WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.

Columbia University has expelled, suspended, or revoked degrees from students who occupied Hamilton Hall last spring during pro-Palestinian protests. The university’s Judicial Board announced the sanctions Thursday, marking the latest chapter in a controversy that gripped the Ivy League institution and sparked a nationwide movement. “The outcomes issued by the UJB are based on its evaluation of the severity of behaviors at these events and prior disciplinary actions,” Columbia said in a message to the school community, emphasizing that the decisions followed “thorough and rigorous” investigative processes.

In a tense interview on Channel 13, former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon linked criticism of the IDF to the case of Elor Azaria. Host Eyal Berkovitch reacted strongly, saying, “They slaughtered children, raped children, what are you talking about? They slaughtered us on the seventh of October!”
Ya’alon responded, stating, “I don’t accept that, revenge is not a war plan.” Berkovitch, still fired up, responded, “War is war. I expect a former Chief of Staff to go to war in wartime.”

On Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned Hamas and called for the immediate release of all hostages held by the terrorist group. When questioned by reporters about whether the US would consider a separate deal with Hamas for the release of American hostages, including Edan Alexander, following Hamas’s claim that it was willing to free the Americans it holds in Gaza, Rubio made his stance clear. “Well, I think our priority always, as the US government, is that we care about all the hostages. We want all the hostages released. We believe they should all be released,” he said.

On Friday evening, Steve Witkoff, who serves as US President Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, stated that Hamas is making “unrealistic” demands behind closed doors, even as it publicly claims to be willing to release hostage Edan Alexander and the remains of four dual-citizen hostages.
“Hamas is making a very poor gamble by believing that time is on its side. That is not the case. Hamas is well aware of the deadline and must understand that we will respond accordingly if it passes,” Witkoff cautioned.

This evening, US officials confirmed that the United States had carried out an airstrike targeting the Houthi rebel group in Yemen. The strike, which is said to be part of an ongoing campaign, focused on disabling Houthi defense systems, including missile and drone technologies. According to Al Arabiya, the attacks are seen as the beginning of an intensified military response to the Houthi’s threats to escalate assaults on vessels in the Red Sea. The same outlet reported earlier that the Houthi’s Al Masirah TV station had announced a strike on Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.