The robot accomplishes all this in one place: the simulator. Nvidia's simulation world, Omniverse (the company's virtual environment platform), serves as the environment where robots are "born." It functions as a cognitive kindergarten where humanoid robots learn to walk, operate, understand, react, fall, and rise. Just as an infant develops cumulative motor and cognitive abilities, the robot learns within an artificial world governed by real-world physical laws.

The simulator generates thousands of situational variations: a glass falling at a different angle, a slightly higher step, weak lighting, a person crossing too quickly in the movement path – to teach the robot to react to as many scenarios as possible.

"If we want to build intelligence that understands the physical world and operates within it, we need to teach it in a world similar enough to reality so it can function within it safely, efficiently, and controllably," Rev Lebaredian, Nvidia's vice president of simulation technologies and Omniverse, said in an exclusive conversation with Israel Hayom.

A defining moment in the journey

Lebaredian joined Nvidia in 2002, after working in the film industry. Early in his career, he worked at production houses like Disney and Warner Bros., and later founded a startup developing advanced rendering technologies. In cinema, the rendering process transforms raw graphics into realistic images that appear as if filmed by a camera – a process that was particularly slow and demanding in the early 2000s, sometimes requiring hours of computation for each frame.

As part of his work, he contributed to creating effects in films like "Armageddon," "X-Men," "The Sum of All Fears," and Disney's "Mighty Joe Young," a film nominated for an Oscar for effects thanks to the digital gorilla character at the story's center.

In the early 2000s, Nvidia was primarily a gaming chip manufacturer, far from the AI giant it is today, valued at approximately $5 trillion. Lebaredian joined exactly when Nvidia's flagship product, the graphics processing unit (GPU), began transforming, and he accompanied the company from the crude computer games era of the early 2000s to today's AI revolution, changing the world at rapid speed.

"I joined Nvidia at a defining moment in its journey, precisely when we launched the ability to program shaders (programmable graphics functions) directly on the GPU. This significantly accelerated rendering capabilities, but more importantly, this was the moment the GPU opened for the first time to free programming. I worked then on the first programming language for graphics processors, CG, which became the first brick on the path to CUDA (Nvidia's parallel computing platform), the language dominating parallel computing today," he recounted.

Today, as head of the company's simulation division – Omniverse – Lebaredian is among the handful of senior executives leading simulation and physical intelligence at the company. Nvidia believes this field will drive the next major technological revolution, bringing artificial intelligence into the physical space of daily life. In this revolution, the division Lebaredian heads will have one of the most significant roles.

"Nvidia CEO and founder Jensen Huang said years ago that the most important algorithms will be those understanding the physical world and capable of influencing it," Lebaredian stated.

From language understanding to world understanding

Those algorithms Huang discussed years ago are materializing today in a new field of artificial intelligence: the world model. Just as a language model learns from billions of sentences to predict which word will come next with the highest probability, and thus essentially understand language, meaning, and context – a world model learns to predict what will happen next in the physical world. Namely, how an object will move, how force will affect, what will happen if a door opens too quickly, or where an object placed at this or that angle will roll.

"A world model is the central foundation of the next revolution: physical intelligence, meaning AI that understands not just words, but the universe," Lebaredian explained. According to him, this is a statistical model developing a probabilistic understanding of dynamic reality, not of text. This model will essentially be the robot's "brain," decoding the environment's visual information and knowing how to operate, where to turn to avoid an obstacle, and what force to apply to crack an egg while making an omelet, for example.

But to do this, it needs data of a type that doesn't exist on the internet. Not words, but material, movement, acceleration, friction, light, temperature, interactions, human environments, and physical infrastructures. The training process is fundamentally similar to that of language models – learning from countless examples and situations – except that here the examples must come from the physical world itself.

"The major problem with physical intelligence," Lebaredian explained, "is that we don't have a digital archive of physics. We need to capture it from reality – and that's expensive, dangerous, and limited. The solution is to recreate reality in simulation, and then produce synthetic data from it."

According to Lebaredian, Nvidia's simulation world is not merely a three-dimensional model. It is an engine of natural laws. A city where every lamppost, sidewalk, car, and tree branch is coded to behave as in reality. In this environment, a robot can walk thousands of simulated years in a short time, accumulating experience impossible in the real world.

Releasing the "genie" from the GPU

To understand Nvidia's role in the AI revolution and the magnitude of the mission the company placed on Lebaredian's shoulders, one must return to the story's beginning – and trace the development of one of recent decades' most influential components: the graphics processing unit.

This development did not amount to gradual increases in performance. This is deep evolution, where each new GPU generation changed the computer's very nature. To such an extent that some believe that without Nvidia, not only would a large language model not function at the required speed, but we might not have imagined the very possibility.

Language models, world models, and advanced robotics all feed on enormous parallel computing power, the kind that needed to be born before theoretical thinking about them became possible. Twenty years ago, the GPU was a dedicated graphics unit designed to accelerate computer games. It was designed as a "drawing machine," receiving a series of fixed commands defining how a three-dimensional object should appear on screen. All stages were rigid: how light falls, how reflection forms, whether the material is shiny or matte. The processor could execute these tasks quickly, but nothing existed beyond this.

"In the early 2000s, everything was very simple and limited," Lebaredian recalled. "You couldn't write your own code. Performance was high, but flexibility didn't exist." According to him, the field's first significant revolution occurred when Nvidia opened the shading stage to programming. Instead of built-in models, developers could write their own functions, recreate light and material laws, and build graphic worlds as they imagined them. The change then appeared as a breakthrough for the gaming world alone, but in practice, it freed the GPU from its initial engineering constraints.

The drawing machine became a machine that understood somewhat more about how the world behaves. The hardware ceased being a black box and became an open platform. This was the moment the seed was planted that later became a computing superplatform.

"I've been at Nvidia for 23 years," Lebaredian said, "and almost throughout this entire period, the company has dealt with the question of what else the GPU can be beyond what it was designed for."

"Far beyond what we imagined"

Lebaredian recounted that as shader programs became more flexible, more and more developers identified potential within the GPU far exceeding graphics. Thus, for example, academic researchers began using the graphics processor for physics calculations – they took the same shading function that calculates light and adapted it to compute airflow, water movement, or particle dynamics. The graphics processor's essence as a computer with powerful parallel computing capabilities gradually became clear.

"We saw researchers using it for things completely unrelated to graphics – physical simulations, fluid dynamics, molecules. This was the moment we understood our processors could serve far beyond what we imagined," he stated.

At this stage, Nvidia understood it must change direction and give this computing body a new form. In 2006, CUDA (Nvidia's parallel computing platform) launched, a software environment allowing regular code to run on the GPU. No more disguising scientific problems as graphics, no more manipulating textures or pixels – but a complete computer capable of processing large arrays, running loops, and executing complex algorithms quickly. Historically, this was the turning point at which the GPU ceased to be a graphics accelerator and became a general-purpose computing engine.

The network that learned to "see"

Here arrived another defining moment in the development of artificial intelligence, made possible by Nvidia's programming language. AlexNet – that groundbreaking 2012 neural network learning to identify objects in images with high accuracy like cats, dogs, cars – ran on CUDA. AlexNet marked the beginning of the past decade's computer vision era, with countless applications from smart security cameras to facial recognition systems in smartphones. That same processor, previously drawing shadows, became a machine learning model to identify complex patterns – learning to "see."

Here, it became clear how critical this link was. Those telling AI's history usually emphasize algorithmics but almost always ignore the fact that behind all this stood infrastructure that realized the vision: parallel computation of enormous data quantities at speeds and prices that enabled the very idea of large models.

In a sense, had the GPU not first freed itself from its graphic constraints, we might not have been able to think about a language model as a feasible project. In retrospect, the GPU appears to have undergone the most dramatic transformation chain in computing history: from drawing machine to scientific computer, from graphics accelerator to global AI engine, and from imaging system to virtual reality source, raising the next generation's robots.

Nvidia did not merely improve the GPU. It reinvented it repeatedly until it became the foundation supporting today's entire artificial intelligence revolution – and likely will be tomorrow's as well. "We are only at the beginning of the process of creating foundational world models. No one will 'own' them or be their exclusive owner – this is a project all humanity will need to contribute to," Lebaredian concluded.

The post How Nvidia plans to teach AI to live in the real world appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Dani Miran, 80, sits in the cafeteria of Beit Ariella, overlooking Hostages Square, wiping away tears. A strong, warm, and witty man, he became a rare voice of calm and reason throughout the campaign to free the hostages. The interview is repeatedly interrupted, by phone calls and passersby who stop to express their love and concern for his son. He answers everyone patiently. There's no more urgency now. Omri is home.

