Feb. 2: Netanyahu slams Gaza’s Palestinian technocratic committee for use of PA logo

Bill and Hillary Clinton to testify in US House Epstein probe

Bill and Hillary Clinton will testify in a US House investigation surrounding deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a spokesman for the ex-president says, heading off a potential vote to hold the couple in contempt.

They had originally refused to appear before lawmakers examining how authorities handled earlier investigations into the disgraced financier, who had connections and correspondence with the world’s business and political elite.

“The former President and former Secretary of State will be there. They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone,” Angel Urena says on X.

The House Rules Committee had advanced resolutions accusing the Clintons of defying subpoenas to appear in person to explain their links to Epstein, who died in custody in 2019.

The Epstein affair continues to cast a long shadow over Washington, entangling some of the most prominent names in US politics and highlighting the sharp partisan battles that have shaped the scandal.

Groom suffers cardiac arrest at wedding, is resuscitated by guest

Paramedics at the scene of a wedding in central Israel after the groom suffered cardiac arrest, February 2, 2026 (United Hatzalah)

A wedding in central Israel nearly ended in tragedy this evening when the groom suffered cardiac arrest during the event, collapsing before shocked guests.

Luckily, one of those guests was a paramedic, who promptly began performing resuscitation on the 34-year-old man, as an ambulance was called to the venue in the Gezer Regional Council, east of Rehovot.

“Suddenly I saw a commotion and heard cries for help,” Ben Sinai recounts. “I saw that the groom had collapsed and gone into cardiac arrest. I immediately called for help and began resuscitation efforts with the assistance of additional medics, including the use of the event hall’s defibrillator. After prolonged resuscitation efforts, his heart fortunately began beating again. He was evacuated to the hospital.”

The groom was rushed to Rehovot’s Kaplan Medical Center, where he is reported to be in serious but stable condition.

Netanyahu slams Gaza Palestinian technocratic committee’s use of PA logo

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a press conference in Jerusalem on January 27, 2026. (Screenshot/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office slams the Gaza Palestinian technocratic committee’s decision to update its logo to match the emblem of the Palestinian Authority.

“The logo of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) presented to Israel was completely different from the one published this evening,” Netanyahu’s office says in a statement.

“Israel will not accept the use of the Palestinian Authority’s symbol, and the PA will not be a partner in the administration of Gaza,” the statement adds.

The NCAG updated its logo earlier today, apparently getting rid of the original one published as part of its unveiling last month.

The only difference between the new NCAG logo and that of the PA is that the label at the bottom of it reads “NCAG,” rather than the word “Palestine.”

The logo change appeared to be a modest attempt by the technocratic committee to attach itself to the PA, despite Israeli efforts to separate the two bodies completely.

Israel has vehemently opposed any role for the PA in Gaza, though Netanyahu did concede last week that PA representatives will be part of the operational mechanism at the Rafah Border Crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

Netanyahu also did not say anything when NCAG chief commissioner’s first video statement featured a Palestinian flag.

Most of the NCAG’s members also have ties to the PA, even if they are not current officials in the administrative body based in Ramallah that oversees day-to-day governance in parts of the West Bank.

PA accuses Israel of ‘slow execution’ of Palestinian prisoner who died a week after release

The Palestinian Authority’s agency for prisoners accuses Israel of the “slow execution” of a 67-year-old man who reportedly died earlier today, a week after his release from Israeli detention.

According to the PA agency, Khaled al-Saifi, from the Dheisheh refugee camp near Bethlehem in the West Bank, was released from the Ayalon Prison in Ramleh “in very critical condition,” following two inoculations he received toward the end of his four-month administrative detention, a controversial practice whereby Palestinian security detainees can be held for months without charge.

The Israel Prison Service does not immediately respond to a request for comment.

#عاجل | استشهاد الأسير المحرر خالد الصيفي، من مخيم الدهيشة في بيت لحم، بعد أسبوع من الإفراج عنه من سجون الاحتلال بحالة صحية صعبة. pic.twitter.com/BQvY9X1Jp9

— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) February 2, 2026

The agency says al-Saifi was originally held at the Ofer Prison, and was transferred to Ayalon when his medical condition deteriorated, following two inoculations he received from prison authorities.

The first, which was “claimed to be a flu shot,” caused a severe infection, and the second shot only made his condition worse, at which point, prison authorities set him free, the agency claims.

It does not say what the second inoculation was, when the inoculations took place, or how far apart they were.

In a separate statement, the agency indicates al-Saifi had a pre-existing medical condition. It says he was twice administratively detained during the war in Gaza “despite his old age and need for medical attention.”

Trump reiterates that large US fleet is headed toward Iran

US President Donald Trump reiterates again that a large fleet of US military vessels is sailing toward Iran.

“We have talks going on with Iran. We’ll see how it all works out,” Trump tells reporters in the Oval Office.

“I’d like to see a deal negotiated. I don’t know that that’s going to happen,” he says.

Relative of Raphael Lemkin, who coined word ‘genocide,’ says ‘anti-Israel’ Lemkin Institute ignoring him

Raphael Lemkin. (United States Holocaust Museum)

A cousin of Raphael Lemkin, the Polish Jewish lawyer who coined the term “genocide” to describe the Nazis’ mass murder of Jews, says a US institute named after Lemkin has ignored a request from family members to change its name due to its hostility to Israel.

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security, in Pennsylvania, accused Israel of genocide 10 days after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught in Israel, before the Israel Defense Forces had started ground operations in Gaza.

Joseph Lemkin, whose father was Raphael Lemkin’s first cousin, formally requested that the institute change its name in September, saying the institute was not authorized to use Lemkin’s name and accusing it of promoting an “anti-Israel agenda.” The European Jewish Association joined Joseph Lemkin in the effort.

A spokesperson for the family says Joseph Lemkin is representing his mother, brothers, and cousins.

“The Lemkin Institute, through its very name, as well as its marketing and other materials, represents itself as an embodiment of Mr. Lemkin’s ideology. In reality, the Lemkin Institute’s policies, positions, activities, and publications are anathema to Mr. Lemkin’s belief system,” the letter said.

The letter was sent to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish, and to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations, and asked for an investigation into whether the Lemkin Institute was “improperly using Mr. Lemkin’s name and likeness under law.” It requested a halt to the institute’s use of his name.

In a follow-up letter bearing today’s date and obtained by The Times of Israel, lawyers representing Joseph Lemkin and the European Jewish Association say their request has been ignored.

Family of Raphael Lemkin, the Jewish lawyer who coined the term 'genocide,' says its request to have the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention change its name is being ignored. The institute accused Israel of genocide shortly after Oct. 7 pic.twitter.com/AKtLDNmGDq

— Luke Tress (@luketress) February 2, 2026

“We have not received a response to our letter and write now as a follow up,” the letter says.

“Please advise whether an investigation into whether the Lemkin Institute is improperly using Mr. Lemkin’s name and likeness under law has begun, and the results of your investigation, including what remedial actions have been taken,” says the letter, also sent to Shapiro and the state’s Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations.

The Lemkin Institute tells The Times of Israel that Joseph Lemkin “communicated through a law firm and we responded that we were open to discussing the name, but we never heard from him or that law firm again.”

“There was no effort on the part of Joseph Lemkin or the European Jewish Association to inform us about the letter,” the institute says regarding today’s letter. “They seem interested in a political campaign against us rather than a resolution.”

“We do have supporters in the Lemkin family, such as Peter Lemkin in Prague,” the institute adds. “There is no singular family position.”

At least 3 Palestinians said hospitalized following reported West Bank settler attack

At least three people were hospitalized this evening after settlers attacked Palestinian homes in Kharaba, close to the village of Samu in the southern West Bank, according to Palestinian media and Israeli activists.

WAFA, the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency, says settlers from a nearby outpost carried out the attack with Israeli troops present. According to the outlet, one man suffered bruises to his body and another man and woman fainted after being pepper-sprayed. The three were reportedly taken to a hospital in nearby Yatta.

Israeli activists in the nearby enclave of Masafer Yatta say about 10 settlers stoned and pepper-sprayed residents of Kharaba, and that a total of four residents had to be hospitalized.

This evening in Kharaba: about ten settlers descended from the nearby outpost and attacked the residents with pepper spray and stones. Four residents were evacuated to the hospital. pic.twitter.com/Vr4Jrgngpk

— מחוץ לעדר/ kivsa shchora (@masafering) February 2, 2026

The activists share footage of medics fixing a ventilation mask on an elderly woman and attending to men who are lying on their backs on the road.

No arrests are reported. The IDF does not immediately respond to a request for comment, including regarding WAFA’s report that troops were in Kharaba during the attack.

Hours earlier, the IDF detained three Palestinian men in Samu who allegedly assaulted Jewish shepherds in the area yesterday.

Qatar calls for free entry of aid to Gaza with Rafah reopening

Qatar urges the free entry of aid into Gaza and welcomes the partial reopening of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the territory as a “step in the right direction.”

“Qatar affirms that the opening of the Rafah land border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip to the movement of Palestinians is a step in the right direction towards addressing the tragic situation of civilians,” the Gulf state’s foreign ministry says.

Qatar also “stressed the necessity for all parties to fully implement the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and to open the crossings to ensure the sustainable and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to the Strip.”

France issues warrants for two Franco-Israelis for ‘complicity in genocide’

French police stand guard in Yerres, outside Paris, France, on March 25, 2025. (GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP)

French authorities have issued warrants for two Franco-Israeli nationals for “complicity in genocide,” over allegations that they tried to stop humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, a legal source says.

According to a lawyer for the NGOs that made a legal complaint last year, it is the first time that a country has considered the blocking of aid as possible “complicity in genocide.”

The warrants were issued in July last year for Nili Kupfer-Naouri of the Israel is Forever group and Rachel Touitou of the Tsav 9 group, whose activists attempted to block aid convoys to Gaza, the source close to the investigation told AFP following a French media report.

The warrants call for the two to appear before an investigating magistrate, but not for their detention.

The pair are accused of seeking to block aid trucks entering Gaza between January and November 2024 and in May 2025 at the Nitzana and Kerem Shalom Border Crossings.

Olivier Pardo, a lawyer for Kupfer-Naouri, says the “pacifist” actions sought to condemn the “hijacking” of humanitarian aid by the Hamas terror group, which launched the October 7, 2023, onslaught that set off the Gaza war.

“If peacefully demonstrating with an Israeli flag against a terrorist organization seizing humanitarian aid, diverting it, and reselling it at exorbitant prices to Gazans is a crime — then there is no need to look down on the mullahs, France is Iran!” says Touitou, 34, on social media.

In an interview with The News website, Kupfer-Naouri, 50, calls the French investigation “antisemitic madness.”

Pardo says Kupfer-Naouri was in Israel, but was ready to speak to French investigators there.

The two activists are also suspected of “public provocation for genocide” by calling for aid to be prevented from reaching Gaza, the source says.

Another source close to the investigation says warrants could be issued for about 10 other people.

The complaints were made last year by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights and the groups Al-Haq and Al-Mezan. Israel has designated Al-Haq a terror group. Clemence Bectarte, a lawyer for the groups, said it was the first investigation of its kind in genocide law.

