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President Biden issued an unprecedented executive order to punish Israelis who target Palestinian civilians, initially sanctioning four Israeli West Bank settlers. A source familiar with negotiations for a hostage release/cease-fire deal is concerned that Netanyahu is trying to sabotage the talks. PM Netanyahu instructed the IDF to examine a plan to distribute Gaza humanitarian aid directly instead of UNRWA.

Here's what you need to know 118 days into the war


What happened today

New Yorkers protesting outside U.N. headquarters Thursday morning demanding the immediate release of the Israeli hostages.

■ U.S.: President Biden issued an unprecedented executive order aimed at punishing Israeli settlers in the West Bank who have attacked Palestinian civilians. The executive order initially targets four Israeli settlers indicted for violence, during which their assets in the U.S. will be frozen.
Biden's order will further allow the U.S. to impose sanctions on additional individuals and leaders of any entity, including government officials, targeting Palestinian civilians – whether through violence, intimidation, property damages or terror.
■ HOSTAGES/CEASE-FIRE: A source familiar with the Israel-Hamas cease-fire/hostage deal told Haaretz he fears Netanyahu's recent harsh comments are meant to push Hamas to ditch the talks, to allow Israel to continue fighting while blaming Hamas for the collapse.
U.S. President Biden said, "I'm engaged day and night" in the effort to "bring our hostages home, to ease the humanitarian crisis, and to bring peace to Gaza and Israel," and called for "an enduring peace with two states for two peoples."

Former Meta boss Sheryl Sandberg, Cherie Blair and witnesses of Hamas sexual violence spoke at the U.K. Parliament. Cabinet member Kemi Badenoch said: "Rape is not resistance or some form of freedom fighting. It is a betrayal of all women to be silent about the savagery of these attacks."
■ GAZA: Israel released 114 Palestinian detainees on Thursday morning through the Kerem Shalom border crossing, according to the Red Crescent. Four women were among those released, said the organization's head.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said at least 27,019 Palestinians have been killed and 66,139 were wounded since the war began.

UNRWA: Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said PM Netanyahu instructed the IDF to examine a plan to distribute humanitarian aid directly to Gazans instead of UNRWA.
"The normalization process was allowed to be hijacked by Netanyahu into an argument that the Palestinian issue no longer mattered – a big mistake" – David Rothkopf

■ ISRAEL: Dozens of protesters attempting to block aid trucks at the Ashdod port from reaching Gaza were joined by far-right lawmaker Tzvi Sukkot, a member of Netanyahu's coalition. Several protesters were filmed accosting Arab truck drivers, with one heard saying: "I'm the master, you're the slave."
The government's security-political cabinet convened on Thursday to discuss the current proposal for a cease-fire/hostage release deal.

Merav Ben Ari, a member of opposition leader Yair Lapid's party, said the party refused an offer from Justice Minister Yariv Levin to join Netanyahu's government, and claimed that Levin offered them the portfolios currently held by far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir.

The IDF's Home Front Command announced that it is easing restrictions in communities close to the border with Gaza and allowing educational institutions to open.
■ LEBANON: The IDF said the Air Force attacked a Hezbollah military structure in southern Lebanon. Several rocket launches from Lebanese territory towards northern Israel were detected Thursday.
Defense Ministry's data shows 427 homes in Israel's north were hit by Hezbollah's rocket fire since the war began, with 80 of them sustaining direct hits.
■ HOUTHIS: U.S. CENTCOM said it struck Houthi drone bases and destroyed 10 attack drones in Yemen.

■ IRAN: Iran's Revolutionary Guards have scaled back deployment of their senior officers in Syria due to a spate of deadly Israeli strikes and will rely more on allied Shi'ite militia to preserve their sway there, five sources told Reuters.
Iran manufactured the drone that hit a U.S. base in Jordan on Sunday, killing three U.S. soldiers and wounding more than 40, four U.S. officials told Reuters.

The U.S. has approved plans for multi-day strikes in Iraq and Syria against multiple targets, including Iranian personnel and facilities, CBS News and the BBC reported.

Context

Palestinians go on with their lives at a makeshift camp set up on the beach for people who fled to Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, 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 27,019 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.

The framework for a cease-fire/hostage deal between Israel and Hamas reportedly includes the release of all civilian captives held in Gaza during a six-week cease-fire. Far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir opposes the deal, threatening the dissolution of Netanyahu's government. Stockholm police detonated an explosive charge found near the Israeli embassy. The IDF said it struck Syrian army posts overnight in response to rockets fired at northern Israel on Tuesday.

Here's what you need to know 117 days into the war


What happened today

Pictures of hostages kidnapped in the deadly October 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas are displayed on a poster, in Tel Aviv, Israel, January 31, 2024. REUTERS/Susana Vera TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

■ HOSTAGES/CEASE-FIRE: A framework for a cease-fire/hostage deal between Israel and Hamas includes the release of all Israeli civilian hostages held in the Strip during a six-week cease-fire backed by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt, the Washington Post reported.
According to the report, Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons will be released in exchange for Israeli captives at a rate of three prisoners for each hostage.

The proposal also includes the condition of a non-permanent repositioning of IDF forces away from densely populated areas in the Strip and increased humanitarian aid into Gaza, and may include additional truces beyond the first six weeks, during which IDF soldiers and the bodies of hostages who were killed by Hamas would be released.

The number of Palestinian prisoners set to be released in a potential deal has yet to be specified, a senior Hamas official told Reuters.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met in Washington D.C. with families of Israeli hostages and former hostages.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that he opposes the potential deal with Hamas, adding that "a ridiculous deal means the dissolution of the government." Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said that his party agrees to enter the government to replace the far-right Religious Zionism party in order to promote a hostage deal.
"In other words, one way or the other – if a deal moves forward – the [Netanyahu] coalition has slim prospects of surviving in its current form" - Amos Harel

■ GAZA: The IDF continues to scale down its presence in the Strip, leaving one reservist brigade within Gaza. Division 162 is operating in northern Gaza around the al-Shati refugee camp, where Hamas appears to be attempting to rehabilitate its local regiment.
Four Palestinians, including a child, were killed in the assassination of an Islamic Jihad member in North Rafah, according to Palestinian reports. According to the reports, the four were inside a vehicle that was attacked from the air.

The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said at least 26,900 Palestinians have been killed and 65,949 were wounded since the war began.
■ UNRWA: Norway, a top donor to the UN agency, urged countries that have cut funding to UNRWA to consider the consequences of their actions on Gazans. The head of the World Health Organization warned that halting funding to UNRWA would lead to "catastrophic consequences" for people in Gaza.

■ ISRAEL: The chief of the IDF's Southern Command designated the Nitzana border crossing with Egypt a closed military zone. The order came after protests held in recent days against the transfer of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip while Hamas still holds Israeli hostages.
Israel Police have announced that Sergeant Ran Guili, 24, previously thought to be held hostage by Hamas, was killed on October 7 and his body taken to Gaza.

The IDF announced the names of four soldiers who were killed fighting in Gaza.
"The 'meaningless fringe' excuse is dead. In Israel, what looks insane one minute becomes state policy the next" - Dahlia Scheindlin

■ WEST BANK: Israeli security forces arrested 14 wanted Palestinians and seized munitions in an overnight raid, the IDF said.

■ SYRIA: The IDF said it struck Syrian army posts overnight in response to rockets fired at the Golan Heights on Tuesday.

■ LEBANON: The IDF said the Air Force and Artillery Corps bombed Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. Earlier on Wednesday, several launches were detected from Lebanon towards northern Israel.

■ U.S.: Leaders of the U.S. Reform movement, the largest Jewish denomination in the country, said that they were "deeply dismayed" by PM Netanyahu's recent dismissal of the possibility of a two-state solution that would provide the Palestinians with their own state.

■ HOUTHIS: EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he was hopeful it could be decided on Wednesday which member state could lead the upcoming EU mission to protect vessels in the Red Sea, adding this operation could be launched before mid-February.
U.S. CENTCOM said Iran-backed Houthi militants fired one anti-ship cruise missile from Yemen toward the Red Sea on Tuesday; a U.S. destroyer in the area shot it down.
■ SWEDEN: Stockholm police detonated a suspicious object found near the Israeli embassy in Sweden's capital. Israel's ambassador to Sweden, Ziv Nevo Kulman, said "Today we were subject to an attempted attack against the Embassy of Israel in Stockholm and its employees," and added that "we will not be intimidated by terror."

