Jan. 9: White House stresses US doesn&#8217;t support Gaza ceasefire: Only benefits Hamas right now

WASHINGTON – US and UK forces shot down 21 drones and missiles fired by Yemen-based Houthis into the Southern Red Sea toward international shipping lanes, the US military’s Central Command says.

The US Central Command says there are no injuries or damage reported, adding that this is the 26th Houthi attack on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea since November 19.

3:36 am

US navy said to down barrage of Houthi drones and missiles targeting Red Sea shipping

By AP and ToI Staff

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Yemen’s Houthi rebels unleashed a barrage of drones and missiles targeting shipping in the Red Sea late Tuesday, though it initially appeared no ship was damaged in the attack, authorities say early Wednesday.

The assault happened off the Yemeni port cities of Hodeida and Mokha, according to the private intelligence firm Ambrey. In the Hodeida incident, Ambrey says ships described over radio seeing missiles and drones, with US-allied warships in the area urging “vessels to proceed at maximum speed.”

Off Mokha, ships saw missiles fired, a drone in the air and small vessels trailing them, Ambrey says.

The British military’s United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations, which monitors shipping attacks in the region, says it’s aware of the Hodeida attack.

“Coalition forces are responding, no injuries or damage reported,” the military says. “Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity.”

The Houthis, a Shiite group that’s held Yemen’s capital since 2014, doesn’t immediately issue any formal statement acknowledging launching the attacks. However, the pan-Arab satellite news network Al Jazeera earlier quoted an anonymous Houthi military official saying their forces “targeted a ship linked to Israel in the Red Sea,” without elaborating.

The US Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet, the military’s overall Central Command and officials in Washington don’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Citing American defense officials, CNN reports the US navy shot done 24 missiles and drones launched by the Houthis in one of the biggest such attacks yet by the Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen.

1:42 am

Smotrich rejects Blinken’s call to release frozen PA tax funds, urges ‘voluntary emigration’ of Gazans

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich leads a faction meeting of his far-right Religious Zionism party at the Knesset, January 8, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich rejects visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s earlier comments against any resettlement of Gazans outside the enclave, and the American diplomat’s call for Israel to release withheld tax revenues that it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.

“We really appreciate US support for Israel, but when it comes to our existence in our land, we will always act according to the Israeli interest,” Smotrich, who heads the far-right Religious Zionism party, writes on X. “Therefore we will continue to fight with all our strength to destroy Hamas. We will not transfer a shekel to the PA that will reach the families of Nazis in Gaza.”

He also urges “the opening of Gaza’s gates for the voluntary emigration of refugees, as the international community has acted regarding refugees from Syria and Ukraine.”

12:31 am

Deputy US envoy to UN: It’s ‘striking’ those urging end to Gaza war not demanding more of Hamas

By Agencies

Deputy US Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood speaks during a Security Council meeting on Gaza, at UN headquarters in New York City on December 8, 2023. (Yuki Iwamura/AFP)

UNITED NATIONS – The United States defends its veto last month of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a Gaza ceasefire, saying the proposal was “disconnected from the situation on the ground.”

At a UN General Assembly meeting, the Palestinian and Arab delegations are joined by many other countries as they demand an immediate halt to the fighting — calls that are echoed by a group of anti-war rabbis in the gallery.

US deputy ambassador Robert Wood repeats that Washington is working to secure a “pause” in the Israel-Hamas war and the release of 136 Israeli hostages in Gaza. He says it’s “striking” that those urging an end to the conflict have made very few demands of Hamas, the Gaza-ruling terror whose devastating October 7 attack on Israel sparked the war.

The US only got support from Israel. A ceasefire would be “a victory for Hamas … to continue the reign of terror in Gaza,” says Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan. He says Israel supports delivering aid to Gaza but accuses Hamas of “looting” humanitarian assistance before it gets to civilians. He also accuses the UN of doing “nothing” to bring the hostages home.

Some 36 rabbis from the group Rabbis 4 Ceasefire, who oppose Israel’s ongoing military action, come to the UN as tourists. The majority of them briefly hold signs in the empty Security Council chamber saying “Biden Stop Vetoing Peace.” A small group does the same in the gallery of the General Assembly chamber before being hustled out by UN security officers.

Riyad Mansour, the UN’s Palestinian Authority ambassador, tells the assembly his people are “being slaughtered,” with entire families killed, and stresses that “the horrors need to end, and the only way to end them is a ceasefire.”

“The whole world is calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” he says, accusing Israel of “destroying everything to make Gaza livable.” However, he says, “The Palestinian people are here to stay.”

12:16 am

Hezbollah denies senior operative targeted by IDF was drone commander

By Reuters and ToI Staff

Hezbollah acknowledges that senior operative Ali Hussein Burji was killed by the Israel Defense Forces but denies he was the terror group’s drone commander in southern Lebanon.

“The commander was never subjected to any assassination attempt as the enemy claimed,” a Hezbollah statement says.

11:36 pm

White House: US does not support ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war at this time

The White House reiterates that the US does not support a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says in a briefing with reporters: “We don’t support a ceasefire at this time. And there’s no change to that, because we don’t believe it benefits anybody but Hamas right now.”

Kirby says the US supports “humanitarian pauses but not a general ceasefire right now.”

11:16 pm

Israel top court rejects foreign media appeal for journalists’ access to Gaza

By AFP and ToI Staff

Israel’s Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by international media organizations to allow independent access for journalists to the war-torn Gaza Strip.

Israel controls entry to the Palestinian territory and has not allowed journalists to travel there independently since the start of the war on October 7, triggered by the Hamas terror group’s murderous onslaught across southern Israel.

The court argued the restrictions were justified on security grounds, as the independent entry of journalists could endanger Israeli soldiers battling Gaza’s Hamas terrorists.

