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Hamas fires barrage of rockets just as Israel ushers in the new year
Ushering in the new year, the Hamas terror group fires rockets at Tel Aviv.
Sirens sound across central Israel, as well as in Sderot in the south.
In a statement, Hamas claims responsibility for the rocket fire.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
Iron Dome interceptions seen over central Israel following a Hamas rocket barrage from the Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/DQcOpg54nT
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 31, 2023
Israelis ring in 2024, hoping to leave hardships of past year behind
Israelis celebrate on New Year's Eve, at a pub in Tel Aviv, December 31, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Israelis usher in 2024, pulling the curtain on a year that seemed to go from bad to worse, with the deep national rift over the hard-right government’s judicial overhaul abruptly being replaced on October 7 with national shock at Hamas’s October 7 massacres and the subsequent lengthy war, which Israel says will likely stretch throughout all of next year as well.
Some Israeli revelers are nevertheless trying to keep spirits up, flocking to bars in Tel Aviv and other cities. Others, mainly immigrants from the former Soviet Union, are marking the Russian festival of Novi God.
Israelis celebrate on New Year’s Eve, at a pub in Tel Aviv, December 31, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
For Israelis, time stopped on October 7th.
As the world marks New Year’s Eve, more than 100 Israelis are being held captive by Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
Every minute counts. #BringThemAllHome #NewYears2024 pic.twitter.com/v5vDpwikXE
— Israel ישראל ???????? (@Israel) December 31, 2023
Israelis celebrate on New Year’s Eve, at a pub in Tel Aviv, December 31, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Gas prices to rise by 4% at midnight — Energy Ministry
The Energy Ministry says that as midnight rings in the new year in Israel, gas prices will rise by 28 agorot (8 US cents) per liter to NIS 7.22 ($2 dollars) per liter.
The four percent rise comes, given that the Finance Ministry has not provided an update that would prevent or curb the price hike.
Israel said set to replace all Palestinian workers with tens of thousands of foreigners
Israel plans to permanently replace all Palestinian laborers with foreign workers, in a major, ambitious initiative aimed at ridding the country of a perceived security threat, the Kan public broadcaster reports.
Thousands of construction and agriculture workers from the West Bank have been barred from entering Israel for work since Hamas’s mass invasion and onslaught of October 7. Hamas reportedly gathered some of its intelligence for the attack from Gazans who had permits to work in Israel.
To prevent a potential repeat in the West Bank, Kan says the government does not intend to allow the Palestinian workers back after the ongoing war.
The reported plan by the finance, interior and labor ministries would see Israel bring in 25,500 workers from Sri Lanka, 20,000 from China, 17,000 from India, 13,000 from Thailand and 6,000 from Moldova. In some cases, this will require signing new deals with countries involved, and diplomatic work is being done to advance these deals, the report says.
Additionally, the government intends to incentivize Israelis to work in construction and agriculture, as well promoting technologies that could cut the number of employees needed in these fields.
The plan is said to have been okayed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, with the economic ministerial cabinet set to discuss it in two weeks, followed by a government vote.
US said set to pull one of its aircraft carriers away from Middle East
USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier refuels from the underway replenishment oiler USNS Laramie in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, October 11, 2023. (US Navy photo via AP)
The United States will withdraw the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier strike group from the Middle East in the coming days, after more than two months in the Mediterranean Sea, in the shadow of Israel’s war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza, ABC News reports, citing two unnamed US officials.
The carrier was sent at the start of the war with the goal of preventing a regional escalation.
A second strike group, the USS Dwight Eisenhower, is currently in the Gulf of Aden near Yemen to deter Houthi attacks on merchant ships. The report says it will remain in the Middle East for now.
IDF says it has downed 2nd suspected drone heading toward Israel from the east
The IDF says a “suspicious aerial target” — believed to be a drone — that was heading toward Israeli airspace from “the eastern direction” was downed by a fighter jet outside of Israeli airspace.
It does not elaborate on whether the apparent drone was downed over Syria or over Jordan.
Another aerial target that entered Israeli airspace from Syria was also downed by a fighter jet, the IDF says.
In the second incident, which was previously reported, a drone infiltration alarm sounded in two communities in the Golan Heights.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iran-backed paramilitary groups, claimed to have targeted Israel this evening with “appropriate weapons.”
Coalition said advancing law aimed at delaying High Court’s reasonableness ruling
Lawmakers from the Shas coalition party are advancing a bill that would temporarily extend the time in which High Court justices can publish their rulings on petitions they have overseen, in an attempt to give the court an option to postpone its ruling on whether to void the government’s reasonableness law, Hebrew media reports.
In an unprecedented leak, the draft ruling was published last week, showing that the court intends to strike down the key judicial overhaul law by a razor-thin margin, 8 to 7.
Much criticism has focused on the intention to publish the ruling during wartime, and on the fact that without the rulings of two justices — former chief justice Esther Hayut and Anat Baron — who retired in October and can only publish rulings by mid-January, three months after the hearing, the decision would be reversed and leave the reasonableness law in effect.
The highly contentious law nixed the ability of the court to review government and ministerial decisions based on the doctrine of reasonableness.
The new reported bill would temporarily extend the time in which justices can publish their rulings to nine months after the hearing in the corresponding case, rather than three. This would enable — but not force — the court to push off its announcement of the ruling.
Pro-Iran group in Iraq claims drone launch to Golan Heights; IDF: ‘Aerial target’ downed
The so-called Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group for pro-Iran militias in the country, claims responsibility for launching a drone at the Golan Heights this evening.
Earlier, a suspected drone infiltration alarm sounded in the Israeli communities of Keshet and Katzrin.
A military spokesperson tells The Times of Israel that one “aerial target” was intercepted by a fighter jet.
There are no reports of injuries or damage in the attack.
Tonight’s incident marks at least the third drone attack on Israel carried out by the Iran-backed Iraqi militia amid the war in the Gaza Strip.
IDF expects fighting to go on all year, is adjusting battle methods for sustained war
IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari gives a statement to the media in Tel Aviv on October 16, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/ Flash90)
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says the military is making adjustments to its deployment in the Gaza Strip, as it anticipates a long war against the Hamas terror group, stretching throughout the entire coming year.
“We are adjusting the fighting methods to each area in Gaza, as well as the necessary forces to carry out the mission in the best way possible. Each area has different characteristics and different operational needs,” he says.
“Tonight, 2024 will begin. The goals of the war require lengthy fighting, and we are prepared accordingly,” Hagari says.
He says the military will be carrying out “smart” management of the forces in Gaza, allowing reservists to return home to help bounce back the economy, and letting standing army troops train to become commanders.
“We are continuing the training of officers and commanders… after their experience in combat, they are returning to training and will join the army’s line of commanders when they finish,” Hagari says.
Hagari says “some of the reservists will return to their families and work this week.”
“It will result in considerable relief for the economy, and will allow them to gain strength for operations next year, and the fighting will continue and we will need them,” he says.
“These adjustments are aimed at ensuring the planning and preparations for 2024. The IDF needs to plan ahead, out of the understanding that we will be needed for additional missions and continued fighting during the entire coming year,” Hagri says.
In Gaza, Hagari says members of Hamas’s elite Nukhba force were killed by troops and others surrendered in the Khan Younis area today. He says some of them participated in the October 7 massacres.
