Category: Israel

IDF Soldier Killed in Armored Vehicle Rollover in Lebanon

A severe incident occurred in southern Lebanon: Captain Eliav Haim Tzaflemos, 21, from Haifa—a combat officer in Battalion 603 of the 7th Brigade—was killed in an operational accident in the Litani region when a Humvee vehicle overturned. Three other IDF soldiers sustained light injuries in the incident and were evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment. Their families have been notified.

Captain Tzaflemos is survived by his parents, Benny and Hali, and four siblings; Eliav was the eldest. His mother, Hali, holds a senior position at the Haifa Municipality. Captain Tzaflemos’s funeral will take place tomorrow, Friday, October 9, 2026, at 1:00 PM at the Haifa Military Cemetery. The family is sitting *shiva* at 43 HaNoter Street in Kiryat Haim.

Captain Eliav Haim Tzaflemos | Credit: None

Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav paid tribute to Captain Tzaflemos, a native of the city, stating: “It is with a broken heart and deep sorrow that I received the tragic news of the death of Captain Eliav Haim Tzaflemos, of blessed memory—a Haifa native and active-duty IDF combat soldier—who fell in battle in southern Lebanon. Eliav set out to defend his people and his country and will not return. He was part of the State of Israel’s generation of heroes. A generation of young people with dreams, aspirations, and a whole future ahead of them, bearing on their shoulders an immense responsibility for the security of the state and the safety of its citizens. A generation that reminds us all of the meaning of mission, dedication, and love for the land.”

Yahav added his own tribute: “Eliav is the son of Hali—a Haifa Municipality employee—and Beni. Dear Hali, all of us—your colleagues at the Haifa Municipality—are devastated and in deep pain. There are no words to console anyone for such a terrible loss. The Haifa Municipality family and all the city’s residents bow their heads today, embrace you, and share in your profound grief. May his memory be a blessing.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz also paid tribute to Captain Tzaflemos: “At this difficult time, my heart goes out to the family of the late Captain Eliav Haim Tzaflemos, a combat officer in the 7th Brigade who fell during operational activity in southern Lebanon. On behalf of the entire defense establishment, I share in the family’s deep sorrow and offer strength to his commanders and comrades. I wish a speedy and full recovery to the soldiers wounded in this grave incident. May his memory be a blessing.”

October 8, 2026
IDF Kills Hamas Commander Who Held 3 Israeli Hostages

The IDF killed a Hamas commander who was involved in holding Israeli hostages captive.

Israel struck in the Gaza City area earlier this week and killed Muhammad Mahsan Nimr Yazji, a commander in Hamas’s Shati Battalion. Throughout the war, the terrorist was involved in holding hostages in the Gaza City Brigade area, including Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Matan Angrest.

Gaza | Photo: IDF spokesperson

The IDF killed another terrorist in a separate strike two days ago in the Sabra area—Muhammad Fawzi Muhammad Awad Jamal, a terrorist in the Daraj Tuffah Battalion of Hamas’s military wing.

Recently, the terrorists advanced terror operations against IDF forces and Israeli civilians and worked to rebuild Hamas’s capabilities, systematically violating the ceasefire. The terrorists were killed in airstrikes to remove the threat they posed.

IDF forces under Southern Command are deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue operating to remove any immediate threat.

October 8, 2026
Israel Honors Six Heroes Who Stopped Dubai Flight Terrorist

President Isaac Herzog on Thursday awarded the “President’s Medal for Civilian Courage” to six citizens who showed extraordinary bravery on the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight. The heroes acted in real time, at immediate risk to their own lives, and stopped an attempt to crash the plane—saving dozens of passengers and crew members. The medal, Israel’s highest civilian honor for courage, was established by the president after the October 7 terror attack to recognize citizens who acted with courage out of mutual responsibility. The recipients are Yaniv Hayon, Dr. Shota Moseev, Tali Manes, Zvika Manes, Or Perdilov, and Assaf Rejwan.

Photo: Haim Zach, GPO

During the emotional ceremony at the President’s Residence, hosted by Hadar Marx, singer Matan Hassan performed the songs “Halevai” and “Ani Hozer.” The medal recipients shared their intense feelings from the dramatic moments. Tali Manes said she acted on maternal intuition, while Zvika Manes recounted that his daughters’ screams pushed him to act without thinking. Yaniv Hayon expressed great pride in receiving the honor, Dr. Shota Moseev emphasized the chain of people who mobilized for the rescue, and Assaf Rejwan noted that the flight passengers became one family celebrating a second birthday on the flight date, September 30.

