Israel has suspended the transfer of patients from Gaza to Egypt through the Rafah crossing, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. The suspension came just days after Israel reopened the crossing on February 2, 2026, for the first time in about 18 months. On the first day, only five critically ill patients were allowed to cross into Egypt. The Red Crescent’s spokesperson Raed al-Nims told Al Jazeera that Israel announced the closure only minutes before it took effect, leaving many wounded and seriously ill Palestinians waiting in ambulances near the crossing.

Israeli officials had earlier said that up to 50 Palestinians would be permitted to cross daily, but only five were allowed on Monday and 16 on Tuesday. Gaza’s health authorities reported that more than 18,000 patients are awaiting evacuation for treatment, including around 440 in critical condition. No explanation was given for why some patients were denied passage.

Despite an ongoing ceasefire, Israeli forces continued airstrikes in Gaza. The Palestinian Health Ministry said at least 21 people were killed and 38 injured on Wednesday, bringing the total to 556 deaths and 1,500 injuries during the truce period.

U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that Washington is continuing discussions with Iran to ease tensions in the Persian Gulf, even as American forces shot down Iranian drones over the Arabian Sea. Speaking at the White House, Trump said talks were underway but declined to reveal their location. He referenced a previous U.S. operation called “Midnight Hammer” and noted that Iran might not want to face a similar situation again.

According to Iranian media, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in West Jerusalem to discuss Iran. Reports cited U.S. officials saying Israel is pressing Washington to launch new strikes on Iran, though Trump currently opposes such action. The president has also warned that if nuclear talks fail, “something bad” could happen, and he recently deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln to the Gulf.

The developments follow Israel’s 12-day assault on Iran in June 2025, which targeted military and nuclear sites. Turkish officials said a planned meeting between Iran’s foreign minister and Trump’s envoys will now take place in Oman instead of Istanbul.

Israel has returned the bodies and remains of 54 Palestinian prisoners who had been held in its prisons. Gaza’s Health Ministry announced on Wednesday that the handover took place through the International Committee of the Red Cross. Forensic examinations of the bodies have begun, after which families will be allowed to identify their relatives according to established procedures.

A Palestinian official said the transfer occurred amid Israel’s continued violations of the phased ceasefire agreement that took effect on October 10. Under that deal, Israel was expected to withdraw additional troops from Gaza and begin reconstruction efforts. According to United Nations estimates, rebuilding Gaza could cost around 70 billion US dollars.

Despite the US-brokered ceasefire, Israeli airstrikes early Wednesday killed at least 21 Palestinians, including women and children, and injured many others. The attacks targeted tents of displaced people, a house, and a civilian gathering. The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that shelling in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis killed two people, including a paramedic, and wounded 12 others.

Iran has unveiled a new underground missile base as tensions with the United States continue to escalate. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the development on Wednesday, February 4, during an official ceremony attended by Iran’s Armed Forces Chief Abdolrahman Mousavi and Aerospace Division head Sayed Majed Mousavi. Senior military officials reviewed the Guard’s missile readiness and capabilities during the event.

During the inspection, the Armed Forces Chief stated that Iran is fully prepared to face any potential threat. He explained that following a 12-day conflict with Israel in June of the previous year, Iran shifted its military strategy from a defensive to an offensive posture, enhancing its ability to conduct large-scale operations in a short time. The new approach also includes plans for asymmetric warfare and countering enemy strategies.

In recent days, the United States has increased its military presence around Iran, deploying warships and other assets. Although both countries have agreed to hold talks, concerns remain that U.S. forces could strike Iran if negotiations fail. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that any U.S. attack could ignite a wider regional war.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkey and Egypt are working together to establish peace in Gaza and ensure stability in neighboring Libya. He made the remarks during a joint press conference with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Wednesday, according to Anadolu Agency. Erdogan emphasized that the two countries share a common goal of preserving Libya’s unity and territorial integrity to achieve lasting stability.

Expressing concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Erdogan noted that despite several months of ceasefire, the humanitarian crisis continues. He reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to ongoing cooperation with Egypt in efforts to restore peace in the region.

