Category: News

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he expects “full support” from world leaders for Israel’s military operation to end rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, after Hamas rejected ceasefire proposals and fired a barrage of rockets at Israeli towns and cities Tuesday. Speaking before a meeting with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Netanyahu pointed out that…

According to the IDF, at least 47 rockets have been fired on Israel since 9:00 am Tuesday, when an Egyptian-brokered truce was meant to come into effect. A direct hit was scored on a house in Ashdod but no one was injured. Five rockets were fired at Rishon Letzion and intercepted. Between 10:00a.m. – 11:00…

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) bombed several terror targets in the city of Quneitra, Syria overnight Tuesday, following a volley of rockets on the Golan Heights, Syrian media reported.  Between four and twelve people were killed in the airstrike; exact numbers have varied among news outlets. “Israeli planes flying over the occupied Golan Heights launched…

US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Hamas to accept Egypt’s ceasefire proposal to halt fighting with Israel in Gaza. In a brief statement released by the State Department on Tuesday, Kerry welcomed Israel’s decision to accept the proposal. “The Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire and negotiations provides an opportunity to end the violence and restore calm,” Kerry…

Egypt proposed a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas to start at 0600 GMT (9:00 AM IST) Tuesday and be followed by talks on easing the flow of goods into Gaza. Hamas officials stated later Monday that no truce has been officially agreed upon.  “There are efforts and communications on the issue of a truce deal but until…

Nearly alone among European leaders, Milorad Dodik, the President of Republika Srpska (the Bosnian Serb Republic), has expressed unqualified support for Israel and its counter-terror operation in the wake of ongoing Palestinian rocket fire. In a letter sent to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Dodik condemned the rocket attacks against Israel and noted his “complete understanding…

Since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge, some 475 new immigrants have arrived in Israel – and another 400 are expected in two days. Speaking at a meeting of the Knesset State Control Committee, Immigration and Absorption Minister Sofa Landver said that the immigrants had arrived from a wide variety of countries, including the US,…

Three people were seriously injured from rocket fire in Be’er Sheva on Monday, including two teenage sisters.  The sisters, ages 10 and 13 respectively, were hit by shrapnel after a rocket landed in a Bedouin village close to Be’er Sheva.  They were admitted to Soroka Medical Center shortly after the attack, according to Walla! News. One,…

The United States on Monday warned against any Israeli ground invasion of Gaza, saying it would put even more civilians at risk than are currently in the crossfire of attacks on Hamas. But the White House stopped short of criticizing Israel over the civilian toll so far in Gaza, saying the government had a “right” and “responsibility” to defend their citizens…

The Salem Military Court sentenced the murderer of 19 year-old IDF soldier Eden Atias on Monday, court documents revealed, to life imprisonment and an additional three years.  Hussein Rawadara, a 16 year-old Jenin native, stabbed Atias multiple times in the neck and chest near the Afula central bus station last November, in a premeditated terror attack which…

The Mukhtar (Islamic religious leader) of the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sur Baher on Monday praised Israel for defending the city – and particularly the Al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount – from Hamas rockets. Just days after wide-scale riots by Jerusalem Arabs over the murder of Arab youth Mohammed Al-Khder, Zuheir Hamadan said that Hamas,…

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called on Monday for Hamas to “immediately” stop rocket fire on Israel, as diplomatic pressure to halt a flare-up of violence around Gaza intensified. “Firing rockets on Israel by Hamas should stop immediately,” Steinmeier told a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh in Amman. “If we want to see an end to this violence,…

With rockets raining on Israel, particularly in the south, residents are trapped in shelters with little or no access to food and basic supplies, particularly as many stores are closed due to the constant bombings.  Responding to the crisis, Yad Ezra V’Shulamit, a food distribution organization that delivers food to 10,000 needy people every month,…

A pro-Israel rally came under attack Sunday night outside the Federal Building in Westwood, Los Angeles – the latest in a worrying string of similar instances in the US and Europe. More than 2,000 supporters of Israel were demonstrating peacefully against terrorist rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, and in support of the Jewish state’s…

An enemy Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), apparently laden with explosives, was shot down by the IDF near the port city of Ashdod Monday morning. The interception caused a strong explosion to rock Ashdod and triggered air raid sirens at around 6:30 a.m.. The Navy is reportedly looking for remains of the UAV. The IDF Spokesman said…

As the counterterrorism Operation Protective Edge enters its seventh day on Monday, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit has released a summary of the operation thus far. Since the start of the operation, over 940 rockets have been fired towards Israel, the IDF said Sunday night. Of them 740 hit Israel and nearly 187 have been intercepted…

Neil Young and Crazy Horse have cancelled their upcoming concert in Tel Aviv due to the security situation in Israel, Variety magazine reported on Sunday. The band’s Israeli concert, scheduled for July 17, was to be held at Hayarkon Park. A spokesperson for the Canadian singer was quoted by Variety as having said, “It is…

A swastika and a Jewish star on the same banner is usually a sign of anti-Semitism.  However, one cult group who flew banners bearing both claim that the juxtaposition is a symbol of peace.  Beachgoers in New York and New Jersey were startled to see banners bearing the two symbols, along with the traditional “peace…

Islamist anti-Israel protesters used a police car’s speakers to broadcast messages of hate during a march against Israel’s defensive operation in Gaza. The rally, which took place in the center of Frankfurt on Saturday, was mainly attended by Muslim youths and featured signs reading “Israel kills children” and “Allah is great”, alongside more openly anti-Semitic…

The main suspect in the gruesome murder of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khder is a 29-year-old resident of a community near Jerusalem who is known to have mental problems, it was released for publication Monday. Along with the main suspect, two other youths, both aged 17, are suspected in the murder. The three were remanded in…

The Ministerial Law Committee on Monday authorized for legislation a proposal by Hatnu’a MK Elazar Stern that would require the Rabbinate to give kashrut certificates to businesses that remain open on Shabbat, if they fulfill the requirements of kashrut. The law would require local Rabbinates from certifying restaurants and other food establishments as kosher as…

Gaza terrorists fired several volleys of rockets at Israel’s southern cities and communities Monday morning. Starting at 11:00 a.m., rockets were fired at Ashkelon and the industrial area next to it, Ashdod, and communities in the Hof Ashkelon, Hevel Yavneh, Yoav, Be’er Tuvia and Shaar Hanegev regions. Two of the rockets were successfully intercepted by…

Seventy thousand Gazans from Khan Younis and Deir el-Balah were in the dark Sunday night after a Hamas rocket hit the power line that supplies electricity to those places. It’s not clear when Israel Electric Company workers will be able to repair the system, but they are apparently in no rush to do so. Prime…

Muslim rioters reportedly surrounded Don Yitzchak Abarbanel Synagogue in the 11th arrondissement of Paris on Sunday, and threw rocks into the house of worship. Large scale police forces were called to extricate the Jews. Clashes erupted in Paris on Sunday as thousands of people protested against Israel and in support of terrorist groups in Gaza, where…

Hamas’s latest salvo of rockets, around 8:00 p.m. On Sunday, appears to have been aimed at Jerusalem and the Binyamin/Samaria region to its north. Rocket warning sirens went off in Ariel, Shilo and Eli in Samaria, as well as Psagot – for the first time in recent memory. The Diplomacy and Security Cabinet is in…

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie laid some of the blame for the violence between Israel and Hamas at the doorstep of President Barack Obama, whom he accused of not supporting Israel sufficiently. “This has been a symptom of this administration for the last six years, that Israel is not sure that they have America’s support…

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement in response to the situation in Israel: “The indiscriminate rocket attacks from Gaza on Israel are terrorist acts, for which there is no justification. It is evident that Hamas is deliberately using human shields to further terror in the region. “Failure by the international community to…

The condition of First Sergeant Mordechai Yamin, of the community of Itamar in Samaria, has improved. He is fully conscious, and has been transferred out of the Intensive Care Unit at Be’er Sheva’s Soroka Hospital and into the Surgical Ward. Yamin, 22, who serves in the Combat Engineering Corps, was seriously wounded Thursday near Gaza.…

Key players in talks on Iran’s nuclear program warned on Sunday that big gaps remain between Iran and world powers, with only a week left to strike a deal, the BBC reports. Arriving in Vienna for the talks, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said “significant differences” remain – a view echoed by France and…

A mortar attack in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula killed at least eight people on Sunday night, according to The Associated Press (AP). According to the report, the mortar rounds were fired at a military post in the provincial capital of el-Arish, killing a soldier as well as seven civilians, including a child. The military post is…

Three rockets exploded in the western Galilee region on Sunday night. The rockets hit open areas, causing no physical injuries or damages. Sirens were heard in the city of Nahariya and throughout the region before the explosion. The IDF responded with artillery fire towards the area of Lebanon from which the rockets were fired. A…

A salvo of rockets was fired on Sunday night, just before midnight, towards southern Israel. The Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted seven rockets that were fired towards the city of Ashkelon and the Hof Ashkelon region. An hour earlier, a rocket launched by Gaza terrorists exploded in the Eshkol Council region. No injuries or damage…

A mortar shell from Syria was fired on Sunday evening towards the Israeli side of the Golan Heights and exploded near the Druze village of Mas’ade. The mortar shell exploded in an open area, causing no physical injuries or damages. The IDF responded with artillery fire towards Syrian military posts, and the IDF Spokesman said…

The number of births in Israel has risen dramatically over the past week, Walla! News reports Sunday, due to the stress of constant rocket fire from Hamas in the south.  Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva has seen a 10% increase in patients admitted while in labor over the past week, according to the daily –…

Five rockets landed in open areas throughout the Eshkol region near the border with Gaza at roughly 9:00 am Sunday, causing no immediate injuries.  However, a brushfire has started near one of the impact sites; firefighters are currently rushing to the scene to contain the blaze.  Earlier, sirens sounded across much of Israel on Sunday…

The ‘Caliphate’ established by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) published a full-length propaganda video earlier this week, showing the “different faces” of the Islamist state – including governmental, educational, and religious activities.  One of the islamists, a citizen of Kosovo, spoke at a passport-burning ceremony for foreign nationals, who then accepted…

The Jerusalem Light Rail has been restored along several stops damaged in rioting earlier this month, and will now be running from the Givat HaMivtar to Pisgat Ze’ev stops as usual.  The light rail will skip Arab neighborhoods, however, after the damage Arab rioters inflicted on the light rail system during the course of the…

