In a move unsurprising given Turkey’s harshly anti-Israel Islamist government, the country’s foreign minister announced Friday that Turkey has cut commercial ties with Israel—barring Israeli vessels from its ports, blocking Turkish ships from Israeli ports, and restricting Israeli planes from entering Turkish airspace.
“We have totally cut our trade with Israel, we have closed off our ports to Israeli ships and we are not allowing Turkish vessels to go to Israel’s ports,” Hakan Fidan <a href="applewebdata://E83BCD95-A919-40A1-B24F-AA45CF3D369A/v">stated</a>. “We are not allowing container ships carrying weapons and ammunition to Israel to enter our ports, and airplanes to go into our airspace.”
Before Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to power in 2014, Turkey and Israel had strong strategic ties. That soured quickly, although a brief reconciliation occurred in 2016. Erdogan threatened to break relations again in 2017 after the U.S. recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Diplomatic ties were restored in August 2022, but only 16 days after the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre of more than 1200 Israelis, Erdogan stated, “Hamas is not a terrorist organization … [but rather] a liberation group, ‘mujahideen’ waging a battle to protect its lands and people.”
“Turkey’s antipathy toward Israel and its affinity for Hamas is now so well established that diplomats accept it as fact. The open romance between the NATO member and the terror group began in 2006,” FDD reported. Erdogan has <a href="https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2025/03/28/hamas-and-turkey-partners-in-terror/">stated,</a> “I don’t see Hamas as a terror organization. Hamas is a political party.”
Erdogan has accused Israel of “genocide” and supported South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. In March of this year, Erdogan delivered a speech in which he <a href="https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/03/30/turkish-president-calls-for-israels-destruction-and-ruin/">ranted,</a> “May Allah bring destruction and ruin upon Zionist Israel.”
In September 2024, at the United Nations, Erdogan likened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler, <a href="https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article253687116/Erdogan-vergleicht-Netanjahu-erneut-mit-Hitler-So-wie-vor-70-Jahren.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com">saying,</a> “Just as Hitler was stopped 70 years ago … so must Netanyahu and his murder gang be stopped.” In June 2025, he escalated his rhetoric, <a href="https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/06/18/erdogan-acusa-a-netanyahu-de-haber-superado-a-hitler-por-la-masacre-de-palestinos-en-gaza-cadena-ser/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">saying</a>, “Netanyahu has surpassed Hitler in terms of genocide,” an insane declaration. Netanyahu <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67861266">fired back</a>, “Erdogan, who commits genocide against the Kurds, who holds a world record for imprisoning journalists who oppose his rule, is the last person who can preach morality to us.”
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In August 2024, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz bashed Erdogan after he said the U.S. and Western countries were “taken hostage by the Zionists in Israel.”
“Erdogan, the ones taken hostage are the citizens of Turkey, trapped in your dictatorship,” Katz wrote on X. “You blocked Instagram for 57 million users in your country but left access to your own Instagram account. No matter how many attacks are made against me, I will continue to expose the truth to the people of Turkey and the world. A leader who embraces Hamas, oppresses his people, and acts like a dictator is a dictator.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The anti-Semitic dictator <a href="https://twitter.com/RTErdogan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RTErdogan</a> attacked the US and Western countries yesterday, saying they were &#8220;taken hostage by the Zionists in Israel.&#8221;
Erdoğan, the ones taken hostage are the citizens of Turkey, trapped in your dictatorship. You blocked Instagram for 57 million users… <a href="https://t.co/EOgELcp2G4">pic.twitter.com/EOgELcp2G4</a>
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) <a href="https://twitter.com/Israel_katz/status/1820745033516998797?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Erdoğan Holds Press Conference After Cabinet Meeting

