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RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Israel asked a court Thursday to revoke the citizenship of two men convicted of terrorism offenses, in what appears to be the first test ofa lawallowing the deportation of Palestinian citizens convicted of certain violent crimes.

Court documents filed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday argue that the severity of the crimes, along with payments those found guilty allegedly received from aPalestinian Authority fund, justify revoking citizenship and expelling the individuals convicted of violent attacks.

Roughly one in five Israeli citizens is Palestinian. When the law passed, critics said it was one instance in which Israel's legal system treats Jewish and Palestinian citizens differently. Rights groups argued that basing a deportation law on Palestinian Authority payments effectively limited its application on the basis of race and excluded Jewish Israelis — including settlersconvictedofattacksagainst Palestinians— from the threat of having their citizenship revoked.

Netanyahu has long argued the fund in questionrewards violence, including attacks on civilians. Palestinian officials, however, have defended it as a safety net for the broad cross‑section of society with family members in Israeli detention. They have dismissed Netanyahu's focus on the relatively small share of beneficiaries involved in such attacks.

Citizenship revocation law faces first test

Netanyahu in a statement this week said proceedings were launched against two men with more such cases were on their way. One of the court filings seen by The Associated Press details the request against Mohamad Hamad, who the state's request says was convicted of "offenses that constitute an act of terrorism and receiving funds in connection with terrorism."

It alleges Hamad, a 48-year‑old citizen from east Jerusalem, received payment after he was sentenced in 2002 on charges that included shootings and weapons trafficking. He went on to serve more than two decades in prison before his release.

The 2023 law applies to citizens or permanent residents convicted of "committing an act that constitutes a breach of loyalty to the State of Israel," including terrorism.

Hassan Jabareen, the general director of Israel's Adalah legal center, called steps taken to apply it this week "a cynical propaganda move" by Netanyahu. He said revoking citizenship violated the most basic principles of the rule of law, including by acting against individuals who completed prison sentences.

"The Israeli government is attempting to strip individuals of the very foundation through which all rights are protected, their nationality," he said on Thursday.

If the court moves ahead, it would make Israel one of the few nations — includingBahrain— to revoke citizenship of people born with the status in their country. Countries such as theUnited KingdomandFrancehave stripped dual or naturalized citizens of their citizenships over terrorism convictions, but international conventions generally bar states from taking away someone's nationality if it would leave them stateless.

The Palestinian Authority payments, Israel argues, create a sufficient link to justify revoking citizenship and deporting such citizens to the West Bank or Gaza.

The request does not say to where the citizens will be deported.

__ Melzer reported form Nahariya, Israel

The woman behind a popular California bald eagle camera that monitorsJackie and Shadowhas died, a nonprofit that works to preserve their habitat announced.

Sandy Steers was the executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, an environmental-education nonprofit organization well known for their live camera and social media posts of the eagle couple. Their mission is to protect and preserve the amazing natural local surroundings through environmental education and advocacy.

Big Bear Valley is part of the San Bernardino National Forest, about 95 miles from Los Angeles.

"It is with heavy hearts and great sadness to let our Friends of Big Bear Valley eagle family know that Sandy Steers passed away on the evening of Feb. 11, 2026," the group said in a Facebook post the same day.

In an emailed statement to USA TODAY, the group described Steers as "kind, caring, calming and healing.

"People love her and she is missed dearly. Our team is heartbroken."

Steers died from cancer, the organization said. She'd beaten cancer 30 years ago, but was diagnosed with it again later in life.

She had served as the organization's executive director for roughly 25 years.

The Daily Press, part of the USA TODAY Network,also shared news of her passing.

Sandy Steers' legacy

"Sandy Steers truly exemplifies the spirit of the outdoors through her efforts to conserve the natural environment while helping to enhance and expand opportunities for outdoor recreation in California," Barbara Steinberg, a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of California, wrote in 2023, whilenominatingSteers for Outdoor Californian of the Year.

"Her efforts to preserve nesting sites for Big Bear Lake bald eagles and open space in the region including helping to save a rare pebble plain and a threatened paintbrush flower which is listed on the federal and the state endangered list, and only exists in Big Bear Valley."

The nomination added that Steers had established eco-tourism in the Valley, helping people understand that they can support the local economy by promoting and protecting the natural surroundings rather than destroying them for commercial gain.

The group also puts together educational programs for classrooms that teach children about wildlife and nature.

Steers began the Jackie and Shadow camera for the U.S. Forest Service. The first camera was installed in 2015, Friends of Big Bear Valley told USA TODAY. Steers had loved Jackie since the bird was a chick and wanted to know what was happening inside her nest.

"Her vision was to share it with others as a public benefit, free for all to see and connect with nature," the organization said. "She told amazing stories that helped people understand what was happening and relate to the trials, tribulations and successes felt by Jackie and Shadow in their daily lives."