Regarding claims by some ministers that ground troops are not being provided enough air support, Hagari says there has “never been such coordination in any campaign.”
“There isn’t one case where ground forces did not receive support from the air or extraction under fire,” he adds.
Newly aired footage shows Hamas terrorists roaming freely, taking over towns on Oct. 7
Hamas terrorists at the gate of Kibbutz Sufa in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in footage filmed by Hamas, screened on Channel 12 on December 31, 2023. (Screenshot used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Previously unseen footage from Hamas’s October 7 onslaught is aired by Channel 12 news, showing terrorists roaming freely in southern Israel for hours and infiltrating Kibbutz Sufa and other communities.
The footage was filmed by Hamas members themselves, with Israel retrieving the videos from the gunmen’s own bodycams.
תיעוד דרמטי: כך במשך שעות וללא הפרעה השתלטו המחבלים על יישובים בעוטףhttps://t.co/ZUcIOfbMXY | @yollancohen pic.twitter.com/gH3jTCvf6y
— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) December 31, 2023
Casualties in West Bank stabbing taken to hospital; attacker shot, condition unclear
A knife found at the scene of a stabbing attack near the West Bank’s Mishor Adumim industrial zone, December 31, 2023. (Israel Police)
Two security guards wounded in a stabbing attack at the entrance to the Mishor Adumim industrial zone in the West Bank are being taken to a Jerusalem hospital.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service says a woman, aged 24, is in good-to-moderate condition, and a man in his 20s is lightly hurt in the attack.
They are being taken by MDA to Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus in the capital.
Police say the stabber was shot by the security guards. His condition is not immediately clear.
Report: Ex-UK PM Blair eyed as mediator on post-war Gaza, including resettlement of Palestinians
Former British prime minister Tony Blair speaks during an interview in central London on March 17, 2023. (Daniel Leal/AFP)
Former British prime minister Tony Blair is reportedly being eyed by Israeli leaders to serve as the mediator between Jerusalem and moderate Arab countries on post-war Gaza and a controversial Israeli aim of having other nations absorb residents of Gaza who leave the Strip.
Blair arrived in Israel last week and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and war cabinet minister Benny Gantz, Channel 12 news reports, without citing a source. The report says that if the plan materializes, Blair will be in charge of checking the option of countries receiving Gazan refugees.
The reported development comes as the government is yet to discuss the fate of Gaza after the ongoing war, as planned discussions have been delayed by Netanyahu, for fear of sparking a coalition crisis.
Far-right coalition parties are pushing for resettling parts of the Strip and encouraging Palestinians to leave the enclave, and are flatly ruling out any post-war plan that includes a governing role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza. This puts the government at odds with demands from the United States and other international allies.
Hostile aircraft invasion alerts sound in Golan communities near Syria border
Hostile aircraft invasion alerts have sounded in the Golan Heights communities of Katzrin and Keshet, near the border with Syria.
There are no immediate additional details. Many such alerts have turned out to be false alarms.
IDF says it struck 3 Hezbollah anti-tank cells today, shelled source of fire from Lebanon
The IDF says tanks and attack helicopters struck three Hezbollah anti-tank squads in southern Lebanon today.
Two missiles were also fired from Lebanon at northern Israel. The IDF says it shelled the source of fire with artillery.
The IDF says tanks and attack helicopters struck three Hezbollah anti-tank squads in southern Lebanon today.
Two missiles were also fired from Lebanon at northern Israel. The IDF says it shelled the source of fire with artillery. pic.twitter.com/C2IhAnahwJ
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 31, 2023
2 security guards lightly injured in West Bank stabbing attack — police, medics
The scene of a stabbing attack near the West Bank's Mishor Adumim industrial zone, December 31, 2023. (Magen David Adom)
Two security guards are lightly wounded in a stabbing attack near the West Bank’s Mishor Adumim industrial zone, police and medics say.
According to the Magen David Adom ambulance service, both victims are suffering minor injuries.
Police say the assailant has been “neutralized.”
IDF chief tells Gaza troops air support strong, after ministers allege it is lacking
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi speaks to commanders in southern Gaza's Khuza'a, December 31, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)
Speaking to reservists in southern Gaza’s Khuza’a, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says that “every move you make will be supported by the strongest possible fire,” apparently alluding to criticism by some ministers of alleged lack of air firepower for ground forces.
“Khirbat Ikhzaa (Khuza’a) also conducted terror here for many, many years, and the attack on Nir Oz was led from here. And we are both killing the terrorists who participated and also killing the terrorists who will want to commit terror in the future,” Halevi tells troops and commanders of the 5th Reserve Brigade.
“We are organizing a security region here so that the return to Nir Oz will be safe, and will be safe for many, many years,” he says.
“Every move you make will be supported by the strongest possible fire. Plan it with the abilities you have, always push forward with strength… and use the open-fire regulations with common sense,” Halevi says.
He says the open-fire rules are not “tying anyone’s hands. The open-fire regulations come to protect us from ourselves as well.”
The commander of the 5th Brigade, Col. Tal Kuritsky, says cooperation with the Air Force is “not trivial” and “excellent,” in a video released by the IDF.
Houthis threaten US with repercussions after Red Sea strike killed 10 rebels
Following a US strike today on three boats carrying Houthi gunmen in the Red Sea, in which 10 fighters were killed, after they allegedly attacked and tried to board a container ship, the Yemeni rebel group threatens the US with “consequences,” vowing that it will continue to assault ships with connections to Israel or that are sailing towards Israeli ports.
Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesperson, says in a video statement that his Iran-backed forces have been acting in support of Palestinians and carrying out their “religious, moral and humanitarian duty” in support of Gaza. He calls on other countries not to “engage in the dangerous American behavior,” or else they will face consequences.
The spokesman urges all Yemenis, Arabs, and Muslims to be “vigilant and prepared for all options to confront the American escalation” in support of the “Zionist entity.”
As rocket fire from Gaza declines, IDF releases 5 brigades; fighting likely throughout 2024
Rockets are fired toward Israel from the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, December 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
The Israel Defense Forces has released five brigades from the fighting in the Gaza Strip, as rocket fire by Hamas has been curbed significantly with the military maintaining control of the ground.
The military believes the war against Hamas will likely continue throughout 2024, and says it is prepared for lengthy fighting.
The 460th Armored Brigade, responsible for the Armored Corps training base; the 261st Brigade, the Bahad 1 officers’ school in wartime; the 828th Brigade, the School for Infantry Corps Professions and Squad Commanders; the 14th Reserve Armored Brigade; and 551st Reserve Paratroopers Brigade, have all be released.
The brigades tasked with training soldiers will return to carrying out their usual activity, while the reservists are being released to help bounce back Israel’s economy.
In Gaza, the 162nd Division remains focused on Gaza City’s Daraj and Tuffah neighborhoods; the 36th Division is fighting Hamas in central Gaza’s al-Bureij; and the 98th, 99th and Gaza divisions are operating in the Strip’s south, in the Khan Younis area.
The ground operations in recent weeks have led to a significant decline in the number of rockets launched from Gaza at Israel.
According to IDF data, in the first week of December, after a truce with Hamas collapsed, 75 rockets were launched at Israel on average per day.