In its ruling handed down on Monday, the court said allowing journalists inside Gaza could give away operational details, including troop locations, in a way that could “put them in real danger.”

The Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Jerusalem, which floated the petition as a representative of dozens of international media organizations in Israel and the Palestinian territories, said it was disappointed by the ruling.

“Israel’s ban on independent foreign press access to Gaza, for 95 days straight, is unprecedented,” the FPA says in a statement

The court said it was seeking to find a balance between the safety of journalists and soldiers with the “freedom of the press.”

It stressed that foreign and Israeli journalists are allowed limited access to Gaza under Israeli military escort.

But the FPA said the military escorts have been “limited to select foreign media” and are “highly controlled.”

“We believe Israel’s concerns about reporting on troop positions do not withstand scrutiny at a time when Palestinian journalists continue to operate in Gaza, and when it is vital for foreign press to access areas of Gaza where troops are not present,” the FPA says.

11:00 pm

Iran-backed Houthis target vessel in Red Sea, says Yemeni military source

By Reuters and ToI Staff

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, targeted a vessel in the Red Sea, a Yemeni military source tells Qatar’s Al Jazeera.

Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organization received a report of an incident in the Red Sea approximately 50 nautical miles west of Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah.

10:48 pm

PM said to freeze Chikli’s resignation from extra ministry amid Likud threats

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reported to have frozen the intended resignation of Likud lawmaker Amichai Chikli from his post as social equity minister in an effort to limit spending on what has widely been seen as an excessive number of government offices amid the war.

The Kan public broadcaster reports tonight that Netanyahu froze the move amid threats from members of his party.

Chikli said yesterday he would continue to serve as diaspora affairs minister, and also return to the Knesset in a move that would ostensibly force one of the ruling Likud party’s current lawmakers to resign.

An expansion of the so-called Norwegian Law last January allowed for a greater number of ministers and deputy ministers from large factions to resign from the Knesset, with their positions as MKs taken by members of their parties.

9:59 pm

UK marine operations monitor receives report of drone activity in Red Sea near Yemen

By Reuters and ToI Staff

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organization says that it received a report of an unmanned aircraft (UAS) in the Red Sea near Yemen.

The Iran-backed Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, have disrupted global trade with attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea since October, soon after Hamas’s murderous October 7 attacks on southern Israel.

9:10 pm

IDF confirms it targeted Hezbollah drone chief in south Lebanon, releases clip of strike

In an evening press conference, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari confirms the military targeted Ali Hussein Burji, a senior Hezbollah commander responsible for dozens of drone attacks on northern Israel.

“In the north today, we eliminated the commander of Hezbollah’s aerial forces in southern Lebanon,” Hagari says.

Burji carried out “dozens of operations using drones against Israel,” he says, including an attack today on the Northern Command headquarters. Minor damage was caused after two explosive-laden drones hit the base in Safed.

The IDF releases footage of the airstrike on Burji.

IDF releases footage of the airstrike on Ali Hussein Burji, a senior Hezbollah commander responsible for dozens of drone attacks on northern Israel. pic.twitter.com/KOEBgJvvMG

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) January 9, 2024

The strike on Burji came just three hours after the attack on the Northern Command base, Hagari says, adding that other Hezbollah operatives were killed alongside him.

8:50 pm

Blinken: Hamas could have ended war on October 8 by surrendering, releasing hostages

Blinken says the US wants “this war to end as soon as possible. There’s been far too much loss of life, far too much suffering, but it’s vital that Israel achieve its very legitimate objectives of ensuring that October 7 can never happen again. We believe they’ve made considerable progress toward that goal.”

He places all the blame for suffering in the war squarely on Hamas: “At the same time it’s very important to remember that everyone has choices to make, and that includes Hamas. Hamas could have ended this on October 8 by not hiding behind civilians, by putting down its weapons, by surrendering, by releasing the hostages. None of the suffering would have happened if Hamas hadn’t done what it did on October 7 and had it made different decisions thereafter.”

“And again this could end tomorrow if Hamas makes those decisions,” he says at the press conference in Tel Aviv.

On normalization and integration, he says some countries he visited have already taken steps to normalize ties with Israel and others are interested in doing so — but not “at the expense of a political horizon for the Palestinians and ultimately a Palestinian state. On the contrary,” he stresses, “that piece has to be a part of any integration efforts, any normalization efforts. That was also very clear in my conversations during the course of this trip, including in Saudi Arabia.”

The US and the leaders he met on this trip, he concludes, “support Palestinian governance, that’s joined, of Gaza and the West Bank, and a pathway to a state.”

8:45 pm

Escalation, broader war ‘in no one’s interest,’ says Blinken in Tel Aviv

Answering a question about Gaza after the war and Palestinian statehood, Secretary of State Antony Blinken says many countries in the region are prepared to invest in Gaza’s reconstruction and security, and in supporting Palestinians and their governance, but that it is essential to them that there be a “clear pathway” to a Palestinian state.

“The view that they’ve expressed is that, critical to ending, once and for all, the cycle of violence that is only going to repeat itself at some point in the future, is through the realization of Palestinian rights. That was a very clear message that I heard everywhere I went.”

He also says he heard “a commitment to take the steps necessary” in order “to give Israel confidence in its security. And that’s something that’s new in recent years and very powerful: which is the willingness, the commitment, of many neighboring countries not only to live with Israel in peace but also genuinely to have a region that is more integrated, in which everyone can feel secure, including Israel.”

There’s a “potentially powerful opportunity” in the future, but it will require hard decisions and hard choices, he says.

Asked about Israel withholding tax revenues it collects on behalf of the PA, Blinken says “those are their revenues.” The PA “should have them.”