Context

Palestinians bury the bodies of people who were killed in fighting with Israel and returned to Gaza by the Israeli military, in Rafah 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 26,900 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.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said the group is studying a three-phased cease-fire proposal emerging from negotiations in Paris. Gaza militant factions reiterated that no hostages will be released before Israel halts its offensive in Gaza. The U.K. is considering, along with allies, to recognize a Palestinian state as a means to promote a two-state solution. The IDF confirmed it is flooding Hamas tunnels in an effort to destroy them.

Here's what you need to know 116 days into the war


What happened today

A protestor in Tel Aviv.

■ HOSTAGES/CEASE-FIRE: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh that the group had received a cease-fire proposal emerging from talks between Israel, Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. in Paris and would study it, adding he would visit Cairo for discussions on the plan.

The proposed deal includes three stages, a senior Hamas official told Reuters. The first stage would include the release of civilians, the second stage would include all male and female soldiers, and the final stage would include the release of bodies of Israelis held by Hamas.

Earlier on Tuesday, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine reiterated that Israel must halt its Gaza offensive and withdraw before any hostages are released.

During their meeting in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked Qatari PM Mohammed Al Thani for Qatar's mediation efforts to free the hostages, and the two agreed to continue to coordinate increased humanitarian aid to Gaza, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

U.K. Foreign Minister David Cameron said that the U.K. is considering, together with its allies, to recognize a Palestinian state as part of a diplomatic move to achieve "irreversible progress" towards a two-state solution, the BBC reported.

"Over time, if Netanyahu's diplomatic rejectionism continues, it will become harder to guarantee U.S. military support" - Amos Harel

■ GAZA: The IDF announced that it has flooded Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip in an effort to destroy them. Reports had previously referenced the tactic, but this is the first confirmation by Israel.

The Palestinian Red Crescent accused Israeli forces of "storming" the Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis, where there are thousands of displaced persons and refugees. The IDF both denied that Israeli forces are inside the hospital and that they are storming it.

The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said at least 26,751 Palestinians have been killed and 65,636 were wounded since the war began.

■ UNRWA: Blinken said Washington will look hard at what steps UNRWA takes in response to what he called "deeply troubling" allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the October 7 attack on Israel.

Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy called UNRWA "a Hamas front organization" which allows the terror group "to launder information to the foreign media."

New Zealand and Sweden joined the U.S., U.K., Germany and several other countries in freezing funding to UNRWA in light of the allegations that staff members took part in the October 7 massacre in southern Israel. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the allegations should be investigated.

■ ISRAEL: During a visit to a pre-military academy in a West Bank settlement, PM Netanyahu said the IDF will not leave Gaza as part of a hostage release deal, and that Israel does not intend to release thousands of terrorists.

Family members of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza harshly criticized the far right conference calling for the re-settlement of Gaza. Gil Dikman, whose cousin Carmel Gat is a hostage, said: "In the morning you throw mud at each other, and in the evening you dance at an event that only harms us. In Gaza, the hostages do not dance."

The U.K. Foreign Office issued a strongly-worded denunciation of the conference, saying it was "alarmed" by it, and that the clear U.K. position was that "Gaza is occupied Palestinian territory and will be part of the future Palestinian state," adding that settlements are illegal. No Palestinian should be threatened with forcible displacement or relocation."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel for two days on Saturday, according to Israeli sources.

■ WEST BANK: Israeli forces, dressed as Palestinian medical staff, assassinated three Palestinians in Jenin's Ibn Sina hospital in the West Bank. According to the Shin Bet, the Israeli Police and the IDF, the forces killed militants associated with either Hamas or Islamic Jihad who were hiding in the hospital, and planning a raid on Israeli settlements inspired by the Hamas attack on October 7.

Hamas said that the killing of the three wanted persons in the Jenin hospital raid "is a vile crime that will not go without a response."

■ LEBANON: The IDF said fighter jets struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.

■ U.S.: U.S. President Biden said on Tuesday he has decided how to respond to a drone attack that killed three U.S. service members in Jordan, but did not elaborate.

■ HOUTHIS: The Houthis in Yemen are prepared for a "long-term confrontation" with the U.S. and U.K., according to a statement on Tuesday by the commander of the Houthi forces, Mohamed al-Atifi.