Phone calls and text messages were also sent to Beit Lahiya residents, the IDF said.  It should be noted that a Hamas spokesperson called for Gaza residents to act as human shields on live television earlier this week, calling the move “an effective strategy” in the PR war against Israel and encouraging Palestinian Arabs to stay in their homes…

Soldiers from the Shayetet naval commando unit on Saturday night raided a Gaza compound from which long-range rockets had been fired towards Israel. Terrorists who were in the compound opened fire towards the soldiers, who returned fire. Four soldiers suffered light wounds and were taken to a hospital in Israel for treatment. Three Hamas terrorists…

The UN’s special refugee agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, reported Sunday that about 4,000 residents of northern Gaza have fled their homes after the IDF told them to do so, starting last night. In addition, about 850 Palestinians with foreign nationalities are leaving Gaza through the Erez checkpoint. Three hundred of these had already done so…

More than two dozen Red Color warning sirens sounded in cities in central Israel Sunday afternoon, as Hamas terrorists fired a major volley of rockets at Israel. Rockets were fired at Tel Aviv, Bat Yam, Holon, Rishon Lezion, Raanana, Kfar Sava, Hadera, Netanya, and other communities. At least two rockets were intercepted over the skies…

The government on Sunday authorized the transfer of NIS 417 million ($120 million) in economic benefits to Israeli towns in the Gaza border area. About half the money will go to Sderot. The transfer is part of an overall government program to enhance the security of towns in the area over the next two years.…

There’s no love lost between the new government of Egypt and Hamas, with the former rejecting the latter over Hamas’ support of the Muslim Brotherhood, the arch-enemy of newly-elected Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the ex-army chief who toppled the Brotherhood’s Mohammed Morsi last year. So far, Egypt has largely stayed out of the conflict…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed Operation Protective Edge on Sunday, opening his weekly Cabinet meeting with several harsh words for Hamas. “Israel is conducting a vigorous military campaign against Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu began. “Hamas has chosen to attack our cities with massive and indiscriminate rocket fire.”…

A Delta Airlines flight from from Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York was forced to make an emergency landing Sunday. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot had noticed that several flaps on the Boeing 747 would not retract. But after trying in vain for an hour to fix the…

Pope Francis on Sunday appealed for peace in Gaza during his weekly Angelus prayer, calling for “concrete gestures to build peace” as the deadly six-day offensive escalated. In an address to thousands of pilgrims on St Peter’s Square Francis spoke of the “tragic events of the last few days.”  “I urge all interested parties and all in local and international…

IAF struck several targets in northern Gaza on Sunday, including a senior Hamas official responsible for the constant barrage of rocket fire on Israeli citizens.  The Hamas official, who has not been officially named as of 2:00 pm IST, was targeted in the Jabaliya “refugee camp,” which operates as a terrorist training camp. The IAF…

An Al Aqsa Brigades video showing rocket fire from Gaza displayed another way in which terror groups for camouflage rocket launchers, to avoid detection. The video shows a Brigades member pushing a cart of the kind that is used to sell “beigeleh” type bread in Jerusalem’s Old City and elsewhere. The cart is covered with…

The Ansar Bayt Al-Makdis terror organization, which identifies ideologically with Al Qaeda, published a video Friday allegedly documenting the launching of five 107 mm rockets at Israel. The launch took place in the Sinai peninsula, south of the Egyptian city of Rafah. The rockets were apprently fired on Wednesday, and were aimed at an Israeli…

Sirens sounded Saturday evening in northern Israel as rockets were apparently fired from Lebanon into the Jewish state. The sirens sounded in Nahariya, Rosh Hanikra, Shlomi, Kabri and Hanita, along the border with Lebanon. Initial analysis said that the rockets were apparently fired from Lebanon by a Palestinian Lebanese terror group. “Two rockets fired from Lebanon…

Gazans danced in the streets Saturday evening to celebrate a missile strike on Tel Aviv, ignoring the fact that the missiles failed to hit their targets and either exploded in uninhabited spaces or were shot down by the Iron Dome system. Hamas television relayed the signal from Israeli television, in the hope that it would…

The IDF has begun dropping leaflets on certain parts of Gaza, telling residents to leave their homes, reported Channel 2 Saturday night. The move is being interpreted as a preparation for a possible ground offensive by the IDF. Channel 2 also reported that the IDF is carrying out a combined large-scale operation by fighter jets, attack helicopters…

Brig. Gen. (res.) Dr. Danny Gold, former head of research and development at the Defense Ministry, is Israel’s current hero and media darling, and the man receiving most of the credit for the development of the Iron Dome anti-missile system. Also receiving credit is MK Amir Peretz, who selected Iron Dome over other systems as…

The IDF is carrying out a “dramatic” large scale strike in the skies of Gaza, Channel 2‘s military correspondent Ronny Daniel reported Saturday evening. Hamas launched dozens of rockets at Israel over the Sabbath, striking the Judea region south of Jerusalem for the first time – but in areas under Palestinian Authority control. A salvo was…

Thousands of pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrators turned out on the streets of London and Paris on Friday to call for an end to Israeli military strikes on Gaza. According to The Associated Press (AP), several thousand people crowded the streets outside the Israeli Embassy in west London, waving placards that read “Gaza: End the Siege” and…

The United States on Friday said that it was ready to leverage its relationships in the Middle East to try to bring about a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, AFP reported. The offer came a day after President Barack Obama called Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to offer to facilitate an end to Hamas rocket…

Authorities in Lebanon arrested on Friday two suspects in the early morning rocket attack on Israel, The Daily Star reported. The Internal Security Forces detained a suspect allegedly behind the rocket fire into Israel, security sources told the newspaper. Hussein Izzat Atwe from the Hasbaya village of Hebbarieh was arrested in Al-Bire Hospital in the…

As rocket fire from Gaza continues, the defense establishment received a reinforcement on Friday in the form of an additional Iron Dome anti-missile battery. The new battery, the eighth one to be acquired by the IDF, was given to the Israel Air Force on Friday afternoon. The battery became operational in the evening hours and…

U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu he was worried that the fighting with Hamas in Gaza could escalate, and offered Washington’s help to broker a ceasefire, AFP reported. “The president expressed concern about the risk of further escalation and emphasized the need for all sides to do everything they can…

The United States reiterated on Thursday its support for Israel in defending itself. Speaking to reporters, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki reminded that Hamas was responsible for civilian deaths because of its rocket attacks against Israel. “Civilians have been killed, and certainly that’s of concern to us, and that’s one of the reasons that we…

After a lengthy Security Cabinet meeting, Israel’s military leaders spoke about the road ahead for Operation Protective Edge, which has already hit 930 terror targets in the Hamas enclave of Gaza. “Hundreds of targets have been destroyed including the homes of militants, government institutions, launchers, rockets and other war materiel,” said Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon after…

Iraq warned the United Nations (UN) on Thursday that in capturing large portions of the country last month, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) also seized nuclear materials used in research at a university in Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city. Iraqi Ambassador to the UN Mohammed Ali Alhakim wrote in a letter…

A rocket fired by terrorists in the Hamas enclave of Gaza hit a gas station in the coastal city of Ashdod on Friday morning, causing at least one serious injury. The rocket, which came as part of a salvo of roughly 20 rockets, appears to have damaged a gas tanker truck, reports Yedioth Aharonoth. The explosion…

As the rocket fire from Gaza terrorists continues to pelt southern and central Israel, a new front appears to have opened Friday morning as a Katyusha rocket was fired on the northern tip of Israel, north of Kiryat Shmona. The rocket landed in open territory in the upper Galillee. Apparently the IDF estimates it was…

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Vienna this weekend to join ongoing world power nuclear talks with Iran, the State Department said Thursday, according to AFP. Kerry “will see if progress can be made on the issues where significant gaps remain and assess Iran’s willingness to make a set of critical choices…

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay attacked Israel’s right to defend itself on Friday, casting into doubt Israel’s right to stop the constant rocket fire from Gaza under international law.  “We have received deeply disturbing reports that many of the civilian casualties, including of children, occurred as a result of strikes on homes,” Pillay…

A French-Algerian man suspected of carrying out a deadly shooting at the Jewish Museum in Brussels has dropped an appeal against his extradition to Belgium, his lawyer said on Friday. Mehdi Nemmouche, 29, had filed an appeal against the June ruling that ordered his extradition from France, but his lawyer Apolin Pepiezep said he had decided not to go ahead…

It has been cleared for publication Friday that an accident involving a fatality in the Shave Shomron area, near Kedumim, killed an IDF soldier.  An IDF jeep was overturned in the accident, about which very few details are currently known. Another IDF soldier was seriously injured in the accident and a third suffered light injuries. …

Hamas fired a rocket on a gas station in the center of Ashdod on Friday, sparking a fire and causing at least one serious injury.  Officials at the scene spoke to Arutz Sheva about the rocket hit on Friday afternoon, noting the open miracle that no civilians or staff were killed in the attack.  “A rocket fell…

As Operation Protective Edge enters its first Shabbat since starting Monday, and as the over 500 missiles fired by Gaza terrorists in that period continue without a let-up, Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi David Lau on Friday released guidelines for observing the Shabbat. In the halakhic (Jewish legal) guidelines, Rabbi Lau discussed the balance between keeping the…

A popular Turkish female pop singer was under pressure Friday to make a public apology after she posted a succession of anti-Semitic tweets in response to Israel’s air campaign to stamp out rocket fire by terrorists in Gaza. Yildiz Tilbe, who has been making folk-influenced hit albums since the 1990s, praised Hitler in the tweets…

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz visited an IDF paratrooper base in the south on Friday, and outlined to journalists the next steps planned by the IDF as part of Operation Protective Edge. “We will widen the operation as required, to the required intensity,” remarked Gantz according to Walla!. The Chief of Staff spoke about…

Residents of the Samaria town of Itamar are praying for the recovery of Mordechai Yemin, a resident of the town and IDF soldier who was seriously wounded on Thursday by mortar shells fired by Gaza terrorists. Yemin was wounded while in the Eshkol Regional Council area, near Kerem Shalom, in an attack that left another soldier…

The Israel Air Force (IAF) on Friday night launched several airstrikes in Gaza, hitting the launcher from which rockets were fired towards Tel Aviv earlier in the evening. A second airstrike targeted a gathering of Hamas terrorist in the Sajaiya neighborhood in Gaza City. Palestinian Authority media reported that several people were wounded in the…

The condition of the man who was seriously injured on Friday when a Gaza rocket hit a gas station in Ashdod has improved. The man underwent surgery at the Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva and doctors were able to avoid having to amputate his hand. His condition is now listed as stable and his life…

