Live updates (closed)
The Times of Israel liveblogged Friday’s events as they happened.
Lebanon’s PM discusses with Syria’s de facto ruler relations between two countries
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, in a phone call today with Syria’s de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa, discussed relations between the two countries, according to a statement from Mikati’s office posts on X, and says that he received an invitation from Sharaa to visit Syria to discuss common files.
Sharaa also affirmed that Syrian authorities took the necessary measures to restore calm on the border between the two countries, the post on X says.
Syrian foreign minister to visit Qatar, UAE and Jordan in coming days
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani says in a statement posted on X on Friday that he will visit Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan in the coming days to “support stability, security, economic recovery and build distinguished partnerships.”
Trump-backed Republican Johnson elected speaker of US House
Republican Rep. Mike Johnson has been re-elected as speaker of the US House of Representatives with the crucial backing of incoming president Donald Trump, after two party rebels dramatically reversed their initial “no” votes.
The 52-year-old Louisiana lawmaker needed a simple majority to be elected as Washington’s top legislator, who presides over House business and is second in line to the presidency.
But three Republican members initially voted for other candidates, and Johnson was only able to secure victory after protracted negotiations during which two finally switched their backing.
US House rejects Trump-backed speaker in first ballot
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson talks to reporters after passing the funding bill to avert the government shutdown at the Capitol in Washington, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Divided Republicans in the US House of Representatives have failed to elect a speaker in the opening round of voting as right-wing rebels defied incoming president Donald Trump to block the return of Mike Johnson.
The Louisiana lawmaker was unable to earn the support of a simple majority in the lower chamber of Congress, where the Republicans’ already threadbare majority was reduced to just 219-215 in November’s presidential election.
Johnson secured 216 votes, beating Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries by one — but with three Republicans not backing their leader, the process now goes to a second round.
Six Palestinians wounded, vehicles torched in 5th settler attack on village in two weeks
Vehicles allegedly torched by settlers during an attack on the Palestinian village of Silwad on January 3, 2025. (Yesh Din)
Six Palestinians were injured and six of their vehicles were torched during an attack by dozens of settlers on the central West Bank village of Silwad earlier this afternoon, the Yesh Din rights group reports.
Soldiers were present at the scene but did not intervene or apprehend any suspects, Yesh Din says.
It was the fifth settler attack in the Silwad area in the past two weeks.
Yesterday, Israeli troops razed an illegal outpost established by settlers, who managed to rebuild the makeshift homes hours later.
To squeeze Hamas, Israel said weighing restricting aid entering Gaza once Trump enters office
Channel 12 reports that Israel is considering significantly restricting the amount of humanitarian aid entering Gaza once US President-elect Donald Trump enters office on January 20.
The move is aimed at dismantling Hamas’s governing capabilities in Gaza, which Jerusalem says it has been able to maintain after nearly 15 months of war by controlling much of the humanitarian aid that enters the Strip. Hamas fighters have been known to charge fees in exchange for the release of aid convoys upon their entry into Gaza.
Only a limited amount of aid is entering Gaza, and a further siphoning would likely exacerbate the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
The security establishment has long warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that military pressure against Hamas without the advancement of a viable alternative to its rule would allow the terror group to fill any vacuums temporarily created by IDF operations.
Netanyahu has refused to grant the Palestinian Authority a foothold in Gaza to replace Hamas, despite gestures from Arab allies who have offered to assist in the post-war reconstruction and stabilization of the Strip in exchange.
Hamas wants Gaza ceasefire deal as soon as possible, senior official says
Hamas says a new round of indirect talks on a Gaza ceasefire resumed in Qatar’s Doha on Friday, stressing the group’s seriousness in seeking to reach a deal as soon as possible, senior Hamas official Basem Naim says.
The new talks will focus on agreeing on a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, he adds.
Authorities weigh probe into Ben Gvir’s chief of staff for cooperating with allegedly corrupt officers
Religious Zionism MK Itamar Ben Gvir, left, and adviser Chanamel Dorfman. (Screen capture/Channel 13; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
The Justice Ministry and Department for Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) are weighing an investigation into Chanamel Dorfman, the chief of staff to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, on suspicion that he acted as a go-between for Ben Gvir and law enforcement officers who are suspected of abusing their power to secure the far-right minister’s fealty, Channel 13 reports.
Dorfman’s name has repeatedly come up in the case against Prison Guard chief Kobi Yaakovi, West Bank police chief Avishai Mualem and a third officer whose name remains under a gag order, Channel 13 says.
Mualem is accused of refraining from arresting Jewish terrorists in his jurisdiction and was re-arrested on Thursday for allegedly trying to tamper with evidence in the case against him. Yaakovi is suspected of having alerted Mualem to the covert investigation against him.
Dorfman is among Ben Gvir’s closest advisers, and an investigation into Dorfman would pose a significant step toward a possible probe of Ben Gvir himself, the network speculates.
US said to tell Israel it plans to increase strikes on Houthis
The US plans to increase its strikes in Yemen, American officials tell their Israeli counterparts, per a report by the Kan Public Broadcaster.
The attacks are expected to be aimed at the Iran-backed Houthi rebels rocket facilities.
A source tells Kan that outgoing US President Joe Biden has given the US military “broad” authorization for the strikes.
The report says the US stressed to Israel that Israeli strikes must remain solely against military targets to prevent harm to civilians.
PM-approved mandate said not as broad as hostage negotiators requested, but enough for progress to be made
Before dispatching a mid-level Israeli negotiating team to Doha for follow-up hostage talks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a conference call with top security officials where they discussed the scope of the mandate that Israel’s negotiators would enjoy while in Qatar.
The mandate approved by Netanyahu was not as broad as the negotiators requested. However, it was still large enough for additional progress to be made, Channel 12 reports, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
The Walla news site reports that the Israeli negotiating team has already wrapped up the first round of talks in Doha this evening.
Hamas confirms Gaza truce talks to resume in Doha later today
Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a truce in Gaza are to resume in Qatar later today, Hamas confirms.
“Indirect negotiations will resume today, Friday, in the Qatari capital Doha,” Hamas says in a statement, adding the talks would “focus on ensuring the agreement leads to a complete cessation of hostilities [and] the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip.”
IDF says drones apparently managed to smuggle unknown contents into Gaza
The IDF and police say several smuggling attempts from Israel to the Gaza Strip using drones were identified in recent days.
Overnight, another attempt was carried out, which the military says it foiled.
The previous attempts were apparently successful, though security officials are unsure what was smuggled. The IDF and police believe that drugs or other contraband were smuggled, as drugs were captured in last night’s foiled attempt.
IDF troops and police stationed on the border detained a suspect who tried to flee the scene, according to the joint statement.
The IDF says that in the suspect’s car, the forces found another drone packed with drugs that was set to be launched to Gaza.
Europe won’t support ‘new Islamist structures in Syria,’ visiting German FM says
Lifting sanctions on Syria will depend on the political process going forward, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says in Damascus after meeting with the country’s de facto leader.
Europe will not fund the creation of new Islamist structures in Syria, Baerbock adds during a press conference.
“Europe will support, but Europe would not be a sponsor of new Islamist structures,” Baerbock says.
Syria restricts entry of Lebanese via joint border, sources say
Syria’s new administration has imposed restrictions on Lebanese crossing their shared border into Syria, a Lebanese security official and a Syrian official says.
The restrictions, which come as Lebanon is seeking better ties with its neighbor under the new rulers, mean Lebanese who do not have a residency or family inside Syria will not be able to cross, the Lebanese security official said. However, he noted that exceptions were being made for those with other types of business inside Syria.
The Lebanese official describes the measures as “temporary” and says they are the result of a dispute between the two sides over the apparent mistreatment by Lebanese authorities of Syrians entering or leaving Lebanon.
Lebanon’s interior minister, who oversees border crossings, could not be reached for comment.
The Lebanese army separately says that five soldiers were wounded in clashes that broke out between soldiers and unidentified Syrians as the army tried to shut down an illegal border crossing near Baalbeck in the Lebanon’s northeast.
There are thought to be dozens of informal crossings along the porous, rugged 370-km (230-mile) border between the two countries.
Lebanon has said it is looking forward to having the best neighborly relations with Syria after rebels forced Bashar al-Assad from power on Dec. 8, opening a new chapter after ties that have often been fraught since the two countries became independent states in the 1940s.
US ‘encouraged’ by Israel sending hostage negotiating team to Doha; no breakthroughs to announce
A light display calling for the release of the hostages, seen on haBima Square in Tel Aviv. January 01, 2025. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)*
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby praises Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recently announced decision to dispatch a mid-level negotiating team to Doha today for follow-up hostage talks.
