Senior U.S. intel officials reportedly estimate only a third of Hamas' fighters in Gaza have been killed. Netanyahu ordered Israel's defense establishment to present plans to evacuate the Rafah area in southern Gaza. The U.S. State Department said that an Israeli operation in Rafah, where many civilians are sheltering, "would be a disaster." Israeli forces raided the Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, the Red Crescent said. An Israeli hostage in Gaza pronounced dead last month was likely killed in an Israeli strike, the IDF said.

Here's what you need to know 126 days into the war


What happened today

Relatives and supporters rally for hostage release in Tel Aviv on Thursday.

■ ISRAEL: PM Netanyahu ordered Israel's defense establishment to present plans to evacuate Gazan civilians from the Rafah area in the south of the Strip, the Prime Minister's Office said. "It is impossible to achieve the goal of the war of eliminating Hamas while leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah," said the statement, adding such an operation "requires the evacuation of the civilian population from combat zones."
The U.S. State Department said that an Israeli military operation in Rafah, where many civilians are sheltering, "would be a disaster."

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday night that Israel's conduct in Gaza has been "over the top," adding that he is working to achieve a sustained pause in fighting.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin discussed with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday post-war plans, increasing humanitarian aid, and stabilizing the West Bank. Austin reiterated the need to protect civilians in Gaza.

The Israeli Supreme Court ordered on Friday the release of Umm al-Fahm resident Ahmed Kalifah from detention, after he was arrested during a protest against the war in Gaza. Despite being accused of incitement to terrorism, the court ruled against his continued detention, citing insufficient evidence to justify it.
■ GAZA: The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that Israeli forces have entered the Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.
Senior U.S. military intel officers told Congress members in private conversations that it appears only a third of Hamas' fighters have been killed in Gaza, the New York Times reported. The officers also reportedly said that while Israel has degraded Hamas' military capabilities, it is not close to eliminating it.

Almost one in 10 Gazan children under the age of five are now acutely malnourished, according to initial UN data from arm measurements that show physical wasting.

The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said at least 27,946 Palestinians have been killed and 67,459 wounded since the war began.

Foreign ministers from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and Jordan, along with a senior PLO official, convened in Riyadh to discuss the situation in Gaza, the UAE state news agency reported.

Norway said it is giving $26 million in 2024 to UNRWA, and could increase that sum if needed, days after the agency warned it could cease all activity by the end of the month.
"The press conference held Wednesday evening by Netanyahu, with all the tricks and shticks that characterize the man and are familiar to readers, did not contain an absolute refusal regarding a deal, or a full rejection of Hamas' demands" – Amos Harel

■ HOSTAGES/CEASE-FIRE: The Hostages and Missing Families Forum demanded a meeting with the war cabinet following what they called "a string of events and comments raising difficult questions relating to the cabinet's commitment to freeing the hostages." The families demanded to know if that commitment still stands, or if negotiating power should be "handed over to other parties."
Yossi Sharabi – a resident of Kibbutz Be'eri kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 and pronounced dead last month – was most likely killed in an Israeli strike, according to an IDF investigation.
■ LEBANON: The IDF said a suspicious aerial target was intercepted near the northern city of Haifa. Anti-tank missiles were fired towards northern Israel. The IDF fired back at the source of the launches. Israeli fighter jets attacked Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.

■ WEST BANK: The IDF said it arrested 12 Palestinians overnight in raids across the West Bank.
An EU effort to impose sanctions on violent Israeli settlers has stalled due to objections from Hungary and the Czech Republic, four diplomats told Reuters.

The killing of three Palestinian men in a West Bank hospital in January by Israeli commandos disguised as medical workers and Muslim women may constitute war crimes, a group of UN experts said on Friday.
■ HOUTHIS: U.S. CENTCOM said forces conducted seven "self-defense" strikes against four Houthi unmanned surface vessels and seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles ready to be launched against ships in the Red Sea.

Context

People assess the damage caused by Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Friday.

Israel declared war after Hamas killed at least 1,200 Israelis and wounded more than 3,300 in a merciless assault. In Gaza, the Hamas-controlled health ministry reports that at least 27,840 Palestinians have been killed. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad hold hostage more than 129 soldiers and civilians, dead and alive, including foreign nationals.

The war comes after ten months of the most significant domestic political and social crisis in decades, due to the Netanyahu-led government's judicial coup – legislation aimed at dramatically weakening Israel's judiciary and potentially rescuing Netanyahu from the three corruption trials he faces – and amid an escalation of violence between West Bank Palestinians and Israeli settlers, the latter empowered by Israel's most right-wing government ever.

U.S. Secretary of State Blinken said Hamas' response to the hostage release/cease-fire proposal has "some clear nonstarters," but the U.S. thinks "it creates space for an agreement." A senior Hamas official said Netanyahu's reply to Hamas shows the PM intends to pursue conflict in the region. Several Israelis were wounded from rocket and missile fire from Lebanon on Thursday. A Hezbollah commander was killed in a strike attributed to Israel in Nabatiyeh.

Here's what you need to know 125 days into the war


What happened today

Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon, on Wednesday.

