News Digest — 2/20/26
Netanyahu: The Middle East Is At A Crossroads
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the current complex security situation in an address he delivered on Thursday (19th) at the IDF Officer’s Training School graduation.
According to Netanyahu, the entire region is in a sensitive period. “The Middle East is at a crossroads. Extreme elements refuse to give up, and are regrouping to challenge us again.
He set a clear ultimatum for the terror groups in Gaza and declared, “Very soon Hamas will face a dilemma, to disarm the easy way, or the hard way.”
Later in his address, Netanyahu mentioned the Iranian threat and the coordination with the United States. “I made clear to President Trump Israel’s principles for negotiations with Iran, and we are ready for any scenario. One thing is clear: if the ayatollah regime makes a mistake and attacks us, they will face a response that they could not imagine.”
Minister of Defense Israel Katz also addressed the graduation: “We will not allow threats of annihilation on the State of Israel either now or in the future, and we will work against any threat, close or far. From here I tell all our enemies: don’t try us and don’t test our determination, because you will discover a united nation, and a strong and victorious military.”
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zanir, in his address, also addressed the Iranian threat. “Our finger is on the trigger more than ever. In the face of any change in the operational reality, anyone who seeks to test our resolve, will encounter a force that will exact an immediate and heavy price.”.
Soroka Medical Center Prepares For Potential Military Conflict With Iran
Soroka Medical Center has begun preparing for conflict with Iran, with hospital management and emergency teams updating procedures, checking readiness, and running simulations for wartime scenarios.
The hospital was hit by a ballistic missile in June of 2025, sustaining severe damage to its infrastructure. Since then, Soroka Center has been working on recovery and is now forced to prepare for another military campaign.
The medical center is already simulating emergency situations, and in recent days, procedures have been refined and guidelines updated for transferring patients in case of another emergency.
Additionally, preparations have begun at Wolfson Medical Center. The orthopedics department has moved to Urology, the pediatric surgery department to the children’s department, and the hospital’s underground areas have been evacuated.
It should be emphasized that there has been no reduction in patient care.
In addition to heightened alert levels in hospitals, the issue of municipal preparedness is also being raised.
The Tel Aviv municipality has declared that, in the event of an emergency, public shelters will automatically open.
In Petah Tikva, some shelters are ready for public use, and others will open based on instructions. In Bat Yam, shelters have not yet been activated, while in Rishon Lezion, most shelters are already open, with many equipped with an automatic opening mechanism in case of emergency.
The residents have noticed these disparities. For many the daily question has become whether there is an open shelter within walking distance.
Hamas Reinforcing Control Over Gaza, Putting Effectiveness Of Board Of Peace In Doubt
Hamas is reinforcing its control over Gaza by embedding loyal members throughout civilian and security institutions, raising doubts about the viability of US President Donald Trump;s peace plan as his administration launched a new international oversight body, according to an Israeli military assessment reviewed by Reuters.
The classified document, presented to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in late January, concludes that Hamas is consolidating authority through appointments, revenue collection, and salary payments while refusing to disarm.
Israeli military officials assess that the group has used the October ceasefire to reestablish dominance in territory vacated by Israeli forces, even as Israel continues to control more than half of the enclave.
Trump’s plan conditions an Israeli military withdrawal on Hamas giving up its weapons and transferring civil administration to a US-backed Palestinian Technocratic committee.
That committee headed by Ali Shaath, a former Palestinian Authority official, was appointed in January as the next phase of the initiative.
Hamas says it is prepared to hand over administration but claims Israel has not permitted committee members to enter Gaza to assume their duties.
Israeli officials reject any prospect of Hamas retaining power. An Israeli government official, speaking anonymously, dismissed the idea of a future governing role for the group as a “twisted fantasy,” saying, “Hamas is finished as a governing authority in the Gaza Strip.”
Reuters reported that Hamas has named five district governors, all linked to its al-Qassam Brigades, and replaced senior officials in Gaza’s economy and interior ministries, which oversee taxation and internal security.
A new health minister has also appeared publicly in a ministry video released this month. Reuters could not independently determine the full scope of the appointments of the group’s financial rebuilding efforts.
Israeli military officials warned in their assessment that even under a technocratic framework Hamas would retain effective control absent disarmament, a conclusion first reported by Channel 13 News.
The concerns surfaced as Trump convened the inaugural meeting of his international Board of Peace in Washington on Thursday (19th),
Speaking to delegates, Trump said he believed Hamas would disarm despite the military assessment. “Hamas has been, I think they are going to give up their weapons, which is what they promised,” he said. “If they don’t, it’ll be, you know, they’ll be harshly met, very harshly met.”
Trump also said the fighting in Gaza had ended while acknowledging lingering instability. “The war in Gaza is over,” he said, adding there were still “little flames.”
Trump and US allies have contributed more than $7 billion to Gaza relief efforts and the United States plans to contribute about $10 billion more.
Time To Listen To What Hamas Says In Arabic – Khaled Abu Toameh
Hamas leaders may have told U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during secret meetings that they do not rule out the possibility of the group laying down its weapons. When addressing Arab audiences in Arabic, however, recent statements by senior officials Khaled Mashaal and Mahmoud Mardawi show that Hamas remains vehemently opposed to Trump’s plan, specifically the provisions concerning disarmaments, the involvement of foreigners in the governance of Gaza, and the deployment of an international security force.
In early February, Mashaal, head of Hamas’ political bureau abroad, said his group would be prepared to discuss the issue of disarmament only after the reconstruction of Gaza begins. He said that Hamas, backed by Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, is willing to accept a truce lasting 5-10 years, but without handing over its weapons. Finally, he repeated his group’s unequivocal rejection of Trump’s “Board of Peace.”
Mardawi also declared that his group “will not give up its weapons,” though Hamas might consider surrendering its weapons only after a Palestinian state is established.
It is crucial that the Trump administration and the rest of the international community start paying attention to what Hamas says in Arabic, not what some of its leaders or friends in Qatar and Turkey tell foreign officials in English, and behind closed doors. Hamas evidently does not take seriously Trump’s repeated warnings that it must disarm and relinquish control of Gaza.
Even if Hamas does hand over some of its weapons as part of a facade, it will never actually lay down all its weapons: they are central to its ideology, which requires Muslims to take part in the jihad to liberate all of Palestine, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. (Gatestone Institute)
Rubio’s Munich Message: U.S. Wants A Powerful, Self Reliant Israel – Prof Zaki Shalom
On Feb. 14, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Munich Security Conference that following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the West succumbed to a dangerous illusion. Many believed that liberal democracy would become universal: that national interests would be replaced by a “rules-based global order,” and that borders and sovereignty would lose their central importance. This euphoria, he argued, ignored the lessons of history and human nature.
There was an assumption that global norms and legal mechanisms would ensure stability and peace, Yet during that period, hostile actors strengthened their military capabilities and prepared for confrontation. In an imperfect world, states cannot allow their adversaries to shield themselves behind principles of international law which they themselves routinely violate.
For Israel, the doctrine Rubio articulated suggests that the U.S. does not seek weak or dependent allies. It prefers partners that are strong, sovereign and capable of defending themselves. After years in which certain approaches seemed to favor a restrained Israel, the current message is different: a powerful self-reliant Israel that deters its enemies, serves not only its own interests, but also those of the U.S.
A strong and cohesive Israel is viewed as an integral component of the broader Western alliance and therefore is part of the U.S’s own national interest. America expects its allies – including Israel – to strengthen their sovereignty, enhance their military and technological capabilities, and act with confidence in the defense of their civilization and national interests.
The writer is a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and Prof. Emeritus at Ben Gurion University.. (Israel Hayom)
Uganda To Honor Yoni Netanyahu With Statue At Entebbe Airport
Uganda will soon construct a statue honoring Lt. Col.Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu at Entebbe International Airport, the country’s Chief of Defense Forces Gen.Muhooz Kainerugaba, announced on Thursday (19th) in a post on social media.
According to Kainerugaba, the statue will be placed at the exact location where Netanyahu was killed during the 1976 hostage rescue operation.
Kanierugaba, who is the son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, said the proposed monument is a symbol of the strong ties between Uganda and Israel. However, he did not provide a specific date for the statue’s unveiling and no formal government announcement from Uganda was immediately available.
Lt. Col. Yoni Netanyahu, the older brother of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was the only Israeli soldier killed in Operation Entebbe, a mission that freed Jewish hostages held at the airport after an Air France flight was hijacked in 1976.
The Entebbe Operation is one of the most significant moments in Israel’s national history, and Yoni Netanyahu’s heroism and sacrifice to ensure the mission’s success are central to the story of the operation.
Israeli officials have marked the anniversaries of Operation Entebbe in Uganda with notable visits, including Prime Minister Netanyahu’s participation in a 2016 memorial ceremony at Entebbe Airport, where he also delivered public remarks.
Netanyahu also visited Uganda in 2020, where he met with President Museveni. At the time, Netanyahu announced that Uganda was considering opening an embassy in Jerusalem.
EU Officially Designates IRGC As Terrorism Organization
The European Council, the European Union’s top decision-making body, on Thursday (19th) formalized its decision to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, JNS reported.
This follows a political agreement reached on January 29 during a meeting of EU foreign ministers. The agreement was made possible after France said it would support the move, withdrawing its longstanding opposition to it.
The European Council’s decision, announced in a press release, adds the IRGC to the EU terror list and imposes immediate restrictive measures under the EU counterterrorism sanctions regime.
These sanctions include the freezing of the IRGC’s funds, financial assets, and other economic resources in EU member states. Additionally, EU operators are prohibited from providing funds of economic resources to the group.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar lauded the decision, calling it a “historic decision” by the European Union.
EU Foreign Policy chief Kaja Kallas, who also serves as vice president of the European Commission reinforced the EU’s stance stating, “If you act as a terrorist, you also should be treated as a terrorist.”
This designation comes in the wake of Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests, which erupted on December 28. Tehran has admitted that thousands of protesters have been killed, but according to rights-groups, the toll may be in the tens of thousands..
Tehran was outraged by the EU’s late January announcement that it would classify the IRGC as a terrorist organization and summoned all EU ambassadors in the country.