Tali Manes said she acted on maternal intuition: “Apparently I’m a mother with maternal intuition and I was at the right time, in the right place, with the most right people there are.” Her husband, Zvika Manes, said what pushed him to act was his daughters’ screams: “What pushed me forward was my daughters’ screams. When a parent hears a scream like that, he acts without thinking.”

Photo: Haim Zach, GPO

Yaniv Hayon expressed pride in receiving the medal and said: “It’s a great honor that the president chose to award me the medal for courage, and it will be displayed at home with pride, and my children will be able to see it every day.” Dr. Shota Moseev emphasized the cooperation among passengers in the moments of danger: “Many miracles happened that day. We were a chain of people who helped, and if one part had been missing, it would have broken. Everyone acted with courage.”

In his speech at the ceremony, President Herzog thanked the six for preventing a major aviation disaster that would have changed the face of the Middle East, and announced his intention to award the medal also to Indian captain Sumit Machehar, who fought the attacker and was seriously injured. The president stressed that civilian courage does not excuse the obligation to provide full, satisfactory answers to the public. Committee chairman retired Justice Elyakim Rubinstein congratulated the recipients and noted that a wondrous miracle occurred in the skies that serves as an example and model of Israel’s beautiful faces.

Photo: Haim Zach, GPO

“Inspired by you, I stand here and remind us all: Israeli civilian courage is everywhere: on a plane, on the road, in the street, on the battle fronts, in the hospital, in a neighbor’s home. It’s in a person who sees danger and says: I can’t stand by—this is the heart of Israeli society. A society that has known for years how to build a state out of danger and crises and time after time—to choose life,” Herzog said.

He added: “Just yesterday marked three years since the October 7 disaster by the Gregorian calendar. In these three years we have seen again and again Israeli society in all its beauty and glory. A society that in its hardest hours proves that resourcefulness is not just a trait—it’s a way of life.”

Photo: Haim Zach, GPO

From the words of committee chairman retired Justice Elyakim Rubinstein: “In the skies, during the drama of the attempted plane crash and the wondrous rescue with the wonderful human combination, with the mutual help that was there, a miracle of miracles truly happened. Normally, even those of us who don’t rush to believe in miracles would share this feeling. We read in the medal committee, with trembling, the unbelievable stories of courage. You are an example and model of Israel’s beautiful faces. Heartfelt congratulations to the recipient and recipients. People of the skies, may you be blessed from the heavens.”

October 8, 2026
Army Court Sentences Terrorist to Life for Killing IDF Sgt.

Nearly six and a half years after the tragic death of Sgt. Amit Ben Yigal, a 21-year-old Golani Brigade reconnaissance fighter killed during an operation in the northern Samaria village of Yabed, a military court unanimously sentenced the terrorist responsible to life in prison Thursday. Following the verdict, his father, Baruch Ben Yigal, shared heartbreaking reflections on the end of the long legal battle and the endless struggle with loss.

In a post on social media, Baruch Ben Yigal summed up the exhausting years of waiting: “That’s it, the journey is over. Six years of waiting, pain, and hope reached the moment of decision today. Today, after six years, the cursed terrorist who murdered my beloved son, Amit (Kalfo) Ben Yigal, a Golani reconnaissance fighter, hero of Israel, was sentenced. Unanimously—life in prison.”

Baruch and Amit Ben Yigal | Photo: Personal

Alongside the sense of mission accomplished and legal closure, the father emphasized the enormous void that remains in his heart: “I sit with myself and feel mixed emotions. On one hand, there’s relief. Justice has spoken, and the person who cut short my son’s life has been sent to prison for life. On the other hand, no sentence, however severe, will bring back my Amit. No day in prison will restore his smile, his hug, his voice, and the dreams that were cruelly cut down when he was only 21.”

Looking ahead, Ben Yigal made clear that his personal struggle is far from over: “For six years I carried this battle in my heart… I learned anew what it means for a father to lose his only son, and what it means to live alongside longing that has no end. The legal journey has ended, but my journey as Amit’s father will never end. I will continue to tell his story, commemorate his heroism, and pass on his light, so that more and more people will know the heroic fighter he was and the special person I had the privilege of being his father.”

He closed with a moving, personal message to his son: “My Amit, my soul, I wish you were here… I love you, miss you with every breath, and carry you with me every day and every step. The legal journey has ended. My love for you, the longing and the promise to continue your path—will last forever. May your memory be blessed, my beloved son. I salute you, Amit (Kalfo) Ben Yigal, Golani reconnaissance fighter, hero of Israel.”

