Jerusalem, 26 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — More than 55,000 Jerusalem children under the age of three are in unsupervised daycare frameworks, Knesset lawmakers were told on Monday.

The figures were presented during a joint session of the Knesset Education, Welfare, and Children’s Rights Committees, which convened after last week’s deadly incident at an unlicensed Jerusalem daycare.

Four-month-old Leah Goloventzitz and six-month-old Aharon Katz died, and 53 other infants were injured, in what police describe as severe overcrowding, with some children sleeping on mattresses under a bathroom toilet. Authorities suspect heat exhaustion and dehydration caused by a faulty heating system led to the deaths.

Only 21% of Jerusalem’s toddlers attend supervised daycare, far below the national average.

Lawmakers were told that an additional 39,000 toddlers are in unauthorized daycare in Tel Aviv, Beit Shemesh, Bnei Brak and Rahat.

Jerusalem, 26 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli security forces are continuing to search for the gunmen who fired on an Israeli vehicle in Samaria this morning.

According to Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Council, the driver mistakenly entered the outskirts of Shechem (Nablus). “While making a U-turn to return to the main road, he noticed three terrorists near the checkpoint at the entrance to Nablus. One of them jumped at the vehicle and fired a gun at him,” Dagan said.

The motorist managed to escape the scene without injury, and on arriving at mount ebal, discovered some damage to the hood of the car.

Jerusalem, 26 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — An abandoned baby was found in the stairwell of the National Insurance Institute building in Hadera on Monday, the Israel Police said.

The baby was wrapped in blankets and fully conscious. We immediately took him to the heated ambulance to prevent hypothermia and check him,” said Magen David Adom emergency medical technician Shira Siman Tov Cohen. “In an initial assessment, we saw that his condition was stable, wrapped him in clean blankets and evacuated him to the hospital, and the whole time I held him in my arms close to me and tried to make him feel as safe as possible.”

The baby is currently in the custody of social welfare authorities. The police are looking for the child’s parents.

Jerusalem, 26 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The Israel Defense Forces is responding to reports of a shooting attack near Mount Ebal in Samaria.

Initial reports say a vehicle was fired on but no injuries were caused.

Jerusalem, 26 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The Israeli government has approved 90-day orders blocking access in Israel to the websites and YouTube channels of Qatar-based Al Jazeera and Lebanon’s pro-Hezbollah TV station, Al Mayadeen, expanding existing restrictions on the broadcasters.

The move builds on measures enacted more than two years ago under the so-called Al Jazeera law, which barred the networks’ television broadcasts in Israel. Last month, the Knesset passed an amendment allowing the communications minister to shut down foreign outlets even without a declared state of emergency.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi welcomed the decision, tweeting, “We will continue to throw Israel’s enemies out of here.”

Computer files found by Israeli soldiers in Gaza revealed that numerous Al Jazeera correspondents were members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Jerusalem, 25 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The Israel Police thwarted what it called a “large scale” attempt to smuggle goods worth nearly one million Shekels ($310,000) to the Gaza Strip and two people were arrested.

During an operation, the forces raided a home in the Ar’arat an-Naqab Bedouin settlement in the negev. As part of a search conducted at the location, a large quantity of goods was located, a significant portion of which was suspected to have been stolen from stores in Israel and intended for smuggling, said the police.

Among the seized items were approximately 700 mobile phones, hundreds of packs of cigarettes, hair straightening devices, and electric shavers.

The property owner (an Ar’arat resident in his 40s) and his wife (in her 20s) were arrested. All the seized goods were transferred for further handling and investigation.

Jerusalem, 25 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The Ministry of Transportation, through the Israel Roads Company, has begun a new pilot to strengthen transportation connectivity in the western negev and the Negev Highlands, through the establishment of “Park and Ride” parking lots, shared parking lots, and “Kiss and Ride” (Drop-off and Go) bays. The project is designed to create transportation service centers that will improve the travel experience, increase the use of public transportation, and contribute to reducing traffic congestion and overcrowding at central stations.

The pilot will be in three locations: Shaar Hanegev, Gilat Junction, and Arara in the Negev. The locations were selected based on operational feasibility, high immigrant concentration, proximity to major traffic routes, and accessibility to existing public transportation, with the goal of creating efficient connection points between private vehicles and public transportation.

As part of the pilot, unique adjustments were made to the national transportation model to predict parking usage patterns. The adjustments allow for a distinction between users who will leave their private vehicles and continue their journey using public transportation, and users who will leave their vehicles and continue their journey using a shared vehicle. This combination allows for a more accurate assessment of demand, onward movements, and impacts on the road network and public transportation.

Jerusalem, 25 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The government approved the appointment of Maj. Gen. (res.) Yiftach Ron Tal as the Chairman of the Airports Authority Council, as well as Director of the Aviation Safety Investigation Authority at the ministry of Transport. The appointment is for a four-year term.

“Maj. Gen. (Res.) Yiftach Ron Tal brings with him many years of experience in public service, in managing large organizations, and in key positions in the defense and civilian systems,” said the ministry in a statement.

Among his previous positions, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Israel Electric Corporation, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Israel Ports Company, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Model – a Defense Company, as well as in senior command positions in the IDF, including Commander of the Ground Force.

The search committee noted that Ron Tal is a “candidate with appropriate qualifications, extensive managerial and professional experience in the fields of infrastructure and safety, and that he is suitable for the challenges facing the Airports Authority, including managing a complex aviation system, maintaining a high level of safety, and promoting the development of civil aviation in Israel.”

Jerusalem, 25 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) said it has begun what it called a targeted operation in the Yellow Line area in the northern Gaza Strip, in order to recover the remains of the last missing Israeli hostage in Gaza, the late Sargent Major Ran Gvili.

The operation is dubbed “Brave Heart.”

The IDF Spokesperson called on the public to refrain from spreading rumors and unfounded information that could harm the Gvili family and efforts to recover him Gvili’s remains.

The IDF said it will “continue to exert all efforts until Sargent Major Ran Gvili is returned for burial in the State of Israel.”