He says the PA needs the money to pay its people, some of whom do essential work in the West Bank. He cites the PA security forces, who he says are trying to keep peace, security and stability in the West Bank — and that’s “profoundly in Israel’s interests.”

In “the future governance of Gaza,” after the conflict, he adds, “of course people need to be paid.”

Answering a question about the possible spread of the conflict, Blinken says that regional allies told him that “escalation is in no one’s interest.”

“No one wants to see more fronts opened in this conflict,” he adds, saying that “countries in the region are using their influence to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“We strongly support the proposition that the Israelis need to know security so that they can return to their homes in northern Israel,” says Blinken.

“Equally, we believe and the government of Israel believes that the diplomatic path is the best way to achieve that security,” he continues.

“If our forces are threatened or attacked we will take appropriate steps, we will respond,” promises Blinken after being asked about attacks on American troops in the region.

8:39 pm

Blinken meets with families of Israeli-American hostages, conveys optimism on release — report

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the families of US-Israeli hostages of terror group Hamas during a visit to Israel today, conveying some optimism for a possible release deal, Channel 12 reports.

Blinken urged the families to keep appearing in media, speaking to officials and holding events to raise awareness about the plight of the hostages, telling them these activities help, according to the report.

8:38 pm

Blinken: October 7 can never happen again; war’s toll on Gazans ‘far too high’; US working to forge path forward

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at a press conference in Tel Aviv, January 9, 2024. (Lazar Berman / The Times of Israel)

At the outset of his press conference in Tel Aviv, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken starts by drawing parallels between Israel and Palestinians feeling the effects of the war.

He speaks of the families of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza for whom every minute that they are separated from their loved ones “is an eternity,” and he refers to the hundreds of thousands of Gaza’s civilians who are facing “acute food insecurity.” He says Israelis and Palestinians have lost “innocent loved ones.”

“We continue to stand with Israel to ensure that October 7 can never happen again,” he stresses, and highlights the imperatives of bringing the remaining hostages home, “addressing the humanitarian crisis,” “strengthening of protections for civilians in Gaza,” and “preventing the conflict from spreading.”

The US is “working urgently to forge a path toward lasting peace and security in this region,” he says.

He says the genocide allegation against Israel at the International Court of Justice distracts from all these efforts.

Moreover, the charge of genocide brought by South Africa in the ICJ is “meritless,” he says, calling it “particularly galling” because “Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and their supporter Iran continue to openly call for the annihilation of Israel and the mass murder of Jews.”

Everywhere he stopped in the region, Blinken says, the leaders he met stressed their concern over the spread of the conflict and all pledged to use their influence to try “to prevent it from escalating and deter new fronts from opening.”

All the leaders also expressed concern about the “dire humanitarian situation and the number of civilians killed in Gaza.”

He acknowledges that fighting Hamas, which hides among civilians and “fires from schools and hospitals,” makes it “incredibly challenging” for Israel. “But the daily toll on Gazans, particularly on children, is far too high.”

Israel has made progress on getting aid into Gaza, but “90% of Gaza’s population continues to face acute food insecurity according to the United Nations,” he says.

“More food, more water, more medicine and other essential goods” need to get into Gaza, and need to get to the people who need them, he adds, while underscoring that Israel needs to do everything it can to allow for aid to move “safely and securely” throughout Gaza.

He hails the UN’s “indispensable role” in addressing Gaza’s humanitarian needs. “There is simply no alternative,” he says.

He says Israel has made “significant progress” in its military campaign, while noting that Israel is moving to a new “lower intensity” phase in the northern Gaza Strip and scaling down its forces there.

He says that he and his Israeli hosts agreed to a new plan under which the UN will carry out “an assessment mission” to determine what needs to be done to “allow displaced Palestinians to return safely to homes in the north.

“Now, this is not going to happen overnight,” he says, citing “serious security, infrastructure and humanitarian” obstacles. But this UN assessment mission will start the process.

“Palestinian civilians must be able to return home as soon as conditions allow,“ he says, adding that they must “not be pressed to leave Gaza.” Blinken says he told Netanyahu that “the United States unequivocally rejects any proposal advocating for the settlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza,” and that the PM “reaffirmed to me today that this is not the policy of Israel’s government.”

Regarding the northern border and Hezbollah’s attacks, he says, the US stands with Israel in ensuring its northern border is secure and is committed to finding a diplomatic solution that avoids escalation “and allows families to return to their homes — to live securely in northern Israel and southern Lebanon.”

Blinken says that all of America’s regional allies that he met on this trip told him that peace with Israel was attainable, that they “are ready to support a lasting solution that ends the longrunning cycle of violence and ensures Israel’s security,” but they stressed it could only come through an integrated, “regional approach that includes the pathway to a Palestinian state.

“These goals are attainable, but only if they are pursued together,” he says. “This crisis has clarified that you can’t have one without the other, and you can’t achieve either goal without an integrated, regional approach.”

“To make this possible,” he goes on, “Israel must be a partner to Palestinian leaders who are willing to lead their people in living side by side in peace with Israel and as neighbors. And Israel,” he says, “must stop taking steps that undercut Palestinians’ ability to govern themselves effectively.”

He references “extremist settler violence carried out with impunity, settlement expansion, demolitions and evictions,” which he says all make it harder for Israel to achieve lasting peace and security.”

He says the Palestinian Authority also must “reform itself, to improve its governance” — and says he will raise these issues with PA President Mahmoud Abbas tomorrow.

“If Israel wants its Arab neighbors to make the tough decisions necessary to help ensure its lasting security, Israeli leaders will have to make hard decisions themselves,” says Blinken.