Other legal complaints have also been made in France for “war crimes” over the deaths of Franco-Palestinian children in Gaza in an Israeli strike and against two Franco-Israeli soldiers who took part in operations in the territory.

Another complaint is over the October 7 Hamas-led attack.

Israel adamantly rejects the accusation that it has committed genocide in Gaza, saying it takes measures to avoid hurting noncombatants while Hamas fights from civilian areas.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. 

EU’s top diplomat: Advocates for pan-European army ‘haven’t really thought this through’

Kaja Kallas, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and vice president of the European Commission talks to journalists before the EU-Southern Neighbourhood Ministerial Meeting in Brussels on July 14, 2025. (NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP)

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas rejects calls for a Europe-wide army, warning that it could be “extremely dangerous,” as the bloc considers ways to provide its own security after the United States warned that its priorities lie elsewhere.

Talk of a European army has resurfaced amid tensions within the NATO alliance over US President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland, the semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark.

“Those who say that we need a European army, maybe those people haven’t really thought this through practically,” Kallas says. “If you are already part of NATO then you can’t create a separate army.”

Kallas tells a security conference in Norway that the most important military asset during a crisis “is the chain of command — who gives orders to whom.”

She adds: “And if you have, like the European army and then you have the NATO (one), then, you know, the ball just falls between the chairs. And this is extremely, extremely dangerous.”

Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre says: “NATO is there with the decision-making process among allies, which is in itself complex, but it is trained to work.” He rejects calls for a European army, saying that “it is not a road we should travel.” Norway is not a member of the EU.

Mayor of southern town suspected of corruption said released to house arrest

Illustrative: New Israeli shekel bills, September 24, 2023. (Hadar Youavian/ Flash90)

Police reportedly release the mayor of a southern city to five days of house arrest after detaining him, as well as other municipal officials and businessmen for questioning on suspicions of corruption this morning.

The politician and his associates are suspected of pocketing tens of millions of shekels’ worth of wartime donations meant for residents’ welfare.

The mayor is released subject to limitations, including a week-long ban on him setting foot in his municipality’s offices or contacting others involved in the case, Hebrew outlets report.

The other suspects — including four businessmen, two municipal department heads, the mayor’s chauffeur and two of his aides — were also released on restrictive conditions, according to Haaretz.

Detectives in the police’s Lahav 433 major crimes unit conducted a months-long covert investigation into the alleged corruption and went public with the case this morning, after raiding suspects’ workplaces and homes. The name of the city is not made public.

PA’s Mahmoud Abbas calls first-ever direct PLO parliament elections

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas waves as he arrives for the opening the Fatah youth conference in Ramallah on November 27, 2025. (Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)

Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas says elections will be held on November 1 for the Palestinian National Council, the parliament of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the PA’s official news agency Wafa reports.

This is the first time members of the council will be elected by direct popular vote. In the past, they were appointed or co-opted from within the movement.

Abbas, who is president both of the Palestinian Authority and of the PLO, issues a decree saying that: “Elections will be held wherever possible, both inside and outside Palestine, to ensure the broadest possible participation of the Palestinian people wherever they reside.”

The PNC is one of several largely dormant political bodies controlled by Abbas.

The PLO is supposed to be the over-arching umbrella body representing Palestinians worldwide, whereas the PA is supposed to be a transitional administrative body providing services for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

Abbas has announced elections for the different political bodies he controls, but those have not always been held for a variety of reasons.

Even if a PNC election is held in November, the body is very rarely convened by Abbas. The last session it held was in 2018. The last PNC election, which was not open to all voters, was in 2006. The terror groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which are not members of the PLO, are not represented in the council.

While dubbed the parliament of the PLO, the PNC’s main role is to elect the more powerful PLO Executive Committee. The actual parliamentary body for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza is called the Palestinian Legislative Council, which has not convened since 2007, when splits between Abbas’s Fatah party and Hamas rendered the body inoperative.

Analysts say the more consequential development in Palestinian politics will take place in May, when Fatah holds its eighth General Conference. During that gathering, a vote will be held to fill the party’s powerful central committee, with many of Abbas’s confidants vying for spots.

Many of those individuals will then be poised to hold positions on the PLO Executive Committee.

Europe needs to lose ‘nostalgia’ for US, Germany’s Merz says

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks to the press during a joint statement with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gandhinagar, India, on January 12, 2026. (AP Photo/ Ajit Solanki)

Europe cannot afford to be sentimental in its relations with an increasingly hostile United States, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says.

Speaking at the headquarters of Deutsche Boerse Group, which operates the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Merz calls on Europe to become more independent of its traditional ally and argued that old certainties no longer held.

“We must become more sovereign and independent, especially in terms of technology,” Merz says. “And yes, this also applies to the United States of America.”

Suggestions by US President Donald Trump that his country could annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of European NATO ally Denmark, have rocked European leaders.

French President Emmanuel Macron called the episode “a strategic wake-up call for all of Europe” and EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen warned the bloc risked becoming dependent on imports of US liquefied natural gas.

Merz says Europe has to adjust to “a new part of the reality we are confronted with.”

“Transatlantic relations have changed,” he said. “No one in this room says this with more regret than I do, but nostalgia and memories of good times gone by do not help.”

Iran fears US strike may reignite protests, imperil rule, sources say

This handout photograph provided by the office of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shows him addressing a meeting with the people in Tehran on January 17, 2026. (KHAMENEI.IR / AFP)

Iran’s leadership is increasingly worried a US strike could break its grip on power by driving an already enraged public back onto the streets, following a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests, six current and former officials tell Reuters.

In high-level meetings, officials tell Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that public anger over last month’s crackdown — the bloodiest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution — has reached a point where fear is no longer a deterrent, four current officials briefed on the discussions say.

The officials say Khamenei was told that many Iranians were prepared to confront security forces again and that external pressure such as a limited US strike could embolden them and inflict irreparable damage to the political establishment.

One of the officials tells Reuters that Iran’s enemies are seeking more protests so as to bring the Islamic Republic to an end, and “unfortunately” there would be more violence if an uprising took place.

“An attack combined with demonstrations by angry people could lead to a collapse (of the ruling system). That is the main concern among the top officials and that is what our enemies want,” says the official, who like the other officials contacted for this story declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The reported remarks are significant because they suggest private misgivings inside the leadership at odds with Tehran’s defiant public stance toward the protesters and the US.

The sources decline to say how Khamenei responded. Iran’s Foreign Ministry does not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on this account of the meetings.

Multiple sources told Reuters last week that US President Donald Trump is weighing options against Iran that include targeted strikes on security forces and leaders to inspire protesters, even as Israeli and Arab officials said air power alone would not topple the clerical rulers.

“People are extremely angry,” a former senior moderate official says, adding that a US attack could lead Iranians to rise up again. “The wall of fear has collapsed. There is no fear left.”

Judge extends detention of relative of Shin Bet chief suspected in Gaza smuggling case

Illustrative: Palestinians rush toward trucks carrying aid as they drive through Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, November 9, 2025. (AP Photo/ Jehad Alshrafi)

A judge has extended the detention of a relative of Shin Bet chief David Zini, who is being held over suspicions that he helped traffic goods into Gaza as part of a far-reaching smuggling ring, Hebrew outlets report.

His detention is extended by one day.

He is one of more than a dozen individuals detained on suspicion of exploiting their roles in the army to smuggle prohibited items from Israel into the enclave. They allegedly trafficked hundreds of thousands of shekels’ worth of goods.

Alongside Zini’s relative, the Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court also extends the detention of two other suspects in the case.

Police are requesting that the court order two more days of custody for an additional 13 suspects, after a postponement on filing charges. Indictments were expected today, but have since been pushed off, according to reports.

The Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court issued a statement last week revealing that one of the suspects in the case is Zini’s relative, but stressed that the Shin Bet chief has no connection to the alleged scandal.

Nevertheless, Zini has been barred from involvement in the case following an emergency meeting on the matter led by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, Haaretz reports.

The Shin Bet has played a major role in the case and is responsible for interrogating all suspects implicated in the alleged smuggling, save for Zini’s relative, who has instead been interrogated by police.

IDF gave Netanyahu document outlining how Hamas is rebuilding in Gaza — report

Hamas police forces deploy in Gaza City on October 11, 2025. (Ali Hassan/ Flash90)

The Israeli military recently delivered a document to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu detailing how the Hamas terror group is gaining strength in the Gaza Strip and rebuilding its capabilities since the ceasefire that took effect in October, Channel 13 news reports.

The network cites the three-page report as saying that “approximately three months after the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, it is evident that Hamas, despite the difficulties, continues to deepen its governance, looking ahead to the next phase of the agreement. An increase can be identified across all indicators of Hamas’s governance.”

The document appears to refer to the second phase of the ceasefire, which is currently underway and which aims to set up longer-term frameworks for governance and security in the Strip. Hamas is meant to disarm in phase two, though the terror group has rejected that demand and there is widespread skepticism in Israel that it will do so.

“Hamas is taking steps on the ground intended to preserve its influence and grip on the Gaza Strip from below. This is being done by integrating its operatives into government ministries and the security mechanisms,” Channel 13 cites the document as saying.

“Looking ahead: In the absence of Hamas’s disarmament, and under the auspices of the technocratic committee, Hamas will, in our assessment, succeed in maintaining influence and control in the Gaza Strip,” the document adds, according to Channel 13.

Last week, The Times of Israel reported that Israel’s defense establishment believes that Hamas will soon relinquish authority over the Gaza Strip to a newly formed committee of Palestinian technocrats. However, at least in the short term, the terror group would remain de facto in control of the territory.

According to an Israeli security official, Israel believes that even if Hamas officially announces that it has handed over control of Gaza to the technocratic government, it would still have tens of thousands of armed members in its military wing and internal security forces across the Strip, as well as civil servants in key roles.

The security official also said it was more likely that the IDF would have to act militarily against Hamas to disarm it, as it believes the terrorist organization will not do so of its own accord.

IDF spokesman defends female combat soldiers after TV segment criticizing female commander

IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin speaks at a press conference following a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after two years of war, October 10, 2025. (Screenshot: Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin says the contribution of female combat soldiers in the military is “not a slogan” but a “proven operational fact,” after the right-wing Channel 14 aired a segment last night questioning the capabilities of the army’s first woman to serve as a light infantry battalion commander.

In the Channel 14 report, Naama Zarbiv, head of the anti-feminist group Shovrot Shivyon, claimed that “all of the company commanders” under Lt. Col. Or Ben Yehuda — who until last year served as the commander of the Border Defense Corps’ Caracal Battalion — said that she did not “pass any operational threshold.”

“They say she dealt with terrorists on the Egyptian border,” Zarbiv said, downplaying an incident in 2014 in which Ben Yehuda — a company commander at the time — was wounded during a gun battle with smugglers, yet continued to command her troops.

She was later awarded a citation from then-head of the Southern Command Maj. Gen. Sami Turgeman.

In a post on X, without explicitly mentioning Channel 14, Defrin says that Ben Yehuda received the citation “for her bravery,” and added that during the October 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught, she “fought in the border communities and led troops under fire, with responsibility, courage, and inspiring leadership.”

“Over the years, and especially since October 7, women fighters have borne the burden of combat shoulder to shoulder. They operate on the front lines, cross enemy lines, lead offensive maneuvers, fight in Gaza, Syria, Judea and Samaria [West Bank], and Lebanon, and also operate far beyond the country’s borders, while risking their lives and saving lives,” he says.

“The contribution of women to combat is not a slogan… It is a proven operational fact. Therefore, it is difficult to understand, and even harder to accept, attempts to undermine their place, their contribution, and their necessity,” Defrin continues.

“The IDF is the people’s army. It is strong because of those who serve in it, women and men. Anyone who chooses to cast doubt on this is ignoring reality,” he adds.

According to data from 2025, some 8,500 female soldiers serve in combat roles, more than double the 2020 figure.

This is not the first time that the IDF has clashed with Channel 14, a conservative network that is overtly pro-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Last year, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir slammed the network’s “false, repeated, and baseless attacks” against then-military advocate general, Maj. Gen. Yifat-Tomer Yerushalmi.

And in 2024, the military accused Channel 14 of “inflammatory and defamatory content that harms the IDF,” after it broadcast a clip making fun of then-IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.

Israel to push for US to demand that Iran give up nuclear program, missiles, proxies – report

US envoy Steve Witkoff (left) and US President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner (right) flank Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a cabinet meeting on October 9, 2025. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)

Israel will call for three “no”s at a meeting tomorrow with US special envoy Steve Witkoff ahead of his meeting later this week with Iran’s top diplomat, Channel 12 reports.

Those demands are that, under any deal with the US, Iran agree to have no nuclear program, no ballistic missile program, and to give no support to armed proxy groups, including terror groups threatening Israel.

Mossad chief David Barnea will join Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir at the meeting with Witkoff, according to the report.

Israel believes it is possible to bring down the Iranian regime with military strikes, says Channel 12.

Several Middle Eastern countries reportedly to participate in Friday’s US-Iran talks

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (R) and Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar attend an Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in Jeddah on March 7, 2025. (Amer HILABI / AFP)

US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and top adviser Jared Kushner will join special envoy Steve Witkoff in Istanbul for talks with Iran, Channel 12 reports.

The talks will be the first direct negotiations between the US and Iran since the June 2025 strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities by Israel and the US during the 12-day Israel-Iran war.

The foreign ministers of Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt are expected to take part, as are representatives from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Oman, and perhaps the UAE, according to the report.

The US wants Tehran to hand over its stockpile of 60 percent enriched uranium in the first phase, but is aiming for a package deal that will include “meaningful compromises” by Iran.

Ukraine to list Iran’s IRGC as terror group, following EU lead, says Sa’ar

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha in Kyiv, Ukraine, July 23, 2025. (Shlomi Amsalem/GPO)

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha tells his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa’ar, that Kyiv will list Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist organization, says Sa’ar’s office.

The two spoke by phone last week about Iran.

Last week, the European Union decided to designate the IRGC as a terror group.

The decision is not yet finalized, Ukraine’s embassy tells The Times of Israel, but Kyiv is highly likely to follow Europe’s lead.

Gaza technocratic committee changes logo to same one used by Palestinian Authority

The new logo (top right) of the Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with running day-to-day affairs in Gaza. (National Committee for the Administration of Gaza/X)

The Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with managing the daily affairs of postwar Gaza in place of Hamas has replaced its logo with the one used by the Palestinian Authority.

The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) came out with its own unique logo, featuring a bird in the colors of the Palestinian flag, when it was established last month.

But earlier today, the NCAG updated its social media accounts with a new logo that appears to be identical to the one of the Palestinian Authority, which features a golden eagle looking to its right with a Palestinian flag on its chest.

The only difference between the new NCAG logo and that of the PA is that the shield below the eagle has the NCAG acronym, rather than the word Palestine.

The logo change appears to be a modest attempt by the technocratic committee to attach itself to the PA, despite Israeli efforts to separate the two bodies completely.

The Palestinian Authority governs day-to-day affairs in parts of the West Bank.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vehemently opposed the PA having a role in governing postwar Gaza, but he did concede last week that PA representatives will be part of the operational mechanism at the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

Lapid after security update with Netanyahu: ‘Israel is united against Iran’

L-R: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a 40 signatures debate, at the plenum hall of the Knesset, December 8, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90); Opposition Leader and head of the Yesh Atid party MK Yair Lapid leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on December 1, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid meet for a security update that was postponed from last week.

“The entire State of Israel is united against Iran,” writes Lapid on social media after the meeting, which took place amid sparring between the premier and opposition leader in the Knesset plenum and the social network X.

“There are no disagreements among us regarding the importance of dealing with this threat,” he continues. “It is important that Tehran knows that Israel stands united against the terrorism of the regime.”

IDF chief amid Iran tensions: Military is in ‘period of improving readiness for war’

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks at a military conference at an army base, February 2, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

Amid the ongoing tensions with Iran, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says the military is in a “period of improving readiness for war.”

“We must continue to draw lessons from the events of October 7, strengthen the defensive posture, and be prepared for a sequence of offensive actions across all theaters of war,” Zamir says during a conference with senior officers, according to remarks provided by the IDF, referring to the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack.

“The IDF is preparing for a number of possibilities, and we must remain alert and constantly ready for decisive [victory] in a multi-front war,” he adds.

Iranian prisoners feared injected with unknown substances, opposition-linked site says

Banners in the colors of the Iranian regime flag adorn a traffic circle, as a man walks past, in the Iranian capital Tehran on January 31, 2026, ahead of the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. (Atta KENARE / AFP)

Iranian detainees are being injected with unknown substances, leading to a “growing pattern of deaths among current and former prisoners,” an opposition-linked site reports, citing eyewitness testimony and human rights activists.

According to the report in Iran International, those detained following the recent mass anti-regime protests are not being allowed medical care and are receiving unknown shots, in some cases reportedly leading to serious medical damage.

“One massacre happened on the street,” Shiva Mahbobi, spokesperson for the UK-based Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran, tells Iran International. “Another may be happening quietly in prisons and detention centers.”

The report comes after thousands were killed in the anti-regime protests, which began in December as demonstrations over a deteriorating economic situation. The Iranian government has said more than 3,000 people were killed.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said it has confirmed 6,842 deaths, mostly protesters killed by security forces, though rights groups warn that the figure is likely far higher.

The Iran International report cites one case, described by an unnamed source, in which a 16-year-old girl was detained and entered a coma after receiving an injection. In another case described by Mahbobi, a young woman died the day after being released from detention.

“We don’t know what they are injecting,” Mahbobi tells the site. “What we know is that people are being injected in custody, and some of them are dying.”

AFP contributed to this report.

FIFA president opposes boycott of Israel, calls for end to four-year ban on Russia

FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during the 32nd European Football Clubs General Assembly in Rome, Italy, October 9, 2025. (Fabrizio Corradetti/ LaPresse via AP)

FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks out against a proposed ban on Israel from world soccer competition, and also says his organization, which governs the sport’s international play, should end its boycott of Russia as well. It instituted that ban after the Russian invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago.

In an interview with Sky News, Infantino calls the idea of boycotting Israel a “defeat.” Palestinian Football Association officials and others have called on FIFA to ban Israel due to its conduct during the war in Gaza, but FIFA repeatedly postponed voting on suspending Israel.

In October, shortly before the current ceasefire in Gaza took effect, Infantino said his organization “cannot solve geopolitical problems, but it can and must promote football around the world by harnessing its unifying, educational, cultural, and humanitarian values.”

Speaking to Sky, Infantino says FIFA should “enshrine in our statutes that we should actually never ban any country from playing football because of the acts of their political leaders.”

Regarding the Russia ban, he says it should “definitely” end.

“Because this ban has not achieved anything. It has just created more frustration and hatred,” he says.

Starmer urges Peter Mandelson to quit House of Lords over Jeffrey Epstein ties

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, right, talks with then-Britain's ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson during a welcome reception at the ambassador's residence, February 26, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Carl Court/Pool Photo via AP)

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer urges former British ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson to resign from the House of Lords, the British Parliament’s unelected upper chamber of politicians, donors and assorted notables, in the wake of new revelations regarding his relationship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Mandelson was appointed for life to the House of Lords in 2008. Resigning would also mean relinquishing the noble title, Lord Mandelson, that he received at the time.

If he refuses, ejecting him would be a lengthy process requiring Parliament to pass legislation — a process last undertaken more than a century ago to remove the titles of aristocrats who sided with Germany in World War I.

“The prime minister believes that Peter Mandelson should not be a member of the House of Lords or use the title,” says Starmer spokesman Tom Wells. “However, the prime minister does not have the power to remove it.”

Mandelson — like the former Prince Andrew — is facing calls to testify about Epstein in the US. He has also resigned from Starmer’s Labour Party.

Cabinet minister Steve Reed says that both men have a “moral obligation” to help Epstein’s victims.

“If anybody has information or evidence that they can share that might help to understand what’s gone on and bring justice for those victims, then they should share it, whether that is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, whether it’s Lord Mandelson, or whether it’s anybody else,” he tells Sky News.

Gaza technocratic committee members slated to re-enter Strip via Rafah next week — officials

Ali Shaath, the top official of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, signs the committee's mission statement in a photo posted to his X account on January 17, 2026. (Ali Shaath/X)

The Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with managing the daily affairs of postwar Gaza in place of Hamas is slated to enter the Strip next week, a US official and an Arab diplomat tell The Times of Israel.

The 12-member National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) has been holding meetings in Cairo after being unveiled last month.

All of the members are originally from Gaza, though some have been residing outside of the Strip in recent years.

The NCAG’s members will re-enter the Strip through the Rafah Crossing, which opened for the first pedestrian crossings in a year earlier today, the US official and Arab diplomat say.

A third source familiar with the matter says the NCAG will be based west of the Yellow Line ceasefire demarcation — the side not still occupied by the IDF.

First Palestinian patients said arriving in Egypt via Rafah crossing

Ambulances wait in line at the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with the Palestinian Gaza Strip, in northeastern Egypt, on February 2, 2026. (AFP)

The first medical evacuees from Gaza have reportedly entered Egypt as the Rafah crossing reopens.

Monday’s opening is a key step in the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, but is mostly symbolic as few Palestinians will be allowed to cross in either direction daily, for the time being. No goods will pass through.

Some Palestinian patients and war-wounded have crossed, however.

“They have begun arriving in Egyptian ambulances, accompanied by several escorts,” an Egyptian official at the border tells AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief the media.

“Three ambulances have arrived so far carrying a number of the sick and injured, who were immediately screened upon arrival to determine to which hospital they will be transferred.”

The crossing had been largely closed since Israel captured it in May 2024.

The number of travelers is expected to increase over time if the system is successful. Israel has said it and Egypt will vet people for exit and entry.

UK sanctions Iran interior minister, others, over protester crackdown

Britain's Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper speaks to the media at 1 Carlton Gardens in London on January 19, 2026. (Jack Taylor / POOL / AFP)

The UK sanctions 10 individuals, including Iran’s interior minister and police chiefs, for their roles in “recent brutality against protesters,” the British Foreign Ministry says.

Those sanctioned include the Law Enforcement Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FARAJA), Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, two Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) officers, an Iranian businessman linked to the IRGC and two judges.

“The Iranian people have shown extreme courage in the face of brutality and repression over recent weeks simply for exercising their right to peaceful protest,” says UK Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper.

“The reports and shocking scenes of violence that have been seen around the world are horrific,” Cooper says, adding that this package of sanctions seeks to hold Iran’s authorities “to account” for the crackdown.

The measures involve asset freezes and travel bans, the government says.

Iran’s authorities have claimed that the protests, which were sparked by economic strain and exploded in size and intensity over several days in early January, turning into anti-regime demonstrations, were “riots” inflamed by its arch foes, the United States and Israel.

Tehran has acknowledged thousands of deaths during the protests, and on Sunday the presidency published the names of 2,986 people out of the 3,117 whom authorities said were killed in the unrest.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said it has confirmed 6,842 deaths, mostly protesters killed by security forces, though rights groups warn that the figure is likely far higher.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. 

US’s Witkoff and Iranian foreign minister expected to meet Friday in Istanbul — report

Left: US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in Paris, France, April 17, 2025. (Ludovic Marin, Pool Photo via AP); Right: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool Photo via AP)

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will likely meet on Friday in Istanbul to discuss Iran’s nuclear program, two sources tell Axios.

However, a third source tells the outlet that a Friday meeting is “a best-case scenario.”

Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt have been working to arrange the meeting, according to the report.

Witkoff will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen Eyal Zamir earlier in the week to discuss Iran.

He will then head to Abu Dhabi to mediate Russia-Ukraine peace talks, before heading for Turkey, according to the report.

Manufacturers warn strong shekel could lead to ‘deep recession,’ urge ’emergency measures’

Illustrative — photo of the new 100 Israeli Shekel bill. December 31, 2017. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)

Israeli manufacturers are calling on the government to act, as they warn that the sharp appreciation of the shekel is harming exports, is leading to losses for industry and the tech sector and could cause a recession.

“The appreciation of the shekel is seriously damaging industry and high-tech,” says Manufacturers’ Association of Israel (MAI) President Avraham (Novo) Novogrotzky. “Without emergency measures, this could lead to a wave of layoffs, significantly harm the industry in the periphery, and cause the economy to deteriorate into a deep recession.”

Novogrotzky and Alon Ben Zur, chairman of the Israeli High-Tech Association, have asked Knesset Finance Committee Chairman Hanoch Milwidsky to convene an urgent committee meeting, while calling on the government to formulate a national emergency plan.

The Israeli shekel has been trading around a four-year high against the dollar, and is close to a 30-year high, amid continued gains in the local stock market, a flow of investments into tech and defense companies, and a weakening dollar globally.

With exports making up as much as 40 percent of economic activity, exporters selling primarily to the US and Europe have been vocal about their diminishing competitiveness, especially as it has coincided with a 15% tariff on Israeli goods entering the US and a spike in the costs of payroll, fuel, electricity, and other living expenses.

“This situation is eroding the economic viability of multinational and foreign companies to have development centers in Israel,” says Novogrotzky. “Without a response, we expect a spike in brain drain and development centers moving abroad, which will seriously damage Israel’s brand as a Startup Nation, and incur huge losses in future tax revenues.”

‘Aren’t you ashamed?’ Lapid slams PM for snub of High Court chief at Knesset event

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid speaks at a plenum session for the Knesset's 77th birthday on February 2, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid accuses the government of deliberately refusing to invite Supreme Court President Isaac Amit to the Knesset’s 77th birthday and building’s 60th anniversary celebrations in order to stoke division, knowing that opposition parties would not take part as a result.

“What have you done? Is this what you wanted? Half a country? Half a people? Half a Knesset? Was that your goal? Will you not stop until you’ve completely destroyed us?” he says, addressing members of the government directly during the anniversary event.

“Do you want us to no longer live here together? For everyone to found their own nation, their own state, their own parliament, their own values?” the opposition leader asks.

“Is this what you’ve decided? To dismantle the State of Israel? Aren’t you ashamed? Mr. Prime Minister, aren’t you ashamed?” he says at one point, addressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly.

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana did not invite Amit to the event, leading opposition parties to boycott the session in protest. Lapid is the only opposition member in attendance.

Lapid asserts that the government purposefully refused to invite Amit in order that opposition MKs shun the event.

“That was your goal: to make sure we wouldn’t come, so that even during the Knesset’s celebration, you could know that you had driven us out. Know that you’ve dismantled this country. Know that there is division and discord,” he continues.

Knesset speaker attacks judiciary after refusing to invite High Court chief to anniversary event

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana speaks during a plenum session at the parliament in Jerusalem, February 17, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana opens a special Knesset plenum session marking the body’s 77th birthday and the building’s 60th anniversary by accusing the High Court of eroding the power of the elected government.

The attack comes after Ohana refused to invite Supreme Court President Isaac Amit to the event, leading some opposition MKs to boycott it.

Ohana acknowledges that while historically Supreme Court justices have been invited to such ceremonies, “other customs have also been violated.”

“I regret that once again, there are those who see the non-invitation to a ceremonial event as a substantive blow to Israel’s democratic system,” he continues. “I regret even more that those same people accept with equanimity the transformation of the judicial branch into a super-authority that can adjudicate, legislate, and annul legislation and Basic Laws – like an all-powerful king,” he says.

“Respect between branches of government is not one-sided. One cannot demand that the legislative branch respect the judicial branch while the latter continues to erode the former’s powers of all substance,” Ohana continues, while adding that his “hand is extended” to “bridge the gaps.”

That remark is an apparent reference to Amit’s statement last week that he is “always extending a hand” to Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who refuses to recognize his authority.

Ohana notes that the coalition’s boycott of the judiciary will not extend to national memorial days, such as Yom Hazikaron or Yom Hashoah, and that the government “will not drag the dispute into those sacred days.”

Netanyahu: Silencing officials and the public ‘is the end of democracy’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a plenum session for the Knesset's 77th birthday on February 2, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that with enemies surrounding Israel, “democracy protects resilience and stability.” He acknowledges that Israel is not a perfect democracy but says no democracy faces the challenges it does.

He says he would like “the language of argument” in the Knesset to be more measured than it is now. But he says he would prefer a raucous parliament than one in which officials can’t speak.

“To shut elected officials’ mouths, or to shut the mouths of the public through the media, is the end of democracy,” says Netanyahu.

“The public must decide,” he says. “And where does it decide? At the polls.”

Netanyahu says he is trying to reach compromises on the balance of power between the branches of government. For years, his government has embarked on a controversial judicial overhaul whose aim is to weaken the courts, which it says will allow the government to carry out the will of the electorate. Its critics call the measures a danger to Israeli democracy.

“There is the elected government, every branch has its role, and they all need gears that connect with the other branches,” he says.

But, quips Netanyahu, “there are those who think that the most dangerous thing in a democracy is democracy.”

“The biggest danger to democracy is cancelling out democracy,” Netanyahu says, saying checks and balances from bygone eras can be restored.

Netanyahu says anyone who attacks Israel will face ‘unbearable consequences’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a plenum session for the Knesset's 77th birthday on February 2, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Israel “is ready for every scenario,” says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a speech to the Knesset, amid tensions surrounding a possible US attack on Iran following its bloody crackdown on anti-regime protesters.

Iran has threatened to strike Israeli and US targets in response to an attack.

“Whoever attacks us will face unbearable consequences,” the premier says.

US destroyer conducts ‘routine maritime exercise’ with Israeli Navy in Red Sea

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black conducts a routine maritime exercise with the Israeli Navy's Sa'ar 5-class corvette INS Eilat in the Red Sea following a previously scheduled port call, on February 1, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

After departing Israel’s port city of Eilat, American missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black conducted a “routine maritime exercise” with the Israeli Navy’s Sa’ar 5-class corvette INS Eilat in the Red Sea, the US Navy says.

“The combined training demonstrated the strong military partnership between [the] US 5th Fleet and the Israeli Navy,” says the US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) — the naval component in the US Central Command (CENTCOM).

The Israel Defense Forces, in its own statement, says the drill “was held as part of the ongoing cooperation between the Israeli Navy and the US 5th Fleet in the Red Sea arena.”

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black anchored at Eilat Port on Friday for a “scheduled port visit,” before departing yesterday, according to NAVCENT.

“The arrival of the destroyer at this port highlights the close cooperation between the two navies and the respective militaries,” the IDF says.

The destroyer’s arrival in Eilat came amid regional tensions following US President Donald Trump’s threats to attack Iran over its bloody crackdown on anti-regime protesters, and Iran’s threats to strike Israel and US targets in response.

But according to the Israeli military, the destroyer’s arrival was a “pre-planned, routine visit and within the framework of the strategic cooperation” between the IDF and the US military.

US House takes up deal to restore government funding, vote expected tomorrow

The US Capitol is seen lit up hours before a partial government shutdown is set to take effect in Washington, DC, on September 30, 2025. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)

The US House of Representatives takes up legislation that would lift a partial government shutdown that started over the weekend, with a final vote expected tomorrow.

Funding for the Pentagon, the US Department of Transportation and several other agencies expired on Saturday, as a dispute over immigration enforcement complicated efforts to approve spending legislation. So far disruption has been minimal, as workers deemed “essential,” such as troops and air traffic controllers, have remained on the job.

The US government has endured 10 funding gaps of three days or fewer since 1977, most of which had little real-world effect, according to the Congressional Research Service. Unlike the last shutdown, which lasted a record 43 days in October and November of 2025, this shutdown is expected to be brief.

A deal that would restore funding and allow lawmakers to continue to negotiate immigration enforcement tactics passed the US Senate by a wide bipartisan margin on Friday, and Republican leaders in the House are laying the groundwork for a quick vote in their chamber.

Passage is not guaranteed. Republicans control the chamber by a narrow 218-213 margin, and Democrats will pick up another seat when their newest member, Christian Menefee of Texas, is sworn in.

Some House Democrats have objected to the funding deal, worked out between US President Donald Trump and their counterparts in the Senate, saying it should provide more time to negotiate new limits on the federal immigration agents carrying out Trump’s crackdown, in which US agents have killed two US citizens.

Some Republicans on the party’s right flank also may raise objections.

Israeli democracy eroding, says PM, after refusing to comment on snub of High Court chief

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (center) attends a Knesset plenum session marking the body's 77th birthday and the 60th anniversary of its building, on February 2, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Democracy is eroding in Israel, claims Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a special Knesset session honoring the 60th anniversary of the Knesset building and 77th birthday of the legislative body.

The session has sparked controversy because Speaker Amir Ohana did not invite Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit, leading to a boycott by opposition MKs with the exception of opposition leader Yair Lapid. President Isaac Herzog was also not present. Netanyahu’s remarks come shortly after he refused to answer journalists’ questions about why Amit wasn’t invited.

“I hope that in the coming year, we will overcome all the obstacles,” Netanyahu says. “We will gain insights. It is possible to gain the insights with goodwill, if it exists,” he says, seeming to hint at his call for a politically-appointed commission to investigate the October 7, 2023 attacks. The premier has proposed an investigative committee made up of coalition and opposition figures, as opposed to a state commission of inquiry, Israel’s highest investigatory body, which Netanyahu rejects.

Such goodwill “certainly exists from my side and, I say, from our side,” says Netanyahu to a largely empty plenum.

“We want to get to those insights that have led Israel for decades.”

Throughout Israel’s history, he says, there were sharp disagreements, “but we knew we were operating in a framework of democracy.”

“That is being eroded, part of the nation regrets it, screams about it,” says Netanyahu, returning to rhetoric that he regularly used around his government’s contentious 2023 judicial overhaul push, which critics slammed as being anti-democratic.

“We have to find the way to bring back the balance between the three branches,” says Netanyahu. Democracy, he argues, rests on protecting individual rights, and ensuring that “there isn’t one branch that tramples the others.”

IDF says four ‘terrorists’ killed after approaching troops in northern Gaza

The IDF says it killed four Palestinian terror operatives who approached troops near the Gaza ceasefire line in the Strip’s north earlier today.

According to the military, the four were “operating near the Yellow Line,” which separates the areas of Gaza controlled by Israel and Hamas, and were approaching reservists of the Alexandroni Brigade “in a manner that posed an immediate threat.”

“Immediately after identification, the troops eliminated the terrorists in order to remove the threat,” the army says.

Jordan says it won’t be ‘launching pad for any military action against Iran’

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi speaks during a conference on the two-state solution at UN Headquarters on July 28, 2025. (AP/Adam Gray)

Jordan’s top diplomat assures his Iranian counterpart that the kingdom will not allow its territory or airspace to be used to launch attacks on the Islamic Republic.

“Jordan will not be a battleground in any regional conflict or a launching pad for any military action against Iran,” Ayman Safadi tells Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a phone call, according to a Jordanian foreign ministry statement.

Safadi adds that Amman, a US ally, “will not permit any party to violate its airspace or threaten its security and the safety of its citizens,” amid US threats of a possible attack on Iran.

Syrian security forces enter Kurdish stronghold under integration deal

Residents cheer as Syrian government internal security forces enter the northeastern Syrian city of Hasakeh on February 2, 2026. (Bakr ALkasem / AFP)

Syrian government security personnel enter Hasakeh city, a stronghold of Kurdish forces, under an integration deal agreed with the Kurds last week, according to an AFP team.

The two sides reached a comprehensive agreement on Friday to gradually integrate the Kurds’ military and civilian institutions into the state, after Kurdish forces ceded territory to advancing government troops in recent weeks after months of tensions and sporadic clashes.

The government’s push to extend its authority across the entire country comes as a blow to the Kurds, who had sought to preserve their de facto autonomy in parts of the north and northeast that they seized while battling the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group during Syria’s civil war.

AFP correspondents report seeing a convoy of government vehicles cross a Kurdish forces checkpoint on its way into Hakaseh in the northeast, as armed Kurdish personnel stand at the roadside.

Some residents gather along the road to welcome the government forces, waving Syrian flags as women ululate.

Marwan al-Ali, the government’s recently appointed head of internal security in Hasakeh province, urges state forces to carry out their tasks “according to the established plans and fully comply with laws and regulations.”

AFP correspondents report seeing Kurdish security forces deploy inside Hasakeh as government forces enter, though streets were empty and shops closed due to a curfew in force until 6:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. Israel time).

Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), had previously said the deal would be implemented on the ground beginning today, with both sides to pull forces back from frontline positions in parts of the northeast, and from the town of Kobane in the north.

He said a “limited internal security force” would enter parts of Hasakeh and Qamishli, but that “no military forces will enter any Kurdish city or town.”

A curfew is set to be put in place for the city of Qamishli tomorrow.

Friday’s deal “seeks to unify Syrian territory,” including Kurdish areas, while also maintaining an ongoing ceasefire and introducing the “gradual integration” of Kurdish forces and administrative institutions. It also appeared to include some Kurdish demands, such as establishing brigades of fighters from the SDF.

At least 2, including 3-year-old, said killed by IDF in Gaza today; no comment from military

A photograph shows tents at a makeshift displacement camp in the Mawasi area of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on October 25, 2025. (BASHAR TALEB / AFP)

Palestinian media reports that at least two people, including a small child, were killed by the IDF this morning in Gaza.

The military has not commented on the reports, but has in the past said such strikes are in response to ceasefire violations.

In al-Mawasi, a southern coastal area on the Hamas-controlled side of the Gaza ceasefire line near the city of Khan Younis, 3-year-old Iyad al-Rubaiya was reportedly killed by gunfire from an Israeli Navy boat. His body was brought to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, according to the reports.

Other people were said to have been wounded in the strike, with some outlets reporting that a 40-year-old man was also killed and brought to Nasser Hospital.

In Jabalia, in the Strip’s north, 22-year-old Ramadan Dardouna was reportedly killed, and at least one other person wounded, by IDF gunfire on the Israeli-controlled side of the ceasefire line. Dardouna’s body was reportedly brought to Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital.

In a noon report, the Strip’s Hamas-run health ministry says Gaza hospitals have received four people wounded and the bodies of three people killed by IDF gunfire over the past 24 hours, as well as the bodies of two people killed before that period.

The report does not identify the dead, say where or in what circumstances the people were killed or wounded or specify the severity of the injuries.

Some opposition parties to boycott Knesset celebration over snub of Supreme Court chief

MK Benny Gantz attends a plenum session at the Knesset on June 11, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Several opposition parties will boycott the Knesset plenum event marking the 60th anniversary of the Knesset building, in protest of Speaker Amir Ohana’s decision not to invite Supreme Court President Isaac Amit to the day’s festivities.

Ohana’s decision is the government’s latest snub of Israel’s top judge amid its push to weaken the judicial system. The chief justice also did not receive invitations to attend speeches by US President Donald Trump and several other world leaders.

“I suggest that the Knesset speaker and all coalition members focus on the war against Iran – not a war against the Supreme Court,” Blue and White leader Benny Gantz says to reporters at the Knesset before a faction meeting, referring to ongoing tensions with Tehran, after his party said in a statement that it will not attend the session.

“We are marking the Knesset building’s sixtieth year, and instead of turning this into a Zionist, unifying moment, [Ohana] insists on turning the Knesset from the house of the people into the house of half the people,” he continues.

“I call on the Knesset speaker and the prime minister: stop this madness. Don’t reward the extremists,” he adds.

Labor MKs Naama Lazimi and Gilad Kariv also condemn the refusal to invite Amit, and say that their party, now known as the Democrats, will boycott the Knesset plenum session as well.

“Forgive me if I am not impressed by the flowers, exhibits, activity corners, and  [David] Ben Gurion dolls,” Kariv says during a Knesset committee meeting.

He chides Ohana for inserting an “internal dispute between branches of government into the Knesset building.”

Addressing Ohana directly in a post on X, Kariv adds that he has directly “damaged the status of this house and is an embarrassment to us all.”

UAE denies report that it’s planning to take over civil administration of Gaza

Palestinians walk along a road among destroyed buildings in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on January 10, 2026. (Bashar Taleb / AFP)

The United Arab Emirates “categorically denies a false and unfounded” Israeli media report claiming that Abu Dhabi will be taking over the civilian administration of Gaza.

“The UAE has repeatedly reaffirmed that Gaza’s governance and administration are the responsibility of the Palestinian people,” reads a statement attributed to UAE Minister for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy, who is the Emirati representative on the Board of Peace’s Gaza Executive Board.

Hashimy “underscores that the UAE remains committed to scaling up its humanitarian efforts to support Palestinians in Gaza and advancing a durable peace between Israelis and Palestinians, including through its role as a Board of Peace founding member and its membership on the Gaza Executive Board,” she adds.

Citing only unnamed Israeli sources, Channel 12 reported on Sunday that the UAE was in advanced negotiations with the US to take over the civilian administration of Gaza, which would include an investment of several billion dollars.

The development would be a break from Abu Dhabi’s stance for much of the war that it is only prepared to play a significant role in the postwar management of Gaza if Hamas is disarmed, the Palestinian Authority is granted a foothold under a new, empowered prime minister and the effort is part of a broader move toward a two-state solution.

The US has nonetheless been pushing the UAE to engage and invest significantly in the Board of Peace, tapping an Emirati ally, Nickolay Mladenov, to serve as the board’s top Gaza envoy. A former UN envoy, Mladenov’s most recent post has been the head of the UAE’s diplomatic academy in Abu Dhabi.

IDF says south Lebanon strikes targeted Hezbollah weapon depots, including ‘in the heart of civilian population’

Several Hezbollah weapon depots in southern Lebanon were struck by the Israeli Air Force a short while ago, the IDF says.

The strikes in the towns of Kfar Tebnit and Ain Qana came following evacuation warnings issued by the military.

The IDF says one of the weapon depots was “located in the heart of a civilian population,” which it says is “another example of the cynical use by the Hezbollah terror organization of Lebanese civilians as human shields.”

The military adds that Hezbollah’s activity at the targeted sites “constitutes a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and a threat to the State of Israel.”

Israeli airstrikes target Hezbollah weapon depots in southern Lebanon, February 2, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

EU says it rejects Iran’s categorization of bloc’s armies as ‘terrorist groups’

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)

The European Union says it rejects Iran’s decision to consider as “terrorist groups” the armies of EU countries after the EU listed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the bloc’s list of terrorist organizations.

“We reject the announcement of the listing of EU armies and the accusation of terrorism,” says European Commission spokesperson Anouar El Anouni.

Iran’s move came after the EU last Thursday marked a symbolic shift in its approach to Iran’s leadership by designating the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization, following the Islamic Republic’s bloodiest crackdown on protests since its establishment in 1979.

Israeli strikes reported in south Lebanon after IDF warnings

Following IDF evacuation warnings, Lebanese media reports Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military said it would target Hezbollah sites in the towns of Kfar Tebnit and Ain Qana.

غارة إسرائيلية استهدفت بلدة #كفرتبنيت pic.twitter.com/f58kLpxEgs

— هنا لبنان (@thisislebnews) February 2, 2026

Israel and Lebanon agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire in November 2024, ending more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that had culminated in Israeli strikes and a ground offensive that severely weakened the terror group. Since then, the sides have traded accusations over violations, with Israel insisting that Hezbollah has worked to rearm itself and launching regular airstrikes in response.

The conflict began on October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah started firing rockets and drones at northern Israel, one day after its fellow Iran-backed terror group Hamas launched a shock assault on southern Israel, sparking the war in Gaza.

IDF says Lebanon strikes killed senior Hezbollah air defense operative, another member of terror group

Lebanese army soldiers secure the site of a drone attack that Israel said targeted a Hezbollah operative on the road of the southern Lebanese village of Ansariyeh on February 2, 2026 (Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)

The IDF says an airstrike it conducted in southern Lebanon yesterday killed a senior Hezbollah air defense operative, and a separate strike this morning killed another member of the terror group.

