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

Entertainment

Hamas

Hostages

Israel

Movies

October 7

Sundance Film Festival

Toronto Film Festival

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

Let’s take a moment to examine how despicable the legacy media is.
Let’s contrast an actual heroic human being, the kind we need more of in America, the kind the media hates, with a person who&#8217;s awful, a person the media continue to tout.
First, the hero. His name is Edward Coristine and he was ripped up and down by the media when he first came onto the public scene. Why? Because he was working for Elon Musk&#8217;s Department of Governmental Efficiency and he was known as “Big Balls.’
According to the Left-wing media, the idea that you would have a young man who calls himself with this moniker, looking over the American budgetary system and saying, “This doesn&#8217;t belong and this does belong,” was the end of the world.
That was terrible. That was awful. We couldn&#8217;t have somebody like that working in our system.
But it turns out that Edward Coristine isn&#8217;t just a young genius who is capable of looking at budgetary numbers and figuring out where the waste, fraud, and abuse are. It turns out he is an amazing dude.
According to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/05/trump-administration-staffer-known-as-big-balls-assaulted-in-dc-00494990">Politico</a>:
<blockquote>A 19-year-old man known as “Big Balls” who played a key role in the DOGE initiative to shrink the size of government was assaulted over the weekend in Washington, according to city police. Edward Coristine, who still works for the government, was assaulted by approximately 10 juveniles near Dupont Circle about 3 a.m. Sunday, according to a police report obtained by POLITICO. Police arrested two 15-year olds as they attempted to flee the scene. 
A black iPhone 16 valued at $1,000 was also reported stolen during the incident, according to the report. President Donald Trump posted a photo on his social media platform showing a shirtless Coristine with what appeared to be blood spattered on his face, body and pants. He called for a change in the law so that the juveniles who attacked him could be charged as adults.</blockquote>
Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114977985620971126">wrote</a>: 
<blockquote>Crime in Washington, D.C., is totally out of control. Local “youths” and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16-years-old, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent Citizens, at the same time knowing that they will be almost immediately released. They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it’s going to happen now! The Law in D.C. must be changed to prosecute these “minors” as adults, and lock them up for a long time, starting at age 14. The most recent victim was beaten mercilessly by local thugs.  
Washington, D.C., must be safe, clean, and beautiful for all Americans and, importantly, for the World to see. If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they’re not going to get away with it anymore. Perhaps it should have been done a long time ago, then this incredible young man, and so many others, would not have had to go through the horrors of Violent Crime. If this continues, I am going to exert my powers, and FEDERALIZE this City. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!</blockquote>
What exactly happened here?
Apparently, Coristine said that the assailants approached him outside his vehicle while he was with a woman identified in the report as his significant other. He told police officers he got the other person into the vehicle just before he was attacked.
This young man made sure that the woman was not attacked. Elon Musk <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1952836498971344926">wrote</a> on X, “A few days ago, a gang of about a dozen young men tried to assault a woman in her car at night in DC. A @Doge team member saw what was happening, ran to defend her and was severely beaten to the point of concussion, but he saved her. It is time to federalize DC.”
Remember, the media thought that this kid, this young man, was bad. He was bad because he was very online and he was young and he was smart, and he wanted to go through the governmental records. This was the kind of person we needed fewer of in America. According to our legacy media, “Big Balls” was the problem with America.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2255-the-ben-shapiro-show?elementPosition=6&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
Meanwhile, the media was championing another young man, claiming that he is the kind of person America needs.
That would be Mahmoud Khalil.
Mahmoud Khalil, of course, was the import from abroad; an activist who hates America, who hates the West, who hates Israel, who is not only complicit in anti-Semitism, but is an anti-Semitic provocateur. He was imported to Columbia University to essentially act as an activist against the West, against America, against Israel and against Jews.
When the Trump administration looked at his participation in the violent student protests at Columbia, they decided to deport him. But a court stopped that deportation, and the entire Left rallied to his cause. He was a victim; America needed more Mahmoud Khalils.
Mahmoud Khalil is now out there on the talk circuit, and he sat with Ezra Klein over at the New York Times, where he promptly explained to Ezra Klein that essentially, October 7 was justified, that Israel had it coming, that there was no actual anti-Semitism at Columbia University or anything of the like.
According to the Left, this is the person, this Mahmoud Khalil, whom we need more of, and fewer of the “Big Balls” type of young men. We need more imports from third-world countries who hate America and hate Jews and make our country worse.
If you actually watch the entire interview with Ezra Klein, some of the things that Khalil said were astonishingly pro-terrorism.
At one point, he said, “Having lived in the Middle East most of my life” — he lived in Syria — “The only Jew you hear about is someone who&#8217;s trying to kill you. For those in Gaza and the West Bank, that&#8217;s the only Jewish person they encounter, the one at checkpoints, the one raiding their homes.”
Khalil didn&#8217;t grow up around Jews. He grew up in Syria. And yet he is openly stating that he grew up hating Jews.
And so he came to the United States. He found a bunch of Left-wing Jews like Jewish Voice for Peace — which is not Jewish or a voice for peace — and according to him, that&#8217;s what real Judaism is, which is an absurdity.
Khalil told Klein there was no anti-Semitism at Columbia. He said, “It&#8217;s not like anti-Semitism is happening at Columbia because of the Palestine movement,” which is, of course, a lie. And then he said, “From the river to the sea, from the Palestinian perspective, no one ever said it&#8217;s a violent call.” And then, of course, he defended “globalize the intifada.” He said October 7 was not an aggressive attack. He said it was just to break the cycle, that Palestinians were not being heard.
This Left-wing martyr is a pro-terror show. That&#8217;s always what he was.
But the Left insists that he be allowed into the country, and that not only that, we need more of these people in our country.
The contrast between the media vilification of this young white man who was working for the federal government to cut waste, fraud and abuse, the kind of person who will rush to a woman&#8217;s side to save her from being assaulted by thugs, and the absolutely kid-glove glowing treatment given to Mahmoud Khalil by Ezra Klein and the rest of the legacy media is astonishing and disgusting.
It speaks to not only what the media are, but what the Left has become. I will say it over and over and over again. The Left-wing is Zohran Mamdani. The Left-wing is not some moderate senator from Minnesota like Amy Klobuchar, who&#8217;s bad enough. It&#8217;s all Mamdani, period. It’s people like Khalil, who champions terrorism. That’s what the Left thinks is right for America.
But a genius kid who saves a woman from thugs and has a nickname they hate? He’s not right for America.
Their agenda could not be any more obvious. Or vicious.

