Dec. 18: US defense chief tells Israel to plan for ‘transitioning to next phase’ of Gaza war

US defense chief urges Israel to plan for ‘transitioning to next phase’ of Gaza war

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urged Israeli leaders during meetings today to plan for “transitioning to the next phase of operations,” his office reveals in a readout.

The message appears to go a bit further than Austin did during a press conference earlier today when he asserted that the US was not “dictating timelines or terms” regarding the war in Gaza.

Austin also asserted during his meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the war cabinet that “more action is urgently needed” by Israel to combat settler violence, the Pentagon readout says, as the US continues to hone in on this message.

The defense secretary “shared his view that Hezbollah forces should move away from the border with Israel and cease attacks so that Israeli communities can return to their homes,” the readout adds.

US announces new international mission to counter Houthi attacks on ships in Red Sea

The USS Carney in the Mediterranean Sea, on November 12, 2018. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ryan U. Kledzik/ US Navy via AP)

MANAMA, Bahrain — The US and a host of other nations are creating a new force to protect ships transiting the Red Sea that have come under attack by drones and ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announces in Bahrain.

The seriousness of the attacks, several of which have damaged the vessels, has led multiple shipping companies to order their ships to hold in place and not enter the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the security situation can be addressed.

“This is an international challenge that demands collective action,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says in statement released just after midnight Tuesday in Bahrain. “Therefore today I am announcing the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an important new multinational security initiative.”

The United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, and Spain will join the US in the new mission, Austin announces. Some of the countries will conduct joint patrols while others provide intelligence support in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The mission will be coordinated by the already existing Combined Task Force 153, which was set up in April 2022 to improve maritime security in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb, and the Gulf of Aden. There have been 39 member nations in CTF 153, but officials were working to determine which of them would participate in this latest effort.

Three US warships — the USS Carney, the USS Stethem, and the USS Mason, all Navy destroyers — have been moving through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait daily to help deter and respond to attacks from the Houthis.

The move to set up the expanded operation came after three commercial vessels were struck by missiles fired by Iranian-back Houthis in Yemen on December 3. Those attacks were part of an escalating campaign of violence that also included armed and other drones launched in the direction of US warships.

To date the US has not struck back at the Iranian-back Houthis operating in Yemen or targeted any of the militants’ weapons or other sites. On Monday Austin did not answer a question as to why the Pentagon had not conducted a counterstrike.

San Francisco begins charging protesters who blocked Bay Bridge while demanding Gaza ceasefire

Demonstrators shut down the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in conjunction with the APEC Summit taking place on November 16, 2023, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/ Noah Berger)

SAN FRANCISCO, California — San Francisco prosecutors begin charging 80 protesters who last month blocked traffic for hours on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge while demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

The protest came as San Francisco was hosting US President Joe Biden and other world leaders for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

Seventeen people are appearing in court today to face charges of false imprisonment, refusing to comply with a peace officer, unlawful public assembly, refusing to disperse and obstruction of street, sidewalk or other place open to public. Their arraignments are continued to February.

Hundreds of demonstrators holding signs that read “Biden: Ceasefire Now” and “Free Free Palestine” and “Drop the Charges!” held a news conference outside the court before the arraignments of those charged began.

Aisha Nizar, of the Palestinian Youth Movement, says she was among those who were arrested and charged but does not plan to stop demonstrating.

“We are more resolute in our demands for a ceasefire than ever,” Nizar says outside the court.

About 200 protesters participated in the demonstration during the global trade summit, and blocked all lanes of traffic into San Francisco on the bridge’s upper deck, with some drivers tossing their keys into the bay. Dozens of them were arrested and 29 vehicles were towed. Protesters demanded that Biden call for an immediate ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas.

The demonstrators who were charged will be arraigned in batches throughout the week, prosecutors say.

PA official blasts Netanyahu’s vow to prevent ‘Hamastan or Fatahstan’ in Gaza: ‘The name is Palestine’

Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the PLO Hussein al-Sheikh at a meeting in Amman, Jordan, November 4, 2023. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool photo via AP)

A senior Palestinian official hits back at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for declaring that he will not allow Gaza to become “Hamastan or Fatahstan” after the war.

“We say to Netanyahu, its neither Fatahstan nor Hamastan. The name is Palestine, and it will remain Palestine, whether you like it or not,” PLO Executive Committee Secretary General and top presidential aide Hussein al-Sheikh tweets.

Netanyahu has in recent weeks pledged to block US-backed efforts to eventually return the PA to govern the Gaza Strip, saying he will not allow the territory to be ruled by Hamas or the PA-controlled Fatah party.

Mahmoud Abbas says willing to reform PA so it can rule Gaza, but Israeli policies ‘the problem’

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomes Belgium's and Spain's prime ministers (not pictured) to his offices in the West Bank city of Ramallah on November 23, 2023. (Alaa Badarneh/Pool/AFP)

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says he is prepared to reform the PA, but that it must be done in the context of a broader diplomatic initiative aimed at a two-state solution, which Israel opposes.

“The problem is not changing (Palestinian) politicians and forming a new government; the problem is the policies of the Israeli government,” Abbas tells Reuters in a rare interview, when asked about US proposals to revamp the PA so it is better prepared to govern Gaza after the war.

While top US officials visiting Ramallah in recent weeks have avoided discussing specific names with Abbas, Washington has been floating ideas for the PA president to appoint a deputy or hand over significant jurisdiction to a prime minister who would be empowered to enact much-needed reforms, a US official tells The Times of Israel. The official says the US would also like to see Abbas allow for “new blood” to enter his Fatah party, which dominates the PA and PLO.

In the Reuters interview, Abbas again raises his years-old demand for the US to sponsor an international peace conference, akin to the 1991 Madrid summit aimed at advancing Palestinian statehood on the pre-1967 lines.

A senior US official tells the news agency that the idea has been discussed with American allies, but indicates that it is not currently the administration’s main focus.

Abbas reiterates his stance against using violence to advance the Palestinian cause.

“I am with peaceful resistance. I am for negotiations based on an international peace conference and under international auspices that would lead to a solution that will be protected by world powers to establish a sovereign Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem,” he tells Reuters.

He expresses openness to the PA returning to govern Gaza if part of a broader two-state initiative, but says, “When we return, we’ll need resources” because so much of the Strip has been destroyed in the fighting.

Abbas reiterates his position that the US “bears the responsibility of what is happening” in Gaza because it is an “accomplice” of Israel. “America doesn’t force Israel to implement what it says,” he adds.

The PA leader insists that he has wanted to hold elections for years but will not do so without the inclusion of East Jerusalem residents. Ramallah says Israel refuses to allow balloting in the part of the city it annexed in 1980.

Analysts have long speculated that Abbas’s decision not to hold elections has been more motivated by fears of Hamas gains at his expense.

The PA president insists that this is not a factor, telling Reuters, “Whoever wins wins. These will be democratic elections.”

IDF says it shelled Syrian Army outpost after rockets fired at north

The IDF says it struck a Syrian Army outpost in southern Syria in response to rocket fire at northern Israel earlier.

Several rockets were fired from Syria, some of which crossed the border and landed in open areas in the Golan Heights.

The IDF says it shelled the source of the fire with artillery, and tanks struck a Syrian Army position.

Also earlier, several rockets were fired from Lebanon at Kiryat Shmona, the IDF says.

The IDF says it struck a Syrian Army outpost in southern Syria in response to rocket fire at northern Israel earlier.

Several rockets were fired from Syria, some of which crossed the border and landed in open areas in the Golan Heights.

The IDF says it shelled the source of… pic.twitter.com/Jp0Zc9q2hA

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 18, 2023

Survey: Gantz’s party soars and he’s much preferred to Netanyahu as PM; no seats for Smotrich

Then-defense minister Benny Gantz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a consultation during Hamas rocket fire at Israel and IDF counterstrikes, May 11, 2021. (Amos Ben Gershom / GPO / File)

National Unity party leader Benny Gantz would easily be able to form a coalition if elections were held today, a Channel 12 survey shows. His party would be by far the largest in the Knesset, and he also strongly outscores Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the public’s preferred prime minister, the survey finds.

If elections were held today, the survey shows parties in Netanyahu’s pre-war coalition would muster just 44 seats compared to the 64 they won in the November 2022 elections, while the opposition bloc he defeated would win 71 seats in the 120-member Knesset.

The survey also showed the far-right Religious Zionism party of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich failing to make it back into the Knesset.

Gantz’s National Unity party, which joined an emergency war coalition under Netanyahu after the October 7 Hamas massacre in southern Israel, would soar to 37 seats, the survey finds, while Netanyahu’s Likud would crash to 18.

The parties scored as follows (seats won in the 2022 elections in parentheses): National Unity: 37 seats (12); Likud: 18 (32); Yesh Atid: 15 (24); Shas: 11 (11); Yisrael Beytenu 9 (6); Otzma Yehudit 8 (14 in a since-severed alliance with Religious Zionism); United Torah Judaism 7 (7); Hadash-Ta’al 5 (5); Meretz 5 (0); and Ra’am 5 (5).

Religious Zionism, Balad, and Labor (4) all scored below the Knesset threshold.

If parties led by former prime minister Naftali Bennett, former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen and former deputy chief of staff Yair Golan entered the field, the factions would score as follows: National Unity 23; Likud 15; Bennett’s party 13; Shas 11; Yesh Atid 10; Labor-Meretz led by Golan 9; Yossi Cohen’s party 9; UTJ 7; Otzma Yehudit 7; Yisrael Beytenu 6; Hadash-Ta’al 5; and Ra’am 5.

Asked who is more fitting to serve as prime minister, Gantz scored 45% compared to 27% for Netanyahu in a head-to-head. Bennett also outscored Netanyahu, by 33% to 29%. Netanyahu scored 32% over Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid on 28%.

Asked whether elections, not scheduled for some three years, should be brought forward, 57% said yes, compared to 35% no.

Asked whether the Palestinian Authority should take control of Gaza after the war, 54% said no, and 19% said yes.

The survey, conducted by Midgam among 504 respondents, had a 4.4% margin of error.