“We welcome Israel’s decision… [and] think that that’s an encouraging step,” Kirby says during a briefing with reporters.
While Kirby stresses that an agreement “is both urgent and possible,” he acknowledges that there is no breakthrough in the talks to report.
He again lays the onus on Hamas to end the war by agreeing to a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
Arab mediators have avoided publicly placing the blame on either side, while privately arguing that Netanyahu’s refusal to end the war in exchange for the release of all hostages is the main obstacle to a deal.
IDF denies Palestinian media reports that it struck and ordered evacuation of north Gaza hospital
IDF troops operate near the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, in a handout photo issued on December 24, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF denies reports by Palestinian media claiming that the Israeli military struck the Indonesian Hospital and ordered the evacuation of the medical center in the northern Gaza Strip.
“Contrary to reports, the IDF did not strike the Indonesian Hospital in Jabalia over the past day and did not damage any essential equipment,” the IDF’s international media spokesman, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani says on X.
“Following reports regarding the evacuation of the hospital, messages were sent to reiterate to officials in the health authorities that there is no need to evacuate the hospital,” he continues.
“The IDF emphasizes that it is not operating to evacuate the hospital. The IDF remains in ongoing coordination with hospital officials in order to enable and facilitate the supply of humanitarian assistance to the hospital,” Shoshani adds.
The military issues a similar statement also in Hebrew.
The statement comes after Palestinian journalists in Gaza, including some accused by Israel of being members of Hamas, claimed that the IDF had ordered all those in the Indonesian Hospital to evacuate and that Israeli military vehicles opened fire in the vicinity of the hospital.
The reported IDF evacuation order was even cited by the World Health Organization’s representative to the Palestinian territories during his testimony at an ongoing UN Security Council session.
The IDF operated at the Indonesian Hospital last month, during which it said troops killed several terror operatives and detained dozens of suspected members of terror groups.
The military also operated at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Jabalia last weekend, where it evacuated the remaining patients and staff to the Indonesian Hospital. Kamal Adwan’s equipment was also delivered to the Indonesian Hospital to ensure it could keep running, according to the military.
Iran summons Italian ambassador over arrest of Iranian wanted by US
Iran’s foreign ministry summons the Italian ambassador over the detention of an Iranian national wanted by the United States for his alleged role in a deadly drone strike against US forces, Iranian state media reports.
The summons comes a day after a similar move by Italy over Iran’s arrest of Italian reporter Cecilia Sala, who was seized in Tehran on December 19 while working under a journalist visa.
An Iranian foreign ministry official “urged Italy to reject America’s hostage policy – which is contrary to international law, particularly human rights – and provide for Mr. [Mohammad] Abedini’s release as soon as possible and prevent damage to bilateral ties,” state media reports.
On Thursday, the Iranian embassy in Rome said Sala was being given all the humanitarian care necessary, and for the first time, linked her case to that of Abedini.
Iran’s said on Monday that Sala had been arrested for “violating the laws of the Islamic Republic.” It gave no further information.
Sala was detained three days after Abedini, an Iranian businessman, was arrested at Milan’s Malpensa airport on a US warrant for allegedly supplying drone parts that Washington says were used in a 2023 attack that killed three US service members in Jordan.
Iran has denied involvement in the attack.
Abedini is currently being held in prison and a court is due to decide this month whether to grant him house arrest while judges consider the US extradition request.
In recent years, Iran’s security forces have arrested dozens of foreigners and dual nationals, mostly on charges related to espionage and security. Rights groups have accused Iran of trying to extract concessions from other countries through such arrests. Iran denies this.
Security Council holds emergency session on IDF counter-terror raid of north Gaza hospital
Palestinians evacuate from northern Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital, in a handout photo issued by the military on December 29, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The UN Security Council has begun another emergency session on the Gaza war, this time discussing the recent Israeli raid of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Strip.
Israel says it returned to the hospital after Hamas fighters again resumed operations there under the guise of medical personnel and patients.
The IDF said Sunday that it killed 19 terror operatives during the roughly week-long raid and that it was unaware of any civilian casualties. Hamas-run health authorities previously claimed that 50 people had been killed, including hospital staff.
