Jan. 30: IDF says Hamas commander captured after attempting to flee south Gaza tunnel

US journalist Don Lemon charged with civil rights crimes over Minnesota protest

US journalist Don Lemon is being charged with federal civil rights crimes, the Trump administration says, after he and other reporters covered a protest against immigration raids at a church in Minnesota.

Lemon, who was arrested late Thursday, faces two charges of conspiracy to deprive rights and interfering with First Amendment rights, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson tells AFP, referencing the constitutional protection for freedom of expression, including religion.

Anti-Zionist protesters disrupted Israel critic Ezra Klein with genocide accusations, video shows

Anti-Israel protesters disrupted an event on Wednesday with the Jewish New York Times journalist Ezra Klein, calling him a Nazi and a genocide supporter.

The protest stands out because Klein is a critic of Israel who has hosted anti-Israel speakers on his show, such as the Columbia University protest leader, Mahmoud Khalil.

Klein spoke at Sarah Lawrence College on Wednesday for an event called “Building Bridges” focused on “how we can collectively move beyond polarization toward shared solutions.”

Video shared with The Times of Israel shows protesters interrupting Klein’s event, holding a sign that says “Nazi normalizer.”

“Why do you think I deny what’s going on in Gaza? I think it’s destruction, apartheid, subjugation,” Klein says.

Anti-Israel protesters disrupt Ezra Klein event at Sarah Lawrence College, accuse him of 'genocide,' refuse any dialogue. Video sent to me by an attendee pic.twitter.com/ucp0bDNGj3

— Luke Tress (@luketress) January 30, 2026

“Buddy, talk to me. Turn around. I am right here,” he says, as a protester shouts at the audience with his back toward Klein, accusing Klein of backing “genocidal ideology.”

The protester refuses to engage, shouting, “Ezra Klein, you’re a liar, you set Palestine on fire.”

“I don’t think you know what I think,” Klein responds.

“I know exactly what you think,” the protester claims.

“Then why don’t you want to talk to me about it?” Klein says.

“You like genocide,” the protester shouts.

Outside the event, several dozen activists chanted against Klein and the college while beating a drum, according to video shared with The Times of Israel.

“Sarah Lawrence, we know you, you invite fascists too,” they chant.

Weighing in on the scene, actor and Jewish advocate Jonah Platt argues, “The ‘genocide’ libel is patently false, but even if it wasn’t, Ezra Klein, a random Jewish journalist, has literally nothing to do with what happens abroad and is actually very far to the Left on Israel. The mob STILL comes for him. Anti-zionism is an anti-Jew hate movement, period.”

The campus branch of Students for Justice in Palestine had opposed Klein’s event, calling him a “genocide denier and liberal Zionist mouthpiece” and a “fascist-normalizing ruling class darling.”

The group posted an image of graffiti earlier this week branding Klein a “Zionist pig.”

Students for Justice in Palestine at Sarah Lawrence College posts photo of graffiti calling Ezra Klein a “genocide denier” and a “Zionist pig” ahead of a talk he’s giving on the campus, despite his critical stance toward Israel pic.twitter.com/0TvgT4hpeY

— Luke Tress (@luketress) January 28, 2026

The group posted on Instagram yesterday, saying the college president had sent out an email saying the protesters were being investigated, and claiming the protest was necessary “given Klein’s career as an apologist of white supremacist views and an accessory to genocidal state violence.”

The statement did not share any specifics about Klein’s past statements.

The group is listed as a recognized student club on the college’s website.

In 2024, the student group also protested another left-leaning Jewish journalist, Jodi Rudoren, then the editor-in-chief of The Forward. The activists called the Jewish newspaper a “hotspot for dangerous Zionist propaganda.”

Putin receives top Iranian security chief Larijani

Russian President Vladimir Putin met on Friday with the head of Iran’s top security body, Ali Larijani, who was on a previously unannounced visit to Moscow amid tensions with the United States, the Kremlin says.

“The head of state received in the Kremlin the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ali Larijani, who is visiting Russia,” the Kremlin says in a statement on its website.

‘Schitt’s Creek’ star Catherine O’Hara dead — reports

Catherine O'Hara, a cast member in the Apple+ series 'The Studio,' poses for a portrait on Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Emmy-winning actress Catherine O’Hara, who starred in “Schitt’s Creek” and “Home Alone,” has died at the age of 71, US media reported Friday.

The Canadian performer also starred in “Beetlejuice” and Apple TV’s Hollywood satire show “The Studio.”

No details were given on the cause of her death.

PM will likely have to be questioned in probe into alleged misconduct by top aide — report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) speaks with then-cabinet secretary Tzachi Braverman during the weekly government meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, June 17, 2018. (Marc Israel Sellem/POOL)

Channel 12 cites a law enforcement official who says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will likely have to be questioned as part of the police’s investigation into alleged illicit conduct by his chief of staff Tzachi Braverman.

The probe is looking into an alleged overnight meeting Braverman set up in the parking lot of the IDF’s military headquarters.

During the meeting, the chief of staff allegedly told former fellow top aide Eli Feldstein that he was aware of what should have been a secret IDF investigation into the leak of classified intelligence and that he had the power to quash it if he wanted.

IDF says its south Lebanon airstrikes targeted Hezbollah infrastructure, heavy machinery

The IDF says its wave of airstrikes in southern Lebanon this evening targeted Hezbollah infrastructure and heavy machinery.

