US envoys discuss reopening of Rafah crossing with Netanyahu as three killed in Gaza

TNA’s live coverage of the latest from the war on Gaza concludes for today. Join us again tomorrow at 0800 GMT for updates from the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Israel will reopen Gaza's Rafah crossing with Egypt for the passage of people only after an operation to locate the body of the last remaining Israeli hostage in the enclave is completed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said late on Sunday.

The Israeli government has approved orders to block access for 90 days to the websites and YouTube channels of the Qatar-based Al Jazeera network and Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen.

The move expands restrictions introduced more than two years ago under the so-called Al Jazeera law, which already bans the networks’ television broadcasts inside Israel.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said in a statement that he would "continue to remove the enemies of Israel from here."

Last month, the Knesset passed an amendment granting the communications minister the authority to shut down foreign media outlets even in the absence of a declared state of emergency.

The United Nations' agency for Palestinian refugees said Sunday that its partially demolished headquarters in east Jerusalem was set on fire.

The agency, UNRWA, did not offer details on the cause of the incident at their premises, which Israeli authorities seized and began dismantling last week after banning the organisation from operating in the country in 2025.

"After having been stormed and demolished by the Israeli authorities, the UNRWA Headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem has now been set on fire," the agency said in a statement.

It described the blaze as part of an "ongoing attempt to dismantle the status of Palestine Refugees".

The fire and rescue service said early Sunday that it had responded to a call at the facility, where it was working to "extinguish the blaze and prevent it from spreading", also without offering a cause.

The UN had slammed last week's seizure and demolitions, and UNRWA insisted that its property remained protected by the privileges and immunities of the UN, a view it repeated on Sunday.

"Like any UN Member State anywhere in the world, without exception, Israel is legally obliged to protect and respect UN facilities," UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler told AFP news agency on Sunday.

The International Committee of the Red Cross facilitated the transfer of seven released detainees from the Kerem Abu Salem crossing to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital on Sunday and helped reconnect them with their families.

According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, the ICRC said it has been unable to access detainees held in Israeli detention facilities since October 2023, stressing the need to be informed of all detainees’ whereabouts and granted access to them.

Voter registration closed across the West Bank on Sunday ahead of municipal elections on April 25, when Palestinians will cast ballots to elect 420 local councils, a rare democratic exercise in the Israeli-occupied territory.

Voting will also take place in central Gaza for the Deir al-Balah council, a spokesman for the Ramallah-based Central Election Commission told AFP news agency.

"The elections in both the West Bank and in (Deir el-Balah) Gaza will be organised on April 25," Farid Tumallah said.

"Registration of candidates will open on February 23 for a period of one week," he added.

President Mahmud Abbas's Fatah movement is widely expected to dominate candidate lists, with the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority exercising tight political control.

It remains unclear whether Hamas, the Islamist group that governs parts of the Gaza Strip not occupied by Israeli forces, will participate.

Hamas boycotted the previous municipal elections held in 2021-2022 after the PA postponed long-overdue parliamentary and presidential polls, deepening an internal Palestinian political split.

Israel said Sunday its military was conducting a “large-scale operation” to locate the last hostage in Gaza, as Washington and other mediators pressure Israel and Hamas to move into the next phase of their ceasefire.

The statement came as Israel’s Cabinet met to discuss the possibility of opening Gaza’s key Rafah border crossing with Egypt, and a day after top US envoys met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about next steps.

The return of the remaining hostage, Ran Gvili, has been widely seen as removing the remaining obstacle to moving ahead with opening the Rafah crossing, which would signal the ceasefire's second phase.

The return of all remaining hostages, alive or dead, has been a central part of the first phase of the ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10. Before Sunday, the previous hostage was recovered in early December.

While Israel has carried out search efforts before for Gvili, more detail than usual was released about this one. Israel’s military said it was searching a cemetery in northern Gaza near the Yellow Line, which marks off Israeli-controlled parts of the territory.

