JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
ISRAEL-TORNADOES IN AMERICA.CIA AND COVID VACCINES.
WEEK OF DANIEL 9:27 WE KNOW ITS 7 YRS
The King of Jerusalem[1] was the supreme ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Crusader state founded by Christian princes in 1099 when the First Crusade took the city.Godfrey of Bouillon, the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, himself refused the title of king, and instead chose the title "Defender of the Holy Sepulchre". Thus, the title of king was only introduced for his successor, King Baldwin I in 1100. The city of Jerusalem was lost in 1187, but the Kingdom of Jerusalem survived (also known as the "Second Kingdom of Jerusalem"), moving its capital to Acre in 1191. The city of Jerusalem was re-captured in the Sixth Crusade, during 1229–39 and 1241–44. The Kingdom of Jerusalem was finally dissolved with the fall of Acre and the end of the Crusades in the Holy Land in 1291.After the Crusader States ceased to exist, the title of King of Jerusalem was claimed by a number of European noble houses descended from the kings of Cyprus or the kings of Naples. The (purely ceremonial) title of King of Jerusalem is currently used by Felipe VI of Spain. It was claimed by Otto von Habsburg as Habsburg pretender, and by the kings of Italy until 1946.
Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week:(7 YEARS) and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he ( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant (PEACE TREATY) with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE ANIMAL SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
JEREMIAH 6:14
14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
JEREMIAH 8:11
11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:3
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
ISAIAH 33:8
8 The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant,(7 YR TREATY) he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.(THE WORLD LEADER-WAR MONGER CALLS HIMSELF GOD)
JERUSALEM DIVIDED
GENESIS 25:20-26
20 And Isaac was forty years old (A BIBLE GENERATION NUMBER=1967 + 40=2007+) when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.
21 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22 And the children (2 NATIONS IN HER-ISRAEL-ARABS) struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went
to enquire of the LORD.
23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels;(ISRAEL AND THE ARABS) and the one people shall be stronger than the other people;(ISRAEL STRONGER THAN ARABS) and the elder shall serve the younger.(LITERALLY ISRAEL THE YOUNGER RULES (ISSAC)(JACOB-LATER NAME CHANGED TO ISRAEL) OVER THE OLDER ARABS (ISHMAEL)(ESAU)
24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.(THE OLDER AN ARAB)
26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob:(THE YOUNGER-ISRAELI) and Isaac was threescore (60) years old when she bare them.(1967 + 60=2027)(COULD BE THE LAST GENERATION WHEN JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED AMOUNG THE 2 TWINS)(THE 2 TWINS WANT JERUSALEM-THE DIVISION OF JERUSALEM TODAY)(AND WHOS IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM TODAY-THE YOUNGER ISSAC-JACOB-ISRAEL)(AND WHO WANTS JERUSALEM DIVIDED-THE OLDER,ESAU-ISHMAEL (THE ARABS)
ISAIAH 28:14-19 (THIS IS THE 7 YR TREATY COVENANT OF DANIEL 9:27)
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.DANIEL 11:36-40
36 And the king shall do according to his will;(EU PRESIDENT) and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS A EUROPEAN JEW) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(HES A MILITARY GINIUS) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds (CONTROL HEZBOLLAH,AL-QUAIDA MURDERERS ETC) with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south(EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR PROTECTING ISRAELS SECURITY) and the king of the north(RUSSIA) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)
EU's Borrell says 'strong' PA needed for peace-Norway hands papers for recognition of Palestinian state to PA prime minister-Mohammad Mustafa lauds recognition, hopes more will follow, as he holds meetings in Brussels with Norwegian and Spanish foreign ministers, EU foreign policy chief-By Agencies and ToI Staff 26 May 2024, 6:26 pm
Norway on Sunday handed diplomatic papers to the Palestinian Authority’s prime minister in the latest step toward recognizing a Palestinian state, a largely symbolic move that has infuriated Israel.Ireland and Spain made a pledge in concert with Norway last week to recognize a Palestinian state, a move that increases Israel’s isolation more than seven months into its grinding war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.The handover of papers by Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide to the PA prime minister was made in Brussels, where Mohammad Mustafa is also meeting with foreign ministers of European Union nations and high-level EU officials on Monday to drum up support for the Palestinians. Norway itself is not part of the EU.“Recognition means a lot for us. It is the most important thing that anybody can do for the Palestinian people,” said Mustafa in Brussels on Sunday. “It is a great deal for us.”Mustafa also met Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Sunday.During his meeting with Albares, Mustafa said the Palestinians “want to have every country in Europe to do the same,” adding that recognition of a Palestinian state addresses “the injustice that has been inflicted on the Palestinian people for decades.”Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Jose Manuel Albares, (L) shakes hands with PA Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa (R) during their meeting at the Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Union in Brussels, on May 26, 2024. (Simon Wohlfahrt / AFP)“We hope that this momentum of recognitions and initiatives will continue,” Mustafa added.The Spanish foreign minister said that recognizing a state of Palestine “is justice for the Palestinian people [and] the best guarantee of security for Israel.”Ahead of his own meeting with Mustafa, Borrell said Sunday that a “strong” Palestinian Authority is needed to bring peace in the Middle East.“A functional Palestinian Authority is in Israel’s interest too, because in order to make peace, we need a strong Palestinian Authority, not a weaker one,” Borrell said, just before talks with Mustafa on how the administration can be built up to take over Gaza rule from Hamas.Later Sunday, Mustafa was slated to have further talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.On Monday he will have another meeting in Brussels with the Spanish, Norwegian and Irish ministers. And on Wednesday he is scheduled to visit Spain.The formal recognition by Norway, Spain, and Ireland is planned for Tuesday.Some 140 countries — more than two-thirds of the United Nations — recognize a Palestinian state but a majority of the 27 EU nations still do not. Several have said they would recognize it when the conditions are right.The EU, the United States and Britain, among others, back the idea of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel but say it should come as part of a negotiated settlement.Belgium, which holds the EU presidency, has said that first the Israeli hostages held by Hamas need to be freed and the fighting in Gaza must end. Some other governments favor a new initiative toward a two-state solution, 15 years after negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians collapsed.Sunday’s handover of papers came only two days after the United Nations’ top court ordered Israel to “immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”Days earlier, the chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court requested arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with Hamas officials.
US set to lift ban on offensive weapons sales to Saudi Arabia – report-Move widely seen as part of a larger set of agreements on nuclear energy, security and defense cooperation, tied to long-sought Israel-Saudi normalization deal-By Reuters and ToI Staff 26 May 2024, 5:11 pm
The United States is expected to lift a ban on the sale of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, potentially in the coming weeks, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.Washington has already signaled to Saudi Arabia that it was prepared to lift the ban, the newspaper reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.Soon after taking office in 2021, US President Joe Biden toughened the country’s stance over Saudi Arabia’s campaign against the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, which has inflicted heavy civilian casualties.The Biden administration initially removed the Houthis from the terror watch list in 2021, amid concern that the designation was hampering efforts to mitigate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.In January 2024, however, the administration reversed that decision, as Houthis attacked international merchant ships in the Red Sea in the name of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.The US has also sought to penalize Riyadh over its record of human rights violations, in particular the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist and political dissident Jamal Khashoggi.Saudi Arabia, the biggest US arms customer, has chafed under those restrictions, which froze the kind of weapons sales that previous US administrations had provided for decades.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said the US and Saudi Arabia were very close to concluding a set of agreements on nuclear energy, security and defense cooperation, the bilateral component of a wider normalization deal between Riyadh and Israel.Prospects for a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia may be dependent on Israel’s willingness to accept Palestinian statehood as a long-term goal and embark on some pathway to get there, a move that Prime Minister Netanyahu has resisted.But this has not stopped the US from trying to advance the initiative. It was a top agenda item during a recent meeting between US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.Some Biden officials have suggested that the US is running out of time to secure a deal before the 2024 presidential election and that the administration is nearing a point where it will simply choose to publicly present the diplomatic initiative and force Netanyahu to make a decision.An agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia was widely expected last year, until the Palestinian terror group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, triggering a war between Israel and Hamas that is still ongoing.Jacob Magid contributed to this report.
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.
JESUS SHED HIS BLOOD FOR US THAT WE CAN BE SAVED FOREVER.AND DURING WW3 PEOPLES BLOOD WILL BE SHED AS A JUDGEMENT FOR HATING HIM AND ISRAEL.GOD IS NOT MOCKED.
ZEPHANIAH 1:2-3
2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.
PSALMS 97:3
3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.
EZEKIEL 5:15-17
15 So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the (ARAB/MUSLIM) nations that are round about thee,(ISRAEL) when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it.
16 When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
17 So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts,(WHEN RUSSIA/MUSLIMS GET DEFEATED THIER BODIES GET EATEN BY BIRDS,ANIMALS IN ISRAEL MIGRATION SEASON) and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee;(NUKES) and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it.
REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)
ISAIAH 66:15-18
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire,(NUKES) and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
ISAIAH 26:21
21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity:(GOD/ISRAEL HATE AND BRAKING OF HIS COMMANDMENTS) the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.(WW3,1/2 earths population die - 3 BILLION).
ISAIAH 13:6-13 KJV
6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:(FROM FRIGHT)
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
ISAIAH 24:17-23 KJV
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.
JOEL 2:3,30
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
REVELATION 9:18
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(ATOMIC BOMBS)(RUSSIA CHINA DESTROYED BY ISRAELS ATOMIC BOMBS)
REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 32:18-29 (NOTICE ALL THE COUNTRIES LAND PROMISED ISRAEL BY GOD ARE IN THE JORDAN VALLEY BURIED)
18 “Son of man, wail for the multitudes of Egypt, and consign her and the daughters of the mighty nations to the depths of the earth with those who descend to the Pit:
19 Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down and be placed with the uncircumcised! (IN HELL FIRES)
20 They will fall among those slain by the sword. The sword is appointed! Let them drag her away along with all her multitudes.
21 Mighty chiefs will speak from the midst of Sheol about Egypt and her allies: ‘They have come down and lie with the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword.’
22 Assyria (SYRIA) is there with her whole company; her graves are all around her. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword.
23 Her graves are set in the depths of the Pit, and her company is all around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword—those who once spread terror in the land of the living.
24 Elam (IRAN) is there with all her multitudes around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword—those who went down uncircumcised to the earth below, who once spread their terror in the land of the living. They bear their disgrace with those who descend to the Pit.
25 Among the slain they prepare a resting place for Elam with all her hordes, with her graves all around her. All of them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword, although their terror was once spread in the land of the living. They bear their disgrace with those who descend to the Pit. They are placed among the slain.
26 Meshech and Tubal (RUSSIA) are there with all their multitudes, with their graves all around them. All of them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword, because they spread their terror in the land of the living.
27 They do not lie down with the fallen warriors of old, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, whose swords were placed under their heads, whose shields rested on their bones, although the terror of the mighty was once in the land of the living.
28 But you too will be shattered and lie down among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword.
29 Edom (JORDAN) is there, and all her kings and princes, who despite their might are laid among those slain by the sword. They lie down with the uncircumcised, with those who descend to the Pit.THIS IS RIGHT FROM 93:
PSALMS 83:1-8 (GODS LAND PROMISED TO ISRAEL)
1 O God, do not remain silent;do not turn a deaf ear,do not stand aloof, O God.
2 See how your enemies growl, how your foes rear their heads.
3 With cunning they (ARAB,MUSLIMS) conspire against your people;they plot against those you cherish.(ISRAELIS)
4 “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”
5 With one mind they plot together;(TREATIES) they form an alliance against you—
6 the tents of Edom (JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites, (EGYPTIAN ARABS SO CALLED PALESTIANS) of Moab (JORDAN) and the Hagrites,(EGYPT)
7 Byblos,(HEZBOLLOH) Ammon (JORDAN) and Amalek,(SYRIAN ARABS IN THE SINAI) Philistia,(ARABS) with the people of Tyre (LEBANON).
8 Even Assyria (SYRIA) has joined them to reinforce Lot’s descendants.
DR SAMUEL DOCTORIANS VISION - SECOND ANGEL: MIDDLE EAST
Then I saw that the second angel had a sickle in his hand, such as is used in harvesting.The second angel said: "Harvest time has come in Israel and the countries all the way to Iran."I saw those countries in a few split seconds."All of Turkey and those [inaudible] countries that have refused me and refused my message of love shall hate each other and kill one another."I saw the angel raise the sickle and come down on all the Middle East countries. I saw Iran, Persia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, all of Georgia - Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, all of Asia Minor - full of blood. I saw blood all over these countries. And I saw fire; Nuclear weapons used in many of those countries. Smoke rising from everywhere. Sudden destruction – men destroying one another. I heard these words:"Israel, Oh Israel, the great judgment has come." The angel said, "The chosen, the church, the remnant, shall be purified. The Spirit of God shall prepare the children of God."I saw fires rising to heaven.The angel said: "This is the final judgment. My church shall be purified, protected and ready for the final day. Men will die from thirst. Water shall be scarce all over the Middle East. Rivers shall dry up, and men will fight for water in those countries."The angel showed me that the United Nations shall be broken in pieces because of the crisis in the Middle East. There shall be no more United Nations. The angel with the sickle shall reap the harvest.
Hezbollah shells northern communities after deadly IDF drone strike in south Lebanon-15 rockets launched at Western Galilee after Israeli airstrike kills terror operative in Naqoura; separate barrage on Kiryat Shmona lightly injures man-By Emanuel Fabian-Today, 2:03 pm-may 26,24
A Hezbollah operative was killed in an Israeli drone strike on a motorcycle in southern Lebanon on Sunday morning, Lebanese media and the Israel Defense Forces said.According to the IDF, the target of the strike in the coastal town of Naqoura was a member of the terror group.The IDF said the operative was identified leaving a building previously known to be used by Hezbollah. A short while later he was targeted and killed.A separate strike targeted two more Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon’s Ayta ash-Shab, the military added.In response to the strike, Hezbollah launched two barrages of rockets at the Western Galilee in northern Israel, just across from the Naqoura area.According to the IDF, a total of 15 rockets crossed the border in the attack. No injuries were reported. Sirens had sounded in the border communities of Betzet, Hanita, Rosh Hanikra and Shlomi.Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had shelled an Israeli military base and soldiers stationed in the area, “in response to the assassination carried out by the Zionist enemy in the town of Naqoura and the injury of civilians.”Hours later, an anti-tank guided missile launched from Lebanon struck a home in the northern community of Avivim, local authorities said.The Marom Hagalil Regional Council said a man was rescued from the damaged house by Avivim’s local security team.In another attack on Sunday, more than 10 rockets were launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon at the northern city of Kiryat Shmona. One rocket strike lightly wounded a man in his 40s, medics said.It was the latest round in a simmering border conflict that threatens to boil over into a full-scale war.The exchange of fire on Sunday came hours after the military announced that it had carried out a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon overnight.The IDF said buildings used by the terror group and other infrastructure were struck in Khiam and Ayta ash-Shab, and that it shelled several other locations in south Lebanon with artillery.On Saturday, several buildings used by Hezbollah were struck in the southern Lebanon towns of Odaisseh, Yaroun, and Marwahin, the IDF said.Also Saturday, several Hezbollah operatives were targeted in an airstrike in southern Lebanon’s Aitaroun.The IDF said the operatives were spotted at a building used by the terror group.Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.So far, the skirmishes on the border have resulted in 10 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 14 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.Hezbollah has named 321 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 61 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have been killed.The violence has raised fears of all-out conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, which last went to war in 2006.
In 2nd attack, rocket lands near school in Gaza-border kibbutz-Rafah rocket volley targets Tel Aviv area, in first such attack in 4 months-One person lightly hurt when shrapnel hits a house in Herzliya; Hamas takes responsibility for attack, which IDF predicted would be likely as troops push into southern Gaza city-By Emanuel Fabian-and ToI Staff 26 May 2024, 5:32 pm
The Hamas terror group fired eight rockets at central Israel on Sunday afternoon, marking the most significant attack out of the Gaza Strip in some four months and underscoring some of the challenges remaining for the Israeli military as it seeks to oust the Palestinian group from its last major stronghold.Three of the projectiles were downed by the Iron Dome anti-missile system, according to an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson, and five landed in open areas.A home in the Tel Aviv suburb of Herzliya suffered minor damage from falling shrapnel, police said, and two people suffered light injuries, but no serious losses were reported.In Kfar Saba, northeast of Tel Aviv, at least one rocket struck an open field causing a large crater, images showed.The attack, which came at about 2 p.m., was swiftly claimed by Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades armed wing, which said it “bombarded Tel Aviv in response to Zionist massacres of civilians.”Some 80 minutes later, rocket sirens rang out in several communities adjacent to Gaza, including some where residents have returned to live in the last several months.One projectile landed next to a school in Kibbutz Sa’ad, lightly damaging a car but causing no injuries.The attacks served as a reminder of the terror group’s armed capabilities, despite more than seven months of an intense Israeli military campaign aimed at eliminating Hamas following its October 7 onslaught on southern Israel.The volley at central Israel was launched from Rafah, a city on Gaza’s southern edge that is currently the focus of Israel’s military campaign, amid intense international concern for the wellbeing of the million-plus Gazans who had fled to the city from elsewhere in the Strip for shelter before Israel launched its offensive there. Over the past few weeks, close to a million Gazans have evacuated the city as IDF troops advanced.A picture taken by a soldier near the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt showed streaks of white smoke reaching skyward from a short distance away; the proximity between the attackers and the troops underlined the difficulties facing Israel as it attempts to destroy Hamas’s remaining forces in the city.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel must take over Rafah to eliminate Hamas’s last remaining battalions and achieve its goal of “total victory” over the group, though Hamas fighters have recently regrouped in other parts of Gaza where the military had already operated.Israel believes Hamas leaders and many operatives are hiding in Rafah, along with an unspecified number of hostages kidnapped in the Hamas-led October 7 atrocities. The city in southern Gaza is also one of the last locations where the IDF believed Hamas to have major rocket stockpiles.The terror group is not believed by the IDF to have any rocket manufacturing capabilities amid the war, with the military taking out its major factories in other areas of Gaza.According to a recent IDF assessment, military planners believed that the group was nonetheless capable of launching rocket attacks on central Israel from the Rafah area. The army had found it likely that the terror group would carry out such an attack when troops advanced further into the city, as it has operated in a similar way in other areas of Gaza.Amid the war, Hamas has repeatedly carried out rocket attacks from areas where troops are advancing, in an attempt to prevent Israeli forces from capturing their stockpiles.The complexities of uprooting Hamas from Rafah’s dense urban environment, and the terror group’s warren of underground tunnels and hideouts, were compounded Friday when the International Court of Justice issued a significant but somewhat ambiguous ruling instructing Israel to stop military activities that could result in the destruction of the civilian population sheltering there.Israel has pushed ahead with the offensive since the ruling, arguing that it leaves room for some operations in Rafah and rejecting interpretations that say it required Israel halt the offensive altogether.“What they are asking us is not to commit genocide in Rafah. We did not commit genocide and we will not commit genocide,” Netanyahu’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, told Channel 12 news Saturday.Nonetheless, an Israeli source with knowledge of the government’s thinking told The Times of Israel Sunday that the IDF would alter its operation in Rafah for the near future, due to pressure from The Hague and in deference to hostage talks potentially restarting this week. The army would continue to operate, but in a relatively restrained manner, the source said.The military had already argued that its offensive in Rafah was being carried out in a pinpoint manner, in response to demands from the US, its most important ally.Earlier Sunday, the army said troops killed “terrorist operatives” who attempted to attack soldiers carrying out “targeted operations in the area of Rafah.”Israeli troops in the city “located tunnel shafts and large quantities of weapons, including AK-47s, RPGs, grenades and explosives” and struck two rocket launchers that were aimed at the Kerem Shalom border crossing, it said.The army also announced that troops had uncovered an underground weapons depot last week while raiding a building in Rafah suspected of being used by Hamas as a meeting point.Defense Minister Yoav Gallant traveled to Rafah Sunday to be briefed on operations there, the army said.“Our goal[s] in the Gaza Strip have become much clearer here in Rafah — to eliminate Hamas, bring back the hostages and maintain freedom of action, this is a key thing,” he told troops in the city.Following the rocket attack, war cabinet minister Benny Gantz argued that the rocket launches showed the need for Israel to push ahead with its military offensive.“Today’s [missile] fire from Rafah proves the IDF must act wherever Hamas is and so it will be,” he said while visiting a military base in southern Israel.War broke out on October 7 when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israeli communities and army positions, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, taking 252 hostages and committing other atrocities.Israel’s government has vowed to destroy the group to keep it from being able to launch such an assault ever again and to recover the hostages, 121 of whom are still held in Gaza, along with two civilians and the bodies of two soldiers held there for nearly a decade.The ensuing military campaign has killed over 35,000 Gazans, according to the Strip’s Hamas-run health authorities, whose numbers cannot be verified, and do not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Israel says it has killed some 15,000 Palestinian fighters in battle, as well as some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.Two hundred and eighty-seven Israeli soldiers have been killed during the ground offensive against Hamas and amid operations along the Gaza border, including Staff Sgt. Betzalel Zvi Kovach, 20, who died Sunday of wounds sustained during fighting in northern Gaza on May 22, the IDF said.A civilian Defense Ministry contractor has also been killed in the Strip.As the war has persisted, once-constant rocket attacks from Gaza have steadily slackened and largely been relegated to areas directly adjacent to the Strip; concerns of air attacks have meanwhile largely shifted to Israel’s northern border, where the Hezbollah terror group has carried out near-daily rocket, missile and drone attacks from southern Lebanon.Sunday’s Hamas attack triggered air raid sirens in a large swath of central Israel, including the economic hub of Tel Aviv and most of its environs to the north, coming as many children were getting out of school at 2 p.m. Alarms sounded as far north as the town of Tel Yitzhak, a suburb of Netanya some 120 kilometers (75 miles) away from Rafah.As hundreds of thousands scrambled for cover, shrapnel from one rocket slammed into the roof of a house in Herzliya where an elderly women lived with her caretaker, causing part of it to collapse into a bedroom where the caretaker had been.“There was a strong boom. I thought the whole house collapsed,” said Narkis Bezalel, 85. The caretaker was hospitalized with light injuries, along with another woman injured while running for shelter.Shrapnel pieces also fell in Ra’anana and other nearby cities.The last Gazan rocket attack on Tel Aviv occurred on January 29, when 10 rockets were launched at the city and its southern environs. The last assault to reach north of Tel Aviv came on December 21, when a fusillade of about a dozen rockets were fired at Kfar Saba and other cities.Lazar Berman and Sam Sokol contributed to this report.
Pro-Israel group says plane flew banner backing US ties-‘No rest till Brown divests’: Anti-Israel protesters interrupt university graduation-College president’s speech briefly disrupted by alumni-led protest calling for it to divest from firms contributing to Israel’s war against Hamas-By AP and ToI Staff 27 May 2024, 1:14 am
PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island — Anti-Israel protesters briefly disrupted an outdoor commencement address given by Brown University’s president in the United States on Sunday.Shortly after Christina Paxson began, her speech was interrupted for several minutes by shouting as she told the graduates, “I would really like to give you your degrees.” She eventually resumed with some people continuing to shout.“No rest till Brown divests,” the protesters chanted.A group called Brown Alumni for Palestine said in a news release Sunday that it had led the disruption at the ceremony, where Paxson and the Brown Corporation were conferring diplomas to the graduating class.Brown Alumni for Palestine said the group represents over 2,000 alumni who have pledged to withhold donations to the university until the corporation divests from companies allegedly contributing to or profiting from the conflict in Gaza.Another group, the Rhode Island Coalition for Israel, said it had also organized a protest outside the ceremony. It said it had a plane fly a banner supporting Israel and the US-Israel alliance.Regular anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations ceased earlier this month at a small number of US universities, including Brown, after school leaders struck deals with protesters, fending off possible disruptions of final exams and graduation ceremonies.The agreements at schools including Brown, Northwestern and Rutgers stand out amid the chaotic scenes and campus arrests across the country since April 17. Tent encampments and building takeovers have disrupted classes at some schools, including Columbia in New York City and the University of California, Los Angeles.Deals included commitments by universities to review their investments in Israel or hear calls to stop doing business with the longtime US ally. Many protester demands have zeroed in on links to the Israeli military as the war grinds on in Gaza.Pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protesters agreed to dismantle an encampment at Brown. School officials said students could present arguments for divesting Brown’s endowment from companies linked to the war in Gaza.In addition, Paxson said she will ask an advisory committee to make a recommendation on divestment by September 30, which will be put before the school’s governing corporation for a vote in October.The nationwide campus protests began at Columbia in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza. War erupted on October 7 when the Palestinian terror group Hamas led a massive cross-border attack on Israel that killed close to 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 252 people, including multiple bodies, amid horrific scenes of brutality.Vowing to stamp out Hamas and topple its regime in Gaza, Israel launched a military campaign that also aims to free the hostages, of whom 121 remain in captivity, not all of them alive.The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 35,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though only some 24,000 fatalities have been identified at hospitals. The tolls, which cannot be verified, include some 15,000 terror operatives Israel says it has killed in battle.Two hundred and eighty-eight Israeli soldiers have been killed during the ground offensive against Hamas and during operations along the Gaza border. A civilian Defense Ministry contractor has also been killed in the Strip.
IDF negotiator said to pan PM’s handling of hostage talks as they’re set to resume-As war cabinet meets, Netanyahu’s office claims leaked comments from Nitzan Alon, reportedly pushing for Israeli concessions, are only helping Hamas harden its stance-By ToI Staff 27 May 2024, 12:01 am
The Israeli military’s envoy to negotiations aimed at freeing hostages held in Gaza expressed hopelessness over the chances of reaching a deal with the current government at the helm, according to a report on Sunday, the latest in a series of apparently leaked statements broadcasting the IDF general’s frustration with Jerusalem’s refusal to move closer to Hamas’s position in negotiations.The comments from Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon to Israel Defense Forces officials involved in the hostage issue, published by Channel 12 news, came as Israel was preparing to re-enter talks for a long-elusive deal, with both internal and outside pressure on Israel to free the captives and halt its military campaign continuing to ratchet up. The report was swiftly panned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who complained the leak would only further entrench Hamas in its position.“We are desperate,” the channel quoted Alon as saying last week in private conversation. “With the composition of this government, there will be no deal.”According to the report, Alon told the military officials he was pushing for a deal that included the release of all hostages, though Hamas was insisting on an end to the war, a condition long rejected by Netanyahu, who has insisted that fighting continue until the terror group is destroyed.Such an agreement, Alon argued, would not void the possibility of future military action against Hamas.“I told the prime minister that it will be possible to return to fighting at any given moment,” he was quoted as having said.A representative for Alon denied that he had made any such comment, Ynet news reported, while the IDF responded that the comments had been taken out of context and insisted that Alon served loyally at the government’s pleasure.“General Alon was asked a question by the public about the effect the political leadership has on the talks, and he answered that as one in uniform, he cannot answer such questions,” IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Sunday night when asked about the report at a press conference.According to a Ynet report late last week, Alon had recently pushed for the war cabinet to give the negotiating team more leeway once talks resume, lobbying for a mandate more in line with Hamas’s demands.In a statement released shortly after the Channel 12 report Sunday night, Netanyahu’s office criticized the publication of the leaked comments, saying they “only harden Hamas’s position, harm families and delay the release of our abductees.”“While Prime Minister Netanyahu time and again gave the negotiating team an extensive mandate to release our abductees, [Hamas Gaza leader Yahya] Sinwar continues to demand the end of the war, the withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip and leaving Hamas intact, so that it can carry out the atrocities of October 7 over and over again,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.Alon’s reported criticism echoed increasingly heated claims from the families of some hostages accusing Netanyahu and his government of blocking a deal due to what they describe as narrow political considerations or misguided hardline policies.Many far-right politicians in Netanyahu’s governing coalition have indicated that they oppose dealing with Hamas or making concessions to free the hostages, with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir going as far as threatening to pull his Otzma Yehudit party out of the coalition over the issue.At the same time, anti-government protests centered on the government’s inability to reach a deal have grown significantly in both size and ferociousness in recent weeks, reflecting deep-seated disappointment in the fact that Israel has been unable to recover its kidnapped after more than seven months.Israel launched its war against Hamas following the October 7 massacre, in which thousands of Hamas-led terrorists assaulted southern Israeli communities and military positions, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 252 others. It is believed that 121 of the hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, with the deaths of 37 of them confirmed by Israeli officials.Hamas is also holding the bodies of slain IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin since 2014, as well as two Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who are both thought to be alive after entering the Strip of their own accord in 2014 and 2015 respectively.Months of efforts to reach another deal have foundered under the mediation of Egypt, Qatar, and the US. Hamas’s insistence that any agreement include a permanent ceasefire ending the war is one of the main sticking points.Other issues include the makeup and number of Palestinian prisoners to be freed in exchange for the hostages, freedom of movement for Palestinians back to northern Gaza after civilians fled south to escape Israel’s military campaign, and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Strip.The war cabinet met Sunday night to discuss both the negotiations and the ongoing fight in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, thought to be Hamas’s last major stronghold, days after the International Court of Justice appeared to order Israel to halt or partially arrest its offensive in the city-An Israeli source with knowledge of Netanyahu’s thinking told The Times of Israel Sunday that the army was being told to ease the campaign in Rafah, in deference to the hostage negotiations and under pressure from The Hague. The source said the military would continue to fight, but in a more restrained manner.Indirect talks on a deal are set to resume on Tuesday, an Egyptian official with knowledge of the matter told CNN on Sunday.A senior Israeli official told The Times of Israel Saturday that talks were set to resume this week after Mossad chief David Barnea, who is leading negotiations, returned to Israel following a meeting in Paris aimed at “building a foundation” for the resumption of talksBarnea, CIA Director William Burns and Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani agreed to restart talks next week on “new proposals led by the mediators Egypt and Qatar, with active involvement of the US,” the official said However, Hamas said Sunday it had not received any new proposal from negotiators. A statement issued by Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq said the group remained steadfast in its position demanding a “permanent and complete halt” to Israeli military operations “in all of the Gaza Strip, not just in Rafah.”Visiting troops in Rafah on Sunday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel was “making tremendous efforts [to return the hostages] in every possible way, both physically and by reaching deals.”“Our goal[s] in the Gaza Strip have sharpened here in Rafah — to eliminate Hamas, bring back the hostages and maintain freedom of action,” he said.National Unity party head Benny Gantz, who together with Netanyahu and Gallant make up the war cabinet’s voting triumvirate, insisted that Israel would not halt its campaign against Hamas, while leaving open the possibility it could be paused.“The rockets shot from Rafah today prove that the IDF must operate in every place Hamas still operates from, and, as such, the IDF will continue to operate wherever necessary,” said Gantz, speaking after a volley of rockets fired from Gaza targeted Tel Aviv for the first time in some four months.“Terrorist Hamas are war criminals, and we intend on making them pay for their crimes – whether sooner or later,” he said.Emanuel Fabian and Lazar Berman contributed to this report.
