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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-02-09 at 23:01
Published 3 weeks ago
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HEADLINES
Netanyahu Trump Eye Iran Crisis Deepening
Gazan Child Denied Israel Cancer Treatment
Israel Immigration From Russia Ukraine Drops Sharply
The time is now 11:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
In the conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, the world stands at a perilous crossroads as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to meet with US President Donald Trump to focus on Iran. There is a moral imperative for Western leaders to confront Tehran not with routine diplomacy but with a strategy designed to hasten the regime's decline. Tehran has used talks to buy time while unleashing brutality at home and extending influence across the region. Since late December, nationwide protests have erupted amid economic collapse and political stagnation, with tallies ranging from about 30,000 to 36,500 killed, a figure that sits beside a longer history of repression, including the 2021 Woman, Life, Freedom movement in which hundreds were killed and thousands wounded or detained.
In the Disputed Territories (Gaza, Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem), a Gazan child living in the West Bank was denied entry into Israel for cancer treatment despite Tel Hashomer Hospital in Israel signaling willingness to treat him, according to a Jerusalem District Court ruling. The petition, filed by Gisha Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, notes the child moved from Gaza to the West Bank in 2022 for care unavailable in the Strip, and that Ramallah doctors had been in contact with Tel Hashomer about treatment. The court did not intervene in the government's decision, creating a precedent that Gaza patients cannot enter Israel since the war began in 2023.
When Bethlehem was under Israeli control, Christians were the majority; under the Palestinian Authority the Christian population collapsed to under 20%. This isn’t coexistence; it’s a warning. Facts matter.
In Israeli Domestic Politics, Immigration from Russia and Ukraine at its lowest since COVID-19, says Diaspora Affairs Committee. The 2025 immigrant numbers from the former Soviet Union are at their lowest since 2020, and MK Ze’ev Elkin said an additional drop of about 50% is expected. The committee chair criticized the government for focusing on limiting immigration from CIS and closing gates to immigration from Ethiopia, calling the policy unacceptable and anti-Zionist. He urged renewed momentum and stressed that policy aims to encourage immigration from Western countries while ensuring that Western immigration does not come at the expense of immigration from the East.
Israeli teachers to delay school opening following extreme violence and harassment by students. BaMaale Yehud-Monosson will start classes at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, and Agamim School in Atlit at 10 a.m., after a student attacked a pregnant teacher. The Teachers Union chair Michael Pinto said violence against teaching staff is an everyday problem that must not be normalized, and the union will stand with teachers to protect them from harm.
In uplifting news, From 'Hairspray' to 'South Park,' composer Marc Shaiman tells a story shaped by Jewish humor. In his memoir Never Mind the Happy: Showbiz Stories from a Sore Winner, Shaiman reflects on a life shaped by chutzpah, fate, disappointment and resilience rooted in Jewish sensibility. He recalls being the "funny Jewish guy at the piano," a throughline in collaborations with Bette Midler, Rob Reiner, and many others, including scoring Broadway's Hairspray and South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and co-writing the Oscar-nominated song "Blame Canada." He attributes his humor and perseverance to his Jewish upbringing, calling it a birthright in show business.
Thank you for tuning in to this Israel Today: Ongoing War Report update.
I'm Noa Levi. Stay safe and informed.
Keep in mind that this AI-generated report may contain
Netanyahu Trump Eye Iran Crisis Deepening
Gazan Child Denied Israel Cancer Treatment
Israel Immigration From Russia Ukraine Drops Sharply
The time is now 11:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
In the conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, the world stands at a perilous crossroads as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to meet with US President Donald Trump to focus on Iran. There is a moral imperative for Western leaders to confront Tehran not with routine diplomacy but with a strategy designed to hasten the regime's decline. Tehran has used talks to buy time while unleashing brutality at home and extending influence across the region. Since late December, nationwide protests have erupted amid economic collapse and political stagnation, with tallies ranging from about 30,000 to 36,500 killed, a figure that sits beside a longer history of repression, including the 2021 Woman, Life, Freedom movement in which hundreds were killed and thousands wounded or detained.
In the Disputed Territories (Gaza, Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem), a Gazan child living in the West Bank was denied entry into Israel for cancer treatment despite Tel Hashomer Hospital in Israel signaling willingness to treat him, according to a Jerusalem District Court ruling. The petition, filed by Gisha Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, notes the child moved from Gaza to the West Bank in 2022 for care unavailable in the Strip, and that Ramallah doctors had been in contact with Tel Hashomer about treatment. The court did not intervene in the government's decision, creating a precedent that Gaza patients cannot enter Israel since the war began in 2023.
When Bethlehem was under Israeli control, Christians were the majority; under the Palestinian Authority the Christian population collapsed to under 20%. This isn’t coexistence; it’s a warning. Facts matter.
In Israeli Domestic Politics, Immigration from Russia and Ukraine at its lowest since COVID-19, says Diaspora Affairs Committee. The 2025 immigrant numbers from the former Soviet Union are at their lowest since 2020, and MK Ze’ev Elkin said an additional drop of about 50% is expected. The committee chair criticized the government for focusing on limiting immigration from CIS and closing gates to immigration from Ethiopia, calling the policy unacceptable and anti-Zionist. He urged renewed momentum and stressed that policy aims to encourage immigration from Western countries while ensuring that Western immigration does not come at the expense of immigration from the East.
Israeli teachers to delay school opening following extreme violence and harassment by students. BaMaale Yehud-Monosson will start classes at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, and Agamim School in Atlit at 10 a.m., after a student attacked a pregnant teacher. The Teachers Union chair Michael Pinto said violence against teaching staff is an everyday problem that must not be normalized, and the union will stand with teachers to protect them from harm.
In uplifting news, From 'Hairspray' to 'South Park,' composer Marc Shaiman tells a story shaped by Jewish humor. In his memoir Never Mind the Happy: Showbiz Stories from a Sore Winner, Shaiman reflects on a life shaped by chutzpah, fate, disappointment and resilience rooted in Jewish sensibility. He recalls being the "funny Jewish guy at the piano," a throughline in collaborations with Bette Midler, Rob Reiner, and many others, including scoring Broadway's Hairspray and South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and co-writing the Oscar-nominated song "Blame Canada." He attributes his humor and perseverance to his Jewish upbringing, calling it a birthright in show business.
Thank you for tuning in to this Israel Today: Ongoing War Report update.
I'm Noa Levi. Stay safe and informed.
Keep in mind that this AI-generated report may contain