The friendship between our nations is “truly exceptional,” he says. And that friendship and commitment “demands that we’re as forthright as possible in moments when the stakes are highest, when the choices matter the most. This is one of those moments.”

8:20 pm

WATCH: Secretary of State Antony Blinken gives press conference in Israel

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at a press conference in Israel, following meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and a sit-down with the full war cabinet.

8:14 pm

Jordan king to host summit on Gaza with Egypt’s Sissi, PA’s Abbas

Jordan’s King Abdullah will hold a summit with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sissi and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Wednesday to discuss the “serious developments” in the Gaza Strip, the Jordanian state news agency reports.

8:13 pm

7 soldiers wounded in fighting with Hamas in Khan Younis building

The IDF releases footage showing troops of the Paratroopers Brigade’s 101st Battalion battling Hamas gunmen inside a building in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.

The IDF releases footage showing troops of the Paratroopers Brigade's 101st Battalion battling Hamas gunmen inside a building in southern Gaza's Khan Younis.

According to the IDF, Hamas operatives opened fire from several buildings where the 101st Battalion was operating. The… pic.twitter.com/3MREUNuCcC

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) January 9, 2024

According to the IDF, Hamas operatives opened fire from several buildings where the 101st Battalion was operating.

The paratroopers called in airstrikes and tank shelling against the buildings, killing many of the gunmen.

The soldiers then entered the buildings to scan for any potentially surviving operatives. In one of the buildings, at least two gunmen were still holed up, the IDF says.

The soldiers battled the remaining Hamas fighters, killing them.

Seven soldiers of the battalion were wounded, and a dog of the Oketz canine unit was killed in the fighting, the IDF says.

7:59 pm

Blinken meeting with Netanyahu was ‘tense,’ US-Israel gaps on war outlook growing — report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long one-on-one meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier today was “tense,” Channel 12 reports.

The Prime Minister’s Office did not release a readout of the meeting, as it usually does, possibly pointing to the discord.

The gaps on the outlook if the war between the US and Israel is growing, and Washington is losing its patience, according to the Channel 12 report.

Netanyahu will not appear alongside Blinken at his upcoming press conference soon, Channel 12 notes.

7:48 pm

IDF probe finds tank shelling caused blast that led to deaths of 6 combat engineers

A large explosion is seen in central Gaza's Bureij, which killed six IDF combat engineers, January 8, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)

According to the IDF’s initial probe of the deadly blast in Bureij, which led to the deaths of six combat engineers, the early explosion of a tunnel system intended for demolition was caused by tank shelling.

Combat engineers had been preparing the tunnel for demolition, rigging the underground passages with explosives.

Half an hour before the detonation was supposed to be carried out, a tank stationed next to the detonating cord fired a shell at a nearby building after identifying suspicious movement.

According to the probe, the detonating cord was somehow activated as a result of the blast from the tank shelling, and led to the premature massive explosion of the tunnel system while the combat engineers were still working on preparing it for demolition.

7:25 pm

In possible sign of discord, PM’s office does not release readout of meeting with Blinken

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, meets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, January 9, 2024. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

In a possible sign of discord during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier today, the Prime Minister’s Office does not release a readout of the meeting, which it typically does.

It also declines to send out updates of Blinken’s meeting with the war cabinet.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said earlier that Blinken and Netanyahu discussed US support for Israel and “the importance of avoiding further civilian harm and protecting civilian infrastructure in Gaza.”

Blinken and Netanyahu also discussed “ongoing efforts to secure the release of all remaining hostages and the importance of increasing the level of humanitarian assistance reaching civilians in Gaza,” Miller said.

“The Secretary reiterated the need to ensure lasting, sustainable peace for Israel and the region, including by the realization of a Palestinian state,” he said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tells Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his forces must avoid inflicting further harm on civilians in Gaza, the State Department said.

7:19 pm

War cabinet minister Gantz tells Blinken Israel committed to removing Hamas as threat

War cabinet minister Benny Gantz tweets that he emphasized in his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken today that “Israel is committed to completing the task of removing the threat of Hamas in the south, and bringing about a change in the situation in the north of the country to allow the return of the residents.”

State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller says that Blinken — in addition to discussing with Gantz the release of hostages and the dismantling of Hamas terrorist infrastructure — “underscored the urgent need to protect civilian lives and accelerate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, including through an effective deconfliction mechanism.”

7:16 pm

Syria says 8 soldiers, civilian killed in attack in Palmyra

Eight soldiers and one civilian were killed and 13 people were wounded in an attack on a military bus in Syria’s Palmyra on Tuesday, the Syrian defense ministry says in a statement.

7:05 pm

Israeli UN envoy presents cake to mark 1st birthday of youngest Hamas hostage Kfir Bibas

Israeli envoy to the UN, Gilad Erdan, presents a cake for Kfir Bibas on the occasion of his first birthday in Hamas captivity in Gaza, at the UN, January 9, 2024. (Screenshot/Channel 12, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Israeli ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, marks the first birthday in Hamas captivity of Kfir Bibas — who is the youngest hostage held by the terror group — pulling out a cake for the child in a speech at the UN.

Bibas was almost 10 months old when he was taken with his four-year-old brother, Ariel, and their mother Shiri Bibas, 32, from their home on Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 during Hamas’s murderous onslaught in southern Israel.

Shiri’s husband and the father of the two boys, Yarden Bibas, 34, was also taken hostage.

“If you ignore the suffering of our children, the suffering of baby Kfir, I will stand here today and mark Kfir’s first birthday. I will remind you of your moral obligation to fight for Kfir and his right to celebrate his birthday,” Erdan says at the podium, uncovering a cake.

“This cake is for you, you are the reason Israel is fighting day and night,” he says.

