News Briefs

Whale shark spotted off Eilat coast

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — A whale shark about 5-meters (16-feet) long was spotted on Sunday morning in Eilat Bay.

The rare sighting was documented by city lifeguard Brian Lieberman, who captured the animal on video near the shore, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported.

Whale sharks are the largest known living fish species and by far the most massive non-cetacean animal extant. They are considered harmless to humans.

The shark briefly approached the shore before returning to deeper water.

Former Hamas hostage turns ordeal into music

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Former Hamas hostage Daniella Gilboa, a surveillance soldier from Kibbutz Nahal Oz, has released her debut single, “Where Everything Ends,” about a year after returning from captivity in Gaza.

Gilboa, who was abducted on Oct. 7, 2023, along with fellow soldiers and held for 477 days, said the song reflects her journey from “the darkest place” to hope and homecoming as she rebuilds her life and pursues a music career.

She was 19 when she was kidnapped, one of seven female troops abducted during the Hamas-led attack on the northwestern Negev.

Gilboa was forced to record a video faking her death in captivity. She told Israel’s Channel 13 that in addition to learning to recite “Shalom Aleichem” in Arabic, it was extremely important to her and the other hostages to make the traditional Shabbat evening blessing over wine, even over water.

IDF finds Hezbollah weapons, posts in Southern Lebanon

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Israeli forces operating in Southern Lebanon located and dismantled Hezbollah weapons, observation posts and firing positions in recent months, the Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday.

The IDF said the action aimed to prevent the Iran-backed terrorist group from rearming in violation of the ceasefire understandings between Israel and Lebanon.

The operations were carried out by the 300th Brigade, according to the IDF.

Israel has warned Lebanon via intermediaries that it will launch heavy strikes on Lebanese territory, including against civilian infrastructure such as Beirut’s airport, if Hezbollah enters any war between the United States and Iran, two senior Lebanese officials told Reuters on Tuesday.

The report comes ahead of this month’s third round of indirect U.S.-Iran nuclear talks in Geneva, scheduled for Thursday, and amid a massive American military buildup in the Middle East.

Hezbollah is stepping up military and security meetings as it braces for another war against Israel, according to a report by the Saudi-owned Al Arabiyanetwork.

Sources close to the Lebanese terrorist organization told the network that Hezbollah is now effectively being run by officers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Israeli forces arrest Arab terrorists in overnight raid near Jericho

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Israeli security forces arrested several Palestinian terrorist suspects in the Aqabat Jaber refugee camp, located two miles from Jericho in the Jordan Valley, during an overnight raid on Tuesday, police stated.

Undercover Border Police operatives operated alongside Israel Defense Forces soldiers in what police described as a targeted operation based on intelligence uncovered by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet).

“The undercover unit operated under cover of darkness,” police said. “In precise operational coordination, they simultaneously raided two safe houses where the suspects were hiding and carried out their arrest.”

The suspects were transferred to the Shin Bet for further questioning.

The Jewish state’s security agencies will continue to operate “decisively, day and night, using advanced operational capabilities to thwart terror and safeguard the citizens of the State of Israel,” the statement added.

On Monday, the IDF launched a multi-day counter-terrorism operation in the Binyamin region of Samaria. The operations in Turmus Aya, Sinjil, and Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya were said to be part of a “proactive and planned operation aimed at restoring security and order in the area.”

Palestinian terrorists targeted Israeli Jews in Judea and Samaria at least 5,051 times in 2025, according to figures published by the Rescuers Without Borders (Hatzalah Judea and Samaria) NGO this month.

Twenty-four Israelis were murdered in Judea and Samaria in 2025, and more than 400 others were wounded, the NGO said in its annual report.

The data, which were cross-checked against official data from the Jewish state’s security agencies, included 3,299 instances of rock-throwing, 458 attacks with Molotov cocktails, 655 attempts to blind drivers with laser pointers, 286 explosive charges and 19 terrorist shooting assaults.

Bipartisan bill aims to expand internet access in Iran

Sens. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) introduced legislation to expand internet access in Iran despite the regime’s efforts to cut it off.

The Iran Human Rights, Internet Freedom and Accountability Act responds to the brutal crackdown following days of protests in the country. Iranian officials blocked access to the internet and reportedly killed thousands or tens of thousands of its citizens to stem the demonstrations. There is a companion bill in the House.

“The people of Iran have been forced to live under a repressive regime that has used censorship and internet blackouts to weaken efforts by its people to fight back,” Rosen stated. “Iran’s future must be shaped by its people, who deserve to have their rights protected and free access to information.”

The measure would place efforts to provide internet access to Iranians under the U.S. secretary of state and include examining tools, such as direct-to-cell satellite technology, finding ways to counter regime-imposed internet blackouts, developing technologies to quickly respond to Iranian efforts to block internet access and expanding U.S. programming to Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump slashed funding for Voice of America, which operated a Persian News Network, via executive order in March 2025.

