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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-02-24 at 01:02
Published 2 days, 23 hours ago
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HEADLINES
Israel braces for multi-front war with Iran
Israel Expands West Bank Land Purchases
Hostages Recite Shema on Times Square
The time is now 1:01 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, Israel is accelerating preparations for a multi-front war and tightening coordination with the United States as the IDF finalizes operational plans at multiple levels. Israel’s Home Front Command and local authorities are updating emergency frameworks for a scenario in which the country fights simultaneously across several arenas. On the northern front, Israel is intensifying activity against Lebanon, aiming to restrict Hezbollah's freedom of action and make entry into any broader confrontation more difficult. Officials stress that no final decision has been made on timing; any launch window will depend heavily on Washington's next moves.
In the Disputed Territories (Gaza, Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem), residents of Kfar Aza will vote on the fate of bullet-riddled and burned homes left from the October 7 massacre, deciding whether to preserve the devastated quarter as a memorial site or relocate structures to the kibbutz entrance; they insist the decision rests solely with them despite fears of government intervention. Foreign ministers from Brazil, France, Spain, Turkey and other states condemned Israeli moves they described as widening unlawful Israeli control over the West Bank, including reclassifying Palestinian land as state land, accelerating settlement activity, and entrenching Israeli administration; signatories included Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar, as well as the heads of the Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Israel's cabinet on February 15 approved further measures to tighten control over the West Bank and to make it easier for settlers to buy land, a move Palestinians have criticized as de facto annexation. The West Bank remains among the territories Palestinians seek for a future state, with much of it under Israeli military control and limited Palestinian self-rule in areas overseen by the Palestinian Authority.
In US Policy Concerning Israel, Mike Huckabee’s remarks about biblical borders sparked regional concern, with US officials saying the comments were personal and not a policy shift; American forces have been reported at Ben Gurion, and senior Israeli security officials were briefed on potential implications, though no policy change has been announced. The Democratic Party faces a juncture on Israel, with an Axios post-election autopsy suggesting Gaza was a central issue affecting turnout and enthusiasm, and noting the findings were kept confidential due to political sensitivities. Separately, regional officials were told by senior Trump aides that Huckabee’s comments were personal and not a policy shift, as efforts continued to calm regional eyes that watched for a broader shift.
In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, researchers at Reichman University and collaborators argue for a dual threat model explaining how perceptions of Jewish power trigger different ideological fears on the right and the left, and they note a rise in antisemitism in liberal spaces since October 7.
In Israeli Economy and Business, new data from a Tel Aviv hotel reveal that about a third of self-employed workers earn minimum wage. In the housing market, reality clashes with online narratives as buyers and renters confront enduring affordability and access challenges. The construction sector reports shortages, excessive bureaucracy and a brain drain, with industry representatives calling for relief and targeted help to stabilize the workforce.
In Uplifting News, freed Israeli hostages recite the Shema prayer on a Times Square stage before thousands of Jewish teens at the Chabad-Lubavitch CTeen International Summit, an event that als
Israel braces for multi-front war with Iran
Israel Expands West Bank Land Purchases
Hostages Recite Shema on Times Square
The time is now 1:01 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, Israel is accelerating preparations for a multi-front war and tightening coordination with the United States as the IDF finalizes operational plans at multiple levels. Israel’s Home Front Command and local authorities are updating emergency frameworks for a scenario in which the country fights simultaneously across several arenas. On the northern front, Israel is intensifying activity against Lebanon, aiming to restrict Hezbollah's freedom of action and make entry into any broader confrontation more difficult. Officials stress that no final decision has been made on timing; any launch window will depend heavily on Washington's next moves.
In the Disputed Territories (Gaza, Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem), residents of Kfar Aza will vote on the fate of bullet-riddled and burned homes left from the October 7 massacre, deciding whether to preserve the devastated quarter as a memorial site or relocate structures to the kibbutz entrance; they insist the decision rests solely with them despite fears of government intervention. Foreign ministers from Brazil, France, Spain, Turkey and other states condemned Israeli moves they described as widening unlawful Israeli control over the West Bank, including reclassifying Palestinian land as state land, accelerating settlement activity, and entrenching Israeli administration; signatories included Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar, as well as the heads of the Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Israel's cabinet on February 15 approved further measures to tighten control over the West Bank and to make it easier for settlers to buy land, a move Palestinians have criticized as de facto annexation. The West Bank remains among the territories Palestinians seek for a future state, with much of it under Israeli military control and limited Palestinian self-rule in areas overseen by the Palestinian Authority.
In US Policy Concerning Israel, Mike Huckabee’s remarks about biblical borders sparked regional concern, with US officials saying the comments were personal and not a policy shift; American forces have been reported at Ben Gurion, and senior Israeli security officials were briefed on potential implications, though no policy change has been announced. The Democratic Party faces a juncture on Israel, with an Axios post-election autopsy suggesting Gaza was a central issue affecting turnout and enthusiasm, and noting the findings were kept confidential due to political sensitivities. Separately, regional officials were told by senior Trump aides that Huckabee’s comments were personal and not a policy shift, as efforts continued to calm regional eyes that watched for a broader shift.
In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, researchers at Reichman University and collaborators argue for a dual threat model explaining how perceptions of Jewish power trigger different ideological fears on the right and the left, and they note a rise in antisemitism in liberal spaces since October 7.
In Israeli Economy and Business, new data from a Tel Aviv hotel reveal that about a third of self-employed workers earn minimum wage. In the housing market, reality clashes with online narratives as buyers and renters confront enduring affordability and access challenges. The construction sector reports shortages, excessive bureaucracy and a brain drain, with industry representatives calling for relief and targeted help to stabilize the workforce.
In Uplifting News, freed Israeli hostages recite the Shema prayer on a Times Square stage before thousands of Jewish teens at the Chabad-Lubavitch CTeen International Summit, an event that als