What's happening with Jackie and Shadow this year?

Friends of Big Bear Valley shared on Jan. 30 in aFacebook postthat Jackie and Shadow had lost their eggs after a raven attack. The ordeal was caught on camera.

The pair might lay a 2nd clutch of eggs, the group said, since the eggs were laid early in the season.

Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Voice behind beloved Jackie and Shadow eagle cam dies

As the Pacific warms, there is a growing chance of neutral El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions this spring, according to the latest update from NOAA Thursday morning, with a better than 50% chance of El Niño returning this autumn, including the peak of hurricane season.

We are nearing the peak of the current La Niña, solidly in the moderate category as far as La Niñas go. This area of colder water is circled in red on the map below.

La Niña occurs when the ocean's surface temperatures in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific reach a specific cooler-than-average temperature. El Niño is the warming of the same area of the Pacific and has a different set of weather effects around the planet.

(MORE:Climate Change Threatens The Winter Olympics' Future)

Neutral conditions are the state between El Niño and La Niña, meaning the water in the Pacific is neither warmer nor cooler than average. This condition will be reached after near-average temperatures are sustained for a multi-month period, and will be indicated by the disappearance of blue colors on the map below in the circled area.

Here's what this forecast means for the next few months:

Impacts

Spring impacts:Years that have shifted from moderately (and relatively) chilly in the Pacific to average have featured some predictable temperature tweaks stateside from March to April.

• Cooler-than-average temperatures from the Northern Rockies to the interior Northeast.

• Reliably warmer than average temperatures in the Southeast and in the Southwest.

By May and June, the signal becomes much more mixed using these analogs, but that's not surprising as the jet stream, and its influence over the Lower 48, typically weakens. One of the meteorological features that ENSO has its hands in is the jet stream. Warming conditions in the Pacific (i.e. a slide toward neutral conditions) could also muddy any connections with weather in the U.S.

Summer impacts?El Niño and La Niña usually have their biggest impacts on the weather in winter, when they've been in place for several months. But if El Niño can develop fast enough, it could at least subtly affect both temperatures and rainfall in the U.S. this summer.

El Niño summers tend to be cooler in the East and Rockies and wetter in the Southeast.

From a global perspective, the defining warmth of an El Niño will give this summer a push toward the top of the warmest years on record.

(Further beef up your forecast with our detailed, hour-by-hour breakdown for the next 8 days – only available on ourPremium Pro experience.)

Quieter hurricane season ahead?In El Niño hurricane seasons, stronger shearing winds and sinking air often occur over at least the Caribbean Sea and some adjacent parts of the Atlantic Basin. This tends to limit the number and intensity of storms and hurricanes, especially if the El Niño is stronger.

El Niño isn't the only factor that can shape how a hurricane season goes. Bursts of dry air and sinking air or a lack of tropical waves are all other factors that can change how a season goes.

Forecast caveat you should know about:What lies beyond the springtime months is often highly uncertain.

That's because of what's known as aspring predictability barrier– a time of year when models struggle with accurate predictions.

Spring is a time when the ocean is more likely to be closer to average in the temperature department due to the shift out of the polarized summer and winter seasons in their respective hemispheres.

Winds across the equator are also often weaker during the spring because there's less temperature contrast in either hemisphere.

These factors make the signals that climatologists use to make forecasts more fuzzy, leading to a drop off in the accuracy of the forecasts.

Jonathan Belleshas been a digital meteorologist forweather.comfor 9 years and also assists in the production of videos for The Weather Channel en español. His favorite weather is tropical weather, but also enjoys covering high-impact weather and news stories and winter storms. He's a two-time graduate of Florida State University and a proud graduate of St. Petersburg College.

PHILADELPHIA — The little man stood up for the big man. And it had a big impact.

It's not a sight that has been common around these Knicks this year — someone actually getting in an opponent's face to stick up for a teammate.

Mitchell Robinson, while going up for a dunk, was brought down hard by Trendon Watford at the end of the first quarter of theKnicks' 138-89 win over the 76erson Wednesday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Immediately, with Robinson still on the ground, Alvarado tried to push Watford away.

When Watford didn't budge, Alvarado exchanged a few words with him, and the two had to be separated.

Alvarado and 76ers coach Nick Nurse were both given technical fouls.

"He did a hard foul, but I think he did a little extra with the staring," Alvarado said. "I'm just not gonna go for none of that. It was just in the moment. That's when I'm at my best, I guess, getting a little active. It worked out in my favor."

And it sparked the Knicks run that blew the game open and put them firmly in control.

After the incident, the Knicks outscored the 76ers by 15 points before Alvarado checked out in the second quarter to increase their lead from nine to 24 points.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS

Alvarado scored nine of those 15 points with a trio of 3-pointers.

"He ignited us," coach Mike Brown said, "in a lot of different ways.

It wasn't a major fracas, but it was a bit of snarl that the Knicks were missing this year, one of the reasons they acquired Alvarado just ahead of the deadline.

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It was a major contrast to their lack of response when Draymond Green grabbed Karl-Anthony Towns' leg and dragged him down during the loss to the Warriors on Jan 15.

Now, though, the Knicks have an enforcer. Even if he's generously listed at 6 feet.

Brown gives out a defensive player of the game afterward, and the recipient poses with a pair of Timberland boots, among other accessories, to represent a hard-nosed mentality.

It was fitting that Alvarado, who got the recognition Wednesday, was already wearing his own pair.

"That's what we need," Josh Hart said. "That's what we want from him. Obviously that toughness, ability to help us get organized, ability to knock down shots. And defensively bring energy, bring physicality, get in the passing lanes, those kinds of things. That's why he's here."

Alvarado's dogged on-ball defending and toughness are what he's known for. His offensive game is usually much more of a question mark.

But he was their unlikely leading scorer Wednesday, finishing with 26 points, almost all via 3-pointers.

Garbage time became Alvarado time, as he began toying with the 76ers during the fourth quarter, using his patented sneak attack to come up with steals while jacking up 3s on the other end. He hit four more 3s in that fourth quarter.

His 26 points and five steals were both season highs. He was a team-high plus-35 in just 19 minutes. His eight 3s tied a career high.

"I had it rolling," Alvarado said. "I didn't know I had eight [3s] — I should've made one more so I could break my tie."

By the fourth quarter, the plethora of Knicks fans in attendance were chanting "Jose, Jose, Jose, Jose" and getting on their feet for every shot. A potentially key Knicks energizer has firmly arrived.

Helen Garay Facebook

NEED TO KNOW

• The cause of death for a woman who was found dead inside a freezer at a Dollar Tree in Miami has been revealed

• Helen Massiell Garay Sanchez, a 32-year-old mother of two, was found dead inside a freezer at the discount store on Dec. 14, 2025

• Authorities previously said Sanchez climbed inside the freezer the night prior and was there overnight, before being found by employee at around 8:00 a.m.
  

The cause of death for a mother of two found dead inside a freezer at a Dollar Tree in Miami has released.

Helen Massiell Garay Sanchez, 32, was found dead inside a freezer at the discount store on SW 8th Street on Dec. 14, 2025,PEOPLE previouslyreported.

On Wednesday, Feb. 11, Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Sanchez's cause of death as environmental hypothermia, with ethanol use being a contributory cause, according to local media outletsNBC6,WPLGand theMiami Herald.

Sanchez's ethanol levels were found to be at 0.112% in her toxicology report, per NBC6. A reading of ocular fluid ethanol was also at 0.156%, according to WPLG.

Ethanol is used in alcoholic beverages. A blood ethanol level of 0.112% is also above the legal limit to drive, per the outlet.

Hypothermia occurs when the body's core temperature drops below 95 degrees. "Left untreated, hypothermia can cause the heart and respiratory system to fail and eventually can lead to death," according to theMayo Clinic.

PEOPLE has contacted the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's Office for comment

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Authorities previously said Sanchez entered the Dollar Tree without buying anything on Dec. 13, according toNBC 6andWPLG.

She then reportedly went to an employee-only area and stayed inside the freezer overnight.

Sanchez was found deceased in the freezer by an employee at around 8:00 a.m. the following morning, PEOPLE previously reported.

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In January, Sanchez's familyfiled a wrongful death lawsuitin Miami-Dade County against Dollar Tree and the location's manager, perNBC 6.

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Sanchez's family, who are suing the chain and store's manager for over $50 million, claimed Dollar Tree was negligent in not preventing Sanchez from accessing the store's freezer.

They also claimed that the manager was "placed on actual notice" that Sanchez was missing and hadn't exited the store and that the manager "failed to take reasonable action to locate or assist Sanchez," per NBC 6.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Sanchez's husband and two children.

A  police spokesperson previously told PEOPLE that they obtained footage from a family member and from the store.

"This is why we know there was no foul play," the spokesperson said. "She went into the freezer on her own."

A police officer who spoke toWPLGalso previously ruled out mental illness as a factor in her death.

In a statement, a Dollar Tree spokesperson previously told PEOPLE that the company was "cooperating fully with the authorities at this time." "We are aware of this tragic incident, and our thoughts are with the individual's family and loved ones," they added.

A company spokesperson also added in a statement shared with PEOPLE on Feb. 2, "Our thoughts continue to be with the individual's family and loved ones. While we do not comment on active legal matters, we continue to cooperate fully with authorities."

Sanchez, who was from Nicaragua, worked as a doctor and was "dedicated her life to medicine," according to aGoFundMepage.

Read the original article onPeople