Weekly roundup of world briefs

Stop ‘incendiary’ remarks about Israel, Conference of Presidents tells pope

(JNS) — The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations appreciates and shares the pope’s “concern for the suffering of innocent civilians and desire to spread peace and compassion around the world.” 

But Pope Francis has gone beyond that and said troubling things about the Jewish state, Harriet Schleifer and William Daroff, chair and CEO respectively of the umbrella Jewish group, wrote to the pontiff on New Year’s Eve.

“We write in the spirit of this holiday season to express our concern over recent comments your holiness has made regarding Israel’s defensive war against Hamas,” the duo wrote. “Statements you have made including, ‘Yesterday children were bombed. This is cruelty, this is not war,’ only serve to distort Israel’s legitimate military campaign and fuel antisemitism and unjust targeting of the Jewish state.”

The pope has failed to say that the Jewish state has a right to self-defense in the aftermath of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack or that the terror group uses human shields and embeds its operations among Gazan civilians, “putting the entire population of Gaza at risk,” the leaders wrote.

“With global antisemitism at record highs, the American Jewish community calls on you to refrain from making incendiary comments and to build bridges between our two peoples,” they added.

The Conference of Presidents, which is more than 50 years old, represents 48 Jewish organizations. It has another four adjunct organization members.

US Central Command releases video of its strikes on Houthis

(JNS) — U.S. Central Command released video footage on Tuesday of U.S. “precision airstrikes” earlier this month against a missile storage site and a command-and-control center which Iran-backed Houthi terrorists operate in Sanaa, Yemen.

“CENTCOM forces conducted the deliberate strikes to disrupt and degrade Houthi operations, such as attacks against U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden,” the Pentagon stated.

The Defense Department added that U.S. Air Force and Navy forces, including F/A-18 fighter jets, shot down several Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea.

U.S. Central Command conducts airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthi missile storage and command/control facilities in Yemen, published Dec. 31, 2024.

“The strike reflects CENTCOM’s ongoing commitment to protect U.S. and coalition personnel, regional partners and international shipping,” the Pentagon said.

Hamas rings in 2025 with rocket fire on Israel

(JNS) — Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired two rockets at Israel just as the clock struck midnight on Thursday, the IDF confirmed.

Israeli air defenses intercepted one of the rockets, with the other hitting an open field, according to the military.

Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, which caused no injuries or damages.

On Monday evening, Palestinian terrorists in Gaza fired three rockets at southern Israel. One rocket, which triggered sirens in the Israeli border community of Kissufim, landed in an open area, according to the IDF.

Just over two hours later, the Israeli Air Force intercepted two rockets launched from the northern Strip.

There were no reports of injuries or damage in the attacks.

On Sunday, Palestinian terrorists in northern Gaza fired five rockets at Israeli communities in the “Gaza Envelope,” the area near the coastal enclave.

Two rockets were intercepted, according to the Israel Defense Forces, with the others apparently striking open areas.

A day earlier, the IAF downed two rockets launched by Palestinian terrorists in northern Gaza towards Jerusalem. The attacks triggered air-raid sirens in the capital, the Western Negev and the Judean Foothills (the Shfela).

The IDF’s year-plus-long offensive against Hamas has greatly curbed rocket fire from the Strip, although Palestinian terrorists still intermittently target the Jewish state.

Trump will weaken Iran, Hamas, top Fatah official says

(JNS) — A senior Palestinian Authority official leader expects U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to “destroy Iran,” weakening Hamas in Gaza and strengthening the P.A., he told the New York Post in an interview published on Monday.

“We see that Trump and the ruling government in Israel are planning to destroy Iran,” the Post quoted Mohammad Hamdan, secretary general of the Fatah movement that rules the Palestinian Authority, as saying.

This will weaken Hamas because of “Hamas’s link to regimes outside Palestine,” he said. (Iran has been a supporter and financier of Hamas, among other proxies that it helped set up around Israel and its other regional foes.) “We are confronting Hamas’s ideology,” Hamdan was quoted as adding in the interview, which was conducted on Dec. 19.

Palestinian Authority security forces have cracked down on Hamas in Judea and Samaria in recent weeks after on Dec. 6, Islamists seized two P. A. vehicles and paraded them while displaying Hamas and ISIS flags. At least three people were killed in subsequent raids on Hamas and Islamist cells by the Palestinian Authority since then.

“Hamas rejects international legitimacy, meaning U.N. resolutions,” Hamdan said, according to the Post. “The world cannot accept a situation where a party does not accept international resolutions.”

