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Iran’s foreign minister slams hypocrisy over Israeli military expansion

Iran’s foreign minister slams hypocrisy over Israeli military expansion
By Tamila Varshalomidze, Umut Uras, Nils Adler and Edna Mohamed
Published On 7 Feb 2026

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7 Feb 2026 - 22:55
 (22:55 GMT)

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Watch Palestinian National Initiative head Mustafa Barghouti’s comments at the 17th edition of the Al Jazeera forum here.

Read our feature about how Israel’s destruction of Gaza has made even walking to get around perilous, here.

And you can follow all our coverage of Israel and Palestine here.

7 Feb 2026 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)

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But before we go, here’s a look at what’s been happening:

  • Gaza’s Health Ministry said that at least two Palestinians have been killed and 25 injured in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.
  • Israel’s military destroyed a residential building outside the areas of its control in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood.
  • Hamas said the “ceasefire” in Gaza is “meaningless” as long as Israel continues attacking and killing Palestinians.
  • Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has addressed the 17th Al Jazeera Forum in Qatar’s capital, Doha, today, calling the issue of Palestine the region’s “moral compass”.
  • The Israeli prime minister’s office says Netanyahu is expected to meet Trump next Wednesday in Washington, DC, where the pair will discuss Iran.
  • Israeli settler attacks continued across the occupied West Bank, with settlers beating and injuring two Palestinians near Ramallah in today’s most violent attack.
7 Feb 2026 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

Israeli settlers storm water well station, assault employees northeast of Ramallah

Israeli settlers stormed the main water well station in the Ein Samiya area, east of the town of Kafr Malek, northeast of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, and assaulted employees from the Jerusalem Water Authority, Wafa reported.

According to local reports, more than 15 settlers attacked the station, vandalised it, and assaulted the station’s staff, before Israeli forces also stormed the place with several military vehicles.

In a statement, the Jerusalem Water Authority said that repeated, escalating attacks on the water well in recent days have left it inoperable, depriving more than 100,000 citizens of their basic right to water and affecting more than 19 communities that depend on it.

The statement added that the authority is in talks with relevant parties to stop the repeated attacks and called for urgent intervention to ensure the security of the water facilities and their staff, and to restart the well as soon as possible.

7 Feb 2026 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)

Photos: Civil defence teams search for bodies in Gaza City

An excavator clears debris as civil defence teams search for the remains of the Salem family under the rubble of their home, which was destroyed by Israeli forces in December 2023, in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City on February 7, 2026 [AFP]
[AFP]
[AFP]
[AFP]

7 Feb 2026 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

Israeli forces raid shops in Qarawat Bani Hassan

Wafa reports that Israeli forces have stormed the town, which is west of Salfit in the occupied West Bank.

A Wafa correspondent says that soldiers raided several commercial shops, harassing and interrogating owners and searching their contents.

7 Feb 2026 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)

Hamas thanks Mediterranean port workers for solidarity with Palestinians

The group says in a brief statement that it appreciates the decisions of “more than 20” port workers’ unions, “particularly in Greece, Italy, Turkey, Spain, and Morocco, to suspend work for a full day”.

Yesterday, port workers across the Mediterranean initiated a one-day strike under the banner “Dockworkers Don’t Work for War.”

The workers say this was in protest of their ports being used to transport weapons to Israel, used to continue its genocide and oppression of the Palestinian people.

“We call on labor unions in ports around the world, and all labor unions and syndicates, to expand their campaigns of solidarity with our Palestinian people who are facing a genocidal war that is still ongoing”, Hamas said.

7 Feb 2026 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

WATCH: Gaza returnee recalls her journey through the Rafah crossing

An elderly, sick Palestinian woman recalls her experience crossing the Rafah crossing, in the first batch to make it back to Gaza.

Huda Abu Abed told Al Jazeera that she was overcome by happiness upon her return, but says the journey was humiliating.

Watch our video below:

7 Feb 2026 - 21:15
 (21:15 GMT)

Palestinians recount mistreatment during return to Gaza through Rafah

As the Rafah crossing reopens to allow some Palestinians to return to Gaza, for those waiting, the return to their homes comes with difficult experiences.

Rana al-Louh, anxious to return after fleeing to Egypt with her wounded sister, told The Associated Press that Israeli interrogators at the border asked her multiple times why she wanted to go back to Gaza.

She explained that she was blindfolded and handcuffed, a claim that has been made by other Palestinians who have crossed the border.

“I told them I returned to Palestine because my husband and kids are there,” al-Louh said.

The interrogators told her Gaza belonged to Israel and that “the war would return, that Hamas won’t give up its weapons. I told him I didn’t care, I wanted to return.”

Israel’s military has denied reports of misconduct when asked about the treatment of returnees.

7 Feb 2026 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)
Opinion

Israel’s war on Gaza’s healthcare continues in full force under ‘ceasefire’

By Mads Gilbert

On November 5, 2023, just a couple of months after the beginning of this latest assault on Palestine, my dear friend and colleague, Dr Maisara Azmi Al Rayyes, aged 28, was brutally murdered along with most of his close family in an Israeli military missile strike on his family home in Gaza City.

A brilliant and gifted young doctor specialising in women’s and children’s health, Dr Maisara had returned to serve his besieged and occupied homeland after completing his master’s degree at King’s College London as a Chevening Scholar in 2019. Until the day he was killed, he repeatedly risked his life to provide desperately needed healthcare to his people under relentless Israeli attacks.

Dr Maisara was just one of more than 1,700 Palestinian healthcare professionals killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

Read more here.

7 Feb 2026 - 20:45
 (20:45 GMT)

Israeli forces raid near Qalqilya, seize house south of Nablus

Israeli forces stormed the eastern area of Azzun town, east of Qalqilya, in the occupied West Bank.

Wafa, citing local sources, reported that army forces raided the area surrounding the eastern part of the town and seized the house of Marwan Al-Qatish, turning it into military barracks.

The forces also blocked the movement of citizens in the area after detaining and interrogating them.

Similarly, Israeli forces stormed the village of al-Lubban Asharqiya, south of Nablus.

According to Wafa, citing local sources, soldiers removed the flags of the Palestinian Fatah movement that were on the lampposts in the Shamia neighbourhood and around the old mosque. Forces also set up a military checkpoint in the middle of the village.

7 Feb 2026 - 20:30
 (20:30 GMT)

WATCH: Iran’s foreign minister slams hypocrisy over Israeli military expansion

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi slammed the double standard allowing Israel to expand its military while other countries in the region are demanded to reduce their defensive capabilities.

Araghchi spoke at the Al Jazeera Forum in Doha, a three-day event focusing on geopolitical shifts in the Middle East.

Watch his comments below:

7 Feb 2026 - 20:15
 (20:15 GMT)

How many Palestinians has Israel killed since the so-called ‘ceasefire’ went into effect?

A “ceasefire deal” between Israel and Hamas went into effect on October 10, 2025, almost two years to the day after the Hamas attacks on Israel kicked off Israel’s genocidal war on the people of Gaza.

Since then, Israeli attacks have continued, creating a “ceasefire” in name only, in which Palestinians are killed for things as small as straying too close to Israeli troops.

Today, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported that 576 Palestinians have been killed and 1,543 others wounded by Israel since October 10.

Al Jazeera has tracked Israel’s ceasefire violations; check it out here.

7 Feb 2026 - 20:00
 (20:00 GMT)

In case you’re just joining us

Let’s get you up to speed on the latest developments in Palestine:

Israeli warplanes destroyed a residential building outside the areas controlled by Israel in the Zeitoun neighbourhood, in the southeast of Gaza City.

Netanyahu’s office says the Israeli prime minister is expected to meet Trump next Wednesday in Washington for talks on Iran.

Hungary says it will attend the first meeting of Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace”, while Italy has officially ruled out any participation.

Israeli settlers have carried out attacks on Palestinians, their homes and property in Qusra, south of Nablus, in the al-Makhba area of the northern Jordan Valley and the town of Deir Dibwan, east of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, where two people were wounded.

7 Feb 2026 - 19:45
 (19:45 GMT)

Photos: Displaced Palestinian make Ramadan laterns in Khan Younis

Handmade lanterns made from leftover aid boxes in preparation for the holy Muslim month of Ramadan and created by displaced Palestinian Rehan Hazem Sharab in her tent in the al-Mawasi neighbourhood, hand in a shop in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip [AFP]
Displaced Palestinian Rehan Hazem Sharab, 32 years old, crafts handmade lanterns from leftover aid boxes in preparation for the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, which starts on February 17, outside her tent in the al-Mawasi neighbourhood of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza Strip [AFP]
Displaced Palestinian Rehan Hazem Sharab, 32 years old, delivers her handmade lanterns, created from leftover aid boxes in preparation for the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, which starts on February 17, outside her tent in the al-Mawasi neighbourhood of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza Strip [AFP]
Displaced Palestinian Rehan Hazem Sharab, 32 years old, crafts handmade lanterns and other items from leftover aid boxes in preparation for the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, which starts on February 17, outside her tent in the al-Mawasi neighbourhood of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza Strip [AFP]

7 Feb 2026 - 19:30
 (19:30 GMT)

Italy rules out joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’

Italy has ruled out taking part in Trump’s “Board of Peace”, with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani citing  “insurmountable” constitutional issues as a reason for not joining.

While Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ was launched to oversee Gaza’s rebuilding, critics have accused Trump of wanting to rival the UN, with 26 countries signing up to join.

However, Italy’s constitution bars the country from joining an organisation led by a single foreign leader.

“We cannot participate in the Board of Peace because there is a constitutional limit,” Tajani told the Italian ANSA news agency.

“This is insurmountable from a legal standpoint,” he said, the day after meeting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Vice President JD Vance at the Olympics in Milan.

7 Feb 2026 - 19:15
 (19:15 GMT)

Turkiye, Jordan discuss Gaza ‘ceasefire’, reject attempts at displacement

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Jordanian King Abdullah II discussed bilateral relations and developments in the Gaza Strip, Qatar News Agency reports.

According to Turkish sources, the two leaders discussed the implementation of the second phase of the peace plan and emphasised the need to maintain the ceasefire and condemned the ongoing Israeli violations in the territory.

They also stressed the importance of continued delivery of humanitarian aid and rejected any attempts to displace Palestinians.

7 Feb 2026 - 19:00
 (19:00 GMT)

What Barak-Epstein audio says about Israeli controlling demographics

By Al Jazeera Staff

Audio of the former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak speaking to Jeffrey Epstein, the now deceased convicted sex offender, has shone a light on Israel’s efforts to alter demographics by diluting the Palestinian population it occupies and also revealed ingrained racism within Jewish circles.

Barak told Epstein that he had told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Israel needs one million Russian-speaking immigrants to absorb, as the authorities can be more “selective” and “can control the quality much more effectively” compared to the past.

The recording was released last week in a huge tranche of files by the United States Department of Justice.

The former Israeli leader, speaking in an undated meeting with Epstein, says that his country could “easily absorb another million” Russian-speaking immigrants, a clear reference to white Slavic peoples.

Read more here.

7 Feb 2026 - 18:45
 (18:45 GMT)

Israeli settler attack injures two Palestinians east of Ramallah

An Israeli settler attack has wounded two Palestinians between the village of Rammun and the town of Deir Dibwan, east of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Wafa reported.

According to the head of the Ramoun village council, Ibrahim Al-Khatib, armed settlers had closed the road connecting Ramoun and Deir Dibwan, and severely beaten two citizens.

One person sustained head injuries and was taken to hospital, while the other suffered bruises.

Al-Khatib added that Israeli forces had stormed the village at the same time as the settlers attacked, amid heavy firing of sound bombs and toxic tear gas.

7 Feb 2026 - 18:30
 (18:30 GMT)

Pro-Palestine activists hold demonstration in Berlin

Earlier, pro-Palestinian activists held a demonstration in Berlin, the German capital.

Footage on social media, verified by Al Jazeera, showed Germans marching in the streets and waving Palestinian flags to call for an end to the war, the protection of civilians, and the cessation of Israel’s continued bombing of Gaza.

7 Feb 2026 - 18:15
 (18:15 GMT)

Highlights from day one of the Al Jazeera Forum

Today was the opening day of the 17th edition of the event, at which world leaders largely discussed the situation in Palestine.

Here are some notable quotes from today’s speakers:

  • Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi said the Palestinian struggle is “the defining question of justice in West Asia and beyond” and “the strategic and moral compass of our region”.
  • Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud warned that Israel’s Gaza war and escalating tensions in the Red Sea are unfolding alongside a broader breakdown in the international system.
  • Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer bin Mohammed Al Thani, chairman of the board of the Al Jazeera Media Network, said in his opening speech that Israel’s assault has become a turning point for the Palestinian issue, warning that Israel is attempting to permanently alter realities on the ground.
  • Burhanettin Duran, Turkiye’s head of the Directorate of Communications, said Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza reflects a deeper transformation of global politics, warning that the erosion of international institutions has enabled atrocities to unfold with limited accountability. “[The] world is not just transitioning, it has already transitioned. We are living through the consequences of a historic rupture,” he said.