The IDF announced on Monday evening the tragic deaths of three soldiers who fell during combat operations in the northern Gaza Strip.
Staff Sergeant Ido Zano, a 20-year-old combat medic from Yehud-Monosson serving in the ‘Shaked’ Battalion (424th) of the Givati Brigade, lost his life alongside Staff Sergeant Barak Daniel Halpern, a 19-year-old squad commander from Kiryat Ono in the same battalion, and Sergeant Omri Cohen, a 19-year-old soldier from Ashdod, also part of the ‘Shaked’ Battalion (424th) of the Givati Brigade.

Four Israel Defense Forces soldier were killed in Southern Lebanon despite the ceasefire currently in effect, the military announced on Monday.
The slain troops were identified as Maj. (res.) Evgeny Zinershain, 43, from Zichron Ya’akov; Capt. (res.) Sagi Ya’akov Rubinshtein, 31, from Lavi; Master Sgt. (res.) Binyamin Destaw Negose, 28, from Beit Shemesh; and Sgt. Maj. (res.) Erez Ben Efraim, 25, from Ramat Gan.
All four served in Battalion 9263 of the 226th Brigade, the IDF said.
Israeli forces have killed some two dozen Hezbollah terrorists since the start of the Nov. 27 Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Sunday. The Israeli Air Force has also struck dozens of Hezbollah positions during the same period, the military stated.

Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz has ordered the Israel Defense Forces to create a secure area free of “heavy strategic weapons and terror infrastructure” beyond the buffer zone with Syria, the Defense Ministry announced Monday.
Katz said he had instructed the IDF to establish full control over the demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights, which was established by the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Damascus and Israel and ended the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

Hamas has submitted to Israel a list of hostages it intends to release as part of a proposed ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, including details of their medical conditions, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported on Monday. According to sources close to the ongoing discussions, the negotiations involve teams from Egypt, Israel, and Hamas.
A source familiar with the talks revealed, “Both sides are serious about reaching an unprecedented deal, with Egypt, Qatar, and the US participating in the negotiations as mediators.”
The report suggests that the proposed deal could include four hostages with US citizenship, although they do not meet the criteria for release during the first phase, which is described as “humanitarian.”

The IDF is expanding its presence in key locations throughout southern Syria, with Defense Minister Yisroel Katz directing the military to secure additional positions within the partition zone and strengthen its accomplishments in the region. This directive follows closely on the heels of the IDF’s recent capture of the Syrian Golan Heights, which is aimed at shielding Israel from the consequences of the conflict after Syrian rebels successfully overthrew the Assad regime late on Motzoei Shabbos.

Today, Australian police confirmed that the firebombing of the Adass Israel shul in Melbourne on Friday is being treated as a terrorist incident, according to The Guardian. In a press conference, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton revealed that authorities are currently pursuing three suspects in connection to the attack, which took place around 4:10 a.m. local time. Despite the rapid response of approximately 60 firefighters and 17 fire trucks, the shul suffered considerable damage and has been sealed off.
Patton emphasized, “We have three suspects in that matter, who we are pursuing,” during the press briefing, adding that the investigation had now officially classified the fire as a “terrorist attack.”

Detectives from the New York Police Department (NYPD) arrived in Atlanta on Saturday to further investigate the ongoing search for the assassin responsible for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The officers made the trip after receiving a significant number of tips that may lead to the still unidentified suspect, as reported by ABC News.
While the Atlanta Police Department confirmed the NYPD’s arrival, they refrained from offering any further information on the matter.

Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the leader of an Islamist insurgent alliance that has conquered Damascus in a swift offensive, is working to moderate his image.
In an interview with CNN aired at 3 p.m. on Friday, al-Julani stated, “When we talk about objectives, the goal of the revolution remains the overthrow of this [Assad] regime. It is our right to use all available means to achieve that goal.”
After years of operating covertly, al-Julani has stepped into the public eye, engaging with international media and making appearances in Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, following its capture from government forces for the first time in the civil war.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the U.N. agency mainly responsible for education and social services in the Gaza Strip, employed Hamas members, The New York Times HAS confirmed, almost a year after it was first revealed by Israel.
The paper requested documents from Israel specifically related to UNRWA school employees, after Israel distributed a list of 100 agency workers it said were terrorists.

The Mets have made a monumental move, firmly establishing themselves as a dominant force in baseball, undermining their crosstown rivals, and reshaping the New York sports scene.
According to The NY Post’s Jon Heyman, the Mets have signed Juan Soto to a groundbreaking 15-year, $765 million contract. Soto’s annual salary will be $51 million.
This contract marks the largest in the history of professional sports.
Notably, the deal does not include deferred payments and provides Soto with an opt-out option after five years.
The Yankees had extended a competing offer of 16 years for $760 million, averaging $47.5 million annually.