Video: Omri Miran reunited with his daughters at the hospital // Photo: Barak Meir, GPO

Dani was born in Iraq, immigrated to Israel, and settled in Khaltsa, which later became Kiryat Shmona. He moved to Yesud Hamaala, married, and had four children: Boaz, Nadav, Omri, and Naama. His wife died 33 years ago at the age of 46, and he raised the children alone.

He says that over the past two years he dreamed of Omri often. Some of the dreams were good, "but others were awful nightmares that left me waking up in tears, unable to even remember the dream. It happened over and over." Now the nightmare is over, and he's allowing himself to feel joy. For two years, he didn't permit himself that luxury. He didn't know if his son was eating, being punished, or being tortured.

His fears were justified. From the little Omri has shared about his time in captivity, it's clear he was punished whenever he did something that displeased his captors. One day, when it was hot, he took off his shirt. Hamas terrorists told him that shirts don't come off in their presence. They tied him up and locked him in a cage just 1.5 meters (5 feet) high. Sometimes the punishments were physical, like being kicked.

"He resisted them in many ways," Dani says proudly. For example, when the video released six months ago was filmed, the first take wasn't emotional enough for the Hamas commander, who ordered a second take. When the second attempt also didn't satisfy him, the commander personally approached Omri, cocked a pistol, and pointed it at his head, hoping to "improve his acting." Omri stared at him, knowing the terrorist wouldn't dare shoot, and said he could do what he wanted, but he wasn't doing another take. "That's Omri. The apple didn't fall far from the tree. I would have acted the same way. So would his brothers. They have their values and beliefs, and that's a good thing."

Omri told his father a bit about the conditions of his captivity, which varied depending on where he was held, he was moved frequently. "Some days he had a mattress to sleep on, others not even that. When he was above ground, he had a bed. Most of the time he was underground. He was never in danger from IDF airstrikes. He felt the tremors from the bombings, but he was never actually at risk."

Getting into character

The phone rings again, this time it's a delivery person. He's bringing tefillin for a soldier who regained consciousness after a serious injury and asked for them. Dani helped buy them. While we pause, he checks WhatsApp (1,031 unread messages), scrolls through, and finds photos of himself grilling burgers for 400 soldiers on leave from Gaza. "And I'm a vegetarian!" he laughs. As if campaigning for his son's release wasn't enough, he was everywhere, helping however he could, and he did a lot.

How is Omri doing?

"My impression is that he's still a bit euphoric. It'll take at least a year to process everything he's been through. He missed his wife, his daughters, his siblings, his aunt, and his dad. Suddenly he's seeing them all. He always believed he'd come back whole, and so did I. The day after he returned, he devoured a steak and a half. The next day, he went to the beach. I'm also walking on air. We haven't landed yet."

He recalls the morning of October 7, when he woke up early, saw rocket alerts in the south, and called Omri. His son told him they were used to rockets and not to worry. Dani went out to garden. An hour later, he saw the massacre unfolding on TV and called again. "Omri told me he could see terrorists all over the kibbutz from his kitchen window. He said he put his wife and daughters in the safe room and armed himself with two kitchen knives." During that call, Omri asked his father to stop calling and just send messages, so they could keep quiet. Dani remembered that just months earlier he had warned Omri about the risks of living so close to Gaza, and Omri had reassured him: "Dad, do you know how much military presence we have here? No one would dare come in."

"He was calm, totally logical. Every 10 minutes, I asked for an update. At 11 a.m., I messaged again, and got no reply. I wrote, 'Omri, I'm worried. Please tell me what's happening.' Nothing. At that moment, I knew I had lost four loved ones. No granddaughters. No daughter-in-law. No son. After seeing what I saw on TV, I was convinced they were all dead. The tears just came. Even if you try not to cry, that's the reaction."

Dani sat at home helpless. He considered driving four and a half hours to Nir Oz but realized he had no weapon, nothing to offer, and elite IDF units were surely already there. At 6 p.m., Lishay's mother informed him Omri had been kidnapped, while Lishay and the girls were evacuated to Kibbutz Keremim. "What a moment of joy that was. One minute you think they're all dead. The next, they're alive! I started to digest the news and thought of Gilad Shalit, who was held in Gaza for five years, and Ron Arad, who never came back from Lebanon. I wondered what the future would bring. I still didn't know Omri wasn't alone. I didn't understand the scale of the disaster."

Dani realized he couldn't help his son, but he could help his daughter-in-law and granddaughters. With Lishay's parents trapped in rocket-battered Sderot, he went to Keremim. There he found the best of Israeli solidarity: the kibbutz opened guesthouses to evacuees, cooked, cleaned, did laundry, and took care of everything. Within hours, a long table was filled with diapers, soap, shampoo, shoes, clothes, baby formula, everything someone fleeing with nothing might need.

"I got to Lishay and couldn't speak. What could I say? We cared for the kids in silence. I changed diapers, read stories to the older one. When Lishay was with them, she was the perfect mother, as if nothing had happened. As soon as they fell asleep, she went outside to cry and smoke."

On Monday morning, girls from the kibbutz took the children out for a walk. It was Dani's first chance to talk to Lishay. He asked how Omri had been kidnapped. She told him that at 11 a.m., terrorists came to their door with a local teenager, Tomer Elyaz-Arava, who was murdered later. Tomer told Omri that if he didn't open, they'd kill him. Omri opened the door, and the terrorists took all four of them to the Idan family's house.

The Mirans sat in one corner; the Idan family in another. Maayan Idan, 18, was lying on the living room floor, bleeding from a gunshot wound. At 1:30 p.m., the terrorists told the men they had to come with them or everyone would be killed. They tied them up. As Omri was being taken, Roni ran after him, shouting, "Daddy! Daddy!" Lishay held her back and told her husband, "Omri, I love you. Take care of yourself. Don't be a hero." That was the last time she saw him, until his return.

Children of life

Omri was 46 when he was kidnapped. Just after his 47th birthday, at the end of April, came the first proof of life: a video. "It was deeply emotional, like a rebirth. Until then, we'd had no word. A year later, Hamas released another video. At that time, they were also publishing horrifying footage of other hostages. We could tell Omri was outsmarting them. I saw it in his eyes. When he got back, he asked, 'Really? You noticed that?'"

Alma was 6 months old when her father was abducted. Every milestone, crawling, standing, first steps, first words, happened without him. When she said "Mommy" or "Daddy" in front of his photo, Dani's heart broke.

Roni was 2 years and 2 months old on October 7. "Omri raised her. Lishay worked long hours, so he was the main caregiver. His absence was huge for her. She asked, 'Where's Daddy?' and Lishay said he was on a trip. That seemed reasonable, we thought it would be over in two or three weeks. Later she asked again, and Lishay said Daddy got lost on his trip and people were looking for him. Eventually we told her he was in Gaza, an abstract concept."

Three months later, she said, "I remember bad people took Daddy." A few weeks after that: "Mom, is Omri still my dad? He hasn't been here for so long. Maybe we did something bad, and he left?" Six months ago, she asked the girls in her kindergarten to go with her to Gaza to bring her dad back.

Omri's name lights up on Dani's phone. He answers, his face softening. He promises to join them for Shabbat dinner. "We'll find time to eat together again and again, and never stop." When the call ends, he says that Omri was playing with Roni and got her a bit annoyed, and she told him jokingly: "If you keep this up, I'll send you back to Gaza." "Imagine that, she's four and a half."

At the end of the interview, Dani wants to thank the people of Israel. It could sound like a cliché, but not when it comes from this heroic man, so powerful, yet with tears in his eyes. "I want to thank the people of Israel. For all the support and solidarity at rallies, intersections, cities, and town squares. As everyone says: our strength is in our unity. May we return to being united, to respecting each other's opinions, and to being a people once again."

The post Held, beaten, defiant: Omri Miran's father reveals ordeal of captivity appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The new version of the aircraft will be adapted in Israel for intelligence, observation, and light strike missions, with an emphasis on low operating cost, prolonged air endurance, and fast response. The choice of a durable, light, and simple-to-maintain platform provides a solution for the needs of the Gaza and Lebanon borders, where continuous aerial presence is required, but not necessarily supersonic interception or the operation of expensive fighter jets.

