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Teenager killed, 22 injured in Jerusalem bus stop bombings, the first in years
(JTA) — Two bombs rocked bus stops at crowded entrances to Jerusalem early Wednesday morning, killing a teenager and sending about 20 people to the hospital, some in serious condition.
The fatality was a 16-year-old yeshiva student named Aryeh Shtsupak from Har Nof, a largely Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem. He may have held Canadian and American citizenship, according to local media reports.
The attacks represented the first time in years that terrorists used bombs in a deadly assault against Israelis, and police say they believe the bombs were detonated remotely. In recent months, Israel has seen a wave of terrorist attacks comprised mostly of stabbings and car rammings, including in an attack in the West Bank last week that consisted of both and killed three people. Tight Israeli security is credited with thwarting terrorists’ use of more sophisticated attack methods, and Wednesday’s bombings are being seen as a failure of Israeli security.
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad praised the attack but did not take responsibility for it. The Palestinian militant groups have claimed responsibility for previous attacks but said this one reflected “a natural response” to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and “its criminal practices” related to Muslim holy sites.
The bombings come amid the deadliest year in nearly a decade for Israelis and Palestinians, following a wave of terrorist attacks in the spring and an intense response by Israel’s army. The army has said most of the people killed in the raids it has conducted in the West Bank, including the city of Jenin, which is controlled by militants, have been involved in terrorism; some, including the Palestinian-American journalism Shireen Abu Akleh, were not.
Also Wednesday, an Israeli Arab 18-year-old who was involved in a serious car accident near Jenin a day earlier and was then hospitalized in Jenin before dying was seized by armed militants who entered the healthcare facility and snatched the man’s body. His father said the teenager died when the militants disconnected him from medical equipment to take him away. Another Israeli Arab man who had been involved in the car accident was then relocated to Rambam hospital in Haifa.
The security situation was among the top issues in this month’s national election that gave Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister, a mandate to form a new government, which he is in the process of doing now. The current prime minister, Yair Lapid, planned Wednesday to brief Netanyahu about the security situation afternoon.
Meanwhile, a right-wing politician who is angling for a Cabinet position in charge of security in the new government traveled to the scene of one of the bombings to call for a heavy response to terror attacks, including targeted killings and curfews on the towns from which attackers are seen to have come.
“It’s time to establish a right-wing government as soon as possible,” Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of the Otzma Yehudit party, said at the scene. “Terror does not wait.”
Among those injured in the blasts were a classmate of Shtsupak who was seriously wounded. (Shtsupak’s name has appeared with multiple English spellings.) Uri Pilichowski, an American rabbi who moved to the West Bank and has used his social media presence to try to explain the perspective of Jewish settlers, said his teenage daughter was injured in one of the blasts. “Thank God she is fine, just a small cut,” he tweeted on Wednesday morning.
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The post Teenager killed, 22 injured in Jerusalem bus stop bombings, the first in years appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Defense Minister Moves to Shut Down Israel’s Historic Army Radio Station
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz looks on, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, Nov. 7, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said he plans to bring a proposal to the government on Sunday to close Galei Tzahal, the Israel Defense Forces’ radio station, ending a broadcast operation that has been on the air for more than seven decades.
If approved, the shutdown would take effect on March 1, 2026.
The announcement has triggered sharp backlash from journalists, legal experts, and civil society groups, who warn the move could have far-reaching implications for press freedom. Tal Lev-Ram, the station’s commander, has already signaled that Galei Tzahal’s leadership intends to challenge the decision in the High Court of Justice. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara also voiced concern, cautioning that the plan could amount to political intervention in public media and pose risks to freedom of expression.
Criticism has also come from the Israeli Press Council, headed by former Supreme Court justice Hanan Melcer, which labeled the proposed closure unlawful.
The council argued that dismantling a public broadcaster requires explicit legislation passed by the Knesset, not a government decision alone. Advocacy organizations, including the Movement for Quality Government, said they are preparing legal petitions as well.
Katz defended the initiative by citing the findings of a professional review committee, which concluded that a military-run radio station broadcasting political and current affairs programming to the general public represents a “democratic anomaly.”
He argued that Galei Tzahal has moved beyond its original mandate of serving soldiers and their families.
The committee examined a range of alternatives, such as converting the station into a music-only outlet or partially privatizing its operations.
Ultimately, it recommended either closing the station altogether or significantly scaling it back by removing political content. Katz noted that Galgalatz, the popular music station operated by the army, would continue broadcasting under the proposed plan.
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Trilateral Summit: Israel, Greece, Cyprus to Discuss Regional Security
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participates in the state memorial ceremony for the fallen of the Iron Swords War on Mount Herzl, Jerusalem on Oct. 16, 2025. Photo: Alex Kolomoisky/POOL/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Jerusalem will host a trilateral summit tomorrow, bringing together leaders from Israel, Greece, and Cyprus to discuss strengthening security cooperation in the eastern Mediterranean.
The summit follows reports by Amichai Stein of i24NEWS last week that the three countries are considering the formation of a joint rapid-response military unit.
The Israeli Prime Minister is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with each of his counterparts before convening the full trilateral session, which will conclude with a joint press statement outlining the summit’s outcomes.
Media reports indicate that the initiative is driven in part by concerns in Athens over Turkey’s growing military activity in the region. The proposed rapid-response force is expected to enhance coordination, readiness, and overall security among the three allies.
Analysts say the meeting could solidify Israel, Greece, and Cyprus’s strategic partnership and signal a more unified approach to regional defense challenges.
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Justice Department Restores Trump Photo to Public Database of Epstein Files
An exterior image from the U.S. Virgin Islands property on Little St. James once owned by Jeffrey Epstein. via U.S. Justice Department
A photo of US President Donald Trump that had been removed from the cache of Jeffrey Epstein files released by the Department of Justice was restored on Sunday after officials determined none of Epstein’s victims were in the image, the department said.
The photo showing a desk with an open drawer containing a photo of Trump with various women was flagged by the Southern District of New York for review to protect potential victims.
“After the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction,” the Justice Department said on X on Sunday.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said earlier on Sunday his office removed the photo because of concerns about women in the photo. “It has nothing to do with President Trump,” Blanche said during a Sunday morning appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker.”
The Justice Department released thousands of documents on Friday related to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who committed suicide in 2019. But it has drawn criticism, including from some Republicans, over extensive redactions and few documents mentioning Trump despite his well-publicized friendship with Epstein.
During an ABC News interview on Sunday, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called for a “full and complete investigation as to why the document production has fallen short of what the law clearly required.”
Up to 16 photos, including the desk drawer Trump image, were removed on Saturday from the Justice Department website, according to The New York Times, NPR and the Associated Press, although Reuters could not independently confirm the removals.
The Justice Department said on Sunday it acted with an abundance of caution after receiving requests from alleged victims and their lawyers to remove information.
Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing and has denied knowing about Epstein’s crimes.