Hamas won the last Palestinian Authority legislative election in January 2006, and seized power over Gaza in June 2007. The P.A., under its “president,” Mahmoud Abbas, rules parts of Judea and Samaria.

Ambassadors attend Western Wall Chanukah lighting to combat Jew-hatred

(JNS) — A ceremony for the lighting of the seventh candle of Chanukah was held at the Western Wall Plaza on Tuesday, under the theme “The Fight Against Antisemitism.”

“In these days of battling great darkness, days of blurring the lines between truth and falsehood, between wickedness and justice, there are nations and countries, led by the United States, standing by our side in this struggle with the torch of freedom in their hands,” said Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites.

“In this fight—against a culture of terror, violence and death, a fight for the future of the entire free world—we are not alone. Dear ambassadors, you have come to light the Chanukah candles with us, thereby expressing solidarity with the spirit and values of our nation, with light and truth, and with the desire to overcome darkness, denounce antisemitism and reject hatred. May God bless you and your countries,” he added.

The event was also attended by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar; Minister of Welfare and Social Affairs Ya’akov Margi, Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Eliezer Rauchberger and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew.

Among those participating were envoys from Albania, Argentina, Azerbaijan, China, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Malawi, Moldova, Panama, Peru, Rwanda, Serbia and Sri Lanka.

The ceremony for lighting the eighth and final Chanukah candle, along with a global prayer for unity and the redemption of Israel, will take place at 4:30 p.m. Israel time Wednesday at the Western Wall Plaza and will be broadcast live on the Western Wall Heritage Foundation website.

Israeli-made AI predicts medical emergencies before they occur

(JNS) — Veterans of the Israeli military’s elite intelligence Unit 8200 and members of United Hatzalah’s Operations and Technology Department have jointly developed an advanced artificial intelligence system to predict and preempt medical emergencies across Israel.

The system is currently operational and is available to the organization’s 8,000 volunteers countrywide.

By analyzing 18 years of historical emergency data, the AI technology creates city-specific predictive models that calculate risk factors including weather conditions, terrain and time of day. The technology dynamically repositions emergency responders to high-risk areas before incidents potentially occur, representing a significant shift from traditional reactive emergency services to a proactive, predictive model.

During a three-month pilot program, the system achieved an 85% accuracy rate in predicting locations and times of emergency events.

“This technology represents a paradigm shift in emergency response,” said Dovie Maisel, United Hatzalah VP of Operations. “It transforms our volunteer EMTs from reactive to proactive responders, cutting crucial minutes from response times and optimizing patient care. This innovation sets a new benchmark for emergency medical services worldwide and enables us to save more lives every day.”

IAF strike kills Hamas leader behind Nir Oz massacre

(JNS) — An Israeli Air Force strike killed Abd al-Hadi Sabah, a Hamas operative responsible for leading the deadly assault on Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in the northwestern Negev, the IDF announced on Tuesday night.

Sabah was a Nukhba Force platoon commander within Hamas’s Western Khan Yunis Battalion. He operated from a shelter in a designated humanitarian area in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

Throughout the current war, Sabah orchestrated attacks against Israeli Defense Forces troops. His death was achieved through a coordinated effort between the Israeli Air Force, the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet).

The military highlighted that measures were taken before the strike to minimize civilian casualties. The IDF and Shin Bet reiterated their commitment to targeting all individuals involved in the Oct. 7 assault, which resulted in some 1,200 fatalities, thousands of injuries, and the abduction of 251 individuals, of whom 96 remain in Gaza, along with four others taken earlier.

Kibbutz Nir Oz suffered some of the heaviest losses on Oct. 7, with a quarter of its residents killed or taken hostage.

Herzog lights eighth Chanukah candle with freed hostages

(JNS) — Israeli President Isaac Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog lit the eighth Chanukah candle on Wednesday evening together with former Hamas captives, including Shoshan Haran, Shiri Weiss, Raaya Rotem and Raz Ben-Ami.

The event was also attended by families of hostages still being held by Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip, as well as residents of Kibbutz Be’eri who remain displaced and hosted in Kibbutz Hatzerim.

“I come here as president of the State of Israel on Chanukah to light the eighth candle and to say a few words to you: to ask for forgiveness, to offer words of encouragement, comfort and hope,” said Herzog.

“We cannot feel whole, especially in light of the terrible disaster, until we bring our sisters and brothers who were taken captive back home immediately—whether for proper burial in Israel or to recover in the embrace of their loved ones,” he continued.

