Qatar Sabotaged Hostage Deal To Secure Better Terms For Hamas

 

Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Qatari officials supported Hamas in rejecting the most recent Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire/hostage release, Israeli media outlets reported on Sunday.

According to the report, Qatar pressured Hamas not to accept the proposal, claiming that the terror group would receive a better offer in the future.

Israeli senior officials said that Qatar’s “assistance” in mediation efforts has been hindering progress in the talks, adding that it would be preferable to work solely with Egypt.

According to the reports, if it wasn’t for Qatar’s interference, it is possible that Hamas would have accepted the most recent Egyptian proposal due to the increased IDF pressure in Gaza, the blockage of humanitarian aid into the Strip, and intense diplomatic pressure applied by Egypt and PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

Ynet reported that contrary to the public perception that the war in Gaza is stagnating, recent IDF operations in Gaza have succeeded in creating pressure on Hamas to accept a partial deal that will see the release of some hostages.

The Saudi Al-Hadath media outlet reported on Sunday that Egypt has demanded that Hamas provide a full report on the hostages’ conditions by early May.

The time has finally come: Chareidie brothers, come and enlist

 

By Yigal Brand

Translated from Hebrew!

We are in the midst of a historic change. No less. Anyone who opens their eyes knows: Without ultra-Orthodox conscription, we will not be able to hold the next front lines. It's not a matter of ideology, but of existence. Not to enlist in order to promote equality of burden, not to win old arguments, but simply because the country is in danger – and the army needs you.

The public debate surrounding the conscription law is full of lies, slogans, and populism. There are those who prefer to turn the ultra-Orthodox into enemies, to shout 'exclusion of women,' 'a halachic state,' and 'sell the state to the ultra-Orthodox,' instead of rolling up their sleeves and building a real, smart, and feasible model for ultra-Orthodox recruitment. There are those who prefer to earn a few more likes on Twitter or another round on the radio – instead of sitting behind closed doors and building agreements. There are those who want to fight. We want you.

To all the detractors, you should know: this is no longer a concept. We're not in 2018. We are after the 7th of October. The State of Israel has woken up. There is no more room for a 'small and smart army,' there is no more room for excuses. In order to defeat the enemies from within and without, we need you.

To be honest, for many years the ultra-Orthodox did not believe that the state really wanted them in the army. And it didn't just happen. There were those who made sure to give them an image of a 'problem'. Now? You already understand that this is not just a question of citizenship, but of national responsibility. And when there is a real process within the ultra-Orthodox public, we have to support it, not sabotage it.

You can't break a seventy-year-old social taboo in one day. But what is possible is to build tailored tracks and set sanctions for those who evade. Enlistment Day for the Hasmonean Brigade. Photo: IDF Spokesperson

Of course, it's not easy. You can't forcibly recruit soldiers for combat. You can't break a seventy-year-old social taboo in one day. But what is possible is to build tailored tracks, to set sanctions for those who evade, to give incentives to those who enlist, and to lead a poignant, honest and complex discourse that understands the depth of the challenge and knows that at the end there is hope.

The ultra-Orthodox public will not become religious Zionism. And that's perfectly fine. We don't need it. They need to come and serve – because this is the minimum required of every citizen of the State of Israel. And we must say this without shame: Whoever serves should receive more. It's not discrimination – it's morality. This is not coercion – it is the way of the land.

We will not be deterred by the political turmoil. No interrogators in committees and no shouting in the studios. We know what is right for the country – and we will do it. If necessary, we will pay a political price. If necessary, we will fight with all our might. But we will not succumb to populism.

This is the moment. This is the time. The time has come for all of us to walk together – ultra-Orthodox, religious, secular – on a common path. Not a war for identity, but for existence.

Be Like Yehoshua and Caleb Instead of the Rest of the Meraglim!

 

by Yonatan Dobov

I translated from Hebrew!

There are times of the year when you can really feel them in the air. Like the High Holy Days with Selichot, Hanukkah with the candles, the four species in Sukkot, and also the days of salvation and redemption that we are in now – those that begin with Passover, with the great miracle of the Exodus from Egypt, and continue through Holocaust and Heroism Day, Memorial Day for Israel's fallen soldiers, Independence Day, Jerusalem Day, and even Victory Day over Nazi Germany.

Somehow, within one month, the national story of the people of Israel is concentrated, from the moment of its redemption from the 49 gates of impurity to the declaration of its independence and the redemption of the land, some two thousand years later. 

Rabbi Yosef Fischman z"l of the Sfardishi Shul in Boro-Park Predicted US Turning Against Jews Decades Ago

 

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In a stunning turn of events Massive Protests Against Islamic Immigration in Ireland!

 

pic.twitter.com/NcTW70Ke9j
In a stunning turn of events, Dublin erupts:
One of the largest protests in the city’s history is sweeping through the Irish capital — a massive uprising against mass Islamic immigration.

The sheer scale of the demonstration has sent shockwaves through…

— Liza Rosen (@LizaRosen0000) April 26, 2025

Iranian Diplomat States that Us Negotiations Will Not Stop “Death to America” chants

 

Former Iranian diplomat Amir Mousavi stated that nuclear negotiations will not end the “Death to America” chants in Iran, and declared that Israel will ultimately be erased.

Even the interviewer doesn’t know what to make of this man’s stupidity.

It really makes you wonder why anyone, the United States or any other nation, would continue to engage in negotiations with a regime like this.

It defies all logic.

