The Russian army has suffered its highest rate of losses since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with over 70,000 soldiers likely killed or wounded in May and June alone, according to the UK Defense Ministry. In its daily update, the ministry attributed the increase in losses to Russia’s expansion of its offensive in the Kharkiv region, while maintaining pressure along the entire 1,000-kilometer front line in eastern and southern Ukraine. Despite attempts to stretch the frontline, Russia’s tactical successes have been limited due to effective Ukrainian defenses and a lack of Russian training.

Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav spoke on Monday about the possible scenario of a full-scale war with Hezbollah and how his city is preparing for it. Speaking on Radio North 104.5FM, he said: “We’re doing everything so that the city itself and the residents are safe and know what to do in the case of falling missiles – and they are more accurate missiles than those of 2006.” “We are now changing the entire method of building parking lots. We’re preparing them for a long stay because according to estimates, we’ll be sitting in shelters and parking lots for at least four consecutive days. That requires preparation – for example, installing bathrooms.

A ceasefire-hostage deal brokered by the US seems within reach, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday evening. The report quoted a senior US official who said on Wednesday that “the framework is agreed” and the parties are now “negotiating details of how it will be implemented.” The agreement consists of a three-stage resolution, with the first state a six-week ceasefire, during which Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages – all female and wounded hostages and men over 50 – in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian terrorists and a withdrawal of IDF troops from densely populated areas toward the eastern border of Gaza. The report added that Israel and Hamas both agreed to an “interim governance” plan that would begin with Phase 2.

An El Al plane flying from Warsaw to Israel on Sunday was forced to make an emergency landing at Antalya airport in Turkey due to a passenger’s medical crisis. Turkish authorities not only refused to allow passengers to exit the plane, with passengers forced to sit on the plane for several hours, but also refused to refuel the plane. Eventually, the plane flew to Rhodes, Greece to refuel before continuing to Israel. It is unclear what happened with the passenger who required medical treatment. Direct flights between Israel and Turkey were canceled after the war in Gaza began in the wake of the October 7th massacre.

A group of Rabbanim have appealed to the Israeli Defense Ministry and the army to permit the family of a fallen soldier to add ‘HY”D’ to his Kever. The request comes after the ministry refused to include the letters on the gravestone of Yisroel Yudkin HY’D, a soldier who fell in battle in Gaza on May 22. The Tzohar rabbinical group wrote to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief-of-Staff Herzi Halevi, asking them to allow the family to add the acronym. The ministry’s refusal was based on formalistic grounds, citing that the acronym is outside protocol for military headstones, which generally follow a uniform format with only a few permissible deviations. However, the rabbanim argue that the family’s sacrifice and interests should take precedence over uniformity.

The sister of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an IDF airstrike in the Shati neighborhood of Gaza City, Arab media reported on Tuesday morning According to the reports, 13 people were killed, including nine of Haniyeh’s relatives. The IDF spokesperson responded to the reports by stating: “Air Force fighter jets, with the intelligence guidance of the Shin Bet and IDF, attacked two buildings in Shati and Daraj in the northern Gaza Strip while they were being used by Hamas terrorists. The terrorists were operating from school premises that the organization used as a shield for terrorist activity.

Over 100 victims of the October 7th massacre filed a lawsuit on Monday in a New York federal court against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), alleging that its employees were responsible for Hamas atrocities including genocide, crimes against humanity, torture and rape. The lawsuit names six former and present UNRWA leaders, including Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini. “Hamas did not carry out these atrocities without assistance.

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, one of the masterminds of the Oct. 7 terror attacks, is hiding like a “cornered rat” in tunnels in Gaza, the New York Post reported. The report quotes Colin Clarke, a counter-terrorism expert at the New York-based Soufan Group, who said that Sinwar has survived by staying radio-silent and using Israeli hostages and Gazan civilians as human shields. “He’s likely still in Gaza, deep within the tunnel network and surrounded by hostages to secure his safety,” Clarke said. “Sinwar is someone who is out for his own survival. “It’s his ultimate goal, like a cornered rat.” Clarke added that Sinwar likely uses a network of couriers to transmit his commands, including his repeated rejections of ceasefire/hostage release deals.

A violent clash between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and supporters of Israel outside the Adas Torah shul in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles is now being widely condemned by political leaders and local officials following outrage over their silence. President Biden, Gov. Gavin Newsom, and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass denounced the incident, which resulted in one arrest and left no injuries reported. The individual arrested is facing a misdemeanor charge for carrying a prohibited item at a protest – a spiked flag. Shockingly, there have been no arrests for assault or anything like that.

The IDF says that soldiers from the 828th Infantry Training School Brigade, under the command of the 162nd Division, have been conducting targeted operations in the Rafah area over the past few weeks. The operations, which have been precise and intelligence-based, have resulted in the location of weapons, the elimination of terrorists, and the destruction of terrorist infrastructure. In one incident, the troops found a tunnel shaft inside a child’s room, along with a butcher’s knife next to it – highlighting once again the willingness of terrorists to put innocent lives at risk in pursuit of their goals. In addition, the troops identified six terrorists near a school in the area, who were subsequently eliminated by a combination of UAV and tank fire.