[About 1 hour 18 minutes] Elizabeth Tsurkov, the Russian-Israeli researcher who was held hostage by Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq for 903 days, landed in Israel on Wednesday evening and arrived at Sheba Medical Center for treatment. The Prime Minister's Office and Mossad welcomed her return, stating, "Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was held hostage in Iraq and released last night, has landed in Israel." At the airport, Tsurkov was met by a senior representative from Hostage and Missing Persons Coordinator Gal Hirsch's team and a medical team. She will be taken to a hospital for examinations as part of the "hostage return protocol." US President Donald Trump initially made the announcement that Tsurkov would be released. A researcher from Princeton University, she had initially arrived in Iraq through her Russian passport to conduct research on behalf of the institution, according to the Prime Minister's Office. "There's no feeling like seeing someone freed and realizing it actually happened," US Special Envoy for Hostage Response Adam Boehler told The Jerusalem Post in a Wednesday interview. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signed a sweeping agreement to advance the largest development project in Ma’aleh Adumim since the city’s founding in 1975. The plan will add thousands of new housing units, expand infrastructure, and provide a major boost to one of the most prominent Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. Standing alongside senior ministers and city officials, Netanyahu declared: “There will never be a Palestinian state. This place is ours. We will safeguard our heritage, our land, and our security.” His words reflect a clear commitment to strengthening Israel’s presence in the heart of the Land of Israel. The agreement includes 7,606 new housing units built on state land and an investment of roughly NIS 3 billion.... As a result of the plan, Ma’aleh Adumim’s population is expected to double, transforming it into a hub of housing, commerce, and community life. By investing in Judea and Samaria, Israel ensures that thriving Jewish communities will continue to flourish for generations to come. The United Nations General Assembly, in a move widely condemned by Israel as a "political circus," overwhelmingly passed a non-binding resolution Friday outlining "tangible, time-bound and irreversible steps" toward a two-state solution, a plan that would establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel. The text, formally titled the “New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution”, was adopted by a vote of 142 in favor, 10 against, and 12 abstentions. Israel and its key ally, the United States, were among the ten nations that voted against the measure. The other eight were Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, and Tonga. The declaration, co-sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia, calls for "collective action to end the war in Gaza, to achieve a just, peaceful and lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the effective implementation of the Two-State solution." The seven-page declaration, which has already been endorsed by the Arab League, includes a condemnation of Hamas, stating that the terrorist group "must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support." It further demands that "Hamas must free all hostages" and condemns "the attacks committed by Hamas against civilians on the 7th of October." In a scathing response to the resolution, Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Oren Marmorstein, issued a statement rejecting the UN’s decision. "Once again, it has been proven how much the General Assembly is a political circus detached from reality: in the dozens of clauses of the declaration endorsed by this resolution, there is not a single mention that Hamas is a terrorist organization," Marmorstein stated. He continued, "There is no reference to the simple fact that Hamas is solely responsible for the continuation of the war, through its refusal to return the hostages and disarm. The resolution does not advance a solution of peace — on the contrary, it encourages Hamas to continue the war." Marmorstein concluded his statement by thanking "all the countries that did not lend their hand to this disgraceful decision in the General Assembly." https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/414849 
On the Brink: Qatar Exposed, Hamas Struck, Israel Moves In | MidEast & Beyond:
After 903 days in Iraq captivity, Elizabeth Tsurkov lands in Israel:
Netanyahu Signs Settlement Expansion Plan in Ma’aleh Adumim:
Israel approves major development in Judea and Samaria, doubling the city’s size and strengthening its future.
UN General Assembly overwhelmingly endorses Palestinian statehood: