The Times of Israel liveblogged Monday’s events as they unfolded.
Doubling down, Trump suggests Gazans better off somewhere not ‘associated with violence’

US President Donald Trump doubles down on his desire for Egypt and Jordan to take in Gazans, suggesting that Palestinians would be better off somewhere not “associated with violence.”
“I’d like to get them living in an area where they can live without disruption and revolution and violence,” Trump tells reporters aboard Air Force One.
“When you look at the Gaza Strip, it’s been hell for so many years… There have been various civilizations on that strip. It didn’t start here. It started thousands of years before, and there’s always been violence associated with it. You could get people living in areas that are a lot safer and maybe a lot better and maybe a lot more comfortable,” Trump says.
Asked if this stance means he no longer believes in a two-state solution, Trump avoids answering directly, saying he’ll be discussing the issue with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he comes to Washington to meet him “in the not so distant future.”
He says a date will be set for the meeting “very soon.”
Two sources familiar told The Times of Israel on Monday that Netanyahu’s office is planning for the premier to travel on Sunday to Washington, where he’ll meet Trump at the beginning of the week before returning to Israel on Wednesday. The trip has not been finalized and will depend on Netanyahu’s health as he recovers from prostate surgery, the sources said.
Asked how Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi received his idea of relocating Gazans to his country, Trump responds, “His response [was] that he’d like to see peace in the Middle East.”
“I’d like to see peace in the Middle East,” Trump adds.
Pressed further on how Sissi reacted to his idea, Trump insists that both the Egyptian and Jordanian leaders “would do it.”
“I’d love to do that. I wish [Sissi] would take some. We helped them a lot, and I’m sure he’d help us. He’s a friend of mine. He’s in… a rough neighborhood. But I think he would do it, and I think the King of Jordan would do it too,” Trump adds.
Both Egypt and Jordan have come out strongly against Trump’s idea, saying that Palestinians should be allowed to remain in Gaza, where members of Israel’s far right have been calling to reestablish settlements while advocating for the “voluntary migration” of Palestinians from the enclave.
Minister reportedly scrapped Brussels trip over fears arrest warrant could be issued

Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli scrapped a planned trip to the European Parliament in Brussels over concerns that pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel groups would seek a warrant for his arrest, the Kan public broadcaster reports.
The Prime Minister’s Office released a statement saying the trip was cancelled “in light of concrete warnings, and in accordance with the guidance of security officials,” though the broadcaster says its inquiries with Shin Bet sources established that there were no such concrete threats against Chikli.
According to the report, Belgian officials relayed to Israel that Chikli would not enjoy diplomatic immunity during his time in Belgium, as he would not be there on an official visit to the country.
Widely shared clip shows Al Jazeera cutting off Palestinian criticizing Hamas
An Al Jazeera interview of a Palestinian returning to northern Gaza is being widely shared after the reporter cut off the man once he started criticizing Hamas.
The man can be heard telling the Al Jazeera reporter that Hamas allowed thieves to loot his house before being cut off.
It is one of a growing number of clips showing reporters from the Qatar-backed network blocking the dissemination of voices critical of Hamas.
Hamas failed to provide us with a bottle of water, or a food meal!
"Hamas allowed the gangs in Gaza to steal our properties".
When I talk about that and expose what Hamas does to the people of Gaza, I often get called "a tokenized Palestinian." Here you go, from the mouth of a… pic.twitter.com/L0XeQI3bSv
— Hamza (@HowidyHamza) January 28, 2025
Trump says he’ll sign executive order to build ‘state-of-the-art Iron Dome’
US President Donald Trump says he will sign an executive order to start building an “Iron Dome” air defense system for the United States, like the one that Israel has used to intercept thousands of rockets.
“We need to immediately begin the construction of a state-of-the-art Iron Dome missile defense shield,” Trump tells a Republican congressional retreat in Miami on the day new Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth takes office.
Rubio speaks with Jordan’s Abdullah after Trump suggested kingdom take in Gazans

WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a call Monday with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, the State Department says, with the call coming two days after a suggestion by President Donald Trump that Jordan and Egypt should take more Palestinians from Gaza.
“The secretary and King Abdullah discussed implementation of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, the release of hostages, and creating a pathway for security and stability in the region,” the State Department says in a statement. Trump’s weekend remarks are not mentioned in the statement.
Albanian PM denies Israeli TV report claiming he’s talking with US about housing Gazans

The prime minister of Albania forcefully denies a report by Israel’s Channel 12 news claiming that his government has been in talks with the Trump administration about taking in as many as 100,000 Palestinians from Gaza.
“I haven’t heard something so fake in quite some time—and there’s been a lot of fake news lately! It is absolutely not true,” Edi Rama tweets, along with a screenshot of the Channel 12 reporter’s purported scoop.
“Full respect and solidarity for the people of Gaza, who have been dehumanized by the savage Hamas regime and have endured a hellish war following the medieval horrors of October 7,” Rama adds.
“But let me be clear: Albania has not been asked by anyone, nor can we even consider to take on any such responsibility.”
“We are proud of our strong friendships with Israel, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and, of course, the Palestinian people, whose state Albania recognized a very long time ago,” the Albanian premier continues.
“But Albania is not in the Middle East itself, and from the heart of Europe, we cannot do more than any other European country in such a matter.”
“Yet, we wish and pray that the Palestinian people are given the chance to live in their own state, as free people under democratic rule, and that Hamas will never again be able to harm Israel—or, first and foremost, the Palestinians themselves,” he adds.
Channel 12 claimed that Israel believes US President Donald Trump’s call for Jordan and Egypt to take in Palestinian refugees is unrealistic and that Washington is accordingly looking to other suitors, such as Albania.
NBC News reported earlier this month that the US also is considering Indonesia as a landing spot for Palestinians while the Gaza Strip is being rebuilt.
Egypt and Jordan have strongly come out against the idea of hosting Gazans, which Israeli far-right leaders have responded to by calling for Jerusalem to “encourage emigration” of Palestinians from the Strip.
IDF says drone fired warning shot at vehicle trying to bypass security checks in Gaza

The IDF says it operated against several threats and violations of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip today, including with a drone that fired a warning shot at a vehicle trying to evade security checks.
In central Gaza, a drone strike was carried out as a warning after a vehicle attempted to travel to north Gaza via an area that is prohibited for vehicular traffic per the agreement, and as such would not have undergone inspection, the IDF says.
Palestinian media had reported a drone strike on a tractor trying to push through a barrier in Nuseirat.
Israel opened roads to displaced Palestinians returning to northern Gaza under the ceasefire agreement, but vehicles had to go through a checkpoint manned by US and Egyptian teams to prevent heavy weaponry being transported to northern Gaza.
In several areas of Gaza where troops are still deployed, the military says troops also fired warning shots at suspects approaching them.
In one incident in northern Gaza, the IDF says troops targeted a suspect who did not withdraw after initial warning shots were fired.
New York to light City Hall yellow for Holocaust Remembrance Day, name street after Yad Vashem
New York City will light City Hall and other municipal buildings yellow to honor Holocaust Remembrance Day.
“When antisemitism continues to surface in our society, New York City remains steadfast in our commitment to being not just a safe haven, but a beacon of hope for the Jewish community,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams says in a statement. “The yellow lights illuminating our city buildings tonight serve as both a memorial to the six million lives lost and a bright reminder of our unwavering solidarity.”
Bronx Borough Hall, Queens Borough Hall, Staten Island Borough Hall, and the David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal building will also be lit yellow, the mayor’s office says.
City Hall is also hosting an exhibition of artwork from Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and museum. The art, from Yad Vashem’s collection, will be on display in City Hall’s rotunda for the next week.
Yad Vashem says a street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan will be renamed Yad Vashem Way in a ceremony on Thursday. Adams and Yad Vashem chairman Dani Dayan will attend the street sign’s reveal at East 67 Street and 3rd Avenue.
US officials say planning for Netanyahu-Trump meet could be finalized during Witkoff visit

US officials confirm that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hoping to meet with US President Donald Trump in Washington as early as next week, and say that details could be be arranged when Trump’s special Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, travels to Israel this week for talks.
Should the trip come together in that timeframe, Netanyahu could be the first foreign leader to meet with Trump at the White House since his inauguration last week, according to two US officials familiar with preliminary planning for the trip.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the planning remains tentative.
The White House had no immediate comment on the plans and Netanyahu’s spokesman, Omer Dostri, posted on X that the Israeli leader had not yet received an official invitation to the White House.
Witkoff told an audience at the ceremonial opening of a New York City synagogue on Sunday that he would be traveling to Israel on Wednesday to keep focusing on the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
In Israel, sources say the visit is also dependent on Netanyahu’s health. He is recovering from surgery to remove his prostate.
US Jewish groups to leave X due to ‘hate, antisemitism’ under Elon Musk

A coalition of US Jewish groups say they are leaving the social media platform X due to an increase in hateful content under the stewardship of owner Elon Musk.
Fourteen groups say they are leaving the platform, including the Union for Reform Judaism, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, Keshet, Mazon, T’ruah, and the Workers Circle.
“X has become a platform that promotes hate, antisemitism, and societal division,” the groups say in a joint statement. “Under the leadership of Elon Musk, X has reduced content moderation, promoted white supremacists, and re-platformed purveyors of conspiracy theories. Musk himself has re-posted content that is antisemitic and xenophobic, promoting it to his millions of followers.”
The groups say they will transition away from X in the first quarter of the year. Some of the groups may keep their accounts on X to prevent bad actors from taking over their handles, but will stop posting on the platform, the statement says.
IDF strike reported in central Gaza
Palestinian media say that the IDF carried out a strike in Nuseirat in central Gaza, targeting a tractor that was trying to break through a barrier, killing one person and wounding several others.
The IDF says it is investigating the report.
The reported strike comes during a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that is in its second week, and on a day when Israel permitted hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza.
Columbia University identifies 2 more activists who disrupted Israeli professor’s class

Columbia University in New York City says it has identified two activists who disrupted an Israeli professor’s class last week.
Masked anti-Israel activists barged into Professor Avi Shilon’s class on modern Israeli history last week, on the first day of the spring semester, accusing the lesson of fomenting “genocide.” The university said last week that it had identified one of the protesters, a “Columbia participant.”
The university says in a statement that its investigation into the incident has identified two more of the activists. The protesters are not Columbia students, but “from an affiliated institution,” the statement says.
The protesters have been barred from Columbia’s campus and “referred to their home institution for further investigation and discipline,” the university says.
Low cost Chinese AI model sends stocks plunging; Nvidia loses more than $500 billion in value
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq falls sharply, led by Nvidia and other chipmakers as popularity of a low-cost Chinese artificial intelligence model raised investor worries about the outlooks for current AI leaders in the United States.
Nvidia’s shares were down 17%, while an index of semiconductor stocks slid 10% and was on track for its biggest single-day percentage fall since March 2020.
Nvidia was on track to lose roughly $600 billion in stock market value, the deepest ever one-day loss for a company on Wall Street, according to LSEG data. It was more than double the previous one-day record loss, set by Nvidia last September.
Chinese startup DeepSeek has rolled out a free assistant it says uses cheaper chips and less data, raising questions about investor expectations that AI will drive demand along a supply chain from chipmakers to data centers.
DeepSeek’s AI Assistant today overtook rival ChatGPT to become the top-rated free application available on Apple’s App Store in the United States.
Hamas says more than 300,000 displaced Palestinians return to north Gaza

Hamas in Gaza says that “more than 300,000 displaced” Palestinians is returning to the territory’s north, after Israel’s military authorized the opening of South-North roads from this morning.
The brief statement from Hamas says the masses “returned today… to the governorates of the north” of Gaza.
‘We decided to make victory gestures and spoil their whole show’: Liri Albag tells her dad about subverting the Hamas handover

Eli Albag, whose daughter Liri was released from captivity in Gaza on Saturday, along with three other abducted female soldiers, says Hamas operatives told them ahead of the handover ceremony the terror group was arranging that they would be required to speak from the stage. Instead, he said, the four decided to make “victory gestures” and subvert the Hamas ceremony.
Interviewed on Radio 103, Eli Albag says Liri told him that Hamas “told them to speak. So Liri and the other girls decided, We’re not only not going to speak. We’ll make victory gestures and spoil the whole show they’d planned.”

The four hostages — Albag, Karina Ariev, Naama Levy and Daniella Gilboa — indeed smiled and waved to the large crowd of armed Hamas operatives and supporters, when they were brought onto the Hamas stage in Gaza’s Palestinian Square. Albag also gave a thumbs-up.
“The moment they did the victory gestures,” said Eli Albag, the Hamas organizers “realized that they’d got themselves into a mess with these girls, took them down from the stage, and didn’t let them speak.”
He added: “When Liri told me about this, she said, ‘Dad, if they had let me speak, I’d have said one sentence, in Arabic: “My name is Liri Albag, and I’m Number One’.”
Yechiel Leiter takes up post as new ambassador to US
Yechiel Leiter has begun his first day as Israel’s ambassador to the United States, replacing Michael Herzog, who concluded his tenure on Friday, after three years, the Israeli embassy in Washington announces.
“The relationship between Israel and the United States is founded on shared values and interests, as well as extensive cooperation over decades. I am determined to continue to strengthen this unique relationship, deepen the strategic partnership, promote stability in the Middle East, and strengthen the security and prosperity of the people of Israel,” Leiter says in a statement.
“I carry with me the pain of the families who lost their loved ones in the renewed War of Independence that was forced upon us, but I also bring with me the resilience of the people of Israel — determined to win the war against evil: to defeat Hamas, to bring our hostages home, and to never allow Iran’s proxies to threaten our borders,” Leiter adds.
Leiter thanks Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for appointing him, and hails the premier’s efforts in “navigating the ship of our nation through the most turbulent days and now leading us to a safe haven.”
Leiter also praises US President Donald Trump, asserting that “there is no doubt that a true friend of Israel and the Jewish people has returned to the White House.”
“Together with the Trump administration, we will work to strengthen the security and stability of Israel and to formulate an effective regional strategy against the Iranian threat.”
He stresses the importance of the bipartisan nature of the US-Israel relationship, pledging to work with “Republicans and Democrats alike to preserve Israel as a unifying issue that transcends partisan lines.”
Leiter may face an uphill battle on this front, given his decades of efforts to advance Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are opposed by the vast majority of Democrats.
He was active in supporting the Jewish community of Hebron, even helping establish a new neighborhood in the divided West Bank city. He has written against Palestinian statehood and in favor of Israel annexing the West Bank.
In the 2008 election, he was a candidate on the Likud slate, but did not make it into the Knesset.
Leiter was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania and was active in the far-right Jewish Defense League, headed by the late extremist Rabbi Meir Kahane. He immigrated to Israel in 1978, with other activists from the JDL.
Leiter served as an adviser to former prime minister Ariel Sharon; chief of staff to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, when he was finance minister, deputy director of the Education Ministry, and acting chair of the Israeli Ports Authority.
He holds a BA in law and political science, an MA in international relations from Catholic University of America in Washington and a PhD in political philosophy from the University of Haifa. His postdoctoral research on the philosophy of John Locke was published by Cambridge University Press. He is also an ordained rabbi.
Leiter, 65, is the father of eight children. His eldest son, Moshe, was killed fighting in Gaza in November 2023.
Leiter is spending his first day as ambassador meeting with the embassy’s staff, his office says.
EU agrees ‘roadmap’ for easing Syria sanctions

EU foreign ministers agree to begin easing sanctions on Syria after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, as the West looks to build bridges with the war-ravaged country’s new leadership.
“This could give a boost to the Syrian economy and help the country get back on its feet,” foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas says, after a meeting in Brussels.
The 27-nation EU imposed wide-ranging sanctions on the Assad government and Syria’s economy during its civil war.
Kallas says ministers signed up to a “roadmap” for lifting the sanctions starting with key sectors such as energy where relief is needed most urgently.
“While we aim to move fast, we also are ready to reverse the course if the situation worsens, and in parallel, we will scale up humanitarian aid and recovery efforts,” she says.
Europe is keen to help the reconstruction of Syria and build better ties with its new rulers, after the end of the Assad family’s five-decade rule.
But some EU countries worry about embracing the new Islamist-led rulers in Damascus too quickly.
The EU will only suspend the sanctions and not lift them definitively, to maintain leverage over the Syrian leadership.
Syria’s new de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and the Islamist group he led, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, remain under EU sanctions.
Smotrich delays return to Knesset as an MK amid right-wing maneuvers

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich delays his return to the Knesset as an MK, a move which would push Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kroizer out of parliament under the so-called Norwegian Law.
In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Smotrich calls to postpone the move in order to buy time for what he describes as ongoing negotiations between Likud, Otzma Yehudit, and rebel Otzma Yehudit MK Almog Cohen, “in order to find a solution that will strengthen the coalition and allow MK Kroizer to remain in the Knesset without harming the coalition majority.”
“This plan requires a number of additional legal checks to be carried out,” he writes, asking for Netanyahu to give him “more time to examine the various options.”
Islamic Jihad releases propaganda video with signs of life from hostage Arbel Yehoud

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad has released a propaganda video of hostage Arbel Yehoud, who is due to be released on Thursday.
In the video, Yehoud says the date is January 25, meaning it was apparently filmed two days ago.
Islamic Jihad and Hamas have previously issued similar videos of hostages held by the terror groups, in what Israel says is deplorable psychological warfare.
Most Israeli media do not carry the video clips themselves and the family asks that the media not broadcast the clip or images from it.
In the video, Yehoud reassures her family that she is “okay,” and says she hopes to return home soon “like the other girls.”
Yehoud was supposed to have been released over the weekend, as she is an Israeli civilian. After negotiations, she will be released on Thursday, along with surveillance soldier Agam Berger, and one other hostage.
Hezbollah chief says group won’t accept any justification to extend period for Israeli troops withdrawal

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem says that the group would not accept any justification to extend the period given for Israeli troops to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
Israel said on Friday that its army’s withdrawal would last beyond the 60-day period stipulated in the ceasefire agreement with the Lebanese group, saying the terms of the deal had not been fully enforced by the Lebanese state.
The US and Lebanon announced that the ceasefire period would be extended until February 18.
Qassem accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire 1,350 times.
Trump to sign order to create ‘Iron Dome’ missile shield for US, CNN reports

US President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order today that calls for the creation of an “Iron Dome” missile defense shield for the United States, CNN reports, citing a document the network says it obtained.
Trump has previously pledged to create such a system — similar to Israel’s missile defense system, which shares the same name — as part of moves to boost US military security.
Hamas delegation arrives in Cairo to discuss Gaza ceasefire deal implementation
A high-ranking Hamas delegation arrives in Cairo on this evening, saying it aimed to discuss the implementation of all three phases of the ongoing ceasefire and hostage release deal.
The Hamas statement says the delegation includes senior leader Mohammed Darwish and other prominent members of its leadership council and negotiating team.
Hamas says meetings with Egyptian officials will focus on ensuring progress in the ceasefire’s implementation and addressing any challenges in the ongoing exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners. The Hamas delegation also will meet with Palestinian prisoners released under the ceasefire’s six-week first phase that began just over a week ago.
Egypt is a key mediator in ceasefire talks and part of the joint committee implementing the deal.
Herzog tells UN that international bodies exhibit ‘moral bankruptcy’ in treatment of Israel

President Isaac Herzog says at a UN ceremony marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day that the international courts and institutions set up in the wake of the Holocaust have since become distorted and hypocritical in their attacks on Israel.
Herzog notes that his great uncle, Holocaust survivor Hersch Lauterpacht, served as a prosecutor in the Nuremberg trials and went on to help establish the International Court of Justice, later serving on the court as a judge.
“He did so out of deep faith – and hope, that the international institutions [including the UN, ICJ and ICC] would forever be committed to preventing these heinous crimes from ever happening again — to the Jewish people or any other people,” says the president.
However, Herzog says, “rather than fulfilling its purpose, and fighting courageously against a global epidemic of jihadist, murderous and abhorrent terror, time and again this assembly has exhibited moral bankruptcy.”
He accuses the ICC of “outrageous hypocrisy and protection of the perpetrators of the atrocities… creating a distorted symmetry between the victim and the murderous monster.”
Herzog also accuses the UN and international courts of “allowing antisemitic genocidal doctrines to flourish uninterrupted in the wake of the largest massacre of Jews since World War II.”
Terrorists are acting to “weaponize the international institutions, undermining the most basic, fundamental reason for their establishment.” These institutions, he says, are “manipulating the definition of genocide for the sole purpose of attacking Israel and the Jewish people.”
In Holocaust Day speech to UN, Herzog says Israel ‘anguished and incomplete’ without return of every hostage in Gaza

President Isaac Herzog tells a UN ceremony marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day that Israel is “anguished and incomplete” without the return of every hostage in Gaza.
“I stand before you as president of a nation that is determined and proud, and yet — anguished and incomplete,” says Herzog.
“Although the Israeli people have been overcome with emotion seeing seven of our daughters at last emerge heroically from hell – still 90 Israelis and foreign nationals remain in Hamas captivity,” he adds, referring to the release since the start of the current ceasefire of Doron Steinbrecher, Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, Naama Levy, Daniella Gilboa, Liri Albag and Karina Ariev.
“We are anxiously awaiting six more to be freed this week, and awaiting all others,” Herzog says. “I call on all representatives in this General Assembly, all who consider themselves part of the civilized world, to throw your weight to ensure our hostages return to their homes — every single one of them. Bring them back home now!”
Herzog recites a special prayer in Hebrew calling for the safe return of the hostages, who “are enduring subhuman conditions, without essential primary healthcare, without Red Cross visitations, without any compliance with international law, treaties or agreements.”
Team of US and Egyptian contractors begins checking vehicles traveling to northern Gaza

An Egyptian official says Egyptian contractors, along with a US firm, are running checkpoints that inspect vehicles heading to northern Gaza via the Salah a-Din road to ensure no armed terrorists travel the route.
The contractors are part of an Egyptian-Qatari committee implementing the ceasefire, according to the official, who speaks on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
An Israeli official says that the inspections began today and were a key demand of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during negotiations.
The official says that the vehicle checkpoint is designed to stop heavy arms flowing to northern Gaza.
The Israeli official described the team operating the inspections as “multinational,” but gave no further details except to say it included a private American security firm.
The official says Israel will continue to act against violations of the ceasefire terms.
"This is what the so-called 'American' inspection for crossing to northern Gaza looks like. If this is American, then I’m Donald Trump. @realDonaldTrump, your thoughts?" #IronWall #FAFO pic.twitter.com/b1rZMyhpv2
— ????????General_QuackerDDF???????? (@CarmeliBarak) January 27, 2025
Lebanon says 2 killed as protests against Israeli presence erupt for a second day

Firing by Israeli troops killed two people and wounded 17 in the second day of deadly protests in southern Lebanon, health officials say, as residents displaced by the 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah attempted to return to villages where Israeli troops remain.
The shooting came a day after 24 people were killed and more than 130 wounded when Israeli troops opened fire on protesters who breached roadblocks set up along the border.
Under a US-brokered ceasefire on Nov. 27, Israeli forces were to withdraw from southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah was to move north of the Litani River by Jan. 26. While the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers had already deployed in several villages before the deadline, Israel remained in over a dozen villages, saying that the Lebanese military had failed to deploy.
The United States and Lebanon announced later yesterday that the deadline to meet the ceasefire terms had been extended to Feb. 18.
Protests resumed today particularly in eastern border villages, where residents again attempted to return home. Israeli troops opened fire, killing one person in the town of Odaisseh and wounding seven others across four southern villages, the Health Ministry reports.
The Israeli military has blamed Hezbollah for pushing people to protest and says soldiers fired warning shots when demonstrators approached.
Auschwitz survivor condemns ‘huge rise’ in antisemitism on 80th anniversary of liberation

Auschwitz survivor Marian Turski condemns a “huge rise” in antisemitism, calling for “courage” against Holocaust deniers and conspiracy theorists, on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp.
“Today, and now, we see a huge rise in antisemitism and it is precisely antisemitism that led to the Holocaust,” the 98-year-old tells fellow survivors and world leaders at a ceremony by the gate of Auschwitz II-Birkenau.
EU ministers agree to revive Rafah border mission

The European Union will restart a civilian mission to monitor the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt at Rafah, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says.
“Everyone agrees that EUBAM Rafah can play a decisive role in supporting the ceasefire,” Kallas says.
“Today, EU foreign ministers agreed to redeploy it to the Rafah Crossing Point between Gaza and Egypt. This will allow a number of injured individuals to leave Gaza and receive medical care,” she adds.
Lapid says Levin violating the law by boycotting new Supreme Court chief

Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s boycott of newly elected Supreme Court President Isaac Amit “is a violation of the law,” Opposition Leader Yair Lapid declares.
Addressing the press ahead of his Yesh Atid party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset, Lapid says that every time anybody has called the current government illegitimate, “Levin and Netanyahu’s response has been: ‘But this government was elected legally.’ The Judicial Selection Committee was also elected legally.”
“I am turning to Yariv Levin from here and asking him: What are you trying to do? What are you trying to achieve? Your coup d’état has dismantled Israeli society, created hatred and division here like never before, and led to October 7 disaster. It’s time to stop this,” Lapid continues.
“I call on Yariv Levin: convene the committee, sit down with Judge Amit, build a working relationship with him. He is not your enemy. He is an Israeli patriot and wants the best for the country.”
WATCH: President Herzog addresses UN General Assembly on International Holocaust Memorial Day
President Isaac Herzog addresses the United Nations General Assembly’s annual special session marking International Holocaust Memorial Day.
The day marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp.
IDF says it killed Hamas leader in Tulkarem drone strike as it expands West Bank op
The IDF says that it carried out a drone strike in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, killing the local head of Hamas as it it expanded its West Bank operation to the city.
A joint statement from the IDF and the Shin Bet says they targeted Ihab Abu Atwi. Another Hamas operative was also killed in the strike, the IDF says.
Palestinian news agency Wafa identifies the second man as Ramez Damiri.
The IDF says Abu Atwi was involved in numerous attacks against Israelis, including a shooting attack on a car in July 2024 that wounded three people.
The statement says large forces have moved into the city, expanding the operation that began last week in Jenin.
The IDF publishes footage of the drone strike.
בפעילות משותפת של צה"ל ושב"כ מוקדם יותר היום, כלי טיס של חיל האוויר תקף במרחב טולכרם שבחטיבת אפרים וחיסל את איהאב אבו עטיוי, אשר שימש כראש התארגנות הטרור של ארגון הטרור חמאס בטולכרם, יחד עימו חוסל מחבל נוסף >> pic.twitter.com/2n1XoRYBiB
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) January 27, 2025
Gantz calls for stepped-up military activity to enforce Lebanon truce

National Unity chairman Benny Gantz calls on Israel to “expand ground and air activity” in southern Lebanon rather than “talking about withdrawal.”
Addressing reporters during his party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset, Gantz says that Israel “must enforce the security agreements it signed” and accuses Hezbollah of “violating the ceasefire every day.”
“We must not accept any threat to our border,” he says.
Turning to the ceasefire in Gaza, Gantz states that changing the situation in Gaza is “a decade-long task” and that during negotiations for phase two of the agreement Israel “must demand the removal of Hamas rule and the demilitarization of the Strip, and involve the international community in the management of Gaza in the coming years.”
“We can bring back our hostages, replace Hamas rule, strike Iran and promote normalization with the countries of the region. We must not miss the opportunity,” he states.
Coalition denies Netanyahu-Ben Gvir, Smotrich deal to preserve right-wing hold on judicial committee

The leadership of the coalition denies claims by Itamar Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party that it has reached a three-way deal with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism in order to “preserve the right-wing’s power on the Judicial Appointments Committee.”
“Despite Otzma Yehudit’s announcement, an agreement between the parties has not yet been reached,” the coalition states.
In a statement, Otzma Yehudit asserted that under the claimed agreement, Smotrich would no longer return to the Knesset as an MK, a move that pushed Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kroizer out of parliament under the so-called Norwegian Law — which allows ministers and deputy ministers from large factions to resign from the Knesset when appointed to the government, with their seats filled by members of their parties.
This would allow Kroizer to remain in the Knesset and keep his seat on the influential committee, whose composition was a central part of the government’s judicial overhaul agenda, which Levin is currently seeking to revive.
In turn, Otzma Yehudit said it would allow rebel MK Almog Cohen to vote against his party’s positions, something he has already been doing for some time — while Kroizer would be required to give 48 hours notice if he intends to vote against the coalition so that Smotrich could decide whether or not to return to the Knesset.
Otzma Yehudit says in a statement that in order to be implemented, the agreement requires Cohen’s consent and calls on him “not to harm the right-wing’s power on the Judicial Appointments Committee.”
Cohen was the only member of Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit not to hand in a resignation letter last Sunday morning, when the rest of his party’s ministers and lawmakers announced that they were pulling out of the coalition to protest the cabinet’s approval of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Asked for comment, Cohen tells the Times of Israel that the announcement is “fake.”
IDF raided home of Hamas prisoner released in deal over weekend, NYT says; reporter ‘roughed up’

The IDF on Saturday raided the house of one of the Hamas prisoners released the same day in the hostage-ceasefire deal, detaining one person and scuffling with others, The New York Times reports.
The paper says one of its journalists, who was conducting an interview in the house on the outskirts of Jerusalem at the time, was also “roughed up,” during the raid on the home of Ashraf Zughayer, a Hamas terrorist convicted in 2002 of driving suicide bombers to carry out attacks.
The report says the soldiers detained Zughayer’s brother and expelled journalists.
The IDF said in a statement to the paper that said in a statement that it had raided the Zughayer family’s house because it “received intelligence and videos of gunfire and incitement to terrorism in the area.” It said the brother had been detained for displaying a Hamas flag.
Israel has worked to crack down on celebrations among Palestinians after the release of security prisoners under the deal.
Zughayer was one of 200 Palestinians released Saturday in exchange for four female soldiers held hostage by Hamas.
WATCH: Auschwitz marks 80th anniversary of the death camp’s liberation

The 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet troops is being marked at the site of the former death camp, in a ceremony that is widely being treated as the last major observance that any notable number of survivors will be able to attend.
Among those who traveled to the site is 86-year-old Tova Friedman, who was 6 when she was among the 7,000 people liberated on Jan. 27, 1945. She believes it will be the last gathering of survivors at Auschwitz and says she came from her home in New Jersey to add her voice to those warning about rising hatred and antisemitism.
“The world has become toxic,” she tells The Associated Press a day before the observances in nearby Krakow. “I realize that we’re in a crisis again, that there is so much hatred around, so much distrust, that if we don’t stop, it may get worse and worse. There may be another terrible destruction.”
Nazi German forces murdered some 1.1 million people at the site in southern Poland, which was under German occupation during World War II. Most of the victims were Jews killed on an industrial scale in gas chambers, but also Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, gay people and others who were targeted for elimination in the Nazi racial ideology.
Elderly camp survivors, some wearing blue-and-white striped scarves that recall their prison uniforms, walk together to the Death Wall, where prisoners were executed.
Israel says Hamas list shows 8 of the 26 hostages still to be freed in first phase of Gaza ceasefire are dead

Israel says a Hamas list shows that eight of the 26 hostages still to be freed in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal are dead.
Government spokesman David Mencer conveys the Hamas information to journalists.
Thirty-three hostages are being freed in phase one of the deal. Seven living hostages have gone free since the deal began on January 19, and the Hamas list therefore means that 18 of the 26 remaining names on the list are alive while eight are dead.
Israel late last night said it had received a list of information on the status of the phase-one hostages from Hamas. Officials said that the Hamas document matched Israel’s existing information.
Israel has said the next release, of three hostages — including Arbel Yehoud and Agam Berger — will take place on Thursday, followed by another three hostages to be released on Saturday.
The 33 names on the list are women, the Bibas family children, men aged over 50, and unwell and injured men. The IDF said on Saturday that it had “grave concerns” regarding Shiri Bibas and her two young sons Ariel and Kfir.
Whether hostages are alive or dead inside Gaza has been a heartbreaking question for waiting families who have pushed Israel’s government to reach a deal to free them, fearing that time was running out.
Eighty-seven of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the body of an IDF soldier who was killed in 2014. The body of another IDF soldier, also killed in 2014, was recovered from Gaza this month.
Netanyahu planning to meet Trump at White House next week — sources

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office is planning for the premier to travel to Washington next week to meet with US President Donald Trump, two sources familiar with the matter tell The Times of Israel.
The trip has not been finalized and will be dependent on Netanyahu’s health, as he recovers from prostate surgery, but the plan is for him to depart on Sunday and return on Thursday.
If he travels, Netanyahu will be the first foreign leader to meet Trump in his second term, a gesture from Trump to the Israeli leader in return for him acceding to pressure to reach a ceasefire hostage deal in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s lawyer this week requested that his client be allowed to testify just once instead of three times over the coming week in his corruption trial, due to what he said were medical complications following the prime minister’s recent prostate removal surgery. The request was denied.
Ben Gvir plays down likelihood of returning to government, says Netanyahu needs to ‘come to his senses’

Asked by a reporter if his far-right Otzma Yehudit party would return to the government, in light of the images of Gazans returning to their homes in the north of the Strip, chairman Itamar Ben Gvir says, “The chance that we will return is not high.”
“If our dear Prime Minister Netanyahu comes to his senses and understands that we need to change direction once again from what he has been doing all year, to victory, to complete victory, to the collapse of Hamas, we will be there,” he says.
Ben Gvir does not appear to completely rule out returning, however. Asked about Police Commissioner Daniel Levy’s support for the hostage deal, Ben Gvir says that the senior officer “doesn’t need to get into politics. He might need me by his side.”
Asked what he intends to do with rebel MK Almog Cohen, who is not present in the room during the party’s weekly faction meeting, Ben Gvir says that Cohen “has been in a dialogue with Likud for about two years.”
“His place is in Likud and I wish him great success,” Ben Gvir adds.
Smotrich says he’s working to turn Trump idea of resettling Gazans into policy

Praising US President Donald Trump’s proposal to move some of Gaza’s population to Jordan and Egypt, temporarily or permanently, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich states that he is working to turn this idea into an actionable policy.
Speaking with reporters ahead of his Religious Zionism party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset, Smotrich says that he is working on an “operational plan” to implement Trump’s idea.
“After years of statesmen trying to impose their imaginations on reality, the US president is finally acknowledging reality, Gaza is a hotbed of terrorism that creates suffering for both the residents of the State of Israel and the residents of Gaza themselves,” Smotrich declares
“There is no doubt that in the long term, encouraging emigration is the only solution that will bring peace and security to the residents of Israel and also ease the suffering of the Arab residents of Gaza,” he adds.
“I am working with the prime minister and the cabinet to prepare an operational plan and ensure the realization of President Trump’s vision,” he continues. “There is nothing to be excited about the weak opposition of Egypt and Jordan to the plan. We saw yesterday how Trump [imposed his will on] Colombia to deport immigrants despite its opposition. When he wants it, it happens.”
Turning to the selection of Justice Isaac Amit as permanent Supreme Court president, Smotrich calls his election “an illegitimate decision that was made without authority, especially against the backdrop of the cloud of suspicions that hang over him and are damaging to the the all-important public trust in the court.”
“We will not agree to accept this distorted situation,” he says, pledging “to advance legislation to change the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee.”
IDF condemns video of soldier wearing woman’s underwear during raid on West Bank home
The IDF condemns a group of soldiers, one of whose number was filmed wearing undergarments taken from a Palestinian woman during a raid on her home in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
“This is a serious incident that does not align with the values of the IDF. We are aware of the incident and dealing with it,” the IDF says in a statement.
“The soldiers involved will be questioned and face disciplinary measures from their commanders,” the army says.
In pictures and videos posted online, a soldier can be seen prancing around in a pink undergarment and bra worn over his fatigues, while the group was carrying out an operation in Bethlehem.
In the video, set to the song “You Can Leave Your Hat On,” the soldier then begins to mimic a striptease act.
חיילים בתוך בית בבית לחם, אחד מהם הולך לחדר השינה ולובש הלבשה תחתונה של נשים, אז עכשיו עברו מהלבשה תחתונה של נשים עזתיות להלבשה תחתונה של נשים בגדה. pic.twitter.com/rIfpcvYJZq
— Yoav Hershkowitz (@HershkowitzY7) January 26, 2025
Ben Gvir again calls to push ‘voluntary emigration’ of Palestinians from Gaza

Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben Gvir insists that “voluntary emigration” from the Gaza Strip is the “only solution” to the conflict there, pushing back against critics who say that he is “racist and messianic.”
“Encouraging immigration is the only thing that will bring a solution of rest and tranquility to the State of Israel and to the residents of Gaza. I call on the Arab world to reach out to the residents of Gaza, let them immigrate” to your countries, he declares — calling mass emigration the “humanitarian answer”
Ben Gvir expresses his hope that US President Donald Trump will pursue his own proposal to move some of Gaza’s population to Jordan and Egypt, temporarily or permanently.
Attacking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, Ben Gvir says that “the time has come for you to learn to govern and implement right-wing policies, so that there is no situation in which voters vote for Likud and get Gantz.”
Israeli medical officer: Some returned hostages were held in tunnels for months, showed signs of ‘mild starvation’
Some of the hostages released from Gaza so far during the ceasefire were held in Hamas tunnels for up to eight months straight, deprived of daylight and with little to no human contact, an Israeli medical officer says.
“Some of them told us that they’ve been in the past few months, that they’ve been through the entire time, in tunnels, underground,” the deputy chief of the Israeli military’s medical corps, Col. Dr. Avi Banov, tells journalists online.
“Some of them were alone through the entire time they were there,” he says. “Those who said they were together were in better shape.”
The hostages have said their treatment improved in the days leading up to their release, Banov says, when they were allowed to shower, change their clothes and received better food. They appeared to be in good condition and smiling in videos on the days of their release.
Citing the hostages’ privacy, Banov does not say whether any of the seven bore signs of torture or abuse.
Some had not received proper treatment for wounds sustained when they were captured during the Hamas assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, and some showed signs of “mild starvation,” Banov says.
Hamas says two men killed in Tulkarem drone strike were members of its armed wing
Hamas claims two people killed in an IDF drone strike near the West Bank town of Tulkarem earlier today as members of its armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam brigades.
In a statement, the terror groups names the two as Ihab Abu Atiwi, a commander, and Ramez Damiri, and says that their blood has not been spilled “in vain” but will encourage “the escalation of the resistance and the continuation of its heroic operations.”
Hamas further condemns the ongoing IDF operation in Jenin, and calls on West Bank Palestinians to carry out attacks against “the occupation and its settlers.”
The IDF has said it will provide more details on the Tulkarem strike later today.
Iran purchases number of Russian-made Sukhoi-35 fighter jets
Iran has purchased Russian-made Sukhoi-35 fighter jets, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander says, amid Western concerns about Tehran and Moscow’s growing military cooperation.
This is the first time an Iranian official has confirmed the purchase of Su-35 jets. However, Ali Shadmani, who was quoted by Iran’s official Student News Network, does not clarify how many jets were purchased and whether they had already been delivered to Iran.
“Whenever necessary, we make military purchases to strengthen our air, land, and naval forces… The production of military equipment has also accelerated,” the deputy Coordinator of the Khatam-ol-Anbia Central Headquarters says.
Earlier this month, Iran and Russia signed a comprehensive strategic partnership which did not mention arms transfers but said the two will develop their “military-technical cooperation.”
Iran’s air force has only a few dozen strike aircraft, including Russian jets as well as aging US models acquired before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Lebanese Christian leader says Hezbollah to blame for deaths of 24 killed while trying to return south

The leader of a main Christian political party in Lebanon blasts Hezbollah and the Lebanese government for the killing by IDF fire of 24 people in southern Lebanon yesterday, after the Shiite terrorist group urged displaced residents to return to their homes in defiance of IDF warnings.
In an interview with the Lebanese paper Nidaa al-Watan, Samir Geagea, leader of the anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Forces Party, says that “the current government proves it does not exist, and the Axis of Resistance [Iran and its proxies] proves that it does not value people’s lives. It does not hesitate to fabricate new events on a daily basis that it uses to cover up the tragedies and loss of life and property it has caused.”
Hundreds of Lebanese attempted to reach southern villages near the border with Israel by force on Sunday morning, defying warnings by the Israel Defense Forces to stay away, as the ceasefire’s original 60-day deadline for Israel to withdraw its forces passed with troops remaining in parts of the country’s south. According to the latest update by the Lebanese health ministry, 24 were killed and 135 were injured.
An Israeli military official told reporters that hundreds of Lebanese, among them Hezbollah operatives and supporters carrying Hezbollah flags and images of its slain chief Hassan Nasrallah, tried to reach villages in southern Lebanon while carrying out “provocations.” The official said the military had prepared for civilians attempting to reach the border villages at the end of the 60-day truce, despite its warnings.
In the interview, Geagea maintains that the Lebanese government should “inform residents about the sites from which the Israeli army will withdraw and those from which it will not, rather than allowing some parties to exploit the scenes [of returning residents] for self-interest, causing the death of [24] citizens.”
The government should have instructed “the Lebanese army to organize the entry of citizens into safe villages, and prevent them from reaching areas that the Israeli army still occupies, because protecting people’s lives is the responsibility of the Lebanese government, not Israel’s,” the party leader adds.
“[Hezbollah] exploited this vacuum and pushed citizens into imminent danger, not caring who would be killed or injured. It knows that throwing over 20 citizens into certain death is pointless and will not yield any results, and will not make Israel change its position,” he says.
Residents of south Lebanon try to return to villages for second day in a row

