WEEKLY UPDATE - 02.06.2026

Israeli strikes kills dozens in Gaza as border crossing reopens

Israeli airstrikes killed more than 50 Palestinians in Gaza over the past week as the Rafah border crossing was reopened. The deadliest strikes occurred on Saturday and Wednesday as the IDF targeted multiple locations across Gaza hitting locations in Rafah, Khan Younis, and Gaza City. On Monday, Israel opened the Rafah border crossing with Egypt allowing limited numbers of Palestinians to cross in both directions. Several right-wing members of the current Israeli government have lobbied for restricted entry into Gaza through the Rafah crossing and unrestricted exit hoping to see as many Palestinians leave as possible.

On Saturday the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) launched strikes targeting an apartment building and police station in Gaza City and a tent camp in Khan Younis killing at least 30 people including several children according to local health officials. Hamas called the strikes a flagrant violation of the October ceasefire while Israel said the strikes targeted the military leadership of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. On Wednesday, the IDF launched more strikes killing at least 23 Palestinians across Gaza according to Al Jazeera. The strikes hit the Tuffah and Zeitoun neighborhoods of Gaza City. Israel has killed more than 500 Palestinians since the October ceasefire.

Around the Region

• North Africa:

  • On Tuesday, four masked men shot and killed Saif al-Islam Gaddafi at his home in the Zintan neighborhood of Tripoli, Libya. Saif al-Islam, the most prominent son of the former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, attempted to run for president in 2021 following his release from prison in 2017 as part of general amnesty granted toward prisoners in Libya.

  • Tunisian police arrested Ahmad Saidani, an MP who had recently mocked Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed on social media. Saidani referred to the president as “Supreme commander of sewage and rainwater” while noting that he has netted no significant achievement for Tunisia.

• The Gulf:

  • US and Iranian officials will meet in Oman on 6 FEB in Oman in an attempt to de-escalate tensions between the two countries. Mediators from Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt presented a framework for the talks that will touch on issues surrounding Iran’s uranium enrichment and ballistic missile programs among other issues. The US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are expected to lead the talks. According to the New York Times the US is demanding that Iran “freeze” its nuclear enrichment program, “reduce the range of its ballistic missiles, and stop arming militant groups in the region.” Ahead of the talks, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) seized two oil tankers in the Gulf which it accused of smuggling oil. On Tuesday, the US shot down an Iranian drone that approached the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Gulf.

  • Iraq’s Coordination Frame, the largest bloc of Shi’a parties in the country, continued its support of for Nouri al-Maliki’s campaign for the premiership in spite of US threats it would end support to Iraq if Maliki returned to office. Maliki previously served as Prime Minister from 2006-2014 and is often blamed for disenfranchising the Sunni population contributing to the rise of ISIS.

• The Levant:

  • Questions have swirled in Lebanon over a Hezbollah-run camp for Syrians fleeing their homes following the fall of Bashar al-Assad in 2024. The camp in northeast Lebanon is located near the town of Hermel and its 228 building house mostly Shi’a Muslims. Rumors that the camp is a staging ground for militants carrying out attacks against the Syrian government have led to raids from the Lebanese Army. The Lebanese Army found no evidence of militant activities.

  • Syrian government forces began entering the last strongholds of the SDF earlier this week as part of a ceasefire agreement reached last Friday. SDF forces handed over control of government building to the interim Syrian government in Qamishli and Hasakah.

Recommended:

• “The End of Rent Controls Promises Disruption in Cairo” New Lines Magazine

• “The Iranian Hedgehog vs. the American Fox” The Atlantic

• "Iran and the Geopolitical Moment” Diwan