Live updates (closed)
The Times of Israel liveblogged Sunday’s events as they unfolded.
Hamas claims it ambushed, killed Israeli-backed gang members in Gaza City and Khan Younis
Hamas claims to have ambushed and killed members of Israeli-backed Gazan gangs in Khan Younis and Gaza City over the past day.
In a statement, the so-called Deterrent Force of Hamas’s internal security apparatus says it also confiscated military gear from the gang in Gaza City. In Khan Younis, some gang members fled, leaving behind their “Zionist weapons,” the Hamas force claims.
Hamas’s Sahm 103 unit, which targets people accused of collaborating with Israel, says the people targeted in the earlier ambush, in Khan Younis, were assaulted in the Batn al-Samin area, which lies on the Hamas-controlled side of the Gaza ceasefire line in the city’s southwest.
The Sahm unit claims the people targeted in Batn al-Samin were en route to perform a “kidnapping operation” on behalf of Israel. According to the unit, the gang members came in two vehicles, one of which managed to escape the ambush.
Neither Hamas statement specifies which gangs were targeted. However, Hossam al-Astal, who leads a Khan Younis-area anti-Hamas gang and has claimed to receive military aid from Israel, says in an evening video statement that his militia captured six Hamas operatives and killed several others in Batn al-Samin earlier today. He does not say anything about being ambushed by Hamas.
IDF troops reportedly prevented West Bank Bedouins from rebuilding homes damaged in settler attack
IDF troops today forbade residents of the West Bank Bedouin village of Mukhmas from rebuilding their homes following an arson attack by Israeli settler extremists, Haaretz daily reports.
Residents tell the outlet that IDF soldiers arrived at the village at around noon today to halt work on the reconstruction, insisting that the area was a closed military zone and the Civil Administration had not approved the work.
In the meantime, an Israeli man began entering the damaged homes and taking photographs, the residents say. When they asked the soldiers why, they replied, “He can do what he wants,” and “This is our land, a closed military zone.”
The IDF declared the area a closed military zone — barring the entry of Israelis — at the end of December, saying the measure was needed to ensure the safety of the residents after a settler attack.
IDF says airstrike killed Hezbollah engineering commander in south Lebanon
The IDF says its airstrike in the southern Lebanese town of Doueir this afternoon killed a Hezbollah engineering commander.
The strike killed Ali Dawoud Amees, who the military identifies as a “division head in Hezbollah’s engineering department.”
“The terrorist was involved in efforts to rehabilitate military infrastructure of the Hezbollah terror organization in the Doueir area in southern Lebanon and advanced terror plans against IDF troops,” the military says in a statement, adding that his actions “constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”
צה"ל חיסל אחראי במחלקת ההנדסה של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה שפעל לשיקום תשתיות בדרום לבנון
צה"ל תקף מוקדם יותר היום וחיסל את המחבל עלי דאווד עמיצ' ששימש כראש ענף במחלקת ההנדסה של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה.
המחבל עסק בניסיון שיקום תשתיות צבאיות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב א-דויר שבדרום… pic.twitter.com/7GDb1E21r3
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) February 1, 2026
Oscar-nominated Iranian screenwriter arrested in Tehran after condemning Khamenei
Filmmaker Jafar Panahi (left) with Writer and Activist, Mehdi Mahmoudian (right), in an undated photo. (Neon)
One of the Oscar-nominated screenwriters of the Iranian drama, “It Was Just an Accident” was arrested yesterday in Tehran just weeks before the Academy Awards.
Representatives for the film say that Mehdi Mahmoudian was arrested Saturday.
No details on the charges against Mahmoudian were available. But his arrest came just days after Mahmoudian and 16 others signed a statement condemning Islamic Republic leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the regime’s violent crackdown on demonstrators.
Two other signatories, Vida Rabbani and Abdullah Momeni, were also arrested.
Jafar Panahi, the prize-winning director of “It Was Just an Accident,” issues a statement decrying his co-writer’s arrest.
“Mehdi Mahmoudian is not just a human-rights activist and a prisoner of conscience; he is a witness, a listener, and a rare moral presence — a presence whose absence is immediately felt, both inside prison walls and beyond them,” Panahi says.
Panahi was also a signatory on the January 28 statement. It reads in part: “The mass and systematic killing of citizens who bravely took to the streets to bring an end to an illegitimate regime constitutes an organized state crime against humanity.”
“It Was Just an Accident” is nominated for best screenplay and best international film at the March 15 Oscars. The film, made covertly in Iran, was France’s nominee for best international film.
IDF footage shows military checkpoint for Palestinians entering Gaza from Egypt
An IDF checkpoint for Palestinians entering the Gaza Strip from Egypt is seen in southern Gaza's Rafah, just outside the Rafah Crossing, in a handout photo issued by the military on February 1, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF publishes footage of its military checkpoint for Palestinians entering the Gaza Strip from Egypt, as the Rafah Border Crossing is set to open for pedestrian traffic tomorrow.
The checkpoint, dubbed “Regavim,” is located in IDF-held Rafah in the Strip’s south, just outside the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
“The facility is part of the effort to enhance security oversight in the area,” the military says, adding that security officers at the terminal will “verify the identities of those entering against lists approved by the Israeli defense establishment and conduct thorough inspections of their luggage.”
Only after passing through the Rafah Crossing and then the Israeli security screening will those returning to the Strip be permitted to continue toward the Hamas-controlled areas of Gaza.
However, unlike the entry of Palestinians to Gaza, Israel will only supervise the exit of Gazans to Egypt remotely.
From a control room, Israeli officers, using facial recognition software, will verify that those leaving the Strip are on the list of approved names, and open up a gate at the crossing to allow them through.
A team of Palestinian Authority representatives and monitors from the European Union stationed at Rafah Crossing will be tasked with conducting security screenings for those leaving the Strip.
An IDF checkpoint for Palestinians entering the Gaza Strip from Egypt is seen in southern Gaza’s Rafah, just outside the Rafah Crossing, in video issued by the military on February 1, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
Head of Gaza technocratic panel laments loss of life in Gaza, doesn’t assign blame
Ali Shaath, head of the Palestinian technocratic committee for managing the Gaza Strip, seen in Cairo, Egypt, on January 19, 2026. (AFP)
The head of the Palestinian technocratic committee slated to replace Hamas in Gaza laments the loss of life in Gaza over the weekend.
“The loss of life in Gaza over the past few days is excruciating—our condolences to the families who are grieving,” National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) chief commissioner Ali Shaath says in a statement that avoids assigning blame to either Israel or Hamas.
Israel said it carried out airstrikes in Gaza in response to Hamas violations of the October ceasefire. Over 30 people were reportedly killed, including children.
“We call on all sides to uphold the ceasefire. NCAG is committed with partners to prevent further incidents and protect civilians. The path forward must be one of restraint, responsibility, and respect for civilian life,” Shaath says.
Israeli detained in Turkey since late January for alleged offenses against Erdogan, flag
An Israeli woman has been detained in Turkey, the Foreign Ministry tells The Times of Israel.
“The incident is known to us and is being handled by the Consular Affairs Division,” says the Foreign Ministry.
The woman has been under arrest for 10 days after allegedly desecrating the country’s flag and insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Palestine, Hebrew media outlets report.
The woman was arrested in Istanbul’s Taksim Square in late January, reports say.
