The Bergen Record
HOPE LIFTS OFF
Sixty-two miles above the Earth, the thick layer of clouds that surrounded Michaela Benthaus gave way to darkness. She had just achieved her dream: She was the first wheelchair-user in space. Benthaus, a 33-year-old aerospace engineer from Germany,...
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NJ residents hoping for change in Iran
Iranian Americans are watching mass protests ripple across Iran with a mix of hope, fear and vigilance, as demonstrators challenge a government that has ruled since 1979 – and face a violent crackdown in response. Many say this moment feels different...
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Presidential debate
The Hudson River Bridge was the only thing most everyone agreed on, until it wasn’t. Today commonly known as the GWB, the span was once known for exactly what it was. For four years, in blueprints, contracts and newspaper stories, it was the Hudson...
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Governor will leave with a mixed legacy
As early as 2015, little-known Phil Murphy began his focus-group tested climb onto the New Jersey political stage at Monmouth University. Dressed in a brown V-neck sweater and chinos, the lanky ex-Goldman Sachs executive who never held elected office...
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FUROR CONTINUES OVER ICE SHOOTINGS
Tensions remained high Jan. 9 after shootings involving immigration agents in Minneapolis and in Portland, Oregon, drew protesters to the streets and deepened fractures between federal and state officials. In Portland, a U.S. Border Patrol officer...
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Maduro adversary promises to return
WASHINGTON – Venezuela’s main opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, has vowed to return home quickly, praising President Donald Trump for toppling President Nicolás Maduro and declaring her movement ready to win a free election. Trump appears,...
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MADURO, WIFE PLEAD NOT GUILTY
Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro pleaded “not guilty” in federal court on Jan. 5 on U.S. drug trafficking charges, days after he and his wife were captured by U.S. forces in a surprise attack on the oil-rich country. Maduro, dressed in prison garb,...
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$11B midtown makeover
For commuters enduring most major transportation construction projects, there is pain before improvement. That will be the case at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan, as an $11 billion project to reconstruct and expand the world’s busiest...
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WEATHERING THE STORM
On a shelf in his Washington office, U.S. Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey keeps a reminder of the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. ● It’s a brass eagle that once adorned the top of a flagpole inside the Capitol’s majestic Rotunda. ● The eagle’s...
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First born
As far as first babies of the New Year go, little Nova Nicole Norton didn’t try to beat the clock nor did she take her time in ringing in 2026. Nova came into the world at 1:05 a.m. at Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, weighing 6 pounds and 3...
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Subscriber-only eNewspaper
The eNewspaper is an electronic copy of your print newspaper. Enjoy every page by going to northjersey.com/enewspaper or scan this code on your mobile device. You will also find late news and sports in the bonus sections. Check it out today!
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PAY AS WE GO
State leaders had a pitch to sell the New Jersey Turnpike in the late 1940s: Tolls were only temporary. Once the construction debt was paid, the user fees would disappear and the road would become a free public highway. Not only did that toll-free...
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SPANNING THE DECADES
Commuting on the Northeast Corridor will likely get worse before it gets better. That was the case in the first 10 days of December, after NJ Transit and Amtrak customers endured delays or cancellations on five of those days due to overhead wire...
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Voices of America
Ihad no idea of the emotional and creative backstory of Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska” album until the recent release of “Deliver Me from Nowhere,” the intimate biopic chronicling the making of his 1982 masterpiece. Despite some biographical references...
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A YEAR IN PREVIEW
When a year comes to a close, it’s natural to want to reflect on what has transpired. ● As we say goodbye to 2025, it’s also natural to look ahead, and perhaps predict the future, which often can appear uncertain. ● One thing that most of us in New...
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FADING HISTORY
ISLAND BEACH STATE PARK – For decades, handcrafted cottages and crude fishing shacks have dotted the landscape of southern Island Beach State Park. Over generations, their caretakers replaced roofs, rebuilt decks and set potted flowers on porches of...
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50th crossing of the Delaware – man’s milestone
Ronald Rinaldi has crossed the Delaware on Christmas for five decades. The 64-year-old Branchburg native has been reenacting the historic 1776 event, a pivotal moment in the Revolutionary War, often portraying Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene of...
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Come, all ye faithful
It’s dark this time of year. Dark, in terms of daylight. Dark, perhaps, in other ways as well. “A time when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices,” as Dickens says in “A Christmas Carol.” Which is one reason Christmas sermons and homilies,...
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PENNY ANSWER
If you pay with cash at ShopRite, you should probably make sure you have enough change, including pennies, to pay the exact amount. In response to a shortage of pennies, ShopRite has implemented a new policy to round change up or down to the nearest...
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Trump not the only dragon AG must battle
Jennifer Davenport, a former federal and state prosecutor with a wide portfolio of law enforcement experience, made headlines last week by vowing to fight the Trump administration if confirmed as the state’s next attorney general. The Monmouth County...
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Holiday history hits home
Merry Christmas. And you’re welcome. ● No need to thank us — the people of North Jersey and the Lower Hudson Valley — for inventing Christmas as everyone knows it. ● Santa, reindeer, letters to the North Pole, stockings full of presents, tins full of...
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When is shortest day? Get set for winter solstice
The shortest day of the year is Dec. 21. Not something to celebrate, you might think. Something to get through, like a layoff or a cold, in hopes of better – or at least longer – days to come. But the ancients didn’t think that. They thought the...
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Meadowlands casino plan on track despite NYC move
With New York gaming officials approving three casinos in New York City, New Jersey public officials and business executives have set their sights on a casino in North Jersey to keep gambling dollars in the Garden State – though any major push would...
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GETTING READY TO DIG IN
Disassembled sections of the first of two tunnel boring machines that will dig a $16 billion rail tunnel under the Hudson River between North Jersey and Manhattan are on their way to the Garden State. The German-made machines were assembled, tested...
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Hanukkah sorrow
For many Jews around New Jersey and the world, the act of kindling the Hanukkah menorah carries extra resonance this year: It’s a reminder that their light cannot be extinguished. In the aftermath of the antisemitic attack at a Hanukkah celebration in...
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The future of first response
Emergency services in Bergen County have gone through an array of changes over the last couple of years, on both a countywide and a municipal level. ● Most recently, Paramus and Bogota merged their rescue squads with their fire departments. ● “In this...
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If it’s local you want, we’ve got it.
Our Sunday refresh offers more local news and sports, as well as “Weekend Exclusive” content to help you navigate your lives. So enjoy your Sunday reading filled with stories that will inspire, educate, inform and entertain you.
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Reading with empathy
This holiday season, North Jersey families looking for children’s books can find a variety of choices that feature disability as part of everyday life. ● Teaching for Change, a nonprofit that runs the Social Justice Books project, curates a reading...
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UNITY UNDONE
When FIFA officials announced the names of 42 countries that would compete in the 2026 World Cup during a fanfare-filled ceremony last week, soccer fans around the globe celebrated. But for fans of two qualifying teams – Haiti and Iran – the...
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Mixed marks
Four years after the pandemic emergency ended and K-12 performance plunged nationwide, New Jersey’s third through eighth graders are finally edging up to be on par with prepandemic levels, although they are yet to match their highest performance in...
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No masking flu concerns
Flu is on the rise in New Jersey a few weeks earlier than last year, leading more patients to seek care at emergency rooms and prompting some hospitals to impose mandatory masking. ● The number of reported infections is still relatively low, with just...
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‘If I go back, maybe they will kill us’
When Akbari arrived in the United States from Afghanistan seven months ago, he carried with him the hope that his two young sons would finally grow up safe, educated and free. Today, as the Trump administration halts asylum decisions for Afghans and...
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AI POWER PLAY
The AI boom is boosting demand for data centers, and they are cropping up across New Jersey, in both urban and suburban communities, joining the Garden State’s mix of warehouses and suburban residential development. The data center company CoreSite,...
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THE BIG DRAW
Dec. 5 was a big day for soccer fans in North Jersey with the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw. Some of those fans were glued to TV screens at Varitage Brew Works in Bloomfield to see what teams were selected in the draw televised from the Kennedy Center in...
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POWER UP
A bill geared toward laying the foundation for new energy programs is making its way through the state Legislature. ● Known as the “New Jersey Energy Security and Affordability Act,” the legislation would establish advanced nuclear reactors and energy...
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Backlash carrying over?
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker recently visited New Hampshire, where he met with activists and spoke at a town hall meeting, sparking speculation about a potential 2028 presidential run. The trip also underscored a political reality confronting Booker...
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‘An insult to the public’
As New Jersey’s junior U.S. senator, Andy Kim is treated with a measure of cordiality and deference in the corridors of the Capitol in Washington, DC. But at the Statehouse in Trenton on Dec. 1, that deference disappeared. Kim’s fellow Democrats made...
