Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JNS) - "We didn't know which Ofer we would get back," Eyal Kalderon, the cousin of ex-Hamas hostage Ofer Kalderon, told JNS on Monday. "The Ofer that we know is the happy, playful Ofer who jokes a lot and puts a smile on everyone's face the second he enters a room. We didn't know if we'd get that Ofer back," he said. Yarden Bibas, Kalderon and Keith Siegel were freed on Feb. 1 after 484 days in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip. Bibas and Kalderon were handed over to the Red Cross in Khan...
(JNS) - Idit Ohel, mother of Hamas hostage Alon Ohel, 24, gave an emotional interview to Israel's Channel 12 News on Sunday after learning details of her son's captivity, including that he is practically starved and in chains. The family recently discovered the state of Alon's captivity at the hands of Hamas from hostages released on Feb. 8. Eli Sharabi, 52, and Or Levy, 34 were held with him. Their medical condition was described as "poor" by Israeli doctors. Ohad Ben Ami, 56, was also...
By Canaan Lidor (JNS)- Laws that ban UNRWA in Israel went into effect on Thursday, barring the United Nations aid agency for Palestinians from maintaining a presence or activities in that country, and prohibiting Israeli officials from engaging in contact with it. Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel welcomed the development. "UNRWA lies at the heart of the Arab-Jewish conflict. It has always been a non-neutral political organization, and it actually paved the way for October 7th. Any...
(JNS) — Israel’s cabinet minister in charge of Jerusalem affairs on Sunday asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to increase security in the city ahead of the release of hundreds of Palestinian hostages in exchange for Israeli hostages in Gaza. Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Jewish Heritage Meir Porush made the appeal in a letter he sent to Netanyahu and other members of the cabinet, Israel National News reported. “The regular deployment is insufficient,” Porush wrote, according to the report. “We must ensure that there is an ade...
(JNS) — Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s push in favor of relocating Gaza residents, Israel’s Otzma Yehudit Party on Tuesday said it had introduced a bill that would financially compensate those choosing to leave the enclave. According to a statement by the party, those choosing to leave the Strip would receive a “financial assistance package” determined by the Finance Ministry under the proposed legislation, which is scheduled for a review next week by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation. Anyone who accepts the package and later...
(JTA) - The oldest living American-Israeli hostage has exited Gaza, one of three Israelis Hamas released on Saturday in accordance with the terms of a ceasefire deal. Keith Siegel, 65, was released after a seaside ceremony in Gaza City where he briefly walked across a stage and waved, a performance that Hamas has required of the hostages it has recently freed. He was wearing a hat and walked on his own, though he appeared to be supported by two Hamas terrorists as he mounted the stage and...
(JNS) - "We did it," Efrat Machikawa, the niece of redeemed hostage Gadi Mozes, told JNS on Sunday. Mozes, 80, was among the three Israelis and five Thais redeemed from terrorist captivity as part of Hamas's truce with Jerusalem, 482 days after they were abducted during the terror group's Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. Machikawa was reunited with Mozes on Friday. "It's such a relief. It's quite amazing. It feels like my body was all tense, slowly it's allowing itself to calm down. It's a very special f...
(JNS) — Prominent Israeli-American columnist and JNS senior contributing editor Caroline B. Glick is returning to the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem to serve as International Affairs Adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Glick, who worked with Netanyahu over a quarter century ago before becoming a widely read columnist, took up her new position on Sunday. “Life takes you in different directions, and I am going back to the office where I worked nearly three decades ago as the prime minister leads Israel through the most...
(JNS) — Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi ordered the military on Monday to prepare for counter-terror operations in Judea and Samaria amid an uptick in terror following the ceasefire in Gaza. “In addition to the intense defensive preparations in the Gaza Strip, we must be prepared for significant operations in Judea and Samaria in the coming days in order to get ahead of and catch the terrorists before they reach our citizens,” Halevi stated following a situational assessment. Halevi’s remarks came hours after one IDF...
(JNS) — Seventy-one percent of Israelis oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria, according to a poll conducted on Jan. 29. The survey comes on the background of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s departure on Sunday to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. “The findings are public just in time for Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit with President Trump. Bibi can now go to the president of the United States with a clear statement that this is the will of the people of Israel,” Avi Abelo...
(JNS) — Israel Defense Forces soldier Liri Albag, who was released on Saturday after 477 days in captivity in Gaza, took to social media on Friday for the first time since being freed. “The people of Israel, I want to thank you again for all your support, love and help,” Albag wrote in her first Instagram post since Hamas terrorists took her hostage on Oct. 7, 2023. “Together, we are a force,” the IDF field observer wrote. “I want to thank the soldiers of the IDF and the security services, who risked their lives and fought for us and for our...
(JTA) - Hamas released four hostages on Saturday in a choreographed ceremony in Gaza, making them the second group of captives to go free in the ceasefire. The four hostages released on Saturday are Daniela Gilboa, Liri Albag, Naama Levy and Karina Ariev. All are Israeli soldiers. Before being allowed to return to Israel after nearly 16 months in captivity, they were paraded across a stage in Gaza wearing green fatigues, against a banner with English, Arabic and Hebrew slogans such as "Zionism...
