The Israeli Defense Forces have announced that Sergeant Ben Avishay was killed in combat while fighting in the northern part of the Gaza Strip today.
Sgt. Ben Avishay was 20 years old from Nahariya, and was a member of the Paratroopers Brigade’s signals company.
His death brings the number of troops killed in action during the IDF’s ground war against Hamas in Gaza and amid operations on the border to a total of 280.
{Matzav.com}

The Dow Jones Industrial Average eclipsed 40,000 for the first time on Thursday as investors grow confident that the stock market rally can keep running on hopes the Federal Reserve will start cutting interest rates later this year.
The oldest of Wall Street’s three main stock indexes has been boosted by the prospect of a resilient US economy, ebbing inflation and robust corporate earnings. It took 872 trading sessions through Wednesday for the Dow to set its latest 10,000-point milestone – or a gain of 33% – with the index recouping all of its losses from the Fed’s aggressive rate hikes over the past two years, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

On Friday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) continued it’s hearing with Israel’s counter-arguments detailing why the State of Israel is not, guilty of genocide, as South Africa has claimed.
South Africa is demanding that the ICJ order a ceasefire in Gaza.
Tamar Kaplan-Tourgeman, a member of Israel’s legal team, stated that “Israel takes extraordinary measures in order to minimize the harm to civilians in Gaza.”
The Deputy Attorney General (International Law) at the Justice Ministry, Dr. Gilad Noam, opened by stating that the claims made by South Africa are completely unconnected from the reality of what is happening on the ground.

Israeli authorities announced today that they have discovered the bodies of Shani Louk, Amit Buskila, and Itzik Gelenter in Jabalya.
The bodies were found in Hamas tunnels.
The IDF confirmed that these three hostages were murdered on October 7 at the Nova Music festival.
The operation to uncover the bodies was a coordinated effort involving the IDF, Shin Bet, and the Yahalom unit.
{Matzav.com Israel}

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Ukraine’s allies to deliver every weapon Kyiv needs to repel Moscow’s troops – with permission to use the systems on targets inside Russian territory.
Speaking as the Kremlin continues a week-long offensive in northeastern Ukraine, Zelenskiy argued the equipment would effectively be used for defensive purposes as Russia seeks to exploit his country’s shortages of manpower, air defenses and artillery along the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line.
The Ukrainian leader signaled that a failure to send long-range weapons was a matter of Western capitals fretting over engaging President Vladimir Putin’s war machine directly.

A line of dangerous storms and flooding rains rolled over the US Gulf Coast, killing at least four people and leaving more than 900,000 customers in Texas – about 6% of the total – without power while grounding hundreds of flights.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire called on businesses in the energy hub to tell non-essential workers to stay home as recovery work continues. Schools were closed. More than a third of Harris County – the worst-hit area – was still without power early today, according to utility data.
Along the Gulf Coast, more than 980,000 customers were without power as far east as Alabama, according to PowerOutage.us. Texas, with more than 800,000, was the hardest hit.

A man armed with a knife and metal bar was shot and killed by police after attempting to set fire to a Shul in Rouen, France, on Friday morning—an industrial city on the Seine River perhaps best known for its cathedral painted so often by Impressionist Claude Monet.
The incident drew the attention of law enforcement after smoke was seen rising from the building, allegedly from an item meant to ignite it.
It caused some damage to the Shul, though no one was hurt, according to news reports. Red handprints related to the cause of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were found on the walls surrounding the shul, where community members will head this weekend for Shabbos.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin posted on X that the armed individual was “neutralized.”

Shoshan Haran, her daughter, and two grandchildren were taken hostage by Hamas terrorists in Israel on October 7. On Thursday, Haran shared the impact of 50 days in captivity on her three-year-old granddaughter following their release.
“Three weeks after we were released, Yahel only whispers, too afraid to make a noise. She hid from everyone, too afraid to go outside. She wet her bed and had nightmares, too afraid she may be captured again,” Haran recounted during an informal UN Security Council meeting on Thursday, convened by the United States.
Hamas-led militants launched an attack on Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the capture of 252 hostages.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ chief Jewish aide, Yoel Eisdorfer, is set to depart City Hall next month, according to a report from The Forward.
Eisdorfer, 43, a senior adviser and member of the Satmar kehillah in Borough Park, cited the demanding nature of the role and a desire to spend more time with his family as reasons for his decision to leave, as per the report.
He will continue to volunteer for Adams’ reelection campaign next year and will remain the chair of the mayor’s Jewish Advisory Council.
The Forward noted that Eisdorfer has played a key role in maintaining close ties between Israeli officials and Adams, a strong advocate for Israel. He was responsible for organizing the mayor’s first trip to Israel last August.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday seemed to draw a parallel between Hamas’ October 7 assault on Israel and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
In a social media post, Guterres stated, “Nothing can justify the 7 Oct terror attacks by Hamas” but added, “Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”
He further called for “a humanitarian ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Gaza.”
Guterres has faced long-standing criticism for his perceived attempts to equate the actions of Israel with those of the Hamas terrorist group.