In the early hours of October 7, 2023, Tali Hadad, a 49-year-old kindergarten teacher and mother of six from Ofakim, was thrust into an unimaginable situation. As Hamas launched its assault on southern Israel, Hadad's maternal instincts and quick thinking led her to become an unexpected hero, rescuing her wounded son and other victims amidst intense gunfire.

Hadad's day began at 6:45 am with the sound of sirens and gunfire, signaling an attack far more severe than the typical rocket barrages the region had grown accustomed to over the years. Her son Itamar, a soldier on leave for the weekend, immediately grabbed his rifle and ran towards the danger.

"I ran toward the playground," Hadad told Fox News Digital. "I hid behind a wall and saw a line of terrorists walking with rifles, heading in the direction where my son had gone." Moments later, she heard gunshots and, fearing for her son's life, sprinted towards the sound.

Dodging through alleys under heavy fire, Hadad witnessed the unfolding devastation. "People were yelling from windows, begging for help," she recounted. "But there were no ambulances coming, no one to save them."

When she found Itamar, he had been shot multiple times – in the stomach, leg, and thigh. Two of his comrades lay dead beside him. Despite the danger, Hadad made multiple trips to rescue a total of 13 people, driving them to safety at high speeds to avoid terrorist gunfire. "I knew if I drove slowly, the terrorists would shoot me," Hadad explained, describing her harrowing journey to the local emergency medical station.

The attack on Ofakim, a small city of 50,000 residents located 15 miles from the Gaza border, resulted in 47 deaths. Hadad's street became known as "Death Street" due to the intensity of the violence there.

Hadad, like many in Ofakim and across Israel, continues to grapple with the emotional aftermath of the attack. "We're still bleeding," she said. The experience has profoundly changed her life, leading her to put her teaching career on hold to care for her recovering son.

Five of Hadad's six children currently serve in the IDF, either on active duty or in the reserves. Two are currently fighting in Gaza, while her youngest daughter is set to enter the army in a month.

Ofakim is slowly rebuilding. The community has established a memorial, painted murals, and planted olive trees to symbolize resilience and renewal. However, the psychological scars remain deep, with long waiting lists for trauma counseling and overwhelming available resources. In response to the growing need for mental health support, the Israel Psychoanalytic Society and the NGO IsraAid have established a multidisciplinary trauma center offering free services to survivors of the massacre.

As Ofakim continues its healing journey, the memories of October 7 remain vivid in the community's collective consciousness. Hadad reflected on the day's impact, saying, "We remember how our children ran through the streets barefoot, fighting like lions. No politicians come here anymore. No tour buses arrive. But we remember. We will always remember."

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Right-wing lawmakers expressed outrage Thursday against Public Security Minister Omer Barlev and the government, claiming that instead of fighting terrorism in Judea and Samaria they incited violence against Jewish settlers.

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The harsh criticism came against the backdrop of Thursday's deadly terrorist attack in which 25-year-old Yehuda Dimantman from the Homesh settlement was killed, and an earlier incident in which Barlev was criticized for discussing perceived settler violence against Palestinians in Judea and Samaria with a senior US diplomat.

"At the peak of a terror wave, the failed government of [Prime Minister Naftali] Bennett, [Foreign Minister Yair] Lapid, and Barlev are busy inciting against the settlers," the Likud said in a statement, demanding that Arab MK "Mansour Abbas and Ra'am condemn the Samaria terrorist attack in Arabic on their Facebook and Twitter accounts, without conditions and excuses. After they received 53 billion shekels from Bennett, this is the least they can do."

Likud MK Shlomo Karhi said, "Omer Barlev should resign now and stand trial, before more Jews are harmed and murdered because of his incitement."

Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben-Gvir also criticized the government, "When Defense Minister [Benny] Gantz follows a lax policy and minister Barlev slanders Israel and attacks the settlers shamelessly, the terrorists smell weakness, do not shy away and rear their heads. The lax policies of Barlev and Gantz and a government that relies on the Muslim Brotherhood lead to terrorist attacks. Barlev's words led to the attack. Words can kill."

Bennett vowed to 'settle the score' with the perpetrators, who managed to escape after the attack.

Gantz also echoed this sentiment, tweeting the following statement: "I would like to express my condolences to the family of the terror victim killed in Judea and Samaria this evening, and wish a speedy recovery to those who suffered injuries in the attack. Security forces will catch the perpetrator.

