VFI News Israel Rebukes Macron's 'Grotesque' UN Claim that Hamas is Not Active in Judea and Samaria; Gunman Fires on Ontario Synagogue on Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur terror attacks struck just hours before Israel's holiest day began — a father of six was shot dead, and the IDF was on high alert across every border. Here's what happened.

This week on VFI News, we're covering a heavy and sobering edition of events unfolding across Israel and the broader Middle East.

A father of six was fatally shot at a natural spring near Nevi Tzuf, just hours before Yom Kippur began — while he was there with his eldest son for the traditional pre-holiday immersion. The IDF's Dov Devan unit later arrested the attacker at a Ramallah hospital. In a separate incident, a vehicle-ramming attempt north of Jerusalem was stopped by IDF soldiers. And in the eastern Jerusalem neighbourhood of Silwan, a group of Jewish youths came under stone attack near Jaffa Gate.

Friends, I've lived in Israel for nearly five decades. This is not unusual — and that fact alone is heartbreaking. Please join me in praying for Israel's security forces, who sacrifice time with their own families every single high holy day to stand on the front lines.

We also discuss the Houthis' latest escalation against Saudi Arabia and their threat to send ground forces into Israel — and what that threat actually means in practical terms.

If this report matters to you, please share it and subscribe to stay connected with what's really happening here on the ground.

🙏 Pray for Israel. Pray for peace. And we'll see you next week.

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Chag Sukkot Sameach! As the sun sets this evening, Israel and Jewish communities around the world begin the Feast of Tabernacles — seven days of dwelling in the sukkah, rejoicing before the Lord, and remembering how He sheltered His people in the wilderness. Sukkot is called the season of our joy, and it is the feast the prophet Zechariah says the nations will one day come up to Jerusalem to celebrate. From all of us at Vision for Israel, we pray that this season fills your home with gladness and that His presence covers you as a sukkah of peace. Chag Sameach from Jerusalem!

Join Barry and Batya Segal in London! Arise and Shine, a day of worship, prayer, and teaching, takes place Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm at St Marylebone Parish Church, 17 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5LT.
Details: https://www.visionforisrael.com/en/event/arise-and-shine-a-day-of-light-faith-and-hope-in-london

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Tuesday, September 22, sharply criticized French President Emmanuel Macron over his claim at the United Nations that Hamas “has never been very active” in Judea and Samaria. “The grotesque absurdity of Emmanuel Macron's statement is staggering,” the office said. “On Sunday [September 20], the eve of Yom Kippur, Netanel Shakron – a FRENCH CITIZEN and father of six – was murdered in his car by a Hamas terrorist in Judea and Samaria. With his final breath, he told his son to run.”

“Hamas terrorists carry out attacks against Jews almost every day. They have murdered countless Israeli civilians in Judea and Samaria. Ignorance is NO EXCUSE for erasing their blood,” the statement added. Macron made the remarks while discussing Judea and Samaria during his UN General Assembly speech, referring to Israeli government policies and activity on the hilltops in the area. “Look, just look at what is happening in [Judea and Samaria]. Day after day, we are seeing violations,” he said. “And in the name of what? Hamas has never been very active in [Judea and Samaria]. What we need is respect for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, their legitimate right to exist.”

Minister Bezalel Smotrich also accused Macron of misrepresenting Hamas's role in the area, citing Shakron's killing. “President Macron is lying. On Sunday, a despicable terrorist from the Hamas terrorist organization murdered Netanel Shakron, may God avenge his blood, who was bathing with his son in a spring ahead of Yom Kippur,” Smotrich said. “This is just one attack out of hundreds of attacks led by the Hamas terrorist organization. The terrorist organization fuels Arab terrorism in Judea and Samaria and is a significant part of it and its activities.” Smotrich said Israel is responding by strengthening the communities in the area. (INN/VFI News)

“Dear Lord, we pray in Yeshua's Name that You expose every lie spoken against Israel, and that truth would prevail in the halls of the nations. We lift up the family of Netanel Shakron and every family shattered by terror in Judea and Samaria, and we ask You to comfort them with Your presence. Give wisdom and courage to Israel's leaders as they answer slander with facts, and turn the hearts of world leaders toward justice and truth. We thank You that You watch over Your people and that no weapon formed against them will prosper.”

