Top world news stories as of February 4, 2026, focus on U.S. immigration enforcement controversies, Trump administration diplomatic moves, escalating Middle East tensions, and ongoing Gaza violence.

U.S. Domestic and Immigration Developments

  • President Trump signed a consolidated funding bill, ending a partial government shutdown with only a two-week extension for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); Democrats demand reforms to curb Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tactics amid at least four fatal shootings since September.[1][3]
  • Brothers of Renee Good, killed by federal agents, testified before Congress urging restraint on immigration crackdowns, highlighting violent force in U.S. cities.[1]
  • New York Attorney General Letitia James deployed legal observers to document federal immigration raids statewide.[1]

Diplomatic and Military Engagements

  • Colombian President Gustavo Petro met Trump at the White House for two hours, easing prior tensions over U.S. strikes on Colombian boats and the January abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro; Trump left a friendly note despite past insults and sanctions.[1][3]
  • U.S. military shot down an Iranian drone near its aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea; U.S.-Iran nuclear talks shifted from Turkey to Oman, with envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner set to meet Iranian officials.[1][2][3]
  • Israeli PM Netanyahu warned U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff that Iran cannot be trusted and called for disarming Hamas before Gaza reconstruction.[2]

Middle East and Gaza Conflict

  • Israeli airstrikes and troops killed at least 21 Palestinians, including children and a paramedic, across Gaza following a militant attack on an Israeli soldier; over 500 Palestinians killed since last October’s U.S.-brokered ceasefire.[1][2][4]
  • Rafah crossing partially reopened after two years, but Israel tightly controls access; only five medical evacuees exited and 12 reentered Gaza on Tuesday, with today’s evacuations canceled.[1][2][7]
  • Two Human Rights Watch employees resigned after leadership blocked a report labeling Israel’s denial of Palestinian right of return a crime against humanity.[1]
  • IDF faced fire in northern Gaza, responded with airstrikes; additional strikes killed people in Gaza City, Zetun, and Khan Younis areas.[2]

Other Global Events

  • Nine Philippine city employees died when an oil-carrying dump truck fell into a river in Bayawan, Negros Oriental.[4]
  • Ukraine peace talks resumed in Abu Dhabi; NATO’s Mark Rutte visited damaged Kyiv.[7]