In the following week, that number dropped to 23 rockets on average per day; between December 15 and 21, only 16 rockets were fired per day; and between December 22 to 27, that number dropped to 14.
The data does not include mortars launched at ground troops in Gaza, rockets fired at the sea, and failed launches.
Arrests in Germany over alleged plot to attack Cologne cathedral on New Year’s Eve
German police arrest three people over an alleged attack plot to target the cathedral in Cologne on New Year’s Eve.
The alleged means of attack is a car, say the police in the western city, adding that security measures have been stepped up around the site.
UK said set to join US-led airstrike campaign against Houthis
Britain is planning to join a US-led military campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels to stop the Iran-backed group from continuing to disrupt maritime traffic through the Red Sea, the Sunday Times reports.
The report, citing an unnamed UK government source, says the UK, US and possibly another European country will soon launch coordinated airstrikes against targets at sea or in Yemen itself where the Houthis are based.
In new year’s message in 10 languages, Herzog urges world to free 133 Gaza hostages
Issuing a new year’s message, President Isaac Herzog tweets in 10 languages that the world in 2024 must bring about the release of the 133 hostages still being held by terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
The message is posted in Hebrew, English, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, French, Italian, Hindi, German and Portuguese.
As we enter 2024, I call on the entire family of nations, on all world leaders, to demand and work for the immediate, unconditional release of our 133 hostages.
Babies, the elderly, women, men, are being held in brutal captivity by Hamas, without vital medication or visitation…— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) December 31, 2023
Hezbollah deputy head: Israel ‘in no position’ to push us northward nor let displaced residents go home
Sheikh Naim Qassem, Hezbollah's deputy leader, speaks during a memorial of a Hezbollah fighter who killed in South Lebanon by an Israeli airstrike, in Beirut, Lebanon, December 28, 2023. (Hussein Malla/AP)
The deputy leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group claims Israel is “in no position” to force the Iran-backed group’s gunmen away from the Israel-Lebanon border and to return home tens of thousands of displaced residents of northern Israel.
Naim Qassem is quoted by Arabic media as telling a group of supporters in Beirut that Israel is “putting forward many proposals” related to northern Israel and southern Lebanon “and is trying to show that it has the options to carry out an action that helps the settlers return to the north in a safe way, and to keep Hezbollah and the resistance away from the south.
“We tell them: Israel is not in a position to impose its options,” he says, arguing that Israel must stop the war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza in order to stop the near-daily border skirmishes with Hezbollah.
Minister Barkat pans letting fuel into Gaza as ‘absurd,’ says it ‘extends Hamas’s life’
Economy Minister Nir Barkat at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on December 6, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Economy Minister Nir Barkat, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has become increasingly vocal against the government’s war policies, slams the continued allowing of fuel deliveries into the Gaza Strip during the war against the Hamas terror group.
In comments to reporters outside this morning’s cabinet meeting, Barkat said: “This morning, 133 hostages are still being held in Gaza by Hamas. While they are there, the State of Israel is continuing to transfer goods and fuel into Hamas’s hands.
“Israel is fighting Hamas with one hand, and with the other is sending hundreds of trucks every day which extend Hamas’s life and enable it to continue fighting our soldiers. This is absurd. This must stop today.”
IDF says troops fired warning shots at UN convoy on Friday due to miscommunication
The Israel Defense Forces responds to claims that soldiers in the Gaza Strip opened fire at a United Nations aid convoy last week, saying the troops fired warning shots because they were not aware that the vehicles were due to pass them.
Citing an investigation into Friday’s incident, the IDF Spokespersons Unit says in a statement to The Times of Israel that after the UN humanitarian convoy finished delivering aid to shelters in northern Gaza, it was asked by the military to go via a different route back south.
“This was to maintain its safety given the fighting that was taking place near the area,” the IDF says.
It says troops in the area were not aware of the change of the route, and “as a result, when the vehicles arrived, the troops on the ground acted to stop [the convoy] in a procedure that included a warning shot that was not aimed at the vehicles.”
“When the vehicles stopped, the shooting stopped,” the IDF says, adding that there were no casualties but shrapnel from the warning shots hit one of the vehicles.
The IDF says it has drawn lessons from the investigation of the incident, “in order to prevent such cases from happening again.”
It says the open-fire regulations and conduct of troops with regard to humanitarian aid convoys “were sharpened.”
“Since the beginning of the war, the IDF has been working in close coordination with the international aid agencies operating in the Gaza Strip and has coordinated hundreds of humanitarian movements in very complex combat conditions,” the IDF adds.
Man accused of masquerading as soldier for weeks to steal arms, even posing with Netanyahu
A Tel Aviv man is charged with stealing military and police weapons from the battle zone in south Israel, apparently taking advantage of the chaos in the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 massacres, with the intention of selling the arms on the black market.
Roi Yifrach allegedly stole arms and equipment in the weeks after October 7 while pretending to be a police officer, an officer in the elite Yamam counterterrorism unit, and a Shin Bet operative. He is charged with various weapons offenses, along with theft under aggravated circumstances.
Yifrach, a Tel Aviv resident around the age of 35, roamed the area near the Gaza border for a number of weeks with a fake ID, was photographed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while he was visiting the military’s assembly areas, and met soldiers and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant without anyone knowing that he was an impostor.
The charge sheet says Yifrach stole an IDF assault rifle, two smoke grenades, 14 stun grenades, a pistol from a police officer, dozens of cartridges of ammunition, and three detonators, as well as other equipment.
He hid everything at his house.
Police received information on the case and searched his home, finding the stolen arms.
Dogs subduing Hamas gunmen: IDF airs footage of its canine unit fighting in Gaza
The IDF releases new footage of the Oketz canine unit operating in the Gaza Strip.
The military says the unit “in a large number of cases” has sent its dogs to scan buildings before troops raid the site. The dogs have located threats, mapped out buildings and discovered weapons.
In one incident during an operation with the 460th Armored Brigade in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya, an Oketz dog named Patrick was sent to scan a building before troops entered.
The dog located and subdued a Hamas gunman who had planned to ambush the troops, according to the IDF.
In another incident in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood, an Oketz dog named Toy discovered a passage between a building troops were in and another building, where a Hamas gunman was.
The dog attacked the operative, preventing the troops from being ambushed, according to the IDF.
The IDF releases new footage of the Oketz canine unit operating in the Gaza Strip.
The military says the unit “in a large number of cases” have sent its dogs to scan buildings before troops raid the site. The dogs have located threats, mapped out buildings, and discovered… pic.twitter.com/2tgICwJAPb
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 31, 2023
‘I sinned’: Ex-Netanyahu loyalist apologizes for creating ‘weakness’ that led to Oct. 7
Likud MK Galit Distel-Atbaryan speaks to Channel 13 news in an interview aired on December 31, 2023. (Screenshot: X; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
A member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party publicly apologizes for her conduct over the past year, saying she and others created deep divisions among the Israeli public that weakened the nation and paved the way to the Hamas onslaught of October 7 and the ensuing months-long war.
Galit Distel-Atbaryan served as public diplomacy minister in the hard-right government formed a year ago, and was a staunch proponent of the deeply divisive judicial overhaul program, occasionally using strong language to lambaste its critics.