The strike yesterday in the town of Harouf killed Ali al-Hadi Mustafa al-Haqqani, who the military identifies as a “senior operative” in Hezbollah’s air defense unit.

“In recent months, al-Haqqani had been involved in attempts to rehabilitate military infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah’s air defense array,” the military says.

Meanwhile, a strike this morning in Ansariyeh killed a Hezbollah operative who the IDF says was also involved in efforts to restore the terror group’s infrastructure.

“The terrorists’ activities constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the military says.

צה"ל חיסל מחבל מרכזי במערך ההגנה האווירית של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה

צה"ל תקף אתמול במרחב חרוף שבדרום לבנון, וחיסל את המחבל עלי אלהאדי אלחקאני, בכיר במערך ההגנה האווירית של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה.

אלחקאני עסק בתקופה האחרונה בניסיונות שיקום של תשתיות צבאיות השייכות למערך ההגנה… pic.twitter.com/NOQ5PRgQED

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) February 2, 2026

Financial incentives, innovation grants announced for educators in Gaza border communities

The Tekuma Directorate, set up to oversee the rehabilitation of the Gaza border area after the deadly Hamas invasion on October 7, 2023, announces a NIS 24 million ($7.74 million) budget over three years to encourage pedagogical innovation and local leadership among teaching staff.

Teachers, principals and preschool teachers will be able to apply for a monthly NIS 1,000 ($322) grant for the duration of the school year for leading an innovative pedagogical or social project authorized by the Education Ministry and the local authority.

Financial incentives will also be offered to educators willing to move to the region and commit to working there for one to three years.

A statement says that these payments are “special incentives” and are not considered part of the educator’s base salary for the purpose of calculating pensions or other social benefits.

Iran’s Pezeshkian orders nuclear talks with US – reports

In this handout picture provided by Iranian presidency, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian addresses cabinet members, as they visit of the tomb of the late Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in Tehran on January 31, 2026 (Handout/Iranian Presidency/AFP)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the start of nuclear talks with the United States, local media says, after US leader Donald Trump said he was hopeful for a deal to avert military action against the Islamic Republic.

Following the Iranian authorities’ deadly response to anti-government protests that peaked last month, Trump has threatened military action and ordered the dispatch of an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East.

While piling pressure on Iran, Trump has maintained he is hopeful of making a deal, and Tehran has also insisted it wants diplomacy while vowing an unbridled response to any aggression.

“President Pezeshkian has ordered the opening of talks with the United States,” the news agency Fars reports, citing an unnamed government source.

“Iran and the United States will hold talks on the nuclear file,” Fars says, without specifying a date.

The report was also carried by the government newspaper Iran and the reformist daily Shargh.

UK welcomes reopening of Gaza’s Rafah Crossing, but says much more must be done

Britain's Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper speaks with the media as she arrives for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, December 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Britain’s foreign minister says that she welcomes the reopening of Gaza’s main border crossing in Rafah, which will allow a limited number Palestinian pedestrians to cross in both directions, but emphasizes that much more still needs to be done.

“I welcome Rafah reopening for people to cross both ways on foot, allowing some in desperate need to access medical care in Egypt,” Yvette Cooper says on X. “But much more still needs to be done.

“Aid must flow in, restrictions on essential supplies must ease, and aid workers must be allowed to operate.”

UNIFIL claims IDF dropped ‘unknown chemical substance’ over Blue Line, delaying their activities

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon says the Israeli military dropped an “unknown chemical substance” over areas near the Blue Line yesterday, delaying the observers’ activities for nine hours.

UNIFIL says it was told by the IDF that it would be “carrying out an aerial activity dropping what they said was a non-toxic chemical substance over areas near the Blue Line.”

“The IDF said that peacekeepers should stay away and remain under cover, forcing them to cancel over a dozen activities,” the observer force says.

“Peacekeepers could not perform normal operations near the Blue Line along about a third of its length and were only able to resume normal activities after over nine hours,” UNFIL says, adding that its observers also supported the Lebanese army in “collecting samples to be tested for toxicity.”

“This activity was unacceptable and contrary to resolution 1701. The IDF’s deliberate and planned actions not only limited peacekeepers’ ability to undertake their mandated activities, but also potentially put their health and that of civilians at risk. It also raised concerns about the effects of this unknown chemical on local agricultural lands, and how this might impact the return of civilians to their homes and livelihoods in the long-term,” UNIFIL says.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF on the incident.

In recent months, UNIFIL has made an increasing number of complaints against the IDF.

IDF issues evacuation warnings ahead of planned strikes on Hezbollah in south Lebanon

The IDF issues a warning to residents of two southern Lebanon towns ahead of airstrikes against Hezbollah infrastructure.

“The IDF will attack military infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah terror organization to address its prohibited attempts to rebuild its activities in the area,” warns Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman.

With the announcement, the IDF publishes maps showing the locations of sites that are to be targeted, in the towns of Kfar Tebnit and Ain Qana.

“You are located near buildings used by Hezbollah, and for your own safety you must evacuate them immediately and move at least 300 meters away,” Adraee says.

#عاجل ‼️ إنذار عاجل إلى سكان جنوب لبنان وتحديدًا في القريتيْن التاليتيْن:
⭕️كفر تبنيت
⭕️عين قانا
????سيهاجم جيش الدفاع على المدى الزمني القريب بنى تحتية عسكرية تابعة لحزب الله الإرهابي للتعامل مع محاولاته المحظورة لإعادة إعمار أنشطته في المنطقة
????نحث سكان المبنييْن المحدديْن… pic.twitter.com/RbIpwS5UNj

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) February 2, 2026

Kremlin repeats offer to process or store Iran’s enriched uranium

Centrifuges line a hall at the Uranium Enrichment Facility in Natanz, Iran, in a still image from a video aired by the Islamic Republic Iran Broadcasting company on April 17, 2021, six days after the hall had been damaged in a mysterious attack. (IRIB via AP)

The Kremlin says that Russia is still trying to de-escalate tensions around Iran, and that it had long ago offered its services to process or store Iran’s enriched uranium.

Asked if Russia was discussing with Iran and the United States the possibility of taking Iranian enriched uranium, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says: “This topic has been on the agenda for a long time.”

“Russia has been offering its services for quite a long time as a possible option that would lead to the removal of certain irritants for a number of countries,” Peskov says.

“Right now, Russia is continuing its efforts, continuing its contacts with all interested parties, and maintains its readiness to de-escalate tensions around Iran to the best of its ability,” he says.

Amid reports of planned direct US-Iran talks, Witkoff to arrive in Israel tomorrow to meet PM and Zamir

US special envoy Steve Witkoff listens during a cabinet meeting at the White House, January 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US President Donald Trump’s senior envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Israel for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, two senior Israeli officials say.

The officials say Witkoff’s visit is expected to begin tomorrow.

Zamir was in Washington, DC, over the weekend for a series of discussions with American defense officials regarding Iran.

Meanwhile, the semi-official Iranian Tasnim news agency says that direct talks between Washington and Tehran could take place in the coming days, citing “an informed source.”

The talks would likely be led by Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, says the source, but the time and place have not been set.

The meetings come as Trump continues to threaten military action against Iran against the backdrop of the regime’s killing of protesters, and as Tehran makes efforts to rebuild its nuclear and missile programs following the June 2025 war with Israel.

Trump has confirmed the two sides are talking, while keeping the threat of an attack in the foreground.

KKL-JNF says over half a million seedlings to be planted for Tu B’Shvat

A father and son plant a tree at the Ben Shemen Forest in central Israel to mark Tu B'Shvat, February 2, 2026. (Jorge Novominsky, KKL-JNF Jewish National Fund)

The KKL-JNF Jewish National Fund says it will use over half a million seedlings from its various nurseries for Tu B’Shvat planting activities, expected to be among the busiest of the last ten years.

Thousands of people took part in tree-planting activities over the weekend to mark Israel’s Arbor Day, which falls today, the fund reports, with further activities planned for this week.

“The peak of plantings and the tremendous public response we are seeing this year go far beyond the tradition of Tu B’Shvat,” says KKL Chairman Eyal Ostrinsky.

“They are an expression of overcoming the difficult times that have befallen us and the choice in life that planting trees symbolizes. After two years of war, hundreds of thousands of Israelis who go out into the field and plant hundreds of thousands of seedlings prove that our connection to this land is inseparable,” Ostrinsky says. “This is the most overwhelming Zionist and national response. Amidst the challenges, we choose to deepen our roots, grow anew, and believe in the future of the State of Israel.”

Deborah Lipstadt wins Bar-Ilan University’s Jonathan Sacks Prize for fighting antisemitism

Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt speaks during an event on Capitol Hill in Washington, February 14, 2024, to raise awareness of the sexual and gender-based violence Hamas perpetrated against women and children in Israel on and since October 7. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Historian Deborah Lipstadt has been named by Bar-Ilan University as the 2026 recipient of the Jonathan Sacks Institute Prize for Outstanding Achievement as a Public Intellectual, the university says.

Lipstadt, a longtime professor at Emory University and one of the world’s leading authorities on Holocaust history, is honored for her decades-long work in combating antisemitism and “defending historical truth,” Bar-Ilan says.

For more than 30 years, Lipstadt has been at the forefront of the fight against antisemitism, reaching broad audiences through her books. She also served as US special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism and is widely known for her successful legal defense against Holocaust denier David Irving.

“Lipstadt exemplifies the rare combination of intellectual rigor, moral courage, and public engagement that Rabbi [Jonathan] Sacks so deeply admired,” said Jonathan Rynhold, academic director of the Jonathan Sacks Institute. “Her work has shaped global discourse on antisemitism, truth, and democratic resilience at a moment when these issues are more urgent than ever.”

The prize, which carries a NIS 100,000 ($32,250) award, will be presented at a ceremony at Bar-Ilan University in May.

Report: Emirates preparing to resume Israel flights in coming months after 2 year pause

An Emirates Airlines plane lands at Dubai International Airport in Dubai on October 17, 2023. (Karim Sahib/AFP)

Emirates is readying to renew flights on its Tel Aviv route in the coming months, after the carrier halted flights to Israel in October 2023, Bloomberg reports.

However, people familiar with the matter say the move could be put on hold if necessary due to the geopolitical situation.

The outlet says Israel has promised the United Arab Emirates that the airline’s slots at Ben Gurion Airport have been preserved.

The airline tells Bloomberg there are no firm plans to restart the route.

Iran arrests four foreigners for ‘participation in riots’

Iranian authorities have arrested four foreigners of undisclosed nationalities for “participation in riots,” state television reports following a deadly crackdown on protests last month.

“These individuals were apprehended during a raid on their hideout” in Tehran province, national television says, without specifying the date of the arrests.

“During a search of one suspect’s bag, four homemade stun grenades, used during the riots and unrest in the area, were discovered,” it adds.

