Israel Comes to a Standstill on Holocaust Remembrance Day (Times of Israel)
    At 10 a.m. on Thursday, Israelis nationwide stood in silence as a two-minute siren commemorated the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust.
    Drivers stopped their cars and got out, and people halted in the middle of the street.
    See also Video: Pedestrians in Jerusalem on Holocaust Remembrance Day (AFP)
    See also below Observations: Torchlighters on Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day 2025 (Yad Vashem)

Egypt Is Demanding that Hamas Disarm - Danny Zaken (Israel Hayom)
    Egypt has joined the demand for Hamas to fully disarm, placing demilitarization at the top of the agenda, the Qatari channel Al-Araby reported.
    Egyptian officials have made it clear to Hamas that any further refusal to disarm will lead to an escalation in Israel's military campaign.
    Israel is standing firm on the condition that Hamas must surrender all of its weapons, while Hamas is essentially the only party still opposing it.
    Israeli intelligence and defense officials believe Hamas is stalling, hoping for a more favorable deal.

PA Leader Abbas Calls on Hamas to Release Israeli Hostages and Disarm - Ibrahim Dahman (CNN)
    Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday demanded the release of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas.
    He said the hostages present an excuse for Israel to continue attacking Gaza.
    His remarks in a televised speech from Ramallah mark a significant shift in tone.
    "Hamas must end its control over Gaza, hand over all its affairs to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the legitimate Palestinian National Authority, and refrain from carrying arms, transforming into a political party that operates according to the laws of the Palestinian state and adheres to international legitimacy," he said.

Lebanese Anger toward Hizbullah Is Rising - Yossi Yehoshua (Ynet News)
    In the 148 days since a ceasefire was reached on the northern front, the IDF has eliminated 140 Hizbullah operatives - an average of nearly one a day.
    Israel's policy is clear: any attempt by Hizbullah to strengthen itself will be thwarted.
    Hizbullah is attempting to rebuild its command and control structure, including reorganizing its headquarters, regional commands, brigade commanders, and field officers.
    This is a preliminary step toward rebuilding its military capabilities, including the Radwan Unit, a force intended to capture Israeli communities, which emerged from the war battered and weakened.
    The IDF is not only monitoring these developments but is actively working to prevent them from becoming renewed threats.
    "We must act constantly to prevent the monster from resurfacing," said a senior military official.
    He added, "There are significant areas where the Lebanese army is enforcing measures against Hizbullah far more than we expected before the ceasefire, but we always want more."
    The atmosphere in Lebanon is no longer the same. Recent Israeli strikes have sparked angry reactions in Lebanon - against Hizbullah.
    Local bloggers and journalists have accused Hizbullah of dragging the country into unnecessary conflicts.

Hizbullah Remains a Major Force in Lebanon - Peled Arbeli (Jerusalem Post)
    Col. (res.) Dr. Moshe Elad, an expert on Lebanon and lecturer at Western Galilee College, told Maariv that "despite the severe blow Hizbullah suffered from Israel, the organization is still stronger than several Lebanese armies."
    "If Hizbullah wants, it could stage a government coup and reclaim control. If it desires, millions of Shiites will obey it."
    "Hizbullah isn't afraid of the Lebanese government, even with the backing of the United States and Europe....It simply yields to public opinion, to the common citizen who requested and even begged for a chance for the new government to rebuild the country."
    "Lebanese citizens have forgotten what it means to have running water, continuous electricity, clean streets, or a currency that holds any value. Hizbullah allows the new government to act towards Lebanon's reconstruction and does not intervene."
    At the same time, "Hizbullah is not eager to give up its missiles and weapons."

In the UK, the Blood Libel Returns to Public Life - Brendan O'Neill (Spiked)
    The hatreds of the Dark Ages have cast their shadow on Britain once more. In Essex, on Saturday, people taunted Jews with dead babies.
    They carried dolls in shrouds stained with fake blood and hollered "Stop killing babies!" as families walked home from synagogue after Sabbath prayers for Passover.
    It is 2025 and we are witnessing the public shaming of Jews, the taunting of them with slanders and threats.
    In Essex, life was breathed back into the medieval libel that damned the Jew as baby killer.
    Images of pious "pro-Palestine" activists marching past Orthodox Jews while carrying blood-stained infants should chill the spine of all who know the history of Jew-hatred.
    In the UK, in our supposedly enlightened era, the blood libel made its return to public life.
    Jews, once again, found themselves surrounded by sick, dark whispers about baby killing.
    We need to talk about this. That supposedly "progressive" causes can rekindle such pre-modern bigotries, such ancient hysterias, is alarming.

The Berkeley Campus Wants Me to Stay Silent. I Won't - Naomi Ashira Shenassa Toubian (Jewish News of Northern California)
    Suiting up to walk to class, I fasten a "Bring Them Home" necklace around my neck - a gift from my mother, who got it while volunteering in Israel as a trauma therapist for wounded soldiers.
    For me, it has become a shield, symbolizing a constant fight.
    Just as I enter campus, I pass by an older man waving a towering Palestinian flag. He screams at me about intifada and genocide.
    Three minutes later, adults hand me posters covered in antisemitic conspiracy theories and cartoonish propaganda. They shout about revolution in America, Zionism as fascism and Jews as colonizers.
    After four more minutes, speakers blast pro-Palestinian slogans distorted into calls for violence and erasure.
    After class, I head to a table at the center of campus, where our organization gathers beneath an Israeli flag. We smile. We talk. We answer questions.
    We hold space for a truth that others try to silence. I feel like I am home.
    The next morning, my walk repeats. The fire within me grows stronger. Every walk through campus is a gauntlet. With every step, I become closer to my Jewish community.
    Every day that I choose to walk, I am choosing to become less fearful.
    The writer, 18, is a first-year student at UC Berkeley.

How IDF Engineering Tech Is Saving Soldiers' Lives (Jerusalem Post)
    During combat operations, IDF troops face a gauntlet of underground tunnels, explosive devices, and hidden ambushes.
    To counter these threats, the IDF has developed and deployed a range of remote-operated tools aimed at neutralizing threats.
    Among the latest innovations is a remotely operated bulldozer, engineered to detect and detonate hidden explosives without placing its human operator at risk.
    The IDF has also begun using small, joystick-operated robots capable of cutting wires and disarming traps from a safe distance.