On Wednesday evening, the IDF announced that Sergeant First Class (res.) Eitan Ben Ami was killed in a building collapse in Lebanon.
Ben Ami, aged 22 from Yerushalayim, was a reservist in the Commando Brigade’s Maglan unit.
Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzchak Kroizer said: “Eitan was a determined and dedicated soldier who stood out with his bravery and contributing spirit which led him in every step. He was loved by his friends and appreciated by his commanders, he projected strength and calm even in the toughest times. I sent my deepest condolences to his family and friends.”
{Matzav.com} 

Jose Ibarra, a member of the Tren de Aragua gang, received a life sentence without the possibility of parole on Wednesday for the brutal murder of Laken Riley, a promising nursing student. The case, which captured national attention, sparked fierce debate over the Biden administration’s handling of border policies and its approach to illegal immigration.
The sentence was handed down just over an hour after Judge Patrick Haggard announced the jury’s guilty verdicts on all charges. The trial, held in Athens, Georgia, concluded after four days of testimony from 29 prosecution witnesses.

Target Corp. shares plunged Wednesday after the retailer trimmed its full-year earnings outlook, warning that a flat sales quarter and a buildup in inventory hurt profitability.
Executives said US consumers spent less on nonessential items such as clothes and home products – a weaker third-quarter picture than the one provided by Walmart Inc. earlier this week.
Profit also took a hit after Target stockpiled more products in preparation for the US port strike last month. Holding the additional inventory was more expensive than the company expected, eroding earnings.
Target shares tumbled 18% in New York, their biggest one-day drop since May 2022. The shares are trading Wednesday without the right to receive a dividend payout.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Wednesday threatened to keep up its attacks on Tel Aviv in response to Saturday’s targeted killing in Beirut of the organization’s propaganda chief Mohammad Afif by Israel.
“Israel has attacked the heart of Beirut, so it must expect the response to take place in the center of Tel Aviv. They must pay the price,” Qassem said, according to a translation by L’Orient Today.
Earlier on Wednesday, Hezbollah’s propaganda office published a visual that referenced Monday night’s attack on Ramat Gan—a Tel Aviv suburb—which wounded five. “8:45 p.m.: Tel Aviv under fire,” it reads in Arabic and Hebrew, with images of the damage caused by the rocket.

The United States vetoed a U.N. Nations Security Council resolution calling for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire on Wednesday morning, citing its failure to condition a halt in hostilities directly to the release of the hostages, whom Hamas continues to hold in the Gaza Strip.
“We could not support an unconditional ceasefire that failed to release the hostages,” Robert Wood, deputy U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told the council.
Wood accused Hamas—and not Israel—of blocking a negotiated ceasefire and cited Israel’s reference for a temporary ceasefire and a phased release of hostages.
Washington cast the lone vote against the measure among the 15-member body. It is one of five permanent members of the council that has veto power.

Sgt. 1st Class (res.) Roi Sasson was killed in action in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Wednesday.
Sasson, 21, was from the Yerushalayim suburb of Mevaseret and served with the 90th “Nachshon” Battalion of the Kfir Brigade. He is Israel’s 800th military fatality since the start of the war on Oct. 7, 2023, and the 379th soldier killed in Gaza since the start of the ground operation there on Oct. 27, 2023.
A senior officer in the battalion was seriously wounded in the same incident, which occurred in the Beit Lahiya area.

A Georgia judge has found a man guilty in the killing of nursing student Laken Riley, a crime that shocked both the college town where she lived and the nation in February.
Jose Ibarra, 26, was convicted on charges of murder and other offenses related to Riley’s death. According to authorities, Ibarra, an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, had entered the United States illegally in 2022 and was allowed to stay while his immigration case was being processed. His immigration status sparked fierce political debate, with leading Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump, blaming President Biden’s border policies for the tragedy.

The United States has informed Baghdad that Israeli strikes in Iraq are “imminent” if the Iraqi government fails to stop Iranian-backed militias from attacking the Jewish state, Arab media reported on Wednesday.
The U.S. told Iraq it has exhausted “all means of pressure” on Jerusalem and has urged Baghdad to take swift action to prevent these attacks, the reports by Al-Hadath and other Saudi-owned news outlets claimed.
On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called on the United Nations Security Council to take “immediate action” against the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq launching drones and missiles at the Jewish state.

The most senior Hamas official outside of Gaza, along with key members of the group’s negotiating team, are no longer in Doha, a development confirmed by both Qatar’s government and a senior Palestinian Arab official on Tuesday, as reported by the BBC.
A spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry explained that the Hamas office in Doha has ceased its operations due to Qatar halting its mediation efforts aimed at brokering a Gaza ceasefire. Nevertheless, the spokesperson made it clear that the office has not been permanently shut down.
According to a Palestinian Arab official speaking with the BBC, Hamas negotiators have adjusted their presence in the region, opting to keep their new locations private to avoid causing difficulties for the countries hosting them.

Dear Matzav Inbox,
How has it become acceptable—dare I say, commonplace—for any Yid to casually share a message on WhatsApp, broadcasting it to hundreds or even thousands, without first completing Sefer Shemiras HaLashon? Does the weight of Hilchos Lashon Hara no longer sit heavily on our shoulders? Have we forgotten the power of a single word, let alone the ripple effects of one viral post?