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.

More than 50,000 members of the Israeli army possess one or more foreign citizenships in addition to their Israeli nationality, according to figures published by the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth. The data was released after the transparency organization Hatzlacha filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act in March 2025, to which the army recently responded.

The statistics show that 50,632 soldiers have dual citizenship, with the largest group being 12,135 holding U.S. citizenship, followed by 6,127 with French citizenship and 5,000 with Russian citizenship. Over 3,000 soldiers each hold German and Ukrainian citizenships, while more than 1,000 hold British, Romanian, Polish, Ethiopian, or Canadian citizenships. Additionally, 4,440 soldiers have two foreign citizenships besides Israeli nationality, and 162 hold three foreign citizenships.

According to TRT World, the army did not clarify whether these soldiers are active-duty, reservists, or both. Israeli media estimate that the country has about 170,000 active soldiers and between 400,000 and 460,000 registered reservists.

US President Donald Trump has taken a clear stance against Israel’s plan to annex the occupied West Bank. A White House official said on Monday, January 9, that Trump views maintaining stability in Palestinian territories as essential for peace in the Middle East. According to Reuters, the official added that a stable West Bank is also vital for Israel’s security, reaffirming the current US administration’s commitment to this policy.

The White House reaction followed new Israeli measures announced by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz to strengthen control over the occupied West Bank. The Israeli security cabinet approved rules easing land seizures for illegal settlements and transferring building permit authority in major cities like Hebron from the Palestinian Authority to direct Israeli control.

The decision has sparked widespread international protest. Eight Muslim-majority countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, and the UAE, jointly condemned the move as illegal and an attempt to displace Palestinians. The UN Secretary-General called the plan destabilizing and a major obstacle to a two-state solution, while Britain and Spain also issued strong condemnations and urged Israel to withdraw the decision.

Israel’s security cabinet has approved new regulations aimed at tightening control over the occupied West Bank. According to the report, the measures will make it easier for Israeli settlers to purchase land in the territory and grant Israeli officials broader authority to enforce laws on Palestinians in the area.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the move, calling it a dangerous step that legitimizes settlement expansion and land seizure. In a statement, the office of President Mahmoud Abbas urged immediate intervention by the United States and the United Nations Security Council. Jordan’s Foreign Ministry also denounced the decision, describing it as an attempt to impose illegal Israeli sovereignty and entrench settlements.

Meanwhile, Hamas called on Palestinians in the West Bank to intensify resistance against what it termed occupying forces and settlers. The new regulations have sparked strong regional criticism and calls for international response.

Israel’s security cabinet has approved new regulations aimed at strengthening Israeli control over the occupied West Bank, according to local media reports. The measures will make it easier for Israeli settlers to purchase land in the territory and grant Israeli officials greater authority to enforce laws on Palestinians. The new steps reportedly remove restrictions that previously prevented private Jewish individuals from buying land and allow Israeli authorities to manage certain religious sites and increase supervision in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority.

The Palestinian presidency condemned the decision as a “dangerous” move and an attempt to legalize settlement expansion and land confiscation, urging the United States and the United Nations Security Council to intervene. Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also denounced the decision, calling it an effort to impose illegal sovereignty and entrench settlements. Hamas called on Palestinians to intensify confrontation with Israeli forces and settlers.

Palestinian Vice President Hussein Al-Sheikh described the measures as a violation of international law and existing agreements, warning that they undermine the two-state solution and risk escalating regional instability.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to travel to the United States for discussions centered on Iran. His office announced the visit on Saturday night, just one day after high-level talks between the United States and Iran took place in Oman. Netanyahu will depart for Washington on Tuesday and meet U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday.

According to a statement from Netanyahu’s office, the prime minister believes that any agreement with Iran must include strict limitations on its ballistic missile program. He also insists that Iran’s support for proxy groups across the Middle East must be addressed in the negotiations. The statement reflects Israel’s concern that Iran’s missile program was reportedly not included in the ongoing U.S.-Iran discussions in Oman.

This will be Netanyahu’s seventh visit to the United States during Trump’s second term, underscoring the frequency of their diplomatic engagements over the past year.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed concern over Egypt’s increasing military capabilities, calling for close monitoring to prevent excessive buildup. According to Israeli media reports on Thursday, Netanyahu made the remarks during a closed-door session of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Citing a source present at the meeting, the report said Netanyahu emphasized that while Israel maintains relations with Egypt, its expanding military strength should be carefully observed and restrained if necessary.

The report added that this warning comes amid heightened sensitivities in bilateral relations, following a major $35 billion gas deal signed between Israel and Egypt in December. Netanyahu had described the agreement, valued at 112 billion shekels, as the largest in Israel’s history. The two nations have maintained peace since signing the Camp David Accords and a formal peace treaty in 1979, which ended their state of war and normalized relations.

The renewed caution from Netanyahu highlights ongoing strategic vigilance in Israel’s approach to Egypt despite their longstanding peace framework.

