Terrorist Behind Deadly Samaria Shooting Attack Killed By IDF
Israeli security personnel on Wednesday morning (16th) killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist responsible for a deadly terror attack on Israeli civilians in Samaria earlier this year, the IDF said.
In a joint statement with the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), the Israeli military announced that during a special operation involving the Border Police’s elite Yamam unit, the IDF and the Shin Bet, Mohammed Zakaraneh was eliminated.
Zakaraneh was one of three terrorists involved in the deadly attack in Funduq village on January 6 in which three Israeli civilians were murdered.
A native of the neighboring town of Qabatiya in northern Samaria, Zakaraneh was the last suspect wanted in connection with the Funduq shooting attack.
The two other terrorists involved in the attack were eliminated in a joint operation by the Shin Bet and the IDF’s Duvdevan Unit on January 23, in the village of Qabatiya.
As part of Wednesday’s (16th) operation, IDF and Border Police forces – guided by the Shin Bet – closed in on a cave in the area of the village of Misilya in the area of the Menashe Territorial Brigade, where the terrorist was hiding.
A fight ensued between the Israeli forces and Zakaraneh and two other terrorists, during which multiple shoulder-fired missiles were launched.
At the end of the exchange of fire, the terrorists Zakaraneh and Marouh Hazmiya, another Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist from Qabatiya were killed.
Hazmiya had been released from detention as part of the November 2023 hostage release deal and was now wanted due to his involvement in planning terrorist activities.
After the battle, Israeli forces found that the two slain terrorists had been in possession of firearms with large quantities of magazines and ammunition, along with bulletproof vests.
Two other terrorists were arrested during the operation, both of whom were carrying guns.
Hamas Near Bankruptcy In Gaza: Halts Salaries And Has Difficulty Recruiting New Fighters
Hamas is facing a severe financial crisis in the Gaza Strip, unable to pay salaries to its fighters and government workers as targeted Israeli strikes and a halt in humanitarian aid have drained its resources according to officials and analysts.
The terror group has been left nearly bankrupt following a series of Israeli assassinations of key political military and administrative figures, as well as the suspension of aid deliveries that officials say Hamas had diverted and resold for profit.
The crisis has disrupted the group’s operations and exposed growing dysfunction, with intelligence officials telling The Wall Street Journal that salary payments to many government employees have stopped. Even senior Hamas officials began receiving only half of their salaries during the holy month of Ramadan. Fighter salaries, previously between $200 and $300 per month, have also been frozen, complicating recruitment efforts as the group braces for continued conflict.
Hamas’ financial troubles were first reported earlier this month by Asharq Al-Awsat, a London-based Arabic newspaper, which described an “organizational vacuum” following Israeli strikes that eliminated senior leaders and disrupted decision-making within the group.
Eyal Ofer, a researcher specializing in Gaza’s economy, estimated that Hamas still controls assets worth up to $3 billion. However, he said the group’s ability to distribute funds is severely limited. Hamas traditionally uses couriers and designated cash distribution points in the territory – methods that are difficult to carry out under wartime conditions.
Before the war, Hamas received $15 million in monthly cash transfers from Qatar and raised additional funds from West Africa, South Asia and the United Kingdom. Qatar also maintained a $500 million reserve on behalf of the group. Much of that money is now believed to be in Turkey, according to Arab and Western officials.
Israel restricted cash transfers into Gaza at the start of the war. Palestinian officials told The Wall Street Journal that Hamas was involved in stealing $180 million from Bank of Palestine branches and other banks in Gaza. The group also taxed goods entering the Strip and merchants operating in local markets, using these tactics to generate income. Additionally, it used foreign cash to purchase goods abroad, which were then sold locally, allowing Hamas to bring cash into Gaza for its own use.
Despite these efforts the group was nearing a liquidity crisis even before the latest ceasefire, which briefly allowed aid to resume before it was again suspended. “This is a major crisis for Hamas,” said Mumen al-Nator, a lawyer from central Gaza. “They were mainly dependent on aid, which was sold for cash on the black market.”