The engineering equipment was used by Hezbollah to restore its infrastructure in the Mazraat al-Daoudiyeh area, the military says.

“The presence of these infrastructure sites and the engineering vehicles in the area, as well as Hezbollah’s use of them for rebuilding terror infrastructure sites in Lebanon, constitute a violation of the ceasefire understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF adds.

Trump says he’s given Iran deadline to accept deal before potential strike

US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US President Donald Trump says he has given Iran a deadline to make a deal, as Washington moves significant military assets to the region ahead of a potential strike on the Islamic Republic.

Asked by reporters in the Oval Office if he’s given a deadline to Iran before a potential strike, Trump confirms that he has communicated one directly to Tehran, adding, “Only they know for sure.”

He doesn’t reveal the timing of that deadline.

Asked if there’s a timeline for when the US forces in the region might pull back, Trump is noncommittal. “They have to float someplace. They might as well float near Iran.”

Reporter:
Is Iran giving any deadline for reaching a deal?

Trump:
Only they know for sure. pic.twitter.com/6uOGziaK1m

— MOSCOW NEWS ???????? (@MOSCOW_EN) January 30, 2026

He reiterates his “appreciation” over the regime’s purported calling off of over 800 executions of anti-government protesters — something Tehran has not confirmed it was planning to do.

Trump had threatened to strike the regime if it killed protesters, something it is widely reported to have done to the tune of thousands.

“We have a large armada flotilla heading toward Iran right now,” Trump reiterates.

“Hopefully, we’ll make a deal. If we do make a deal, that’s good. If we don’t make a deal, we’ll see what happens,” Trump says.

The US has said a deal with Iran will have to include a ban on uranium enrichment in Iran, the removal of already-enriched uranium from Iran, a cap on Iran’s stockpile of long-range missiles and a rollback of Iran’s support for proxies in the region — all terms that Tehran has said it will not accept.

Hamas commander captured after attempting to flee south Gaza tunnel — IDF

A commander in Hamas’s East Rafah Battalion was captured after attempting to flee from a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, the military says.

According to the IDF, the Hamas commander was among eight terror operatives who emerged from a tunnel overnight and were targeted in airstrikes.

Earlier, the IDF said that at least three of the operatives were killed in an airstrike.

“After scans by the troops in the area, one of the terrorists was arrested while trying to flee and hide,” the IDF says, adding that he is a “key commander” in Hamas’s East Rafah Battalion.

However, footage posted online purports to show that the Hamas commander was actually captured by members of the anti-Hamas Abu Shabab militia, which is based in the Rafah area. He was then reportedly handed over to the military.

The military says troops are continuing to scan the area for the other gunmen to “locate and eliminate” them.

IDF says it’s launching wave of strikes against Hezbollah in south Lebanon

The IDF says it has launched a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.

No further details are immediately given by the military.

US Justice Dept. to release new batch of Epstein files

This undated photo released by the US Department of Justice shows Jeffrey Epstein. (US Department of Justice via AP)

The US Justice Department announces it is releasing more than three million pages from the Jeffrey Epstein files along with photos and videos, adding fuel to a political drama putting pressure on US President Donald Trump.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche says all images of women were redacted from the documents being released aside from those of Ghislaine Maxwell, the accomplice of the convicted sex offender.

The latest release is expected to contain previously unseen material from the investigation into Epstein, a wealthy US financier who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking underage girls.

Previous releases have shed light on Epstein’s ties to leading business executives, celebrities, academics and politicians, including Trump and former president Bill Clinton.

Perhaps the most significant documents published so far are two FBI emails from July 2019 which mention 10 “co-conspirators” of Epstein.

Only one person — Epstein’s former girlfriend Maxwell — has ever been charged in connection with his crimes and the names of the alleged “co-conspirators” are redacted from the emails.

Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting underage girls for Epstein, whose death was ruled a suicide.

Syrian army declares ISIS-linked camp ‘closed security zone’

Children and women, relatives of suspected Islamic State jihadists, are seen inside Al-Hol camp in the desert region of Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province on January 21, 2026. (OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)

Syria’s army announced Friday that a camp housing suspected relatives of Islamic State group fighters was closed to the public, a measure a military source says was meant to bolster security around the facility.

Earlier this month, the army entered the vast Al-Hol camp after the withdrawal of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

In a statement, it says the area was a “closed security zone.”

Located in a desert region of Hasakeh province, Al-Hol is the largest camp for suspected ISIS relatives and is home to some 24,000 people, mostly women and children, including 6,200 foreigners.

A military source tells AFP the army’s measure aimed to control security around the camp and maintain order within it.

Some camp residents fled during the “security vacuum” between when the SDF withdrew and the army took control, two former employees of organisations working at the site told AFP last week.

In recent days, new reports emerged of attempts to flee the camp.

In the latest issue of its official al-Naba publication — translated by the SITE monitoring group — ISIS called on supporters to free women held captive in Al-Hol.

In 2014, ISIS swept across Syria and Iraq, committing massacres and forcing women and girls into sexual slavery, but backed by a US-led coalition, the Kurdish-led SDF ultimately defeated the jihadists in Syria five years later.

The SDF went on to jail thousands of suspected jihadists and detain tens of thousands of their relatives in camps.

When the Syrian army took control of the camp, most humanitarian organizations withdrew, and aid has only been trickling in since.

