Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that Israel intends to form a regional network of allied nations to counter what he described as “radical” adversaries. The initiative, which he called a “hexagon” of alliances, would include countries such as India, Greece, Cyprus, and other unnamed Arab, African, and Asian states. Netanyahu made the remarks while confirming the upcoming visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying India would be part of an “axis of nations that see eye to eye” with Israel.

Modi expressed agreement with Netanyahu, emphasizing the strong bond and shared commitment between India and Israel. The announcement comes as Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza has weakened the Iran-led “axis of resistance,” including Hezbollah in Lebanon. Netanyahu also referred to both a “radical Shia axis” and an “emerging radical Sunni axis,” though he did not elaborate on the latter.

The move follows strained relations between Israel and several Sunni-majority states, including Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, amid the Gaza conflict. It also builds on Israel’s efforts since 2020 to expand ties with Arab and Muslim nations under the US-backed Abraham Accords.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that no reconstruction work will begin in the war-torn Gaza Strip until the Palestinian resistance group Hamas is disarmed. He made the remarks on Thursday, February 19, during a televised address at a military event. On the same day, the first meeting of the newly formed 'Peace Board' took place in Washington, D.C.

The board was established following a ceasefire agreement signed last October, mediated by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, to end two years of conflict in Gaza. Nearly two dozen world leaders and senior officials attended the inaugural meeting. Discussions in Washington also explored the possibility of forming an 'international stabilization force' to ensure security in Gaza. The future of Hamas remains one of the most sensitive issues before the council.

U.S. officials reported positive progress in the talks, with growing pressure on Hamas to surrender its weapons. Israel has proposed strict measures, including confiscating even small personal firearms from Hamas members. However, it remains unclear how the Palestinian technical committee overseeing Gaza’s daily administration will handle the disarmament process.

Israel is reportedly preparing to launch an attack on Iran’s ballistic missile system, pending a possible green light from the United States. The report, citing Israel’s state broadcaster Kan and Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, emerged on Wednesday night amid heightened discussions over whether U.S. President Donald Trump will authorize a strike on Iran.

According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, security assessments over the past 24 hours suggest that the likelihood of a U.S. attack on Iran has increased following recent talks between Washington and Tehran. Meanwhile, President Trump has held a meeting with U.S. security officials to discuss preparations for a potential strike, which could take place by Saturday.

The developments indicate growing military tension in the region as both Israel and the United States evaluate their next steps regarding Iran’s missile capabilities.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich claimed during a parliamentary discussion on Tuesday that Palestinians kill each other and that the Israeli government bears no responsibility. His remarks, reported by Middle East Eye, triggered widespread anger and condemnation. The debate arose as Palestinian lawmakers, including Iman Khatib-Yassin, argued that Smotrich’s proposed 1.5 percent property tax on vacant land would harm Palestinians, who own property but are not permitted to develop it.

The lawmakers accused the government of failing to curb rising violence within Palestinian communities. In response, Smotrich said the government could not be blamed for killings among Palestinians and urged education and condemnation of terrorism, calling for Hamas to be defined as a terrorist organization. His comments were denounced as hateful and racist by opponents.

According to the human rights group Abraham Initiatives, 51 Palestinians have been killed in Israel so far this year, following 252 killings in 2025 across 218 incidents—a record figure nearly four times higher than the previous decade’s average.

Israel has announced that 10,000 Palestinian worshippers will be permitted to attend Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem during the holy month of Ramadan. The announcement came on Wednesday, February 18, following the start of Ramadan, according to Arab News. The approval applies specifically to weekly Friday prayers at the site.

The Israeli defense ministry’s agency for civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories, COGAT, stated that entry will be allowed only under certain restrictions. Men aged 55 and above, women aged 50 and above, and children up to 12 years old accompanied by a first-degree relative will be eligible. Each worshipper must also obtain a separate permit for every Friday throughout Ramadan.

Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, is located in East Jerusalem, a territory occupied and annexed by Israel in 1967, a move not recognized internationally. Normally, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians attend prayers there during Ramadan.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the country’s Home Front Command and various rescue agencies to prepare for a possible war with Iran. Israeli media reported on February 18 that maximum alert has been declared across security agencies. A planned security cabinet meeting on February 19 was postponed to February 22 without explanation.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel believes U.S. President Donald Trump may soon launch a large-scale military operation against Iran after Tehran rejected Washington’s negotiation demands. Israeli intelligence assessments suggest that if the U.S. attacks, Iran could retaliate by firing missiles at Israel, regardless of whether Israel participates directly. Former military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin said Israel is now closer to a potential strike than ever before.

