Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, released a public statement on Sunday sharing a medical update on his son Neriah, who was critically injured last week in a vehicular terror attack in the Binyamin region. While Neriah remains in life-threatening condition, the ambassador reported several encouraging developments that have provided the family with renewed hope.
Israel’s Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter | Photo: Jonathan Sindel, Flash90
“My family joins me in thanking everyone for their prayers and outpouring of support,” Ambassador Leiter said. “Neriah’s life still hangs in the balance, but we have seen several encouraging signs that we are holding onto with great hope. We believe deeply in the power of prayer, that the Almighty hears our prayers and is capable of healing even when recovery appears impossible.”
The ambassador added: “Alongside my profound gratitude to everyone for their care and concern, I would like to request that prayers for Neriah also encompass heartfelt wishes for all those who have suffered grievous wounds at the hands of terrorists. They and their comrades are the heroes who guarantee that we will persevere and achieve victory in the battle against those who sow murder and ruin. This is nothing less than a struggle for the future of civilization itself.”
Neriah Leiter | Photo: Courtesy of the family
Neriah suffered catastrophic injuries when a terrorist accelerated his vehicle and struck him while he was conducting a security inspection post near Route 443. Immediately after hitting Neriah, the terrorist exited his vehicle and charged toward the other fighters on the scene, who neutralized and eliminated him. Neriah was rushed to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, where he underwent emergency brain surgery immediately upon arrival.
A former bodyguard of eliminated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was granted political asylum and subsequently British citizenship, was arrested in London last year on suspicion of involvement in orchestrating terror attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets across Europe, Britain’s Sunday Times reported on Saturday.
The operative, identified in reports only as “Mr. X” due to strict British legal reporting restrictions, is the son of a senior Hamas figure and, according to intelligence sources, served in Haniyeh’s personal security detail. According to the newspaper, despite his extensive operational past within the terror organization, he was granted permission to settle in the UK under refugee status in 2015 and eventually naturalized as a British citizen.
Illustration | Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib, Flash90
The report details that “X” was embedded within Haniyeh’s protection detail as early as 2006, when Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections and subsequently seized control of the Gaza Strip in a violent coup. Between 2009 and 2012, he operated in Egypt, where he was detained by local authorities after being tied to cross-border smuggling tunnels used to funnel weapons and gold into Gaza.
In 2012, he left Gaza, and his trajectory over the subsequent three years remains largely obscured. By 2015, he entered the UK, secured asylum, and obtained a British passport. According to the Sunday Times, he resided with his wife and children in the suburbs of a major English city, ostensibly maintaining a career as an IT consultant.
Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip | Photo: Shutterstock
Outwardly, he led a seemingly ordinary life: incorporating private companies, posting online consumer business reviews, and attending anti-Israel demonstrations. In reality, however, security sources allege he remained a vital clandestine asset for Hamas, repeatedly altering his legal name to evade surveillance. Last November, he was arrested in London after the Mossad and German intelligence services uncovered, according to the report, a plan to attack Jewish community centers, Israeli diplomats, and pro-Israel demonstrations in Germany or Austria.
The report further reveals that in Germany, “X” is accused of transferring weapons, including pistols and ammunition, to a warehouse in Vienna. According to the indictment, first published in the German newspaper Bild, in July 2025 he transferred five pistols, ammunition, wool hats, and gloves from Berlin to Vienna. A month later, it’s alleged, he received 100 rounds of ammunition. Several weeks after that, one of his accomplices obtained a Yugoslav-model Kalashnikov rifle, eight pistols, and 600 bullets.
Illustration | Photo: Canva
In one of the raids, investigators found a video that, according to the report, was apparently filmed in Vienna, showing “X” masked and armed alongside a Hamas flag. In the video, he presented the planned attack as an “act of revenge” on behalf of Hamas’s military wing, intended to be carried out to mark two years since the October 7 massacre—a detail that helped German authorities trace the motive and timing of the plot.