The Save the Children charity warns that the humanitarian situation in the camp is “rapidly deteriorating as food, water and medicines run dangerously low.”

After Syrian government forces advanced against Kurdish forces, Washington said it would transfer 7,000 ISIS suspects, previously held by Syrian Kurdish fighters, to Iraq.

The transfer is still underway.

US imposes sanctions on Iran’s interior minister, businessman

The United States has imposed sanctions on Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and a businessman it says helped launder money for Tehran, as US President Donald Trump’s administration ramps up pressure on the Islamic Republic.

The Department of the Treasury, announcing the move, says Momeni was responsible for a brutal security crackdown in Iran this month as he oversees law enforcement forces it said were responsible for the deaths of thousands of peaceful protesters.

Trump has in recent weeks issued threats to intervene in Iran over the bloody suppression of the protests and has sent warships to the Middle East, even as he has said he plans to talk with the government there.

The financial sanctions on Friday also targeted five other Iranian security officials involved in “violently repressing the Iranian people,” the Treasury says in a statement.

Sanctions are also issued against investor Babak Zanjani and two digital asset exchanges registered in Britain that the Treasury said had processed funds linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the US would continue to target Iranian elites and their networks, who he says exploit digital assets to evade sanctions and finance cybercriminal operations.

“Like rats on a sinking ship, the regime is frantically wiring funds stolen from Iranian families to banks and financial institutions around the world. Rest assured, Treasury will act,” Bessent says in the statement.

IDF says it foiled attempt to smuggle 3 rifles into Israel from Egypt

An attempt to smuggle three assault rifles into Israel from Egypt using a drone was foiled earlier today, the military says.

The IDF says the drone was identified crossing the border by soldiers monitoring surveillance cameras and the Israeli Air Force’s air traffic control array.

Troops of the Paran Regional Brigade then downed the drone, which was found to be ferrying three assault rifles, the military says.

The weapons were handed over to the police for further investigation, the IDF adds.

כוחות צה״ל סיכלו ניסיון הברחה של שלושה נשקים מסוג M16 בגבול המערבי

תצפיות צה"ל ומערך הבקרה האווירית זיהו מוקדם יותר היום, רחפן שחצה ממערב לשטח מדינת ישראל בניסיון להבריח אמצעי לחימה.

לאחר הזיהוי, כוחות מחטיבת פארן יירטו ואיתרו את הרחפן שנשא שלושה נשקים מסוג M16.

הנשקים שאותרו… pic.twitter.com/Z6YWRjgNMo

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) January 30, 2026

IDF says its south Lebanon strike killed Hezbollah operative trying to restore group’s infrastructure

The IDF says its airstrike in the southern Lebanese town of Seddiqine earlier today killed a Hezbollah operative involved in attempts to restore the terror group’s infrastructure.

The operative’s activities constituted a violation of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, the military adds.

The IDF issues footage of the strike.

צה"ל חיסל מחבל מארגון הטרור חיזבאללה שפעל לשיקום תשתיות צבאיות בדרום לבנון

צה"ל תקף מוקדם יותר היום (ו'), וחיסל מחבל שעסק בניסיון שיקום תשתיות צבאיות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב צדיקין שבדרום לבנון.

פעולותיו של המחבל היוו הפרה של ההבנות בין ישראל ללבנון.

צה"ל ימשיך לפעול על… pic.twitter.com/hudnN5TloS

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) January 30, 2026

Senior Iranian official said to reject US ultimatums on its nuclear and missile programs

A senior Iranian official reportedly says the Islamic Republic will not agree to US demands that it halt uranium enrichment on its soil or curb its ballistic missile program.

The US has said those two demands, along with the removal of the existing stockpile of enriched uranium and the cessation of Iran’s support for regional proxies, are what it expects Tehran to accept, indicating anything less will lead to an American strike.

Iran says it is open to negotiation with the US, but the senior Iranian official tells the Al-Monitor news site, “We do not want to enter into any kind of negotiation that is doomed to failure and can then be used as another pretext for another war.”

The official says that Tehran won’t accept American ultimatums regarding its nuclear and missile programs.

Tehran will not “negotiate anything related to our conventional arms, including missiles. This is something we cannot risk.”

As for the nuclear enrichment issue, the official says Tehran would “welcome negotiations that ensure Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear activity.”

If the US strikes, Iran will have “no option but to ensure that everything at its disposal can be used to push back,” the official says.

Spanish police arrest Chinese hair salon owner accused of financing Hamas

Spanish police have detained a 38-year-old Chinese national who owned a hair salon near Barcelona on suspicion of financing the Hamas terror group through about 600,000 euros ($714,960) in cryptocurrency transfers, regional police say.

Investigators traced at least 31 crypto transactions from virtual wallets controlled by the suspect to addresses that are suspected of being linked to an entity used by Hamas.

Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the 27-member European Union and other Western nations.

Police decline to comment on the suspect’s possible motives and on whether he had interacted knowingly with Hamas or was just an intermediary, citing the sensitivity of the investigation.

During searches of the suspect’s hair salon and home, officers seized crypto-assets, cash, some 9,000 cigars, jewelry, computers and mobile phones, the police said.

They also froze several bank accounts, with the total value of seized and blocked assets exceeding 370,000 euros.

Their investigation began last June during a separate probe into fraud and money laundering, police say.

Authorities have warned in recent years that militant groups are using cryptocurrencies to move funds across borders, complicating efforts to track and disrupt terrorism financing.

US Congress scrambles to prevent partial shutdown before Friday night deadline

Senate leaders are scrambling to save a bipartisan spending deal and avert a partial government shutdown at midnight Friday. Democrats have demanded new restrictions on federal immigration raids across the country.

Democrats struck a rare deal with President Donald Trump on Thursday to separate funding for the Homeland Security Department from a broad government spending bill and fund it for two weeks while Congress debates curbs on the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

The deal came as irate Democrats had vowed to vote against the entire spending bill and trigger a shutdown in the wake of the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said late Thursday there were “snags on both sides” as he and Democratic leader Chuck Schumer tried to work through any objections that could delay passage past the Friday deadline.

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon arrested over Minneapolis protests: lawyer

Don Lemon attends the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Awards Gala at the New York Hilton Midtown, December 6, 2022, in New York. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon, now an independent journalist, has been arrested over coverage of protests in Minneapolis, where demonstrations have raged against the US-wide immigration crackdown, his lawyer says.

“Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles,” his lawyer says in a statement. “His constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different from what he has always done.”

Lemon is being held on charges that he violated federal law during a protest at a church in a case rejected last week by a magistrate judge, the New York Times reports.

Turkey said to deploy F-16 jets in Somalia

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan listens as Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud speaks during a joint news conference in Istanbul, Turkey, December 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Turkey has deployed F-16 fighter jets to Somalia, officials tell AFP, as Ankara seeks to expand its military footprint in the Horn of Africa.

Ankara is a key ally of Somalia, providing extensive military and economic support to the country, which has been ravaged by civil war since the early 1990s.

“Turkey has deployed F-16 jets in Somalia,” a government official tells AFP, without giving further details.

A second official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, says the aircraft will be operated by the Turkish contingent stationed in Somalia.

“This is for our own security,” the source said, stressing that the jets would not be flown by Somali personnel.

Turkey opened its largest overseas military base in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in 2017.

Ankara maintains a task force and an air component command there “to contribute to the development of Somalia’s counter-terrorism capacity through military assistance, training and advisory activities,” according to the Turkish defense ministry.

The deployment follows Turkey’s condemnation of Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, a self-proclaimed republic, calling it “overt interference in Somalia’s domestic affairs.”

Starmer says UK working with allies to block Iran’s nuclear ambitions

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the UK is working with allies to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons when asked whether he would support possible US strikes on Iran.

“The goal, or the aim, here is that Iran shouldn’t be able to develop nuclear weapons and that is hugely important,” Starmer tells BBC News.

Asked whether his comments suggested he could support any US strikes, he says: “I am saying we support the goal and we are talking to allies about how we get to that goal.”

He also criticized Iran’s treatment of protesters, saying the killing and repression of demonstrators was “grotesque” after an Iranian official confirmed at least 5,000 people had been killed in nationwide protests.

MSF walks back plan to share Gaza staff details, saying Israel refused to provide safety assurances

A Palestinian woman arrives with a child at the Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) clinic, in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2025. (Omar AL-Qattaa/AFP)

Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières says it will not submit lists of staff demanded by Israel to maintain access to Gaza and the West Bank, saying it had not been able to obtain assurances over the safety of its teams.

Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, which supports and helps staff hospitals in Gaza, is one of 37 international organizations that Israel ordered this month to stop work in the Palestinian territories unless they meet new rules, including providing employee details.

The aid groups say sharing such staff information could pose a safety risk, pointing to the hundreds of aid workers who were killed or injured during the two-year Gaza war.

Israel’s Diaspora Ministry, which manages the registration process, does not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel has previously said the registrations were meant to prevent diversions of aid by Palestinian armed groups. Aid agencies dispute that substantial aid has been diverted.

ארגון רופאים ללא גבולות חזר בו והודיע כי לא ישתף עם ישראל את רשימת העובדים הפלסטינים שלו. לטענתם לאחר שישראל לא סיפקה ערבויות שהמידע לא יסכן את העובדים. המשמעות היא שהארגון, שהוא אחד מהארגונים הרפואיים הגדולים שפועלים בעזה ובגדה יגורש וכל המרפאות שלו (ראו מפה) יסגרו. pic.twitter.com/01NQUVJ2sZ

— نير حسون Nir Hasson ניר חסון (@nirhasson) January 30, 2026

MSF had said last week it would be prepared to share a partial list of Palestinian and international staff who had agreed to release that information, provided the list be used only for administrative purposes and not put its team at risk. It also said it wanted to retain control over the management of medical humanitarian supplies.

Israel has accused MSF of having two employees who held membership in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas terror groups. The group has denied the allegations, saying it would “never knowingly employ anyone involved in military activities.”

“However, despite repeated efforts, it became evident in recent days that we were unable to build engagement with Israeli authorities on the concrete assurances required,” MSF says in a statement.

It says there could be a devastating impact on humanitarian services if it is banned from operating in Gaza and the West Bank, amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

UN chief warns global body at risk of ‘imminent financial collapse’

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speak during a high-level United Nations General Assembly meeting to mark the United Nations' 80th anniversary at the UN headquarters in New York City on September 22, 2025. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)

The UN chief has told states that the organization is at risk of “imminent financial collapse,” citing unpaid fees and a budget rule that forces the global body to return unspent money, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

“The crisis is deepening, threatening programme delivery and risking financial collapse. And the situation will deteriorate further in the near future,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote in a letter to member states dated January 28.

A UN spokesperson does not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Former hostage Omri Miran pleads to maintain the unity brought by the return of Ran Gvili’s body

Former hostages Omri Miran (center) and Matan Angrest (right) attend the final Kabbalat Shabbat service at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, marking the first Shabbat since 2014 without any hostages in Gaza, on January 30, 2026. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

Released hostage Omri Miran, speaking at the final Kabbalat Shabbat service held at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, recalls the moment when he heard that the final slain captive, Ran Gvili, had been brought back from Gaza earlier this week.

“Rani is back, and suddenly we can breathe a little more again,” says Miran, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nahal Oz in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack and released in October 2025, more than two years later. “Suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt a deeper exhalation and a much, much, much deeper inhalation. It was an amazing experience, the power of which surprised me.”

Miran expresses trepidation over whether Israelis can maintain the unity they felt when Gvili’s body returned to Israel, marking the end of the hostages’ long ordeal.

“I’m proud but also have fear of what the day after will bring, or, more accurately, the day that is already here,” he says. “This week, a whole nation held its breath. A whole nation cried from strong feelings, from sadness, and from relief. A whole nation was, for a few moments, back together, really together. And today, especially today, I want to remind all of us that also to rise up and rehabilitate, we need to be together.”

Miran gives thanks to the soldiers of the IDF, security personnel and bereaved families. He also thanks Hostages Square itself, one of a few speakers at the Kabbalat Shabbat service to wonder aloud about what will become of the square in front of the Tel Aviv Art Museum that for more than two years has served as Israel’s central space dedicated to the captives and their families. Miran calls it a “second home.”

Miran’s father, Dani, also speaks and makes a public request for the name of the plaza to remain “Hostages Square” despite all the captives having returned home. He proposes dedicating one corner of the square as a memorial to the hostages, and suggests placing a metal sculpture of a tree there where people can hang mementos to the hostages.

“I ask the whole people of Israel: We can’t stop the struggle for the things that are all important to us, the struggle for a proper country, a country that cares for all its citizens, a country where equality is a supreme value, a country where we respect one another despite differences of opinion.”

The service concludes with the singing of Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem, and the refrain from “Shir L’Shalom,” the song to peace sung by former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin shortly before he was assassinated, not far from what is now Hostages Square.

Israel retaliates in kind after South Africa declares its chargé d’affaires persona non grata

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar declare South Africa’s chargé d’affaires Shaun Edward Byneveldt persona non grata, the foreign ministry says.

The step comes in retaliation for Pretoria announcing earlier today that Israel’s chargé d’affaires Ariel Seidman was a persona non grata and had 72 hours to leave the country.

Byneveldt must likewise leave Israel within 72 hours, the foreign ministry says.

“Additional steps will be considered later,” it adds.

Mother of slain hostage Tsahi Idan urges public to hold on to value of mutual responsibility now that all are home

Dvora Idan (center), mother of slain hostage Tzachi Idan, speaks at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on January 30, 2026. (Ben Sales/The Times of Israel)

Dvora Idan, mother of slain hostage Tsahi Idan, encourages the crowd at the final Kabbalat Shabbat service at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square to hold fast to the value of mutual responsibility now that the final slain captive, Ran Gvili, has been brought back.

“We don’t leave anyone behind,” she says. “This is a value anchored in the spirit of the IDF, and now, as we are a moment after the return of the last hostage, Ran, for a respectful and worthy burial, we all saw the happiness that the value of friendship is back in its rightful place.”

She thanks those gathered and adds, “You are here, and the pain is heavy, but there is a lot of hope. With this hope, I believe we can act.”

She continues, “We can act, strengthen and build. Despite all of the arguments, the anger, the hate, there is one value that unites us, a value that everyone knows, and it is ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ It’s not just a verse in the Torah, it’s a sentence that obligates and strengthens us, our society, this nation.”

“Now our responsibility is clear: To act with determination to keep the unity, the responsibility, and the love,” she says. “This is a duty, not just a right, on behalf of everyone who is no longer with us.”

She adds, “I call on all of us: Don’t give up on our values. Take responsibility, do the work together with love and respect. Now is the time to choose a path of unity, love and hope.”

IDF: 4 armed terrorists killed in strike overnight after approaching troops in central Gaza

Four armed terror operatives who approached troops in the central Gaza Strip overnight were killed in an airstrike, the military says.

According to the IDF, troops of the Kfir Brigade stationed in the Strip’s center spotted the gunmen on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line. The operatives were approaching the forces “in a manner that posed an immediate threat,” the military says.

The Israeli Air Force then struck “and eliminated the terrorists to remove the threat,” the IDF adds.

Earlier, the IDF said another eight terror operatives who emerged from a tunnel in Rafah overnight were targeted in airstrikes, with at least three of them being killed.

Yesterday, the IDF said it carried out a strike on a Hamas operative on the Hamas side of the ceasefire line, after he was planning an attack on troops. Separately, another operative who crossed the Yellow Line yesterday was killed by troops, according to the military.

Iran says no plans to resume nuclear talks with US unless it’s on a ‘fair and equal footing’

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran has no plans in place to meet with US officials about resuming nuclear talks, insisting preparatory work is the first priority.

“No meeting plan has been set between us and the Americans. We are ready for fair and just negotiations, but preparations are needed, both in terms of the form and subject of the discussions and the venue,” he says, indicating he had discussed the matter with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan at talks in Istanbul.

“If the negotiations are fair and on an equal footing, the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to participate,” he says.

He insists that Tehran has “never sought to obtain nuclear weapons.”

Iran has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. However, it has enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities.

Israel said Iran had taken steps toward weaponization before last June’s war.

IDF: Israeli Air Force struck Hezbollah operative in Seddiqine, southern Lebanon

The Israeli Air Force struck a Hezbollah operative in the southern Lebanese town of Seddiqine a short while ago, the military says.

No further details are immediately given by the IDF.

Ran Gvili’s friends represent his family at final Hostages Square Kabbalat Shabbat service

People gather at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv for the final Kabbalat Shabbat service, which marks the first Shabbat since 2014 without any hostages in Gaza, on January 30, 2026. (Idit Avishay/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Ayelet Sela Youngerman, a representative of the Kibbutz Movement that has organized the Kabbalat Shabbat services at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, opens the last such service by saying that today, the feeling in the square is different following the return of the final slain hostage, Ran Gvili, this week.

“For several weeks I’ve stood here and started the Kabbalat Shabbat with the obligatory sentence, ‘Until the last hostage is not just a slogan,'” she says. “Now in the square, in your merit, today we can say we kept our promise: Rani is back and there are no more hostages.”

Gvili’s family is not at the service as they are observing the seven-day Shiva mourning period for him. Three of his friends, who do not state their full names, are representing the family at the service, and thank the hundreds who have gathered, on behalf of the family.

“You let them feel that Rani is really everyone’s son,” one of the friends says.

“This is a time of gathering, a time of mourning, a time of remembrance, to part from the brother, the son, the friend,” he says.”In the name of the family and friends, we want to say thank you to everyone who didn’t give up, who came when it was difficult to come, who reminded us again and again that we don’t leave anyone behind.”

After he speaks, the crowd begins singing songs, including “Shalom Aleichem,” a traditional song sung on Friday nights to welcome Shabbat. In keeping with the somewhat contradictory mood in the square, the song begins slowly and softly, then switches to an upbeat tempo.

South Africa declares Israel’s chargé d’affaires persona non grata

South Africa has declared Israel’s chargé d’affaires Ariel Seidman persona non grata, its foreign affairs ministry says.

Seidman is required to depart from the country within 72 hours, the ministry says in a statement on its website.

It accuses Seidman of “unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice which pose a direct challenge to South Africa’s sovereignty.”

“These violations include the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to launch insulting attacks against His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa, and a deliberate failure to inform DIRCO (South Africa’s foreign affairs ministry) of purported visits by senior Israeli officials,” the ministry says.

Israel’s diplomatic mission in Pretoria does not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Diplomatic relations between South Africa and Israel have been strained by South Africa’s genocide case over Israel’s actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.

Israel has rejected South Africa’s case as baseless.

Turkey claims Israel pressuring US into striking Iran

Turkey’s top diplomat on Friday claims Washington is being pressured by Israel to launch a military strike on Iran and urges it to resist doing so, warning it would cause “great harm” to a fragile region.

“We see that Israel is trying to persuade the US to launch a military attack on Iran… We hope the US administration will act with common sense and not allow this to happen,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan tells a joint press conference in Istanbul with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.

Ex-police chief probed on suspicion of employing Palestinian living in Israel illegally

Former Israel Police commissioner Roni Alsheich arrives to testify before the Meron Disaster Inquiry Committee, in Jerusalem, January 11, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Law enforcement is probing former police chief Roni Alsheich on suspicion of employing a Palestinian worker who resided illegally in Israel, Hebrew outlets report.

The former top cop was summoned for questioning this morning after police earlier this week arrested a Palestinian man in Givat Shmuel.

The detained Palestinian reportedly told interrogators that he had been employed in the Tel Aviv suburb at a duplex, part of which is owned by Alsheich.

Alsheich rejects the suspicion against him and denies knowing the man, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

Israel confirms Rafah Crossing will reopen Sunday in both directions

Illustrative: Palestinians stranded in Egypt cross the Rafah Border Crossing to the Gaza Strip at Rafah, Egypt, as a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect, November 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

In accordance with the ceasefire deal, Israel will reopen the Rafah Crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt for pedestrian traffic in both directions on Sunday, the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories says.

“Exit from and entry into the Gaza Strip via the Rafah Crossing will be permitted in coordination with Egypt, following prior security clearance of individuals by Israel, and under the supervision of the European Union mission, similar to the mechanism implemented in January 2025,” COGAT says in a statement.

“The return of residents from Egypt to the Gaza Strip will be permitted, in coordination with Egypt, for residents who left Gaza during the course of the war only, and only after prior security clearance by Israel,” COGAT says, adding that “in addition to initial identification and screening at the Rafah Crossing by the European Union mission, an additional screening and identification process will be conducted at a designated corridor, operated by the defense establishment in an area under IDF control.”

According to data from COGAT, some 42,000 Gazans left the Strip during the war, the vast majority of them patients seeking medical treatment abroad or dual citizens.