Reports from Israel Hayom and CNN Arabic indicate that Israel’s military has been placed on high alert as coordination with the U.S. intensifies. Washington has deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group near Iran, with the USS Gerald R. Ford en route and additional fighter jets being positioned. Meanwhile, U.S. and Iranian officials described recent Geneva talks as constructive but unresolved.

Israel has decided to resume land registration in the occupied West Bank for the first time since 1967, a move that several Israeli NGOs say could effectively expand the boundaries of occupied Jerusalem. The decision, taken under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, has raised concerns among rights groups that it marks a significant shift in territorial control.

According to Israeli NGO Ir Amim researcher Aviv Tatarsky, the process amounts to a practical expansion of Jerusalem, as new settlements would bring residents under Jerusalem’s jurisdiction. Human rights organizations argue that the legal process is designed to displace Palestinians from ancestral lands and formally integrate parts of the West Bank into Israel. The registration process, suspended since 1984, could make it easier for Israel to claim ownership of lands where Palestinians lack official documentation.

The housing rights group Bimkom reports that about 70 percent of West Bank land remains unregistered. Many Palestinians, displaced by war or lacking formal papers, may lose ownership claims, leaving large areas to default to Israeli state control.

Thousands of worshippers gathered at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to perform the first Taraweeh prayers of the holy month of Ramadan. Witnesses said that due to limited space inside the mosque, many prayed outside. Sheikh Yusuf Abu Sneinah led the prayers, while Israeli police were stationed in the mosque compound, as seen in online footage showing officers moving among the worshippers.

The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, Sheikh Mohammad Hussein, had earlier announced that Wednesday would mark the first day of Ramadan. The event took place amid rising tensions in occupied East Jerusalem, particularly around the Old City and the Al-Aqsa compound. Israeli authorities have recently intensified security measures, including arrests and temporary bans on religious figures and activists.

According to the Jerusalem Governorate, more than 250 orders restricting Palestinian access to Al-Aqsa have been issued since the beginning of 2026. Earlier in the week, Israeli police arrested Al-Aqsa Imam Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abbasi. The International Court of Justice had previously ruled Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories illegal in July 2024, calling for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared on Tuesday that Israel will not withdraw even a millimeter from Gaza’s so-called ‘Yellow Line’ until Hamas is completely disarmed. The statement came during a conference, where Katz emphasized that Israel would not allow Hamas to retain weapons or tunnels. The ‘Yellow Line’ refers to the area in eastern Gaza where Israeli forces have been stationed under the first phase of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan.

According to the plan’s second phase, which began last month, Israel was expected to gradually withdraw from that line. However, Katz’s remarks indicate a firm stance against any withdrawal before Hamas’s disarmament. On Monday, Israeli Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs said the government would give Hamas 60 days to disarm, warning that failure to comply could lead to renewed warfare.

The report also stated that since October 8, 2023, Israel, with U.S. support, has conducted a campaign in Gaza that has killed over 72,000 Palestinians and injured more than 171,000, mostly women and children, while destroying about 90 percent of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure.

A video recently released on social media shows an Israeli soldier admitting to killings and sexual violence in Gaza during a conversation with American YouTuber Jeff Davidson. The footage, recorded on a short video-sharing platform, captures the soldier openly discussing the destruction of civilian areas and acts of violence committed during Israel’s assault on Gaza. When confronted by Davidson about the killing of women and children, the soldier confirmed the accusations and stated that they had also committed sexual assaults.

The video spread rapidly online, sparking widespread outrage as the soldier appeared to confess to grave crimes against civilians. During the exchange, the soldier identified himself as a member of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and claimed to be broadcasting from inside Gaza. He showed scenes of widespread devastation, saying that all buildings had been leveled. The footage emerged amid growing concern from international and human rights organizations about the high civilian death toll in Gaza, particularly among women and children.

The timing of the video’s release has intensified scrutiny of the ongoing conflict and the conduct of Israeli forces in Gaza.

