The Times of Israel is liveblogging Friday’s events as they happen.
US official says $510 million in grants for Brown to be frozen over campus antisemitism
The administration of President Donald Trump plans to freeze $510 million in grants to Brown University over what it calls antisemitism on campus, a US official tells Reuters, but the university says it has not yet been formally notified.
The administration’s action makes Brown the latest academic institution targeted by Trump over this issue. The US Education Department sent a letter last month to 60 universities, including Brown, warning it could bring enforcement actions against them.
The US official speaks on condition of anonymity.
Trump has threatened to slash federal funding for universities over allegations of antisemitism during pro-Palestinian campus protests against US ally Israel over the war with Hamas in Gaza.
Trump has called the protesters antisemitic, and has labeled them as sympathetic to Hamas terrorists and as foreign policy threats.
Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the Trump administration wrongly conflates their criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza and advocacy for Palestinian rights with antisemitism and support for Hamas.
In an email to campus leaders shared by a Brown University spokesperson, its provost, Frank Doyle, says the university is aware of “troubling rumors emerging about federal action on Brown research grants” but added it had “no information to substantiate any of these rumors.”
“We are closely monitoring notifications related to grants, but have nothing more we can share as of now,” he adds.
GOP senator from Ohio calls Chuck Schumer ‘Fuhrer’
WASHINGTON — A Republican member of the US Senate calls the chamber’s top Democrat Chuck Schumer — the highest-ranking Jewish US elected official — “Fuhrer,” a reference to the title used by Adolf Hitler.
Ohio Republican Bernie Moreno, who was elected in November, makes the comment to reporters outside the Senate chamber as members of his caucus struggle to agree on a path forward to try to pass US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax-cut agenda.
“Here’s the main thing you’ve got to understand. Republicans are independently minded. Democrats are monolithic sheep that follow the Fuhrer Schumer’s orders,” Moreno says.
The German word Fuhrer is a political title meaning “leader” that is most associated with Hitler, who led his country into World War Two and was responsible for the deaths of six million Jews.
Schumer has just had a book published titled “Antisemitism in America: A Warning.”
Asked about the comment, a Schumer spokesperson replied, “That’s textbook antisemitism, so we won’t comment on it.”
Palestinian hurling stones at West Bank highway shot dead by troops — IDF
IDF soldiers shot dead a Palestinian who hurled stones at an Israeli highway in the central West Bank, according to the military.
The Israel Defense Forces says troops from the 636th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit opened fire at a “number of terrorists throwing rocks toward Route 375” near the village of Husan, killing one and wounding another.
No soldiers were hurt.
Colombia announces purchase of Swedish fighter jets to replace aging Israeli aircraft
BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia says it will buy up to 24 fighter jets from Swedish company Saab to replace aging Israeli aircraft whose maintenance has become complicated after the South American nation broke diplomatic ties with Israel over its war with Hamas.
Colombia’s Aerospace Force chief commander, Carlos Fernando Silva, says they are still working on the details of the contract with Saab, so in the end the number of planes could be less than 24.
Sweden’s Defense Minister Pal Jonson confirms on X that negotiations are under way.
Colombia has 22 Israeli-made Kfir fighter jets purchased in the late 1980s, and any maintenance can only be done by an Israeli firm. Those aircrafts were used in several attacks on remote guerrilla camps that debilitated the then-Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The offensives helped push the rebel group into peace talks that resulted in its disarmament in 2016.
Although the new purchase plans were announced amid a lack of diplomatic relations with Israel, the last three governments in Colombia already had cited intentions to replace the Kfir jets. The administration of current President Gustavo Petro started reviewing specific offers from countries like France, the United States and Sweden.
The Aerospace Force chief commander says that the Kfir planes will continue to operate for now. Once the new contract is finalized, the old planes will be replaced as the new ones arrive.
Energy minister says he discussed Saudi Arabia-Israel oil pipeline with US counterpart
Energy Minister Eli Cohen meets his American counterpart Chris Wright in Washington.
The pair discuss promoting energy cooperation between Abraham Accords countries in addition to Cohen’s plan to create an oil pipeline from Saudi Arabia to Israel, according to an Israeli readout.
Cohen also met separately with US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, with the two discussing the creation of bilateral working groups in the fields of AI and energy.
Israeli TV airs footage of captive soldier being kidnapped, interrogated in Gaza
The “Uvda” news program airs footage of the kidnapping of IDF soldier and current hostage Matan Angrest on October 7, 2023, as well as previously unseen footage of him being interrogated in captivity.
The videos were collected by IDF forces and published with the permission of Angrest’s family.
In the kidnapping video, which appears to be taken from a Hamas bodycam, Angrest can be seen wounded and shirtless, being manhandled by a number of Hamas gunmen on top of the tank.
תיעוד רגעי החטיפה של החייל מתן אנגרסט pic.twitter.com/SO2fZmZ02P
— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) April 3, 2025
In video of the interrogation, Angrest, who appears to have facial wounds, recites his personal details in English, saying that he was a tank driver stationed at the Nahal Oz base.
Speaking to his family, Angrest says, “I hope to see you soon, I love you.” He calls on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a hostage release deal, saying, “I want to see my family and my friends and I trust you.”
He is then questioned again and answers in Hebrew.
מתן אנגרסט בסרטון מהשבי שמשפחתו פרסמה: "אני רוצה לראות את המשפחה והחברים שלי – אני אוהב אתכם ומתגעגע"@yaelsharet_ pic.twitter.com/wa5bZFEJ1X
— גלצ (@GLZRadio) April 3, 2025
Earlier today, his mother, Anat, said their family felt they had no choice but to publish the videos and beg for his release: “There’s no time. We have medical reports from analyses of the videos that speak of long-term disabilities, abuse, facial fractures — serious injuries that get worse every day,” she adds. “My son is in a cage, in starving conditions, and without daylight.”