Separately, an Israeli military official said Gvili may have been buried in the Shujaiyya–Daraj Tuffah area, and that rabbis and dental experts were on the ground with specialized search teams. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing an operation still under way.

Gvili’s family has urged Netanyahu’s government not to enter the ceasefire’s second phase until his remains are returned.

Hamas has shared all information it holds with mediators regarding the whereabouts of the remains of Ran Gvili, the last remaining hostage, a spokesperson for the group said on Sunday.

The spokesperson said Israeli forces are currently searching a location based on intelligence supplied by Hamas, adding that the group had acted with full transparency and met its commitments under the ceasefire agreement.

"We provided everything we had in our possession, both prisoners and bodies, as quickly as possible and without any delay, despite Israel violating the agreement dozens of times," the statement said. "We are eager to close the issue completely and are not interested in delay. We call on the mediators to fulfill their obligations and oblige Israel to implement the agreement."

Amid rising tensions with Iran, Israeli Civil Aviation Authority chief Shmuel Zakai warned foreign airlines that the region could be entering a “more sensitive period” toward the end of the week, according to a letter seen by Israel’s Channel 12.

In the letter, Zakai said the security situation remains “dynamic” and noted that Israel could again close its airspace if required, as it did during previous confrontations with Iran-particularly during last year's 12-year war. He said authorities are continuing to assess developments and adjust accordingly.

Channel 12 reported that after the letter became public, Zakai issued a clarification to airlines, saying he had been referring to the previous weekend, despite the letter containing explicit references to the upcoming weekend.

Meanwhile, Israeli carriers El Al, Arkia and Israir are easing ticket cancellation conditions, Channel 12 said, as passengers contact airlines over concerns that flights could be disrupted. Ben Gurion Airport is currently operating normally, the report added.

Palestinian media reported heavy Israeli army artillery shelling in the eastern areas of Gaza City.

Nasser Medical Complex said one person was killed by Israeli occupation fire outside Israeli deployment zones in the Khan Younis area, in the southern Gaza Strip, The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site al-Araby al-Jadeed reported.

Israeli forces were searching a cemetery in Gaza for the remains of Ran Gvili, the last captive still held in the Palestinian territory, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Sunday.

The announcement came shortly after Hamas's armed wing said in a statement that it had provided information on the location of the slain police officer's body.

"The operation is taking place at a cemetery in northern Gaza and involves extensive search efforts, making full use of all available intelligence. This effort will continue for as long as necessary," Netanyahu's office said.

The Israeli military confirmed troops were engaged in a "targeted operation in the area of the Yellow Line in northern Gaza to retrieve the body" of Gvili.

The head of Iran's judiciary warned on Sunday that those behind a recent wave of anti-government protests could expect punishment "without the slightest leniency".

"The people rightly demand that the accused and the main instigators of the riots and the acts of terrorism and violence be tried as quickly as possible and punished if found guilty," judicial chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei was quoted as saying by the official Mizan online news portal.

He went on to say "the greatest rigour must be applied in the investigations", but insisted that "justice entails judging and punishing without the slightest leniency the criminals who took up arms and killed people, or committed arson, destruction and massacres".

Iran is the world's second most prolific user of the death penalty after China, and the soaring number of arrests and vows of stiff punishment have raised fears it could use executions to repress dissent.

Israel's Settlements Minister Orit Strook slammed Donald Trump's "Peace Council" on Sunday, calling on Tel Aviv to occupy the Gaza Strip and warning that she may resign from the government.

Speaking to settlers' radio station Galei Israel, Strook said: "We are not supposed to sacrifice our soldiers for this bad plan, and I may be forced to withdraw from the government.

Strook called for Israel to remain the sole authority in Gaza after "disarming the Strip and eliminating Hamas."