US-POLITICS-MIGRANTS-KHALIL-EDUCATION-MIGRATION

America Needs ‘Big Balls,’ Not Mahmoud Khalil

America Needs 'Big Balls,' Not Mahmoud Khalil

Ben Shapiro

DOGE

Donald Trump

gangs

Mahmoud Khalil

New York Times

Opinion

Washington D.C.

I still see his face every time I think of Washington Square Park: a stranger who was unapologetically pro-Hamas and made clear that he cheered the October 7 massacre in Israel.
As an Olympian on Israel’s bobsled team — a team with both Jewish and Arab athletes — I decided to engage with the public following the horrific events of October 7, 2023.
So, on October 15, 2023, I spent eight hours in a folding chair in New York City’s Washington Square Park. I placed a table in front of me with a sign that called Hamas a brutal terror organization and Israel a force for good. “Change my mind,&#8221; the sign read. Passersby questioned Israel’s right to defend itself, some even denied the brutality of Hamas. I spent the day dismantling every excuse for terror. I met them all with history, with personal testimonies, and with the same grit I bring to my Olympic training. Almost no one came by to actually defend Hamas, but most were almost exclusively anti-Israel.
<div id="attachment_958343" style="width: 417px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-958343" class="wp-image-958343 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-29-PM-4687-407x576.jpg" alt="Credit: AJ Edleman" width="407" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-29-PM-4687-407x576.jpg 407w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-29-PM-4687-212x300.jpg 212w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-29-PM-4687-768x1086.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-29-PM-4687-1086x1536.jpg 1086w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-29-PM-4687-1448x2048.jpg 1448w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-29-PM-4687-scaled.jpg 1810w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px" />Credit: AJ Edleman</div>
<div id="attachment_958345" style="width: 394px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-958345" class="wp-image-958345 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-27-PM-7656-384x576.jpg" alt="Credit: AJ Edleman" width="384" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-27-PM-7656-384x576.jpg 384w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-27-PM-7656-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-27-PM-7656-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-27-PM-7656-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-27-PM-7656-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-27-PM-7656-1360x2040.jpg 1360w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-27-PM-7656-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px" />Credit: AJ Edleman</div>
But then, as the day was coming to a close, a man and his girlfriend approached the table. He was hot. Mad. Angry. He didn’t plead with a nuanced argument or context. He didn&#8217;t come to debate over Israel, he came to both defend Hamas and justify the attacks on October 7. It was deserved, you see. The natural reaction to Israel&#8217;s actions.
For over a decade, I have debated with all kinds of people on the topic of Israel. And there are some occasions when the feeling you are left with is far more powerful than the words the person used. I have hosted over a dozen events just like this one. And after debating hundreds of individuals, I can say that while I may forget the talking points, I can usually remember the overall feeling. This was just such an occasion. I could feel his hatred. This man hated who I was. What I was.
<div id="attachment_958347" style="width: 417px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-958347" class="size-large wp-image-958347" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-31-PM-4724-407x576.jpg" alt="Credit: David Zimand" width="407" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-31-PM-4724-407x576.jpg 407w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-31-PM-4724-212x300.jpg 212w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-31-PM-4724-768x1086.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-31-PM-4724-1086x1536.jpg 1086w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-31-PM-4724-1448x2048.jpg 1448w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-07-Aug-2025-02-31-PM-4724-scaled.jpg 1810w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px" />Credit: David Zimand</div>
It was only as his story at Columbia University broke into the news that a photographer-friend who had taken a picture of our encounter messaged me to ask if I realized who that was shouting at my face back in Washington Square Park: It was Mahmoud Khalil and his now-wife standing behind him as she nodded along with what he said.
And here’s what gets me: The media elevate voices like his because they somehow echo part of the cultural anger. We cut them slack, grant them platforms, then pat ourselves on the back for “honest debate.” But is shouting like a cheerleader for genocide really “honest”? Or is it moral abdication?
We treat his bloodlust as just another datapoint in a “heated discussion.” We ignore that he stands for rejoicing in the death of children. We gloss over the fact that someone who rationalizes cold-blooded massacre is someone we wouldn’t let babysit our own kids. Yet the legacy media puts them on a rhetorical pedestal and hands them the microphone.
Why do we give leeway to a man whose heart harbors hatred we’d recoil from in our personal lives? Because we in the West neutralize his crime into a “viewpoint” — and pretend there’s no difference between demanding justice and celebrating murder.
This is the hate-validation fallacy: assuming that any hatred we share is enough to legitimize the most extreme expressions of it. The media embrace the worst apologists for atrocity, then wonder why society feels more fractured than ever. Somehow, when it comes to Israel, this fallacy is dialed up to 11.
Are we so starved for certainty that we’ll champion the vilest among us just to prove we’re right? When did we decide that the loudest hate gets respect, while decency gets dismissed as propaganda?
Hamas stands for exulting in death — of Jews and their own people. There is no moral middle ground. And anyone who celebrates terror doesn’t have a “perspective” worth quoting — they’re a warning sign of how low discourse can sink.
That day in Washington Square Park, I saw his contempt up close. I saw how easily we can excuse the worst people when they confirm our biases. And I knew: if we don’t draw a line here, we lose more than a debate — we lose our humanity.
So, the next time you see a genocide apologist splashed across your feed, ask yourself: am I amplifying truth or validating hate? Because there’s a world of difference between making a point and aiding a monster.
We owe it to ourselves — and to every innocent life — to choose wisely. Reject the hate-validation fallacy. Refuse to give hate a stage. And remember: some voices deserve nothing but silence.
* * *
A.J. Edelman is an Israeli Olympian and captain of Israel’s Edelman Bobsled Team, a mixed Jewish/Druze team training for the 2026 Olympic Games, and in line to become Israel&#8217;s first ever multi-sport Olympian. When not sliding down mountains he is a writer and commentator.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Washington Square Park