The IDF said that, of 940 Palestinians who passed through an army checkpoint outside the hospital, 240 were detained for being alleged members of terror groups. Among those detained was Kamal Adwan director Hussam Abu Safiya who the IDF says is suspected of involvement in terrorist activities.
In all, some 600 civilians and another 95 patients, caregivers, and medical personnel were evacuated from Kamal Adwan.
Testifying before Security Council members at today’s hearing is the World Health Organization’s representative for the Palestinian territories Rik Peeperkorn and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.
The session was requested by Algeria, the Arab representative on the Security Council.
Each country’s ambassador presents their capital’s stance regarding Israeli operations in Kamal Adwan along with the war more broadly. Most statements are critical of Israel, while some envoys highlight Hamas’s continued operations from hospitals and other civilian infrastructure. Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon is expected to place particular emphasis on the latter point.
There’s not expected to be any practical implications from the meeting, though some members may have tried to push for a symbolic joint statement condemning Israel for the raid, which would have surely been blocked by the United States.
Hamas-run health ministry says 77 Gazans killed in last 24 hours
Palestinian Tamim Marouf, 6, sits inside his family's tent alongside his sister Hala, 10, and his brother Malek, 4, at a camp for internally displaced Palestinians on the beachfront in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says 77 people were killed in the coastal enclave in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall death toll of the war to 45,658.
The ministry also says in a statement that at least 108,583 people had been wounded in nearly 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas triggered by the Palestinian terror group’s October 7 onslaught in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed and roughly 250 were taken hostage.
Israel has intensified airstrikes over the past day following renewed rocket fire at southern Israel. Israel insists it doesn’t target civilians, while Hamas hides and fights among them.
Houthis take responsibility for overnight ballistic missile attack, morning drone launch
The Houthis in Yemen take responsibility for the overnight ballistic missile attack on Israel and this morning’s attempted drone attack.
The Iran-backed terror group claims to have targeted a power station east of Tel Aviv in the overnight missile attack. The IDF said the missile was shot down by air defenses, but a fragment impacted near the central city of Modiin.
The Houthis also claim to have hit a military target in the Tel Aviv area this morning with a drone. According to the IDF, the drone was shot down by the Israeli Air Force before reaching Israel.
IDF publishes drone footage of former school in northern Gaza it says was used by Hamas operatives
Troops of the GIvati Brigade operate in northern Gaza's Jabalia, in a handout photo issued by the IDF on January 3, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF releases drone footage from a former school in northern Gaza’s Jabalia, where Hamas operatives had been previously holed up.
The drone video shows several assault rifles inside the damaged school building.
The IDF says the school was searched by troops of the Givati Brigade, who found numerous weapons. In a nearby residential building, the military says the troops found RPGs in a child’s bedroom.
Also during the operations in Jabalia, the IDF says the Givati troops, using a drone, spotted terror operatives planting bombs close to where they were operating. The operatives were eliminated and the explosive device was destroyed, the military adds.
Netanyahu asks to delay criminal trial testimony by two weeks after prostate surgery
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the district court in Tel Aviv on December 23, 2024, to attend the fifth day of testimony in his trial on corruption charges. (Debbie Hill/Pool/AFP)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requests a further two-week postponement to the continuation of his testimony in his ongoing criminal trial, following surgery he had at the beginning of this week to remove his prostate.
Netanyahu’s attorney Amit Hadad notes in a letter to the Jerusalem District Court that the prime minister was discharged from the hospital on Thursday and that the discharge instructions stipulate home rest for two weeks.
Hadad says that relevant medical documents have been passed to the court and that the State Attorney’s Office has agreed to the delay.
On Sunday, the court agreed to cancel the hearings scheduled for this past week.
Netanyahu began his testimony on December 10 and has testified for six days so far, with Hadad taking him in painstaking detail through the intricacies of just one of the three cases against the prime minister.
His testimony is likely to last many weeks if not months at the pace in which it has been conducted even before his surgery.
COGAT: 1,200 units of blood, 3,000 units of plasma delivered to Gaza’s Nasser Hospital
Images provided by COGAT depict the delivery of 1,200 units of blood to Nasser Hospital in the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom Crossing, on January 2, 2025. (COGAT)
COGAT, the Defense Ministry body responsible for overseeing the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, says that 1,200 units of blood were delivered to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis via the Kerem Shalom Crossing yesterday.
