Freed Israeli hostage speaks out about captivity: 'I went through a Holocaust'

This week, hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters marched to the World Trade Center site in New York City, shouting "Allahu akbar" and "Free Palestine," while holding up signs that accused President Biden of genocide. 

While "Allahu akbar" means "God is great" in Arabic, the phrase has been used by terrorists during attacks. 

Thursday's protest was on the site where, 22 years ago, Islamic terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. 

The group shut down the entrance to the World Trade Center building while other protesters marched to City Hall and Zuccotti Park near Wall Street. 

A video posted to X, formerly Twitter, by the Shirion Network, which describes itself as a surveillance organization for antisemitism, wrote: "NOW: "Allah Akbarr!! [sic] … Never could imagine for a minute this would be heard at the WTC after 9/11." 

Earlier this week, pro-Palestinian protesters carried blood-covered mock nativity scenes near Rockerfeller Center, shouting "Christmas is canceled here."

Several arrests were made. It's unclear if any arrests were made at Thursday's protest. 

Read the full article by Brie Stimson.

An Israeli mobile artillery unit fires a shell from southern Israel towards the Gaza Strip, in a position near the Israel-Gaza border on Thursday. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has approved the sale of 155mm artillery shells and other equipment to Israel without congressional review, the Pentagon said Friday.

Blinken said the review was waived after he determined an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale of the weapons to Israel, Reuters reported.

The sale comes as Israel intensifies its military campaign in Gaza. The Biden administration has expressed a desire for Israel to do everything possible to minimize civilian casualties.

The Pentagon said that Israel requested fuzes, primers and charges be included in a previous request for 155mm shells. The estimated total value of the sale is $147.5 million.

Earlier this month, the Biden administration waived the congressional review for a weapons sale to Israel. The weapons consisted of around 14,000 tank shells.

Karrem Nasr, 23, of Lawrenceville, New Jersey allegedly posted messages and videos on social media expressing his desire to join a terror group, the Justice Department said. (Justice Department)

A New Jersey man living in Egypt who tried joining the al-Shabaab terrorist group in Africa to wage a "violent jihad" against the United States was motivated by Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel, federal prosecutors said Friday. 

Karrem Nasr, 23, of Lawrenceville, was arrested on Dec. 14 after flying from Egypt to Nairobi, Kenya where he was planning to meet with al-Shabaab members before traveling to train in Somalia, the Justice Department said.

He is charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

"As alleged, Karrem Nasr, motivated by the heinous terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, devoted himself to waging violent jihad against America and its allies," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said. "Nasr, a citizen of this country, traveled from Egypt to Kenya bent on joining and training with al Shabaab so that he could execute his jihadist mission of death and destruction."

Nasr, also known as Ghareeb Al-Muhajir, described the U.S. as "evil" and the "head of the snake," Williams said.

He moved to Egypt in July 2023 and had communicated with an FBI confidential source posing as a facilitator for terrorist organizations via an encrypted messaging app, authorities said.

Nasr allegedly told the source he was motivated to join the Somalia-based terror group by the Hamas attack on Israel. In a social media post, he allegedly wrote that “Jihad” was “coming soon to a US location near you,” along with airplane, bomb and fire emojis.

“After the October 7th events, I felt that something has changed,” Nasr told the informant, according to the federal complaint. “To the better, I mean. I felt that pride and dignity came back to the Muslims.”

U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria have been targeted in 108 attacks since Oct. 17, with the ;latest occurring on Friday.

U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria have been targeted in 108 attacks since Oct. 17, a senior defense officials told Fox News.

The most attack occurred on Friday at the at Rumalyn Landing Zone in Syria.

Multiple rockets were fired but there were no injuries or damage to the base.

Earlier this week, three U.S. service members were injured in Iraq on Christmas Day when Kataib Hezbollah terrorists attacked Erbil Air Base. U.S. forces responded with airstrikes on three facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

"These precision strikes are a response to a series of attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias, including an attack by Iran-affiliated Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups on Erbil Air Base earlier today, and intended to disrupt and degrade capabilities of the Iran-aligned militia groups directly responsible," Austin said Monday.

The Washington Post added a lengthy correction to a month-old news story on Thursday, admitting it had "mischaracterized" some aspects of its story about Palestinian mothers being separated from their babies in the Israel-Hamas war.

The Nov. 17 article, "Israel’s war with Hamas separates Palestinian babies from their mothers," described how Israel gave mothers with high-risk pregnancies from Gaza a special permit to travel to Israel to receive potentially life-saving treatment for themselves and their babies. The previous version of the story stated that Israeli rules forced all mothers to travel back to Gaza to renew their permits if their newborns stayed in the hospital for longer than a few weeks.

A correction posted Dec. 28 clarified that it was actually hospital officials who had relayed this incorrect information to two Palestinian mothers.

"An earlier version of this article about Palestinian mothers in Gaza who have been separated from their newborns mischaracterized some aspects of Israeli rules for permits that allowed some Palestinian women, before Oct. 7, to travel from Gaza to give birth at hospitals in the West Bank and Israel," The Post editor's note stated.