The Day I Met Mahmoud Khalil In Washington Square Park

Anti-Semitism

antisemitism

Jews

New York City

A new report details how the perpetrators of the Hamas-led massacre of Israelis on October 7, 2023, had a “systematic and premeditated” plan for the brutal sexual assault of Israeli women.
The <a href="https://thedinahproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/The-Dinah-Project-full-report-A4-pages_web.pdf">report</a> from the aptly-named Dinah Project — in the Bible, the Biblical patriarch Jacob’s daughter was raped by a prince of a nearby region — delineates the savage treatment in the rape and murder of the Israeli women by the Palestinians who were either members of Hamas or the Gazan population.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Rape. Genital Mutilation.
Hamas used sexual violence as a weapon of war &#8211; on October 7 and well after.
This was not random. It was systematic. An intentional tactic of terror. A war crime.
The July 8 Dinah Report demands accountability. 
We will not stop fighting for… <a href="https://t.co/YXpesuK9aH">pic.twitter.com/YXpesuK9aH</a>
&mdash; Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) <a href="https://twitter.com/IsraelMFA/status/1942508962852790450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“This report represents a call to action: to acknowledge the sexual violence that occurred on October 7 as crimes against humanity, to hold the perpetrators responsible, and to ensure that the tactical use of sexual violence by Hamas as a weapon of war receives the international condemnation and response it demands,” the report states.
According to the report, the sexual assaults themselves were systematic and premeditated, thus attesting to the weaponization of sexual violence and its utilization as a tool of war. A report from the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) of the UN had already noted, “across multiple locations of the Gaza periphery, a pattern of victims, mostly women, found fully or partially naked from the waist down, with their hands tied behind their back and/or tied to structures such as trees and poles, and shot. &#8230; There are further accounts of individuals who witnessed at least two incidents of rape of corpses of women.”
“One should bear in mind that the vast majority of those who were sexually assaulted were among the 1,166 who were murdered in the attack and therefore silenced forever,” the report reminds its readers. “Many of those who did survive are likely to be too traumatized to be able to recount their experience.”
“The threat of forcibly marrying the female hostages is a recurring theme,” the report explains. “The intention to marry off the female hostages, which was reported by six of the returned hostages, reveals a plan to engage in an act of raping and possibly impregnating them.”
“Five witnesses reported four or five separate cases of gang rapes; two witnesses reported one possible case of gang rape,” the report notes. “Thus, in total, there are at least four accounts of gang rapes, and possibly six such accounts, all occurring during the October 7 attack. &#8230; In most cases, the rape victims were murdered during or immediately following the assault. &#8230; The accounts of mutilations are corroborated by the descriptions of first and second responders.”
The report noted the following actions taken by the perpetrators: Bodies with objects inserted into their private parts; bodies with signs of shooting or other mutilations in the area of the genitalia, and bodies of naked women cuffed to trees.
“All of the first responders who were at the Nova festival site described the same scenes: Dozens of female bodies naked or partially naked from the waist down, many of them bleeding from the genitalia as a result of gunshots,” the report states.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT-HOSTAGES

New Report Exposes Brutal Hamas Atrocities Against Israeli Women

Murder

Rape

Terrorism

World

For most American families, the Fourth of July is a joyful celebration — grilling burgers in the backyard, watching fireworks light up the summer sky, and reflecting on the freedoms we’re fortunate to enjoy. We honor liberty, independence, and the founding ideals that shape this country.
For our family, it’s a reminder of the freedom that’s been denied to our son for far too long.
Omer is an American citizen — a kind, optimistic, sports-loving 21-year-old who grew up on Long Island. He was the kind of person who lights up a room, instantly makes new friends, and goes out of his way to include everyone. For over 600 days, Omer has been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, alongside 49 others. He was taken from his army post on October 7, 2023. And to this day, no deal has brought him home.
The Fourth of July was always one of Omer’s favorite holidays. He loved everything about it — the spirit, the energy, the sense of unity it brought. One of his most vivid memories was joining a small-town Independence Day parade in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, during a cross-country Jewish youth trip. He soaked in the atmosphere — the music, the laughter, the feeling of belonging to something bigger than himself.
Omer had every reason to take a traditional path after high school. He was accepted to SUNY Binghamton and could have started a comfortable American college life. But instead, he chose to serve. He took a gap year in Israel and enlisted as a lone soldier in the Israel Defense Forces. His final post was near the Gaza border, where his mission was to protect nearby civilian communities.
The values we honor on Independence Day — freedom, justice, and human dignity — aren&#8217;t just words we say once a year. They are the foundation of this country. And when those values are threatened — when Americans are held by terrorists for nearly two years — they demand more than celebration. They demand action.
<div id="attachment_942937" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-942937" class="size-large wp-image-942937" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2199158540-864x576.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 12: Ronen Neutra and Orna Neutra speak about their son, Omer Neutra, who was killed by Hamas during a roundtable discussion with the House Foreign Affairs Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on February 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. Three more hostages were released on Feb. 8 as part of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2199158540-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2199158540-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2199158540-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2199158540.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images</div>
We have witnessed America&#8217;s incredible power in recent months. President Trump and his administration have shown that this nation can achieve the impossible when it sets its mind to it. We watched with profound gratitude as they secured the release of so many hostages, including American Edan Alexander. This is what America does — we fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. We are a nation that stands up for the vulnerable. We leave no one behind.
President Trump recently said it&#8217;s time to bring all the hostages home — and time for the war to end. We agree. Immense strength has been shown over the past 21 months. Incredible military achievements against Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas. Now, it is time for that strength to deliver peace.
But peace cannot begin until every hostage comes home.
There is no real end to the fighting in Gaza while 50 hostages remain in underground tunnels, cut off from the world, and while families like ours live in daily anguish. Peace cannot be built on the backs of unresolved suffering.
This is not a partisan issue. This is not just an Israeli issue. It is an American issue — and a human issue. Omer is one of our own, but so are the other 49 souls still trapped in darkness. If we mean what we say when we salute the flag or sing the national anthem, we cannot remain silent while any innocent person is held by a U.S.-designated terror group.
&#8220;Peace through strength&#8221; isn&#8217;t just a slogan. It&#8217;s a principle — one that must now lead to freedom for the living, dignity for the dead, and closure for families still waiting. The United States has influence, and it has leverage. It has shown it can move mountains when it chooses to act.
We call on President Trump to press regional leaders, allies, and stakeholders to come to the table and finalize a comprehensive deal. Not in phases, not with half-measures — but a deal that brings every hostage home. A deal that leaves no one behind — not the Americans, not the Israelis, not the Thai workers, not the elderly, not the men — every single one.
Omer is not a symbol or a headline. He is a son. A friend. A teammate. A young man who has always stood up for others. In that sense, he represents the very ideals we celebrate each Fourth of July. And he represents every hostage still waiting for freedom.
So this year, as Americans gather in backyards and parks, as fireworks light up the sky and flags wave proudly — we ask you to think of Omer. And of the 49 others still waiting to come home.
Don&#8217;t just wave the flag. Live its meaning. Call your elected officials. Say Omer&#8217;s name. Say all their names. Remind your representatives that freedom is not complete until it reaches every corner of human suffering.
Let this Independence Day be more than a celebration. Let it be a declaration of conviction—and the beginning of the end of this nightmare.
Because freedom means nothing if we stop fighting for those who’ve lost theirs.
* * * 
Orna and Ronen Neutra are the parents of American-Israeli hostage Omer Neutra.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