UN Security Council vote on Gaza ceasefire resolution postponed until tomorrow — sources

A general view shows a UN Security Council meeting on Gaza, at UN headquarters in New York City, on December 8, 2023. (Yuki Iwamura/AFP)

UNITED NATIONS — A Security Council vote on the conflict in Gaza has been postponed until tomorrow, as negotiations continue over the text of the document, diplomatic sources at the United Nations tell AFP.

The United Arab Emirates, which had introduced the draft resolution calling for an urgent cessation of hostilities in Gaza, has requested that the vote, scheduled for today, be postponed by one day, a source says.

‘Don’t test us’: Smotrich threatens to quit government if PA involved in running Gaza after war

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) speaks with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich during a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on June 18, 2023. (Amit Shabi/Pool)

Finance Minister and Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich says he rejects reported proposals to allow Palestinian Authority officials to be involved in ruling Gaza after the war, and any decision to let Palestinians return to the northern Strip at this stage of the war.

The far-right leader even intimates he would quit the government if such arrangements are made, maintaining that previous policies toward Gaza, which he asserts his party was forced to agree to, resulted in the October 7 atrocities. He alludes to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s previous policy of containment vis-à-vis Hamas rule in the coastal enclave.

“The efforts to determine these arrangements in a one-sided manner and by circumventing deliberations in the security cabinet with all the coalition partners won’t work,” says Smotrich.

“Returning Gazan citizens to their homes in the northern [Gaza] strip at this stage is folly and this is not a decision which the defense minister can make by himself,” continues the combative minister, criticizing Gallant for the second time today.

He also rejects putative plans to allow “Palestinian officials” to help govern Gaza after the war as “unacceptable” and “incommensurate with the declarations of the prime minister in recent days, and for sure the position of the majority of the Israeli public and cabinet ministers.”

Smotrich is referring to a report in the Israel Hayom daily that said Netanyahu is considering relying on Palestinian Authority officials living in Gaza to serve as an administrative body in the territory after the first phase of the war is over.

Smotrich says he has demanded “in depth discussions” on arrangements for Gaza’s governance in writing and in person “for a long period of time,” and for decisions on the issue to be made jointly.

“I hope that the prime minister and the defense minister do not test us and do not present us with a fait accompli which we cannot be a part of,” says Smotrich, the second time today he has threatened to quit the government if policies he opposes are adopted.

“After too many years in which we have been forced to be signatories against our will to policies we totally opposed and which, among others, led to the awful massacre that Hamas carried out against Israeli citizens on Simhat Torah, we will not repeat the mistakes of the past and will not be part of a weakening of the achievement of the war which were and still are being achieved at at the cost of the precious blood of the best of our sons.”

Netanyahu posts on X shortly after Smotrich’s comments “I will not allow Hamastan to be switched for Fatahstan.”

US calls for border cops to ‘be held accountable’ for beating Palestinian photojournalist

Israeli troops filmed brutally beating a Palestinian journalist in East Jerusalem on December 15, 2023. (Screen capture/X)

The US is “deeply concerned” by footage of Border Police officers beating a defenseless Palestinian photojournalist in East Jerusalem on Friday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says.

“We are deeply concerned by the disturbing images of the use of force against a journalist that was depicted in those videos, and we think it’s appropriate that… the video be investigated, and if the facts support it, that the people involved be held accountable,” Miller says during a press briefing in response to a question on the matter.

Mustafa Haruf was hospitalized with head injuries and said he was attacked without cause after leaving a prayer protest broken up by Israeli security forces in the Wadi Joz neighborhood.

Footage shows one border cop approaching Haruf and striking him with the barrel of his weapon. He is then flung to the floor by an officer and repeatedly kicked in the head and the body as he lies on the ground screaming in pain.

The Border Police later announced that it suspended the two officers involved in the incident and that the Department of Internal Police Investigations opened a probe into the matter.

An earlier police statement said journalists had sought to interfere with their operations in the area and refused orders to vacate the premises.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees the police, issued a statement over the weekend expressing his support for the officers and calling for them to be allowed to return to their duties.

Foreign Ministry team reportedly draws up document on post-war Gaza; no overt role for PA

A Foreign Ministry team has been working in recent weeks on an Israeli vision for Gaza on the day after the war ends, Channel 12 reports.

The team was established by Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, and the document is intended to be presented for discussion by the cabinet, the report says.

The guiding principle, the TV report says, is: “Israel is working to bring about a future in which the Palestinians will govern themselves with no capacity to threaten Israel.”

The document includes no specific provision for a role for the Palestinian Authority, as the US has said it ultimately seeks, but does hint at a role for Gaza-based officials from the PA’s main Fatah component.

Regarding security, the document provides for “complete freedom of action for the IDF” in Gaza; prevention of any rearming and the “enforcement of full demilitarization” in the enclave; the establishment of “buffer zones”; a mechanism to prevent smuggling; oversight of the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border and at the Rafah border crossing, and a “maritime security force.”

Regarding civil governance, the document provides for “an international mechanism to handle humanitarian services.”

It envisages key regional states including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE administering civilian life, along with international organizations already active in Gaza including UN agencies, together with “local elements not identified with Hamas” — which the TV report describes as “a euphemism” for Gaza-based Fatah clerks.

The document also reportedly provides for an overhaul of the curriculum in UNRWA schools.

US reveals Israel let commercial goods into Gaza for first time since war began

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid arrive at the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom border crossing, in the southern Gaza Strip, on December 18, 2023. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

Israel allowed commercial goods into Gaza on Saturday for the first time since the start of the war, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller reveals.

Israel has yet to announce the decision on its own, one of a pair it adopted over the weekend, following significant US pressure.

Yesterday, Israel reopened its Kerem Shalom Crossing to allow aid to enter Gaza directly from Israel for the first time since the war.

The move helped facilitate the entry of nearly 200 trucks into Gaza for the first time since the seven-day truce at the end of November.

The commercial goods that went in on Saturday were transported through Egypt’s Rafah Crossing and mostly contained food, Miller says, adding that more commercial goods will enter the Strip today.

“We hope to see this [commercial goods] channel solidified and expanded over the coming days,” Miller says. “It is a critical step toward improving the lives of the Palestinian people in Gaza that we see not just humanitarian aid delivered, but also commercial goods that can be sold in stores and markets.”

“While this weekend’s breakthroughs [regarding aid] are important, they are by themselves not sufficient. We will continue to work closely with the governments of Israel, Egypt, and partner countries in the region to further increase the humanitarian assistance flowing into Gaza to address the needs of the Palestinian people,” Miller adds.

IDF slams Hamas propaganda clip as ‘atrocious terror,’ says ‘doing everything’ to return hostages

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari labels Hamas’s latest propaganda video showing three Israeli hostages as “atrocious terror.”

“It shows the cruelty of Hamas against elderly civilians, innocents, who require medical attention. The world must work to allow medical aid and to verify their conditions,” Hagari says in an evening press conference.

“Our hearts are with the hostages and their families at every moment,” he says.

“Haim, Yoram, and Amiram, I hope you can hear me this evening. You should know that we are doing everything to return you home safely. We will not rest until you return,” Hagari adds.

Limits on in-person schooling, gatherings eased in Ashkelon and surrounding area

The southern coastal city of Ashkelon and surrounding Lachish area have been returned to “green” status, the Home Front Command announces. The moves means that in-person schooling, work, and other activities can resume in the region, which is just north of the Gaza Strip.

Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, the Home Front Command has divided the country into different color-based security zones. Most of the country is now “green,” indicating few restrictions on school, work, and gatherings.

The so-called Gaza envelope — the Israeli territory surrounding the Strip — is still “orange,” with severe restrictions on gatherings and in-person work, while school is remote. Areas along the northern border with Lebanon are classified as “yellow,” with partial restrictions on gatherings, work, and school.

Many residents from the “orange” and “yellow” areas have been evacuated to other locations.

It is also announced that in all “green” areas — now encompassing most of the country — the cap on in-person gatherings has been raised to 5,000 people, indicating a possible return to in-person sporting events, concerts, and festivals.

White House ‘alarmed’ by Catholic patriarch’s claim that Israel killed 2 at Gaza church

The US has raised its “deep concern” with Israel over a deadly incident over the weekend in which the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem asserted that an elderly Christian woman and her daughter were shot and killed by an Israeli sniper on the grounds of a Catholic church in Gaza City.

The IDF has refuted the claim, saying that it does not target civilians and that it received no reports from its soldiers regarding a hit on the church in question.

Kirby called reports of the two women killed “alarming” and reiterated the US call for Israel to take additional steps to protect civilians.

“We have raised our concerns about this particular incident with the Israeli government about the need for those who have injuries or who have been wounded to be able to be safely evacuated so that they can receive appropriate medical treatment,” Kirby says during a press briefing.

He adds that it continues to be in touch with Israel about establishing and maintaining deconfliction channels to protect civilians and allow for the flow of aid during the fighting. “More can be done” by Israel on the issue, Kirby says.

At the same time, Kirby pushes back against reporters’ attempts to equate the killings of Palestinian civilians by the IDF to the killings of Israeli civilians by Hamas.

“We haven’t seen any evidence that the Israelis are making it an aim of war… to go out and slaughter innocent people. It is happening, and people are being killed, people are being wounded, and we recognize that. But that’s a far cry from saying it’s part of the war aims, as it is for Putin and as it is for Hamas,” Kirby says.

White House ‘deeply concerned’ by Israeli strikes on Lebanese Armed Forces

The White House says it’s “deeply concerned” over recent Israel strikes against the Lebanese Armed Forces.

National Security Council John Kirby reiterates in a press briefing that the US does not want to see the war against Hamas in Gaza spread to other fronts, and supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah on its northern border.

“The attacks that have occurred on the Lebanese Armed Forces are deeply concerning since [they] are not part and parcel of this conflict,” Kirby says, adding that the US is raising the issue with Israel.

The IDF has hit LAF positions more than 34 times since October 7, according to a CNN report over the weekend.

Earlier this month, the IDF issued a rare statement expressing regret for killing a Lebanese soldier while striking a Hezbollah-linked target earlier in the day, the first such death since cross-border hostilities began in October.

Golani soldiers destroy Gaza statue commemorating deadly 2014 attack on APC

Troops of the Golani Brigade's 13th Battalion stand by a Hamas monument at the Palestine Square in Gaza City's Shejaiya neighborhood, December 18, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

Troops of the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion have captured the so-called Palestine Square in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood, and destroyed a Hamas monument there commemorating a deadly attack on an armored personnel carrier during the 2014 Gaza War.

“We are here, the 13th Battalion, at the place where the terrorist organization Hamas erected a statue glorifying the disaster that happened to the battalion in [Operation] Protective Edge. We are sending a clear message to Hamas: Wherever such a statue is erected, we will come and destroy it,” says the new commander of the 13th Battalion, Lt. Col. Yuval Mazuz, in remarks provided by the IDF.

מפקד גדוד 13: ״אנחנו כאן, גדוד 13, במקום שבו ארגון הטרור חמאס הקימו פסל המפאר את האסון שקרה לגדוד בצוק איתן. אנחנו שולחים מסר ברור לחמאס: לכל מקום בו פסל כזה יוקם אנחנו נגיע ונשמיד אותו״ >> pic.twitter.com/TGpPfKRB56

— דובר צה״ל דניאל הגרי – Daniel Hagari (@IDFSpokesperson) December 18, 2023

In the 2014 war, seven Golani soldiers were killed when their APC was hit in fighting in Shejaiya. The remains of one of the seven, Sgt. Oron Shaul, were captured by Hamas and are still in its possession.

After the deadly incident, Hamas erected a monument of a large fist punching through an APC, holding three dog-tags, one of which has the name of Shaul.

The IDF says Golani’s 13th Battalion and troops of the 188th Armored Brigade captured the square today — from which Hamas also paraded released hostages several weeks ago — and destroyed the monument.

White House says new hostage agreement not ‘imminent’

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks at a press briefing at the White House in Washington, December 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

No deal for a pause in the Gaza fighting and a release of the hostages is “imminent,” White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says.

However, the Biden aide says the US is working toward this goal on a daily basis, with CIA chief William Burns currently in Warsaw for meetings with Israeli and Qatari counterparts, and that the issue was at the top of US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan’s agenda when he was in Israel last week.

US says 200 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered Gaza yesterday, in first since truce

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid arrive at the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom border crossing, in the southern Gaza Strip, on December 18, 2023. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

Nearly 200 trucks of humanitarian aid entered Gaza yesterday for the first time since last month’s seven-day truce, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says.

The spike in the number of trucks after weeks of far lower numbers is due at least partially to the “significant” decision by Israel to reopen its Kerem Shalom Crossing for the first time since the start of the war.

Eighty trucks entered Gaza through Kerem Shalom alone yesterday, while the other 120 or so trucks entered Gaza through Egypt’s Rafah Crossing.

Hamas releases propaganda video showing 3 Israeli hostages

Screen capture from undated propaganda video released by the Hamas terror group on December 18, 2023 shows (L-R) Amiram Cooper, Chaim Peri, and Yoram Metzger, three Israelis held hostage since October 7 in the Gaza Strip. (X. Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

The Hamas terror group has published a new propaganda video showing three Israeli hostages.

One man speaking in the video identifies himself as 79-year-old Chaim Peri, who was abducted by Hamas from his Kibbutz Nir Oz home on October 7.

The other two hostages are fellow Nir Oz residents Amiram Cooper, 84, and Yoram Metzger, 80,

There is no information as to when Hamas filmed the video.

Gallant: ‘There is no clock’ on the phases of the war. October 7 spells ‘the end of Hamas’

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speaks during a joint press conference with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin (not pictured), in Tel Aviv on December 18, 2023. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP)

Wrapping up his press conference with Defense Minister Gallant, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is asked if the US pressure on Israel to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza could spell reduced air bombardments and other shifts in the fighting that might cause greater loss of life among Israeli soldiers.

Regarding “the nature of the strikes and the amount of collateral damage,” Austin stresses in response, “the protection of our troops is important to all of us” — to Israel and the US.

He says Gaza is a complex battle space, with a dense population, and “that makes it very very difficult to conduct any military operation.”

Also, he notes, Hamas routinely uses civilians as shields, and fights from “near hospitals, mosques, churches, you name it. That adds to the complexity.”

“It requires a very professional force and that force has to learn each step of the way,” he says. He and Gallant today “discussed techniques that they [the IDF] are changing as they conduct operations in the south. All of us learn… They were a very professional force going into this… Taking lessons learned in the north, they’ve applied some of those lessons in the south, and I’m sure that’ll continue.”

Gallant says Israel and the US are having “transparent and frank discussions” on the conduct of the war. “We share everything,” he says warmly of Austin.

Gallant touts the IDF’s “meaningful” successes on the battlefield, but says “eliminating the Hamas leadership is an ongoing goal that will be achieved — hopefully soon, but it will be achieved.”

He says the IDF “will continue to operate on different levels of intensity according to the situation in the region.”

“Soon we will be able to distinguish between different areas in Gaza,” says Gallant, and “in every area where we achieve our mission, we will be able to transition gradually to the next phase and start working on bringing back local population” — probably starting first in the north.

“I’m not defining any region, and this is an ongoing discussion,” he stresses.

Gallant is asked what the benchmarks are for moving to the next phase of the war, and why Israel has not yet shifted to more precise, targeted operations. And Austin is asked a similar question and whether he thinks Israel is on track to a strategic victory.

Austin answers first: “Any large-scale military operation will have phases” in which the focus shifts. “As you transition from one phase to another, that doesn’t signal an end to the operation,” he stresses. “You’re doing different things” — with higher intensity fighting” in one phase, and, say, more humanitarian assistance in another.

Israel will define the phases of the campaign for itself, Austin says. When shifting between phases, the difficult thing is making sure you have “everything accounted for,” he notes, and “that requires detailed planning.”

Gallant stresses that “by the end of the war, as long as it takes,” Israel must get its hostages back and destroy Hamas’s military and governance capabilities.

The military goal “has certain parameters, including the amount of battalions that we need to dismantle, and the chain of command, and the supreme military leadership and so forth,” he says.

He says Israel shapes its war plan to meet the goals. “Circumstances change… and you do something different… The intensity in the first phase is a given, but in other phases we will concentrate on certain issues, for instance, engaging and detecting the supreme leadership of Hamas and others.”

“All in all, there is not a clock that is running and we have to obey a certain day.” Rather, he explains, “we need to get to different performances on the ground before we move to the next phase. I believe will find the proper time to do so.”

“We will prevail,” he concludes. “We will dismantle Hamas, otherwise we will not be able to exist and live in the way we want to live in this region. Because there is a price to deterrence. And they need to know [in the wake of October 7] that if they kill or kidnap 1,500 people including kids and women, this is the end of Hamas.”

As the two men shake hands and leave the press conference, Gallant says to Austin: “Thank you, Secretary. You help us a lot.”

Austin to convene regional ministers tomorrow to tackle the Houthi threat

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a joint press conference with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (not pictured), in Tel Aviv, on December 18, 2023. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP)

Answering a question on the Houthis at his press conference alongside Defense Minister Gallant, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the Yemeni rebel group’s attacks on shipping are “reckless, dangerous and they violate international law.”

He says the US is taking action “to build an international coalition to address this threat.”

To that end, he says, “I’m convening a meeting tomorrow, a ministerial meeting with fellow ministers in the region and beyond to address this threat.”

It will be a virtual meeting, he clarifies. And the members of the group will address the threat “in a meaningful way in the future… to ensure… freedom of navigation in the area,” especially given the threat to international commerce.

Birthright announces it will resume group trips to Israel next month

Illustrative: Taglit-Birthright participants visit at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem on August 18, 2014. (Flash90/File)

Taglit-Birthright Israel announces that it will resume educational trips to the Jewish state next month, after pausing them due to security concerns over the ongoing war against Hamas.

A statement from the group says it expects 350 participants, the vast majority of them Americans, to take part in next month’s trip, which will “operate under strict safety and security standards” determined by the IDF Home Front Command.

“Alongside a fun and meaningful experience, we want our participants to understand what happened on October 7th and gain meaningful insight on how the events affected Israeli society and Jewish communities around the world, and how our Jewish lives, values, and community help us find hope in these dark times,” says Birthright CEO Gidi Mark.

Pentagon head calls for ‘urgent action’ by Israel to stabilize West Bank

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin uses much of his opening remarks at a joint press conference with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant to reiterate Washington’s messaging regarding the ongoing war against Hamas.

“I know that Israel has been profoundly changed from where you were on October 6,” Austin says.

“I’m here with a clear message: America’s support for Israel’s security is unshakable and Israel is not alone.”

“At a time of mourning, a real friend shows up,” Austin says, extending personal condolences to war cabinet minister Gadi Eisenkot on the loss of his son and nephew who were killed fighting in Gaza.

Austin says that “Hamas committed one of the worst atrocities in the history of modern terrorism” on October 7, when 1,200 people were massacred inside Israel and another 240 were taken hostage. “Hamas should never again be able to project terror from Gaza into the sovereign State of Israel. ”

The defense secretary asserts that the US will work to provide a safer future for Israelis and Palestinians, secure the release of all hostages in Gaza, ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself, and prevent the war from escalating.

Austin adds that the US will continue to urge Israel to take steps to protect civilians in Gaza and to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the Strip.

He also says that he discussed with Israeli leaders “urgent action” they should take to stabilize the West Bank, again calling out attacks by extremist settlers against Palestinians, which “must stop and those committing the violence must be held accountable.”

He notes that Iran is “raising tensions in the region” by continuing to back proxies conducting attacks that threaten civilians across the Mideast and risk broader conflict.

“The United States does not seek war and we urgently call on Iran to take steps to de-escalate,” Austin says.

Austin: I’m not dictating timelines or terms; Gallant: Israel won’t control Gaza in any civilian way

Answering questions at their joint press conference, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are asked about the timeline and any deadlines for the Gaza war.

Says Austin: “Regarding timetable, this is Israel’s operation and I’m not here to dictate timelines or terms.”

“It’s critical,” Austin says, “that Hamas not be able to threaten Israel from Gaza, or even threaten Gaza anymore.”

He says they had “great discussions about the status of the campaign,” including on goals and objectives, on reducing “harm to civilians in the battle space” and on “the need to maintain a sustained flow of humanitarian assistance.”

He adds, “We also have some great thoughts about how to transition from high-intensity operations to low-intensity and more surgical operations.”

Gallant says “the war will take time” and “eventually we will reach our goals” — to destroy Hamas and “rescue the hostages.”

He praises “international support to establish something different in Gaza.”

This was discussed today with Austin and other key US officials, he says. “We know that Hamas will not control Gaza. We know that we will have the freedom to eliminate any kind of threat in the future. And that there will be no serious military threats against Israel from Gaza.”

He adds: “Israel will not control Gaza in any civilian way. We will conduct any needed operational and military effort in order to secure our future. And we are building the routes for non-hostile partners in the other side.”

On Lebanon, Austin says the US does not want to see a wider war or a regional war and urges Hezbollah not to provoke a wider conflict.

Where Lebanon is concerned, says Gallant, “diplomacy is the preferred way” and Israel is not looking for war. “But Hezbollah is shooting us every day since October 8… We hope Hezbollah will understand that it’s time to stop.”

US defense secretary: ‘Ongoing instability and insecurity only play into Hamas’s hands’

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (left) shows his US counterpart Lloyd Austin a chart showing the 'status of the assassination of officials' in Hamas, in Tel Aviv on December 18, 2023. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin suggests that failure by Israel to move toward a two-state solution after the war in Gaza would only lead to more instability and play into Hamas’s hands.

“We know that the past 72 days have been some of the most painful days in Israel’s history,” Austin says at a joint press conference with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in Tel Aviv.

“But it would compound this tragedy if all that was waiting for the Israeli people and your Palestinian neighbors at the end of this awful war was more insecurity, fear and despair,” Austin continues.

“Israelis and Palestinians have both paid too big a price to just go back to October 6. So I discussed pathways today toward a future for Gaza after Hamas, based upon the clear principles laid down last month by my friend, Secretary Blinken,” the US defense chief says, referring to the principles presented by the Biden administration last month.

These are: no use of Gaza as a platform of terror against Israel; no displacement of Palestinians in Gaza; no re-occupation of Gaza by Israel; no blockade or siege of Gaza; no reduction of Gaza’s territory; and postwar governance in Gaza that reunites the territory with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority.

“Israelis and Palestinians both deserve a horizon of hope,” Austin says. “So the United States continues to believe — as we have under administrations of both parties — that it is in the interest of both Israelis and Palestinians to move forward towards two states, living side by side and in mutual security.”

“We know how hard that is, especially after October 7. But ongoing instability and insecurity only play into the hands of Hamas,” the Pentagon chief asserts, while adding that the US will continue to support Israel’s security along the way.

IDF says Golani troops engaged in ‘intense fighting’ with Hamas in Gaza City’s Shejaiya

Illustrative: An IDF APC is seen in northern Gaza's Shejaiya, December 15, 2023. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)

The IDF says troops of the Golani Infantry Brigade are engaged in “intense fighting” with Hamas’s Shejaiya battalion in the Gaza City neighborhood.

According to military estimates, some 600 Hamas operatives have been killed by the IDF in Shejaiya over the past two weeks, 200 of them by Golani soldiers.

The IDF says the Golani troops have also located and destroyed more than 10 tunnel shafts in the neighborhood. The soldiers also seized weapons and intelligence materials found in the homes of Hamas operatives.

Combat engineers operating with Golani located and destroyed dozens of rocket launchers, including some near schools and cemeteries, according to the IDF.

The IDF says the troops have encountered Hamas operatives opening fire, launching RPGs, and setting off explosive devices while using civilian buildings as cover in Shejaiya.

The commander of the Golani Brigade, Col. Yair Palai, says his forces “will do everything so that the residents of the [Gaza border communities] and the south can return to their homes, and so that Hamas does not rule Gaza anymore.”

“This neighborhood was and still is an established stronghold of the Hamas terror organization, and this is a problem that needs to be uprooted,” he adds.

Golani has a bitter connection with Shejaiya. Last week, 10 soldiers, including two senior officers, were killed in an ambush by Hamas in the neighborhood. Before that, in the 2014 war, seven soldiers were killed when their APC was hit in fighting in Shejaiya. The remains of one of the seven, Sgt. Oron Shaul, were captured by Hamas and are still in their hands.

South Africa threatens to prosecute citizens fighting with IDF in Gaza

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (3rd-L) and members of the United Ulama Council of South Africa (UUCSA), at the joint press conference in Johannesburg on December 18, 2023. (Roberta Ciuccio/AFP)

JOHANNESBURG — South Africans fighting for Israel in Gaza could face prosecution at home, the government warns, as South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa once again denounces the conflict as “genocide.”

The foreign ministry says it’s “gravely concerned” by reports that some South African nationals have joined the Israeli Defense Forces to fight in Gaza, or are considering doing so.

“Such action can potentially contribute to the violation of international law and the commission of further international crimes, thus making them liable for prosecution in South Africa,” the ministry says.

It doesn’t specify how many South Africans are thought to have enlisted.

The government has previously said the State Security Agency (SSA) was tracking them down.

South Africans need prior government approval to legally fight in Israel, the ministry says.

Naturalized citizens are at further risk of being stripped of their South African nationality for engaging in a war that the country “does not support or agree with,” the foreign ministry adds.

2 soldiers killed fighting in Gaza, raising ground op toll to 129

Left: Cpt. Yarin Gahali; right: Cpt. (res.) Netanel Silberg (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF announces the death of two officers killed during fighting in the Gaza Strip, bringing the toll of slain troops in the ground offensive against Hamas to 129.

They are:

Cpt. Yarin Gahali, 22, a platoon commander in the Givati Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, from Rehovot.

Cpt. (res.) Netanel Silberg, 33, a team commander in the Combat Engineering Corps’ Yahalom unit, from Na’ama.

Gahali was killed in southern Gaza, while Silberg was killed in the Strip’s north.

Gallant tells Austin ‘our common enemies are watching,’ cautions war in Gaza will take time

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (R) in a joint press conference with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Tel Aviv on December 18, 2023. (Screen capture/YouTube)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant touts Israel-US ties as he holds a joint press conference with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin.

“The United States and Israel have never been more determined and aligned in our shared values, our shared interests and our shared goals,” Gallant says, speaking in English.

“You have shown the people of Israel and the entire world what it means to be a leader and a partner. There is no greater projection of our intimate ties than sitting together… discussing the most sensitive issues on the agenda in full transparency and trust,” he tells Austin.

“We stand here 72 days into a war we didn’t want. On October 7, Hamas conducted a brutal attack. They murdered, raped and kidnapped women, children, soldiers, Holocaust survivors.”

Gallant reiterates the goals of the war in Gaza: destroying Hamas and returning the hostages “with no exception.”

“Our common enemies around the world are watching and they know that [an] Israeli victory is a victory of the free world led by the United States,” the defense minister says.

He also stresses the Israeli offensive is aimed at Hamas.

“We are fighting against a brutal enemy that hides behind civilians,” Gallant says, adding that “IDF troops are operating in Hamas hotspots around Gaza.”

He vows Israel will continue operating in Gaza “until we fully achieve our goals.”

Turning to Austin, Gallant says, “We both know the complexities of war. We both fought brutal terror organizations, we know that it takes time.”

“Unlike our enemies, we are defending our values and we operate according to international law,” he says, stressing that the army is working to minimize harm to Palestinian civilians.

“We are also working with international partners to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, but anytime we discuss humanitarian issues we must remember 129 hostages are held in Gaza. This is the most humanitarian issue.”

IDF says terrorist who took part in Oct. 7 attack nabbed at Gaza school alongside other Hamas members

This image released by the Israel Defense Forces on December 18, 2023, shows alleged Hamas members who were arrested at a school in Gaza City's Rimal neighborhood. According to the army, Mohammad Rabahi Abd Ibrahim Sabat (number 2) took part in the October 7 massacres. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says a member of Hamas’s elite Nukhba forces and another operative who participated in the October 7 massacre were nabbed at a school in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood.

The pair, along with several other Hamas members, were captured during a raid on the school on Friday, during which troops of the 401st Armored Brigade killed “many” more operatives, according to the IDF.

Those who were caught by the soldiers were questioned by the Military Intelligence Directorate’s Unit 504, the IDF says.

WATCH: Defense Minister Gallant, US counterpart Lloyd Austin hold joint press conference

IDF responds with shelling to anti-tank missile fire

The IDF says it carried out an airstrike against an area in southern Lebanon from which projectiles were fired at northern Israel earlier.

An anti-tank missile was also fired from Lebanon at the area of Avivim. The IDF doesn’t report any injuries, and says troops are responding with artillery shelling at the launch site.

Meanwhile, the IDF says air defenses intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” that entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon, setting off sirens in the Upper Galilee.

כלי טיס של צה״ל תקף לפני זמן קצר מרחב ממנו בוצעו שיגורים לעבר שטח ישראל.

כמו כן, לוחמי ההגנה האווירית יירטו לפני זמן קצר מטרה אווירית חשודה שחצתה משטח לבנון לשטח ישראל.

בנוסף, מחבלים שיגרו טיל נ״ט לעבר מרחב אביבים לפני זמן קצר.
צה״ל תקף בארטילריה בשטח לבנון pic.twitter.com/FfcH7OnBkE

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) December 18, 2023

Visiting Pentagon chief says Houthi attacks on ships in Red Sea ‘must stop’

In this government handout photo, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shows US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pictures of hostages taken by Hamas in the Gaza-ruling terror group's October 7 onslaught, at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on December 18, 2023. (Kobi Gideon/ GPO)

Meeting visiting US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declares that Israel is fighting “a war of civilization against barbarism” and is committed to “total victory” over Hamas.

“We think that this is not only our war but, in many ways, your war, because you are leading the forces of civilization in the world,” Netanyahu tells Austin as they deliver joint statements. “This is a battle against the Iranian axis, the Iranian axis of terror, which is now threatening to close the maritime strait of Bab el-Mandeb. This threatens the freedom of navigation of the entire world.”

Netanyahu also thanks Austin for the presence of US naval forces in the Red Sea amid repeated attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

“It’s not only our interest. It is the interest, I think, of the entire civilized community,” the premier says.

In his remarks, Austin reiterates that US support for Israel “is unshakable.”

“I know that Israel is a small tight-knit country and I know that all Israelis were touched by the vast evil committed by Hamas,” Austin says. “So I’m here to mourn with you for the innocent souls taken from you on October 7. And I’m also here to stand alongside the families of those still missing in Gaza, including US citizens.”

“America’s commitment to Israel is unwavering and no individual group or state should test our resolve. So in the Red Sea, we’re leading a multinational maritime task force to uphold the bedrock principle of freedom of navigation,” the Pentagon chief adds, saying that Houthi attacks on commercial shipping “must stop.”

Austin also tells Netanyahu that the US will keep sending Israel the equipment “that you need to defend your country,” among them “critical munitions, tactical vehicles and air defense systems.”

“We’ll continue to support Israel’s mission to find and free all of the hostages. And I’m also here to discuss how we can best support Israel on a path to lasting security — and that means tackling urgent needs first,” he says, calling for an increase to the amount of aid flowing into Gaza.

Besides Netanyahu, Austin is meeting the other members of the so-called war cabinet that is managing the campaign against Hamas.

Ben Gvir threatens to bolt coalition if war against Hamas doesn’t ‘continue at full strength’

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir leads a faction meeting of his Otzma Yehudit party at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on December 4, 2023. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir criticizes the government’s handling of the war against Hamas, reiterating his demand that terrorists be executed and declaring he will not remain in the coalition if the military offensive doesn’t “continue at full strength.”

Asserting that Hamas is still undeterred after 73 days of war, Ben Gvir objects to the government’s decision to let aid into the Gaza Strip, telling reporters at a Knesset faction meeting of his far-right Otzma Yehudit party that “you don’t bring in 200 fuel trucks, you don’t transfer money to any official.”

“You don’t make pauses and don’t allow our enemies to set shocking conditions for the release the hostages,” he declares, calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “go the way of Ben Gvir and not [National Unity Party leader Benny] Gantz.”

“Every day the hostages are not returned we should put another Nukbha [fighter] to death,” he says, referring to the elite Hamas forces who participated in the October 7 atrocities.

“They shoot rockets from the humanitarian evacuation areas, they shoot at our soldiers, and we continue with humanitarian measures and humanitarian gestures. The time for a decision has come.”

Ben Gvir previously threatened to bring down the government during last month’s temporary ceasefire, declaring that “Stopping the war = breaking apart the government.”

Despite Ben Gvir’s threat, Netanyahu’s ruling coalition would survive the  defection of Otzma Yehudit, assuming the continued support of Minister Benny Gantz’s National Unity party, which joined the government amid the war in Gaza.

Ben Gvir has repeatedly advocated for Israel to execute Hamas terrorists, a policy opposed by families of the hostages, who warn that doing so would endanger their loved ones held in Gaza.

German education officials tour Gaza border towns attacked on October 7

Education Minister Yoav Kisch, center, his German counterpart Bettina Stark-Watzinger, to his right, and a delegation of German education officials visit Kibbutz Kfar Aza, on December 18, 2023. (Education Ministry)

A delegation of education officials from Germany tours southern Israeli communities affected by the October 7 Hamas terror assault.

The delegation is led by German Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger and includes high-ranking administrators and education officials from several German states.

The group tours Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and meets with families of hostages from Kibbutz Be’eri. The delegation is also due to visit Yad Vashem and a temporary school for evacuated students at the Bible Lands Museum, both in Jerusalem.

The visit has “enormous significance at this time… Their visit conveys a clear message of support for Israel’s just war against the murderous terrorist organization Hamas,” Education Minister Yoav Kisch says in a statement.

Houthi rebels claim attacks on ships in Red Sea, including Norwegian-owned vessel

SANAA, Yemen — Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels say they have attacked two “Israeli-linked” vessels in the Red Sea, including the Norwegian-owned M/V Swan Atlantic.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a… military operation against two ships linked to the Zionist entity” using sea planes, says a statement that identified the first vessel as the Swan Atlantic and the second as the MSC Clara.

Suspected drone infiltration alerts again sound in northern border towns

Suspected drone infiltration alerts sound in several Upper Galilee communities near the Lebanon border, for the third time today.

The warning sirens are heard in Dishon, Iftach, Ramot Naftali and Malkia.

Shortly after the alerts are activated, the IDF Home Front Command says “the incident is over.”

Smotrich vows to block ‘even one shekel’ of PA taxes being sent to ‘Hamas Nazis’ in Gaza

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends a ceremony at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, December 18, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich vows he will not allow “even one shekel” in Palestinian tax funds collected by Israel for the Palestinian Authority to be transferred to “Hamas Nazis” in Gaza, or to the families of terrorists from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Speaking at the weekly faction meeting of his far-right Religious-Zionism party, Smotrich says he has heard reports about possible solutions for the problem such as having third countries act to guarantee the funds reach their intended destination, initiatives being promoted as a part of “international pressure” on Israel over the issue.

“I want to say as clearly as possible: It will never happen! As long as I am minister of finance of the State of Israel not one shekel will be transferred to the Hamas Nazis in Gaza, and not one shekel will be transferred to the families of terrorists in Judea and Samaria, and Gaza,” avers Smotrich.

The finance minister appears to be referring specifically to money deducted by Israel from the taxes it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, to which it normally transfers the funds.

Israel’s security cabinet voted at the beginning of November to approve a partial transfer of the tax funds it has collected for the PA, minus some $100 million designated for various purposes in Gaza.

The PA refused, however, to accept this partial transfer, with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh describing the proposal as “a political decision” designed to separate Gaza and the West Bank.

The finance minister says he told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu his position “in no uncertain terms” and that he would be “willing to pay the price” if the government approves these transfers.

IDF jets strike Hezbollah sites following repeated cross-border attacks

The IDF says fighter jets carried out strikes against several more Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon in response to attacks on the border today.

It says the targets include rocket launchers, a military building, and other infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah.

The IDF adds that troops identified and struck several operatives in an area known to be used by Hezbollah to carry out attacks.

מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו לפני זמן קצר מספר מטרות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה, ביניהן תשתיות טרור, עמדת שיגור ומבנה צבאי.

בנוסף, לוחמי צה״ל זיהו ותקפו מוקדם יותר היום מחבלים במרחב מוכר של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה >> pic.twitter.com/Ku5qYUDlZh

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) December 18, 2023

Several more projectiles were fired from Lebanon at northern Israel in the last few hours, including in one incident that set off a drone infiltration alarm.

The IDF says it is shelling the launch sites with artillery.

Netanyahu meeting with US Defense Secretary Austin

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) meets with visiting US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Tel Aviv on December 12, 2023 (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with visiting US Defense Secretary US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Austin met previously with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Gallant and top IDF generals were also taking part in the meeting with Netanyahu.

The meeting is to be followed by a joint session with the war cabinet, Netanyahu’s office says.

Egypt’s Sissi wins presidential election with 89.6% of vote

Vehicles pass near banners supporting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi for the presidential elections, in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

The Egyptian election authority announces that sitting President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi has won a new six-year term with 89.6 percent of the vote.

Authority head Hazem Badawy says turnout reached an “unprecedented” 66.8 percent of Egypt’s 67 million voters.

Over 39 million voted for former army chief Sissi, who has ruled Egypt for a decade.

Sissi’s victory comes as no surprise and secures his third — and, according to the constitution, final — term in office.

Drone infiltration alert sounds again in north

A suspected drone infiltration alarm is again sounding in the Upper Galilee, near the Lebanon border.

The alerts are activated in the communities of Iftach, Malkia, Ramot Naftali, and Dishon.

At the same time, a rocket siren is sounding in Iftach.

The IDF is looking into the cause of the alarms.

The Hezbollah terror group has carried out several attacks on northern Israel using explosive-laden drones, though there have also been numerous false alarms.

???? Large Hostile Aircraft (UAV) Infiltration Alert in Northern #Israel again ????

• Confrontation Line — Dishon, Iftach, Mevuot Hermon Regional Council, Ramot Naftali, Malkia pic.twitter.com/8GYMSywDaF

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) December 18, 2023

IDF signals full control over Beit Hanoun in north Gaza

Troops of the IDF's 252nd Reserve Division operate in northern Gaza's Beit Hanoun, in a handout image published December 18, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF’s 252nd Reserve Division has completed its operations against the Hamas terror group in the Beit Hanoun area of northern Gaza, and handed over responsibility of the region to the Gaza Division, indicating the military has firm control of that sector.

In a statement, the IDF says troops of the 252nd Division, including infantry, tanks, combat engineers, and artillery, defeated Hamas’s Beit Hanoun battalion while capturing all of their main compounds and strongholds.

The IDF says the Beit Hanoun battalion used schools and public buildings as bases, in which troops discovered tunnels and weapons.

The 252nd Division killed “many terrorists” during the operations in Beit Hanoun, and destroyed their weapons depots, rocket launchers, underground command centers, and “significant” tunnels,” the IDF says.

The IDF’s 252nd Reserve Division has completed its operations against the Hamas terror group in the Beit Hanoun area of northern Gaza, and handed over responsibility of the region to the Gaza Division, indicating the military has firm control of that sector.

In a statement, the… pic.twitter.com/XxIzLBqtqE

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 18, 2023

“The underground infrastructure of Hamas in the Beit Hanoun area was significantly damaged, the shafts were dealt with, along with the main tunnel routes,” the statement says.

The division’s Harel Brigade along with special forces uncovered the Beit Hanoun battalion’s main tunnel in the area, which according to the IDF was located deep within the civilian infrastructure, between the Beit Hanoun city hall, a mosque, a soccer court, and a daycare center.

Amid the battles in Beit Hanoun, the IDF says the Harel Brigade spotted two Hamas gunmen exiting a tunnel and joining two more operatives in a car, who began to drive toward the troops. The forces called in an airstrike, killing the four Hamas members, the IDF adds.

Video appears to show IDF strike in Lebanon next to Hezbollah funeral

A video posted to social media appears to show an IDF strike on southern Lebanon right next to a funeral service for a Hezbollah member.

Israel has warned it will no longer tolerate the presence of the terror group along the northern frontier after Hamas’s October 7 massacre, in which some 3,000 terrorists burst into Israel from Gaza, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping over 240, mostly civilians.

Since that date, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis.

בזמן הלוויה בכפר עיתא א-שעב של פעיל חיזבאללה שנהרג אתמול, תקיפה של צה"ל בדרום לבנון לא הרחק משם. תיעוד לא שגרתי pic.twitter.com/toH6qhMGF2

— roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) December 18, 2023

So far, the skirmishes on the border, which have intensified sharply since Hamas’s devastating attack, have resulted in four civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of seven IDF soldiers. There have also been a number of rocket attacks from Syria, without any injuries.

On the Lebanese side, more than 120 have been killed. The toll includes 111 Hezbollah members — some of whom were killed in Syria — 16 Palestinian terrorists, a Lebanese soldier, and at least 17 civilians, three of whom are journalists.

Rocket warning sirens sound on northern border

Rocket warning sirens sound on the northern border.

Sirens sound in Shlomi and Metzuba. The cause of the sirens is not immediately clear.

Israeli mayor calls for turning Gaza into ‘Auschwitz-like’ museum, prompting rebuke

Illustrative: Jewish people visit the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp after the March of the Living annual observance, in Oswiecim, Poland, April 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Poland’s Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum strongly condemns an Israeli mayor’s call for depopulating the Gaza Strip and turning it into an open-air memorial, prompting the mayor to lash back and accuse Poles of antisemitism.

The exchange between the museum and Metula Mayor David Azoulai follows a radio interview Sunday in which Azoulai said: “The whole Gaza Strip needs to be empty. Flattened. Just like in Auschwitz. Let it be a museum for all the world to see what Israel can do. Let no one reside in the Gaza Strip for all the world to see, because October 7 was in a way a second Holocaust.”

Israel is engaged in a massive military operation in Gaza following Hamas terrorists’ October 7 incursion into Israel, where they killed 1,200 people in villages and towns near the Gaza Strip, most of them civilians.

Officials there say at least 18,000 people have died in Israeli strikes. Those figures are unverified and don’t differentiate between civilians and terrorists, and include those killed by rockets that fell short in Gaza. Israel says it has killed over 7,000 Hamas operatives in Gaza.

“David Azoulai appears to wish to use the symbol of the largest cemetery in the world as some sort of a sick, hateful, pseudo-artistic, symbolic expression,” a spokesperson for the museum writes on X.

Azoulai’s remarks “may sound as a call for murder of the scale akin to Auschwitz,” the spokesperson writes, adding that Israeli “authorities” should act against Azoulai.

Metulla Mayor David Azoulai (Ynet screenshot; used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)

Azoulai says he never called for murdering anyone. “I would like to see Gaza’s population relocated,” he tells The Times of Israel.

Azoulai references Poland’s checkered Holocaust-era past and modern-day expressions of antisemitism in dismissing the museum’s criticism. “What a disgrace, after what happened to Jews in Poland, for them to defend lowly murderers. It’s not for me to educate Polish people, they are brought up to hate us,” he says.

Oil giant BP suspends shipments through Red Sea amid Houthi attacks

Illustrative: A sign at a BP petrol station in London, Feb. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

Oil giant BP says it is pausing all shipments of oil through the Red Sea after recent attacks on vessels by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the BBC reports.

BP says the temporary move is due to the “deteriorating security situation.”

“The safety and security of our people and those working on our behalf is BP’s priority,” the company says.

“In light of the deteriorating security situation for shipping in the Red Sea, BP has decided to temporarily pause all transits through the Red Sea. We will keep this precautionary pause under ongoing review, subject to circumstances as they evolve in the region.”

Jewish Israeli charged with incitement to terrorism, racism for call to exterminate Muslims

The State Attorney’s Office files an indictment against a Jewish citizen for incitement to terrorism, violence, and racism, for posting incendiary messages on social media against Palestinians and Muslims, including calling for the “extermination” of all Muslims on the planet.

The indictment against Noam Dayan, a 34-year old resident of Zichron Ya’akov, is the third indictment against a Jewish citizen for such crimes since the October 7 atrocities perpetrated by Hamas.

In one post on Telegram, Dayan wrote, “The time has come to slaughter Gazan babies in the cradle.”

In other Telegram posts, he wrote, “After this they tell me we don’t need to rape Palestinian women”; “I personally would enjoy smashing the skulls of Arab babies”; “Palestinian girls need to be raped”; and “We need to create extermination camps for Palestinians.”

In other posts he wrote, “What’s important is to kill every Muslim and Arab on the planet,” and “Muslims need to be exterminated, period. Until the last one. Muslims are not humans, they are not even cockroaches, they are air, dust, nothing. Exterminate the plague, now.”

The State Attorney’s Office requests that Dayan be imprisoned until the end of legal proceedings against him.

Dozens of indictments have been filed against Arab Israeli citizens for incitement and identifying with terrorist groups since October 7, with the State Attorney’s Office requesting that many of them remain in prison until legal proceedings are concluded.

IDF releases videos of airstrikes aborted due to presence of civilians

The IDF releases footage showing recent aborted airstrikes in the Gaza Strip due to the presence of civilians.

“Hamas sees civilian death as a strategy, we see it as a tragedy, which is why we use many measures to try and minimize the civilian harm and suffering. That is the tragic reality in this war that Hamas started,” says IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari in an English-language video statement.

He says the IDF warns civilians before attacks “whenever possible.”

“We abort attacks when we see unexpected civilian presence. We choose the right munition for each target, so it doesn’t cause unnecessary damage,” Hagari says.

“We also recommend civilians to temporarily move away from areas of intense fighting,” he says.

“We know this is hard, but we are trying to save lives. We have also offered international organizations to set up humanitarian zones. We use tactical pauses to allow for the evacuation of civilians, and the distribution of humanitarian aid,” Hagari continues.

He says that Israel “is not restricting the amount of humanitarian aid that can enter Gaza.”

“We know civilians in Gaza are suffering. This is because of Hamas’s strategy and tactics, and because Hamas steals the international aid, meant for them,” Hagari says.

“Our intent is to defeat Hamas and secure the release of our hostages. The tragic suffering of civilians in Gaza is not our intent,” Hagari says, adding that “our actions reflect this.”

The IDF releases footage showing recent aborted airstrikes in the Gaza Strip due to the presence of civilians. pic.twitter.com/ATSZNKAyCS

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 18, 2023

Tanker targeted with multiple projectiles off Yemen coast; US warship intervenes

Illustrative: This handout picture courtesy of the US Navy taken on October 19, 2023, shows the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) defeating a combination of Houthi missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles in the Red Sea. (Aaron Lau / US NAVY / AFP)

A Cayman Islands-flagged tanker has been attacked in a crucial shipping route off Yemen, a US military official says.

The attack targeting the Swan Atlantic, a chemical and oil products carrier, is the latest in a series of assaults on vessels in the Red Sea and its strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The attacks have been claimed by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who say they are targeting vessels linked to Israel in support of Palestinian terror groups.

The US official said the vessel was attacked by multiple projectiles at about 9 a.m. local time.

The USS Carney, a US warship which provides security to ships in the area, responded to the incident, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the attack.

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which monitors Mideast shipping lanes, also reported an incident in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, off Yemen’s port of Mocha, and warned vessels in the area to exercise caution.

It reported “a possible explosion in the water” about 2 nautical miles from the vessel.

The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the assault.

Mossad chief to meet Qatari PM, CIA director in Warsaw for hostage talks — reports

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) speaks with Mossad chief David Barnea at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv on October 15, 2023. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

Mossad chief David Barnea will meet in Warsaw with CIA director Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on efforts to find a new hostage deal, Hebrew media report.

The Ynet news site quotes a source involved as saying the talks would be “long, complicated and more difficult than before.”

Qatar was a key mediator in the first hostage deal that saw 105 civilians released from Hamas captivity in Gaza: 81 Israelis, 23 Thai nationals and one Filipino. Israel released 240 Palestinian security prisoners, all women and minors.

It is believed that 129 hostages remain in Gaza — not all of them alive. Four hostages were released prior to the first truce, and one was rescued by troops. The bodies of eight hostages have also been recovered and three hostages were mistakenly killed by the military. The Israel Defense Forces has confirmed the deaths of 20 of those still held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza.

Algeria soccer star on trial in France for inciting hatred with Palestinian preacher post

Nice's Youcef Atal in action during the Conference League Group D soccer match between Nice and Partizan at Allianz Riviera stadium in Nice, France, on October 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File)

Algerian international footballer Youcef Atal goes on trial in France, accused of inciting hatred after posting a video in which a Palestinian preacher threatens Israel with a “black day.”

Atal, who plays for Ligue 1 side Nice, shared the video on his Instagram account, which has 3.2 million followers, shortly after the attack by Hamas terrorists on Israel on October 7 in which they killed some 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took 240 hostages.

The 27-year-old defender, who quickly deleted the post and issued an apology, was suspended by his club while prosecutors probed the incident for suspected “justification of terrorism.”

But they dropped that line of investigation after watching the video and questioning the player, instead charging him with “incitement to religious hatred.”

Gallant meeting with US counterpart Austin

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meets with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Tel Aviv on December 18, 2023 (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meets with visiting US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Tel Aviv.

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and other top generals and defense officials also take part in the meeting.

Knesset cancels raises for top government officials amid war

MK Moshe Gafni leads a meeting of the Knesset Finance Committee, which he chairs, on October 23, 2023. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)

The Knesset Finance Committee cancels a scheduled raise in salary for senior government officials and public servants as a contribution to the war effort against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah on the northern border.

The salaries of the president, cabinet ministers, deputy ministers, and judges had all been slated to rise on January 1, 2024, in accordance with the average rate of wage increases.

These salaries are now scheduled to rise again from their 2023 levels only at the beginning of 2025.

Together with the cancellation of raises for MKs agreed upon last week, the state will save NIS 52 million in 2024.

Knesset Finance Committee Chairman Moshe Gafni says he agreed to the move since “these wages are not low” while director of the Israel Courts Administration Judge Michael Spitzer says, “We fully agree to this proposal; the circumstances and the situation require this, there’s no question.”

IDF says it intercepted ‘suspicious aerial target’ from Lebanon

The IDF says it intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” that entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon a short while ago, setting off alarms in several towns.

The interceptor missile fired at the target set off rocket sirens in the community of Amuka, close to Safed.

The IDF says that it has been carrying out artillery shelling against sites in southern Lebanon since this morning, and an aircraft hit an anti-tank missile cell.
Several rockets were also fired from Lebanon at an area near the border community of Ya’ara, the IDF says.

There are no reports of injuries in the latest attacks.

Netanyahu: We need to increase the defense budget by NIS 20 billion per year

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, talks to Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron in Jerusalem on December 18, 2023 (GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel will need to increase its defense budget by some NIS 20 billion ($5.5 billion) per year.

Speaking at a ceremony extending the tenure of Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron, Netanyahu says that while the defense budget grew in recent years, it had shrunk as a percentage of GDP.

“We cannot continue this policy. From now on, right now, we are required to increase significantly, even absolutely, with a jump of at least NIS 20 billion and also as a higher percentage of GDP to meet our security needs,” Netanyahu says.

IDF says soldier killed in Gaza fighting, bring ground op toll to 127

Sgt. First Class (res.) Lidor Yosef Karavani, 23, of the Combat Engineering Corps' 8163rd Battalion, who was killed in fighting in the Gaza Strip on December 17, 2023 (courtesy)

The IDF announces the deaths of a soldier who was killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip yesterday, bringing the toll of slain troops in the ground offensive against Hamas to 127.

He is named as Sgt. First Class (res.) Lidor Yosef Karavani, 23, of the Combat Engineering Corps’ 8163rd Battalion, from Eilat.

Another reservist, of the 551st Brigade, was seriously wounded in the same battle in which Karavani was killed, the IDF says.

Hamas says 110 Palestinians killed in Jabaliya fighting

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says at least 110 Palestinians have been killed since the previous day in Israeli strikes on a northern part of the Strip.

In a brief statement, the ministry said “there were 50 martyrs in occupation strikes on houses in Jabaliya,” bringing to 110 the number of deaths in the area since Sunday.

The numbers cannot be confirmed or verified. Jabaliya has been the scene of some of the heaviest fighting in recent days.

Israel has long asked civilians to leave the area, where Hamas has a stronghold.

US defense chiefs arrive in Israel

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown arrive in Tel Aviv.

The two are expected to press Israeli leaders to transition to a new phase of the war in Gaza after weeks of heavy strikes and a ground offensive. American officials have called for targeted operations aimed at killing Hamas leaders, destroying tunnels and rescuing hostages.

Austin says that in talks with Israeli leaders, he will “reiterate America’s ironclad commitment to Israel, discuss IDF ops to dismantle Hamas, and underscore the need to protect civilians from harm and enable the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”

Wheels down in Tel Aviv. I’ll meet w/@yoavgallant, @IsraeliPM & War Cabinet to reiterate America’s ironclad commitment to Israel, discuss IDF ops to dismantle Hamas, & underscore the need to protect civilians from harm & enable the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. pic.twitter.com/hbsO7MLu7K

— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) December 18, 2023

IDF launches manhunt for gunmen who carried out West Bank terror attack

The IDF says it has launched a manhunt for the Palestinian terrorist who opened fire at an Israeli vehicle in the West Bank earlier, wounding a young woman.

It says forces “have launched a pursuit after the terrorists, and are placing roadblocks in the area.”

The attack was carried out near the Palestinian city of Rawabi and Israeli settlement of Ateret.

Drone infiltration alert sounds in communities on northern border

A suspected drone infiltration alarm is sounding in the Upper Galilee, near the Lebanon border.

The alerts are activated in the communities of Iftach, Malkia, Mevo’ot Hermon Regional Council, Ramot Naftali, and Dishon.

At the same time, a rocket siren is sounding in the community of Amuka, close to Safed.

The IDF is looking into the cause of the alarms.

The Hezbollah terror group has carried out several attacks on northern Israel using explosive-laden drones, though there have also been numerous false alarms.

???? Hostile Aircraft Intrusion (UAV) Alert in Northern #Israel ????????.

• Confrontation Line — Dishon, Iftach, Mevuot Hermon Regional Council, Ramot Naftali, Malkia
• Upper Galilee — Amuka pic.twitter.com/dAUtgWpYD5

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) December 18, 2023

Medics say 6-week-old baby was in car hit by West Bank terror shooting, is unharmed

Magen David Adom medics say that a man and a six-week-old baby were also in the vehicle hit by gunfire in a West Bank shooting attack, but were unharmed.

A 27-year-old woman was wounded in the terror attack and taken to hospital in stable condition with a gunshot wound, MDA says.

The man and baby did not require medical treatment.

IDF says it has downed more than 100 drones and cruise missiles since start of war

The IDF says that since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip on October 7, the Israel Air Force’s air traffic control has identified and thwarted more than 100 aerial threats, including drones and cruise missiles.

The threats were downed using fighter jets and other air defenses, it says.

The IDF publishes footage showing some of the interceptions.

The Hezbollah terror group has launched several explosive-laden drones at Israel from Lebanon, and at least one from Syria.

The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have fired several cruise missiles, drones, and ballistic missiles at Israel.

In Gaza, Hamas has also carried out a number of drone attacks.

The numbers are in addition to thousands of rockets fired from Gaza.

מההפללה ועד לתקיפה: למעלה מ-100 איומים אוויריים סוכלו על ידי חיל האוויר במשימת הגנת שמי המדינה:

מתחילת הלחימה, מזהים מערך הבקרה ומערך הקרב של חיל האוויר איומים ומטרות עוינות רחוקות טווח >> pic.twitter.com/rYz6xL6qTb

— דובר צה״ל דניאל הגרי – Daniel Hagari (@IDFSpokesperson) December 18, 2023

Woman reported wounded in West Bank shooting attack

An Israeli vehicle in which a woman was wounded after coming under fire in a West Bank terror attack on December 18, 2023 (Binyamin council)

A woman has been injured in a shooting attack in the West Bank, officials and medics say.

The Binyamin local council says shots were fired at two Israeli vehicles near the  Ateret Binyamin settlement. It says the attackers fled toward Ramallah.

The Magen David Adom rescue service says its medics are treating a woman injured with a gunshot wound who managed to reach Jerusalem. It says the woman is conscious.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

Iran state TV: 70% of gas stations affected in suspected cyberattack

Nearly 70% of Iran’s gas stations went out of service following possible sabotage — a reference to cyberattacks, Iranian state TV reports.

The report says a “software problem” caused the irregularity in the gas stations. It urges people not to rush to the stations that were still operational.

State TV quotes a statement by the Oil Ministry as saying more than 30% of gas stations remain in service. The country has some 33,000 gas stations.

An Israel-linked hacker group dubbed “Gonjeshke Darande,” or “predatory sparrow,” claimed the cyberattack.

IDF says it found NIS 5 million in cash in a suitcase in home of top Hamas member

Cash seized at the home of a senior Hamas member in northern Gaza's Jabaliya, in a handout image published by the IDF, December 18, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

Troops of the Multidomain Unit, also known as the Ghost Unit, seized some NIS 5 million in cash in suitcases found in the home of a senior Hamas member in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya, the IDF says.

The IDF says it also carried out strikes against more than 150 sites in the Gaza Strip over the past day.

In the Khan Younis area, an IAF drone spotted a Hamas cell entering a site belonging to the terror group. Troops of the Givati Brigade then directed a combat helicopter to strike the cell, the IDF says.

Also in Khan Younis, the IDF says troops of the Kiryati Brigade spotted a Hamas sniper in a building, and directed a drone strike, killing the operative.

The Navy also carried out strikes in Gaza, aiding ground forces operating along the Strip’s coast, the IDF says.

Israel says Iran, Hezbollah behind failed attempt to hack Ziv hospital

An Israeli injured when a missile was fired from Lebanon toward Metula arrives at the Ziv Medical Center in Safed, October 17, 2023 (David Cohen/Flash90)

Israel’s National Cyber directorate says Iran and Hezbollah were behind an attempt to hack the Ziv Medical Center in Safed that nevertheless managed to steal sensitive medical information.

The directorate says the attempt occurred last month and hackers were thwarted from disrupting the workings of the hospital.

“In a joint effort by the cyber directorate, the IDF, the Shin Bet, and the Health Ministry and hospital teams, the attack was stopped before it could achieve its goal of disrupting the hospital’s operations and harming the medical care of civilians,” the directorate says in a statement.

“However, it was found that the group stole some sensitive information stored in the hospital’s systems,” it adds

Gaza documents from 2015 identifying Israeli officers reportedly found by troops

A document reportedly seized during a raid in Khan Younis, according to a December 17, 2023, report by Channel 13 news. (screen capture: Channel 13; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

A trove of secret documents reportedly seized by Israeli troops in the Gazan city of Khan Younis points to evidence that Palestinian terrorists were studying the identities of senior Israeli officers some eight years ago, even as the Strip struggled to recover from a devastating war the year before.

Channel 13 news airs pictures of some of the documents, which are marked “restricted” and date from 2015, according to the report. The papers include pictures purporting to show military and intelligence officers members of the Israel Defense Forces general staff, as well as then-army chief Gadi Eisenkot and then-defense minister Avigdor Liberman.

Other papers contain information about the IDF’s organizational structure.

A document from 2015 reportedly seized during a raid in Khan Younis, showing then-army chief Gadi Eisenkot, left, and then-defense minister Avigdor Liberman, according to a December 17, 2023, report by Channel 13 news. (screen capture: Channel 13; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

The army said Sunday that troops had raided the offices of the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis battalion and the vacation homes of several senior Hamas commanders, including the terror group’s Gaza leader, Yahya Sinwar. Troops also raided an outpost belonging to the terror group’s Deir al-Balah battalion, seizing intelligence materials.

Israel fought a major war against Hamas in 2014 during which Hamas-led terrorists carried out several small-scale infiltrations into Israel via tunnels dug beneath the Gaza border. A short time after the war, the army said there was evidence that Hamas had been planning a much larger incursion via the tunnels, on a scale that may have rivaled October 7 attacks.

Gianluca Pacchiani contributed to this report.