(JNS) - The first three female hostages freed by Hamas terrorists during the current ceasefire have been released from the hospital, Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer in Ramat Gan announced on Sunday. Former Gaza captives Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, completed their tests and initial medical treatment at the hospital, according to the statement, which noted that "Sheba Medical Center will continue to support them and their families." The ex-hostages and their...
The Jewish National Fund-USA Orlando Women for Israel is presenting "United With Purpose: Special In Uniform" on Feb. 6, from 6:45 p.m.-8:30 p.m. The location will be provided upon RSVP. Special in Uniform is a program in which the Israeli Army integrates young adults with disabilities into the IDF, and in turn, into society. Guest speaker Lt. Col. (Res.) Tiran Attia, Special In Uniform director, will discuss the program and its effectiveness in Israel. Omer Lahat, a young adult in the SIU...
(JNS) — Eight of the 33 hostages intended for release during the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal are dead, according to a list provided by Hamas. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer confirmed that the terrorist group stated the remaining 25 hostages are alive. The list was delivered to Israel overnight Sunday. After repeatedly violating the truce deal with Israel, Hamas released three additional captives on Thursday — civilian Arbel Yehud, IDF soldier Agam Berger and an unidentified man — the Prime Minister’s Office...
(JNS) — The Israeli passport is the 19th strongest worldwide, according to a global ranking released last week. Israeli passport holders can now enter 170 countries without a visa, according to The Henley Passport Index, which measures the number of visa-free destinations available to holders of a given passport. The Israeli passport increased in strength from last year, when it was ranked 21st. Singapore tops the ranking of nearly 200 passports included in the index, followed by Japan, Finland, France, Germany, South Korea and Spain. The U...
(JNS) — The three Israeli hostages who returned from captivity in Gaza Sunday recalled in testimonies how they helped each other survive for 471 days amid uncertainty and lacking medical care, Israel’s Channel 12 reported. In statements vetted by the military censor and approved by the hostages for publication, they recalled living in underground facilities with little medical attention, tremendous uncertainty and, at times, despair. Emily Damari, who has a leg injury and lost two fingers on her left hand during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attac...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) — Emily Damari (28), Doron Steinbrecher (31) and Romi Gonen (24) have begun their journey back to life at Sheba Medical Center following 471 days in Hamas captivity. Medical teams, having spent months preparing for the hostages’ return, prioritized the family reunions while establishing the foundation for an intricate medical and psychological rehabilitation process. Following the hostages’ return, Hospital Director Dr. Yael Frankel Nir announced: “I am deeply moved to report that we have received the three hostages. Thei...
(JNS) — Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Sunday night welcomed the return of Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari from Hamas captivity. “We are happy and excited about your return and await the return of the remaining hostages—through the use of [military] force, cutting off fuel [to Gaza] and stopping the flow of humanitarian aid [to Hamas]—not through surrender,” tweeted Ben-Gvir. Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit Party formally resigned from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government on Sunday morning, a da...
Their names, faces and stories have resonated around the world, on posters and in prayers, since they were taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023. Now, some of the 98 remaining hostages abducted that day, when Hamas invaded southern Israel, could soon be free. Under the terms of a ceasefire deal, 33 of the hostages would be released over six weeks, starting with three on the deal's first day: Emily Damari: The only British citizen to remain in Gaza, Damari, 28, was shot on Oct. 7; Romi Gonen: Taken...
(JNS) — FireDome, a startup founded in Israel in 2024, is developing an AI-driven defense system to combat wildfires such as those currently ravaging the Los Angeles area. The system is inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense technology. The system utilizes eco-friendly fire retardants and AI technology to form protective barriers and extinguish spot fires caused by wind-blown embers. Initially designed to protect 100-acre areas, FireDome aims to expand its coverage to larger regions. Testing is set to begin in Israel in 2025, with U.S...
By JNS Staff (JNS) — A group of conservative Jewish and Christian leaders has launched a public petition urging The Jerusalem Post to stop using the term West Bank in reporting on Israel’s biblical heartland and to call it by its historic name of Judea and Samaria. “As Israel’s oldest English newspaper when it was called ‘The Palestine Post,’ The Jerusalem Post holds significant influence in shaping public opinion, influencing policies and defining global narratives,” the petition addressed to Eli Azur, the media outlet’s owner, and Zvik...
In a disturbing revelation, Israeli media reported that Hamas forced three recently released hostages faroma Gaza — Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbrecher—to participate in a staged propaganda ceremony before their release. The hostages were handed “gift bags” by their captors, an act that highlights the psychological manipulation employed by the terror group. The gift bags, reportedly handed to the hostages just before they were transferred to the Red Cross, included unsettling items: a photo of Gaza, photographs of the hostage...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) — Following security warnings about escalation in Judea and Samaria due to the release of hundreds of terrorists into the area, the Security Cabinet is expected to approve on Friday a comprehensive decision to address this front. This is one of the demands that Finance Minister and Religious Zionism Party chairman Bezalel Smotrich presented in his discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, prompted by numerous warnings about increased terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria following the ceasefire deal with H...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) - Israel's Health Ministry has formulated a comprehensive protocol for treating hostages, due soon to be released from Hamas captivity in Gaza, based on lessons learned from the 2023 exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian terrorists. The protocol includes detailed guidelines for medical examinations, mental health care, privacy protection and long-term support for returnees and their families, emphasizing personalized care and respect for dignity. Key guidelines...