"I cannot see a single minister in the mini security cabinet voting in favour of sending soldiers to be killed in Gaza, only to then hand the Strip over to Ali Shaath," she said, referring to the head of the Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with administering Gaza, a process which will be overseen by the Board of Peace.

"Unless I see the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, rein in this approach, I may ultimately be forced to say: enough," she said.

The Israeli army has begun reactivating long-abandoned military sites along its border with Jordan to prevent the infiltration of any militants from the east, according to Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

"For the first time since the 1970s, the Israeli army is reactivating the old Water Line positions along the border with Jordan, slightly above the riverbed, at fortified sites that were repeatedly shelled by the neighbouring state but were abandoned over the years," the report said.

The reactivated sites form part of a larger defensive network being built along the roughly 400-kilometre border. Upgrades include advanced surveillance systems, modern radar, and monitoring equipment, with an estimated 80 kilometres of border having been fortified so far.

Israel is also investing in physical barriers and support infrastructure to deter and detect any attempted infiltration, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.

A new mural unveiled in a central Tehran square on Sunday contains a direct warning by Iran to the United States to not attempt a military strike on the country.

The painted image of several damaged planes on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier bears the slogan: "If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind."

The unveiling of the mural in Enghelab Square comes as the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and accompanying warships move towards the region. U.S. President Donald Trump has said the ships are being moved "just in case" he decides to take action.

Enghelab Square is used for gatherings called by the state, and authorities change its mural based on national occasions. On Saturday, the commander of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard warned that his force is "more ready than ever, finger on the trigger."

🔴 تصویرنگاره میدان انقلاب تهران با عنوان «غرق کردن ناو آمریکایی» که در رسانه‌های جهانی بازتاب زیادی پیدا کرده است pic.twitter.com/qhQtghDOdI

— AbdiMedia - Abdollah Abdi (@abdolah_abdi) January 25, 2026

The Syrian army on Sunday said it had opened a humanitarian corridor to the Kurdish-majority town of Kobane, filled with people displaced by recent clashes, as a UN convoy carrying life-saving aid headed there.

Earlier this week, residents in Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab in Arabic, told AFP that they lacked food, water and power and that the enclave was flooded with people who had fled the Syrian army's advances.

In a statement, the Syrian military said it was opening two corridors, one to Kobane and another in nearby Hasakeh province to allow "the entry of aid".

Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, representative of the United Nations' refugee agency in Syria, said on X that "thanks to the cooperation with the Syrian government... a convoy of 24 trucks carrying essential food, relief items, and diesel" departed for Kobane "to deliver life-saving and winter assistance to civilians affected by the hostilities".

دخول مساعدات أممية إلى مدينة عين العرب عبر جسر قره قوزاق في ريف #حلب. pic.twitter.com/xzTFEu0chs

— ZAMANALWSL - زمان الوصل (@zamanalwsl) January 25, 2026

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reopen the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt during talks in Jerusalem, Israeli media reported Sunday.

The reports came after a newly appointed administrator for Gaza said Thursday that the crossing would be operational in both directions next week.

Israeli news site Ynet reported, citing an unnamed Israeli official, that while the meeting between Netanyahu, Witkoff and Kushner was "positive", Witkoff pressed Israel to reopen Rafah even before Hamas returns the remains of the last Israeli hostage believed to be held in Gaza.

According to the official, Witkoff also raised the possibility of Turkey playing a role in Gaza's future.

"Witkoff pushed to bring our greatest rival, Turkey, to our border," the official was quoted as saying. "The clock is ticking toward a confrontation with Turkey, which would pose a real threat to our security."

An Israeli strike on south Lebanon killed one person on Sunday, the health ministry reported, as Israel's military said it struck Hezbollah targets.

In a statement, the ministry said "an Israeli enemy raid" near Khirbet Selm, south Lebanon, killed one person and wounded another in a preliminary toll.

The Israeli army said it struck a Hezbollah "weapons manufacturing site" in the south where it "identified the terrorist activity of Hezbollah operatives".