No Surprise: Anti-Israel Turkish Regime Cuts Commercial Ties With Jewish State

Benjamin Netanyahu

Global Politics

Israel

Politics

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkey

On August 22, the United Nations declared that famine was “currently occurring” in Gaza City. Within hours the claim drove headlines, advocacy, and legal filings.
All of it based on flawed science. A forensic review of the data by our team at the Network Contagion Research Institute found that the declaration leaned on flimsy modeling, and buried evidence. That matters because the declaration undercuts a U.S.-backed aid model that is actually delivering.
With confidence in international institutions eroding, the United States launched a new experiment in humanitarian aid. Working through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) with State Department support, this model represents the first serious alternative to the UN&#8217;s decades-old aid machinery. Early evidence suggested it was working: food reached people more reliably, nutrition outcomes improved, and distribution was more predictable.
That all changed when the UN&#8217;s famine authority, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), declared a famine in Gaza City. The announcement instantly shaped headlines, influencers, and legal forums. But behind the language of science was something else entirely: manipulated modeling, buried evidence, and a systematic effort to discredit the new, U.S.-led approach that was actually working.
This was not a mistake. It was a set of choices. And every choice cut in the same direction: toward alarmism, toward distortion, and away from the success of American leadership.
<h2>A Case Study in Statistical Malpractice</h2>
The UN famine authority’s declaration rests most centrally on a claim that child malnutrition in Gaza was “increasing exponentially.”
This was not a side note. It was the foundation of the UN famine authority’s entire argument that famine was not only happening, but already locked into a death spiral. The projections of catastrophe — and the justification for the world&#8217;s response – hinged on that exponential model. But the model was a scatterplot of just six data points, with a trend line fit by an excel spreadsheet regression function. Any introductory statistics class warns against fitting exponentials to tiny samples. The first point sat out of line with the second in a way that can create the illusion of acceleration.
There is more. The UN-backed analysts did not tell readers that a plain linear model explained the same six points just as well. They did not share the fit statistics that would let others judge. They did not present alternative trend-lines. And they did not acknowledge that a larger, updated dataset of more than 15,000 children, available two weeks before publication, broke the exponential story entirely.
READ THE FULL REPORT: <a href="https://networkcontagion.us/wp-content/uploads/Starving-for-the-Truth_-Fraud-Famine-and-the-Collapse-of-Rigor-in-IPCs-Gaza-Declaration.pdf">Starving for the Truth: Fraud, Famine and the Collapse of Rigor in IPC&#8217;s Gaza Declaration</a>
Not only this, but the fresh data disproved the UN famine authority’s central allegation. Their famine declaration rested on the claim that child malnutrition had surged beyond the 15 percent threshold required to trigger a famine classification. Yet the updated data set the rate at 13.5 percent. By the UN famine authority’s own standard, famine had not been reached. To repeat: the UN’s adopted famine threshold was not met, and their own data source proved it.
Let’s be clear. At each step, the United Nations’ famine authority made a decision:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">They chose to fit an exponential model to six data points, a textbook statistical error.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">They chose to hide the fact that a less incriminating, linear model fit the data just as well.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">They chose to ignore updated data from a far larger sample that contradicted explosive growth of famine.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">They chose to declare famine even though their own updated data showed child malnutrition at 13.5 percent, below the 15 percent threshold required by their own standard.</li>
</ul>
These are not neutral omissions. These are consistent, directional decisions. And that direction points squarely at undermining evidence of improvement, especially improvement linked to U.S.-backed aid.
<h2>Buried Evidence and a Double Standard</h2>
Statistical modeling was not the only method manipulated. In July, the UN’s famine authority commissioned two hunger surveys in Gaza. One found that 73 percent of households suffered “severe” or “very severe” hunger. The other, conducted at the same time, found that number to be just 21 percent. Both were described as representative. Only the more extreme figure appeared in the final report. The other was buried in a back annex.
Even where the numbers were similar between governates, the classifications shifted without explanation. Gaza Governorate and Deir al-Balah returned nearly identical scores. One was labeled famine. The other was two full phases lower.
And then there is Rafah, the epicenter of Gaza Humanitarian Fund distribution. It is also the region with the most stable nutrition outcomes. The UN famine authority excluded it entirely from its analysis, claiming it had been “depopulated.” Yet in prior reports, Rafah was included without issue. Was this about unavailable data or was it about removing inconvenient results?
<h2>Attacking What Works</h2>
According to the UN famine authority’s own report, recipients of GHF aid were better nourished. They averaged 1,700 kilocalories per day, hundreds more than those relying on other sources. Meanwhile, violence around GHF distribution sites fell by more than 25 percent between June and August.
But rather than highlight those results, the UNs’ famine authority dismissed GHF’s efforts outright. They said the aid did not meet their internal definition of “humanitarian assistance.”
Reverend Johnnie Moore, the head of the GHF, said the results of his group&#8217;s effort can&#8217;t be dismissed.
“Where GHF distributions operate, nutrition outcomes improve and violence now decreases,&#8221; Moore says. &#8220;Any responsible body should recognize and reinforce these results, not dismiss them. If the international community truly wants to help, it must build on what works rather than undermine it.”
The UN&#8217;s famine authority did not just dismiss these gains. They erased them. They redrew the map, suppressed the results, and changed the rules, which all happen to preserve a narrative that painted American-led aid as irrelevant or worse.
<h2>A Sabotage of American Legitimacy</h2>
In Gaza, U.S. leadership has taken the form of a new, evidence-based model of humanitarian aid and, in this context, these systemic, unsubstantiated accusations take on the appearance of a coordinated attempt to delegitimize a rival approach.
The UN famine authority based its mortality estimates on Hamas-controlled data. It failed to disclose forecasting errors. It buried evidence of U.S. progress. It downgraded one region and inflated another, despite similar conditions.
Even within the UN famine authority’s  global record, Gaza stands out. In <a href="https://networkcontagion.us/reports/8-25-25-between-data-and-agenda_-questioning-the-ipcs-gaza-famine-projections/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NCRI’s independent audit</a> of their forecast accuracy across eight countries, Gaza was the worst overprojection NCRI could detect in the records on their website. 80 percent of subregions were misclassified at a higher level than what actually occurred. That fact was never disclosed publicly. It had to be reconstructed from raw data.
<h2>The Truth Is the First Casualty</h2>
Every decision made by the UN famine authority in this process, every model they selected, every figure they buried, every area they excluded, had the effect of obscuring evidence that U.S.-backed aid programs were showing positive results.
This was not a transparent application of data science. The choices made functioned less as neutral analysis and more as narrative shaping.
The UN famine authority’s report seemingly attempted to obscure evidence that U.S.-backed aid programs were delivering food more effectively, contributing to improved nutrition outcomes, reduced violence, and greater predictability in distribution.
If a small data science organization based in New Jersey can identify systemic irregularities at the core of the UN famine authority’s assessments, there is strong reason to call for a deeper, independent investigation. Congress, the State Department, and external watchdogs should review how the UN and its affiliates produced findings that diverged from their own data and thresholds, and why contradictory evidence was excluded or downplayed.
The implications go beyond Gaza. If a UN agency can misclassify famine through methodological or reporting failures, confidence in global humanitarian assessments is at risk. An investigation is essential to safeguard the integrity of humanitarian science and restore trust in international reporting.
The Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) is a nonpartisan research institute leading the field of cybersocial science a discipline that studies how technology, psychology, and society interact in the age of algorithmic influence.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

PALESTINIAN-ISRAEL-CONFLICT-AID

How the UN’s Famine Authority Engaged in Data Fraud to Undermine U.S. Humanitarian Aid

Gaza

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

United Nations

An initial inquiry by the Israeli Defense Forces into Monday’s strike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital found that six terrorists were among the 20 people the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reported as killed.
The strike, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as a &#8220;tragic mishap&#8221; due to civilian deaths, consisted of both an initial attack and a second strike — captured in viral footage — that occurred as rescue workers arrived.
According to the IDF, the Golani Brigade troops identified a camera positioned by Hamas in the area of the hospital that was being used to monitor Israeli troop movements in order to “direct terrorist activities against them.”
The IDF added that it had intelligence confirming that Hamas has used Nasser Hospital to carry out terrorist activities since the start of the war.
“In light of this, the troops operated to remove the threat by striking and dismantling the camera and the inquiry showed that the troops operated to remove the threat,” the IDF said.
One of the six terrorists, according to the IDF, was Jum’a Khaled Jum’a al-Najjar, who infiltrated Israel during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacre of Israeli civilians.
The IDF said others killed in the strike included Hamas terrorists Hisham Tayseer Ibrahim Quweder, Imad Abd al-Hakim Ali al-Shaer, Salah Yusuf Muhsin Barbakh, and Omar Kamal Shahada Abu Teim, as well as Palestinian Islamic Jihad member Muhammad Ahmad Salem Abu Hadaf.
<div id="attachment_965339" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-965339" class="size-large wp-image-965339" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/8646113c-b285-4c67-adef-93e00ea02a07-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/8646113c-b285-4c67-adef-93e00ea02a07-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/8646113c-b285-4c67-adef-93e00ea02a07-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/8646113c-b285-4c67-adef-93e00ea02a07-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/8646113c-b285-4c67-adef-93e00ea02a07-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/8646113c-b285-4c67-adef-93e00ea02a07.jpg 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />The terrorists killed in the Monday strike on Nasser Hospital in Gaza, according to the IDF.</div>
Netanyahu apologized for the harm caused to civilians in a post on Monday, calling it a “tragic mishap.”
“Israel deeply regrets the tragic mishap that occurred today at the Nasser Hospital in Gaza,” Netanyahu <a href="https://x.com/netanyahu/status/1960030187933835604">wrote</a>. “Israel values the work of journalists, medical staff, and all civilians.”
In the aftermath, world leaders swiftly condemned the attack, including UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who called for a prompt investigation.
&#8220;The Secretary-General recalls that civilians, including medical personnel and journalists, must be respected and protected at all times. He calls for a prompt, impartial investigation into these killings,&#8221; Guterres’s spokesperson told reporters.
Others killed in the strike included individuals affiliated with media outlets such as Al Jazeera and Reuters: Mariam Abu Dagga, Mohammed Salama, Ahmed Abu Aziz, Moaz Abu Taha.
According to Israeli activist <a href="https://x.com/EFischberger/status/1960071111254979027">Eitan Fischbarger</a>, several of them had troubling histories. Salama, who worked with Al Jazeera, reportedly entered Israel on October 7. Dagga hosted trainings for Hamas’s “information ministry” in 2019. Ahmed Abu Aziz called October 7 “the greatest day of our generation,” and Taha glorified on social media a terrorist who killed Rabbi Raziel Shevach, a father of six.
While the initial inquiry has concluded, the IDF’s Chief of the General Staff instructed that additional gaps be examined, including the authorization process prior to the strike, the type of ammunition approved for use, and the timing of the authorization.
He added that Israel’s war is with “Hamas terrorists” and its goals are “defeating Hamas and bringing our hostages home.”