It says that the blood, along with 3,000 units of plasma, was delivered “to support ongoing treatments and maintain essential operations at the hospital.”
The operation was carried out in coordination with international organizations, COGAT states, and the transfer underwent “stringent security inspections.”
“The IDF, through COGAT, will continue to act in accordance with international law to provide humanitarian assistance to the residents of the Gaza Strip, especially as it pertains to medical care,” it adds.
‘The dominoes continue to fall’: Edelstein welcomes reported closure of UNRWA’s Gaza, West Bank offices
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein welcomes a New York Times report that UNRWA, the agency for Palestinian refugees, is preparing to shutter its offices in the West Bank and Gaza.
“The dominoes continue to fall on the terrorist regimes,” Edelstein declares.
“If Palestinians want a good life, it is time for them to start investing in their lives instead of our deaths,” he continues. “Israel will provide all assistance to those who are willing to live alongside it in peace, and will rain hellfire on those who seek its destruction.”
According to The Times, UNRWA will end its operations in the Palestinian territories due to heavy limitations that Israel voted to impose on it.
Gaza rocket impacts near Kibbutz Nir Am; missile fired at IAF helicopter shot down by Iron Dome
Two rockets were launched from the northern Gaza Strip at the southern border city of Sderot a short while ago, the IDF says.
According to the military, one of the rockets impacted near Kibbutz Nir Am, while another hit an open area.
There are no injuries in the attack.
Meanwhile, military sources say that the sirens earlier today in Be’eri were triggered by a surface-to-air missile launched at an Israeli Air Force helicopter over Gaza.
The shoulder-launched missile was fired by a terror operative in the Bureij area of central Gaza.
IDF sources say that the missile did not come close to hitting the helicopter, and it was successfully shot down by the Iron Dome air defense system.
Sirens had sounded in Be’eri because of the trajectory of the anti-aircraft missile.
Air France extends suspension of Tel Aviv, Beirut flight routes
Air France announces that it has extended its suspension of Paris-Tel Aviv flights until January 17, and its Paris-Beirut flights until January 31.
Meanwhile, subsidiary KLM will extend its temporary suspension of flights to Tel Aviv and will not fly until the end of March.
The group’s low-cost Transavia has canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv, Amman and Beirut until the end of March.
Air France suspended its Israel and Lebanon routes back in September amid escalating conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group, and has yet to reinstate them, despite a ceasefire agreement that has halted fighting since late November.
Syria puts entry restrictions on Lebanese citizens after ‘skirmishes’ on border — security sources
Members of the security forces of the newly formed Syrian government stand guard at a security checkpoint on the Syrian border with Lebanon, December 27, 2024 (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Syria has imposed new restrictions on the entry of Lebanese citizens following skirmishes between Lebanon’s army and Syrian fighters, a military official and two security sources from Lebanon tell AFP.
A General Security official tells AFP they were “surprised to see the border had been closed” to Lebanese citizens “from the Syrian side,” with another security source saying “It seems they [Syria] have new procedures,” allowing in only Lebanese with residency permits or official permission.
The military official says the move followed “skirmishes between the Lebanese army and Syrian fighters at the border.”
Rocket sirens activated in Sderot for second time today
Incoming rocket warning sirens sound in Sderot and other communities close to the Gaza border.
Sirens were also activated in the southern city in the early hours of Friday morning.
The military says that it is looking into the matter.
Military says Nahal Brigade troops destroyed Hamas tunnels, weapons during Beit Hanoun operation
Troops of the Nahal Brigade operate in northern Gaza's Beit Hanoun, in a handout photo issued by the IDF on January 3, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
Troops of the IDF’s Nahal Brigade destroyed several Hamas tunnels and weapons during operations this past week in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun, the military says.
The IDF launched a fresh operation in Beit Hanoun last weekend.
The military says that the Nahal troops, operating under the Gaza Division, killed several cells of gunmen, and demolished infrastructure used by terror groups, including tunnels.
The troops also located numerous weapons, including rocket launchers, mortars, RPGs, and explosive devices, along with other equipment, the IDF says.
The brigade has also directed several airstrikes in Beit Hanoun, the IDF says, including a drone strike on a rocket launcher used by terrorists in a previous attack on Israel.