"We will increase our vigilance and readiness to thwart terror in Judea and Samaria, and will continue to take any measures necessary in facing terror groups in the area," he said.

Condolences and wishes for a speedy recovery poured in from lawmakers.

Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said, "Palestinian terrorism once again demonstrates that the war on the land of Israel has not ended and that the settlers of Judea and Samaria constitute a defensive wall of the State of Israel … The security forces will lay their hands on the heinous murderers who have not yet come to terms with a Jewish presence in the land of Israel."

Justice Minister Gideon Sa'ar said, "Jewish settlers in Judea and Samaria throughout the years have been the target of Palestinian violence and murder and sacrificed a heavy price to establish our hold in the heart of the country."

Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman tweeted, "Terrorism cannot be tolerated … We will spare no effort, time, and finances to thwart terrorism and arrest the terrorists. There is no coalition and opposition when it comes to the fight on terror, we will join hands to wage a powerful and uncompressing war [on terrorism]."

Barlev also posted on Twitter following the attack, "A tragic attack [happened] near Homesh this evening, Palestinian terrorism rears its ugly head again," Barlev tweeted. "My condolences to the family and the loved ones of the murdered yeshiva boy, and a speedy recovery to the wounded."

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Authorities in Cyprus believes that the target of a suspected assassin captured last week was not billionaire Israeli businessman Teddy Sagi, but rather senior partners in Sagi's company, and that the assassin was not deployed by Iran, the Cypriot news site philenews reported Wednesday.

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The latest report from Cyprus contradicts an announcement by a spokesman for Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that the incident had been an attempt by Iran to carry out a terrorist attack against Israelis in Cyprus.

The suspected assassin, an Azeri citizen aged 38, is still being questioned. Cypriot police officials told philenews that he was opting to remain silent rather than cooperate with police. According to the report, the suspect has admitted to renting two vehicles in the town of Ayia Napa, which documents confirm.

On Wednesday, the suspect was due to be brought before a court in Nicosa for a remand hearing, which was slated to take place behind closed doors. The Azeri man has hired a Nicosa-based attorney to represent him.

Philenews also reported that it appeared that the suspect is a resident of Turkish Cyprus. Local police think that he had at least four partners in the plot, but believe that they have already fled to Turkish territory after hearing that the Azeri had been arrested.

The Cypriot police think that the Azeri suspect was receiving help from Turkish Cyprus, which is where he reportedly secured the gun and silence he had on him at the time of his arrest.

Meanwhile, attempts were ongoing to crack the suspect's three cellphones and track his movements. The numbers he called in Turkish Cyprus will also be traced.

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Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked granted this week permanent residency to A., a Palestinian man who saved the lives of three members of the Ettinger family who were shot at by terrorists on a highway in Judea and Samaria in 2016.

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The father of the family, Mark, lost his life in the attack, but wife Chava, son Pedaya and daughter Tehila survived thanks to the first aid provided by A. and his wife, who also alerted law enforcement.

News of a Palestinian who helped save the lives of Jews traveled fast to Ramallah, and A.'s family began to receive death threats. In an effort to protect his loved ones, A. fled to Israel, leaving his parents, wife and newborn son behind. For three years, he lived without a roof over his head, scraping for food and living under bridges.

Sometime after, A.'s wife joined him in Israel and in November 2019, due to public pressure, the Interior Ministry provided the couple with a temporary residence visa.

After grating the two permanent residency, Shaked said: "He who saves one life it's as if he saved the entire world. A. saved the life of the Ettinger family in a deadly attack, for which he has been persecuted relentlessly. We will never turn our back on a friend. That is why I approved his permanent residency in Israel."

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Yeshiva student Yehuda Guetta, 19, died Wednesday from wounds sustained in a drive-by shooting at Tapuach Junction. Doctors at Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva had been fighting for his life over the past few days.

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The suspect in the attack, 44-year-old Muntasir Shalabi, a resident of Turmus Ayya, was arrested following a joint operation by the Shin Bet intelligence agency, the Israel Defense Forces, and Israel Police.

In a statement, Israel Police said that "acting on Shin Bet intelligence, Shin Bet and special police counter-terrorism unit forces raided a building where the suspect had been hiding in Silwad. The assailant, who was not affiliated with any organization, was taken for Shin Bet questioning."

A Jerusalem resident, Guetta had studied at the Itamar Yeshiva. He leaves behind two parents, four brothers, and two sisters.