IDF Concludes Initial Investigation Into Strike On Gaza’s Nasser Hospital

Hamas

The United Nations-backed organization responsible for monitoring global hunger is set to declare a famine in Gaza City on Friday morning, according to documents obtained by The Daily Wire.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a UN-backed watchdog made up of Western governments, the United Nations, and nonprofit groups, will classify the humanitarian situation in Gaza as a famine. It will declare that the crisis is projected to spread to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis.
This will be only the fifth time the IPC has declared a famine since its founding in 2004, and the first time it has classified two famines simultaneously, following its designation of Sudan in 2024. It is the first famine declared in the Middle East by the IPC.
The announcement comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu advances plans for his military to seize Gaza City by October 7, 2025—the anniversary of Hamas’s massacre of Israeli civilians. Israel’s effort aims to free the hostages, defeat Hamas, and establish a new, demilitarized Arab government that is neither the Palestinian Authority nor Hamas. Israel is preparing for mass evacuations in Gaza City and some Gazans have already left as the first phases of the offensive begin, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyr7l0z9edo">reported the BBC</a>.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/netanyahu-confirms-israels-plans-to-fully-take-control-of-gaza?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=6&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Netanyahu+Confirms+Israel’s+Plans+To+Fully+Take+Control+Of+Gaza">NETANYAHU CONFIRMS ISRAEL’S PLANS TO FULLY TAKE CONTROL OF GAZA</a>
The IPC’s classification model came under fire last week after a <a href="https://freebeacon.com/israel/un-backed-famine-watchdog-quietly-changed-standards-easing-way-to-declare-famine-in-gaza/">Washington Free Beacon report</a> accused the organization of quietly relying on a less reliable metric to determine the presence of a famine. According to the Beacon, previous IPC reports relied on detailed height and weight measurements, but its July report introduced the “mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC)” metric, which was not typically used by the organization in determining a famine classification. 
Much of the raw data the IPC relies upon are sourced from the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health or other terror-linked organizations, one of the least reliable sources of accurate information, the Beacon added.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, took to X Thursday evening ahead of the report to accuse the IPC of promoting Hamas propaganda and publishing misleading reports.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The evidence continues to mount that the campaign to demonize Israel through false accusations of starving Gazans is an orchestrated effort by U.N. agencies promoting Hamas propaganda.
Now, to further advance the malicious accusation the IPC is publishing a report “documenting”… <a href="https://t.co/l3HS2LAsD7">pic.twitter.com/l3HS2LAsD7</a>
— Ambassador Yechiel (Michael) Leiter (@yechielleiter) <a href="https://twitter.com/yechielleiter/status/1958663173218652560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
“An objective assessment of the IPC report exposes a systematic lowering of standards: neutrality of safeguards abandoned, critical stakeholders excluded, data selectively used, projections skewed toward worst cases, famine thresholds bent until they no longer matched the IPC manual itself, and transparency sidelined as key datasets and analytical reasoning remain inaccessible to outside scrutiny,” Leiter posted.
Leiter referred to an <a href="https://govextra.gov.il/mda/ipc/gaza/">Israeli government report</a> making several accusations against the IPC including that it lacks neutrality, its history of off-target humanitarian predictions, and data concerns. 
According to the Network Contagion Research Institute&#8217;s <a href="https://networkcontagion.us/wp-content/uploads/Between-Data-and-Agenda_-Questioning-the-IPCs-Gaza-Famine-Projections.pdf">report</a> on the IPC, eighty percent of Gaza&#8217;s subregions &#8220;were exaggerated into higher famine phases than actually existed, making Gaza the single most overprotected region in the IPC&#8217;s recent global record.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/death-penalty-on-the-table-for-killer-of-israeli-embassy-staffers?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=6&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Death+Penalty+On+The+Table+For+Killer+Of+Israeli+Embassy+Staffers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DEATH PENALTY ON THE TABLE FOR KILLER OF ISRAELI EMBASSY STAFFERS</a>
Most notably, the Israeli report points to the IPC’s July report’s description of a 15 percent MUAC reference point for children as a “famine threshold” — even though in the <a href="https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/manual/IPC_Technical_Manual_3_Final.pdf?utm_source=theracket.news&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=no-the-un-didn-t-lower-its-standards-for-declaring-a-famine-in-gaza">organization’s manual</a>, it uses this point as only a cutoff for its Phase 4 “emergency” classification, not its Phase 5 “famine” classification. 
“By using the ‘famine threshold’ misnomer, IPC blurred a key distinction in its own classification system, lowering the bar for famine designations and making the situation appear worse than the data justified,” the Israeli report stated.
The Israeli report also alleged that much of the data comes from clinic-based screenings, despite IPC guidance prohibiting such sources. Children brought to clinics are more likely to be sick and malnourished than the general population.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-new-evidence-calls-into-question-viral-story-of-gazan-boy-amir-killed-at-ghf-aid-site?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+New+Evidence+Calls+Into+Question+Viral+Story+Of+Gazan+Boy+%E2%80%98Amir%E2%80%99+Killed+At+GHF+Aid+Site" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EXCLUSIVE: NEW EVIDENCE CALLS INTO QUESTION VIRAL STORY OF GAZAN BOY ‘AMIR’ KILLED AT GHF AID SITE</a>
“MUAC was stripped of the contextualisation required by IPC’s own rules, thresholds were misrepresented, and clinic screenings were treated as if they were population surveys,” the report added. “Each of these shortcuts tilted the analysis toward more severe classifications than the evidence could sustain.”
IPC’s May report detected a “risk of a famine” which came at a time when the Israeli-imposed blockade on Gaza was just being lifted, yet its July report showed a “rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation.” It went so far as to say that “access to food and other essential items and services have plummeted to unprecedented levels,” despite an increase in aid both through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and the United Nations.
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According to the United Nations’ 2720 <a href="https://info.un2720.org/#graphs">Mechanism for Gaza</a>, in July, 19.8 thousand metric tonnes of humanitarian aid was delivered into Gaza, a 56% increase from June 2025 and a 140% increase from April 2024. In February 2025, 19.5K metric tonnes were delivered into Gaza, which was drastically higher than any of the 10 previous months, apart from January which saw 13.7K metric tonnes delivered. 
The problem however, comes from the aid being looted when being driven to UN aid sites, or the UN failing to deliver it at all, leaving thousands of truckloads of food to spoil in the hot sun. The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-new-footage-shows-un-convoy-driving-into-mob-of-gazans-casualties-reported?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=13&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+New+Footage+Shows+UN+Convoy+Driving+Into+Mob+Of+Gazans%2C+Casualties+Reported">previously reported</a> on exclusive footage showing a mob attacking more than a dozen trucks carrying aid, led by vehicles marched with UN insignia.