Troops of the Nahal Brigade operate in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun, in a handout photo issued by the IDF on January 3, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
After rocket fire at Be’eri, IDF tells civilians in Gaza’s Bureij area to evacuate
Following rocket fire from the central Gaza Strip at the southern border community of Be’eri, the IDF has issued an evacuation warning for Palestinian civilians in the Bureij area.
“Terror organizations are once again firing rockets from this area that has received warnings several times in the past,” Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman says on X, attaching a map of the areas that are to be evacuated.
Civilians are urged to head for the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in southern Gaza before the IDF launches strikes on the area.
#عاجل ‼️ الى سكان قطاع غزة المتواجدين في البلوكات: 2220-2223 (منطقة البريج)
🔴هذا تحذير مسبق قبل هجوم وبعد عملية الاطلاق نحو منطقة غلاف غزة قبل قليل
⭕️تطلق المنظمات الإرهابية القذائف الصاروخية مرة اخرى من هذه المنطقة التي تم تحذيرها عدة مرات في الماضي.
⭕️من أجل أمنكم، انتقلوا… pic.twitter.com/0ji7TjlCNV— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) January 3, 2025
IDF says some 40 Hamas command centers, terror staging grounds struck in Gaza over past day
Over the past day, the IDF says it launched airstrikes against some 40 staging grounds for terror operatives and Hamas command centers across the Gaza Strip.
The strikes were launched by the Israeli Air Force in a joint operation with the IDF Southern Command, following intelligence provided by the Military Intelligence Directorate and Shin Bet security agency.
The IDF says dozens of Hamas operatives were gathered at the targeted sites, from where they planned and launched attacks against troops in Gaza and against Israel.
Some of the sites were embedded in former schools, which have also served as shelters for displaced Palestinians. The IDF says this is “another example of Hamas’s cynical and systematic use of civilians and civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip for terror purposes.”
The military says it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strikes, including by using “precision munitions, aerial surveillance, and other intelligence.”
IDF says one rocket launched from central Gaza at Be’eri
One rocket was launched from the central Gaza Strip at the southern border community of Be’eri a short while ago, the military says.
The IDF says it launched an interceptor missile at the rocket, but the results of the interception attempt are still under investigation.
There are no injuries in the attack.
It marks the first time in over 10 months that sirens have sounded in Be’eri due to rocket fire from Gaza.
It also marks the eighth day in a row of rocket fire from Gaza, with at least 16 rockets fired during that time.
UNRWA said preparing to shutter Gaza, West Bank offices after Israel votes to limit its operations
A Palestinian woman walks past a damaged wall bearing the UNRWA logo at a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 28, 2024. (Eyad Baba/AFP)
The New York Times reports that UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, is preparing to shutter its offices in Gaza and the West Bank, due to heavy limitations that Israel recently voted to impose on it.
In October, the Knesset voted 92 to 10 to approve a law barring UNRWA from operating in Israeli territory, and another measure curtailing its activities in the Palestinian territories by banning state authorities from having any contact with the agency passed 87 to 9.
The changes are set to come into effect at the end of January, 90 days after the legislation was approved.
Although the changes will not, in theory, prevent UNRWA from operating in the West Bank and Gaza, senior UNRWA official Louise Wateridge tells the New York Times that to do so without the ability to coordinate with Israel will endanger the lives of the agency’s staff.
At present, she explains, UNRWA coordinates with Israeli authorities whenever it transports aid across the Gaza Strip in order to ensure that staff remain safe.
“If we can’t share that information with Israeli authorities on a daily basis, then we have staff lives in danger,” she says.
Rocket sirens activated in Kibbutz Be’eri, on Gaza border
Incoming rocket sirens sound shortly after midday in Kibbutz Be’eri, close to the Gaza border.
The army says that it is looking into the matter.
Report: Israeli delegation departs for hostage deal talks in Qatar
Channel 12 reports that a delegation of “working-level” negotiators have departed Israel to attend talks in Qatar on a hostage-ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that he had okayed the delegation’s departure.
A delegation from the Hamas terror group is also expected in Doha to continue the negotiations, amid reports in recent days that the talks had reached an impasse.
IDF says it downed drone from Yemen, hours after ballistic missile interception
A drone launched at Israel from Yemen a short while ago was successfully intercepted by the Israeli Air Force, the military says.
According to the IDF, the drone was shot down outside of Israel’s borders, and therefore no sirens sounded.
The drone attack comes hours after the Houthis in Yemen launched a ballistic missile at Israel, which the IDF said was also intercepted, although fragments fell in the Modiin area.