Two other yeshiva students were also wounded in the attack, one seriously.

In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent his "deep condolences to the family of Yehuda Guetta, may he rest in peace."

He acknowledged: "These are difficult times for the Guetta family, and all the people of Israel are with them in their time of grief."

President Reuven Rivlin sent a "courageous embrace, strength, and prayers to comfort the family of Yehuda, who was murdered in a shooting attack at Tapuach Junction this week. How great is the pain and sorrow over the lustrousness of youth that was taken by this vile terrorist. Give strength to our forces that tonight, caught the lowly murdered. We will not stand aside as cruel terror raises its head, and we will fight it every way, with perseverance and determination.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz said, "My heart is with the Guetta family, who have lost Yehuda, just 19, tonight after he was shot in an atrocious attack at Tapuach Junction.

You have my "deepest condolences," he said. "May you know no more sorrow."

In response to the murder, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan called to restore blockades across Judea and Samaria and establish a new settlement in Samaria.

He called the killing "a terrible tragedy, not just for the Itamar Yeshiva and Samaria settlements but for the entire State of Israel."

Palestinian officials said a 16-year-olf Palestinian boy was killed when IDF troops fired at Palestinians hurling Molotov cocktails at them late on Wednesday near the Palestinian village of Beita, south of Nablus. The IDF had been searching the area for the Tapuach Junction attacker at the time.

"The troops operated to stop the suspects by firing towards them," an Israeli military spokeswoman said, adding that the incident would be investigated.

Residents of Beita and the nearby village of Odala say there have been clashes between Palestinians and Israeli troops near the villages' entrances the past several nights.

A second Palestinian was shot in the back during the clashes on Wednesday and was being treated in hospital, the Palestinian health ministry said.

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Iran has made threats against Fort McNair, an Army post in the US capital, and against the Army's vice chief of staff, two senior US intelligence officials said.

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They said communications intercepted by the National Security Agency in January showed that Iran's Revolutionary Guard discussed mounting "USS Cole-style attacks" against the Army post, referring to the October 2000 suicide attack in which a small boat pulled up alongside the Navy destroyer in the Yemeni port of Aden and exploded, killing 17 sailors.

The intelligence also revealed threats to kill Gen. Joseph M. Martin and plans to infiltrate and surveil the installation, according to the officials, who were not authorized to publicly discuss national security matters and spoke on condition of anonymity. The Army post, one of the oldest in the country, is Martin's official residence.

The threats are one reason the Army has been pushing for more security around Fort McNair, which sits alongside Washington's bustling newly developed Waterfront District.

City leaders have been fighting the Army's plan to add a buffer zone of about 250 feet to 500 feet (75 meters to 150 meters) from the shore of the Washington Channel, which would limit access to as much as half the width of the busy waterway running parallel to the Potomac River.

The Pentagon, National Security Council and NSA either did not reply or declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press.

As District of Columbia officials have fought the enhanced security along the channel, the Army has offered only vague information about threats to the installation.

At a virtual meeting in January to discuss the proposed restrictions, Army Maj. Gen. Omar Jones, commander of the Military District of Washington, cited "credible and specific" threats against military leaders who live on the Army post. The only specific security threat he offered was about a swimmer who ended up on the installation and was arrested.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the district's sole representative in Congress, was skeptical. "When it comes to swimmers, I'm sure that must be rare. Did he know where he was? Maybe he was just swimming and found his way to your shore?" she said.

Jones conceded that the swimmer was "not a great example there, but our most recent example" of a security breach.

He said the Army has increased patrols along the shoreline, erected more restricted area signs and placed cameras to monitor the Washington Channel.

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Puzzled city officials and frustrated residents said the Army's request for the buffer zone was a government overreach of public waterways.

Discussions about the Fort McNair proposal began two years ago, but the recent intelligence gathered by the NSA has prompted Army officials to renew their request for the restrictions.

The intercepted chatter was among members of the elite Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard and centered on potential military options to avenge the US killing of the former Quds leader, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, in Baghdad in January 2020, the two intelligence officials said.

They said Tehran's military commanders are unsatisfied with their counterattacks so far, specifically the results of the ballistic missile attack on Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq in the days after Soleimani's killing. No US service members were killed in that strike but dozens suffered concussions.

Norton told the AP that in the two months since the January meeting, the Pentagon has not provided her any additional information that would justify the restrictions around Fort McNair.