6:47 pm

5 rockets fired at Sderot from Gaza; no immediate reports of injuries or damage

Five rockets were fired at Sderot in the latest barrage from the Gaza Strip, the municipality says.

There were no reports of impacts in the city, as the missiles were all intercepted or landed in open areas.

6:36 pm

Saudi envoy: We still seek normalization with Israel, but not at cost of Palestinian people

Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud, tells the BBC that a US-brokered normalization agreement with Israel was “close” right up until Hamas’s murderous rampage across southern Israel on October 7.

“[A deal] was close, there is no question. For us, the final end point definitely included nothing less than an independent state of Palestine. So, while we still — going forward after 7 October — believe in normalization, it does not come at the cost of the Palestinian people,” he says.

“We were close to normalization, therefore close to a Palestinian state. One doesn’t come without the other. The sequencing, how it is managed, that is what was being discussed.”

After meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had raised the issue of normalization with Israel.

“There’s a clear interest here in pursuing that,” Blinken said. “But it will require that the conflict end in Gaza, and it will also clearly require that there be a practical pathway to a Palestinian state.”

In late September, it appeared that Saudi Arabia was quietly seeking to move ahead with normalization without first securing the establishment of a Palestinian state, three officials familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel at the time.

6:10 pm

IDF hits Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon; terror group confirms death of drone chief

The IDF says it carried out airstrikes on several Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.

In Kafr Kila, aircraft struck several Hezbollah sites, and in Yaroun, a fighter jet hit infrastructure belonging to the terror group, according to the IDF.

It says troops also shelled areas in southern Lebanon with artillery, presumably to foil planned Hezbollah attacks.

כלי טיס של חיל האוויר תקפו בשעות האחרונות מספר תשתיות צבאיות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב הכפר כילא שבדרום לבנון. בנוסף, מטוס קרב של חיל האוויר תקף תשתית טרור של הארגון במרחב הכפר יארון שבדרום לבנון וכלי ארטילריה של צה"ל ירו לעבר מרחבים שונים בדרום לבנון>> pic.twitter.com/4IZorDX6j5

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) January 9, 2024

Several missiles and rockets were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel over the past hour, as well as a number of “hostile aerial targets,” according to the IDF.

The IDF says one of the aerial targets was downed by air defenses, and “all the events are now over.”

Meanwhile, Hezbollah confirms the death of Ali Hussein Barji, a senior commander targeted in an alleged Israeli strike earlier today.

Barji, the 158th named Hezbollah member killed in the cross-border clashes since October 8, was behind several drone attacks on northern Israel.

الحز. ب يعلن إرتقاء الشهيـ.. علي حسين برجي "أبو مهدي" من بلدة مركبا في جنوب لبنان pic.twitter.com/UVEgXSdc1x

— bintjbeil.org (@bintjbeilnews) January 9, 2024

5:39 pm

Gallant tells Blinken Israel to intensify operations in Khan Younis area until Hamas leaders found

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (right) meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Kirya military HQ in Tel Aviv, January 9, 2024. (Elad Malka/ Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv and tells him that Israel will intensify its operations in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis region until Hamas leaders are found and the Israeli hostages are freed.

According to a readout of the meeting, Gallant briefed Blinken on the war developments and noted Israel’s “changes in combat tactics” in north Gaza, where the military has scaled back some of the fighting due to operational control.

Gallant “emphasized that operations in the region of Khan Younis will intensify and continue until Hamas leadership is detected, and Israeli hostages return home safely,” says the readout.

The defense minister also discussed regional tensions with Blinken and Iranian attacks via its proxies.

“An increase in the pressure placed on Iran is critical, and may prevent regional escalation in additional arenas,” Gallant told Blinken.

He said Israel’s top priority currently is to enable the return of residents to northern Israel, where fighting with Hezbollah has intensified amid fears of a broader conflagration.

5:24 pm

Lebanon ready for talks on long-term border stability, PM says

By Reuters and ToI Staff

Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati told a senior United Nations official on Tuesday that his country was ready for talks on long-term stability on its southern border with Israel.

Mikati’s office says in a statement he met UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix in Beirut to reiterate “Lebanon’s readiness to enter negotiations to achieve a long-term process of stability in southern Lebanon” along the border with Israel.

“We seek permanent stability and call for a lasting peaceful solution – but in return we receive warnings through international envoys about a war on Lebanon,” Mikati said.

“The position I repeat to these delegates is: Do you support the idea of destruction? Is what is happening in Gaza acceptable?”

Since October 8, a day after Hamas’s murderous rampage across southern Israel, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.

So far, 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 attacks from Syria, without any injuries.

Hezbollah has named 157 members who have been 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.

The violence has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people on both sides and raised fears the conflict could spiral.

Israel has said it is giving a chance for diplomacy to prevent Hezbollah firing on people living in its north and to push Hezbollah back from the border, warning that the Israeli army will otherwise take action to achieve these aims.

Hezbollah has said it does not seek full-scale war but would not hold back if Israel starts one.

Mikati’s statement did not specify the type of negotiations to which Lebanon would be open, including whether they would be direct or mediated.

5:12 pm

Troops uncover weapons in and around Gaza’s Islamic University in Khan Younis

Weapons found by troops of the Givati Brigade in the Islamic University in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, January 9, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF releases new footage of the Givati Brigade operating in the southern Gaza Strip.

It says that the infantry soldiers raided the Islamic University in Khan Younis, which was used by Hamas.

According to the IDF, troops found assault rifles and other military equipment in the classrooms.

In the area surrounding the university, the IDF says, troops found dozens of weapons depots that stored more than 100 mortars, explosive devices, grenades, and maps used by Hamas operatives.

The IDF releases new footage of the Giavti Brigade operating in the southern Gaza Strip.

It says that the infantry soldiers raided the Islamic University in Khan Younis, which was used by Hamas.

According to the IDF, in the classrooms, troops found assault rifles and other… pic.twitter.com/5UzT623EVD

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) January 9, 2024

4:54 pm

Blinken tells Netanyahu to avoid ‘further civilian harm’ in Gaza, seeks eventual Palestinian state

By AFP and ToI Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, meets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, January 9, 2024. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tells Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his forces must avoid inflicting further harm on civilians in Gaza, the State Department says.

“The secretary reaffirmed our support for Israel’s right to prevent the terrorist attacks of October 7 from being repeated and stressed the importance of avoiding further civilian harm and protecting civilian infrastructure in Gaza,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller says of the talks today between Blinken and Netanyahu.

“The Secretary reiterated the need to ensure lasting, sustainable peace for Israel and the region, including by the realization of a Palestinian state,” he says.

4:50 pm

US said to be floating Saudi-backed 2002 Arab Peace Initiative in talks with Israel

The US is said to be floating the Arab Peace Initiative that Saudi Arabia sponsored more than 20 years ago as a possible framework to end the war against Hamas in Gaza, according to an unsourced Channel 12 report.

The 2002 initiative offers Israel normalized ties with the entire Arab world once it reaches a two-state solution to its conflict with the Palestinians. Riyadh had set that agreement aside as it pursued separate normalization talks with Israel, brokered by the US, before Hamas’s October 7 attacks. Riyadh was widely thought to be readying for the possibility of normalizing relations with Israel without first securing the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Channel 12 says the Biden administration is now bringing up the initiative with Israel, arguing that such an agreement would be in the interest of the US, Israel, and regional countries.

Blinken is currently in Israel on his third leg of a Mideast tour aimed at heading off a wider conflagration in the region as fighting with Hezbollah on Israel’s northern border intensifies.

Channel 12 says in its unsourced report that Blinken has conveyed to the Israelis that the images and footage of the war in Gaza are leading to “radicalization” in Mideast countries, and is pushing Israel for talks on a diplomatic agreement in the north, for more humanitarian aid to Gaza, and for a “diplomatic horizon” for the Palestinian Authority.

4:09 pm

Ben Gvir to Blinken: Not time to speak softly with Hamas, time for that big stick

By Sam Sokol

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir addresses a tweet in English at visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, saying, “it’s not the time to speak softly with Hamas, it’s time to use that big stick.”

Ben Gvir’s paraphrase of the oft-quoted quip of US president Theodore Roosevelt comes as Blinken is in Israel meeting with senior government figures in an effort to wind down intense fighting in the Gaza Strip and improve access to humanitarian aid in the Hamas-ruled enclave.

Mr. Secretary Blinken, it’s not the time to speak softly with Hamas, it’s time to use that big stick.

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) January 9, 2024

Both Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, also a far-right lawmaker, have raged against statements by senior Israeli officials in recent days that the IDF is shifting from high impact operations to a lower-intensity phase of the war.

Ben Gvir has also pushed back against US condemnation of his (and Smotrich’s) call to resettle Palestinians outside of Gaza, declaring last week that while he admires the United States, “we are not another star in the American flag.”

3:57 pm

Hostile aircraft invasion warnings sound across northern Israel in fresh wave

By ToI Staff and Emanuel Fabian

A fresh wave of hostile aircraft invasion alerts sound across northern Israeli communities, as fighting on the northern border with Iranian proxy Hezbollah heats up.

A short time ago, a senior Hezbollah commander responsible for dozens of drone attacks on northern Israel in recent months, including today’s strike earlier on the IDF Northern Command HQ in Safed, was killed in a reported Israeli airstrike in south Lebanon.

3:36 pm

Air France to resume flights to Israel from January 24 with 3 weekly trips

By Reuters and ToI Staff

Air France will resume flights to Israel from January 24, an airline spokesperson says, the latest foreign carrier to end its suspension during Israel’s war with Palestinian terror group Hamas.

Air France will operate three weekly flights from Paris to Tel Aviv using Airbus A350 aircraft, she says.

Foreign carriers halted flights to Israel at the outset of the war that began on October 7. Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian resumed flights to Israel this week.

3:24 pm

Hezbollah’s drone chief in southern Lebanon killed in reported Israeli strike

Hezbollah members carry the coffin of senior Hezbollah commander Wissam Tawil, during his funeral procession in the village of Khirbet Selm, south Lebanon, January 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A senior Hezbollah commander responsible for dozens of drone attacks on northern Israel in recent months, including today’s strike on the IDF Northern Command HQ in Safed, was killed in a reported Israeli airstrike in south Lebanon, The Times of Israel has learned.

Ali Hussein Barji, the commander of Hezbollah’s aerial forces in southern Lebanon, was struck in a car in the town of Khirbet Selm, moments before the nearby funeral of senior Hezbollah commander Wissam al-Tawil, who was killed yesterday.

The IDF has not issued an official comment on the strike.

רגע לפני הלווייתו של בכיר חיזבאללה, וויסאם טוויל, תקיפה לעבר רכב ליד ביתו של אחיו בכפר ח'ירבת סלם בדרום לבנון pic.twitter.com/MWrzzW9kq5

— roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) January 9, 2024

3:05 pm

More hostile aircraft invasion alerts blare in northern towns

Several more waves of hostile aircraft invasion alerts sound in various northern communities, in what has become a particularly heated day for fighting on the Lebanon border.

There are no immediate details on the incidents. Some of the similar sirens that sounded earlier in the day turned out to be false alarms.

2:55 pm

Condition of ‘Fauda’ actor Idan Amedi said to improve substantially, a day after injury in Gaza

Star singer and actor Idan Amedi (R) with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, in an undated photo. (Israel Defense Forces)

Actor and singer Idan Amedi’s condition has significantly improved, a day after he was seriously injured in an explosion in central Gaza, Hebrew media reports.

