Compilation of news reports – IAK staff
(While a “ceasefire” is ostensibly in place, Israel has continued its assault on Gaza without interruption. If Americans Knew considers the war to be ongoing, and in its 845th day.)
Israeli occupation forces killed three Palestinians in separate incidents, and one succumbed to his wounds, on Thursday.
Since the “ceasefire” began on October 11, Israel has killed at least 574 Palestinians (288 children, women, and elderly). At least 1,518 have been injured. Death toll figures are tentative.
At least 25 Palestinians in Gaza have died due to the extreme cold, including 21 children, since the start of Israel’s genocidal war in October 2023. At least 11 Palestinian children have died of extreme cold this winter.
Israel has so far violated the 11 October ceasefire deal in Gaza at least 1,520 times (as of Feb. 1, 2026). More statistics below.
GAZA NEWS & HEADLINES:
(For some basic info on the Palestine-Israel conflict, go here. For more critical context, skim this, this, and this. To read about a remarkable but underreported, 20-month-long peaceful protest in Gaza against Israel, go here.
Aid continues to enter Gaza in a trickle
The Government Media Office said that only 29,603 aid, commercial, and fuel trucks entered Gaza out of a planned 69,000 – only 43 percent of the stipulated supply. Only 14 percent of the fuel stipulated in the agreement has been provided to the people of the enclave.
Rafah crossing exits and entries even slower than promised
Twenty-five more Palestinians have returned to Gaza through the Rafah crossing following its long-awaited partial reopening, describing an exhausting journey through humiliating Israeli security measures; thirteen Palestinian patients, accompanied by 14 family members, were transferred from a hospital towards the crossing for medical treatment abroad.
While the agreement had spoken of 50 patients being evacuated each day, each accompanied by two family members, only about 30 have been transferred so far this week – at this pace, the 20,000 medical evacuations waiting would take at least 3 years.
The International Commission to Support Palestinian People’s Rights (ICSPR) has said the strict Israeli measures have turned the Rafah crossing “into a tool of control and domination rather than a humanitarian passage”.
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More Israeli Military Bases in Gaza
Satellite images showed Israel expanding its military presence inside Gaza even after the start of the ceasefire’s second phase, including empty land near Khan Younis that was transformed into a fortified military base containing vehicles, field installations, and earthen barriers.
IRAN NEWS AND HEADLINES:
The Trump administration’s (and Democrats‘ – and previous administrations‘) desire for regime change and military weakening of Iran is wholly in the interests of Israel. The bad blood between the US and Iran is due in great part to American meddling. The cost – in both lives and tax dollars – of a war with Iran on Israel’s behalf could be staggering.
Iran’s army says it is ready for war, if that’s what ‘the enemy chooses’
Military spokesman warns that a conflict would encompass ‘the entire geography of the region’; Turkey says it’s working to prevent regional conflict, backs direct talks.
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US reiterates call for all citizens to ‘leave Iran now,’ in security alert on open border crossings
The US urged its citizens to “leave Iran now” due to protests, security measures, and flight disruptions. Dual nationals face the risk of detention, the travel advisory warned.
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Report: Iran Appears to Prioritize Missile Bases Repair Over Nuclear Sites After War With Israel
The New York Times examined satellite images of 24 sites hit during the Israel-Iran war in June, and found that Tehran is carrying out work at 12 of them. Repairs at multiple missile-related locations began soon after the strikes, while damage at key nuclear facilities remains largely visible above ground.
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Trump cares more about Iran’s nuclear weapons than its protesters, Vance says
Vance added that the president had also worked with other nations, some allies of the US and others with more fraught relations, to avoid nuclear proliferation worldwide.
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Why the Push for a US–Iran Nuclear Deal is Not Serious – and Never Was
The United States has been pushing for a renewed set of negotiations, aimed at reaching a deal over Iran’s nuclear program, the very same move that was used to set up an Israeli surprise attack last year. This is not a serious effort and appears more than anything to be aimed at stalling.
OCCUPIED WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM NEWS & HEADLINES:
(Every day, Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem endure dozens of incidents like the ones below, at the hands of Israeli soldiers and/or settlers. For background on the West Bank, read this and this. For information on the significance of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, read this and this.)
More than 900 Palestinians forcibly displaced* in West Bank since start of 2026
Displacement largely driven by illegal Israeli settler violence, access restrictions by Israel, says spokesperson.
*NOTE: More than 37,000 Palestinians were displaced in the occupied West Bank during 2025, a year in which there were also record-high levels of violence committed by Israeli settlers.