The 2024 Republican National Convention

This July 4th, Freedom Demands We Bring The Hostages Home

Gaza

Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

President Trump

The following excerpt is taken from the new book &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Proportionality-Israels-Just-Gaza/dp/B0F841ZJTX">Beyond Proportionality: Israel&#8217;s Just War In Gaza,</a>&#8221; by Thane Rosenbaum (Wicked Son/Post Hill Press, May 2025).
* * *
<h3>INTRODUCTION: “J’accuse!” — The Case Against Israel</h3>
At the turn of the nineteenth century, a political scandal in France galvanized public opinion all over the world. Known as the Dreyfus Affair, at its root was the inexorable display and mass hatred of Jews. This same antisemitic fervor, which a few decades later would materialize into the Holocaust, had been around for two millennia. Occasionally, it would manifest itself in pogroms and mass expulsions. Along the way, it went from latent to lethal, and emanated from a lie.
This time, however, the antisemitism was organized, sanctioned by the government, fueled by the press, and openly embraced by many people who regarded themselves as highly cultivated and civilized. Artists and intellectuals took a special interest in joining the mob. And it came pre-packaged with an easily disproved conspiracy theory involving a treasonous Jewish military officer.
Jews in France had long enjoyed the full panoply of civil rights. Indeed, during the French Revolution, France had become the first European nation to emancipate its Jewish population. For nearly a century, French Jews had participated in every facet of cosmopolitan life among the professional classes and cultural elite. But suddenly, they found themselves facing a backlash unlike anything they had experienced before.
The Dreyfus Affair made the unspoken hatred of Jews not just acceptable but fashionable. Seemingly overnight, Jews in France went from being socially accepted and having a sense of security to being on the receiving end of wild denunciations for their clannishness, duplicity, greed, and dual loyalty.
And much like Nazi Germany, the nerve center of these societal convulsions burned brightest on university campuses, in the pages of the mainstream press, and wherever artists and writers congregated. The fact that it all originated from an easily disprovable lie was of little concern. The case against Dreyfus was merely a pretext to something far worse.
<div id="attachment_942309" style="width: 417px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Proportionality-Israels-Just-Gaza/dp/B0F841ZJTX"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-942309" class="size-large wp-image-942309" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-02-Jul-2025-12-29-PM-7049-407x576.jpg" alt="Credit: Post Hill Press/Wicked Son" width="407" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-02-Jul-2025-12-29-PM-7049-407x576.jpg 407w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-02-Jul-2025-12-29-PM-7049-212x300.jpg 212w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-02-Jul-2025-12-29-PM-7049-768x1086.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-02-Jul-2025-12-29-PM-7049-1086x1536.jpg 1086w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-02-Jul-2025-12-29-PM-7049-1448x2048.jpg 1448w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-02-Jul-2025-12-29-PM-7049-scaled.jpg 1810w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px" /></a>Credit: Post Hill Press/Wicked Son</div>
Captain Alfred Dreyfus was an officer on the French military general staff accused of passing state secrets to Germany — the despised aggressor nation that during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 had humiliated France and annexed Alsace and Moselle. Someone had to be blamed, and Dreyfus, a high-ranking Jewish officer, fully assimilated yet perceived as a foreigner, was an easy fall guy even though there was no actual evidence of his wrongdoing. The French legal system relied upon forged documents — manufactured by military counterintelligence — to falsify his guilt. The letters were not even in Dreyfus’ handwriting.
That’s not to say there was no spy within the ranks of senior military officers. But it wasn’t Captain Dreyfus. Two years after he was court-martialed for treason and shipped off to Devil’s Island, a notorious tropical hellhole where many prisoners died of disease and malnutrition, the French Army uncovered evidence implicating the true culprit — Major Walsin Esterhazy, who had sold secret documents to the German Embassy. But by then the nation was awash in anti-Jewish bigotry. Dreyfus should have been exonerated instantly. Instead, he was returned to France to face a new trial, where he was once again convicted and given an enhanced sentence.
Newspapers around the world covered the trial and its aftermath. A slogan representative of the times referred to Dreyfus as “the Jew who is everywhere but belongs nowhere.” It should come as no surprise to learn that the Dreyfus Affair roughly coincided with the publication of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, another forged document, this one alleging a Jewish conspiracy to conquer the world.
Events shifted dramatically when one of France’s leading intellectuals, the novelist and playwright Émile Zola, wrote a lengthy front-page essay — famously titled “J’Accuse&#8230;!” — in which he charged the French government and legal system with a coverup. Zola wrote, “Here&#8230;are the facts which explain how a miscarriage of justice could be made; and the moral evidence, the financial circumstances of Dreyfus, the absence of reason, his continual cry of innocence&#8230;the hunting for the ‘dirty Jews,’ which dishonours our time.” Given the public embarrassment to the nation’s institutions, Zola himself was brought to trial and convicted of libel. He fled to London.
Eventually, the obsession with Dreyfus dissipated. The French government and its people finally came to recognize that they had been handed a convenient excuse to shift blame away from France’s military and rest it instead with a familiar villain. National regret ensued, and by 1906, Dreyfus was exonerated, and his rank restored.
But anyone familiar with these events can’t help but see the parallel with what is happening today. The global reaction to Israel’s eighteen-month-long war in Gaza has had many of the same elements: heightened emotions, irrational arguments, distorted histories, the rejection of obvious truths, forged documents, falsified facts, misapplied laws, antisemitic stereotypes, and worldwide anti-Jewish rage. But instead of a single Jewish officer serving as the focal point, this time it was the Jewish state, and its professional military, who stand falsely accused — and with much the same imagery. Thus, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is often depicted as drinking the blood of Palestinian children.
Such fabrications are all the more paradoxical given the events that preceded and fully justified Israel’s retaliatory war against Hamas. These sensationalized condemnations completely overlook and ignore what started the conflict in the first place. On the morning of October 7, 2023, southern Israel was invaded — by land, air, and sea — by six thousand Palestinians from Gaza. Most were terrorists with Hamas and Islamic Jihad, but many were ordinary civilians. It was a planned and coordinated attack that lasted several hours and targeted the concert-goers at the Nova Music Festival, most of whom were young peace-loving Israelis.
* * *
<div>
<div class="a-cardui-content a-cardui-uninitialized _about-the-author-card_carouselItemStyles_peekableContent__hWM3i" data-a-max-height="80">
Thane Rosenbaum is an essayist, law professor, and author of both fiction and nonfiction titles, including the novels, &#8220;How Sweet It Is!&#8221;,&#8221; The Stranger Within Sarah Stein,&#8221; &#8220;The Golems of Gotham,&#8221; &#8220;Second Hand Smoke,&#8221; and &#8220;Elijah Visible.&#8221; His articles, reviews and essays appear frequently in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, CNN, Huffington Post and Daily Beast, among other national publications.
</div>
</div>
This excerpt from &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Proportionality-Israels-Just-Gaza/dp/B0F841ZJTX">Beyond Proportionality: Israel&#8217;s Just War In Gaza,</a>&#8221; by Thane Rosenbaum is published by permission from Post Hill Press/Wicked Son.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

