In addition to the roughly 20 hostage family members in attendance at the State of the Union address, more than 60 members of Congress could be seen wearing yellow ribbons for the hostages as well as stickers with "153" marking the number of days the hostages have been in Gaza

There is nothing new about reporters using press releases as "news," but when they're using terrorists' press releases as facts, it's concerning. Here are some examples:

The media rushed to report Hamas’ false claim that the IDF had killed dozens in a strike against Palestinians waiting for aid. But what really happened, and who is responsible? (Honest Reporting video) 

Once again, a ‘Palestinian babies’ story merits a Washington Post apology (Times of Israel) 

How the Gaza Ministry of Health Fakes Casualty Numbers (Tablet)

BBC Report Whitewashes Sadistic Hamas Video (CAMERA)

--------------------------------

Special visa program for U.S.-affiliated Afghans could end this year (Reuters) Once the remaining special visas are issued, more than 10,000 applicants and their families cleared for final vetting and interviews outside Afghanistan would be unable to begin new lives in the U.S., a State Department official said. There are 130,000 applications still unprocessed.

Judge hunted by Taliban wins court case against UK government (BBC)

--------

Top Israeli Mental Health Doctor Axed From Conference in Australia After Threats From Pro-Hamas Activists (Algemeiner)

---------

Lawmakers from Baltics: Washington needs to ‘wake up’ and fund Ukraine, Israel’s fights (Jewish Insider)

---------

France shrinks Olympics opening ceremony crowd size amid terror attack fears (Politico)

---------

The "seven-front war" that began in Gaza, spread to Judea & Samaria, and continues in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen finally ends in Iran. 

Iran Has the Largest Ballistic-Missile Arsenal in the Middle East  (Wall Street Journal)

FBI Launches Manhunt for Iranian Agent Plotting to Assassinate U.S. Officials (Federal Bureau of Investigation)

Illicit Iranian Oil Sales Total $90 Billion in Past Three Years, Fueling Tehran's Terror Proxies  (Washington Free Beacon)

 U.K. Investigates Iranian-backed Islamist Incitement (Focus on Western Islamism)

---------

Tactics and Strategy in the War with Hezbollah (Jerusalem Post)

Strikes along Israel-Lebanon border kill 4 people as U.S. envoy visits Beirut to press a ceasefire (AP)

---------

Bruce Bechtol on North Korea and the Middle East (MEF) countries such as Israel and the U.S. must consider North Korea's proliferation of weaponry "an existential national security threat" 

---------

Palestinian Authority Commits to Pay $97 Million a Year to Hamas (Washington Free Beacon)

---------

Is U.S. Military Assistance Subsidizing Turkey's Occupation of Cyprus, Syria, and Iraq?   (MEF) Erdogan is much more likely to use the warplanes against Yezidis and Kurds in Syria and Iraq, or against Armenians.

---------

UN is disturbingly ambivalent about the rape of Israeli women (National Post)

 “Over 450 UNRWA employees are military operatives in terror groups in Gaza... Hamas exploits humanitarian organizations and uses them to commit crimes against humanity... These terrorists are employed by UNRWA, they receive salaries that are paid for by the international community.” (AJC)

U.S. announces tech, academic opportunities to empower Afghan women (VOA)

Western Islamists Work to Build the Taliban’s Afghanistan into a Global Caliphate (FWI)

In Private, Arab States Are Rooting for Israel to Destroy Hamas -(Washington Institute for Near East Policy)

Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh Meets With Chinese Ambassador To Qatar (MEMRI) 

IAEA Warns: Iran on Alarming Trajectory toward Nuclear Weapons  (Foundation for Defense of Democracies)

Palestinian Authority Police Officer Murders Two Israelis at Gas Station - Elisha Ben Kimon (Times of Israel)

Is Ramadan a time for peace or terror? The US thinks peace; the PA promotes terror (PMW)

Abbas’ advisor prays for America to be punished while Abbas begs US for more money (PMW)

Precision Strikes on Iranian, Hizbullah Forces in Syria Send Warning to Tehran   (Ynet News)