IDF, police stop Tu B’Shvat coexistence olive-tree planting in beleaguered Palestinian hamlet

Residents of Umm al-Khair and coexistence activists remonstrate with an IDF officer after the army thwarted a tree-planting event in the Palestinian hamlet of Umm al-Khair in the West Bank, February 2, 2026 (Jeremy Sharon/Times of Israel)

The IDF and police stop a tree-planting event in the Palestinian hamlet of Umm al-Khair in the West Bank after coexistence activists arrive to plant the olive trees, and issue a closed military zone order, which enables the security forces to remove the activists from the site.

A masked IDF officer who declares the imposition of the order refuses to say why it was issued, and the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit has yet to respond.

Residents of Umm al-Khair allege that settlers living in illegally constructed homes established just meters from the hamlet called the army in order to stop the planting activity. Settlement municipal authorities have confirmed in the past that outpost residents call the security services to stop joint Jewish-Arab activities.

The tree-planting activity was organized by the Rabbis for Human Rights organization to plant 300 olive trees on agricultural land of Umm al-Khair today, the Jewish holiday of Tu B’Shvat, which celebrates the new year for trees and is often marked by tree-planting ceremonies.

“The thing that most frightens this government is what we do here together on the land, Jews and Arabs,” says Eid Hathaleen, an artist living in Umm al-Khair who has in the past exhibited with renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.

“Do you see how many forces came to separate us, to separate people who thirst for peace. They don’t want our cooperation and relations to continue normally. That’s what the government is doing. It’s more dangerous for them than anything.”

Demolition orders were issued against Umm al-Khair in October last year for being built without permits, although residents say the hamlet has existed since 1948. The orders were supposed to be implemented in November last year but have not yet been carried out. Hathaleen attributes this to a direct appeal by over 100 US congressmen to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the demolitions.

Iran says framework for negotiations with US to be finalized in coming days

A woman walks past a mural depicting a US drone painted on the outer walls of the former US embassy in Tehran, on February 1, 2026 (ATTA KENARE / AFP)

Iran says it expects a framework for negotiations with the United States will be ready in the coming days, as US President Donald Trump threatens military action against Tehran.

“Countries of the region are acting as mediators in the exchange of messages,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei says, without giving details on the content of any prospective negotiations.

“Several points have been addressed and we are examining and finalizing the details of each stage in the diplomatic process, which we hope to conclude in the coming days. This concerns the method and framework,” the spokesman says.

Iran summons EU ambassadors to protest designation of Revolutionary Guard as terror group

Banners in the colors of the Iranian regime flag adorn a traffic circle, as a man walks past, in the Iranian capital Tehran on January 31, 2026, ahead of the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. (Atta KENARE / AFP)

Iran says it summoned all of the European Union ambassadors in the Islamic Republic to protest the bloc’s listing of the Revolutionary Guard as a terror group.

The EU listed the Guard as a terror group last week over its part in the bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month that killed thousands and saw tens of thousands detained.

Iranian lawmakers retaliated yesterday by slapping the same designation on European armies.

The move comes as the US built up its naval presence in the Middle East and President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened Tehran with military intervention if it does not agree to a nuclear deal or stop killing protesters.

Man shot and killed in I’billin, the 28th violent death in Arab community this year; no arrests

A man was shot and killed this morning in I’billin, an Arab town in northern Israel, emergency services say.

Paramedics arrived on the scene to find the victim, a man in his 50s, unconscious and without a pulse, and pronounced his death.

The man was shot in a cowshed in the village, Ynet reports. A car was set on fire near the scene, and police are reportedly investigating whether the torched vehicle belongs to the perpetrators.

Police say they have secured the area and are searching for suspects. No suspects have yet been arrested.

The man is killed as violent crime continues to spiral out of control in Arab locales across Israel, with 27 people shot dead in January. He is the 28th Arab citizen to be killed in violent circumstances this year.

Last year was Arab society’s deadliest year on record, after 252 people were killed in crime-related incidents. Many Arab leaders accuse law enforcement of neglect.

The proliferation of deadly crime has sparked protests in Arab cities and towns over the past two weeks, which reached a high point over the weekend with a mass Arab-Jewish protest in Tel Aviv demanding the government rein in the violence.

IDF says airstrike targeted Hezbollah operative in south Lebanon

Lebanese army soldiers secure the site of a drone attack that Israel said targeted a Hezbollah operative on the road of the southern Lebanese village of Ansariyeh on February 2, 2026 (Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)

The IDF says it carried out an airstrike targeting an operative from the Hezbollah terror group in the southern Lebanon town of Ansariyeh a short while ago.

No further details are immediately given by the military.

Knesset marks building’s 60th anniversary

View of the Knesset in Jerusalem, on August 13, 2020 (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

The Knesset is marking the 60th anniversary of its building’s inauguration in August 1966 and is hosting an “open house” to celebrate the occasion.

More than 2,000 visitors are expected to come to the Knesset today, including soldiers, police officers, Holocaust survivors, and students from across the country, according to the Knesset Spokesperson’s Office.

Designed by architect Ossip (Yosef) Klarwein, construction of the Knesset’s permanent home in Jerusalem’s Givat Ram neighborhood took about a decade to complete, aided by a six-million-Israeli-pound donation from philanthropist Lord James de Rothschild. The move in August 1966 followed 16 years in which Israel’s parliament operated out of Beit Frumin, a three-story building on King George Street that had housed the Knesset since March 1950.

Then-prime minister Levi Eshkol declared during the inauguration ceremony that the new building was “a symbol of Israel’s rebirth in its land.”

“The Knesset building, representing renewed sovereignty in the national home of the Jewish people, marks sixty years of parliamentary activity,” says Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana in a statement.

“The building is one of the most recognizable and beautiful structures in the State of Israel, and within it, the people of Israel have experienced moments of great uplift as well as difficult hours, as we have seen in recent years,” he continues.

Several events will take place today, including musical performances, exhibits, and an honor guard ceremony in the Knesset plaza, culminating in the raising of the national flag. A plenary session will be held to mark the day, along with a prayer service at the Knesset synagogue.

Additionally, a new archaeological exhibition called “From the Great Assembly to the Knesset building: The wanderings of the Sanhedrin” will present 1,800-year-old artifacts from the Second Temple period, tracing the history of “Jewish leadership institutions.”

The Great Assembly, known in Hebrew as the Knesset Hagdola, was, according to Jewish tradition, a body of around 120 sages and prophets that operated for roughly two centuries, from about 516 to 332 BCE, from which Israel’s modern 120-seat Knesset derives both its name and its number of members.

Supreme Court says government must justify position to close Army Radio

View of the Army Radio headquarters in Jaffa, on January 5, 2026 (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

The Supreme Court issues a conditional order against the government, requiring it to justify its decision to close Army Radio.

The decision shifts the burden of proof to the government and tells both sides to focus on whether the decision-making process and considerations were correctly followed.

The government must submit its position by no later than March 15, the court says.

In December last year, the cabinet unanimously approved Defense Minister Israel Katz’s controversial proposal to shut down Army Radio by March 1, 2026, arguing that the station’s political and current affairs programming “creates a fundamental difficulty for the IDF, stemming from the IDF’s involuntary involvement in political discourse,” and that its content “harms the Israel Defense Forces, its soldiers and its unity.”

Petitions were swiftly filed against the decision, arguing that the decision was made in order “to harm media outlets seen as critical of the government” and to “economically benefit the owners of media outlets close to the government.”

Petitioners also alleged a series of procedural flaws they said also infringed on freedom of expression and freedom of the press in Israel.

Rafah Crossing opens for limited pedestrian passage of Gazans for first time in almost a year

Egyptian paramedics wait next to ambulances on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip in northeastern Egypt on February 1, 2026. (AFP)

The Rafah Crossing with the Gaza Strip has officially resumed operations for the first time in almost a year, an Israeli security official says.

The crossing was closed last March with the collapse of a ceasefire signed in January 2025.

Yesterday, a day of systems checks and tests was conducted at the crossing, where a team of Palestinian Authority representatives and monitors from the European Union is stationed.

The crossing is open only for the passage of Gazan Palestinian pedestrians, not aid trucks.

It is not immediately clear how many Palestinians have so far crossed in and out of the Strip, though numbers are expected to be limited in the first days of the crossing’s opening.

All Gazan Palestinians seeking to enter or leave the Strip will be required to receive Egyptian approval, and Egypt is to send the names to Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security service for clearance.

Israel will 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 a gate at the crossing to allow them through.

The entry into Gaza from Egypt will, however, include an Israeli security screening. 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.

Despite the reopening of the crossing, Israel is still refusing to allow the unsupervised entry of foreign journalists into Gaza.

Palestinians begin to arrive at Rafah ahead of border crossing’s reopening

Palestinians begin arriving at the Egyptian side of the Rafah Border Crossing to enter the Gaza Strip, as the crossing is being opened for the first time in over a year, Palestinian media reports.

Yesterday, a day of systems checks and tests was conducted at the crossing, with Israeli authorities saying it would be open today for the passage of pedestrians.

Once the Palestinians returning to Gaza pass through the Rafah Crossing — where a team of Palestinian Authority representatives and monitors from the European Union are stationed — they will undergo a security screening at an IDF checkpoint.

Israel will only supervise the exit of Gazans to Egypt remotely.

Meanwhile, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says in a statement that Palestinians seeking to leave the Strip for medical treatment abroad will need to do so via the Kerem Shalom Crossing with Israel — a mechanism that has been used throughout the war.

“Regarding the travel of patients through the Rafah crossing, there is no new information at the moment,” the ministry says.

Only Palestinians who left Gaza during the war are being allowed to return to the Strip. According to data from COGAT, some 42,000 Gazans left Gaza during the war, the vast majority of them patients seeking medical treatment abroad or dual citizens.

تغطية مباشرة | هيئة البث الإسرائيلية عن مصادر: ستبدأ اليوم الحركة المنتظمة في معبر #رفح في الاتجاهين pic.twitter.com/EwIUyJB7C2

— الجزيرة مباشر (@ajmubasher) February 2, 2026

IDF demolishes home of terrorist who carried out deadly West Bank attack last year

Shalev Zvuluny, killed in a terror attack at Gush Etzion Junction in the West Bank on July 10, 2025. (Courtesy)

The IDF says troops demolished the home of a Palestinian terrorist who carried out a deadly stabbing and shooting attack in the West Bank in July 2025.

In the attack on July 10, 2025, Mahmoud Abed and Malik Salem fatally stabbed a security guard, Shalev Zvuluny, 22, outside a supermarket at the Gush Etzion Junction. The assailants then snatched the guard’s handgun and exchanged fire with a soldier and an armed civilian before being killed.

The army says it operated in the West Bank town of Halhul overnight and demolished Abed’s home.

IDF troops demolish the home of a Palestinian terrorist in the West Bank town of Halul, February 22, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

Salem’s home in the village of Bazariya was razed in December.

As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly and severe terror attacks.

Israel defends the practice as a deterrent against future assaults. Over the years, a number of Israeli defense officials have questioned the efficacy of the practice, and human rights activists have denounced it as unfair collective punishment.