On bilateral trade, Erdogan said Egypt is already Turkey’s largest trading partner in Africa. Ankara aims to increase the current trade volume of 8–9 billion dollars to 15 billion dollars. He also expressed interest in expanding cooperation in maritime trade, transportation, freedom of navigation, and maritime security.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Thursday called on China to show restraint in weapons development and to join future arms control initiatives. Speaking to reporters in Canberra during his visit to Australia, he warned that the expiration of the last U.S.-Russia nuclear treaty, New START, on February 5 has raised the risk of a renewed global arms race.

Disarmament advocates have expressed concern that the end of the treaty could encourage major nuclear powers to expand their arsenals, with China potentially accelerating its buildup. Wadephul emphasized that any future arms control framework must include China, noting that Beijing often speaks in favor of multilateralism and should now demonstrate its commitment by investing in trust and restraint in international relations.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also recently called for a new agreement that includes China, arguing that meaningful 21st-century arms control is impossible without its participation. Experts cited in the report estimate China currently possesses about 550 strategic nuclear launch systems, fewer than the roughly 800 each held by the United States and Russia.

Russia announced that its last nuclear arms treaty with the United States has expired, ending mutual obligations on the number of deployed nuclear weapons. Moscow stated on Wednesday that the 2010 agreement, known as the New START treaty, officially expired on Thursday, freeing both sides from previous restrictions. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the United States did not respond to President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to extend the limits on missiles and warheads for another 12 months.

The New START treaty, signed in 2010 by then US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, came into force in 2011 and was extended for five years in 2021 under President Joe Biden. The agreement had set specific limits on the number of nuclear weapons each side could deploy.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern over the treaty’s expiration and called on Moscow and Washington to begin discussions without delay on a new framework for nuclear arms control.

At least 162 people were killed when armed militants attacked the villages of Oru and Nuku in Nigeria’s western Kwara State on Tuesday, February 4. Local lawmaker Mohammed Omar Bio confirmed the death toll and said a group called ‘Lakurawa,’ suspected to be linked to the Islamic State, was believed to be responsible. Witnesses reported that the attackers tied villagers’ hands, lined them up, and opened fire, also setting homes and shops ablaze. Several people, including the traditional ruler, remain missing as the army continues recovery and search operations.

Amnesty International condemned the attack, suggesting the death toll could exceed 170, and accused security forces of failing to act despite prior threats from gunmen over the past five months. Villagers said the assailants promoted jihadist ideology and demanded allegiance to Sharia law, which the community rejected during a religious gathering before the massacre.

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq denounced the assault as a cowardly act of terrorism. Analysts said the incident highlights Nigeria’s worsening security crisis, marked by jihadist insurgency, banditry, and communal violence across multiple regions.

At least 23 Palestinians, including six children, were killed in Israeli tank shelling and airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, according to Gaza health officials cited by Reuters on Wednesday, January 4. The attacks struck areas in southern Khan Younis and northern Gaza City, where a doctor was killed while rescuing the wounded and a five-month-old infant also died. A resident, Abu Mohammad Haboush, said his family was sleeping when a tank shell hit their home, killing several relatives.

The Israeli military stated that the strikes were in response to Hamas gunfire that allegedly targeted Israeli troops near the border, injuring one soldier. Hamas condemned the attacks, saying they undermine efforts to stabilize the ceasefire and called for immediate international pressure to halt the violence. The incident occurred amid ongoing discussions over Gaza’s governance and reconstruction under the second phase of a ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump in January.

Gaza health officials reported that since the ceasefire began, Israeli attacks have killed at least 530 Palestinians, mostly civilians, while four Israeli soldiers have died in Palestinian assaults.

Human rights organization Odhikar reported that in 2025, India’s Border Security Force (BSF) committed severe abuses, including killings and torture, and illegally pushed more than 2,500 Muslims and Bengali-speaking people into Bangladesh. Among those forced across the border were Indian citizens and Rohingya refugees, according to the group’s annual human rights statistics released on Wednesday.