Syria says it detained group that used Hezbollah arms for attacks on airport
DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria says it has detained a group behind recent rocket attacks on the Mezzeh military airport in Damascus, with investigators tracing the weapons to Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Syria’s Interior Ministry says security units arrested all members of the group, which it says had carried out several strikes on the airport in recent months, after surveillance of suspected launch sites in several areas of the capital.
The weapons used in the attacks originated from Lebanon’s Hezbollah, an ally of former president Bashar al-Assad that once had a large military presence across Syria, supporting Assad’s army, the ministry says.
Hezbollah has denied the allegations and says it has no activity or ties with any group inside Syria.
US destroyer departs Eilat after arriving for ‘scheduled port visit’ Friday
US Navy Cmdr. Ezra Hatch, commanding officer of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119), and Cmdr. Justin Crabb, executive officer of Delbert D. Black, observe sailors manning the rails during a scheduled routine port visit to Eilat, January 30, 2026. (US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Wendy Arauz)
The American missile destroyer that anchored at Israel’s Red Sea port city of Eilat on Friday has now departed, the US Navy says.
USS Delbert D. Black departed Eilat following a “scheduled port visit,” the US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) — the naval component in the US Central Command (CENTCOM) — says in a statement.
“This port visit demonstrates US and Israel’s strong maritime partnership and shared commitment to advancing security and prosperity in the Mediterranean Sea, Gulf of Aqaba, and the Red Sea,” NAVCENT says.
According to the Israeli military, the destroyer’s arrival was pre-planned and part of the ongoing cooperation between the IDF and the US military.
The US in recent weeks has been moving military assets to the Middle East, boosting available firepower and defensive capabilities in the region, and giving President Donald Trump the option to launch an attack on Iran against the backdrop of the regime’s killing of protesters.
Board of Peace envoy knocks Israeli weekend strikes in Gaza that killed civilians
Nickolay Mladenov, high representative for the Board of Peace, speaks at the board's meeting during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22, 2026. (Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
The Board of Peace’s high representative, Nickolay Mladenov, knocks Israel’s airstrikes over the weekend that killed civilians in Gaza.
“I am deeply concerned by what has taken place since Friday: Hamas armed operatives emerging from a tunnel in Rafah, Israeli strikes that tragically also killed civilians,” Mladenov writes in a post on X.
“Such developments risk the hard-won progress under” the UN Security Council resolution granting the Board of Peace a two-year mandate to manage postwar Gaza and US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for ending the Gaza war, he says.
Israel has argued that its strikes were in response to Hamas violations of the October ceasefire, but dozens were reportedly killed across the Strip, including children.
“All must exercise restraint and uphold the ceasefire as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza prepares to assume civilian and security responsibilities [from Hamas], shifting Gaza’s trajectory from violence and destruction to recovery and reconstruction,” Mladenov writes.
“My office and I are working closely to support the [NCAG] and find ways that prevent future incidents. We will need everyone’s full cooperation to make this possible,” he adds.
While Mladenov is not a US official, the Trump administration is controlling the Board of Peace’s operations, making it likely that his statement was approved by Washington.
Don’t rule out a surprise, preemptive Iranian attack on Israel, warns former IDF military intelligence chief
Israeli air defense systems fire to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack, as seen near the border with Lebanon June 18, 2025. (Ayal Margolin/ Flash90)
Former IDF military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin says that while “Western logic” would suggest Iran will not try to preempt a possible American attack and initiate war with the US and Israel, “jihadi logic, extremist religious logic” could be different, and that the IDF should be thoroughly prepared “as though there is going to be a surprise.”
He says he hopes that the IDF has an operational model in place, predicated on the idea “that the Iranians may do something that does not seem logical.”
Speaking on Channel 12, Yadlin also notes that in recent regional conflicts, those who struck first have enjoyed a strong strategic advantage. And he highlights that the Iranian regime is seeking revenge against Israel for last June’s war.
Yadlin, who now heads the non-profit MIND Israel, a national security consultancy, says the IDF is working very closely with the US military in sharing the lessons it learned in past rounds of conflict with Iran, especially last year’s war.
The IDF took out more than 200 Iranian missile launchers, a success of profound interest to the Americans, he says. It also established air supremacy over Tehran, though this may be less critical for the US, given its potential use of Tomahawk missiles. He says Israel and the US will need to determine effective deconfliction mechanisms in the event of war. And he stresses the importance of mutual trust and confidence between Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir.
Netanyahu meets with top security officials after IDF chief returns from US — report
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with the IDF General Staff Forum on June 30, 2025. At left is IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. At right is Defense Minister Israel Katz. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with top security officials after IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir returned from Washington, where he discussed Iran with US officials.
An Israeli official says the meeting, including Defense Minister Israel Katz, Zamir, Mossad director David Barnea, is part of a security update after the IDF chief’s trip.
According to the report, the US is closer to attacking Iran than it was a week ago, although it is unclear what the scope of such a planned attack would look like.
IDF Home Front Command to hold pre-planned drill in Haifa overnight
The IDF Home Front Command will be conducting a pre-planned overnight drill in the northern coastal city of Haifa, the military says.
“The exercise was planned in advance, as part of the 2026 training program. There is no concern about a security incident; in a real event, residents would be updated by the security forces,” the IDF says.
US, Iran, ready to conduct talks; mediators organizing meeting this week in Ankara — report
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff speaks at the Board of Peace meeting during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22, 2026. (Mandel NGAN / AFP)
The US and Iran have informed each other that they are ready to conduct negotiations on an agreement to end tensions, a senior American official aware of the details tells Channel 12 news.
American officials tell the network that Trump’s comments calling for a deal are genuine and not a trick ahead of a military operation.
Mediators Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar are working to organize a meeting between White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian officials this week, two sources in the region familiar with the effort say.
Trump unsurprised Khamenei warning that US attack will spark regional war, still hopes for deal
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club, February 1, 2026, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/ Mark Schiefelbein)
US President Donald Trump responds to Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s warning that an attack from Washington could spark a regional war.
“Why wouldn’t he say that? Of course he is going to say that. We have the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there, very close — a couple of days [away]… Hopefully we’ll make a deal. If we don’t make a deal, we’ll find out whether or not he was right,” Trump tells reporters.
REPORTER: Khamenei said today that a U.S. attack could start a regional war.
TRUMP: Why wouldn’t he say that, of course he is going to say that… We have the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there, very close…Hopefully we’ll make a deal.
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 1, 2026
IDF says it struck Hezbollah operative in south Lebanon
The IDF says it carried out an airstrike targeting a Hezbollah operative in the southern Lebanon town of Harouf a short while ago.
No further details are immediately given by the military.
Earlier, the IDF said it struck a Hezbollah operative in the town of Doueir, as well as engineering vehicles used by the terror group in the village of Mazraat Aboudiyeh, south of Sidon.
Ex-hostages, families call for Gal Hirsch to quit after ‘despicable comments’
Gal Hirsch, coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing in the Prime Minister's Office, attends a National Security Committee meeting at the Knesset on November 3, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)
A group of former hostages and their relatives call for the resignation of Gal Hirsch, the government hostage point man, after he said, in a series of interviews, that mass demonstrations on behalf of the hostages aided Hamas.
“For two years, Hirsch presented the families with a collection of lies and eye-rolling, threatening and blackmailing us not to speak out against the prime minister, while holding an official position and a position of power over us and our loved ones held captive by Hamas,” the letter, sent to to him this evening, reads, as quoted by Hebrew media outlets.
