Shlomi Ziv and Almog Meir Jan, two of the hostages rescued from Gaza in Operation Arnon, have opened up for the first time about their harrowing ordeal in captivity. They were interviewed as part of the Government Press Office’s national documentation project. Andrey Kozlov, who was held together with Ziv and Jan, has spoken to numerous media outlets, (including the GPO’s project earlier this month) about the physical and emotional abuse he and his fellow captives endured. Their hands and feet were bound for the first two months, they were locked in the bathroom buried under blankets in the summer heat, and were told time and time again that Israel and their loved ones had abandoned them.

Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York has blasted three major U.S. airlines—American, Delta, and United—for their continued suspension of flights to Israel, arguing that the decision is tantamount to an “effective boycott” of the country. In a letter addressed to the CEOs of the airlines and obtained by YWN, Torres expressed concern that the ongoing suspension has made air travel to Israel increasingly difficult and expensive. “The lack of competition has made air travel to Israel less available and less affordable, putting customers at the mercy of a de facto monopoly that can easily gouge prices with impunity,” Torres wrote to American Airlines CEO Robert Isom, Delta CEO Ed Bastian, and United CEO Scott Kirby.

Senior Hamas official Khaled Mashal, once considered a leading contender to replace the assassinated Ismail Haniyeh, has called for a resumption of suicide bombings in the West Bank and urged Palestinians and their supporters to engage in “actual resistance” against Israel. His remarks, reported by Arabic media, were made during a conference in Istanbul, Turkey. According to Sky News Arabia, Mashal expressed the desire of the Hamas terror group to “return to [suicide] operations.” He framed the ongoing conflict with Israel, including the war in Gaza and frequent IDF raids in the West Bank, as a situation that necessitates open conflict. “They are fighting us with open conflict, and we are confronting them with open conflict,” Mashal said.

As Israeli security forces continue Operation Summer Camps, the largest counterterrorism operation in the Shomron in decades, IDF soldiers and Border Police officers overnight Wednesday killed five terrorists hiding in a mosque in the Nur al-Shams “refugee camp” near Tulkarm, including Muhammad Jaber “Abu Shaja’a,” the head of of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist network in the area. Abu Shahja’a was involved in numerous terror attacks against Israeli targets, including a shooting attack last June that murdered Israeli civilian Amnon Muchtar, H’yd. The security forces also arrested a wanted Islamic Jihad terrorist. Israeli security forces also discovered an explosive manufacturing laboratory and terror command room in a mosque in the Far’a “refugee camp” in the Jordan Valley.

New details have emerged about the rescue of Kaid Farhan Al-Qadi from Gaza on Tuesday after 326 days in captivity According to reports, the IDF did not have specific intelligence information about Qadi but did not find him by “chance,” as some outlets reported. IDF forces were operating in the area for days and were on the outlook for hostages. As the forces were searching a tunnel network, they unexpectedly found Qadi, in a tunnel 65 feet underground, alone and unguarded. Channel 12 News reported that when Qadi heard people talking Hebrew, he called: “It’s me, Farhan, don’t shoot!” Even after the soldiers realized that there was an Israeli hostage in the tunnel, it wasn’t a simple operation to extricate him from the tunnel.

Hamas is reportedly losing control over smaller terrorist factions within Gaza, according to a report by The Jewish Chronicle, citing Israeli military sources. The splintering of command signals growing discontent among Gaza’s smaller terror organizations, which include the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Mujahideen Brigades, the al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades, and the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. These groups have increasingly distanced themselves from Hamas leadership, particularly Yahya Sinwar, the de facto ruler of Gaza. According to the report, these smaller factions are no longer adhering to Sinwar’s directives and are operating independently, further complicating an already volatile situation in Gaza.

The IDF announced today that the body of an Israeli soldier who was killed and abducted by Hamas on October 7, has been recovered from the southern Gaza Strip. The soldier’s name has not been released at the request of the family. The recovery operation brings the total number of hostages still held by Hamas to 103, including the bodies of 33 confirmed dead. Since the massacre and abductions on October 7, Hamas has released 105 civilians.  Additionally, four hostages were released prior to a weeklong truce in late November, and eight hostages have been rescued alive by Israeli troops. The military has also recovered the bodies of 31 hostages, including three who were mistakenly killed during an escape attempt.

The Vaad Harabonim of Hatzolah of Central Jersey has issued a public warning to the communities of Lakewood, Jackson, Toms River, Howell, Manchester, and Brick regarding a rival organization, Hatzulas Nefashos, promoting unsanctioned emergency services. This group, previously condemned by rabbinical authorities across these towns for offering unnecessary and unapproved services, has ramped up its marketing efforts. Hatzulas Nefashos has been aggressively advertising its hotline number, using attention-grabbing tactics aimed specifically at children. The group has distributed stickers, magnets, and other paraphernalia that are finding their way into homes, raising the possibility of confusion in emergency situations.

The IDF overnight Tuesday began an extensive counterterrorism operation in Jenin, Tulkarm, and other terror hubs in the northern Shomron. The operation is expected to last several days. The operation, dubbed Operation Summer Camps (מחנות קיץ), was launched in the wake of the attempted suicide bombing attack in Tel Aviv last week and previous attempts by terrorists from the Shomron to carry out mass-casualty attacks in Israel. IDF intelligence officials believe that terrorists from a terror network in the Tulkarm area were responsible for planning and directing the attempted bombing in Tel Aviv.

The Woodmere community is in mourning and shock upon learning of the tragic petirah of 49-year-old Mordechai Boehm, who was niftar in a water-related accident in the Poconos on Tuesday. Sources tell YWN that R’ Mordechai z”l, a member of the Island Avenue Shul (Rabbi Ralbag), was vacationing in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, when he was involved in a tragic accident on the Delaware River that claimed his life. Numerous organization sprang into action in the wake of the tragedy to ensure kavod hameis. Achiezer, under the leadership of Rabbi Boruch Ber Bender, alongside Rabbi Shloime Feldman of Chesed Shel Emes worked with the various agencies involved in the incident and its aftermath.