Chagei Huberman Describes His Experience on his visit to Har Habayit

The article appeared in a Hebrew publication and I translated it

בְּחַצְרות בֵּית ה' בְּתוכֵכִי יְרוּשָׁלָיִם – הַלְלוּיָה

Anyone who goes up to the Har Habayit sees up close the slow changes that are taking place there. When I went up in 2003, for a quick ride almost non-stop, we were not even allowed to mumble verses. This year I was privileged to pray on Chol Hamoed in a morning minyan and Hallel with a blessing. Some bowed – and no one bothered them

Last Thursday, Chol Hamoed Passover, for the first time in my life, I had the privilege of praying the morning prayer of the holiday and the Hallel prayer with a blessing – on the Temple Mount. It was a special experience to sing "בְּחַצְרות בֵּית ה' בְּתוכֵכִי יְרוּשָׁלָיִם – הַלְלוּיָה" standing in the courtyard of the House of God, and to sing "בצאת ישראל ממצרים" on Chol HaMoed Pesach – in the holiest place for the Jewish people. 

As in all the times when I went up to the Temple Mount, it was a joy and exciting to meet Rabbi Shimshon Elbaum, head of the Temple Mount Administration, and his son Rabbi Chaim, whose activities and the energy they invest have made a great, very significant contribution to the regular prayers that have been held on the Temple Mount for several years. Rabbi Shimshon Elbaum is the man who helped most of all to open the Temple Mount to Jewish prayer.

Well, the prayer wasn't perfect. 

Chareidim Join Arabs in Ignoring Yom Ha'shoah Siren

The article below appeared in the Hebrew Newsletter "Matzav HaRuach" 

I translated it into English! 

The Whistle Refuseniks

Three sects in Israel refuse to honor the memory of the martyrs of the Holocaust and to stand still during the siren of Memorial Day in memory of the six million * The Jewish commandment אל תפרוש מן הציבור is not even a choice for them * And how exactly do we save the people of Israel from our young men who spend time in the Swiss Alps and report from there on 'A-Gishmake Hasidishe Ski'?

 1. The wheel of history has turned in such a way that Holocaust Remembrance Day, the 27th of Nissan, usually falls in the week at the end of which we read in Parashat Shmini, about the tragic death of the two sons of Aharon the Cohen. The parasha also describes the powerful reaction of their father Aharon, which was summed up in thunderous silence: "וידם אהרן." From this we learn that sometimes it is precisely the silence, in the sense of "Thy blood is praise," that is the most thunderous action.

There is no doubt that the silence that Aharon Hacohen decreed upon himself on the occasion of the death of his two sons, was the background of  the Rav of the Medina's decision, in 1959, to hold a moment of communion on Holocaust Remembrance Day, accompanied by a loud siren, with the holy memory of the six million who were slaughtered and burned and who were bound to sanctify God's name during the years of rage of 5700-1945 – only because of the sin of being Jews! Since then, the siren of communion has been one of the highlights of the day, as we are indeed experiencing this year as well.

Desecration of Rav Chaim Vital’s Holy Resting Place

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

Tonight, the 30th of Nissan, marks the yahrtzeit of the great Rabbi Chaim Vital, zatzal, the primary disciple of the holy Arizal and transmitter of his teachings. On this solemn day of remembrance, we are confronted with disturbing news that demands our tefilos and perhaps of learning Rav Chaim Vital’s Torah.

Jewish leaders worldwide have expressed profound outrage after learning that the tomb of Rabbi Chaim Vital in Damascus, Syria was desecrated this weekend. The Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic Countries, representing Jewish communities across Muslim-majority nations, has issued a strong condemnation of this heinous act.

This desecration occurring just before Rav Vital’s yahrtzeit cannot be dismissed as mere coincidence. We must recognize this as a deliberate act perpetrated by those who harbor ill will toward our holy sages and, by extension, toward the Jewish people. They did this just before his Yahrtzeit!  History has repeatedly shown, those who raise their hands against our kedoshim invariably face Divine retribution. The neshama of this great tzaddik will surely bring about heavenly judgment upon those responsible, as we have already begun to witness.

The Tzaddik of Damascus and His Divine Protection

Few realize the profound spiritual role Rav Chaim Vital zt”l continues to play in the affairs of the region. The great mekubal serves as a spiritual guardian watching over Israel from his resting place in Damascus, where he was sent by the Arizal to overcome powerful forces of tumah (spiritual impurity) known as Bais Rimon.

Crown Heights Shaitel Store Robbed of $30K in wigs by Career Thief

A career criminal with nearly 60 arrests on his rap sheet burglarized a Brooklyn wig shop and made off with $30,000 in pricey pieces — including some possibly meant for cancer patients, police sources said.

Daron Ware, 52, allegedly hit the Hustle Wig shop on Dean Street in Crown Heights on the morning of March 4, cops said. Police detectives got surveillance video of a man entering the closed shop and walking out with a stuffed sack.

“They took wigs and materials to make the wigs, including hair and some hats and some random things,” co-owner Rivky Krinsky said.

Nine of the stolen hairpieces were valued at about $30,000, around $3,300 for each, according to Krinsky.

Some of the shop’s wigs, which are created from real human hair, are sold to cancer patients, Krinsky said, but she wasn’t sure how many of the stolen wigs were for patients.

“The clients didn’t know because we were able to replace the orders very swiftly,” she said. “We were able to get everything out pretty much on time.”

Cops caught up with Ware on March 13, charging him with burglary and illegal entry, police said.

He’s currently in jail on Rikers Island.