The letter is signed by six former hostages, including Arbel Yehud, Ada Sagi, Nili Margalit, Karina Englbert, and 72 relatives of hostages.
“His despicable comments against the struggle of families and against specific families are the continuation of the abuse by other means,” the letter reads.
The letter demands Hirsch resign “immediately” as head of the government’s hostages directorate, which he announced on Thursday is now pivoting to focus on rehabilitation for the hostages and their families.
Iranian protester US warned was to be executed released on bail
TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian protester Erfan Soltani has been released on bail, his lawyer tells AFP, after the United States warned that he was due to be executed, though Tehran denied he had been sentenced to death.
The 26-year-old “was released yesterday (Saturday) and received all of his belongings including his cellphone,” says lawyer Amir Mousakhani, adding that a bail of “two billion tomans” (around $12,600) was paid for his release.
Soltani was arrested on January 10, during recent nationwide protests in Iran.
He was held in a detention facility in Karaj outside Tehran, on charges of propaganda against Iran’s Islamic system and acting against national security, the judiciary had said in January.
The US State Department had said on its Persian-language X account that he had been sentenced to death.
Iran’s judiciary later denied that, saying his case was still under investigation and that the charges against him did not carry the death penalty.
Based on information received by Hengaw, Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old man from Fardis, Karaj, was detained during protests following the night of Thursday, January 8, 2026. His family was subsequently threatened with the imposition of a death sentence against him.
He was… pic.twitter.com/J2nCbtJIFF
— Hengaw Organization for Human Rights (@Hengaw_English) February 1, 2026
Doctors Without Borders says Israeli ban ‘pretext’ to block aid to Gaza
Palestinians walk past the clinic of Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on January 11, 2026 (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says that Israel’s decision to terminate the medical charity’s operations in Gaza was a “pretext” to obstruct the delivery of humanitarian aid to the war-devastated Palestinian territory.
“This is a pretext to obstruct humanitarian assistance. Israeli authorities are forcing humanitarian organisations into an impossible choice between exposing staff to risk or interrupting critical medical care for people in desperate need,” MSF says in a statement.
Earlier on Sunday, Israel said it was terminating the humanitarian operations of MSF in Gaza, citing the organization’s failure to provide a list of its Palestinian staff as demanded by the authorities.
Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said earlier that “MSF continue to play publicity games instead of complying with the registration process.”
“The continued withholding of basic staff information raises serious questions on the involvement of MSF staff with Hamas,” COGAT charged.
On January 1, Israel vowed to enforce a ban on the activities of 37 international NGOs operating in Gaza, including MSF, over their failure to comply with stringent new “security and transparency” requirements concerning their employees.
The standards were put in place under a government resolution from March 1, 2025, requiring NGOs to submit a raft of documentation about their organization and identify all foreign and Palestinian employees, including their passports and personal identification numbers. Some of the NGOs targeted have said the requirements flout, or at least erode, international humanitarian law, and Israel has faced international criticism.
Israel has accused MSF of having two employees who held membership in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas terror groups. The group has denied the allegations, saying it would “never knowingly employ anyone involved in military activities.”
Police denies chief Levy attempting to sideline spokesman amid reports of friction
Israel Police spokesman Aryeh Doron visits the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, March 7, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Israel Police denies reports that the force’s chief is trying to strip top spokesman Cdr. Aryeh Doron of his authority, amid tensions between the two.
In a statement from the spokesperson’s office, police stress that police chief Danny Levy’s work relations with Doron are “excellent and [occur] daily,” adding that the top cop “has complete faith in him.”
The statement comes after a Walla report claims the relationship between Levy and the chief spokesman has become increasingly strained.
Citing unnamed sources, the Hebrew outlet purports that Doron was ejected from Levy’s office, is regularly excluded from important meetings, and was even stripped of his oversight over police district spokespeople.
Police not only deny these reports but denounce them as “twisted and fallacious” attempts to “cast aspersions on the relationship.”
Speaking to Ynet, an unnamed official corroborates the statement and claims the report is an attempt by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to spark friction among the police’s top brass, amid disagreements between him and Levy over the promotion of Supt. Rinat Saban.
Ben Gvir has for months been blocking the promotion of Saban, a police detective who testified in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial, reportedly frustrating senior officers, including Levy, who supports her advancement.
Attackers smash windows, steal plaque from Jewish primary school in Paris
PARIS, France — A Jewish primary school was vandalized in eastern Paris over the weekend, with its windows broken and a CCTV camera torn off, French prosecutors say.
Yesterday evening, several people attacked the Beth Loubavitch — Beth Hannah primary school located in the 20th district of the French capital, the public prosecutor’s office says.
“Three windows of the school were broken, and a CCTV camera and a plaque attached to the building torn off,” it says.
The plaque was later found in a nearby square, prosecutors say, adding the vandals had not entered the school building.
Authorities have launched an investigation to identify the attackers.
Pilot for opening of Gaza’s Rafah Crossing ‘very succesful’ — report
A crane enters the Egyptian gate of the Rafah Crossing to the Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Egypt, February 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohamed Arafat)
Israel sees the checks and tests carried out at the Rafah Crossing ahead of its expected opening for pedestrians tomorrow as “very successful,” according to the Kan public broadcaster.
Simulated checks of buses and ambulances were carried out, and the staffers of the European Union mission at the crossing were taken to Rafah by the IDF through the Kerem Shalom Crossing.
It is expected to open for pedestrians on Monday, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) agency said.
Iran’s FM ‘confident’ nuclear deal can be reached with US amid ‘fruitful’ mediation
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein, in Tehran, Iran, on January 18, 2026. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi tells CNN that he believes Tehran can achieve a deal with the United States on the country’s nuclear program.
Tehran’s top diplomat says he is “confident that we can achieve a deal” on the program, which the US and Israel say aims to build nuclear weapons.
“Unfortunately, we have lost our trust [in] the US as a negotiating partner,” Araghchi tells the US network, while touting “fruitful” talks being mediated by mutual partners.
Araghchi stresses that the focus of talks must be focused on Iran’s nuclear program and not on curbing its ballistic missile program or support for proxy terror groups.
“Let’s not talk about impossible things,” he says, in response to a question on those matters by CNN, “And not lose the opportunity to achieve a fair and equitable deal to ensure no nuclear weapons. That as I said, is achievable even in a short period of time.”
Iran has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. However, it enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities.
US reportedly bolstering Mideast air defenses in case of Iran strikes
This image provided by the US Air Force shows the US Army Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launching station preparing to load onto a 4th Airlift Squadron C-17 Globemaster III at Fort Bliss, Texas, February 23, 2019. (Staff Sgt. Cory D. Payne/US Air Force via AP)
American airstrikes on Iran are not imminent since the United States military is still deploying additional air defense systems to the Middle East to bolster protection for Israel and its Arab allies, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing US officials.
According to the report, the Pentagon is moving THAAD and Patriot air defenses to bases with US personnel across the Middle East.
US air defenses, in addition to those operated by Israel, were crucial to protecting the country during the 12-day war with Iran in 2025, and two previous missile and drone attacks launched by the Islamic Republic in 2024.
Last month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked US President Donald Trump to delay potential plans for an American strike on Iran, the New York Times reported, citing a senior US official.
The White House later confirmed that the two leaders had spoken by phone, but did not give details of the conversation.
Police wrap up probe into Miri Regev; indictments reportedly unlikely
Transportation Minister Miri Regev attends a ceremony for 234 new traffic police vehicles as part of a new national road-safety program, at the Israel Police headquarters in Jerusalem, November 30, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Police conclude a criminal probe into Transportation Minister Miri Regev, a Likud lawmaker suspected of abusing her ministerial powers to grant favorable treatment to local officials who align with her political interests.
The investigation dealt with “clarifying an alleged suspicion” that Transportation Ministry resources were allocated in a lopsided manner to agencies and individuals who benefited the minister politically, police say.
Detectives in the police’s Lahav 433 major crimes unit have transferred the case’s findings to the State Attorney’s Office for a decision on whether to file charges, but Hebrew media reports that indictments are unlikely.
The so-called “Traffic Light” investigation was launched two years ago, after police raided the Transportation Ministry’s offices in Jerusalem. The offices were searched following a news report about Regev’s alleged conduct, but the minister herself was never summoned for questioning, according to Ynet.
IDF: Terror operative killed after crossing Gaza ceasefire line, posing threat to troops
A Palestinian terror operative who crossed the Gaza ceasefire line in the Strip’s south earlier today was killed by troops, the military says.
According to the IDF, several operatives crossed the Yellow Line and approached troops of the 7th Armored Brigade “in a manner that posed an immediate threat.”
“Immediately after the identification, the troops fired toward the terrorists in order to remove the threat. One of the terrorists was eliminated,” the army says.
Palestinian media reported earlier today that a 63-year-old man was killed this morning in an IDF drone strike on the Israeli-controlled side of the ceasefire line in the Shakoush area, northwest of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. He was identified as Khaled Dehleez. It could not immediately be confirmed that this was the same incident referred to by the military.
Noam Lehmann contributed to this report.
Protesters gather at Knesset to demand government facilitate Ethiopian immigration
Ethiopian Falash Mura arrive at Ben Gurion airport, outside Tel Aviv on August 28, 2013. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
Demonstrators gather outside the Knesset demanding that the government facilitate the immigration of the remaining Jewish community in Ethiopia to Israel amid ongoing violence and strife in Ethiopia’s Tigray region.
The protesters say that the government has halted immigration from Ethiopia and stopped funding it, and demand that it immediately “reallocate funds to resume immigration and bring to Israel those whose situation continues to deteriorate against the backdrop of the civil war in Ethiopia,” according to a statement from protest organizer Power for Aliyah, which assists Ethiopian immigrants.
Ethiopia was engulfed in a violent civil war when the national army fought the Tigray People’s Liberation Front for two years, ending with a peace agreement in November 2022. However, disputes over various issues have continued. The war reportedly killed hundreds of thousands of people and caused the collapse of healthcare services, leading to widespread famine.
The organization estimates that roughly 2,000 protesters are in attendance from across the country, mostly from the Ethiopian community, many of whom have family members waiting in Ethiopia to immigrate to Israel.
The gathering was the latest in a longstanding effort to bring to Israel descendants of Ethiopian Jews who had converted to Christianity in the 19th century, and some of their relatives. The minority is known in Hebrew as Falasha, and in English as Falash Mura, a term some regard as derogatory. Only Falasha whose parents or children live in Israel may immigrate and only if the new arrivals are unmarried and have no children.
However, Blue and White MK Pnina Tamano-Shata, who herself is of Ethiopian descent, says that many of those waiting to immigrate were already approved for immigration and set to immigrate when she was immigration minister in 2020-2021 during Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett’s short-lived government.
“The government has halted immigration for three years, thereby putting the lives of those waiting – and their families in Israel – on hold,” she says, speaking at the protest.
“This is ongoing mistreatment of Ethiopian immigrants,” she continues, adding that “the government does not count Ethiopian Jews in Israel.”
Protesters argue that approximately 10,000 eligible immigrants have been waiting in Ethiopia for decades, concentrated mainly in the capital of Addis Ababa and Gondor.
“The Government of Israel is leaving them to continue waiting in Ethiopia and ignoring their terrible pain,” says Power for Aliyah chair Gabi Warko in a statement.
“We intend to continue the struggle regularly until the government comes to its senses and brings all of our families,” she continues.
Katz holds meeting with IDF chief after latter’s talks with US officials on Iran
Defense Minister Israel Katz (left) meets with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir at his office in Tel Aviv, February 1, 2026. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)
Defense Minister Israel Katz says he is holding a meeting with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir after the latter returned from a whirlwind weekend visit to Washington, DC, for discussions with American officials on Iran.
“Following the series of meetings the IDF chief of staff recently held in the United States, the two are discussing, among other things, the regional situation assessment and the IDF’s operational readiness for any scenario,” Katz’s office says.
Egypt and Jordan’s leaders reject ‘attempts to displace the Palestinian people’ as Rafah Crossing set to reopen
CAIRO, Egypt — Egypt and Jordan’s leaders renew their rejection of any attempts to displace Palestinians as Israel announced that it was partially reopening the Rafah Crossing between the devastated Gaza Strip and Egypt.
During a meeting in Cairo, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II “renewed their affirmation of Egypt and Jordan’s firm stance rejecting any attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land,” according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will allow 50 medical patients a day to leave Gaza through the crossing. An official involved in the discussions, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the diplomatic talks, said each patient would be allowed to travel with two relatives.
In addition, some 50 people who left Gaza during the war would be allowed to return each day.
The number of travelers is expected to increase over time if the system is successful.
Researchers at Israeli hospital develop new schizophrenia therapy
Dr. Nir Ash, doctor and researcher in the Rambam Medical Center's psychiatric department. (Courtesy/Rambam Spokesperson's Office)
Researchers from Rambam Medical Center’s psychiatric department say they have developed a new deep-brain stimulation approach (DBS) for patients with schizophrenia, a severe chronic mental disorder, that could restore functions that control movement, learning, and decision-making, according to the Hebrew news outlet Mako.
The peer-reviewed findings appeared in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
“The study proposes a new therapeutic direction, which may in the future expand the treatment options for patients with schizophrenia who do not respond sufficiently to the existing treatments,” says Dr. Nir Asch, a doctor and researcher in Haifa’s Rambam Psychiatric Department, who led the study under the guidance of Prof. Hagai Bergman, a neuroscientist from the Hebrew University and recipient of the Israel Prize.
Asch says the result can serve as a basis for “treating the cognitive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia that are resistant to medication.”
Three suspects nabbed over deadly shooting in Lod, police say
The perpetrator of a fatal shooting in Lod is seen on video before shooting three men in a car, killing one, on January 31, 2026. (Screenshot/X)
Police announce the arrest of three suspects linked to a blood feud that sparked a fatal shooting yesterday in downtown Lod.
Officers seized the gun used in the shooting, which took place in broad daylight after three men attempted to flee the shooter in a high-speed car chase through the mixed Jewish-Arab city.
The fleeing driver crashed the vehicle. The assassin then got out of his car, approached the three men with a rifle, and opened fire, killing one and injuring the other two.
In the shooting’s wake, law enforcement launched a “covert and targeted” operation against the two warring families, police say.
Central District police and National Guard forces seized gun parts, stolen army ammunition, and more than NIS 1 million ($323,582) from a home belonging to one of the families. The operation is ongoing, police add.
The victim of yesterday’s shooting, Omar Taysir al-Shamali, is the 27th Arab citizen to fall victim to homicide, as Israel’s Arab minority grows more vocal in its demand that police stem violent crime in their communities.
Liberman slams Rafah Crossing opening: ‘Rubberstamping the establishment of a Palestinian terror state’
Ambulances wait on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip in northeastern Egypt on February 1, 2026 (AFP)
Yisrael Beytenu Avigdor Liberman reprimands the government over the expected opening of the Rafah Border Crossing in both directions tomorrow.
“For the government of October 7, it is not enough that Hamas and Islamic Jihad today have over 35,000 terrorists; it also needs to open Gaza’s border with Egypt both ways and give control of it from the IDF to the Palestinian Authority,” he says.
“This is a move that is all about rubberstamping the establishment of a Palestinian terror state in the Gaza Strip,” he says.
COGAT said earlier that the crossing would open for the “limited passage” of Gazans in both directions, in accordance with the ceasefire deal. It said the so-called “pilot phase” today was being “conducted in coordination with the European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM), Egypt, and all relevant stakeholders,” and “all involved parties are carrying out a series of preliminary preparations aimed at increasing readiness for full operation of the crossing.”
UAE joins Saudis, Turks in condemning Israeli ‘violations’ of Gaza ceasefire
The foreign ministers of eight Muslim countries, some hostile to Israel and some friendly, “strongly condemn Israel’s repeated violations” of the Gaza ceasefire after Hamas-run authorities said a wave of Israeli strikes killed at least 32 Palestinians yesterday
The joint letter — signed by Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey — alleges that the strikes threaten “ongoing efforts to create appropriate conditions for transitioning to a more stable phase in the Gaza Strip” and calls for the full implementation of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza.
Netanyahu reopens Kiryat Shmona Airport, promises to act against every threat
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (3rd R) and Transportation Minister Miri Regev (4th L) reopen Kiryat Shmona Airport, February 1, 2026. (Ma'ayan Toaf/GPO)
In order to ensure the security of residents of northern Israel, the government has changed its policy, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a special weekly cabinet meeting in Kiryat Shmona on the border with Lebanon.
“There is no containment, no leniency,” says Netanyahu. “We act against every threat in real time and on an ongoing basis, and we will continue to do so.”
He announces a multi-phase plan which begins with grants and investments in housing, business, healthcare and communication. Within 45 days, Netanyahu promises, an NIS 400 million package will be announced, followed by a larger investment of billions of shekels.
The plan includes the transformation of the Tel-Hai Academic College into the University of Kiryat Shmona.
Standing next to the runway, Netanyahu and Transportation Minister Miri Regev announce the reopening of the Kiryat Shmona Airport to civilian traffic for the first time in over two decades.
Netanyahu says that Israel is going to push air, rail, and high-speed road transportation to the city.
“People will be able to travel by train and reach Tel Aviv in under an hour,” he promises.
According to Regev, there will be commercial flights to Ben Gurion Airport and to Eilat. She contradicts the prime minister — who likely meant to refer to air travel — and says that rail travel to Tel Aviv will take two hours.
Family of reservist officer killed in Allenby Crossing attack seeking compensation from Jordan
Lt. Col. (res.) Yitzhak Harosh, who was killed in an attack at Allenby Crossing, September 18, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
The family of Lt. Col. (res.) Yitzhak Harosh, 68, who was killed in a shooting and stabbing attack by a Jordanian truck driver at the Allenby Crossing in September, is seeking compensation from Amman, the man’s son, Ram, tells Channel 12 news.
Harosh, a reservist in the Civil Administration from Jerusalem, was killed alongside Sgt. Oran Hershko, 20, a liaison officer with foreign forces in the IDF’s Tevel international cooperation unit, from Tel Mond.
The family is urging the Foreign Ministry to pressure the Jordanian government to pay compensation for the attack.
In a statement to Channel 12, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar promises to “continue to act on the matter.”
Ram Harosh notes that in a reverse situation, Israel has paid compensation to the families of two people shot dead by an Israeli embassy guard in 2017, and a Jordanian judge killed in a 2014 incident.
Iranian official denies Revolutionary Guards plan to hold Strait of Hormuz live-fire exercises
An Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessel watches an American warship in the Strait of Hormuz May 19, 2023. (Jon Gambrell/AP)
The naval forces of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have no plan to carry out live-fire exercises in the Strait of Hormuz as reported by some media outlets earlier this week, an Iranian official tells Reuters.
Iran’s state-run Press TV reported on Thursday that the force would carry out the exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on February 1 and February 2.
“There was no plan for the Guards to hold military exercises there and there was no official announcement about it. Only media reports, which were wrong,” the official says.
Police said to summon right-wing agitator for questioning over blocking of former officials’ cars
Far-right activist Mordechai David and other agitators block the vehicle of former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak, outside an event in Tel Aviv held by the Movement for Quality Government, January 28, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Police have summoned right-wing activist and provocateur Mordechai David, who blocked the cars of a former Supreme Court president and an ex-prime minister, Hebrew media reports.
There is no formal comment from police. The summoning for questioning comes hours after multiple reports said that police had canceled their investigation.
Last night, David and a number of other activists blocked the car of former prime minister Ehud Barak in Tel Aviv.
Last week, David and others blocked former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak from driving away from a Tel Aviv parking lot outside a conference where he spoke.
According to Hebrew media, David was to be interrogated alongside several other men on suspicion of disturbing public order after they stood in front of the 89-year-old retired judge’s car while David lambasted him as a “dictator” and “criminal.”
IDF: Ground troops demolished Hezbollah weapons depot, anti-tank missile storage facility in south Lebanon
Troops of the 769th "Hiram" Regional Brigade operate in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo issued by the military on February 1, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
During recent operations in southern Lebanon, the IDF says ground troops demolished several Hezbollah sites, including weapon depots.
Troops of the 769th “Hiram” Regional Brigade operated in several Lebanese border villages, and destroyed an anti-tank missile storage facility, a weapons depot, a building used by Hezbollah to launch anti-tank missiles at Israel during the war, and other infrastructure, the military says.
The IDF says the presence of the weapons and Hezbollah infrastructure in the area “constitutes a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”
Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon are demolished by the IDF, in a video issued by the military on February 1, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
Death toll from New Year’s bar fire in Switzerland rises to 41
People bring flowers near the sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)
A teenager injured in a New Year’s fire that engulfed a bar in a Swiss ski resort has died in the hospital, taking the death toll from the disaster to 41, the local public prosecutor announces.
“An 18-year-old Swiss national died at a hospital in Zurich on January 31,” the Wallis canton’s public prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud says in a statement.
“The death toll from the fire at Le Constellation bar on January 1, 2026, has now risen to 41.”
IDF says it carried out strike targeting Hezbollah operative in south Lebanon
The IDF says it carried out an airstrike targeting a Hezbollah operative in the southern Lebanon town of Doueir a short while ago.
No further details are immediately given by the military.
IDF says it struck engineering vehicles used by Hezbollah in south Lebanon
The IDF says it struck heavy machinery being used by Hezbollah to restore its infrastructure in southern Lebanon this morning.
The engineering vehicles were targeted in the village of Mazraat Aboudiyeh, south of Sidon.