The tragedy occurred in May 2020, when IDF forces were conducting an operation in the village of Yabed in northern Samaria. During the operation, a terrorist threw a heavy rock from a rooftop at the soldiers, struck Amit Ben Yigal, and caused his death. Ben Yigal was 21 when he fell and was the only son of his parents. Since his death, his father has waged a stubborn and determined battle for full justice against the terrorist, which reached its legal conclusion today in the military court.

October 8, 2026
Is Netanyahu’s God Talk Real or Just Campaign Strategy?

1. Three years after that fateful Simchat Torah, one can state with profound relief that the State of Israel has broken free from the perilous misconception that brought about October 7 and so many other disasters: the dogma of “my power and the might of my hand.” That haughty, detached secular doctrine which declared: only by sword, only by force, and never by the Spirit of the Lord.

Photo: Aryeh Leib Abrams, Flash90

Following that catastrophic day, scarcely anyone places their exclusive trust in force alone. Almost everyone is lifting their eyes toward Heaven. And how deeply moving it is to witness how this spiritual awakening is transforming reality—how many overt miracles we have witnessed since that profound concealment of the Divine face on Simchat Torah.

2. Yet this past week, a new milestone was reached—a peak of miracles, matched by a peak of public thanksgiving to God. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel—a man who for decades was among the foremost champions of self-reliance and military prowess—openly acknowledged the Almighty for these miracles. He has not ceased offering thanks.

Prime Minister Netanyahu meeting with Yaniv Hayun, survivor of the flight from Dubai | Photo: Kobi Gideon, GPO

It began with video footage showing him raising his hands and singing together with the survivors of the recent aviation incident and their children: “The Holy One, Blessed be He, always loves me.” He then added with visible gratitude: “What can I tell you? This is what people mean by a ‘miracle from Heaven.’ It is truly a miracle from Heaven.” Next came a singular post: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who performed a miracle for us in this place.”

The following day brought additional documentation from his office during an intimate meeting with the unassuming heroes of that flight. Gripping each person’s hand, Netanyahu told them, “Through prayer, faith, resourcefulness, and courage, you saved so many lives.”

Photo: Olivier Fitoussi, Flash90/POOL

The crescendo arrived inside the Knesset sukkah on the eve of Hoshana Rabbah. Wearing a kippah, an emotional Netanyahu read aloud the biblical verse from the Book of Samuel: “And the Lord saved Israel that day.” He addressed the gathering: “What we witnessed, the miracle that occurred yesterday… was a chain of miracles that constituted both heavenly assistance and divine intervention. That is precisely what occurred. We must understand: we could have been sitting here in national mourning, facing a crushing blow to Israel, yet instead we witnessed a magnificent salvation.”

3. Before going further, one must address the thought crossing the minds of many: Is Netanyahu’s talk of faith genuine, or is it merely theatrical staging for approaching elections?

First and foremost: yes, I believe him. Netanyahu is not claiming he has adopted the strictest halakhic stringencies on the Sabbath. Rather, he has simply begun to mention—far more frequently—the Creator of the Universe. In truth, he has simply begun thinking about Him far more. Why assume that the contemporary Jewish awakening, which touches even the most estranged Jews across the globe, somehow bypassed the one individual most acutely immersed in the existential crucible of our nation?

Photo: Western Wall Heritage Foundation

What are the skeptics truly arguing? That assimilated students on U.S. college campuses can suddenly discover their Jewish roots, but the prime minister of the Jewish state—the one human being exposed more than anyone alive to mortal peril, threats, and overt miracles—must remain the exact same cynical, secular elitist from Rehavia? Is there truly no ceiling to the cynicism directed at this man?

4. Yet even if the cynics were correct—even if all of Netanyahu’s faithful rhetoric were purely designed to drive masses of voters to the ballot box—it would be even more extraordinary.

Benjamin Netanyahu | Screenshot

Because that would mean we are not merely witnessing the personal spiritual strengthening of a single prominent Jew, but an authentic spiritual awakening of millions of Jews. An awakening so profound that the sharpest political mind and greatest campaign strategist of our era, who has spent decades mastering how to communicate with the Israeli public, understands that the national language itself has transformed. That he must speak entirely differently.

How fortunate is the nation for whom this is reality; how fortunate is the nation whose political campaigns look like this.

October 8, 2026
Pharmacy Student Accused of Planning Poison Attacks on Jews

The State Attorney’s Office filed an indictment on Thursday at the Jerusalem District Court against Muhammad Shalabi, a 22-year-old pharmacy student from the Beit Hanina neighborhood of Jerusalem, charging him with preparing an act of terror amounting to murder and receiving terror training. According to the indictment, Shalabi plotted to execute large-scale attacks targeting security forces and Jewish civilians using lethal poisons and improvised explosive devices.