As fighting rages in Rafah and Jabaliya, IDF announces deaths of 2 soldiers-Fallen soldiers named as Staff Sgt. Betzalel Zvi Kovach and Staff Sgt. Sahar Sudaei; IDF jets strike rocket launchers used to fire volley at central Israel from Rafah-By Emanuel Fabian-Today, 11:38 pm-MAY 26,24
The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday announced the deaths of two soldiers during fighting in Gaza, as it continued major military operations in the northern Strip’s Jabaliya as well as in Rafah in the south.Staff Sgt. Betzalel Zvi Kovach, 20, of the Kfir Brigade’s Netzah Yehuda Battalion, from Jerusalem, succumbed to his wounds on Sunday after he was seriously wounded during fighting in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun on May 22. Another three soldiers were killed that day in the town in northern Gaza, two in a Hamas sniper attack and one by an explosive device in a building.Staff Sgt. Sahar Sudaei, 20 of the Givati Brigade’s Rotem Battalion, from Tel Aviv, was killed in northern Gaza on Sunday, the military announced later in the day. In a separate incident on Sunday, a reservist of the LOTAR Eilat unit was seriously wounded in the southern Gaza Strip, the IDF added.The deaths of the two soldiers bring the death toll of the ground offensive against Hamas and operations along the border to 288. A civilian Defense Ministry contractor has also been killed in the Strip.During operations in Rafah, the IDF said it destroyed a rocket launcher used by Hamas to fire a barrage of eight long-range projectiles at central Israel earlier Sunday.A fighter jet hit the site, which the IDF said was located near two mosques. IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari in a press conference said the site was some 800 meters from where Israeli troops were operating.“As the IDF forces approached [the area of the launch], Hamas fired the rockets from within the [civilian] population. We see this pattern in many places where we operate. Hamas fears [losing] these munitions and rockets, and it fires them when it sees IDF troops approaching,” Hagari said.“This is further proof that the Hamas terror organization places its assets near civilian facilities and infrastructure while using the Gaza population as a human shield,” the military added.The IDF published footage of the strike.The military also said that troops from the Givati Brigade located an underground weapons depot last week in Rafah.The site was found during a raid on a building suspected of being used by Hamas as a meeting point. The IDF said the troops killed several gunmen near the building and then located the weapon depot inside.In recent days, some 30 gunmen were killed by Givati troops in Rafah, the IDF added.The IDF operation in Rafah, which the military asserts is Hamas’s last major stronghold, has fueled further international criticism of Israel over the war in Gaza, with the International Court of Justice issuing a significant but somewhat ambiguous ruling instructing Israel to stop military activities that could result in the destruction of the civilian population sheltering there.Israeli officials said they consider the ICJ order to allow room for some operations in Rafah, rejecting interpretations that the court ruling required Israel to halt the offensive altogether.Israeli tanks have probed around the edges of Rafah, near the crossing point from Gaza into Egypt, and have entered some of its eastern districts, residents say, but have not yet entered the city in force since the start of operations in the city earlier this month.Rafah resident Moaz Abu Taha, 29, told AFP of “constant bombardment from land and air, which has destroyed many houses.”Gaza’s civil defense agency said it had retrieved six bodies after a house was targeted in eastern Rafah.‘High intensity’ fighting ongoing in Jabaliya-Among recent IDF operations in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya, troops demolished Hamas’s general security headquarters, raided the home of Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s northern Gaza brigade commander, and battled dozens of gunmen, the military said.The IDF said soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade led an assault in the Jabaliya market area in recent days, killing some 100 gunmen in dozens of close-quarters encounters in the area’s narrow alleys, and by directing airstrikes and tank shelling.It described the fighting in Jabaliya as “high intensity.”Several booby-trapped buildings were also neutralized by troops in the area, the IDF said. In a video released by the military, an explosive device is seen planted in a store in the market area.In the latest raid on Hamas’s general security headquarters, the army said the paratroopers discovered documents and Hamas infrastructure at the headquarters. The headquarters had already been raided by the IDF in December, although it was not completely demolished at the time.During the raid on the PIJ commander’s home, forces located a cache of weapons and “many intelligence documents.” Several more caches of weapons were located in the Jabaliya market area, the military added.The military released footage from the fighting in Jabaliya, some of the captured weapons, the bomb found in the market, and the demolition of the Hamas headquarters.The IDF pushed into Jabaliya earlier this month for the third time during the war, in an operation focused on killing Hamas cells that regrouped in the city’s historic refugee camp, an area that the military had not reached previouslyThe fighting has been described by the IDF and some officers as “intense” and the “most violent” of the war, with many engagements, both above ground and with Hamas operatives using tunnels. The IDF has also recovered the bodies of seven slain hostages from tunnels in Jabaliya.Agencies contributed to this report.
Ministers say rocket barrage from Rafah proves need for IDF operation in city-Gantz declares: ‘The IDF must operate in every place Hamas still operates from’; Smotrich calls to ‘capture all of Rafah, full force, now’By ToI Staff, Emanuel Fabian-and Sam Sokol-26 May 2024, 8:48 pm
After Hamas fired a barrage of rockets on Sunday from the southern Gaza city of Rafah, triggering air raid sirens across central Israel, several ministers pointed to the attack as evidence that the IDF must continue to operate in the city.“The rockets shot from Rafah today prove that the IDF must operate in every place Hamas still operates from, and as such, the IDF will continue to operate wherever necessary,” declared Minister Benny Gantz, a member of the narrow war cabinet, in a video message from the Urim IDF base.“The world must know: Those who still hold our hostages captive, shoot at our cities, and continue to propagate terror are responsible for the situation,” Gantz added. “Terrorist Hamas are war criminals, and we intend on making them pay for their crimes – whether sooner or later.”The barrage of rockets, which damaged a home in Herzliya and lightly wounded two people, came less than 48 hours after the International Court of Justice issued a ruling calling on Israel to halt operations in Rafah, “which may inflict on the Palestinian group conditions of life that would bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”The IDF pushed into Rafah earlier this month in what it initially described as a pinpoint operation against Hamas in the eastern part of the city. The IDF has been mostly operating at the Rafah Border Crossing with Egypt and along more than half of the so-called Philadelphi Corridor, the border area separating Egypt and Gaza.The operation in Rafah, which the military asserts is Hamas’s last major stronghold, has since expanded deeper into the city. The IDF said last week it had also begun to operate against Hamas in the Brazi and Shaboura neighborhoods, which are about halfway between the Israeli border to the southeast and the sea in the northwest.Following the rocket attack, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called on the IDF to charge ahead with taking full control of Rafah.“The entrance into Rafah is very important,” Smotrich said. “I pushed for it, and Hamas’s response, to fire on central Israel, is a function of their being under pressure, they feel the pressure of the IDF on their neck.”“Capture all of Rafah, full force, now,” Smotrich wrote. He called for “full IDF control of the entire Gaza Strip,” writing: “Only that way will we restore our security. Only that way will we bring back our hostages. ”National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, posted on X simply: “Rafah! Full force!”MK Gideon Sa’ar of the New Hope party — which joined the government at the start of the war and left for the opposition in March — wrote on X: “We must strengthen and accelerate the IDF operation in Rafah!”Sa’ar added, “There is no state in the world that wouldn’t operate in the place from which missiles were fired at their cities, and where their citizens are being held hostage.”Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with Israeli soldiers in Rafah on Sunday morning, telling them, “Our goal in the Gaza Strip has become much clearer here in Rafah — to eliminate Hamas, bring back the hostages, and maintain freedom of action.”In Rafah, on Sunday, Gallant told troops that Israel is “making tremendous efforts… in every possible way” to return the hostages, “both physically and by reaching deals.”The United States originally expressed its opposition to an IDF invasion of Rafah, citing the toll it could take on Palestinian civilians sheltering from fighting further north.Nearly one million Palestinians have evacuated from the Rafah area in recent weeks, however, leaving only some 300,000 to 400,000 in the areas closest to the coast, according to information seen by The Times of Israel.American officials have reportedly been satisfied with Israel’s more limited operations thus far.
Anti-Israel protests more prevalent at elite US universities, study finds-Data suggests that Gaza war protests and encampments have not been seen as much at less exclusive US colleges with more lower-income students-By ToI Staff 26 May 2024, 3:18 pm
A study published Friday suggests that pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protests and encampments are more prevalent in elite and exclusive universities than in institutions that cater to lower-income students.The study by Washington Monthly set out to discover whether the protests against the war in Gaza that swept across US college campuses in the last seven months were exclusive to elite colleges.Using data from Harvard’s Crowd Counting Consortium, which tracks protests across the US, and news reports of protests and encampments at colleges, Washington Monthly discovered that in the majority of cases, less exclusive colleges that had a greater number of students with the Pell Grant for moderate- and low-income students did not have protests on their campuses.The data was presented in scatter plots, but the universities in the graphs were not labeled. The graphs only showed whether or not colleges had protests or encampments on their campuses but did not specify what percentage of students participated in them.The results showed that barring a few outliers, the majority of colleges that had protests or encampments were colleges where less than 40% of students were Pell Grant receivers, while colleges where 40%-60% were Pell Grant students had more protests than encampments.Meanwhile, the data showed that for the most part, the less exclusive colleges with more Pell Grant students did not have either protests or encampments on their campuses in the last seven months.Among private universities, the data clearly showed that the vast majority of encampments were set up at universities with the highest tuitions and the lowest percentages of Pell Grant students.Some private colleges with moderate tuition rates where up to 60% of students were Pell Grant receivers did have protests, but the colleges with lower tuition and more Pell students didn’t have either encampments or demonstrations.The trend was far less obvious among public colleges, where encampments and protests were spread more widely across the spectrum than in private institutions. Still, those with the lowest tuitions and the most Pell Grant students had neither encampments nor protests.Speculating on the explanation for the results, Washington Monthly noted that students from lower-income families could have more pressing responsibilities like jobs or relatives to take care of.The publication also suggested that there could be a political explanation as students in more conservative colleges could feel under more pressure not to protest.Anti-Israel protests began in many universities worldwide on October 7 when Israel declared war on Hamas following the terrorist organization’s unprecedented attack on Israel, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 252 were taken hostage.The protests were thrust into the spotlight in April when protesters at Columbia University in New York erected an encampment on campus demanding that the institution divest from Israel. Police were sent in to dismantle the tents and arrested over 100 demonstrators, but the encampment was back a couple of days later.Inspired by Columbia, students in universities across the US and in Europe set up their own encampments, some of which were later taken down voluntarily after the protesters came to terms with their universities.The protest encampments were soon followed by demonstrators occupying buildings in some colleges and being cleared out by police.However, despite the apparent prominence of the protests, a Generation Lab poll published by Axios earlier this month found that only a small minority (8%) of students across the US had participated in the demonstrations, and 81% supported holding them accountable for physical damage they wrought or rules they broke.In fact, the situation in the Middle East was rated only ninth most important to students, after issues that more directly affected them like healthcare, educational funding, and gun control.
