IDF releases footage of Bibas family in Gaza

IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari delivered a statement to the media this evening (Monday) in which he revealed the documentation presented to the Bibas family, in which the mother Shiri, and her two children Ariel and Kfir were seen - apparently days after they were kidnapped together with their father Yarden, in the southern Gaza Strip.

In the video, which was taken in Khan Yunis, the three are alive. However, it is unknown what condition they are in today, 136 days after they were kidnapped.

Jimmy Miller, a relative of theirs, said that "this video has not changed anything, it does not indicate anything new. Since the footage is from the first days - it does not indicate anything. We are hoping that they will return to us as soon as possible and that the government does everything in its power."

According to him, "These two children and their parents were supposed to be released at the first blow, and if they were not released at the first wave, the minimum would have been for them to be released in a humanitarian step. We provide humanitarian aid to the other side endlessly - they get everything they need from A to Z and we don't get anything. We are already expecting anything, and hoping for the best."

Kfir Bibas, who was just nine months old on October 7, was the youngest person to be kidnapped during the Hamas massacre. He turned one year old in captivity last month.

Senior terrorist Marwan Barghouti was given Chulent over Shabbat, in violation of orders

 Israel Hayom reports that senior terrorist leader Marwan Barghouti was served a dish which contains meat in the Ayalon Prison over Shabbat, in violation of the regulations.

The meat was provided to Barghouti despite instructions from National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir that terrorists imprisoned in Israel be served only vegetarian meals.

Barghouti, however, was served a bowl of cholent which contains meat. The guard who delivered it to him is expected to be brought up on charges and face strict disciplinary measures for violating regulations.

Barghouti is serving five consecutive life sentences for murdering Israelis and has been in prison since June 6, 2004.

Less than a week ago, he was transferred to solitary confinement in the Ayalon Prison after intelligence was received indicating that he would cause increased tensions outside the prison.

Biden’s Great-Great-Grandfather Was Pardoned By Abraham Lincoln After Attempted Murder Charge

 

Newly uncovered documents from the National Archives reveal that President Joe Biden’s great-great-grandfather was pardoned by none other than President Abraham Lincoln. The incident, dating back to the Civil War on March 12, 1864, involved Moses J. Robinette, a civilian employee of the Union Army, according to an investigation by The Washington Post.

The incident leading to the pardon occurred near Beverly Ford, Virginia, along the Rappahannock River, where Robinette and another Union Army civilian, John J. Alexander, got into a physical fight that resulted in Alexander suffering knife wounds. Robinette was subsequently charged with attempted murder and incarcerated near Florida.

In a bid to secure Robinette’s release, three U.S. Army officers, described as friends of Robinette, directly appealed to President Lincoln. They presented the case as an act of self-defense, highlighting Robinette’s role as a staunch Union supporter and a devoted family man, pleading for mercy on behalf of his “motherless Daughters and sons.”

Their petition, emphasizing Robinette’s loyalty to the Union and his disproportionate punishment, first passed through the hands of West Virginia Senator Waitman T. Willey. Senator Willey endorsed the plea and forwarded it to the White House for Lincoln’s consideration. Upon review, Lincoln granted the pardon, noting, “Pardon for unexecuted part of punishment. A. Lincoln. Sep. 1. 1864.”

This act of clemency allowed Moses J. Robinette to return to his family, where he lived until 1903.

Nearly $500,000 Raised To Help Billionaire Trump Pay His Legal Expenses in less than one day

 

In a remarkable show of support, a GoFundMe page titled “Stand with Trump” aimed at assisting the former president with his legal expenses, has rapidly approached the half-million-dollar mark. Initiated by Elena Cardone – the wife of real estate guru Grant Cardone – last week, the crowdfunding campaign seeks to amass $355 million to settle the damages Trump was mandated to pay following a fraud case verdict in New York. As of Monday morning, the initiative has garnered over $430,000 from approximately 8,700 contributors.

The fundraising effort has seen a wide range of donations, with the highest single contribution being $10,000, while the majority of donations ranged between $20 and $100. Cardone took to X to rally support, emphasizing the importance of unity in backing Trump during this challenging time.

Last Friday, Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump must pay over $300 million in damages, a verdict stemming from allegations of property value inflation to secure more favorable loan terms and agreements. The judgment also included a three-year prohibition against Trump conducting business operations in New York.