UN-Backed Watchdog Set To Declare Famine in Gaza Amid Accusations of Flawed Data

In another example of Israeli scientists changing the world for the better, experts at Tel Aviv University (TAU) are preparing to perform the world’s first spinal cord implant.
Unlike most other bodily injuries, spinal cord injuries do not allow for cell regeneration. But the TAU scientists took blood cells and reprogrammed them through genetic engineering so they acted like embryonic stem cells. They took the cells and inserted them into a gel formed from collagen and sugars derived from fat tissue to “mimic the embryonic development of the spinal cord,” Prof. Tal Dvir, of TAU’s Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology, head of the Nanotechnology Center, and Chief Scientist of the biotech company Matricelf, <a href="https://english.tau.ac.il/research/engineered-spinal-cord">explained</a>.
He continued:
<blockquote>
The spinal cord is made up of nerve cells that transmit electrical signals from the brain to every part of the body. When the spinal cord is torn due to trauma — from a car accident, a fall, or a battlefield injury — this chain is broken. Think of it like an electrical cable that’s been cut: if the two parts don’t touch, the electrical signal can’t pass. The cable won’t carry electricity, and in the same way, the person can’t transmit the signal beyond the site of the injury.
Neurons are cells that do not divide and do not renew themselves. They are not like skin cells, which can repair themselves after injury. They are more similar to heart cells: once damage occurs, the body cannot restore them.
</blockquote>
“At the end of the process, we don’t just turn the cells into motor neurons — because cells alone won’t help us — but into three-dimensional tissue: neuronal networks of the spinal cord,” he said. “After about a month, we obtain a 3D implant with many neurons that transmit electrical signals. These 3D tissues are then implanted into the damaged area.”
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“About six months ago we received preliminary approval to begin compassionate-use trials with eight patients,” Dvir recalled. “We decided, of course, that the first patient would be Israeli. This is undoubtedly a matter of national pride. The technology was developed here in Israel, at Tel Aviv University and at Matricelf, and from the very beginning it was clear to us that the first-ever surgery would be performed in Israel, with an Israeli patient.”
The first implant should happen within a year. “Once we prove that the treatment works — everything is open, and we’ll be able to treat any injury,” says Prof. Dvir.
“Our goal is to help paralyzed patients rise from their wheelchairs. The animal model trials showed extraordinary success, and we are hopeful that the results in humans will be just as promising,” Dvir <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-864808">concluded</a>.
The list of Israel’s contributions to medicine is a strong reminder of the cutting-edge nature of Israeli science. Here are some noteworthy examples:
<blockquote>
Copaxone, a drug for multiple sclerosis developed by Teva Pharmaceuticals.
Rasagiline (Azilect): developed at Israel’s Technion to treat Parkinson&#8217;s disease.
Doxil: The first FDA-approved nanotechnology-based cancer drug, developed at the Hebrew University. It delivers chemotherapy directly to cancer cells.
Exelon: A medication for Alzheimer&#8217;s disease.
PillCam (Given Imaging) – A swallowable capsule camera that takes images of the digestive tract, revolutionizing endoscopy.
BrainsGate – A device that uses electrical stimulation to enhance drug delivery to the brain, helping stroke patients.
IceSense3 (IceCure Medical) – A cryoablation device used to freeze and destroy tumors, particularly in breast cancer treatment.
ElMindA – a brain-mapping system using EEG and machine learning to diagnose brain-related conditions (e.g., ADHD, concussion).
MeMed – a diagnostic platform that distinguishes between viral and bacterial infections within minutes, helping reduce antibiotic misuse.
V-Wave – A heart failure treatment device that regulates pressure inside the heart.
</blockquote>

Inflamed spine, illustration

Hope For Paraplegics As Israel Plans First Spinal Cord Implant

Health

Medical Research

medicine

A pair of contestants on Israel’s version of the competition dance show “Dancing With the Stars” (&#8220;Rokdim Im Kokhavim&#8221;) is going viral for their Melania and Donald Trump-themed dance routine.
Fans were delighted by internet personality Taylor Malkov and professional dancer Haim Pershtein’s star spangled performance last week, which opened with &#8220;The Star Spangled Banner&#8221; followed by the Trump favorite “Y.M.C.A.” by Village People.
A video clip of the pair dancing has 2.3 million views on X and is quickly racking up views across social media platforms.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Israel’s “Dance With the Stars” Pair Dressed as Trump &amp; Melania Absolutely Kills Their Performance " width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TfNyJky6EUc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“It&#8217;s astonishing what six months of sane, strong leadership can do in America. This was unimaginable last year. The Golden Era indeed,” one of the top comments <a href="https://x.com/AmericanWolf24/status/1954715239431491679">says</a>.
“We’re definitely heading in the right direction,” another commenter <a href="https://x.com/AmericanWolf24/status/1954715239431491679">agreed</a>.
“This is a good vibe, America is once again gaining respect around the world,” echoed a third.
“Oh my… the heads of the Democrat communist party are going to explode over this one. Congratulations Israel! Job well done,” <a href="https://x.com/emss1922/status/1954723491103584540">said</a> another.
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A YouTube commenter <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfNyJky6EUc">wrote</a>, “Whether you love or hate Trump, you must admit this was a brilliant idea. It was funny, original, and so well-done that you couldn&#8217;t tell who was the non-professional dancer. It put a smile on my face.”
President Trump is widely considered the most supportive American president Israel has ever known thanks to him moving the American Embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli sovereignty of the Golan Heights, and brokering the historic Abraham Accords, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/thank-you-mr-president-israel-posts-huge-signs-of-gratitude-to-trump">reported</a>. 
One week before the election last November, a poll found that 66% of Israelis supported Trump while just 17% of them were hoping Kamala Harris won.
Months before the election, Trump also spoke about the October 7 massacre, saying, “Weak leadership in the United States allowed this to happen, and it should never have happened.”
“Never again,” Trump promised at the time.