Hezbollah shells northern communities after deadly IDF drone strike in south Lebanon-15 rockets launched at Western Galilee after Israeli airstrike kills terror operative in Naqoura; separate barrage on Kiryat Shmona lightly injures man-By Emanuel Fabian-26 May 2024, 2:03 pmUpdated at 7:41 pm
A Hezbollah operative was killed in an Israeli drone strike on a motorcycle in southern Lebanon on Sunday morning, Lebanese media and the Israel Defense Forces said.According to the IDF, the target of the strike in the coastal town of Naqoura was a member of the terror group.The IDF said the operative was identified leaving a building previously known to be used by Hezbollah. A short while later he was targeted and killed.A separate strike targeted two more Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon’s Ayta ash-Shab, the military added.In response to the strike, Hezbollah launched two barrages of rockets at the Western Galilee in northern Israel, just across from the Naqoura area.According to the IDF, a total of 15 rockets crossed the border in the attack. No injuries were reported. Sirens had sounded in the border communities of Betzet, Hanita, Rosh Hanikra and Shlomi.Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had shelled an Israeli military base and soldiers stationed in the area, “in response to the assassination carried out by the Zionist enemy in the town of Naqoura and the injury of civilians.”Hours later, an anti-tank guided missile launched from Lebanon struck a home in the northern community of Avivim, local authorities said.The Marom Hagalil Regional Council said a man was rescued from the damaged house by Avivim’s local security team.In another attack on Sunday, more than 10 rockets were launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon at the northern city of Kiryat Shmona. One rocket strike lightly wounded a man in his 40s, medics said.It was the latest round in a simmering border conflict that threatens to boil over into a full-scale war.The exchange of fire on Sunday came hours after the military announced that it had carried out a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon overnight.The IDF said buildings used by the terror group and other infrastructure were struck in Khiam and Ayta ash-Shab, and that it shelled several other locations in south Lebanon with artillery.On Saturday, several buildings used by Hezbollah were struck in the southern Lebanon towns of Odaisseh, Yaroun, and Marwahin, the IDF said.Also Saturday, several Hezbollah operatives were targeted in an airstrike in southern Lebanon’s Aitaroun.The IDF said the operatives were spotted at a building used by the terror group.Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.So far, the skirmishes on the border have resulted in 10 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 14 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.Hezbollah has named 321 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 61 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have been killed.The violence has raised fears of all-out conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, which last went to war in 2006.
Aid starts flowing into Gaza from Egypt via Israel’s Kerem Shalom Crossing-Egyptian Red Crescent says 200 aid trucks, including four fuel tankers, to enter coastal enclave over course of day; IDF says aid deliveries to Gaza nearly doubled last week-By Agencies and ToI Staff 26 May 2024, 12:55 pm
Humanitarian aid began entering the Gaza Strip from Egypt via Israel’s Kerem Shalom Crossing on Sunday, two days after Washington and Cairo agreed on the move to jumpstart Egypt supplies after they had been halted amid a diplomatic spat over control of the more accessible Rafah crossing point.About 200 aid trucks, including four fuel trucks, were expected to enter Gaza, said Khaled Zayed, the head of the Egyptian Red Crescent Society in North Sinai, to Reuters.The aid trucks were reaching Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing after being rerouted from the Rafah Crossing following an agreement between Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and US President Joe Biden.It came as the Israel Defense Forces said that last week over 2,000 aid trucks entered Gaza via Israel, including through Kerem Shalom. That aid is shipped after arriving at Israeli ports or being trucked across Israel from Jordan.Delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip has been disrupted by the ongoing war against Hamas in the coastal enclave, which began when the Palestinian terror group led a devastating attack on Israel on October 7. Aid groups and the United Nations have warned of a crisis that is pushing some areas of Gaza toward famine.Aid has been piling up in Egypt since Israel launched an operation to take over the Gazan side of the Rafah Crossing with Egypt on May 7. That crossing, in the southern Gaza Strip, was operated by the Palestinians on its Gaza side until Israeli forces captured the area as part of a broader operation in the adjoining city of the same name.Not wanting to be seen as complicit with Israel’s military operation to take over the crossing, Egypt has refused to reopen Rafah until Israeli troops have withdrawn from the other side.Some food supplies bound for Gaza have begun to rot with the Rafah crossing closed.The holdup led to recriminations between Israel and Egypt, straining ties between the countries, which made peace in 1979.The US and Israel had urged Cairo to allow the growing amount of aid in Egypt to be transferred to Israel where it can be delivered into Gaza through Kerem Shalom.Egypt had refused, still deeming such a move as collaboration with Israel’s military offensive in Rafah.That stance led to rare criticism from the Biden administration, which had until this week only offered praise of Egypt’s role in the war — both as a mediator and as a facilitator of aid.But Sissi and Biden agreed in a phone call on Friday to temporarily send humanitarian aid and fuel via Kerem Shalom Crossing until legal mechanisms were in place to reopen the Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side.The Palestinian Authority also gave its public backing to Egypt’s decision. Cairo appeared to have requested a statement of support from PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s office to present its decision as being made in full coordination with Ramallah.In an effort to break the impasse earlier this month, Israel quietly asked the PA to take over the Gaza side of the Rafah Crossing instead of Hamas.However, Israel conditioned the offer on officers not identifying themselves as part of the PA due to fears that this would spark opposition from far-right members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, a US official told The Times of Israel.The offer was rejected by Ramallah, which said it would not comply unless Israel agreed to establish a pathway to a future Palestinian state — a nonstarter for the hardline government in Jerusalem, the US official added.Since that rejection, Israel and Egypt have been in talks about having Palestinians not directly affiliated with Hamas or the PA running the Rafah Crossing with assistance from international organizations, the US official said.IDF: 2,065 trucks of aid transferred to Gaza this week-Meanwhile, in its weekly summary Sunday of humanitarian efforts in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military highlighted the minimal impact of a US-built floating pier used to bring aid in via the sea.According to the IDF, a total of 1,806 pallets of food were brought into Gaza via the pier last week and were transferred in 127 trucks to logistics centers belonging to international aid organizations in the Strip.The pier began operating last week for the first time. Over the weekend, two US vessels involved in the pier project broke loose and ran aground near Ashdod in Israel.In contrast, a total of 2,065 trucks carrying humanitarian aid were inspected by Israeli authorities and transferred to Gaza via the Kerem Shalom and “Erez West” crossings this week, which the IDF said was “almost twice the number in the previous week.”The IDF said the aid trucks included “232 trucks containing flour for the World Food Program (WFP) organization to supply bakeries in the Gaza Strip, 132 aid trucks from Jordan, and 352,000 liters of diesel and fuel to supply essential centers, hospitals, and shelters run by the international community in Gaza.”Aid group USAID, which has been working to supply Gaza, says 600 truckloads of food, emergency nutritional treatments, and other supplies are needed each day to address the humanitarian crisis brought on by the seven-month-old Israel-Hamas war.Accusations of severe food insecurity, malnutrition, and even famine have formed an integral part of the allegations against Israel of genocide in the International Court of Justice and of crimes against humanity and war crimes in the International Criminal Court. Israel has strenuously denied all the allegations.
IDF denies Hamas claim to have captured soldiers in new Gaza incident-‘There is no incident of a soldier’s kidnapping,’ says military after Hamas releases unverified clip showing body being dragged on ground in tunnel-By Emanuel Fabian-and Agencies 26 May 2024, 10:17 am
The Israel Defense Forces early Sunday swiftly denied a claim by Hamas that Israeli soldiers had been captured by the terror group in a new incident in the Gaza Strip.“The IDF clarifies that there is no incident of a soldier’s kidnapping,” the military said in a brief statement, shortly after a spokesman for Hamas’s military wing claimed that the terror group had killed and then abducted Israeli troops during fighting in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya.“Our fighters lured a Zionist force into an ambush inside a tunnel… The fighters withdrew after they left all members of the force dead, wounded, and captured,” Hudhaifa Kahlout — known by the nom de guerre Abu Obeida — the spokesman for the Al Qassam Brigades, said in a recorded message broadcast by Al Jazeera early on Sunday.The IDF pushed into Jabaliya earlier this month for the third time amid the war, in an operation focused on killing Hamas cells that regrouped in the city’s historic refugee camp, an area that the military had not reached previously.The fighting has been described by the IDF and some officers as “intense” and the “most violent” amid the war, with many engagements, both above ground and with Hamas operatives using tunnels. The IDF has also recovered the bodies of seven slain hostages from tunnels in Jabaliya.With Abu Obeida’s statement, Hamas released a video that appeared to show a bloodied person being dragged along the ground in a tunnel. The identity of the person and their condition could not be immediately verified.Also presented in the video were images of military gear and three submachine guns, which are not commonly used by the Israeli military.Unlike previous videos issued by Hamas, the clip released early Sunday was not dated.On October 7, some 3,000 terrorists poured across the border with Israel in an unprecedented Hamas-led attack, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and kidnapping 252, including around two dozen soldiers — some of whom were killed amid the onslaught.Israel declared war on Hamas in response, launching an offensive aimed at toppling the Gaza-ruling terror group and securing the release of the hostages.The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 35,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though only some 24,000 fatalities have been identified at hospitals. The tolls, which cannot be verified, include some 15,000 terror operatives Israel says it has killed in battle. Israel also says it killed some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.Two hundred and eighty-six soldiers have been killed during the ground offensive against Hamas and amid operations along the Gaza border. A civilian Defense Ministry contractor has also been killed in the Strip.
Volley of shots fired at Jewish girls’ school in Toronto; no injuries-Two suspects open fire on Bais Chaya Mushka complex in early hours of morning; political leaders condemn incident as antisemitic; Jewish community laments rising hatred-By AFP and ToI Staff 26 May 2024, 8:14 am
Two people opened fire at a Jewish girls’ school in Toronto early Saturday, without causing any injuries but prompting Canadian authorities to step up security at other schools and synagogues, police said.Political leaders denounced the incident while Jewish community representatives said it was a symptom of rising antisemitism in Canada that has spiked since the start of an ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.The suspects, who arrived at Bais Chaya Mushka in a dark-colored vehicle, opened fire just before 5 a.m. and caused “some damage to the front of the school” before leaving the scene, police inspector Paul Krawczyk said at a news conference.Police increased their presence in the school’s north Toronto neighborhood, as well as at other schools and synagogues, Krawczyk said.“I completely understand that this can cause concern and fear and anxiety in the community,” he said, without speculating on the motive.“We’re not going to ignore the obvious, you know, what occurred here and what the target of the shooting was,” he said. “But at the same time, it will be wrong to just guess at this point.”There apparently was no one inside at the time.A video shared on social media showed two people each armed with a pistol lining up and firing at the building. There were reportedly five shots fired.Ontario Premier Doug Ford, however, called the incident “a gross display of anti-Semitism.”“It’s beyond belief that anyone could be this hateful,” he said in a post on X. “These cowards need to be found and brought to justice.”“Reports of shots fired at a Jewish elementary school in North York are despicable — a brazen act of antisemitism,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.The B’nai Brith Canada rights group, in a post to social media platform X, said the gun violence at the school was “outrageous” and “cannot be tolerated!”“This incident is a stark reminder of the dangers created by a permissive environment that tolerates hate-preaching encampments, hate speech and related antisemitism which threaten the very fabric of our Canadian society,” it said and called on the city’s mayor to “denounce this hateful act.”In a post to her own X feed, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow wrote, “This is a despicable antisemitic act. Jewish children and families should not be made to fear for their safety.”The Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs advocacy group said in a statement, “This is a clear, calculated, and pre-meditated targeting of a Jewish school for girls.”“The fact a school was targeted regardless of whether kids were present or not represents another worrying escalation in the violence Jewish Canadians have been experiencing,” the statement said. “We will stay vigilant, but we will not be intimidated.”Michael Levitt, president-CEO of Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, said, “This shocking escalation of violence directed at innocent Jewish children must serve as a wake-up call for political leaders in our city and across our country.”“It is time for our leaders to stop with the sympathetic words and instead to take the decisive actions that are necessary to confront the escalating hatred that is plaguing our communities,” he said in a statement. “Jews in this country will not hide or cower in fear in the face of this brazen and cowardly act.”The shooting comes amid the war in Gaza sparked by Hamas’s massive October 7 terror attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians. The thousands of terrorists who burst into Israel from the Gaza Strip also abducted 242 people of all ages as hostages to the Palestinian coastal enclave.Israel responded with a military offensive to destroy Hamas, topple its Gaza regime, and free the hostages of whom 121 are still in captivity, some believed no longer alive.The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 35,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though only some 24,000 fatalities have been identified at hospitals. The tolls, which cannot be verified, include some 15,000 terror operatives Israel says it has killed in battle. Israel also says it killed some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.In November, a Jewish school in Montreal was hit by gunfire twice in one week. There were no injuries.Earlier this month, B’nai Brith Canada released a report showing there were 5,791 documented acts of violence, harassment, and vandalism targeting Jews in 2023, more than twice the total in 2022.Canada’s special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism, Deborah Lyons, told The Times of Israel in a recent interview that “It’s clear from the data we’re seeing, particularly coming from police units across Canada, that there’s a huge increase in antisemitism in terms of hate crimes happening.”
IDF presses ahead with Rafah offensive after World Court’s ambiguous halt order-Officials say ruling allows Israel to continue operations in Gaza’s southernmost city; soldier seriously hurt in northern Strip as IDF battles Hamas across the enclave-By Emanuel Fabian,-ToI Staff and Reuters 25 May 2024, 11:06 pm
Israeli troops on Saturday engaged in clashes with Palestinian gunmen across the Gaza Strip, including Rafah, a day after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt operations in the enclave’s southernmost city that would risk destroying the civilian population.A statement from the Israel Defense Forces said that a cell in Rafah that opened fire at troops was killed, and several tunnel shafts were found and destroyed, alongside caches of weapons.The fighting came after Palestinian media on Friday evening reported a large Israeli airstrike in Rafah’s Shaboura area, one of the neighborhoods located about halfway between the Israeli border and the coast where the IDF began operating against Hamas earlier in the week.The IDF operation in Rafah, which the military asserts is Hamas’s last major stronghold, has fueled further international criticism of Israel over the war in Gaza, with the ICJ issuing a significant but somewhat ambiguous ruling instructing Israel to stop military activities that could result in the destruction of the civilian population sheltering there.Israeli officials said they consider the ICJ order to allow room for some operations in Rafah, rejecting interpretations that the court ruling required Israel halt the offensive altogether.“What they are asking us is not to commit genocide in Rafah. We did not commit genocide and we will not commit genocide,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, told Channel 12 news.Asked whether the Rafah offensive would continue, Hanegbi said: “According to international law, we have the right to defend ourselves and the evidence is that the court is not preventing us from continuing to defend ourselves.”The ICJ, which is based in The Hague, did not immediately comment on Hanegbi’s remarks. Hamas also did not immediately comment.Another Israeli official pointed to the phrasing of the ruling by the ICJ, depicting it as conditional.“The order in regard to the Rafah operation is not a general order,” the official said on condition of anonymity.Fighting in northern and central Gaza-Also Saturday, a reservist with the Bislamach Brigade’s 6828th Battalion was seriously wounded during fighting against terror operatives in northern Gaza.He was taken to a hospital for treatment.The announcement came after the military said troops operating in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya killed dozens of gunmen in close-quarters combat and by calling in airstrikes over the past day.The troops also located and demolished rocket launching sites and buildings used by terror groups, alongside caches of weapons, the IDF said.Among those killed were operatives who had directed attacks on troops, and a Hamas sniper cell that had opened fire at soldiers several times in recent days, according to the military.Meanwhile, in central Gaza, several more operatives were killed in clashes with troops and by tank shelling, the IDF said.On Friday in central Gaza, the IDF said an airstrike killed the deputy commander of Hamas’s national security force.According to the IDF, Diaa al-Din al-Sharafa was responsible for “managing the mechanism that secures the borders of the Gaza Strip.”“During the war, this mechanism prevented the population from evacuating from combat zones,” the IDF said-Israel has vowed to eliminate Hamas following the October 7 terror onslaught that started the war, including its civil authority and members of its political wing.Further details on ‘complex’ IDF op to recover hostages’ bodies-The military on Saturday released footage and additional details from the operation to recover the bodies of three slain hostages from the northern Gaza Strip late Thursday.The bodies of Orión Hernández Radoux, 30, Hanan Yablonka, 42, and Michel Nisenbaum, 59, who were all killed on October 7, were located in a tunnel in Jabaliya, the same area where the bodies of another four hostages were recovered a week earlier.The IDF said troops of the 75th Armored Battalion killed a terror operative who was apparently a lookout over the area where the bodies were held. The soldiers then raided and captured the site.A short while later, troops of the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit, Shin Bet agents, and special forces of the Military Intelligence Directorate entered the tunnel and located the bodies.The bodies were extracted from the tunnel in a “complex” overnight operation, the military said.According to the IDF, the location of the bodies was extracted from intelligence obtained in recent days by the military and Shin Bet.The intelligence also revealed that the three were abducted by Hamas terrorists from the Mefalsim area in southern Israel on October 7, and were killed there or a short while later en route to Gaza.
Analysis-Confused by the ICJ’s decision on Gaza? Blame the judges’ deliberate ambiguity-The key sentence in the court’s ruling is a non-definitive three-clause construct. And the judges themselves don’t agree on what it is they are requiring Israel to do-Yuval Yoaz-By Yuval Yoaz 25 May 2024, 8:19 pm
Maybe one day Aharon Barak, the ad-hoc judge representing Israel at the International Court of Justice, will reveal what happened behind the scenes when all 15 judges came to formulate their decision in South Africa’s fourth request for temporary orders against Israel, within the framework of its claim based on the Convention for the Prevention of Genocide.How, he might explain, did Friday’s ruling end up with the main issue on the agenda – the question of whether the judges would order Israel to stop its military operation in Rafah – not answered explicitly.In the decision, read out by the President of the International Court of Justice Nawaf Salam, the operative directive on the Rafah issue states that Israel will, “Immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah Governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”The question is whether the qualification – “which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part” – applies only to “any other action,” or also to “military offensive.”In other words, must Israel halt its entire Rafah military operation, or can it continue with that military operation provided it does not constitute a genocidal risk? The formulation and punctuation of this key, complex, three-clause sentence in the ruling seem to allow for both of these — very different — interpretations.This order was supported by 13 judges against two, but the full decision did not offer clarity on what the order actually means. Whatever their reasons, the judges chose not to formulate a single, short, non-ambiguous sentence stating precisely what Israel was being required to do.Most of the headlines in Israel and around the world proclaimed that the court had ordered Israel to immediately stop its military operation in Rafah. Ongoing coverage since then has largely maintained this definitive interpretation.But after the court published the minority opinion documents – by Justice Barak and the court vice president, Julia Sebutinde of Uganda – along with the opinions written by three of the majority judges, it became clear that four of the five judges who addressed this issue consider that Israel is allowed to continue its military action in Rafah, as long as this action does not put the Palestinian population at risk of annihilation, either in full or in part.“The measure is a qualified one, which preserves Israel’s right to prevent and repel threats and attacks by Hamas, defend itself and its citizens, and free the hostages,” Barak wrote in his minority opinion regarding the decision of the majority judges.“The measure obliging Israel to halt the current military offensive in Rafah is conditioned by the need to prevent ‘conditions of life that could bring about [the] physical destruction in whole or in part’ of the Palestinian group in Gaza. Thus, this measure does not concern other actions of Israel which do not give rise to such a risk,” wrote German judge Georg Nolte, who joined the majority judges. This position was supported by Romanian Judge Bogdan Aurescu and Judge Sebutinde.The only judge who expressed a contrary position is the South African ad-hoc judge, Dire Tladi, who wrote that the order completely prohibits any offensive Israeli action in the Rafah area. However, the South African judge emphasized that the wording of the order forbids only “offensive” actions, and that Israel’s defensive actions – which come in response to specific Hamas attacks – are not prohibited, according to his own interpretation.The other 10 justices did not publish interpretations.Unacceptable situation-This is not the first time in history that judges whose opinions differ try to find a form of compromise that everyone can agree on. Such compromises allow as many judges on the bench to unite around an agreed-upon bottom line.But in the present case, an unacceptable situation was created, in which the compromise brought about such a vague text that each side is now reading it as it wishes.Shortly after the announcement of the decision, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a conference call with some of the senior ministers in his government, as well as legal professionals headed by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.It seems that in this conversation, the complex nature of the ICJ order was internalized, since later in the evening, the head of Israel’s National Security Council and the Foreign Ministry published a joint statement, in which they echoed the court’s own wording: “Israel did not and will not conduct military activity in the Rafah area that creates conditions of life that could bring about the physical destruction of the Palestinian civilians, in whole or in part.”The precise language adopted by Israel from the court’s decision shows that Israel considers itself free to continue the military operation in Rafah, while at the same time pledges its commitment to ensuring the humanitarian well-being of the Palestinian population.Harmful ministerial statements-As expected, the court in its ruling saw fit, once again, to change and update the temporary orders it issued in its first decision on January 26, and which had already been amended once, on March 28. To do this, the court had to reach the conclusion that the factual situation on the ground had changed.Indeed, what the court saw at previous points as a risk of humanitarian deterioration of the population in the Gaza Strip has come to fruition, according to the majority judges, and the humanitarian situation has now been defined by them as “disastrous.”This topic has sparked controversy among some judges, who fear the consequences of over-intervention by the court in micromanaging the fighting, as well as repeated intervention in orders already issued by the court. Petitioning states are being incentivized to appeal again and again at the stage of the temporary injunctions and to urge the court to amend its decisions.Another problem arose in light of the division of roles between international institutions on issues of global peacekeeping and security.The ICJ is not an enforcement institution but a legal institution, whose role is to settle disputes in accordance with the rules of international law. But South Africa argued that the court must amend its previous orders and make them more specific in order to enable their enforcement. Pretoria claims that this is necessary because, it argues, the UN Security Council or General Assembly are unlikely to enforce the court’s ruling, for political reasons.The court acceded to this request and among the orders it issued, it determined that the previous orders it issued must be fulfilled; that Israel must open the Rafah crossing for the purpose of providing humanitarian aid to the population in the Gaza Strip; that Israel will allow any UN investigative team to enter the Gaza Strip; and that Israel will submit to the court a report detailing all the steps taken in these contexts, within a month.Irresponsible statements – such as those made by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who called for the destruction of the entire Gaza Strip; and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who called for the prevention of entry of any humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip – caused the court to doubt Israel’s ability to fully honor its declared obligations regarding the humanitarian situation of the population, in accordance with international law.If these destructive ministerial statements continue, Israel’s legal situation will further deteriorate in international courts.And yet, looking at the big picture, the bottom line is this: For the fourth time this year, South Africa asked the International Court of Justice to stop Israel’s fighting in the Gaza Strip and order it to withdraw its forces. And for the fourth time, the court rejected these requests from South Africa.
US said surprised by Israeli statement on talks resuming-After Mossad chief’s trip, Israeli official says hostage talks to resume next week-David Barnea, CIA director and Qatari PM agreed during Paris meeting to hold negotiations on ‘new proposals’ for truce deal between Israel and Hamas-By ToI Staff and Jacob Magid-25 May 2024, 7:33 pm
Negotiations for a truce in Gaza and the release of hostages held there by Hamas will resume next week, a senior Israeli official told The Times of Israel after Mossad chief David Barnea returned to Israel on Saturday following a meeting in Paris with top US and Qatari mediators.According to the official, Barnea discussed “building a foundation” for the resumption of talks with CIA Director William Burns and Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.At the end of the meeting, the official said the three agreed to restart talks next week on “new proposals led by the mediators Egypt and Qatar, with active involvement of the US.”During the Paris talks, Barnea presented Burns and al-Thani with Israel’s latest proposal and was briefed by the CIA chief on possible solutions for unspecified matters of contention in past rounds of talks, the official said.The war cabinet is expected to convene Sunday evening to discuss the latest efforts to free the hostages, according to Hebrew media reports.There was no official response from Hamas, though a source in the terror group told the Walla news site that it won’t resume negotiations until Israel agrees to end the war in Gaza.Egyptian intelligence director Abbas Kamel, who has represented Cairo in previous rounds, did not attend the Paris meeting, but Egyptian representatives are expected to participate in an additional meeting next week.Despite the Israeli official’s statement Saturday, sources quoted by Kan and Walla said no date was agreed on for the resumption of talks, with the latter outlet saying the Biden administration was surprised by the announcement.“We are working on an immediate ceasefire in Gaza that will bring the hostages home,” US President Joe Biden told graduating cadets at West Point on Saturday, adding that his administration was engaged in “urgent diplomacy” to do so.The efforts to again revive the talks come weeks after the previous round of negotiations collapsed, with the sides unable to bridge the gap on the fundamental issue: Hamas is looking for a hostage deal that permanently ends the war triggered by its October 7 onslaught, while Israel is only willing to agree to a temporary ceasefire, as it aims to finish dismantling the terror group.Prior to Barnea’s departure for Paris, the war cabinet voted Thursday to lengthen the “leash” of Israel’s delegation to the truce-hostage talks, according to the Ynet news site.The report said that there was a wide consensus among the security establishment, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, ministers Benny Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot and Ron Dermer, and cabinet observer Aryeh Deri that the negotiation team’s mandate should be expanded.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was reportedly opposed to doing so, was said to have been swayed by the broad support for the move and the release on Wednesday of footage showing the kidnapping of female IDF soldiers on October 7, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists who stormed southern Israel killed some 1,200 people and took 252 hostage.The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 35,000 people in the Strip have been killed in the subsequent fighting, of whom the UN says some 24,000 fatalities have been identified. The tolls, which cannot be independently verified, include some 15,000 gunmen Israel says it has killed in battle. Israel also says it killed some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.It is believed that 121 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released prior to that.Three hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 19 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military. The IDF has confirmed the deaths of 37 of those still held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza. One more person is listed as missing since October 7, and their fate is still unknown.Hamas is also holding the bodies of fallen IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin since 2014, as well as two Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who are both thought to be alive after entering the Strip of their own accord in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING (BUT WILL NOT KILL EVERY BODY WITH WATER)(BUT 50% OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE (4 BILLION PEOPLE) FROM NUCLEAR WAR)(THE BIBLE SAYS BY FIRE OR ATOMIC BOMBS THIS TIME)
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.
OZONE DEPLETION JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH DUE TO SIN
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold,(7X OR 7-DEGREES HOTTER) as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people,(ISRAEL) and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened,(DAY LIGHT HOURS SHORTENED) there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake (ISRAELS SAKE) those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)(THE ASTEROID HITS EARTH HERE)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
EZEKIEL 32:6-9
6 I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee.
7 And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.
8 All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.
9 I will also vex the hearts of many people, when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known.
REVELATION 16:3-7
3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.(enviromentalists won't like this result)
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6 For they(False World Church and Dictator and baby murderers by abortion) have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
2 Peter 3:6-7 Amplified Bible (AMP)
through which the world at that time was destroyed by being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly people.
KENTUCKY IS GETTING PUMMELLED BY THE BIGGEST VIOLENT WEDGE OR STOVE PIPE TORNADO CATOSTRAPHIC EVENT, THE DEBRIS SIGNATURE IS 40,000 FEET IN THE AIR BEING LIFTED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.THIS GIGANTIC VIOLENT MONSTER HAS BEEN ON THE GROUND FOR AT LEAST 40 MINUTES NOW.AT LEAST 18 HAVE DIED IN 3 STATES.
At least 18 people are dead after tornado-spawning storms strike the central US on Memorial Day weekend-Joe Sutton-By Dalia Faheid, Paradise Afshar, Ashley R. Williams, Elisa Raffa and Joe Sutton, CNN-Updated 9:26 PM EDT, Sun May 26, 2024
CNN — At least 18 people, including four children, are dead in four states after suspected tornadoes struck the central United States overnight and as millions face continued severe weather threats through the remainder of the Memorial Day weekend.Just under 109 million people across broad swaths of the US were under threat of large hail, damaging winds and a fierce twisters Sunday, mainly throughout the mid-Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee River valleys. As the storms move east, the Storm Prediction Center warned of “violent tornadoes, extreme hail and corridors of widespread wind damage.”President Joe Biden has been briefed on the storms.As severe weather continued to unfold across parts of the US, a heightened tornado watch designated as a rare “particularly dangerous situation” calling for “several tornadoes and few intense likely” went into effect on Sunday, according to the Storm Prediction Center.The watch covers parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee – including in St. Louis and Jefferson City, Missouri; Paducah, Kentucky; and Carbondale, Illinois – and impacts 4.7 million people.This is a special kind of tornado watch issued only when there’s unusually high confidence in the potential of multiple at least EF2-strength and long-lived tornadoes in the area, according to the National Weather Service.The supercell thunderstorms firing up in the watch area will also be capable of large hail bigger than the size of baseballs and damaging wind gusts to 75 mph.“Intense supercell thunderstorms will continue to develop across the watch area through this evening. Several tornadoes are likely, some of which are expected to be intense. Very large hail is also likely, along with the risk for potentially significant damaging wind gusts,” says the Storm Prediction Center.A tornado watch was issued Sunday evening for more than 3 million people living in parts of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky until 1 a.m. CT.The Storm Prediction Center warned of several possible tornadoes with hail larger than baseballs and widespread wind gusts up to 85 mph likely.Severe storms kill over a dozen people-At least seven people in Cooke County, Texas, were killed when severe storms hit the area Saturday night, Sheriff Ray Sappington told CNN. Among the dead were four juveniles, including a 2-year-old and 5-year-old.The severe weather that swept through Arkansas killed at least eight people, with deaths occurring in Marion, Boone, Baxter and Benton counties, officials say.Eleven northern Arkansas counties were affected by the storms, Arkansas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Cindy Murphy told CNN.Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency Sunday afternoon to support the severe weather and tornado-ravaged parts of the state. “We remain in close contact with local officials and will continue to do everything possible to help each Arkansan in need,” the governor said in a message on X.One person died in Kentucky, according to a social media post by Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg.In northeast Oklahoma, two people were killed and at least 23 were injured as a result of severe storms overnight, local officials told CNN.Electrical substations were downed and the city of Claremore was left with no operating gas systems, Claremore City Manager John Feary said. Among the injured, 19 were transported to hospitals, three with potentially critical or life-threatening injuries, Feary said.Survey teams from the National Weather Service found severe damage Sunday in Claremore, giving the tornado a preliminary rating of EF3.EF3 tornadoes pack winds of 136 to 165 mph. The damage was found north of Highway 20, east of Claremore.Inside a Shell gas station in northeast Texas, 60 to 80 people were trapped until the storm blew over, Sappington said. Multiple injuries were reported at the station, but none were life-threatening, he added.Many vehicles were damaged and destroyed, leaving about 40 people stranded. They were transported by bus to another gas station in Gainesville, where they were picked up by family members.In north Denton County, a possible tornado injured an unknown number of people, damaged several homes, overturned 18-wheelers, downed trees and knocked out power lines on Saturday night, authorities said early Sunday.“Multiple victims” were reported in Ray Roberts after severe weather struck the area overnight, city of Denton fire officials said.Damage to several homes was also reported in the neighboring city of Celina, where officials said the city was affected by “apparent tornadic activity” on Saturday.A forecast model shows one way severe thunderstorms could develop Saturday night.The National Weather Service office in Fort Worth issued several tornado warnings for multiple North Texas cities late Saturday night, telling residents to seek shelter immediately as a tornado was seen heading east between Valley View and Sanger around 10:40 p.m.Lake Ray Roberts Marina in the city of Sanger in Denton County sustained damage to boats, boat houses and the fuel dock by the severe weather Saturday night. Despite reports of people rescued after being trapped in overturned RVs, there are no reports of serious injuries.“There is so much damage, we don’t even know where to start,” the marina said in a Facebook post Sunday morning.“We know the boat houses are heavily damaged, all have lost walkways, and most boats are damaged,” the post said. “We lost our fuel dock and offices along with our dock cat, Ginger.”A survey team with the National Weather Service in Dallas found that a tornado of at least a preliminary rating of EF2 strength struck Valley View in northern Texas with estimated maximum winds of 135 mph.The team also said damage found in south Montague County was consistent with an EF2 tornado and estimated maximum winds of 125 mph. This tornado was just south of Forestburg.Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday signed a disaster declaration for four additional counties – Denton, Collin, Cooke and Montague – bringing the total to 106 counties.“I saw the harrowing video inside the Valley View gas station as the tornado passed through with the people stockpiled in their clinging to safety,” Abbott said at a news conference, adding that it’s a “miracle” everyone made it out alive.At least 100 people have been injured in Texas, said Abbott, who referred to the deaths as a “heart-wrenching loss of life.”In Bentonville, Arkansas, were working to respond to power outages and emergency medical calls on Sunday, according to Mayor Stephanie Orman.“We have crews mobilized throughout the city. We have power lines, down – about 10,000 probably out with power. We’ve got trees across roads, we’re really encouraging individuals to stay off the roads as we tried to clean up those road systems. We also have signals down,” Orman said. “We have had over 20 EMS calls and so those are currently being worked.”Across state lines, damage was also reported throughout Rogers County, Oklahoma, after a possible tornado swept the area, downing power lines and trees and damaging homes.As damaged areas recover, storms move east-More than 500,000 customers across nine states were without power by Sunday evening, including more than 170,000 outages in Kentucky alone, according to the tracking website poweroutage.us.A new tornado watch impacting 1.5 million people was issued Sunday for parts of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma until 9 p.m. CT that includes Springfield, Branson, and Joplin in Missouri, as well as Fayetteville, Arkansas.Supercell thunderstorms could produce a couple tornadoes, scattered large hail up to the size of tennis balls and damaging wind gusts to 70 mph, according to the Storm Prediction Center.There is a Level 3 of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms over parts of the Mississippi and Ohio valleys into Monday morning, and EF2 to EF5 tornadoes and wind gusts of 74 mph are possible, according to the Storm Prediction Center.A forecast model depicts one way storms could develop over Memorial Day weekend. CNN Weather-Storms will move toward the East Coast on Monday, bringing disruptive high winds and large hail from DC through the Southeast.Greenfield residents hug in front of their tornado damaged home on Wednesday in Iowa.The travel hubs of Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Nashville could have to contend with damaging storms, leading to delayed or canceled flights.The potential for heavy rain over parts of the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, middle Mississippi Valley, and Central Appalachians prompted the slight risk, Level 2 of 4, of excessive rainfall in those regions through Monday morning.Louisville, Kentucky; Cincinnati; St. Louis; Nashville and Indianapolis are among the cities included in the Level 3 threat.
Tornadoes leave trail of death and destruction across parts of US-The powerful storms have killed at least 15 people with others injured and more severe weather expected.Monday 27 May 2024 01:27, UK
Powerful storms have killed at least 15 people and left a trail of destruction in their wake as they swept across parts of the central United States.A tornado tore through a rural area in northern Texas, near the Oklahoma border, on Saturday night, killing at least seven people.Cooke County sheriff Ray Sappington said two children, aged two and five, were among the victims, with numerous injuries also reported.He said some of the many trailer homes in the area were "completely gone", while others suffered massive damage from the storm which left a quarter of a mile-wide path of destruction for three to four miles."It's just a trail of debris left," he said. "The devastation is pretty severe."Storms also killed two people and destroyed houses in Oklahoma, where guests at an outdoor wedding were injured, while at least five people were killed in Arkansas, including a 26-year-old woman.Elsewhere, a man was killed in Louisville, Kentucky, when a tree fell on him on Sunday.The small community of Valley View, a town in Cooke County, where barely 800 people live, was among the hardest hit.Kevin Dorantes, 20, said he came across a father and son trapped under the debris and friends and neighbours worked to get them out."They were conscious but severely injured," he said. "The father's leg was snapped."He said they managed to carry the father on a mattress to a truck and he and his son were driven to a nearby ambulance.Hugo Parra said he sheltered with around 40 to 50 people in the bathroom of a truck stop near Valley View as the storm sheared the roof and walls off the building, mangling metal beams and leaving battered cars in the car park."The best way to describe this is the wind tried to rip us out of the bathrooms," he said.The full scale of the devastation began to come clear on Sunday morning as aerial footage showed dozens of damaged homes, many without roofs and others reduced to rubble, as residents woke up to overturned cars and collapsed garages.Hundreds of thousands of customers were without power across a large part of the country, including in Arkansas, Missouri and Texas on Sunday, according to poweroutages.us.In Indiana, bad weather delayed the start of the famous Indy 500 car race.More severe weather is expected across parts of Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee, with the National Weather Service warning of damaging winds, large hail and more tornadoes in the affected areas.April and May have been a busy month for tornadoes, especially in the Midwest, with Iowa hit hard last week, when a deadly twister devastated Greenfield.
HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER
JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.(IN 1 HR THE STOCK MARKETS WORLDWIDE WILL CRASH)
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed:(CONFISCATED) their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.
MARK OF THE BEAST (engraved microchip in your hand or forehead)
REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, (SLAVE) to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
REVELATION 16:1-2
1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
I KNOW THIS MARK WILL BE A MICROCHIP IMPLANT UNDER THE SKIN. LETS LOOK UP WHAT THE WORD MARK SAYS IN REVELATION 13:16-18, 14:9,11, 15:2, 16:2, 19:20, 20:4-ALL THESE VERSES FROM THE BOOK OF REVELATION SPEAK OF THIS DICTATORS MARK. NOW LETS SEE WHAT IT MEANS FROM STRONGS EXAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE. UNDER MARK PAGE 684.MARK UNDER MARK. THE OLD TESTAMENT IS UNDER HEBREW AND THE NEW TESTAMENT IS UNDER GREEK. SO WHEN WE LOOK UNDER REVELATION 13:16-17 WE SEE IT IS UNDER GREEK, SO WE GO TO GREEK IN THE BACK SECTION AND GO TO 5480 TO SEE WHAT IT SAYS THIS MARK WOULD BE. SO LETS GET TO IT.MARK IN STRONGS GREEK 5480 XAPAYUA CHARAGMA, KHAR-AG-MAH: FROM THE SAME AS 5482: A SCRATCH OR ETCHING, I.E STAMP (AS A BADGE OF SERVITUDE), OR SCULPTURED FIGURE-(STATUE):-GRAVEN, MARK FROM 5482 XAPAE CHARAX, KHAR-AX; FROM XAPAOOW CHARASSO (TO SHARPEN TO A POINT; AKIN TO 1125 THROUGH THE IDEA OF SCRATCHING); A STAKE, I.E (BYIMPL.) A PALISADE OR RAMPART (MILITARY MOUND FOR CIRCUMVALLATION IN A SIEGE): - TRENCH FROM 1125 YPAPOE GRAPHO, GRAF-0; A PRIM. VERB; TO "GRAVE", ESPEC. TO WRITE; FIG. TO DESCRIBE:-DESCRIBE, WRITE (-ING, -TEN).G5516-GO TO G4742-666 - STRONGS NT 4742: στίγμα - στίγμα, στιγματος, τό (from στίζω to prick; (cf. Latinstimulus, etc.; German stechen, English stick, sting, etc.; Curtius, § 226)), a mark pricked in or branded upon the body. According to ancient oriental usage, slaves and soldiers bore the name or stamp of their master or commander branded or pricked (cut) into their bodies to indicate what master or general they belonged to, and there were even some devotees who stamped themselves in this way with the token of their gods (cf. Deyling, Observations, iii., p. 423ff); hence, τά στίγματα τοῦ (κυρίου so Rec.) Ἰησοῦ, the marks of (the Lord) Jesus, which Paul in Galatians 6:17 says he bears branded on his body, are the traces left there by the perils, hardships, imprisonments, scourgings, endured by him for the cause of Christ, and which mark him as Christ's faithful and approved votary, servant, soldier (see Lightfoots Commentary on Galatians, the passage cited). (Herodotus 7, 233; Aristotle, Aelian, Plutarch, Lcian, others.)
THE INVENTOR OF THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT-CARL SANDERS MICROCHIP ENGINEER LEADER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgH9D6n4ZWo
THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT IN YOUR RIGHT HAND OR FOREHEAD.
LEVETICUS 19.28
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
Who is looking out for your data? Security in an era of wide-spread breaches-May 26, 2024, 9:49 pm EDT-By Vince Graziani, CEO, Idex Biometrics
While some of the biggest businesses in the world now rely heavily on data, concern surrounding security is at an all-time high. In 2022 and 2023, 34.5 percent of executives saw cyberattacks that targeted the accounting and financial data of their companies, according to a recent Deloitte Center for Controllership Poll. Meanwhile, 62 percent of consumers in Europe, Latin America, and North America, think that breaches are an unavoidable feature of doing business online. Due to this ongoing danger, employees and customers alike are understandably worried about the security of their personal data. This has left both businesses and end-users starting to wonder if their data is ever fully protected.Factors such as hurried or unguided cloud migrations, a surge in remote working, underdeveloped infrastructures, and people’s overall growing digital footprint have seen a rise in such attacks, due to the increasing amount of data created in these scenarios. As a result, cyber-attacks continue to increase despite heightened awareness of cyber-security best practices. As per Forbes, the number of malware programs circulating in 2023 exceeded one billion.In this unstable digital environment, the security of employee and consumer data, as well as the assets and intellectual property of businesses themselves, must be protected.High-profile breaches make consumers extremely cautious-Statista research estimates the total transaction value in the global digital payments market at $9 trillion in 2023, with an expected annual growth rate of 11.8 percent, reaching $15 trillion in the next five years.With high-profile data breaches continuing to dominate the news, it is essential to rebuild consumer trust in digital products and offer effective solutions. Over the past year in North America, several well-known entities experienced breaches. American Airlines, for instance, suffered a breach exposing pilots’ personal information when their centralized recruitment database was compromised. Similarly, UPS Canada had to notify its customers that personal information had been inadvertently uncovered by another user who misused a package lookup tool.Notable companies such as Twitter (now known as ‘X’), the food and drink giant Mondelez and the owner of KFC and Pizza Hut, Yum! Brands, have also made headlines. The social media giant X faced a significant breach, with email addresses of 200 million users being sold on the dark web. This incident followed an initial leak that occurred a year prior.Meanwhile, in Europe, the Police Service of Northern Ireland experienced a “monumental data breach” in August, caused by a manual error in response to a Freedom of Information request. Regulatory changes in the UK in recent years have seen both the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) amend their rules for organizations, to combat this level of cybercrime or unintentional data leak. This includes being more cooperative and transparent with regulators, taking responsibility for updating systems and controls, and being both quicker and more comprehensive with details of any security incidents. These rule amendments are a direct response to calls for a degree of digital transformation, and to potentially replace existing systems that should be protecting customers, employees, and their data. Similar cybersecurity regulations in Europe through NIS2 (Network and Information Systems Directive) and DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) are aimed at reinforcing operational resilience and resistance to cyberthreats. With this in mind, organizations are considering new solutions to achieve an enhanced level of protection and control, in a decentralized way.Adapting technology to improve security: the importance of biometrics-Until now, the response from organizations to pressure from regulators, and from the general public, has been to weave cybersecurity more prominently into digital transformation efforts. Organizations have looked to develop a zero-trust architecture, which presumes all access attempts are illegal until authenticated. In this respect, two-factor authentication has also been made compulsory in many countries, adding a further layer of protection for consumers. Ongoing cloud migrations, while presenting a new potential attack surface in the future, have also been designed to better safeguard company data.The potential of biometrics has also been explored as a primary way to ensure access to data and use of finances, is linked more directly and unequivocally to the right person. Already, the biometric sensor market, where access or use is enabled by personal identification markers such as fingerprints or facial recognition, is set to triple its 2020 value to $3.3 billion by 2030. Initiatives that support the increased growth of this sector include Mastercard’s Biometric Authentication Service, which streamlines biometric integration for businesses. This initiative addresses the challenges with passwords and multi-factor authentication and focuses on the use of biometrics to enhance security while simplifying and expediting digital experiences.Biometrics’ influence on consumers is also beginning to grow. As many as 58 percent have stated that biometric payments through the use of biometric smartcards make transactions more secure, a rise from 48 percent a year previously. Rather than using a PIN or remembering a password as a mode of access for these payment transactions, the method links a person’s card solely to a person’s fingerprints, voice, or facial features. It is therefore impervious to misuse, bringing additional convenience.Transforming data storage to enhance consumer confidence-Beyond organizations introducing the technology behind closed doors to keep data safe, the interest in biometrics smartcards shows that consumers also want to see improved protection play out in their physical transactions and finance management. This paradigm shift reflects not only a desire for heightened protection but also an acknowledgement of the limitations of traditional authentication methods. Attributing access to a fingerprint or facial recognition affirms to that person, in that moment, that their credentials are unique, and therefore that the data inside is safe. Encryption of fingerprint data within the card itself further ensures complete confidence in the solution. The encryption of personal identity data only strengthens this defense, ensuring that sensitive information remains inaccessible to unauthorized parties. These smartcards effectively mitigate the vulnerabilities associated with centralized databases.Biometric smart cards also change the dynamic of data storage. Rather than housing biometric credentials in centralized databases, where targets are also gathered in one location; smartcards sidestep that risk.As a solution to reclaim consumer confidence, biometric smart cards therefore tick all boxes: ultimate security, off-cloud, via the complete encryption of personal identity credentials that would manage both physical and logical access and keep finances as well as personal privacy safe. The off-cloud nature of biometric smart cards particularly offers a compelling advantage in an era marked by growing concerns over data privacy and security breaches. Unlike conventional cloud-based storage systems, which are susceptible to hacking and data breaches, smart cards provide a localized, tamper-resistant environment for storing critical biometric data.This amalgamation of cutting-edge technology and robust security measures not only enhances consumer confidence but also sets a new standard for authentication in the digital age. By offering a comprehensive solution for both physical and logical access control, biometric smart cards empower individuals to safeguard their financial assets and personal privacy with unprecedented efficiency and peace of mind.Using biometrics to build and maintain consumer trust-Significant advancements in authentication and payments are being made possible through the use of biometric smartcards. The scale of migrations that have occurred in recent years has lawmakers and large tech innovators pointing to the cloud as the next frontier for cyber-attackers. In their most recent research, “The Rising Threat to Consumer Data in the Cloud” report, Apple identifies biometric authentication as an “incredibly valuable” method of “passwordless sign-in” that can safeguard customers and staff even in a cloud-centric corporate environment. As part of a continuous transition, organizations will be raising their voices in discussions to fortify their security levels. A transformation that ultimately seeks to restore and embolden consumer trust.About the author-Vince Graziani is Chief Executive Officer at Idex Biometrics. Idex Biometrics provides fingerprint identification solutions including biometric fingerprint sensors and modules enrollment solutions which are used in payments, identification, access control, and IoT applications.DISCLAIMER: Biometric Update’s Industry Insights are submitted content. The views expressed in this post are that of the author, and don’t necessarily reflect the views of Biometric Update.
NADRA selling biometric kit abroad, denies reported CNIC issuance expansion at home-All-in-One Indigenous Kit showcased at ID4Africa-May 21, 2024, 12:07 pm EDT-| Ghulam Shabir Arain
In recent developments, Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has made considerable steps in improving digital identity management services by implementing innovative biometric solutions and increasing public access to identity card services. The recent statement of the Interior Ministry suggesting Computerized National Identity Cards (CNIC) issuance at union councils (UCs) around the country, however, has caused some confusion, with NADRA explaining that there are currently no plans for such facilities. This highlights the limitations of adopting large-scale identity services at the grassroots level, according to Dawn News.Simultaneously, NADRA, in partnership with its subsidiary NADRA Technologies Limited (NTL) and the National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC), will exhibit two cutting-edge indigenous digital identity solutions at the ID4Africa conference in Cape Town, South Africa. The All-in-One Indigenous Kit, which includes advanced biometric features such as a high-resolution camera, fingerprint scanner, facial recognition capabilities, and an advanced iris biometrics scanner, is poised to revolutionize digital identity verification and administration. These efforts demonstrate NADRA’s dedication to increasing service delivery, security, and technological self-reliance in Pakistan. ProPakistani reportedConfusion over CNIC issuance at the Union Council levelAccording to a press release issued by the Press Information Department, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Pakistan said that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has announced plans to establish CNIC issuance and renewal facilities at the union council level across the country, as well as to install biometric machines in all union councils. He directed NADRA to develop a secure plan within a few days. He sought to expand NADRA centers in key cities to reduce wait times and prevent fake identity card activities.However, according to the Dawn news report, NADRA swiftly stated that no such arrangements existed. The confusion arose from a meeting held by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, during which it was proposed that UCs might manage CNIC services. NADRA officials later clarified that adopting this at around 8,000 UCs would necessitate significant financial resources, hardware, and labor, rendering it impracticable.While decentralizing CNIC issuance may improve public convenience, the feasibility of such a large-scale rollout presents significant hurdles. A gradual overview, beginning with chosen UCs, maybe a more manageable approach for guaranteeing resource availability and operational effectiveness.Unveiling indigenous biometric solutions at ID4Africa-According to NADRA’s official statement and social media handles, the NADRA Technologies Limited (NTL) and the National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC) have developed the All-in-One Indigenous Kit and IRIS Scanner, which will be unveiled at the ID4Africa 2024 Annual General Meeting of the Identification for Development (ID4D) community. These modern biometric technologies incorporate several authentication capabilities into small, robust devices.The All-in-One digital identity kit features a high-resolution camera, iris and fingerprint biometric scanners, facial recognition software, contact and contactless card reading, and barcode scanning. It also provides reliable communication via 3G/4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS, and is powered by a 10,000mAh battery in an IP65-rated shell. The accompanying IRIS Scanner enables high-definition, contactless iris capture with accuracy.These all-in-one Pakistan-made devices reflect a substantial advancement in Pakistan’s technological capability. The introduction of this state-of-the-art digital identity kit is expected to bolster Pakistani international trade, with its global sale opening up avenues for foreign exchange earnings. Moreover, it has the potential to boost national identification programs, voter registration programs, law enforcement, and border control. Showcasing at the ID4D Conference demonstrates Pakistan’s dedication to advancing safe and effective identity management systems on a global scale.Moreover, Rida Qazi, spokesperson director of public engagement at NADRA, tells Biometric Update that the kit securely captures and transmits biometric data to a central database using encrypted protocols. It complies with international standards for accuracy and can perform on-device verification, she said.To prevent surveillance abuse, Qazi states, the agency follows best international practices and internal policy controls. The kit, produced locally by NRTC, will be accessible nationwide as a commercial product in a variety of configurations, ensuring widespread accessibility and improved identity verification throughout Pakistan.Collaboration and international showcase-NADRA’s collaboration with the National Radio and Telecommunications Corporation NRTC resulted in biometric solutions for digital ID programs such as the All-in-One Indigenous Kit and IRIS Scanner. These innovations are expected to improve NADRA’s registration centers and electronic know-your-customer (digital KYC) operations, ensuring secure and efficient identity verification. The solutions will be displayed at the ID4Africa conference, emphasizing Pakistan’s technological advances. This international presentation highlights the potential for these solutions to have a substantial influence on national ID initiatives, voter registration, and other sensitive areas.The innovative biometric solutions and initiatives to improve CNIC issuance could represent important advances in digital identity management by NADRA. However, the uncertainty about union council UC-level services demonstrates the difficulty of large-scale execution. The exhibition of an all-in-one digital identity kit at ID4Africa’s 2024 AGM in Cape Town demonstrates Pakistan’s commitment to technological self-reliance and worldwide management in secure identity verification. Practical execution and strategic planning are required to fully achieve these benefits for the public.
European Union Digital Identity Regulation takes effect-May 22, 2024, 10:55 am EDT- Masha Borak
The European Union Digital Identity (EUDI) Regulation entered into force on Monday meaning that Member States will be required to offer at least one EUDI Wallet to their citizens and residents by 2026.The EUDI Regulation builds on the eEIDAS (Regulation on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market) by addressing its shortcomings. EU policymakers designed the new rulebook to improve the effectiveness of the EUDI Wallet scheme by making it mandatory in EU countries and including the private sector.The mobile app wallet will allow users to identify themselves to public and private services and store, share and sign digital documents. The regulation mandates Member States to offer citizens and businesses digital wallets. Public authorities or private entities may issue the wallets and users will be able to link with national digital identities as well as store personal attributes such as driving licenses, diplomas and bank accounts.Europe’s task is to achieve widespread acceptance of digital identities throughout the EU by harmonizing regulation and coming up with a common technical architecture, reference framework and standards.The digital wallets also aim to give Europeans more control over their data.“By providing a transparent and secure framework, this innovative solution ensures that our personal data remains safeguarded as we navigate the digital world,” European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton says in a statement.To test the EUDI Wallet in real life, the European Commission has invested 46 million euros (US$49.8 million) into four Large Scale Pilots, which kicked off last year in April. This month, the EU announced grants for more Large Scale pilots, securing 20 million euros ($21.5 million) in funding.Both Belgium and Italy have launched national digital wallets this month.
Best biometrics use cases become clearer as ecosystems mature-May 25, 2024, 7:43 am EDT | Chris Burt
Biometrics are for digital identity, socio-economic development, air travel and remote identity verification, but not public surveillance, the most-read news of the week on Biometric Update indicates. ID4Africa’s 10th anniversary event demonstrated the considerable progress made by many nations across the continent on providing legal and digital ID, as many graduate to establishing DPI that makes digital identity more useful to people. NADRA’s participation was a little different this year, with a new role as a biometric equipment vendor. The market for digital infrastructure in developing countries remains a controversial topic, as Huawei shows. The EU is moving ahead with the AI Act and digital wallets. SITA’s acquisition of Materna makes a big player even bigger, while Footprint’s funding round sets it up to compete for growth in the KYC and identity verification market.ID4Africa held another successful summit this week in Cape Town, South Africa, focusing on digital public infrastructure amid a range of pressing issues for the continent in legal and digital identity. One of many highlights was the announcement that Ethiopia will host ID4Africa 2025. Addis Ababa is the home base of the African Union and one of the continent’s main travel hubs, and its turn hosting the world’s preeminent digital ID event is hotly anticipated.NADRA introduced its domestically-developed all-in-one biometric enrollment kit and iris scanner at ID4Africa 2024. The kit supports face, fingerprint and iris biometrics, encrypting and transmitting the data, and can also be used for identity verification, a NADRA official tells Biometric Update. A rumored expansion of CNIC issuance is not happening, the Pakistan ID agency says.Huawei is carrying out contracts to build digital infrastructure around the world, from Kenya and Zambia to Malaysia and Thailand. Some observers are concerned about the company’s connection to China’s political elite, seeing a kind of digital Belt and Road initiative.The AI Act has received final approval from the European Union Council, setting up an implementation path that will take three full years to complete. In that time, a new AI Office will be established. Real-time remote biometric identification technologies, such as live facial recognition, can only be used in public spaces in extreme conditions.The EU’s Digital Identity Regulation also entered into force, building on eIDAS and setting up the issuance of national digital identity wallets to support a range of interactions. That leaves harmonizing regulation, establishing a common technical architecture, reference framework and standards on the agenda.Italy began unveiling its national digital ID wallet just before EUDI became official, and ahead of a planned January 2025 rollout. The IT Wallet is intended to give Italians more control over their identity and personal data, while easing a wide range of online and in-person interactions.SITA acquired Materna IPS, one of the leading global providers of hardware and software for airport biometric touchpoints. The deal expands SITA’s portfolio and gives it more options to bundle with its biometrics platform, as it pursues a strategy of offering comprehensive curb-to-gate passenger processing solutions. Footprint has raised $13 million to expand its identity verification and KYC services, including with a new fraud prevention suite. Zoloz, Nametag, Nivo and Prembly each revealed fraud prevention deals or licenses, and Veriff and Shufti Pro are targeting copyright fraud in the music industry.The cost of fraud perpetrated with generative AI and deepfakes is hitting the financial services industry hard. Officials in Hong Kong is warning the public about a deepfake endorsement of a dodgy crypto platform, after Sumsub warned last year that it is one of several APAC markets with spiking AI fraud. An NCC co-founder says banks are not ready to stop the threat.Two research papers explain advances in the generation of synthetic data to train facial recognition algorithms with. A paper from Idiap researchers have developed a method for improving the diversity of synthetic datasets, while a team from Hochschule Darmstadt tackles the creation of datasets to train algorithms to recognize children over time.Please tell us about any thought leadership pieces, webinars or other content we should share with the people who work in biometrics and the digital identity community either in the comments below or through social media.
EU watchdog rules airport biometrics must be passenger-controlled to comply with GDPR-May 24, 2024, 1:52 pm EDT- Chris Burt
The use of facial recognition to streamline air passenger’s travel journeys only complies with Europe’s data protection regulations in certain circumstances, the European Data Protection Board has ruled.The EDPB issued the ruling in response to a request from the French Supervisory Authority to issue an opinion on whether biometric authentication by airlines or airports complies with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.In its “Opinion 11/2024 on the use of facial recognition to streamline airport passengers’ flow (compatibility with Articles 5(1)(e) and(f), 25 and 32 GDPR,” the EDPB finds thatArticle 5 of GDPR covers principles for processing personal data. Clause (e) limits data storage, while clause (f) relates to integrity and confidentiality. Article 25 addresses “data protection by design and default,” and article 32 deals with security of processing.The EDPB considered four scenarios for biometric passenger processing. One involves the biometric template being stored on an end-users’ device, and controlled by them. Second is a model of centralized template storage in which the data is encrypted, and the key held by the end user. Third, centralized storage of encrypted biometric data with the key in the hands of the airport operator. The fourth scenario is the same as the third, only with the data stored in the cloud.The EDPB says both the third and fourth scenarios “cannot be compatible with Article 25 GDPR. Also, such processing would not comply with the principle of integrity and confidentiality under Article 5(1)(f) and Article 32 GDPR” unless further measures are taken.The fourth scenario would also fail to comply with GDPR article 5(1)(e).The digital travel credentials (DTCs) being piloted with EU Commission backing would avoid the violations by following the model of the first scenario considered by the EDPB.In the meantime, airport biometrics continue to roll out across Europe, with Spain introducing facial recognition scanners in an example from earlier this year.