A rocket fired from Gaza hit a home in the southern Israeli city of Be’er Sheva on Friday evening. A woman in her 80s suffered mild injuries and was taken to the Soroka Hospital for treatment. Extensive damage was caused to the building. A salvo of rockets hit southern Israel earlier on Friday evening, with…

Two more rockets were fired from Gaza towards the Gush Dan region of central Israel shortly before 9:00 p.m. on Friday evening. The rockets set off sirens in Tel Aviv, Holon and Bat Yam. The two rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system. There were no physical injuries or damages. The latest attack…

A siren was heard on Friday evening in central Israel, including in Tel Aviv and the region, sending residents to protected spaces. Shortly afterwards, a rocket that was fired from Gaza was intercepted over Holon, near Tel Aviv, by the Iron Dome anti-missile system. A barrage of rockets was later fired towards southern Israel. At…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that he would not bow to world entreaties to stop Operation Protective Edge, until rocket fire from Gaza terrorists ceased. “This is the fourth day of Operation Protective Edge. The IDF, the ISA and the security forces are fighting Hamas with increasing intensity. As of now, we…

Despite the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIS) statements that it will not join the attack on Israel for now, a new video by the Sunni Jihadist group claims to show its terrorists are in fact firing rockets on Israel. In the video, which was uploaded to YouTube, alleged members of ISIS’s “Bayt el-Maqdis” (Jerusalem) unit in…

A new support campaign has been launched for the four hareidi soldiers arrested last Thursday for calling to “eliminate the terrorists,” as part of a grassroots protest after the murder of Eyal Yifrah, Gilad Sha’ar and Naftali Frenkel by Hamas terrorists. The four were sentenced to ten days in jail for posting a picture to…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu delivered a short statement Thursday evening after a lengthy session of the Security-Diplomacy cabinet, which was devoted to Operation Protective Edge against Hamas’s terror machine in Gaza. “The campaign is proceeding as planned,” he said, “but additional stages await us. We have struck Hamas and the sons of terror forcefully, and…

Fears that a 16-year-old hareidi youth had been abducted by terrorists in the Golan Heights on Thursday were later ruled out, after it was found that the unfortunate teen had drowned to death. The youth, a member of a well-known family of the Vizhnitz hassidic dynasty, had gone missing in the area of the El-Al…

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday met with a delegation of rabbis, led by Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar, and rabbis of the Rabbinical Center of Europe (RCE). “I follow closely what’s going on in Israel,” said Putin during the long meeting, which…

A video of an Israeli air strike on a home of a Gaza terrorist provides solid support to the IDF’s claim that it provides early warning to Gaza civilians before striking a target in a residential area. The footage is shot from a cellphone. It is clear that the person holding the phone knows that…

US Senator Rand Paul said Wednesday that the American government was “potentially” funding Hamas, through its donations to the Palestinian Authority. With the PA government now including Fatah, he said in an interview on an American radio show, it stood to reason that part of the “several hundred million dollars” in US funds given to…

As hundreds of thousands of commuters were traveling into the Tel Aviv area Thursday morning, Gaza terrorists fired at least four rockets at the Gush Dan region. Warning sirens were heard in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Bnei Brak, Holon, and Bat Yam. Hamas took responsibility for at least two of the rockets, with Islamic Jihad…

Since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge three days ago, the IDF has over 750 terror targets in Gaza – more than in the entire six days of 2012’s Operation Defensive Shield. In just the past 24 hours, the army said, 322 terror targets were destroyed, including 217 rocket-launching sites, as well as the homes…

Iran said on Wednesday it wants to greatly expand its uranium enrichment program despite Western fears that it could be used to make atomic arms, reports The Associated Press (AP). The position outlined by Iranian nuclear agency head Ali Akbar Salehi appeared to be the most detailed yet of what Tehran wants at its closed-door…

The Islamic State, or ISIS, has responded to critics who have questioned why its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is not actively supporting Hamas in fighting Israel. After capturing vast swathes of Iraq and Syria, ISIS declared the regions under its control as a “Caliphate”, or Islamic state, and appointed Baghdadi as “leader of the Muslims”.…

The IDF on Thursday afternoon contacted by phone Arab residents of Gaza living near the security border, warning them to evacuate their homes immediately. The phone calls were sent to a total of roughly 100,000 Arab residents of the Hamas stronghold. Among the cities and towns targeted in the phone warning were Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun,…

According to Hamas spokesperson Moussa Abu Marzuk, the fact that some 70 Gaza Arabs have been killed in the latest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas is all the fault of US Secretary of State John Kerry. Kerry, said Abu Marzouk, gave Israel carte blanche “to kill at will” in Gaza when he said…

The security officers of the Checkpoints Authority arrested, early Thursday afternoon, a Palestinian Arab man who was apparently transporting a bomb in his car and who they believe was en route to carrying out a terror attack in central Israel. The car was stopped for a routine check at the checkpoint on Highway 5 that…

Hamas terrorists on Thursday afternoon launched yet another heavy barrage of rockets at Israeli cities in the center of the country. Sirens were heard in Ramle, Lod, Nes Tziyona, Yavne, and other areas south of Rishon Lezion. Several of the missiles were destroyed in mid-air by the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system, while others fell…

The IDF has said it eliminated a leading Hamas commander Thursday, who was responsible for the Islamist group’s rocket arsenal. If true, Ayman Siam would the most senior terrorist figure killed by Israel since Operation Defensive Edge began three days ago. But Hamas’s “military wing” Ezzadine al-Kassam, denied the report. “He is continuing in his…

Despite the ongoing rocket fire by Gaza terrorists, Israel has not halted the entry of trucks into Gaza – and on Thursday, some 200 trucks carrying food and “basic supplies” entered Gaza. The government said that the trucks were allowed to pass through for “humanitarian purposes,” and were inspected and found not to be carrying…

Having crushed the Muslim Brotherhood, Cairo’s new government has taken a back seat as Israel pounds Hamas, the Egyptian movement’s Islamist allies across the border in Gaza, analysts said. Egypt, which has a peace treaty with Israel, brokered a 2012 truce between it and Hamas that favored the terrorist group, which is the Palestinian branch…

Hamas has instructed Gaza residents to ignore text messages and phone calls urging them to evacuate buildings, in an apparent effort to grow its supply of “human shields.” The calls and messages are sent by Israeli military officials in order to give civilians time to evacuate the area, and are communicated before the IDF targets a…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and US Secretary of State John Kerry, and released the following statement to the international community: “Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza are firing rockets on cities throughout the State of Israel –…

IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, has approved all of the plans for an IDF ground offensive into Gaza, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Moti Almoz said Wednesday evening. He added that the pressure on Gaza will grow in the coming hours and the IAF attacks will become even more intense.  According to statistics…

The IDF has published photographic evidence of the use of human shields by Hamas. An IDF bird’s eye video shows civilians gathering on a roof of a terrorist’s house after the IDF fired a warning shot to indicate it was about to bomb it. Hamas achieved its aim in this case, because the IDF decided…

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was in China on Wednesday but that did not stop him from engaging with Mideast leaders and others in a bid to halt escalating Israeli-Palestinian Arab violence, according to AFP. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that Kerry had asked both Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority (PA)…

The IDF released on Wednesday night a summary of the second day of the counterterrorism Operation Protective Edge. According to the summary, since midnight on Tuesday, 82 rockets have exploded in Israel, of which 21 were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system. Since the beginning of the operation, 234 rockets have exploded in Israel,…

Arab envoys to the United Nations requested an urgent Security Council session on the situation in Gaza during a meeting Wednesday with the peace and security body’s president, AFP reported. Kuwaiti ambassador Mansour al-Otaibi urged the council to “stop the Israeli aggression and collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” amid the IDF’s Operation Protective Edge…

Terrorists from Gaza fired a salvo of at least 40 rockets towards southern Israel on Wednesday night, shortly after 11:00 p.m. Sirens were heard in Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ein Tsurim, Kiryat Malachi and the Be’er Tuvia Regional Council. At least four rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system over Kiryat Malachi. One more rocket…

The White House on Tuesday strongly condemned the incessant rocket fire from Gaza towards Israel and reiterated that Washington supports Israel’s right to self-defense. “We strongly condemn the continuing rocket fire inside of Israel and the deliberate targeting of civilians by terrorist organizations in Gaza,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement. “No…

A senior terrorist in the Islamic Jihad was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday night, Gaza medics told AFP. According to Gaza emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra the airstrike in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza killed six people, including two women and two children. The killed terrorist was a “senior commander” in the Al-Quds…

Some 120 rockets from Gaza were fired at Israel on Tuesday, the first day of the IDF’s Operation Protective Edge. IDF Spokesperson Peter Lerner told the AFP news agency that 23 of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, with most of the rest exploding on open ground causing no damage…

David Azrieli, the billionaire owner of the Azrieli Group which manages dozens of malls throughout Israel, passed away on Wednesday in Canada at the age of 92. The businessman, architect and philanthropist was born in 1922 in Poland, and managed to escape the genocidal Nazi war machine at the age of 17. His parents, brothers…

The US embassy in Tel Aviv has minimized its hours and avised staff to stay at home until further notice due to recent rocket fire there, according to a statement released Tuesday night. “As a result of the July 8 rocket attacks on Tel Aviv and the potential for further attacks, [the] U.S. Embassy Tel…

In the course of Operation Protective Edge on Tuesday night 160 terror targets were hit in Gaza by the IDF, bringing the total to 434 targets struck since the start of the operation on Monday night. “Color Red” rocket warning sirens were sounded in the coastal Gush Dan region early on Wednesday morning, sending residents…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu held security consultations at IDF Southern Command headquarters in Be’er Sheva Wednesday, along with Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz and GOC Southern Command Maj.-Gen. Sammy Turgeman. Following the consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “We have decided to further increase the assault on Hamas and the terrorist organizations…

The IDF is purposely targeting the homes of top Hamas officials, experts say. According to commentary on Israeli media Wednesday, the water supply at the “refugee camp” neighborhood of Shati in Gaza has been cut off by the Israeli attacks. This is seen as personally targeting Hamas “Prime Minister” Ismail Haniya, who lives in Shati.…

France on Wednesday presented a bill aimed at strengthening anti-terrorism laws to stop increasing numbers of aspiring jihadists from travelling to fight in Syria.   The new bill, presented by Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve to the council of ministers, came as a 48-year-old woman was charged under anti-terrorism laws after visiting Syria thrice where her…

