Prime Minister Netanyahu’s New Year Message To The Iranian People
“Spring is approaching, and so is the Persian New Year. I would like to wish the Iranian people and Persians everywhere a Happy Nowruz. I wish you health, happiness, prosperity, and most of all – I wish you freedom,” the Prime Minister opened.
“I wish that this Nowruz will serve as a new beginning – a new beginning that overcomes all the hurdles and all the barriers that you have faced for too long,” he continued.
“May this be a year of ‘Servat’ – Prosperity. Prosperity when you the people of Iran can finally enjoy Iran’s rich natural resources, those resources that have been so long denied to you by an oppressive regime. A year in which the ‘rial’ will have real value. A year of Amniet – Security, spiritual, economic and physical security. A year of Doosti – Friendship. Friendship with those who have your best interests at heart, and that includes my country Israel. A year of Omid– hope. Hope and optimism that lead to liberty. A year of Iman – Faith. Faith that you can have a better life. A year of Azadi–Freedom. Real freedom. Freedom from oppression, freedom from want, freedom to live, and freedom to choose,” Netanyahu concluded.
Rocket Barrage From Gaza Sets Off Sirens Across Central Israel
Air raid sirens blared across central Israel on Thursday afternoon (20th) as rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip for the first time in months, just hours after the IDF announced the resumption of ground operations in northern Gaza.
Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it launched a barrage of mid-range M90 rockets “in response to the Zionist massacres of civilians.” The last time rockets from Gaza triggered alarms in central Israel was on October 7, 2024, the anniversary of Hamas’ deadly attack on Israeli border communities.
In Rishon LeZion, shrapnel fell in four locations across the city, though no casualties or property damages were reported. Municipal security teams were deployed to assess the situation.
According to the IDF, one rocket was intercepted by the Israel Air Force, while two others landed in open areas. Sirens were heard across Gush Dan and surrounding cities, including Tel Aviv, Holon, Ramat Gan and Or Yehuda.
The rocket fire came shortly after the IDF and Shin Bet announced that Israeli forces had launched new ground operations in Beit Lahia, a coastal area in the northern Gaza Strip. Two battalion combat teams supported by the 188th Armored Brigade, entered the area and took up positions along the coastal axis.
Overnight, Israeli airstrikes targeted approximately 40 underground Hamas facilities, terror operatives and military sites, according to the IDF.
The rocket strike also followed an earlier attack in which air raid sirens sounded across central Israel early Thursday morning (20th) amid a missile strike from Yemen. The IDF said the missile, which targeted multiple cities including Tel Aviv, Rishon LeZion and Ramat Gan, was intercepted before entering Israeli airspace.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for that attack, stating they had fired a Palestine 2 hypersonic ballistic missile at Ben Gurion Airport. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the attack was a response to the “massacre against our brothers in the Gaza Strip” and claimed the missile had reached its target.
El Sharabi In UNSC Address: ‘Your Aid Was Feeding Terrorists, We Had To Beg For Food’
Eli Sharabi, 53, who was held hostage by Hamas in Gaza for 491 days before being released in the most recent hostage deal, addressed the United Nations Security Council on Thursday (20th) delivering a harrowing account of his captivity.
“I have come back from hell,” Sharabi said. “I was kept underground, starved, beaten—begging became my existence.”
Sharabi, a resident of Kibbutz Be’eri, was abducted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists stormed his home, murdered his wife, Lianne, and their daughters, Noiya, and Yahel, and dragged him to Gaza.
Held deep inside Hamas tunnels, he lost over 66 pounds and suffered repeated beatings. “I was given one piece of pita a day, maybe a sip of tea. We had to beg for food. Sometimes, if we begged enough, we would get something extra. We had to choose—an extra piece of pita or a cup of tea.”
Sharabi’s brother, Yossi, was also taken hostage but later died in captivity. His body remains in Gaza. Hamas took pleasure in showing me his picture,” he said. “It was like they had brought a hammer down on me.”
He also recalled how Hamas terrorists feasted on stolen humanitarian aid while hostages starved. “I saw Hamas terrorists carrying boxes with UN and UNRWA emblems into the tunnels. They ate like kings while we wasted away.”
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon condemned the international community’s silence. “Since October 7, this chamber has passed 77 resolutions–none condemning Hamas,” Danon said. “You speak of human rights but ignore the most horrific abuse of this war. The UN’s inaction on the hostages is a moral collapse of the highest order.”
Sharabi’s testimony comes as pressure mounts for the release of the remaining 59 hostages. “No more excuses, no more delays,” he told the Security Council. “If you stand for humanity—prove it. Bring them home.”
US, Israel To Hold Strategic Talks On Iran At White House Next Week, Officials Say
Senior US and Israeli officials are set to hold strategic talks on Iran’s nuclear program at the White House next week, two officials with knowledge of the matter, one of whom is Israeli, told The Jerusalem Post.
Several bilateral issues will come up in the discussions,” the Israeli official said.
Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister, Ron Dermer, and the head of the National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi, are expected to head the talks.