The report also detailed Bangladesh’s internal political and human rights situation in 2025, noting continued violence, extortion, and factional conflicts despite hopes for reform after the 2024 uprising. It documented allegations of torture and extrajudicial killings by law enforcement, ongoing political clashes among major parties, and persistent labor unrest in the garment sector. The interim government ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture in July 2025 and amended the National Human Rights Commission Act to strengthen detainee protections.

Odhikar’s findings further highlighted that enforced disappearances and human rights abuses declined under the interim government, while freedom of expression increased compared to the previous authoritarian period.

Malaysia’s immigration authorities have deported 135 foreign detainees from the Pineapple Town Immigration Detention Depot in Johor state after they completed their prison sentences. The deportees include 112 from Myanmar, 11 from Indonesia, nine from Bangladesh, two from Sri Lanka, and one from Cambodia. They were sent back to their respective countries on Tuesday through Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA-1 and KLIA-2) and the Pasir Gudang ferry terminal.

According to the immigration department, the deported individuals had served sentences under several laws, including the Torture Act (Act 574), the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 (Act 234), the Immigration Act 1959/63 (Act 155), and the Immigration Regulations 1963. All deportees have been placed on the immigration blacklist and are barred from re-entering Malaysia for a specified period.

The Johor Immigration Department stated that the repatriation program is conducted regularly to ensure that no foreign nationals remain in the country after completing their sentences.

The United States has deployed several warships off the coast of Haiti amid a worsening political crisis and rising gang violence. US military officials confirmed on Tuesday that the USS Stockdale, USCGC Stone, and USCGC Diligence have entered the Bay of Port-au-Prince. In a statement on social media, the US Embassy said the naval presence reflects Washington’s strong commitment to Haiti’s security, stability, and a brighter future. The deployment was ordered by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as part of Operation Southern Spear, a regional mission targeting drug traffickers in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

Haiti faces renewed political uncertainty as the term of its Presidential Transitional Council is set to expire on February 7. The country has not held elections since 2016, and former Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned in 2024 under pressure from escalating gang violence. Large parts of Haiti remain under the control of rival armed groups accused of murder, rape, and kidnapping.

The United States has also imposed new visa restrictions on several senior Haitian officials accused of supporting or being linked to armed gangs.

Russia carried out a large-scale missile and drone attack targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure across five regions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Tuesday. He said the assault, which occurred on Monday, was the largest of its kind against Ukraine’s power system in nearly four years of war. According to Zelensky, Russia fired more than 70 ballistic and cruise missiles and deployed 450 drones to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses. The Ukrainian Air Force reported intercepting only 38 missiles, meaning many struck their intended targets.

The attacks caused significant damage to power plants and infrastructure in Kyiv and other areas. Private energy company DTEK described the assault as the most powerful strike of the year. The offensive came as temperatures dropped to minus 20 degrees Celsius, worsening civilian hardship. Zelensky accused Russia of choosing terror over diplomacy and urged allies to apply maximum pressure on Moscow.

The scale of the strikes and the severe winter conditions suggest prolonged disruptions to Ukraine’s energy supply and increased humanitarian strain.

At least fourteen people were killed when a migrant-carrying speedboat collided with a Greek coastguard patrol vessel near Chios Island on Tuesday evening. The crash occurred close to Mirsinidi beach, and rescue teams recovered the bodies from the sea, according to TRT World. Several others were injured in the incident.

Among the injured were seven children and two pregnant women, all of whom were taken to hospital for treatment. Two coastguard officers were also hospitalized following the collision. Reports indicate that the condition of four migrants remains critical.

Authorities have not released further details about the cause of the collision or the nationalities of those on board.

A United States F-35 fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone approaching the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier deployed in the Arabian Sea, according to a Reuters report cited by the source. A US official said the drone was identified as an Iranian Shahed-139 model and was heading toward the carrier when it was targeted and destroyed.

The incident occurred amid ongoing tensions over increased US military presence near Iran’s coast. It also comes ahead of scheduled talks between Iran and the United States in Istanbul, Turkey, on Friday regarding a nuclear agreement. The downing of the drone has drawn renewed attention to the already strained regional situation.

The report suggests that the timing of the drone incident, just days before the planned diplomatic discussions, may influence the tone and focus of those talks, though no official reactions were mentioned in the source.