Firefighters continued to battle several large blazes in southern Israel Wednesday morning amidst an onslaught of incendiary kites sent into Israel from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Video of a massive fire near the campus of Sapir College in the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council was widely shared on social media, while other fires burned in or near communities including Kissufim, Nirim, Miflasim, Ein Hashlosha and Nir Am. The KKL-JNF announced plans on Tuesday to sue Hamas for damages.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued his tour of European capitals Tuesday, meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. “Democracies share a common challenge: radical Islam,” Netanyahu said during their joint press conference. “Israel and France share intelligence. I believe these exchanges have saved many lives. We will intensify these exchanges. The greatest danger these days is nuclear weapons in the hands of radical Iran. It is time to apply pressure on Iran that their nuclear plan won’t go anywhere.’’

US Undersecretary of the Treasury Sigal Mandelker issued a statement on Tuesday urging international governments to join Washington in putting pressure on Iran to curtail its support for terrorism, ballistic missiles and renegade nuclear program. “You must harden your financial networks, require your companies to do extra due diligence to keep them from being caught in Iran’s deceptive web, and make clear the very significant risks of doing business with companies and persons in Iran,” she said. “To those in the private sector, I urge you to also take additional steps to ensure Iran and its proxies are not exploiting your companies to support their nefarious activities.”

The Israel Football Association announced on Wednesday that they will seek action against their Argentinian counterparts at the FIFA due to the cancellation of the friendly match between their two national teams that had been scheduled to take place on Saturday. “The Association views with severity the physical and brutal threats that crossed every red line made by Palestinian Football Association chair Jibril Rajoub,” the IFA said. “The chair will send a letter today to FIFA President Gianni Infantino demanding punishment for those who want to harm soccer players and those who torpedoed a friendly match between the two teams.”

Israel was among the first countries to dispatch rescue teams and humanitarian relief supplies to Guatemala this week following the massive eruption of the Fuego volcano. Initial reports indicate dozens have been killed with many more injured and missing as entire villages have been buried by the fast moving lava flows and ash clouds from the volcano.

The easing of economic conditions – a strategy that benefited Palestinian areas in the West Bank – is increasingly touted as the way to achieve political stability in Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas. But this strategy only works after the enemy is defeated.

Soon after President Trump announced America’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf kingdoms were among the few U.S. partners to praise the move. Can the administration build on this support and convince them to cooperate on a new set of policy initiatives aimed at curbing Tehran’s regional adventurism, particularly in Syria?

The ICEJ Israel in Crisis Fund raises support for Israel’s emergency response teams, helps provide communities with protection from rocket and mortar fire and also provides counseling services for those who have survived attacks in the past and been traumatized by them. Please help us bless those who are on the front lines of protecting and caring for the Jewish State.