The financial pressure has been compounded by Israeli strikes targeting Hamas’ financial infrastructure. Among those killed was Saeed Ahmed al-Abed al-Khodari, the group’s top money exchanger and head of Al-Wafaq Exchange, which Israel designated a terrorist organization for its role in financing terror activities. The Israeli Defense Forces said al-Khodari played a key role in transferring money to Hamas’ military wing, particularly during the war.
Palestinians: Slaughtering Jews While Falsely Using Al-Aqsa Mosque As A Pretext By Bassan Tawil, Gatestone Institute
As the Hamas-Israel war continues in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has resumed its false claim – first propagated in 1929 by Adolf Hitler’s subsequent ally, the Mufti of Jerusalem, Amin al-Husseini, and again and again after that – that Jews are violently “storming” the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and planning to divide it in time and space between Jewish and Muslim worshipers.
Such claims were also used by the Iran-backed Hamas terror group to justify the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, in which Gazan terrorists murdered 1,200 Israelis and wounded thousands.
On that day, another 251 Israelis were kidnapped to the Gaza Strip, where 59 – alive and dead – remain in captivity.
It is worth noting that Hamas called its invasion of Israel “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.”
Shortly after the October 7 massacre, Hamas published a report highlighting the motives behind the cross border attack on Israel.
According to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, the report titled, “Our Narrative, Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” said that: “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood was a necessary step and a natural reaction against Israel’s plans to eliminate the Palestinian cause, seize lands, Judaize the Palestinian lands, and establish complete control over Al-Aqsa Mosque and holy sites.”
In 1967, after the Six-Day War, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan gave total control and management of the mosque to the Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, an organ of the Jordanian Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Holy Places.
Hundreds Of Hezbollah Commanders Flee Lebanon For South America
Saudi reports indicate that Hezbollah has instructed its field commanders to leave Lebanon over fears they may be pursued if the organization’s military infrastructure is dismantled. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun declared that 2025 would be the year in which all weapons in the country are placed exclusively under state control. The destination countries are: Brazil, Columbia, Venezuela and Ecuador.
Approximately 400 Hezbollah field commanders are slated to leave Lebanon for various South American countries, according to a report on Wednesday (16th) by a Latin American diplomatic source to the Saudi news outlet Al-Hadath.
The report comes amid growing discourse in Lebanon surrounding the possible disarmament of the Shiite terrorist organization, following its defeat in the war with Israel. According to the source, 200 commanders have already reached South America, with the rest expected to depart Lebanon in due course.
The diplomatic source said Hezbollah ordered its commanders to leave Lebanon fearing that they could be targeted if and when the organization’s military infrastructure is dismantled. It is worth noting that Hezbollah has already established a terrorist network in South America, and in Lebanon, it maintains a force of several tens of thousands of terrorists.
On Tuesday (15th), Lebanese President Joseph Aun stated that 2025 would mark the exclusive centralization of weapons in state hands. He asserted that Hezbollah’s disarmament would be achieved “through dialogue” and emphasized his efforts to prevent a civil war. According to Aoun, communication with the organization is “good and direct,” and “the results are evident on the ground.”
He also noted that the Lebanese Army is sealing tunnels, confiscating and destroying Hezbollah weapons depots. Aoun further stated that in his view, integrating Hezbollah into the Lebanese Army should follow the model used with militias in the 1990s, whereby individuals were absorbed separately.
Senior Hezbollah figure Mahmoud Qamati responded in a speech to the government’s call to disarm the terrorist organization. “We are committed to our weapons, we are committed to our resistance,” Qamati said. He also referenced a statement by slain Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah: “Whoever reaches out to touch our weapons – their hands will be cut off.”
Iran’s Mullahs Will Not Abandon Their Nuclear Program – Dr. Majid Rafizadeh
The Trump administration is engaging with the Iranian regime to prevent Iran from an imminent nuclear weapons breakout. Iran’s acceptance of talks is a tactic. Cornered by growing U.S. and Israeli threats, the mullahs seem to be seeking to buy time and ease the pressure. Tehran only negotiates when it is desperate.
Tehran understands full well that refusing to talk could invite devastating consequences. That is why the regime is willing to engage. Tehran’s hold over the region has been weakening. Internally, the economy is near collapse. Under these conditions, who would refuse to talk, especially when the alternative is an Israeli-American air campaign targeting its nuclear facilities.
