Flooding in Gaza amid rumors of war; fire in West Bank – Not a ceasefire Day 138

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 862nd day.)

Two Palestinians were killed and several others were injured on Tuesday, amidst ongoing Israeli violations across the devastated Gaza Strip.

Since the “ceasefire” began on October 11, Israel has killed at least 615 Palestinians. Over 1,658 have been injured. Death toll figures are tentative. 

Israel has so far violated the 11 October ceasefire deal in Gaza at least 1,620 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.)

Israel seeks to restart war in Gaza under claims of ‘Hamas shadow rule’

Tel Aviv is telling Washington it must re-enter Gaza and resume the genocide, citing Hamas’s refusal to disarm and the resistance’s alleged plans to establish a “shadow government” within the US-endorsed committee tasked with governing the strip, Israeli media reported. Hamas has publicly announced full readiness to hand over governance, but has rejected giving up its weapons. 

*NOTE: This is precisely the scenario that many feared following the return of the last Israeli hostages: that Israel would find a way to continue its genocide on Gaza, and with even greater intensity than before.

Critically, Hamas has made clear that it will not surrender its weapons as long as the occupation remains in place, because it would leave them defenseless against further attacks by Israel or others. Watch this video for more.

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Heavy rains flooded tents sheltering displaced Palestinians across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday in the first winter storm to hit the territory since the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis amid Israeli restrictions on shelter supplies, officials and witnesses said.

Gaza’s Civil Defense said rescue teams saved several families after floodwaters submerged their tents in the al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

*NOTE: As a de facto occupier of Gaza, Israel is obligated under the law of armed conflict to ensure that the occupied civilian population is provided with supplies essential to the survival, including basic food and medical supplies as well as clothing, bedding and means of shelter. Instead, Israel issues displacement orders and takes over more and more of Gaza, leaving the Palestinians with less and less space, as tents wear out and blow away.

Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly stated that they have large quantities of sheltering materials, food, and medical supplies waiting just outside the border, but Israel does not allow them into the Strip.

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Inside the dusty shell of  the Great Omari Mosque library, one of the oldest libraries in the Palestinian territories, a group of Gazan volunteers work diligently to salvage what remains of their ancient cultural heritage. Gaza’s history stretches back thousands of years, making the tiny Palestinian territory a treasure trove of archaeological artifacts from past civilizations

Haneen Al-Amsi who heads the Eyes on Heritage Volunteer Foundation, said, “The library was estimated to contain about 20,000 books, but currently we are left with fewer than 3,000 or 4,000,” adding, “it is an important historical library that contains original manuscripts and a diverse collection of books on jurisprudence, medicine, Islamic law, literature and various other subjects.”

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Israel’s bombing decimated Gaza’s cultural sites, as UNESCO responds tepidly

Gaza has a rich and layered heritage, with archaeological traces dating to at least 1300 BCE. It has long sat at the crossroads of many cultures, and has been controlled by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Gaza is also home to historical sites important to the three main faiths of the region – Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Much of this cultural heritage now lies in ruin.

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Ramadan in Gaza: Palestinians mourn erasure of rituals amid struggle for survival

Love, loss and longing overwhelm Palestinians in the devastated enclave as they observe the holy month amid continuous violation of ceasefire by Israel: the Islamic holy month of fasting and prayers has brought back memories of what they have lost and what remains of their lives after two years of a genocidal war that has killed more than 70,000 people.

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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.)

Times of Israel: ‘Children are inside!’: Palestinian homes, vehicles set on fire in apparent settler attack

Homes and vehicles in the Palestinian village of Susya, in the southern West Bank, were set ablaze on Tuesday night in an attack apparently carried out by extremist Israeli settlers; security forces arrive after fires are put out, make no arrests.

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ALL IN A DAY’S WORK: MORE WEST BANK HEADLINES, MONDAY:

Israeli army demolishes 3 Palestinian homes, agricultural structure in West Bank

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.)

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid backs ‘biblical’ borders for Israel

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has expressed his support for expanding the state’s borders to their “biblical” extent when the security situation allows. In response to Mike Huckabee’s comments last week that the country had a religious right to seize all the land between the Euphrates and Nile rivers, Lapid said,  “I support anything that will allow the Jews a large, broad, strong land and a safe haven for us, our children and our children’s children.”

When asked “How broad?” Lapid reponded: “As broad as possible.”

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Aid groups petition Israeli Supreme Court as Gaza, West Bank work ban nears

Oxfam said in a statement, “In Gaza, families remain dependent on external assistance amid continuing restrictions on aid entry and renewed strikes in densely populated areas. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, military incursions, demolitions, displacement, settlement expansion and settler violence are driving rising humanitarian needs,” it added.

*NOTE: Israel has recently banned 37 international NGOs from working in Gaza because the groups refused to comply with new requirements imposed by the Israeli government. The requirements, including providing a full list of Palestinian employees, are considered too invasive to share – Israel has killed 579 aid workers since October 7, 2023. It has killed more than 1,700 health workers, more than 140 civil defense staff and 256 journalists. 

In a petition asking the Israeli supreme court to suspend the ban, a group of aid orgs said, “Turning humanitarian organizations into an information-gathering arm for a party to the conflict stands in total contradiction to the principle of neutrality,”

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.)

Knesset committee holds heated debate over IDF ethics code*, concept of victory

To date, while there have been some claims during the war by some soldiers of being held back from attacking Hamas terrorists in some instances due to the presence of Palestinian civilians, the overwhelming amount of data and anecdotal evidence has indicated that the military was far less strict about collateral harm to Palestinian civilians than in any war in decades.

*NOTE: The Israeli military self-describes as “The Most Moral Army in the World,” boasting of its code of ethics – especially “Purity of Arms”: An IDF soldier will only exercise their power or use their weapon in order to fulfill their mission and only when necessary. They will maintain their humanity during combat and routine times. The soldier will not use their weapon or power to harm uninvolved civilians and prisoners and will do everything in their power to prevent harm to their lives, bodies, dignity and property.

One of its self-professed fundamental values is “Human Dignity”: The IDF and our soldiers are obligated to protect human dignity. Every individual is of inherent value, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, nationality, gender or status.

Even a cursory glance at If Americans Knew headlines exposes the folly of the term “moral army” to describe the IDF. Just a few examples: “Most moral army in the world” added to UN Hall of Shame for child endangerment; ‘Not a normal war’: doctors say children have been targeted by Israeli snipers in Gaza; Israel Is the Global Rape, Torture Capital; Israeli soldiers tell story of savage cruelty in Gaza – one given blessing by the West; ‘No Civilians’: IDF Soldiers Reveal Killings, Lawlessness in Gaza; In Israel, raping Palestinian prisoners is justified. Leaking the footage is betrayal; In Gaza, Almost Every IDF Platoon Keeps a Human Shield, a Sub-army of Palestinian Slaves. The list goes on.

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Knesset approves preliminary bill cementing Orthodox control* over entire Western Wall

The new bill would give the country’s two chief rabbis, both Orthodox, ultimate authority over Jewish holy sites including the so-called Ezrat Israel, which has been used as an egalitarian prayer area, and define any activity at the site contrary to their instructions, such as non-Orthodox worship, as a “desecration.”

*NOTE: The Chief Rabbinate is Orthodox, but just 13% of Israeli Jews are Orthodox. Netanyahu has allowed these types of policies to stand in order to placate his hard right coalition.

NEWS AND HEADLINES ON IRAN:

Open-source data indicates more than 300 US military aircraft deployed to US bases in the Middle East

Hundreds of US military aircraft remain on standby as indirect talks between US and Iran set for Thursday.

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America’s deadliest fighter jet: F-22 fleet lands in Israel, sending clear message to Iran

The F-22 fleet is the latest addition to the arsenal that the US has amassed in the region over the last few weeks.

OTHER NEWS & HEADLINES:

White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff addressed the AIPAC Congressional Summit taking place in Washington on Tuesday. The summit, which ran from Sunday to Tuesday and brought together more than 1,000 of the group’s top donors, featured virtual addresses from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid. Others expected to address the event included House Speaker Mike Johnson (R‑LA), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D‑NY) and Sens. Tom Cotton (R‑AR) and Ted Cruz (R‑TX). U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz also addressed the summit on Monday.

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US Justice Department sues University of California, alleging antisemitism*

‘UCLA administrators allegedly allowed virulent anti-Semitism to flourish on campus, harming students and staff alike,’ says Attorney General Pam Bondi.

NOTE: Pro-Israel organizations consistently work to silence Palestine advocacy on campus – a free speech violation. Strategies they use include threatening lawsuits, blocking prestigious appointments of and events with supporters of Palestinian rights, threatening to withhold major donations, and more.

Pro-Palestine demonstrations on college campuses have been overall peaceful and non-confrontational, and have notably included a significant number of Jewish students – a fact that is generally ignored by politicians and mainstream media. The premise that protests against the genocide in Gaza are somehow endangering Jews, is not rooted in reality. When there has been violence, it has generally come from pro-Israel counter-protesters and police.

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Meet the companies and billionaires looking to make a massive profit off Trump’s plans in Gaza

U.S. companies are aiming to make huge profits from the Gaza reconstruction plan, with several billionaires on Trump’s Board of Peace openly discussing the opportunity to make billions.

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ICE and Israeli Military Supplier Receives Millions in Subsidies from NYC

City-owned Brooklyn Navy Yard provides Crye Precision more than $2 million in rent and construction incentives.

ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:

(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)

STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – FEBRUARY 24, 2026*:

• At least 73,190 Palestinians killed, 182,749 injured – including:
• At least 72,073 killed in Gaza (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls)
• At least 1,117 killed in the West Bank (~230 children)
• At least 171,749 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 8,000 more are still buried under rubble (some sources put the number of missing as high as 14,000); 3,000 more are reportedly missing, with no information about their fate.

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.

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.

Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – February 24, 2026: ~1,661 – including ~1,139** on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 472 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)
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• Are MAGA restrainers pulling their punches this time on Iran?
• The NY Times on the “MAGA” Split Over Israel & USS Liberty
• Footage Shows Israeli Troops Waiting in Ambush, Then Opening Fire on a Palestinian Teen
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