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Costlier, crowded NJ readies for Cup State has changed a lot since hosting 1994 tourney
When the 2026 FIFA World Cup final kicks off in the Meadowlands next July, it will be in a New Jersey that is more expensive, more crowded and more complex than the one that hosted the tournament three decades ago. State officials and the New York-New...
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Feeding a need?
ShopRite owner Wakefern is adding Grocery TV screens to 31 of its stores across New Jersey and New York that will display advertisements, sales, promotions and in-store news such as job openings. The TVs have the benefit of bringing in ad revenue for...
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INSIDE SCI'S COLLAPSE
TRENTON – Exactly one year before she was forced to resign, Tiffany Williams Brewer saw the 55-year-old New Jersey State Commission of Investigation as a house that was due for a makeover. ● In a plan she labeled “SCI 2.0,” she said the house needed a...
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Trump vows further migrant crackdown
President Donald Trump said Nov. 27 that U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, of the West Virginia National Guard, died after being shot the previous day in an ambush near the White House, a shooting that drew claims from his administration of Biden-era...
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING
There is no print edition of the paper today, but you can find today’s puzzles, comics, national news and sports here in the eNewspaper.
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PUMPING THE BRAKES
Surrounded by Norman Rockwell prints and rustic brown wall paneling, a passionate discussion broke out recently at Closter’s senior center over one of the most contentious issues facing communities across New Jersey: e-bike safety. ● Headlines of...
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Curbing campus hunger
Right on time for Thanksgiving, 36 New Jersey colleges across the state are welcoming $1.2 million in state-funded grants to help address student hunger – a problem that has worsened with food prices rising faster than inflation and the recent impasse...
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New reality for refugees
On a rainy Sunday in November, some 200 people marched in the annual Community Walk for Refugees and Immigrants in Highland Park to support those who fled war and persecution to make a new home in the United States. This year, the event was...
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Senate OKs plan to end standstill
WASHINGTON – The Senate approved a deal late Nov. 10 to end the nation’s longest-ever government shutdown, putting Congress on the brink of resolving a weekslong fight that has disrupted flights and halted food stamps for millions of Americans. In a...
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Sherrill faces early tests
Within the first seven months of Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill’s term, New Jersey will be on the world stage, preparing for eight FIFA World Cup matches, including the final, that will take place in June and July of 2026. Those matches will fall around...
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UNCERTAIN TIMES
Thanksgiving came early this year. if that sounds like happy news, then you’re not one of the low-income Bergen County residents who whose lives were upended when SNAP — the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — was suspended...
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Beyond the ramp: Some NJ health clinics taking action to improve accessibility
The front entrance now includes a ramp. The exam room has a heightadjustable table and transfer board. If the waiting room is too loud, patients can go outside. None of this happened by accident. It came from listening. At the Freehold Family Health...
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STRETCHED THIN
LEONIA − With the government shutdown delaying SNAP benefits and leaving thousands of federal employees without full paychecks, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey partnered with Bergen County on Nov. 6 to distribute thousands of emergency food boxes...
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SEAT OF POWER
The morning after her decisive election victory, Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill met with Gov. Phil Murphy at the Statehouse in Trenton. Sherrill, a fourth-term member of Congress, beat her Republican opponent, Jack Ciattarelli, on Tuesday and became the...
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STATEMENT VICTORY
Donald Trump professed his love for New Jersey on a Nov. 3 teleconference with supporters of Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee for governor. “I’m in the state all of the time,” the president said. “I love the state, and we got to make it really...
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‘Much more than a vice president’
WASHINGTON – Richard Bruce Cheney was the most powerful and the most controversial vice president in American history. Cheney, 84, died surrounded by family members on the evening of Nov. 3, of complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular...
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Big questions loom in off-year elections
Election Day has arrived. Democrats are trying to bounce back from their 2024 thumping, while Republicans are working to blunt the typical momentum for the party out of power as voters hit the polls Nov. 4 for contests that show the mood of the...
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Where have pennies gone?
A small orange and white sign at the register at ShopRite in Marlboro asks a question to every customer: “Where have all the pennies gone?” The sign requests that everyone consider paying with exact change, if possible, or with a debit or credit card....
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COLLEGE HOOPS PREVIEW
There is a notable new addition to FDU coach Jack Castleberry’s office. “On the coffee table I have a really nice chess board,” Castleberry said. “Half our team plays chess. It’s not uncommon to have four or five players sitting on the couches in my...