She resigned from her ministerial role days into the current war, acknowledging that her newly created ministry had been unnecessary, powerless and a “waste of public money.” She has since said she has “burning anger” against Netanyahu.
“There were about 100 people who drove 9 million toward an abyss,” she tells Channel 13 news, which provides a snippet from an interview to be fully broadcast tonight. “From politics, from the media, social media influencers.
“I was part of the group that caused the state to weaken, that harmed people, that harmed citizens who in daily life are my friends, are my partner,” she says.
“It hit me in a second, suddenly, in a bang. You suddenly realize that everything you were doing and thinking was good, was bad. I created a rift, and I created division, and I created tension, and this tension caused a weakness. And this weakness, in many aspects, led to the massacres [by Hamas on October 7],” she says.
“I am here, telling you and the democratic-secular public — I sinned before you. I caused you pain, I caused you to fear for your lives here. I apologize for this.”
Arab Israeli arrested, indicted for identifying with ISIS, saying Israel should be destroyed
Police and the Shin Bet security service say a resident of the Arab Israeli city of Tira has been arrested and charged of identifying with the Islamic State (IS or ISIS) terror group, incitement to terrorism and other security-related offenses.
The 22-year-old allegedly published social media posts hailing ISIS and calling for attacks on Jews during the ongoing war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, with security officials holding a month-long covert investigation.
The investigation has yielded that the man doesn’t recognize the State of Israel and believes an Islamic state should replace it, and all “infidels,” meaning non-Muslims, should be killed.
He was arrested earlier this month and his detention was repeatedly extended, police and the Shin Bet say in a joint statement.
The case is now cleared for publication after an indictment was filed against the man today at the Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court.
US strikes on Houthis in Red Sea killed 10 rebels: Yemen port sources
At least 10 Houthi rebels were killed today and two wounded when US forces struck their boats in the southern Red Sea, two sources at Yemen’s Hodeida port say.
The US military earlier said it had destroyed several small boats operated by the Iran-backed Houthis after the rebels attacked and tried to board a container ship.
One source at the rebel-controlled port says the wounded were rescued following the strike. The other source, also speaking on condition of anonymity, says there are four other survivors.
Knesset panel okays millions for security of West Bank outposts, drawing criticism
The Knesset Finance Committee approves an additional NIS 200 million ($55 million) in coalition funds for the Settlements and National Projects Ministry, which comes following an increase of over NIS 300 million the ministry received in the supplementary budget approved earlier this month.
The money includes NIS 75 million for “security components” for illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank, including security fences, security gates, lighting, electricity supply, security cameras and similar items.
Another NIS 35 million is being directed toward strengthening the “social resilience” of rural villages throughout Israel, and NIS 20 million is going to settlement emergency response teams, which are teams of volunteers providing non-security assistance in times of crisis.
Knesset Finance Committee member Naama Lazimi (Labor) slams the transfer, describing it as politically motivated. She also questions why the security needs of settlements are being addressed by Strock’s ministry instead of the Defense Ministry.
“Right now, the government is opportunistically transferring [money] to criminal lawbreakers who build illegal outposts that stir up the region and harm security and the security forces, at a time of war and at the expense of those who need the money,” fumes Lazimi on X.
And Opposition Leader Yair Lapid says on X that the money is being transferred with the approval of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to Strock’s ministry, “for their party, for their politics, during a war” — referring to the Religious Zionism party, which Smotrich heads and of which Strock is a leading figure.
Strock in response insists that money is being put to good use, saying on X that it is for “20,000 people in the heart of hostile territory who don’t have a security coordinator, a fence, security lighting, cameras, and when all of their men are called up [to the IDF],” as well as for communal resilience for communities evacuated during the ongoing war.
244 members of the Arab community said killed in 2023 violence, more than double last year’s toll
Police at the scene of a shooting in the northern town of Kafr Kanna, August 26, 2023. (Flash90)
The year 2023 saw 244 members of the Arab community killed in violence, the Abraham Initiatives anti-violence watchdog says.
The figure is more than double the number killed last year.
Many Arab Israeli community leaders put the blame on the police, who they say have failed to crack down on powerful criminal organizations and largely ignore the violence, which includes family feuds, mafia turf wars, and violence against women. The communities have also suffered from years of neglect by state authorities.
Authorities have blamed burgeoning organized crime and the proliferation of weaponry, while some have pointed to a failure by communities to cooperate with law enforcement to root out criminals.
In September, State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman decried as inadequate the government’s response to surging criminal violence in Arab Israeli towns.
“The jump in crime in the Arab community represents a resounding failure of Israeli governments,” Englman said during a conference in the northern town of Sakhnin, calling the situation “inconceivable.”
“The prime minister, national security minister and all ministers must act to eradicate crime in Arab society,” he added.
Former PA minister killed in Gaza strike, official Palestinian news agency says
A former Palestinian Authority minister was killed in an Israeli strike on his home in the Gaza Strip, the official Palestinian news agency and Hamas health ministry say.
Youssef Salama, the 68-year-old former minister of religious affairs in the Palestinian Authority, was killed in a strike on the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, Wafa news agency and the ministry report.
Considered close to Fatah, the party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Salama served as minister between February 2005 and March 2006.
He also served as a preacher at Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem.
There is no immediate comment from the Israel Defense Forces.
Far-right minister insinuates pilots not supporting ground troops for ‘reasons of conscience’
Settlements Minister Orit Strock arrives for a meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem on September 27, 2023 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Far-right Settlements Minister Orit Strock reportedly sparred with a top ranking military official at today’s cabinet meeting over air support to ground troops in Gaza.
“Is it true that there are pilots who do not assist the ground forces due to reasons of conscience?” she reportedly asked.
Maj. Gen. Eliezer Toledano, the military official in charge of Iran affairs, was reportedly outraged by the accusation, and said: “In my opinion, this is a terrible question.”
“The short answer is that there is no such thing,” Toledano said, according to leaks from the meeting. “The longer answer is that the [amount of] air assistance to the ground forces in the war is unprecedented. I am sure that if you ask the commanders in the field, you will get the same answer.”
Strock reportedly replied that she asked the question based on “evidence from the field.”
The Ynet news site says that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Toledano that while his answer was “good,” it was not his place to “characterize” Strock’s question.
Last week Economy Minister Nir Barkat claimed that ground troops in Gaza were being put in danger because they weren’t receiving the necessary air support, a claim quickly quashed by senior military and political officials.
Strock’s comment also may have been based on unfounded claims on the right of the political spectrum, that the Air Force is primarily made up of left-wing pilots who may refuse to carry out missions.
Smotrich: 1.8 million Gazans should be encouraged to emigrate to change facts on the ground after war
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich holds a joint press conference with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (not seen) in Jerusalem, December 26, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the far-right Religious Zionism party, says that Palestinians should be encouraged to emigrate from the Gaza Strip to leave a different situation on the ground at the conclusion of the war.
“We need to encourage immigration from there. If there were 100,000-200,000 Arabs in the Strip and not two million, the whole conversation about the day after [the war] would be completely different,” Smotrich tells Army Radio. “They want to leave. They have been living in a ghetto for 75 years and are in need.”
Jerusalem has repeatedly denied claims that it is seeking to displace Gazans, an idea whose very mention elicits angry denunciations from Israel’s allies. It is unclear where Smotrich believes Gazans can emigrate to.