U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron will travel to Oman on Tuesday where he is expected to call for stability over ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East, his office said.

■ U.K.: Workers and shoppers at a family-owned kosher supermarket in one of London's most demographically Jewish neighborhoods fended off a knife-wielding attacker who was demanding to know whether its owners supported "Israel or Palestine" on Monday.

Context

People sit near tents at a make-shift shelter for Palestinians who fled to 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 26,751 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.

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Thousands of Israelis, including Netanyahu government ministers, attended a far-right conference calling for the Jewish resettlement of Gaza and the transfer of its Palestinian population on Sunday night. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reportedly told U.S. officials that he will not allow Israeli settlements to be built inside Gaza. The U.S. sees a framework for another hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

Here's what you need to know 115 days into the war


What happened today

Women protest in Tel Aviv last week to demand a deal for the release of Israeli hostages being held captive in Gaza by Hamas since they attacked Israel on October 7.

■ HOSTAGES/CEASE-FIRE: Ongoing talks to bring about a cease-fire and the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Hamas have been constructive, and the U.S. sees a framework for another deal, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told MSNBC.
An Israeli source told Haaretz that a meeting between Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani, CIA chief William Burns and Egyptian intel chief Abbas Kamel in Paris was positive, but it was "still too early to say" if it would lead to a deal.

Qatar's PM said "good progress" was made on a deal, and that the talks could lead to a permanent cease-fire, Reuters reported.

Hamas reiterated its position that it will only release hostages if it is guaranteed an end to the Israeli offensive in Gaza and the IDF withdraws its forces from the Strip.

Israel's war cabinet will convene Monday evening in the wake of the Paris meeting.
■ UNRWA: Israel gave the U.S. information about 12 UNRWA employees who were involved in the October 7 Hamas attack, including one employee who kidnapped an Israeli woman, another who took part in the attack on Kibbutz Be'eri and another in the massacre at the Nova music party, the New York Times and Reuters reported.
About 10 percent of UNRWA employees in Gaza have ties to Hamas or Islamic Jihad, an intelligence document obtained by the Wall Street Journal estimated.

The European Commission said it would review further funding to UNRWA in light of the allegations. Romania, Austria and Japan are the latest countries to suspend funds. UNRWA is not the only source of humanitarian aid for Palestinians, a German foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced that he canceled all meetings between his staff and UNRWA, and called on its commissioner general, Philippe Lazzarini, to resign.
"The Israeli political leadership, from the prime minister all the way to the person he appointed to coordinate hostage negotiations, has conducted itself in a disgraceful manner, focused more on photo-ops and gaslighting the hostages' families than on a disciplined, effective campaign" - Daniel Levin

■ GAZA: The IDF said Israeli forces killed dozens of militants in various raids on the west side of Khan Yunis, as well as on the Al-Shati refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. The IDF's Arabic spokesperson called on residents of the western part of Gaza City to evacuate.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said at least 26,637 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that about half of Hamas' militants in Gaza have been killed or wounded, but the battle against the rest will continue for months.
■ ISRAEL: Thousands of Israelis, including Netanyahu government ministers, attended a far-right conference in Jerusalem on Sunday night calling for the establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza and the transfer, or expulsion, of Palestinians. Far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir were key speakers.
Ben-Gvir reiterated his support for encouraging the voluntary emigration of Palestinians out of Gaza as "the most moral and logical solution." Likud communications minister Shlomo Karhi said that "voluntary" emigration may need to become forcible expulsion.

War cabinet minister Benny Gantz said the conference "harmed Israeli society during wartime, harmed our legitimacy in the world, harmed efforts to return our hostages" and referring to PM Netanyahu said "he who is silent and is dragged along – is not a leader."

Gallant told U.S. officials that he will not allow the rebuilding of Israeli settlements inside the Gaza Strip, according to Axios.

The German Foreign Ministry said it rejected any consideration of Israeli resettlement of Gaza and the transfer of the Palestinian population.

Rocket sirens blared in Israel's north and south throughout Monday, as well as in Tel Aviv and central Israel for the first time in three weeks.

A soldier was seriously wounded in a car-ramming attack in Haifa near an IDF base. The attacker then disembarked from the vehicle with an ax, and attempted to enter the base, prompting soldiers to shoot and kill him.