If convicted, “X” is expected to serve a prison sentence in Britain first, then face extradition proceedings to Germany. A source quoted in the paper described him as a “senior asset” for Hamas, and claimed he exploited his citizenship and British passport to travel to Turkey and Qatar, where senior members of the organization reside and operate.
The initiative to publicly release portions of the compilation documenting the horrific atrocities of the October 7 massacre has advanced to its next phase. A diplomatic source confirmed to Channel 14 that an agreement in principle has been reached to publish parts of the graphic footage with explicit backing from the political echelon, while consultations continue with families whose loved ones are depicted in the footage.
Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip | Photo: Shutterstock
The public diplomacy initiative enjoys broad support across political and security leadership, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and top IDF command, all of whom favor releasing the raw footage to expose the reality of Hamas’s brutality to the world.
According to the source, the IDF is overseeing the rollout and maintaining direct contact with bereaved families. When families do not grant explicit consent for footage depicting their loved ones to be broadcast, the directive is to omit those segments entirely rather than rely on digital blurring.
October 7 massacre | Photo: Flash90
To date, the compilation has been shown in about 800 closed-door screenings for select audiences, including foreign heads of state, diplomats, intelligence officials, and international journalists. In total, over 20,000 people from more than 70 countries have viewed the footage under strict supervision.
The development unfolds against the backdrop of public outcry surrounding “NAZA,” a controversial film by Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham, which has reignited debate within Israel over the effectiveness of the country’s public diplomacy apparatus in refuting defamatory claims against the IDF. According to previous reports, distribution channels under review include formal campaigns by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Israeli embassies worldwide, as well as dedicated releases across official government digital platforms.
Photo: Reuters
Just yesterday, the creators of “NAZA” appeared at the New York Film Festival premiere, attempting to sway American public opinion against Israel. “This is what your country is supporting and funding,” Abraham claimed at the screening, adding: “Part of the goal is to make it harder to deny what is happening in Gaza.” Israel’s planned release of authentic October 7 documentation is designed to confront such narratives with undeniable proof of the atrocities that launched the war.
Religious Zionism party chairman and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich launched a sharp attack Sunday against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara after she directed a delay in concluding the strategic construction tender in the E1 corridor adjacent to Ma’ale Adumim until after the Knesset elections. Smotrich accused her of unlawful interference in an active election campaign and urged Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg to intervene.
In an official letter addressed to the Attorney General, Smotrich argued that the initiative represents the orderly continuation of a standard, fully lawful tender process initiated long before the current election cycle began. He demanded the immediate revocation of her directive—which he called fundamentally improper—and insisted the tender proceed according to its established schedule.
Speaking during a tour of agricultural ranches across Judea and Samaria, Smotrich declared: “Gali Baharav-Miara is trying to halt construction in E1. She is meddling in the election campaign and working on behalf of Gadi Eisenkot, who announced that he would stop building to enable the establishment of a ‘Palestinian’ state—a terror state in the heart of the State of Israel. I will not allow her to do that.”
Smotrich subsequently addressed Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg directly: “I call upon Judge Sohlberg, Chairman of the Central Elections Committee—ensure that the Attorney General and her staff do not turn into active players inside the election campaign in an attempt to provide cover for the Left, prevent the Right from forming a government, and facilitate the establishment of a ‘Palestinian’ state that would imperil the very existence of the State of Israel.”
On Saturday afternoon, police received a report regarding a rock-throwing incident near Re’im Ranch in the Ma’ale Adumim sector. According to emergency dispatches, stones were hurled toward several Israelis who were present in the area at the time. Security forces were immediately scrambled to the scene to locate the perpetrators and eliminate any threat to civilian lives.
Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
After receiving the alert, officers from the Ma’ale Adumim police station, along with Jerusalem envelope Border Police fighters, arrived swiftly at the scene. The forces initiated widespread sweeps across the surrounding terrain, during which they located and apprehended the suspect—an 18-year-old Arab terrorist residing in Khan al-Ahmar—on suspicion of direct involvement in hurling rocks at the civilians present near the ranch.
