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 855th day.)
A Palestinian boy was killed in an Israeli drone strike in northern Gaza on Tuesday, in the latest violation of a ceasefire agreement, medical sources said.
Since the “ceasefire” began on October 11, Israel has killed at least 603 Palestinians. Over 1,607 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.
6,000 Amputees in Gaza Face Impossible Recovery amid Israeli War Ultimatum
Gaza’s Health Ministry says nearly 6,000 amputations have been recorded since the war began, about 25% involving children. Most require long-term rehabilitation, which is unavailable under siege conditions.
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Under international law Israel is required to allow and facilitate the unimpeded and rapid passage of humanitarian aid. Provided with no reason for being blocked from entry, medics who spoke with the Guardian believed their refusals came after giving first-hand testimony from their time in Gaza. Others said their identity or prior experience in the territory may have influenced decisions to block them.
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Hamas: Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ must stop Israel’s killing in Gaza
Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” has its first formal meeting on Thursday in Washington, DC as beleaguered Palestinians in the war-battered territory wait for the second phase of the peace agreement to fully come into force.
“The war of genocide against the Strip is still ongoing – through killing, displacement, siege, and starvation – which has not stopped until this very moment,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a video statement.
*NOTE: Israel has failed to fulfill every obligation of the ceasefire deal. All military operations were supposed to be suspended, but Israel has continued them, killing over 600 Palestinians since the ceasefire began; Israel was supposed to restart the full quantity of aid into Gaza (600 trucks a day), along with rehabilitation of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage), rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads – none of these commitments have been fulfilled.
As Mohammed R. Mhawish from Gaza said, “This is what a ceasefire looks like when the international community settles for calling something peace because it’s technically less violent than what came before.”
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UNDP chief Alexander De Croo described the humanitarian situation as the worst he has seen in his years of development work.
“This is the worst living conditions that I have ever seen, extremely painful conditions to live in,” De Croo said, adding that “90% of the people of Gaza today live in the middle of that rubble, which is extremely dangerous.” Only 0.5% of the rubble has been removed so far.
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.)
Palestinian child killed after stepping on mine in West Bank
Three children were reportedly collecting herbs near an Israeli military base when they detonated a mine.
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Israel to permit 10,000 Palestinian worshippers to Al-Aqsa
Israel announced it would allow 10,000 Palestinian worshippers to attend Friday prayers at the Al Aqsa Mosque in east Jerusalem during the holy month of Ramadan, when traditionally hundreds of thousands of Palestinians attend prayers at Al Aqsa, Islam’s third-holiest site. Ramadan begins Wednesday.
Israeli authorities are also limiting access only to men aged 55 and older, women aged 50 and older, and children up to age 12 – if they can obtain a daily permit in advance. Israel captured East Jerusalem in 1967 and later illegally annexed it in a move that is not internationally recognized.
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“A religious Zionist activist from the neo-Nazis is burning the Holy Quran with his face uncovered,” Arab Knesset member Ahmad Tibi said on X, adding that the extremist Israeli “will not be punished because he is Jewish.”
In the footage shared by Tibi, the illegal Israeli settler is heard saying as he burns the holy book, “The people of Israel are eliminating evil. Congratulations to us. I truly appreciate the Quran, but only when it is like this.”
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government or Jewish groups on the incident.
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Prosecutors plan to charge an Israeli settler with killing well-known Palestinian activist in the West Bank
Israeli prosecutors said Monday that they plan to charge a settler in the killing in July of Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen that was caught on video, opening a rare prosecution of Jewish settlers. Hathaleen was involved in the 2025 Oscar-winning film No Other Land, which chronicled Palestinian villagers’ fight to stay on their land.
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ALL IN A DAY’S WORK: MORE ISRAELI OCCUPATION ACTIONS ON TUESDAY:
Israeli settlers displace 15 Palestinian families in West Bank: Official
Invasions and Violations in the West Bank, Tuesday
Massive Demolition Campaign in Salfit, Nablus, Jenin, and Bethlehem
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 war chief vows to maintain occupation of south Lebanon* outside ‘ceasefire’ terms
Six people have been killed by Israeli attacks across Lebanon in the past two days, as pressure on Hezbollah to disarm grows.
*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 – the most violated ceasefire deal in recorded history – 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.
(Read about UNIFIL, the UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, here.)
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.)
IDF soldier killed in ‘friendly fire’ incident in southern Gaza
Initial military probe finds Staff Sgt. Ofri Yafe was killed near Yellow Line in Khan Younisa around 2 a.m. after being mistakenly identified as part of enemy forces.
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Smotrich Says Next Israeli Gov’t Should ‘Encourage Migration*’ of Palestinians From West Bank
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Tuesday that the next Israeli government should “encourage the migration” of Palestinians from the West Bank and impose Israeli sovereignty there. “In the long term, there is no other solution,” he said. “We must complete the revolution and eliminate the idea of the Arab terrorist** state.”
*NOTE: What Smotrich is talking about here is forced population transfer, a crime against humanity, and a form of ethnic cleansing.
**NOTE: The use of the word “terrorist” for an individual or group that resists occupation and oppression is a political, not fact-based choice. In reality, international law supports the efforts of resistance groups against an occupying power, the UN extending that right to the point of armed resistance. Additionally, Israel regularly labels Palestinians they have killed as “terrorists” to rationalize their deaths, whether they did anything threatening or not.
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Smotrich announces intention to abolish Oslo Accords, dismantle PA during next term
Smotritch suggested the dismantling of the PA in favor of creating a new military administration to govern the area, with the ultimate aim of applying full Israeli sovereignty over the region (read about the Oslo Accords here and here).
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Smotrich doubles down on refusal to enlist daughter, claims IDF is ‘no place for women’
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Christian Zionist leader to Jerusalem Post: Tucker Carlson* should ask Israel for forgiveness – opinion
It would be most appropriate for Tucker Carlson to ask forgiveness for the harsh and hurtful things he said about Israel, especially while the nation has endured such profound pain and suffering.
*NOTE: Tucker Carlson has been a rare voice of reason on the right: he has spoken compassionately about Gaza’s children, debunked Islamophobic stereotypes, uttered the unspeakable (that Israel is not a beneficial ally), questioned the unquestionable (that perhaps the Bible does not command us to “stand with Israel”), and given time to a whistleblower with a controversial message.
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Civil Cases, Rabbinical Courts: Israel’s Path to a Religious-nationalist State
Litigation in a religious court guarantees discriminatory treatment toward women, who have an inferior status in them (a fact that aligns with the government’s general diminution of women’s status). A legal system in which women are disqualified from being judges is not worthy of the name and certainly should not be allowed to hear women’s cases.
NOTABLE QUOTE: “Constant threat is the lifeblood of this government”
Ha’aretz editorial by Zvi Bar’el, on the absurdity of Israel demanding disarmament of everyone but itself:
Hamas must disarm. Everything. And, if they do not do so voluntarily, Israel will do the job itself.
Israel is demanding that Hezbollah disarm as well. Likewise, Iran’s ballistic missiles must be destroyed and its nuclear program disbanded.
And do not forget the arms held by the pro-Iran militias operating in Iraq.
The Israeli vision sees a Middle East free of weapons, whether they are slingshots or nuclear bombs. The only country that should be allowed to have whatever weapons it wants is the State of Israel.
But let us say that a miracle does occur, and Hamas’ fighters do turn over their weapons. Would Israel then agree to begin talks on a diplomatic solution to the Palestinian problem? Would it adopt the two-state solution?
The current government of Israel does not believe in agreements – neither the cease-fire agreements it has signed in Gaza and Lebanon that it systematically violates, nor peace agreements.
Constant threat is the lifeblood of this government. The purpose of the futile demand for disarmament is to ensure that this threat remains in place and helps sustain the government.
OTHER NEWS & HEADLINES:
Backed by Trump’s son, Israeli-founded AI drone startup plans to go public on Nasdaq
Eric Trump invests in $1.5 billion merger between XTEND, an Israeli maker of an AI operating system for drones and robots, and US construction firm JFB, which will be Nasdaq-listed.
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New US-purchased, Israeli-made cluster bombs pose ‘severe, foreseeable dangers’
Critics say Washington should walk away from a $210 million contract for Israeli-made weapons.
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US Senator Lindsey Graham praises UAE for ‘doing everything Israel asked for and more’ during Gaza war
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was ‘amazed’ at the level of support received by the Gulf state, US Senator Lindsey Graham said Monday (read some of Graham’s recent comments on Israel here).
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Khamenei vows to send US aircraft carriers ‘to the bottom of the sea’ amid round two of talks
Iran has signaled willingness to limit its enrichment, but rejects US-Israeli terms for a complete surrender of the nuclear and missile programs.
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ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
Israel’s War on Gaza Wipes Out Sporting Generation as 1,007 Athletes Killed, Fields Turn to Rubble
Israeli Forces Kill a Palestinian Young Man in Qalqilia
Israel’s Ben-Gvir stomped on Palestinian prisoners’ heads during Ofer jail raid
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – FEBRUARY 17, 2026*:
- At least 73,175 Palestinians killed, 182,715 injured – including:
- At least 72,061 killed in Gaza (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls)
- At least 1,114 killed in the West Bank (~230 children)
- At least 171,715 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; 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 17, 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)
- Israel’s Favorite American President
- Israel’s “Yellow Line” Is a Death Trap for Palestinians. We Drove Into It.
- Why Israel’s expanding occupation in Syria presents a critical legal test
- Gaza is not a natural disaster. It is the victim of genocide enabled by global inaction
- Netanyahu’s plan to “end” US aid to Israel is to give even more money under a different name
- Noor’s short life of unimaginable suffering
- Israel Destroyed Gaza’s Hospitals. Now It’s Banning Doctors Without Borders.
- Is Spite of What Zionists Say, It’s a Good Thing to Criticize Governments
- Palestinian mother, daughter recount strip searches, harsh conditions in Israeli detention
- Israel used weapons in Gaza that made thousands of Palestinians evaporate
- ADL’s Stats Twist Israel’s Critics Into Antisemites
- Why Is the World Silent When the Gaza Genocide Is Not Over?
- AZAPAC, the new PAC opposing Israeli domination of U.S policies
- Haim Saban: Billionaire for Israel
