Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-04-18 at 18:01

HEADLINES
Hormuz traffic down to single digits
Brooklyn man sentenced for antisemitic hate crimes
Entertainment leaders back Israel's Eurovision inclusion

The time is now 6:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In Strait of Hormuz traffic falls to single digits as security fears keep ships stuck, movement through the Strait remains weak as a ceasefire lowers the risk of direct escalation. Experts say the immediate problem is maritime security, not the lack of pipeline plans. Latest data show inbound and outbound activity remains very weak, with at least five to six vessels, down from double digits earlier in April. Noam Raydan, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, noted that the figures indicate the Strait is not operating like a normal flow, and what remains is not the movement of non-Iranian vessels. Earlier in April, traffic had been in the double digits, but now sits in the single digits. Public discussion in recent days has taken a different direction as the ceasefire took hold. This is not normal flow; we’re not seeing a healthy movement of ships, particularly non-Iranian vessels.

In 'Die, Jews, Die!': NYC man sentenced to prison for antisemitic, anti-white assaults, a Brooklyn man was sentenced Tuesday to three to nine years in prison for a series of violent and aggressive anti-woman, anti-white, and antisemitic incidents. Skiboky Stora, 42-year-old, had been convicted of two hate crime assaults in the third degree, hate crime stalking in the third degree, aggravated harassment in the second degree, and attempted hate crime assault in the third degree. In November 2023, a Jewish couple walking their dog in Union Square saw Stora; when they photographed him tearing down posters of hostages, he followed them into a building lobby shouting antisemitic and anti-white remarks, including the phrase directed at Jews. He reportedly followed the couple after a Good Samaritan sheltered them, and, in Chelsea in September 2023, he allegedly elbowed a 17-year-old student in the neck, reportedly saying that “you people think you can do whatever the f you want.” The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced the sentence.

In Over a thousand entertainment leaders sign letter supporting Israel’s Eurovision participation, more than 1,000 entertainment industry figures signed an open letter by Creative Community for Peace to support Israel’s continued inclusion in the Eurovision Song Contest. Israel has participated in Eurovision since 1973 and has won four times, but in the past year calls for exclusion grew following Yuval Raphael’s second-place finish in 2025. The European Broadcasting Union declined to put the question of excluding Israel to a vote in its December meeting, and five countries—Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain—announced withdrawal from the 2026 Eurovision contest in Vienna in response to Israel’s participation. The EBU investigated claims that Israel broke rules in 2025 that led to Raphael’s audience-vote win, found no wrongdoing, but instituted rule changes in response to criticism from some participating countries. The initial letter by Creative Community for Peace was issued to counter campaigns calling for Israel’s exclusion and to urge continued participation.

Thank you for tuning in to this Israel Today: Ongoing War Report update.
I'm Noa Levi. Stay safe and informed.
Keep in mind that this AI-generated report may contain occasional inaccuracies, so consult multiple sources for a comprehensive view. Find the code and more details in the podcast description.

SOURCES
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-893422
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-893423
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/article-893424