South Lebanon residents accompanied by the Lebanese Armed Forces are again trying to return to their villages, Lebanese media and AFP correspondents report.
After the initial 60-day window for Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon expired yesterday, mediating parties agreed to extend the deadline until February 18, meaning that residents of southern Lebanon villages in which the IDF is still deployed will be required to wait until then to return home.
Nevertheless, an AFP correspondent reports seeing dozens of vehicles carrying families headed toward border towns, a day after hundreds of residents tried unsuccessfully to return to their homes.
Lebanon’s health ministry says that fresh “Israeli enemy attacks while citizens attempt to return to their towns” wounded two people in the village of Bani Hayyan earlier today, including a child.
In the city of Bint Jbeil, an access point for many border villages, supporters of the Iran-backed terror group are distributing sweets, water and images of former chief Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike in September. Others hand out stickers celebrating the “victory from God” as women hold pictures of slain Hezbollah fighters.
Avigdor Liberman: Those who don’t serve in IDF shouldn’t be allowed to vote
Entering his Yisrael Beytenu party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset with a ballot box, chairman Avigdor Liberman declares that anybody who does not serve in the IDF should not be allowed to vote.
“Those who do not enlist do not vote,” he declares, only moments after lawmakers finish a contentious discussion in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee dealing with the issue of ultra-Orthodox military conscription.
PA health ministry says two killed, three injured in IDF drone strike in West Bank
The Palestinian Authority health ministry says two people were killed and three were injured in an IDF drone strike near the West Bank town of Tulkarem earlier today.
The IDF has said it will provide more details on the strike later today.
UK library publishes massive Holocaust archive online for the first time
One of the world’s largest Holocaust archives has been published online for the first time, coinciding with International Holocaust Memorial Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
The Wiener Holocaust Library’s new online portal includes more than 150,000 documents — such as photos, transcripts and testimonies — detailing Nazi Germany’s genocide of six million European Jews.
“The need to defend the truth has been given new urgency by the resurgence of antisemitism and other forms of misinformation and hatred,” Toby Simpson, director of the London-based library, says.
“By placing a wealth of evidence freely available online we are ensuring that the historical record is available for all regardless of their location, prior knowledge or means.”
The items include photographs of Auschwitz, the notorious Nazi death camp in Poland where more than one million Jews were killed between 1940 and its liberation on January 27, 1945.
Documents from the Nuremberg war crimes trials of Nazi leaders and materials about fascist and anti-fascist groups in the United Kingdom before and after World War II feature in the collection as well.
The library has also published some 500 pamphlets and books containing anti-fascist propaganda that were distributed in Germany during the Nazi era.
The reading material was disguised as advertisements for cosmetics or shampoo, recipe books and instruction manuals for housewives.
The Wiener Holocaust Library was founded in the early 1930s by Alfred Wiener, who gathered evidence of the persecution of Jews in Germany after fleeing the country.
IDF says it carried out strike near Tulkarem, in the West Bank
The IDF says that it carried out a strike in the Tulkarem area, in the West Bank, as part of a joint operation with the Shin Bet.
It says more details will be provided later.
After Hamas sends list of living 1st-phase hostages, families updated if loved one believed dead — report

Some of the families of the hostages slated to be released in the ongoing first phase of the hostage deal have been informed that there is concern for their loved ones’ wellbeing, Hebrew media reports, after Hamas provided Israel with information on the status of the hostages late last night.
The list did not provide specifications regarding the status of each individual, and instead only included an overall number of captives who are still alive.
While the sparse information means that officials cannot definitively confirm the deaths of any of the captives, unnamed officials have said that the numbers match the intelligence Israel already had, and therefore bolster prior assessments regarding the status of certain hostages.
Reports have previously stated Israel believes 25 of the 33 hostages slated for release in the first phase are alive. With seven captives already released alive over the past week, this would mean that 18 of the remaining 26 hostages are alive while eight are dead.
Among those whose fates are unknown are Shiri Silberman Bibas, her husband Yarden Bibas and their two young sons Ariel and Kfir.
IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Saturday that there were “grave concerns” for their lives.
Speaking to the Kan public broadcaster amid reports that the families have been updated regarding the presumed status of their loved ones, Yarden’s sister Ofri Bibas says the family is still waiting to receive any concrete information, and that “there is no difference between what we knew yesterday and what we know today.”
“We have known that there is grave fear for their lives, since Hamas’s announcement at the end of the previous deal,” she says, referring to the terror group’s claim in November 2023 that Shiri, Ariel and Kfir had been killed.
She appeals for the public to withhold from spreading “false and unverified news,” and says her family “needs information to come to us from official sources, not from the media and WhatsApp groups.”
2 IDF reservists, one of them from Iron Dome unit, arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran

The police and Shin Bet security service have arrested two IDF reservists for alleged espionage on behalf of Iran in return for financial compensation, a police spokesman says in a statement.
Police say the primary suspect, Yuri Eliasfov, served in the IDF’s Iron Dome air defense unit and passed along classified material obtained during his military service to his Iranian handler.
Contact between Eliasfov and the Iranian agent began in September 2024, according to Haaretz.
Months later, Eliasfov recruited his friend, Georgi Andreyev, into the espionage scheme, putting him in contact with the same Iranian agent.
Andreyev served in the IDF’s Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Both suspects spray-painted graffiti and hung banners in Tel Aviv carrying the slogan “Children of Ruhollah,” referring to Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran’s first supreme leader following the Islamic Revolution.
Police accuse the two 21-year-old suspects, both from northern Israel, of security offenses — transferring classified information and aiding the enemy during wartime. Prosecutors are expected to file an indictment against them in the coming days.
Ben Gvir storms out of Knesset committee meeting after criticism by hostages’ families
Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben Gvir storms out of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee following harsh criticism from hostages’ families and opposition politicians angry that he voted against the hostage deal.
“If only everybody had principles like me,” he shouts back, after relatives of those held in Hamas captivity accuse him of abandoning their loved ones.
Criticized by hostage families and opposition politicians for opposing the ceasefire, former cabinet minister Ben Gvir says that “if only everyone has principles like me” and storms out of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee pic.twitter.com/EUc73c7T9j
— Sam Sokol (@SamuelSokol) January 27, 2025
After Ben Gvir storms out of the room shouting “shame,” National Unity chairman Benny Gantz appeals for civility, stating that people on both sides of the issue can argue without giving up on each other.
“Everyone has exactly the same goal: to bring the hostages home, to protect the State of Israel, and to be able to live here for many, many years to come” even if they disagree on how to do it, he says. “If we don’t do it together, we won’t do it at all.”
Ben Gvir returns following a short recess, after many of the hostages’ relatives leave the committee chamber.
Netanyahu dubs news outlet at center of criminal trial ‘Walla Hamas’ over perceived negative coverage
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Defense Attorney Amit Hadad continues to highlight what he says are highly problematic items of the indictment against the premier during the seventh day of testimony in his criminal trial.
Among the items criticized is an allegation that Netanyahu directly demanded of Walla news website owner Shaul Elovitch that Walla publish an article about his son’s IDF service.
Netanyahu says in court he doesn’t recall if he made the request, suggesting it may have come from his wife Sara, but Hadad points out that Walla never published such an article, despite the indictment stating that Walla acceded to Netanyahu’s request.
“There was no article. I cannot understand on what basis they use the words ‘demand,’… We didn’t find an article and an article was not filed. There are other incidents like this,” fumes Hadad.
This prompts prosecutor Yehudit Tirosh to comment, “There is an evidentiary puzzle that needs to be presented,” to which Hadad retorts sardonically, “The indictment is a riddle, the evidence is a puzzle!”
Hadad continues by citing an article on the Walla website criticizing Netanyahu for how he conducted the 2014 war against Hamas in Gaza and accusing him of not having sufficient sensitivity toward the dead.
Netanyahu alleges that Walla was using Hamas messaging against him, and erupts angrily in court calling the news website “Walla Hamas” and “Walla Akbar.”
Adds the prime minister, “This is really crazy.”
Soon after, the court takes a break for a second time, after Netanyahu is handed a note that he says requires his attention.
The indictment against Netanyahu alleges that he had an illicit quid pro quo agreement with Walla owner Shaul Elovitch, in which Walla would give Netanyahu favorable coverage in return for the prime minister approving regulatory decisions that benefited Elovitch.
Netanyahu’s testimony has focused on demonstrating that Walla not only did not give him favorable news coverage but was actively hostile to him.
Romi Gonen’s father says she heard his interviews while in captivity, drew strength from them

Eitan Gonen, the father of released hostage Romi Gonen, says that his daughter heard him calling for her release in snippets of interviews with Israeli media outlets that reached her during her long captivity in Gaza, and tells the families of the remaining hostages to continue speaking up.
Gonen was released from captivity last Sunday with Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher on the first day of the ceasefire-hostage deal with Hamas.
“I remember there were days when I was interviewed, eight, 10 times a day for all the networks,” Eitan tells the Kan public broadcaster. “Through the media, whether it was radio or television, the messages reached her.”
Throughout Romi’s absence, Gonen would end each media appearance by saying: “Romi is coming home. We just don’t know when exactly.”
“It was enough to hear her say, ‘Dad, I came back alive,’ to understand that she heard me,” he tells Kan. “It gave her a lot of strength, energy, a lot of hope.”
He urges the families of the remaining hostages to keep talking about their loved ones and keep advocating for them on air.
“Even if 10 percent of the interviews reaches the hostages’ ears, it’s enough to give them strength,” he says. “It gives them a little more strength and fresh air to keep them holding on in the hell that they are in.”
‘Living through emotional and nerve-wracking days’: Arbel Yehoud’s family awaits her release

Relatives of Arbel Yehoud say they are “living through complex, emotional, and nerve-wracking days” as they await her release from captivity in Gaza, where she is believed to be held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Israel announced last night that Yehoud, a civilian, will be released later this week, along with two other hostages, after Hamas failed to release her on Saturday in what Jerusalem said was a violation of the truce deal. The announcement came after a day of intense negotiations with mediating parties.
“We yearn for the moment when we can embrace our Arbel again, and desperately pray for the return of all the hostages,” her family says in a brief statement released via the Hostages Families Forum.
PM accuses prosecution of ‘driving the country mad’ with ‘nonsense’ charges against him

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu begins his seventh day of testimony in his criminal trial, nearly a month since he last appeared in the Tel Aviv District Court.
The witness stand has been removed in favor of a table to allow Netanyahu to sit for the entire duration of his testimony, owing to what his defense attorney has said are medical recommendations not to exert himself for an extended period of time.
Netanyahu responds to questions from his defense attorney Amit Hadad about what the lawyer says were former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin’s frequent contacts with the media designed to change the media discourse about his policies.
The prime minister launches into a lengthy diatribe against the prosecution and the charges against him, insisting that it is natural for a prime minister to try and influence the media.
He says the charges against him that he had an illicit quid pro quo agreement with Walla news website owner Shaul Elovitch and that Walla gave him “special treatment” are unfounded, and at the same time, not a criminal violation.
“What is special treatment? I’ve been here for eight years. They’ve taken part of my life,” storms Netanyahu angrily, apparently in reference to the lengthy period of time since police investigations against him were initiated.
“They [the prosecution] have driven an entire country crazy over a website… What have they indicted me for, what am I sitting here for? Over nonsense,” he declares. “They invented this idea [of special treatment] so they would have something to charge me with… What is this yardstick with which they have driven an entire country mad over the course of five elections?”
Parents of slain soldier Itay Chen, whose body is held in Gaza, ask Elon Musk to advocate for hostages’ release
Ruby Chen and Hagit Chen, the parents of American-Israeli soldier Itay Chen who was killed and abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, met with Elon Musk last week and asked him to advocate for the release of the hostages from Gaza.
The couple spoke to the Tesla CEO and close ally of US President Donald Trump at the White House following a meeting with members of the US National Security Council, the Walla news site reports.
It adds that the bereaved parents urged Musk to use his influence to ensure that the hostage deal is implemented in full.
בני משפחתו של החייל החטוף איתי חן נפגשו עם המיליארדר אילון מאסק וביקשו ממנו לפעול ולתמוך באופן אישי עד לשחרור כלל החטופים. הפרטים בכתבה שלי ב-@WallaNewshttps://t.co/UAVRvREyqC pic.twitter.com/5FhtDh3mv2
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) January 26, 2025
Netanyahu returns to court to testify in criminal trial after weeks away due to prostate surgery

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the Tel Aviv District Court to testify in his criminal trial for the first time in almost a month, after he underwent prostate removal surgery in late December.
The court postponed Netanyahu’s testimony for two weeks following the surgery, and then for an additional week after his attorney Amit Hadad cited “postoperative medical developments.”
The court rejected a further request from Hadad to reduce the number of days Netanyahu is required to testify this week from three days to one, as it said it had reviewed the premier’s medical records and found no reason to do so. Instead, it reduced the number of hours that Netanyahu will be required to testify each day, and said longer breaks would be granted as needed.
Taking the stand, Netanyahu says that he regrets the court’s decision not to grant him an additional reprieve from testifying this week, and claims that he has still not fully recovered from the December 29 surgery.
“I had surgery less than a month ago. The normal recovery process is six weeks,” he tells the court. “In my case, the recovery did not go according to my doctors’ expectations and wishes, because I was dragged or swept away against my will… to deal with a flood of needs related to the release of the hostages and the events in Lebanon and elsewhere.”
“I am in the process of recovering, but I am not recovered yet,” he adds. He says he will “see how I feel at the end of the day,” and may ask the court to reconsider its decision.
Katz says Israel will ‘firmly enforce’ ceasefire in both Gaza and Lebanon
Defense Minister Israel Katz vows that Israel will “firmly enforce” the ceasefire agreements in both the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, and warns, “Anyone who breaks the rules or threatens IDF troops — will bear the full price.”
His comments come after Palestinians began returning to the north of the Gaza Strip earlier this morning, and as the US announced that the deadline for the IDF’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon has been pushed back until February 18.
“We will not allow a return to the reality of October 7,” Katz adds on X.
Report: Senior Lebanese army official leaked intelligence information to Hezbollah
A senior member of the Lebanese Armed Forces has been leaking sensitive intelligence information to Hezbollah operatives amid the tenuous ceasefire agreement with Israel, The Times newspaper reports.
Citing unnamed intelligence sources, the report alleges that Suhil Bahij Gharb, the chief of military intelligence for southern Lebanon, was passing information to Hezbollah from inside a security control room operated by US, French, and UN officials tasked with overseeing the ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed terror group.
According to the report, Gharb’s presence in the security control room was authorized after pressure from senior Hezbollah commander Wafiq Saffa, who survived an Israeli assassination attempt in October 2024.
The Times says that Gharb is not the only Lebanese military official to have leaked information to Hezbollah. Citing an “international intelligence report,” the UK news outlet asserts that dozens of officers have assisted Hezbollah, including by alerting the group to imminent raids, thereby giving operatives time to flee the area.
The Times does not say which country provided the intelligence report.
It adds that the Lebanese military did not respond to a request for comment.
‘Total surrender’: Ben Gvir slams ‘humiliating’ return of Palestinians to northern Gaza
The images emerging from Gaza of tens of thousands of Palestinians returning to the northern part of the Strip via the Netzarim Corridor are “another humiliating part” of the “reckless” hostage release-ceasefire deal, ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben Gvir declares.
“This is not what ‘total victory’ looks like — this is what total surrender looks like,” he writes on X.
The far-right politician, who resigned from the government in opposition to the hostage deal, says that “heroic IDF soldiers did not fight and give their lives in the Strip” only for Palestinians to return north.
“We must return to war — and destroy!” he declares.
פתיחת ציר נצרים הבוקר והכנסת עשרות אלפי עזתים לצפון הרצועה הם תמונות הניצחון של חמאס וחלק משפיל נוסף בעסקה המופקרת. כך לא נראה ״ניצחון מוחלט״ – כך נראית כניעה מוחלטת.
חיילי צה"ל הגיבורים לא נלחמו ומסרו נפשם ברצועה כדי לאפשר את התמונות האלה.
חייבים לחזור למלחמה – ולהשמיד!
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) January 27, 2025
IDF to test sirens in Tel Katzir, Efrat later today
The military says it will carry out a test of rocket sirens in two areas today.
Sirens will sound at 1:05 p.m. in Tel Katzir, in northern Israel, and at 5:05 p.m. in Efrat, in the West Bank.
In the case of an actual attack, the sirens will sound twice, according to the IDF.
Hamas official confirms Palestinians have begun returning to northern Gaza via Netzarim Corridor
The Hamas-run interior ministry in the Gaza Strip confirms to AFP that displaced Palestinians have begun returning to northern Gaza, after the breakthrough in negotiations with Israel last night.
“The passage of displaced Palestinians has begun along the Al-Rashid Road via the western part of the Netzarim checkpoint towards Gaza City and the northern part” of the Gaza Strip, the official says.
Senior Hamas official says group could step away from governing post-war Gaza, willing to enter talks with US on issue

Senior Hamas politburo official Moussa Abu Marzouk tells the Saudi Al Arabiya news outlet that the terror group is not necessarily seeking to govern the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the war it started with Israel on October 7, 2023.
He says that Hamas understands that, going forward, the governing body in the Strip will require both regional and international backing, including the support of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Last month, Hamas and the PA’s Fatah party agreed to create a committee to jointly administer postwar Gaza.
A draft proposal of the plan acquired by AFP showed that the committee would be comprised of 10-15 nonpartisan figures with authority on matters related to the economy, education, health, humanitarian aid and reconstruction.
It is unlikely that Israel would agree to the deal, as it has rejected any role for Hamas in Gaza, and has said it does not trust Abbas’s PA to run the enclave.
Dismissing Jerusalem’s say in the matter, Abu Marzouk tells Al Arabiya that Hamas leadership is “open to dialogue with all parties besides Israel” when it comes to formulating a plan for future control of the Gaza Strip.
He says that the group would be willing to negotiate the makeup of the Strip’s government with the US, as it believes that President Donald Trump “is a serious president” in light of the ceasefire and hostage release deal that he and his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff helped finalize.
He nevertheless criticizes Trump for recent comments suggesting that the enclave should be cleared out and its population sent to Jordan and Egypt.
“No Palestinian or Arab will accept Trump’s idea of displacement,” he warns. “it will not succeed.”
Footage shows masses of Gazans starting to move toward Strip’s north
Thousands of Palestinians have started making their way northward on Gaza’s Rasheed Street to return to the Strip’s north, footage published by Palestinian social media accounts shows.
The IDF has said it will allow Gazans to start moving into the Netzarim Corridor starting at 7 a.m.
بدء تحرك النازحين على شارع الرشيد من أجل العودة إلى شمال قطاع غزة pic.twitter.com/QD1E4kEcJb
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) January 27, 2025
زحف بشري.. عبور آلاف النازحين وادي غزة على شارع الرشيد باتجاه مدينة غزة pic.twitter.com/hBeZssa4tH
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) January 27, 2025
Palestinian media says IDF has started to pull out of western part of Netzarim Corridor
Palestinian media outlets report that the IDF has started to pull out of part of the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, ahead of the reopening of the area to displaced Palestinians returning to the Strip’s north.
The reports say the army is evacuating the western part of the Netzarim Corridor, which bisects Gaza and separates its north from its south.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF.
According to the truce deal, the IDF is meant at this stage to “completely withdraw” eastward from Rasheed Street on the coast, and to dismantle all military sites and installations in the area.
Tens of thousands of Gazans massed yesterday on Rasheed Street, but the IDF didn’t open the area as planned and warned residents not to near, accusing Hamas of violating the ceasefire deal. Now that the disagreements have been resolved, the return northward is set to begin in under 30 minutes.
Hamas confirms it will free 6 hostages this week, including Arbel Yehoud
The Hamas terror group confirms that it will release Arbel Yehoud and two other hostages “before Friday,” and that this is in addition to three hostages being set free on Saturday.
This confirms Israel’s version of the agreements, according to which Yehoud, soldier Agam Berger and another captive will be released on Thursday in addition to three others on Saturday.
Hamas also says displaced residents of northern Gaza will be allowed to return to their homes this morning. The IDF has said the process will begin at 7 a.m.
Mom of freed hostage: Family never believed Hamas ‘mind game’ as if she was killed

At a press conference yesterday by relatives of the four IDF soldiers released on Saturday, the mother of returned captive Daniella Gilboa indicated that the family had never believed a Hamas statement that had made it seem like she had been killed in captivity.
During her speech at Rabin Medical Center, Orly Gilboa thanked the Israeli public and world Jewry for supporting and standing with the family “also when it seemed like the worst had happened to her” — referring to a Hamas statement and image published in November.
“You believed with us that Daniella was okay, that it was just a cruel mind game Hamas was playing on us,” she said.
At the time, a spokesman for Hamas’s military wing claimed that “one of the enemy’s female prisoners was killed in an area that is under Zionist aggression in the northern Gaza Strip.” Alongside the statement, Hamas published a blurred picture of a body it claimed belonged to the slain hostage. While it did not identify the woman, the image quickly led to speculation it could be Daniella Gilboa since it featured a tattoo identical to one she had.
The IDF said at the time that it was “unable to verify or refute” the Hamas claim, which has been proven false.
Trump speaks with Bahraini king about efforts to bolster Abraham Accords
US President Donald Trump has spoken on the phone with Bahrain’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, the White House says.
“King Hamad congratulated President Trump on his inauguration and the two leaders discussed their support for regional peace and security, including building upon their work to promote peace through the Abraham Accords,” the redout says, referring to the normalization agreements signed at the end of Trump’s first term that established Bahrain’s and other Arab countries’ relations with Israel.
Responding to Trump, Egypt and Arab League reject forced displacement of Palestinians

Egypt rejects the idea of forced displacement of Palestinians, after US President Donald Trump suggested a plan to “clean out” the Gaza Strip and move its population to Egypt and Jordan.
Cairo’s foreign ministry in a statement expresses Egypt’s “continued support for the steadfastness of the Palestinian people on their land.”
It rejects “any infringement on those inalienable rights, whether by settlement or annexation of land, or by the depopulation of that land of its people through displacement, encouraged transfer or the uprooting of Palestinians from their land, whether temporarily or long-term.”
After 15 months of war, Trump has said Gaza has become a “demolition site” and he would “like Egypt to take people, and I’d like Jordan to take people.”
Moving Gaza’s inhabitants could be done “temporarily or could be long term,” he said.
The Arab League echoes Cairo’s statements, saying that “the forced displacement and eviction of people from their land can only be called ethnic cleansing.
“Attempts to uproot the Palestinian people from their land, whether by displacement, annexation or settlement expansion, have been proven to fail in the past,” the regional bloc says in a statement.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, with whom Trump said he would speak on Sunday, has repeatedly warned that said displacement would aim to “eradicate the cause for Palestinian statehood.”
Sissi has described the prospect as a “red line” that would threaten Egypt’s national security.
The Egyptian foreign ministry urges the implementation of the “two-state solution,” which Cairo has said would become impossible if Palestinians are removed from their territories.
Hegseth tells Netanyahu US commited to ensuring Israel has the capabilities to defend itself
The US Department of Defense issues its own readout of new Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s introductory call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating that Hegseth stressed that Washington is fully committed to ensuring Israel “has the capabilities it needs to defend itself.”
“Both leaders discussed the importance of advancing mutual security interests and priorities, especially in the face of persistent threats,” the statement reads, hailing the “unbreakable bond” between the US and Israel.
‘Wonderful’: Trump envoy praises Israel for resolving truce snags in Gaza, Lebanon
US President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff describes as “wonderful” the recently reached agreement between Israel and Hamas regarding the upcoming hostage releases and the return of Gazans to the Strip’s north.
“I talked to the president about it and he was thrilled about it,” Witkoff tells reporters, hailing the role of Qatar and Israel in the talks.
“It’s a good day for the hostages,” he says. According to the agreement, six hostages will be freed this week — three on Thursday, including Arbel Yehoud and Agam Berger, and three more on Saturday.
Witkoff says he was moved to tears by this past Saturday’s release of four IDF soldiers from Hamas captivity, saying that him losing his own son helped him identify with the families waiting to receive their daughters back.
“This week will be another moment like that. It felt solemn but very worthy,” he says.
Regarding the extension of the ceasefire in Lebanon until February 18, Witkoff says: “We announced the deal today. The Israeli government was great, they’re a great partner of the United States, they’re a principled ally for us, and they’ve done pretty good work over in Lebanon.”
He says that if today is any indication of the sides’ ability to overcome “blips,” there is reason to be positive about the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire holding further.
President Trump's special envoy to the Middle east Steve Witkoff in New York addresses the resolved hostage crisis and the ceasefire in Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/vhcW2S8RWt
— Iris (@streetwize) January 26, 2025
IDF says Gazans can start returning to northern Strip at 7 a.m., issues series of warnings

The IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson tweets instructions to Gazan civilians planning to return to the Strip’s north in the morning via the Netzarim Corridor, after a late-night Israeli announcement that the long-awaited move is set to go ahead.
Residents will be allowed to return northward on foot via the Netzarim Road and Rashid Street on the coast starting at 7 a.m. on Monday, Avichay Adraee says.
Vehicles will be allowed to pass through Salah a-Din Street in the east, after a security inspection, starting at 9 a.m.
Adraee also issues a series of warning to Gazans, including not to transport terror operatives or weapons to northern Gaza; not to approach IDF positions and troops in Gaza or Israeli territory; not to near the Rafah Crossing and Philadelphi Corridor area in southern Gaza; and not to swim, dive or fish in the Mediterranean Sea in the coming days.
#عاجل ???? إعلان عاجل الى سكان قطاع غزة بناء على الاتفاق الذي تم التوصل اليه برعاية الوسطاء حيث ستدخل التعليمات التالية حيز التنفيذ:
⭕️سيسمح بعودة السكان مشيًا على الأقدام الى شمال قطاع غزة عبر طريق نتساريم ومن خلال شارع الرشيد (طريق البحر) اعتبارًا من الساعة 07:00 صباحًا… pic.twitter.com/ICaqMzGGSk
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) January 26, 2025
Lebanon confirms adhering to truce deal with Israel until Feb. 18
Lebanon confirms it will continue to adhere to the ceasefire agreement with Israel until February 18, Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati says in a statement.
PMO: Arbel Yehoud, Agam Berger and 3rd hostage to be freed Thursday; Hamas sent how many 1st phase captives are alive

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirms reaching a deal with Hamas over a dispute on hostage releases, saying that civilian Arbel Yehoud, soldier Agam Berger and a third unnamed hostage will be released on Thursday.
In addition, three more hostages will be freed on Saturday as scheduled.
Israel also says that it has received from Hamas a document regarding whether or not the remaining hostages slated for release in the first stage of the ceasefire deal are still alive.
In return, the IDF will allow the passage of Gazans to the northern part of the Strip beginning tomorrow morning, the PMO says.
Netanyahu’s office says Israel reached an agreement with Hamas after “strong and determined negotiations,” and reiterates that it will “not tolerate any violation of the agreement.”
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