TOPSHOT-ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT

When Lies Turn Deadly: The Century-Old Script Behind Today’s Anti-Israel Fury

Books

France

Jewish

Middle East

Israel Defense Forces announced on Saturday that Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa — one of the Hamas terrorists who helped to plan the October 7 massacre and train those who carried it out — had been &#8220;eliminated.&#8221;
&#8220;ELIMINATED: eliminated Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa — one of the founders of Hamas’ military wing. Issa led Hamas’ force build-up, training, and planned the October 7 massacre,&#8221; read the X post announcing the news. &#8220;As Head of Combat Support, he advanced aerial &amp; naval attacks against Israelis. The IDF &amp; ISA will continue to locate and eliminate all terrorists involved in the October 7 massacre.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🔴 ELIMINATED: eliminated Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa—one of the founders of Hamas’ military wing.
Issa led Hamas’ force build-up, training, and planned the October 7 massacre. As Head of Combat Support, he advanced aerial &amp; naval attacks against Israelis.
The IDF &amp; ISA will… <a href="https://t.co/pzf7DgQc19">pic.twitter.com/pzf7DgQc19</a>
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) <a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1939026068499001408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The post included a photo of Issa and several key details about who he was and what he did for the terrorist organization that was based in Gaza.
According to the post, he &#8220;was a key source of knowledge and one of the last remaining senior Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip,&#8221; and he had &#8220;played a significant role in the planning and execution of the October 7th massacre.&#8221;
The IDF also noted that Issa &#8220;was one of the founders of the Hamas military wing&#8221; and had been instrumental in building up the forces in Gaza, where he also &#8220;served as the Head of the Training Headquarters&#8221; and was working to help rebuild operational capabilities that had been compromised by the ongoing war.
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A longer statement from the IDF read, in part, &#8220;Yesterday (Friday), in a joint activity, the IDF and ISA struck and eliminated the terrorist Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa in the area of Sabra in Gaza City. Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa was a senior figure in Hamas’ military wing and was considered one of the founders of the terrorist organization. His current role was Head of Combat Support Headquarters in Hamas’ military wing.&#8221;
&#8220;Throughout the war, and over the past few days, Issa served as Head of the Combat Support Headquarters, and advanced aerial and naval terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip,&#8221; the statement continued.
&#8220;The IDF and ISA will continue to operate to locate and eliminate all terrorists from the different terrorist organizations who took part in the brutal October 7th massacre,&#8221; the IDF concluded.

IDF-Combat-Drone-Unit

October 7th Mastermind ‘ELIMINATED,’ Israel Defense Forces Say

October 7th Mastermind 'ELIMINATED,' Israel Defense Forces Say

Global Politics

In stark contrast to the battle cries of antisemites, and now the loud chorus of pundits defending Iran and its terror network, our message as Christians is this: preserve Israel and all she defends. As friends of Israel — of freedom, democracy, human rights, holy and ancient tradition — our prayers in her defense must overwhelm the rockets aimed at her annihilation.
Right now, Israel’s enemies are loud. So her friends need to be louder. Because once again, Israel stands on the verge of destruction.
The Iranian regime has openly and repeatedly vowed to annihilate the State of Israel. Since the October 7 terror attacks, Iran-backed terrorists have wrought havoc, ruining their own country, Yemen, and others, while targeting Israeli civilians from afar. When their terrorist friends again launched dozens of rockets at Israel recently, with <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/houthi-missile-strikes-near-israeli-airport-after-evading-missile-defenses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one landing at Ben Gurion Airport</a>, at least eight individuals were seriously wounded. Over the weekend, Iran launched more missiles at Israel — and not at military targets, but as is typical for Iran, at innocent civilians and young children.
And now, Iran has reached the brink of producing nuclear weapons. This is not a theory. This is a very real, existential threat.
We must say it clearly: there will be no second Holocaust. No more helplessness. No more October 7 massacres.
With Iran as unhinged as ever before, the State of Israel was reborn for such a time as this — to be a refuge, a free nation with the ability to protect and defend the Jewish people. Israel has the moral and sovereign right to defend itself against those who seek its destruction.
We must stand in solidarity with our Jewish brothers and sisters — not only because of shared values, but because of a shared God who calls us to be a light in the darkness. I am incredibly thankful for leaders like President Trump, who have stood firmly with Israel in its time of need. This is beyond politics and policies; this is about moral clarity. As followers of Christ, we are called to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, to stand against injustice, and to take action, proving that when we say, “Never again,” we mean it.
Our congregation and global partners have chosen to support the people of Israel by investing in the Northern Galilee Emergency Hospital, by donating to the construction of 800 safe houses throughout the Eshkol region, and by building other bomb shelters, civil defense centers, and psychological treatment centers throughout the country. But if you cannot donate funds, donate your voice to amplify our message of peace.
This is also a pivotal moment for Iran, particularly Iranian Christians. The global church must lift them up in prayer and find ways to support them right now. Perhaps this is the beginning of the end of the tyranny and violence they have faced in their own country. We pray that the freedom to preach the Gospel there will finally be possible and that Christians can practice their faith within Iran without fear.
As Christians, Scripture guides us more than any fleeting opinion of man. In Genesis 12:3, we read this about the historic nation of Israel: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
So, our mandate is clear, and we must state it clearly: We will always stand side by side with our Jewish brothers and sisters, and we will always have their backs.
* * *
Pastor Jentezen Franklin is the senior pastor of Free Chapel and was recently appointed to President Trump&#8217;s <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/05/president-donald-trump-names-advisory-board-members-to-the-religious-liverty-commission/">Religious Liberty Commission</a>. Each week, his television program, Kingdom Connection, is broadcast on major networks all over the world. He is also a New York Times best-selling author of several books.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

