Israel Police announced Wednesday afternoon that the remains found in the sea on Tuesday off the coast of Hadera belonged to Barak Tzach, z’l, who was killed by sharks on Monday. Tzach, z’l, a resident of Petach Tikva, is survived by his wife and four children. His wife, Sarit, announced his death in a Facebook post, in which she also addressed the rumors surrounding the deadly incident. “With deep sorrow and pain that has no words, we announce the death of my husband and our father, Barak Tzach,” she wrote. “I want to put an end to the rumors that are spreading about the circumstances of his death and tell the truth. On the day of his death, Barak arrived at the beach after a day’s work, as he often did.

Elon Musk informed Tesla shareholders on Tuesday that he plans to substantially reduce the amount of time he spends working on federal government matters starting next month, allowing him to refocus on his role at Tesla.
“Starting next month, I will be allocating far more of my time to Tesla,” the CEO said during Tesla’s earnings call, as reported by Business Insider.
He explained that much of the foundational work for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative has already been completed, and therefore his involvement in President Trump’s government streamlining project will decrease significantly beginning in May.

Two young children—whose father left the derech—are left with a struggling mother, unable to care for them alone. Rabbi Eliezer Turk shlit”a calls them “orphans in their father’s lifetime”, warning of emotional and spiritual danger without urgent help. The Rav stresses: “The issue is financial—educational costs are enormous, and the Rabbanim say it borders on pikuach nefesh.” He asks: “Whoever can, should give 340 shekels—the gematria of ‘nefesh’—and help save these souls.” Rabbi Turk offers a heartfelt blessing: “All who help should merit only tov and chessed, and see their heart’s desires fulfilled for good.” To donate click here

A federal judge agreed Tuesday to block the Trump administration from dismantling Voice of America, the 83-year-old international news service created by Congress. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that the administration illegally required Voice of America to cease operations for the first time since its World War II-era inception. Attorneys for Voice of America employees and contractors asked the judge to restore its ability to broadcast at the same level before President Donald Trump moved to slash its funding. Lamberth mostly agreed, ordering the administration to restore Voice of America and two of the independent broadcast networks operated by the U.S. Agency for Global Media — Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks — until the lawsuits are settled.

An intense heatwave and strong winds in Israel on Wednesday led to multiple wildfires breaking out, with two major fires erupting near Highway 6 and near the moshav of Tarum, near Beit Shemesh. Af firefighting teams battled the flames, police stopped traffic on parts of Highway 6 after a large fire broke out between the yishuvim of Petachya and Pedaya. Train services in the area were also halted as the fire approached the train tracks. Some drivers were forced to flee their vehicles to escape the fire. A police vehicle caught fire, but Baruch Hashem, there were no casualties. The police evacuated residents of Pedaya and are preparing to evacuate additional yishuvim.

Elkana Federman, the chief of security at the Nova music festival, who was wounded in the October 7 massacre, filed a complaint on Tuesday with the Moriah District Police in Jerusalem against ousted Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, who has refused to leave his position even after the government unanimously voted to dismiss him. In the complaint, Federman stated that Bar knew in advance about Hamas’s plan but did not act to prevent it, thereby abetting the murder of his fellow security guards and the wounds he himself incurred during the massacre.

Finance Minister Betzalel Smotich on Wednesday morning made comments threatening to bring down the government over the resumption of unsupervised humanitarian aid into Gaza and the lack of progress in the war in Gaza. Smotrich’s comments were made in response to reports on Wednesday morning revealing angry remarks Smotrich made to IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir during a security cabinet meeting on Tuesday evening. During the meeting, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said that Israel will be forced to resume the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza within two weeks. However, he added that, unlike the past, the aid will not reach Hamas as it will be distributed by IDF soldiers or US companies.

The H-1B visa has long been a highly coveted employment visa for foreign citizens with specialized skills to live and work in the U.S., and recent requests from the Trump administration have put greater attention on the program. The requests for more information from people applying for or renewing H-1B visas come amid heightened tensions over immigration as President Donald Trump seeks to make good on his vow of mass deportations of people in the country illegally. Much of Trump’s agenda has been focused on arresting people in the country illegally or reversing Biden-era temporary deportation protections.

A Houthi missile fired from Yemen in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday morning sent millions of Israelis in Haifa and the western Galil running to bomb shelters. It was the first time that a Houthi missile set off sirens in northern Israel, with previous sirens mainly targeting central Israel and the Jerusalem area. Residents of Haifa and the Sharon area reported hearing the sounds of explosions. Following the incident, the IDF spokesperson stated: “An interceptor was launched toward the missile and the missile was most likely successfully intercepted.” B’Chasdei Hashem, no direct injuries or damage from interceptor missiles were reported. However, a number of people were injured while running to bomb shelters.

