Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-01-31 at 21:06 cover art

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-01-31 at 21:06

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-01-31 at 21:06

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 HEADLINESResurfaced Photo Ties Hamas Hospital ChiefHamas Plans Decade-Long Hostage LeverageSpain Probes Hamas Funds via CryptoThe time is now 9:05 PM 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), a decade‑old photograph resurfaced showing Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, wearing a Hamas uniform alongside senior officers. Abu Safiya, who is listed as a colonel in Hamas’s Military Medical Services, has been in Israeli custody since December 2024 when troops raided the hospital during the Gaza conflict. Separate reporting confirms that Abu Safiya authored two opinion pieces published by The New York Times criticizing Israel’s war in Gaza, with the Times not disclosing any Hamas affiliation. Archaeologists announced the opening of the Pilgrims’ Path in the City of David, Jerusalem, a stone‑paved route uncovered after nearly 2,000 years, revealing the main Second Temple‑era street that connected the Pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount during the pilgrimage festivals, when the area was lined with shops and crowded with worshippers. In another account, Brigadier-General (ret.) Gal Hirsch described Hamas’s plan to hold Israeli hostages for up to a decade as leverage, detailing a network of nearly 2,000 personnel tracking captives and saying restraint was exercised when outcomes were uncertain in order to protect human life. In a separate case tied to financing, Spain’s high court opened an investigation into a Chinese national who ran a hair salon near Barcelona, accused of moving about €600,000 in cryptocurrency to addresses linked to a Hamas‑related entity, documenting at least 31 transfers and detaining the suspect before release under restrictions as the probe continues.In the conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, no full‑scale war had broken out by the end of January, even as investors on betting sites counted losses totaling more than $125 million. Current indicators suggest that preparations to reinforce air defenses across the Middle East remain likely about a week from completion, based on the scale of airlift activity seen before last year’s strikes on Iran, including more than 75 cargo flights by US C‑17A Globemaster III and C‑5M Super Galaxy aircraft carrying air‑defense systems. In Washington, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman told a private briefing that if President Trump does not follow through on threats against Iran, the regime could emerge stronger, noting a shift after the United States approved a potential $9 billion Foreign Military Sale to Saudi Arabia, including PAC‑3 MSE interceptors and related equipment. Axios cited the same briefing in reporting the Saudi view. In London, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer signaled support for President Trump’s hardline stance on Iran, calling preventing Tehran’s nuclear ambitions a top priority while stopping short of endorsing US military strikes. President Trump told Fox News that the United States would not reveal its plans on Iran, even to Gulf allies, while saying Iran is in talks with the US and that a large fleet is heading to the region; officials have cautioned that options remain under consideration and that any decisive action would be contingent on negotiations, not promises. Tehran has signaled progress toward a framework for negotiations, but US officials have described the potential talks as uncertain and cautioned against premature conclusions as Washington weighs available options.In Antisemitism and Anti‑Jewish Hate, a senior US Border Patrol official was reported by The New York Times to have disparaged the Jewish faith of Minnesota’s top federal prosecutor during a January call with Justice Department lawyers. Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol field leader, allegedly mocked US Attorney Daniel N. Rosen, an Orthodox Jew who observes Shabbat, using the phrase “chosen people” in a derisive manner and questioning whether Rosen understood that criminal activity does not stop on weekends.In Israeli Domestic Politics, extreme right‑wing activists surrounded and blocked the car of former Prime Minister Ehud Barak on Saturday; Mordechai David, 26, was identified as an activist at the scene after previously taking part in similar actions against former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak. Earlier in the week, Barak and Aharon Barak left the same event after activists blocked their cars in the same location. Meanwhile, the Black Flags march took place in Tel Aviv, organized by the High Follow‑Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel, moving from the Tel Aviv Museum to Habima Square under the banner The struggle against crime in the Arab sector, with participants chanting slogans about national unity between Islam and Christianity and provoking remarks about the state of Israel.In Other News, a bomb cyclone is sweeping parts of the ...
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