The note continued, "The article incorrectly said that all Palestinian mothers who received authorization to leave Gaza for humanitarian reasons had to return to Gaza to reapply after their permits expired. In fact, it was not always necessary for mothers to return to Gaza.The article has been updated to specify that it was hospital officials who told two Palestinian mothers that they needed to return to Gaza to apply for new permits."

The updated article explained, "Israeli and Palestinian authorities do allow for mothers’ permits to be extended without a return to Gaza," but cited patient advocates who said these permit extensions can sometimes be hard to obtain. The Post editor's note also confessed it had failed to ask for comment from Israeli officials for the article, which "fell short" of its "standards for fairness."

Read the full article from Kristine Parks.

Smoke rises after Israeli air strikes on the outskirts of Khiam, a town near the Lebanese-Israeli border, seen from the town of Marjayoun, south Lebanon. Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group has been exchanging fire with Israeli troops along the tense frontier, which seen violent exchanges since Oct. 8 a day after the Palestinian militant Hamas group attacked southern Israel. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Israeli forces have ramped up its military operations on the northern border with Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces said Friday.

The IDF said it as carried out a series of airstrikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah in an effort to distance the terror group from Lebanon's southern border with Israel.

"these targets were attacked throughout Lebanon, including launching sites, military compounds, and terrorist infrastructure," IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said. "In addition, we attacked terrorist cells and eliminated terrorists, both in the field, in the command centers, and in the area of Ayta ash Shab and Ramiya in the south, from where fire was directed towards northern communities."

"We continue to attack and harm Hezbollah's deployment near the northern border,"he added. "It no longer looks as it did on October 6th, and it will not return to what it was. Southern Lebanon will not be what it was."

View of the Peace Palace which houses World Court in The Hague, Netherlands, on Sept. 19. South Africa has launched a case at the United Nations’ top court accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and asking the court to order Israel to halt its attacks. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

South Africa has asked the International Court of Justice, known as the World Court, for an order accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention in relation to attacks on Palestians in Gaza.

The International Court of Justice is a United Nations' court for resolving conflicts between nations.

"South Africa is gravely concerned with the plight of civilians caught in the present Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip due to the indiscriminate use of force and forcible removal of inhabitants," a statement from South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) reads.

"Israel, since 7 October 2023 in particular, has failed to prevent genocide and has failed to prosecute the direct and public incitement to genocide," DIRCO said in a statement.

Israel's Foreign Ministry said it " rejects with disgust the blood libel spread by South Africa in its application to the International Court of Justice (ICJ)."

"South Africa's claim lacks both a factual and a legal basis, and constitutes a despicable and contemptuous exploitation of the Court," the ministry said in a statement. "South Africa is cooperating with a terrorist organization that is calling for the destruction of the State of Israel."

The Palestinian  Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it welcomed South Africa's actions.

"The Court must immediately take action to protect the Palestinian people and call on Israel, the occupying Power, to halt its onslaught against the Palestinian people, in order to ensure an objective legal resolution," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The existence of the Palestinian people is under unprecedented threat as we are facing a moral and legal catastrophe of enormous proportions undermining our shared humanity and the essence of the multilateral order," the statement continued.

An Israeli tank maneuvers on the Gaza Strip border, in southern Israel, on Friday. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza in the war ignited by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack into Israel. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israeli troops “neutralized” a terror suspect who tried to throw a bomb at a military post, the Israel Defense Forces said Friday.

An IDF statement said soldiers with the 636th Combat Intelligence Collection unit were near the town of Abu Dis and spotted the suspect throwing the explosive and shot him.

No soldiers were hurt.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations accused the global body of not caring about Israeli lives and, in fact, being an accomplice of terrorism groups.

Gilad Erdan sharply criticized the U.N. at an emergency Security Council meeting, citing its supposed lack of attention on Israelis being held captive by Hamas.

“Our hostages will not be forgotten," he said. "The world and the people of Gaza must know their names in order to remember why the war in Gaza is ongoing, and will continue, until we bring all of the hostages home.”

“I am shocked by the focus of this briefing," he added. "I am shocked by the blatant lies being spread. I am shocked at the utter dissonance from the realty on the ground.”

The U.N. has repeatedly called for a cease-fire and for Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza amid its military offensive in the Hamas-control territory.

Erdan further criticized the U.N. for not calling out attcks from Lebanon-based Hezbollah.

 “Why have you not condemned the rocket fire from Lebanon? The situation in northern Israel is reaching a point of no return…50,000 Israeli civilians were displaced along the northern border because of the Iranian-backed attacks by Hezbollah from Lebanon…," he said. "If these attacks continue, the situation will escalate and may lead to a full-scale war. Lebanon must be held accountable for the aggression carried out from its territory.”

The Ambassador compared the Council’s behavior to a drunk who lost his keys in the park but looks for them under a lamp because there is more light.

“This Council is suffering from the Streetlight Effect. What is this effect, you may be wondering. So, I’ll remind you: A drunk man is stumbling around under a streetlight at night looking for his keys that he lost," he said. "A police officer approaches him and begins to help him search. After a couple of minutes, the police officer turns to the man and asks, “I can’t see your keys anywhere. Are you sure that you lost them here, under the streetlamp?”

