Weekly roundup of world briefs

Take 5% of Gaza for every hostage injured in captivity

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Israeli Finance Minister and Security Cabinet member Bezalel Smotrich on Tuesday urged the government to issue an ultimatum to Hamas, warning of severe consequences if the terrorist group delays hostage releases.

Speaking at the Haredi Strategy and Policy Institute conference, the Religious Zionism Party leader called on the government to cut off electricity, water and humanitarian aid to the Strip, and “to open the gates of hell” with intensifying military action.

“We have full backing from [U.S.] President [Donald] Trump to apply Israeli sovereignty to five percent of Gaza for every hostage injured in captivity, and we can do it on the same day,” he said. “The Trump plan is not just a slogan—Gaza will return to being part of the State of Israel,” Smotrich declared.

Smotrich emphasized that the war must continue until Hamas is completely destroyed. He cited security concerns as the reason for canceling a planned tree-planting event in Be’eri, highlighting the ongoing instability faced by Gaza-border communities.

“Do you think someone in the Gaza envelope communities could live a long time with the threat from Gaza, where with every remark, every bit of intelligence, any doubt, there’s a situational assessment, rise in alertness and events are canceled? Can anyone live like that?”

His comments came ahead of a planned Israeli Security Cabinet meeting aimed at discussing the launching of the second stage of the hostage-for-terrorist deal with Hamas and Israel’s red lines in those negotiations.

In response to Hamas announcing a postponement of the next scheduled hostage release, Trump vowed on Monday that “all hell is going to break out” if the terrorist group did not release the remaining hostages by noon on Saturday.

Fauda actor leaving show due to Gaza injury

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Israeli actor Idan Amedi, who played undercover agent Sagi Tzur in the award-winning Fauda TV series, is leaving the show due to the injury he sustained while fighting against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Amedi, 36, informed producers that he will have to leave the show due to his long rehabilitation.

The popular thriller, which premiered a decade ago and is streamed on Netflix, is currently marking its 10th anniversary.

It was not immediately clear if the producers would kill off his character.

Amedi was seriously wounded in an explosion in Gaza last year which killed six Israeli soldiers from his Engineering Corps reserve unit. 

He now hopes to focus on his music career.

Kanye West’s SuperBowl ad directs people to purchase swastika shirt

(JNS) — Rapper Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, released an ad during the Super Bowl that directed people to his website Yeezy.com, which now only sells one item: a white T-shirt with a black swastika.

The rapper filmed the 30-second advertisement on his iPhone while in a chair in what appeared to be a dentist’s office.

“I spent like all the money for the commercial on these new teeth,” he said, flashing his new diamond-encrusted pearly whites. “Once again, I had to shoot it on the iPhone. Um … Um … Go to Yeezy.com.”

The 47-year-old West has a history of anti-Israel, antisemitic rhetoric.

He recently posted a farewell on X, formerly known as Twitter, shortly after a slew of anti-Jewish, racist rants on the platform. These posts included “I’m a Nazi” and “I love Hitler.”

He said he would never apologize for his “Jewish comments” and stated that Jews should be slaves again, a reference to the biblical story of Jews being slaves in Egypt.

“I’m logging out of Twitter,” West wrote to his 32 million followers on X on Sunday night. “I appreciate Elon for allowing me to vent. It has been very cathartic to use the world as a sounding board.”

He is referring to Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X who holds the position of head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the Trump administration. 

Before West left the platform, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and actor David Schwimmer, star of the longtime “Friends” sitcom, condemned him for his posts.

Last year, West also bought a Super Bowl ad for his website, but it wasn’t seen in New York or Los Angeles, according to Variety.

Trump mulls over withholding aid to Egypt, Jordan over refusal to take in Palestinians

(JNS) — U.S. President Donald Trump indicated on Monday that he might withhold aid from Egypt and Jordan if they refuse to accept Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip.

When asked by a reporter if he would withhold U.S. financial assistance from the two countries if they refuse his request, Trump replied, “Yeah, maybe, sure why not? If they don’t, I would conceivably withhold aid, yes,” according to the White House pool report.

In January, the president called on Arab nations, specifically Egypt and Jordan, to take in more Palestinians to “clean out” the Gaza Strip. King Abdullah II of Jordan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi have repeatedly rejected that plan.

When asked how he would convince Jordan’s leader to take people in, Trump said, “I do think he’ll take” in some of the population, “and I think other countries will take also. They have good hearts.”

Trump’s comments come during the same session in which he told reporters that “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas does not release all Israeli hostages by this Saturday.