The Choice Is Crystal Clear: Christians Must Defend Israel As She Confronts Evil

Bible

Christianity

Christians

Iran

Religious Liberty

The Israel Defense Forces announced Wednesday that it recovered the bodies of two more Israeli hostages from Gaza.
The IDF announced that it recovered the body of 59-year-old Yair Yaakov from the Khan Yunis area of the Gaza Strip. The other hostage’s name has not yet been released.
Yaakov is believed to have been abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, by Islamic Jihad <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm263j1g2rmo">terrorists</a> and taken to Gaza, where his body has remained for over 600 days. In February 2024, the kibbutz announced that Yaakov had been murdered in captivity.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/american-hostage-edan-alexander-reunites-family?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=American+Hostage+Edan+Alexander+Reunites+With+Parents+After+584+Days+In+Hamas+Captivity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AMERICAN HOSTAGE EDAN ALEXANDER REUNITES WITH PARENTS AFTER 584 DAYS IN HAMAS CAPTIVITY</a>
His partner, Meirav Tal, and his children, Or and Yagil Yaakov—who were 12 and 16 at the time—were also taken, but were released in the November 2023 hostage agreement.
Three <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/idf-recovers-bodies-of-two-american-hostages-in-gaza?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=9&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=IDF+Recovers+Bodies+Of+Two+American+Hostages+In+Gaza">other bodies of hostages</a> were recovered in the past seven days, including Israeli-American couple Judith Weinstein-Haggai and Gadi Haggai, as well as Thai national Nattapong Pinta. The recoveries come as Israel and Hamas continue to negotiate a ceasefire, with Hamas using hostage bodies as a bargaining chip.
The body of the father of three was recovered by the IDF troops of the Southern Command and underwent an identification procedure by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in cooperation with the Israel Police, according to the IDF.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/internet-trolls-convince-themselves-that-video-of-gazans-cheering-u-s-aid-is-fake?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Internet+Trolls+Convince+Themselves+That+Video+Of+Gazans+Cheering+U.S.+Aid+Is+Fake" target="_blank" rel="noopener">INTERNET TROLLS CONVINCE THEMSELVES THAT VIDEO OF GAZANS CHEERING U.S. AID IS FAKE</a>
“Together with all citizens of Israel, my wife and I convey our heartfelt condolences to the families that have lost what is dearest to them,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. “I thank the fighters and commanders for another successful operation in the sacred mission to return our hostages.”
The return of the two bodies brings the total number of hostages remaining in Gaza to 53.
“We will neither rest nor be silent until we return home all of our hostages – the living and the deceased,” Netanyahu added. 
About a quarter of Kibbutz Nir Oz’s 400 residents were murdered or taken hostage by terrorists on October 7.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/donald-trump-has-a-recommendation-for-greta-thunberg-after-her-selfie-flotilla?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Donald+Trump+Has+A+Recommendation+For+Greta+Thunberg+After+Her+%E2%80%98Selfie+Flotilla%E2%80%99" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DONALD TRUMP HAS A RECOMMENDATION FOR GRETA THUNBERG AFTER HER ‘SELFIE FLOTILLA’</a>
Yagil mourned his father <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DKxVrbDojwt/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading">on Instagram</a> on Wednesday.
 “I’m sad to say this – I’m already waiting for your funeral. I knew this day would come,” the teenager wrote. “Thank you to the IDF and <a href="https://www.jpost.com/tags/shin-bet">Shin Bet</a> forces for the rescue. I hope we get the rest in a deal that won’t put soldiers at risk.”
Yaakov’s daughter, Shir, 22, was reportedly saved by terrorists failing to break into her apartment in the kibbutz six times, <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-857411#google_vignette">reported The Jerusalem Post</a>.
Yaakov was described as a &#8220;humble, simple man, who loved his family and music” and worked in both agriculture and a Kibbutz Alumim garage, by Kibbutz Nir Oz.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=wisepops&amp;utm_campaign=dad&amp;utm_content=fathersdaygiftpopups" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gift Dad an All Access Membership. Use code DAD40 at checkout to save 40%!</a>
&#8220;This is a much-needed closure, so that we can begin to look forward,&#8221; the Yaakov family said in a statement, reported The Jerusalem Post. &#8220;We thank from the bottom of our hearts the security forces and the brave soldiers who took part in the complex rescue operation. However, we reiterate our position &#8211; the lives of soldiers should not be at stake. The hostages must be returned in a deal that prevents further danger to the soldiers or the captives.&#8221;

Hostage And Missing Families Forum

IDF Recovers Bodies Of Two More Hostages In Gaza: ‘I’m Already Waiting For Your Funeral.’

