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Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets at northern Israel on Friday night, including at least five rockets at Kiryat Shmona. One rocket lightly injured two soldiers and another scored a direct hit on a home in the beleaguered city, causing a fire. In return, the IDF carried out airstrikes in southern Lebanon. (YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)  

Hamas has given its initial approval of a U.S.-backed proposal for a phased cease-fire deal in Gaza, dropping a key demand that Israel commit up front to a complete end to the war, a Hamas official and an Egyptian official said Saturday. The two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations, said Washington’s phased deal would start with a “full and complete” six-week cease-fire during which older, sick and female hostages would be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. During those 42 days, Israeli forces would withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza and allow the return of displaced people to their homes in northern Gaza, the officials said.

LISTEN:

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Stories4Life-Shiur-318-Fears.mp3

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has condemned the racist rhetoric and authoritarian apologetics from members of the youth wing in her Brothers of Italy party as captured by an undercover journalist.
“I have said and repeated dozens of times, but perhaps I need to repeat it: There is no space in Brothers of Italy for racist or antisemitic positions,” Meloni wrote in a letter on July 2. “There is no space for nostalgics of totalitarianism of the 1900s or for any other show of stupid folklore.”

Ahead of the upcoming school year, multiple large Chassidic communities are in talks with the Israeli Ministry of Education to join the State Religious Education.
These discussions have been talking place between the Ministry of Education officials and representatives of senior Chassidic leaders, aiming to integrate the educational institutions of the Chassidic communities into State Religious Education.
According to sources involved in the matter, this marks the culmination of many processes with the institutions’ managers and representatives of the communities.
The communities expected to join the State-Religious Education are Belz, Sanz, Vizhnitz, Boyan, Biala, and Karlin. An estimated 18 schools with 5,000 to 7,000 students would be integrated.

On Thursday evening, at least three people were killed and 6 others injured after a drunk driver rammed a group of people at a Manhattan 4th of July Barbecue.
Multiple families with enjoying barbecues in Corlears Hook Park in the Lower East Side, when a Ford F-150 sped into the park, hitting 9 people, including a mother and her two young children.
At least two women and a man were killed, with a fourth in extremely critical condition. An additional three people are in critical condition.
When first responders arrived at the scene, the truck was on top of four of the victims. Two victims were pronounced dead at the scene, and third at the hospital.
The drunk driver was taken to the hospital as well. Police have said that the officers smelt alcohol on him.

The head of Israel’s Mossad will travel to Qatar on Friday to try to finalize a cease-fire deal with Hamas, according to a person familiar with the matter.
David Barnea, who leads the Israeli external-intelligence agency, will meet Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the person said, asking not to be named discussing private matters.
The development comes after Israel received a fresh proposal from Hamas that could lead to the release of some hostages held in Gaza and a pause in the war between the two sides, still raging after almost nine months.
It’s the clearest sign in weeks that a truce is possible after months of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel.