Dec. 29: IDF strikes targets Lebanon and Syria in response to rocket fire

IDF strikes in Syria after rockets fired at Golan; also hits Hezbollah sites in Lebanon

After warning sirens were heard in several towns in the northern Golan Heights, the Israel Defense Forces confirms they were triggered by rockets launched from the Golan Heights.

The IDF says both projectiles landed in open areas and that Israeli forces are shelling the source of the fire.

The army also says it struck “terror infrastructure” belonging to Hezbollah and a launch site used by the Lebanese group, following a number of cross-border attacks earlier today.

כוחות צה"ל תקפו תשתית טרור של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בלבנון.
בנוסף, כלי טיס של חיל האוויר תקף מוקדם יותר היום, עמדת שיגור שהייתה בשימוש חיזבאללה בשטח לבנון.

כמו כן, בהמשך להתרעות בצפון הארץ לפני זמן קצר, זוהו שני שיגורים שחצו משטח סוריה ונפלו בשטח פתוח >> pic.twitter.com/ZOOIRYC0ZO

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) December 29, 2023

Skipping congressional review, Blinken okays emergency sale of M107 shells to Israel

WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has approved the potential sale to Israel of M107 155mm projectiles and related equipment for $147.5 million and skipped its review by the Congress, the Pentagon says today.

Blinken determined that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to Israel, thereby waiving the congressional review requirements, according to the Pentagon.

PM said to bar heads of Mossad and Shin Bet from a meeting with Gallant, IDF chief

In this handout photo, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (2nd left) meets with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi (right), Mossad chief David Barnea (left) and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar (2nd right) on November 29, 2023. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu barred Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar from taking part in a meeting two days ago with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Channel 12 news reports.

According to the report, the four were slated to hold an urgent discussion on military operations in the Israel-Hamas war that would be sent to Netanyahu for approval, but the premier prevented Barnea and Bar from participating.

In response, Netanyahu’s office denies he’s “limiting” Barnea, who it says can attend any meeting that doesn’t conflict with his schedule.

“The cabinet for managing the war is the forum that will chart and determine policy regarding the hostages and the missing, with no exception,” the Prime Minister’s Office.

But the network, which doesn’t cite a source, is adamant that the scheduled meeting was meant to deal with operational matters and not hostages, while noting the response from Netanyahu’s office omits Bar and only mentions Barnea.

The report comes days after Channel 12 said Netanyahu has been preventing Gallant from meeting with Barnea to discuss efforts to secure the release of the hostages remaining in Gaza if he’s not also present.

While Netanyahu cannot prevent Gallant from meeting with senior military and security officials, both the Mossad and Shin Bet are under the authority of the Prime Minister’s Office.

Rocket alerts sound in northern Golan communities

Incoming rocket sirens sound in several towns in the northern Golan Heights.

IDF says troops shot Palestinian who hurled explosive at army post outside Jerusalem

Israeli troops “neutralized” a Palestinian suspect who hurled an explosive at a military post on the outskirts of Jerusalem, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

A statement from the army says soldiers in the 636th Combat Intelligence Collection unit who were on a mission near the Palestinian town of Abu Dis spotted the suspect throwing the explosive and shot him.

The IDF doesn’t give details on the suspect’s condition, but the Palestinian Authority’s official Wafa news agency reports a man in the area was shot dead by Israeli forces.

No troops were wounded in the incident.

Qatar said to tell Israel that Hamas ‘agrees in principle’ to resume talks on hostage deal

Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha, Qatar, October 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

Qatari mediators have told Israel that Hamas “agrees in principle” to resume negotiations for the release of further hostages taken by the terror group during the October 7 atrocities, in exchange for a weeks-long truce in the Gaza Strip, the Walla news site reports.

Citing three Israeli officials, the report says Israel is responding warily to the message and stressing that it will quickly emerge whether Hamas is indeed serious.

According to the report, the talks remained centered on a proposal presented by Mossad chief David Barnea that would include the release of some 40 hostages, including women still held by Hamas, men over 60 and those with serious medical issues. In return for the hostages, Israel would halt military operations in Gaza for a week or two and release a numer of Palestinian security prisoners.

One of the Israeli officials says the Qatari message is very preliminary but describes it as a positive development.

“We move from a freeze to a situation that is very cold,” the official is quoted as saying.

Another official says Israel has yet to receive a concrete offer from Qatar and is waiting for further details, adding, “in any case the gaps remain large.”

IDF says intensive strikes in Lebanon aimed at distancing Hezbollah from border

FILE - IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari speaks to the press at the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv on October 18, 2023. (Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP)

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says the military has carried out major airstrikes in recent days against Hezbollah, in hopes of pushing the terror group away from Israel’s northern border.

“In the last two days, we completed a series of widespread strikes by fighter jets, tanks and artillery on Hezbollah targets,” Hagari says in an evening press conference.

“Targets were hit in all areas of Lebanon, including rocket launch sites, military compounds and terror infrastructure. Additionally, we struck terror cells and killed terrorists on the ground and in buildings,” he says.

“We continue to carry out intense attacks and damage the Hezbollah deployment that was near the northern border,” Hagari says.

He says that the terror group’s deployment in southern Lebanon “no longer looks the same as it did on October 6, and it will never be the same again.”

In the Gaza Strip, he says the IDF is continuing to battle Hamas in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, the so-called central camps in central Gaza, and in the Gaza City neighborhoods of Daraj and Tuffah.

“We are continuing to exert all of the IDF’s military pressure on Hamas,” he adds.

German chancellor speaks with Gantz about war in Gaza, Israel-Lebanon border skirmishes

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gives a press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin on November 14, 2023. (Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)

BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz held a phone call today with minister and war cabinet member Benny Gantz in which Scholz underscored the need to protect civilians and avoid regional conflict, the German federal government says in a statement.

Gantz informed the chancellor of the latest developments in Gaza and on Israel’s northern border, the statement says.

‘Blood libel’: Israel slams South Africa for requesting ICJ genocide investigation

The Foreign Ministry slams South Africa for asking the International Court of Justice to investigate Israel for allegedly violating the UN’s Genocide Convention during the war in Gaza against Hamas, dismissing Pretoria’s accusations as a “blood libel.”

“South Africa’s claim has no factual and judicial basis and is a despicable and cheap exploitation of the court,” the ministry says in a statement. “South Africa is collaborating with a terror group that calls for the destruction of the State of Israel.”

The ministry blames Hamas for the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip by attempting “to carry out genocide” on October 7, when terrorists from the Strip killed some 1,200 people and took around 240 hostages after invading southern Israel.

It also stresses Israeli military operations in Gaza are directed against Hamas and other terror factions, adding that “Israel has clarified that the residents of the Gaza Strip are not the enemy.”

“We call on the International Court of Justice and the international community to reject the baseless claims of South Africa out of hand,” the statement says.

IDF says troops demolished Gaza hideout belonging to Sinwar, large tunnel system below it

This image from video shows a Hamas tunnel under an apartment near Gaza City believed to have been used as a hideout by Yahya Sinwar, in a video published by the IDF on December 29, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says it has located and demolished a hideout apartment belonging to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in northern Gaza, along with a large tunnel system under it.

The apartment, located on the outskirts of Gaza City, was found by the 14th Reserve Armored Brigade and later investigated by the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit, which found a tunnel shaft.

The IDF says it found “many findings” in the apartment that indicated it was used by Sinwar as a hideout.

The tunnel shaft was some 20 meters deep, and led to a 218 meter long tunnel with several branches, according to the IDF.

The underground passages featured electricity, air filtration systems, plumbing, resting and prayer rooms, and other equipment aimed at allowing senior Hamas members to remain hidden for long periods.

The tunnel was later destroyed by combat engineers, the IDF says.

The IDF says it has located and demolished a hideout apartment belonging to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in northern Gaza, along with a large tunnel system under it.

The apartment, located on the outskirts of Gaza City, was found by the 14th Reserve Armored Brigade and later… pic.twitter.com/QYaHoeCwVT

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 29, 2023

Biden extends reciprocal agricultural trade terms for Israel through end of next year

CHRISTIANSTED, St. Croix – US President Joe Biden has extended duty-free reciprocal trade terms and concessions for Israel on specified quantities of certain agricultural products for one year to December 31, 2024, the White House says today.

In a proclamation signed by Biden while vacationing in St. Croix, the US president says the extension will allow additional time for the two governments to conclude an agreement to replace a trade deal that dates back to 2004.

South Africa urges ICJ to probe Israel, claims war against Hamas ‘genocidal in character’

File: This photo shows an exterior view of the Peace Palace, which houses the International Court of Justice, or World Court, in The Hague, Netherlands on February 18, 2019. (AP/Peter Dejong)

The International Court of Justice says South Africa has filed a motion to launch proceedings against Israel, claiming Israeli forces have violated the UN’s Genocide Convention during the war against the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group.

South Africa’s application to the Hague-based court charges that IDF operations against Hamas “are genocidal in character, as they are committed with the requisite specific intent… to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group.”

“The conduct of Israel… in relation to Palestinians in Gaza, is in violation of its obligations under the Genocide Convention,” the application claims.

5 IDF soldiers hurt, including 1 seriously, in West Bank car-ramming attack

A military helicopter brings a wounded man from the car-ramming attack near the Otniel settlement in the West Bank to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, December 29, 2023 (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)

The IDF says five soldiers were wounded in a car-ramming attack earlier today in the southern West Bank.

One soldier was listed in serious condition, while the other four were light-to-moderately hurt, according to the IDF.

All five were taken to hospitals in Israel for treatment.

2 Lod shooting victims pronounced dead, including 9-year-old boy

A 9-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man who were critically hurt in a shooting in the central city of Lod have been declared dead, according to police.

A police statement says the two, both residents of Lod, died after being taken to a hospital for treatment. A third man moderately hurt in the shooting is also being treated at Yitzhak Shamir Medical Center in Be’er Yaakov.

Central police commander Avi Bitton is holding an assessment with senior officers at the scene of the shooting.

Denmark to dispatch frigate to Red Sea as part of US-led naval mission

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Denmark will send a frigate to participate in the US-led Red Sea operation in January 2024, the Danish Defense Minister says today.

Several countries, led by the United States, on Monday agreed to patrol the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to safeguard commercial shipping against attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the area.

“We are concerned about the serious situation unfolding in the Red Sea, where unprovoked attacks against civilian shipping continue,” Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen says in a statement.

The Danish government will submit a resolution to the Danish Parliament in January to contribute to the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian with a frigate that can be deployed from the end of January, the government adds.

3 wounded, including 2 critically, by gunfire in Lod

Three people are wounded — two of them critically — after being shot in the central city of Lod.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service reports the two people in critical condition are both unconscious.

The wounded include a 10-year-old boy in critical condition and a 15-year-old who is moderately hurt, according to Hebrew media reports.

Police launch an investigation and say officers are gathering evidence from the scene and searching for suspects.

Rocket warning alert activated in evacuated kibbutz near Gaza

A rocket warning alert is activated in Kibbutz Zikim, which was evacuated along with numerous other communities near the Gaza Strip following the October 7 atrocities by Hamas.

In swipe at Bennett, Gallant calls for ‘roar of the jets to drown out superfluous talk’

In this handout photo, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tours the Ramat David air base in northern Israel, December 29, 2023. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issues a veiled criticism of former prime minister Naftali Bennett after the latter revealed he ordered two strikes on Iran when he was premier last year.

“The operations of the air force in all sectors is very impressive and it’s fitting that the roar of the jets drown out the superfluous talk and allow IDF forces to carry out their mission quietly and securely,” Gallant says during a tour of the Ramat David air base.

He also says the Israel Defense Forces is currently engaged in “intensified operations in the Gaza Strip, and they will continue for an extended period until the objectives are achieved. [The operations] are currently centered on Khan Younis.”

Citing ‘very high’ terror threat, France to boost security for New Year’s festivities

French police officers patrol in front of the Arc de Triomphe in the Champs Elysees area of Paris on July 1, 2023. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)

PARIS — Security will be tight across France on New Year’s Eve, with 90,000 law enforcement officers set to be deployed, domestic intelligence chief Céline Berthon says today.

Of those, 6,000 will be in Paris, where French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin says over 1.5 million people are expected to attend celebrations on the Champs-Elysees.

Speaking at a press conference, Darmanin cites a “very high terrorist threat” because, in part, of “what is happening in Israel and Palestine,” referring to the Israel-Hamas war.

Darmanin says that police for the first time will be able to use drones as part of security work, and that tens of thousands of firefighters and 5,000 soldiers would also be deployed.

New Year’s Eve celebrations in Paris will center on the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, including DJ sets, fireworks and video projections on the Arc de Triomphe.

The security challenge ahead of the Olympics was highlighted when a tourist was killed in a knife attack near the Eiffel Tower on December 2. Large-scale attacks — such as that at the Bataclan in 2015, when Islamic extremists invaded the music hall and shot up cafe terraces, killing 130 people — also loom in memory.

The knife attack raised concern in France and abroad about security for the Games that begin July 26, in just under seven months. But law enforcement officials appear eager to show off a security-ready Paris.

Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd, Japan’s 2 largest shipping firms to keep avoiding Red Sea

The Hapag-Lloyd container ship 'Chacabuco' from Monrovia is docked in Hamburg, Germany, March 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

BERLIN — Hapag-Lloyd will continue to divert its vessels around the Suez Canal for security reasons, a spokesperson for the German container shipper says today, adding a further assessment will be made on January 2.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Nippon Yusen, Japan’s largest shipping companies, also say their vessels with links to Israel are avoiding the Red Sea area. Both companies say they are monitoring the situation. Shipping giants including Hapag-Lloyd and Denmark’s Maersk earlier this month stopped using Red Sea routes and the Suez Canal after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebel group began targeting vessels, disrupting global trade, amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Instead, they rerouted ships around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope to avoid attacks, charging customers extra fees and adding days or weeks to the time it takes to transport goods from Asia to Europe and to the east coast of North America.

The situation remains uncertain. Maersk is planning to sail almost all container vessels traveling between Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal from now on while diverting only a handful around Africa, a Reuters breakdown of the group’s schedule showed yesterday.

France’s CMA CGM is also increasing the number of vessels it has travelling through the Suez Canal, it said on Tuesday.

Incoming rocket alerts sound in pair of northern border towns

Incoming rocket alerts sound in the northern border towns of Zarit and Shomera.

IDF strikes Hezbollah sites and anti-tank missile squad after attacks from Lebanon

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

It says the targets included rocket launching positions, a military site and other infrastructure used by the terror group.

The IDF says it also struck an anti-tank missile squad in the southern Lebanon village of Aitaroun, and a launcher used to fire missiles at Israel from the village of Yaroun earlier today.

Several rockets were fired at northern Israel in the last hour, three of which crossed the border. The IDF says it is striking the launch sites.

Earlier drone infiltration alarms that sounded in the north were false alarms, the IDF adds.

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

It says the targets included rocket launching positions, a military site, and other infrastructure used by the terror group.… pic.twitter.com/llntuSctv3

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 29, 2023

Warning sirens activated in towns near Lebanon due to suspected drone infiltration

Warning sirens are activated in numerous Israeli communities near the border with Lebanon due to a suspected drone infiltration.

The IDF’s Home Front Command reports “the penetration of a hostile enemy aircraft” into Israeli airspace.

Iran rejects Western criticism over accelerated uranium enrichment

In this image made from April 17, 2021, video released by the Islamic Republic Iran Broadcasting, IRIB, state-run TV, various centrifuge machines line the hall damaged on April 11, 2021, at the Natanz Uranium Enrichment Facility, some 200 miles (322 km) south of the capital Tehran. (IRIB via AP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s foreign ministry rejects criticism by France, Germany, Britain and the United States of its increase in uranium enrichment, saying this was part of its peaceful nuclear program.

“Enrichment at 60% level in Iran’s enrichment centers has always been and will continue to be in accordance with the peaceful needs of the country and fully under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani tells state media.

Lebanon reports UAV strike on vehicle close to border with Israel

A car in Lebanon was hit by a UAV, Lebanese media reports, alleging that Israel is responsible for the attack.

Several reports claim that the strike was an attempted assassination.

The Lebanon National News Agency also reports Israeli warplanes flying low in the sky over several locations in southern Lebanon, close to the border with Israel.

At the same time, the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group claims responsibility for firing rockets at Israel earlier in the day.

נסיון חיסול ממוקד בעיתרון בדרום לבנון, פציעה קלה לפי דיווחים מלבנון pic.twitter.com/WN1fhovd45

— Asslan Khalil (@KhalilAsslan) December 29, 2023

Suspected drone infiltration siren sounds in northern Israel

Suspected drone infiltration sirens sound in the Upper Galilee, near the Lebanon border.

The alerts are activated in the communities of  Iftah, Malkia, Hermon Regional Council, Ramot Naftali and Dishon, among others.

Rocket Alerts [14:35:19] – 5 Alerts:

• Confrontation Line — Malkia, Iftach, Dishon, Ramot Naftali, Mevuot Hermon Regional Council#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/jWaXmlJQUB

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) December 29, 2023

4 wounded in suspected ramming attack in West Bank, assailant shot dead at the scene

Four Israelis are wounded in the suspected car-ramming attack in the southern West Bank, medics say.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says it is treating four people who were struck by a car on the Route 60 highway, close to the Adorayim Junction, north of the settlement of Otniel.

It says one of the four in their 20s is listed in moderate condition, while the other three are lightly hurt.

The assailant was reportedly shot dead by IDF troops at the scene.

From the scene of the car-ramming near the Route 60 highway, close to the Adorayim Junction, north of the settlement of Otniel. pic.twitter.com/NXTzG1mAtj

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 29, 2023

At least three injured in suspected car-ramming attack near Otniel in the West Bank

Medics are responding to reports of a suspected car-ramming attack near the settlement of Otniel in the southern West Bank.

The Rescuers Without Borders emergency service says there are at least three reported wounded at the scene.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF on the incident.

Sirens sound in northern Israel communities

Sirens sound in northern Israel communities close to the Lebanon border, warning of incoming rockets.

Sirens are heard in the communities of Kfar Blum and Neot Mordechai in the Upper Galilee.

🚨 More Red Alerts in northern #Israel.

Kfar Blum, Neot Mordechai pic.twitter.com/eyYsE3iXih

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) December 29, 2023

Bennett defends revealing Iran strikes, says Israel lets itself be held hostage by regime

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett defends himself in the face of criticism from Israeli officials after he revealed that he directed Israel’s security forces to strike Iran on two separate occasions in 2022.

“The problem with Iran is not the publication of moves we made against it that were already public knowledge, but that they hold us hostage through Hamas and Hezbollah, and even the Houthis,” he says in a written statement. “The governments of the last decade talk and sermonize but don’t exact a painful price from the leaders of Iran.”

Bennett accuses Israel of “falling right into the trap of the Iranian octopus,” and adds that Israel’s overarching goal must be “cutting off the head of the octopus and overthrowing the Iranian regime.”

Iran is a terror octopus. Its arms—Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houtis—are sowing chaos and terror across the world.

It’s time for the US and its allies to target its head, Tehran, and bring down its regime. pic.twitter.com/QRqyZi5WV2

— Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט (@naftalibennett) December 29, 2023

International aid group warns of famine, disease spreading among Palestinians in Gaza

Palestinian children stand in the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, December 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

The international aid group Mercy Corps warns about famine and disease affecting Palestinians in Gaza as the war between Israel and Hamas continues.

Kate Phillips-Barrasso, vice president of Mercy Corps, says that relentless fighting and insufficient humanitarian aid were compounding the humanitarian crisis.

She says the amount of lifesaving goods being allowed inside Gaza is a drop in the ocean and has not yet increased to the level necessary to meet Gazans’ basic and critical needs, even after Israel opened its Kerem Shalom border crossing.

Half a million people face “catastrophic hunger and starvation,” she says, adding that the aid delivery is further complicated by the security risks involved.

Israel has previously said that the UN is failing to process aid fast enough, stressing that it has inspected three times the amount of aid than has been entering Gaza.

Hamas has also been accused of stealing and stockpiling aid, keeping it from increasingly desperate civilians.

The IDF believes the humanitarian situation in Gaza is reasonable given the circumstances, and wishes to avoid a major crisis that would harm Israel’s legitimacy to continue its operations in the Strip.

Rocket sirens sound in Gaza border communities

Sirens sound in Gaza border communities, warning those still in the largely evacuated communities of incoming rocket fire.

Sirens were heard in the communities of Holit, Nir Yitzhak and Sufa.

Rocket Alerts [12:08:47] – 3 Alerts:

• Gaza Envelope — Nir Itzhak, Sufa, Holit#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/6SqnEqglLJ

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) December 29, 2023

IDF says troops demolish Hamas infrastructure in homes of terrorists who attacked Nir Oz

IDF troops of the 5th Reserve Brigade operate in southern Gaza’s Khuza'a, in this undated photo published by the military on December 29, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says it is advancing in southern Gaza’s Khuza’a, on the outskirts of Khan Younis, with troops of the 5th Reserve Brigade killing numerous Hamas operatives and destroying the terror group’s infrastructure.

Earlier this week the IDF announced it had launched an offensive on Khuza’a, in an operation targeting the Hamas terrorists who attacked the Israeli border community of Nir Oz on October 7, where dozens of Israelis were killed and kidnapped.

The IDF says it is working to establish “operational control” over the area, and has so far killed Hamas gunmen and struck “significant” assets belonging to the terror group, including tunnel networks and anti-tank missile launch positions.

It says the fighting in Khuza’a is “intense.”

Dozens of tunnel shafts have been found by the troops, along with numerous weapons, including assault rifles, explosives, and mortars, the IDF says.

The IDF adds that combat engineers with the 5th Brigade have demolished Hamas infrastructure in the homes of Hamas terrorists who participated in the attack on Nir Oz, where dozens of Israelis were killed and kidnapped on October 7.

Turkey detains 32 ISIS operatives, thwarts plans to bomb synagogues and churches

Turkish security forces detain 32 people suspected of links to ISIS who were allegedly planning to carry out attacks on synagogues and churches as well as the Iraqi Embassy, Turkey’s state-run news agency reports.

The suspects, including three alleged senior ISIS operatives, were detained in raids carried out at dawn in nine provinces across Turkey, Anadolu Agency reports, citing unnamed security sources.

They were detained in a joint operation by the country’s intelligence agency and police, the agency says.

The arrests come a week after police rounded up 304 suspected ISIS operatives in simultaneous raids across Turkey in what appeared to be a security sweep leading up to the New Year festivities.

Hamas delegation heads to Cairo to discuss Egypt’s plan to end Gaza war

A delegation of high-level Hamas officials is due in Egypt later today for talks with Cairo about putting an end to the nearly 12-week war with Israel that began with the terror group’s deadly October 7 onslaught, reports say.

Egypt’s three-stage plan provides for renewable ceasefires, a staggered release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel, and ultimately an end to the war.

On Thursday, the head of Egypt’s State Information Service, Diaa Rashwan, said that Cairo has yet to receive a response from either Israel or Hamas and that it would only provide additional details about the plan once both parties have presented their stances.

IDF says 688 reservists standing for municipal elections cannot be released from service

The IDF tells the government that in total, 688 reservists who are candidates in the nationwide municipal elections scheduled for the end of January will not be able to be released from their service to participate.

There are almost 4,000 reserve soldiers who are candidates in the municipal elections, but after examining the request to release them by the end of January, the IDF finds that of the 1,829 active reserve soldiers, only 1,141 of them can be released from operational duty.

The IDF does not allow for soldiers or reservists who are actively serving to engage in political campaigns and so those who cannot be released, will not be able to stand for election.

The municipal elections were originally scheduled for October 31 but were postponed in light of the October 7 Hamas assault and the war in Gaza.

UNRWA director says Israeli forces fired on humanitarian aid convoy in northern Gaza

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees says an aid convoy came under fire by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip without causing any casualties.

According to UNRWA’s director in Gaza, Thomas White, the UN aid convoy was returning from northern Gaza on a route designated for humanitarian aid when it came under fire.

“Our international convoy leader and his team were not injured but one vehicle sustained damage,” White writes on X, formerly Twitter.

“Aid workers should never be a target,” he adds.

The IDF says it is looking into the reports.

#Gaza – Israeli soldiers fired at an aid convoy as it returned from Northern Gaza along a route designated by the Israeli Army – our international convoy leader and his team were not injured but one vehicle sustained damage – aid workers should never be a target.@UNRWA

— Thomas White (@TomWhiteGaza) December 29, 2023

IDF says missiles fired from Lebanon toward Israel, earlier drone infiltration siren was false alarm

Several missiles were fired from southern Lebanon toward areas near the northern communities of Dovev and Bar’am, the military says.

The IDF says it is shelling the source of the fire with artillery.

There are no immediate reports of injuries in the attacks.

Meanwhile, the IDF confirms that drone infiltration sirens that sounded in Kiryat Shmona and nearby towns a short while ago were a false alarm.

“This is a false identification. There is no fear of a security incident,” the IDF says.

Suspected drone infiltration siren sounds in northern Israel

A suspected drone infiltration siren is sounding in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona and nearby towns in the Galilee Panhandle, near the Lebanon border.

The IDF is looking into the cause of the alert.

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 Rocket Alerts [10:22:44] – 16 Alerts:

• Confrontation Line — Beit Hillel, Metulla, Kibutz Dan, Kfar Giladi, Tel Hai, Kiryat Shmona, HaGoshrim, Shear Yeshuv, Margaliot, Manara, Ghajar, Snir, Ma'ayan Baruch, Dafna, Misgav Am, Kfar Yuval#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/zoi1Xsw5MM

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) December 29, 2023

Finance Minister Smotrich tells US Israel won’t release Palestinian tax funds under his watch

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich tells US President Biden that Israel will continue to withhold Palestinian tax funds for as long as he remains in his position as finance minister.

“We have a lot of respect for the US, our best ally in the world, and for President Biden, who is a true friend of Israel,” Smotrich writes in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

“But we will never put our destiny in the hands of foreigners, and as long as I am Finance Minister, not a single shekel will go to the Nazi terrorists in Gaza. This is not an extreme position. This is a life-saving and reality-based position.”

Yesterday, an unnamed US official told Axios that Biden is getting increasingly frustrated with Israel’s decision to withhold tax funds in the wake of the October 7 onslaught, and has pushed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resolve the issue.

Israel collects monthly tax revenues on Ramallah’s behalf on imports and exports, and transfers those funds to the PA, but has increasingly held off on some of the funds over various issues, chiefly Ramallah’s payment of stipends to terror convicts and the families of slain terrorists.

It has recently warned it will not allow the PA to transfer funds earmarked for services and salaries in the Gaza Strip, alleging the money could reach Hamas while Israel is at war with the terror group.

IDF announces soldier killed in Gaza, bringing ground operation toll to 168

The IDF announced death of Captain (res.) Harel Sharvit during the Gaza ground operation, December 29, 2023 (courtesy)

The IDF announces the death of a soldier killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip yesterday, bringing the toll of slain troops since the start of the ground offensive against Hamas to 168.

He is named as Cpt. (res.) Harel Sharvit, 33, of the 551st Brigade’s 7008th Battalion, from Kochav Yaakov.

Slamming Gantz, Smotrich demands security cabinet, not war cabinet runs meetings on Gaza

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich at a press conference on the planned construction of a new railway line from the northern city of Kiryat Shmona to the city of Eilat, in Jerusalem, July 30, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Finance Minister and leader of the far-right Religious Zionism party Bezalel Smotrich demands that any discussions about strategy in Gaza and the future of Gaza after the war take place in the Security Cabinet rather than in the limited war cabinet.

The war cabinet is made up of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz, who brought the National Unity Party into the coalition at the start of the war.

“The formation of the war cabinet that excluded the Religious Zionism party from the day-to-day management of the campaign was an illegitimate and problematic demand of Benny Gantz,” Smotrich says of his demand to move key meetings to the government’s security cabinet.

“We will insist that all strategic decisions, and certainly the decisions regarding the future of Gaza, will be made only in the political and security cabinet where all the parties in the government are represented and who will challenge the old way of thinking, and not in the limited war cabinet where the perceptions and concepts of the past, which we, as a people, have already sobered up from, are over-represented.”

Smotrich’s demand comes after Netanyahu canceled a war cabinet meeting about Israel’s plan for who will govern Gaza after the war that was supposed to take place on Thursday evening and had reportedly angered Smotrich.

IDF says it’s ‘expanding operations’ in Khan Younis area in southern Gaza

IDF soldiers are seen operating inside the Gaza Strip in this undated photo released on December 29, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says it is “expanding the operation in the Khan Younis area,” with troops launching an offensive against Hamas in the southern city.

It says that in one incident, soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade spotted a Hamas operative coming out of a tunnel shaft with an RPG, and in response threw grenades at him and into the tunnel.

The paratroopers also identified Hamas gunmen inside a building and directed tank shelling against them, the IDF says.

Also in Khan Younis, troops of the 7th Armored Brigade identified a Hamas operative some 100 meters from them, and directed a drone strike against him, the IDF says.

In another incident, the soldiers identified a group of Hamas gunmen in a building and directed a fighter jet to carry out a strike, it adds.

Meanwhile in northern Gaza, the IDF says the 460th Armored Brigade killed dozens of Hamas gunmen in a number of battles, including with airstrikes, sniper fire, machine gun fire, and tank shelling.

לוחמי צוות הקרב החטיבתי 460 חיסלו במהלך היממה האחרונה עשרות מחבלים בהתקלויות שונות, בתקיפות מהאוויר וע"י ירי צליפה, מקלעים וטנקים.

באחד האירועים, כלי טיס זיהה מחבל האוחז RPG ורץ לעבר הלוחמים, הכוחות חיסלו את המחבל בירי טנקים בטרם ירה לעבר כוחותינו >> pic.twitter.com/5537OMvsqL

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) December 29, 2023

In one incident, the IDF says an aircraft identified an RPG-wielding Hamas operative running toward the troops, who opened fire and killed him.

In Jabaliya, the 261st Brigade (the Bahad 1 officers’ school in wartime) searched the home of a Hamas operative, locating weaponry and Hamas documents, the IDF says.

Released hostage Mia Schem says she was held in Gaza hospital, operated on without painkillers

Released hostage Mia Schem speaks to Channel 12 about her captivity in Gaza in a preview clip from an interview scheduled to air on December 29, 2023. (Screenshot, Channel 12, used in accordance with clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Released hostage Mia Schem says she spent three days in a Gaza hospital with her hand stretched and tied to a piece of plastic after she was shot in the arm and seized by Hamas from the Supernova festival on October 7.

In a preview clip of an interview scheduled to air on TV’s Channel 12 this evening, Schem, 21, says after she arrived in Gaza, she spent three days lying in a room in a hospital before they moved her to an operating room, where she underwent a procedure with no anesthetic or painkillers.

“I saw the surgeon, I didn’t see his face,” she says. “He looked at me and said ‘You’re not going to go home alive.'”

Schem was released from captivity in Gaza on the final day of a week-long ceasefire in late November.

If High Court overturns reasonableness law, gov’t won’t fight it until after war, Likud official says

Illustrative: Then-Supreme Court Chief of Justice Ester Hayut and Supreme court justices at a court hearing in the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, October 6, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

An unnamed Likud official tells the Kan public broadcaster that even if the High Court of Justice strikes down the reasonableness law, the government will not address the issue or attempt to reinstate the law until the end of the war in Gaza.

Earlier this week, a bombshell publication of a leaked draft ruling indicated that justices are set to narrowly strike down the law passed this summer as part of the government’s judicial overhaul program.

Justice Minister Yair Levin has urged the court not to issue its ruling, saying it would be too divisive as the nation unites behind the country’s security forces amid the war against Hamas in Gaza.

Bennett reveals he authorized Israeli attacks on Iran twice while prime minister

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett makes a call before voting on a law on the legal status of Israelis in the West Bank, during a session of the Knesset, Monday, June 6, 2022. (AP Photo/ Maya Alleruzzo)

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett reveals he directed Israel’s security forces to strike Iran on two separate occasions in 2022.

The first time Israel struck Iran under Bennett’s watch was in February 2022, he writes in an opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal. In response to two failed UAV attacks launched at Israel by Tehran, Bennett says he authorized a strike against a UAV base on Iranian soil.

He says the second time he authorized security forces to move against Tehran was in March that same year. Following an Iranian attempt to kill Israeli tourists in Turkey, Israel assassinated Hassan Sayyad Khodaei, the commander who Bennett says had overseen the unit responsible for the attempted murder.

Bennett had hinted in the past that Israel was responsible for the killing of Khodaei but had stopped short of actually acknowledging it.

Israel has been linked to numerous attacks in Iran over the years, primarily against the country’s nuclear program, as well as assassinations of senior figures, but rarely publicly confirms Jerusalem’s role in the strikes.

Iran executes four people accused of spying for Mossad

Iran recently executed four “saboteurs” linked to Israel’s Mossad intelligence service, the judiciary’s Mizan Online website says.

“Four members of a sabotage team associated with the Zionist regime, who had committed extensive actions against the country’s security under the guidance of Mossad officers, were executed this morning following legal procedures,” it says.

Iran has previously announced the arrests and executions of alleged agents working for foreign countries, including Israel.

Tehran frequently claims to foil Mossad operations in the country, but the veracity of such claims is unclear.

Egypt says its awaiting responses on plan to free hostages, end war in Gaza

Egypt confirmed on Thursday that it had put forward a framework proposal to end the war in Gaza including a three-stage plan for a ceasefire, says the head of its state media body.

Egypt is yet to get responses on the proposal from the parties involved, and will give details about the plan once those responses are received, says Diaa Rashwan, head of Egypt’s State Information Service.

The proposal is an attempt “to bring viewpoints between all concerned parties closer, in an effort to stop Palestinian bloodshed and the aggression against the Gaza Strip and restore peace and stability to the region,” he says.

The reported Egyptian initiative is a plan to end hostilities and release all the remaining hostages, in three stages.

The first stage of the Egyptian plan would be a two-week halt to the fighting, extendable to three or four, in exchange for the release of 40 hostages — women, minors, and elderly men, especially sick ones.

In return, Israel would release 120 Palestinian security prisoners of the same categories. During this time, hostilities would stop, Israeli tanks would withdraw, and humanitarian aid would enter Gaza.

The second phase would see an Egypt-sponsored “Palestinian national talk” aimed at ending the division between Palestinian factions — mainly the Fatah party-dominated Palestinian Authority and Hamas — and leading to the formation of a technocratic government in the West Bank and Gaza that would oversee the reconstruction of the Strip and pave the way for Palestinian parliamentary and presidential elections.

The third stage would include a comprehensive ceasefire, the release of the remaining Israeli hostages, including soldiers, in return for a to-be-determined number of Palestinian security prisoners in Israeli jails affiliated with Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group — including those arrested after October 7 and some convicted of serious terror offenses. In this phase, Israel would withdraw its forces from cities in the Gaza Strip and allow displaced Gazans from the enclave’s north to return to their homes.

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are said to have rejected the plan.

Earlier Thursday, an Egyptian source told the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadid (The New Arab)that any talk of the complete removal of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad from the postwar Gazan political scene is not realistic, and it would be better to strive for a consensus on the political structure of the Strip.

The source, who is familiar with the negotiation process mediated by Cairo to formulate a postwar vision for Gaza, says that the US administration has been pushing for a scenario that does not include Hamas and insisting that a solution to the future administration of Gaza be found before the end of the war, in a way that will ensure Israel’s security and prevent a repeat of the October 7 assault.

Cairo, the source adds, has been seeking to draft a proposal that does not exclude Hamas but rather includes it as a partner though not as a main actor, with a mechanism to oversee its activities.

Gianluca Pacchiani contributed to this report.

VP Harris says US ‘will not waver’ in commitment to bring home American hostages held by Hamas

US Vice President Kamala Harris says she and husband Doug Emhoff are “heartbroken” by the news that Judih Weinstein Haggai — previously believed held hostage — was murdered during Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught and her body is being held in Gaza.

The news came less than a week after the kibbutz announced that Judih’s husband, Gadi Haggai, initially thought to be held hostage, was also killed during the events of October 7. His body is also being held by Hamas.

“Our prayers are with their families and all those who are mourning this loss,” writes Harris on X.

“To the families of Americans still held hostage: You are not alone. We will not waver in our commitment to bring home your loved ones,’ she says.

Haggai and Weinstein, both dual Israeli-American citizens, were on their morning walk when gunfire erupted and missiles streaked across the sky on October 7. Taking cover in a field, they could hear a recorded voice from an alert system for their kibbutz, Nir Oz, in southern Israel.

US President Joe Biden earlier issued a statement saying that “Jill and I are devastated to learn” of Weinstein-Haggai’s death.

“This tragic development cuts deep, coming on the heels of last week’s news that Judy’s beloved husband, Gad Haggai, is believed to have been killed by Hamas,” he said. “We are holding Judy and Gad’s four children, seven grandchildren, and other loved ones close to our hearts.”

Biden added: “I will never forget what their daughter and the family members of other Americans held hostage in Gaza, have shared with me. They have been living through hell for weeks. No family should have to endure such an ordeal.”

Maine elections official disqualifies Trump from presidential primary ballot

Former US president Donald Trump speaks during a commit to caucus rally, December 19, 2023, in Waterloo, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Maine’s top election official has disqualified Donald Trump from the state ballot in next year’s US presidential primary election, becoming the second state to bar the former president for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, concluded that Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination in 2024, incited an insurrection when he spread false claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election and then urged his supporters to march on the Capitol to stop lawmakers from certifying the vote.

Bellows suspended her decision until the state supreme court ruled on the matter.

The decision came after a group of former Maine lawmakers said that Trump should be disqualified based on a provision of the US Constitution that bars people from holding office if they engaged in “insurrection or rebellion” after previously swearing an oath to the United States.

The ruling, which can be appealed to a state court, applies only to the March primary election, but it could affect Trump’s status for the November general election. It likely will add to pressure on the US Supreme Court to resolve questions about Trump’s eligibility nationwide under the constitutional provision known as Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

Trump has been indicted in both a federal case and in Georgia for his role in trying to overturn the 2020 election but he has not been charged with insurrection related to the Jan. 6 attack. He leads opinion polls by a large margin in the race for the Republican nomination in 2024.

Colorado’s top court disqualified Trump from the state primary ballot on Dec. 19, making him the first candidate in US history to be deemed ineligible for the presidency for engaging in insurrection.

Trump has vowed to appeal the Colorado ruling to the Supreme Court and criticized ballot challenges as “undemocratic.” The Colorado Republican Party filed its own Supreme Court appeal on Wednesday.

Similar attempts to disqualify Trump in other states have been rejected. The top court in Michigan, a pivotal battleground state in the general election, declined on Wednesday to hear an appeal on Trump’s eligibility to hold office.

A ruling by the US Supreme Court in the Colorado case may resolve the issue nationwide. The court’s 6-3 conservative majority includes three justices nominated by Trump.

US shoots down drone, missile in Red Sea fired by Houthis; no injuries reported

The United States says it shot down one drone and one anti-ship ballistic missile in the Southern Red Sea that were fired by Houthis in the 22nd attempted attack on international shipping since Oct. 19.

There was no damage or reported injuries, US Central Command also says in its post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Syria says aerial defenses intercept ‘Israeli air aggression’ over Damascus area

Syrian official media says early Friday that air defenses responded to “Israeli air aggression” from the direction of Lebanese territory.

The attack targeted a number of sites around Damascus and there were some material losses, state media adds.

Earlier, state media network SANA said air defenses shot down “most” of the missiles launched by Israeli fighter jets from over the Golan Heights, citing a military source, but that there were “material losses.”

The strikes come a day after Damascus International Airport reportedly reopened following repeated Israeli strikes.

In ‘frustrating’ call, Biden tells Netanyahu Palestinian tax funds issue must be resolved — report

US President Joe Biden, left, meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, to discuss the the war between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 18, 2023 (Miriam Alster/Pool Photo via AP)

In a “frustrating” call over the weekend, US President Joe Biden told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his government’s decision to withhold Palestinian tax funds following Hamas’s shock onslaught on October 7 must be resolved, Axios reports, citing US and Israeli officials and a “source with knowledge of the issue.”

One of the US officials told Axios the call between the two leaders on Saturday was one of the most difficult and “frustrating” so far since October 7.

“The feeling was that the president is going out on a limb for Bibi every day and when Bibi needs to give something back and take some political risk he is unwilling to do it,” the official said.

Israel collects monthly tax revenues on Ramallah’s behalf on imports and exports, and transfers those funds to the PA, but has increasingly held off on some of the funds over various issues, chiefly Ramallah’s payment of stipends to terror convicts and the families of slain terrorists.

It has recently warned it will not allow the PA to transfer funds earmarked for services and salaries in the Gaza Strip, alleging the money could reach Hamas while Israel is at war with the terror group.

In November, the security cabinet voted to approve a partial transfer of tax funds, minus some $275 million designated by the PA for Gaza, as well as for stipends.

The PA refused to accept this partial transfer, leading to fears that it may collapse financially, potentially creating chaos in the West Bank.

Earlier this month, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned he would not allow the transfer of Palestinian tax funds to Gaza or to the families of Palestinian terrorists — not “even one shekel” — intimating that he would resign from the government rather than permit such a transfer.

A reported deal brokered a few weeks ago by US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan would enable the Palestinian Authority to send funds to its employees in Gaza by allowing Israel to check the recipients of the funds.

According to the Axios report, “Biden asked Netanyahu to accept a proposal that the Israeli prime minister raised himself several weeks ago: to transfer the withheld tax revenues to Norway for safekeeping until an arrangement can be found that will assuage Israel’s concerns that the funds could reach Hamas.”

The PA has accepted this arrangement, the report says, but Netanyahu reportedly tried to walk it back and told Biden he no longer thought it was a good idea.

“He told Biden he doesn’t trust the Norwegians and said the Palestinian Authority should just accept the partial transfer of the funds,” Axios reports citing a US official and the source with knowledge of the issue.

Biden finally told Netanyahu that the issue must be resolved, and ended with “this conversation is over.”

The second US official had another read of the exchange, and said Netanyahu didn’t reject the Norway idea and that the two leaders were “still working through things on their end.”

“We have made good progress and think this issue of tax revenue transfers is on its way to being resolved,” the official added.

A White House spokesperson told Axios the conversation was “good and productive.”