shadow of the escalating crisis gripping the political system and mounting threats of Knesset dissolution, the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisroel gathered today (Thursday) for an extraordinary, out-of-the-ordinary session. The urgent meeting took place at the vacation home of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe in Moshav Ora, where the Rebbe had recently returned after an extended period of medical treatment abroad. This marked the first gathering of the Chassidish Moetzes since 2023, though it was held with a notably incomplete roster. Absent were the prominent Admorim of Belz, Sanz, Slonim, and Vizhnitz Merkaz. Nevertheless, the session saw the participation of the Admorim of Ger, Vizhnitz, Boyan, Seret Vizhnitz, Biala (in his first appearance since his father’s petirah), and Modzitz.

Amid the looming coalition crisis over the lack of a Chareidi draft bill, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara announced on Thursday evening that “the IDF will issue over 50,000 draft notices to yeshiva students in the upcoming month of Tammuz and will soon present an enforcement plan against draft dodgers.” “This was presented by army officials at a meeting with the Attorney General today with the participation of the head of the IDF’s Manpower Directorate.” According to the Attorney General’s letter, this concerns approximately 54,000 orders (referred to as “the pool”) that will be sent during the upcoming month of July, with reporting dates staggered throughout the recruitment year, according to a plan to be determined by the army.

Zohran Mamdani, the far-left Assemblyman from Queens and a leading candidate in the NYC mayoral race, dropped jaws at Wednesday night’s debate when he flat-out refused to say he supports Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. “I believe Israel has the right to exist, as a state with equal rights,” Mamdani said, sidestepping a direct yes-or-no question about Israel’s Jewish identity — a dodge he’s pulled before. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, leading in the polls, wasn’t having it. “Not as a Jewish state,” Cuomo shot back. “And his answer was no, he won’t visit Israel.” The exchange lit a fire under what had been a sleepy debate — and put Mamdani’s long history of anti-Israel activism front and center just weeks before the crucial June 24 primary.

A person was critically injured Thursday morning when a wall collapsed at the shuttered T Fusion Kosher Steakhouse, located at the corner of East 33rd Street and Quentin Road in Flatbush. FDNY firefighters and emergency personnel rushed to the scene, with EMS transporting the victim to a nearby hospital while performing CPR. The individual was reportedly in traumatic arrest at the time of transport. Sources tell YWN that the steakhouse has been closed for several months. The building was apparently in the process of being sold, and possible construction work may have been underway when the collapse occurred. The NYC Department of Buildings is investigating the incident alongside emergency crews. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Under the headline “Israel Nearing Elections,” the main article on the front page of the Yated Ne’eman newspaper in Israel on Thursday morning detailed the instructions of HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau and HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch to act to dissolve the Knesset due to “the attempt to turn lomdei Torah into criminals.” The article states: “The representatives of Maranan and Rabbanan were surprised to discover the list of sanctions that Yuli Edelstein sought to introduce in the conscription law, which could harm many households of lomdei Torah by thousands of shekels per month and at times, tens of thousands of shekels per year!” “HaRav Landau and HaRav Hirsch instructed the Knesset members: ‘A government that intends to treat the Torah and those who learn it in such a humiliating manne

The bodies of two hostages were recovered in a daring military operation in the Khan Younis area of Gaza overnight Wednesday and returned to Israel. Gadi Haggai, H’yd, 72, and his wife, Judith Weinstein Haggai, H’yd, 70, were brutally murdered, and their bodies were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7 massacre by terrorists from the Mujahideen Brigades, the terror group that abducted and murdered the Bibas family, H’yd. Their deaths were confirmed in December 2023. The location of their bodies was discovered during a Shin Bet interrogation of a captured terrorist. The rescue operation was carried out by IDF forces under the Southern Command with the aid of special forces and Military Intelligence.

In a bombshell revelation aired Wednesday evening on Channel 13’s flagship news broadcast, recordings of an extraordinary English-language conversation between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and HaGaon Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, have surfaced. The lengthy dialogue, believed to have been recorded ahead of last March’s state budget vote, captures Netanyahu unequivocally committing to advance the Chareidi draft law while admitting to ousting former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi due to their stances, which he claims obstructed progress on this critical issue. “We need to save not only the State of Israel but also the world of Torah,” Netanyahu began, setting the tone for the conversation.

If elections were held in Israel today, the parties supporting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government would only garner 48 seats—far below the 60-seat majority needed to form a coalition, according to a new Channel 12 poll. Conversely, a bloc led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, comprising opposition parties including his newly registered party, would secure a commanding 72 seats. The poll indicates that without including Arab-majority parties Hadash Ta’al or Ra’am, the opposition bloc would still reach 62 seats, surpassing the threshold for forming a government.