When asked repeatedly whether he believes that Israel must reestablish settlements inside the Gaza Strip, Smotrich says that Israel must control the area.
“I don’t think there’s anyone in Israel who doesn’t want to see Jewish settlements everywhere,” Smotrich claims.
“So you want the area resettled?” Smotrich is asked.
“I want us to solve the problem of Gaza,” the finance minister says.
Many of Israel’s leaders have repeatedly dismissed the idea of reestablishing settlements in Gaza, though the military campaign in the Strip to topple Hamas following the October 7 massacres — when terrorists rampaged through Israeli communities, killing 1,200 people and taking some 240 hostages — has raised hopes among some members of the settlement movement.
Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu postponed a war cabinet meeting on postwar arrangements for the Gaza Strip, apparently due to pressure from his far-right coalition partners including Smotrich. Netanyahu has refused to hold any such meetings until now, reportedly because he does not want to reveal the expected role that Palestinian Authority officials will have in managing Gaza’s civil affairs after the war. The delay has frustrated the Biden administration.
Last night, Smotrich said Israel should discuss the revival of civilian settlements within the Gaza Strip as part of its planning for the enclave once Hamas rule is toppled, while denying that any of Gaza’s approximately 2 million residents were innocent and calling for Israel to “encourage voluntary emigration” from the territory.
IDF publishes footage of elite unit operating in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis
The IDF publishes new footage of the Commando Brigade’s Maglan unit operating in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.
It says that the troops recently raided an educational institute in Khan Younis from which Hamas operatives opened fire at troops.
It says the troops found a rocket launcher, documents, and other equipment belonging to Hamas in the complex.
In other raids in the area, troops found weapons in civilian homes, the IDF adds.
The IDF publishes new footage of the Commando Brigade's Maglan unit operating in southern Gaza's Khan Younis.
It says that the troops recently raided an educational institute in Khan Younis from which Hamas operatives opened fire at troops. It says the troops found a rocket… pic.twitter.com/6Av5RwhpfK
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 31, 2023
IDF says fighter jets hit Hezbollah sites in south Lebanon, terror group using civilians as human shield
Israeli Air Force fighter jets carried out strikes this morning against Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon, the military says.
According to the IDF, the targets in the village of Ramyeh included military buildings and other infrastructure belonging to the terror group.
It says Hezbollah “operates from the area of the village, which is used as a terror center for the group to observe and carry out terror acts.”
The IDF says Hezbollah has launched missiles at Israel from Ramyeh, while “exploiting the civilian population in the village area and using it as a human shield.”
Last night the IDF also hit Hezbollah positions in Aamra and Khiam, close to the Israeli border. One of the sites was used to fire an anti-tank missile at the Galilee on Saturday, the IDF says.
תשתיות טרור, עמדות ומבנים צבאיים; צה"ל תקף הבוקר במרחב רמיה בדרום לבנון:
מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו הבוקר מספר תשתיות טרור ומבנים צבאיים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב הכפר רמיה שבדרום לבנון >> pic.twitter.com/STYEeTn8Cz
— דובר צה״ל דניאל הגרי – Daniel Hagari (@IDFSpokesperson) December 31, 2023
PM’s annual medical report says he is in ‘completely normal state of health’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the Kirya military headquarters n Tel Aviv, Dec. 31, 2023. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in a “completely normal state of health,” according to an annual medical report by the premier’s medical team, published by the Prime Minister’s Office.
The report says that the prime minister is under routine surveillance for his health, and that he maintains a healthy lifestyle.
The report says that since Netanyahu’s pacemaker was implanted earlier this year, there has been no evidence of arrhythmia or any other conditions.
The premier underwent a “routine follow-up” in October, the report says, without specifying the date. During that examination, it was found that the pacemaker was working correctly, the report says.
Netanyahu had a pacemaker fitted earlier this year, a week after he was hospitalized and had a heart monitoring device implanted. Doctors later revealed that Netanyahu’s heart monitor indicated that he had a “transient heart block,” necessitating the pacemaker.
At the time, questions swirled over the 74-year-old premier’s health and whether the severity of the situation had been obscured from the public.
Hebrew University puts poster of student held hostage in Gaza in every classroom
Shay Dikman places posters of her cousin Carmel Gat in classrooms at Hebrew University in Jerusalem on December 31, 2023 (Hebrew University)
With the start of the academic year, Jerusalem’s Hebrew University puts a picture of Gaza hostage Carmel Gat in each classroom.
Gat was set to begin the second year of a degree in occupational therapy at the university.
The initiative to place Gat’s photo in each classroom is led by her cousin, Shay Dikman.
In a statement, the university says it serves as a “heartbreaking reminder of [Gat’s] absence and a testament to the unwavering hope for the safe return of all the hostages.”
Gat, 39, an occupational therapist from Tel Aviv, was visiting her parents in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7. During the onslaught, her mother Kinneret was killed, and she was taken hostage to Gaza.
Carmel Gat was taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 from her parents’ home in Kibbutz Be’eri (Courtesy)
UK’s Cameron to Iran: Tehran shares responsibility for preventing Houthi attacks in Red Sea
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Cameron leaves from 10 Downing Street in central London on December 12, 2023, after attending a cabinet meeting. (Adrian DENNIS / AFP)
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron says he made clear in a call with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian that Iran shares responsibility for preventing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
“I made clear that Iran shares responsibility for preventing these attacks, given their long-standing support to the Houthis,” he says in a post on social media site X, adding that the attacks “threaten innocent lives and the global economy.”
After lull of over 24 hours, sirens sound in Gaza border community
Sirens sound in the Gaza border community Kissufim, warning of incoming rocket fire.
The alert comes after a lull of over 24 hours.
The towns bordering the Strip have been largely evacuated of civilians since the Hamas onslaught on October 7.
Maersk pauses Red Sea shipping for 48 hours after Houthi attacks on vessel
Containers of Danish shipping and logistics company Maersk are seen in Copenhagen, Denmark, on September 14, 2023. (Sergei Gapon/AFP)
Maersk has paused all sailing through the Red Sea for 48 hours, the shipping giant says after Iranian-backed Houthis attacked a container vessel.
The Houthis have repeatedly targeted vessels in the vital Red Sea shipping lane with strikes they say are in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is battling the terror group Hamas.
US Navy helicopters sank three of four small boats used by the Houthis to attack the Maersk Hangzhou vessel in the southern Red Sea late on Saturday, the US military said.
The crew onboard the Maersk ship reported a flash on deck when the vessel was 55 nautical miles southwest of Al Hodeidah, Maersk said.
IDF says Paratroopers Brigade deployed to southern Gaza after 2 months in northern Strip
Troops of the Paratroopers Brigade operate in southern Gaza, in a handout image published by the IDF on December 31, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF Paratroopers Brigade has been deployed to southern Gaza after some two months of fighting in the Strip’s north, joining the 98th Division which is battling Hamas in the Khan Younis area.
The IDF says the Paratroopers Brigade launched an assault on the terror group’s infrastructure, including observation positions, anti-tank launch positions, and weapons depots over the past week.
The soldiers also killed several Hamas gunmen in close-quarters combat, as well as others with sniper fire, the IDF says.
The IDF Paratroopers Brigade has been deployed to southern Gaza after some two months of fighting in the Strip’s north, joining the 98th Division which is battling Hamas in the Khan Younis area.
The IDF says the Paratroopers Brigade launched an assault on the terror group’s… pic.twitter.com/e5n6Ola1V7
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 31, 2023
Cabinet votes to postpone nationwide municipal elections until February 27
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Dec. 31, 2023. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)
The cabinet votes unanimously to postpone the nationwide municipal elections scheduled for the end of January until February 27, 2024.
The municipal elections were originally scheduled for October 31 but were postponed in light of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, which erupted on October 7. That day, some 3,000 Hamas terrorists burst through the border, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping over 240, mostly civilians.
“We usually do not hold elections in wartime but these elections have been determined in advance.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says during the cabinet meeting.
“They have already been postponed once. While it would be very difficult to postpone them for a very long period, there are two possibilities: Hold them at the end of January or the end of February. To this end, we have requested an IDF assessment of how many people who will still be on active duty at the end of January are involved [in running for office].
“The number that has reached us is around 700… My recommendation is clear: To do this at the end of February, in order to enable as many reservists as possible to participate in the elections. This is an elementary and important right.”
Earlier this month, the Religious Zionism party called for a further month-long postponement of the local elections, a call that was also backed by other coalition partners. After delaying a decision on the matter last week, Netanyahu’s office announced that the cabinet had asked the Israel Defense Forces to provide it with information on which of the 2,189 candidates currently serving in the reserves “cannot be discharged, and a breakdown of the local authorities in which there are candidates who cannot be discharged.”
On Friday, the army informed the cabinet that 688 reservists who are candidates in the January elections would “most likely” not be able to be released from duty to run for office. The hundreds of reservists whose roles in the army were deemed crucial represented 144 municipalities, the IDF noted.
IDF says two soldiers killed in Gaza fighting, taking ground operation death toll to 172
Sgt. Maj. (res.) Eliraz Gabai (left) and Sgt. First Class (res.) Liav Seada (Courtesy)
The IDF announces the deaths of two soldiers in fighting in the Gaza Strip, bringing the toll of slain troops since the start of the ground offensive to 172.
They are:
Sgt. Maj. (res.) Eliraz Gabai, 37, of the Yiftah Brigade’s 7810th Battalion, from Petah Tikva.
Sgt. First Class (res.) Liav Seada, 23, of the Combat Engineering Corps’ 7107th Battalion, from Tiberias.
Gabai was killed yesterday in central Gaza, while Seada was killed today in the Strip’s north.
Hamas health ministry says Gaza death toll climbs to over 21,800
Palestinians inspect the damage following Israeli strikes on the Zawayda area of the central Gaza Strip on December 30, 2023, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas terror group. (AFP)
The health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza says at least 21,822 people have been killed in the Strip since the war was sparked by the devastating October 7 onslaught by the terror group.
Figures issued by Hamas cannot be independently verified and include both civilians and terror operatives killed in Gaza, including as a consequence of terror groups’ own rocket misfires.
Israel says it is making an effort to avoid harm to civilians while fighting a terror group embedded within the civilian population. It has long accused Gaza-based terror groups of using Palestinians in the Strip as human shields and of operating from sites including schools and hospitals, which are supposed to be protected.
US military says helicopters sank Houthi boats carrying out 2nd attack on vessel in Red Sea
Houthi supporters chant slogans as they attend a rally on March 26, 2023, in Sanaa, Yemen. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
US Central Command says Iranian-backed Houthi small boats attacked a merchant vessel and US Navy helicopters in the southern Red Sea.
The US military says the Maersk Hangzhou issued a second distress call in less than 24 hours when Houthis opened fire and attempted to board the vessel.
Security teams on the boat returned fire and the US military dispatched helicopters to the scene.
Helicopters from the USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely, responding to distress calls from the Maersk Hangzhou, returned fire on the Houthi boats in self-defense and sank three of the vessels with no survivors, the US military says. The fourth boat fled the area.
Maersk confirms the report of an incident involving the Hangzhou after the vessel had passed through the Bab al-Mandab Strait en route from Singapore to Egypt.
The Houthis have repeatedly targeted vessels in the vital Red Sea shipping lane with strikes they say are in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is battling the terror group Hamas.
Islamic Jihad chief says no hostage deal while Israeli troops remain in Gaza – report
Palestinian terrorists of the Islamic Jihad movement participate in an anti-Israel military parade marking the 36th anniversary of the movement's foundation in Gaza City, October 4, 2023. (Mahmud Hams/AFP)
The head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group reportedly says there will be no agreement for the release of hostages for as long as fighting continues in the Gaza Strip.
Ziyad al-Nakhalah says that his group will not be party to any deal while Israel Defense Forces troops remain in the enclave, according to the Al-Araby network.
Qatari mediators have reportedly told Israel that Hamas “agrees in principle” to resume negotiations for the release of further hostages taken during the October 7 atrocities, in exchange for a truce of up to a month in the Gaza Strip.
It is unclear how many hostages are held by Islamic Jihad, a terror group smaller than Hamas.
Cabinet approves Katz to replace Cohen as foreign minister, per rotation agreement
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen (L) and Energy Minister Israel Katz. (Collage/AP)
The cabinet approves the appointment of Energy Minister Israel Katz as foreign minister, replacing Eli Cohen as the nation’s top diplomat.
The switch, made in accordance with an internal Likud rotation agreement signed last year before the establishment of the current emergency war government, will require Knesset approval before going into effect.
Despite leaving the Foreign Ministry, Cohen will continue to serve as a member of the security cabinet.
Cohen, who has served as foreign minister since the government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in a year ago, will later replace Katz as energy minister for two years before swapping again as foreign minister for the final year of the government’s term in 2026 — assuming it lasts that long.
Katz is entering the ministry at a crucial time for the country’s diplomatic service, which must maintain Jerusalem’s international ties and represent the country on the world stage amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
His appointment also reflects Netanyahu’s policy of sidelining the Foreign Ministry in recent years, cutting and centralizing some of its responsibilities within his own office — a trend that led to several strikes by Israeli diplomats in recent years.
IDF carries out drone strike on gunmen attacking troops in West Bank’s Nur Shams camp
The IDF says it carried out a drone strike against a group of Palestinian gunmen who were shooting and hurling explosives at troops during an overnight raid in the West Bank’s Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarem.
During the operation, IDF reservists and Border Police officers detained five wanted Palestinians in the camp, and seized weapons.
Several explosive devices planted underneath and on the sides of roads in Nur Shams were uncovered and destroyed by combat engineers, the IDF says.
Palestinian gunmen opened fire and hurled explosives at the soldiers, who returned fire. In one incident, IEDs were thrown at the forces from a mosque, the IDF says.
The IDF says the drone strike was carried out after gunmen had endangered the troops. Several of the gunmen were wounded in the strike, and during scans of the area afterward, forces found firearms and explosives, the IDF says.
Since October 7, troops have arrested more than 2,550 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,300 affiliated with Hamas.
הכוחות חשפו והשמידו מטענים מתחת ובצידי הכבישים שנועדו לפגיעה בכוחותינו, בנוסף תוחקרו עשרות חשודים, נעצרו חמישה מבוקשים והוחרמו אמצעי לחימה ומטענים.