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Trenton leaders promise food aid
As the federal government shutdown continues, hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents were expected to lose access to their SNAP benefits when the calendar changed to November. SNAP – or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – is still...
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Shut, but open to aid
PATERSON – On one side of the Passaic River, a chained gate blocks the entrance to a parking lot in the Overlook section at the Great Falls national park. On the other side of the river, two orange road barriers stretch across the walking path leading...
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Searching for the ‘winning formula’
They both were members of the 2018 freshman class that helped Democrats retake the U.S. House. Both present themselves as kitchen-table centrists with extensive military and national security experience. ● And the two friends − who text each other...
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Supply vs demand?
Food banks across New Jersey are seeing signs of mounting demand as the ongoing federal government shutdown disrupts services and threatens to delay Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP benefits for thousands of low-income families. The...
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GOING THE DISTANCE
After nearly 17 hours of ocean swimming, road cycling and a marathon run, it was “a little wrinkle” that brought Natalie Grabow down. Within sight of the finish at the Ironman World Championships on Oct. 11 in Kona, Hawaii, Grabow tripped on the edge...
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THE PRICE WE PAY
New Jersey’s property taxes are expensive — no doubt about it. New Jersey in 2023 had an effective tax rate of 1.77%, behind only Illinois, according to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, a Washington-based think tank. The Tax Foundation defines this...
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If it’s local you want, we’ve got it.
Our Sunday refresh offers more local news and sports, as well as “Weekend Exclusive” content to help you navigate your lives. So enjoy your Sunday reading filled with stories that will inspire, educate, inform and entertain you. FOR THE LATEST LOCAL...
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NJ man mourns slain relatives
Sami Shaban, like many Palestinian Americans, was skeptical that the most recent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas would hold – or that it would end suffering in Gaza. He hoped to be wrong. Then came the call from his father. “I have some...
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Livin’ on a prayer
There’s no shouting, no whistles, no drills. Just silence and sunlight as the Passaic boys soccer team settles into the sixth row on the left at Holy Trinity Church. The 8:30 a.m. Mass has become the Indians’ reset button. The Rev. Antonio Rodriguez...
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IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK
When selling a home, you’re required to disclose certain details to potential buyers, like roof issues, flood risks and the presence of hazardous materials. But what if the home also comes with some ghostly residents or an eerie past? It depends. ●...
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ICE cuts oversight
During the 2025 Border Security Expo in Phoenix – an annual trade show for government officials, technology manufacturers and policy advocates – acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons expressed a desire for migrant...
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Thousands march in peaceful rallies
About 2,500 “No Kings” protests were scheduled nationwide on Oct. 18, including dozens across New Jersey in Newark, Teaneck, Closter, River Edge, Wayne, Montclair, Denville, Morristown, Caldwell and Newton and elsewhere. It followed the first wave of...
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ELECTIONS 2025 NJ GOVERNOR
Republican Jack Ciattarelli, left, said he does not expect President Donald Trump to appear with him in New Jersey. Likewise, Democrat Mikie Sherrill said she does not plan to ask former Vice President Kamala Harris to join her on the campaign trail.
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If it’s local you want, we’ve got it.
Our Sunday refresh offers more local news and sports, as well as “Weekend Exclusive” content to help you navigate your lives. So enjoy your Sunday reading filled with stories that will inspire, educate, inform and entertain you.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Rutgers launches underwater craft
Rutgers University and Teledyne Marine launched the first world-circumnavigating underwater glider on Oct. 10, a move scientists expect will unleash new opportunities for ocean research. Called the Sentinel Mission, this is the first attempt to launch...
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NJ still dealing with drought
A year after a series of destructive wildfires burned across New Jersey and New York, fueled by historically dry weather last fall, experts say the threat is lower this year, but the region is still at risk for wildfire, especially if the current...
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KATIE’S DEATH STILL A MYSTERY
It’s been more than a year since 21year-old Katherine “Katie” Moronski died just two days after moving into a group home for adults with developmental disabilities in Sussex County, the result of a fatal mix of her prescription medications, which the...
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Less squeeze at the pump
Gas prices across the U.S. are nearing the symbolic $2.99 per gallon threshold, and New Jersey drivers are beginning to feel some relief at the pump. According to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 12 million price reports across 150,000 stations...
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A ‘DAY OF PROFOUND JOY’
Israel celebrated the release of the remaining hostages taken by Hamas militants in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks as the first phase in the U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan was met with joy around the world on Oct. 13. Twenty Israeli hostages in Gaza were...
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