This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Middle East/Israel Morning Brief
Released hostages speak of horrors of captivity, deprived of daylight for significant stretches
The three women released from Hamas captivity on Sunday shared their first testimonies from their captivity with N12 exclusively on Monday, cleared for publication by the military censor.
Doron Steinbrecher, Romi Gonen, and Emily Damari relayed they were initially held together but were later separated, according to the Jerusalem Post. They revealed they were only informed of their release on Sunday morning: "We couldn't believe it when we were told we were about to go home."
Even though the women did sometimes receive medical help or medications, they spent significant stretches of time without daylight, confined to underground space, N12 added.
One of the women underwent a medical procedure without anesthesia. She told N12 she thought she would die in Gaza.
Republican lawmakers applaud Trump's removal of controversial imam from inauguration program
Congressional Republicans widely supported President Donald Trump's decision to pull an imam with controversial views on terrorism as a speaker at his inauguration.
While the Trump transition team declined Jewish Insider's requests for comment on why it had removed Imam Husham Al-Husainy from speaking at the inaugural benediction, the imam did not appear at Monday's proceedings despite being listed on an earlier version of the inauguration program.
Other religious leaders featured on the program – Rabbi Ari Berman, president of Yeshiva University; Senior Pastor Lorenzo Sewell of the 180 Church in Detroit; and Rev. Father Frank Mann of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn – still spoke as planned during the ceremony, which took place in the Capitol Rotunda.
The Israel Defense Force Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi informed Defense Minister Israel Katz Tuesday of his intention to resign from his role effective March 6. In a statement, he said the failings of the Israeli military on Oct. 7, 2023 would haunt him for the rest of his life.
"I informed the defense minister today that in recognition of my responsibility in the failures of the IDF on Oct. 7, and while the military has made significant achievements and is in the midst of carrying out the agreement to free hostages, I am asking to end my term on March 6, 2025," Halevi said in a statement, according to Ynet.
"In the remaining time I will complete the inquiries and bolster the IDF's preparedness to face the security challenges. I will transfer command of the IDF in an orderly and meticulous fashion to my replacement. I sent my letter to the prime minister and the defense minister.
President Trump expected to announce immediate halt to UNRWA funding
The United States' 47th President Donald Trump will sign an executive order Monday halting all new foreign aid unless it fits with U.S. strategic goals, according to two incoming senior White House officials.
The aim is to prevent American taxpayers' cash falling into the hands of groups working against the U.S. or promoting 'diversity, equity, inclusion' agendas, for example.
And it will likely immediately halt new U.S. money going to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.
It is the agency that distributes aid in Gaza but it has repeatedly been accused of close ties to the terror group Hamas. The UN admitted that nine of its staff may been involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
'The United States and American citizens have been some of the most generous people in the entire world,' an incoming White House policy adviser told DailyMail.com.
'But at this point, we have to understand that foreign policy is domestic policy, and if this is not aligned with our interests, then Uncle Sam should not be opening up his pocketbook any longer.'
IDF chief says military must prepare for 'significant' future operations in Judea and Samaria
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi ordered the military on Monday to prepare for counter-terror operations in Judea and Samaria amid an uptick in terror following the ceasefire in Gaza.
"In addition to the intense defensive preparations in the Gaza Strip, we must be prepared for significant operations in Judea and Samaria in the coming days to get ahead of and catch the terrorists before they reach our citizens," Halevi stated following a situational assessment, and reported in the Jewish News Syndicate.
Halevi's remarks came hours after one IDF soldier was killed and four others were wounded, one seriously, by a roadside bomb in the Arab village of Tammun, northeast of Nablus (Shechem) in Samaria.
Concerns are also growing in Jerusalem that the release of hundreds of Palestinian terrorists as part of the ceasefire deal with Hamas – many of whom will be allowed to return to Judea, Samaria and the eastern part of the country's capital – has the potential to ignite more terror in the area.
Hamas in a statement issued on Tuesday morning called on all terrorists in Judea and Samaria to "rise in a sweeping wave of anger to deter the settlers" after protests against the ceasefire deal led to riots and the torching of Palestinian structures by Jewish extremists.
Poll: 21% of Americans prefer Hamas over Israel
Twenty-one percent of U.S. voters support the Hamas terrorist group over Israel, according to a Harvard/Harris poll.
One quarter of U.S. Democrats support Hamas. For Republicans, 19% back the terror group, and for independent voters the number is 20%, the survey says, according to the Times of Israel.
Support for the terrorists is highest among 25- to 34-year-olds, at 32%. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, 21% back Hamas; in the 35-44 age group, 29%; in the 45-54 age group, 23%; in the 55-64 age group, 17%; and for those over 65, 10%.
Democrats are most in favor of the ceasefire deal, at 87%, followed by Republicans, 81%, and independents, 78%.
Among all voters, 57% believe Hamas agreed to the hostage deal because of the incoming Trump administration, and 43% credit the Biden administration.
Sydney daycare center firebombed graffiti anti-Semitic message
A Sydney suburb kindergarten was set on fire and defaced with antisemitic graffiti late Monday in what Australian Jewish groups suspected to be arson and vandalism motivated by antisemitism, reported the Jerusalem Post.
The New South Wales Police Force said they were investigating a suspicious fire at a Maroubra childcare center which had caused extensive damage to the building. Local sources said there were signs of forced entry and the fire had started within the building.
The kindergarten was not a Jewish community facility, but local sources said there was antisemitic graffiti on the premises. Police said in their statement that offensive graffiti was spray-painted on an external wall, and law enforcement was treating the incident as a hate crime.
The Australian Jewish Association said on X the incident occurred near a synagogue. Some believe that due to the proximity of a synagogue, vandals may have been seeking to target a nearby Jewish kindergarten attached to that house of worship.