Singapore on Wednesday expressed concern at the risk of terrorist attacks posed by local and foreign jihadists returning to Southeast Asia after fighting in Syria. Interior Minister Teo Chee Hean said returning fighters have the skills to carry out terror attacks or support others planning them. “The presence of former foreign fighters in our region…

Three Israeli teenagers kidnapped and murdered by Hamas were the victims of a premeditated execution by their captors, and were never meant to be used as bargaining chips to free imprisoned terrorists, according to a US official involved in the case.  The American official also claimed that investigators believe the two terrorists were disguised as…

A Hamas Grad Katyusha terror rocket was intercepted in the skies over Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, Wednesday afternoon, according to Channel 2. One other rocket fell harmlessly in an unpopulated area. Sirens sounded near Haifa in Hadera, Zikhron Ya’akov, Caesarea and Hof HaBonim on Wednesday afternoon – at least 45 kilometers (almost 30…

Economics Minister and Jewish Home Chairman Naftali Bennett stated Wednesday that Operation Protective Edge would continue for as long as necessary – until the IDF has ensured a definitive end to rockets on the State of Israel.  “The IDF has been gearing up in recent days,” Bennett said. “The Israeli Air Force, led by the…

Despite outgoing President Shimon Peres’s protestations Tuesday that Fatah wants peace and Hamas wants terror, Fatah seems to disagree; On Wednesday the faction of Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas declared it and Hamas share “one goal.” A post on the official Facebook page of Abbas’s Fatah faction on Wednesday showed a picture of terrorists in…

Terrorists from Gaza fired a fresh salvo of around 30 rockets at Israel, and upped the ante further by striking deeper into the country than before. For the first time, Color Red air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem, and residents reported hearing at least three explosions. AFP claims its correspondents in the capital saw “four…

Four Hamas terrorists breached the Gaza security border on Tuesday amid the ongoing shower of rockets, which have continued raining on Israel after IDF Operation Protective Edge was launched the previous night. The terrorists entered Israel by sea and were on their way to Kibbutz Zikim, located roughly a kilometer and a half (around one mile) north…

Residents of the kibbutz community of Kerem Shalom were warned of a possible terrorist infiltration Tuesday morning and told to remain inside their homes. At the same time, Hamas’s armed wing said it had blown up a tunnel in the region. The IDF later confirmed that there had been a “security-related incident” at the location,…

Hamas has vowed revenge after an attempt to use Palestinian civilians as human shields resulted in several fatalities, as Israeli Air Force planes targeted the home of a Hamas commander. Gazan emergency services claim Israeli strikes on Gaza killed 15 people on Tuesday and wounded 80 others, as the military began an aerial campaign against…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed the citizens of Israel Tuesday evening, as the first day of Operation Protective Edge drew to a close. “The state of Israel is in the midst of a campaign to bring back peace and security to our citizens,” he said. “We will not stand for rocket fire on our cities…

Tel Aviv came under fire twice Tuesday, from missiles launched by Hamas, but the IDF’s Iron Dome batteries successfully intercepted both rockets. Following the sirens in Tel Aviv and instructions from IDF Home Front Command, the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality has begun working in a state of emergency and has opened all of the shelters for…

Foreign European dignitaries on Tuesday condemned the wave of rocket fire engulfing Israel, after the IDF launched Operation Protective Edge the previous night to squelch the attacks emanating from the Hamas-enclave of Gaza. British Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned the rocket fire on Israeli civilian population centers, but stopped short of calling those firing the lethal…

A 15-year-old girl reported to police on Tuesday that two Arab youths tried to convince her to get in their car near the village of Abu Gosh, located just to the west of Jerusalem, in what appears to be a kidnapping attempt. Fearing that she was in danger of being abducted, the girl fled and…

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon spoke on Tuesday about Operation Protective Edge, which was launched Monday night after Gaza highly escalated its rocket fire on Israel, causing sirens to be heard deep in central Israel. The minister’s comments came shortly after concluding a meeting with Maj. Gen. Eyal Eizenberg of the Homefront Command, Defense Ministry Director…

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum vowed his terror organization will continue firing rockets on Israel Tuesday, dismissing claims of de-escalation. “Today there is no intention of relaxation and calm,” Barhoum stated. “Palestinian blood has been spilled.” “There is no place for talking about peace with the Israeli occupation,” he added. “If they want to protect their…

Tourism Minister Uzi Landau (Yisrael Beytenu) on Tuesday morning spoke about Operation Protective Edge, which was launched the night before in response to the relentless barrage of rocket fire from the Hamas enclave of Gaza. “We don’t want to enter Gaza. But the current dynamics, if they don’t change, will lead to that. We can’t continue…

The IDF has launched “Operation Protective Edge” in Gaza, in order “to stop the terror Israel’s citizens face on a daily basis,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said on Twitter Monday night. As part of the operation, Israeli media reported, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) launched intensive airstrikes on targets in Gaza.  “Hamas will not be…

Not to be outdone by the Hamas terrorists in Gaza who have been showering rockets on southern Israel, Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction has stepped up its threatening rhetoric against Israel. Fatah threatened death against Israelis by telling them to “prepare body bags,” writing on its official Facebook page Monday “Sons of…

A special heart and lung machine known as an ECMO saved the life of a 37-year-old mother of three from the Golan Heights last Thursday after she was stung by a bee. Orly Goren, who was apparently unaware that she is allergic to bee venom, was stung when she was inside her car. She developed an acute…

Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Sherif Ismail, sees no problem with allowing the British BG Group to import gas from Israel, he told Daily News Egypt Wednesday. “This is a must”, he added, explaining that without imports, gas companies working in Egypt might resort to international arbitration and sue the government. “As the…

President Shimon Peres insisted that Hamas and Fatah are two separate entities Tuesday morning, headlining the “Israeli Peace Conference” by contrasting the two despite both their unity pact and the recent escalation from Gaza.  Peres began his speech by addressing the current security situation, including Operation Protective Edge.  “IDF soldiers are operating, even in the…

The Security Cabinet has approved IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz’s request to call up 40,000 reservists to the Gaza border, in the clearest signal yet that the IDF is planning a ground offensive into the Hamas-controlled territory in response to ceaseless rocket-fire on Israeli civilians. “We have been instructed by the political…

The IDF Spokesperson’s Office released an informative video Tuesday, explaining Hamas’s ever-increasing range of rocket fire and the full impact it could have on Israeli civilians.  According to the video, Hamas’s current stockpile is capable of hitting more than 40% of the Israeli population – some 3.5 million people.  Israel launched Operation Protective Edge against…

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) published a short report Tuesday in which it warned that many of the graphic images that are being shared on social media, purporting to show destruction that the IDF is wreaking in Gaza, are not in fact photos from Operation Protective Edge. “Over the past week the hashtag #GazaUnderAttack has…

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), which is now known as the “Islamic State” after declaring an Islamic caliphate, says it won’t fight Israel – for the time being. According to Israel’s Channel 2 News, an ISIS spokesman said Monday on Twitter, in response to questions about the organization’s intentions with regards…

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Ron Prosor, said on Monday night that it was time for the UN Security Council to condemn Hamas’s indiscriminate attacks against millions of Israeli civilians. “In a single hour earlier today, Hamas and other terrorists fired over 65 rockets towards Israeli homes, schools, and hospitals – that is…

The IDF has launched “Operation Protective Edge” in Gaza, in order “to stop the terror Israel’s citizens face on a daily basis,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said on Twitter Monday night. As part of the operation, Israeli media reported, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) launched intensive airstrikes on targets in Gaza. “Hamas will not be…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Monday demanded that Israel stop the airstrikes on Gaza. In an official statement published by the PA’s WAFA news agency and in which Abbas was described as “the President of the State of Palestine”, the PA head called on the international community to immediately intervene to stop what…

Hamas has no intention of caving in to Israel and allowing the Jewish state to “impose conditions on the Palestinian people”, its spokesman said on Monday evening. Directly addressing Israeli citizens, the spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said, “Our people will not give in to your crimes. You will pay a heavy and painful price.” He…

The United States on Monday night condemned the rocket fire by Hamas against Israel. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Monday night in the wake of the heavy rocket fire on Israel. Kerry asked Netanyahu to “act with restraint” in his response to Hamas’ pounding of southern Israel. With that,…

Hamas fired over 30 rockets in a ten-minute period into Israel on Monday, with hits reported in Sha’ar HaNegev, the Eshkol Region, Netivot, Sderot, and Be’er Sheva between 8:00 – 8:10 pm IST.  The rocket count has escalated to over 80 on Monday evening alone, Walla! News reports close to 10:30 pm Monday; the Iron Dome missile…

As Israel prepares for a possible military action in Gaza, residents of Ashdod and Beersheva have been told to not to conduct public gatherings of more than 500 people, while residents of Gaza border communities have been told to remain within 15 seconds of protected areas, in order to take cover in the event the…

In the five days of unrest that have ensued since the discovery of the burned body of Mohammed Abu Khder, Israeli police have arrested 220 Israeli Arab rioters. Police are again on high alert, preparing for another night of rioting in Jerusalem, as well as in Arab towns and cities in the lower Galilee. Police…

As rocket fire from Gaza shows no sign of letting up, the cabinet on Monday authorized the IDF to increase its military pressure on Hamas. The IDF intends to add more troops to the brigades it already has poised on the borders of Gaza, officials said. So far an additional 1,500 reserve troops have been…

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) conducted an airstrike against three terror targets in northern Gaza on Monday afternoon, the IDF Spokesperson’s Office announced.  “The IDF is prepared to defend the citizens of Israel from any threat and will continue to act decisively and as long as necessary until peace returns to daily life,” the statement…

More than 60 women and girls abducted last month by Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria have escaped their captors, sources said Sunday, according to AFP. Local vigilante Abbas Gava said he had “received an alert from my colleagues … that about 63 of the abducted women and girls had made it back home” late Friday.…

Officials in the United States said on Sunday they will not allow uncharged electronic devices onto U.S.-bound airplanes at some overseas airports, according to Sky News. The announcement by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is part of the agency’s efforts to bolster airport security amid suggestions of a plot by Islamic extremists to blow up…

Two terrorists were killed in an Israeli airstrike on central Gaza late Sunday, the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency reports. According to the report, two members of Al-Quds Brigades, the so-called “military wing” of the Islamic Jihad group, were killed as Israeli warplanes struck the al-Bureij neighborhood. The two were identified by Ma’an as Mazen al-Hadba…

