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Israel’s National Security Council Warns of Increased Threats to Jews Abroad Ahead of Passover
El Al planes are seen on the tarmac at Ben-Gurion International airport, near Tel Aviv, Israel, March 10, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Ronen Zvulun.
Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) has issued a warning for Israeli and Jewish individuals traveling abroad during the upcoming Passover holiday, citing potential threats from Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and other extremist groups.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the NSC identified Iran as a key force behind global terrorism, stressing its ongoing support for operations targeting Israeli and Jewish communities worldwide.
“Iran is the main instigator of global terrorism against Israeli and Jewish targets around the world, both directly and through its proxies,” the statement read. “It continues to use terrorism as a key policy instrument, in response to and in revenge for the harm inflicted on high-ranking Iranian officials and senior Hezbollah and Hamas operatives in the Swords of Iron war.”
Over the past year, several Iran-led terrorist plots targeting Israeli diplomatic missions in countries such as Sweden and Belgium were prevented.
Officials also said there have been efforts by Iranian terrorist groups to engage with Israeli citizens abroad, aiming to harm or abduct them.
Amid the renewed fighting in Gaza, the NSC also issued a warning about potential attacks by Hamas on Israelis abroad, anticipating that the Palestinian terrorist group will intensify its efforts.
Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, security forces have intercepted several attacks on Israeli targets worldwide and uncovered Hamas-linked terror networks operating in countries such as Denmark, Germany, Bulgaria, and Sweden.
According to the NSC, Israel’s attempts to free the remaining hostages in Gaza and its renewed military campaign against Hamas are likely to intensify efforts against Jewish and Israeli interests overseas.
“With the collapse of the ceasefire and resumed fighting in Gaza, we are expecting to see an increase in attempted attacks against Israeli/Jewish targets abroad carried out by local initiatives or lone-wolf attackers,” the statement read.
The NSC also warned of threats from groups such as ISIS and Al Qaeda, especially in Europe, while emphasizing that global jihadist operations and networks are primarily active in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
In addition to the increased terrorism threats, the advisory also highlighted the rising surge in hate crimes and antisemitic incidents targeting Jews and Israelis in countries such as Canada, Australia, and Germany.
“The bottom line is that the various terrorist entities (Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, Global Jihad) are still highly motivated and active in advancing attacks against Israelis and Jews around the world,” the NSC warned.
“The backdrop of the hate-filled general feeling towards Israelis and Jews in many countries because of the war continues to fuel motivation among terrorists to carry out attacks against Israelis and Jews abroad.”
The post Israel’s National Security Council Warns of Increased Threats to Jews Abroad Ahead of Passover first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.