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-TRUMP-INAUGURATION

Trump-Inspired Routine On Israeli ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Goes Viral

Donald Trump

Entertainment

Television

World

Antisemitism is nothing new. It is an ancient evil, spanning from Haman to Hitler, and now manifesting in Hamas and Hezbollah. This is not just political ideology or a disturbing cultural trend, antisemitism is the primary objective from Hell.
After the Holocaust, the world promised, “Never again.” Yet here we are. The October 7 terrorist attacks against Israel, surge in antisemitic rhetoric, violence targeting Jews and supporters of Israel all reveal an alarming truth: today’s complacency is tomorrow’s captivity.
When antisemitism rises, it doesn&#8217;t stop with the Jewish people. Hatred comes first for the Jews, then for everyone else. In denying the image of God in the Jewish people, antisemitism assaults the Judeo-Chrstian values that undergird peace and prosperity everywhere. That’s why Christians must stand up — against antisemitism and with Israel — now. We need to build a firewall against antisemitism or today’s generation will continue to spiral into moral confusion and spiritual blindness. 
Antisemitism is not just about politics. It’s about truth and the foundation of human flourishing. From Genesis to Revelation, there is no ambiguity whatsoever that there is a Divine purpose for the Jewish people. God’s Covenant with the Jews has not been nullified. Even in the New Covenant through Christ, there is a plan for the Jewish people in Israel.
That’s why I push back against replacement theology, the lie that the Church has replaced Israel in God’s divine plan. The apostle Paul makes the truth clear in Romans: God’s promises to the Jewish people still stand. The Church ought to reject replacement theology and, instead, embrace its calling to bless and stand with Israel.
The tide of antisemitism rises with violence and spiritual crises in our communities. It is a diabolical — truly demonic — attempt to erase the image of God from the Jewish people, undermining morality and humanity everywhere. We must be spiritually vigilant. This means prayer, public engagement and prophetic activism.
Christians must raise their voices. Pray to God, but also call upon your pastors, church communities and elected officials. Call out cowardice disguised as political neutrality. Confront the lies propagated online. Of the 100,000 evangelical churches in America, how many pastors spoke up after October 7? How many feared losing followers or political favor? Silence in the face of evil is complicity, and I call on all Christians to rise up and stand in support of Israel.
The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) is one ministry leading the way. For years, the IFCJ has united Christians and Jews through shared values and compassion, providing aid for Holocaust survivors, helping persecuted Jews immigrate to Israel and strengthening the holy bonds among Christians and Jews.
After October 7, the IFCJ launched the Flags of Fellowship project. The unifying initiative raises Israeli flags alongside Christian banners in churches across America. The public declaration is simple and critical: we will not be silent and we will not stand idly by.
I’ve met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, Arab Christians and both Jewish and non-Jewish citizens of Israel. The tiny Jewish state is home to the freest Arabs and Christians in the region. It is the only nation in the region where minority communities — Christians, Muslims, Druze and others — can participate fully in society and serve in the government. Israel is not the villain of the Middle East. The portrayal of Israel as an oppressor is not just wrong; it’s a calculated, diabolical lie. Don’t swallow the lie. Speak up for the truth.
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Every believer can take action. We must. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Speak truth when lies spread. Contact your representatives in Congress. Preach truth from the pulpit, post it on social media and proclaim it in your daily life.
As believers, we are engaged in spiritual warfare, but we have the truth and we must practice prayerful vigilance. Remember Romans 1:16: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation.” God calls us to thwart evil in all its forms, including that of antisemitism.
We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past and let evil persist. We need to engage in bearing witness, in reaching out to the Jewish community. We must not echo the complacency that destroyed Germany in the late 1930’s and led to the systematic murder of millions of people.
When hatred rises again — which it will — let us use our voices to conquer it. Silence is not an option. Silence is antithetical to the Christian faith. Locking arms with the Jewish people, let us stand together, defend truth and proclaim God’s love. For such a time as this, we are called to stand together and speak up.
* * *
Pastor Samuel Rodriguez is the lead pastor of New Season, one of America&#8217;s most influential megachurches, and president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), which represents millions of Christians worldwide. Rodriguez has advised three U.S. Presidents and is the first Latino to participate in multiple presidential inauguration ceremonies. He is also a best-selling author of 12 books and serves as producer of 7 faith-based films including &#8220;Breakthrough,&#8221; &#8220;Flamin&#8217; Hot,&#8221; and &#8220;Dream King.&#8221;
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Side by side spires with cross and star of david

Silence Is Not An Option: Why Christians Must Stand Against Antisemitism

Anti-Semitism

Bible

Christians

Jews

Opinion

Your average film festival won’t screen “A Minecraft Movie,” “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” or “Nobody 2.” And that’s a good thing.
Festivals give indie filmmakers a chance to shine in a crowded marketplace. They also shake up the theatrical experience by pushing audiences out of their comfort zone.
In short, prepare to be challenged. The best art does just that.
<div id="attachment_961513" style="width: 830px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-961513" class="wp-image-961513 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2172182734-820x576.jpg" alt="TORONTO, ONTARIO - SEPTEMBER 15: Mike Downie accepts the &quot;People's Choice Documentary Award&quot; for &quot;The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal&quot; onstage at the TIFF 2024 Awards Ceremony during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival at Luma on September 15, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Jeremy Chan/Getty Images)" width="820" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2172182734-820x576.jpg 820w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2172182734-300x211.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2172182734-768x539.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2172182734.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" />TORONTO, ONTARIO &#8211; SEPTEMBER 15: Mike Downie accepts the &#8220;People&#8217;s Choice Documentary Award&#8221; for &#8220;The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal&#8221; onstage at the TIFF 2024 Awards Ceremony during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. (Photo by Jeremy Chan/Getty Images)</div>
Yet some modern film festivals are running from that unspoken promise. And, as is often the case, it involves cowardly programmers who refuse to provoke their presumably left-leaning audiences. In other situations, the festivals won’t stand behind art that could draw the wrong kind of crowd.
Protesters, to be specific, the kind that shout, “From the river to the sea…”
The latest, most embarrassing example? The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), one of the industry’s most prestigious events, recently <a href="https://deadline.com/2025/08/tiff-pulls-october-7-documentary-from-lineup-1236484968/comment-page-2/#comments">yanked an October 7 documentary</a> from its line up.
“The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue” recalls how retired Israel Defense Forces General Noam Tibon saved Israelis targeted for death by Hamas terrorists during that cataclysmic day.
<div id="attachment_961501" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-961501" class="wp-image-961501 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-1827492879-1-864x576.jpg" alt="TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - DECEMBER 02: Major General (Res.) Noam Tibon speaks during a rally calling for the remaining hostages to be released a day after the temporary truce ended outside The Museum of Modern Art known as the 'The Hostages and Missing Square' on December 2, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel. The rally’s speakers included recently released hostages and their families, as well as Israeli performers. The end of the weeklong ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has also meant a halt to negotiations over the return of more Israeli hostages being held in Gaza. One hundred and ten hostages - a combination of Israelis and foreign nationals - were released during the recent pause in fighting, under half the number estimated to have been taken captive by Palestinian militants on Oct. 7. (Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-1827492879-1-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-1827492879-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-1827492879-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-1827492879-1.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />TEL AVIV, ISRAEL &#8211; DECEMBER 02: Major General (Res.) Noam Tibon. Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images</div>
But why cancel the documentary at all? TIFF officials initially said the film didn’t get the legal clearances for footage of Hamas soldiers attacking innocent Jews. That explanation drew instant ridicule, forcing TIFF to suggest it’s working to find a way <a href="https://deadline.com/2025/08/tiff-response-the-road-between-us-1236485877/">to solve the issues</a> and re-install the film into its lineup.
Now, an embarrassed TIFF says it will “<a href="https://nypost.com/2025/08/14/world-news/tiff-reverses-course-will-ensure-oct-7-doc-is-screened-following-swift-backlash/">ensure</a>” the film will screen at the September festival after a major media backlash.
The damage is done, no matter what kind of backpedal the festival attempts. Its absurd rationale is likely cover for the real issue – pro-Palestinian protesters would have swarmed the screening, as they’ve done countless times before.
<div id="attachment_961507" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-961507" class="size-large wp-image-961507" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-1711807696-864x576.jpg" alt="TOPSHOT - Palestinians transport a reportedly captured Israeli person, in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, on October 7, 2023. One month after Israel was wracked by Hamas attacks, life has been upended for both the Palestinians and Israel after it launched a war of reprisal in the Gaza Strip. The October 7 attacks by Hamas militants who stormed across from Gaza and struck kibbutzim and southern Israeli areas killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and deeply scarred the nation. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says nearly 9,500 have been killed, two-thirds of them women and children, and mostly civilians. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-1711807696-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-1711807696-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-1711807696-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-1711807696.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images</div>
Jewish artists (Michael Rapaport, Matisyahu) routinely find their shows canceled due to fear of pro-Palestinian protests. Festival-based violence could have ensued, although a strong show of force would likely prevent such an occurrence.
The Heckler’s Veto won. Again. It’s one reason why protesters keep on raising their voices. They get results.
Today’s festival programmer too often chooses to censor art rather than let it shine.
A more egregious example of festival cowardice? The Sundance Film Festival threw open its arms to “Jihad Rehab,” a celebrated film focusing on Muslim terrorists and their path to redemption.
The film actually screened the documentary in January 2022, coaxing two festival employees to resign in protest. That was just the beginning of the outrage. Some Muslim filmmakers howled over the film’s inclusion, arguing the film exposed the participants to potential danger. Others suggested the film’s director, a white woman named Meg Smaker, was the wrong person to tell the story.
<div id="attachment_961509" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-961509" class="size-large wp-image-961509" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2196257724-864x576.jpg" alt="PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 27: (EDITORS NOTE: This image was shot with a fisheye lens.) People stand in front of the Egyptian Theatre along Main Street during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2025 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2196257724-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2196257724-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2196257724-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2196257724.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />David Becker/Getty Images</div>
Sundance later issued an apology for screening the film, and other festivals dropped “Jihad Rehab” from their lineups.
Smaker eventually won the PR war, with far-Left sites like The New York Times and The Atlantic rushing to her side. The film, retitled “The UnRedacted,” <a href="https://www.justwatch.com/us/search?q=the%20unredacted">still can’t be seen via VOD platforms, though.</a>
Still, the most recognizable film festival in the country couldn’t stand up for its own screened film. That sends a chilling signal throughout the creative community.
Pro-Palestinian pressure also got a trans-related documentary <a href="https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/columnist/editors-note/377538/french-transgender-film-gets-cancelled-because-it-made-israel-look-good/">canceled from a Belgium film festival last year</a>. “The Belle from Gaza” focused on a transgender Palestinian woman fleeing Gaza for her own safety and ending up in Tel Aviv.
Variety captured the current state of film festivals in 2023.
<blockquote>In fact, that quick-to-capitulate reflex underscores a new, unspoken modus operandi in which festivals — once the bastion of provocative, button-pushing fare — are desperate to avoid controversy and the wrath of any identity-focused Twitter mob. </blockquote>
It hasn’t gotten better since then. And there’s a second factor in play.
Modern film festivals display a sense of ideological uniformity that diminishes their cultural impact. Left-leaning features are commonplace, be it stories about abortion rights or pro-LGBTQ+ narratives.
Films that defy that ideology rarely, if ever, make the cut.
Imagine a film festival featuring “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/what-is-a-woman?row=0&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;rowType=Square+Show+Carousel">What Is a Woman?</a>” The Daily Wire’s blistering take down of progressive gender beliefs.
<div id="attachment_805851" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/what-is-a-woman?row=0&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;rowType=Square+Show+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-805851" class="size-large wp-image-805851" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MixCollage-01-Oct-2024-04-20-PM-2436-1024x576.jpg" alt="What is a Woman?" width="1024" height="576" /></a>Matt Walsh/What is a Woman?</div>
What about “The Fall of Minneapolis,” a harrowing account of the media’s false narratives surrounding George Floyd’s 2020 death?
Or consider “What Killed Michael Brown?” That 2020 movie exposed similarly skewed narratives surrounding the Missouri resident’s 2014 death following a police interaction.
Had any of those films made the film festival cut it might have sparked protests, resignations or both. Cancellations might have followed.
Festival programmers, by insisting on ideological purity, keep these kinds of projects out of their lineups. And few audience members are challenged along the way.
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Even stories told by those holding unorthodox views may not get a festival closeup. Podcaster Adam Carolla has complained that his opinions have kept his apolitical racing documentaries from debuting in film festivals. The most extreme example? His 2020 documentary “Uppity,” a testament to Willy T. Ribbs, the first black race car driver to compete in the Indy 500, didn’t make the festival circuit.
The film checked enough progressive boxes to be included, and the few critics who reviewed the film raved about its content. That didn’t help Carolla crack the festival market.
Hollywood’s progressive groupthink remains a problem, keeping great stories and actors off screen. A similar sentiment holds with film festivals. A fear of social media controversy, and backbone deficit, is making matters worse.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

