Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening released the following statement: “Hamas is responsible for this war. It invaded our towns, murdered our people, raped our women and kidnapped our loved ones. Hamas refused offer after offer to release our hostages. In the past two weeks, Israel did not initiate any military action in the hope that Hamas would change course. Well, that didn’t happen. While Israel accepted the offer of President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, Hamas flatly refused to do so. This is why I authorized yesterday the renewal of military action against Hamas. Israel does not target Palestinian civilians. We target Hamas terrorists.

Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben-Gvir reached an agreement with the Likud party on Tuesday afternoon to rejoin the government following the resumption of IDF airstrikes in Gaza. The members of the party who served as ministers will return to their positions. A vote on the ministers’ return is scheduled to take place in the Knesset later on Tuesday and a swearing-in ceremony will take place in the Knesset on Wednesday. The party left the coalition two months ago after the government agreed to a ceasefire with Hamas. Earlier on Tuesday, Ben-Gvir issued a statement praising the government’s decision to return to battle in Gaza. “As we said in recent months, when we quit the government, Israel must return to fighting in Gaza,” Ben-Gvir stated.

The office of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara sent a letter on Tuesday to Defense Minister Yisrael Katz’s office demanding the “urgent” implementation of additional personal sanctions against Chareidi “draft dodgers.” According to Baharav-Miara, the sanctions already implemented – the revocation of daycare subsidies and the suspensions of funds to yeshivos and kollelim – have not been effective. In her view, or so she claims, all that needs to be done is to implement additional personal sanctions and hordes of Chareidim will suddenly show up at recruitment centers.

IDF spokesperson in Arabic Avichay Adraee on Tuesday morning issued an urgent warning to Gazans residing near the Israeli border to evacuate further into Gaza. The evacuation orders indicate the IDF’s intention to expand the attack on Gaza that began in a surprise operation overnight Monday and has since been named Operation Strength and Sword. The combat zone indicated in red on the map issued by Adraee includes the perimeter of Gaza from north to south, including the neighborhood of Beit Hanoun and the suburbs of Khan Younis. “Warning to all residents of the Gaza Strip who are in the area marked in red, specifically in the neighborhoods of Beit Hanoun, Khuza’a, and the Abasan suburbs of Khan Younis,” Adraee wrote.

The IDF’s Home Front Command on Tuesday morning ordered Israelis to prepare shelters across the country following the resumption of airstrikes in Gaza overnight Monday. Col. (res) Chilik Soffer told Ynet: “In most areas, there’s no immediate threat, but every citizen must be ready to act at a moment’s notice — not just in border areas,” Soffer said. “I recommend preparing shelters everywhere. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring.” The cities of Herzliya, Rishon Lezion, Petach Tikva, Yavne, Ramat Gan, and Rechovot reported later on Tuesday morning that they opened their public shelters. Following an overnight security assessment, the IDF ordered schools in the Gaza border area to cancel classes on Tuesday. Additionally, train service between Sderot and Ashkelon was suspended.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will investigate Columbia University after two janitors accused the school of retaliating against them after they accused protestors of antisemitism, the New York Post reported. Lester Wilson and Mario Torres accused the school of retaliatory harassment for “reporting antisemitic and racist conduct” during the pro-Palestinian protests by students last year. “We welcome the EEOC’s decision to open an investigation into Mario’s and Lester’s charges of discrimination,” former Attorney General Bill Barr, whose law firm is representing Wilson and Torres, told the Post in a statement. “Columbia has a legal and moral obligation to protect the civil rights of its students and employees. It must be held accountable when it fails to do so,” he added.

The United States conducted a fresh wave of airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Monday, targeting the Iran-backed militia’s strongholds in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah and the Al Jawf governorate north of the capital, Sanaa. The strikes, reported by the Houthis’ Al Masirah TV, mark an intensification of a U.S. military campaign aimed at curbing the group’s attacks on international shipping lanes, a vital artery for global trade that has been repeatedly disrupted since late 2023. The U.S. Central Command confirmed the operations, stating that the strikes were designed to degrade the Houthis’ ability to threaten maritime security and regional stability.

A top Jackson Township official appears to be entangled in a shocking display of bias against Orthodox Jews, raising serious legal concerns about potential violations of a federal consent order. Documents obtained by Lakewood Alerts, a YWN subsidiary, reveal that Andrew Cheney, Jackson’s Chief of Code Enforcement, lodged a complaint with the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance against Jackson Council President Jennifer Kuhn, accusing her of real estate “steering.” However, Cheney’s allegations—and their eerie similarity to anti-Orthodox rhetoric promoted by the group Jackson Strong—suggest a far more troubling picture: A township official may have weaponized his position to advance an anti-Orthodox agenda.

An overnight search for two missing children in the dense woods of Sullivan County ended in relief early Monday morning when Catskills Hatzolah members located the pair near Weissman Road and Stump Pond Road in Livingston Manor. The search began Sunday evening when two local children, ages 12 and 15, failed to return home after venturing into the heavily wooded area surrounding Livingston Manor. As night fell and temperatures dropped, concerns mounted, prompting Sullivan County Emergency Personnel to activate a full-scale search and rescue mission. More than 10 fire departments, Forest Rangers, and New York State Police mobilized, combing the rugged terrain under the cover of darkness.

Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar responded to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s announcement on Sunday of his intention to dismiss him this week by saying he has no intention of leaving his position. Bar claimed that Netanyahu’s decision to remove him is not based on his failures regarding the October 7 massacre and that he intends to remain in his position until the return of all the hostages and the completion of several investigations.