President Donald Trump offered advice to Swedish activist Greta Thunberg on Monday, after she was detained by the Israel Defense Forces for attempting to sail to Gaza with the “Freedom Flotilla.”
“Well she’s a strange person,” Trump said at a White House event. “She’s a young, angry person. I don’t know if it&#8217;s real anger, it’s hard to believe actually, but I saw what happened. She’s certainly different, anger management. I think she has to go to an anger management class. That’s my primary recommendation for her.”
The Israeli Navy’s Shayetet 13 commando unit and the Snapir harbor border security unit <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/greta-thunbergs-flotilla-circled-by-israeli-forces-en-route-to-gaza?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=IDF+Intercepts+Greta+Thunberg%E2%80%99s+Freedom+Flotilla%3A+%E2%80%98The+Show+Is+Over%E2%80%99">intercepted the</a> “Freedom Flotilla” Sunday night and offered the 12 left-wing activists aboard the “Madleen” one final warning to turn back. When they refused, the IDF forces boarded the vessel around 3:00 a.m., and provided the group sandwiches and water before towing the vessel to Ashdod.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
President Donald Trump says Greta Thunberg needs anger management classes.
&quot;She&#39;s a young angry person, I don&#39;t know if its real anger, it&#39;s hard to believe actually.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/3yZ32q4s6W">pic.twitter.com/3yZ32q4s6W</a>
&mdash; Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) <a href="https://twitter.com/KassyAkiva/status/1932181352633569760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Israel Foreign Ministry shared a photo of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/idf-says-prepared-deal-with-greta-thunbergs-flotilla-en-route-gaza?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=7&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=IDF+Says+It%E2%80%99s+%E2%80%98Prepared%E2%80%99+To+Deal+With+Greta+Thunberg%E2%80%99s+Flotilla+En+Route+To+Gaza">Thunberg</a> smiling when being handed the sandwich and water, with the caption, “Greta Thunberg is currently on her way to Israel, safe and in good spirits.”
Following Thunberg’s arrest, a <a href="https://x.com/HenMazzig/status/1931883778244292843">prerecorded video message</a> of her was released, where she said she was “kidnapped” by the IDF.
“If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters,” she said. “I urge all of my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.”
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When asked if her claim that she was “kidnapped by Israel” is accurate, Trump responded, “I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg.”
“Is that what she said, she was kidnapped by Israel?” Trump asked, shaking his head.
Greta and her comrades docked at the Israeli port of Ashdod on Monday and underwent medical examinations to ensure that they are in good health, according to the ministry, which posted a photo of Thunberg on shore in front of Israeli flags.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The ‘Selfie Yacht’ docked at Ashdod Port a short while ago. The passengers are currently undergoing medical examinations to ensure they are in good health. <a href="https://t.co/dGOhPxQnYI">pic.twitter.com/dGOhPxQnYI</a>
&mdash; Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) <a href="https://twitter.com/IsraelMFA/status/1932151038699508006?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
The group is expected to be held in a detention facility in Ramle before being deported from the Jewish state.
In a press briefing Monday, Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said Thunberg gave “a new definition to the word chutzpah.”
“In more than 20 months, Greta has not found one single moment to call for the release of our hostages, not one single moment, and she has the chutzpah to say that she has been kidnapped,” Mencer said. “Greta will be returned back to her home country very, very shortly with the firm message that [this] isn’t a music festival, it’s a warzone.”
Israel’s Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, said he instructed the IDF to show <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/israel-to-show-greta-thunberg-graphic-footage-of-hamas-october-7-massacre?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Israel+To+Show+Greta+Thunberg+Graphic+Footage+Of+Hamas%E2%80%99+October+7+Massacre">graphic footage</a> of Hamas’ October 7 massacre to the group upon their arrival to Israel.
“It is appropriate that the antisemitic Greta and her fellow Hamas supporters see exactly who the Hamas terrorist organization they came to support and for whom they work is, what atrocities they committed against women, the elderly, and children, and against whom Israel is fighting to defend itself,” <a href="https://x.com/Israel_katz/status/1931928974889795600">Katz said</a>.
While much of the 40+ minute footage has been circulated online, the compilation does not blur the faces of dead or alive adults, and includes some videos that have not been released publicly. In total, the video shows over 120 bodies, including children, videos of beheadings, houses and people set on fire, unarmed people shot at point-blank range, and more.
The group, which has been mocked as the “selfie flotilla,” or sailing on a “selfie yacht,” was using the voyage as a publicity stunt in its attempt to break the Israeli blockade and bring humanitarian supplies to Gaza.
The ministry pointed out that the 59-foot boat included less than a single truckload of aid, while more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza over the last two weeks. The Trump administration-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation successfully delivered more than 8 million meals to Gazans since its operation began less than a month ago, according to the organization.
Mencer called Thunberg’s stunt “Instagram activism,” adding, “And to poor Greta, we say who is really funding Gaza, who is really feeding Gaza, and who is funding their own ego?”
<div id="attachment_931267" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-931267" class="size-large wp-image-931267" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Gs9_WWsXAAAAKwH-1024x576.jpeg" alt="Greta Thunberg" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Gs9_WWsXAAAAKwH-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Gs9_WWsXAAAAKwH-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Gs9_WWsXAAAAKwH-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Gs9_WWsXAAAAKwH.jpeg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />The DF forces provided Thunberg and her fellow passengers sandwiches and water before towing the vessel to Ashdod. (Photo: Israel Foreign Ministry)</div>
“This was a PR stunt sailing under the flag of moral vanity,” Mencer said. “We won’t allow a dangerous precedent to dock at our shores. Letting this selfie yacht dock in Gaza would open the floodgates for Iran-backed terror, for extremists worldwide and for every pseudo activist chasing headlines.”
The Israeli government plans to transfer the “tiny” amount of aid aboard the boat to Gaza through “real humanitarian channels,” according to the ministry.
The flotilla passengers are primarily left-wing activists, including Thiago Ávila of Brazil, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/greta-thunbergs-brazilian-flotilla-buddy-attended-funeral-hezbollah-leader-hassan-nasrallah?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Greta+Thunberg%E2%80%99s+Brazilian+Flotilla+Buddy+Attended+Funeral+Of+Hezbollah+Leader+Hassan+Nasrallah">who has a long record</a> of anti-Israel radicalism—including attending the funeral of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, calling <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/idf-recovers-bodies-of-two-american-hostages-in-gaza">the hostages</a> in Gaza “prisoners,” meeting with terrorists, and stating that he “despises” both the United States and Israel.
European Parliament member, Rima Hassan, is also detained.
An earlier version of this article mistakenly claimed that Liam Cunningham was aboard the Madleen. It has been confirmed that he was not onboard the vessel after it departed.