The army said it also struck "military infrastructure sites belonging to Hezbollah" in the east, near the town of Nabi Sheet.

بالفيديو والصور - إصابات في الغارة الإسرائيلية على بئر السلاسل - خربة سلم pic.twitter.com/v79KSsiDav

— موقع البهاء - albahaasite (@albahaasite) January 25, 2026

Military intervention in Iran, where authorities launched a deadly crackdown on protesters that killed thousands, is not France's preferred option, its armed forces minister said Sunday.

"I think we must support the Iranian people in any way we can," Alice Rufo said on the political broadcast "Le Grand Jury".

But "a military intervention is not the preferred option" for France, she said, adding it was "up to the Iranian people to rid themselves of this regime".

Rufo lamented how hard it was to "document the mass crimes the Iranian regime has carried out against its population" due to a widespread internet shutdown.

"The Iranian people reject their regime. The fate of the Iranian people belongs to Iranians, and it is not for us to choose their leaders," said Rufo.

The Iraqi-Syrian border "is now fully secured, and there are no concerns regarding threats or any impact on Iraq from ongoing events in the Syrian territories adjacent to Iraq," Iraq’s Ministry of Defence spokesperson, Major General Tahseen al-Khafaji, told The New Arab's sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Al-Khafaji added that "Iraqi forces have begun daily military patrols along the border, equipped with the latest monitoring and technical systems, including thermal cameras and drones, to ensure that any attempts at infiltration, weapons smuggling, or terrorist activity are prevented."

Along the approximately 620-kilometre border, the Iraqi army and border guard are deployed alongside armed factions within the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

In recent days, Baghdad has carried out intensive security and military reinforcements in anticipation of possible spillover from instability in Syria or infiltration by Islamic State group militants into Iraqi territory.

The death toll from Israel's war in Gaza since 7 October 2023 has risen to 71,657, the Palestinian territory's health ministry announced on Sunday.

More than 171,000 others have been wounded.

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has warned that other organisations face a similar fate to the agency which has come under an Israeli crackdown, with its compound in Jerusalem recently torn down.

"What happens today to UNRWA will happen tomorrow to any other international organisation or diplomatic mission, whether in the Occupied Palestinian Territory or anywhere around the world," Philippe Lazzarini said, commenting on the demolition of the UNRWA compound in occupied East Jerusalem on 20 January.

"UN Members states are legally obliged to protect UN facilities. UN Members states must uphold international law," he added.

“What happens today to UNRWA will happen tomorrow to any other international organisation or diplomatic mission, whether in the Occupied Palestinian Territory or anywhere around the world,” says UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini on the demolition of the UNRWA compound… pic.twitter.com/pcjX4hust1

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) January 25, 2026

The Trump administration plans to repatriate Iranian migrants from the United States despite their home country still reeling from massive protests during which thousands were killed, according to an Iranian-American NGO.

The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) said on Thursday it had learned that Trump's administration was planning to restart deportation flights to Iran, after prior removals in September and December.

"The same administration that promised Iranians that 'help is on the way' amid a deadly crackdown is now forcibly sending Iranians back into danger," said NIAC president Jamal Abdi.

Abolfazl Mehrabadi, a diplomat representing Tehran's interests in the United States, told Iran's official IRNA news agency on Saturday that about 40 Iranians were to be deported. They will depart on Sunday from an airport in Phoenix, Arizona, he said.

Syria's government and Kurdish forces on Saturday extended their truce by 15 days, with Damascus saying it was to support the US transfer of Islamic State group detainees from Syria to Iraq.

In a statement, the Syrian defence ministry said the 15-day extension would take effect at 11pm (2000 GMT) on Saturday.

"The extension of the ceasefire comes in support of the American operation to transfer Islamic State detainees from SDF prisons to Iraq," the statement added, referring to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

The SDF also confirmed the extension, saying it was reached "through international mediation, while dialogue with Damascus continues".