Police Monday morning have said that three of the six suspects arrested over the murder of Arab teen Mohammed Abu-Khder have admitted to the crime, and have even reenacted it for police. The development came after one of the suspects admitted to the murder soon after being arrested on Sunday. After confessing he also apparently…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visited the homes of the three murdered Israeli teens Naftali Frenkel, Eyal Yifrah and Gilad Sha’ar on Sunday; the three were abducted and murdered by Hamas terrorists on June 12. While there with his wife Sarah, Netanyahu gave the Sha’ar, Yifrah and Frenkel families the book “Yoni’s Letters,” a collection of…

Terrorists in the Hamas stronghold of Gaza continue to launch rockets at civilian populations in southern Israel on Monday, after a 24-hour ultimatum issued by Israel last Thursday came and went unheeded, and Israel Air Force (IAF) airstrikes Sunday night merely elicited more threats. Two rockets were launched early on Monday morning at the Eshkol…

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), which has in recent days expanded its hold after capturing large portions of Iraq last month, and last Sunday declared itself an Islamic “caliphate,” has threatened foreign journalists with death if they dare write against the Islamist group. The message was written on a Twitter account associated with ISIS, which…

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) conducted an airstrike against three terror targets in northern Gaza on Monday afternoon, the IDF Spokesperson’s Office announced.  “The IDF is prepared to defend the citizens of Israel from any threat and will continue to act decisively and as long as necessary until peace returns to daily life,” the statement…

A senior Hamas source spoke to Walla! news on Monday, revealing the conditions his terrorist organization demands from Israel in order to stop the recent round of terror against Israeli civilians, in which over 120 rockets have been fired on Israel from Gaza since last Wednesday. According to the source, Hamas will not follow Israel’s condition of…

Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry arrived in Israel on Sunday to sign an Industrial RD (Research and Development) Collaboration Agreement with Israel, making the Jewish state the first country Japan has signed such an agreement with. Toshimitsu Motegi, the Japanese minister, met with Economics Minister Naftali Bennett while accompanied by a delegation of…

Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi David Lau on Monday condemned the murder of Mohammed Abu Khder, an Arab teenager from Jerusalem who was found burned to death last Wednesday. Rabbi Lau’s statements, made at the start of a Chief Rabbinate Council meeting, came in response to reports Monday morning that three of the six suspects who were…

There is tension in the political and miltary air as the possibility of a concentrated Israeli strike on Gaza is becoming more realistic in recent days.  Photos by Flash 90, approved for publication by the IDF, show a gathering of tanks, APCs and ground forces, identified as a Bedouin unit, on the outskirts of Gaza.…

Rioting in Israel’s Arab towns continued into Sunday evening, in the fifth straight day of mayhem sparked by the murder of Muhammad Abu Khder, 16, of Shuafat. “Since the events began, more than 100 suspects have been arrested,” said Police Commissioner Lt. Gen. Yohanan Danino Sunday. “We still have no completed the arrests, and we…

The secular town of Ro’i in the Jordan Valley has chosen a unique way to mark its 37th birthday: by building its first synagogue. With the help of the Ayelet HaShachar organization, the synagogue was up and running this past Friday, just  in time for the first Sabbath of its 38th year. It was dedicated to the…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the Palestinian Authority (PA) must locate the terrorists who abducted and murdered three Jewish teens on June 12, just as Israel located and arrested the suspected murderers of Arab teen Mohammed Khder of Shuafat in just a few days. Netanyahu was visiting the Frenkel family in Nof Ayalon.…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas spoke to the chairman of the Hamas political bureau, Khaled Meshaal, on Sunday, and asked him to calm the situation in Gaza. Abbas asked Meshaal to avoid escalation of the situation, which would give Israel an excuse to launch an operation in Gaza.  Meshaal reportedly told Abbas that he…

Chaos continued in Jerusalem Saturday night, as attacks on Israeli Jews escalated in neighborhoods near Arab rioting. A group of Arabs hurled rocks at a young couple outside Jerusalem’s Old City on Saturday night, Walla! reports. The husband took out his gun and fired in the air, causing the assailants to flee; his wife suffered light…

A third possible suspect in the abduction and murder of Naftali Frenkel (16), Gilad Sha’ar (16), and Eyal Yifrah (19) was arrested Sunday, after a news expose revealed the man’s connection to the case.  Undercover police officers arrested Hamas member and suspect Hussam Dufash early Sunday morning, Walla! News reports, after the news agency reported Friday that…

Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie and 36 other supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi got life sentences Saturday in Cairo, CNN reported. The defendants are accused of inciting violence. An additional 10 defendants sentenced to death in June have had their sentences upheld by Egypt’s Grand Mufti, who, by law, must review capital punishment…

The Israel Air Force (IAF) on Saturday night launched airstrikes on ten targets in Gaza, in retaliation for the endless rocket attacks by Gazan terrorists on southern Israel. According to a statement from the IDF, the targets included concealed rocket launchers and a weapons manufacturing site. “The IDF is prepared to defend the citizens of…

The average salary in Israel in April 2014 was NIS 9,271, with 3,226,000 people employed, the Central Bureau of Statistics said Sunday. The average salary during the period was up 0.8% over the figures for the same period in 2013, the data showed. Out of those employed, the data showed, 2.1 million (65.1%) were employees…

President Shimon Peres addressed the tense security situation across Israel on Sunday, vowing both to bring the perpetrators of the abduction and murder of an Arab teenager to justice and to push for deterrence against Hamas.  “Mohammed Abu Khder was murdered horribly,” Peres began. The 16 year-old’s body was found last week in the Jerusalem…

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni (HaTnua) made a surprising statement regarding Israel’s security situation Sunday, calling for Israel to crush Hamas in Gaza after news surfaced that 110 rockets have been fired in a four-day period.  “First of all, according to the international community’s view against Hamas, we must act forcefully,” Livni stated, in an IDF…

A total of 110 rockets have hit Israel over the past 5 days, the Home Front Command and IDF announced Sunday, bringing the total this month to 135.  Of those, 21 were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, according to AFP.  Statistics on the deluge of rocket fire from Hamas-controlled Gaza surface just days…

The United States said Saturday it was “profoundly concerned” over reports that a US citizen detained in Israel was “severely beaten” by police whilst taking part in a violent riot in Jerusalem. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States “strongly condemn(s) any excessive use of force,” in the wake of Tariq Khdeir’s case.…

Jewish Home Chairman and Economics Minister Naftali Bennett blasted Israel’s “weak” policy toward rocket fire from Gaza on Saturday night, in the wake of escalation of the attacks and a near-miss in Be’er Sheva.  “The strategy of ‘we will answer quiet with quiet’ harms Israel’s deterrence and allows Hamas to grow stronger from round to…

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) sharply criticized Israeli government policy on Saturday, insisting that it is responsible for the current salvo of rocket fire from Gaza.  “The policy of all governments since Hamas took power in Gaza is the wrong policy,” Katz began. “The security system has also become too conservative, and [neither] has come and…

Former military intelligence chief  Amos Yadlin rejected criticism over a lack of deterrence against Hamas on Saturday, insisting that the only reason rockets have not reached Be’er Sheva and Tel Aviv is due to the threat of IAF retaliation.  “It is not true that there is no deterrence,” Yadlin stated. “Hamas can fire hundreds of…

Rioting by Arab extremists spread to Israel’s north on Saturday, amid increased rocket fire from Gaza and a tense security situation throughout the country. Saturday afternoon, riots erupted outside the Arab village of Arara (south of Umm-Al-Fahm; just outside 1949 Armistice lines), with a violent mob attacking Israel police forces. Two men were arrested.  In…

Fifteen rockets and mortar rounds were fired at Israel on Saturday from Gaza, according to IDF sources, lightly wounding one soldier and sending tens of thousands of Israeli civilians into bomb shelters. Most of the rockets fell in the Eshkol region; however, two reached as far as Be’ersheva. Of those two, one was shot down…

Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday ordered a senior regional party official to resign after pictures apparently showed him drinking alcohol, AFP reported. Mustafa Celebi, the head of the AKP in a district of the southwestern Mugla province, can be seen in photos posted on social…

Jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) seized an eastern Syrian oil field near Iraq and inched closer to the Turkish border on Friday, The Associated Press (AP) reported. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that fighters from the group seized the al-Tanak oil field early Friday. Another group,…

France has joined other nations in bolstering security at its airports, in line with a U.S. request to enhance screening for direct U.S. flights, aviation officials told AFP on Friday. The new measures “will be carried out in a way to limit as much as possible inconvenience to passengers, however delays are possible,” the DGAC…

Norway’s Foreign Minister on Friday warned against an escalation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), and also made sure to point a finger at Israel as “an occupying power”. “The events of the last few days clearly show how quickly the current tense situation could spiral out of control. I urge both the Israelis…

Intelligence and Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said on Friday that Israel does not expect world powers to reach a nuclear agreement with Iran by the July 20 deadline. Speaking to the Reuters news agency as Iran and the West gathered for another round of talks aimed at ending the international dispute over Iran’s nuclear…

Clashes broke out Friday night between masked Arabs and security forces in eastern Jerusalem. The clashes took place in the neighborhoods of Shuafat, Isawiyya, Wadi Joz, Abu-Tor and Umm Tuba. During the clashes in Shuafat, the rioters tried to damage an electricity pole using an electric disc. The forces are using riot dispersal means to…

The rocket fire from Gaza continued Friday night, as at least six rockets exploded in the Eshkol Regional Council in southern Israel. All rockets exploded in open areas, causing no physical injuries or damages. The latest attack brings the total number of rockets fired from Gaza on Friday to at least 23. Eight rockets were…

The United Kingdom drew up plans to train and equip a 100,000-strong Syrian rebel army to defeat President Bashar Al-Assad, the BBC reported on Thursday. The secret initiative, put forward two years ago, was the brainchild of the then most senior UK military officer, General Sir David Richards. It was considered by Prime Minister David…

Israeli Air Force (IAF) aircraft struck three terrorist targets in southern Gaza on Friday evening, the IDF said in a statement. The airstrikes came after terrorists from Gaza fired 17 rockets towards southern Israel throughout the day, of which eight were fired in the afternoon hours. “The IDF is prepared to defend the citizens of…

Rocket fire from Gaza onto southern Israel continued on Friday afternoon, amid reports that Egypt is mediating a potential ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. At least eight Kassam rockets were fired towards Israel during the course of Friday afternoon, among them two rockets that were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system over the city…

The steady escalation of rocket fire from terrorists in Gaza continued Friday morning, despite the IDF’s ultimatum to Hamas the previous night to stop the rocket fire within 48 hours or else it would launch an attack. Five rockets were fired in the morning towards the Gaza Belt area and Sderot. Three of them exploded…