The IDF and the Shin Bet killed Hamas Finance Department chief Muhammad Abu Alwan in a joint operation in the Khan Yunis area of Gaza, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Wednesday, September 23. Katz praised the two agencies “for the precise operation and for the aggressive activity to thwart our enemies.” Israel, he said, will “continue to pursue Hamas commanders and operatives, to strike at its sources of funding, and to destroy its terrorist infrastructure.”

“We will not allow Hamas to rebuild its strength, and we will not stop until there is no Hamas in Gaza,” Katz added. Israeli media reported that Abu Alwan managed Hamas's external funds in the years leading up to the October 7 massacre, including a Qatari grant. During the war, he switched to harnessing internal funds for Hamas's operations, primarily from humanitarian aid.

Hamas terrorists also stole merchandise from Gazan store owners to further fund terror activities, Israeli media reported. Katz said the campaign against Hamas's commanders, its funding, and its terror infrastructure will continue until the terror group no longer exists in Gaza. (JPost/VFI News)

“He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success.” – Job 5:12

A 29-year-old man opened fire on a police officer stationed outside an Ontario synagogue at the start of Yom Kippur on Sunday evening, September 20, triggering a shootout involving as many as 30 shots, the province's police watchdog said on Monday, September 21. The gunfire left the assailant with life-threatening injuries and seriously wounded a 13-year veteran of the Belleville Police Service, who was recovering in intensive care. At a press conference that day, Belleville's deputy police chief Sheri Meeks identified the shooter as Sean Ward, 29, from the neighboring city of Quinte West, and the injured officer as Constable Jeff Smith.

The province's Special Investigations Unit said preliminary evidence showed the man arrived in a truck around 7 p.m. and fired at an officer outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, about 110 miles east of Toronto. The officer returned fire before a second officer arrived and also fired. The synagogue's president, Norman Weddum, told Canadian media that he was ushering people into the sanctuary to begin services when he heard the shots ring out, and that the officer had been stationed outside the building in an unmarked car. SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette estimated that 20 to 30 shots were fired, with dozens of bullet holes found along the street.

Meeks characterized the shooting as a hate crime aimed at the Jewish community. “We recognize the concern and uncertainty many may be feeling, particularly given that this occurred near the Sons of Jacob synagogue during one of the holiest days in the Jewish faith. Let me be very clear: Antisemitism, hate and violence have no place in our community,” she said. “Every person deserves to feel safe when attending a place of worship, gathering with loved ones or participating in community life.” There are increased patrols and a heightened police presence throughout the city, including at houses of worship, Meeks added. (TOI/VFI News)

“Heavenly Father, we pray in Yeshua's Name for the Jewish community of Belleville and for Jewish communities across Canada who gathered to worship on the holiest day of the year and were met with gunfire. We thank You for the officer who stood guard and for Your protection over everyone inside the synagogue, and we ask You to bring full healing to Constable Jeff Smith. Comfort those who are shaken, strengthen the hands of the police who protect houses of worship, and expose every plan of hatred before it can be carried out. Let Your people worship in safety and in peace, and let those who hate turn from violence and find You.”

A large majority of Palestinians in Judea and Samaria and eastern Jerusalem, and a majority of Israelis, do not believe Israel and an independent Palestinian state can coexist peacefully, a new Pew Research Center survey has found. Just 17% of Israelis said a path to peaceful coexistence could be found, compared with 56% who said it could not. Among Palestinians surveyed in Judea and Samaria and eastern Jerusalem, 21% said coexistence was possible, while 68% said it was not.

