Swiss ban on Hamas to take effect in two weeks
(JNS) — A new Swiss law banning Hamas and groups linked to the Palestinian terrorist organization will come into force on May 15, the Swiss government announced on Wednesday.
The legislation, which was approved by parliament last December, gives Bern “the necessary tools to take action against Hamas activities or support for the organization in Switzerland,” the government said.
The law allows for preventive police measures such as entry bans or expulsions, and also makes it more difficult for the terrorist group to use Swiss banks as financial hubs for its activities, the statement noted.
Ex-Mossad chief: ‘Iranian threat is moral challenge, not just strategic’
(JNS) — A profound solemnity marked this year’s Memorial Day ceremony held in the capital’s Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem on Tuesday night in the wake of the hardships and heroism of the bereaved families of the fallen since the Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The heavy weight of the occasion was concretized in the faces of those who continued living without the towering, protective figures that left them behind.
Pro-Nazi singer sells out Zagreb arena as Croatia’s collaborationist past sheds its taboo
(JTA) — Among the Jews who gathered in nine cities and towns in this former Yugoslav republic last week to commemorate Yom HaShoah — Holocaust Remembrance Day — was Darko Fischer, one of about 140 remaining survivors of a wartime regime whose fascist leaders were considered even more brutal than the Nazis.
“It was worse than Auschwitz. Here they had crematoria and massive killing, but also physical and psychological torture. It was extremely cruel, especially in Jasenovac,” Fischer, 87, said during a recent interview. “Many Jews, including some of my relatives, finished their lives there. I survived just by chance.”
Runners honor hostages at London Marathon
(JNS) — Fifty-nine runners dedicated their London Marathon medals on Sunday to the remaining 59 hostages held by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
“Each participant ran the grueling 26.2-mile course wearing a yellow hat bearing the name of their dedicated hostage, carrying a photograph of the individual, and displaying the iconic yellow ribbon that has become the international symbol of the campaign to bring the hostages home,” the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.
Israeli soldier wounded in blast in Samaria
(JNS) — An Israeli soldier sustained serious injuries in an explosion in the town of Beita near Nablus on Wednesday, prompting the Israel Defense Forces to circle the locale in search of the culprits, the army said.
The soldier, a reservist, was part of an operational activity by his Battalion 9221, a patrol and reconnaissance unit belonging to the Ephraim regional division, the IDF Spokesperson’s unit said in a statement. The wounded soldier was transferred for treatment in Israel.
