Israel announces "limited" opening of Rafah crossing; Fighting erupts between Ethiopian troops and Tigray forces; Trump weighs attack on Iran
Drop Site Daily: January 30, 2026
Israeli forces launch airstrikes, killing three people in southern Gaza and two people in central Gaza. President Donald Trump and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff claim Hamas will disarm, while Hamas has said no negotiations have taken place. Gaza nurse describes detention and abuse of physician father. Trump and Senate Democrats strike last-minute deal to avert government shutdown. A Trump order escalates sanctions, as Cuba faces an acute fuel crisis. Texas police fire chemical agents at protest over child detention in Dilley. Human rights organization DAWN launches legal challenge to NYC’s Israel Bond investments, as rift grows between Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Comptroller Mark Levine. Sen. Rick Scott rejects DHS funding motion amid ICE criticism. Sen. John Fetterman backs Israel despite ceasefire violations. ICE arrest shatters car window, leaves asylum-seeking mother and infant stranded in Portland. Trump threatens 50% tariff on Canadian aircraft amid escalating trade dispute. New CNN analysis confirms Drop Site’s video analysis that a federal agent fired multiple shots at Alex Pretti after he was incapacitated. The Trump administration moves to convert warehouses into immigration jails in what could be the largest expansion of detention capacity in U.S. history. Fighting erupts between Ethiopian troops and Tigray forces. UN food agency halts aid in Houthi-held northern Yemen. Canada rebukes the U.S. over contact with Alberta separatists. Trump says Putin agreed to pause strikes on Ukrainian cities amid deep freeze. Mohammed bin Salman meets Hillary Clinton in Riyadh. From Drop Site: Somalia plans retaliation after Israel recognizes Somaliland.
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The Gaza Genocide, West Bank, and Israel
Rafah border crossing opens: Israel announced on Friday that it will reopen the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt in both directions. In a statement, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli military branch that oversees civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, said that a “limited movement of people only” would be allowed through the crossing. Israel also intends to maintain strict control of the crossing. “Exit from and entry into the Gaza Strip via the Rafah Crossing will be permitted in coordination with Egypt, following prior security clearance of individuals by Israel, and under the supervision of the European Union mission, similar to the mechanism implemented in January 2025,” COGAT said. The statement went on to say that “the return of residents from Egypt to the Gaza Strip will be permitted, in coordination with Egypt, for residents who left Gaza during the course of the war only, and only after prior security clearance by Israel.” It added that, in addition to an initial screening at the Rafah crossing by the EU mission, an additional screening and identification process also be conducted at a designated corridor under Israeli army control. The Rafah border crossing on the border with Egypt was once the main gateway for Palestinians to the outside world. It was seized by the Israeli military in May 2024 and has remained largely closed since then.
Israeli forces strike southern Gaza, killing three: Israeli forces killed at least three Palestinians in Gaza, according to local officials and media reports. Two men were shot dead east of Khan Younis near the so-called yellow line, where the Israeli military is stationed; Wafa identified the victims as 32-year-old Ahmed Ramzi Saeed Barab and 19-year-old Muhammad Osama Imran, both killed in the Sheikh Nasser area east of the city. A third Palestinian, 26-year-old Anwar Fawzi al-Satari, was killed in Rafah earlier Thursday, according to sources cited by Palestinian writer Mosab Abu Toha. Israel’s military acknowledged that it carried out an airstrike in southern Gaza, claiming without evidence that it targeted a Hamas member allegedly planning an “imminent” attack on Israeli forces..
Israeli air strike kills two in central Gaza: Two Palestinians were killed and others wounded in an Israeli air strike that hit the Maki roundabout in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, according to the Shehab News Agency.
Trump and Witkoff claim Hamas will disarm, while Hamas said no negotiations have taken place : President Donald Trump and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said during a cabinet meeting Thursday that Hamas will disarm, with Witkoff stating that the group “has no choice” and will give up its weapons, while Trump added that Hamas will have “no guns.” Senior Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzouk denied that any negotiations had taken place on the issue, according to his comments earlier this week to Al Jazeera Mubasher. Trump also praised Hamas during the meeting for its role in the recovery of Israeli captives, calling the group a “big factor” and saying the Israeli families were “so grateful,” adding, “They did help us with those bodies.” The remarks followed the recovery of the remains of Ran Gvili, the last Israeli captive held in Gaza, completing the final condition of the initial phase of the Trump-brokered ceasefire. Senior officials from Hamas and the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad said they provided Israel with information leading to the recovery of Gvili’s body more than a month ago, but that Israel delayed its search for political reasons.