An anonymous American Jew has donated a Torah scroll for the merit of the souls of Eyal Yifrah (19), Naftali Frenkel (16) and Gilad Sha’ar (16), the three Israeli teens abducted and murdered by Hamas terrorists on June 12. The bodies of the three teens were found north of Hevron on Monday, and on Tuesday…

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday urged international donors to increase funding for the Palestinian Authority (PA) to aid “Palestinian reform efforts,” indicating the new Fatah-Hamas unity government. IMF mission chief Christoph Duenwald said the PA is “doing a commendable job” of managing its economy, but that the global donor community needs to fill…

The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, left the door open Thursday to stepped-up U.S. military involvement in Iraq if the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) poses a threat to the United States. “Assessing and advising and enabling are very different words than attacking, defeating and disrupting,”…

Czech Police have announced their decision to shelve the investigation into the blast that killed the Palestinian Authority ambassador to the Czech Republic, Jamal al-Jamal, after the investigators concluded that no crime or deliberated assassination was committed. The decision to call off the investigation was made in a joint statement issued by the Czech Police…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) released harsh criticism against the government’s response to Hamas on Friday, amid a constant barrage of rocket fire and rumors of peace being brokered through Egypt. “These quiet messages we send to Hamas offering a ceasefire are a huge mistake,” Liberman said Friday while visiting the city of Sderot.…

Arab rioters attacked police on the Temple Mount Friday afternoon, unimpeded by restrictions imposed on Muslim worshipers to access Judaism’s holiest site due to ongoing violent riots in Jerusalem.  Police have begun riot control measures on the site, according to Yediot Aharonoth, including using stun grenades to handle the unruly mob. Multiple stun grenade explosions were heard…

As Israel is engulfed by rocket fire from Gaza and massive violent mob riots in Jerusalem and Shechem (Nablus), another terror front continues to rage on as the daily fires, suspected as being arson attacks, made landfall near Haifa on Friday. A massive fire burst out in a thorn field adjacent to the train tracks between Atlit…

In addition to the two Hamas terrorists identified by the IDF as being behind the murder of Naftali Frenkel, Eyal Yifrah and Gilad Sha’ar on June 12, another Hamas terrorist has been missing since the night of the abduction, Arab sources reported Friday.  Sources in Hevron told Walla! that the third Hamas terrorist, Hussam Dufash of…

Egypt is mediating a potential ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on Friday, even as terrorists in the Hamas-enclave of Gaza continued its massive rocket barrage on southern Israel.  “There are continuing Egyptian efforts to return calm to the Gaza Strip, but no agreement has been reached yet,” a Hamas official told AFP, on condition of anonymity. Hamas “told the Egyptian…

The mother of murdered 16 year-old Arab teen Mohammed Abu Khder is in the spotlight again Friday, this time for supporting “revenge” on Israelis in the form of violent rioting and a barrage of rockets from Gaza.   The mother of the boy said in a newspaper interview that the rise in Arab terror demonstrates “concern…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction has launched a full campaign calling for a violent “revolution” against Israel, following the abduction and murder of a young Arab resident of Jerusalem on Wednesday. The murder of Mohammed Abu-Khder (16) has been jumped upon by many claiming it was Jewish “revenge” for the murder of…

Palestinian sources cited by Walla reported that Israel has delivered an ultimatum to Hamas to stop rocket fire from Gaza within 48 hours. Otherwise, Israel warned, it intends to launch an attack on Gaza. The sources said that the threat was delivered by Egyptian Intelligence to the head of Hamas’s political bureau, Musa Abu Marzuk,…

Family members of Shelly Dadon, the 19-year-old from Afula who was murdered on May 1, traveled to the town of Elad on Thursday to make a consolation visit to the family of Eyal Yifrah, himself a 19-year-old who was murdered by Hamas terrorists on June 12. The family of Yifrah, who was abducted and murdered…

Over 15 rockets, part of the roughly 40 that have been fired from Gaza in the last two days, were fired at southern Israel in a salvo Thursday afternoon that, causing two fires to break out. One of the rockets fell right next to a kibbutz in the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council area, and another…

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) continues to roll forward, adding to its collection of captured resources the Al-Omar Oil Field, the largest oil field in Syria located in the eastern Deir al-Zour province of the war-torn country, near the Iraqi border. The Islamist group has already amassed great assets during its…

Footage posted online shows the extent of the rioting yesterday (Wednesday) by Arab extremists in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat, following the murder of an Arab teenager. Rioting continued Thursday. Rioters spent Wednesday clashing with police after 16-year-old Mohammed Abu-Khder was abducted and murdered by unknown assailants. Although police have cautioned that they are yet…

Despite Wednesday’s riots by Arabs in Jerusalem, the IDF continued with its campaign of searching for the murderers of Israeli teens Eyal Yifrah, Naftali Frenkel, and Gilad Sha’ar, and dismantling the infrastructure of Hamas, the terror group responsible for the kidnapping and murder of the teens. Overnight Wednesday, the IDF said that it had arrested…

A Kassam rocket fired by Gaza Arab terrorists struck a building in Sderot Thursday morning. No one was injured, but a home suffered extensive damage. The home is being used this summer as the base for a summer day camp. Miraculously, the rocket did not explode, and all the damage was sustained from the impact…

Students at the Technion said Wednesday that they did not accept an “apology” by Murad Abu al-Hija, whose infamous Facebook post praising the murderers of Israeli teens Eyal Yifrah (19), Naftali Frenkel (16), and Gilad Sha’ar (16) got him in into hot water. Technion student Moshe Stern said that there had been “thousands of negative…

The UN Security Council on Wednesday night condemned the killing of an Arab teen found in a Jerusalem forest earlier Wednesday. “The members of the Security Council expressed profound sorrow and condemned in the strongest terms the abduction and killing of a Palestinian teenager from East Jerusalem on July 2,” the 15-nation council said,adding that…

Kassam rocket fire continued to rain down on southern Israel Thursday morning, as at least six rockets fired by Gaza Arab terrorists hit areas within Israel. Two of the rockets fired Thursday morning were deflected by Iron Dome missiles. The others fell in open areas. No injuries or damage were reported. Overnight Thursday, several other…

The Islamic Jihad terrorist group said on Wednesday that “settlers” were a “legitimate target” for “the resistance”, the Ma’an news agency reported. In a statement, Islamic Jihad held Israeli authorities and the army responsible for what it said were “continuous attacks on Palestinians, their lands and religious sites.” The statement condemned the “crime” of the…

Four IDF combat soldiers were sent to jail on Thursday morning for posting Facebook pictures of themselves with a written message calling to eliminate terrorists, as part of a massive protest by hundreds of soldiers since the bodies of the three teens were found on Monday. The soldiers, who were all members of the Netzah…

Israel carried out a troop deployment towards the Gaza border on Thursday, as rockets from the Hamas enclave continue to fall in a recent escalation of attacks. “We are moving and we have moved forces in order to serve defense activities and forward preparation, but we have no interest in escalation,” IDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner…

In a little-noticed report on Channel Two Wednesday night, analyst and reporter Moshe Nussbaum presented information which could upend the police inquiry into the murder of Muhammad Abu Khadr, the Beit Hanina youth whose burned body was found in the Jerusalem Forest early Wednesday. In the report, Nussbaum cites contradictory statements by the youth’s parents,…

The Shurat Hadin (Israel Law Center) organization on Thursday sent a letter to Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon and to heads of IDF units in Judea and Samaria demanding that they immediately expel Hamas’ top leadership who are located in the region. “All of the Hamas leadership, whether they are Palestinian Authority parliament members, ministers, or…

The IDF is planning to use a “strong hand” against soldiers it finds out have called for revenge in the wake of the murders of Israeli teens Eyal Yifrah, Naftali Frenkel, and Gilad Sha’ar. The decision was made Wednesday, after reports emerged that an Arab teen had been killed and hundreds of people had marched…

The Arab rioting Wednesday in northern and eastern parts of Jerusalem is likely to have a long-term negative economic impact on the communities where the rioters themselves live. During the course of the rioting, Arabs severely damaged three stations of the light rail system – and officials say it will likely take months to repair them. As…

The United States condemned the killing of a Palestinian Arab teenager on Wednesday, assuming that Israelis did kill the teen in an apparent “revenge killing” as has been claimed by the Palestinian Authority (PA).  “There are no words to convey adequately our condolences to the Palestinian people,” Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement. President Barack…

A total of twenty rockets have been fired at Israel from Gaza since early Wednesday, with fifteen fired in the past three hours.  Hamas terrorists have fired 18 mortar shells and two Kassam rocket into the Eshkol and Sha’ar HaNegev regions Wednesday. No damage and no injuries have been reported.  Two additional rockets were fired…

Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon (Likud) called on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to fire Justice Minister Tzipi Livni (HaTnua) on Wednesday and proceed with a full-scale war on terror.  “Netanyahu must dismiss Tzipi Livni and lead the Israeli government in a determined struggle against the real aggressor, Hamas,” Danon declared.   “Tzipi Livni, who still…

Riots continue in Jerusalem on Wednesday, as dozens of Arab extremists are hurling projectiles at Israeli police after three light rail stops ablaze Wednesday morning in outrage over the murder of a 16-year-old Israeli Arab.  The blazes were set in Shuafat, Asa-El and Beit Hanina, prompting the closure of the light rail in the and…

The international operation to destroy Syrian chemical weapons entered its final phase on Wednesday, with the stockpile being loaded onto a U.S. military ship equipped to dispose of them. According to AFP, hundreds of tons of mustard gas and ingredients to make Sarin nerve gas were transferred from a Danish freighter in the southern Italian…

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is increasing security measures at airports overseas amid deepening concerns that terrorists in war-ravaged Syria are trying to develop a new generation of bombs that could be smuggled onto commercial planes, ABC News reported. In a statement Wednesday afternoon, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said his department has been…

Israel Air Force (IAF) aircraft targeted 15 terror sites in Gaza on Wednesday night. According to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, the airstrikes targeted concealed rocket launchers, training compounds and weapons storage sites, all of which belong to the Hamas terrorist group. The statement said that the airstrikes were in retaliation for the latest escalation in…

An Arab medical student from the Technion in Haifa published a clarification on Wednesday, after he provoked outrage over a celebratory status on Facebook related to the murder of the three Israeli teenagers by terrorists. The student wrote “3 goals for Palestine without taking part in the World Cup,” along with the photos of the…

A rocket fired by Gaza terrorists on Wednesday night, shortly before 1:00 a.m. exploded near a home in the city of Sderot and caused it minor damages. The rocket hit a local power line and caused blackouts in parts of the city, but there were no reports of physical injuries. Two other rockets exploded in…

Rabbi David Lau, the Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel, on Wednesday called on Israelis to exercise restraint amid calls for revenge on Arabs over the murder of three Israeli teenagers by Hamas terrorists. “The discourse about revenge is wrong morally, ethically and halakhically,” said Rabbi Lau. “We have to trust that the security forces will…

The Deputy Mayor of Elad, the hometown of abducted and murdered Eyal Yifrah (19) which is located to the east of Tel Aviv, spoke to Arutz Sheva on Wednesday about the massive funeral held for him, along with Naftali Frenkel (16) and Gilad Sha’ar (16) the day before. Tzuriel Krispel, the Deputy Mayor, noted “we truly had…

Deputy Minister Ofir Akunis (Likud) gave a speech in New York on Tuesday, at an event in honor of Gilad Sha’ar (16), Naftali Frenkel (16) and Eyal Yifrah (19), the three youths abducted and murdered by Hamas terrorists on June 12 who were buried side-by-side in Modi’in yesterday. “It is Israel’s right to defend itself, and…

An Amnesty International report released on Tuesday reveals that Lebanon has been implementing a discriminatory practice, blocking entry for “Palestinians” – descendants of Arab residents who left Israel in 1948 – who are fleeing the bloody conflict in Syria. The report notes that while “Palestinian refugees” from Syria need to meet conditions for temporary residence in or…

Security forces on Tuesday night demolished the home of Ziyad Awad, the terrorist who was freed in the 2011 Gilad Shalit deal and murdered Chief Superintendent Baruch Mizrahi Hy”d in April. Some news reports claim that only a part of the home was blown up. The IDF Spokesperson Unit released in a statement that the…

Israel police said they were investigating reports of a kidnapping and confirmed finding a body, but have refused to say whether the two incidents were connected. “In the early hours of Wednesday morning, police received a report of a person being forced into a car in Beit Hanina,” police spokeswoman Luba Samri told AFP, referring to a well-heeled east Jerusalem…

The jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on Tuesday seized control of the key Syrian border town of Albu Kamal after a fierce three-day battle with rival fighters, AFP reported. A spokesman for rebels fighting ISIS as well as President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime said the jihadists took the town after pouring in reinforcements…

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is warning Iran that a nuclear deal is still possible, but time is running out. In an editorial piece which appeared in The Washington Post on Monday, Kerry wrote, “All along, these negotiations have been about a choice for Iran’s leaders. They can agree to the steps necessary to…

Twenty firefighting teams and six firefighting planes were sent to the moshav of Even Sapir on Wednesday, after another brushfire broke out near the town, which is close to Jerusalem.  The fire began in a plastics factory on the moshav, according to ZAKA, and all residents near the fire have been evacuated.  Firefighting teams have…

New York State Assemblyman David Weprin has added his voice to the wave of international condemnation following the murder of three Israeli teens. “Over the past three weeks, the nation of Israel, as well as people worldwide, have witnessed an unspeakable tragedy befall three boys, Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel, and Eyal Yifrach,” said Weprin in a…

Over 100,000 people visited a memorial tent in New York City for the 20th anniversary of the death of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Rebbe of Lubavitch, the New York Police Department said Tuesday.  Throngs of both Israeli and Diaspora Jews flocked to the gravesite, or ‘Ohel’, in Queens Tuesday, to give over personal prayers in…

A 2.5-year-old infant girl who complained to her parents of strong stomach pains was brought late Tuesday night to the emergency room of the Dana Children’s Hospital in Tel Aviv. Upon arriving, the parents related how they tried to feed their daughter and put her to bed, but as time passed and the girl’s pain…

A Palestinian Authority (PA) source told a Hamas newspaper that Egypt is in contact with Israel in an attempt to stop the Jewish state from conducting a counter-terror operation in the Hamas enclave of Gaza. Speaking to the Hamas paper Al-Risala, the source said that in recent days Egypt had received requests from PA Chairman Mahmoud…

Speaking to Arab clerics in their own language, rabbis of the Derech Emunah (“Way of Faith”) organization on Wednesday dispatched a letter in Arabic to about 50 Muslim clerics, heads of mosques and universities in major Arab towns and villages. In the letter, the rabbis described the pain felt by Jews because of the abduction…

The US State Department on Tuesday commented on the murder of three Israeli teens, on the same day the funeral for the three was held in the attendance of hundreds and thousands of Israelis. State Department spokesperson Marie Harf struck a cautious tone over who was to blame for the kidnapping, asserting that “the investigation…

An IDF Spokesperson statement was released on Tuesday night, summarizing Operation Brother’s Keeper which attempted to rescue the three kidnapped teens whose bodies were found Monday, and who were buried earlier on Tuesday. The statement reports that since the Operation began late on the night of June 12, when Hamas terrorists abducted the teens and,…

Just hours after eulogizing Eyal Yifrah (19), Naftali Frenkel (16) and Gilad Sha’ar (16) at their funeral in Modi’in on Tuesday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu gave another speech in the city, in which he elaborated Israel’s course of action in responding to the murder. “We are united against terrorism firmly and strongly,” said Netanyahu, who…

Terrorists from Gaza launched a salvo of mortar shells towards the Eshkol Regional Council on Tuesday, during the very hours that hundreds of thousands attended a funeral in Modi’in for the three teens who were abducted and murdered by Hamas terrorists on June 12. Five mortars were fired from Gaza according to Yedioth Aharonoth, which noted…

The U.S. ship MV Cape Ray arrived on Tuesday in the southern Italian port of Gioia Tauro for the transfer and destruction of about 1,300 tons of Syrian chemical weapons, reports The Associated Press (AP). The 648-foot (197.5-meter) U.S. government cargo ship has been fitted with two machines designed to neutralize the most toxic chemicals,…

The United Nations Security Council unanimously condemned on Tuesday the murders of three Israeli youths by Hamas terrorists. “The members of the Security Council expressed their profound outrage at and condemned in the strongest terms the killing of three teenagers,” said a statement released by the Security Council. The members of the Security Council “extended…

Hundreds of Israelis demonstrated on Tuesday evening as the Security Cabinet was meeting in Tel Aviv, demanding that the government approve an extensive military operation to topple Hamas. “Israel’s power of deterrence has broken down and we must strengthen it again,” said the protesters, among whom were secular and religious Israelis, residents of Tel Aviv,…

Deputy Transportation Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud Beytenu) on Tuesday said it was time to “change the rules of the game” following the murder of the three Israeli teenagers by Hamas terrorists. Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Hotovely said that increased construction in Judea and Samaria and targeted killings of terrorists were no longer sufficient as responses,…

Video footage reveals that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) has transferred some of the advanced weaponry it has captured in its blitz conquest of Iraq to Syria – weaponry which includes long range Scud missiles. ISIS, which on Sunday declared itself an Islamic “caliphate” and proclaimed its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as…

South Korea said Tuesday it is considering offers from plane giants Airbus and Boeing as well as Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to provide air refueling tankers in a deal estimated to be worth $1.38 billion. The Defense Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA) said it has accepted the bids from the three companies with a goal to…

Terrorists from Hamas-controlled Gaza fired at least four rockets at southern Israel Tuesday morning, reported Voice of Israel public radio. No one was reported hurt. The Color Red siren sounded in several communities in the Shaar Hanegev, Sderot and Hof Ashkelon regions. The rockets exploded in open, uninhabited areas. One of them blew up at…

The families of murdered yeshiva boys Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Sha’ar and Eyal Yifrah have agreed to hold a joint funeral for the three and to bury them side by side in Modiin, according to Channel 1. The funerals are expected to take place Tuesday afternoon. Authorities have just announced, as of 10 am Tuesday, that…

A new incident involving the alleged abduction of a Jewish victim took place Monday night, shortly after it was announced that the bodies of three abducted yeshiva boys had been found. Police suspect, however, that the alleged victim, a 21-year-old woman, may not have been abducted at all . The police’s 100 hotline received a…

The Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah is reportedly anticipating a large scale Israeli military assault in the wake of the murder of three yeshiva boys, with PA head Mahmoud Abbas attempting to forestall such a move. According to Sky News in Arabic, Abbas has been conducting “feverish” communications with the United States and other countries,…

Voice of Israel public radio reported Tuesday that the administration at Haifa’s Technion university is considering disiplinary measure against an Arab medical student from northern Israel who posted a celebratory status to Facebook after the bodies of three Jewish teenagers were found Monday. The student wrote: “3 goals for Palestine without taking part in the…

Chairman of the Knesset Committee for Foreign Affairs and Defense, MK Ze’ev Elkin (Likud) called for the death penalty for the murderers of Naftali Frenkel (16), Gilad Sha’ar (16), and Eyal Yifrah (19) Tuesday, as part of efforts to increase deterrence against Palestinian Arab terrorism. Speaking with Voice of Israel public radio Tuesday, Elkin called for the…

While the Obama administration struggles to speed up delivery of U.S. military assistance to the government of Iraq, Vladimir Putin has already delivered not only fighter jets but also the pilots needed to fly them, diplomatic sources told The Daily Beast. On Monday, Russian television reported the arrival of the first five of 12 promised…

Forensic findings on the body of one of the three teenage boys abducted and murdered on June 12 show that the boy put up “meaningful resistance” to his attackers, reported news site Walla on Tuesday, citing a source who was involved in the process of identifying the bodies of the teens. According to an IDF…

As questions linger after the horrific murders of abducted yeshiva students Naftali Frenkel (16), Gilad Sha’ar (16), and Eyal Yifrah (19) linger, one group of pioneers came up with its own Zionist answer Monday: building more Jewish homes.  Activists from Women in Green joined a group of Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria to form…

The IDF launched extensive airstrikes in Gaza on Monday night, hitting more than 30 targets in the Hamas-controlled region. The IDF said in a statement that 34 terrorist targets throughout the region were targeted in the strikes. The statement noted that the airstrikes were in retaliation for rocket fire on southern Israel. “The IDF will…

Hours after the bodies of Eyal Yifrah, Gilad Sha’ar and Naftali Frenkel were found, some details are emerging as to how security forces were able to locate the bodies. Israeli media reported on Monday that the IDF was assisted in the search operation by local guides who know the region well and who offered their…

Gaza terrorists continued their assault on southern Israel on Monday night, firing two mortar shells towards the Eshkol region. One of the shells exploded inside a community, causing damage to a building. One woman was treated for shock. The second shell exploded in an open region, causing no physical injuries or damages. The mortar shell…

