In a sharp departure from the very policy he once championed, President Donald Trump has quietly removed a key requirement in U.S.-Saudi nuclear negotiations: normalization with Israel. According to a bombshell Reuters report citing sources close to the talks, the Trump administration is no longer insisting that Saudi Arabia recognize the Jewish state as a precondition for advancing civil nuclear cooperation — a move that could signal a troubling shift in the region’s diplomatic balance. The reversal comes just days before Trump is set to visit Riyadh, where he’s expected to finalize a series of high-stakes agreements with the kingdom. The change not only marks a major U.S.

The Indian government announced Thursday that its military forces conducted a targeted operation resulting in the death of Abdul Rauf Azhar, a senior commander of the Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Indian authorities claim Azhar was a key conspirator in the 2002 kidnapping, torture, and beheading of American-Jewish journalist Daniel Pearl. Daniel Pearl, a 38-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter and South Asia bureau chief, was kidnapped in Karachi, Pakistan, on January 23, 2002, while investigating links between Pakistani terrorists and Richard Reid, the so-called “shoe bomber.” Pearl, who was Jewish, was lured to a meeting under the pretense of an interview with a religious cleric.

A new survey reveals that nearly half of Gaza residents would be willing to seek Israeli assistance to emigrate from the enclave, underscoring a deepening sense of despair and dissatisfaction amid ongoing war and political repression. According to the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, 49% of Gazans surveyed said they would consider applying to Israel for help leaving Gaza through Israeli-controlled ports or airports. The poll comes just weeks after Israeli military operations resumed in the Strip following a collapsed ceasefire. While Israeli officials have said they’re open to facilitating emigration for Gazans who wish to leave, efforts to secure third-country destinations for them have so far stalled.

Religious Zionist MK Simcha Rothman, the chairman of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, sent a letter on Wednesday to Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara slamming her for withholding funding from Chareidi hesder yeshivos, Kikar H’Shabbat reported.

Two boats off the coast of Eilat crashed into each other on Wednesday evening, causing one to capsize. At least eight people were injured, one critically, two moderately, and five lightly. Police forces, including marine police officers, are at the scene, evacuating the victims from the water and carrying out searches. This is a developing story. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Iran was behind US President Donald Trump’s surprise announcement on Tuesday that the US military is halting its military operations against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen after the terror group indicated it will end its attacks against US ships. According to two Iranian officials quoted by The New York Times, Iran pressured the Houthis to halt their attacks as part of the Islamic Republic’s current efforts to reach a nuclear deal with the US. Following Trump’s announcement, Oman, which is mediating the US-Iranian talks, said that it mediated the ceasefire deal between the Houthis and the US. The Houthis’ attacks on Israel were not addressed in the deal, and the terror group said that it will continue its attacks on “Israeli” ships.

In a dangerous escalation between two nuclear-armed rivals, India launched a series of missile strikes into Pakistani-controlled territory early Wednesday, hitting at least three locations and reportedly killing a child and wounding two civilians, Pakistani officials said. The dramatic pre-dawn attacks shattered the tense calm that had prevailed since last month’s deadly assault on Indian tourists in Kashmir, which New Delhi blames on Pakistan-backed militants. Islamabad has denied any involvement — but now the conflict has turned kinetic.

In the aftermath of a Houthi missile landing dangerously close to the runways of Ben Gurion Airport, thousands of Yidden were left stranded across the globe — some en route to Eretz Yisroel, others stuck abroad with their return flights suddenly canceled. As fear and confusion rippled through the Jewish world, a different scene was unfolding on the Israeli stock exchange. With most foreign airlines immediately halting operations to and from Israel due to security concerns, Israeli carriers El Al and Israir became nearly the sole providers still flying. The result: their share prices soared, and their owners saw massive financial gains. According to The Marker, Kenny Rosenberg, a frum businessman from the U.S.

In a joint statement, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) conducted a second strike within 24 hours on Houthi terror targets in Yemen on Tuesday, following operational approval. The latest operation destroyed terrorist infrastructure at Sana’a airport and several power stations used for terror purposes, in response to Houthi attacks on Israel, including a recent attempt to target Ben Gurion Airport. Prime Minister Netanyahu declared, “I have said many times that whoever attacks the State of Israel – their blood is on their own head. Yesterday I said that the Houthi attack would not be answered with a ‘one and done’ – but with ‘strikes.’ So yesterday we delivered a strike, a severe blow to the Hudaydah port.

Youssef Qadi, a Hamas platoon commander who participated in the October 7 massacre and was responsible for holding several hostages [who have since been released], surrendered to IDF forces in Gaza, the IDF revealed on Tuesday. Additionally, Muhammad Za’arab, a commander in Hamas’ sniper unit, surrendered to IDF forces along with Qadi. The IDF said that several knives were found in the terrorists’ possession after their surrender. The two were arrested by forces of the 188th Armored Brigade several weeks ago in Rafah in southern Gaza. Their interrogation by the Shin Bet yielded intelligence information on the location of “significant terrorist infrastructure” in the area, the IDF said. The IDF completed the move to encircle Rafah several weeks ago and is continuing to operate there.