This week, The Times of Israel reported that all Gazan Palestinians seeking to enter or leave the Strip will be required to have Egyptian approval, and Egypt was to send the names to Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security service for clearance. Israeli officials said each name would be looked at individually, and if any top terror commanders seek to leave Gaza, they would be denied.

A team of Palestinian Authority representatives and monitors from the European Union stationed at the Rafah crossing will be tasked with conducting security screenings at the crossing for those leaving the Strip.

Israel will only supervise the exit of Gazans to Egypt remotely. From a control room, Israeli officers, using facial recognition software, will verify that those leaving the Strip are on the list of approved names, and open up a gate at the crossing to allow them through.

The entry into Gaza from Egypt will, however, include an Israeli security screening, as those Palestinians will arrive at an IDF checkpoint after crossing through the Rafah Crossing. Only afterward will they be permitted to continue toward the Hamas-controlled areas of Gaza.

Subdued but cheerful atmosphere at Hostages Square as crowd gathers for final Kabbalat Shabbat service

Attendees at the final Kabbalat Shabbat at Hostages Square enjoy cake and wine ahead of the service, which will mark the first Shabbat since 2014 without any hostages in Gaza, on January 30, 2026. (Ben Sales/The Times of Israel)

The mood is subdued but cheerful and the weather is warm and sunny as people gather ahead of the final Kabbalat Shabbat at Hostages Square hosted by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

The service welcoming Shabbat marks the first time since 2014 that there are no hostages held in the Gaza Strip. The final slain hostage, Ran Gvili, was brought back earlier this week.

Most of the installations that filled the square are gone, though not all.

Under a tent, attendees sip wine and eat cakes as a man sings “Habayta,” a song about returning home that has become an anthem for the movement to free the hostages.

Hundreds have turned out for the service.

Hamas calls for immediate reopening of Rafah Crossing

Palestinian terror group Hamas calls for Israel to reopen Gaza’s Rafah Crossing to Egypt immediately in both directions.

In a statement, the group calls for the “immediate transition to the second phase” of the US-brokered truce in Gaza, namely its provision for the reopening of Rafah, as well as the entry of a technocratic Palestinian committee to administer the territory.

Israel has said it will reopen the crossing but with restrictions and without providing a date, although it is expected to be within the coming days.

IDF: No change to public guidelines ahead of Shabbat

Amid the ongoing tensions with Iran, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin reiterates that there is no change to the military’s guidelines for the Israeli public.

“This Sabbath as well, like the previous ones, I wish to emphasize and reassure: We are on high alert and continuously monitoring developments. There is no change to the guidelines. If there is any change, we will update accordingly,” he says in a post on X.

Erdogan tells Pezeshkian Turkey is ready to help ‘de-escalate’ tensions with US

Turkey is willing to help “de-escalate” tensions between Tehran and Washington, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian in a phone call earlier today, his office said.

Erdogan “emphasized that Turkey is ready to assume a facilitating role between Iran and the United States to de-escalate the tensions and resolve the issues,” it says, noting the pair had discussed the “escalating military tensions in the region.”

The call came as Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, was in Istanbul for top-level talks on the matter.

US missile destroyer anchors at Eilat port amid tensions with Iran

A short while ago, an American missile destroyer docked at Israel’s Red Sea port city of Eilat.

According to the Israeli military, the arrival of USS Delbert D. Black was pre-planned and part of the ongoing cooperation between the IDF and the US military.

The US in recent weeks has been moving military assets to the Middle East, boosting available firepower and defensive capabilities in the region, and giving President Donald Trump the option to launch an attack on Iran against the backdrop of the regime’s killing of protesters.

American warships regularly sail in the Red Sea area, although their arrival at Eilat Port is rare.

USS Delbert D. Black https://t.co/OiB2DMqnvZ pic.twitter.com/qQQVPYMTEu

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) January 30, 2026

Kurdish-led forces say ceasefire, integration deal reached with Syrian government

The Kurdish-led Democratic Syrian Forces say they have agreed to a comprehensive ceasefire and a phased integration of military and administrative bodies into the Syrian state under a broad deal, following recent clashes.

Under the agreement, forces will withdraw from the front lines, government units will deploy to the centres of Hasakah and Qamishli, and local security forces will be merged.

Report: UK preparing to follow in EU’s footsteps, proscribe Iran’s Revolutionary Guards

Members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) march during the annual military parade marking the anniversary of the outbreak of the devastating 1980-1988 war with Saddam Hussein's Iraq, in the capital Tehran, on September 22, 2018. (Stringer/AFP)

The British government is preparing to ban Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after a deadly crackdown on mass protesters left thousands dead, The Times newspaper reports.

The report comes after the European Union agreed yesterday to include the IRGC on its list of terrorist organizations.

The British Home Office confirms to The Times that it is preparing legislation to proscribe the IRGC, and sources say it will be ready later this year.

The legislation will give police the ability to go after individuals suspected of working for the IRGC, including by allowing them to confiscate passports and stop and search people and locations believed to be a threat, the report says.

According to The Times, the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service is opposed to proscribing the IRGC, as it could harm diplomatic channels and potentially lead to the expulsion of diplomats from Iran.

It reports that the UK’s Foreign Office has urged a different approach as well, and is pushing for the government to impose sanctions on known members of the IRGC rather than going after it as a whole.

Yesterday, the EU approved visa bans and asset freezes on 21 state entities and Iranian officials — including the country’s interior minister — over the brutal repression in Iran.

