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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-02-03 at 12:03
Published 3 weeks, 6 days ago
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Hamas Embeds NGO Guarantors to Steer Aid
US Envoy Meets Netanyahu Before Iran Talks
Somaliland Eyes Minerals in Israel Trade Pact
The time is now 12:02 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), documents captured by the IDF in Gaza over the past two years provide new details on how Hamas allegedly monitored and influenced humanitarian organizations and hospitals. NGO Monitor founder and president Gerald Steinberg said the records describe Hamas-installed guarantors embedded inside NGO structures to collect information, pressure staff, and steer aid to the group’s priorities. He says the material moves long-running claims about Hamas diversion and infiltration from suspicion to what he describes as documented internal protocols, while noting that most of the cache remains unreviewed. Steinberg pointed to the seized material as the basis for his argument that allegations rest on internal paperwork, not inference. “The documents … were found and captured by the IDF in Gaza during the last two years in operations,” he said. “There are thousands, perhaps tens or hundreds of thousands of such documents, most of which have not been examined or been sorted through.”
In US Policy Concerning Israel, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met on Tuesday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials after landing in Israel earlier on Tuesday. Witkoff's visit comes ahead of reported talks between the United States and Iran in Istanbul scheduled for later this week, aimed at avoiding conflict and de-escalating tensions between the two sides. The meeting may also include discussions of a possible nuclear deal, two sources told Axios's Barak Ravid on Monday. A third source stated that a Friday meeting was the “best case scenario,” while cautioning that nothing is final until it happens. This was later corroborated by a US official cited by Reuters as saying that Trump has been “calling for them [ Iran ] to make a deal.” The meeting is to hear what they have to say. Senior officials, likely foreign ministers, from Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Turkey will join the talks, according to sources. Kushner, the president’s adviser and son-in-law, will also attend, the sources said. Israel says Witkoff's arrival is an attempt by the Trump administration to define Israel's red line on potential deals with Iran.
In Israeli Domestic Politics, Shin Bet Chief David Zini's brother Bezalel is suspected of smuggling cigarettes into Gaza, Israeli authorities announced on Tuesday. Zini's father, Rabbi Yosef Zini, claimed that the authorities' true target is not Bezalel but the Shin Bet chief himself: “Everything is done without fear of anything,” he told Ynet. “They don't want to bring him down, but his brother. God willing, most of the public understands this well.” At the end of January, Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court revealed that Israeli authorities are probing a security case involving the alleged smuggling of goods from inside Israel into Gaza after partially lifting a gag order on the investigation. The probe concerns dozens of items transferred clandestinely for financial gain. One of the suspects was identified as a relative of Zini, though law enforcement and the court stressed that there is no indication the Shin Bet head himself is implicated.
In Israeli Economy and Business, Somaliland moves toward Israel trade pact, signals access to minerals. Somaliland expects to reach a trade agreement soon with Israel, the first country to recognise its independence, and is willing to offer rights to valuable mineral deposits as part of a deal, its leader said in an interview with Reuters. Somaliland's president Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi said no bilateral deal had been reached yet, but a partnership agreement is anticipated. “There is no trade, an
Hamas Embeds NGO Guarantors to Steer Aid
US Envoy Meets Netanyahu Before Iran Talks
Somaliland Eyes Minerals in Israel Trade Pact
The time is now 12:02 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), documents captured by the IDF in Gaza over the past two years provide new details on how Hamas allegedly monitored and influenced humanitarian organizations and hospitals. NGO Monitor founder and president Gerald Steinberg said the records describe Hamas-installed guarantors embedded inside NGO structures to collect information, pressure staff, and steer aid to the group’s priorities. He says the material moves long-running claims about Hamas diversion and infiltration from suspicion to what he describes as documented internal protocols, while noting that most of the cache remains unreviewed. Steinberg pointed to the seized material as the basis for his argument that allegations rest on internal paperwork, not inference. “The documents … were found and captured by the IDF in Gaza during the last two years in operations,” he said. “There are thousands, perhaps tens or hundreds of thousands of such documents, most of which have not been examined or been sorted through.”
In US Policy Concerning Israel, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met on Tuesday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials after landing in Israel earlier on Tuesday. Witkoff's visit comes ahead of reported talks between the United States and Iran in Istanbul scheduled for later this week, aimed at avoiding conflict and de-escalating tensions between the two sides. The meeting may also include discussions of a possible nuclear deal, two sources told Axios's Barak Ravid on Monday. A third source stated that a Friday meeting was the “best case scenario,” while cautioning that nothing is final until it happens. This was later corroborated by a US official cited by Reuters as saying that Trump has been “calling for them [ Iran ] to make a deal.” The meeting is to hear what they have to say. Senior officials, likely foreign ministers, from Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Turkey will join the talks, according to sources. Kushner, the president’s adviser and son-in-law, will also attend, the sources said. Israel says Witkoff's arrival is an attempt by the Trump administration to define Israel's red line on potential deals with Iran.
In Israeli Domestic Politics, Shin Bet Chief David Zini's brother Bezalel is suspected of smuggling cigarettes into Gaza, Israeli authorities announced on Tuesday. Zini's father, Rabbi Yosef Zini, claimed that the authorities' true target is not Bezalel but the Shin Bet chief himself: “Everything is done without fear of anything,” he told Ynet. “They don't want to bring him down, but his brother. God willing, most of the public understands this well.” At the end of January, Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court revealed that Israeli authorities are probing a security case involving the alleged smuggling of goods from inside Israel into Gaza after partially lifting a gag order on the investigation. The probe concerns dozens of items transferred clandestinely for financial gain. One of the suspects was identified as a relative of Zini, though law enforcement and the court stressed that there is no indication the Shin Bet head himself is implicated.
In Israeli Economy and Business, Somaliland moves toward Israel trade pact, signals access to minerals. Somaliland expects to reach a trade agreement soon with Israel, the first country to recognise its independence, and is willing to offer rights to valuable mineral deposits as part of a deal, its leader said in an interview with Reuters. Somaliland's president Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi said no bilateral deal had been reached yet, but a partnership agreement is anticipated. “There is no trade, an