Israel has raised objections to the composition of a panel formed under the 'Board of Peace' announced by U.S. President Donald Trump to oversee postwar governance in Gaza. On Saturday, Israel stated that the White House did not consult or coordinate with it regarding the selection of members for the Gaza Executive Board. Tel Aviv argued that the initiative contradicts Israeli policy, particularly criticizing the inclusion of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and a Qatari official.

A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the formation of the Gaza Executive Board under the Board of Peace was uncoordinated with Israel and inconsistent with its national policy. The Israeli foreign minister has been instructed to contact the U.S. secretary of state on the matter. Meanwhile, the formation of the Board of Peace began Saturday, with invitations extended to leaders from Egypt, Turkey, Argentina, and Canada.

Donald Trump has declared himself chairman of the board and presented an economic reconstruction plan for Gaza that has already sparked debate. The board also includes U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and senior advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.

An Israeli military Yasur (Black Hawk) helicopter crashed in the occupied West Bank on Friday, January 16, 2026. According to the Israeli army, no casualties were reported in the incident. The helicopter had earlier made an emergency landing in an open area of the Etzion Brigade zone in the southern West Bank due to adverse weather conditions. It lost control and crashed while being removed from the site.

Israeli Air Force chief Tomer Bar has ordered the formation of a military investigation committee to determine the exact cause of the crash. The incident occurred as tensions in the West Bank have intensified since the start of the Gaza war. Local sources reported that since October 2023, more than 1,080 Palestinians have been killed, around 11,000 injured, and over 20,000 arrested during Israeli operations in the area.

The crash adds to the ongoing instability in the region, where military operations and humanitarian conditions have sharply deteriorated since the escalation of conflict in Gaza.

Israel has reportedly violated the Gaza ceasefire nearly 1,200 times since it was declared on October 10 last year. According to Gaza’s government media office, between October 10 and January 9, Israel breached the truce at least 1,193 times, with hundreds killed in the attacks. Out of 97 days of ceasefire up to January 14, Israel carried out assaults on 82 days, leaving only 15 days without reports of violence, deaths, or injuries. Despite the continued attacks, the United States maintains that the ceasefire remains in effect.

Meanwhile, discussions on the Gaza peace plan are moving into a second phase even though the first stage has not been fully implemented. U.S. President Donald Trump announced several members of the new Gaza Peace Board on Friday. The board will oversee interim governance in the war-torn territory. The seven-member founding executive board includes U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and World Bank President Ajay Banga, with Trump himself serving as chair. The board will eventually have 15 members.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested the United States not to carry out an attack on Iran at this time, according to a report by The New York Times. The report, citing a senior US official, said Netanyahu spoke with US President Donald Trump and asked him to delay any planned military action against Iran.

On Wednesday, President Trump said he had been assured that killings of anti-government protesters in Iran had stopped and that planned executions were suspended. He did not specify the source of this information but described it as coming from a highly important source.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that after lengthy discussions at the military headquarters, Israel informed the US that while it would support any American decision, it did not currently want an attack. The report also noted that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Netanyahu for the third time in six days.

A 4.2-magnitude earthquake struck southern Israel on Thursday morning, with tremors felt across the central and northern regions. The quake occurred around 9 a.m. local time, prompting authorities to issue an alert for the Dead Sea area. According to officials and residents, the shaking was noticeable in several parts of central Israel, though no injuries or property damage were reported.

The Home Front Command confirmed that its automatic alert system was activated following the quake, leading to precautionary warnings in parts of the Dead Sea region. The incident was reported by local media outlets including the Times of Israel and Ynet News.

Authorities have not indicated any further risk, but the alert remains in effect for the Dead Sea area as a safety measure.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned Israel that it could be referred to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) if it does not reverse actions taken against the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). In a letter sent on January 8 to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Guterres demanded that Israel repeal laws restricting UNRWA’s operations, return seized assets, and restore access to essential services.

Israel’s parliament passed a law in October 2024 banning UNRWA from operating in the country and prohibiting officials from engaging with the agency. The law was later amended to cut electricity and water supplies to UNRWA centers. Israeli authorities also seized the agency’s East Jerusalem office, an area the UN considers occupied territory, though Israel claims the entire city as its own.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, rejected Guterres’s letter, saying Israel would not be intimidated and accusing UNRWA of links to terrorism. UN officials and the Security Council have described UNRWA as vital to humanitarian operations in Gaza. The ICJ previously stated that Israel has obligations to ensure Gaza’s civilians’ basic needs, though its opinions are not legally binding.

Israel and Germany have signed a new security cooperation agreement, according to a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released on Sunday. The deal was signed in Jerusalem by Netanyahu and German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. The statement described Iran and its allies, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, as threats to both regional stability and international security.

The agreement reflects Germany’s deep commitment to Israel’s security, the statement said. It establishes a broad security partnership between the two countries’ agencies in areas such as cyber defense, advanced technology, law enforcement, counterterrorism, and civil protection.

The development follows Germany’s suspension of military equipment exports to Israel in August of the previous year due to concerns that its weapons could be used in the Gaza war. Germany is Israel’s second-largest arms supplier after the United States.

A Palestinian detainee from Gaza, identified as Hamza Abdullah Abdulhadi Adwan, has died in an Israeli prison, according to a joint statement by the Prisoners’ Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners Society. The statement said Adwan had long suffered from heart disease and required medical treatment. He was arrested on November 12, 2024, at a military checkpoint in northern Gaza. Adwan was married and the father of nine children, two of whom were killed in Israeli attacks in October 2023.

Rights groups have accused Israel of systematic abuse of Palestinian prisoners, including starvation, medical neglect, sexual assault, humiliation, and detention under degrading conditions. The statement noted that since the start of the Gaza war, more than 100 Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli custody, though Israeli authorities have officially confirmed the identities of only 87.

The continuing deaths in custody have drawn attention to the conditions of Palestinian detainees and the lack of transparency surrounding their treatment and deaths.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has called on the European Union to classify Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. In a post on social media platform X, Sa’ar said he discussed the matter with German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, during which the issue of declaring the IRGC a terrorist group was raised.

Sa’ar noted that Germany has long maintained this position and that the importance of the issue has become increasingly clear. The report adds that several countries, including the United States and Canada, have already listed Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.

The IRGC, formed shortly after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, is described as a powerful armed force closely linked to the country’s supreme leadership. It plays a central role in preserving the revolution’s ideals and maintaining Iran’s Islamic governance, with its own ground, naval, and air forces, as well as a large volunteer militia known as the Basij Resistance Force.

Israeli police have detained Zachi Braverman, chief of staff to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on allegations of obstructing an investigation. The arrest, confirmed on Sunday, follows reports that Braverman was linked to the leak of sensitive military information during the Gaza war. Braverman had been nominated as Israel’s next ambassador to the United Kingdom, but opposition figures are now calling for his appointment to be suspended.

Former Netanyahu aide Eli Feldstein recently claimed that Braverman tried to interfere with a probe into the leak of classified military documents to foreign media during the conflict with Hamas. Feldstein himself had been arrested in 2024 for leaking a secret Israeli military document to a German tabloid, which aimed to support Netanyahu’s stance that military pressure could secure the release of Israeli hostages. Israeli media reported that police searched Braverman’s home and expect Feldstein to provide further testimony.

Braverman and Feldstein have also been linked to the so-called “Qatargate” scandal, involving alleged efforts to promote Qatar’s image in Israel. Opposition leader Yair Lapid urged the government to suspend Braverman’s ambassadorial nomination in light of these developments.

Israel has placed its security forces on the highest alert amid concerns over a possible United States strike on Iran, according to Israeli sources cited by Reuters. The heightened alert follows widespread anti-government protests in Iran, which have intensified since late December due to the sharp devaluation of the Iranian rial and worsening economic conditions. US President Donald Trump warned Iran against suppressing protesters, stating on his social media platform that the United States is ready to help.

Sources present at Israel’s weekend security meeting did not specify what the heightened alert measures entail. In June, Israel carried out an attack on Iran, with the United States joining in the final days of a 12-day conflict. On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the possibility of US intervention in Iran during a phone call, though US officials declined to confirm the details of their conversation.

The protests, which began near Tehran’s Grand Bazaar on December 28, have since spread to multiple cities across Iran, reflecting deepening public frustration over the country’s economic decline.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced the nomination of former UN Middle East envoy Nikolay Mladenov to supervise the Gaza ceasefire as part of a peace board proposed by US President Donald Trump. The appointment was reported by Turkey-based Hurriyet Daily, following a meeting between Netanyahu and Mladenov in Jerusalem. The board has been formed to oversee the implementation of the second and more complex phase of the ceasefire in Gaza.

A senior US official confirmed that the Trump administration assigned Mladenov to manage the board’s daily administrative operations, while Trump himself will serve as its head. Additional appointments are expected in the coming week. According to Trump’s plan, the board will oversee the formation of a new technocratic Palestinian government, the disarmament of Hamas, deployment of an international security force, withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and reconstruction efforts.

Mladenov previously served as Bulgaria’s defense and foreign minister and worked as the UN’s Middle East peace envoy from 2015 to 2020, during which he played an active role in easing tensions between Israel and Hamas.

Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu has claimed that Israeli agents are currently active inside Iran during the country’s ongoing protests over the falling value of the rial and a deepening economic crisis. Speaking to Israel’s Army Radio on Thursday, Eliyahu said that Israel had used ground agents during a 12-day war with Iran last June and that similar operations continue now. He asserted that some Israeli operatives remain active on Iranian soil.

According to Eliyahu, these agents are not directly working to overthrow the Iranian government but are focused on weakening Iran’s military and strategic capabilities to prevent it from posing a threat to Israel. Tehran had previously acknowledged Israeli intelligence activity during the 12-day conflict and has since arrested and executed several people accused of spying for Mossad.

Eliyahu’s remarks have intensified Iranian accusations of foreign interference by Israel and the United States. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded sharply, accusing former U.S. President Donald Trump of having blood on his hands and warning that arrogant powers would face the same fate as the pre-1979 monarchy.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly praised U.S. President Donald Trump after the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. In a statement posted on his Facebook account on Sunday, Netanyahu congratulated Trump for what he described as courageous and historic leadership in defense of freedom and justice. He also commended the determination of the U.S. president and the actions of American troops involved in the operation.

The statement came amid heightened international attention following the reported removal of Maduro from power. Netanyahu’s remarks framed Trump’s decision as a bold stand for democratic values and justice. The Israeli leader’s message of support highlighted close political alignment between the two leaders on global security and governance issues.

The development has sparked questions in other reports about the legality of Trump’s actions and the broader implications for Venezuela’s political situation, though Netanyahu’s statement focused solely on praise for the U.S. president’s leadership.

Israel has decided to revoke the licenses of 37 aid organizations operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The decision, announced to take effect from January 1, will also suspend the licenses of well-known international groups such as ActionAid, the International Rescue Committee, and the Norwegian Refugee Council, with their operations required to cease within 60 days.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned Israel’s move, saying it would obstruct and weaken UNRWA’s operational capacity in Gaza. He stated that the decision is inconsistent with international legal frameworks and should be immediately withdrawn. Guterres emphasized that UNRWA is an integral part of the United Nations and reminded Israel of its obligations under the UN Charter and the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.

The Israeli authorities said the action was taken because the organizations failed to meet new registration policy requirements.