Following the court’s decision, Trump unveiled $400 gold sneakers at Philadelphia’s Sneaker Con, just one day after Judge Engoron’s ruling, presumably to help him pay his bills.

Friday’s Terrorist Continues Family Tradition Since 1929 Of Murdering Jews...Worked as a "garbage collector" in Beit Shemesh

 

DIN: Reading this story, I am reminded of what one of the great Roshei Yeshiva Rav Hagoan Schreiber Shlitah said about our children in uniform, that they are no "better than garbage collectors." Well, his disgusting comments came back to bite him because it was a "garbage collector" who murdered a Yeshiva Bochur on his way to Yeshivah. 

After the appalling massacre of 67 Jews in Hevron in 1929, the British antisemites (who had done very little to prevent the massacre despite having a significant police presence in Hevron) made a "commission of inquiry" to find the ring leaders of the brutal pogrom.

In all, 25 Arabs were sentenced to death but the British commuted the sentences of 22 and only the three most savage murderers were hanged- among them a certain Mohammed Jamjum, who was hanged at Acre prison on 17 June 1930.

After their hanging the Arab leaders called a general strike and thousands attended his funeral. The Arab leadership even specified 17 June as Shuhada day- “the day of the saints.” Thus the Arab tradition enshrined and glorified the gruesome murderers of Hevron’s Jews. A chant “From Acre Prison their funeral went out”, based on a poem by a Haifa Arab, became a national tune, and its words immortalize the murderers for their actions.

Fast forward to 2024: The Jamjum family still lives proudly to this day in Hevron, basking in the glory of their fallen ancestor. One of their descendants is Fadi Jamjum, whose father married a Jerusalem resident and thus via family reunification received temporary citizenship, enabling him and his family to live in the Shuafat neighborhood and to move freely in Israel. Fadi and his father performed renovation jobs for Jews.

Fadi, a devout Muslim, became a Sheikh, a Muslim leader, and wore the traditional skullcap and long garb of Muslims. At the same time he maintained his family’s fanatical hatred of Jews and of Israel and maintained affiliation to Hamas, like most of Hevron’s Arabs.

In recent years he would ascend regularly to Temple Mount with his father and brother, where he could hear the inciteful sermons against Jews on a daily basis. Other family members echoed the incitement on their social media pages.

Last Friday, after collecting garbage in Beit Shemesh, Jamjum drove towards central Israel. Seeing a large group waiting at a bus stop near Re’em junction, he saw the opportunity to continue the family’s bloody tradition. Opening fire indiscriminately, Fadi murdered two Jews, Yishai Gertner and Uri Yaish HyD, and injured four others, with one 16-year-old still in very serious condition. Fortunately an armed civilian was on hand to end the violent spree and eliminate yet another killer from the murderous Jamjum clan.

Gov. Hochul was right about Israel — until the left forced her to apologize

Well, that’s how the Kathy crumbles.

Gov. Hochul last week committed candor in public – a rare event indeed – but just 24 hours later she was groveling before one of the most noxious movements in Empire State history.

There she was Friday night, all-but begging forgiveness for having included an “inappropriate analogy” in a “poor choice of words” while addressing a fundraising dinner the previous evening.

Speaking to the United Jewish Appeal-Federation of New York at Gotham’s venerable Pierre Hotel Thursday, Hochul had sharply called out Iranian cat’s-paw Hamas while underscoring her support for Israel post-10/7.

The bloody-fisted terrorist organization “must be stopped” she said. And Israelis couldn’t be expected to live with “that threat, that specter, over them.”

Anodyne words, to be sure – but so far, so good.

Then she told the truth, which so many New Yorkers can’t handle. 

“If Canada ever attacked Buffalo,” she projected, “I’m sorry, my friends, there would be no Canada the next day. You have a right to defend yourself, and to make sure that it never happens again. And that is Israel’s right.”

No equivocation there. Nor should there have been.

But the comment was on video, which went viral, with entirely predictable impact – and then there was Hochul, tendering an apologetic back-track to the New York Times:

“While I have been clear in my support of Israel’s right to self-defense,” she weaseled, “I have also repeatedly said and continue to believe that Palestinian civilian casualties should be avoided . . .” and blah, blah, blah.

Two points stand out:

• Hochul’s analogy, again, was spot on: Israel’s 10/7 toll would have been the population-adjusted equivalent of roughly 42,000 dead Americans – and God only knows how many wounded, raped or otherwise traumatized. Imagine how much “restraint” the United States would have exercised after such an attack – especially if Canada had been rocketing Buffalo, the governor’s hometown, for decades.

• Secondly, the governor’s analogy also was so patently ridiculous that only an imbecile, or an opportunist, would take it literally. It was a rhetorical device meant to emphasize her support for Israel — and the push-back was intended to make her back off.

And Hochul did – to her shame, and also to New York’s. 

It seems that the state which tasted terrorism firsthand 22-plus years ago, and which promised never to forget, has. 

Or its leaders have. For the most part they’ve stood quiescent in the face of hugely disruptive, pro-Palestinian celebrations of murder, mayhem and politicized sexual assault that began within hours of the10/7 massacre, and which continue to this day.

Yes, people are allowed to protest; it’s the American way.

But politicians aren’t required to go along – to exalt evil, or to acquiesce in it.

Hochul isn’t the only pol to have done so – just, arguably, the most prominent.

She needs to apologize for her apology – and, in the process, perhaps claw back a little of the honor her office once commanded.

bob@bobmcmanus.nyc 

The mainstream media don’t treat conservatives and libertarians fairly — and Americans have finally noticed

 

by JOHN STOSSEL

On CNN, a “reporter” interviewing Vice President Kamala Harris gushes, “I’m struck, just in your presence! Looking you in the eye, with your passion.” Really? Even Harris looked embarrassed.

My new video shows how the mainstream media treat conservatives and libertarians differently. We shouldn’t be surprised. Reporters overwhelmingly lean Democrat. A survey by The American Journalist found that for every Republican in a newsroom, there are 10 Democrats. The reporters claim to be objectivate they aren’t.

News networks always covered Iowa caucus victory speeches. Not this year — after Donald Trump won. CNN cut away from his speech, and MSNBC didn’t carry it at all.

Hamas scrambles to replace flailing, radio-silent Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar

Hamas is looking to replace Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar after a string of defeats for the Palestinian terror group in Khan Younis and ongoing radio silence from the elusive terrorist leader.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a report Sunday it has become evident that Hamas’ leadership abroad has lost confidence that the suspected Oct. 7 mastermind and other current terror officials in Gaza can stave off the Israel Defense Force’s advancements after its battalions in Khan Younis were taken out.

“Hamas does not trust its commanders, this is a very, very noticeable thing,” Gallant said after a meeting with the IDF’s southern command, according to the Times of Israel. “The Hamas-Gaza station does not answer, there is no one to talk to as leadership on the ground.

“That means there is a tender for who will manage Gaza,” Gallant suggested.

Sinwar, the man believed to have been the mastermind behind the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel that launched the war, has allegedly been out of contact with the terror group for weeks, according to Israeli Channel 12.

It is unclear if the terror group cannot reach Sinwar because he’s on the run or because of the rolling communication blackouts across Gaza.

Hamas has not commented on Sinwar’s whereabouts or the allegations made by Gallant.

The IDF has repeatedly vowed to hunt down the terrorist leader, who has eluded the Israeli military since its ground assault into the Palestinian enclave began.

Although the IDF claimed that it had isolated him in an underground bunker in northern Gaza in November, Sinwar was believed to have used the terror group’s 300-mile long tunnel system to escape south.

While the Israeli military eventually surrounded his home in Khan Younis the next month, it came up empty-handed again, and ensuing heated battles and raids into the southern tunnels have yet to turn up signs of Sinwar’s whereabouts.

Last week, the IDF revealed footage of the Hamas leader running through the tunnel system with his family just days after the Oct. 7 massacre.

“The hunt for Sinwar will not stop until we catch him, dead or alive,” IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters after the video of Sinwar was aired.

While some experts have speculated that Sinwar could be hiding in Rafah, currently Gaza’s most populous city housing more than 1.4 million refugees, Gallant said there would be no more places to escape to, as the IDF is expected to advance into the city despite international outcry over civilian casualties.

“Hamas is left with marginal [forces] in the central camps and with the Rafah Brigade, and what stands between them and a complete collapse as a military system is a decision by the IDF,” he said.

“There is no one here to come to their aid, no Iranians, no international aid,” he added.

Gallant noted that Hamas’ once 24-strong battalions have dwindled to just six – two in Central Gaza and four in Rafah.

We Are Destroying The Businesses Of Our Friends And Neighbors Without A Shred Of Remorse

 

From a letter to YWN! 

I would like to raise awareness about an important issue that warrants more attention from us. The issue is the negative reviews that people leave on locally owned businesses within our very own community and the havoc they cause. Once that negative impression is etched in a consumers mind, it is extremely difficult to remove it, and as we all know, when checking out a business, many of us head straight for the reviews to see what ppl are saying.

Being that it’s impossible to please everyone all the time, businessowners will inevitably have disgruntled customers. The problem is, once they write these disgruntled customers write thier review, it’s nearly impossible for the business to refute it, as it’s the customers word versus the store and people viewing the review will generally believe the customer.

To make matters worse, upset customers often use extremely sharp language and dramatically describe their gripe, (for example: “This is the worst tasting pizza ever, rudest staff I have ever come across, disgusting attitude by manager, worst experience in my life”) while the owner must remain professional and polite when responding (“We are so sorry you felt this way; please reach out to us so we can assist you further”), and people generally will assume that the customer is outlining a universal truth about the establishment.

This is an issue that is seriously taking money out of our own community’s pockets. Don’t believe me? Speak to your local business owners about the stress, anxiety, and tension those terrible reviews cause them.

Now, to address a valid point you might be thinking of: Sometimes a store’s service really is terrible and the food truly subpar, and it’s actually a chessed to leave a review so that no one should have to have the same bad experience as you did. That’s fair, and I get it. We all have occasionally experienced a businesses where expectations were not met and there is lots of room for improvement. However, I would ask you to consider this: Imagine the owner of this establishment was your good friend, or your neighbor, and you personally watched over the years as he worked long hours to try to build himself up and make his store successful. One night you go out to eat, and the waitress, who is having a rough day, really messes up your order or snaps at you. Would you be so quick to pull out your phone and write a critical review about how this business is terribly unprofessional and how the waitress has got a real attitude, or would you be more forgiving because you understand that a bad review can really hurt your friend/neighbor and really make his business suffer?

We have to keep in mind that these establishments are owned and run by our acquaintances and that each review is hurting a friend or neighbor of ours.

One must keep in mind that the Chofetz Chaim has a whole set of conditions that must be met in order for one to be allowed to speak critically abt another – even l’toeles! If any are not met, it is real lashon horah. If one believes he is entitled to write a review, it behooves him to show it to a competent Rabbi first and make sure it is written properly. As the Chofetz Chaim himself says, “at the time one speaks (l’toeles) he is standing in grave danger of the issur of speaking lashon horah if he doesn’t protect himself (by keeping all the necessary conditions). And on this u can say death and life are in the hands of the tongue. And if one doesn’t think to himself before he begins to speak a matter like this, which way to bring out the incident, for sure he will transgress, for at the time of the incident a person’s anger is strengthened upon himself, and it is impossible to be careful in this. Therefore, before one begins to speak one must contemplate how to bring out the incident in a way not to make the wrongdoing greater than it is, and to have in mind to do it for a constructive purpose…..’’ (Chofetz Chaim Hilchos Lashon Horah Klal Yud Se’if Tes Vav).

M.K.

The Skverer Rebbetzin Chaya Chana Twersky Passes On at 81

 Mrs. Chaya Chana Twersky A”H, who stood by her husband for decades as he inspired tens of thousands of chassidim and admirers in the US and across the world. She was 81 years old.

The Rebbetzin suffered from various serious health issues over the past few years. Her condition had deteriorated over the last several weeks.

The Rebbetzin comes from regal rabbinic heritage, as she was the oldest daughter of the late Vishnitzer Rebbe Zt”l of Bnei Brak, known as the Yeshuos Moshe. Her siblings – all of them leaders of major Chasidus’s – visited her over the past two weeks as her physical condition declined.

Her brothers are the Vishnitzer Rebbe of Bnei Brak (Reb Yisroel), the Vishnitzer Mercaz Rebbe (Reb Mendel); her sisters are the Belzer Rebbetzin, the Satmar (Kiryas Joel) Rebbetzin, and the wife of HaRav Menachem Ernster, the rosh yeshiva of the Vizhnitz Yeshiva in Bnei Brak.

The Rebbetzin is survived by the Rebbe shlit”a, her grieving children, and thousands of Skverer Chassidim – many of whom she personally helped and was involved with on personal matters.