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 865th day.)
Israeli forces shot and killed one Palestinian in Gaza City on Monday.
Since the “ceasefire” began on October 11, Israel has killed at least 630 Palestinians. Over 1,698 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.
IRAN NEWS & HEADLINES:
Why is If Americans Knew covering the war on Iran? It can not be overemphasized that Israel is behind Trump’s actions against Iran. The war with Iran does not fit with Trump’s stated political ideology, policy goals or campaign promises. He has not explained how such a war could benefit the US, how Iran could have built back so quickly after its nuclear labs were “obliterated,” nor the wisdom of proceeding without full military backing. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing the US to attack Iran for decades.
The American people have made clear that they do not want to go to war with Iran, but Israel partisans and the Israel lobby use their massive political clout to bring about whatever is beneficial to Israel – including putting the US military in harm’s way. For more background on Israel’s role in American wars, watch IAK’s short film, “The Israeli Hit List,” and read A timeline of talks and threats leading up to attacks.
Death toll:
Six US troops have been killed and 18 more have been “seriously wounded” since Saturday, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).
In Israel, 12 people have been killed and 834 injured since Saturday, the majority with minor injuries.
In Iran, 785 people have reportedly been killed since the conflict began.
In Lebanon, at least 52 people have been killed and around 150 injured since Israel began attacking on 2 March.
Iran:
US-Israeli airstrikes target hospital in Iranian capital: In footage following the attack, nurses were seen evacuating newborns from the hospital and attempting to transfer them to another location.
Iran ends recovery operation at school struck in US-Israeli attack, death toll stands at 165: The attack struck the girls’ school while classes were underway Saturday morning, reducing the building to rubble. The UN says the strike on the girls’ school could amount to a war crime. Funerals Held for 168 Minab School Victims as 69 Students Remain Unidentified.
Iranian president decries US-Israeli attacks on schools, hospitals* in Iran: ‘The world must condemn it. I stand with my grieving nation. Iran will not remain silent or yield to these crimes,’ Pezeshkian says (*NOTE: Attacks on schools and hospitals during conflict is one of the six grave violations identified and condemned by the UN Security Council).
Khamenei’s wife dies of wounds from US-Israeli attack on Iran
Three US fighter jets shot down over Kuwait, but by whom?: Iran’s Armed Forces announced on Monday that Iranian air defenses shot down three US fighter jets; meanwhile, US officials claimed three of its F-15E Strike Eagle war planes were mistakenly downed by friendly Kuwaiti fire seeking to repel an Iranian air assault, and all six crew members ejected safely.
Global energy prices spike after Iran shuts down Strait of Hormuz: The US-Israeli war on Iran has caused “de facto closure” of commercial transit through the Strait of Hormuz, with Brent crude prices jumping as much as 13 percent to above $82 per barrel. Roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows through the strait, with about 150 tankers halted in Gulf waters.
Witnesses Describe Horror Scene After “Double-Tap” Bombing Kills Over 20 at Popular Tehran Square
United States:
Trump claims ‘big wave’ coming against Iran as Pentagon says more troops deployed to defend Israel: Regarding the pace of the war, Trump claimed: “We’re right on schedule, way ahead of schedule in terms of leadership – 49 killed – and that was, you know, going to take, we figured, at least four weeks, and we did it in one day,” he added.
How much has the US already spent in Israel and the Middle East since 2023? Since October 7, 2023, the US has provided Israel with some $21.7bn in military aid. In addition, American taxpayers have spent between $9.65bn and $12.07bn in support of Israel in Yemen, Iran and the wider Middle East, for a total of $31.35bn to $33.77bn, and counting. US forces reportedly spent an estimated $779 million during the opening 24 hours of its offensive against Iran.
Vance says Trump will not let US get ‘into a multi-year conflict’: US Vice President JD Vance has dismissed critics who say Trump has broken his campaign promise to avoid “endless” foreign wars: “The president has clearly defined what he wants to accomplish, and there’s just no way Donald Trump is going to allow this country to get into a multi-year conflict with no clear end in sight and no clear objective,” he said. That objective is to ensure Iran does not get a nuclear weapon, Vance said.
Trump signals Iran operation could extend beyond initial 4-5 week timeline: “We projected four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that,” he said on Monday.
Hegseth: “No stupid rules of engagement…We fight to win”: War Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed claims of civilian casualties in a press conference on Monday saying, “No stupid rules of engagement, no nation building quagmire, no democracy building exercise, no politically correct wars. We fight to win and we don’t waste time or lives. As the president warned, an effort of this scope will include casualties. War is hell and always will be.”