במהלך המבצע מחבלים חמושים ירו והשליכו מטענים לעבר הכוחות, שהגיבו בירי >> pic.twitter.com/J2dfTuHGia
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) December 31, 2023
Kiryat Shmona mayor: ‘I’ll block city entrance if residents told to return before Hezbollah removed from border’
A picture shows a crater on the wall of a building in Israel's northern border town of Kiryat Shmona following a rocket attack from neighboring Lebanon, on December 27, 2023. (Jalaa Marey/AFP)
The mayor of Kiryat Shmona says that residents will not return to their homes until Hezbollah has been pushed back from the northern border.
“Nearly 90% of the city’s residents have evacuated and are scattered throughout the country,” Avichai Stern tells the Kan public broadcaster.
“As long as the Radwan Unit is on the border, we will not return to our home,” he says, referring to the terror group’s elite unit. “If necessary, I will block the entrance with my body.”
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the Lebanese border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
The skirmishes on the border have resulted in four civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of nine IDF soldiers. There have also been several rocket attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Hezbollah has named 133 members killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 19 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and at least 19 civilians, three of whom were journalists, have been killed.
IDF carries out Gaza airstrikes, neutralizes bombs planted in daycare center
IDF soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip in an undated photo released December, 31, 2023 (Israel Defense Forces)
Israeli Air Force fighter jets carried out a wave of airstrikes overnight in the Gaza Strip, as ground operations continue.
The IDF says the dozens of targets included Hamas military buildings, a tunnel, and other infrastructure.
The Navy also carried out strikes along Gaza’s coast, aiding the ground forces.
South of Gaza City, the IDF says troops of the 179th Brigade spotted four Hamas operatives with explosive devices approaching them. An airstrike was carried out against the cell.
Half an hour later, the IDF says troops spotted another four Hamas operatives in the area, who were also struck by the IAF.
At the same time, a vehicle with Hamas operatives inside driving toward the troops was also struck, the IDF says.
An IAF fighter jet also struck a building from which Hamas activated an explosive device against the troops, according to the IDF.
In northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya, the IDF says troops of the 551st Brigade spotted three Hamas operatives entering a building, and called in an airstrike.
Meanwhile, during scans in the outskirts of the Shati camp in northern Gaza, the IDF says troops of the 14th Brigade located and neutralized anti-personnel explosive devices planted in a daycare center.
In southern Gaza, the IDF says several Hamas tunnels were discovered by the so-called Bedouin Trackers unit, officially called the Desert Reconnaissance unit, which is operating under the Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade.
Also in southern Gaza, troops of the Paratroopers Brigade identified three Hamas operatives in the Khan Younis area and called in an airstrike, killing one. The other two gunmen, wielding RPGs, were later spotted between two buildings and were killed by tank shelling, according to the IDF.
The IDF says the 7th Armored Brigade, also operating in southern Gaza, spotted three Hamas operatives and directed an airstrike to kill them.
מטוסי חיל האוויר תקפו הלילה כחלק ממטסי הסיוע לכוחות המתמרנים עשרות מטרות בהן מבנים צבאיים, תשתיות טרור ומנהרה >> pic.twitter.com/ReAwBLxNEn
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) December 31, 2023
Egyptian delegation visited Tel Aviv to discuss potential deal to ‘end the war’ – report
Photographs of Israeli hostages being held in the Gaza Strip are placed on a house in Kibbutz Be'eri, Israel, Dec. 20, 2023. (AP/Ohad Zwigenberg)
An Egyptian delegation visited Tel Aviv last week in a bid to bring about an agreement “to end the war” between Israel and the Hamas terror group, according to a report.
An Egyptian official tells the Qatari-owned outlet Al-Arabi Al-Jadid that “things are still complicated.”
The unnamed source tells the newspaper that Cairo was exploring Israel’s “readiness to completely withdraw from the areas that the army entered in the Gaza Strip following the ground operation, in the event of a comprehensive agreement being reached.”
Meanwhile, a Palestinian source tells the newspaper that “internal consultations between the Palestinian factions are still continuing in order to conclude a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire.”
The war began with the devastating October 7 attacks, when some 3,000 terrorists stormed the border from Gaza, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilian — and seizing over 240 hostages under the cover of a deluge of thousands of rockets fired at Israeli towns and cities.
Qatari mediators have reportedly 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 truce of up to a month in the Gaza Strip.
IDF believes won’t be able to fully destroy Gaza terror groups’ capabilities to fire rockets – report
Israeli security forces inspect the aftermath of a direct hit from a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip into the town of Sderot, October 15, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
The Israel Defense Forces does not believe it will be able to fully destroy the rocket-launching capabilities of Gaza-based terror groups, Army Radio reports.
The report says that while the military has had success in taking out launchers for long-range missiles, it will be harder to totally remove the threat of short-range fire at the Gaza border communities.
“Even in two years’ time, it’s possible that the residents of the Gaza Strip will still be hearing rocket alerts,” an unnamed senior officer tells the outlet.
Universities set to begin delayed academic year, vow reservist students won’t be left behind
Students seen at the Tel Aviv University on the first day of the new academic year, October 10, 2021. (Flash90)
Israel’s major universities are set to begin the delayed academic year today, vowing that reservist students won’t be at a disadvantage.
According to the Ynet news site, some 55,000 students are currently serving in the Israel Defense Forces reserves.
The IDF had requested a further delay last week so that students still serving in the reserves amid the war could begin the year along with the rest of their peers.
In a compromise solution, IDF reservists will begin their studies “a few weeks later” and will have a condensed week of intensive classes upon their return to get them up to speed on missed material, after which they will be integrated into regular classes, the Association of University Heads has said.
The president of Ariel University, Prof. Ehud Grossman, tells Ynet that his institution, like the others, “is committed to the reservists and to them finishing the academic year on time.”
"שמור למשרתי המילואים. מחכים לכם בקמפוס": הנהלת אוניברסיטת בר אילן במחווה לסטודנטים ואנשי הסגל שמגויסים ולא יוכלו להגיע ללימודים. הסטודנטים עצמם ביקשו מראש מכולם להגיע לבושים בחולצות כחול לבן עם דגלי ישראל, עבור המילואימניקים.
בהצלחה לכל הסטודנטים שחוזרים מחר לקמפוסים✨ pic.twitter.com/bBiRcjB9WG— Yuval Miller || יובל מילר (@milleryuval_) December 30, 2023
Palestinians report airstrikes, shelling in central Gaza
IDF forces operate in the Gaza Strip, in a handout photo released on December 31, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)
Palestinian outlets report on airstrikes overnight in central Gaza, including the Deir al-Balah area and al-Maghazi.
Artillery fire on the area is also reported, as well as a strike in Rafah.
Reports also indicate ongoing gunbattles in the Tuffah area of Gaza City, where Israeli troops have faced ongoing resistance.
The reports cannot be independently verified. There is no comment from the military, which generally releases information about its overnight operations at around 9 a.m.
Monitor claims 23 fighters killed in ‘Israeli’ strikes in eastern Syria
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims 23 pro-Iran fighters were killed Saturday in eastern Syria, saying “Israel” likely carried out the attack.
The monitor says five Syrians, four from Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, six Iraqis and eight Iranians, were killed in at least nine pre-dawn air strikes near the Iraqi border.
