A media furor has arisen following the shocking claim of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif about John Kerry’s actions during his tenure as Obama’s secretary of state in a recently leaked recording, in which Zarif also criticized the influence of Gen. Qassem Soleimani and accused Russia of trying to sabotage the 2015 nuclear deal. According to The New York Times report on the leaked recording, former Iranian vice president Mohammad Ali Abtahi said that the publication of Zarif’s comments was “tantamount to Israel stealing the nuclear documents” from Iran in 2018.

An NYPD officer has died after being struck by a passing vehicle while investigating a crash in Queens, and one person is in police custody. The officer is identified as Anastasios Tsakos, assigned to Highway 3. He was a 14-year veteran of the NYPD, father of two children, a 6-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old son. Officer Tsakos was struck on the eastbound lanes of the Long Island Expressway near Francis Lewis Boulevard just before 2 a.m. this morning. He was directing traffic following a prior crash that happened on the eastbound Long Island Expressway ramp to the Clearview Expressway, just after 12:30 a.m. Tuesday. As Tsakos was directing traffic near the scene, he was struck by a passing vehicle.

India’s surge in coronavirus infections, growing at the fastest pace in the world, has left families and patients pleading for oxygen outside hospitals, the relatives weeping in the street as their loved ones die while waiting for treatment. Delhi has been cremating so many bodies of COVID-19 victims that authorities are getting requests to start cutting down trees in city parks for kindling, as a record surge of illness is collapsing India’s tattered health care system. Outside graveyards in cities like Delhi, which currently has the highest daily cases, ambulance after ambulance waits in line to cremate the dead. Burial grounds are running out of space in many cities as glowing funeral pyres blaze through the night.

The Security Cabinet has authorized IDF airstrikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip if rocket fire on southern Israel persists, according to Hebrew media reports. Senior officials warn of a strong Israeli response to continued rocket fire.  IDF officers presented various options for targeting the Hamas terror group. The Cabinet voted to allow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz to decide upon the scale and timing of the response. “The ball is Hamas’ hands. There is no desire on Israel’s part for having violence escalate, but we are prepared in case the rocket fire continues,” said unnamed senior officials. Hamas claimed that it was not behind recent attacks on the south and blamed the Islamic Jihad faction for the recent escalation.

In a bid to stop the ongoing Arab violence, Israel Police on Sunday evening removed the barricades it has placed around Sha’ar Shechem at the beginning of Ramadan. Arabs in east Jerusalem have claimed that the barricades and checkpoints are to blame for the escalation in violence in recent weeks but the fact is that the police erect the barricades every year before Ramadan in order to prevent Arabs from sitting on the steps of Sha’ar Shechem and blocking the flow of foot traffic. Following the announcement, hundreds of Arabs congregated in the area of Sha’ar Shechem, shouting: “With blood and fire we will liberate you, Palestine.” בהוראת המפכ"ל הורדו הגדרות שפיצלו את שער שכם למתחמים מה שהוביל להסלמה לטענת תושבי מזרח העיר. כרגע מאות בכיכר שמחים וצועקים בערבית "בדם ואש נפדה את פלסטין".

The bill that would legalize Hatzalah of South Florida to transport patients to the hospital has just passed the Florida State Senate. As YWN reported, the bill passed the Florida House of Representatives on Friday. This brings Hatzalah just one step away from being able to serve the communities as a full fledged EMS provider. The Bill now heads to the desk of Florida Governor DeSantis, who is expected to sign the bill into law. Thank you @senpizzo for your help in passing SB1084! Probably the most significant piece of @hatzalah legislation to pass in state government in years. Looking forward to participating the in signing ceremony with @GovRonDeSantis sometime soon! — Yehiel M. Kalish (@ymkalish) April 26, 2021 (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Chaim V’Chessed continues to monitor and advise community members regarding issuance of entry permits to Israel. A troubling phenomena in recent days is an abundance of fraudulent entry permits. Apparently, people seeking to enter Israel are encountering seemingly legitimate individuals, who promise to ‘arrange’ permits for unsuspecting travelers, in return for a sizable fee. These “arrangers” promise that these permits are ‘real and legitimate’. Unfortunately, these permits are not legitimate whatsoever. They appear authentic, so airline officials overseas allow the passenger to board flights to Israel. However, upon arrival in Israel, the fraud is immediately uncovered. Passengers are prevented from entering Israel, and are deported to their port of origin.

Terrorists launched rockets toward Israel overnight Sunday from the Gaza Strip for the third night in the row, lightly injuring four Israelis, including a pregnant woman, as they ran to bomb shelters. The Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted two of the missiles and the other three rockets fell into open areas or inside Gaza. The rocket fire came shortly after Hamas called on Sunday for terror groups in the Gaza Strip to prepare missiles for attacks on Israel in order “to target the enemy’s fortresses and military and vital structures.” In response, the IDF announced overnight Sunday that the Gaza fishing zone will be restricted from 15 to 9 nautical miles, beginning on Monday at 6 a.m., until further notice.

New information has been revealed about the shocking case of an English-speaking Chareidi family who integrated into the English-speaking Chareidi community in French Hill as well as the broader religious community in Jerusalem, and was revealed on Sunday to be Christian missionaries, B’Chadrei Chareidim reported. The father, Michael, even learned in the past in the Kollel of the Mekubal HaRav Banyahu Shmueli, but following the intervention of anti-missionary figures, he was kicked out of the Kollel. Meanwhile, Michael was born to a Christian family from New Jersey. His father, William Thomas Elk, who died in 2006, was a member of the Friendship Mennonite Church in Carneys Point, New Jersey. In the past, he taught Christianity in Seattle and presided at Christian weddings.

A Hatzolah Paramedic is in serious condition after an accident while flying a “Paramotor”. Sources tell YWN that the accident happened around 5:00PM in Keansburg, NJ (in Monmouth County). The victim was airlifted to the Jersey Shore Trauma Center, where he is in serious condition. He is a Paramedic for Catskills Hatzolah as well as Kiryas Joel Hatzolah. Please say Tehillim for רפאל בן מרים. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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