2025 Canada’s Walk Of Fame Induction Gala

Cowardice Is Killing The Spirit Of Modern Film Festivals

Documentaries

Hostages

Movies

October 7

Sundance Film Festival

Toronto Film Festival

This month, I journeyed to the Middle East, where I met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif. I spoke with leaders about the importance of bringing peace to the troubled region.
In a region too often defined by conflict and mistrust, my mission overall was simple: listen, engage, and explore a path toward stability that protects all ethnicities and religions while advancing America’s security interests.
But the most important part of my trip came in Damascus, where I met with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani.
I have long advocated for a Syria that looks towards the future and not the past. For me, it’s personal.
When I took my oath of office, I did so using the family Bible of Kayla Mueller, who was abducted by terrorists in 2013 while leaving a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Aleppo. Kayla’s parents, Carl and Marsha Mueller, joined me and my family that day.
In recent months, I’ve coordinated with American partners to follow new intelligence about the possible location of Kayla’s remains. I won’t stop fighting until we bring her home — and I won’t stop fighting until we bring stability to Syria.
Lasting peace in the Middle East is possible, and I believe that peace between the region’s peoples is the ultimate safeguard for both American and global security.
We’ve made progress. Recently, American forces and local partners successfully targeted ISIS leadership in al-Bab.
But what Syria needs most is time, space, and a framework for peace that guarantees equal rights, fair representation, and a constitutional system that breaks from the failures of the past.
That is where President Donald Trump’s game-changing Abraham Accords come in. The first round of agreements reshaped the geopolitical map, bringing Israel together with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco in a coalition for peace, trade, and security.
Abraham Accords 2.0 is the natural next step, one that would expand this circle to include Arab nations, Israel, and potentially a post-conflict Syria, fostering an alliance that isolates Iran and its terror proxies, defeats ISIS, and opens the door to unprecedented regional cooperation.
The purpose of my meetings was not just fact-finding. With my military background and seat in Congress, I am uniquely positioned to bridge cultural divides, open dialogue with communities often overlooked in Washington, and help President Trump build the trust and political will necessary for these historic agreements.
Just as President Trump defied the skeptics with the original Abraham Accords, we can defy them again. We can bring in nations once considered impossible partners, tie security cooperation to economic growth, and create a durable framework for peace that ensures every community, Arabs, Jews, Kurds, Christians, and Muslims all have a place in the region’s future.
My office has always welcomed diverse voices and perspectives from across the Middle East. I didn’t visit the Middle East to dictate how people live or to push another era of nation-building. I went to offer support and foster hope, just as President Trump did with Kosovo-Serbia normalization, peace agreements in Africa and Asia, the first Abraham Accords, and the most recent peace signing between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
These successes prove that President Trump’s brand of diplomacy works.
This is only the beginning. Working alongside Ambassador Tom Barrack and other key partners, I will continue to advance a vision for the Levant and the broader Middle East that promotes stability for every community and strengthens America’s security posture.
The voters who sent me to Washington made it clear: they want an end to endless wars and a real strategy for peace. With America First diplomacy and the leadership of President Trump, Abraham Accords 2.0 can become a reality and with it, lasting peace in the Middle East.
If there was ever a moment to turn the page and secure a future where peace is possible for Arabs, Jews, Kurds, Christians, and Muslims alike, it is now.
America First diplomacy does not mean America Alone. We have a lot of work to do, and I look forward to seeing the day when lasting peace in the Middle East is achieved. By working together, we can make this dream a reality.
Abe Hamadeh represents Arizona’s 8th Congressional District in the House of Representatives.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Abe Hamadeh

Why Syria Needs The Abraham Accords 2.0

Abraham Accords

Syria

The father of an Israeli hostage who Hamas and Palestinian civilians took on October 7, 2023, believes that, despite his son being held captive, destroying Hamas must take precedence over saving the hostages, declaring that the goal for Israel “cannot be to bring [Hamas] to talks; it must be to destroy them.”
While the families of other hostages insist that saving the hostages must be prioritized over destroying Hamas, Tzvika Mor, the chairman of the Tikvah Forum and the father of hostage Eitan Mor — who was seized by Palestinians as he was working as a security guard at the Nova Festival — wants the IDF to pursue more aggressive actions, rather than mitigate the military response because of the hostages.
“The question isn’t what they’re going to do, but what is the goal?” he told <a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2025/08/tzvika-mor-gaza-war-hamas-hostages-israel-netanyahu/">Jewish Insider</a>. “If the goal is to lead Hamas to negotiate, it will fail, just like in Gideon’s Chariots, which took five months and didn’t bring back the hostages and didn’t destroy Hamas. The goal cannot be to bring [Hamas] to talks; it must be to destroy them.’
“Is our war in Gaza necessary?” he asked. “If there weren’t hostages, would we still need to go to war? The answer is yes, because [Hamas] cannot remain our neighbors after we saw what they can do, or they would do it again. They are religious people; they live for this. They don’t live for a nice house and a car and social status. Not for coffee shops and pilates. They live to kill Jews. They’re like zombies. You have to destroy them. The war would be necessary even if there were no hostages. &#8230; It cannot be that we will endanger 10 million Israelis because of the hostages. We need to solve that problem such that we are not harming national security.”
He asserted that making the hostages the number one priority “not only harms national security, but it also hurts the hostages, because Hamas learns that they’re the most important to us and raises the price all the time. It’s indescribable stupidity.”
If Israel “concedes in Gaza, Hamas will never give up all of the hostages … And what would the message be to the Arabs in Judea and Samaria, that kidnapping Israelis is the best thing to do?” he asked rhetorically.
Mor ripped the Israeli media that has criticized him for his stance, saying, “The Israeli media doesn’t help. They lead the campaign” to vilify him. “But I feel that I am a messenger of the people of Israel. It is clear to me that the people of Israel want to win … They are connected to their roots, to the Land of Israel and to Judaism. They don’t want to be sold dreams and delusions that ‘it will all be OK, we can give in to terror and then deal with it later.’ We can’t ‘deal’ with it. If we surrender, we will pay a higher price.”
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Mor analogized the current situation to the Biblical Abraham, who used an army to rescue his nephew Lot, who had been kidnapped by four kings. Abraham “didn’t talk to them. He didn’t pay them. He fought a war until they surrendered. That is the way,” he said, adding, “The war cannot be about the hostages, and I say that as the father of a hostage. How many soldiers should be killed for the hostages? You don’t go to war to bring back hostages. You go to war for sovereignty, for deterrence. Then, when you win, you get your captives back.”
Israel used to know that “it was clear that there was no negotiating with terrorists,” he recalled. “We would try to save our hostages and take risks, but we could not give in to terrorism.” He pointed out that the Yachin Research Center had estimated that four times more Israelis were killed in terrorist attacks between the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993 and 2023 than in 1949-1992. “That means that since Israel gave in to terrorism, more Israelis were murdered. It’s clear … That needs to stop,” he commented.
“He is very strong, physically and mentally. He was very Zionist. He was a fighter and commander in the Golani Brigade &#8230; He’s not soft; he doesn’t whine. He is strong; he’s a leader. We are sure that if he is with other hostages, he is helping them and strengthening them,” Mor said of his son.
“Nova survivors said that Eitan left his hiding place and saved their lives, which his father said ‘tells you the most about him,’” Jewish Insider reported, as Mor added, “He could have gone home at 6:29, but he stayed to save people. He hid people and ran with them until he was kidnapped at 12:30, not by Hamas but by Gazan civilians.”

