Cpl. Y., a Haredi immigrant from Chile, shares his journey from yeshiva studies to serving in an IDF elite unit, says military service and religious commitment can go hand in hand.

Bereaved brother Menachem Kalmanson says Israel must impose a total siege on Gaza, accuses the government of endangering soldiers' lives by effectively aiding Hamas.

<p><i>Axios</i> reports that Mossad Director David Barnea met US envoy Steve Witkoff in Washington to seek American support in persuading Ethiopia, Indonesia and Libya to accept hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans.</p><p><i>(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)</i></p>

<p>Israel may send another delegation to Doha for ceasefire and hostage talks. Both Israel and Hamas are weighing new proposals, with key issues like troop deployment and prisoner releases still unresolved.</p><p><i>(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)</i></p>

Senior Hamas figure says realistic compromises have been presented, but final agreement hinges on US influence over Israel, Israeli withdrawal from Gaza is a precondition for progress.

<p>Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas' military wing, declared in a recorded speech broadcast on Al Jazeera—his first appearance since March—that the group is fully prepared for a prolonged war of attrition against IDF forces, regardless of the form of "aggression" Israel chooses.</p>

<p>In a joint operation last week by the IDF and Shin Bet, led by the Southern Command and directed by Military Intelligence, Muhammad 'Azin, commander of the Daraj-Tuffah Battalion in the Hamas terrorist organization, was eliminated in an airstrike in the Daraj-Tuffah area.</p><p>'Azin had infiltrated Israeli territory during the brutal massacre on October 7 and was actively involved throughout the war in planning and executing numerous terror attacks against IDF forces.</p><p>The IDF stated, “The elimination of 'Azin constitutes a significant blow to the functioning of the battalion he commanded and will diminish its ability to carry out terror operations against IDF troops operating in the area.”</p>

<p>Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas' military wing, warned that if Israel continues to hold its firm stance in the current round of negotiations, Hamas may no longer be able to return to the framework of partial agreements—nor even to the proposal involving the release of 10 hostages.</p>