German, French foreign ministers head to Damascus on behalf of EU
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is traveling to Syria for a one-day trip with her French counterpart on behalf of the EU. While there, she will meet with the leader of Syria’s new ruler, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the German foreign ministry says on Friday.
“My trip today — together with my French counterpart and on behalf of the EU — is a clear signal to the Syrians: A new political beginning between Europe and Syria, between Germany and Syria, is possible,” Baerbock says, according to a ministry statement issued before she departs for Damascus.
She adds that she is traveling to Syria with an “outstretched hand” after rebels seized control of Damascus on December 8, forcing Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war and ending his family’s decades-long rule.
“We now have a goal in mind that millions of Syrians also long for: That Syria can once again become a respected member of the international community,” she adds.
IDF confirms downing missile fired from Yemen, says checking reports of fallen debris near Modiin
In another update, the IDF now says it downed the missile fired from Yemen.
The military adds that it’s looking into reports that missile debris fell near the central city of Modiin.
There is no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which occurred shortly after 4:30 a.m., waking millions of people and sending them scrambling to air raid shelters. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched missiles and drones at Israel nearly every day in recent weeks.
IDF says missile entered Israeli territory after attempted interceptions; no direct injuries reported
The military says that the missile fired from Yemen entered Israeli territory, and that it attempted to intercept the projectile.
“The results [of the attempted interceptions] are being looked into,” says an IDF statement.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service meanwhile says it has not received reports of any direct injuries due to the missile attack although medics are treating over 20 people suffering from acute anxiety or who were injured while seeking shelter.
Yemen missile launch triggers sirens in parts of central Israel and Jerusalem
Sirens are activated in parts of central Israel and Jerusalem due to the launch of a missile from Yemen, the IDF says.
IDF says rocket alerts were activated in false alarm
The military says the rocket alerts were activated in several towns near the Gaza Strip due to a false alarm.
Rocket sirens activated in Sderot, other Gaza border towns
Incoming rocket sirens sound shortly before 3 a.m. in several communities near the Gaza Strip, including the city of Sderot.
The army says it’s looking into the matter.
Former US soldier indicted for attempting to join Hezbollah
A mourner carries a portrait of slain Hezbollah's chief Hassan Nasrallah during the funeral procession of Hezbollah fighters, killed during the war with Israel, in Beirut's southern suburbs, on December 4, 2024. (AFP)
WASHINGTON — A Pennsylvania man who previously served in the US Army has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of attempting to support Lebanon’s Hezbollah and of making false statements to the FBI, the US Justice Department says.
Jack Danaher Molloy, 24, is a dual citizen of the US and Ireland and traveled to Lebanon and Syria in 2024 to attempt to join Hezbollah, which is designated by the US as a foreign terrorist organization, the Justice Department says in a statement.
The department says Molloy returned to the US in late 2024 and continued making attempts to join Hezbollah. He had also promoted hatred and violence against Jews, the Justice Department says, adding he was formerly enlisted as an active-duty soldier in the US Army from mid-March to late April in 2019.
The Justice Department says Molloy lied to the FBI about his intentions to join Hezbollah when questioned upon his return to the United States in late 2024. It says he was arrested on December 6 in Chicago.
If convicted, Molloy faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for a material support charge. For false statement charges, he faces a maximum penalty of eight years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. A representative of Molloy cannot immediately be contacted.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Man lightly hurt in West Bank rock-throwing attack on Israeli bus
A man was lightly hurt in a rock-throwing attack on an Israeli bus in the northern West Bank, according to medics and the military.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service says the 42-year-old, who was wounded by broken glass, was taken to a hospital in the central city of Kfar Saba following the attack on Route 55 near the Karnei Shomron settlement.
The bus was lightly damaged, the Israel Defense Forces says, adding that the suspects fled the scene.
Syrian media report an Israeli airstrike on defense facilities near Aleppo
Syrian media report an Israeli airstrike near Aleppo a short while ago.
According to the Sham FM radio station, the strikes hit a defense facility and a scientific research center near the city of al-Safirah, close to Aleppo.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF.
Israeli air strikes targeted defense factories south of Aleppo, Syria moments ago pic.twitter.com/3N6w91Y4uP
— توفيق گیلاني ⚖️ (@SyriaNewsMan) January 2, 2025
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