The Israeli result is a low point in more than a decade of Pew polling on the question. The share of Israelis saying coexistence was possible had already fallen to its lowest level in 2025 and remained roughly unchanged in 2026, and 2026 was the first time more than half of Israeli respondents explicitly said it was impossible. Among Jewish Israelis, 16% said a two-state solution was possible while 64% said it was not; among Arab Israelis, 46% either said they did not know or declined to answer, while 23% said peaceful coexistence was possible and 26% said it was not.

Pew surveyed 1,001 people in Israel and 1,038 Palestinians in Judea and Samaria and eastern Jerusalem. Israeli interviews were conducted from April 5 to May 6, 2026, and Palestinian interviews from March 30 to April 28, 2026, in Hebrew and Arabic. The fieldwork coincided with the Iran war, beginning while fighting was still underway and continuing after an initial ceasefire was declared on April 7, 2026; Gaza was not included because Pew said it was unable to conduct fieldwork there. (TOI/VFI News)

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May those who love you be secure.’” – Psalm 122:6

The Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot, the Feast of Ingathering, the Feast of Booths... what do all these names mean? What is Sukkot all about and what is the Biblical significance behind it? Join Barry Segal for this special Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) episode where he dives deep into the spiritual significance of this feast and why you, as a believer in Yeshua, should be observing Sukkot.

UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) has rejected a request from the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to prevent Ireland and Israel from being drawn against each other in future competitions, FAI chief executive David Courell said on Friday, September 18. Courell said the request followed Ireland's pairing with Israel in the UEFA Nations League. UEFA's policy is to consider requests to separate national teams individually, particularly when there are structural security concerns, and the organization already keeps some teams apart for political or security reasons.

UEFA rejected the Irish request, Courell said, because the two countries have never been in “direct conflict.” The decision comes as the teams prepare to meet twice in the Nations League: Israel will host Ireland at Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen, Hungary, on Sunday, September 27, while Ireland's designated home fixture will take place behind closed doors at TSC Arena in Bačka Topola, Serbia, on Sunday, October 4. The FAI moved the latter match from Dublin's Aviva Stadium, citing “operational challenges.”

The FAI has also decided to scale back some of the customary activities surrounding the matches. Courell said the association will not host Israel Football Association officials at the traditional pre-match dinner for the October fixture and has requested that the same arrangement apply in Hungary. The FAI is also seeking UEFA approval to put “Respect” messages on stadium LED boards, while sponsor branding is expected to be reduced. (INN/VFI News)

Drilling has begun at a mysterious boat-shaped formation in eastern Turkey that researchers have long debated as a possible resting place of Noah's Ark, with investigators now seeking physical evidence after scans appeared to reveal “corridors and chambers” hidden underground. The Noah's Ark Scans team has started collecting core samples from the Durupinar formation, about 29 kilometers south of Mount Ararat, as part of a permitted scientific investigation involving Turkish researchers. The formation's unusual shape has fueled speculation for decades, but its identification as the biblical vessel remains unproven.

The Durupinar formation was identified in aerial photographs in 1959 by Turkish Army Captain İlhan Durupinar. Measuring roughly 157 meters, or 515 feet long, its boat-like outline has repeatedly attracted researchers hoping to connect it to the vessel described in the Book of Genesis. The 2026 project is being directed in Turkey by Professor Cenker Atila of Sivas Cumhuriyet University's Department of Archaeology, and Noah's Ark Scans says the research has received authorization from the relevant Turkish government agencies.

