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New York's governor ordered a state school to remove a job posting for a Palestinian studies teaching position this week, saying she wanted to ensure “antisemitic theories� would not be taught.

The job posting at Hunter College had called for a historian "who takes a critical lens to issues pertaining to Palestine including but not limited to settler-colonialism, genocide, human rights, apartheid, migration, climate and infrastructure devastation, health, race, gender, and sexuality," according to screenshots published by the New York Post, which first reported the job announcement.

Following the coverage, Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, ordered the City University of New York school to remove the posting “and conduct a thorough review of the position to ensure that antisemitic theories are not promoted in the classroom,� her office said in a statement.

The CUNY Board of Trustees agreed, and university officials have since removed the posting for a "Palestinian Studies Cluster Hire," which was marked as expired on Friday.

"We find this language divisive, polarizing and inappropriate and strongly agree with Governor Hochul’s direction to remove this posting," Chairperson William C. Thompson Jr. and Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, adding they would work "to tackle antisemitism on our campuses and combat hate in all of its forms".

The governor's statement added that no class is being canceled.

The CUNY school said it will still hire a relevant expert.

 The Trump administration has approved a major nearly $3 billion arms sale to Israel, bypassing a normal congressional review to provide the country with more of the 2,000-pound bombs that it has used in its war in the Gaza Strip.

In a series of notifications sent to Congress late Friday, the State Department said it had signed off on the sale of more than 35,500 MK 84 and BLU-117 bombs and 4,000 Predator warheads worth $2.04 billion.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio "has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defense articles and defense services in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements," the department said.

Deliveries are set to begin next year, it said.

The Israeli branch of Physicians for Human Rights has condemned a widespread policy of abuse inflicted on Gazan healthcare workers in Israeli custody, denouncing mistreatment "amounting to torture".

In a report, PHRI said that the Israeli military had detained more than 250 medical personnel and support staff in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza on 7 October 2023.

More than 180 remain in detention without a clear indication of when or if they will be released, according to the report.

"Detainees endure physical, psychological and sexual abuse, as well as starvation and medical neglect amounting to torture," it said, denouncing a "deeply ingrained policy".

When questioned about the findings of the report published Wednesday, the Israeli Prison Service had not responded by Friday.

The Israeli army "takes such allegations very seriously. It thoroughly examines and investigates concrete allegations, and addresses them accordingly," an army spokesman told AFP.

A jury on Friday convicted a man of murder for killing a six-year-old Palestinian-American child in the US state of Illinois, deeming the attack to be a hate crime.

Joseph Czuba, 73, was convicted for stabbing Wadea Al-Fayoumi 26 times, as well as brutally attacking the boy's mother, Hanan Shaheen, a week after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023.

The man, who was the family's landlord, was found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery, and two counts of a hate crime.

During the autopsy, a serrated military knife with a 15-cm (six-inch) blade was removed from the child's abdomen.

"Today's verdict delivers a measure of justice for Wadee Al-Fayoumi's family and sends a clear message that hate-fueled violence has no place here," said Abed Ayoub, executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC).

"We will never accept nor forget that a six-year-old child lost his life because of dangerous anti-Palestinian rhetoric."

The Palestinian-American family's lawyers welcomed the verdict but said it did not make up for the loss of the child's life.

"While we are relieved that his killer has been held accountable, we must continue to stand against the rising tide of hate that led to this senseless act," they said in a statement.

The Israeli military military operations in the occupied West Bank are causing widespread displacement and destruction, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said.

"Access to education for children, healthcare and basic services is in jeopardy. Communities are struggling and fear is increasing," UNRWA warned.

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun will ask Saudi Arabia to reactivate a $3-billion aid package to the Lebanese army in his visit to the kingdom next week, Aoun said in an interview with Asharq television broadcast on Friday.

Aoun, who was serving as commander of Lebanon's army before he was elected president on January 9, is set to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday in his first trip abroad.

He told Asharq he would ask Riyadh "if it is possible to reactivate the grant" halted in 2016, after Lebanon failed to condemn attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran.

Saudi Arabia once spent billions in Lebanon, depositing funds in the central bank, helping to rebuild the south after the 2006 Hezbollah-Israel war, and supporting a number of Lebanese politicians, only to see Hezbollah grow more powerful with Iran's support and its influence spread across the Middle East.

But recent months have seen seismic political shifts in the region, with Israel pummelling Iran-backed Hezbollah last year and Hezbollah's Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad toppled in December.

"I hope and I await from Saudi Arabia - and especially the Crown Prince - to correct the relationship in the interests of both countries," Aoun said, saying he hoped for strengthened economic and political ties.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has urged Israeli forces to withdraw completely from southern Lebanon in a post on X on Friday.

He said: "I stressed during my tour in the south today the necessity of its complete withdrawal from all these points to the international borders stipulated in the 1949 Armistice Agreement, stressing that any delay in this constitutes a violation of Lebanese sovereignty, Resolution 1701, and the arrangements for the cessation of hostilities as agreed to by the previous government."

A ceasefire deal agreed between Israel and Hezbollah in November stipulated that the Israeli military must completely withdraw from the south, and that the Lebanese armed forces should be deployed instead.

The deadline, extended until 18 February, has yet to see the complete removal of Israeli troops, who said they will remain in five "key positions" in the south.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned "the coming days are critical" for maintaining the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and called on all parties involved to uphold their commitments, reported Al Jazeera.

Guterres described the situation in Gaza as "a nexus of death, displacement, hunger and disease", warning the risk of further destruction remains high. He urged Hamas and Israel to maintain the ongoing truce and captive, prisoner release deal.

"Next Tuesday, I will be in Cairo to join the extraordinary summit of the League of Arab States to discuss the reconstruction of Gaza," he said in a news conference at UN headquarters in New York.

"Each moment the ceasefire holds means more people reached and more lives saved," he said.

US President Donald Trump's idea to rebuild the Gaza Strip as a swanky riviera is unacceptable unless it is for Gazans themselves to live in, a Palestinian minister said on Friday.

"It's very good to rebuild Gaza as a riviera -- but with its people in it," said Palestinian minister of state for foreign affairs Varsen Aghabekian.

Trump's vision for Gaza involves the United States taking over the occupied Palestinian territory, resettling its Palestinian inhabitants elsewhere and transforming the war-ravaged strip into a riviera for "world people".

Aghabekian said displacing Gazans elsewhere was "unacceptable, by all means".

"Let it become a riviera," she said, "but for its people, who have been suffering for such a long time and deserve that their place becomes a riviera rather than a besieged place that smells of death."

Aghabekian was speaking to the United Nations correspondents' association ACANU during a visit to Geneva to address the UN Human Rights Council.

She said it would be a "natural development" for her Palestinian Authority to run the territory instead of the group Hamas in future.

"Palestinian national interests should supersede any other factional interests," she said.

"The running of Gaza would be through the legitimate authority of the state of Palestine and its arm the government. That's how we see it for the future of Gaza."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that the Israel-Hamas hostage deal and ceasefire "must hold" as talks on a second phase of the agreement resume in Cairo.

"The ceasefire and hostage release deal must hold. The coming days are critical. The parties must spare no effort to avoid a breakdown of this deal," Guterres told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York.

Israeli forces fired "warning shots" at a Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) crew in the Nur Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank.

The PRCS reported on X that live bullets were fired at the crew while they were on their way to evacuate a family, despite prior coordination with Israeli authorities.

The forces reportedly blocked the crew's entry, preventing them from carrying out the evacuation.

The occupation forces targeted the Palestine Red Crescent Society’s Disaster Risk Management team by firing “warning� live bullets at them while they were en route to evacuate a family in Jabal Al-Nasr in camp in despite prior coordination. The forces blocked…

— PRCS (@PalestineRCS)

The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) has formally complained to the BBC after it removed the Hoyo Films documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone from iPlayer on Friday.

ICJP Director Tayab Ali argues the removal raises concerns about potential breaches of the BBC’s legal and ethical obligations, undermining public trust and impartiality.

The complaint criticises the suppression of Palestinian testimony, particularly the removal of 13-year-old Abdullah Al-Yazouri, whose father is a Gaza official.

It also questions the lack of transparency in the review process.

The ICJP demands the BBC provide a timeline of its review, explain its decision, disclose any external influence, apply equal standards to Israeli narratives, and reinstate the documentary unless proven to breach guidelines.

Aired on BBC Two in February, the programme gave an account of Palestinian children’s experiences in Gaza amid Israeli military actions.

The BBC's removal has faced criticism from over 500 media figures and more than 600 British Jews, who argue it suppresses Palestinian voices.