The new Senate bill would also look at ways for congressional leaders to identify and sanction individuals supporting Iran’s human rights abuses, including those who supply technology for surveillance or to shut down the internet.

“This bipartisan legislation will expand internet access amid regime blackouts and repression, enforce sanctions on human rights violators, including their enablers and promote human rights documentation and accountability,” McCormick stated.

IDF finds Hezbollah weapons, posts in Southern Lebanon

Israeli forces operating in Southern Lebanon located and dismantled Hezbollah weapons, observation posts and firing positions in recent months, the Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday.

The IDF said the action aimed to prevent the Iran-backed terrorist group from rearming in violation of the ceasefire understandings between Israel and Lebanon.

The operations were carried out by the 300th Brigade, according to the IDF.

Israel has warned Lebanon via intermediaries that it will launch heavy strikes on Lebanese territory, including against civilian infrastructure such as Beirut’s airport, if Hezbollah enters any war between the United States and Iran, two senior Lebanese officials told Reuters on Tuesday.

The report comes ahead of this month’s third round of indirect U.S.-Iran nuclear talks in Geneva, scheduled for Thursday, and amid a massive American military buildup in the Middle East.

Hezbollah is stepping up military and security meetings as it braces for another war against Israel, according to a report by the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya network.

Sources close to the Lebanese terrorist organization told the network that Hezbollah is now effectively being run by officers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The information war behind Gaza and the move that could trigger Iran

“The Quad” is a dynamic weekly panel show hosted by Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, Israel’s innovation envoy and former deputy mayor of Jerusalem. The series brings together a powerhouse lineup of bold, insightful women to tackle the most pressing stories from Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. With Fleur at the helm, “The Quad” features regular co-hosts, including Shoshana Keats-Jaskel, founder of Chochmat Nashim; journalist and human-rights activist Emily Schrader and other leading voices shaping conversation and change.

Through sharp analysis, diverse perspectives and unapologetic commentary, “The Quad” confronts the complex political, cultural and social challenges facing Israel and the Jewish people. Each episode cuts through noise and narrative spin to deliver insight and debate, and to empower female perspectives on issues that define our time. Bold, informed and refreshingly authentic, “The Quad” redefines how Israel and the Middle East are discussed, one conversation at a time.

In State of the Union, Trump touts ceasefire that returned Israeli hostages

U.S. President Donald Trump trumpeted his success in helping to bring back all of the hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, during his State of the Union address on Tuesday.

“Under the ceasefire I negotiated, every single hostage, both living and dead, has been returned home,” the president said, thanking U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for the role they played.

“Nobody thought it was possible," he said. "I always said those last 20 are going to be very tough,” referring to the final group of living hostages.

Trump also spoke of the 28 deceased captives, whose bodies were recovered as part of the Oct. 2025 ceasefire agreement he mediated.

“I remember the family of the 28th. They were so grieved, but they were so happy, as happy as it was possible to be. They had their boy back,” Trump said of the parents of Israeli Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, whose body was the last returned to Israel, after being found in an IDF operation in Gaza.

Trump said the war in Gaza continues, but “at a very low level.”

The president also spoke of Iran, warning it not to rebuild its weapons programs after Operation Midnight Hammer last June.

"We wiped it out, and they want to start all over again, and are at this moment again, pursuing their sinister ambitions,” Trump said.

“We are in negotiations with them,” he said. “They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words, ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon.’”

Ishay Ribo halts US tour over Iran war fears

Israeli singer-songwriter Ishay Ribo has canceled a planned U.S. concert tour amid heightened tensions with Iran, Ynet reported on Tuesday.

Ribo and his band turned back at Ben Gurion Airport before departure, citing fears that an expansion of regional hostilities could leave them stranded abroad for an extended period.

In a message to U.S. ticket holders, Ribo said the shows were postponed due to the high level of alert in Israel, and said he felt it was right to remain in the country with his family during “sensitive moments like these”.

No new dates for the tour were immediately announced.

Israeli thriller ‘Unconditional’ lands on Apple TV

Apple TV has picked up the new Israeli thriller “Unconditional” and set a global premiere for May 8, the company said on Monday.

The eight-episode drama from co-creators Adam Bizanski and Dana Idisis will debut with its first two episodes on Apple TV, followed by new episodes every Friday through June 19.

The series, produced by Spiro Films for Israel’s Keshet 12, will first premiere locally on Keshet 12 in April.

“Unconditional” stars Liraz Chamami alongside newcomer Talia Lynne Ronn in a mother-daughter story that begins as a vacation and turns into a fight for freedom after the daughter is arrested for alleged drug smuggling in Moscow.

The ensemble cast also includes Amir Haddad, Yossi Marshek, Evgenia Dodina and Vladimir Friedman.