The approach led by Israel Aerospace Industries relies on rich experience in converting civilian platforms for military purposes – such as the Westwind (Shavit) that was converted into a maritime intelligence aircraft, the Eitam and Oron models, which are advanced intelligence aircraft based on Gulfstream business jets, the Arava, as a dedicated light transport aircraft, and the Kfir, and the Nesher before it, which were based on the French Mirage 5 plans, that were refined, developed, and produced by Israel Aerospace Industries. Especially remembered is the daring, unsuccessful attempt to produce an advanced and independent Israeli fighter jet, the Lavi, whose development was halted by the US administration.

In addition, many Gulfstream business jets were manufactured, developed, and assembled in collaboration with the IAI. The cooperation focuses on the production of specific models like the G280, whose development and production are carried out by IAI, and other models produced in the past, such as the G100 (Astra), which were designed by the Israeli side. The IAI is also a world leader in converting passenger aircraft, such as the 777, into cargo planes.

Video: The OA-1K Skyraider II / Courtesy

The integration of advanced Israeli systems into the new aircraft, such as open mission interfaces, encrypted communication, electro-optical sensor pods, and a dedicated doctrine, turns the platform into a modern tool capable of integrating into the IDF's operational network and providing constant awareness, fast response, and precise operational capability along the borders. The Blue Sky Warden is not a replacement for fighter jets like the F-35 or for an escort force, but a flexible addition to the aerial mix. It allows field commanders to monitor patterns, direct interceptions, and respond to changing targets, all without straining expensive fighter jets or luxurious drones. In fact, it returns the routine missions that take the most significant resources of the Israeli Air Force to cheap and reliable platforms.

Similar platforms exist in the international arena – the AT-802 from Air Tractor, the Brazilian Super Tucano (Embraer), the US OV-10 Bronco, and the IOMAX Archangel – all demonstrating the trend of using light aircraft, sometimes agricultural, that have been converted for strike and reconnaissance missions. On the heavier side is the US A-10 Thunderbolt II, which illustrates the challenge in preserving dedicated strike platforms against advanced threats.

In the US, a debate has been ongoing for years whether to keep the A-10, the slow but deadly strike aircraft, in service, or to prefer a small, high-capability fleet. Behind this argument is a fundamental dilemma: How to balance cost, flexibility, and survivability in an era where advanced air defense systems threaten the operational freedom of fighter jets. The choice of the US Special Operations Command of the military version of the Sky Warden, called the OA-1K Skyraider II, is a clear response to that problem. Even when it is inefficient to send heavy and expensive aircraft on a mission, it is still possible to achieve intelligence control and limited strike capability using a simple and cheap platform.

In Israel, the need is similar, but more geographically focused: not strategic superiority thousands of kilometers (thousands of miles) away, but a reliable presence along the border fence. If the Blue Sky Warden succeeds in this mission, it may become a significant tool in the IDF's toolkit. It will not be a glittering air symbol like the F-35 Adir or the Ra'am F-15I, but a diligent worker that will prevent dozens of small crises and save expensive flight hours.

Alongside its advantages, the Blue Sky Warden also has clear limitations: It is vulnerable to modern air defense threats and is therefore effective mainly in sectors where the aerial risk is limited. Its success depends on meticulous mission planning, quality intelligence, and wise integration into the overall array, while maintaining a high cost-benefit ratio. The choice of this aircraft continues an Israeli tradition of adapting existing solutions to changing operational needs, and combines advanced engineering capabilities with simple operational logic aimed at improving Israel's security efficiently and significantly.

The post Israel's new plane: Hovers like a butterfly and stings like a bee appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Flying Tank Photo: Moshe Shai

An Apache helicopter training exercise from Squadron 113 in the Negev, September 2025. Despite seeing much of this over two years, seeing this tank overhead at point-blank range remains a powerful and thrilling experience every single time.

All of Them Photo: Gideon Markowitz

An installation and protest by hostage families at Hostages Square in August 2025. Surrounded by barbed wire fences, the sight reminded me of scenes from other periods of the Jewish people when we had no ability to defend ourselves and had no strong government and army to save them from hell. The time has come, and better one hour sooner, to bring all our hostages home.

City of Refuge Photo: Yehoshua Yosef

Unfortunately, this year too, Israeli citizens were forced to find refuge in shelters. This photo is a painful and relevant reminder of the reality of life here, where routine moments can turn into emergency situations in an instant. But even in moments of darkness, the human light continues to burn. This photo was taken in a public shelter near Carmel Market in Tel Aviv, capturing a moment of uncertainty and human solidarity. On June 20, 2025, at noon, 30 Iranian missiles were launched toward Israel, triggering alarms across most of Israel's territory. The protected space became a forced meeting place. The image shows a human mosaic, young and old alike, huddling together with their pets and seeking mutual comfort. This is an honest and heartwarming documentation of vulnerability and alertness, but also of community and faith.

Hole in the Moon Photo: Liron Moldovan

On September 7, a full lunar eclipse occurred. At the peak of the celestial event, at 8:30 p.m. Israel time, the moon passed through Earth's shadow for about 65 minutes and took on the special red hue created when sunlight passed through Earth's atmosphere, refracted and filtered the blue waves, leaving mainly red tones projected onto the moon.

To the Flag Photo: Yehonatan Shaul

On June 16, the building in the photo - a residential tower in Petah Tikva - suffered a direct hit from an Iranian ballistic missile, causing loss of life. The rehabilitation work, during which a huge Israeli flag was unfurled on the building, nevertheless sparked a glimmer of hope.

Mother's Voice Photo: Efrat Eshel

Sigal and Itai Yitzhaki, mother and Nahal Brigade fighter who was wounded in Gaza just before his 20th birthday, June 2025. My photo of the year is not a victory photo, it's one moment from millions of moments that make up the new lives of wounded soldiers with head injuries and their families. I photographed it on the third day of the war against Iran, within an impossible reality of sirens, destruction, and anxieties. The head injury rehabilitation department at Sheba was moved to parking level minus 7, to keep them protected without the ability to quickly reach a protected space. Through hard work by Sheba staff, a department was built within the parking area, and the improvised rooms were surrounded by curtains instead of walls. Even there, in the place furthest from home, Itai's family members insisted on preserving memories from his previous life and the memory of his friends who will never return. In my photo of the year there is no victory, only great love, patience, endless devotion and hope in a new world made of millions of small moments.

Victory Basket Photo: Alan Shiber

An unforgettable moment with Israel's team at the European Basketball Championship on Polish soil, in the arena in Katowice. Against piercing boos, "Hatikva" was played, and the national team players stood tall and proud, and I with them, sharing in the pride and the heart that beats strong.

Help is on the Way Photo: Yossi Zeliger

During the war, I witnessed several scenes of children and babies being rescued by volunteers. In this case in Petah Tikva, it happened at the impact site of an Iranian missile that hit a residential tower. MDA personnel, like volunteers in all arenas, rescued a baby and demonstrated dedication and courage.

Water Without Joy Photo: Oren Ben Hakoon

As part of activities for the return of the hostages, a demonstration was held last winter on Gaza Street in Jerusalem, right opposite the Prime Minister's residence. To disperse the protesters, police used a water cannon, and the water jet hit some of the demonstration participants with force.

Iron Warriors Photo: Arik Sultan

On the Egyptian border, in the middle of nowhere, female snipers from the Bardelas Battalion guard the State of Israel.

His Last Journey Photo: Eyal Margolin/JINI

At the cemetery in Nahalal, Captain Reei Biran was buried in July, Golani reconnaissance team commander, who was killed in the Gaza Strip. Soldiers from Reei's team, who left the battles in the Strip to attend their commander's funeral, leaned over the coffin and left no eye dry, including the photographer's.

New Era Photo: Naama Stern

With the news of Edan Alexander's imminent return from captivity in Gaza, I rushed from Jerusalem to Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. The excitement was enormous – families, friends and masses of citizens gathered full of hope and faith. A spark of joy flickered on people's faces, wrapped in a sense of unity, embrace and hope. Edan recently announced he would return to serve in the IDF – an example of the endless strength of the people's spirit. I wish that the coming year will bring the release of all hostages, healing for the wounded, protection for soldiers' lives, and days of goodness and unity for the people of Israel.

The post Israel Hayom's photos that defined the year appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

To understand its present, one must go back to the beginning. In the 1970s, the US Army sought to develop a dedicated attack helicopter to destroy Soviet tanks in a potential European war. McDonnell Douglas (later merged with Boeing) won the contract, and the prototype made its first flight in September 1975. The Apache entered operational service in 1984. It was named after the Native American Apache tribe, popularized by German author Karl May through his legendary fictional hero Winnetou.