The Police Spokesperson’s Unit stated that the terrorist was transferred to the police station for interrogation and subsequently remanded behind bars. Police emphasized that the investigation is actively ongoing, reaffirming that security forces will continue to act resolutely to safeguard the safety and well-being of civilians across the region.
In a joint statement released by the IDF Spokesperson and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), authorities cleared for publication Sunday that Israeli forces eliminated Hamas terrorist Muhammad Hamad Muhammad Gabbain in a precision strike in the northern Gaza Strip last week. Gabbain served in Hamas’s military wing and stood as a prioritized target for the defense establishment due to his extensive involvement in hostile terror activity against Israel throughout the war.
The terrorist organization Hamas | Photo: Shutterstock
According to verified intelligence compiled by the Shin Bet and the IDF, the terrorist was directly involved throughout the hostilities in holding numerous Israeli hostages captive inside the terror organization’s network. Among the nine abductees directly held under his guard were Ziv Berman, Eitan Mor, Liri Albag, Agam Berger, Matan Angrest, Gali Berman, Omri Miran, Keith Siegel, and Alon Ohel.
The defense establishment noted that in recent days, the Hamas terrorist had been actively working to orchestrate imminent terror plots targeting IDF forces and Israeli civilians, alongside sustained efforts to rehabilitate Hamas’s military infrastructure and capabilities in systematic breach of ceasefire understandings. In response, Israel authorized an aerial strike to remove the immediate threat he posed. Israeli forces remain deployed across the sector in accordance with operational frameworks, standing ready to thwart any immediate hostile threat.
A new investigation by Britain’s Daily Telegraph has once again placed the BBC under intense scrutiny over its coverage of the war in Gaza, exposing that 53 Gazans presented by the British public broadcaster as “journalists” killed during hostilities were operatives with documented ties to Hamas, ‘Palestinian’ Islamic Jihad (‘PIJ’), or other terror factions.
Hamas terrorists | Photo: Flash90
Several of these “journalists” had been documented on social media wearing military combat fatigues, brandishing automatic weapons, or donning headbands identified with designated terror organizations. Others were formally memorialized posthumously in official obituary posters issued by Hamas or Islamic Jihad, in which they were explicitly glorified as “fighters,” “operatives,” or “martyrs.”
Despite this readily available evidence, BBC Arabic incorporated their names into casualty rolls under the professional classification of “journalists.” Ten of these individuals also appeared on the BBC’s main English-language news website or throughout the network’s wider global broadcasting coverage.
Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip | Photo: Shutterstock
Among the stark cases highlighted in the investigation is Abdullah Darwish. While presented by the BBC merely as a cameraman for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV, The Telegraph revealed that Darwish actively took part in the October 7 massacre as a fighter in Hamas’s Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and was photographed wearing the terror group’s green headband. He was subsequently eliminated in a precision airstrike in December 2023.
Another case documented in the probe is Yacoub al-Barsh, whom the BBC framed as a media professional and radio station director. In reality, he was identified as an operative in the al-Qassam Brigades, with his identity and martyrdom officially confirmed on Hamas’s “martyrs” directory. He was subsequently purged from the casualty rolls of the International Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Photo: Shutterstock
A further example cited is Rizq Abu Shakian, presented by the BBC as a reporter for ‘Palestine’ Now, who appears in online video footage clad in Hamas military uniform wielding an automatic assault rifle. Similarly, Ahmed Abu Sakhil, who was also included on the BBC roster, was documented armed with an AK-47 assault rifle and was officially eulogized as a fallen “martyr” by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also identified major discrepancies: 12 individuals originally featured on the BBC’s lists were later removed from the CPJ’s database after independent verification confirmed they were not journalists or media workers, or had actively participated in combat operations.