Gaza nurse describes detention and abuse of physician father: Gaza nurse Tasnim al-Hams shared an update on her father, Dr. Marwan al-Hams, a senior Gaza physician and director of the territory’s field hospitals, describing their detention following Israeli raids in 2025. Tasnim told Sahat that she was brought in handcuffs into an interrogation room to see her father, who had been seized during a July 2025 raid, and that Israeli officers used her presence to pressure him for information. She described her father as gravely ill and emaciated, having lost nearly 24 kilograms (53 pounds), and said interrogators sought information about the remains of Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin, whose body has since been transferred to Israel. Tasnim said she was abducted in October 2025 from a medical point in Rafah and released in late November. Dr. al-Hams remains imprisoned alongside Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and dozens of other doctors and medical workers held in Israeli prisons, where human rights groups have documented the systematic use of torture against detainees.
U.S. News
Trump weighs military escalation against Iran, according to U.S. officials: President Donald Trump was presented with an expanded list of potential military options against Iran—including raids by U.S. commandos on Iran’s nuclear sites, strikes against military and leadership targets, and attacks on Iran’s ballistic missile program—multiple U.S. officials told the New York Times. The U.S. has already sent a dozen additional F-15E attack planes to the region, according to U.S. officials, while the Pentagon has dispatched more Patriot and THAAD air defenses against retaliatory strikes by Iranian missiles on U.S. bases.
Trump and Senate Democrats strike last-minute deal to avert shutdown: President Donald Trump and Senate Democrats said Thursday they reached an agreement to fund most of the federal government less than 30 hours before a shutdown deadline, splitting DHS funding from the broader spending bill. Trump said in a social media post that Republicans and Democrats had “come together to get the vast majority of the Government funded until September, while at the same time providing an extension to the Department of Homeland Security.” Under the deal, DHS would be funded at current levels for two weeks, while negotiations continue to work out new limits to immigration enforcement. A brief shutdown remains possible because the House is out of session, with Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledging that a short funding lapse may be unavoidable. Senate Democrats said they would not agree to longer-term DHS funding without reforms, citing civilian deaths in Minneapolis, while House Democrats signaled they would withhold support absent significant concessions.
Trump order escalates sanctions as Cuba faces acute fuel crisis: President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping executive order declaring Cuba an “unusual and extraordinary threat” and authorizing broad new sanctions, including measures targeting foreign countries that sell oil to the island, even indirectly. The move comes as the Financial Times reports that Cuba has just 15–20 days of oil remaining after U.S. pressure helped halt Venezuelan shipments and Mexico’s Pemex suspended a delivery, worsening near-daily blackouts and fuel rationing. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico provides oil to Cuba through Pemex contracts and humanitarian aid mechanisms, adding that the latter would continue.
Texas police fire chemical agents at protest over child detention in Dilley: Texas state police fired chemical irritants at protesters on January 28 outside the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, are being held. Authorities arrested two people during Wednesday’s protest. Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, both of whom have active asylum cases, were arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after returning home from a preschool in the Minneapolis suburb of Columbia Heights on January 20, 2026, and a federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting them. The Dilley detention center is run by CoreCivic, and an immigration attorney who has visited the facility reported that conditions inside it are “absolutely abysmal,” citing putrid water used to mix baby formula, food with bugs, verbal abuse by guards, and medical neglect, including a client with appendicitis who was told to take Tylenol and return in three days.
DAWN submits legal challenge to NYC’s Israel Bond investments, as rift grows between mayor Zohran Mamdani and comptroller Mark Levine: Democracy for the Arab World Now, a human rights nonprofit organization, launched a legal challenge on Friday to New York investments in Israel Bonds in a letter that detailed the legal, ethical, and financial risks of investments in Israeli government sovereign debt instruments that fund Israeli security forces responsible for genocide, apartheid, and illegal occupation. The 27-page memo sent to New York State and New York City officials said they must immediately cease new purchases and divest any holdings of Israel Bonds. Former City Comptroller Brad Lander divested the city’s holding in Israel Bonds in 2024, citing these legal and financial risks, while the current City Comptroller Mark Levine has promised to reinvest in them. Mayor Mamdani last week said, “I don’t think we should purchase Israel bonds,” adding “We don’t purchase bonds for any other sovereign nation’s debt and the comptroller has also made his position clear, and I continue to stand by mine.” DAWN’s letter warned that the organization will support litigation if state and city officials do not conform to the demand for continued divestment.