Nine Jewish day-school students named US Presidential Scholars candidates

The U.S. Department of Education has selected nine students at Jewish day schools in the United States as candidates for this year’s U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. Four of the nine are from the Washington, D.C., area.

The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, established in 1964 by executive order, honors some of the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. It was expanded in 1979 to include students with exceptional talent in the arts and again in 2015 to recognize achievement in career and technical education.

Up to 161 students receive the honor each year from a list of thousands of candidates nominated based on their SAT or ACT scores, or by chief state school officers and partner recognition organizations. It is one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students.

To date, more than 8,600 students have been honored.

Those from Jewish day schools on the list of candidates include:

Jonathan Beyderman, of Yeshiva Tiferes Torah of Boca Raton in Boca Raton, Fla.

Akiva Cohen, of Hebrew Academy of Greater Washington in Silver Spring, Md.

Adam Daniel, of Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy of Connecticut in Stamford, Conn.

Elizabeth E. Gabbay, of Northwest Yeshiva High School in Seattle, Wash.

Ruby C. Kotok, of Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Gaithersburg, Md.

Shira Listokin, of New Jewish High School in Newton Center, Mass.

Nathan Szubin, of Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Washington, D.C.

Hillel Wolkenfeld, of Hebrew Academy of Greater Washington in Washington, D.C.

Ari Yellin-Levine, of New Jewish High School in Providence, R.I.

ADL ‘appalled’ CAIR leader invokes blood libel before Ohio state Senate

The Anti-Defamation League said that it was "appalled" after Khalid Turaani, Ohio region executive director of the Council on American–Islamic Relations, said before the Ohio state Senate that Israel operates the "largest human skin bank in the world."

"Where do you think they got all this skin from," he said. "They have more human skin than China and India. They are literally skinning the dead bodies of my brothers and sisters in Palestine. That is where they are getting the human skin from."

"If I call them 'Nazis,' your law is going to punish me," he told the state Senate, which was discussing SB 87, a bill that seeks to codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's widely used working definition of Jew-hatred.

The ADL said that it is "appalled that the CAIR-Ohio executive director falsely accused Israel of skinning Palestinians before the Ohio State Senate."

"The antisemitic organ harvesting myth plays on the blood libel trope, which has spurred the torture, murder and expulsion of Jews for centuries," the ADL said. "It continues to fuel violence against Jewish communities today. Such hateful, utterly false rhetoric has no place in our state Capitol."

The Biden administration initially included CAIR, which blamed Israel for being attacked on Oct. 7 shortly after the Hamas-led terror attacks, in its national strategy to fight Jew-hatred but subsequently removed it.

Texas has designated CAIR as a terror organization, and some members of Congress are asking the IRS to investigate its tax-exempt status.

Texas rep taps Dallas rabbi as State of Union guest, likens Trump immigration policy to Nazi Germany

Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas) announced that Rabbi David Stern, senior rabbi of Temple Emanu-El in Dallas, will attend the State of the Union address on Feb. 24 as his guest.

Stern has led the prominent Reform synagogue, described by the congressman’s office as the largest synagogue in the South and Southwest, since 1989.

“Rabbi Stern’s steadfast leadership and dedication to service, both within the Jewish community and across North Texas, exemplify the very best of our district,” Veasey stated.

In his announcement of Stern’s selection, Veasey praised the rabbi’s commitment to the community while sharply criticizing current U.S. immigration policy under the Trump administration, drawing comparisons to Nazi Germany.

“His commitment to promoting unity, combating hate and building bridges between communities is most needed right now as we see human rights atrocities toward immigrants that bear a strong resemblance to those carried out by Hitler towards Jews, across our nation,” Veasey stated.

In recent months, Stern has spoken publicly about immigration and human rights, including criticism of the administration’s practices. In a January sermon titled “What Has Become of Us,” he urged congregants to reflect on the nation’s moral responsibilities toward immigrants.

“Drawing on Jewish teachings about welcoming the stranger and honoring human dignity, Rabbi Stern called on communities to extend compassion and respect to all who seek opportunity,” according to Veasey.

Israel said to have warned Lebanon civilian infrastructure at risk should Hezbollah attack

Israel has warned Lebanon via intermediaries that it will launch heavy strikes on Lebanese territory, including against civilian infrastructure such as Beirut’s airport, if Hezbollah enters any war between the United States and Iran, two senior Lebanese officials told Reuters on Tuesday.

The report comes ahead of this month's third round of indirect U.S.-Iran nuclear talks in Geneva, scheduled for Thursday, and amid a massive American military buildup in the Middle East.

Hezbollah is stepping up military and security meetings as it braces for another war against Israel, according to a report by the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya network.

Sources close to the Lebanese terrorist organization told the network that Hezbollah is now effectively being run by officers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.