The helicopter carries a two-person crew, a pilot and a weapons officer. It is 17.7 meters (58 feet) long, weighs 5.2 tons (without fuel and weapons), and reaches a maximum speed of 293 kilometers per hour (182 mph). Its main armament includes the 30mm M230 cannon, AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, and 70mm unguided rockets.

The Hellfire missile became the Apache's hallmark. Guided by laser or radar, it was originally designed to destroy tanks but proved versatile against armored vehicles, buildings, boats, and even pinpoint targets. The combination of advanced sensors, a pilot's helmet that directs the cannon, and the ability to operate day and night made the Apache one of the most effective combat platforms of the modern era.

Israel quickly embraced the Apache. The Israeli Air Force received the helicopters in the late 1980s, first the AH-64A "Peten" (Cobra) and later the upgraded AH-64D "Saraf." In Israel, the Apache became not only a tank destroyer but also a central tool in the fight against Palestinian terrorism. Many targeted killings of senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives were carried out using Hellfire missiles fired from Apaches flying at low altitude, striking with deadly precision. In operations in the Gaza Strip, the helicopters provided close air support for ground forces, disrupted rocket launches, and destroyed anti-tank squads.

Around the world, the Apache also proved decisive. The US Army used it in Operation Desert Storm in the 1991 Gulf War and in every conflict since, from Iraq to Afghanistan. The impact was so severe on Saddam Hussein's troops that they nicknamed it "the Black Death." Britain deployed Apaches successfully in operations in Libya. Egypt, Greece, the Netherlands, Japan, and several other countries operate variants of the Apache, which continues to be a cornerstone of modern warfare.

October 7, 2023, was a turning point for Israel – and for its Apache squadrons, the only attack helicopters left in the Air Force. That morning, as thousands of Hamas terrorists stormed the Gaza border, only two Apaches reached the fence to try to stem the tide. They fired until they ran out of ammunition, returned to rearm, and then went back into the fight. They struck Hamas vehicles, hit Nukhba commando squads, and were the only aerial force on the scene in those critical early hours. Just two helicopters against thousands of terrorists. It was painful proof of the Apache's importance, and of the failures in Israel's preparedness for that dark day.

Before October 7, the Air Force had been debating the future of attack helicopters. After phasing out its Cobra squadrons, only two Apache units remained: Squadron 113 (Hornet) and Squadron 190 (Magic Touch). There were even plans to shut down both, effectively ending Israel's attack helicopter capability. Pilots recalled that on October 6 they had discussed retirement, only to find themselves the next morning in one of the fiercest battles in Israeli history.

The Hamas assault changed everything. By the winter of 2023–2024, the Air Force was operating its Apaches at an unprecedented pace and urgently requested additional AH-64E models from the US as part of its lessons learned. The trend continued into 2025: alongside acquisitions of F-35s, F-15s, and drones, Israel purchased new defensive systems for Apaches and Black Hawks and formally asked the US to expand its Apache fleet, potentially doubling it, recognizing that attack helicopters carry out missions no other platform can easily replace.

Fifty years after its debut, the Apache remains relevant. Though designed for a different era, when Soviet T-72 tanks threatened West Germany, in today's Middle East it has found new purpose against the drone threat. The combat helicopter that became a legend has not retired; it has simply changed targets.

That a weapon originally built to destroy Soviet armor now finds its mission against Iranian Shahed drones may be the essence of five decades of technological and operational adaptability.

The post Apache turns 50: From Cold War tank killer to frontline drone hunter appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Recently I met S. (23) without her ballet shoes, wearing dusty army boots and grease-marked fatigues, proof that she had swapped out a Namer engine earlier that morning. The gifted dancer is a platoon commander in TnA with the Givati Reconnaissance Unit.

"The decision was hard, because dance was a great love," she says. "I danced from age three and started flying to competitions at ten, but I told myself that if I am part of this country, there is no way I am not enlisting. I grew up on my  parents' stories and my grandfather's stories from a mortar unit on the Suez Canal. Dance is a career, but from ninth grade I decided I would serve, and field work attracted me in particular."

Until a few years ago, the very idea of a woman in combat roles was hard to swallow in certain quarters. Even Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also serves as a minister in the Defense Ministry, said on one occasion, "The army's role  is to fight and win, not to promote feminist beliefs."

But the Swords of Iron war shattered outdated stereotypes and proved that female combat soldiers can eliminate terrorists, can survive captivity, and are capable of commanding a company, regardless of gender.

Aiming for the edge

In 2025, light years from the social attitudes that allowed the publication of songs steeped in chauvinism, we met four women from elite units who say gender simply is not part of the equation: Lt. S. from Givati Reconnaissance; Lt. K., who serves alongside her in the unit as a fire support officer; Lt. Dr. A., the medical officer of the Nahal Reconnaissance Unit; and Maj. N., the operations officer of the Haruv Reconnaissance Unit.

"Once, a senior figure in the country said that on the day there are female pilots he would grow hair on his palms," begins Maj. N. (25). "Back then the idea that a woman could carry a stretcher or run with a weapon shouting 'Forward, assault!' was unthinkable. Everyone was horrified by the thought of a woman falling into captivity. But today we are all horrified by the thought of men in captivity. As long as my life is worth the same as a man's, there is no dilemma about being a combat soldier and crossing enemy lines."

Lt. Dr. A. (26), medical officer of the Nahal Reconnaissance Unit: "Staff Sgt. Agam Naim, of blessed memory, who served as a paramedic, fell during the war, and it was just as shocking as when a man falls. You cannot treat it differently, because in my eyes that cheapens men's lives."

Dr. A. began medical studies in 2016. She says that from age 17 she dreamed of being a combat physician and knew she would sign on for career service. She just did not plan on her service coinciding with Israel's longest war.

"I have practiced karate since age four, so the world of combat is not foreign to me," she laughs. "In the end you ask, where can I realize my potential, and the war clarified the need for all of us. If I had hesitated about the quality of life I wanted in the army, the war sharpened my desire to go to the limit. After their studies, academic-track officers are placed in roles, and I knew I wanted to reach a recon unit."

The tree-climbing middle sister

Lt. K. (22), a fire support officer in Givati Reconnaissance, grew up in a military home and already in high school her path was clear. "I always wanted combat," she recalls. "I am the middle of three sisters, the problematic one who climbed trees from a young age. I did a pre-military fitness program in high school and passed the Naval Officers' screening, but I never expected to serve in a maneuvering battalion during a war."

Maj. N., operations officer in the Haruv Reconnaissance Unit, initially thought about serving in the Education Corps and working with at-risk youth, until she realized that education can always be done, but defending the country is an opportunity offered for a limited time.

"I enlisted in the Caracal Battalion, served there as a squad commanders' instructor and later as a company commander," she says. "Then I got a call from the Haruv commander who asked me to interview to be his operations officer. I was sure he was messing with me, that someone was recording 'haha, very funny.' Turned out he was serious, and when I arrived I encountered lots of raised eyebrows, because people did not believe it. Today it is different.

"Anyone who does not understand the value a woman brings to the battlefield has never been in combat alongside a woman. I thought it would be harder to convince people that someone 1.60 meters tall saying on the radio where to go really means it. I was glad to discover how much we are measured by professionalism, not by the fact that we are women."

They entered units traditionally considered very masculine, with familiar macho codes. Lt. S., a TnA platoon commander in Givati Reconnaissance: "At first I felt I had to fight for my professional opinion. After all, I am in a field that, to put it mildly, is not very feminine, spending all day with hands covered in grease and oil. Or I would declare a vehicle non-operational, explain the rationale, and get the response, 'What are you talking about?'

"I always felt obliged to study extra, to ask the NCOs about every bolt and screw. Then came a conversation with the battalion commander who told me, 'Don't worry, I see you as a professional.' From that moment I relaxed."

Lt. Dr. A.: "Right after I took the job our unit ran battle procedures for an operation that began a week later. A reservist I had just met called the doctor I replaced and said about me, 'She seems sweet, but what does she have to do with this?' He had not grasped that they had brought in a woman physician, but for the unit commander this was not an issue. Maybe at first there were concerns I would lag behind, but once they see there is someone to rely on, that disappears.