BBC | Illustration, Shutterstock
The new revelation compounds a long series of formal complaints and sharp critiques leveled against BBC Arabic since the war began. Last year, a leaked internal memo revealed that network staff had systematically acted to “minimize Israeli suffering” to portray Israel as the sole aggressor. Although the broadcaster previously pledged to implement editorial reforms after that leak, the latest findings reignite serious questions about the network’s commitment to basic journalistic integrity and impartiality.
Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, leader of Yemen’s Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement, has sharply escalated his campaign against Saudi Arabia in recent weeks against the backdrop of renewed regional hostilities in the Persian Gulf. In televised addresses delivered in the format of politico-military ultimatums, he vehemently denied Saudi accusations of attempting to strike Mecca, cautioned Turkey and Pakistan against entering the war alongside Riyadh, and laid down a strict deterrence formula of “blockade for blockade” and “airport for airport.”
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey summit | Photo: Reuters
The conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia has spanned more than a decade, marked by blockades, airstrikes, ballistic missile and drone barrages, shuttered ports, restricted air traffic, and years of unpaid public sector salaries. Politically, it has served as a war for dominance over Yemen, its oil and gas reserves, control of the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait, and governance across the country’s north.
Al-Houthi has now shifted the battleground from Yemen’s borders to the broader Islamic map. He claimed that ever since the Saudi state “was founded and occupied Mecca,” acts of “genocide” have taken place there, labeling the Saudis “highway robbers who desecrate the sanctity of the holy sites.” Furthermore, he linked Saudi state policy directly to American and Israeli interests, alleging that U.S. military advisers are actively managing operations out of Saudi territory.
Mecca, archive | Photo: Reuters
The implications of his rhetoric are unmistakable: a new religious war is looming on the horizon. Under al-Houthi’s doctrine, whoever currently controls Mecca is not necessarily its legitimate custodian, and he and his followers intend to “liberate Mecca from the Saudi occupier.”
In addition, al-Houthi dismissed the Saudi claim that his forces launched an attack drone toward Mecca, branding it “a great, ugly, and abominable lie” and an “overt blood libel.” He asserted that the Yemeni people—traditionally revered in Islamic heritage as “the Yemen of faith and wisdom”—would never harm the holy sites, but rather stand ready to sacrifice on their behalf. He accused Riyadh of exploiting the sanctity of Mecca to incite foreign nations against Yemen, cover up operational failures, and justify over 12 years of “aggression and siege,” while pledging that his forces would personally defend Mecca and Islam’s sacred sanctuaries.
The Houthis in Yemen | Photo: Shutterstock
Al-Houthi addressed Turkey and Pakistan directly, claiming that “the Saudi enemy” is maneuvering to embroil them in the fighting against Yemen, advising them not to entangle their armed forces for “fleeting political and material gains.” He also accused Riyadh of attempting to recruit jihadist fighters from Syria. His primary demand remained consistent: an immediate end to the military campaign and the lifting of the blockade—terms he characterized as entirely attainable.
In August, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan formally signed the “Mecca Defense Alliance,” stipulating that an attack on one signatory is viewed as an attack on all. In recent days, military chiefs of staff gathered in Riyadh as the pact transitions from diplomatic ceremonies to initial operational execution. For al-Houthi, this represents a critical inflection point: if Turkey and Pakistan supply intelligence, interception umbrellas, aerial refueling, or naval deployments, the operational balance of power fundamentally shifts.
The Houthis | Photo: Shutterstock
From the Saudi side, state-aligned media delivered sharp condemnations, denouncing the Houthis as a “terrorist militia” and accusing them of a recurring attempt to target Mecca—calling it an “abominable crime” that offends the sentiments of Muslims worldwide. Riyadh continues to frame its military engagement in Yemen as vital homeland security and the defense of Islam’s holiest sites, while depicting the Houthis as an Iranian proxy destabilizing the region. Al-Houthi’s rhetoric carries a dual message: on the one hand, a demand to lift the maritime and aerial blockade; on the other, an explicit warning that if Riyadh pursues “total escalation,” Yemen will respond in kind—including direct strikes against critical oil installations and essential infrastructure.