Qatar has submitted a memorandum to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, stressing Israel’s obligation to permit the UN and other international organisations to function in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

The document seeks clarification on Israel’s responsibilities regarding the presence and activities of UN agencies, particularly the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), as well as other international bodies and third states.

Qatar also highlighted the need to respect and protect UN and international organisation properties, including schools, medical facilities, transportation, and water infrastructure.

The memorandum further called for safeguarding humanitarian and medical personnel and ensuring the delivery of aid.

Senior Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) official Hussein Sheikh met with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan in Riyadh to discuss arrangements for next week’s Arab summit, set to take place in Cairo.

In a statement, Sheikh, who serves as Secretary-General of the PLO Executive Committee, expressed appreciation for Saudi Arabia’s ongoing support for Palestinian rights.

He particularly highlighted the kingdom’s efforts towards the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

A public Roman university, La Sapienza, said Friday it had cancelled a pro-Palestinian student group's event to present a book written by the slain leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

The presentation by the Palestinian Student Movement was due to take place on March 5, presenting "The Thorns and the Carnation" by Sinwar, published by Italian independent publishers Editori della Luce.

La Sapienza, one of the oldest and largest universities in the world with 150,000 students, said Friday it had revoked its permission to hold the presentation.

The student group had billed the upcoming presentation as "an important opportunity to deepen the understanding of the Palestinian question and the dynamics that are determining the genocide in Gaza and the ongoing ethnic cleansing in the rest of Palestine."

Sinwar, considered the mastermind of the October 7, 2023 attack against Israel, was killed by the Israeli army in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip in October 2024.

Israel must "better protect civilians and civilian infrastructure" in its military operation in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, Germany's foreign ministry said Friday.

The 40,000 people displaced by Israel's "Iron Wall" operation to be "allowed back to their homes as soon as possible", said the statement.

"The Israeli government's plans to deploy the Israeli army in the Jenin refugee camp on a long-term basis are unacceptable," it added.

Israel launched the large-scale military operation spanning multiple refugee camps near the cities of Jenin, Tulkarem and Tubas days after the Gaza ceasefire was announced.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that its troops would remain for many months in the evacuated camps of Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams to "prevent the return of residents and the resurgence of terrorism".

Germany's foreign ministry noted that "under the Oslo accords the Palestinian Authority (PA) has full responsibility for security in Jenin".

The presence of Israeli security forces in such parts of the West Bank "undermines the PA's efforts to act as a legitimate representative of Palestinian interests", the ministry argued.

"Israel's actions are entrenching occupation structures... and destabilising an already extremely fragile security environment," it added.

An Israeli delegation in Cairo aims to negotiate to extend the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal by an additional 42 days, news agency Reuters reported on Friday- citing two Egyptian security sources.

Hamas opposes the extension and insists on proceeding to the second phase of the deal as originally agreed, the sources told Reuters. The second phase is meant to include steps leading to a permanent end to the war.

The first phase of the ceasefire is set to end on Saturday, and the warring parties have yet to clarify what will happen if no agreement is reached by then. Egypt and Qatar are mediating the talks, with US support.

In a statement on Friday, the Palestinian group urged the international community to press Israel to immediately enter the second phase without any delay.

Two Israeli government officials had told Reuters that Israel was seeking to extend the initial phase, with Hamas freeing three hostages each week in exchange for Palestinians held by Israel.

Lebanon’s new prime minister, Nawaf Salam, used a tour on Friday of areas near the border with Israel that suffered wide destruction during the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war to call for an Israeli withdrawal and promised residents of border villages a safe return to their homes and reconstruction.

Salam's visit came two days after his government won a vote of confidence in parliament, where members of Hezbollah’s bloc voted in favor of the new administration's policy statement, although it said that only the national army has the right defends the country in case of war.

The statement was a blow to the group that has kept its weapons over the past decades saying it is necessary to defend Lebanon against Israel.

"This is the first real working day of the government. We salute the army and its martyrs," Salam said in the southern port city of Tyre while meeting residents of the border village of Dheira. "We promise you a safe return to your homes as soon as possible."

The government is committed to the reconstruction of destroyed homes, which "is not a promise but a personal commitment by myself and the government," Salam added.

Salam said his government is gathering Arab and international support in order “to force the enemy to withdraw from our occupied lands and the so-called five points.�

"There is no real and lasting stability without full Israeli withdrawal," he said.