Iranian authorities acknowledge that thousands were killed during the protests, giving a toll of over 3,000 people, but say the majority were members of the security forces or bystanders killed by “rioters.”

Rights groups and media reports dispute this, saying the toll is far higher and potentially in the tens of thousands, and noting that protesters were killed by security forces including the IRGC directly firing upon them.

IDF hits terror operatives who emerged from tunnel under Rafah; 3 killed, fate of other 5 unclear

The Israeli Air Force struck a group of eight terror operatives who emerged from a tunnel in eastern Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip overnight, the military says.

Eastern Rafah is an area on the Israeli side of the ceasefire line where dozens of Hamas fighters were believed to be trapped underground. The IDF had reported killing or capturing more than 30 of them in recent months.

The military says soldiers of the 414th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit spotted the eight operatives emerging from a tunnel, and the Israeli Air Force then carried out a strike against them.

Three of the operatives were killed in the strike, the IDF says, and additional strikes were carried out in areas where the other five were believed to have fled to.

Troops on the ground are searching the area for the operatives, and the results of the strikes are still being examined, the IDF says.

One in four Israeli children living below the poverty line, annual report finds

A volunteer hands out food packages to elderly people in southern Tel Aviv, November 5, 2024. (Dor Pazuelo/Flash90)

Roughly two million people, or 21 percent of the population, were living below the poverty line in Israel in 2024, according to an annual National Insurance report published this morning.

This is an increase of 0.3% from 2023, the report for which was published in December 2024.

Of the two million Israelis living below the poverty line, 880,000 are children, the National Insurance report found.

A single person who earns less than NIS 3,547 per month before taxes is considered to be living below the poverty line. The threshold for a couple to be considered as such is NIS 7,095, and for a family with three children, it rises to NIS 13,303.

With around one in four children living in poverty, Israel has the second-highest rate of child poverty among OECD countries, after Costa Rica.

Poverty levels are highest in the ultra-Orthodox and Arab sectors, with 32.8% of Haredi households and 37.6% of Arab households falling below the minimum threshold. In total, these two communities make up 65.1% of Israelis living below the poverty line.

The war in Gaza, which began months earlier with the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel, contributed to the rising poverty levels in Israel, the report found. This could be for a variety of reasons, including long stretches of reserve duty resulting in the breadwinner’s prolonged absence from work or internal displacement for families close to the Gaza and Lebanon borders.

Raids by US troops among potential military options for Iran that Trump was briefed on — NYT

US President Donald Trump has been presented with additional military options for attacking Iran, with the aim of causing further damage to the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and missile programs as well as weakening Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the New York Times reports.

Citing US officials, the newspaper says among the options being considered are potential raids by US troops on facilities within Iran, though Trump has yet to make a decision on whether to attack.

The officials say that Trump is adopting a similar approach to Iran as the one he took toward Venezuela by building up forces nearby while threatening the country’s leader to accept his demands or face military action.

Trump confirms speaking to Iran, says he plans to again; hopes US won’t have to take military action

US President Donald Trump arrives for the premiere of first lady Melania Trump's movie "Melania" at The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, January 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

US President Donald Trump reiterates his warning to Iran to negotiate or risk again experiencing America’s military wrath.

“We have a lot of very big, very powerful ships sailing to Iran right now, and it would be great if we didn’t have to use them,” Trump tells reporters, referring to the US military assets moving to the region.

Asked if he’s had any conversations with Iran in the last few days or if he’s planning to, Trump responds, “I have had and I am planning on it.”

Israeli woman extracted from Jericho by PA security forces, handed over to Israeli troops

An Israeli woman was extracted from the West Bank city of Jericho on Thursday by the Palestinian Authority’s security forces and handed over to Israeli troops, according to Israeli authorities.

The Civil Administration — a branch of the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) — says it received a report of an Israeli woman wandering around Jericho “with a real risk to her well-being.”

Like in previous cases, the Civil Administration contacted the PA security services to locate and transfer the Israeli civilian to Israeli forces.

“Upon receiving the report, officers from the Jericho District Coordination and Liaison Office acted to provide immediate protection to the Israeli woman, and simultaneously to transfer her to the security forces through the coordination channels,” the Civil Administration says.

The woman is expected to be questioned by the police over her entry to the Palestinian city, as it is illegal for Israeli citizens to enter PA-controlled territory in the West Bank.

Hostages Forum to hold its final Kabbalat Shabbat in Tel Aviv on Friday

File: Itzik Gvili calling for the return of his son, Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, whose body remains in Gaza, at a Shabbat service at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, on January 16, 2026 (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum will on Friday mark the first time since 2014 that there are no Israelis held captive in Gaza by holding its final weekly Kabbalat Shabbat gathering.

The Kibbutzim Movement, led by Kibbutz Nahal Oz, has held pre-Shabbat events at Hostages Square for 120 consecutive weeks, each one hosted by a different kibbutz. According to the Hostages Forum, hundreds of hostage families, former hostages and members of the public took part each week.

This week’s final Kabbalat Shabbat gathering will be led by Kibbutz Tzuba, and held Friday at 1 p.m. at Hostages Square.

Hostages Square, the plaza outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art that became a symbol of hope and solidarity for the former hostages, their families and the Israeli public, will undergo a commemoration process run by the Tel Aviv Municipality, according to a spokesperson, with a task force formed to examine the options regarding the name of the square and its future use.