Audio recordings of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak speaking with Jeffrey Epstein have surfaced, revealing Barak’s remarks about Israel’s demographic policies and attitudes toward different Jewish communities. Released last week by the U.S. Department of Justice, the undated recording captures Barak telling Epstein that he had informed Russian President Vladimir Putin that Israel needed one million Russian-speaking immigrants. He said Israeli authorities could now be more “selective” and “control the quality” of immigrants more effectively than in the past.

In the conversation, Barak appeared to disparage Jews from North Africa and Arab countries, contrasting them with potential Russian-speaking immigrants. He also discussed breaking the Orthodox rabbinate’s monopoly over religious definitions and ceremonies to encourage mass conversions to Judaism. The recording highlights long-standing divisions between religious and secular Jews and reflects Israel’s ongoing efforts to shape its population through immigration.

The report also notes that Israel continues to promote immigration, offering tax incentives to new arrivals in 2026. Past immigration waves, such as those from Ethiopia’s Beta Israel community, have exposed persistent racism and inequality within Israeli society.

Israeli authorities have started constructing a new settlement road north of occupied East Jerusalem, according to the Jerusalem Governorate. The road extends from the city of Mikhmas in the east to the village of Qalandiya in the west, spanning about six kilometers. Officials said the project is part of a bypass network designed to connect Israeli settlements while avoiding Palestinian areas. Around 280 dunams of land have been confiscated from four Palestinian towns for the construction.

Palestinian officials argue that such infrastructure projects restrict Palestinian movement and entrench land confiscation. They accuse Israel of using settlement expansion and road construction to isolate East Jerusalem from the West Bank. The report notes that since the Gaza war began in October 2023, Israeli military operations in the West Bank have intensified, with increased killings, demolitions, forced evictions, and settlement expansion.

According to official Palestinian statistics, at least 1,110 Palestinians have been killed, about 11,500 injured, and more than 21,000 detained in the West Bank during that period.

Israel has banned the operations of the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Gaza and ordered the organization to leave the enclave by February 28, according to TRT World. Israeli authorities said the decision followed MSF’s refusal to submit a list of its staff to Tel Aviv, a requirement applied to all humanitarian organizations operating in the region.

Citing the newspaper Maariv, Israel stated that the measure aims to ensure legitimate relief activities and prevent the misuse of humanitarian aid for terrorism. MSF responded that it would not provide the names of its Palestinian and international staff because Israel had refused to guarantee their safety or the organization’s operational independence.

MSF is one of the largest humanitarian organizations working in Gaza. Observers fear that halting its activities could severely threaten medical services in the territory, already devastated by two years of war that have killed about 71,800 Palestinians, injured more than 171,400, and destroyed nearly 90 percent of civilian infrastructure.

Israel has reopened the Rafah crossing after two years of closure, allowing only limited movement of people between Gaza and Egypt. The Israeli military stated that the reopening is part of a ceasefire agreement in the blockaded Palestinian enclave. According to the announcement, the crossing was opened on Sunday for restricted two-way movement under political directives.

Coordination for departures from Gaza and entries into the territory will be carried out with Egypt, and travelers will require prior Israeli security clearance under the supervision of a European Union mission. Residents who left Gaza during the conflict will be allowed to return, subject to Israeli approval and coordination with Egypt.

The crossing had remained closed since Israeli forces took control in May 2024. It was initially scheduled to reopen under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement signed in October, but Israel delayed implementation until the recovery of the last hostage’s body, causing several months of postponement.

Israel has decided to partially reopen the Rafah border crossing between the war-torn Gaza Strip and Egypt after a prolonged closure. Israeli authorities announced that starting Sunday, the crossing will allow limited movement of people following sustained pressure from humanitarian organizations. The reopening comes even as violence continues in Gaza, where Israeli airstrikes on Saturday reportedly killed dozens, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense. The Israeli military said the strikes were in response to ceasefire violations.

The Rafah crossing is a vital entry and exit point for Gaza’s residents and humanitarian aid. It was seized by Israeli forces in May 2024 during the ongoing conflict with Hamas and has remained mostly closed since then, except for a brief reopening in early 2025. Israel had previously stated it would not reopen the crossing until the body of its last hostage, Ran Givili, was recovered; his remains were found and buried earlier this week.

According to Israel’s COGAT agency, the crossing will reopen under EU supervision and coordination with Egypt, though the number of people allowed to cross remains unclear.

Israel will reopen the Rafah border crossing with Gaza on Sunday, February 1, after two years of closure. The Israeli military announced on Friday that limited movement of people will be allowed in both directions as part of a ceasefire agreement in the blockaded Palestinian enclave. The reopening will be coordinated with Egypt and supervised by a European Union mission, with prior Israeli security clearance required for travelers.

According to the military statement, residents who left Gaza during the war will be permitted to return, subject to coordination with Egypt and Israeli approval. No immediate comments were available from Palestinian or Egyptian authorities. The crossing had been closed since May 2024, when Israeli forces took control of it.

The Rafah crossing was originally scheduled to reopen under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement reached in October, but Israel delayed implementation until the recovery of the last hostage’s body. This condition caused several months of delay in enforcing the agreement.