‘Depart now’: US tells its citizens to urgently leave almost all Mideast countries, including Israel: Highly unusual directive, issued on third day of US-Israel war against Iran, affects hundreds of thousands of Americans, including over 200,000 in Israel; comes as Iran widens retaliatory attacks, Trump vows larger strikes.
US Embassy in Saudi capital Riyadh hit by drones, fire reported: Ministry: Saudi Defense Ministry says fire broke out at the embassy, but the diplomatic compound sustained only ‘minor’ damage.
Schumer: Trump officials’ Iran briefing ‘raised many more questions than it answered’: Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said of a briefing from Trump officials about the war with Iran, “Look, a whole lot of questions were asked. I found their answers completely and totally insufficient.”
Israel:
Lebanon:
Indiscriminate Israeli strikes rock Lebanon: A large and violent wave of Israeli airstrikes have taken place across Lebanon, ever since Hezbollah fired several rockets toward Israel early on 2 March. At least 52 have been killed.
Israel orders evacuation of over 50 Lebanese villages ahead of air strikes: In a statement accompanied by a list of the villages allegedly near Hezbollah sites, the Israeli army ordered Lebanese residents to “evacuate your homes immediately and move at least 1,000 meters away from the villages to open areas.”
Lebanon bans Hezbollah military activities: The decision came hours after the Lebanese resistance claimed a rocket attack against Israel, announced as a retaliation for the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader.
Lebanese PM Bans Hezbollah From Resisting Israel Militarily: Hezbollah historically has fit in an unusual position in Lebanese politics, being a substantial Shi’ite political party as well as a substantial Shi’ite militia that was centered on resisting Israeli military intervention on Lebanese territory. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has announced a full ban on all military and security activity by the Hezbollah movement, insisting that Hezbollah restrict itself entirely to the political sphere.
Europe:
‘To be free, we must be feared’: Macron announces expansion of France’s nuclear arsenal: President Emmanuel Macron announced on 2 February, “I have ordered an increase in the number of nuclear warheads in our arsenal to put an end to any speculation,” Macron announced, adding that France would no longer make the size of its nuclear arsenal public. “Whoever wants to be free must be feared. Whoever wants to be feared must be strong,” he affirmed.
European powers back US stance on Iran as France deploys aircraft carrier: Britain, France and Germany have announced coordinated cooperation with the United States and its allies regarding the escalating confrontation with Iran, signaling a widening international involvement in the crisis. The announcement came as France confirmed the deployment of its aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle, to the Middle East.
Cyprus condemns UK after RAF base that launched Gaza spy flights hit by drone: Cyprus criticized Britain for failing to clarify that its bases in Cyprus will only be used for ‘humanitarian’ activity.
Asked Monday if the United States faced an imminent threat from Iran – a key threshold in the United States as Congress constitutionally has the power to declare war – Secretary of State Marco Rubio pointed to the Israeli plans. “There absolutely was an imminent threat, and the imminent threat was that we knew that if Iran was attacked – and we believed they would be attacked – that they would immediately come after us,” Rubio said.
Representative Joaquin Castro, a Democrat, said that Rubio’s comments indicated that Israel “put US forces in harm’s way by insisting on attack on Iran. This is unacceptable of the President, and unacceptable of a country that calls itself our ally.” Senator Ruben Gallego tweeted, “So, Netanyahu now decides when we go to war? So much for America First.”
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The U.S. decision to strike Iran was a victory for Mr. Netanyahu, who had been pushing Mr. Trump for months on the need to hit what he argued was a weakened regime. During a meeting at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in December, Mr. Netanyahu had asked for the president’s approval for Israel to hit Iran’s missile sites in the coming months.
Two months later, he got something even better: a full partner in a war to topple the Iranian leadership. Few in the president’s inner circle voiced opposition to military action (continue reading here).
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Anti-war candidates pose early test for US Democrats after attacks on Iran
In two early primary races for US congressional seats, 32-year-old Nida Allam and 26-year-old Kat Abughazaleh are launching brazen progressive campaigns built on unapologetic stances calling for the abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a hard reset of US policy amid Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, the reversal of a rights backslide, and worker-first policies (continue reading here).
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM GAZA & OCCUPIED WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM
(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.
‘We’ll run out of food this week’: Israel’s Iran war brings new Gaza siege
Israel has closed all crossings into Gaza, threatening to plunge 2 million people into a new hunger crisis. One well-known NGO, World Central Kitchen, expects to close this week if borders don’t reopen. “If [the borders] stay closed, World Central Kitchen will run out of food this week…We are cooking 1m hot meals every day. We need food deliveries every single day.”
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‘Why is it our fault?’: Gaza left with dwindling fuel as Israel closes borders amid its war on Iran
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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.)
Israeli Settlers Kill Two Brothers, Injure Others Near Nablus
Illegal Israeli colonizers killed two Palestinian brothers, Mohammad Taha Abdel-Majeed Muammar, 51, and Fahim Taha Abdul-Majeed Muammar, 48, and injured several others on Monday, after invading the village of Qaryout, south of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank.
Mohammad was shot in the head, while his brother Fahim was shot in the pelvis with live ammunition.
The settlers also shot three additional Palestinians, one of them a fifteen-year-old.
Palestinian Teen Wounded by Israeli Army Fire East of Nablus
Israel Closes Al-Aqsa Gates for Third Day amid West Bank Lockdown
Injuries, Abductions, In Escalating Israeli Violations In West Bank
More Israeli Violations In West Bank, Monday
Israeli Forces Shoot Three Palestinians in Nablus, 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.)
Analysis: Is Netanyahu’s Aim in Iran to Remove an Existential Threat? Ministers in His Orbit Say It’s About Politics
While a desire to see the Ayatollah regime in Iran come to an end contributed to Saturday’s strike, the looming election and a set of unflattering polls also weighed heavily on the Israeli PM ■ ‘The road to the polling stations runs through Washington and Tehran,’ one minister said.
Netanyahu: U.S.-Israel Strikes Will Foster Regime Change in Iran, Pave Way to Normalization With Saudi Arabia
OTHER NEWS & HEADLINES:
2 dead in Austin bar shooting; FBI probes possible Iran-linked motive
Two people were killed and 14 others wounded Monday morning in a mass shooting at a packed bar in central Austin, Texas, near the University of Texas. The gunman was shot and killed at the scene by officers. According to CNN, law enforcement authorities are investigating whether the attack on Iran was the suspect’s motive.
Trump’s Orwellian Board of Peace Consists Entirely of Human Rights Abusers
An Intercept analysis finds that every member state of the Board of Peace has been rebuked for human rights violations, including many by Rubio’s own State Department. Those not currently on the State Department list after a 2025 whitewash of countries’ human rights reports shielding Trump’s allies from honest assessments were previously cited by the department.
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
Western media tries again to fool us on Iran
US Calls Iranian Retaliatory Strikes “Unprovoked”
Israel closes Gaza’s Rafah crossing*, claims Gaza has plenty of food
Palestinian Man Dies of Injuries Near Hebron, the Second in 24 Hours
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – MARCH 2, 2026*:
- At least 73,218 Palestinians killed, 182,796 injured – including:
- At least 72,097 killed, 171,796 injured in Gaza (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls)
- At least 1,121 killed, 11,000 injured in the West Bank (~232 children)
*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.
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 (2025-26).
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – March 2, 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)
- Tucker Carlson: A New Middle East War for Israel Started by the U.S.
- Israel launches Bible study program targeting US evangelicals
- Israel’s lonely push for war with Iran
- WATCH: How Israel is controlling the world – in their own words
- Trump Starts a Major Regime-Change War with Iran, Serving Neoconservatism and Israel
- US–Israel illegal aggression in Iran is an abomination
- Meet Bari Weiss’s Israel Flag-Waving News Correspondent
- Oman’s Foreign Minister Said US-Iran Deal Was ‘Within Our Reach.’ Then Trump Started Bombing
- When Presbyterians Fought Christian Zionism
- ‘Terror Was Needed to Make Arabs Leave’: What the Israeli Army Did in 1948, Revealed
- 17,000 Unaccompanied Orphans in Gaza, in World’s Biggest Orphan Crisis
- Democrats Should Release Their 2024 Election Autopsy – and Stop the Gaza Denial
- Israel warns of a Ramadan escalation — while doing everything to provoke one
- Are the Jews indigenous to Palestine?
- AIPAC Wants to Kill a Bill that would Ensure Israel Complies with Ceasefire
- Former Israeli PM, in Epstein Files, Dreamed of Israeli Eugenics and Pretty Converts
- Israeli settlers join ‘safari’ tour of Palestinian prisoners