It reports the strikes targeted military positions in Albu Kamal and its surroundings in Deir Ezzor province, adding that a weapons shipment from Iraq and an ammunition warehouse were also hit.
The Observatory, which says it relies on sources inside Syria, has been accused in the past of inflating or inventing casualty numbers. Funding for the monitor, run by a single person in Britain, is unclear.
A US military official, requesting anonymity, says the “US did not conduct any defensive strikes overnight.”
Israel rarely comments on individual strikes targeting Syria, but it has repeatedly said it will not allow Iran, which backs President Bashar Assad’s government, to expand its presence there.
The Observatory also claims that four foreign fighters were killed in strikes on Aleppo’s international airport. The attack was widely attributed to Israel.
Fighting reported in Tulkarem-area camp after IDF convoy seen entering
Clashes are being reported in the Nour Shams refugee camp east of Tulkarem in the West Bank, after footage shared on social media showed a large convoy of Israeli military vehicles, including an armored bulldozer, entering the area.
????HAPPENING NOW: Israeli forces are breaking into the West Bank city of Tulkarm and the Nour Shams refugee camp, bringing several bulldozers with them. pic.twitter.com/kYxCOln2SI
— In Context (@incontextmedia) December 30, 2023
The crackle of gunfire and loud explosions can be heard in unverified video from the scene. A bulldozer can also be seen knocking down part of a building.
Armed clashes continue in the camp.. pic.twitter.com/QOQCOfr3up
— Palestine Captives ???? (@Palestinecapti1) December 31, 2023
According to the official Palestinian WAFA media outlet, two people were injured in two separate airstrikes in the camp.
???????????? Le bulldozer de l'occupation commence à #détruire les infrastructures du quartier d'#AlMaslakh, dans le camp de #NourShams.
ADR pic.twitter.com/tESAKeetMO
— Bree ???????? (@Bree_Vandekaamp) December 30, 2023
Reports claim a number of arrests are made during the raids.
There is no comment from the Israel Defense Forces.
Ship sailing off Yemen describes ‘loud bang,’ several explosions
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations organization says the master of an unidentified ship in the Red Sea reported “a loud bang accompanied by a flash on the port bow of the vessel” and several explosions in the vicinity of the area.
The incident occurred about 55 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.
The report says there were no injuries or damage and the boat is heading full speed to its next port of call.
The report comes moments after the US military said the Maersk Hangzhou container ship was hit by a missile, after which an American warship responding to the incident shot down two more missiles, in what appears to be the same incident.
Container ship hit by Houthi missile, US warship shoots down others
A Maersk container ship near Sir Abu Nuair island off Dubai on June 4, 2022. (Karim SAHIB / AFP)
The US Central Command says the Maersk Hangzhou container ship reported being struck by a missile while sailing through the Red Sea, seemingly the first successful attack since the launch of an international coalition to patrol the key waterway 10 days ago.
An American warship, the USS Gravely, shot down two more ballistic missiles while responding to a distress call along with the USS Labboon, the military says.
The missiles were fired from a part of Yemen controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group, which has carried out nearly two dozen attacks on merchant vessels in a bid to choke traffic traversing the key Bab al Mandeb strait connecting the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.
USS GRAVELY shoots down two anti-ship ballistic missiles while responding to Houthi attack on merchant vessel.
Today at approximately 8:30 p.m. (Sanaa time), the container ship MAERSK HANGZHOU reported that they were struck by a missile while transiting the Southern Red Sea. The… pic.twitter.com/nUgifhkdC8
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 31, 2023
According to CentCom, there were no injuries on the Maersk container ship, and the ship remains seaworthy and able to continue its journey.
According to publicly available data, the Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned ship was sailing from Singapore to Port Said Egypt.
The strike comes a day after Denmark joined the international coalition set up to patrol the Red Sea and thwart such attacks.
In this photo provided by the Royal Navy on December 16, 2023, an image shows the HMS Diamond firing its Sea Viper missile to engage and shoot down an aerial drone over the Red Sea. (Royal Navy/Ministry of Defence via AP, File)
Maersk, among the world’s largest shippers, recently said it was resuming its more efficient Red Sea routes in apparent reaction to the force being set up, after weeks of sending marine traffic around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope to avoid Houthi attacks.
Speaking before the attack was announced, US Navy Vice Admiral Brad Cooper told the Associated Press that since Operation Prosperity Guardian was announced, 1,200 merchant ships had traveled through the Red Sea region, and none had been hit by drone or missile strikes.
There are five warships from the United States, France, and the United Kingdom patrolling the waters of the southern Red Sea and the western Gulf of Aden, says Cooper, who heads the 5th Fleet. Since the operation started, the ships have shot down a total of 17 drones and four anti-ship ballistic missiles, he says.
Sailors assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) stand watch in the ship’s Combat Information Center during an operation to defeat a combination of Houthi missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, Oct. 19. (US Navy/Aaron Lau)
The Houthis have threatened to attack any vessel they believe is either going to or coming from Israel, in retaliation for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
That has escalated to apparently any vessel, with container ships and oil tankers flagged to countries such as Norway and Liberia being attacked or drawing missile fire.
Right-hand man to infamous Hamas bomb-maker Ayyash killed in Gaza, Palestinians say
Abdul Fattah Amin Maali in an undated picture posted by Hamas-affiliated outlet Shehab.
A Hamas armed wing commander who was a right-hand man to Hamas’s chief bomb-maker decades ago was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Shehab news outlet, which is considered close to the terror group.
According to Shehab, Abdul Fattah Amin Maali was a close associate to Yahya Ayyash, one of the founders of the al-Qassam Brigades, the terror group’s armed wing.
Nicknamed the Engineer, Ayyash was known for both developing Hamas’s use of suicide bombings and building many of the explosives used in attacks that took the lives of dozens of Israelis in the early and mid-1990s.
A street sign bearing the name of Yahya Ayyash in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on April 8, 2010. (Issam Rimawi / FLASH90)
He was assassinated by the Shin Bet in January 1996.
Shehab says Maali was deported to Gaza after his release from prison, and had been an al-Qassam commander himself.
Hezbollah says operative killed in southern Lebanon strike
The Hezbollah terror group says a strike on the southern Lebanon border town of Bint Jbeil killed one of its fighters, naming him as Ali Ahmed Saad (Jibril).
Saad was apparently killed during Israeli strikes on Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon on Saturday afternoon, in response to repeated attacks on northern Israel.
Earlier reports claimed him as a civilian. Hezbollah says he was killed “on the road to Jerusalem,” a euphemism it uses to eulogize its fighters.
Hebzollah announces the death of a combatant, definitely not any way, shape, or form a civilian. He is identified as Ali Ahmed Saad (Jibril). https://t.co/8ho1vMcRaQ pic.twitter.com/H3hSVcIBLw
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) December 30, 2023
IDF to raze homes of 3 Hamas members who carried out deadly shooting at West Bank checkpoint
The scene of a shooting attack at a West Bank checkpoint south of Jerusalem on November 16, 2023 (Israel Police)
The Israel Defense Forces announces its intention to demolish the homes of three Hamas members who last month carried out a shooting attack at a West Bank checkpoint, killing a soldier and wounding several others.
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