The tragic end to the kidnapping of the three Israeli teenagers should also spell the end for Hamas, Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon (Likud Beytenu) said Monday evening. “This tragic end should also be the end of Hamas!” Danon said, hours after the bodies of Gilad Sha’ar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrah were found. “The…

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday condemned the murders of Israeli teenagers Eyal Yifrah, Gilad Sha’ar and Naftali Frenkel, while Israel’s ambassador to the UN called on the Security Council to issue a condemnation as well. “The Secretary-General condemns in the strongest terms the murder of the three Israeli teenagers abducted on 12…

The IDF demolished overnight Monday the homes of the two main suspects in the kidnapping and killing of three young Israelis, witnesses told AFP. The witnesses said the houses of Marwan Kawasmeh and Amar Abu-Eisha in Hevron were blown up, in what a human rights group said was the first punitive demolition since Israel halted…

A rocket fired by Gaza terrorists exploded on Monday night in an open area in the Eshkol Regional Council. There were no physical injuries or damages. The attack is the latest in a barrage of rockets fired towards southern Israel in recent days. A total of 15 rockets were fired at Israel by Gaza terrorists…

A meeting of the Israeli Security Cabinet on Monday night, in which possible responses to the murder of the three Israeli teenagers were discussed, ended without a consensus. The Cabinet is expected to re-convene on Tuesday morning, reported Channel 2 News. According to the report, during the discussion a dispute arose over the nature of…

U.S. President Barack Obama condemned on Monday the murder of Israeli teenagers Eyal Yifrah (19), Naftali Frenkel (16), and Gilad Sha’ar (16), but also called on both sides not to take steps “that could further destabilize the situation.” “On behalf of the American people I extend my deepest and heartfelt condolences to the families of…

In a tragic end to an intensive search by the IDF, intelligence services and police, it has been released for publication this evening (Monday) that IDF forces have discovered the bodies of the three teenagers abducted 18 days ago as they hitchhiked home near the town of Alon Shvut in the Gush Etzion region.  Eyal…

French President Francois Hollande on Monday led foreign leaders in condemning the “cowardly murder” of three Israeli teenagers whose bodies were found near Hevron three weeks after they went missing.     Hollande “strongly condemns the cowardly murder of Eyal Ifrach, Naftali Frankel and Gilad Shaer and offers his sincere condolences to their families as…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu released an official response to the murder of abducted Israeli teens Gilad Sha’ar (16), Naftali Frenkel (16), and Eyal Yifrah (19) on Monday, expressing grief and vowing revenge.  “With a heavy heart, we have found tonight three bodies, and all of the information we have indicates that these are the bodies…

The Hamas terrorist group has warned it will “open the gates of hell” if Israel sought to escalate its operation against the Islamist group in response to the murder of the three Israeli teenagers whose bodies were found this afternoon. “If the occupiers carry out an escalation or a war, they will open the gates…

MKs have begun to issue reactions to the IDF’s announcement that the bodies of Naftali Frenkel (16), Gilad Sha’ar (16), and Eyal Yifrah (19) were found on Monday night, with many calling for revenge against Hamas.  “The murderers of children cannot be called ‘human beings’ – we will pursue them until they are destroyed,” Deputy…

In the wake of the discovery of the bodies of three kidnapped Israel teens, business as usual at the Knesset is suspended for the time being. Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein canceled all regular Knesset sessions through at least Tuesday morning, and all votes that were scheduled for Monday are to be postponed. Edelstein had already…

Yohai Damai, head of the Hevron Hills Regional Council, emotionally decried the murders of Israeli teens Eyal Yifrah (19), Naftali Frenkel (16), and Gilad Sha’ar (16). The three were found in the area of Halhoul, located in the jurisdiction of the regional council. “They murdered our sons,” Damai said. “We cannot remain silent. These murderers…

IDF forces are currently conducting heavy sweeps of the northern Hevron Hills area, eyewitnesses say, in the ongoing search for kidnapped teens Naftali Frenkel (16), Gilad Sha’ar (16), Eyal Yifrah (19). At least one report claims that several Palestinian Arab terrorists have clashed with the large scale IDF forces in the area. Additional information cannot…

A total of 15 rockets were fired at Israel by Gaza terrorists overnight and on Monday morning, marking the latest recent missile barrage since the abduction of three teens by Hamas terrorists on June 12. In the early morning eight rockets fell in uninhabited areas in the Eshkol Regional Council area; no injuries or damage…

The Obama administration is concerned that terrorists in war-ravaged Syria are trying to develop a new generation of bombs that could be smuggled onto commercial planes, ABC News reported on Sunday. As a result, Washington may ask overseas partners to enhance security measures at airports and is weighing whether to do the same at home,…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday received a letter from Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan regarding the kidnapping of the three Israeli teenagers by Hamas terrorists. In the letter, Jonathan condemned the abduction of the three youths and demanded their unconditional release. “On behalf of the government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu asked the international community on Sunday to support Jordan in the fight against “Islamic extremism” and to back the independence of Iraq’s Kurds, AFP reports. “We need to support efforts by the international community to strengthen Jordan and support the aspirations of the Kurds for independence,” Netanyahu said in a speech…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued sharp criticism against Israeli Arab leaders Monday, over their failure to condemn the abduction of three Israeli teens – more than two weeks after the fact. “Our effort to return the kidnapped boys home, safe and sound, continues – and we are not sparing any effort [in this regard],” Netanyahu…

Hadas Mizrahi, the widow of slain Commander Baruch Mizrahi hy”d, defended the State of Israel’s decision to demolish the home of her husband’s murderer at a Supreme Court hearing Monday afternoon.  “We are talking about suicide,” she said, referring to a petition to prevent the demolition. “Look at us. We are innocent people who are…

Europe’s top rights court will rule Tuesday whether France’s controversial burqa ban is “degrading” and a breach of religious freedom in a case brought by a woman described as a “perfect French citizen”. The 24-year-old university graduate has requested anonymity because of concern over the reaction to her lawsuit in France, where the law banning…

As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins, further restrictions have been imposed on Jews wishing to ascend the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site. On Sunday morning, police announced that the Mount would only be open for a few hours in the morning for Jews and tourists to visit, with the rest of the day…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu responded Monday to the barrage of 15 rockets since Sunday night, which Israel said were fired by Hamas terrorists for the first time since the 2012 Operation Pillar of Defense. Speaking in a Security Committee discussion, Netanyahu said “we are defending ourselves from the (rocket) firing attempts and firing towards Israel; yesterday…

An IAF drone aircraft fired a missile Sunday evening at a terror cell that was making final preparations to launch a rocket at Israel, the IDF Spokesman said. “The IDF will continue to act with determination, and to any extent necessary, against every element, until quiet and routine life is restored to the citizens of…

US President Barack Obama warned that “battle-hardened” Europeans who embrace jihad in Syria and Iraq threaten the United States because their passports mean they can enter the country without a visa. Nearly 800 French citizens have spent time fighting in Syria’s civil war, most of them fighting for the radical Islamic State of Iraq and…

Gaza terrorists peppered southern Israel with rocket fire aimed at the town of Netivot Sunday evening. No one was hurt and no damage was reported. Two of the rockets, reported to be Grad Katyushas, were intercepted by Iron Dome batteries stationed near the town. The four others fell in uninhabited and empty areas and did…

The Israeli cabinet on Sunday approved a $90 million dollar socio-economic development plan for Jerusalem which focuses on increased security and police presence in the area, the municipality said. “One of the main goals of the plan that was approved is to bring about a significant decline in violence by means of integrated activity to…

Ahmed Abu Khattala, the Libyan charged in the 2012 Benghazi attacks, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy Saturday a federal courtroom in Washington, The Associated Press (AP) reports. In a 10-minute hearing held amid tight security, Abu Khattala spoke just two words, both in Arabic. He replied “yes” when asked to swear to tell the truth…

Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Sunday warned that the crisis in Iraq could affect the entire region, reports the Jordan Times. Speaking with a delegation of lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives, the King renewed Jordan’s keenness on the territorial integrity of Iraq and its call for a comprehensive political solution to the ongoing…

Terrorists from Gaza fired two rockets towards the Eshkol Regional Council in southern Israel on Sunday night. The rockets exploded in open areas, causing no physical injuries or damages. The “Red Alert” siren was heard in the region before the rockets exploded. The attack is a continuation of the recent escalation in rocket attacks on…

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), the jihadist group which has seized territory in Iraq and Syria, on Sunday declared itself an Islamic “caliphate” and called on factions worldwide to pledge their allegiance, Reuters reported, citing a statement posted on Islamist websites and Twitter. According to the report, the group has shortened…

Hamas Deputy Leader Moussa Abu-Marzouk revealed that despite the talk of a Fatah-Hamas unity government, Hamas remains firmly in charge of Gaza, and is giving the terrorists raining rockets on Israel a free hand. Abu-Marzouk, deputy to Hamas’s political bureau leader Khaled Mashaal and the man tasked with the reconciliation with Fatah, clarified on his Facebook…

Hours after two rockets were fired from Gaza towards the Sderot area, setting a factory on fire and burning it down, two more rockets were fired by terrorists in the Hamas stronghold on Saturday night. The rockets fell in open ground in the Sha’ar Hanegev and Sedot Negev Regional Council areas. No damage or injuries…

Agile and highly versatile, CombatGuard is the next generation of combat vehicle, engineered to tackle even the most rugged terrain. Developed by Israel Military Industries (IMI), CombatGuard can be used for anything from operational missions, urban warfare and counterterror operations, to border patrols. Creators say the vehicle is “characterized by agility, speed and lethality.” Watch:

The two Gazan terrorists eliminated in an Israeli Air Force (IAF) precision strike on Friday were members of a jihadi terrorist cell linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIS, according to senior Salafi sources inside Gaza. The IDF said the two terrorists, Osama Hasoumi and Mohammed Fatsih, were…

Israeli firefighters responding to a call on the Golan Heights Sunday morning were fired upon by forces on the other side of the Syrian border. No one was injured. IDF soldiers removed the firefighters safely. The army has not yet responded to the fire. The incident occurred in the area of Ein Zivan, a kibbutz…

Rachel Frenkel, mother of Naftali, one of the three Israeli teens kidnapped by Hamas terrorists, said that she was deeply moved by the army’s efforts to find her son, along with Eyal Yifrah and Gilad Sha’ar, the other two kidnap victims. Speaking on IDF Radio Sunday, Frenkel said that she was encouraged by the ongoing…