"During service there is a stage called a 'baptism by fire,' an attachment to a place that is not your original assignment. I did mine with the Paratroopers Reconnaissance Unit. I went in with them for two weeks of fighting in al-Khiam in Lebanon, 11 kilometers from the border. They spoke about it as 'the hardest thing.' I thought to myself, if so, how is this my first maneuver, and on foot, with a 30-kilo pack on my back? But you go and do it without overthinking. I was more occupied with whether the readiness kit worked and whether the equipment was complete than with the significance of my being a woman there."

"Mom would prefer something else"

Lt. S. arrived at Givati Reconnaissance less than a year ago. Before that she served in the Egoz Reconnaissance Unit. There she was not allowed to enter Gaza and was assigned to shifts in the war room. Only when she moved to Battalion 931 of the Nahal Brigade, a stop before Recon, did she feel what it means to cross the border.

"It came as a surprise," she recalls. "At midnight the maintenance chief came over and asked me, 'Have you been in Gaza?' I said no. He said, 'Good luck, you are going in tomorrow at 7 a.m.' I deliberately chose 931 because I wanted more field time, to help from the inside."

How did your family react?
"I come from a Polish family. Grandma worries, so she only hears things after the fact, not in real time. My mom has accepted it, and we have an agreement that every time I go into Gaza I text 'entered,' and every time I come out I text 'exited.' That way my parents can be calmer. They understood that I am in a role like any combat soldier."

Maj. N.: "At first I didn't tell my parents I had gone into Gaza, and I dodged with lines like 'we are on leave lockdown, I am very busy.' My mom would have preferred I serve in Education Corps, but for me serving as a combat soldier was not a dilemma, and at worst the family can drink a glass of water and relax."

As combat soldiers, you have surely faced complex situations.
Maj. N.: "During Operation Iron Wall, entering Jenin after two relatively quiet weeks, there was an incident in which Staff Sgt. Liam Hazi, of blessed memory, was killed. Two terrorists fired on a team that had opened a search in a house. The complexity in Judea and Samaria is in many ways twice as hard as elsewhere, because you cannot just roam a neighborhood with heavy fire and call in artillery. Chasing terrorists and calling in airstrikes is a complex event, certainly as an operations officer who manages, coordinates and links forces."

Lt. K.: "Our force from the Rotem Battalion hit IEDs 50 meters from our fortified position. Three soldiers were killed and there were wounded. We gave a rapid response, and the fire mission was based on my actions. It went on for two hours, hundreds of shells, because we feared terrorists would emerge from tunnels and hit the evacuation forces.

"The adrenaline is insane, because you know you are creating a ring of fire around our forces and keeping the enemy from approaching them. You have to be sharp and precise, because if you get the grid wrong you could drop a shell in the middle of our position, which could cost our troops killed and wounded."

Lt. S.: "There was a case where combat soldiers came up on the radio and said that in the Namer they were riding, the gears were gone, it only moved forward and backward. Then you find yourself between houses, in an area nobody has been in yet, reassembling the gear linkage, otherwise the Namer will not move. It is intimidating, because you hear shooting and explosions all around. You see vehicles speeding by and it spikes your adrenaline, because the moment you fix it and the vehicle returns to service, you know we are the ones who made that possible."

Do you feel fluent in mechanics?
"Not a pro yet, but I try to stick close to the professionals. Today, for example, I detached two engines. See, there is still a bit of black paint on my forearms. My parents still cannot process it."

"Of course there are differences compared to the men"

Lt. S.: "Of course there are physiological differences between women and men. I can carry less weight, and Namer spare parts are heavy, about my size. The NCOs are aware and support me, because they know I came to work. Today, when I opened an engine, the crane operator stared in shock, asked to photograph me and send it to friends. A mechanic working, with sky-blue gel polish on her nails. I got the NCOs used to this: you assign tasks, 'open this bolt,' 'close with the drill,' and I do it. I can heft a pry bar and disconnect a U-joint to tow a Namer out. Heavy? Heavy."

Maj. N.: "You should have seen me with a large rucksack, carrying the dismembered body of a terrorist on a stretcher while shots were being fired around. Changing perceptions in the army does not take a day. Would anyone once have imagined a circle of female officers talking about maneuver experiences in Gaza? They would have said we were crazy."

There are still those who argue that women are "more sensitive" compared to male combat soldier.
Maj. N.: "Mixing men and women is excellent. I maneuvered with the 74th Armored Battalion. I stepped into the battalion commander's house and met a female fire support officer, a female intelligence officer, a female combat communications officer, and a woman doctor. All in Gaza, in the middle of a fortified compound. The emotional and cognitive differences we bring create a whole that is many times more powerful. I will allow myself to say that the male environment can sometimes be macho and 'caveman-like,' and placing a woman among them often balances and provides a counterweight. The perspective changes."

Lt. K.: "You live with men 24/7, and I find myself brushing my teeth with the battalion commander next to me. In the middle of an attack I have said to the radioman, 'Hold here, I am going to pee.' The differences are less noticeable because you live together."

Lt. A.: "Life in a recon unit taught me that men are much more sensitive than many women I know."

As combat soldiers, you surely hear the world's claims about "indiscriminate killing" in Gaza.
Maj. N.: "People do not know how moral the IDF is, and what process targets must go through to be approved. The army will not budge an inch from the permissible level of collateral damage under international law regarding harm to noncombatants. An example: we were in the middle of an assault and suddenly saw a woman. Force protection is paramount, but gradually, through escalation of force, we managed to move her to the humanitarian area. I was so proud to be part of that."

Lt. K.: "In the fires world there is constant attention to the percentage of civilian evacuations and to sensitive sites like hospitals, schools and clinics, where we nevertheless find booby traps and terrorist infrastructure. With us, everything is done surgically and accompanied by approvals from a division commander and a major general. Maximum precision."

Lt. A.: "We encounter this all the time, and the law is the law. In the end you do not consider who the person in front of you is. You have to provide the best care possible with the means and constraints you have."

"Being strong for myself"

Lt. Dr. A., the doctor in Nahal Reconnaissance, encountered harsh sights in the war already in her first days in the role. "I was an intern, so I experienced it from the side that receives the wounded in the hospital, and that is even harder," she recalls.

"On the battlefield you think only about functioning, you do not really process the emotional meaning of the event, where I focus only on evacuating and running from casualty to casualty. In the first month on the job we were in Beit Hanoun with the unit, and there was a mass-casualty incident with five dead and 11 wounded. I dismounted, heard explosions, and it felt unnatural to walk around like that, but you have to operate. I am a cool-headed person, and that is my advantage."

You have all faced the realities of war.
Lt. S.: "When I was with Nahal in the Zaytoun neighborhood, a platoon commander who was in my high school class was badly wounded. You hear it on the radio and have to shut off emotion to stay cool-headed in making decisions. The only thing going through your mind is that if I am not strong enough, no one will do it in my place."

Maj. N.: "Two weeks before he fell, I sent Staff Sgt. Liam Hazi, of blessed memory, on a mission, and he excelled. When he was killed, and we returned that night to the battalion commander's house, I said it was terrible. War can be interesting and exhilarating, but in the end it takes the lives of so many young people. It is sad. The price is unbearable, and we understand its weight and know how to carry on."

Has something in your character changed during service?
Lt. A.: "I have dealt with situations I would never face anywhere else. Two weeks ago a soldier with a catastrophic head injury returned to the unit. Seeing him walking was a feeling unlike anything else. The challenge is great, but the payoff is huge. It draws out traits you did not know you had and puts things in proportion. In the end you function coolly in situations that could deeply unsettle others."

Lt. S.: "Command moves me. Commanding a platoon, with married soldiers with kids on one side and, on the other, young troops straight out of high school now fixing weapons, and I treat them like an older sister, like a mother. I have their backs. It is funny, because some of the NCOs are my parents' age. As hard as the war is, and we are all tired, it opened the door to many new things."

Lt. K.: "Our generation has experienced things that people two decades older did not. It matures and toughens you. From the small things, like sleeping two hours a night, not showering for a month and not going home, to operational events where you meet death up close. It feels like October 7 happened a second and a half ago. Our generation is built stronger now."

Maj. N.: "It put into proportion what you have to protect, and how blessed the quiet routine is when all your loved ones are with you. My understanding of the importance of the army and the defense establishment also changed. Knowing it is necessary and you cannot run from it. In my view this change will open more paths for women in the military. Screening should be professional and not gender-based. I am not asking to lower the bar, but I do aspire to a situation where I can tell 16-year-old girls, 'If you meet the physical standards, you are in.'"