Trump not confident Gaza deal will hold through all 3 phases
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday he's not confident that Israel's ceasefire deal with the Hamas terrorist group will hold through all three phases, according to the Jewish News Syndicate.
"It's not our war. It is their war. I am not confident. But I think they're very weakened on the other side," he said in response to a question in the Oval Office while signing orders in the first hours of his presidency.
Asked about the future governance of the Gaza Strip, the president said he believed "you certainly can't have the people that were there," in an apparent reference to the Iranian-backed Hamas terror organization.
Iran's Crown Prince writes open letter to Trump urging him to bring down Tehran's Islamic theocracy
U.S. President Donald Trump can use his so-called maximum pressure policy on Iran to put an end to the Islamic Republic's tyranny, exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi said in a letter warning the US president against trusting the ruling clerics, reported Iran International.
"No American President has yet had the courage to put an end to this tyranny," Pahlavi said in the letter he published on X as Trump was sworn in at the US Capitol.
"You can," he said. "Not through war, but by maintaining maximum pressure on the regime and providing maximum support to the brave Iranian people."
Trump has in his previous interviews and speeches appeared to rule out seeking regime change in Iran. In an October interview with Iranian-American podcaster Patrick Bet-David, Trump was asked if he would like to see Iran change its ruling system. He replied, "We can't get totally involved in all that. We can't run ourselves, let's face it."
Hamas claims 4 unnamed female hostages to be released Saturday
Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told AFP on Tuesday that four Israeli women hostages will be freed in return for Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, in the second such release under a ceasefire deal.
Nunu said the Palestinian Islamist movement would release "four Israeli female detainees in exchange" for a second group of Palestinian prisoners, according to al-Arabiya.
Sen. Lindsey Graham calls on U.S. to help Israel strike Iranian nuclear sites
There is no point in negotiating with Iran about its nuclear program and President Donald Trump should instead help Israel bomb it, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R–S.C., said.
The comments by the hawkish South Carolina senator who is a longtime Trump confidant are among the most direct yet by a senior decision-maker supporting a US military intervention on Iran, reported Iran International.
"The next question for the world is what do we do about the Iran nuclear program," Graham told CBS "Face the Nation" on Sunday.
The veteran senator is one of the biggest advocates of a more muscular policy abroad and is a vocal supporter of Israel and its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he credited with delivering heavy blows to Iran-backed groups Hezbollah and Hamas.
Hamas promises to release dual Russian-Israeli national 'alive and well'
According to media reports published on Ynet, the Russian ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov said he had received a "firm promise" hostage Sasha Troufanov would be released "alive and well."
Without putting a firm timeline on the possibility, Viktorov said Troufanov could be free within three to four weeks.
An Amazon employee, he was kidnapped to Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, and has been held for more than 470 days. Troufanov turned 29 in captivity and is part of the list of 33 hostages set to be released as the first part of the current deal. He was cruelly made to participate by the terrorists in a propaganda video.
Trump revokes sanctions on Judea and Samaria settlers
U.S. President Donald Trump revoked a host of what he called "harmful" executive orders and actions under former President Joe Biden, including Executive Order 14115 of Feb. 1, 2024, which sanctioned Jews living in Judea and Samaria accused of "undermining peace, security and stability in the West Bank.[sic]"
On Feb. 1, Biden froze four Israeli residents of Judea and Samaria, who he said were guilty of committing violent crimes, from the U.S. banking system. The Biden administration sanctioned five Israeli entities and three people for "violent extremism" on July 11, but it got the name of one of the Israelis wrong and sanctioned the wrong person.
On Nov. 18, the Biden administration sanctioned three more Israelis and three entities, again saying those sanctioned "undermine peace, security and stability in the West Bank and the safety of both Israelis and Palestinians."
In the final week of his presidency, Biden extended the national emergency he declared on Feb. 1 in Judea and Samaria for another year, through Feb. 1, 2026.
Global anti-Semitic incidents skyrocketed 340% in 2024
There was a staggering 340 percent increase in total antisemitic incidents worldwide in 2024 compared to 2022, according to newly unveiled research from the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency for Israel.
Announced on Monday, the new report presented by the two groups to Israeli President Isaac Herzog also showed antisemitic incidents skyrocketed globally last year by nearly 100 percent compared to 2023, reported the Algemeiner.
Researchers chose to analyze data starting in 2022 in order to assess a year without a major event inflaming antisemitism, namely the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas's invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The report documented similar levels of antisemitic incidents growing in both North America and Europe last year. The United States saw an increase of 288% over the totals of 2022, while antisemitic atrocities in Canada rose by 562%. Meanwhile, incidents in France surged by over 350%, and the United Kingdom experienced a spike of 450%, with nearly 2,000 acts of antisemitism in the first half of 2024 alone.
Keir Starmer claims 'no cover-up' at Southport killer's extremist links
The U.K.'s embattled Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer shrugged off claims of a cover-up regarding the murder of three pre-teen girls at a Southport Taylor Swift-themed dance party, as he insisted there would be a full inquiry into how the state failed to stop the killer going on the rampage, the Daily Mail reported.
The PM told a press conference in Downing Street that people were right to 'demand answers' over 'failings' in the case of Axel Rudakubana.
He stressed that the probe should be 'unburdened by cultural sensitivities' and institutions will not be allowed to 'deflect' responsibility. 'I'm angry about it… Nothing will be off the table in this inquiry,' he said.
However, he flatly rejected allegations of a 'cover-up' of terrorist links in the immediate aftermath of the atrocity in July – which was followed by a wave of rioting across the country. He confirmed he knew about the details 'as they were emerging' but could not risk the case collapsing and the 'vile' perpetrator walking away free.