Researchers are taking core samples from inside and outside the formation, with laboratory analysis expected to examine their composition, organic content and geological layers. Interest in the latest investigation has been fueled by previous ground-penetrating radar surveys, which the team says detected unusual features beneath the surface, including linear features, right-angle intersections and spaces resembling corridors and chambers; its fundraising campaign previously described one apparent hallway as stretching more than 250 feet. Those interpretations have not established that the features are man-made, and physical sampling and further investigation will be needed to determine what produced the radar anomalies. (IBT/VFI News)

“…and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.” – Genesis 8:4

A clinical study has found that a new test designed to detect lung cancer had an accuracy rate of nearly 93% in patients, potentially replacing the need for costly and complex genetic sequencing for diagnosis with a $60 blood test. The study, led by Dr. Abd Agbaria, head of oncology at the Bnai Zion Medical Center, in collaboration with researchers at Tel Aviv University, included 103 participants and was published in npj Precision Oncology. The test uses a dedicated chip and fluorescence analysis to examine fragments of cell-free DNA in the blood for distinct methylation patterns.

Methylation, a process in which a cluster of hydrogen and carbon atoms is added to DNA, often inhibiting gene expression, can inhibit sections vital for tumor prevention. Identifying methylation patterns enables researchers and healthcare professionals to identify cancerous cells and determine the type of cancer. In the study, the blood test demonstrated a sensitivity of 93.1% and a specificity of 90.3% among patients with stage 2 to stage 4 cancer, and it also distinguished between adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

“Lung cancer is a disease in which the timing of diagnosis is enormously important. The earlier we are able to detect the disease, the greater the possibilities for treatment and cure,” Agbaria said. “Our goal is to develop a tool that is simple, accessible, and readily available, which can help us detect the disease at a stage when meaningful intervention is still possible.” Agbaria cautioned that broader testing will be required before the test can be incorporated into regular use; a larger trial is ongoing at several medical centers in Israel and Europe. The study is the result of a collaboration between researchers from Tel Aviv University, JaxBio Technologies, Bnai Zion Medical Center, and Sheba Medical Center. (JPost/VFI News)

“Dear God, we thank You for the gifts of wisdom and knowledge You have placed in Israel's doctors and scientists, and we pray in Yeshua's Name that You bless this work so that lung cancer is caught early and lives are saved. Guide Dr. Agbaria and every researcher in the trials still ahead, and let this simple test reach the people who need it most, in Israel and around the world. We lift up everyone facing a cancer diagnosis and ask You to be their healer, their strength, and their peace. May the nations see Your goodness through the healing that comes out of Zion.”

A massive complex of several mikva’ot, believed to have been used by Jewish pilgrims, has been uncovered at the foot of the Temple Mount on the outskirts of Jerusalem's Old City. The discovery was made during five seasons of excavations directed by Prof. Uzi Leibner and Prof. Orit Peleg-Barkat of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Institute of Archaeology. “The Hebrew University has been excavating in the Ophel since 1968,” the two archaeologists said. “It started with Benjamin Mazar, who was the president of the Hebrew University, right after the Six-Day War. Later, his granddaughter, Eilat Mazar, also excavated here… After she passed away, we stepped in.”

The complex, which stretches across about 280 square meters, was found at the Ophel archaeological site and includes a large central pool and several mikva’ot. It is located near the now-sealed “Triple Gate,” which served as one of the main entryways to the Temple Mount in antiquity; during the Second Temple period, the gateway led to an underground staircase that climbed to the middle of the Temple Mount's plaza. Both its location and size suggest the complex played a significant role in the journey of ancient Jews making pilgrimage to the Temple, allowing them to undergo ritual purification at one of the site's mikva’ot before making their way up to the Temple Mount.

“Our excavation is right at the foot of the staircase climbing up to the Triple Gate. So it's a major location, about 50 meters from the gate itself,” Leibner said. At the center of the complex, archaeologists unearthed a large plastered pool with steps descending into it from all four sides, measuring approximately 12 by 9.5 meters and dating to the early first century CE. Northwest of the central pool they exposed a finely dressed stone structure containing four rooms, three of them identified as mikva’ot dating to the beginning of the first century CE. (JPost/VFI News)

“Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.” – Psalm 24:3-4

The suggestions, opinions, and scripture references made by VFI News writers and editors are based on the best information received.

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