Israel-linked hackers claim to paralyze gas stations across Iran

Cars and motorbikes line up to fill up at a service station in Iran's capital Tehran, on October 26, 2021, amid a nationwide disruption of the gas distribution system. (Atta Kenare/AFP)

A hacking group previously linked to Israel claims to have paralyzed gas stations across Iran in a cyber attack.

The group known as “Gonjeshke Darande,” or “predatory sparrow” says it has disabled “a majority of the gas pumps throughout Iran.”

“This cyberattack comes in response to the aggression of the Islamic Republic and its proxies in the region,” it says in statements in Persian and English. “Khamenei, playing with fire has a price.”

The Reuters news agency quotes Iranian state media as saying that a number of gas stations in Tehran had stopped operating, but the cause was not clear.

“Gonjeshke Darande” has previously claimed a cyber attack on Iran’s major steel companies.

At the time Israeli military correspondents, who are regularly briefed off-the-record by senior Israeli officials, hinted that Israel was behind that hack.

(1/2) We, Gonjeshke Darande, carried out another cyberattack today, taking out a majority of the gas pumps throughout Iran. This cyberattack comes in response to the aggression of the Islamic Republic and its proxies in the region.

Khamenei, playing with fire has a price.

— Gonjeshke Darande (@darandegonjeshk) December 18, 2023

The incident comes as Iran-backed proxies like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen have stepped up attacks against Israel in the wake of the war with Hamas.

Rocket warning siren sounds on northern border

A rocket warning siren sounds in Ya’ara, a community on the northern border.

There is no immediate information on what sparked the warning.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group has fired dozens of rockets and carried out frequent attacks along the border since the October 7 Hamas assault on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.

Rocket Alerts [09:01:29] – 1 Alert:

• Confrontation Line — Ya'ara#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/vuplixsN3J

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) December 18, 2023

UK maritime group reports explosion near ship in Red Sea

A ship traveling in the Red Sea near Yemen reports another possible attack by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The vessel, traveling some 30 miles off the coast of Yemen, reports an explosion in the water nearby, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO), run by Britain’s Royal Navy.

There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage and UKMTO says authorities are investigating.

UKMTO WARNING 012/DEC/23

INCIDENThttps://t.co/a6eYax4Zi0#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/SnaxynGywL

— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) December 18, 2023

The Iranian-backed Houthis have repeatedly attacked vessels in the Red Sea since October 7, when Hamas terrorists launched a shock onslaught on Israel, killing 1,200 and taking some 240 hostages. Israel has vowed to destroy the Hamas regime in Gaza and is over two months into a war with the terror organization.

IDF announces death of 4 soldiers, raising Gaza ground op toll to 126

The IDF announces the deaths of four soldiers in Gaza on December 18, 2023. Clockwise from top left: Sgt. First Class Urija Bayer, 20, Master Sgt. (res.) Tal Filiba, 23, Master Sgt. (res.) Etan Naeh, 26, and Sgt. First Class Liav Aloush, 21. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF announces the deaths of four IDF soldiers killed in Gaza fighting, bringing the toll of slain troops in the ground offensive against Hamas to 126.

Sgt. First Class Urija Bayer, 20, a commando in the Maglan unit, from the northern town of Maalot-Tarshiha, died of his wounds sustained in fighting in southern Gaza on December 14.

Sgt. First Class Liav Aloush, 21, a commando in the Duvdevan unit, from Gedera, was killed fighting in southern Gaza yesterday.

Master Sgt. (res.) Etan Naeh, 26, also of the Duvdevan unit, from Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu in northern Israel, was killed fighting in southern Gaza yesterday.

Master Sgt. (res.) Tal Filiba, 23, of the Combat Engineering Corps’ Yahalom unit, from Rehovot, was killed fighting in southern Gaza yesterday.

The military says that a third fighter from the Duvdevan unit was seriously injured in the fighting.

Draft UNSC resolution calls to release hostages, stresses importance of unifying Gaza, West Bank under PA

The draft resolution set to be brought to a vote later Monday calls for an “urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access in the Gaza Strip” and the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”

Like the previous resolution, vetoed by the US, demanding a ceasefire brought to a vote in the Security Council on December 9, the new draft text too does not explicitly name Hamas but does vaguely condemn “all indiscriminate attacks against civilians.”

The text also affirms support for a two-state solution in the region and “stresses the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority.”

Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza was triggered by the group’s onslaught in Israel on October 7, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists flooded into Israel via land, air and sea, massacring more than 1,200 people and seizing some 240 hostages of all ages — mostly civilians — under the cover of a deluge of thousands of rockets fired at Israeli towns and cities.

In response, Israel vowed to eliminate the terror group, and waged a wide-scale offensive in Gaza which the Hamas-run health ministry says has left more than 18,800 people dead. These figures cannot be independently verified, and are believed to include both civilians and Hamas members killed in Gaza, including as a consequence of terror groups’ own rocket misfires.

The UN and other world bodies have warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza as millions are displaced, and amid new reports that aid is being stolen and looted by Palestinian gunmen.

Last week, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a nonbinding resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate, unconditional release of all hostages. the The UNGA’s 193 members voted overwhelmingly for a ceasefire, with 153 in favor — exceeding the 140 or so countries that have routinely backed resolutions condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

The upcoming Security Council resolution was introduced by Arab countries that had come away from last Tuesday’s General Assembly vote bolstered by such broad international support, though the latest text’s fate remains uncertain.

According to diplomatic sources, negotiations on the new text are ongoing.

The US is looking to amend the language on the cessation of hostilities, diplomats told Reuters earlier.

“We have engaged constructively and transparently throughout the entire process in an effort to unite around a product that will pass,” a US official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, according to Reuters. “The UAE knows exactly what can pass and what cannot — it is up to them if they want to get this done.”

Washington has been pressing Israel to wrap up the current phase of “high intensity” fighting in Gaza quickly and to bring an end to its ferocious military campaign, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 shock assault, and instead focus more on pinpoint operations.

Israeli leaders, however, have continued to vow that the IDF would push ahead with the military offensive in Gaza until Hamas’s defeat.

Security scare in US as car plows into parked vehicle in Biden’s motorcade

President Joe Biden reacts after hearing a loud bang as he leaves his campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Del., Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. A car plowed into a parked SUV that was part of Biden's motorcade Sunday night while the president was leaving a visit to his campaign headquarters. The president and first lady Jill Biden were unharmed. (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WILMINGTON, United States — A car crashed into a vehicle attached to Joe Biden’s motorcade on Sunday, with the security scare startling the US president as he left his campaign headquarters in Delaware.

The president and first lady Jill Biden were unharmed.

After a loud bang caused by a sedan slamming into an SUV positioned in a nearby intersection about 40 meters (130 feet) from Biden, security personnel rushed the president into a waiting vehicle and he was whisked away from the building in downtown Wilmington.

“Both the president and first lady are fine,” a White House official told an AFP reporter who witnessed the incident. Further questions were referred to the US Secret Service.

Pool reporters had gathered on the sidewalk outside the campaign offices — where the president and first lady had had dinner with staff — and had just finished shouting questions to Biden from a distance when they heard the crash and saw him with a surprised expression on his face.

Agents sprang into action, cornering the silver car with Delaware license plates and drawing weapons on the driver, who held his hands up.

Reporters were then quickly rounded up by staff to join the motorcade as it departed the rain-drenched scene.

“They’re evacuating, you guys gotta go,” a staffer told reporters as security personnel secured the area.

Biden arrived safely at his family home without further incident.

His schedule was otherwise unaffected by the incident.

The Secret Service did not immediately comment on the incident.

UN Security Council to vote on new resolution demanding ceasefire, aid access to Gaza

The United Nations Security Council may vote as early as Monday on a new call for a ceasefire in Gaza and a demand that Israel and Hamas allow access to Gaza for humanitarian aid and to set up UN monitoring of the assistance delivered, Reuters reports.

The resolution, drafted by the United Arab Emirates, demands access to the Hamas-ruled enclave via land, sea and air routes.

The draft text, Reuters reports, currently “calls for an urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access.”

The US is looking to amend the language on the cessation of hostilities, diplomats tells Reuters.

“We have engaged constructively and transparently throughout the entire process in an effort to unite around a product that will pass,” says a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “The UAE knows exactly what can pass and what cannot — it is up to them if they want to get this done.”

Diplomats say the fate of the resolution depends on final negotiations between the US, which has veto power, and the UAE.

The US recently used its veto power to nix a resolution earlier this month, backed by almost all other Security Council members and many other nations, demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

But Washington has also been pressing Israel to wrap up the current phase of “high intensity” fighting in Gaza quickly and to bring an end to its ferocious military campaign in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 shock assault on Israel, and instead focus more on pinpoint operations.

Israeli leaders, however, have continued to vow that the IDF would push ahead with the military offensive in Gaza until Hamas’s defeat.

The UN and other world bodies have warned of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza following over three months of war.

The report on the UNSC draft resolution demanding aid access to Gaza comes a day after videos circulating on social media showed gunmen, reportedly Hamas operatives, stealing trucks delivering humanitarian aid from Egypt, as aid convoys also started entering the Palestinian enclave through the Kerem Shalom border crossing for the first time since the outbreak of the war on October 7.

In the videos, masked and armed men can be seen sitting on top of the humanitarian supplies — usually food, water, medicine and fuel — as the trucks drive deeper into the Strip.

Hebrew-language media reported the men were affiliated with the Hamas terror group that rules the coastal enclave.

In October, the United Nations organization that works with Palestinian refugees and their descendants indicated that Hamas authorities in Gaza had stolen fuel and medical supplies meant for refugees, though the posts were later deleted.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to arrive in Israel today

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will arrive in Israel later Monday for a visit as Washington pushes Israel on civilian casualties in Gaza even as it provides vital military and diplomatic support.

British newspaper the Guardian reported on Sunday that Austin will announce a new maritime protection force during his visit to the Middle East, after repeated attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on commercial ships traversing the Red Sea.

The report said the naval task force will initially be called Operation Prosperity Guardian and work to ensure the Red Sea is safe for shipping.

The expected mission will be modeled on a joint US-led maritime force based in Bahrain, where Austin touched down on Sunday night.

He will be in Israel Monday and will also visit Qatar while in the region.