Court filings say Shalabi is a third-year pharmacy student who also worked as a pharmacy assistant. Prosecutors contend that he underwent radical ideological indoctrination following the events of October 7 and the outbreak of the Swords of Iron war, systematically consuming extremist propaganda associated with both Hamas and ISIS. He subsequently resolved to leverage his academic training and access to chemical compounds to formulate lethal weaponry.

Pharmacy, illustration | Photo: Shutterstock

In early 2025, enraged over municipal parking citations issued to worshippers near a local mosque in Beit Hanina, Shalabi initially plotted to plant an explosive device at the post frequently occupied by enforcement personnel. According to the indictment, he monitored their routines for two months. He downloaded bomb-making manuals from the internet, eventually abandoning the plan only after enforcement units ceased frequenting the specific location.

Thereafter, the indictment states, Shalabi transitioned to planning large-scale mass attacks intended to kill “crowds of Jews.” To advance his scheme, he joined terror-affiliated Telegram channels, including an ISIS channel, downloading dozens of technical files containing operational instructions for synthesizing explosives, constructing improvised bombs, and manufacturing deadly toxins.

Arrest, illustration | Photo: Shutterstock

The indictment further reveals that Shalabi transcribed into a notebook chemical formulas for manufacturing poisons capable of causing death via direct skin contact, inhalation, or ingestion. He also cataloged precursor materials he could procure to produce explosive compounds as part of his operational preparations.

According to prosecutors, Shalabi moved beyond information gathering into tangible operational steps. He traveled to Ramallah on two separate occasions to procure relevant chemical materials and laboratory hardware, intentionally splitting purchases across separate locations to avoid raising suspicion. He stored the acquired agents inside his bedroom.

Conducted chemical test in bathtub, illustration | Photo: Shutterstock

Additionally, Shalabi conducted an experimental chemical test in the bathtub of his family residence, igniting a synthesized mixture to assess the reactivity of the substances in his possession. The indictment notes that he subsequently wiped operational files and search logs from his mobile device to obscure his illicit activities.

The indictment attributes charges of preparing an act of terror of murder and receiving unlawful attorney’s fees for terror purposes. Alongside the indictment, the State Attorney’s Office submitted an official petition requesting that the court order Shalabi remanded in custody until the completion of judicial proceedings against him.

October 8, 2026
Drone Video Debunks ‘Palestinian’ Arson Libel in Binyamin

Residents of the Kafr Ana hilltop community in the Binyamin region said real-time aerial footage revealed the true sequence of events behind a major fire earlier this week. The incident began when Arab rioters converged on the access road leading to the outpost, set ablaze a barricade constructed of tires and combustible items, and inadvertently ignited an adjacent Arab-owned vehicle storage lot—before coordinated reports emerged falsely accusing Jewish residents of the arson.

Photo: Channel 14

In an interview on Channel 14’s “Morning Edition” with Dana Varon, Kafr Ana resident Yitzhak Weisman explained that the community was established approximately four months ago between Beit El and Ofra on an ancient site holding strategic value and Crusader-era archaeological remains. Weisman emphasized that since their arrival, residents have been subjected to recurring violent security incidents perpetrated by terrorists from surrounding villages.

“We have dealt with various incursions up the hill attacking us. We had a guy evacuated to the hospital with a head injury who required stitches, road obstacles placed on our path, and similar incidents,” Weisman recounted, adding that these persistent attacks rarely receive public attention or media coverage.

Photo: Chaim Goldberg, Flash90

The latest incident unfolded in the afternoon when a local Jewish shepherd noticed several suspicious individuals approaching the access road to the hilltop. “The shepherd called me, saying he saw figures walking along the access road toward us. I immediately launched a drone to assess the situation,” Weisman said. The drone documented the suspects dragging items and debris from the adjacent vehicle lot into the thoroughfare.

Weisman noted that some of the perpetrators masked their faces, especially after spotting the hovering drone. Real-time footage captured the arsonists setting fire to the barricade. Within moments, the flames spread out of control, jumping into the neighboring vehicle compound and engulfing multiple cars. The rioters made a futile attempt to extinguish the burgeoning blaze using a water bottle before fleeing the scene.

Judea and Samaria | Photo: Chaim Goldberg, Flash90

Shortly after the perpetrators fled, Arabic social media networks flooded the internet with posts blaming the hilltop pioneers for the damage. “I saw about 15 different reports across Arabic networks claiming that residents burned olive trees and a car lot near the village of Ein Yabrud,” Weisman noted.