"I have asked the Department of Defense to withdraw the rule because I've seen no evidence of a credible threat that would support the proposed restriction," Norton said. "They have been trying to get their way, but their proposal is more restrictive than necessary."

She added: "I have a security clearance. And they have yet to show me any classified evidence" that would justify the proposal. Norton pointed out that the Washington Navy Yard and Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, which also have access to district waters, do not have restricted zones along their shorelines and have not requested them.

The proposed changes, outlined in a Federal Register notice, would prohibit both people and watercraft from "anchoring, mooring or loitering" within the restricted area without permission.

The notice specifies the need for security around the Marine Helicopter Squadron, which transports American presidents, and the general and staff officers' quarters located at the water's edge. The southern tip of Fort McNair is home to the National War College, where midlevel and senior officers gunning for admiral or general study national security strategy.

The Washington Channel is the site of one of the city's major urban renewal efforts, with new restaurants, luxury housing and concert venues. The waterway flows from the point where the city's two major rivers, the Potomac and Anacostia, meet.

It's home to three marinas and hundreds of boat slips. About 300 people live aboard their boats in the channel, according to Patrick Revord, who is the director of technology, marketing and community engagement for the Wharf Community Association.

The channel also bustles with water taxis, which serve 300,000 people each year, river cruises that host 400,000 people a year and about 7,000 kayakers and paddleboarders annually, Revord said during the meeting.

Residents and city officials say the restrictions would create unsafe conditions by narrowing the channel for larger vessels traversing the waterway alongside smaller motorboats and kayakers.

Guy Shields, a retired Army infantry colonel and member of the Capitol Yacht Club who opposes the restrictions around Fort McNair, said during the meeting that waterway restrictions wouldn't boost security.

"Those buoys aren't going to do anything to enhance security. It will increase congestion in an already congested area," Shields said. "And I'll say, signs do not stop people with bad intentions."

It's unclear whether the new intelligence will change the city's opposition to the Army's security plan. Iran's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday. Iranian state media did not immediately acknowledge the AP report.

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Security forces' original suspicion that Samaria resident Esther Horgan, who was killed while out running near her home in Tal Menashe on Sunday, was the victim of terrorist attack is gaining traction, security officials told Israel Hayom on Monday after an investigation into Horgan's death had been underway for nearly half a day.

Early Monday morning, the police reported that the body of a woman who had been reported missing by her family has been discovered in the Reichan Forest in Samaria.

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Security officials suspect that Horgan's killer was an Israeli Arab, rather than a Palestinian.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Monday that security forces were "operating to capture the loathsome murderer."

In a tweet on his personal account, Gantz expressed his condolences to the Horgan family and said, "We will never accept a reality in which a person's life is forfeit."

Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan said that Horgan had left her home at about 1 p.m. Sunday for a run in the forest. A few hours later, when she had not returned, her husband alerted security forces.

By the evening, volunteers from the Samaria-Jordan Valley search and rescue squad in the Judea Samaria Police, along with IDF and Border Police personnel, a K9 unit, and civilian volunteers, had begun searching for her. After several hours, at around 1 a.m. Monday, the search and rescue team discovered her body. Magen David Adom paramedics scrambled to the scene declared her dead.

Video: Telegram

Paramedic Assaf Tapuchi said, "When we arrived, we were led to the place where a woman about 52 years old was lying, unconscious. We examined her, but she wasn't breathing, she had no pulse or any other signs of life, and shortly thereafter we were forced to declare her dead."

Police and forensics experts were combing the site where Horgan's body was discovered, hoping to find evidence.

Dagan said Horgan was "so goodhearted and helped people. How can a woman go out or a workout a minute away from her house and be murdered by scum in such a brutal way? What kind of evil are we facing? You will never break us, Samaria settlement will flourish and grow and be built up along with the State of Israel."

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A Houthi official said on Tuesday that the missile the Iran-backed Yemenite militia used in its attack on a Saudi Aramco facility in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia a day earlier should have been used against Israel.

"With regard to the targeting of the city of Jeddah, we believe that this missile [of ours] is meant to target Eilat and not Jiddah, but since the Saudi aggressors continue their suffocating attacks against us in Yemen, we are forced to confront this aggression, in order to force Saudi Arabia to stop its attacks against Yemen and to lift its siege on Yemen," Abd al-Wahhab al-Mahbashi, a member of the Houthi politburo, told Lebanon's Al-Mayadeen television.