Israel withdrew its troops from much of the border area earlier this month, but left five outlooking posts inside Lebanon, in what Lebanese officials called a violation of the US-brokered ceasefire that came into effect on November 27, ending the war.

Israeli forces have intensified operations across the occupied West Bank, with large-scale raids ongoing.

Activists have shared footage of smoke rising from multiple buildings in a refugee camp east of Tulkarem, where Israeli troops have reportedly been demolishing and burning homes.

Since last month, tens of thousands of Palestinians have fled northern West Bank areas due to the ongoing military offensive. According to the Palestinian Wafa news agency:

• Israeli forces detained six Palestinians, including a woman, during multiple raids in Hebron.
• Two side roads in Nablus were closed, further restricting movement.
• The Jenin raid has now entered its 39th day, leaving 27 dead, dozens injured, and causing widespread destruction.
• Raids on Tulkarem and its refugee camp have continued for 33 days, while the assault on Nur Shams camp has reached 20 days.
• At least 50 Palestinians were arrested in overnight raids, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society and the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs.

Nael Barghouti, the longest serving Palestinian detainee in an Israeli prison, had no chance to see his wife when he was freed on Thursday so he sent her a second wedding ring with their names engraved on it.

He asked another prisoner who was also released in the latest hostages for prisoners exchange between Hamas and Israel to deliver the ring to his wife Eman Nafe, 60, who served ten years in an Israeli jail.

She said Israel's prison authority had taken Barghouti's original wedding ring.

"The first wedding ring meant our life, long time together," she said. "But this one is the continuation of our life which occupation can't end."

Barghouti was among 620 Palestinian prisoners and detainees released on Thursday in exchange for the bodies of four Israeli hostages in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

"God bless you, we miss you so much. What can I say!" Nafe told Barghouti by telephone from their home as he listened from Cairo.

She had hoped to join him in Egypt but the Israeli authorities barred her from exiting the West Bank over the bridge to Jordan, she said.

"When I wanted to travel I took with me some clementines, I wanted him to eat from his plants. I hoped that he will come back and he will pick the fruits," she said.

Israeli police have deployed thousands of officers in Jerusalem ahead of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, expecting a large number of worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque for Taraweeh prayers, according to °®Âþµº's Arabic-language sister site al-Araby al-Jadeed.

Israel typically heightens security in the lead-up to Ramadan, framing it as a time of potential unrest, especially in Jerusalem.

Authorities have reportedly imposed increased restrictions around the Old City and Al-Aqsa, citing the need to manage worshippers and maintain order.

Al-Araby al Jadeed reported that Israeli officials are set to limit West Bank residents' access to Al-Aqsa, with recommendations for only 10,000 Palestinians to be allowed entry, significantly fewer than previous years.

The proposed restrictions would apply to men over 55, women over 50, and children under 12, accompanied by an adult.

Around 3,000 police officers, border guards, and volunteers will secure Ramadan activities, particularly in East Jerusalem and surrounding areas.

While no specific threats have been identified, security assessments suggest the possibility of attacks due to tensions in the West Bank.

Israeli police have also increased operations in East Jerusalem, arresting hundreds and seizing firearms, citing security concerns.

Additionally, former Palestinian prisoners released in the recent ceasefire agreement have been barred from entering Al-Aqsa, with the police monitoring social media for potential incitement.

 Mourners in Israel on Friday were burying the remains of one of the last hostages released in the first phase of the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, as negotiators discussed a second phase of the deal that could end the war in Gaza and see the remaining live hostages returning home.

The funeral procession for Tsachi Idan, an avid soccer fan who was 49 when he was abducted by Hamas operatives, began from a football stadium in Tel Aviv towards the cemetery where he was to be buried in a private ceremony.

"Today, I say goodbye to my dear brother," said Idan’s sister, Noam Idan Ben Azra, speaking before the crowd of fans of Hapoel Tel Aviv, the soccer team Idan supported.

"I asked him for forgiveness, on our behalf, that he was returned in a coffin not walking as he was taken."

Idan was taken from Kibbutz Nahal Oz. His eldest daughter, Maayan, was killed as fighters shot through the door of the family’s safe room.

Israeli police said Friday they arrested eight people for spitting at churches in Jerusalem’s Old City, as religious tensions threatened to flare in the contested capital.

