The Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court on Friday ordered two close associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—Jonathan Urich, a senior adviser, and Eli Feldstein, a former spokesperson—to be released to house arrest until April 22, rejecting a police request to extend their detention by an additional seven days. The hearing was part of the ongoing investigation into the so-called “Qatargate” affair, in which the two are suspected of acting on behalf of the Qatari government while serving in senior advisory roles to the prime minister. During the proceedings, attorney Amit Hadad accused the police of employing an unlawful interrogation tactic against the defendants.

Irit Linur, a best-selling Israeli author and former liberal feminist, surprised viewers of Channel 14 ‘The Patriots’ on Wednesday night when she revealed the moment she began drawing closer to Yiddishkeit. Linur, who also worked as a radio commentator, said that the moment came when she was in the studio and “there was some discussion about opening shopping complexes on Shabbat. And suddenly it dawned on me – is that what we chilonim have for Shabbat? That’s the meaning of Shabbat? Shopping on Shabbat – that’s what fills it?” “Is that what I have? That’s the full secular ‘wagon’ now? I have a few things on my ‘wagon’ – I’m not the most ignorant person around – but shopping is the big fight for the chilonim?” “That’s what brought me closer to Yiddishkeit,” she concluded.

Hagaon HaRav Shlomo Machpud, a member of the Moetzes Chachmei Hatorah of Shas, baking Matzos. Photos for YWN by Shuki Lerer.

The Metropolitan Police revealed on Thursday that two men suspected of being Hezbollah operatives were arrested earlier this week in connection with a sweeping investigation into terrorist activity and funding. The suspects, aged 39 and 35, were apprehended in coordinated operations by the Met’s elite Counter Terrorism Command in west London. The older suspect is accused of being deeply involved in the planning of terrorist acts, membership in the proscribed organization, and financing terrorism. The younger man, also from west London, was arrested solely on suspicion of membership in the Lebanese terror group.

A firestorm of outrage has erupted across social media after veteran “60 Minutes” host Lesley Stahl asked a question that many are calling shocking—and even sympathetic to terrorists—during a Sunday night segment with American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel, recently released from nearly 500 days in Hamas captivity. In the emotional interview, Siegel recounted being starved, beaten, and humiliated by his Hamas captors. He recalled how, after his wife Aviva was released, “they became very mean and very cruel and violent.

Many in Bnei Brak are in shock after learning of the sudden passing of R’ Avraham Leibush Levi z”l, a well-known figure in the city and a prominent volunteer with Yedidim, Ichud, Zaka, Shomrim and many other Chesed organizations. He was 35. Sources tell YWN that he suddenly collapsed at home and was Niftar. In Bnei Brak, R’ Avraham was known as an extraordinary man of kindness, always eager to assist others. Anyone in need of help would call him, and he made himself available 24 hours a day to everyone. Many knew him where he worked at Kalman’s Deli in Bnei Brak, where he served customers with dedication and loyalty.

The IDF and Shin Bet announced Thursday that they successfully struck a key Hamas command and control center in Jabalia—eliminating multiple high-ranking terrorists, including individuals directly involved in the October 7 massacre. The strike, carried out on Wednesday, targeted a central hub used by Hamas both for strategic coordination and as a gathering place for senior operatives. Among those killed was Shadi Diab Abd Al-Hamid Falouji, a terrorist from Hamas’ East Jabalia Battalion who infiltrated Israeli territory and took part in the brutal attacks of October 7.

U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) sent a sharply worded letter to Lebanon on Wednesday urging the  Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to accelerate the implementation of the US-brokered ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel or face a possible “reasssment” of US military aid. “We are at a critical moment in Lebanon. The Lebanese people have an opportunity to break Iran’s stranglehold on Beirut,” they wrote. The lawmakers expressed frustration over the LAF’s “too slow” implementation of the fulfillment of the ceasefire conditions. “The US should be prepared to expand assistance to the LAF to support expeditious fulfillment of the ceasefire obligations.