Famously, the slogan “All the News That’s Fit to Print” graces the front page of every New York Times edition. The slogan was coined at the end of the 19th century by the paper’s publisher, Adolph Ochs. Of course, in today’s hyper-globalized world, the slogan is wishful thinking. No paper could realistically cover all the important news stories of the day.
Still, it would be hard to argue that outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and others adequately cover even those stories they do print. They often devote precious space to emotive or opinionated claims, while omitting highly material and relevant information that sheds important new light.
Provided below are three important, but underreported, stories from the week bearing on Israel and the Middle East that media consumers should know.
1) As Israel Face Criticism, Police in Other Countries Clash with Flotilla Activists
After Israel detained the activists of the Gaza flotilla, its treatment of the detainees was widely condemned. Several countries summoned Israeli ambassadors, protesting how Israel handled the situation. Much of the criticism stemmed from Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s taunting the activists. His actions were widely condemned also by members of the Israeli government, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
But as Israel faced criticism, it became known that the activists were also treated harshly by other countries, including by one of Israel’s greatest critics: Spain. A surfaced video shows Spanish police officers vigorously beating returning anti-Israel activists with batons and dragging or pinning them to the ground at the Bilbao Airport. Apparently, clashes between police and returning activists broke out when a family member of one of the activists tried to approach them. Four people were arrested. In response to the violence in Spain, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs mockingly tweeted “We demand an explanation from the Spanish government regarding its treatment of the flotilla anarchists.”
A day after the incident in Spain, an Austrian activist was arrested following what was described as a “rowdy” welcome at the Vienna airport. The activists and their supporters marched through the airport waving Palestinian flags chanting “from the river to the sea” (the full chant is “from the river to the sea Palestine will be free” – a call that many see as a demonstrating intent to destroy Israel). Police intervened since they became too loud and obstructive. The Austrian police claimed it used “proportional force.”
This is not the first time activists seeking to reach Gaza have been involved in clashes with security forces. In June 2025, Egyptian police clashed with protesters trying to cross the border to reach Rafah. As the activists staged a sit-in outside of an Ismaila checkpoint, they also clashed with local Egyptians, who were frustrated with the activists’ behavior. Egyptian police confirmed that at least 88 activists were deported. The activists claimed they were “harassed, [and] physically harmed.”
2) Young Diaspora Jews Increasingly Participating in Israeli Pre-Military Educational Programs
This is a very small but steadily growing phenomenon, eJewishPilanthropy (eJP) reports. Despite its size, this development is nonetheless significant: it comes against the backdrop of reports that young American Jews have grown more critical and distant from Israel in recent years. In fact, young American Jews are said to be the most critical of Israel within the Jewish community, a pattern that supposedly fits with larger trends in American society. The president of the left-leaning organization J Street recently said that “The State of Israel, the national homeland of the Jewish people, is rapidly losing support and connectivity with younger Jewish Americans.” In this context, the participation of young diaspora Jews in pre-military programs is especially noteworthy, perhaps even unexpected.
These year-long academies – known in Israel as Mechinot (single Mechina), a term derived from the Hebrew word for “preparation” or “to prepare” – are seen as greenhouses for incubating future leaders. While the goal of the year-long academies is to prepare participants for the military, their work emphasizes education. The Mechinots’ council notes: “all mechinot share the goal of giving students an ethical and Zionist education that inculcates the values of social leadership, initiative, and volunteerism in the IDF and in civilian life.”
The number of diaspora participants grew from 75 in 2022 and is projected to rise above 220 participants next year. The total number of participants in 5,500. Avishai Berman, the CEO of the Joint Council of Pre-Military Academies, said: “We don’t need to stop at 200 participants coming from abroad; it can be 500.” Many of the diaspora participants are Israeli-American dual nationals or children of Israelis living in the U.S. The number of diaspora participants is expected to continue to rise.
The purpose of diaspora participation is not to serve in the military, but to foster a sense of connection and peoplehood, bridging the gaps between them and their Israeli peers. As one director in an academy told eJP:
If we can connect those two groups of leaders, of young Jewish leaders living outside of Israel and young Jewish leaders living inside Israel, and give them a shared experience and a shared connection to Israel and a shared connection to each other, I think it will be a great step for the future as a Jewish people.
Unlike the general trend in young American Jews’ attitudes towards Israel, diaspora participation in the academies has increased since October 7, 2023, and so did the relations between mechinot leadership and communal leaders in the U.S.
3) “Inside I’m Still in Gaza:” Freed Hamas Hostage Speaks Out
Freed hostage Rom Braslavski recently spoke to Ynet News about his experiences in captivity and his attempts at recovery. Braslavski said he feels the public has largely moved on from the hostages but stressed that the daily ordeal continues. He was held captive for 738 days, subjected to starvation and abuse, including sexual abuse. Braslavski has spoken about his experiences after his release. The goal of Hamas’ sexual abuse, Braslavski said, was to humiliate him and crush his dignity. “I was torn apart, dying, with no food.” His captors would put stones in his ears so he would not hear anything and even torture him with a donkey whip.
Braslavski said that 90 percent of the joy he had before Oct. 7, 2023, is gone. He deals with chronic pain, anxiety, and nightmares. He is undergoing intensive therapy to help him cope: “In therapy, I go back through every day in captivity again. If I don’t do it, it’ll explode later,” he explained. On top of his own trauma, Braslavski carries the weight of supporting his family since both his parents and his siblings have not recovered from their own struggles with the situation and find it hard to get back to work.
Braslavski is constantly on high alert and carries pepper spray, fearing another attack: “From the outside, people may see someone who came back, but inside, I’m still there [in Gaza].”
Braslavski said he wants to make sure the public does not forget the hostages, saying “People aren’t really dealing with our suffering.” In the past, he said he felt abandoned by the state and its institutions. He also fears that the hostages will become a political tool: Israel is expected to have elections in the fall.
One thing that helps Braslavski is his relationship with his girlfriend, Shoham: “my past is black… I’m just trying to make sure the future is pink. My biggest dream is to truly be free from captivity. Not physically — mentally.”