Daily News

On January 19,  a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect. But Gaza lies in ruins with at least 46,000 Palestinians killed, and two-thirds of all buildings now damaged or destroyed. In this episode of Now You Know, we speak to Gaza-based Communications Specialist for UNICEF, Rosalia Bollen, about what a ceasefire means for Palestinians in Gaza right now, especially for the children, and what’s ahead on the path to rebuilding lives and communities.

The secret transportation of thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel in the 1980s by the Mossad and the CIA. Isolated from much of Judaism for centuries and now discriminated against in Israel today. This is the story of an ancient Jewish community commonly known as Falasha Jews - primarily from Ethiopia - and the secret, politically controversial smuggling operations that brought them from Sudan to Israel in the 1980s. In the late 20th century, the Falasha Jews (also known as Beta Israel) faced persecution and famine, prompting significant emigration to Israel. However, Israel was not recognised by Arab and many African states - so countries like Ethiopia and Sudan couldn’t be seen openly to help Israel boost its population. So the Mossad and the CIA conducted the secret Operation Moses to transport thousands of Ethiopian Jews from refugee camps in the Sudanese desert. When these missions were discovered, they caused huge political fallout in Sudan. Furthermore, the Falasha Jews who did arrive in Israel have found themselves marginalised and still face challenges integrating into Israeli society today.

Violence has erupted on the streets of Kinshasa, the capital of Democratic Republic of Congo. Multiple embassies have come under attack from protesters angry at the advance of M23 rebels in the east of the country. The embassies of France, Rwanda, Belgium, Uganda and the US were all targeted. A fire also broke out at the French embassy. The government says the police are back in control of the capital, and security has been boosted at the embassies.

In the country's east, M23 rebels say they have captured the region's largest city Goma. Thousands of people have fled the area. The head of the UN peacekeeping mission says there's no question that Rwandan troops are supporting the M23 in Goma. The number of peacekeepers killed in the last week has risen to 17.

Marwan Bishara, senior political analyst, described Gaza's returnees as embodying resilience amid destruction and uncertainty. In an interview with Al Jazeera, he criticised far-right Israeli figures like Ben-Gvir as fanatical, highlighting their minority stance. Bishara argued that Netanyahu aims to use Gaza to push for West Bank annexations with the US president’s support. backing, linking this to regional normalisation efforts led by Trump. He emphasised UNRWA's critical role in Gaza's reconstruction and refugee support, urging stronger international and Arab backing to ensure Palestinian recovery.

An explosive diplomatic row between the US and Colombia over the deportation of unauthorised immigrants on military planes. It has been quickly defused for now, but threats of further action are being made. What does this signal about the new Donald Trump presidency?

The US has suspended planned tariffs and sanctions on Colombia, after a resolution was reached to allow it to return migrants. The Colombian President earlier blocked two American military aircrafts carrying deported Colombian migrants. President Trump retaliated by threatening tariffs on all Colombian imports. He also threatened to cancel visas for Colombian officials. The White House says Colombia has now agreed to accept those deported from the US.

‘Drill, baby, drill’ is the new refrain of President Donald Trump’s second term. As Trump pulls out of the Paris Accords – again – The Take speaks with activist Tori Tsui on getting back into the fight and managing climate anxiety.

Displaced Palestinians are heading home to the north of Gaza, after 15 months of being forcibly displaced by the Israeli military. Many are desperate to return home, even if all they'll find is rubble. People are now reuniting with their families after being separated since the start of the war. Displaced Palestinians say they have been desperately waiting to see their loved ones. They are now reuniting as they begin to search for what remains of their homes.

When Myanmar’s fledgling democracy was destroyed, Sai’s life was turned upside down and his father was imprisoned. Sai and his wife K went into hiding. As Myanmar faded from international headlines, they knew they had to take action, and created a series of unique artworks. Armed with this work, they flee to Europe, on a mission to use it as a form of activism. They are haunted by the abuses in Myanmar, visa issues and the ever-present risk to those back home. Sai becomes increasingly fraught, questioning his mission and whether he can bring about meaningful change.

US President Trump’s idea of the mass expulsion of Palestinians in Gaza to Jordan and Egypt is unlikely to ever happen, says Middle East analyst Mouin Rabbani. “Even if he applies pressure on Jordan and Egypt, I think their leaderships will recognise the price of going along with Trump is going to be much greater than the price of resisting him – in terms of the survival of their leaderships for participating in something like this,” Rabbani told Al Jazeera, referring to Trump’s plan as “ethnic cleansing”. “This isn’t going to happen because Israel is not going to succeed in ethnically cleansing the Gaza Strip after a war, after having failed to do so during a war.” When former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken went on a tour of Arab states to promote this idea late last year, he was met with a “blanket refusal”, Rabbani added. Meanwhile, Netanyahu is feeling the heat from his coalition partners over the ceasefire deal who view the Israeli leader as succumbing to US demands, the analyst said. “I think there’s a kind of a mix of personal, political and ideological factors at play. But ultimately, I think the key relationship to look at here is not that between Netanyahu and his coalition partners, or between Israelis and Palestinians, but between Washington and Israel – because Washington is the one calling the shots, and Israel has no choice but to comply.”