“The vehicles were struck while being used by Hezbollah terrorists to reestablish terror infrastructure sites in the area,” the military says, adding that the terror group’s activity constituted a violation of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
Tens of millions of dollars wagered on Polymarket on timeline for potential US strikes on Iran
Tens of millions of dollars have been bet on the timeline for a possible US strike on Iran on the Polymarket prediction market.
Users have lost and won tens of millions of dollars on the platform over the past few months as the dates they wagered for strikes have now passed.
Further millions have been placed on the possibility of the ousting of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Odds are highest for an airstrike by June 30, at 61 percent, 1% if it happens today, and 2% tomorrow.
Polymarket is one of the largest prediction markets in the world, where its users can fund event contracts through cryptocurrency, debit or credit cards and bank transfers.
The commercial use of prediction markets has skyrocketed in recent years, opening the door for people to wager their money on the likelihood of a growing list of future events. But despite some eye-catching windfalls, traders still lose money every day.
There have been accusations of manipulations and insider trading by users of the platform. Last month, the bulk of one trader’s bids were made mere hours before US President Donald Trump announced the surprise nighttime raid that led to former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro’s capture, fueling online suspicions of potential insider trading because of the timing of the wagers and the trader’s narrow activity on the platform.
IDF chief Zamir was in Washington over weekend for Iran discussions with US defense officials
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks at a senior command conference discussing investigations into the failures surrounding Hamas's October 7, 2023, onslaught and the subsequent war, December 29, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir was in Washington DC over the weekend for a series of discussions with American defense officials regarding Iran, it is now revealed.
The meetings in the United States come after US President Donald Trump threatened military action against Iran against the backdrop of the regime’s killing of protesters.
Earlier, The Times of Israel reported that Zamir held discussions with American officials over the weekend, though the location of the meetings was initially barred from publication.
Man tries to set 12-year-old on fire amid apparent dispute with boy’s father
A man has been arrested on suspicion of trying to set a 12-year-old boy on fire while traveling on a bus near Jerusalem, police say.
The suspect, a Jerusalem resident in his 30s, is said to have thrown a flammable liquid on the child and tried to use a lighter to ignite it.
Police say they believe the incident is linked to a disagreement between the suspect and the boy’s father.
The child was lightly injured.
Zelensky says Ukraine-Russia-US talks to be held in Abu Dhabi starting Wednesday
In this handout photograph taken on January 29, 2026 and released on January 30, 2026 by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (C) chairs a meeting with journalists at his office in Kyiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Handout / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / AFP)
President Volodymyr Zelensky says that new two-day talks between US, Russian and Ukrainian envoys on halting the Ukraine war will start in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
“The dates for the next trilateral meetings have been set – February 4 and 5 in Abu Dhabi,” Zelensky says in a post on X. “Ukraine is ready for a substantive discussion, and we are interested in ensuring that the outcome brings us closer to a real and dignified end to the war.”
Zamir spoke with US officials over weekend amid tensions with Iran
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks at the 'Leaders on the Home Front' conference in central Israel, January 6, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir held a series of discussions over the weekend with American officials amid the ongoing tensions with Iran, The Times of Israel has learned.
The IDF has been on high alert and has carried out preparations in recent weeks after US President Donald Trump threatened military action against Iran, against the backdrop of the regime’s killing of protesters.
The US has also been moving military assets to the Middle East, boosting available firepower and defensive capabilities in the region.
Last week, Zamir met with US Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper in Israel, as part of efforts between the militaries to be coordinated ahead of a possible American strike in Iran.
The IDF seeks to receive sufficient advance warning from the US before potential strikes in Iran, to allow it to be prepared defensively and update the Israeli public.
Passage of Palestinians through Gaza’s Rafah Crossing expected to only begin tomorrow
European Union monitors and Palestinian security officers are seen at the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt, February 1, 2026. (COGAT)
The movement of Palestinians in and out of the Gaza Strip via the Rafah Crossing is expected to begin only tomorrow, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) says.
COGAT says that the crossing between Gaza and Egypt has reopened today for tests and an assessment of the operation at the crossing, but not yet for the movement of people.
“The movement of residents in both directions, entry and exit to and from Gaza, is expected to begin tomorrow,” COGAT says.
Police reportedly scrap probe into right-wing agitator who blocked cars of former Supreme Court president, ex-PM
Right-wing activist Mordechai David blocks the vehicle of former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak outside a conference held by the Movement for Quality Government in Tel Aviv, January 28, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Police have canceled an investigation into right-wing activist and provocateur Mordechai David, who blocked the cars of a former Supreme Court president and an ex-prime minister, Hebrew media reports.
There is no formal comment from police.
Last night, David and a number of other activists blocked the car of former prime minister Ehud Barak in Tel Aviv.
“What’s up, you complete nobody?” David asked the former premier, bringing his phone up to Barak’s face to record the interaction. “You complete nobody!”
Last week, David and a number of others blocked former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak from driving away from a Tel Aviv parking lot outside a conference where he spoke.
According to Hebrew media, David was to be interrogated alongside several other men on suspicion of disturbing public order after they stood in front of the 89-year-old retired judge’s car while David lambasted him as a “dictator” and “criminal.”
Barak, a Holocaust survivor, is internationally respected and is seen as Israel’s preeminent jurist. Within Israel, he has long been portrayed by right-wing leaders as a leftist activist judge who is to blame for many of their complaints against the judicial system.
In January 2024, he was tasked by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be an ad hoc judge on behalf of Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague as a member of the 15-judge panel hearing South Africa’s case accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
Doctors Without Borders will be banned from Gaza within month for not providing employee list, says ministry
Palestinians walk past the clinic of Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on January 11, 2026 (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
Israel will move ahead with its decision to ban Doctors Without Borders (MSF) from working in the Gaza Strip, says the Diaspora Affairs Ministry.
“This follows a substantial and ongoing violation of existing registration procedures designed to facilitate legitimate humanitarian activity while preventing the misuse of humanitarian cover for hostile activities and terrorism,” says the ministry in a statement. “The violation involves MSF’s failure to submit lists of local employees, a requirement applicable to all humanitarian organizations operating in the region.”
On January 1, Israel vowed to enforce a ban on the activities of 37 international NGOs operating in Gaza, including MSF, over their failure to comply with stringent new “security and transparency” requirements concerning their employees.
The standards were put in place under a government resolution from March 1, 2025, requiring NGOs to submit a raft of documentation about their organization and identify all foreign and Palestinian employees, including their passports and personal identification numbers. Some of the NGOs targeted have said the requirements flout, or at least erode, international humanitarian law, and Israel has faced international criticism.
According to the ministry, MSF committed to handing over employee lists, and Israel expected to receive them last Tuesday.
“These employee lists are not shared with external parties and are used solely for internal purposes,” says the ministry.
But MSF did not give Israel the list, and announced it would not comply. The organization will end operations in Gaza by the end of February, says the Diaspora Affairs Ministry.
“Assessments are being made to provide alternative medical solutions to ensure the continuity of humanitarian aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip following the organization’s departure,” says the statement.
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli says that MSF “abruptly changed its position after publicly committing to act according to procedure.”
“We are aware that MSF employs individuals active in terrorist organizations, which is why it hides its employee lists,” he charges. “The organization operates in coordination with the Hamas Ministry of Health, and not by coincidence, its statements were published in proximity to similar statements from elements within the Strip.”
KLM resuming Israel flights tomorrow with ‘adjusted schedule’
Ilustrative: KLM airplanes sit in Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Jan. 18, 2018. (AP/Peter Dejong)
Airline KLM is resuming flights to Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, it says, after previously announcing it would avoid flying over large parts of the Middle East due to rising regional tensions.
“Based on the current security situation and operational feasibility, we have decided to resume our flights to Tel Aviv on February 2 and 3 with an adjusted schedule. From February 1 through 6, we will also operate flights to Dubai, also with an adjusted schedule,” KLM says.
KLM, the Dutch arm of airline group Air France, adds that it has already resumed flights to other destinations in the region, such as Riyadh and Dammam.
In direct threat, Khamenei warns of regional war if US attacks Iran
Iranians walk past a billboard showing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with anti-US rhetoric in Tehran on January 27, 2026. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says that if the US attacks Iran, it will become a regional conflict, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reports.
“The Americans should know that if they start a war, this time it will be a regional war,” Khamenei is quoted as saying.
The comments from the 86-year-old Khamenei are the most direct threat he’s made so far.
Tehran has warned that if US President Donald Trump orders strikes on Iran, it will target Israel and American military assets in the Middle East.
Trump said yesterday that Iran is “seriously talking” with Washington.
IDF says it destroyed Hamas tunnel in Khan Younis that contained dozens of weapons
RPGs found inside a Hamas tunnel in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, as seen in a video issued by the military on February 1, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
A Hamas tunnel spanning hundreds of meters in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis was recently demolished by combat engineers, the military says.
According to the IDF, the tunnel featured three rooms for terror operatives to reside in.
Inside, the army says troops found dozens of weapons, including 45 grenades, Kalashnikov rifles, RPGs and launchers, explosive devices, and other military equipment.
The tunnel was located on the Israeli side of the Gaza ceasefire line during mop-up operations of the 188th Armored Brigade. It was then razed by the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit.
A Hamas tunnel in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis is demolished, in a video published by the military on February 1, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
Rafah Crossing to open for ‘limited passage’ of Gazans in accordance with ceasefire, says COGAT
Ambulances wait on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip in northeastern Egypt on February 1, 2026 (AFP)
The Rafah Crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt will soon open for the “limited passage” of Gazan Palestinians in both directions, in accordance with the ceasefire deal, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) tells The Times of Israel.
Today’s opening of the crossing is “an initial pilot phase,” COGAT says, which is being “conducted in coordination with the European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM), Egypt, and all relevant stakeholders.”
“As part of the pilot for the initial operation of the crossing, all involved parties are carrying out a series of preliminary preparations aimed at increasing readiness for full operation of the crossing,” COGAT says.
“The actual passage of residents in both directions will begin upon completion of these preparations,” it adds.
Netflix Red Hot Chili Peppers documentary to examine influence of founding Israeli-American guitarist Hillel Slovak
James Slovak accepts an award on behalf of his brother Hillel Slovak of Red Hot Chili Peppers during the 27th Annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Public Hall on April 14, 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images/AFP)
Netflix is set to release a documentary examining the early years of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the influence of founding Israeli-American guitarist Hillel Slovak, Variety reports.
“The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers” will premiere on March 20.
Haifa-born Slovak died of an overdose in 1988. His brother James is among the executive producers, Variety reports.
Wearing Revolutionary Guard uniforms, Iranian lawmakers chant ‘Death to America! Death to Israel!’
In this handout picture provided by Ithe Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency (ICANA), members of Iran's parliament dressed in IRGC uniforms, chant 'Death to America, Death to Israel' during a session in Tehran on February 1, 2026 (ICANA NEWS AGENCY / AFP)
Dressed in the uniform of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian lawmakers are led by parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in a chant of “Death to America! Death to Israel!”
The chant comes as Iran declares the armies of European nations “terror groups” following the EU decision to designate the IRGC as such.
חברי הפרלמנט באיראן, כולל היו"ר קאליבף, עלו על מדי משמרות המהפכה כדי לעשות שופוני בישיבת מועצת השורא בטהראן, נוסף לקריאות קצובות "מוות לאמריקה! מוות לישראל" pic.twitter.com/dIEkdTw4El
— roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) February 1, 2026
Set up after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution to protect the Shiite clerical ruling system, the IRGC has great sway in the country, controlling swaths of the economy and armed forces. The IRGC is also in charge of Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs.
Iran declares European militaries as ‘terrorist groups’ after EU listing of IRGC
Iran has declared European countries’ armies “terrorist groups,” the parliament speaker says, following the EU’s decision to apply the same designation to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Dressed in a Guards uniform in a show of solidarity, speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says that under “Article 7 of the Law on Countermeasures Against the Declaration of the IRGC as a Terrorist Organization, the armies of European countries are considered terrorist groups.”
It remains unclear what immediate impact the decision would have.
Rafah crossing set to open today for pedestrian traffic in both directions
Illustrative: Palestinians stranded in Egypt cross the Rafah Border Crossing to the Gaza Strip at Rafah, Egypt, as a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect, November 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
The Rafah Crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt is slated to open for pedestrian traffic in both directions today, in accordance with the ceasefire deal.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that 50 Gazans and their families will be permitted to enter via the crossing per day, while there will be no restrictions on the number allowed to leave.
As of this morning, there has yet to be any reported movement at the crossing.
According to data from the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), some 42,000 Gazans left the Strip during the war, the vast majority of them patients seeking medical treatment abroad or dual citizens.
All Gazan Palestinians seeking to enter or leave the Strip will be required to have Egyptian approval, and Egypt was to send the names to Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security service for clearance.
Israeli officials said each name would be looked at individually, and if any top terror commanders seek to leave Gaza, they would be denied.
A team of Palestinian Authority representatives and monitors from the European Union stationed at the crossing will be tasked with conducting security screenings at the crossing for those leaving the Strip.
Israel will only supervise the exit of Gazans to Egypt remotely. From a control room, Israeli officers, using facial recognition software, will verify that those leaving the Strip are on the list of approved names, and open up a gate at the crossing to allow them through.
The entry into Gaza from Egypt will, however, include an Israeli security screening, as those Palestinians will arrive at an IDF checkpoint after passing through the Rafah Crossing. Only afterward will they be permitted to continue toward the Hamas-controlled areas of Gaza.
Ex-hostage Or Levy hits back at government pointman Hirsch: ‘We are to blame? Shame on you’
Freed hostage Or Levy visits Tel Aviv's Hostages Square, less than a week after he was released from Hamas captivity, February 14, 2025. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
Former hostage Or Levy hits back after Gal Hirsch, the government hostage point man, said in a series of interviews that pressure from the Biden administration and mass demonstrations aided Hamas.
“Dear Gal Hirsch, I’ll start by addressing you, I’m not sure if you really know who I am because apart from the question of ‘Do you want to say something to Trump?’ you haven’t exchanged a word with me,” writes Levy, who was released last year after 491 days in captivity in Gaza. His wife, Eynav, was killed at the Nova festival on October 7, 2023.
“So yes, I wanted to say to Trump, thank you! For bringing me back. Not you, not the prime minister, not anyone. Nobody should take credit for what they didn’t do. When the documentation of us [in Gaza] (including what wasn’t published) came to you, you preferred to remain silent. Now it’s us who are to blame. Us! The ones you didn’t look after, the ones you abandoned!” he writes on Facebook.
