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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-02-10 at 00:01
Published 3 weeks ago
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HEADLINES
- Iran crisis looms as Netanyahu meets Trump
- Gaza child barred from cancer treatment
- US opposes West Bank annexation moves
The time is now 12:01 AM 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 visit US President Donald Trump, a meeting certain to focus on Iran. There is a moral imperative for Western leaders to confront Tehran not with standard diplomatic formulas but with a strategy designed to hasten the downfall of a regime that has repeatedly proven itself unworthy of engagement. Tehran’s clerical regime has answered dissent with bloodshed on an unprecedented scale, and since late December nationwide protests have erupted amid economic collapse and political stagnation. Emergent tallies put fatalities in the tens of thousands, with figures ranging roughly from 30,000 to 36,500, not counting the broader history of repression. In the long arc of dissent, the 2021 Woman, Life, Freedom movement began after Mahsa Amini’s death in custody, marking a period when hundreds were killed and thousands more wounded or detained as Iranians spoke out.
In the Disputed Territories (Gaza, Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem), a Gazan child living in the West Bank was refused entry to Israel to receive cancer treatment despite doctors in Ramallah having been in contact with Tel Hashomer Hospital, where practitioners expressed willingness to treat him. The Jerusalem District Court rejected the petition to permit entry, a decision reported by Gisha Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, which has represented the family since November 2025. The child, who moved from Gaza to the West Bank in 2022 to access care not available in the Strip, faced a series of treatments beyond the West Bank’s reach, including cancer immunotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. The court’s ruling noted that, despite the child’s immediate danger, it would not intervene in the government’s decision, effectively establishing a precedent that restricts Gaza patients from entering Israel, a practice that did not exist prior to 2023.
In US Policy Concerning Israel, the White House reaffirmed its opposition to Israel’s annexation of parts of the West Bank and underscored the importance of preserving stability in the territory. A White House statement attributed to a senior official said President Trump does not support annexing the West Bank and that maintaining a stable West Bank aligns with the administration’s goal of achieving peace in the region. The measures announced by Israel’s security cabinet—led by Bezalel Smotrich and Israel Katz—would expand Jerusalem’s administrative reach in areas Palestinians envision as part of their future state, a move that raises questions about its compatibility with the Oslo Accords and draws explicit concern from many quarters, including along the European Union, which characterized the steps as a step in the wrong direction.
In Israeli Domestic Politics, immigration from Russia and Ukraine is at its lowest since the COVID-19 period, according to the Immigration, Absorption, and Diaspora Affairs Committee. Committee members reported that 2025 arrivals from CIS countries are down sharply, with one member forecasting an additional roughly 50% drop, a consequence of policies described as disincentives. Ze’ev Elkin said the trend would require renewed momentum, while committee chair Gilad Kariv criticized the government for what he called a restricting approach to immigration and urged a return to a more expansive stance toward those seeking to join Israel. The debate touches on the broader tension between drawing in immigrants from Western countries and maintaining channels for those from the CIS region.
Meanwhile, coalition lawmakers moved the state budget forward afte
- Iran crisis looms as Netanyahu meets Trump
- Gaza child barred from cancer treatment
- US opposes West Bank annexation moves
The time is now 12:01 AM 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 visit US President Donald Trump, a meeting certain to focus on Iran. There is a moral imperative for Western leaders to confront Tehran not with standard diplomatic formulas but with a strategy designed to hasten the downfall of a regime that has repeatedly proven itself unworthy of engagement. Tehran’s clerical regime has answered dissent with bloodshed on an unprecedented scale, and since late December nationwide protests have erupted amid economic collapse and political stagnation. Emergent tallies put fatalities in the tens of thousands, with figures ranging roughly from 30,000 to 36,500, not counting the broader history of repression. In the long arc of dissent, the 2021 Woman, Life, Freedom movement began after Mahsa Amini’s death in custody, marking a period when hundreds were killed and thousands more wounded or detained as Iranians spoke out.
In the Disputed Territories (Gaza, Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem), a Gazan child living in the West Bank was refused entry to Israel to receive cancer treatment despite doctors in Ramallah having been in contact with Tel Hashomer Hospital, where practitioners expressed willingness to treat him. The Jerusalem District Court rejected the petition to permit entry, a decision reported by Gisha Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, which has represented the family since November 2025. The child, who moved from Gaza to the West Bank in 2022 to access care not available in the Strip, faced a series of treatments beyond the West Bank’s reach, including cancer immunotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. The court’s ruling noted that, despite the child’s immediate danger, it would not intervene in the government’s decision, effectively establishing a precedent that restricts Gaza patients from entering Israel, a practice that did not exist prior to 2023.
In US Policy Concerning Israel, the White House reaffirmed its opposition to Israel’s annexation of parts of the West Bank and underscored the importance of preserving stability in the territory. A White House statement attributed to a senior official said President Trump does not support annexing the West Bank and that maintaining a stable West Bank aligns with the administration’s goal of achieving peace in the region. The measures announced by Israel’s security cabinet—led by Bezalel Smotrich and Israel Katz—would expand Jerusalem’s administrative reach in areas Palestinians envision as part of their future state, a move that raises questions about its compatibility with the Oslo Accords and draws explicit concern from many quarters, including along the European Union, which characterized the steps as a step in the wrong direction.
In Israeli Domestic Politics, immigration from Russia and Ukraine is at its lowest since the COVID-19 period, according to the Immigration, Absorption, and Diaspora Affairs Committee. Committee members reported that 2025 arrivals from CIS countries are down sharply, with one member forecasting an additional roughly 50% drop, a consequence of policies described as disincentives. Ze’ev Elkin said the trend would require renewed momentum, while committee chair Gilad Kariv criticized the government for what he called a restricting approach to immigration and urged a return to a more expansive stance toward those seeking to join Israel. The debate touches on the broader tension between drawing in immigrants from Western countries and maintaining channels for those from the CIS region.
Meanwhile, coalition lawmakers moved the state budget forward afte