Southern mayor, officials detained on suspicion of taking millions donated for residents during war

General view of the Israel Police Lahav 433 major crimes unit headquarters in the city of Lod on April 2, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Police have detained a mayor in southern Israel for questioning on suspicion of pocketing wartime donations for himself and his associates.

He is detained alongside local officials and businessmen suspected of involvement in the alleged corruption.

According to police, millions of shekels donated to the municipality for the good of residents amid the two-year war against Hamas in Gaza, and the war last year with Iran, were transferred to a community fund and from there, “found their way into the private pockets of the mayor and his associates.” 

Detectives in police’s Lahav 433 major crimes unit had been conducting a covert investigation into the alleged corruption for months before searching suspects’ homes and offices this morning.

Police say the suspects are undergoing interrogation at the offices of the National Fraud Investigation Unit, a unit within Lahav 433.

Right-wing agitator released after questioning over blocking cars of former Supreme Court president, ex-PM

Right-wing agitator Mordechai David arrives for questioning at a police station in Tel Aviv on February 1, 2026 (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Police confirm that they have released right-wing activist and provocateur Mordechai David on restrictive conditions after they questioned him over the blocking of the cars of a former Supreme Court president and an ex-prime minister.

David is banned from contact with any individuals involved in the case for 30 days.

Police say they received complaints accusing him of violating public order, trespassing and assault.

Tel Aviv police had reportedly summoned David for questioning Saturday night, then cancelled the interrogation the next morning, only to summon him again hours later.

David and a number of other activists blocked the car of former prime minister Ehud Barak in the city on Saturday night, with David calling Barak, a former IDF chief and Israel’s most decorated soldier, “a nothing.”

They pulled a similar stunt with retired judge Aharon Barak days prior, preventing him from exiting a Tel Aviv parking lot after he gave a speech at a conference Thursday evening.

David opened the door to Aharon Barak’s car and filmed himself calling the 89-year-old the “Khamenei of our generation,” referring to Iran’s supreme leader. “Lucky for us, his generation has passed. We are the new generation, the generation of the messianic age,” David said in the recording.

Aharon Barak, a Holocaust survivor, is internationally respected and is seen as Israel’s preeminent jurist. Within Israel, he has long been vilified by right-wing leaders for his judicial activism when he led the country’s top court in 1995-2006, and is blamed by many in that camp for what they view as the current ills of the judicial system.

Music’s biggest stars use the Grammys stage to protest Trump’s immigration crackdown

Bad Bunny accepts the award for best música urbana album for "Debí Tirar Más Fotos" during the 68th annual Grammy Awards on February. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP/Chris Pizzello)

Pushback against US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown from music’s biggest stars is visible from the Grammys red carpet and throughout the telecast.

Activists spent the week pressing celebrities to don pins protesting the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence in cities, working with their teams to spread the message and circulating them at the many events leading up to the ceremony.

Billie Eilish, Finneas and Carole King wear pins while appearing onstage. Even Justin and Hailey Bieber, who don’t normally address American politics, have them. Eilish begins her song of the year speech by professing that “no one is illegal on stolen land.”

British soul pop singer Olivia Dean, recognized as best new artist, shares that she is the granddaughter of an immigrant — people who she says “deserve to be celebrated.”

Expletives fly as US Immigration and Customs Enforcement gets cursed multiple times by winners including Kehlani.

“Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say: ICE out,” Bad Bunny says to great applause while accepting the award for best música urbana album. “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.”

The frequent pushback and buttons’ prevalence mark a much stronger showing of support than organizers saw at last month’s Golden Globes.

Public backlash has grown since a US Border Patrol officer shot and killed 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti and federal agents detained 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos. The recent arrest of journalist Don Lemon, who attended Sunday’s ceremony, only added to the outcry.

‘Melania,’ panned by some film critics, opens with strong ticket sales for a documentary

US first lady Melania Trump walks from the stage after speaking before the premiere of her movie "Melania" at The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, January 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

Promoted by US President Donald Trump as “a must watch,” the Melania Trump documentary “Melania” debuts with a better-than-expected $7 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates yesterday.

The release of “Melania” was unlike any seen before. Amazon MGM Studios paid $40 million for the rights, plus some $35 million to market it, making it the most expensive documentary ever. Directed by Brett Ratner, who had been exiled from Hollywood since 2017 due to sexual misconduct allegations, the film about the US first lady debuted in 1,778 theaters in the midst of Trump’s turbulent second term.

While the result would be a flop for most films with such high costs, “Melania” is a success by documentary standards. It’s the best opening weekend for a documentary, outside of concert films, in 14 years. Going into the weekend, estimates ranged from $3 million to $5 million.

But there was little to compare “Melania” to, given that US presidential families typically eschew in-office memoir or documentary releases to avoid the appearance of capitalizing on the White House. The film chronicles Melania Trump over 20 days last January, leading up to Trump’s second inauguration.

On Thursday, Trump hosted a premiere of the film at the Kennedy Center, with attendees including Cabinet members and members of Congress. There, Ratner downplayed its box-office potential, noting: “You can’t expect a documentary to play in theaters.”

On Sunday, Trump posted on social media that the Kennedy Center was set to close for two years.

Philly Jewish groups condemn support for terror, ‘incitement to violence’ at anti-Israel protest

Jewish groups in Philadelphia say an anti-Israel protest in the city today included support for terror groups, incitement to violence and antisemitic statements.

A group called the Philly Palestine Coalition organized the rally in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square. Advertisements for the protest included the slogan, “Abu Obeida lives,” a reference to the late spokesman for the Hamas terror group, says a joint statement from the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and the local branches of the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee.

The statement says that at the rally, protesters chanted for an “intifada,” demonstrators carried Hamas flags and had effigies of Israeli soldiers in nooses, and a speaker urged the crowd to “keep the Zionist enemy in fear.”

“Martyrdom is a commitment, a principle. It gives life to the movement and carries it forward,” one of the speakers said, according to the Jewish groups. “Our task is to identify tangible, precise ways to attack the genocidal Zionist enemy and actually fucking attack.”

“This was not a metaphor or abstract political speech. It was explicit incitement for violence. Such language and imagery are dangerous, antisemitic and unacceptable,” the statement says. “This type of activity directly endangers the Jewish community and undermines the safety of all Philadelphians, creating a climate of fear in our city.”

Kennedy Center to cease entertainment operations for two years, Trump says

People walk into The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts for the premiere of "Melania," January 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts should not host any events for two years, starting on July 4, US President Donald Trump posts on social media.

“Based on these findings, and totally subject to Board approval, I have determined that the fastest way to bring The Trump Kennedy Center to the highest level of Success, Beauty, and Grandeur, is to cease Entertainment Operations for an approximately two year period of time, with a scheduled Grand Reopening that will rival and surpass anything that has taken place with respect to such a Facility before,” Trump writes on his social media platform Truth Social.

The prestigious arts and entertainment center in Washington, DC, has been marked by turmoil in recent months following Trump’s appointment as chairman, his push to change the organization’s focus, plans for reconstruction, and the board’s addition of his own name to the institution.

The center historically has hosted over 2,000 events per year, according to the website, although many performers have pulled out of planned shows since Trump’s shakeup began.

Among those who cancelled performances in recent months are a touring production of the musical “Hamilton,” composer Philip Glass, and actress Issa Rae.

The Kennedy Center does not immediately respond to a request for comment.

UK ex-envoy Peter Mandelson quits Labour Party over new reports of Epstein links

Then-British ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson speaks as US President Donald Trump makes a trade announcement in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 8, 2025. (Jim WATSON / AFP)

Former British ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson quits the UK Labour Party, seeking to avoid causing it “further embarrassment” after newly released US documents revived scrutiny of his connection to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Mandelson, 72, who was sacked as Britain’s ambassador to the United States last year over his ties to Epstein, allegedly received several payments from Epstein in the early 2000s, according to documents released on Friday by the US Department of Justice and reported in British media Sunday.

“Allegations which I believe to be false that he made financial payments to me 20 years ago, and of which I have no record or recollection, need investigating by me,” Mandelson writes in a letter to Labour general secretary Hollie Ridley.

“While doing this I do not wish to cause further embarrassment to the Labour Party and I am therefore stepping down from membership of the party,” he added, saying he felt “regretful and sorry about this.”

Bank records released by the US Justice Department suggest Epstein transferred a total of $75,000 (55,000 pounds) in three payments to bank accounts linked to Mandelson between 2003 and 2004.

Speaking earlier Sunday on the BBC, Mandelson said he had no memory of the transfers and did not know whether the documents were authentic.

Mandelson also appears in newly released, undated photographs, wearing a T‑shirt and underwear beside a woman whose face has been redacted by US authorities.

He tells the BBC he “cannot place the location or the woman and I cannot think what the circumstances were.”

Making history, Deni Avdija becomes first Israeli selected for NBA All-Star Game

Deni Avdija of the Portland Trail Blazers drives the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 2, 2026. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images/AFP)

Deni Avdija, the star forward for the National Basketball Association’s Portland Trail Blazers, has become the first-ever Israeli selected to play in the NBA All-Star Game.

Avdija is among the seven Western Conference players selected as reserves in the game, which will be held in Los Angeles on February 12. Twelve players were selected from each conference — five starters and seven reserves.

The achievement, along with making Israeli history, is one more accolade for Avdija during a breakout season, in which he’s averaging over 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists per game. This is his sixth season in the league.

On the Western Conference All-Star team, Avdija will be playing alongside stars including Stephen Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Dončić, Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokić, Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

Making his 1st NBA All-Star appearance… Deni Avdija of the @trailblazers.

Drafted as the 9th pick in 2020 out of Israel, Avdija is averaging 25.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 6.7 APG for the Trail Blazers this season. pic.twitter.com/qPqx6MDEQ3

— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 1, 2026

Israel Police block IDF from detaining Haredi draft evaders — report

Ultra-Orthodox men draft into designated Haredi units in the IDF as part of the September draft cycle, September 1, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Israel Police is preventing the IDF Military Police from arresting draft evaders in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods, according to a reported summary of a meeting held by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, on the enforcement of conscription as demanded by the High Court of Justice.

The Haaretz daily reports that Baharav-Miara confirmed the document to the outlet.

Representatives of the IDF at the meeting — the 12th on the matter — said that the police were not cooperative with the military on the matter, and were not giving the Military Police approval to operate in Haredi neighborhoods, according to the reported summary.

According to the representatives, ultra-Orthodox evaders who are arrested by Israel Police are not held, but rather are given a summons to the Military Police facility.

“Army officials even noted that according to police policy, members of the Haredi community arrested in random arrests by the police, who turn out during the detention to be deserters or evaders, are in fact released on their way,” the summary reportedly says.

The army has identified that 71,000 people are evading military service, 80 percent of them Haredim, according to data discussed in the meeting, media reports say.

While there has been a slight rise in the rate of Haredim joining the army under current circumstances, it is “far from fulfilling the needs of the army or the value of equality.”

The representatives said that the current bill to regulate exemptions for ultra-Orthodox students creates a negative incentive for them to join the military, since the legislation will restore state funding for yeshivas, and advised stronger economic sanctions to enforce conscription.