There is now strong demand to recruit female combat soldiers.
Maj. N.: "We are back to the days of the War of Independence, to an existential war. The State of Israel will endure, but we see what is happening in the world and understand that this is our home and that it is a privilege to enlist and serve as combat soldiers. Israeli women are tough. We had women combat soldiers even before the state was founded, from Hannah Szenes to Esther Arditi. It is in our blood."

At no stage did you have doubts like, "Why do I need this?"
Lt. S.: "More than once I stand on a Namer and think that I could just as easily be walking on the beach in Barcelona after a ballet class. But then I remember the best times in the army and know I would not trade the path. It is the best decision I made, which is why I extended my service. I could not imagine hearing about an operation in Gaza while I was sunbathing in Thailand."

Lt. K.: "The thought crossed my mind when I did not see my boyfriend for two months, or now, when my sister is getting married and I do not know when I will get out for the wedding. After a month without a shower you cannot say you are enjoying yourself, but it is worth it, because this is why I enlisted in combat. I wanted to give because I knew I could. It is the role I dreamed of."

Maj. N.: "What is a woman? To be strong, to do everything to succeed and meet the mission. Whoever thinks otherwise is a bit confused."

Maj. N. is on track for a military career. She recently completed her position in the recon unit and will serve as deputy commander of the mixed infantry battalion Lavi HaBik'a. "I want to be a mother and start a family, and there is no doubt it is a demanding and complex balance," she says, "but the army does a lot to make it possible, and there are many examples. It is hard, but it is also hard to be a father who is an officer."

One could joke that many officers would prefer Gaza over changing diapers at home.
Maj. N.: "That is why they say women are multitaskers."

Looking ahead, how do you see your future in the army?
Lt. K.: "My role is meaningful, and I still have time in service, but later I want to study medicine."

Lt. S.: "My enlistment dispelled outdated stigmas. TnA is one of the most amazing corps, and you feel it in wartime. But I have a dream to study law and international relations. For now I am considering maybe staying another year."

Lt. A.: "I would not have chosen this track if I did not aspire to be a doctor in civilian life, specifically a neurosurgeon. I do not know how long I will stay in the army, but in the end I will do what excited me from the start."

"Only at the end did I realize I was capable"

Before we parted, I asked the four combat soldiers to share a special moment they will carry with them from the war.

Lt. K.: "I think about the first time I ended up in a firefight, two days after I started my role in the recon unit. An anti-tank missile was fired at us. I panicked, because I did not have all my gear on me, and the communications with the artillery battery were tenuous, yet I still functioned. When the incident ended I realized I could handle it, and from there it just flowed."

Lt. A.: "There was a gravely wounded soldier in the field, and we did everything possible to save him, from opening an airway to giving a blood transfusion. He was in bad shape, sedated and ventilated. Later I went to visit the wounded in rehab, and because I heard that his family was there and frustrated by his condition, I hesitated to approach. I told myself it might be too soon. Only after some time did I meet his mother, and she hugged me and thanked me. A weight lifted off my heart."

Lt. S.: "After the stint with Nahal I thought I would be discharged, and I said that if I continue, it would only be in a role that gives me butterflies. Positions opened, including Givati Reconnaissance, and I went for it with everything. I told the TnA officer in the brigade, 'Recon or discharge.' I knew that if I did not get the recon unit, my heart would break.

"One day I was with the APC inspector in the middle of maintenance, and suddenly I got a call from an unknown number. It was the Givati Reconnaissance battalion commander calling to wish me congratulations. From joy I tossed the wrench in the air. I knew this was where I was meant to be."

Maj. N.: "I went home and sat in a café in central Tel Aviv, wearing tactical fatigues and my weapon. Suddenly two girls came up, saw the rank and the Haruv Recon patch, and said it was amazing and that they wanted to serve like that too. Before they left they said to me, 'Thank you for protecting us.' A small sentence, but one that strengthens your motivation to get up in the morning and keep working even after 30 grueling days in Gaza."

The post The women fighting terrorists and stereotypes in Gaza appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Al-Haddad serves as the "head of the military wing" of the terrorist organization. At his side are the two heads of the production and intelligence staffs, Ra'ed Sa'ad and Mohammed Awda.

At the war's outset, al-Haddad was the commander of the Gaza City Brigade. He oversaw six battalions of terrorists (around 6,000) and was part of the inner circle that decided on the October 7 massacre.

With most of Hamas' senior leaders abroad have been eliminated, the center of gravity again shifts to the Gaza Strip. Ezz El-Din al-Haddad has controlled the area since the killing of Mohammed Sinwar. He is now considered the "head of the military wing" of the terrorist organization. At his side are the two heads of the production and intelligence staffs, Ra'ed Sa'ad and Mohammed Awda. He is the one tasked with making the critical decisions regarding the war and the hostage situation.

At the beginning of the war, al-Haddad was the commander of the Gaza City Brigade. He commanded six terrorist battalions (approximately 6,000 fighters) and was part of the decision-making circle for the October 7 massacre.

According to foreign media, al-Haddad has survived a total of six assassination attempts, three of which occurred during the current war. In this connection, it was reported in Britain that an Israeli unit was dispatched to eliminate him at a house where he was hiding, but he was not found there.

At the start of the war, a bounty of $750,000 was placed on al-Haddad's head. The British newspaper The Times reported that according to intelligence, al-Haddad "is constantly changing his location and trusts very few people outside of his inner circle." Palestinian sources claim that two of his sons, who were active terrorists, were killed in the war.

In a January interview with Arab media, al-Haddad addressed a question about whether Iran and Hezbollah knew about the terror offensive on Oct. 7. He stated, "Given the large scale and anticipated consequences of the attack – the brothers in the axis of resistance were updated on the general picture. (But) we kept the timing of the zero hour to the narrowest possible circle to ensure the attack's success."

At least four battalion commanders serving under al-Haddad have been eliminated. Following the elimination of Ahmed Ghandour, the commander of the northern Gaza Strip brigade, the entire region fell under al-Haddad's responsibility. After the heads of the "military wing" – Mohammed Deif, Marwan Issa, and Mohammed Sinwar – were eliminated, thousands of terrorists began operating under his authority.

According to a publication in The Wall Street Journal, a released Israeli hostage encountered al-Haddad five times during his captivity, sometimes sleeping in the same safe house with him.

The first time they met in March 2024, al-Haddad came in and sat on the floor beside two hostages, asking in Hebrew, "How are you?" Subsequently, al-Haddad told them he was in charge of all the hostages in Gaza, took out his smartphone, and scrolled through photos of different hostages, some of whom the since-freed hostage recognized.

In July, satirical leaflets titled "The Reality" were circulated in the Gaza Strip, featuring the "new look" (as seen in the photo above) of Ezz El-Din al-Haddad, the new head of the terror group's military wing. The IDF's Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, later confirmed that the image published in the leaflet, distributed by the IDF, was indeed of Ezz El-Din al-Haddad, and that he was located in a tunnel in Khan Younis.

The post IDF closes in on Hamas' last commander as Gaza op begins appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Two figures stood out among the guests. When Xi joined them on the balcony overlooking thousands of troops marching with robotic precision, it was the first time the three had been photographed together in one place: Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The trio now embodies the sharpest opposition to the American-led world order, at a time when questions are mounting over whether the White House itself remains committed to it.

"Military parades are always about messaging," said Prof. Yoram Evron of Bar-Ilan University's Asian Studies Department. "The aim is to send a strong message, both domestically and abroad." Indeed, Chinese state media turned the event into the story of the day, with every segment reminding viewers that "Xi is the supreme commander of the army."

According to Evron, the message was twofold: to show the Chinese people their country's rise as a great power and Xi's personal authority, while projecting China's global standing, advanced weapons and industrial strength outward. "China never misses such milestones," he said. "It always extracts the maximum benefit from them."

Alongside Putin and Kim, a long list of leaders stood on the same balcony: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. From Europe came Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, joined by dozens of leaders from Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Noticeably absent were Western leaders and China's immediate neighbors aligned with them – Japan, South Korea and Taiwan – as well as countries often seen as close to Beijing, including Brazil and South Africa.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had attended the summit earlier in the week, stayed away from the parade, a predictable move given the recurring border clashes between India and China that fuel their historic rivalry.

US President Donald Trump, who had staged a smaller military parade just three months earlier, admitted he stayed up late in Washington to watch the event live, calling it "a beautiful ceremony. I thought it was very very impressive. But I understood the reason they were doing it. They were hoping I was watching, and I was watching." The parade marked Japan's defeat in World War II, and Trump voiced frustration that America's role was not acknowledged. "Xi is my friend, but I thought the US should have been mentioned in the speech, since we helped China."

On Twitter earlier, his tone had been harsher, questioning whether Xi would mention the "American blood spilled for China" and accusing Xi, Putin and Kim of "plotting against the United States."

Since coming to power in 2013, Xi has consolidated extraordinary authority. In 2023, he began his third presidential term after scrapping the two-term limit, concentrating power in his hands and reviving a cult of personality not seen in decades. In the military, he has repeatedly purged top defense officials and senior officers under the banner of an "anti-corruption" campaign.

"These are not routine purges," Evron explained. "This is unprecedented in scale and rank – often targeting figures Xi himself had appointed not long before."

The deadline

For years, one date has loomed over discussions of China's military: 2027. Western intelligence assessments say Xi has ordered the People's Liberation Army to be ready by then to invade Taiwan – exactly 100 years after the PLA's founding. The island, which has functioned as an independent state with a democratic government and thriving economy, has been viewed by Beijing as a "renegade province" since 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang fled there after losing the civil war to Mao.

Along with the synchronized ranks of troops in Beijing, China's military showcased its full nuclear triad for the first time – land, sea and air-launched nuclear missiles. The parade also featured hypersonic anti-ship missiles, unmanned submarines, fifth-generation stealth fighter jets, high-powered laser weapons and even quadruped robots designed to support ground forces.

Still, most of these weapons remain untested in real combat despite their impressive scale and advanced technology.

Evron noted that the technological highlight was the display of China's aviation breakthroughs – an industry long considered a weakness compared to the US and Russia. "This was the first large-scale public showing of fifth-generation fighter models," he said. "China's missile industry has always been advanced, but aviation was its weak spot. Now it shows it has closed the gap."

The parade unveiled fighters like the J-35A and J-20S. Reports claim the latter can control drones – a capability usually associated with sixth-generation aircraft. China also presented carrier-based aircraft under development.

Unmanned systems were another major feature. In the air, the CH-9 drone was displayed, capable of flying 40 hours at 36,000 feet (11,000 meters) in competition with American models. At sea, the HSU100 unmanned submarine was unveiled, alongside an array of other drones for air, sea and land missions.

China's maritime arena is central to its combat scenarios. New YJ-series cruise missiles were shown, some reportedly hypersonic and dubbed "carrier-killers" after Chinese media released footage of them being tested against mock American carriers. Also presented was the LY-1, a laser system that Chinese reports claim can intercept missiles – and even ships – at minimal cost.

Before reviewing the troops, Xi delivered a speech to more than 50,000 spectators, sending a pointed message across the Pacific. "Humanity once again faces a choice between peace and war, dialogue and confrontation, mutual benefit or zero-sum," Xi declared, adding that "the Chinese people firmly stand on the right side of history." With a thinly veiled reference to the US and its allies, Xi said China was a great nation that would "never be intimidated by bullies" and warned that China was "unstoppable."

As in every parade, the most striking sight was the giant missiles rolling through the avenue. For the first time, China's nuclear triad was displayed together, including the Dongfeng-61, described as its most advanced ballistic missile, and the Dongfeng-C5, which Beijing claims can strike anywhere on Earth with multiple warheads.

The display ended with 80,000 white doves and 80,000 balloons released into the Beijing sky. Like the US, China now demands "peace through strength." But with frequent saber-rattling in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, and the sweeping transformation of China's military now laid bare before the world, many are left wondering just how stable that peace will be.

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Minorities: Endless harassment

One answer to this question is provided by a recent ruling in Qatar's court, which decided to send the chairman of the Bahai community assembly in the country, Remy Rouhani, to five years in prison. The reason: The 71-year-old Rouhani simply dared to express himself and voice his opinions on equality between men and women. Consequently, the Bahai religious leader was accused of promoting "a doctrine or ideology that casts doubt on the foundations of Islam," according to a section in Qatar's penal code. The authorities accused him of "violating social principles and values through information technology," as well as disseminating material promoting the adoption of "destructive principles."

A fair trial? Not in this country. The representative of the international Bahai community at the UN, Saba Haddad, warned that Rouhani was imprisoned on a series of baseless charges, relying solely on his religious identity. She added that the attack on him is an attack on all Bahais in Qatar – and on the very principle of freedom of conscience.

Rouhani, it should be noted, is a Qatari citizen and is regarded as a prominent businessman. He previously served as CEO of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the country. His daughter, Nora, told the BBC Arabic network that his activities had been conducted transparently and encountered no significant opposition in recent years. Despite this, in December 2024, he was sentenced to one month of suspended imprisonment, along with a fine of approximately $50,000, for "collecting funds without regulatory approval for charitable activity."

The Ministry of International Communications in Qatar published a response to the publications on the subject, which attempted to portray the story in a completely different light. It stated, among other things, that "Qatar's constitution guarantees the right to freedom of worship for all, and this right must be exercised in accordance with the law. It must not threaten or harm public stability or security. Qatar's judicial system guarantees to provide all parties in any issue a fair legal process."

Really a fair process? The charges against Rouhani were based on social media posts dealing with justice and equality between men and women, respecting parents, and a general call for good deeds – not exactly "radical" ideas. The authorities, for their part, claimed he "violated public order," arrested him in April this year, and held him in detention until his trial. Despite the Qatari announcement, according to human rights organizations, he did not receive legal assistance from a lawyer.

In an interview with her, Rouhani's daughter added details about the terrible treatment the family has faced for years. She herself now lives in exile in Australia with her husband and daughter, after being forced to leave Qatar following the inclusion of her Iranian husband, a member of the Bahai faith, on a "blacklist," without explanation from the authorities. This step prevented him from entering the country's territory or residing in it – part of the systematic discrimination, according to Nora, that Bahais in Qatar endure.

"I am Qatari and received my education in Doha's schools and universities. We didn't come from another planet. But because of our Bahai faith, we became strangers in our homeland," she said painfully. Indeed, human rights organizations report many manifestations of discrimination against Bahais by the authorities in Qatar, including deportations, arrests, and even deliberate bureaucratic delays, such as delays in granting permits to rebuild a cemetery.

Foreign workers or foreign slaves? "Forbidden to leave the employer"

This is not the only group discriminated against in Qatar. Many of the emirate's residents are foreign workers without rights, who are in the status of de facto slaves. Take, for example, Amit Gupta, a senior technology professional from India, on charges that remained classified. For months, his family was not even updated on what crime he was accused of. Gupta is the head of an Indian technology company operating in Kuwait and Qatar, and in 2013, he moved to work in Doha. In early January, he was arrested by Qatar's security apparatus while sitting in a restaurant, without being told the reason for the arrest.

In Qatar, it should be emphasized, hundreds of thousands of Indians like Gupta work. Last year, the country's court released eight former Indian Navy officers after they were sentenced to death. According to foreign reports, they were accused of "spying for Israel."

According to Human Rights Watch, more than 91 percent of Qatar's population are foreign workers. These are controlled by an abusive sponsorship system (according to the "kafala," the guarantee system practiced in many Arab countries), which gives employers almost complete control over workers. Despite publicized initiatives to improve their situation, workers still struggle to change jobs – even if employers have stopped paying them. Not only that, but when a worker leaves his workplace without employer permission, it is considered an "escape" that is considered a crime under the country's law. This is probably also the reason why to this day Qatar has not opened an investigation regarding the deaths of masses of foreign workers – between hundreds to thousands, according to estimates – as part of the 2022 World Cup.

Discrimination against women: Raped and sent to prison

The status of women in Qatar is no better – unless they are members of the emir's family. Women are subject to guardianship laws that prevent them from making any significant decisions about their future. For example, they can only marry if their guardian, a male family member, approves of it. Men, by comparison, can marry up to four women simultaneously, without needing anyone's approval. Additionally, women are required to obey their husbands and may lose the right to alimony if they refuse to have sex with their husband "without a justified reason." Working outside the home also requires permission from the guardian.

Beyond that, Qatar's penal code prohibits sex outside of marriage. Anyone who violates the law could be sent to up to seven years in prison. A Muslim who does so could receive flogging if unmarried, and if he has consensual relations with an unmarried woman – the death penalty.

This law affects the authorities' treatment of rape crimes. For example, a few years ago, a tourist from the Netherlands was drugged and raped in a nightclub in Doha. When she complained to the local police, she was sent to prison for several months and fined $800 before being deported from the country.