Earlier on Monday, the terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip said it would delay the release of hostages scheduled for Saturday “until further notice” due to Israel’s alleged violations of the ceasefire agreement.

Netanyahu mourns slain hostage Shlomo Mansour

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday extended his condolences to the family of Shlomo Mansour, 86, after the Israeli military confirmed his death during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.

The terrorist group is still holding his body in the Gaza Strip.

“Shlomo was among those who built the country and one of the founders of Kibbutz Kissufim. In his youth he was saved from the pogroms of the Farhud in Iraq,” said Netanyahu in a statement.

“We share in the family’s deep mourning. We will neither rest nor be silent until he is returned for burial in Israel. We will continue to take determined and relentless action until we return all of our hostages—the living and the deceased. May his memory be blessed,” added the statement.

UN chief appeals to Hamas to release Israeli hostages

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday urged the Hamas terror group to abide by its obligation to release additional Israeli hostages in accordance with its ceasefire agreement with the Jewish state.

“We must avoid at all costs resumption of hostilities in Gaza that would lead to immense tragedy. I appeal to Hamas to proceed with the planned liberation of hostages. Both sides must fully abide by their commitments in the ceasefire agreement & resume serious negotiations,” tweeted Guterres.

Hamas announced on Monday night that it would delay the hostage release scheduled for Feb. 15 until further notice due to what it alleged were Israeli violations of the truce.

Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz called Hamas’s announcement an “outright violation of the ceasefire” and said he had instructed the Israeli military “to prepare at the highest level of alert for any possible scenario in Gaza.” He added: “We will not return to the reality of October 7.”

Then-Foreign Minister Katz declared Guterres persona non grata in the Jewish state in October, hours before Rosh Hashanah began.

“Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel, as almost every country in the world has done, does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil,” Katz stated at the time. “This is a secretary-general who has yet to denounce the massacre and sexual atrocities committed by Hamas murderers on Oct. 7, nor has he led any efforts to declare them a terrorist organization.”

“Israel will continue to defend its citizens and uphold its national dignity, with or without António Guterres,” added Katz, referring to the secretary-general as “a stain on the history of the United Nations.”

Netanyahu: Israel will not ‘repeat mistake’ of Oslo vision

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed a “new and revolutionary vision” for Gaza’s future, that will ensure it never again becomes a terrorist state, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday. 

In a speech to the Knesset plenum, Netanyahu rejected the opposition’s call to return the Palestinian Authority to Gaza, condemning Ramallah for promoting hate and glorifying terrorists. 

He reiterated his vision of a future for Gaza without either Hamas or the P.A., emphasizing that Trump’s plan was a creative solution that would not repeat the mistakes of the Oslo process.

“President Trump’s vision is new, creative and revolutionary—and he is determined to implement it. You spoke about ‘the day after’—well, now you have ‘the day after’!” said the Israeli premier. “It just does not align with the Oslo vision. Because we will not repeat that mistake again and again, as you have,” he continued.

Foreign funds fueled anti-government protests

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday addressed reports about significant foreign funding flowing into opposition protests, calling them a “so-called ‘popular and spontaneous’ movement.”

“And speaking of the protests, you surely saw the reports yesterday about the massive sums of money—truly almost inconceivable amounts—that flowed here from foreign governments to fuel the opposition protests, the so-called ‘popular and spontaneous’ movement,” Netanyahu stated.

The premier and head of the Likud party and ruling coalition delivered the address to the plenum during the debate on the no-confidence motions submitted by parliamentary groups from the opposition.

IDF targets terrorists collecting drone in southern Gaza

The Palestinians reported one killed and another wounded in the attack.

(JNS) — The Israeli Air Force on Wednesday targeted two terrorists collecting a drone that was flown from Israel into southern Gaza, the military stated. 

This strike followed the detection of the drone crossing from Israeli territory into southern Gaza, with the UAV being tracked throughout its flight.

According to Palestinian reports, the Israeli attack in Rafah killed one and wounded another.

In recent days, multiple attempts to smuggle weapons into Gaza using drones have been thwarted, according to the IDF, which added that it remains committed to preventing any form of terrorism and will continue taking all necessary measures to protect the security of Israeli citizens.

The Israel Defense Forces is increasing troop reinforcements and mobilizing reservists in the Southern Command following Hamas’s announcement that it would delay releasing hostages.

Unless Hamas returns Israeli hostages by noon on Saturday, Feb. 15, the ceasefire will expire and the IDF will resume fighting until it defeats the terror group totally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.

The statement by Netanyahu announcing the ultimatum followed remarks on Monday by U.S. President Donald Trump, who also named Saturday, Feb. 15 at noon as the time after which “all hell will break loose” unless Hamas frees all hostages.

AI-generated video featuring Jewish celebrities slams Kanye West

(JNS) — An AI-generated video featuring Jewish celebrities calling out rapper Kanye West circulated on social media on Tuesday, just days after the rapper came under fire for a Super Bowl ad directing people to buy white T-shirts with a black swastika.

Over a techno version of “Hava Nagila,” the video features AI-generated deep fakes of some 20 Jewish celebrities, including Adam Sandler, Scarlett Johanson, Steven Spielberg, Drake and Woody Allen. They are all wearing a similar white T-shirt, this time emblazoned with a Hamsa sticking up its middle finger, a Jewish star in the middle and West’s first name right below it. 

It ends with Sandler’s deep fake giving the actual middle finger before “Enough Is Enough” appears on the screen.

“It’s time to stop being silent and respond to antisemites like Kanye West in the strongest way possible,” the video creator, Ori Bejerano, an Israeli generative AI expert, wrote on Instagram in Hebrew, according to the New York Post. “We must demand from the social networks to stop giving stage to antisemitism and hatred.” 

West recently posted a farewell to X, shortly after a slew of anti-Jewish, racist rants on the platform. These posts included “I’m a Nazi” and “I love Hitler.”

While some have praised the video, many on social media have criticized the stunt for featuring celebrities that they say have been silent on the rise of Jew-hatred since Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

“There’s an AI video going viral of Jewish celebs wearing ‘F Kanye’ shirts and honestly I don’t think we should be posting it,” wrote influencer Zach Sage Fox, known for “man-on-the-street” style content calling out antisemitism. “Almost all these ‘Jewish’ stars have been silent since 10/7 and even now as we’re seeing literal neo-Holocaust images of TORTURED and starved Jews returning from Gaza. This video is a lie and most of these guys don’t deserve a drop of credit for fighting Jew hate.”

“This is an AI-generated video. But it shouldn’t be,” wrote an influencer known as “The Persian Jewess.” “Shame on every Jewish celebrity who stays silent while Kanye West normalizes Jew Hate.”

At least one celebrity, Scarlett Johansson, has previously sued to block the use of her AI-generated likeness in video content.

‘3 million Israelis suffering from trauma since Oct. 7’

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Some three million Israelis experienced anxiety, depression and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre and subsequent war, State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman said in a report published on Tuesday.

The government watchdog said that in the six months following the October 7 attack, only about 0.6 percent of the population received mental health treatment, even though 38 percent of the population reported moderate to severe symptoms.

“The mental health system, which had difficulty functioning even before October 7, collapsed in the first days of the war,” Englman said, adding that the deficiencies in the field of mental health have yet to be corrected.

According to the report, an estimated 580,000 Israelis suffer from at least one symptom of PTSD at a severe level as a direct consequence of the events of Oct. 7 and the 16-month-long war it triggered.

The survey predicts that approximately 900,000 people will seek help for mental health issues in the future. Israel’s population topped 10 million people last year.

According to the survey, 90 percent of those affected by PTSD, anxiety and depression are hesitant to seek treatment, with over a third citing a six-month wait for treatment as the main reason followed by privacy concerns.

“It is unthinkable that people would have to wait in line for about six months to receive treatment from a psychiatrist at a health insurance company,” Englman said. 

He cautioned that the lack of treatment for such a large number of people reporting symptoms could lead to chronic illness, accompanied by a decline in functioning.

If real, DMFI would welcome an end to ‘pay to slay’ by the Palestinian Authority

Washington, D.C. —Mark Mellman, President and CEO of Democratic Majority for Israel, made the following statement:

“If accurately reported, and meaningfully implemented, the Palestinian Authority’s reported decision to end its reprehensible ‘pay-for-slay’ payments would be a welcome and long-awaited reform. DMFI has long decried ‘pay-for-slay’ — a program which provides financial rewards to terrorists for killing Israelis — as a major obstacle to peace in the region. This has been one important way the PA has encouraged and incited terrorist attacks.  

“We hope the Palestinian Authority follows through on this commitment, refrains from other ways of surreptitiously paying terrorists, and brings an end to its other forms of incitement. For example, the PA’s education system continues to teach antisemitism and glorify terrorism, as does the PA’s practice of naming public spaces for murderous terrorists.