A remarkable story of emunah and mesiras nefesh has come to light, as details emerge about Agam Berger, one of the Yidden held captive by Hamas. Despite the unimaginable tzaros she endured, Berger remained steadfast in her shmiras hamitzvos, holding tight to kashrus, Shabbos, and even fasting on Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av. Now, it has been revealed that during her time in captivity, she found a siddur in Gaza and used it throughout her ordeal. Berger shared that the siddur was likely left behind by soldiers who had previously been in the area. She also related that when her captors attempted to give her a Quran, urging her to take it, she outright refused.

The Rafah Border Crossing between Egypt and Gaza is set to reopen today for Palestinian civilians, earlier than the scheduled Sunday opening under the hostage-ceasefire deal, Kan reports. Under the agreement, the crossing can open once Hamas releases all female hostages, including IDF soldiers and civilians. Yesterday, two Israeli women—a soldier and a civilian—were freed, along with three other hostages and five Thai nationals in a separate release. A European security force and Palestinian officials unaffiliated with Hamas will oversee the crossing. It had already reopened for humanitarian aid after being shut in May when Israel seized the area, with Egypt refusing to reopen it until Palestinian control was restored. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Yair Mozes, son of released hostage Gadi Mozes, refused to shave the entire time his father was held hostage in Gaza. Today, he handed his father the clippers and let him shave it all off.

The State Prosecutor’s Office has indicted two IDF reservists in a Haifa court for allegedly spying for Iran in exchange for money. YWN reported that they were arrested earlier this month. Yuri Eliasfov and Georgi Andreyev, both 21 and from Kiryat Yam, face charges including contact with a foreign agent, transferring classified information, and aiding the enemy. Authorities say the two, who have a long-standing friendship, were in contact with an Iranian agent known as “Boaz.” Eliasfov, who served in the Iron Dome unit, allegedly provided sensitive missile defense data, including radar footage, and offered to sell videos for $10,000. Andreyev, who served in the Air Force’s operational HQ, also allegedly took actions to harm state security.

Ofer Calderon, Keith Siegel, and Yarden Bibas are scheduled to be freed from Gaza tomorrow. Siegel, 65, a U.S. citizen from North Carolina, was abducted with his wife Aviva from Kibbutz Kfar Aza; she was released in November. Calderon, 54, was kidnapped with his children, Erez and Sahar, from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. His kids were freed in the last ceasefire. Bibas, 35, was taken separately from his wife and children, who Hamas claims died in captivity—an assertion Israel has not officially confirmed but views with “grave concern.” He was wounded during his abduction. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The IDF is preparing to issue another 14,000 draft orders to bnei yeshivos in the coming weeks, Kan News reported on Wednesday evening. This represents a significant increase in the number of orders compared to the last recruitment cycle. In the first four months of the current recruitment year, which began in July 2024, the IDF sent 3,000 initial draft orders, and in November, it issued another 7,000 orders. The results so far, from the IDF’s perspective, have been embarrassing. The vast majority of bnei yeshiovs who received the orders ignored them. The IDF recently began implementing criminal sanctions against bnei yeshivos who failed to respond to their draft orders. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Let’s all give ourselves a big round of applause. Really, take a moment—because we did it. We’ve successfully created a chinuch system that preaches the importance of Torah values, while simultaneously fostering a culture where a child’s self-worth is measured by their ability to board a plane for midwinter break. Every year, we talk about it. Every year, parents like me—who actually live within our means—grit our teeth as we have to explain to our children why they’ll be the “nebachs” of their class for not jet-setting to Miami, Cancun, or Dubai. And every year, nothing changes. I pinch my pennies, I work hard, and my husband and I bring home a decent income.

United Hatzalah has formally requested the support of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to repurpose the recently evacuated UNRWA campus in Jerusalem for humanitarian and emergency medical training purposes. In a letter sent to the Secretary-General, Eli Beer, President and Founder of United Hatzalah, outlined the organization’s vision for transforming the site into a training center for EMTs and a logistics hub for humanitarian aid. The proposal aligns with the UN’s humanitarian principles and seeks to provide life-saving medical assistance to all residents in the region, including both Jewish and Arab communities in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

A journalist for Qatar’s Al Jazeera media outlet was responsible for the production of the two Hamas ceremonies in Gaza held for the release of the female IDF hostages, during which the soldiers were paraded on stages in front of hundreds of terrorists and “innocent” Gazan civilians, an investigative report by 124News in Hebrew revealed. Tamer Almisshal, one of Al Jazeera’s top journalists, was hired by Hamas to remotely arrange the ceremonies.

A unique interfaith event was held on Tuesday at a Muslim center on Coney Island Avenue in Flatbush, Brooklyn, marking 80 years since the Holocaust. The gathering brought together Holocaust survivors, community leaders, and interfaith representatives to reflect on the lessons of history and reinforce a shared commitment to combating hatred and intolerance. The event featured discussions on the impact of the Holocaust, the dangers of rising antisemitism, and the importance of fostering unity among diverse communities. Attendees emphasized the need for continued education and awareness to prevent history from repeating itself.