Grainy security video released by the police showed two young Jewish men in a procession, who appeared to be spitting on the ground.

The police said they arrested both minors and adults, but did not specify their ages or names.

Clergy have said that attacks on church property in the Old City have worsened since the outbreak of the Gaza war on October 7, 2023.

The arrests come as the Old City gears up for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a holiday that could spark clashes.

Hamas on Friday urged the international community to pressure Israel to enter the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire "without delay", a day before the first phase expires.

"We call on the international community to pressure the Zionist occupation (Israel) to fully commit to its role in the agreement and immediately enter the second phase of the agreement without any delay or prevarication," Hamas said in a statement.

A group of approximately 50 Palestinians in need of medical treatment has left Gaza via the Rafah border crossing, marking the 28th such evacuation, according to Al Jazeera English.

The convoy departed from the European Hospital in Khan Younis after necessary arrangements were finalised.

Ambulances from the Palestine Red Crescent Society assisted in the evacuation, particularly for critical cases, including amputees injured in Israel’s war on Gaza and cancer patients.

Under the ceasefire agreement, 150 patients should be permitted to cross daily, each accompanied by up to three people.

However, the Palestinian Ministry of Health has accused Israel of delaying the departure of many patients.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a right-winger kept at arms length by Washington under former President Joe Biden, will meet US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington next Wednesday, Smotrich's spokesman said on Thursday.

Smotrich went to Washington in March 2023 to meet with leaders of Israel's US-based government bonds programme but did not meet any officials from Biden's administration.

The pro-settler Smotrich had clashed with Biden officials, including then-Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, over aid and banking arrangements for the Palestinian territories.

Smotrich has praised President Donald Trump, including over a decision to lift sanctions imposed under Biden against Israeli settler groups and individuals accused of being involved in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. 

Tsahi Idan- whose body was returned to Israel by Hamas on Thursday along with Shlomo Mansour, Itzik Elgarat, and Ohad Yahalomi- will be laid to rest on Saturday in Kibbutz Einat, east of Tel Aviv.

The 50-year-old was taken from his home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, near the Gaza border, during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.

A public procession will be held before Idan’s burial, with mourners expected to gather around Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv.

Idan will be buried alongside his 18-year-old son, Maayan, who was also shot dead in the Nahal Oz attack. His wife, Gali, and their three other children survived.

The Israeli army says its jets carried out an attack overnight in the Hermel region of northeastern Lebanon, killing Muhammad Mahdi Ali Shaheen.

According to the army's statement, Shaheen had been involved in coordinating weapons procurement along the Syrian-Lebanese border since the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire began in November 2024.

Some 37,000 other Palestinians the UN estimates have been driven out by a month-old offensive in the occupied West Bank- as Israel’s assault has mostly emptied four refugee camps.

These sites that originated to house Palestinians driven from homes in the 1948 Nakba that led to the creation of Israel and have since grown into densely built up towns or neighborhoods.

That leaves thousands who hail from among the poorest areas of the West Bank in dire straits as many are forced to rent temporary housing in neighboring villages.

OCHA, the UN’s humanitarian agency, said there is an "urgent need for cash assistance" for 4,000 families to meet rent needs.

"The West Bank has never seen large-scale forced displacement of the level we’re seeing now" since 1967, said Roland Friedrich, the West Bank field director for UNRWA.

During the 1967 Mideast War, some 250,000 Palestinians were forced from the West Bank when Israel seized the territory along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday there were "pretty good talks going on" regarding Gaza, when asked about the future of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, but he offered little detail at a White House press conference.

A three-phase ceasefire in Gaza went into effect on January 19 and has led to the handover of 33 Israeli hostages held in Gaza and some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel.

An initial six-week first phase of that ceasefire is due to expire in two days. Israel said on Thursday it was sending negotiators to Cairo for talks, seeking to extend the first phase.

Trump was asked whether phase two would come to fruition.

"We'll see what happens. Nobody really knows, but we'll see what happens," he said at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

"We have some pretty good talks going on."

Starmer reiterated support for a two-state solution, which calls for creating a state for Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza alongside Israel.

"Yes, I believe that the two-state solution is ultimately the only way for a lasting peace in the region," Starmer said in the press conference, when asked about Trump's proposal for a US takeover of Gaza and a permanent displacement of Palestinians.