According to residents, the incident at Kafr Ana illustrates the vast chasm between verified reality on the ground and fabricated media campaigns designed to delegitimize the Jewish communities movement. Hilltop residents emphasized that their documented video evidence definitively dismantled the libelous allegations leveled against them.

October 8, 2026
Trump Marks October 7: ‘We Will Never Forget’

U.S. President Donald Trump published his official statement on Truth Social on Wednesday evening, marking three years since the October 7 massacre. Trump expressed profound shock at the atrocities and emphasized that he will never forget the victims or the horrors that occurred that day. “Exactly three years ago, on October 7, the world witnessed one of the darkest and most terrible days in the history of Israel,” Trump wrote. “Innocent men, women, and children were murdered, kidnapped, and subjected to unimaginable atrocities at the hands of Hamas terrorists.”

Trump added that the United States remembers those murdered, honors the survivors and their families, and remembers the hostages who were forced to endure what he described as “the unthinkable.”

“I fought relentlessly to bring the hostages home and reunite them with their loved ones—and I did, both the living and the dead,” the American president wrote. Concluding his post, Trump stressed: “We will never forget October 7. We will never forget the victims. And we will always stand firm against the forces of terror and evil.”

Video: Fox News

Earlier in the evening, Trump spoke by phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said he sent greetings to the people of Israel through him. “I spoke with Netanyahu and wished him well, and I wished the people of Israel well,” Trump said. “It was a terrible day and a tragedy.” The American president then addressed the price paid by the side that carried out the October 7 attack. “The other side is paying a very big price for what they did on October 7, believe me,” he said. Trump also addressed Iran, saying: “Their country is being wiped out.”

October 8, 2026
Mamdani Heckled at Oct 7 Memorial Despite Anti-Israel Post

Despite releasing a controversial statement that sparked outrage across the Jewish community, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani failed to placate radical anti-Israel activists, who met him on Wednesday with a relentless barrage of jeers, insults, and vitriol during an October 7 memorial ceremony in Manhattan’s Union Square, accusing him of betraying the “Palestinian struggle” since taking office.

Video: Social media

According to a report by the New York Post, hundreds of anti-Israel agitators showed up at the memorial wearing keffiyehs, with some waving Hamas banners. “Coward!” they shouted at Mamdani, “How could you let this happen?” Agitators escalated their chants, shouting “Shame on you” and “Zohran, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide!”

Tamar Glezerman, a co-founder of “Israelis for Peace,” the progressive group that organized the memorial, described the gathering as a deeply distressing event. “Verbally, it was severe violence,” she said. “What is so disheartening is the complete refusal to listen. The only thing that mattered to them was that the word ‘Israelis’ appeared in our name. Nothing we actually said carried any weight for them.”

Photo: Shutterstock

Earlier on Wednesday, Mamdani drew intense condemnation from local Jewish leaders and public officials after publishing a statement marking the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre. In his post, the mayor claimed that “the suffering neither began nor ended on that day,” and accused the Israeli government of committing an “ongoing genocide” in the Gaza Strip. Mamdani also alleged that tens of thousands of ‘Palestinians’ have been killed during the war, charging that the United States remains complicit through its continued military assistance to Israel.

October 8, 2026
Netanyahu Meets Paraguay VP, Discusses Expanding Ties

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Thursday at his Jerusalem office with Paraguayan Vice President Pedro Alliana, who is conducting an official state visit to Israel. During the diplomatic meeting, the two leaders discussed strengthening bilateral relations and expanding multifaceted cooperation across multiple strategic fields. The Prime Minister welcomed the Vice President to Israel and extended warm regards to Paraguayan President Santiago Peña, underscoring the two nations’ close relationship.

Photo: Maayan Toaf / GPO

Throughout the discussion, Netanyahu expressed deep appreciation to Paraguay’s leadership for its friendship and steadfast support for the State of Israel throughout the months of the ongoing war. Paraguay has consistently demonstrated its standing as one of Israel’s most loyal international allies, maintaining an unequivocal posture alongside the country. Alliana’s visit underscores both nations’ mutual commitment to deepening their strategic alliance, safeguarding the status of Paraguay’s embassy in Jerusalem, and confronting terrorism and antisemitism collaboratively.

Photo: Maayan Toaf / GPO

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar attended the high-level diplomatic meeting with Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano and Paraguayan Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development Rolando de Barros. Also participating were National Security Adviser Shmuel Ben-Ezra, Prime Ministerial Foreign Policy Adviser Ophir Falk, and the ambassadors of both nations.

The parties concluded by agreeing to maintain close diplomatic, security, and economic coordination and to actively advance a series of joint initiatives in the period ahead.

October 8, 2026