“The entire people of Israel want to see them home as quickly as possible. We pray that the eighth Chanukah candle will bring wonderful news, and with God’s help, may we soon see them home,” added Herzog.

Debunk anti-Israel narrative, Sharansky tells students

By Canaan Lidor

(JNS) — In a meeting Monday with American student leaders, human rights activist Natan Sharansky advised them to combat campus antisemitism by focusing on debunking the basic anti-Israel narrative.

Sharansky, chairman of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, a former Israeli Cabinet member and a longtime statesman, explored these themes in Jerusalem with 40 pro-Israel student leaders from North American universities.

To counter the explosion in anti-Israel sentiment following Oct. 7, 2023, students should try to debunk the underlying perceptions about the reality in Israel, he said. 

On campus, many students “were not ready to recognize that the rape of Jewish women by Hamas was a real crime because Hamas was representative of the ‘oppressed’ and Israel of the ‘oppressors’,” Sharansky said. This language, he added, was reminiscent of the Soviet Union, where Sharansky was imprisoned for nine years for trying to make aliyah. 

He urged the students to focus on disproving the oppression paradigm. “The more this is realized, the more people will wake up and become our allies,” he said.

Amanda Yakobovitz, a University of Western Ontario student, was inspired by her meeting with Sharansky. “I feel truly honored to have had the opportunity to meet him,” she said.

The student leaders visited several locales ravaged during the Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught, in which about 6,000 terrorists murdered some 1,200 people and abducted another 250.

“We also experienced the beauty of the Israeli nation, which continues to live and dance despite everything, especially during Chanukah, which we celebrated each night of the trip,” Yakobovitz said.

The student leaders from Cornell University, the University of Michigan, Stanford University, New York University, Columbia University and others schools are visiting Israel as part of the Pro-Israel Student Leadership Mission, organized by Hasbara Fellowships and IsraelAmbassadors.com.

Undercover forces nab senior terrorist in Nablus raid

(JNS) — Israel Border Police and IDF fighters, guided by Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) intelligence, arrested a senior terrorist suspect overnight Wednesday at a café in the Kasbah/Old City of Nablus (Shechem) in Samaria.

The undercover team entered the establishment undetected, surprising and arresting the suspect on site, the Israel Police said on Thursday morning.

During the withdrawal, rioters attacked the forces using gunfire, explosive devices, Molotov cocktails, and stones. The troops responded with live fire, neutralizing several assailants. 

The arrested suspect was handed over to the Shin Bet for questioning.

Gaza rocket intercepted after triggering sirens in southern Israel

(JNS) — After sirens were activated in Holit at 11:57 a.m., the Israeli Air Force intercepted a projectile fired from the southern Gaza Strip, the military said.

Holit is a kibbutz located in the Hevel Shalom region of southwestern Israel. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Eshkol Regional Council.

Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired two rockets at Israel just as the clock struck midnight on Tuesday night, marking the new year.

Israeli air defenses intercepted one of the rockets, with the other hitting an open field, the Israel Defense Forces said. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, which caused no injuries or damage.

On Monday evening, terrorists in Gaza fired three rockets at southern Israel. One rocket, which triggered sirens in the border kibbutz of Kissufim, struck an open area, the military said.

Just over two hours later, the IAF intercepted two rockets launched from the northern Strip.

There were no reports of injuries or damage in the attacks.

On Sunday, Palestinian terrorists in northern Gaza fired five rockets at Israeli communities in the “Gaza Envelope,” the area near the coastal enclave.

Two rockets were intercepted, according to the IDF, with the others apparently striking open areas.

A day earlier, the IAF downed two rockets fired by terrorists in northern Gaza towards Jerusalem. The attacks triggered air-raid sirens in the capital, the Western Negev and the Judean Foothills (the Shfela).

The IDF’s year-plus-long offensive against Hamas has greatly curbed rocket fire from the Strip, although Palestinian terrorists still intermittently target the Jewish state.

Halevi promises fair deal for reservists

(JNS) — IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi delivered a message on Tuesday to the hundreds of thousands of reserve soldiers who have fought in the multi-front war since the Hamas-led invasion on Oct. 7, 2023.

“The IDF and the government are making a significant effort to reward the reservists. We are committed to you—that is the contract,” Halevi said during a situational assessment held in Netzarim Corridor that bisects the Gaza Strip between north and south.

The military leader also lit the Chanukah candles. He was joined by OC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman; Brig. Gen. Yoav Brunner, commander of the 99th Reserve Infantry Division; Col. Ido Kass, commander of the 551st Reserve Paratroopers Brigade; and reserve soldiers operating in the area.