Sergeant Koren Bitan, a 19-year-old soldier from Rosh Haayin, was killed in Gaza battling Hamas terrorists. Bitan was serving in the 450th Battalion of the Bislamach Brigade and the 94th “Duchifat” Battalion of the Kfir Brigade. The IDF says he was killed during combat operations in the southern Gaza Strip. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Thursday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to urgently convene the Cabinet for discussions on imposing the death penalty for terrorists and advancing tougher legislation aimed at deterring and punishing terrorism in Israel. “The time has come to impose the death penalty on terrorists who carry out deadly attacks in Israel,” Ben Gvir wrote. “Terrorists who enter our streets and murder innocent people are not deterred enough, and the necessary step is to toughen the punishment.” Ben Gvir pointed out that Article 116 of the coalition agreements between his party and Netanyahu’s Likud includes a commitment from Likud to support the death penalty for terrorists. He insisted that the time had come to fulfill that promise.

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris engaged in a 50-minute phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as Israel prepares its response to Iran’s recent missile attack. The call comes during a critical time of heightened tensions between Israel and Iran. No official readout of the discussion has been released yet.

Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization has announced the cancellation of all flights from the country’s airports between Sunday 9:00 PM and Monday 6:00 AM local time. The decision, reported by state media, was attributed to “operational restrictions” without further details provided. This development follows heightened concerns over a potential Israeli military response after Iran launched a missile strike last week. Officials have not confirmed whether the flight suspension is directly related to these escalating regional tensions. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Early Wednesday morning, two IDF soldiers were tragically killed during Israel’s ground operation in Lebanon. Cpt. Eitan Itzhak Oster, 22, a team commander from Modi’in and a member of the elite Egoz Commando Unit, was one of the fallen soldiers. His death was confirmed by the IDF. The second fatality was announced by Kiryat Ata Mayor Yaakov Peretz, who confirmed the death of IDF soldier Nezer Itkin, also from the Egoz unit, who was killed during the fighting in southern Lebanon. These are the first two confirmed fatalities in Israel’s ongoing ground offensive against Hezbollah. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

HaGaon HaRav David Yosef, the Rav of Har Nof, has been elected as the new Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel. He will succeed his older brother, Hagaon HaRav Yitzchak Yosef, with both brothers now following in the footsteps of their illustrious father, Chacham Ovadia Yosef zt”l. HaRav David Yosef is a a tremendous Gaon and Talmud Chochom, having authored dozens of Seforim on Halacha, the most famous among them titled “Halacha Berurah.” Additionally, he is fluent in multiple languages, including English, and often travels the world delivering Shiurim. Meanwhile, the election for the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi ended in a tie, with all candidates advancing to a runoff scheduled for tonight. The results of this second round are expected to be announced after 11 p.m.

Hezbollah has reportedly urged Iran to launch a direct attack against Israel as hostilities intensify, but Iran has so far refused, according to two Israeli officials and one Western diplomat who spoke with Axios. A direct Iranian strike would significantly escalate the already volatile situation in the region and could potentially draw the U.S. into the conflict. Israeli officials disclosed that Iranian authorities told Hezbollah that “the timing isn’t right” for such an attack due to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s presence in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

I write in response to Monday’s incident in Beit Shemesh involving police violence against Charedi protesters, as well as the subsequent investigation. While I unequivocally condemn any form of police brutality, I believe it’s important to understand the context of the event being protested and the community dynamics at play. The protesters were not rallying against some harmful policy or oppressive regime—they were protesting an event designed to help young Charedi men acquire valuable skills for the workforce. The programs highlighted at the event offered education in areas like programming, bookkeeping, engineering, and healthcare—honest professions that enable individuals to support their families with dignity.

Two polls have US Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris leading Republican Donald Trump by significant numbers. Harris is leading Trump 47% to 40% in the race to win the November 5 US presidential election, a Reuters/Ipsos poll published today found. Harris had a lead of six percentage points based on unrounded figures – which showed her with support from 46.61% of registered voters while Trump was backed by 40.48%, according to the three-day poll that closed on Monday. The Democrat’s lead was slightly higher than her five-point advantage over Trump in a Sept 11-12 Reuters/Ipsos poll. Meanwhile, Harris has surged ahead of former President Donald Trump by 5 points in a new NBC News poll, marking a major shift in the 2024 presidential race.

Israeli forces have killed two terrorists believed to be responsible for the recent murder of six hostages in a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip.The hostages – Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat, and Almog Sarusi – were killed in the tunnel before the terrorists were now located and neutralized. In a press conference, Hagari detailed the operation, explaining that Israeli forces from the 162nd Division encountered the terrorists a day after the murders. “A day after the murder of the hostages, forces with the 162nd Division identified two terrorists emerging from a nearby tunnel in the Tel Sultan area, and killed them in an exchange of fire,” Hagari said.