The IDF had previously confirmed the deaths of three other soldiers in the same attack:

First Sergeant Ruben Marc Mordechai Assouline, 19, from Ra'anana
First Sergeant Ido Testa, 19, from Jerusalem
First Sergeant Tal Shavit, 21, from Kfar Giladi

The devastating attack resulted in the deaths of these four soldiers and left at least eleven others wounded, some with serious injuries. The fallen were members of the Shaked Battalion of the Givati Brigade and the 931st Battalion of the Nahal Brigade.

Hamas terrorists claimed responsibility, stating their Al-Qassam Brigades intentionally targeted the Kerem Shalom area using 114 mm short-range "Rajoum" rockets launched from the Rafah area in the Gaza Strip.

The IDF reported approximately ten rockets and mortars were fired from the vicinity of Rafah toward Kerem Shalom. As a precaution, the Kerem Shalom humanitarian crossing has been temporarily closed following the barrage. In retaliation for the assault, the IDF conducted retaliatory strikes on Hamas rocket launchers in Rafah.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli sparked controversy on Wednesday by stating that he would vote for Donald Trump if he had the opportunity in the upcoming US presidential election.

Speaking to Kan Radio, Chikli, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, expressed concerns about the perceived lack of strength in US leadership under President Joe Biden.

Citing what he views as Biden's initial reluctance to confront Hezbollah and Iran during recent conflicts, Chikli asserted, "The US is not projecting strength under his leadership, and it's harming Israel and other countries."

He added, "If I were an American citizen with the right to vote, I'd vote for Trump and Republicans."

Chikli's remarks come shortly after the US Senate approved billions in military aid to Israel.

Despite acknowledging Biden as a friend of Israel, Chikli criticized the president, stating, "He's under intense pressure that is affecting him and creating real damage to relations between the countries."

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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The US Senate on Tuesday voted to advance a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, which would send it to the White House for President Joe Biden to ratify into law.

The Senate voted by an overwhelming 80 to 19 in favor of advancing the package of four bills passed by the House, far more than the 60 needed to pave the way for a vote on final passage.

One of the bills provided $61 billion for Ukraine, a second $26 billion for Israel, and a third $8.12 billion "to counter communist China." A fourth includes a potential ban on the social media app TikTok, measures for the transfer of seized Russian assets to Ukraine, and new sanctions on Iran.

I thank the U.S. Senate for passing the Israel aid package tonight with an overwhelming bipartisan majority.

As we mark 200 days to the barbaric October 7th terror attack by Hamas, Israel and the United States stand together in the fight against terrorism, defending democracy…

— ישראל כ"ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) April 24, 2024

Biden has vowed to sign it into law as soon as it passes the Senate.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz lauded the approval, saying "Israel and the United States stand together in the fight against terrorism, defending democracy and our shared values."

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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Last week's Hezbollah drone and missile attack on the northern border community of Arab al-Aramshe has claimed the life of a reservist officer, the military has confirmed.

The officer, identified as Maj. (res.) Dor Zimel, 27, served as a deputy company commander in the Etzioni Brigade and hailed from Even Yehuda. Tragically, he succumbed to his injuries sustained during the attack.

The incident, which occurred on April 17, resulted in the critical injury of Maj. Zimel and wounded another 13 soldiers and four civilians. Hezbollah launched two anti-tank missiles and an explosive-laden drone from Lebanon, targeting a community center in Arab al-Aramshe where soldiers had gathered.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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April 19, 2024

The post LIVEBLOG: US was not involved in any offensive operation in Iran, Blinken says appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Google on Wednesday terminated 28 employees after a series of protests against labor conditions and the company's contract to provide the Israeli government and military.

An internal memo sent by Chris Rackow, Google's vice president of global security, on Wednesday night informed the employees that "following investigation, today we terminated the employment of twenty-eight employees found to be involved. We will continue to investigate and take action as needed."

Earlier on Tuesday night nine Google workers were arrested on trespassing charges after staging a sit-in at the company's offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California, including a protest in Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian's office.

The arrests, livestreamed on Twitch by participants, followed rallies outside Google offices in New York, Sunnyvale and Seattle. The demonstrations were reportedly attended by hundreds of participants.

The protests were organized by the No Tech for Apartheid organization, focused on Project Nimbus – Google and Amazon's joint $1.2 billion contract to provide the Israeli government and military with cloud computing services, including AI tools, data centers, and other cloud infrastructure.

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Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose son Hersh Goldberg-Polin remains among 133 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, has been honored as one of TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2024.

The recognition comes as a testament to her unwavering advocacy and efforts to raise global awareness about the ongoing hostage crisis.

Goldberg-Polin's journey into the spotlight began when her son Hersh, along with over 200 others, was taken hostage by the terror group. Since then, she, alongside her husband Jon Polin and countless other families affected by the crisis, has tirelessly campaigned for the release of all captives.

The inclusion of Goldberg-Polin in the prestigious TIME100 list acknowledges the significant impact she has had in galvanizing support for the hostages' cause. Her advocacy has resonated not only with millions of people worldwide but also within the halls of power where decisions are made.

Expressing her gratitude for being included in the TIME100 list, she emphasized the urgent need for continued global attention and action to secure the release of the hostages, saying, "I want to thank TIME for my inclusion on the TIME100 and for recognizing the significance and gravity of the hostage crisis."

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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The IDF announced Monday morning that four soldiers were wounded by an explosion near the northern border, the night prior, one of whom is in serious condition.

According to the statement, the soldiers were wounded during operational activity in the north of Israel due to an explosion from an "unknown origin" and the incident was being investigated.

The IDF described the soldiers' conditions as one seriously wounded, two moderately, and the fourth slightly wounded.

Israeli media reported that the soldiers were from the Golani Brigade, Yahalom special forces, and Combat Engineer Corps.

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Furthermore, reports indicated that the army had yet to rule out the incident was an accident or friendly fire.

On Sunday, Iran and its regional proxies launched an unprecedented attack against Israel, including continued launches from Lebanon by the Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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According to a report by Bloomberg on Wednesday evening, the United States believes that a major attack by Iran on Israel is imminent and could happen in the coming days.

The assessment is based on intelligence assessments shared by the US with Israel.

The report, citing unnamed sources familiar with US and Israeli intelligence assessments, suggests that it is a matter of when Tehran will launch an attack rather than if.

However, it remains unclear whether the attack will come from Iranian territory or through its proxies in the region.

The Bloomberg report further highlights that the US is concerned that Iran could use high-precision missiles or drones in its assault.

This concern has been highlighted given the recent comments made by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has called for Israel's punishment for the purported attack on an Iranian consular building in Damascus, Syria, earlier this month.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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