Amedi has regained consciousness and is responsive, with his condition now listed as moderate, the reports say.

The reports are unsourced and a spokesperson for Sheba Medical Center, where Amedi is hospitalized, doesn’t confirm the reports.

However, Avi Issacharoff, a co-writer of TV hit series “Fauda,” in which Amedi plays an elite IDF soldier operating deep in the West Bank and Gaza, tweets that “on such a terrible day, there is a drop of light: Idan has woken up and is responding and his condition is defined as moderate.”

2:11 pm

IDF airs new footage of troops fighting Hamas in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis

The IDF releases new footage of the Commando Brigade’s Maglan and Duvdevan units operating in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.

It says the commandos raided Hamas infrastructure, including underground sites, and are working to expand the IDF’s “operational control” over southern Gaza.

According to the IDF, the troops uncovered dozens of Hamas tunnel shafts in the Khan Younis area.

In one incident, as the soldiers were scanning a tunnel shaft, a group of Hamas operatives came out from it and hurled explosives at the troops, the IDF says, adding that they returned fire, killing the gunmen.

In another incident, the IDF says Duvdevan snipers spotted and killed nine Hamas operatives in the Khan Younis area.

Both units have been battling Hamas in close quarters, as well as directing airstrikes and using guided munitions, the IDF adds.

The IDF releases new footage of the Commando Brigade’s Maglan and Duvdevan units operating in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.

It says the commandos raided Hamas infrastructure, including underground sites, and are working to expand the IDF’s “operational control” over southern… pic.twitter.com/AlH5kZimjo

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) January 9, 2024

2:07 pm

2023 hottest year on record as Earth nears critical 1.5C limit, monitor says

By AFP

2023 was the hottest year on record, with Earth’s surface nearly breaching the critical limit of 1.5 degree Celsius above late 19th century temperatures, the EU climate monitoring service says.

“It is also the first year with all days over one degree warmer than the pre-industrial period,” says Samantha Burgess, deputy head of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). “Temperatures during 2023 likely exceed those of any period in at least the last 100,000 years.”

2:04 pm

Palestinian tries to stab IDF soldiers at West Bank checkpoint, is shot dead

By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff

The IDF says reservists shot dead a Palestinian who attempted to stab them during a routine inspection near Ramallah.

No soldiers are hurt, it adds.

The attempted attack occurs at an army checkpoint near the West Bank settlement of Ateret.

ניסיון פיגוע דקירה בנקודת בידוק של לוחמים בבנימין. כוח מילואים חיסל את המחבל. אין נפגעים@carmeldangor pic.twitter.com/Nm2ZSw55jK

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) January 9, 2024

1:50 pm

Lebanese media reports strike with casualties at start of slain Hezbollah member’s funeral

Lebanese media reports that a car has been struck, allegedly by Israel, near the home of slain senior Hezbollah commander Wissam al-Tawil, shortly before the beginning of Tawil’s funeral.

There are casualties in the incident, the reports say.

מקורות לבנוניים מדווחים כי רכב הותקף מהאוויר ליד בית אחיו של בכיר חיזבאללה שחוסל אתמול וויסאם טוויל, בכפר ח'ירבת סלם שבדרום לבנון, זמן קצר לפני הלווייתו. יש נפגעים בתקיפה@guy_telaviv @HaimOmri pic.twitter.com/UTx6qK7Xd0

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) January 9, 2024

Tawil was killed in an airstrike on his car yesterday in Lebanon, with Israel not officially confirming it’s responsible but Foreign Minister Israel Katz saying as much during a Channel 14 live broadcast.

1:46 pm

Macron names Gabriel Attal as France’s youngest and first gay PM; his dad was Jewish

By AFP

French Education and Youth Minister Gabriel Attal leaves after the weekly cabinet meeting at the presidential Elysee Palace in Paris, on December 20, 2023. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)

President Emmanuel Macron names education minister Gabriel Attal as prime minister in a bid to give new momentum to his presidency, with the 34-year-old becoming France’s youngest and first openly gay head of government, a source close to the presidency tells AFP.

Attal’s late father, Yves Attal, was Jewish.

Macron last night accepted the resignation of Elisabeth Borne, 62, after serving less than two years in office, ahead of a widely expected cabinet reshuffle that seeks to breathe new life into the final three years of his mandate.

1:36 pm

WATCH: Released Gaza hostage recounts seeing other hostages tortured, sexually abused

Released Israeli hostage Aviva Siegel speaks during a meeting in the Knesset on January 9, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Aviva Siegel, a former hostage who was released from Gaza in late November after being abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7, gives harrowing testimony at a Knesset meeting hosted by the lobby for releasing the remaining hostages.

Siegel says a young female hostage returned from the bathroom looking distraught, and when she got up to hug her, a terrorist came in and prevented her from embracing the fellow hostage.

“I saw that she was withdrawing into herself and not being herself,” Siegel says. “And sorry, I will say unpretty words, but this son of a bitch touched her. And he didn’t even let me hug her after it happened. It’s terrible, simply terrible. I told her I was sorry.”

Siegel, whose husband Keith is still being held in Gaza, doesn’t name the sexually abused hostage.

In another case, she says another hostage was tortured by the Hamas captors since they thought she was an officer in the IDF.

“They tortured her next to me. And I witnessed it. I witnessed what happened there. What’s happening there is simply a catastrophe. It can’t go on,” she says, urging the release of the remaining 132 hostages seized on October 7.