"The man turns to the officer and says, “No, I lost them in the park down the road," he explained. "I’m only looking for them here, because this area isn’t dark…Today, you have been dragged here again by the Arab League, to give you the impression that the core of the conflict is not Palestinian terror, but Israel’s acts of self-defense from Palestinian terror.”

Photo provided by IDF officials claims to show apartment hide-out for Hamas combatants inside the Gaza tunnel system. (IDF media)

Israeli Defense Forces have discovered and destroyed a hide-out believed to belong to Hamas inside the tunnel system underneath Gaza.

The IDF released a statement Friday announcing that "the 14th Reserve Brigade Combat Team, under the command of the 162nd Division, located and destroyed one of the hideout apartments of the Leader of the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar."

The apartment was discovered near Gaza City in the northern region of Gaza.

"Soldiers of the Yahalom Unit examined the apartment using additional technological means, and discovered that a strategic tunnel shaft was located on the basement floor," the IDF statement claimed. "The soldiers inspected the tunnel shaft and reached a significant tunnel that is apparently used by the senior officials of Hamas’ Military and Political Wing."

The tunnel apartment is believed to have served as a sanctuary for Hamas officials, boasting electrical equipment, sewage and ventilation. Attached to the apartment were prayer rooms and resting areas. 

An Israeli military guard post stands on a road outside of Hebron during increased tensions between Palestinians and Israelis in the West Bank. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A Palestinian man drove his car into a group of people near a military post in the West Bank, according to reports.

The driver reportedly rammed his car into the small gathering of Israelis, injuring all four.

Israeli rescue service Magen David Adom reported that the four victims — all of whom are were in their 20s — sustained minor to moderate injuries.

Israeli Defense Forces reportedly stopped the driver, who remains unidentified.

His condition remains unknown.

Israeli multiple rocket launchers are deployed in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon. (Photo by jalaa marey / AFP) (Photo by JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)

The Israeli Defense Forces are reporting an increase in artillery exchanges on the northern border of the country.

"Over the last hour, a number of launches from Lebanon toward Israel were identified, two of which crossed into Israeli territory," the IDF said in a statement Friday. "In response, IDF artillery struck the sources of the fire."

The IDF reported striking a Hezbollah terrorist cell in the Aitaroun area and taking out a missile launcher in the Bar'am area.

"Additionally, over the last few hours, IDF fighter jets struck Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in the area of Wadi Hamul in Lebanon," the statement continued. "Among the targets struck were launch sites, a military compound, and additional terrorist infrastructure."

A Boeing 737 aircraft advances on the tarmac upon landing at Damascus airport. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP) (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Nearly a dozen leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have died in an airstrike conducted by the Israeli military.

Israel bombed the Damascus International Airport on Thursday night, killing 11 high-ranking members of the IRGC, according to Saudi Arabian media outlets.

The leaders were reportedly gathered at the airport preparing to meet with a delegation.

Among the dead is Nur Rashid, eastern Syria's commander of the Revolutionary Guards, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The strike was one of many as Israel continues strategic bombings across the region. 

IRGC commander Sayyed Razi Mousavi was killed in an Israeli strike last Monday in the Damascus area.

Read the full report by Peter Aitken here.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with nuclear scientists and personnel of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, in Tehran, Iran. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA/Reuters )

Iran executed four Israeli citizens this week, alleging they were members of intelligence network Mossad.

Local media from inside the Islamic country reported the four agents were executed and multiple other accused agents sentenced to prison.

Iran identified the four Israeli citizens killed as Vafa Hanareh, Aram Omari, Rahman Parhazo, and Nasim Namazi.

Namazi was the only female victim.

Iranian officials accused the alleged agents of targeting members of Iran's own intelligence community by setting fire to their cars and

Tensions between the two countries are already at a boiling point after an Israeli airstrike in Syria killed one of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's most famous generals.

Gen. Razi Mousavi was buried north of Tehran on Thursday in a flag-drapped basket.  

Mia Schem meets her mother and brother in Israel following her released by Hamas in November. (Government Press Office)

Mia Schem, a woman taken hostage by Hamas during the bloody Oct. 7 attacks and released back to safety in November, is opening up about her experiences in the terrorists' custody.

“It was important for me to reflect on the true situation of the people living in Gaza – who they are, and what I went through there," she told told Israeli news outlet Channel 13.

Schem, 21, told Channel 13 that while she was being held hostage by Hamas, she was transported into residential houses of the Gaza Strip.

“These are families under Hamas. In retrospect, I suddenly realized that I was with a family," she told the outlet. "Suddenly, I started asking myself questions. Why am I in a family’s house? Why are there children here? Why is there a woman here?”

Schem is a French-Israeli dual citizen who was abducted from a party in Kibbutz Re'im on Oct. 7.

“I will never forget this date,” Mia wrote earlier this month in a post on social media. “The pain and the fear, the hard sights, the friends who won’t come back, and the ones we have to bring back. But we will still win – we will still dance!”