ISRAEL GAZA WAR

Father Of Israeli Hostage Delivers Ringing Message: Destroying Hamas Must Be The Main Objective

Father Of Israeli Hostage Delivers Ringing Message: Don't Prioritize Hostages Over Destroying Hamas

In a move that made it easier for media around the world to vilify Israel for causing a “famine” in Gaza, a U.N.-affiliated watchdog group secretly changed its metrics to make the requirements for declaring a “famine” much easier.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, which was originally developed in 2004 by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Security Analysis Unit and serves as the world’s most widely recognized hunger assessment, normally requires a threshold of 30% of children in an area suffering from acute malnutrition to declare a famine, and uses detailed weight and height measurements to decide whether a child is suffering from acute malnutrition.
But in their July 29 report, the metrics were changed so that 30% became 15% and the measurement for determining malnutrition was mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), a far less reliable guide to malnutrition.
“A chart included in the notice shows less than 8 percent of children in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis suffer from acute malnutrition ‘based on MUAC,’” <a href="https://freebeacon.com/israel/un-backed-famine-watchdog-quietly-changed-standards-easing-way-to-declare-famine-in-gaza/">The Washington Free Beacon</a> reported. &#8220;<a href="https://freebeacon.com/israel/un-backed-famine-watchdog-quietly-changed-standards-easing-way-to-declare-famine-in-gaza/">That figure is 16.5 percent in Gaza City, just above the new 15-percent threshold</a> but well below the 30-percent level the IPC traditionally uses.”
“In all of the famines that have been declared, they&#8217;ve been using the 30-percent global malnutrition measurement, most of which have been based on the weight-for-height metric—which, again, is much harder to collect, much more burdensome, and it&#8217;s 30 percent,” an experienced aid worker told the Free Beacon. “So, this asterisk that&#8217;s been added for Gaza essentially says that they&#8217;re going to allow a 15-percent global malnutrition rate measured by MUAC. &#8230; I think many people would say it&#8217;s like lowering the bar or making it more possible, essentially, to declare whatever it is that they&#8217;re going to declare.”
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“If you keep pulling the thread here, you start to understand this is one of the greatest frauds ever perpetrated on the world,” former National Security Council staffer Richard Goldberg, who checked humanitarian aid on Capitol Hill for a decade, said. “There is no famine in Gaza—the data thresholds don’t support that claim—and yet we have the United Nations changing the rules to fit the desired political outcome.”
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee <a href="https://x.com/GovMikeHuckabee/status/1955471389001126080">stated</a>, “This is a highly technical report but reveals how UN-Backed Famine Watchdog Quietly Changed Standards, Easing Way To Declare Famine in Gaza to aid Hamas and blame @Israel and @IsraeliPM.”

Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid continue to enter the Rafah border crossing

UN-Affiliated Hunger Group Quietly Changed Standards So Israel Could Be Accused Of Gaza Famine

famine

Food

In an astonishing act, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) canceled the showing of an Israeli documentary about the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre of Israelis because the filmmakers did not receive permission from the Hamas terrorists whose own clips of the massacre are in the film.
“The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue” revolves around Maj. Gen. Noam Tibon’s efforts to save his son Amir and his family when Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nahal Oz attacked them.
“The movie features footage taken from the cameras of terrorists, who filmed their atrocities as they marauded through Israeli communities. Over a quarter of Nahal Oz’s 400 residents were killed or taken hostage that day,” <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/toronto-film-fest-nixes-oct-7-doc-screening-said-to-cite-hamas-ownership-of-massacre-clips/">The Times of Israel</a> noted.
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A TIFF spokesperson told <a href="https://deadline.com/2025/08/tiff-pulls-october-7-documentary-from-lineup-1236484968/">Deadline</a>, which broke the story, “The invitation for the Canadian documentary film The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue was withdrawn by TIFF because general requirements for inclusion in the festival, and conditions that were requested when the film was initially invited, were not met, including legal clearance of all footage. The purpose of the requested conditions was to protect TIFF from legal implications and to allow TIFF to manage and mitigate anticipated and known risks around the screening of a film about highly sensitive subject matter, including potential threat of significant disruption.”
According to Deadline, the festival wanted the filmmakers to “identify the source of the footage and confirmation of legal clearance,” including “a legal reporting letter confirming clearance of the footage.”
“We are shocked and saddened that a venerable film festival has defied its mission and censored its own programming by refusing this film,” the filmmakers told Deadline. “Ultimately, film is an art form that stimulates debate from every perspective that can both entertain us and make us uncomfortable. A film festival lays out the feast and the audience decides what they will or won’t see. We are not political filmmakers, nor are we activists; we are storytellers. We remain defiant, we will release the film, and we invite audiences, broadcasters, and streamers to make up their own mind, once they have seen it.”
“The Toronto Film Festival has succumbed to pressure and threats, and has chosen to silence and erase October 7,” Noam Tibon said. “My message to the festival management: The truth cannot be erased. The atrocities committed by Hamas cannot be erased or denied. &#8230; The festival management’s claim that the film cannot be screened because ‘permissions to use’ the footage of the Nukhba terrorists were not obtained is absurd and bizarre, and constitutes further harm to the victims.”
 “It is inconceivable that TIFF allows a small group of extremists — using intimidation and threats of violence — to dictate which films Canadians can see at the festival. This shameful decision sends an unequivocal message: Toronto’s Jewish community is no longer safe or welcome,” the Canadian Centre for Jewish and Israeli Affairs declared.

Tiff – Toronto International Film Festival

Canadian Film Festival Cancels October 7 Documentary Claiming Hamas Has Footage Rights

Toronto Film Festival Cancels October 7 Documentary Because Film Didn't Get Permission From Hamas

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