Rick Scott rejects DHS funding motion amid ICE criticism: Senator Rick Scott voted against the motion to proceed on the Department of Homeland Security funding bill on Thursday, calling it “crazy” and saying he did not want to “support this idea that we’re gonna underfund Homeland Security.” On Wednesday, Drop Site Washington correspondent Julian Andreone asked Scott whether his vote against pausing or reducing funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement was connected to campaign money he has received from GEO Group, one of the largest private prison operators and an ICE contractor; Scott replied, “No.”
Fetterman backs Israel despite ceasefire violations: Drop Site’s Julian Andreone approached Senator John Fetterman and asked him whether he was concerned about Israel breaking the Gaza ceasefire established in October 2025 thousands of times, killing nearly 500 civilians and injuring more than 1,300; Fetterman ultimately replied, “I support it.”
Pritzker repeats disputed October 7 rape claim on podcast: Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender, repeated the claim that “Hamas… raped innocent people on October 7,” while appearing on the podcast “I’ve Had It,” after host Jennifer Welch asked him about Israel’s actions in Gaza. The allegation continues to be widely repeated without challenge. No independent international investigation body, including the UN Commission of Inquiry, or major human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, has found that a single incident of rape definitively occurred on October 7.
ICE arrest shatters car window, leaves asylum-seeking mother and infant stranded in Portland: Armed federal agents arrested Hassane Barry, a 38-year-old asylum seeker from Guinea with no known criminal history, on January 21 in Portland, Maine, after boxing in his car with unmarked vehicles, shattering the driver’s side window, and pulling him away while his wife and one-month-old baby remained inside amid broken glass. Barry was detained as part of what U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement calls “Operation Catch of the Day,” an intensified enforcement surge in Maine, despite his pending asylum case and lack of charges, according to his attorney. His wife, Nene Barry, who does not drive and speaks little English, was left alone with the infant until bystanders intervened.
Trump threatens 50% tariff on Canadian aircraft amid escalating trade dispute: President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to impose a 50% tariff on any aircraft sold into the United States from Canada, escalating his trade confrontation with Prime Minister Mark Carney. Trump said the move would retaliate against Canada for refusing to certify jets made by Gulfstream Aerospace, and warned he would decertify all Canadian aircraft, including those produced by Bombardier, whose Global Express business jets are widely used in the U.S., according to aviation data firm Cirium. The threat follows earlier warnings of sweeping tariffs if Canada pursued a trade deal with China, though Trump provided no timeline for implementation, as Canada has already concluded such an agreement.
New CNN analysis shows federal agent fired multiple shots at Alex Pretti after he was incapacitated, confirming Drop Site’s own analysis: A video investigation by CNN found that during the fatal January 24 shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, at least one federal agent fired a “flurry of rounds”—at least four shots—at Pretti’s body after he had been disarmed and was already lying motionless on the ground, according to slowed-down footage. The total number of shots fired overall was at least 10. Video evidence also shows agents significantly escalating the encounter by pepper-spraying Pretti and repeatedly striking him in the face and head while restraining him, contradicting initial official accounts of the confrontation. Drop Site’s video analysis can be found here.
Trump administration moves to convert warehouses into immigration jails: Despite protests in the affected towns and cities across the United States, the administration of President Donald Trump is pressing ahead with plans to purchase and convert warehouses into immigration detention centers in what could be the largest expansion of detention capacity in U.S. history. Federal filings and local records show that at least $172 million has already been spent on two sites in Maryland and Arizona, with a proposed El Paso facility projected to hold up to 8,500 people, part of a plan to build and employ as many as 23 warehouses nationwide. The sites would be operated largely by private contractors. The communities in which the sites are scheduled to be built have raised concerns over zoning, water and sewer capacity, proximity to schools, and humanitarian conditions. The expansion is tied to the administration’s goal of deporting up to one million people annually, which would require more than 100,000 detention beds. Read the full report on the planned warehousing of immigrants from Bloomberg News here.
U.S. lifts suspension of aid to Somalia: The United States said Wednesday it would lift its suspension of aid to Somalia after asserting that Somali authorities had taken responsibility for actions that disrupted World Food Program operations at the Port of Mogadishu earlier this month, though Somalia did not confirm the claim or respond to comment requests. It remains unclear when deliveries will resume, as the World Food Program did not provide any comment on the announcement.
Africa Update
Courtesy of Drop Site Africa Correspondent Godfrey Olukya, highlighting the biggest stories on the continent this week.
Ethiopia: Fighting has erupted between Ethiopian federal troops and Tigrayan forces in northern Tigray, triggering flight suspensions and raising fears of renewed conflict in a region still devastated by the 2020–2022 war and severe cuts in international aid, according to reporting from Al Jazeera. Clashes erupted in northern Tigray yesterday and, in recent days, western Tigray, an area also claimed by Amhara forces. Sweeping cuts to USAID after President Trump took office have deeply affected the country and have worsened shortages of food, healthcare, water, and sanitation.
Sudan: At least 9.5 million people are internally displaced in Sudan, according to the UN Children’s Fund, which said the scale of displacement has made Sudan the world’s largest internal displacement crisis after nearly three years of conflict in the country. UNICEF said mothers and children have been hardest hit by violence, disease, and widespread hunger. The agency said it continues to operate on the ground with partners to deliver life-saving services, including healthcare and nutrition services, safe water, psychosocial support, and education.
Nigeria: Nigerian police fired live bullets and tear gas on Wednesday to disperse demonstrators attempting to enter the parliament complex in Lagos to protest state-led evictions and home demolitions in several slum areas. Police said the early-morning protest was organized by the Coalition Against Demolition, Forced Eviction, Land Grabbing, and Displacement led by activist Hassan Soweto, who condemned the use of force and said he would pursue legal action to seek compensation for those injured. At least 17 demonstrators from communities including Makoko, Owode Onirin, Oworonshoki, Otumara, Baba-Ijora, and Ajegunle were seriously injured and taken to nearby hospitals.
Somalia: Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency said Tuesday that a senior al-Shabaab commander was killed in an airstrike in the town of Kuunyo Barrow in the Lower Shabelle region. NISA identified the target as Abdullahi Hassan Abdi Cosoble, also known as Abdullahi Wadaad, describing him as al-Shabaab’s chief finance officer responsible for overseeing extortion and managing illicit funds extracted from civilians. The agency said the operation was carried out in coordination with international security partners, including forces from Uganda, Burundi, and Kenya, as Somali forces—backed by the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia—have intensified operations against the group since July.
Rwanda: The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo said Tuesday that it repatriated 34 Rwandans from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, including 15 former combatants from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda. The return, carried out through MONUSCO’s disarmament, demobilization, reintegration, and stabilization program, brings the total number of people repatriated to 60, including 33 ex-combatants, according to a Rwandan official. The group crossed into Rwanda via the Goma–Rubavu border, where they were received by authorities, as Rwanda continues to cite the presence of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda—linked to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi—as a key justification for military operations in eastern Congo.
Guinea: The Economic Community of West African States said Wednesday that it has lifted all remaining sanctions imposed on Guinea following its 2021 military coup, citing progress toward restoring constitutional order in the country. The decision followed a heads of state meeting in Freetown and came after a presidential election held last December, which saw the legal transfer of power to President Mamadi Doumbouya. ECOWAS said the election created conditions conducive to democratic governance and respect for the rule of law. Guinea, whose membership was suspended and was sanctioned after the coup, has now been fully reintegrated into the bloc’s decision-making bodies.
Sudan: Drone strikes by the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (Al-Hilu faction) continued to hit Dilling in South Kordofan. Separately, the European Union sanctioned Algony Dagalo, the brother of an RSF leader, along with four other RSF members, and also targeted Al-Misbah Talha, a leader of the pro-SAF Baraa Ibn Malik militia.
Niger: Niger’s military ruler Abdourahamane Tiani accused the presidents of France, Benin, and the Ivory Coast of sponsoring a late-night attack on Niamey’s international airport yesterday, vowing retaliation, though he provided no evidence for the claim. Gunfire and explosions erupted shortly before midnight in what security sources described as a “terrorist attack,” after which calm returned. Tiani named Emmanuel Macron, Patrice Talon, and Alassane Ouattara while speaking on state television and thanked Russian troops stationed at the base. Nigerien media claimed one assailant killed was a French national. Authorities also said a stockpile of uranium stored at the airport—moved there after the junta seized the Somair mine from Orano—was not affected. Two aircraft sustained damage during the incident, including an Airbus A319 operated by Air Côte d’Ivoire, as Niger and neighboring Sahel states continue to face attacks from militant groups linked to al Qaeda and tge Islamic State.
Other International News
UN food agency halts aid in Houthi-held northern Yemen: The World Food Program is shutting down operations in northern Yemen after restrictions imposed by the Houthis, a move UN officials say will worsen an already dire humanitarian crisis. The closure will leave 365 WFP staff without jobs by the end of March. The north of the country, including the capital of Sana’a, accounts for roughly 70% of Yemen’s humanitarian needs, and UN officials warn that more than 18 million people could face acute food insecurity in the coming months, given that operations are only 25% funded this year.
Canada rebukes U.S. over contacts with Alberta separatists: Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the United States must respect Canadian sovereignty after reports that Alberta separatists held meetings with U.S. officials about the province potentially leaving Canada. Carney said he has been clear with President Donald Trump that Ottawa expects non-interference, while Smith said discussions about Alberta’s democratic process should be left to Canadians. The Financial Times reported that separatist figures met U.S. officials, drawing criticism from provincial leaders, including British Columbia Premier David Eby, who called such outreach “treason,” a remark dismissed as “stupid” by separatist organizer Jeffrey Rath of the Alberta Prosperity Project. Rath told the BBC his group made three trips to Washington for a “feasibility study,” while a White House official said meetings with civil society groups conveyed no support or commitments. Polls show separatist sentiment remains a minority view within the province.
RSS ends US lobbying effort after investigation: India’s largest far-right Hindu organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has ended its congressional lobbying campaign in the United States, weeks following an investigation detailed the group’s activities by Meghnad Bose and Biplob Kumar Das. Federal filings show that Squire Patton Boggs, which lobbied on behalf of the RSS, submitted a termination report for the campaign. The RSS, the ideological parent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and long accused of anti-Muslim violence, had also brought lobbyists and affiliated U.S. political figures to India last year for RSS-run events and tours in an effort to recast its international image and influence how U.S. policymakers viewed its growing power inside India.
Trump says Putin agreed to pause strikes on Ukrainian cities amid deep freeze: President Donald Trump said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to halt missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities because of extreme cold, as Russian attacks have left millions without power, heat, or running water during subfreezing temperatures. U.S. officials see the pause as a potential confidence-building step toward peace talks, though a Ukrainian official expressed skepticism, telling Axios that only events on the ground would prove it, while the Kremlin earlier declined to comment on reports of such an agreement. White House envoy Steve Witkoff said a second round of trilateral talks between the United States, Ukraine, and Russia is expected next week, following initial discussions in Abu Dhabi that focused on territory that he said made significant progress.
Turkey hosts Iranian foreign minister in bid to avert war: Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan met with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Aragchi in Istanbul as part of last minute efforts to initiate a dialogue between the US and Tehran aimed at averting a military confrontation. In a press conference with Fidan, Aragchi said that Iran was ready to resume talks over its nuclear program but demanded that the US cease threats as a prerequisite.
Mohammed bin Salman meets Hillary Clinton in Riyadh: Saudi state media reported that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Riyadh on Tuesday. According to the Saudi Press Agency, the meeting took place at Al Yamamah Palace, where the two “exchanged friendly talks.”
More from Drop Site
Somalia plans retaliation after Israel recognizes Somaliland: Somali intelligence officials told Drop Site that Mogadishu plans to retaliate against Israel’s recognition of Somaliland by backing separatist movements inside the breakaway region, particularly in Awdal, where local clans oppose the government in Hargeisa and favor reunification with Somalia. Israel’s December 26 announcement, made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “in the spirit of the Abraham Accords,” triggered outrage from the Somali federal government, with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud denouncing the move as illegal aggression and vowing resistance through diplomatic, political, and legal means. Clashes in the area have since intensified between unionist and secessionist clans, Somaliland forces have carried out several security operations, and Somali lawmakers representing the Issa clan announced a rival “Guban State.” “Somalia and its neighbors, in particular Ethiopia and Djibouti, will worry that the situation in the northern part of the country will experience increased military activity” as a result of the Israeli interference, a top intelligence official told Drop Site. Read the full account of the deepening crisis in Somalia from Mohamed Gabobe here.
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A “limited” opening of Rafah under Israeli military control isn’t humanitarian relief—it’s a rebranding of siege. People are still being screened, sorted, and killed while officials talk about coordination and security theater. From Gaza to Tigray to Iran, this reads like the same script everywhere: managed suffering, escalating force, and headlines meant to normalize what should never be normal.