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"Otherwise, the development and testing of this missile will continue, until we manage to reach deep into Palestinian [territory] and target the Zionist entity on the blessed Palestinian land," he said.

A Houthi-developed Quds 2 cruise missile was used in Monday's attack against Saudi Arabia, a spokesman for the group said on Monday. "Quds" is the Arabic term for Jerusalem.

Translation courtesy of MEMRI.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org

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Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has seen long and difficult days since forming his second government at the beginning of January this year.

Shortly after forming a coalition that set a precedent in Europe – between his own conservative party and Austria's Green party – COVID hit the country. Now it's back, worse, requiring a very heavy shutdown throughout the country.

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On Monday evening, shortly before lockdown began, an Islamist terrorist attack was carried out in the heart of historic Vienna that ended with at least four dead and some 20 wounded, some seriously. Despite the emergency situation, and under the shadow of an ongoing investigation to determine whether the terrorist, who was killed, was operating alone or was part of a cell, the chancellor on Tuesday found time to give an interview to Israel Hayom.

"The terrorist attack in Vienna, which is clearly an Islamist terrorist attack, is not an isolated incident, but part of a series of many attacks carried out against Europe," Kurz says.

"This was an assault on our democracy, on our basic values, on the European lifestyle. We will not let these terrorist acts threaten us. We will hunt down anyone who lent their hand to this attack and bring them to justice," he continued.

Q: Can we rule out an anti-Semitic motive for this attack?

"We cannot rule out the possibility that the attack was anti-Semitic. We know that it was an Islamist attacks. The attacker swore allegiance to ISIS and the attack began right in front of a synagogue. No Jews were hurt, but the starting point of the attack, right in front of a synagogue, doesn't allow us to rule out an anti-Semitic motive."

Q: Based on the information you currently have, was a terrorist group behind it?

"All night after the attack special forces conducted house-to-house searches, and 14 people in the attacker's circle of acquaintances were arrested. In the next few days we'll now if a bigger group was behind the attack and whom he had contact with. I want to thank Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who not only expressed his condolences, but also promised the full cooperation of the Israeli authorities and intelligence services."

Q: The attacker was put in prison for trying to join the Islamic State. Do you think it was right to shorten the attacker's prison sentence?

"Now we need to look into what happened."

Q: President of France Emmanuel Macron is preparing to fight political Islam in his country. Should all the EU adopt and implement that plan?

"Macron and I are in tough. It's important not only to fight terrorism, but also the ideology behind the terrorism. We should fight political Islam, or radical Islam, which is an ideology of deep hatred for our free way of life."

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Q: How closely are Austria and Israel working together in the fight against terrorism?

"We have great cooperation on the political level, and also with various authorities. I am very thankful for the support Israel gives us in this area, and for putting its knowledge about the issue at our disposal."

Q: What do you see as a bigger threat – Islamist terrorism or COVID?

"The COVID pandemic is an enormous challenge for the entire world, including the nations of Europe. For us in Austria it's been the main issue for months. The pandemic has caused an economic crisis in many countries. But right now our thoughts are with the victims of the attack, and we'll do everything to find and capture those who were behind it, and punish them."

Q: Many see this week's US presidential election as fateful for the world. What does it mean for you?

"The results of democratic elections are always important, and the bigger democracies are, the more important they are to the rest of the world. But right now in Austria we have bigger concerns, and we'll focus on them."

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On Saturday, Aug. 15, police in Rosh Ha'ayin received reports that a man had been stabbed on HaNevi'im St.

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A man in this 30s from southern Israel had arrived at his new apartment in the city, which is located in a new building that is still untenanted. While there, he encountered the Palestinian man, who proceeded to stab him several times, then fled. The victim was wounded but managed to leave the building but collapsed in the entryway.

It is believed he was lying on the floor for a considerable time before a passerby spotted him and called an ambulance.

Before being evacuated to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, the man told police he had been stabbed by an Arab. When he arrived at the hospital, he was triaged in serious condition. After several days in the hospital, he was released to continue his recovery at home.

Five days after the stabbing, a joint investigation by the Israel Police and the Shin Bet security agency led to the arrest of the suspect. An interrogation led security personnel to believe that the stabbing was an ethno-religious attack.

Security forces arrested three additional men whom they suspected of aiding and abetting the fugitive.

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