“When I came back I heard the name Gal Hirsch a few times. Once he called my mother and asked her ‘would Or like to talk to the prime minister?’ So I said no. Because I don’t need favors from anyone. And now I see how the election campaign is the only thing that matters. Changing the narrative of what’s been going on here for more than two years,” he writes.
“Of course you will say Hamas wanted 10 years to negotiate, of course you will say you are not guilty. Of course you’ll try to paint a picture that you’ve got all of them back (yes, because bodies are counted in the same number) but it doesn’t matter,” Levy writes.
“So let me tell you something. The only reason we have a country is our people. These are the people the salt of the earth who go to reserve duty even when they know they are in constant danger of their lives, and the worst thing? Even when they receive instructions that don’t make sense because this war reeks of politics,” he says.
“Gal Hirsch, shame on you! Who are you to speak about us or our families? Who are you to say something to my 70-year-old parents, who had to tell a two year old baby that his mother was murdered and father “was lost”? Who are you to tell grieving parents that they could have their children alive but because of the negotiations, they lost their lives,” Levy says.
Trump: Iran ‘seriously talking’ with us, hopefully they’ll agree to give up nuclear weapons
US President Donald Trump says Iran is “seriously talking” with Washington, and he hopes Tehran accepts a deal for them to give up their nuclear weapons.
Asked by reporters aboard Air Force One what his latest thinking is on Iran, Trump initially declines to respond before reiterating that he has dispatched significant military assets to the region.
“I hope they negotiate something that’s acceptable,” he says.
Asked about the Saudi defense minister reportedly saying Trump failing to strike would embolden Iran, the US president says, “Some people think that. Some people don’t.”
“You could make a negotiated deal that would be satisfactory with no nuclear weapons… They should do that, but I don’t know that they will. They are talking to us — seriously talking,” Trump adds.
Right-wing agitator blocks car of former PM Ehud Barak for the second time in days
Far-right provocateur Mordechai David and a number of other activists were spotted blocking the car of former prime minister Ehud Barak this evening, days after doing the same to former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak — no relation to the former prime minister — in Tel Aviv.
A video shared by the Kan public broadcaster shows David walking alongside the former premier as he heads to his car. Barak appears unbothered by the activist’s taunts.
“What’s up, you complete nobody?” David asks, bringing his phone, which is recording the interaction, up to Barak’s face. “You complete nobody!” he says again.
Barak doesn’t respond, but grins and pats him on the cheek.
“You won’t have your civil uprising,” David tells the former prime minister, referring to Barak’s comments last May when he urged “civil revolt” to bring down the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”
“They’re blocking your car, they’re blocking your car, Ehud Barak, you nobody!” David jeers as they enter the parking lot, where his fellow activists are stationed.
“A civil uprising, as if,” David repeats, as the video ends.
יומיים אחרי שתקף את נשיא בית המשפט העליון לשעבר, פעיל הימין מרדכי דוד חסם את רכבו של ראש הממשלה לשעבר אהוד ברק: "יא אפס מאופס, לא תקבל מרד אזרחי"
(אורלי אלקלעי) pic.twitter.com/Dg8VceWjxJ
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) January 31, 2026
David and his associates are reportedly the subjects of an ongoing police investigation after they blocked Aharon Barak’s car on Thursday night.
According to Hebrew media, David is to be interrogated alongside several other men on suspicion of disturbing public order after they stood in front of the 89-year-old retired judge’s car while David lambasted him as a “dictator” and “criminal.”
Police are expected to summon David for questioning, the Walla outlet reported.
Resurfaced photo shows Gaza hospital director, who had 2 op-eds published by NYT, wearing Hamas uniform
L-R: Kamal Adwan Hospital director Hussam Abu Safiya, in an undated screenshot taken from a Democracy Now video posted to YouTube on January 14, 2025 (Democracy Now screenshot/Youtube); A resurfaced photo from 2016 shows Abu Safiya wearing a Hamas uniform alongside other senior officers in the terror group. (Medical services – Gaza Strip)
A resurfaced photo from 2016 shows Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, wearing a Hamas uniform alongside other senior officers in the terror group.
Safiya holds the rank of colonel in Hamas’s Military Medical Services, according to the MMS and Palestinian media reports. The MMS is separate from Hamas’s military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, though its members directly participated in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terror onslaught of southern Israel.
Israel detained Abu Safiya along with nearly 240 others during a raid on the medical facility in December 2024, alleging that Hamas was using the military hospital as a command center.
Abu Safiya remains held in Israeli custody, and his lawyers have claimed he was subjected to “severe physical abuse,” including beating and electric shocks.
NGO Monitor Senior Researcher @vincent_chebat found a photo of Abu Safyia wearing a Hamas uniform while “at a gathering of Hamas elites…including Gen. Abu Obaida Al-Jarrah, Director of Military Medical Services Saeed Saoudi and National Security Forces commander Col. Naeem… pic.twitter.com/Xn9GDzcDlA
— NGO Monitor (@NGOmonitor) January 31, 2026
The hospital director had two opinion pieces published in The New York Times condemning Israel’s campaign in Gaza. The newspaper did not note the affiliation.
The NGO Monitor group shares the photo, which was uploaded to the MMS Facebook page a decade ago. It shows a gathering of top Hamas officers in the terror group’s National Security Forces and MMS celebrating the completion of the hospital, according to a report in The New York Post, which cites the advocacy group.
The IDF has previously said Abu Safiya was a high-ranking Hamas operative, but did not accuse him of participating in any specific acts of terror.
Another director of Kamal Adwan, Ahmed Kahlot, who was captured by the IDF earlier in the war, revealed in an interrogation that the MMS-affiliated hospital was turned into a military facility under Hamas’s control and that at one point it housed a kidnapped soldier.
According to Kahlot, who himself has been a lieutenant colonel in Hamas since 2010, some 16 members of the hospital’s staff – including doctors, nurses and paramedics – are also Hamas operatives who serve in the al-Qassam Brigades.
Top US envoy for Venezuela arrives in Caracas
Handout picture released by the US Embassy / Venezuela Affairs Unit showing the new head of the United States diplomatic mission for Venezuela Laura Dogu (C) walking upon arrival to Maiquetia International Airport after arriving from Bogota, in Maiquetia, La Guaira state, Venezuela on January 31, 2025. (Handout / US Embassy / Venezuela Affairs Unit / AFP)
Laura Dogu, the top US envoy for Venezuela, arrives in Caracas as the two countries gradually resume bilateral relations, broken in 2019 by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
In a post on Telegram, Venezuelan foreign affairs minister Yván Gil says that her visit is meant to “establish a roadmap on matters of bilateral interest” and “resolve existing differences through diplomatic dialogue and through a base of mutual understanding and international law.”
Dogu, who previously served as ambassador to Honduras and Nicaragua, writes on X that she has arrived in Venezuela and that “my team and I are ready to work.”
The US captured Maduro on January 3 and brought him to New York for arraignment in court on narcoterrorism charges. Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela’s interim president, has since said she seeks to move towards “balanced and respectful international relations” with the United States.
The two countries have reached a deal to export up to $2 billion worth of Venezuelan crude to the United States, and on Friday Rodriguez announced a proposed “amnesty law” for hundreds of prisoners in the country and said the Helicoide detention center in Caracas would be turned into a center for sports and social services.
read more: