Israeli eighth-grade students exhibited a significant decline in mathematics and science performance in 2023 over 2019, according to a report published Wednesday.
The 2023 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study report, which looks at hundreds of thousands of school students in dozens of countries, had Israel falling from 9th to 23rd place internationally in math and from 16th to 25th in science since 2019.
The survey included 43 countries.
This decline is part of a global trend widely attributed to the effects of the 2020-2021 COVID crisis. But the average drop worldwide in math proficiency of eighth graders was eight points, whereas Israel’s score dropped by 30.

The Lebanese Shi’ite terrorist organization Hezbollah has already begun rebuilding its military capabilities and financial operations, just over a week since a ceasefire with Israel went into effect after 13 and a half months of war.
While the IDF’s aerial and ground offensives severely degraded the Iranian proxy’s terrorist infrastructure and forces, according to U.S. intelligence estimates, Hezbollah has started recruiting new fighters, boosting domestic weapons production and looking for ways to continue smuggling arms in via Syria.
Reuters cited a senior American official, an Israeli official, and two U.S. lawmakers briefed on the intelligence in its reporting published on Wednesday.

Defense Minister Israel Katz will not tolerate partisan political statements from “anyone wearing a uniform” in the future, sources in the ministry told reporters on Thursday, a day after IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari criticized Knesset members.
Sources close to the defense minister said that while the spokesman’s apology on Wednesday night “put an end to the incident,” leading Katz to abandon his plans to initiate disciplinary proceedings, Hagari’s remarks constituted a “major warning sign” for the political echelon.

The family of Yonatan Samerano, whose body has been held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, have filed a landmark lawsuit against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Israel’s National Security Council lowered its travel warning for Brazil on Thursday, while raising its alert levels for Armenia and the Maldives.
The travel warning level in the South Caucasus country was increased to Level 2 (occasional threat) “due to an increased risk to Israelis/Jews in Armenia from terrorist elements.” The National Security Council stressed that it was not a call to leave the country, but to exercise caution.

A group of U.S. senators from both parties strongly criticized the growing fees charged by airlines for luggage and seat reservations during a hearing on Wednesday. They described these fees as unfair and pointed out how passengers are charged differently based on various factors.
“Airlines these days view their customers as little more than walking piggy banks to be shaken down for every possible dime,” Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat who leads the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, remarked during the session.
Executives from major airlines such as American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Spirit Airlines, and Frontier Airlines took part in the two-hour hearing, responding to lawmakers’ concerns.

Israel has presented an updated proposal to Hamas aimed at securing the release of some of the remaining 100 hostages and establishing a ceasefire in Gaza, according to two Israeli officials who spoke with Axios on Wednesday.
Israeli officials are optimistic that the recent elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the ceasefire reached in Lebanon, and the influence of US President-elect Trump could create a new opportunity to resume negotiations that have been stalled for the past three months.
The new proposal largely mirrors the framework discussed in August, which ultimately failed, but the primary objective now is to move forward with the initial phase of that deal, incorporating some changes, as the officials explained.

Hamas officials have directed their members to “neutralize the hostages” in the event that Israel attempts a rescue mission, according to a report by Reuters.
The report references an “internal document” in which Hamas leaders ordered the operatives holding Israeli hostages to “neutralize them,” following claims that “information has been received that Israel is planning an operation to rescue the hostages.”
The document further instructs operatives to “not consider the possible consequences of carrying out the instructions,” and places the blame for the hostages’ fate on Israel.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee discussed with Newsmax how President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to “disassemble the deep state” is essential for reintroducing accountability into Washington.
“Jan. 20 can’t come a minute too soon for most of America,” Huckabee remarked during an appearance on “Rob Schmitt Tonight.” He continued, saying, “We are watching frantic people trying to protect the last vestige of a deep state, uniparty, D.C.-based, bloated government that Donald Trump was elected to disrupt and blow up. And it needs to happen.”

Bitcoin surpassed the $100,000 mark on Thursday, reaching a new high as the election of Republican Donald Trump as the next president of the United States fueled optimism that his administration would foster a regulatory environment favorable to cryptocurrencies.
This year, Bitcoin has more than doubled in value, and in the four weeks following Trump’s decisive election win, it has risen by approximately 45%. Along with this, numerous pro-cryptocurrency lawmakers have secured positions in Congress.
The cryptocurrency was last recorded at $100,027 as of 0240 GMT, marking a 2.2% increase from the previous session. It had earlier peaked at $100,277.