Demonstrating value, integrated payments among key digital ID building blocks-Visa, Cybernetica, iProov explore user-centricity in Estonia’s digital identity system-May 24, 2024, 1:14 pm EDT- Abigail Opiah
Estonia has achieved an enviable level of user-centricity with its national digital identity system through careful legislation and fostering collaboration between the public and private sectors, according to panelists in a recent online event. Visa, the Estonian Information System Authority, Cybernetica and iProov discussed the building blocks needed for a user-centric digital identity program, highlighting the crucial role of trust in developing user-centric digital identity systems.The panel included Michael Buckland, head of digital identity at Cybernetica, Riho Kurg, electronic identity architect at the Estonian Information System Authority, Campbell Cowie, head of policy at iProov, and Marie Austenaa, head of digital identity at Visa.The speakers underscored the necessity of demonstrating tangible value to end-users, integrating payments within digital identity frameworks, and devising regulatory solutions that ensure inclusivity and accessibility.Covering the current landscape of digital identity, touching on advancements in remote onboarding, biometrics, and wallet-based digital identity, the general consensus was the need to focus on regional considerations and the collaborative roles of government and commercial services in propelling digital transformation.The potential benefits of digital identity programs, such as seamless and secure access to essential services, were also explored, with importance placed on accurately verifying users to prevent synthetic identities from entering the system, addressing challenges related to establishing trustworthy identity information sources, and the critical role of legislation in fostering trust.Buckland mentions the foundational elements of user-centric digital identity solutions, with Kurg and Austenaa highlighting the importance of a robust trust layer and the need for effective regulation.Additionally, the group addresses interoperability challenges of privacy-oriented digital wallets in financial transactions.All speakers emphasize building consumer trust through safety, accessibility, and resilience in identity systems. They highlight the government’s role in establishing trust frameworks, setting regulations, and monitoring services. Trust perceptions vary across regions and sectors, with some areas exhibiting high trust in both government and private sector initiatives. Discussions also addressed the evolution of digital identity, including wallet-based solutions, key management, biometrics, and trust mechanisms, underscoring the need for cross-border coordination. Inclusivity and accessibility were deemed essential for the successful digital transformation of public and commercial services, with a user-centric approach being pivotal.Austenaa illustrates the value of digital identity programs in providing seamless, secure access to core services like healthcare and finance. Examples from Estonia demonstrate the practical benefits, such as facilitating quick and easy transactions, highlighting the need for meaningful use cases in digital identity systems.Biometrics emerges as a significant component for secure onboarding and authentication, offering more accuracy and cost-effectiveness compared to human verification. However, there were mixed views on the role of AI and blockchain in this domain. Attribute attestations were discussed as a potential solution for longstanding digital identity challenges.In addition to this, the impact of the EU’s digital identity wallet on existing payment infrastructures and the importance of interoperability between payment rails and wallets were key discussion points. The panel also addressed regulatory compliance, AML/CFT requirements, and innovative approaches to identity verification, such as the UK’s Citizen Pass initiative.
Digital identities shaking up identity verification industry: Regula-Au10tix launches Risk Assessment Model, Veratad and OneID partner-May 24, 2024, 12:00 pm EDT- Masha Borak
The arrival of digital identities is shaking up how companies operate and verify identities.Regula has published a survey with Forrester Consulting examining how businesses are implementing digital IDs and their expectations for the future. In a webinar conducted this week, the company went deeper into the research to find out what will be the impact of digital IDs on identity verification companies themselves.One of the main topics discussed is the arrival of the European Union Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet, the pan-European project to give each resident of the continent a digital wallet.“It was imperative for us to find out if the introduction of digital identities will lead to the collapse of the market for IDV [identity verification] solutions,” says Henry Patishman, executive vice president of identity verification solutions at Regula.To find out, Regula interviewed 226 decision-makers in identity verification in various industries on digital ID implementation, integration and whether they will replace physical documents.“Digital IDs are not about replacing physical documents but enhancing them,” says Patishman. “Biometric checks are an important part of our IDV systems and must be done on the business side.”According to the survey, digital IDs will make big impacts in sectors that rely heavily on secure and efficient identity verification, including online financial transactions, online account opening and e-commerce. The government sector is also expecting positive outcomes.One of the key challenges, however, is that the existing standards in different countries and regions are not connected. Almost three-quarters of stakeholders emphasized that global digital ID standards are necessary to ensure interoperability, accuracy and consistency across borders.The plan for the EUDI Wallet is to allow each European citizen to have access to a privacy-preserving digital ID by 2030 and for the continent to have a common cross-border solution. But this date may be “over-ambitious,” according to Nick Pope, director at Security & Standards Associates and chair of the Technical Committee on Electronic signatures and Trust Services at the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)“There’s lots of technical and security concerns,” says Pope. “Coming back home to biometrics there are still some difficult issues to solve. I think it will take a bit more time and experience to actually make it a full reality.”Au10tix launches fraud risk assessment tool-Need a quick way to assess whether your company is in danger of identity scams? Identity verification firm Au10tix has launched a tool that helps businesses assess their risk of operational, security and identity fraud.The free Risk Assessment Model was created based on billions of transactions and gives personalized insights and recommendations for vulnerabilities in identity verification. The tool is based on a survey of 10 questions.“Our new Risk Assessment Model is designed to provide initial indicators of potential risks, offering companies a clear starting point for understanding how we can help them accommodate and mitigate these challenges effectively,” says Dan Yerushalmi, CEO of Au10Tix.The company has recently added new features to its digital identity platform. The platform utilizes data discrepancy comparison to enhance security by identifying potential fraud.Veratad to use OneID API-Age and identity verification software maker Veratad is adding API from the UK’s only bank-verified digital identity verification solution OneID to its reusable identity product IDMax.Veratad says that the partnership with OneID will help businesses improve the accuracy, speed, and security of age and identity verification of their UK customers while minimizing data collection. This includes businesses working in fintech, finance, social media, gaming and age-restricted e-commerce.“OneID’s ability to verify identities of UK citizens without needing physical documents presents a significant enhancement to our offerings,” says Veratad CEO John E. Ahrens.The recently launched IDMax feature is available for the company’s biometric age and identity verification orchestration platform Veratad VX and is designed to help businesses accept third-party reusable digital identity credentials. OneID’s solution is available to all Veratad clients on Veratad’s VX alongside other verification methods from Veratad.
Real-time remote biometrics banned in EU with final green light for AI Act-May 22, 2024, 1:27 pm EDT | Masha Borak
The European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act received a final green light allowing it to become the world’s first major regulation targeting AI. The EU Council gave formal approval to the Act on Tuesday with the legislation expected to enter into force in mid-June and become effective in 2026. Biometrics developers, providers and users take note.Companies that breach the Act may expect fines from the EU Commission from 7 million euros (US$7.5 million) to €35 million ($38 million) or between 1.5 and 7 percent of their annual global revenues. SMEs and start-ups will be subject to proportional administrative fines.The implementation of the Act still has a long way to go: General-purpose AI models (GPAI) will have to adopt obligations 12 months after the AI Act comes into force while AI systems in regulated products will have 36 months, according to Reuters.Since its draft was first published in 2021, the AI Act has instigated heated debates, with human rights organizations criticizing it for inadequate protections and business groups decrying heavy compliance burdens.The EU reached a provisional agreement on the Act in December 2023 after a three-day marathon negotiation, departing from the position the European Parliament adopted in June of supporting a full ban on real-time biometric surveillance. The technical details of the law were settled at the beginning of February 2024 and it was passed by the European Parliament in March 2024.The legislation follows a “risk-based” approach, which means AI systems are categorized into different types based on risk with stricter rules applied to systems deemed to bring harm to society.AI applications with unacceptable risk are banned, including those that use real-time remote biometric identification, including facial recognition, in public spaces. The law, however, makes exceptions for law enforcement in specific circumstances, such as kidnappings and terrorism. Other banned applications include biometric categorization systems based on sensitive characteristics, emotion recognition in the workplace and schools, social scoring, predictive policing and applications that manipulate human behavior. The law also forbids untargeted scraping of facial images from the web or CCTV footage to create facial recognition databases.Another novelty brought by the legislation is transparency requirements, including for deepfakes which will need to be clearly labeled as such.To ensure smooth sailing, the AI Act will set up new institutions, The AI Office, attached to the European Commission, is tasked with coordinating its implementation among Member States and ensuring that classification rules and procedures are up to date of technological developments. Other agencies include the European Artificial Intelligence Board, the Advisory Forum and the Scientific Panel of Independent Experts.The law also foresees AI regulatory sandboxes that would allow for the testing of AI systems in real-world conditions.
SITA acquires Materna IPS, setting up biometrics at more airport touchpoints-May 21, 2024, 7:57 pm EDT- Abhishek Jadhav
SITA has revealed a strategic initiative with the acquisition of Materna IPS, a provider of passenger handling solutions for airports and airlines. This deal gives SITA a portfolio of passenger processing technologies it can integrate its biometrics, computer vision, digital travel and airport operations management portfolio to offer more comprehensive packages of hardware, software and services.Switzerland-headquartered SITA bills its Smart Path platform as a comprehensive biometric passenger processing solution including all stages of the passenger journey, from mobile enrollment to aircraft boarding. The addition of an established check-in kiosk and self-bag drop hardware provider in Materna IPS allows it to offer an expanded range of touchpoints and options in-house. Germany-based Materna says it is the leader in self-bag drop and claims customers on four continents. The two companies each have existing contracts to provide passenger processing systems to airports in India.“This acquisition fits perfectly with our growth strategy,” says David Lavorel, CEO of SITA. “We wanted to take a bold step towards transforming the future of travel, and we’ve done it. We can’t wait to set off on this new journey with our colleagues at Materna IPS and reshape the future of travel together.SITA’s wide range of software and services also includes AI-powered computer vision technology for aircraft turnaround, allowing for the tracking, analysis, and optimization of aircraft turnaround processes. Additionally, the company utilizes advanced deep learning models to automate the detection of baggage dimensions and calculate available space on the aircraft.“This strategic move is an ideal fit with our commitment to innovation and excellence. Together, we’ll create unparalleled value in our industry and beyond, using our combined strengths to drive meaningful progress and more opportunity for everyone,” says Dr. Georg Oschmann, CEO of Materna IPS.The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
DISEASES-ANIMAL TO HUMAN (500 million Dead )
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 billion) of (8 billion) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS)(500 million) and with hunger,(FAMINE)(500 million) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES)(500 million) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE)(500 million).
DRUG PUSHERS AND ADDICTS
1 PET 5:8
8 Be sober,(NOT DRUGED UP OR ALCOHOLICED) be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
REVELATION 18:23
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries (DRUGS) were all nations deceived.
REVELATION 9:21 (RAGE OF THE LAST DAYS AGE SATAN WORSHIP AND DRUG SELLING AND JUNKIES)(THEY REFUSE TO REPENT OF THESE SINS)
21 Neither repented they of their murders,(KILLING) nor of their sorceries (DRUG ADDICTS AND DRUG PUSHERS), nor of their fornication,(SEX OUTSIDE MARRIAGE OR PROSTITUTION FOR MONEY) nor of their thefts.(STEALING)
CIA Involved in Manufacturing of COVID Vaccines — Bombshell Report-by Jamie White-May 26th 2024, 12:46 pm-Investors of COVID vaccine manufacturer National Resilience also include members of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Google, FDA, Merrill Lynch and Rockefeller University.
Moderna’s Covid vaccine was manufactured by a government contractor with close connections to the CIA, FDA and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, according to a bombshell report.Moderna in 2021 hired and tasked a supposedly new pharmaceutical manufacturing company called National Resilience (Resilience) to make all of their Covid-19 mRNA vaccines.The company apparently goes by several names, including Nanotherapeutics, Nanosphere Inc, Ology Bioservices, and Government Resilience Services, independent journalist Destiny Rezendes first reported last year.Investors in Resilience included Google, Lux Capital, Magnetic Ventures and 8VC, and the COO of the company also served as a senior adviser to Pfizer, according to database website Crunchbase.Rezendes revealed that board members and investors tied to those companies include Council on Foreign Relations members, a board member of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CIA affiliates, Merrill Lynch, and the Rockefeller University.Additionally, former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb served as a Resilience board member.7/10🧵Board members and Investor overlap 3x even 4x’s over in their funding rounds, the SALT conference, and the SOHN conference. Also, multiple members are from BMGF, FDA, CIA, Rockefeller Univ, Merrill Lynch, Pfizer, & multi-ties to Jeffry Epstein. pic.twitter.com/51Csfheirl— Destiny Rezendes (@dezzie_rezzie) March 15, 2023-“Also, Nanosphere and Nanotherapeutics AKA Resilience has countless contracts with the government concerning Biological Warfare, and gene specific sensors wanted by the DoD,” Rezendes noted. 9/10 🧵 Also, Nanosphere and Nanotherapeutics AKA Resilience has countless contracts with the government concerning Biological Warfare, and gene specific sensors wanted by the DoD. pic.twitter.com/tWD1GTcoAg— Destiny Rezendes (@dezzie_rezzie) March 15, 2023-To add insult to injury, Resilience was even tapped by the World Economic Forum to lead the Davos panel on cybersecurity.“A biopharmaceutical company on cyber security? Ok sure, go get that Moderna Booster! – if you dare,” Rezendes posted. 10/10 🧵 To top it all off, Resilience was just picked in January 2023 to lead the DAVOS panel on cybersecurity. A biopharmaceutical company 🤔on cyber security? Ok sure, go get that Moderna Booster! – if you dare. *mic drop* pic.twitter.com/d9t7U6w6DZ— Destiny Rezendes (@dezzie_rezzie) March 15, 2023-In 2022, journalist Whitney Webb detailed more of Resilience’s ties to the CIA, noting that the idea of starting Resilience came from Luciana Borio, the founder of In-Q-Tel — the CIA’s venture capital firm.Notably, the CIA bribed its own COVID-19 origin team to reject the lab-leak theory, according to several agency whistleblowers.