LGBT community: Set a date on Grindr – and got arrested

The situation of the LGBT community in the country is particularly severe. Just last year, Qatar's security apparatus arrested Guerrero Avinia, a foreign citizen who lived in the country for seven years and worked at an airline company, shortly after he agreed to meet with a man through the Grindr app. His family told human rights organizations that they believe the profile he contacted was fake and was operated by the police.

Over the years, there have been reports of other arbitrary arrests of lesbians, gay men, and other LGBT community members. Qatar is one of 64 countries where homosexuality is prohibited by law. According to various reports, Nepalese were imprisoned in Qatar solely because of their sexual orientation, a move that caused the country to warn its citizens about working in countries like Qatar.

And of course, alongside the systematic violation of human rights, there is the sour cherry on the Qatari whipped cream: support for Hamas and attacks against Israeli targets. During the war, Education Minister Lula al-Khater praised senior Hamas officials and terrorists who were eliminated, including Mohammed Deif and Yahya Sinwar; and this week, after the attack on IDF forces in Khan Yunis, journalist Jaber al-Harami – close to the government – published a post expressing a wish that Hamas would kidnap soldiers; he later deleted it.

The absurdity is that Qatar continues to conduct a foreign policy in parallel, in which it purports to portray itself as a champion of human rights. In 2022, Qatar's ambassador Hind al-Muftah even ran for the position of chair of the UN Forum for Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law; until, at the last moment, the organization UN WATCH exposed a series of statements by the celebrated diplomat, who described Jews as "our enemies" and homosexuals as "repulsive."

The organization noted at the time that Qatar has significant influence on the UN in Geneva, and as part of this, the country funded a hall in its name worth $20 million. And this, in essence, tells the whole story: behind the big money and self-glorification, lies corruption that is no less substantial.

The post Beneath the money and smiles, Qatar hides a nightmare appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The event, hosted by The Chaim Herzog Museum of the Jewish Soldier in World War II, culminated with a special ceremony in which Rosenfeld's nephew, Menashe Rosenfeld, accepted a medal on his behalf, some 73 years after his death. Rosenfeld had become minister of health under Mao Zedong and even received the rank of general due to his saving of countless Chinese during the chaotic years of the wars after he himself had fled Vienna due to Nazi persecution. He died in Israel in 1952.

Shared memory

Major General (Res.) Zvika Kan-Tor, the museum's CEO, welcomed guests by framing the ceremony within the solemn 80th anniversary of the victory against the Axis Powers in World War II, which in China is referred to as The World Anti-Fascist War.

"Today we commemorate the legacy of Dr. Jakob Rosenfeld, a courageous doctor and soldier, who is honored here in the museum," he said in a statement. "His unique and meaningful story is one among the one and a half million stories of Jewish men and women fighters that continue to inspire us to this day. Every visit to the museum reminds us that Jewish history in World War II is not only about historical dates, but also about personal stories of courage and sacrifice. Our mission is to illuminate the stories of these Jewish fighters and to connect future generations to the legacy of Jewish heroism."

He added that part of the reason it was important to hold this event was to celebrate Rosenfeld beyond China – here in Israel – where he has been an unsung hero. "We are dedicated to telling a wonderful story that in China, millions of people cherish, but here in the state of the Jewish people, almost no one knows," he stated, underscoring the museum's mission to illuminate the forgotten history of the 1.5 million Jewish soldiers who fought the Axis Powers.

This sentiment was echoed in a poignant letter from Israeli President Isaac Herzog, delivered by Aviv Ezra, the deputy director general for Asia and the Pacific at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Herzog hailed Dr. Rosenfeld as a figure who "wrote himself directly into the pages of Chinese history." His letter celebrated the "deep mutual regard shared by people of every rank" and called Rosenfeld a "symbol of what can be achieved when openness and goodwill reign."

Taking the podium, Chinese Ambassador Xiao Junzheng delivered an expansive address that served as the evening's centerpiece, touting the unique relationship between Beijing and Jerusalem not just between leaders, but also in shared values, history and memory.

He began by painting a vivid picture of the honoree. "Today, we hold this special event to commemorate Dr. Jakob Rosenfeld. He was a doctor and a fighter, too," the ambassador said. "He fled Vienna to China in 1939, escaping the persecution by the Nazis. Driven by a sense of justice, he abandoned a comfortable life in Shanghai and joined the anti-Japanese resistance. For 10 years, he fought as an army medical doctor and as a general, saving the lives of Chinese soldiers and civilians. He dedicated himself to the cause of liberating the Chinese people."

The choice of venue was deeply symbolic, surrounded by exhibits honoring Rosenfeld's actions as one of the 1.5 million Jews who fought in World War II for the cause of freedom, which, according to the ambassador, was a manifestation of the bond between the two ancient peoples, the Chinese and the Jews. "Our destinies are intertwined," he said.

Ambassador Xiao meticulously drew parallels between the immense suffering and resilience of the two peoples during that era. "80 years ago, the Chinese people, alongside nations across the globe, secured victory in the war of resistance against Japanese aggression," he declared. "This great victory stands as a solemn reminder that we must never forget history and must always uphold its truths. The Chinese people's war of resistance against Japanese aggression constituted the main Eastern battlefield of the world anti-fascist war. It began the earliest and endured the longest. Throughout these 14 years of struggle, the Chinese people waged a courageous fight at a tremendous cost, suffering over 35 million casualties."

He then directly honored the history enshrined in the museum walls. "We also remember the 1.5 million Jewish fighters... who fought against the Nazis during World War II. Approximately 250,000 of whom made the ultimate sacrifice. They will forever be remembered by us and by history."

In China, there is no soil for antisemitism

Directly addressing President Herzog's appeal in his letter, Ambassador Xiao reiterated that Beijing "earnestly hopes for an immediate end to the ongoing hostilities", before stressing that "as a reaffirmation of China's consistent position, I once again appeal that all Israeli hostages be released immediately."

He concluded his address by celebrating the deep-rooted friendship between the two peoples. "When the Jewish communities in Europe faced brutal persecution... China provided refuge, with Shanghai alone offering sanctuary to at least 25,000 Jewish refugees," he said. "A friend in need is a friend indeed. This shared history forms a lasting foundation for the friendship between China and Israel. In China, there is no soil for antisemitism. The Chinese government will never allow antisemitism to exist or take root."

The ambassador recalled that Ho Feng-Shan, the consul general in Vienna during WWII, demonstrated this willingness to help the Jews during the 1930s, risking his life to issue a "life-saving visa" that made it possible for Rosenfeld to flee to Shanghai. In turn, Rosenfeld gave his host nation "hope and survival," as did many other Jews who fled to China. "This great victory inspires us to cherish the traditional friendship between the Chinese and Jewish people and to carry it forward for generations to come."

Following his powerful speech, Ambassador Xiao formally announced the honor bestowed upon the Jewish doctor by the Chinese authorities: "A decision has been made by the government of the People's Republic of China to award the commemorative medal to Dr. Jakob Rosenfeld for his remarkable contributions." He then presented the medal to Dr. Menashe Rosenfeld, the hero's nephew, to the applause of the more than 200 in attendance.

Visibly moved, Dr. Rosenfeld spoke of the profound respect his family had for him. "To see the devotion of a nation like China to heroes – Chinese, Jewish, other – I had seen it in China, and I had felt it in China," he shared. He then offered a powerful analogy: "China is a nation of over 5,000 years... We are just 3,700 years old. China, you may be our big brother, and I would like to point out, let's learn from the big brother how to respect and honor heroes."

Video: The event honoring Jakob Rosenfeld on August 27, 2025

Rosenfeld was echoing what Ambassador Xiao said in his speech about the need to introduce Rosenfeld's story to the mainstream public. "Though Dr. Rosenfeld passed away 73 years ago, his legacy continues to be honored across China," the ambassador said during his speech, citing hospitals, museums, and monuments that bear his name, even a 4-meter statue. Speaking to Israel Hayom, he later added that he hoped this event would raise awareness of Rosenfeld's actions in Israel, just as he had become a national hero in the country where he found refuge. "In China, many people know about his story. But few know about him in Israel; we hope that in the coming years know more and more Israel people will know the story."

The recently built Chaim Herzog Museum of the Jewish Soldier in World War II, which hosted the event, was founded as part of an effort to shed light on the one and a half million Jewish men and women who fought on various fronts. "Until now, these stories have not been properly told," the museum said in a statement. "Many of them later made significant contributions to the establishment of the State of Israel and the IDF," it continued, noting that visitors can see "works of art, original wartime documents, and fascinating anecdotes about Jewish soldiers, narratives that, until today, had not been part of the Jewish collective memory of World War II."

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