The IDF on Monday morning announced that Cpt. Omer Maxim Neutra, H’yd, 21, a lone soldier from New York,  was murdered on October 7 and his body is being held hostage in Gaza. Omer, z’l, served as a tank platoon commander in the 77th Battalion of the 7th Armored Brigade. One of the most disturbing images from October 7 shows Nukhba terrorists brutally pulling IDF soldiers from a tent they set on fire. Omer was the commander of that tank and was abducted along with his tank crew. Omer was thought to have been abducted alive but after new intelligence information recently came to light, the Military Rabbanut declared his death. Omer, H’yd, is survived by his parents, Ronen and Orna, and his brother Daniel. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Former Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited Chabad World Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway on Sunday night, as the annual Kinus Hashluchim concluded. “I come here to Brooklyn, to 770, for the first time since the difficult war forced upon us,” Gallant said. “And I want to say to you that this war brought us to unprecedented achievements in the zechus of two things – the zechus of the IDF soldiers and the zechus of the neis of Hakadosh Baruch Hu.” “This is not something to be taken for granted. We began this war on Simchas Torah, one of the hardest days that Am Yisrael endured since the Holocaust. Our enemies thought they would defeat us. We saw this in the documents we found on their computers in Gaza.

A senior Syrian rebel official has revealed that last week’s surprise offensive against Syria’s military coincided with the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the timing, according to the rebel leader—identified by Israel’s Channel 12 only as “Y”—was calculated to counter the anticipated movement of Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters fleeing from Lebanon into Syria. The rebel official said that the renewed offensive against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces aims to prevent Hezbollah from establishing a permanent presence in the region. “We will not allow Iran’s proxies to entrench themselves in our liberated areas,” he said, referring to territories under rebel control in provinces like Idlib and Aleppo.

MSNBC commentators erupted over Kash Patel’s nomination for FBI director, making dramatic comparisons to conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and controversial FBI founder J. Edgar Hoover, and painting Patel as a figure willing to disregard constitutional constraints. “Kash Patel as FBI director would be like crossing Alex Jones with J. Edgar Hoover,” MSNBC contributor Hayes Brown claimed, dismissing Patel as a conspiracy theorist eager to weaponize the FBI for partisan purposes. “With all of the conspiracy theorizing and his eagerness to fan the flames of Trump’s worst instincts, this nomination defies precedent and logic.” April Ryan of The Grio took aim at Patel’s revisionist take on the January 6 Capitol riot, criticizing his alignment with Donald Trump’s narratives.

The White House is actively working on a potential ceasefire and hostage release agreement in Gaza, though no deal has been finalized yet, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC. The announcement comes amid ongoing violence and high-level regional discussions about the crisis. “We are working actively to try to make it happen. We are engaged deeply with the key players in the region, and there is activity even today,” Sullivan said, according to an NBC transcript. “There will be further conversations and consultations, and our hope is that we can generate a ceasefire and hostage deal, but we’re not there yet,” he added. Sullivan emphasized President Joe Biden’s close coordination with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the matter.

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman The breathtaking complexity and intellectual rigor of the field of Kashrus often goes unappreciated, even by those well-versed in Jewish law. Deep within this vast ocean of knowledge lies an absolutely riveting debate that captures the essence of how nuanced this field truly is: Does a particular ligament count among the crucial 16 tendons that render a chicken treif? This fascinating controversy pits two towering giants of halachic scholarship against each other – the brilliant Rav Shmuel Vosner zt”l (pictured on the right) and the masterful Rav Meir Brandsdorfer zt”l (on the left). What follows is nothing short of a intellectual feast – a careful translation of their remarkable responsa, each one a masterpiece of logical reasoning and deep analysis.

President Joe Biden has decided to issue a pardon for his son Hunter and is expected to announce it Sunday night, according to a senior White House official with direct knowledge of the decision. The decision marks a reversal for the president, who has repeatedly said he would not use his executive authority to pardon his son or commute his sentence. The pardon comes ahead of Hunter Biden’s Dec. 12 sentencing for his conviction on federal gun charges. Hunter Biden also is set to be sentenced in a separate criminal case on Dec. 16, after pleading guilty in September on federal tax evasion charges.

A woman was tragically killed after she was struck by a vehicle in Flatbush on Sunday evening. The tragic incident occurred at the intersection of Avenue L and East 12 Street at around 5:30pm. Flatbush Hatzolah Paramedics rushed the woman to Community Hospital, where she was R”L Niftar. She was identified as Chana Layosh A”H, and resided on the corner where the accident occurred. She was 73. The NYPD is on the scene conducting an investigation Chesed Shel Emes and Misaskim are working with authorities to ensure Kavod Hames. Boruch Dayan HaEmmes…

As global conflicts escalate, with Russian President Vladimir Putin threatening nuclear action in Ukraine and rising tensions in the Middle East, the United States and its allies are taking steps to inform citizens about how to respond in the event of a nuclear attack. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has issued detailed guidance in a 258-page document titled Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation. The document warns that a nuclear event would be one of the most catastrophic incidents in U.S. history and outlines steps to minimize harm. FEMA advises that a nuclear explosion may occur with little to no warning and stresses three critical actions: get inside, stay inside, and stay tuned.

President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday named Massad Boulos, a Lebanese American businessman who is the father-in-law of Trump’s daughter Tiffany, as a senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs. Boulos arranged Trump campaign efforts to engage the Arab American community in Michigan, organizing dozens of meetings in areas with large Arab American populations angered by Democratic President Joe Biden’s backing of Israel’s offensives in Gaza and Lebanon. Trump won the majority Arab American city of Dearborn Heights on his way to sweeping Michigan and other swing states.