The IDF reported early Wednesday that it had detected a missile launch originating from Yemen, with the projectile aimed at Israeli territory.
“Aerial defense systems are operating to intercept the threat. The public is instructed to follow the guidelines issued by the Home Front Command,” stated the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
Shortly afterward, air raid sirens were heard across several cities in northern Israel, including Haifa, Nahariya, and Acre. Locals said they heard loud booms during the incident.

Elon Musk says he’ll be spending less time in Washington slashing government costs and more time running Tesla after his electric vehicle company reported a big drop in profits. Musk said on a conference call with analysts Tuesday that “now that the major work of establishing Department of Government Efficiency is done,” that he will be “allocating far more of my time to Tesla” starting in May. Musk said he now expects to spend just “a day or two per week on government matters” Tesla struggled to sell vehicles as it faced angry protests over Musk’s leadership of DOGE, a jobs-cutting group that has divided the country. The Austin, Texas, company reported a 71% drop in profits and a 9% decline in revenue for the first quarter.

A routine interview on Sharon Gal’s morning show on Radio Galey Yisrael ended with a Yesh Atid MK embarrassing himself by hanging up the phone after he was unable to provide proof for his lies. MK Vladimir Beliak came on the air and loudly declared: “Netanyahu is dangerous to Israel, that’s a fact. That’s not incitement. Do you want to talk about the incitement against the Shin Bet chief?” Sharon Gal: “Give me one example of incitement by the Prime Minister or his ministers against Ronen Bar.” Beliak: “There are a million examples.” Gal: “I don’t need a million, just give me one.” Beliak: “There is a well-oiled poison machine against Ronen Bar.” Gal: “So give me one example, one.” Beliak: “You won’t drag me into this conversation. Do you want us to move on?” Gal: “Excuse me?

The Supreme Court dismissed a petition by bereaved parents whose children were murdered or abducted on October 7  to order Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar to clarify when he intends to leave his position. In addition, the petition, signed by over 100 Israelis, including parents of hostages in Gaza, requested to remove the affidavit Bar submitted on Sunday from the case, as it contains no details regarding the legality of the government to dismiss him. The court dismissed the petition, angering the petitioners who said that they were treated disrespectfully by the court. “In addition, the judges did not address the request of the bereaved parents who asked the court to allow them to review the file and see the documents that were submitted.” Adv.

A Molotov cocktail was hurled at a shul in Kryvyi Rih on the final night of Pesach, marking the latest in a troubling series of antisemitic incidents sweeping across parts of Ukraine. According to Chabad emissary and city Rabbi Liron Edri, the shul’s advanced security system — recently upgraded through support from Chabad World Assistance (CWA) and the Jewish Agency’s Security Fund — detected the threat and prevented what could have been a devastating blaze. “Thanks to the reinforced windows installed in recent months, a major fire was averted,” Rabbi Edri said. “The building was saved, but the message behind the attack is deeply concerning.” Surveillance footage reportedly showed multiple Molotov cocktails being thrown at the shul.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee published a video message on Monday in response to a WHO official who asked him to pressure Israel to bring in more humanitarian aid to Israel. In a refreshing change from Biden administration officials, who constantly blamed and pressured Israel into providing aid to its enemies in Gaza, ignoring the fact that the aid was commandeered by Hamas, Huckabee said that Hamas must be pressured instead of Israel. “This past weekend, Dr. Hanan Balkhy, who is the regional coordinator for the WHO, called upon me to put more pressure on Israel to bring humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza,” Huckabee said. “I appreciate the message.

CNN senior data analyst Harry Enten says the latest readings are flashing red for President Donald Trump and the Republican Party. In a blistering interview on Mediaite’s Press Club, Enten warned that Trump’s second-term economic policies — particularly his aggressive use of tariffs — are already dragging down his approval ratings and could set the stage for a Republican midterm bloodbath if the economy worsens. “This economy is his,” Enten said bluntly. “If these tariffs raise prices even further, there will be a political price to pay.” That price could be steep. Trump’s net approval rating with independent voters is a staggering 22 points underwater — a historic low for any modern president at this point in a second term. It’s even worse than his own numbers during his first term.

During a press event on Tuesday, President Donald Trump emphasized that Hamas would not be permitted to take part in ruling Gaza once the conflict concludes.
“We’re not going to let Hamas do that, and we’re going to see what happens with Gaza,” Trump stated when asked by a reporter about the future leadership of the region.
Reflecting on the broader region, Trump remarked on the strides made during his presidency. “We’ve made a lot of progress in the Middle East. Tremendous. That date, that very special date, October 7th, should have never happened. It would have never happened if I were president,” he said.

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