Four Israeli settlers were arrested on suspicion of assaulting truck drivers delivering aid to Gaza.

Israel's President Isaac Herzog accused the International Court of Justice of misrepresenting his words in its ruling that ordered Israel to implement measures for the protection of Palestinians and prevention of genocide in the Gaza Strip.
■ JORDAN: Iran denied any link to Sunday's drone strike which killed three U.S. soldiers on an army base in Jordan.

■ LEBANON: The IDF said five launches from Lebanon were detected on Monday. Two soldiers were lightly wounded by Hezbollah rocket fire from Lebanon earlier on Monday.

■ WEST BANK: The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that five Palestinians were killed in four separate clashes with the IDF amid raids across the West Bank throughout Monday.

■ SYRIA: At least two people were killed, and several others were wounded, in a series of explosions at the sites used by pro-Iranian militias in southern Damascus.

■ HOUTHIS: Yemen's Houthis launched a rocket at U.S. warship Lewis B. Puller as it sailed through the Gulf of Aden on Sunday, the group's military spokesman said on Monday.

Context

A man wearing a UNRWA jacket walks on a street which has been bulldozed by the Israeli forces during a raid in Jenin in the West Bank on Monday.

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 26,637 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.

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Three U.S. soldiers were killed in a drone strike on an army base in Jordan attributed to an Iranian-backed militant group. UNRWA will not address the allegations made against its employees until investigations are completed, sources in the agency told Haaretz. Eighty percent of Hamas tunnels in Gaza remain intact according to Israeli and U.S. sources. The Biden administration is mulling slowing delivery of some weapons to Israel to press Netanyahu to scale back the offensive in Gaza. The IDF designated the Kerem Shalom crossing a closed military zone in response to protesters blocking aid trucks to Gaza.

Here's what you need to know 114 days into the war


What happened today

Visitors look at photos of Israelis killed on October 7 and during the Israel-Hamas war, displayed at the National Library in Jerusalem, Sunday.

■ JORDAN: Three U.S. soldiers were killed in a drone strike on an army base in Jordan. President Biden said that the U.S. knows "it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq" and the U.S. would "hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing."

■ UNRWA: Sources in UNRWA told Haaretz the organization will not address the specific allegations made against its employees until investigations are completed. Twelve employees face allegations that they participated in the Hamas assault on Israel on October 7.
Germany, the Netherlands and Canada joined the U.S., U.K. and other countries in suspending funding to UNRWA. France announced that it will not be transferring funds for the first half of 2024. Switzerland, which contributes around $23 million per year to UNRWA, said that no decision would be taken on the 2024 payment until the accusations were clarified, according to AFP.

In response to countries freezing UNRWA funds, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said employees involved in terrorism will be held accountable, but called on governments to "guarantee the continuity of UNRWA's operations."

Following his statement, Israel's UN envoy said Guterres had ignored for years evidence presented to him personally of UNRWA's involvement in incitement and terrorism, and criticized him for his call to keep funds flowing before a thorough investigation.

UNRWA spokesperson in Gaza Adnan Abu Hasna said that due to the frozen funds, the agency will be able to provide services in Gaza only until the end of next month.
"Instead of Netanyahu – who began his career with fiery and glorious speeches at the UN – bolstering the status of Israel among the international community, as he promised in his first book, 'A Place Among the Nations,' he has brought it to the status of a criminal and murderous state" - Aluf Benn

■ GAZA: The IDF reported "intensive fighting" in the Khan Yunis area in the southern Gaza Strip. The fighting has led to thousands of civilians fleeing the city in the direction of Rafah on the border with Egypt. An IDF spokesperson detailed three four-hour "tactical" pauses in Israel's operations on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, for Gazans to move around and secure provisions.
Fatah's military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, announced that Israel has assassinated their field commander in Gaza, Mohammed Dib "Salem."

The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said at least 26,422 Palestinians have been killed and 65,087 were wounded since the war began.

Eighty percent of Hamas' tunnels in Gaza remain intact according to Israeli and U.S. sources, the Wall Street Journal reported. Attempts at using seawater to fill the tunnels have proven less effective than was anticipated, the report added.

Israeli military and intelligence officials have concluded that a significant number of weapons used by Hamas in the October 7 attack and in the war in Gaza are Israeli military issue, whether stolen from IDF bases or built out of Israeli munitions launched at Gaza that failed to detonate, the New York Times reported.
■ ISRAEL: The Biden administration is mulling slowing delivery of some weapons to Israel to press Netanyahu to scale back the offensive in Gaza, NBC news reported. The White House responded to the report by saying that there is no change to its Israel policy.
Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Ben chief Ronen Bar are meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, CIA chief William Barnes and Egyptian Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Kamel in Paris in order to advance negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a hostage release deal.

Israeli security forces blocked roads leading to the Kerem Shalom crossing to prevent protesters, who are calling for the halt of aid to Gaza until hostages are released, from disrupting aid deliveries. Israeli security officials said they would not allow trucks to be blocked, following the ICJ's ruling to ramp up aid to Gaza, and the IDF later declared the crossing a closed military zone.

Rocket sirens blared in Israel's north and south throughout Sunday.

The IDF announced a six-month suspension of a reservist who led a convoy of military vehicles in a protest against ending the war in Gaza. The soldier hung signs on the military vehicles that read: "We too were released without a decisive victory."
■ ICJ: Uganda has distanced itself from an opinion written by a Ugandan judge sitting in the ICJ who dissented from the Court's ruling in South Africa's genocide case against Israel, saying her remarks do not reflect Uganda's position. Julia Sebutinde was the only judge on the 17-member ICJ panel to vote against all six measures adopted by the court.

■ LEBANON: Israeli Air Force fighter jets attacked two Hezbollah sites in the area of the villages of Zibqin and Khula, the IDF said.

Context

Displaced Palestinians receive food aid at the UNRWA center in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday.

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 26,422 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.

The ICJ's interim ruling on the Gaza genocide case against Israel on Friday was claimed as a victory by both Israel and its prosecutors. Six countries, including the U.S., said they will pause UNRWA funding over reports of employee involvement in Hamas' October 7 massacre. The WHO chief warned that the Strip's last functioning hospital is on the brink of collapse amid ongoing Israel-Hamas fighting in southern Gaza's Khan Yunis. The Israeli army said it raided terror hotspots in western Khan Yunis and opened a humanitarian corridor for residents to move away from areas of fighting.

Here's what you need to know 113 days into the war


What happened today

An Israeli tank takes position at the western entrance of Khan Yunis' refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, on Friday.

■ UNITED NATIONS: The U.S., Canada, Australia, Italy, U.K., and Finland said they will suspend the transfer of funds to UNRWA following reports on the involvement of 12 of the agency's employees in Hamas' October 7 massacre.

UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said on Friday that "Israeli authorities [had] provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees" in the October 7 attacks, that he terminated their contracts and launched an investigation. Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General was "horrified" by the news, said his spokesperson on Friday.

Hussein al-Sheikh, PLO Secretary-General, posted on X urging states to reverse their decisions to pause UNRWA funding, citing great "humanitarian relief risks."

Hamas condemned UNRWA's chief for deciding "to terminate contracts with a number of UNRWA employees in Gaza based on Zionist information."

Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz applauded the U.S. decision to pull UNRWA funding, and said that the UN agency "serves as a civilian arm of Hamas."

The UN's health agency, the World Health Organization, refuted Israel's accusation that the WHO is in "collusion" with Hamas and is "turning a blind eye" to hostages' suffering. "Such false claims are harmful and can endanger our staff who are risking their lives to serve the vulnerable," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Ghebreyesus also warned that the last functioning hospital in Gaza – Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, where fighting between the IDF and Hamas is taking place – is on the brink of collapse.

■ ICJ: Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the International Court of Justice's interim ruling Friday that called on Israel to "take all measures" to avoid acts of genocide in Gaza, but stopped short of calling for a cease-fire, was an important development for isolating Israel and exposing its crimes.

PM Netanyahu said the ICJ "rightly rejected the outrageous demand to deny" Israel the right to basic self-defense to which it is entitled as a country but called the Court's willingness to discuss the claim of genocide at all was "a mark of disgrace that will not be erased for generations," adding Israel will continue the war until "absolute victory."

The U.S. State Department said that the ICJ ruling is "consistent with our view that Israel has the right to take action" in self-defense and that "allegations of genocide are unfounded." South Africa hailed what it called a "decisive victory" for international rule of law.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' bureau called the ICJ ruling "crucial," and called on the international community to "pressure Israel" and not "collaborate with Israel's genocide against the Palestinian nation."

Palestinian Islamic Jihad – which is fighting alongside Hamas in Gaza – said it condemned the world court's reluctance to demand an immediate cease-fire.

Egypt considered recalling its envoy to Israel after allegations made by the Israeli defense team at the world court about Cairo's failure to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to the Wall Street Journal.

"Whatever good or bad things we may say about the legal reasoning of the ICJ, it is the humanitarian catastrophe [in Gaza] and the need to end it – including the situation of the Israeli hostages – that resonates from" the Court's ruling - Aeyal Gross

■ GAZA: Israeli aircraft, tanks and infantry troops have killed at least 11 terror operatives over the past 24 hours in battles in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, according to the IDF. The IDF said it found rifles, RPGs, sophisticated photographic and diving equipment.

U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi about the war in Gaza, and a hostage/prolonged cease-fire deal. Biden also spoke with Qatar's Emir Al-Thani.

The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said at least 26,257 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.

The IDF said it has opened a humanitarian corridor for residents in Khan Yunis to move away from areas of fighting, and published a recording of evacuees from Khan Yunis chanting: "The people want to overthrow Hamas."

Torrential rains in Gaza have worsened the humanitarian situation there, sources in the Strip reported, with videos on social media showing flooding in southern displaced persons camps and makeshift tents that aren't built to sustain rain and mud.

■ ISRAEL: Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, addressing Israel's cabinet, demanded to establish an investigative committee to examine the failures that lead to Hamas' October 7 attack.

Demonstrations calling for the release of the hostages in Gaza and rallies against the Netanyahu government will be held this evening in several locations across Israel.

In Tel Aviv, thousands are expected at three separate rallies. The first calls for immediate elections; the second, under the banner of "Never again is now," after International Holocaust Memorial Day, calling to return the hostages; and a third anti-occupation bloc-led protest calling for a ceasefire, ending the Gaza siege and a hostage deal.

Family members of Israeli hostages held in Gaza protested today in front of PM Netanyahu's house in Caesarea for the third week running, demanding a hostage deal.

According to IDF data, 37 soldiers are hospitalized in serious condition. Since the start of the Gaza ground operation, 258 IDF troops have been seriously wounded.

■ LEBANON: Lebanese media reported that two people were killed and two wounded by an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon on Friday. An Israeli drone struck the area of Naqoura in southern Lebanon on Saturday, according to Lebanese reports.

The Israeli army said three missiles were fired from Lebanon at the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, with some landing in open areas. Israeli artillery also shelled targets in Lebanon, the army said, after a barrage of rockets and an anti-tank missile were fired at northern Israel.

The Israel Air Force attacked Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, according to an IDF statement, striking the areas of Bint Jbeil and Deir Aames.

After a hostile aircraft warning in northern Israel, the IDF said it successfully intercepted an aerial target in Lebanese territory.

■ HOUTHIS: Yemen's Houthis said their naval forces carried out an operation targeting "the British oil tanker Marlin Luanda" in the Gulf of Aden, causing a fire to break out. CENTCOM said a Houthi anti-ship missile fired at a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Gulf of Aden was shot down.

The Houthi's Al-Masira television said on Saturday that the U.S. and the U.K. launched two airstrikes targeting the port of Ras Issa in Yemen's Hodeidah province.

Context

Displaced Palestinians warm themselves by a fire on a rainy cold day at a tent camp, 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 26,257 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 Sholom, rebbe

I was exiting the freeway and a pickup truck decided to use the 4 foot median on my right and sideswiped my M5. The damage was over $13,000. I got the license plate and a picture of the driver because I forced them onto a side street. The CHP had the information, but didn't catch the person. Stolen Truck, Stolen plates. Since I had USAA, no increase in auto rates.

The International Court of Justice stopped short of ordering an Israel cease-fire but called for six urgent provisional measures to prevent acts of genocide taking place, including preventing and punishing acts of incitement to genocide by senior officials. Hamas released footage of three Israeli women kidnapped on October 7. UNRWA said it is investigating the alleged involvement of several of its employees in the October 7 massacre. Chinese officials have asked their Iranian counterparts to help rein in Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

Here's what you need to know 112 days into the war


What happened today

Pro-Israel activists gather near the International Court of Justice, or World Court, in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. The United Nations' top court has decided not to throw out genocide charges against Israel for its military offensive in Gaza. That is part of a preliminary decision in a case that goes to the core of one of the world's most intractable conflicts. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)

■ ICJ: The International Court of Justice at The Hague gave its interim ruling on emergency orders relating to South Africa's petition accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. The ICJ stopped short of ordering an cease-fire, but a large majority of the 17-judge panel voted for six urgent provisional measures:

1. For Israel to take "all measures" to prevent acts of genocide from taking place

2. To ensure the IDF does not engage in any acts of genocide

3. To prevent and punish public incitement to genocide, including by government and military officials

4. To enable basic services and humanitarian aid to reach Gazan civilians

5. To preserve evidence related to violations of Genocide Convention

6. To submit a report to the ICJ within one month on all measures taken

Israel's foreign ministry said that Israel remains committed to abide by international law. PM Netanyahu said the court's decision "rightly rejected the outrageous demand to deny" Israel the right to basic self-defense, but added that the court's willingness to discuss the claim that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza "is a mark of disgrace that will not be erased for generations."

Israel will have to halt fighting in Gaza if it wants to adhere to the orders of the court, South Africa's minister of international relations said after the ruling. A senior Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, said that Israel should be "forced" to implement the Court's decisions.
■ CEASE-FIRE NEGOTIATIONS: The U.S. believes that the leaked recording of PM Netanyahu criticizing Qatar set hostage negotiation efforts back, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said, adding that "Qatar has been an integral, irreplaceable, key regional partner."

"We've gone from Holocaust denial to everyone having their own preferred Holocaust, and I'm not sure what's worse" - Anshel Pfeffer

■ GAZA: UNRWA said it is investigating the alleged involvement of several of its employees in Hamas' October 7 massacre, and that it had severed ties with these staff members. The U.S. said it is "extremely troubled by the allegations," and that it will suspend funding to UNRWA as it reviews the charges and "the steps the UN is taking to address them."
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said at least 26,083 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.

The U.S. has created a channel with Israel to discuss concerns over incidents in Gaza in which civilians have been killed or wounded by the IDF or civilian facilities have been targeted, two U.S. officials told Reuters.

Cold and rainy weather in Gaza risks making the war-torn Palestinian enclave "completely uninhabitable," the UN human rights office warned on Friday.

Senior Palestinian Authority official Hussein al-Sheikh said the UN Security Council should demand that Israel stop the war and withdraw from Gaza.
■ ISRAEL: Hamas released footage of three Israeli women kidnapped on October 7 and taken hostage to Gaza. The three – Doron Steinbrecher, and soldiers Daniella Gilboa and Karina Ariav – say they have been in captivity for 107 days.
Israeli right-wing activists and family members of hostages blocked trucks delivering aid into Gaza at the Kerem Shalom crossing for the third day in a row on Friday, protesting the entry of aid while Israeli hostages are still held by Hamas.

The UN special representative on sexual violence in conflict will arrive in Israel on Monday to collect information on crimes committed by Hamas terrorists on October 7 and will also visit the West Bank, her office said.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he told his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin that "American pressure is of great importance in efforts to return the hostages." Gallant also said that Hezbollah's refusal "to withdraw its forces from the border" with Israel undermines a political solution to the conflict, despite it being Israel's preference.

Sgt. Major (res.) Eliran Yeger, 36, from Tel Aviv, was killed in combat on Thursday in the southern Gaza Strip, the IDF said.

Sky News apologized for making a comparison between Israel's behavior in Gaza and the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust during an interview with Israeli lawmaker Danny Danon.
■ LEBANON: Sirens sounded in northern Israeli communities on Friday as a result of a number of rockets fired from Lebanon; the IDF struck the sources of the launch.

■ HOUTHIS: Chinese officials have asked their Iranian counterparts to help rein in attacks on ships in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthis, or risk harming business relations with Beijing, four Iranian sources and a diplomat told Reuters.

Context

Displaced Palestinians 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 26,083 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.