■ HOSTAGES/CEASE-FIRE: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed Hamas' response to the hostage release/cease-fire proposal by saying that "while there are some clear nonstarters," the U.S. thinks "it creates space for an agreement to be reached and we'll work at that relentlessly till we get there."
After PM Netanyahu called Hamas' response to the proposal "delusional," senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said the PM's remarks show he intends to pursue conflict in the region. A Hamas delegation headed by senior Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya is now in Cairo to pursue cease-fire talks with Egypt and Qatar.

Released Israeli hostages responded to Netanyahu's remarks Wednesday night, saying, "We have reached the moment of truth where we must decide who will live and who will die. The price is heavy, but the price of abandonment will be a stain for generations to come."

During a patrol of Gaza, IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi said that the military is "making a strong effort to return the hostages," and that "it won't happen without military pressure."

President Vladimir Putin told leaders of Russia's Jewish community on Wednesday that Moscow had achieved "specific results" by engaging with Hamas officials to free hostages held in Gaza, Russian news agencies reported.
■ GAZA: The IDF reported that forces operating in the city of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza arrested two terrorists who took part in the October 7 massacre, and that fighting in northern and central Gaza continues.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said at least 27,840 Palestinians have been killed and 67,317 wounded since the war began.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that according to intel collected by the IDF, Iran sent "tens of millions" of dollars in envelopes to the Gaza Strip. "From the materials we seized in Gaza, we understand that Sinwar takes care of himself first and foremost," Gallant said, referring to a million dollars Sinwar took for his own use.
"With his constant refrain of 'continuing until total victory,' Netanyahu, like many other leaders before him, is living in a Churchillian fantasy. What he can't accept is that in his World War II cosplaying, he isn't Winston Churchill but Neville Chamberlain – the dismal appeaser whom Churchill replaced eight months after war began" – Anshel Pfeffer

■ ISRAEL: The major Israeli protest movement that led the Kaplan Street protests against PM Netanyahu's judicial coup announced that protests calling for new elections will resume on Thursday night across Israel for the first time since October 7.
War cabinet ministers Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said that he raised with Netanyahu "profound concerns about actions and rhetoric, including from government officials, that inflame tension and undercut international support and place greater strains on Israel's security."

The Gaza border community of Kibbutz Be'eri said that the family of Meni Godard, 73, killed by Hamas on October 7, was notified that his body is being held in Gaza.

Argentinian President Javier Milei decried what he called Hamas' "21st century Nazism," terrorism and antisemitism during a tour of a Gaza border kibbutz devastated by the October 7 massacre.
■ LEBANON: The IDF said a soldier was moderately wounded and two reserve soldiers were lightly wounded after a rocket was launched from Lebanon toward Israel's north, and that the Israeli Air Force responded with strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon near the launch sites. A suspicious aerial target was also intercepted earlier on Thursday.
Reports in Lebanon said Israeli aircraft struck vehicles in the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon. Saudi media reported that Hezbollah regional commander Abbas al-Debs was killed in the attack.
■ WEST BANK: A Palestinian man fired a gun at an IDF outpost near the entry to the village of Deir Sharaf, and was shot dead by soldiers, the IDF said.

■ HOUTHIS: The German naval frigate Hessen has set sail on a planned EU military mission to secure merchant shipping in the Red Sea against attacks by Houthi militants in Yemen.

■ IRAQ.: A commander from Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group in Iraq that the Pentagon has blamed for attacking its troops, was killed in a U.S. strike Wednesday, the U.S. military said.

■ U.K.: PM Rishi Sunak said that some post-October 7 protests have been marred by "far too many appalling examples of antisemitism, violent intimidation, and the glorification of terrorism," adding that the U.K. police will be enforcing measures to "stop people from covering their faces to conceal their identity and evade arrest."

Context

Smoke over the Gaza Strip.

Israel declared war after Hamas killed at least 1,200 Israelis and wounded more than 3,300 in a merciless assault. In Gaza, the Hamas-controlled health ministry reports that at least 27,840 Palestinians have been killed. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad hold hostage more than 129 soldiers and civilians, dead and alive, including foreign nationals.

The war comes after ten months of the most significant domestic political and social crisis in decades, due to the Netanyahu-led government's judicial coup – legislation aimed at dramatically weakening Israel's judiciary and potentially rescuing Netanyahu from the three corruption trials he faces – and amid an escalation of violence between West Bank Palestinians and Israeli settlers, the latter empowered by Israel's most right-wing government ever.

Noted in Flying Magazine Today:

“Whatever final conclusions are reached, Boeing is accountable for what happened,” said Boeing president and CEO Dave Calhoun in response to National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report on the investigation into the blowout of the mid-exit door plug on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 in January.

The 19-page report, released Tuesday by the NTSB, noted the four bolts that are supposed to hold the door plug in place were removed for maintenance at the factory before delivery of the jet but never reinstalled. The aircraft had flown 510 hours without having the door plug properly secured.

READ MORE: NTSB Reports No Bolts in Blown Out 737 Max Door
The Details
On January 5 shortly after takeoff from Portland International Airport (KPDX) in Oregon, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 lost the mid-exit door (MED) plug as the aircraft climbed through 16,000 feet. The loss of the door plug resulted in violent decompression, but no serious injuries to the 177 persons on board. The flight crew declared an emergency and returned to Portland with a refrigerator-sized hole in the side of the aircraft.

“An event like this must not happen on an airplane that leaves our factory,” Calhoun said. “We simply must do better for our customers and their passengers. We are implementing a comprehensive plan to strengthen quality and the confidence of our stakeholders. It will take significant, demonstrated action and transparency at every turn—and that is where we are squarely focused.”


In a statement to the media, Boeing outlined immediate action items it is undertaking to strengthen quality.

“First and foremost, the company has implemented a control plan to ensure all 737-9 mid-exit door plugs are installed according to specifications by instituting new inspections of the door plug assembly and similar structures at our supplier’s factory and on Boeing’s production line, and adding signage and protocol to fully document when the door plug is opened or removed in our factory, ensuring it is reinstalled and inspected prior to delivery,” the statement said.

“Boeing is also taking steps to improve overall quality and stability across the 737 production system. These steps include layering additional inspections into the Boeing supply chain, more communication and collaboration with suppliers on production enhancements, performing more work on the aircraft at their assigned positions, setting aside multiple days for 737 teams to focus on implement quality improvements, adding independent assessment to bolster the quality management system at Boeing Commercial Airplanes by a highly experienced safety expert.

“In addition to these Boeing actions, we are opening our factory to 737 customers to conduct their own additional reviews and will fully and transparently support the FAA’s investigation, audit, and oversight actions.”

Said Calhoun: “This added scrutiny—from ourselves, from our regulator, and from our customers—will make us better. It’s that simple.”

The NTSB is continuing its investigation.

Rab-Eye isn't concerned, why are you?

Hamas has proposed a three-stage ceasefire plan over 135 days split into three 45-day phases that would lead to an end to the war. PM Netanyahu called the Hamas proposal "delusional" and that its conditions would "lead to another massacre." A new round of talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt towards a hostage release deal is set to begin in Cairo on Thursday. Saudi Arabia stated that there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognized on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, and Israeli "aggression" in the Gaza Strip stops.

Here's what you need to know 124 days into the war


What happened today

French President Emmanuel Macron walks past French Republican Guards who hold portraits of the French victims of the Oct.7 2023 Hamas' attack, during a ceremony at the Invalides monument, Wednesday, Feb.7, 2024. France is paying tribute to French victims of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, in a national ceremony led by President Emmanuel Macron four months after the deadly assault in Israel that killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw around 250 abducted.(Gonzalo Fuentes/Pool via AP)

■ HOSTAGES/CEASE-FIRE: Hamas has proposed a three-stage cease-fire plan over 135 days, split into three 45-day phases, that would lead to an end to the war, in response to a proposal by Qatari and Egyptian mediators which was backed by the U.S. and Israel.
All women hostages, males under 19, the elderly and sick would be released during the first phase in exchange for the release of 1,500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Remaining male hostages would be released during the second phase, and hostages' bodies and remains will be exchanged in the third phase.

A political source familiar with the details of the cease-fire proposed by Hamas said that the group is demanding a change to the protocol for Jews visiting the Temple Mount/ Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, as well as other conditions related to withdrawing IDF troops from areas of Gaza.

A new round of talks towards a hostage release deal is set to begin in Cairo on Thursday, according to Egyptian reports.

An Israeli government spokesperson said the Mossad "is looking intently" at the Hamas proposal given to them by Qatari mediators.

At a press conference, PM Netanyahu said, in reference to the Hamas proposals, that "surrendering to Hamas' delusional conditions will lead to another massacre, and will bring to a great tragedy upon Israel that no one would be willing to accept."
■ GAZA: The IDF said forces are engaging Hamas militants in the southern Gazan city of Khan Yunis.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, currently visiting Israel, reportedly expressed concern to PM Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant about Israel's potential expansion of military operations to the south Gazan city of Rafah, to which many Gazans fled during Israel's bombardment of the north.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that he is "especially alarmed" by reports that the IDF intends to focus on Rafah next.

The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said at least 27,708 Palestinians have been killed and 67,147 wounded since the war began.

UNWRA said that as of 31 January, only four out of 22 UNRWA health centers were operational.
"It is only the struggle for the release of the hostages that forces Benjamin Netanyahu to deal with difficult questions on the home front and exposes his utter lack of vision" – Jacky Khoury

■ ISRAEL: In an official statement, Saudi Arabia said there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognized on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, Israeli "aggression" in the Gaza Strip stops and all Israeli forces leave Gaza.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met PM Netanyahu and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, discussing U.S. efforts to secure the release of all remaining hostages and increasing aid to displaced Gazan civilians. The State Department added that Blinken "also stressed the urgent need to de-escalate tensions in the West Bank and prevent the conflict from expanding."

Argentina's far-right President Javier Milei met with PM Netanyahu, and told him that Argentina intends on designating Hamas a terrorist organization, according to the Prime Minister's Office. Milei also met with Foreign Minister Israel Katz in the wake of his announcement Tuesday that he would move Argentina's embassy to Jerusalem.

An Israeli reservist, 26-year-old Hanan Drori, who was wounded seven weeks ago in Gaza and contracted a fungal infection, was pronounced dead on Wednesday.
■ FRANCE: One hundred relatives of the 42 French-Israeli victims of the Hamas attack of October 7 attended France's national memorial ceremony, the first in the world, held at the Elysee Palace in Paris. President Emmanuel Macron declared that "68 million French citizens are in mourning today."

■ LEBANON: The IDF said an air force helicopter attacked Hezbollah military structures in southern Lebanon. During the night, air force jets struck Hezbollah targets.
Several rockets were launched towards northern Israel. The IDF responded with artillery towards the source of the fire.
■ WEST BANK: The IDF said that two armed Palestinians were killed during an arrest of a wanted person in the Nur al-Shams refugee camp.

■ HOUTHIS: Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said they had fired missiles at two vessels in the Red Sea, causing damage to the ships.

■ SYRIA: The Syrian military said Israeli airstrikes over the central city of Homs killed and wounded civilians.

Context

Children gather by a tent, as displaced Palestinians, who fled their houses due to Israeli strikes, take shelter in a tent camp, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, at the border with Egypt, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, February 7, 2024. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

Israel declared war after Hamas killed at least 1,200 Israelis and wounded more than 3,300 in a merciless assault. In Gaza, the Hamas-controlled health ministry reports that at least 27,708 Palestinians have been killed. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad hold hostage more than 129 soldiers and civilians, dead and alive, including foreign nationals.

The war comes after ten months of the most significant domestic political and social crisis in decades, due to the Netanyahu-led government's judicial coup – legislation aimed at dramatically weakening Israel's judiciary and potentially rescuing Netanyahu from the three corruption trials he faces – and amid an escalation of violence between West Bank Palestinians and Israeli settlers, the latter empowered by Israel's most right-wing government ever.

At least 32 of the remaining hostages being held in Gaza are dead, according to an IDF assessment, the New York Times reported. Hamas said it has responded "positively" to the proposed hostage release/cease-fire deal. Israel is reportedly pressing the U.S. and the UN to allow UNRWA to continue supplying humanitarian aid to Gaza. A large majority of Israelis believe that the next election should be held much earlier than the designated date in November 2026.

Here's what you need to know 123 days into the war


What happened today

A woman looks at posters with portraits of Israelis taken hostage by Hamas in front of the United Nations European headquarters, in Geneva, Switzerland, February 5, 2024.

■ HOSTAGES/CEASE-FIRE: More than a fifth of the remaining hostages being held in Gaza are dead, according to an internal assessment conducted by the IDF, the New York Times reported. The families of 32 hostages whose deaths are confirmed have been informed, according to four military officials, who said they were also assessing unconfirmed intel that at least 20 other hostages have also been killed.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Cairo for his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi as he works to advance a hostage release/cease-fire deal mediated by the Egyptians and Qataris.

Qatar's Prime Minister said he has received a reply from Hamas on the proposed deal and that the response makes Qatar "optimistic."

Hamas announced it had replied "positively" to the proposal, claiming the deal offered a full cease-fire ending the war, aid, rehabilitation of Gaza, the end of the blockade and the exchange of hostages/prisoners.
■ GAZA: The IDF has begun investigating dozens of incidents in the current war with Hamas that have raised suspicions that orders were disobeyed, in which commanders on the ground exceeded their authority or where it is suspected that the international laws of war were violated.
Israel is pressing the U.S. and the UN to allow UNRWA to continue its role in supplying humanitarian aid to Gaza during the war, Israeli and American officials told the Wall Street Journal. UNRWA said it expects its preliminary report into Israeli claims that a dozen employees took part in the October 7 massacre to be ready by early next month.

The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said at least 27,585 Palestinians have been killed and 66,978 wounded since the war began.

Arab Israeli lawmaker Ahmed Tibi shared on X/Twitter footage of sheep being shot by Israeli snipers in Khan Yunis in Gaza. According to sources in Khan Yunis, the sheep were in Bani Suheila, near Khan Yunis, an area under Israeli military control.
"Without minimizing the importance of the [Israeli] army's successes while fighting an unprecedented underground war, Hamas has not been defeated in Gaza. Far from it" – Amos Harel

■ ISRAEL: A large majority of Israelis believe that the next Knesset election should be held before its designated date in November 2026, according to a poll by the Israel Democracy Institute. The poll also showed that about half of Israelis would oppose a deal to end the war if it includes the establishment of a Palestinian state and peace agreements with other Arab countries.
At a meeting in the White House, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana told U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan that Israel's goal in the Gaza war is the "complete defeat of Hamas," and thanked the U.S. for its support since the outbreak of the war, especially in efforts to secure the release of Israeli hostages.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir issued a public apology after his son suggested U.S. President Biden suffered from dementia in a tweet he posted on X.

Argentina's far-right libertarian president Javier Milei landed in Israel, announced plans to relocate Argentina's embassy to Jerusalem and immediately visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that "now is the time to make the right decisions so we can meet the political goals we've set" for the war.

Israel Police revealed during a Knesset committee hearing that 116 cases have been opened of violent or sexual offenses in hotels where evacuated Israelis have been living since the beginning of the war.
■ RUSSIA: Russia's foreign ministry summoned Israeli ambassador Simona Halperin over what it called "unacceptable comments" she made in an interview with Russia's Kommersant daily, in which she harshly criticized Russia's stance towards Hamas since the attack of October 7, and accused Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of "downplaying" the Holocaust.

■ LEBANON: Two Israeli soldiers were lightly wounded from shrapnel after anti-tank missile fire toward northern Israel from Lebanon. The Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Akhbar news outlet reported that the Israeli Air Force attacked the village of Hula in Lebanon's south.
Several rocket launches were detected from Lebanon towards Israel on Tuesday. The IDF attacked the source of the launches in response.
■ WEST BANK: Palestinians from the West Bank shot at a kibbutz in northern Israel, causing no casualties, the IDF said.
A Palestinian was shot dead by soldiers at an army checkpoint near the entrance to Nablus, the IDF said, adding he appeared at the site and took out a gun.
■ HOUTHIS: Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said they fired naval missiles at two ships, Star Nasia and Morning Tide, in the Red Sea.
The Houthis "will further escalate" if the Israeli attack on Gaza does not stop, the group's leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said.

Context

Displaced Palestinians take shelter in a tent camp in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday.

Israel declared war after Hamas killed at least 1,200 Israelis and wounded more than 3,300 in a merciless assault. In Gaza, the Hamas-controlled health ministry reports that at least 27,585 Palestinians have been killed. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad hold hostage more than 129 soldiers and civilians, dead and alive, including foreign nationals.

The war comes after ten months of the most significant domestic political and social crisis in decades, due to the Netanyahu-led government's judicial coup – legislation aimed at dramatically weakening Israel's judiciary and potentially rescuing Netanyahu from the three corruption trials he faces – and amid an escalation of violence between West Bank Palestinians and Israeli settlers, the latter empowered by Israel's most right-wing government ever.

While TJ was correct for the 18th century, 21st century commerce and the prior world wars as well as the undelcared war dictates that alliances be necessary.

Hamas sources said that the group is still deliberating the cease-fire and hostage-release deal proposal. U.S. State Secretary Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia for his fifth Mideast trip since October 7. UN chief Guterres established an independent review group led by France's foreign minister to assess the allegations made against UNRWA. PM Netanyahu said that "we must kill Hamas' leadership" and that the war cannot end before that happens.

Here's what you need to know 122 days into the war


What happened today

Protesters for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, outside the military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

■ HOSTAGES/CEASE-FIRE: Hamas sources said that the group is still deliberating on the cease-fire and hostage-release deal proposal, and that they expect to give an answer on the matter soon.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid met with PM Netanyahu and told him that his party will provide a safety net, meaning support in the Knesset against no-confidence motions, in favor of a deal to release the hostages.

Former Arab Israeli politician Azmi Bishara, who fled charges of espionage in Israel to live in Doha and is considered close to the Qatari government, told the Qatari news agency al-Arabi that the U.S. is trying to convince Hamas, through Qatari and Egyptian mediators, that Israel would be hard pressed to resume fighting in Gaza after a long truce. He added that Hamas will respond to the current proposal being discussed with multiple clauses, and not just a simple "yes or no."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia, the first stop in his fifth Mideast trip since October 7. Blinken will also visit Egypt, Qatar and Israel this week.

Five activists from Israel and the U.S. are holding a 36-hour fast near the Geneva HQ of the International Committee of the Red Cross, to raise awareness of the plight of the hostages.
"Iran is an excruciating paradox. On the one hand, it is a constant menace and threat, an effervescent agent of chaos capable of setting the Middle East ablaze. On the other, it is inherently a paper tiger. A dangerous tiger, but paper" – Alon Pinkas

■ GAZA: The IDF said it continued to raid Hamas infrastructure throughout the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said at least 27,478 Palestinians have been killed and 66,835 wounded since the war began.

The head of UNRWA is visiting three Gulf states this week, seeking to drum up support after key donors suspended funding following allegations that some of its staff were involved in the October 7 attack. Spain has pledged an additional 3.5 million euros ($3.8 million), and Portugal 1 million euros.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced that he established an independent review group led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to assess the allegations made against UNRWA. Israel's foreign minister commended the decision, and said Israel will send "all evidence highlighting UNRWA's ties to terrorism and its harmful effects on regional stability."

UNRWA's director of operations in Gaza, Thomas White, said a food truck about to move into the northern Gaza Strip came under IDF fire, without casualties.

Gen. Frank McKenzie, former CENTCOM commander, described Israel's success in its objectives in Gaza to date as "very limited."
■ ISRAEL: At a meeting of his Likud party, PM Netanyahu said that "we must kill Hamas' leadership" and emphasized that the war cannot end before that happens. Reaching this goal will take time, he said, which he defined as "months and not years."
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that he hoped Netanyahu chooses the path of "crushing Hamas" and not "giving them fuel," as opposed to the "path of Lapid and Gantz," referring to Israel's opposition leader and war cabinet minister Benny Gantz.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich criticized the U.S. administration's decision to impose sanctions against four Israeli settlers, saying that it punishes "over half a million settlers, law-abiding Israeli citizens now on the front lines of the war against terror."

Russia's Foreign Ministry said it will summon Israeli ambassador Simona Halperin over "unacceptable comments" after she harshly criticized Russia's stance towards Hamas since October 7 and accused Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of "downplaying" the Holocaust in an interview with Russian outlet Kommersant.

U.S. President Joe Biden privately referred to PM Netanyahu as a "bad f** guy," according to people who've spoken with the president, Politico reported. The White House denied the report, which also claimed that Biden has "grown suspicious" of Netanyahu as the war continues, and that Biden's fear is that "Netanyahu is eager to drag the U.S. into a wider war in the Middle East."
■ LEBANON: The IDF said it struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanese territory. Hezbollah announced that three of its men were killed in IDF strikes in southern Lebanon. According to Lebanese media, at least one was killed Sunday night in an attack in the village of Yaroun.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with Biden's Middle East special adviser Amos Hochstein and said that Israel is willing to solve the crisis with Lebanon through diplomacy, but is prepared for any other scenario.
■ WEST BANK: Israel Police said a 14-year-old Palestinian was shot dead after he tried to stab police officers in Al-Azriya village near East Jerusalem.
The IDF said it arrested 33 suspects throughout the West Bank Monday overnight.
■ HOUTHIS: Italy will become a target if it takes part in attacks against Yemen, a senior official from Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday.
The U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, is traveling to the Gulf this week to discuss the urgent need to reduce regional tensions, including cessation of Houthi attacks.

U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Schapps said recent strikes against Yemen's Houthis "had a significant effect on degrading their capabilities," but did not deter the rebel group from continuing to attack vessels in the Red Sea.
■ GERMANY: A college student in Berlin beat a Jewish classmate until he was hospitalized after the two got into an argument Friday night about the Israel-Hamas conflict, police said.

Context

Residents return to parts of Gaza City after the Israeli army withdrew, on Thursday.

Israel declared war after Hamas killed at least 1,200 Israelis and wounded more than 3,300 in a merciless assault. In Gaza, the Hamas-controlled health ministry reports that at least 27,478 Palestinians have been killed. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad hold hostage more than 129 soldiers and civilians, dead and alive, including foreign nationals.

The war comes after ten months of the most significant domestic political and social crisis in decades, due to the Netanyahu-led government's judicial coup – legislation aimed at dramatically weakening Israel's judiciary and potentially rescuing Netanyahu from the three corruption trials he faces – and amid an escalation of violence between West Bank Palestinians and Israeli settlers, the latter empowered by Israel's most right-wing government ever.

Iran behind it all

Agree with the smart thermostat. Viking gas stoves aren't smsrt.

Hamas sexually mutilated Israeli women, then booby-trapped their bodies

During October 7th, Hamas booby-trapped victims’ bodies in an attempt to kill anyone attending to them.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Shari Mendes, an IDF reservist who helped identify female victims of the October 7th massacre, told Sky News in an interview that Hamas shot women multiple times in the faces until they were unrecognizable and mutilated their genitals.

Mendes describes the piles of bodies she confronted at the Shura camp, the hundreds piled up on top of each other.


Many of the bodies were desecrated to the point where it was difficult to identify them or prepare them properly for burial.

“The halls were lined to the ceiling with body bags, the smell was unimaginable. I can’t tell you the shock and despair that struck all of us.”

As a testament to the sexual assault that was perpetrated on the women who were killed, Shari Mendes said she saw many of the women with underwear pulled down to their knees with blood on the groin and on the fabric.

“Women were shot many times in the face… Their mouths were in grimaces, their eyes were open, their fists were clenched.”

UN AGENCY EMPLOYEES PRAISED HAMAS OCTOBER 7 MASSACRE, REPORT REVEALS

Hamas had booby-trapped many of the bodies in an attempt to kill anyone attending to them, and workers had to be evacuated.

“Our team saw women shot in the crotch, in the genitals. Women were shot in the breast… Our team saw this.”

In spite of forensic evidence and eyewitness testimony that there was sexual assault and mutilation, many still deny that such crimes took place on October 7th, alleging that Hamas wouldn’t have engaged in sexual violence because it is against Islamic law.

According to accounts from freed hostages, both women and men are being sexually abused in captivity.


Released hostage Chen Goldstein Almog said, “There are girls in captivity who haven’t had their periods in a long time, and maybe we should pray for that, that their bodies will protect them and they won’t get pregnant from rape.”

She continued, “We have to do everything to get them back.”

Aviva Siegal, whose husband Keith is still in captivity said, “The terrorists bring inappropriate clothes, clothes for dolls and turn the girls into their dolls.”

“Dolls on a string with which you can do whatever you want, whenever you want,” she added.

Hamas is due to respond Sunday evening to the hostage release/cease-fire deal formulated in Paris last week. Far-right minister Ben-Gvir accused U.S. President Biden of giving aid "to Hamas" instead of fully backing Israel, and said how Trump would handle the war would be "completely different." Fifteen rockets were launched from Lebanon into Israel. The IDF admitted to operating a psychological warfare Telegram channel targeting Israelis with graphic content from Gaza. The U.S. and U.K. struck 36 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday night.

Here's what you need to know 121 days into the war


What happened today

A mounted police officer stands next to protesters against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, in Tel Aviv, on Saturday.

■ HOSTAGES/CEASE-FIRE: Hamas and other Palestinian factions will issue their response to the proposed hostage deal formulated in Paris last week on Sunday evening. Israel's War Cabinet is set to meet Sunday evening.
Speaking to U.S. media outlets, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said "it's up to Hamas to come forward and respond" to the proposal, adding: "No one wants the war to continue. But for this to happen, all the hostages need to come home and Hamas needs to no longer pose a threat to Israel."

Sullivan said that returning the hostages is "a paramount priority" for the U.S., but that the Israeli government must decide if it agrees, adding: "Depending on that answer, they'll also have to answer to the Israeli people."

Meeting in Moscow with the mother of Sasha Trufanov, an Israeli with Russian citizenship taken hostage by Hamas, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that "Russian diplomacy is determined to continue to seek the release of every Russian citizen" held in Gaza.
"Khamenei is so wary of the Americans that he has returned former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to office, so that he can advise the regime on how to defuse the crisis" – Amos Harel

■ GAZA: The IDF said that forces have deepened operations in the southern Gazan city of Khan Yunis.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said at least 27,365 Palestinians have been killed and 66,630 wounded since the war began.
■ ISRAEL: Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir slammed U.S. President Joe Biden in a Wall Street Journal interview, claiming how Donald Trump would handle the war would be "completely different." He added that "instead of giving us his full backing, Biden is busy with giving humanitarian aid and fuel" to the Gaza Strip which, according to Ben-Gvir, "goes to Hamas."
PM Netanyahu addressed Ben-Gvir's comments, saying: "I don't need help to figure out how to navigate our relations with the U.S. and the international community."

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Ben-Gvir's interview "hurt Israel's international standing," and that Netanyahu "can't control any of the extremists in his government." War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz said that disputes with allies "must be settled in the relevant forums and not in irresponsible statements in the media."

In response to Ben-Gvir's remarks, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry called on the Biden administration to impose sanctions on him, saying he "threatens the region's stability by publicly calling for the expulsion of the Palestinians."

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed in an interview that "every airstrike in Gaza brings us closer to achieving our goals and returning the hostages." He said that "the reality is similar" on the Israel-Lebanon border: the more Israel operates militarily, "the chance of not having to go to war grows."

Seven protesters who blocked the entrance to Ashdod port in an attempt to stop humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza were detained by police for questioning.

The IDF has admitted that a Telegram channel targeting Israelis with graphic content from the war in Gaza was operated by members of an Israeli psychological warfare unit. The channel, 72 Virgins – Uncensored, was created on October 9, without official approval or authorization, the IDF said. The admission reverses an earlier IDF denial prompted by a Haaretz investigation.

The IDF announced the death of Sgt. 1st Class (res.) Shimon Yehoshua Asulin, 24, from Beit Shemesh, who was killed in battle in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday.
■ LEBANON: Fifteen rockets were launched towards Israel, the IDF said. IDF fighter jets attacked Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including surveillance posts and launch sites where terrorists were residing, the IDF said. Several launches toward Israel were identified and intercepted earlier on Sunday.
The Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen news agency reported that the Amal Movement was responsible for recent rocket launches at northern Israel.

U.S. special adviser Amos Hochstein is visiting Israel and will meet with PM Netanyahu, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and war cabinet minister Benny Gantz. The meetings are part of an effort to avoid an escalation with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
■ WEST BANK: The European Union is considering imposing sanctions on "extremist" settlers in the West Bank, following U.S. President Biden's executive order last week.

■ HOUTHIS: The U.S. and U.K. launched a third series of strikes against 36 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday with the support of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said.
A joint statement issued by the supporting countries said the aim of the strikes was to warn the Houthi leadership and "de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea."

Continued U.S.-British "aggression" in Yemen will not achieve their goals and will not affect Yemen's support for Gaza, a Houthi spokesperson said.

Context

Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike in Rafah in the southern Gaza, on Saturday.

Israel declared war after Hamas killed at least 1,200 Israelis and wounded more than 3,300 in a merciless assault. In Gaza, the Hamas-controlled health ministry reports that at least 27,365 Palestinians have been killed. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad hold hostage more than 129 soldiers and civilians, dead and alive, including foreign nationals.

The war comes after ten months of the most significant domestic political and social crisis in decades, due to the Netanyahu-led government's judicial coup – legislation aimed at dramatically weakening Israel's judiciary and potentially rescuing Netanyahu from the three corruption trials he faces – and amid an escalation of violence between West Bank Palestinians and Israeli settlers, the latter empowered by Israel's most right-wing government ever.

Shabbat shalom, Rabbi

I see issues in the future when the electrical components start to fail causing intermittent failures. I just had an issue where the electronic components on the door handles failed. It took 6 weeks to diagnose and get the parts.

A day after President Biden issued an unprecedented executive order sanctioning violent West Bank settlers, the White House said the sanctions won't target Israeli government officials "at this time." UNICEF estimated that 17,000 children in Gaza are unaccompanied or separated from their families. Israel's Arrow missile defense system intercepted a missile over the Red Sea launched from Yemen. An Iranian Revolutionary Guards adviser was reportedly killed in a strike on Damascus attributed to Israel.

Here's what you need to know 119 days into the war


What happened today

A protest in Tel Aviv.

■ BIDEN'S EXECUTIVE ORDER.: A day after U.S. President Biden's unprecedented executive order aimed at punishing Israeli settlers in the West Bank who have attacked Palestinian civilians, White House spokesperson Jack Kirby said that "There are no plans to target with sanctions Israeli government officials at this time."
PM Netanyahu responded to the sanctions, saying "Israel acts against all those who break the law everywhere, and therefore there is no room for exceptional measures in this regard." Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Biden was "wrong about Israeli citizens and the heroic settlers." A settler council head called the order "an antisemitic plot."
■ HOSTAGES/CEASE-FIRE: Hamas' messages to Israel on the latest hostage-release deal do not indicate that the group is ready to move ahead with the current proposal, a source familiar with the negotiations told Haaretz, adding that while initial indications are good they are not definitive as Hamas has yet to submit its list of reservations.
Senior Hamas official in Beirut Osama Hamdan said the group remains committed to its demand for a permanent cease-fire, as well as the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners including those serving life sentences, such as Marwan Barghouti. Hamdan added "there is no way" successive pauses in fighting would be accepted by Gaza's other factions.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told Israeli news outlet Kan that he "does not see a deal," with Hamas, adding that "If it were up to me, I would cut off contact with the Qataris" and Hamas Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar.

Algeria drafted a UN Security Council resolution to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, a move that the U.S. – a council veto power – opposes.
"Shock at the decision may obscure just how much of a game-changer President Joe Biden's executive order could eventually be. It has the potential to irreversibly impact Israel's settlement enterprise and its access to U.S. financial institutions, its fundraising, relations between the two countries, and more" – Ben Samuels

■ GAZA: The IDF said forces raided a number of Hamas military buildings in western Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, and eliminated armed cells in northern and central Gaza.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said at least 27,131 Palestinians have been killed and 66,287 wounded since the war began.

The UN's humanitarian office voiced concern about clashes in Khan Younis that have forced more people to flee to Rafah in southern Gaza, describing the border town as a "pressure cooker of despair."

UNICEF estimated that 17,000 children in Gaza are unaccompanied or have been separated from their families during the conflict.

Belgium accused Israel of bombing the offices of the Belgian development agency Enabel in Gaza, and summoned the Israeli ambassador for clarification on the matter.

Satellite imagery analyzed by the UN Satellite Centre shows that 30 percent of Gaza's buildings have been destroyed or damaged.
"A reporter who accompanied a force of regular army paratroopers asked them what they think the war's goal is. They answered uniformly: to bring back the hostages. It's not certain that this is what Netanyahu would like to hear – and Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, still less" – Amos Harel

■ ISRAEL: Dozens of demonstrators blocked the transfer of aid to the Gaza Strip at the Nitzana border crossing on Friday morning. "Not a single supply truck to Hamas passes through here. Additional activists from all over the country are making their way to the crossing," said the right-wing group which organized the protest.
Around 1,000 people participated on Friday in the annual conference of Standing Together, an Israeli-Palestinian grassroots movement targeted for boycott by the BDS movement. "Israelis and Palestinians are here to stay," said co-leader Alon-Lee Green, adding the group supported every effort to release hostages and "end the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza." Pre-recorded messages by U.S. lawmakers Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were played.

Demonstrators arrived near PM Netanyahu's home in Caesarea in order to read the names of those murdered and kidnapped in the Hamas attack on October 7. After police confiscated a megaphone from the protesters, Labor MK Gilad Kariv used his parliamentary immunity to take a megaphone and speak their names.

The participation of Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli at a German-Israeli conference in Berlin co-organized by Die Welt and The Jerusalem Post was canceled after several participants pulled out due to his participation, the German daily TAZ reported.

Later in the day, Chikli compared U.K. Foreign Minister David Cameron to Neville Chamberlain, accusing Cameron of appeasing the "Nazis" of Hamas by considering recognition of a Palestinian state.
■ HOUTHIS: Israel's Arrow missile defense system intercepted over the Red Sea a surface-to-surface missile that was launched from Yemen toward Israel, the IDF said.

■ LEBANON: The IDF said that the Israel Air force struck Hezbollah military compounds and a terror squad in southern Lebanon, while artillery attacked Hezbollah targets located near the southern Lebanese village of Ayta ash Shab.
Three rockets were fired towards northern Israel on Friday morning, the IDF said.
■ U.S.: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, to discuss Israel's shift to "low-intensity operations in Gaza, support for a diplomatic solution along the Israel-Lebanon border, and stability in the West Bank," the Pentagon said.
The Iran-backed Iraqi armed group Nujaba said on Friday it will continue launching attacks on U.S. forces until they withdraw from Iraq and the Gaza war ends.
■ IRAN: A day after it was reported that the Revolutionary Guards were scaling back deployment of senior officers in Syria due to a spate of deadly Israeli strikes, an IRGC adviser was killed in an alleged Israeli strike on Damascus, according to reports in a semi-official Iranian news site. Opposition websites in Syria reported that Israel targeted Iranian militias in the strike.
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi said on Friday that his country will not start a war, but it will "respond strongly" to anyone who bullies it.
■ SWEDEN: Sweden's security police said on Friday that an explosive device found outside the Israeli embassy in Stockholm on Wednesday is now being investigated as a "suspected terrorist crime."

■ TURKEY: Turkish police arrested seven people on suspicion of selling information to the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, state media reported.

Context

Palestinians line up for free food distribution during the ongoing Israeli air and ground offensive in Khan Younis, on Friday.

Israel declared war after Hamas killed at least 1,200 Israelis and wounded more than 3,300 in a merciless assault. In Gaza, the Hamas-controlled health ministry reports that at least 27,131 Palestinians have been killed. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad hold hostage more than 129 soldiers and civilians, dead and alive, including foreign nationals.

The war comes after ten months of the most significant domestic political and social crisis in decades, due to the Netanyahu-led government's judicial coup – legislation aimed at dramatically weakening Israel's judiciary and potentially rescuing Netanyahu from the three corruption trials he faces – and amid an escalation of violence between West Bank Palestinians and Israeli settlers, the latter empowered by Israel's most right-wing government ever.