Photo Credits: Sara Heiney 

President Donald Trump on Thursday claimed that negotiations are inching closer to securing the release of hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza, suggesting that a breakthrough may be imminent—though he offered few specifics. “We’re getting close to getting them back,” Trump told reporters during a cabinet meeting. “We’re making progress. We’re dealing with Israel, we’re dealing with Hamas—and it’s a nasty group.” The president described meeting with previously released hostages, some of whom returned in poor physical condition, and emphasized the psychological toll of their ordeal. “A lot of people are very grateful. Some came back in pretty bad shape. They’re okay, but they’re going to be scarred mentally for a long time,” he said.

Two Jewish families from Flatbush’s Syrian community survived a horrifying private jet crash in Mexico on Thursday—emerging with nothing more than scratches as flames and smoke consumed their $10 million aircraft. The Gulfstream V jet had just arrived from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, carrying the families to Cabo San Lucas for Pesach, when it veered violently off the runway during landing Thursday afternoon. Shocking footage now circulating on social media shows the aircraft skidding across the tarmac before careening off the paved surface and coming to a jarring halt near the edge of the airfield, smoke billowing from the wreckage. “We are alive,” one passenger can be heard saying emotionally in a video filmed just moments after the crash. “Thank you Hakadosh Baruch Hu.

The widespread distribution of kimcha depischa to hundreds of kollel students studying through the Migdal Oz Torah network, headed by the distinguished Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Yechezkel Etrog Shlita. The Kollel network distributed generous food baskets and checks to allow the students to celebrate Pesach in comfort.

There is so much currently happening on the political scene in Eretz Yisroel. Aside from the burning issue of the hostages and the ongoing war in Gaza, there is an entire ruckus over the dismissal of the head of the Shin Bet among other issues.   The Gedolei Yisroel and the Charedi community, as a whole, are very worried and disturbed over the ongoing efforts to try drafting bnei yeshivos.   Much effort has been expended both publicly and through quiet diplomacy to try dissuading the powers that be and those in the legal system from their attempt to curb the koach of today’s “Shevet Levi”.

The IDF is finalizing plans to evacuate civilians from the city of Rafah and establish a strategic buffer zone along Gaza’s southern border, with Israeli officials saying the move is critical to dismantling Hamas’s military capabilities in the area. At the heart of the plan is the construction of the Morag Corridor, a new security strip that will stretch from the Mediterranean coast through the site of the former Israeli settlement of Morag and connect with the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egyptian border, according to multiple Hebrew media reports. The corridor is expected to reach up to five kilometers (about 3.1 miles) into Gaza, effectively encircling Rafah. “Rafah will be evacuated.

As the Passover holiday approaches, community leaders from Jersey City’s Orthodox community gathered at the Hudson County Sheriff’s Headquarters today to meet with Sheriff Frank X. Schillari and Commissioner Bill O’Dea. During the meeting, community leaders expressed their gratitude to Sheriff Schillari and Commissioner O’Dea for their decades of service to the community, particularly in ensuring the safety and security of houses of worship during the holiday season. “We are grateful for the dedication and commitment of Sheriff Schillari and Commissioner O’Dea in protecting our community and our places of worship,” said Moshe Eidlis, a school administrator.

A routine afternoon along the Hudson turned into a horrifying scene on Thursday, as a helicopter plummeted into the river near Pier 40 in a harrowing crash that claimed at least one life. At approximately 3:15 p.m., witnesses watched as the chopper appeared to “split in half” midair before slamming into the water just off West Houston Street and West Street. The impact sent shockwaves through the area, with bystanders reporting a “loud thumping noise” as the aircraft hit the surface, trailing a shattered propeller in its wake. “I saw it break apart in the sky—it didn’t look real,” one witness posted on social media, sharing footage of the helicopter as it spiraled down, pieces flying, before vanishing into the river.

A helicopter has crashed into the Hudson River near Pier 40. Reports the aircraft is upside down in the water. One individual has been confirmed dead on a nearby boat, with reports that up to four others may still be trapped. YWN will provide updates as more information becomes available.