Israel News for 5-16-2025
News Update
The IDF intensified airstrikes across Gaza overnight Thursday and into Friday, targeting Hamas infrastructure. Yesterday the army also struck Khan Yunis. Israeli officials have described the recent strikes as preparation for a potential expanded ground operation in Gaza should ongoing ceasefire talks fail to produce a breakthrough. As of now, there is no progress in the the negotiations in Qatar. A senior member of the Hamas political bureau told Sky News that Hamas was negotiating directly with American officials.
The Arrow-3 missile defense system intercepted a missile launched by the Houthis last night, which sent over a million Israeli to shelters and halted flights in and out of Ben Gurion airport. The Houthis are reportedly planning to step up attacks on Ben Gurion, to try and shut down the country.
As part of the search operation for the terrorist who murdered Tzeela Gez yesterday, as she was on her way to give birth, security forces eliminated 5 armed terrorists, arrested several others and confiscated weapons and explosives.
According to a report in Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar newspaper, Syrian officials have indicated the possibility of transferring to Israel the remains of Israeli spy Eli Cohen and other missing Israeli soldiers.
Speaking at a Knesset committee meeting, Major Sapir Barabi, head of the IDF’s Sources and Combat Unit, stated, “There has been a significant increase in the number of women enlisting. Over the last decade, the proportion of women in combat roles has risen from 13.7% to 20%.”
Israel’s Eurovision representative, Yuval Raphael, advanced to the grand final of the competition, which will be held on Saturday night in Basel, Switzerland. Yuval is a survivor of the Nova festival massacre on Oct. 7.
Today is Lag B’omer, the 33rd day of the 49 days counted between the second day of Passover and the holiday of Shavuot. According to the Talmud, during this period of time in the second century in Israel, 24,000 students of the great sage Rabbi Akiva mysteriously died. One of the reasons given by the Talmud was that their deaths were punishment for their ill treatment of one and other. Whatever the reasons, the students stopped dying on Lag B’omer and so the rabbis turned it into a day of celebration.
Tens of thousands of Jews converged on the town of Meron in the Galilee last night to celebrate the festival of Lag B’omer at the tomb of the second century Talmudic sage Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai (also a student of Rabbi Akiva) who died on Lag B’omer and who is credited in Jewish tradition for authoring the Zohar, the famous cornerstone of the Kabbalah (Jewish mystical teachings).
According to the Zohar, on the day of his death Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai gathered together all of his students, who were the greatest sages of the time, and revealed to them the deepest secrets of the Kabbalah. During this momentous session his home was filled with an intense light, like a fire.
May the merit and the light of Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai bring healing, unity and salvation to Israel and to the entire world.