Tehran has played this game before. Agree to talks. Make vague promises. Extract sanctions relief. Then quietly continue nuclear development under the radar. This formula has worked for more than two decades. The only reason Iran is talking is to stall, to promise just enough to prevent America from striking it and seeing its uranium centrifuges and enrichment sites blasted to rubble.
But the regime cannot accept total nuclear disarmament. It is naive, even dangerous, to believe that Iran will dismantle its nuclear program. This is a regime that has spent decades investing billions of dollars, building secret facilities and deceiving international inspectors. Since the early 2000s, when Iran’s clandestine program was first exposed, U.S. presidents have tried every approach imaginable. None of these efforts worked.
The Islamic Republic has smoothly outmaneuvered every administration. It has accepted deals to avoid confrontation, then quietly violated them. With each round of negotiations, Iran gained time, money, legitimacy – and gave away nothing it could not reverse. Further talks will only serve Iran’s interests. The Islamic Republic has demonstrated that it cannot be trusted to negotiate in good faith. Hoping for a different outcome is self-deceptive make-believe. (Gatestone Institute)
Huckabee Celebrates Move To Israel With Social Media Post
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee posted photos on X celebrating his move to Israel to assume his role as the US ambassador on Wednesday night (16th).
“Our dogs had no idea how long this flight is going to be so don’t tell them,” he wrote.
The US Senate confirmed Huckabee to be the country’s ambassador to Israel last week, installing a staunch pro-Israel conservative in the high-profile post amid war in Gaza and relations complicated by US tariffs.
The Senate backed Huckabee 53 to 46, largely along party lines, with Republicans all supporting US President Donald Trump’s nominee and every Democrat except Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman voting against him.
An evangelical Christian, Huckabee has been a vocal supporter of Israel throughout his political career and a longtime defender of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
The Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, the public policy arm of the Orthodox Union, urged the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to confirm Huckabee in March, emphasizing his longstanding support for Israel’s security and his recognition of the Jewish people’s historical connection to the Land of Israel.
“Governor Huckabee brings a profound understanding of the security challenges confronting Israel and an unwavering commitment to the US-Israel alliance,” said Nathan Diament, executive director of the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center.
“His perspective is vital at a time when American policy must address the ongoing threats from Iranian-backed terror groups, a reality made painfully clear since the October 7 Hamas attack.”
Released Hostage Agam Berger To Give Violin Performance At Auschwitz
Released hostage Agam Berger will give a violin performance at Auschwitz-Birkenau at the 37th March of the Living event on April 24 to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the death camp.
Berger will be performing alongside Daniel Weiss whose parents were murdered by terrorists on October 7.
She will be playing a 130-year-old violin that survived the Holocaust.
An Israeli delegation, which includes 80 Holocaust survivors from around the world, will be led by President Isaac Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog.
Among other members of the Israeli delegation are: released hostage Eli Sharabi with his brother Sharon, as well as Tzili Wenkert, grandmother of freed hostage Omer Wenkert, along with freed hostages Ori Megidish, Raaya Rotem, Hagar Brodutch, Almog Meir Jan, Moran Stella Yanai, Gadi Mozes, Aviva Siegel, Keith Siegel, Shiri Weiss and Chen Goldstein-Almog.
“I won twice – once against the Nazis and once against Hamas,” said Tzili Wenkert. “I will march in the March of the Living as living proof that the Jewish people survive despite all the attempts to destroy us.”
Also joining the delegation are bereaved parents and other family members of those who were killed during the October 7 terror attack.
Michael Kuperstein, grandfather of hostage Bar Kuperstein, said, “I’ve lived a very difficult life and survived such hard times. I hear what those who returned are saying about the hostages, and it’s like a second Holocaust. Bar is only 23, just at the beginning of his life, with so much ahead of him. I’m 84, fighting today so that all my grandchildren and great-grandchildren will have better lives. I want all the hostages to return home so we can get our lives back.”
Agam Berger was serving as a surveillance soldier in Nahal Oz on October 7, when she and four other female lookout soldiers were taken captive by Hamas.
