Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-01-31 at 10:05 cover art

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-01-31 at 10:05

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-01-31 at 10:05

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 HEADLINESGaza toll hits 31 amid renewed strikesIran missiles spark regional tensions after blastsMoodys upgrade Israel outlook BoI cuts rateThe time is now 10:04 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.In the Disputed Territories (Gaza, Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem), Hamas issued a blunt response to the latest wave of attacks in Gaza, saying the occupation’s claims of violating the ceasefire are lies and a justification for their people’s slaughter. The group framed the accusations as a contemptuous stance toward mediators and guarantors and toward all parties involved in the peace process. In Gaza, hospital sources report heavy casualties from Israeli strikes, with Hamas-run health authorities citing 31 dead today across the territory. The Israeli military said it struck Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets across the Gaza Strip in response to what it described as ceasefire violations, including a weapons storage facility, a weapons manufacturing site, and two rocket launch sites in central Gaza, and it criticized the militant groups for using civilian infrastructure and Gazan civilians as human shields. Overnight, a broad round of strikes produced a reported death toll of 28 Gazans in seven locations, according to Hamas’s civil defense agency and the health ministry, with many of the dead described as women and children and others still missing under rubble.In the conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, several developments surfaced as tensions persisted. Shiite-aligned outlets reported Iran firing Fateh-type missiles from the Arak area, with other accounts describing missiles—likely cruise missiles—seen in the Khuzestan skies from the Iraqi side. Reports of explosions and damage spread across multiple cities, including Bandar Abbas and Ahvaz in the south and Karaj and Parand near Tehran, with official Iranian media attributing some incidents to gas leaks and not to airstrikes, while opposition and other sources circulated competing claims. Israel has said it is not involved in the incidents in Iran, and Israeli officials communicated to Reuters that there is no Israeli role in the blasts. Iran’s civil defense and crisis-management apparatus were cited as saying hundreds of facilities have been repurposed for shelters, with thousands of spaces converted to protected areas. Officials and outlets also discussed a regional military exercise, later reported as canceled, conducted between Iran, Russia, and China. In the meantime, assessments and statements from Iranian authorities emphasized ongoing investigations into the causes of the blasts, while external observers warned that information remained fluid and contested.In US Policy Concerning Israel, an OSINT update outlined a deployment by the US Navy that could participate in a scenario involving action against Iran. The collection notes the presence of one aircraft carrier and seven guided-missile destroyers, with most vessels within roughly 700 kilometers of Iranian territory, a distance corresponding to the strike reach of Iran’s Zolfaghar missiles. The picture presented underscores the scale of American naval posture in the region amid heightened tensions and the potential for escalation vis-à-vis Iran and its proxies.In Israeli Domestic Politics, Israel launched a government-led effort to complete aliyah and family reunification for the Bnei Menashe community. Known as Operation Kanfei Shahar (Wings of Dawn), the initiative is coordinated by the Aliyah and Integration Ministry with the Jewish Agency, the Chief Rabbinate, the Ma’arach Hagiyur conversion system, and multiple other ministries. The program aims to reunite families—spouses, children, and parents—after years of separation, reflecting a major shift toward state-led responsibility for this community from former privately run efforts. The Bnei Menashe, tracing lineage to the tribe of Menashe from northeastern India, number around 5,000 in Israel today, with thousands more still in India, and the initiative centers on facilitating their integration and return.In Israeli Economy and Business, Moody’s has upgraded Israel’s credit outlook from negative to stable, while the sovereign rating remains at Baa1. The rating agency cited moderated geopolitical pressures, resilient economic activity, a diversified economic base, and continued access to international capital as factors backing a more stable outlook. Moody’s also noted the resilience of Israel’s financial system in the face of elevated defense spending and security costs. Additionally, the Bank of Israel’s Monetary Committee made an unexpected move on January 6, cutting the policy rate from 4.25% to 4.0%, underscoring a balancing act between supporting growth and managing security-related pressures.In Uplifting News, one hopeful thread comes from the IDF’s YASAR unit, a Southern Command scanning unit dedicated to locating and identifying fallen soldiers ...
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