Turkish drones kill three in attack on local Christian militia in northeastern Syria (AP)

US opens investigation into Israeli company making Iron Dome parts (JPost)

CNN Reporting: Conflicts of Interest, a Missing ​Terrorist Organization, and an Inability to Verify (CAMERA)

He Endorsed Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Then He Landed a Professorship at Columbia University (The Washington Free Beacon)

Why Do the EU and U.S. Have Separate Security Operations in the Red Sea?  (Breaking Defense)

Houthis Knock Out Underwater Cables Linking Europe to Asia - (Globes)

Day 140 Hostages Update: Representatives from Israel, U.S., Egypt, and Qatar in Paris for Negotiations

Hostage Coordinator Says Israel Believes Hostages Are in Rafah

CANADA

In Canada: Raptors fan told to remove 'Free Our Hostages' sweatshirt with Star of David — or leave. Fans at a Toronto Raptors game were forced to leave after one of them refused to remove a hooded sweatshirt emblazoned with a Jewish star. (National Post)

Trailblazing Canadian Cyclist Removed from Ottawa International Women's Day Event over Past IDF Service (JTA) 

FRANCE

The gender equality minister in France, Aurore Bergé, announced today that she has instructed her office to go over every statement on behalf of any feminist organization in order to exclude governmental budgets from those that do not acknowledge the violence and sexual abuse that occurred on October 7th in Israel. (Twitter/Le Figaro) Alternate and despicable headline from Morocco World News: French Minister Threatens to Cut Funding to Feminist Groups Over ‘Ambiguity’ on Unproven Allegations Against Hamas

French intelligence says that the Russian FSB (KGB) is behind the Free Palestine agitators (France24) Moldovans were the agents on the ground!

IRAN

Iran's Revolutionary Guard in Yemen to Assist Houthis, U.S. Official Says - (Forbes)

Iran is providing ballistic missiles to Putin to help kill Ukrainians.(Reuters)

'We're running out of patience': Israel warns UNSC Iran giving weapons to Hezbollah (Jerusalem Post) highlighting Iran's accelerated weapons shipments to Hezbollah through Syria since the war began.

ISRAEL

Since the Israel-Hamas war began, there have been 199 terrorist attacks – shootings, stabbings, car rammings, and explosive devices – inside Israel.  Another 626 attempted attacks were thwarted by Israeli security. 

LEBANON

Hizbullah Fires 25 Missiles at Kiryat Shmona (Ha'aretz)

Report: Hizbullah Dug Tunnel Network in Lebanon  (Ynet News)  using North Korean technology.

PALESTINIANS/GAZA

New Group Challenging Hamas Rule in Gaza  (Ynet News)

Gaza Man Protests Against Hamas (MEMRI)

Countering 'Pro-Palestine' Propaganda Part 5: Gaza is an Open-Air Prison (IPT)

Arab States Are Giving Palestinians the Cold Shoulder. Here’s Why. (Politico)

Why are there still Palestinian refugees after 75 long years? (JNS) 

UNITED KINGDOM

UK Parliament Is in Turmoil After a Debate Over a Gaza Ceasefire Raised Fears for Lawmakers’ Safety (AP)

Special forces blocked UK resettlement applications from elite Afghan troops (BBC) UK Special Forces blocked Afghan troops they had fought alongside from relocating to the UK after the Taliban seized power. Leaked documents show special forces rejected applications despite finding some containing compelling evidence of service alongside the British military. Afghan commandos accompanied British special forces on some of the most dangerous missions of the conflict. 

UNITED NATIONS

Video shows U.N. relief worker taking Israeli shot on Oct. 7 (Washington Post) UNRWA social worker, Faisal Al Naami, from Gaza took part in the Hamas massacre of October 7th. The Washington Post found CCTV video of him removing the limp body of an Israeli man who had been shot at Kibbutz Beeri and driving off with it.