Israeli forces have arrested Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abbasi, the Imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. The report said Al-Abbasi was detained from inside the mosque compound without explanation. The arrest occurred on Monday, as cited by local sources.

The report noted that Israeli measures around the Al-Aqsa Mosque have recently become more stringent. Restrictions have been imposed on imams, preachers, and worshippers, including limits on entry to the mosque. The arrest followed an earlier order by Israeli authorities banning Al-Abbasi from entering the mosque compound for one week, with the possibility of renewal.

Before his detention, Al-Abbasi said he had not been informed of the reason for the ban. He expressed deep distress over the decision, especially after returning to duty following a year-long recovery from a serious road accident. The incident comes as large numbers of Palestinian worshippers prepare to gather at Al-Aqsa during Ramadan.

The Israeli government has approved the resumption of land registration in the West Bank, a move that has triggered strong criticism from Arab nations and rights groups. According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the initiative aims to clarify land ownership and resolve legal disputes transparently, citing illegal registrations under the Palestinian Authority as justification. The registration will take place only in Area C, which covers about 60 percent of the West Bank and remains under Israeli security and administrative control.

Egypt, Qatar, and Jordan denounced the decision as a violation of international law. Egypt described it as a dangerous step to consolidate Israeli control over occupied Palestinian territory, while Qatar warned it would undermine Palestinian rights by declaring land as “state property.” The Palestinian Authority called for international intervention, saying the move marks the beginning of annexation and weakens the foundation of a future Palestinian state. Israeli group Peace Now labeled the decision a “mega land grab.”

Israeli media reported that this is the first time since the 1967 war that land registration will resume in the West Bank, where over 500,000 Israelis and about 3 million Palestinians currently live.

More than 50,000 members of Israel’s military hold citizenship from other countries, according to official army data published by the daily Yedioth Ahronoth. The figures were released after the transparency organization Hatzlacha filed a request under Israel’s Freedom of Information law. The data show that 50,632 soldiers have dual nationality, including 12,135 with U.S. citizenship, 6,127 with French citizenship, and over 5,000 with Russian citizenship.

The report further notes that more than 3,000 soldiers hold German citizenship and a similar number hold Ukrainian citizenship. Over 1,000 soldiers have British nationality, while 1,686 are Romanian, 1,387 Polish, and 185 Canadian citizens. A smaller number hold citizenship from Arab countries such as Yemen, Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria, and Algeria. Additionally, 4,440 soldiers possess two foreign citizenships besides Israeli, and 162 hold three.

The army did not clarify whether the data include active-duty or reserve members. Israeli media estimate about 170,000 active soldiers and between 400,000 and 460,000 reservists. The statistics were requested in March 2025 and are considered the first detailed public disclosure on foreign citizenship among Israeli military personnel.

The Israeli government has approved a proposal to register extensive areas of the occupied West Bank as state property, marking the first such decision since Israel’s 1967 occupation of the territory, according to the country’s public broadcaster Kan, as reported by Anadolu Agency. The proposal was introduced by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, and Defense Minister Israel Katz. If implemented, the lands in question will be formally recorded as Israeli state-owned property.

The move is expected to accelerate settlement expansion in the West Bank and further complicate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestinian groups and human rights organizations have long opposed such initiatives, viewing them as violations of international law and obstacles to peace.

Many countries in the international community consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law. Observers suggest that this decision could trigger renewed diplomatic backlash against Israel’s policies in the occupied territories.

Israeli authorities are reportedly planning to restrict Muslim worshippers’ access to Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem during the upcoming Ramadan, according to former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Sheikh Ekrima Sabri. Speaking to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, he said signs of this plan appeared earlier in January when Major General Avshalom Peled was appointed as the new police commander in East Jerusalem. The move is viewed as part of far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s broader agenda concerning control over the mosque.

Sheikh Sabri stated that Israeli authorities have already imposed restrictions on young worshippers and indicated that entry rules for Muslims from the occupied West Bank would not be eased. He warned that this would result in fewer worshippers at Al-Aqsa compared to previous years, calling the measures a violation of freedom of worship and an obstacle to Muslims’ observance of Ramadan.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Minister Ben-Gvir is taking actions that could further inflame tensions around the holy site.