The Israeli Supreme Court in Jerusalem. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

i24 News – The Israeli Supreme Court issued a conditional order on Sunday requiring the government to explain why it is not issuing conscription orders for ultra-Orthodox Jews on a scale that meets the needs of the army.

The decision comes after three appeals filed by the Movement for Quality Government, the Protective Wall Forum for Democracy, Israel Hofsheet, and other organizations. Justices Noam Sohlberg, David Mintz, and Daphne Barak-Erez have given the government until June 24 to provide its response.

The court also asked the government to justify the absence of sanctions against those who, although summoned, did not report to the recruitment office. At the same time, discussions are underway to try to pass a law on the conscription of the ultra-Orthodox sector, which would regulate the status of yeshiva students, who study advanced Torah studies. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara insisted on setting a cap limiting the number of students exempt from military service, a requirement that the ultra-Orthodox parties members of the governing coalition refuse to accept.

The issue of enlisting the ultra-Orthodox, long deferred, remains a major source of political and social tension in Israel. While some ultra-Orthodox young people are sometimes arrested for insubordination, legislative initiatives struggle to succeed to stymie the exemption, which has been a de facto policy of Israel for decades. According to the requesting organizations, “equality in military service is a fundamental requirement of a democracy,” a position that the government will now have to confront before the highest jurisdiction in the country.

The post Israeli Supreme Court Demands Government Explain Insufficient Ultra-Orthodox Recruits first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Families and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas gather to demand a deal that will bring back all the hostages held in Gaza, outside a meeting between hostage representatives and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Jerusalem, Jan. 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad

i24 News – Egypt has demanded from Hamas information about the status of the hostages still held in the Gaza Strip, according to the Saudi channel Al-Hadath on Sunday.

“Hamas has informed the mediators that it is necessary to end the escalation to ensure the safety of the hostages,” the report said. Meanwhile, Israel has rejected any temporary ceasefire and demands resolving the issue of Hamas disarming.

Egyptian sources revealed to the London-based Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadid that Hamas’s proposal offers a release of all living hostages and the bodies of the slain, the announcement of a complete halt of hostilities, and a total withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian enclave.

The plan would come with “clear and precise guarantees” from the US government, Egyptian and Qatari mediators, as well as Turkey. It includes a five-year calm period during which all restrictions concerning the reconstruction of Gaza would be lifted. A significant element of this proposal concerns the “use of resistance weapons.” According to Egyptian sources, Hamas would accept supervision and guarantees ensuring that Gaza’s armed organizations “will not use their weapons and will not rebuild their military infrastructure near the Israeli border, including offensive tunnels,” as long as Israel respects the terms of the agreement.

Israel, however, has rejected any proposal that does not stipulate the complete disarmament of the group.

The proposal also provides for Hamas to completely withdraw from the administration of Gaza, including its police. The management of the territory would be entrusted to an interim committee formed by Egypt, which would also oversee the training of security forces under this body. Regarding humanitarian aid, the discussions have explored several options, including distribution by an American security company or by tribal groups in Gaza not affiliated with Hamas or other armed organizations. A source within the Hamas leadership stressed that the organization’s “red lines” concern “handing over weapons and partial agreements, considered non-serious as they lack real guarantees.”

The post Egypt Demands Hamas Clarify Status of Hostages in Gaza first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands in front of an F-35 stealth fighter at the IAF’s Nevatim base, July 9, 2019. Photo: Amos Ben Gershom / GPO.

i24 News – The Israel Defense Forces said that a Houthi missile was intercepted outside of Israeli territory, although sirens blared in the eastern Negev and Dead Sea area. The Yemen-based, Iran-backed terrorist group said that they had targeted the Nevatim airbase.

The post Missle from Yemen Targets Dead Sea Area first appeared on Algemeiner.com.