UNITED STATES

Secretary of State Antony Blinken's Family Targeted by Protesters over Gaza  (Politico) As the car carrying the kids -Antony Blinken's children aged 3 and 4 - rolled up, some in the group shouted: "Your father is a baby killer!"

Dexter Van Zile: Boston Welcomes Pro-Hamas Hate (MEF)

YEMEN

Michael Rubin on Red Sea Security and the Houthi Challenge (MEF)
U.S. Intercepts Iranian Weapons Intended for Houthis  (CENTCOM)
U.S. Carries Out Four Strikes on Houthi Areas in Yemen. (CENTCOM)

Australia to ban doxxing after pro-Palestinian activists publish information about hundreds of Jews (Bloomberg)

Western Europe's Hamas Networks Operate Openly (Focus on Western Islamism)

Dutch court orders Netherlands to stop delivering fighter jet parts to Israel (Semafor) The day after two hostages are rescued from Rafah - Spain, Belgium, Japan and Netherlands stopped selling to Israel,

Media Reframe Israel’s Dramatic Rescue of Gaza Hostages (Honest Reporting)

The IDF has more forces poised for action against Hezbollah in Lebanon than it has fighting in Gaza (Times of Israel)

Michelle O’Neill, the new First Minister of Northern Ireland, says Hamas will eventually be regarded as a future partner for peace (the Telegraph/Yahoo News)

 

IDF Soldiers Capture 20 Terrorists Hiding in Khan Yunis Hospital   (Ynet News) Elite IDF commando units fighting Hamas terrorists inside the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, apprehended more than 20 operatives who participated in the October 7 massacre and used the hospital as a hideout.  The IDF discovered mortars, grenades and other weapons inside the hospital, found medications with the names of hostages on them, and learned Hamas held kidnapped hostages and bodies of hostages inside. “In Nasser Hospital there are approximately four hundred patients and thousands of displaced civilians. It is for this very reason that Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists, some of whom participated in the October 7th massacre, chose to hide there.” Watch this video of a Hamas terrorist admitting to the terror group’s use of human shields.

IDF Reveals: Al-Jazeera Journalist by Day, Hamas Commander by Night (Jerusalem Post)

Palestinians Speak Out Against Hamas   (Gatestone Institute)

PA pushing for unity with Hamas (PA Media Watch)

Turkey Threatens to Invade Greece and Armenia (MEF) 

'Israel Must Be Destroyed,' Said Chief Middle East Advisor to Turkey's President Erdoğan (Nordic Monitor)

UK University Rabbi Goes into Hiding after Death Threats over IDF Service  (Daily Mail-UK)

Disturbing Twists in Case of Israel-Haters Who Wore Images of Paragliders at London Protest (IsraellyCool)

500 trucks of aid in Gaza are waiting for UN distribution (COGAT) For 3 days now, UN orgs have not been coming to get the humanitarian aid that has passed Israeli inspection, to transport it into Gaza

UN Official: “Hamas is Not a Terrorist Group” (Daily Caller) UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, said in an interview, “Hamas is not a terrorist group for us, as you know, it is a political movement.” 

Florida House Passes Bill Slamming Hamas-Linked CAIR (JNS)

What Is the U.S. Government Doing to Enforce the Taylor Force Act? (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)

Take Action: You may have seen Robert Kraft's Super Bowl Ad against antisemitism, but did you know that Michael Rapaport also made a Super Bowl ad to #BringThemHome? Sign to ask your local officials to pressure for their release, and scroll down under the petition to see the ad.  https://www.lifeshiftr.com/  Citizens of more than 20 nations have been kidnapped by an Islamist terrorist group that threatens all of Western civilization.

Hostages Update: Hamas’ Counterproposal on Hostage Deal - Israeli leaders criticized a Hamas counterproposal on a deal involving the potential release of hostages. It includes the release of 1,500 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, a third of whom are serving life sentences for murdering Israelis.

Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, will broadcast $7 million worth of ‘Stand Up to Jewish Hate’ commercials during this Sunday’s Super Bowl event. These powerful ads, narrated by  Dr. Clarence Jones, the esteemed speechwriter behind Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, serve as a clarion call for viewers to confront and combat the rising tide of antisemitism. With a particular focus on the hostility directed towards Israel and the Jewish community in American universities during the recent Gaza conflict, these commercials aim to ignite a collective sense of solidarity and action. 

------------------------------------

Canada

How anti-Israel pressure forced out a Jewish cabinet minister in B.C. (National Post)

China

China Grabs Spotlight With Major Presence at Saudi Weapons Show (Bloomberg)

Iran

Iran Could Be Nuclear within a Week (Institute for Science and International Security)

Iran building new nuclear reactor in Isfahan  (Deutsche Welle) The Isfahan nuclear research center is already home to three reactors. 

Iran Transferred More Than $150 Million to Hamas (Hamodia)

Iran's Growing Role in Judea and Samaria - (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)

 Iran-backed terrorists in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq continue to attack Israel in the north; Hezbollah launched 60 rockets into Israel from Lebanon.

Israel

Report: Israel Open to Allowing Sinwar to Go into Exile in Return for All Hostages (NBC News)

Embassy opens to insist that Jews are indigenous (Point of No Return)

12 Smuggling Tunnels from Sinai Still Operational  (Wall Street Journal) Israel told Egypt there are at least 12 tunnels left between Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula, Egyptian officials said.  "Without finishing in Rafah, it's impossible to talk about changing the reality with Gaza," 

PA/Hamas

Hamas Official: We Can Repeat Oct. 7 Many Times (MEMRI)

Marwan Barghouti: How the Media Turned a Terrorist Mastermind Into the 'Palestinian Nelson Mandela' (Honest Reporting)

France seeking ‘verifiable proof’ that medicines reached hostages in Gaza (Times of Israel)

Weeks after medicine was delivered to the Gaza Strip for hostages held in Gaza, the countries involved in the complex operation still do not know whether the drugs eventually reached their destination. What is being done and by whom to discover what happened? See all The Red Cross Still Hates the Jews (Gatestone)

Syria

Top general of U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish Democratic Forces (SDF)  warns of ISIS resurgence (CBS)

United Nations

U.N.aware? Media Defend UNRWA as Agency Plays Dumb About Hamas Tunnels Under HQ (Honest Reporting)

USA

GOP stand-alone Israel aid bill rejected in the House (Roll Call) A stand-alone bill to send $17.6 billion in aid to Israel was rejected in the House on Tuesday evening as Democrats instead called for broader legislation that would also assist Ukraine and provide humanitarian aid for the war-torn Gaza Strip. Saturday, the Senate voted 64–19 to allow a bill that includes $95.34 billion in aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan to advance a step forward. 

Jew-hating Palestinian migrant busted for pummeling NY homeowner, swiping pro-Israel flag (NY Post)  A 26-year-old Palestinian illegally entered the U.S. at the border with Mexico in November.

CAMERA's Impact Upsets the Intercept (CAMERA)

Yemen

U.S. Destroys More Houthi Drones on Friday (CENTCOM)

Israel's Arrow Intercepts Houthi Ballistic Missile Headed for Eilat (Times of Israel)

Houthi Missile Shot Down Seconds Before Hitting U.S. Navy Destroyer -(CNN)

---------------------------------------------

Education (or lack there of)

California College Professors Bashed Israel; Here’s What They Got Wrong (CAMERA on Campus)

NYC seminar on teaching kids about ‘genocide in Gaza’ is antisemitic and ‘divisive’: Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY Post) Washington Post frames the situation differently:  Some Jewish parents angry and fearful when teachers back Palestinians

Northwestern University launches Educators for Justice in Palestine (JNS)

Law School Student Senate denies approval of Law Students Against Antisemitism group (Columbia Spectator) On the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the proposed group was rejected for second time, citing its use of the IHRA antisemitism definition

Texas A&M University to close Qatar campus (The Texas Tribune) see also From 'Insanity' to Bye-bye: Texas A&M Closes Qatar Campus – with MEF's Help