Greta and Trump

Donald Trump Has A Recommendation For Greta Thunberg After Her ‘Selfie Flotilla’

Greta Thunberg

Greta Thunberg and fellow passengers who were detained by the Israel Defense Forces when trying to sail a boat to Gaza will be shown the graphic footage of Hamas&#8217; October 7 massacre.
Israel’s Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, said he instructed the IDF to show the footage to Thunberg and the other 11 left-wing activists upon their arrival at the Port of Ashdod.
“It is appropriate that the antisemitic Greta and her fellow Hamas supporters see exactly who the Hamas terrorist organization they came to support and for whom they work is, what atrocities they committed against women, the elderly, and children, and against whom Israel is fighting to defend itself,” <a href="https://x.com/Israel_katz/status/1931928974889795600" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Katz said</a>.
While much of the 40+ minute footage has been circulated online, the compilation does not blur the faces of dead or alive adults, and includes some videos that have not been released publicly. In total, the video shows over 120 bodies, including children, videos of beheadings, houses and people set on fire, unarmed people shot at point-blank range, and more.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-couldnt-breathe-watch-arabs-react-after-screening-footage-of-hamas-slaughtering-civilians" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘I COULDN’T BREATHE’: WATCH ARABS REACT AFTER SCREENING FOOTAGE OF HAMAS SLAUGHTERING CIVILIANS</a>
The Israeli Navy’s Shayetet 13 commando unit and the Snapir harbor border security unit <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/greta-thunbergs-flotilla-circled-by-israeli-forces-en-route-to-gaza?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=IDF+Intercepts+Greta+Thunberg%E2%80%99s+Freedom+Flotilla%3A+%E2%80%98The+Show+Is+Over%E2%80%99" target="_blank" rel="noopener">intercepted the</a> “Freedom Flotilla&#8221; Sunday night and offered the group aboard the “Madleen” one final warning to turn back. When they refused, the IDF forces boarded the vessel around 3:00 a.m., and provided the group sandwiches and water before towing the vessel to Ashdod.
<div id="attachment_931267" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-931267" class="size-large wp-image-931267" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Gs9_WWsXAAAAKwH-1024x576.jpeg" alt="Greta Thunberg" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Gs9_WWsXAAAAKwH-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Gs9_WWsXAAAAKwH-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Gs9_WWsXAAAAKwH-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Gs9_WWsXAAAAKwH.jpeg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />The DF forces provided Thunberg and her fellow passengers sandwiches and water before towing the vessel to Ashdod. (Photo: Israel Foreign Ministry)</div>
The Israel Foreign Ministry shared a photo of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/idf-says-prepared-deal-with-greta-thunbergs-flotilla-en-route-gaza?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=7&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=IDF+Says+It%E2%80%99s+%E2%80%98Prepared%E2%80%99+To+Deal+With+Greta+Thunberg%E2%80%99s+Flotilla+En+Route+To+Gaza" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thunberg</a> smiling when being handed the sandwich and water, with the caption “Greta Thunberg is currently on her way to Israel, safe and in good spirits.”
Following Thunberg’s arrest, a <a href="https://x.com/HenMazzig/status/1931883778244292843" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prerecorded video message</a> of her was released, where she said she was “kidnapped” by the IDF.
“If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters,” she said. “I urge all of my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/idf-recovers-bodies-of-two-american-hostages-in-gaza" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IDF RECOVERS BODIES OF TWO AMERICAN HOSTAGES IN GAZA</a>
In a press briefing Monday, Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said Thunberg gave “a new definition to the word chutzpah.”
“In more than 20 months, Greta has not found one single moment to call for the release of our hostages, not one single moment, and she has the chutzpah to say that she has been kidnapped,” Mencer said. “Greta will be returned back to her home country very very shortly with the firm message that isn’t a music festival, it&#8217;s a warzone.”
The group, which has been mocked as the “selfie flotilla,” or sailing on a “selfie yacht” is using the voyage as a publicity stunt in its attempt to break the Israeli blockade and bring humanitarian supplies to Gaza.
The ministry pointed out that the 59-foot boat included less than a single truckload of aid, while more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza over the last two weeks. The Trump administration-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation successfully delivered more than 8 million meals to Gazans since its operation began less than a month ago, according to the organization.
Mencer called Thunberg’s stunt “Instagram activism,” adding, “And to poor Greta, we say who is really funding Gaza, who is really feeding Gaza and who is funding their own ego?”
“This was a PR stunt sailing under the flag of moral vanity,” Mencer said. “We won’t allow a dangerous precedent to dock at our shores. We won’t allow a dangerous precedent to dock at our shores. Letting this selfie yacht dock in Gaza would open the floodgates for Iran-backed terror, for extremists worldwide and for every pseudo activist chasing headlines.”
The Israeli government plans to transfer the “tiny” amount of aid aboard the boat to Gaza through “real humanitarian channels,” according to the ministry.
The flotilla passengers are primarily left-wing activists, including Thiago Ávila of Brazil <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/greta-thunbergs-brazilian-flotilla-buddy-attended-funeral-hezbollah-leader-hassan-nasrallah?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Greta+Thunberg%E2%80%99s+Brazilian+Flotilla+Buddy+Attended+Funeral+Of+Hezbollah+Leader+Hassan+Nasrallah" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who has a long record</a> of anti-Israel radicalism—including attending the funeral of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, calling <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/idf-recovers-bodies-of-two-american-hostages-in-gaza" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the hostages</a> in Gaza “prisoners,” meeting with terrorists, and stating that he “despises” both the United States and Israel.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=wisepops&amp;utm_campaign=dad&amp;utm_content=fathersdaygiftpopups" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gift Dad an All Access Membership. Use code DAD40 at checkout to save 40%!</a>
In February, Ávila widely shared his attendance at Nasrallah’s funeral, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGY-cEKM2KB/?igsh=MXY0d2J1c2xybHVkNg==" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posting</a> interviews where he said Nasrallah “shines” as a figure who was “thinking about liberation of the entire world.” In <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGYug3_tqVV/?igsh=MWt3MDJ4bDMwZDk2dw==" target="_blank" rel="noopener">another video</a>, he called Nasrallah a “martyr” who inspires people “all over the world.”
In the days after Hamas’ massacre, rape, and kidnapping of Israeli civilians, <a href="https://archive.is/HHzyf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ávila criticized</a> UN Secretary General António Guterres for calling for the immediate release of the hostages, calling them instead “prisoners” and advocating for them to be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.
French member of the European Parliament, Rima Hassan, was also detained.
An earlier version of this article mistakenly claimed that Liam Cunningham was aboard the Madleen. It has been confirmed that he was not onboard the vessel after it departed.

October 7 Greta Thunberg

Israel To Show Greta Thunberg Graphic Footage Of Hamas’ October 7 Massacre

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