“The IDF needs, more than ever, additional soldiers to carry the heavy burden of defending the state,” the letter said, arguing that mandatory service reflects Israel’s “shared destiny. ” Over 60 mayors and local council heads urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chair Boaz Bismuth to stop the advancement of the latest IDF haredi draft bill, in a Monday letter.

Hundreds of people gave a fascist salute at a rally in Rome on Wednesday, raising their right arms in what is known in Italy as the "saluto romano," or Roman salute. The gesture, which is punishable under Italian law in certain circumstances, frequently appears at gatherings of neo-fascist groups and supporters of former dictator Benito Mussolini.

As December's chill settled over Gaza, the family's nylon tent offered little refuge. Until Wednesday night, when 29-day-old Saeed, his tiny body wracked by the cold, did not respond. The infant, who had been born prematurely and very underweight, became the second baby to die of hypothermia in recent days at Nasser Hospital, doctors said Thursday.