The conflict is taking on the characteristics of a theological struggle in the narrowest sense: an ideological battle over who holds the authority to speak for Islam, who truly protects Mecca, and who is considered a traitor to the faith. While the Houthis reject Saudi religious stewardship, Riyadh rejects the Houthis as an Iranian terror proxy and desecrators of the holy sites. Recent declarations from both capitals indicate that the war has fundamentally evolved from a border conflict into an ideological and religious war.
During the North American premiere of the controversial documentary film “NAZA” at the New York Film Festival, dozens of pro-Israel demonstrators mobilized Saturday night outside Lincoln Center to protest the screening. Demonstrators held signs, deployed digital billboard trucks displaying large LED screens broadcasting raw footage of Hamas’s Oct. 7 atrocities, and called on the public not to erase the horrific events that precipitated the war.
Video: courtesy of “Variety” Magazine X page
The Israeli-American Council (IAC) coordinated the protest. Noa Peri-Yanesh, a senior executive in the organization, emphasized that “compassion toward ‘Palestinian’ civilians does not require erasing Oct. 7 or ignoring Hamas.” Among the demonstrators outside was Rom El-Hai, a survivor of the Nova music festival massacre, who showed attendees firsthand video footage he recorded while fleeing the onslaught.
Inside the auditorium, filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor addressed the intense public criticism leveled against their work. The two defended their reliance on anonymous testimonies, claiming it remains an accepted journalistic standard in investigative reporting. Abraham stated that the film references the Oct. 7 massacre—which he described as “completely unjustified”—while asserting that it does not justify harm to ‘Palestinian’ civilians.
Rom El-Hai, a survivor of the Oct. 7 attack | Video: courtesy of “Variety” Magazine X page
The film, constructed around anonymous testimonies attributed to purported Israeli soldiers, officers, and intelligence personnel, has provoked fierce indignation across Israel. The IDF dismissed the allegations out of hand, with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir declaring that the military “will not permit our soldiers to be turned into targets through lies and blood libels.” Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar formally requested that the head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) investigate the origin of the classified materials used in the film, as well as the true identities and clearances of the anonymous interviewees.
Adam Brody, the Jewish-American actor who portrays a rabbi in Netflix’s hit series, did not hold back in criticizing Israel over the weekend, expressing explicit anti-Israel rhetoric regarding the war in Gaza. “Think of me as someone who thinks it’s a genocide. Think of me as someone who wants a free ‘Palestine’. It’s awful that it took so much death and suffering, but it does feel like it’s reaching a breaking point that should have been reached long ago,” Brody remarked in an interview published by GQ magazine.
Photo: Shutterstock
Brody added: “I hope that a different administration can actually do good and undo some of the policies that helped make this as bad as it is.” According to the actor, he had previously discussed the conflict “extensively in private” but refrained from speaking out publicly until now. Brody’s public remarks arrive just days after several Hollywood peers, including Oscar winner Susan Sarandon and actress Hannah Einbinder, were arrested outside the United Nations General Assembly in New York while protesting the arrival and speech of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ahead of the Prime Minister’s address, anti-Israel agitators hurled hostile chants targeting Netanyahu outside the headquarters, shouting: “You can’t hide, you’re wanted for genocide.” Demonstrators included Sarandon and Hacks star Hannah Einbinder, who hoisted placards denouncing Israel and the Prime Minister. Both took part in a demonstration organized by “Jewish Voice for Peace” in New York, demanding an immediate embargo on American weapons transfers to Israel.
Photo: Social Networks
Sarandon, known for years for aggressive anti-Israel positions and accusations of “genocide” in Gaza, has previously acknowledged losing representation and film roles in Hollywood due to her rhetoric. Einbinder has voiced similar sentiments, saying the moral cost of staying silent outweighs any professional repercussions. Alongside the two Hollywood actresses, several local political activists were taken into custody by police during the demonstrations.
Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