On Wednesday (19th), two sources familiar with the subject confirmed to the Post that US President Donald Trump’s letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei includes a two-month deadline to reach a new nuclear deal.
“President Trump made it clear to Ayatollah Khamenei that he wanted to resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program diplomatically – and very soon – and if this were not possible, there would be other ways to resolve the dispute,” NSC Spokesman Brian Hughes told the Post.
A source with knowledge also told the Post that the Europeans have sent a message to the Iranians as well: if there is no agreement by June-July, “a significant wave of sanctions will be imposed on Iran.”
On Thursday (20th), Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Islamic Republic would consider the “opportunities” as well as the threats in Trump’s letter.
Trump’s letter was rejected by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last week as deceptive.
Despite War’s Toll, Israel Is Ranked World’s 8th Happiest Country
Despite a year of war, Israel ranked as the eighth happiest country in the world according to the World Happiness Report 2025, released on Thursday (20th).
The placing is a slight drop from last-year’s fifth-place position and is Israel’s lowest ranking since 2020 when it held the ninth spot. The annual report is produced by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford.
The annual report ranked the happiness of 143 countries based on life evaluation, positive emotions, and negative emotions, among other facts. Its release coincides with the United Nations marking Thursday (20th) as the International Day of Happiness.
“Despite the year of war, Israel maintains its place in the top ten of the global happiness rankings and leads the world in the quality of social connections index,” said Anat Panti, a researcher in happiness policy at Bar Ilan University.
She emphasized the resilience of Israeli society, which continues to rank highly despite the difficult circumstances brought on by the conflict that began on October 7, 2023.
According to Panti,” Israel continues to be ranked among the ten happiest countries in the world, this time in eighth place, despite the economic challenges we have been facing since October 2023.”
She noted that the World Happiness Report focuses on the life satisfaction index, which is shaped by factors like economic stability and the quality of health services, rather than daily emotions or current events.
The report highlighted the strength of the country’s social connections.
“The most significant finding in the report highlights that young Israelis ranked first in the world in feeling that they have someone to turn to in times of crisis – an advantage that has proven to be particularly critical in the past year and a half,” Panti explained.
The unique characteristics of Israeli society, such as family, faith, and strong social ties, serves as a shield for the population even in the most difficult circumstances, as reflected in this figure.”
However, Israel’s rank for worry, sadness and anger climbed to 50th place in the world. Up from 119th before the war.
Research recently released by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev found soaring levels of post traumatic stress disorder among Israelis particularly among young adults between 18-30.
Those ages were particularly affected due to their high rate of military service, personal losses, and displacement from their homes, the researchers said.
Finland was ranked as the happiest country for the eighth consecutive year. Afghanistan edged Sierra Leone as the least happy country.
The data for the report was collected by Gallup in collaboration with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
The Chilling Truth Of 7 October – Jonathan Sacerdotl (Spectator-UK)
• The 7 October Parliamentary Commission Report, chaired by Lord Andrew Roberts, has now been published. It provides a meticulously researched, forensic account of the atrocities committed against Israel by Hamas on 7 October 2023. Compiled by the UK-Israel All Party Parliamentary Group, this report is an essential document, recording in stark detail the murder, torture, and sexual violence inflicted upon innocent civilians.
• The idea that a massacre of nearly 1,200 people, the largest slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust, might require Britain’s parliament to painstakingly document it to secure belief is obscene. Yet, this is the world in which we find ourselves. A world where Jewish suffering is questioned, where atrocities against Israelis are met not with immediate, unqualified horror but with hedging, justification, or outright denial. That is why the work of Lord Roberts and his parliamentary colleagues is so crucial. It is about ensuring that history cannot be rewritten by those with a vested interest in its erasure.
• Andrew Roberts is among Britain’s most distinguished historians, known for his scholarship on Churchill, Napoleon, and the Second World War. Roberts understands that historical memory is not merely about what happened – it is about what societies are willing to accept as fact. His commitment to ensuring the 7 October Report is published and widely disseminated is an act of immense moral importance.
• The report establishes, with irrefutable detail, the full scale of the attack. It confirms that Hamas’ invasion of Israel was not an impulsive act but the result of years of meticulous planning. On 7 October, over 7,000 attackers breached Israel’s defenses at 119 different points along the border. Armed terrorists used drones to disable Israel’s surveillance systems, paragliders to bypass security barriers, and specialist explosive charges designed to breach the doors of Israeli safe rooms where civilians hid in terror.
• The report details the full horror of the massacre of 375 people at the Nova music festival, where attackers hunted down fleeing civilians, throwing grenades into bomb shelters and shooting those who attempted to escape in their cars. The deliberate targeting of families in their homes, the use of rape as a weapon of war, the desecration of bodies. The report confirms that Hamas terrorists gang-raped women before executing them, that bodies of female victims were found bound and mutilated.
• The fact that such a document is necessary here in the UK – that Jewish suffering must be recorded in exhaustive, forensic detail to be accepted – reveals something deeply unsettling about the moral landscape of our time. This report is a testament to the integrity of those in Britain who still believe in objective truth. And that matters. Because history is not owned by those who shout the loudest. It belongs to those who tell the truth.
