Israel bombs areas east of Khan Younis. Israel continues to harass Palestinians returning to Gaza. Far-right Israeli bill wouldmandatedeath penalty for Palestinians. FAA closes, then reopens, airspace around El Paso. Justice Department unmasks alleged Epstein co-conspirators. President Donald Trump to meet Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House to discuss Iran. Grand jury rejects Trump-backed effort to indict Democratic lawmakers over military dissent video. Trumpweighssecond U.S. aircraft carrier deployment to Middle East. Progressive challenger Analilia MejiawinsDemocratic primary in New Jersey special House race. InstagramsuspendsAIPAC tracker. Children in Texas ICE family detentionexperiencefear, illness, and months without school. Footage from Nancy Guthrie’s Nest camera raises privacy concerns. Childrenzip-tiedduring militarized immigration raid at Idaho horse racing venue, lawsuit claims. VP JD Vance’s officedeletespost referencing Armenian genocide during Armenia visit. U.S. todeploy200 troops to train Nigerian forces against Islamist militants. Israelistrikeshit multiple towns in southern Lebanon. Iranian security chiefholdsOman talks. Erik Princedeployedprivate forces in Congo in December to help retake a border city from M23 rebels, according to Reuters. Hungary’s opposition leadersayshe learned his sex tape will be released against his will, accusing the ruling party of blackmail. PKK fighterswithdrawfrom Syria as part of a U.S.-brokered deal reshaping Kurdish forces. Colombia’s presidentsayshelicopter attack was narrowly avoided amid rising political violence. Nine arekilledin a mass shooting at a rural British Columbia high school.From Drop Site: Epsteincultivatedgenomics, cryptography, and Russian tech networks in an attempt to “hack” human DNA. Palestinian mansiftsrubble for remains of family killed in Gaza City airstrike.
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Israel bombs east of Khan Younis:Israeli military attacks on Gaza continued on Wednesday, with air strikes and artillery shelling on areas east of Khan Younis, according to Al Jazeera. In southern Gaza, a Palestinian child was shot and wounded by Israeli gunfire.
Casualty counts:At least five Palestinians were killed and 20 injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza over the past 24 hours, while three bodies were recovered from under the rubble. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,045 killed, with 171,686 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 591 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,578, while 730 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Israel continues to harass returnees to Gaza:At least 41 Palestinians who had sought medical treatment abroad returned to Gaza via the Rafah land crossing on Tuesday. As in previous cases, the returnees were subjected to humiliating searches and interrogations by Israeli troops on their arrival in Gaza, according to Al Jazeera.
Rafah crossing extremely limited:Only 102 patients left Gaza in 9 days after Rafah partially reopened. Israel had said 50 patients with two companions each would exit daily (150 total departures), plus 50 daily entries—1,800 total crossings over nine days. Gaza’s Government Media Office released new figures on movement through Rafah from February 2–10 showing that just 488 people crossed, about 27% of the projected movement. Only 102 were patients. Meanwhile, roughly 20,000 people in Gaza are on the WHO-approved list for urgent medical evacuation.
Forced displacements in West Bank village:At least 15 Palestinian families have been forced out of their homes in the village of Deir al-Dik village, west of Jericho in the occupied West Bank, as a result of ongoing settler attacks, according to the Wafa news agency. Meanwhile, Israeli raids have continued across Al-Khalil/Hebron, with several Palestinians suffocating from tear gas fired by Israeli troops, according to Al Jazeera.
Israeli court blocks cancer-stricken Palestinian child from entering the country for treatment:An Israeli courtbarreda five-year-old Palestinian boy with aggressive cancer from entering Israel for a life-saving bone marrow transplant, citing a blanket ban on Gaza-registered residents, according to the rights group Gisha. The child has lived in the West Bank since 2022. Gaza officials say cancer deaths have tripled since the war, and the Gaza Health Ministry estimates nearly 1,300 Palestinians have died in Gaza waiting for medical evacuation.
Far-right Israeli bill would mandate death penalty for Palestinians:A draft law authored by the “Jewish Power” party (Otzma Yehudit) wouldrequireexecution for Palestinians from the West Bank convicted of deadly “terror” offenses, while allowing Israeli citizens convicted of the same crimes to receive life imprisonment. The bill would also bar commutation for Palestinians and permit the prime minister to delay executions of Israelis.
Netanyahu at the White House:Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding talks with President Trump Wednesday morning at the White House primarily focussed on U.S. talks with Iran. Netanyahu had been expected to come to Washington on February 19 for a Board of Peace meeting on Gaza, but reportedly brought forward his visit as the U.S.-Iran talks proceeded.
Source: Drop Site News: Drop Site Daily
