Gideon Sa’ar. Photo: Reuters / Francois Lenoir.

i24 News – Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on Sunday that Hamas was showing “greater flexibility” on the possibility of a hostage release and ceasefire deal.

“There are indications regarding a ceasefire with Hamas,” he said at an Israel Hayom conference. “We may see a greater degree of flexibility on their part. In my opinion, we will know in the coming days.”

The Israeli government wants a deal to move forward, Sa’ar said, adding: “I hope it will succeed in moving forward.”

One of the main sticking points is Hamas control of the Gaza Strip the day after the war, which Israel will not budge on, he said.

Hamas is reportedly meeting on Sunday with Egyptian officials in Cairo to discuss formulating the potential deal.

He also spoke about the recent developments in Syria, after anti-government groups launched a major offensive that took over Aleppo in northwestern Syria.

“We do not want to take sides in this matter,” Sa’ar said. “There is no good choice between the Syrian regime and the jihadist rebels.”

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Two of the Star of David necklaces being sold by SXS Jewels. Photo: Instagram

JNS.org – Three men severely assaulted a Jewish man at nightclub in Dublin last month in what is being described as an antisemitic attack, The Irish Times reported on Saturday.

The man, who was not named but was described as a student from the United States living in Ireland, was wearing a Star of David necklace at the club on Nov. 9 when three men approached him and one of them asked whether he was Jewish, according to the report. When he replied he was, the men attacked, causing him a concussion before security intervened.

One suspect was arrested and may be prosecuted for a hate crime, the newspaper reported.

Israel’s ambassador to Dublin, Dana Erlich, condemned the alleged assault and said there has been an “alarming increase” in anti-Israel discourse in Ireland that frequently “mutates” into antisemitism. Despite the attack, the victim remains determined to stay in Ireland, asserting that antisemitism must be confronted.

Separately, an Irish musician with the rock band Fontaines D.C. used his speech in London while accepting a prestigious award to fulminate against Zionism and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Free Palestine, f***k Netanyahu and f**k Zionism,” guitarist Carlos O’Connell said at the end of his remarks at Friday’s Rolling Stone UK Awards 2024 ceremony in London. His band won The Album Award for its release titled Romance. 

Ireland is among the E.U. member states with the most hostile policy toward Israel, and joined Spain and Norway in recognizing a Palestinian state in May.

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Syrians and Palestinians living in Syria stand next to a poster depicting Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad as they mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day), in Damascus, Syria April 29, 2022. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi

i24 News – US National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said that Washington “is closely monitoring the situation in Syria,” while blaming President Bashar al-Assad’s regime for “the collapse of Assad regime lines in northwest Syria.”

Syrian government forces said that areas north of Hama had been taken back from the opposition coalition, led by Hayat Tahrir a-Sham (HTS).

The offensive, dubbed “Operation Deterrence of Aggression,” began last Wednesday and includes other opposition groups, such as the Syrian National Army.

Savett denied the US was involved in the attack, led by “a designated terrorist organization.”

The push overran Assad forces in Aleppo, controlling important transportation routes after taking swathes of territory. The anti-government forces have reached the outskirts of Hama, on the main highway that leads from Aleppo to Damascus.

Russia replaced Lieutenant General Sergey Kisel, in charge of Moscow’s forces in Syria, amid his tactical failures. The weakening of Assad’s allies – including Russia, Iran, and Shi’ite militias like the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah – created conditions that have led to anti-government forces’ most significant gains against Assad in years.

While HTS has long been considered a terrorist organization by the US, Turkey, and other countries, the Syrian National Army, formerly the Free Syrian Army, is allied with Turkey.

HTS, formerly Jabhat A-Nusra, was founded by Abu Mohammad al-Julani, a warlord tied with Al-Qaeda in the early years of the Syrian civil war.

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