CLEARWATER, Fla. — Tragedy struck tonight when a Clearwater Ferry carrying dozens of passengers crashed into a sandbar near the Memorial Causeway, triggering a mass casualty response.

Syria’s foreign minister attended a U.N. Security Council briefing Friday after raising his country’s new flag at the international body’s headquarters. It was the first public appearance by a high-ranking Syrian government official in the United States since the fall of President Bashar Assad in a lightning rebel offensive in December. Asaad al-Shibani is part of a delegation of authorities from Damascus’ new government who have traveled to the United States this week in hopes of receiving relief from harsh sanctions that were imposed by America and its allies after Assad’s brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011 that spiraled into a civil war.

It is with great sadness that Matzav.comreports the petirah of Rebbetzin Chaya Miriam Weinberger a”h, widow of the Gaavad of Tchaba, author of Birchas Shalom. She was 84.
Rebbetzin Weinberger was born on 2 Teves in 1940, a daughter of Rav Dovid Yosef Ungar.
She married her illustrious husband, the Gaavad of Tchaba, Rav Shalom Meshulam Weinberger, renowned author of Birchas Shalom, who was niftar in Cheshvan 2014.

Qatari officials supported Hamas in rejecting the most recent Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire/hostage release, Israeli media outlets reported on Sunday. According to the report, Qatar pressured Hamas not to accept the proposal, claiming that the terror group would receive a better offer in the future. Israeli senior officials said that Qatar’s “assistance” in mediation efforts has been hindering progress in the talks, adding that it would be preferable to work solely with Egypt.

In a damning expose, two Gaza-based contributors to BBC Arabic have been revealed as open supporters of terrorism and violent antisemitism — even as they continued to appear on one of the world’s most prominent news platforms. The Telegraph reported that Samer Elzaenen, a 33-year-old journalist who has appeared repeatedly on BBC Arabic since the Israel-Hamas war began, has for years flooded social media with grotesque calls for Jewish blood. In one post, he vowed, “We’ll burn Jews like Hitler did.” In another, he instructed followers, “When things go awry for us, shoot the Jews, it fixes everything.” His posts are not isolated incidents.

Nearly 36,000 Gazans—close to 2% of the coastal enclave’s population—have left the Gaza Strip since the start of the war triggered by Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel, Channel 12 News reported Friday. Most of the departing residents have relocated to Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Western European nations, and Romania, according to the report. Approximately 2,000 Gazans were able to exit through Israeli territory, traveling via Ramon Airport near Eilat or the Allenby Crossing into Jordan.

Appearing Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) criticized the Democratic Party for not offering a clear plan for the future.
Host Kristen Welker opened the conversation by saying, “Let’s talk about what you have called your oligarchy, and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez have been criss-crossing the country warning of an oligarchy. Senator you told the New York Times, ‘One of the aspects of this is to get people to get engaged in the political process and run as independents outside of the Democratic Party.’ As someone who twice ran in the Democratic presidential primary are you trying to strengthen the Democratic Party or Senator, are you trying to start a third party?”

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas claimed last week that the First and Second Batei Mikdash were not in Yerushalayim — but in Yemen. Speaking at the 32nd Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Central Council meeting in Ramallah on Wednesday, Abbas accused Israel of plotting to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque and replace it with a Jewish temple, before launching into his latest historical revisionism. “In the Noble Quran – and I believe that also in other divine books – it says that the Temples were in Yemen,” Abbas declared confidently. “People who like reading about religion can check it out.” Scholars and historians might beg to differ — or laugh outright.

On Sunday, Hatzolah of Mill Basin-Canarsie held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Tiferet Ovadia to dedicate the new “Beitel Family Ambulance,” generously donated by Mr. Ben Beitel and his family. The event drew a large crowd of community members, local leaders, elected officials, and emergency personnel, all gathered to honor the Beitel family’s commitment to lifesaving services in the Mill Basin and Canarsie communities. The new ambulance was dedicated in memory of Avraham and Chaya Sarah Altah Rosenthal, with the generous donation made by the Beitel family. The ceremony celebrated the addition of a state-of-the-art ambulance to Hatzolah’s fleet, enhancing the organization’s ability to provide rapid, expert medical response in the region.