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Palestinian Prisoners Society: “9,300 Palestinians Held in Israeli Prisons”
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) has reported that the number of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons has climbed to more than 9,300 as of the beginning of February 2026, a level the organization describes as unprecedented in recent years.
One of the most striking trends in the new data is the sharp increase in arbitrary Administrative Detention, which has reached 3,358 detainees. PPS says this is now the largest single category of imprisonment (continue reading here).
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Israel has ritualized the humiliation of Palestinians at Karama crossing
Israel is weaponizing Palestinians’ only exit from the West Bank, turning the Karama crossing into a system of daily control and degradation.
ALL IN A DAY’S WORK: MORE ISRAELI OCCUPATION ACTIONS ON THURSDAY:
Israeli Colonizers Uproot 300 Olive Trees Near Ramallah
Israeli Forces Demolish Home in Beit Awwa
Israeli Forces Abduct Many Palestinians Across West Bank
Israeli Authorities Demolish Two Homes Near Hebron
Soldiers Shoot a Child in Nablus, Abduct 5 in Jericho, Jerusalem
ISRAEL NEWS & HEADLINES:
(Israel is a tiny country, about the size of New Jersey, with a population smaller than the US state of Georgia – about 10 million (of which about 20 percent are Palestinians), yet it is in the news constantly. As has been demonstrated again and again, however, mainstream media rarely covers Israel accurately. IAK passes along only factual reporting.)
Here’s why Israel is allowing record murder rates in its Palestinian towns
2025 marked the deadliest year on record for murders among Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up 21 percent of Israel’s population but sustain 80 percent of the murders. Israel is tolerating violence against its Palestinian citizens to push them out, while weaponizing anti-Semitism to pull Jews in.
President condemns ‘environmental and health crime’ as critics say Israel seeks to make southern Lebanon uninhabitable.
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Israeli airstrikes hit several areas in Lebanon* amid continued ceasefire violations
*NOTE: Although Israel signed a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon in November 2024, Israel has attacked Lebanon almost every day since, committing over 10,000 air and ground violations, and killing over 300. Additionally, Israel continues to occupy five Lebanese hilltops seized during the latest war, and other Lebanese areas it has held for decades.
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Netanyahu noted that “the Egyptian army is building its strength, and this needs to be monitored,” daily Israel Hayom reported., citing sources present at the meeting. “We have relations with Egypt, but we must prevent an excessive buildup of military power,” the Israeli premier added.
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Bezalel Zini accused of role in taking goods into the occupied Palestinian territory during an Israeli blockade.
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China labels Israel as ‘high risk area,’ bans all new investments: Report
Beijing has canceled all new investments in Israel, a Chinese fund revealed in its response to a lawsuit filed against it by an Israeli settlement. Israel has been classified a “high-risk area” since the start of the genocide in 2023 and all new investments there are banned.
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM ISRAELI MEDIA:
(You can learn a lot about a country from its headlines. Get a glimpse inside this country that is rife with turmoil and contradictions that receives $63 million a day from America.)
Arab [i.e. Palestinian] Middle School Students Wounded in Racially Motivated Attack During School Trip, as Jewish Teachers Stood By
Students and a teacher from Sakhnin were sprayed with tear gas and pepper spray during an Education Ministry-approved school trip in northern Israel. “Not one of [the teachers] stopped what was happening. No one objected. It was as if nothing was going on.”
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WATCH: Israeli settlers descend from the hills and burn down a Bedouin community in four minutes | @YardenMichaeli & @MatanGolanPhoto https://t.co/VKZVRQEABw pic.twitter.com/p3n2L6DdrZ
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) February 6, 2026
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Despite Israeli demands, Bank of Palestine refuses to shut down pay-for-slay* accounts – exclusive
The bank had agreed to close 1,700 accounts in the West Bank and Gaza, but now claimed it was “unable to act.” The prevailing assessment is that senior PA officials instructed the bank not to comply.
*NOTE: Israel collects import/export taxes on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, which is supposed to be handed over for the PA’s operating budget. Israel regularly keeps back some of this revenue (an amount now totaling nearly $2 billion), claiming it is being used illegally for the so-called Pay-For-Slay program (Palestinians often call it the Martyr’s Fund) – a social safety net for the Palestinian families that have lost their breadwinner due to the conflict with Israel.
Many “martyrs” were not killers or attackers, but were themselves killed while walking to school, participating in a peaceful demonstration, or sleeping in their beds – but Israel does not differentiate, claiming the program encourages Palestinians to volunteer for suicide missions.
Notably, Israel too has a compensation program for families of IDF soldiers killed or injured in the line of duty, as does the US. For a deep dive into the topic, read The Legitimacy of Family Compensation for Palestinians Killed, Injured, and Imprisoned.
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Abraham Accords on brink of collapse as UAE loses patience with Netanyahu
Exclusive investigation exposes how extremist rhetoric, botched business deals, and diplomatic failures have pushed Israel’s most important Arab ally toward breaking point.
OTHER NEWS & HEADLINES:
Global Sumud Flotilla announces new Gaza aid mission
The Global Sumud flotilla will launch a new civilian mission to Gaza on 29 March, departing first from Barcelona, after organizers confirmed the plan during a live-streamed news conference on 5 February.
The announcement was delivered by the steering committee of the Global Sumud Flotilla during a broadcast from Johannesburg, setting out a renewed sea voyage and parallel land convoys aimed at breaking Israel’s blockade of Gaza through mass civilian participation (continue reading here).
Today, the Global Sumud Flotilla announced the largest coordinated humanitarian intervention for Palestine in history.
On March 29, 2026, a unified maritime flotilla and overland humanitarian convoy will depart simultaneously, mobilizing thousands from over 100 countries in a… pic.twitter.com/T1GxjWtpTd
— Global Sumud Flotilla (@gbsumudflotilla) February 5, 2026
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Morgan McSweeney: the man running Britain and his ties to Israel
It is impossible to understand the slavish pro-Israeli stance adopted by Keir Starmer and the Labour Party in recent years without understanding McSweeney.
Australian officials refuse calls to arrest Israeli president
A UN commission concluded last year that Herzog encouraged genocide by saying the ‘entire nation’ of Palestinians was responsible for 7 October
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
A deadly meningitis outbreak is threatening Gaza’s children
IDF admits civilians were likely killed in retaliatory strike on Hamas after soldier wounded
FBI informant ‘became convinced’ Epstein was Israeli spy (so was Alan Dershowitz)
Sen. Schumer: I Will Continue to Fight to Give Israel All the Aid It Needs
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – FEBRUARY 5, 2026*:
- At least 72,963 Palestinians killed, 182,626 injured – including:
- At least 71,851 killed in Gaza (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls)
- At least 1,112 killed in the West Bank (~230 children)
- At least 171,626 injured in Gaza
- About 11,000 injured in the West Bank
*NOTE: Thousands of those killed in Gaza have yet to be identified, and an estimated 10,000 more are still buried under rubble. Additionally, the numbers of injured and starved are very conservative estimates. Only the dead who are brought to hospitals are included in the official fatality count.
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – February 5, 2026: ~1,661 – including ~1,139** on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 471 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza, about 52 military and civilians (by one count, there have been 59 victims) in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel.
By one count, Israeli attacks have killed approximately 281 Palestinian journalists and media workers (as of Jan. 21, 2026); Palestinians have killed 4 Israeli journalists (other groups have tallied between 215 and 333 Palestinian journalists killed – depending on the criteria used).
**NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries of Israelis on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers.
- Human rights reports on Israel-Palestine (regularly updated)
- In Honor of My Friend, Mary Hughes Thompson
- The Truth About Gaza’s Death Toll – Part 3: What Do We Actually Know?
- The Truth About Gaza’s Death Toll – Part 2: A Gross Undercount
- The Truth About Gaza’s Dead – Part 1: How We Got Here
- A deadly meningitis outbreak is threatening Gaza’s children
- Trump signs bill ending shutdown, with more than $4 billion for Israel
- How Human Rights Watch Killed a Report Calling Israel’s Denial of Palestinians’ Right of Return a Crime Against Humanity
- Kristallnacht in the West Bank on Holocaust Remembrance Day
- In talks with Jeffrey Epstein, former Israeli PM proposed racially selective conversions to preserve Jewish majority
- U.S. Envoys Refused to Report “Apocalyptic” Conditions in Gaza. Exclusive Photos Show the Reality They Suppressed
- They were forced to hand one son over to the Israeli army in return for another. Eight months later he was dead in prison
- Exclusive: New owner of CBS coordinated with former Israeli military chief to counter the country’s critics, according to leaked emails
- AIPAC Gears Up for Midterm Election Cycle With $95 Million War Chest
- Official US gov’t reports contradict Mike Waltz’s rants against UNRWA
