Israel in January 2026: the most important developments in society
Israeli society in January 2026 was shaped by the conditions of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza and by domestic divisions. On 7 January the UN human rights chief said Israeli policies in the West Bank amount to apartheid-like conditions, and a UN report on 8 January said Israel was "asphyxiating" Palestinians. Israel issued new settlement tenders and land seizure notices, stepped up evictions in East Jerusalem, and reports described settler attacks on Bedouin communities, including one that injured 13 people. Communities said they had been displaced by settler pressure.
The military draft was the largest domestic dispute. Ultra-Orthodox protesters clashed with police outside a draft office in Jerusalem on 4 January, and on 6 and 7 January a teenager was killed when a bus struck protesters; the driver was charged with murder. On 15 January thousands marched in Jerusalem against a proposed law that would continue to exempt ultra-Orthodox men from service. Arab citizens of Israel held protests and prepared a Tel Aviv rally against violent crime in their communities.
Aid and international organizations were a further issue. Israel banned 37 international aid groups from operating in Gaza and ordered Doctors Without Borders to cease work there, and Oxfam refused to give Israel details of its Palestinian staff. On 20 and 21 January Israeli authorities demolished the UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem, and eleven countries condemned it. Israel also ordered a UNRWA training center in the West Bank closed. On 27 January the first school materials in two years entered Gaza. The last hostage's body was buried on 28 January, and on 30 January Israel accepted that the Gaza health authorities' death toll of around 70,000 was broadly accurate.
The government also moved against media and criticism. It released a 52-page report accusing Haaretz of defaming the state, which the paper rejected, and pursued a plan to bar its articles from school exams. Israel banned the websites of Al Jazeera and Al Mayadeen for 90 days. The Knesset approved a law barring graduates of Palestinian institutions from teaching in state schools. Conductor Zubin Mehta canceled concerts in Israel.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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