"For 51 days I've been through hell, there are a million horrific stories I could tell".
Former hostage, Aviva Sigal with a distressing testimony: They tortured a woman hostage who they thought was an army officer next to me. Another woman hostage returned from the restroom… pic.twitter.com/0alMSw6dy7

— Elad Simchayoff (@Elad_Si) January 9, 2024

1:07 pm

Gaza blast that killed 6 soldiers occurred near group of Israeli reporters in Bureij

A large explosion is seen in central Gaza's Bureij, which killed six IDF combat engineers, January 8, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)

A deadly explosion in central Gaza’s Bureij yesterday, killing six combat engineers, occurred close to where officers were leading reporters on a tour of a Hamas rocket manufacturing plant.

The Times of Israel’s military correspondent captured the moment the massive blast ripped through the air.

Initially, the circumstances of the explosion were unclear. But as the IDF began to escort the reporters out of the Strip, medical dispatches were heard over the radio, with commanders declaring a mass casualty incident.

12:36 pm

IDF says 5 more soldiers were killed yesterday in Gaza, bringing day’s toll to 9

L-R: Master Sgt. (res.) Amit Shahar; Cpt. (res.) Ron Efrimi; Master Sgt. (res.) Roi Avraham Maimon; Sgt. Maj. (res.) Akiva Yasinskiy; and Cpt. (res.) Denis Krokhmalov Veksler, killed in Gaza on January 8, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF announces the deaths of another five soldiers killed during fighting in the Gaza Strip yesterday, bringing the toll of slain troops yesterday to nine, and since the start of the ground offensive against Hamas to 185.

They are:

Master Sgt. (res.) Amit Shahar, 25, of the Combat Engineering Corps’ Yahalom unit, from Ramat Yohanan.

Cpt. (res.) Denis Krokhmalov Veksler, 32, an officer in the Combat Engineering Corps’ Yahalom unit, from Beersheba.

Cpt. (res.) Ron Efrimi, 26, an officer in the Combat Engineering Corps’ Yahalom unit, from Hod Hasharon.

Master Sgt. (res.) Roi Avraham Maimon, 24, a paramedic in the Combat Engineering Corps’ Yahalom unit, from Afula.

Sgt. Maj. (res.) Akiva Yasinskiy, 35, of the Combat Engineering Corps’ 8173rd Battalion, from Ramat Gan.

All five were killed by explosives that detonated in central Gaza’s Bureij, along with Sgt. First Class (res.) Gavriel Bloom whose death was announced earlier.

12:05 pm

US airstrike foils rocket attack on Iraqi airbase — sources

A US airstrike on a rocket launcher last night foiled an attack on Ain al-Asad airbase, which hosts US and other international forces in western Iraq, two Iraqi army sources say.

Iraqi military sources say a rocket launcher fixed on the back of a small truck had been parked in a rural area about 7 kilometers (4 miles) to the east of the base, with at least two rockets ready to be fired toward Ain al-Asad.

The US airstrike destroyed the launcher, an army official says.

US-led coalition officials are not immediately available to comment on the strike.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began last October, the US military has come under attack at least 100 times in Iraq and Syria, usually with a mix of rockets and attack drones.

12:02 pm

Hamas chief urges Muslim states to provide weapons to Palestinian terror groups

By AFP

Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh calls on Muslim states to provide Palestinian terrorists with weapons, as the terror group’s war with Israel rages in the Gaza Strip.

“We see countries of the world pouring weapons into the occupation [Israel]… The time has come [for Muslim states] to support the resistance with weapons, because this is… not the battle of the Palestinian people alone,” Haniyeh says in a speech in Doha, according to a transcript shared by the group with journalists.

11:56 am

IDF confirms its Northern Command HQ hit by drone, says it downed more aerial targets

The IDF acknowledges that a Hezbollah drone launched from Lebanon struck the Northern Command headquarters in Safed.

It says no injuries were caused as a result of the strike.

Footage shows smoke rising from a parking lot in the base. Minor damage was caused to a nearby building.

כטב"ם ששוגר מלבנון התפוצץ במפקדת פיקוד הצפון של צה"ל בצפת, אין נפגעים. חזבאללה: זו תגובה לחיסול מפקד כוח רדואן ועארורי@Doron_Kadosh pic.twitter.com/X0GI59Rbnm

— גלצ (@GLZRadio) January 9, 2024

The IDF says it launched interceptor missiles at several more “aerial targets” that entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon.

It adds that several rockets and missiles were also fired from Lebanon at the Malkia and Yiftah areas on the border.

Meanwhile, the IDF confirms it carried out a series of strikes this morning on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon’s Kafr Kila, and a drone-launching squad was hit before it could carry out an attack.

מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו מוקדם יותר הבוקר תשתיות טרור בכפר כילא בדרום לבנון.
כמו כן, כלי טיס של חיל האוויר תקף לפני זמן קצר חוליית שיגור של כלי טיס בלתי מאוישים בדרום לבנון.

בהמשך להתרעות בצפון הארץ, זוהו מספר שיגורים משטח לבנון לעבר מרחבי מלכיה ויפתח>> pic.twitter.com/VHeXyebH5T

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) January 9, 2024

11:54 am

Netanyahu, Blinken kick off their meeting in Tel Aviv

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, meets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, January 9, 2024. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu begins his private meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

The two will then sit with Netanyahu’s full war cabinet.

11:44 am

Herzog, Blinken discussed postwar Gaza, hostages, ICJ genocide case — source

An Israeli official tells The Times of Israel that President Isaac Herzog’s private conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken focused on the region, including a briefing from Blinken on his conversations with Turkish and Arab leaders in recent days.

They also discussed this week’s hearing at the International Court of Justice in The Hague on South Africa’s genocide allegations against Israel in its war against Hamas.

The two also discussed hostages, and held a “tangible” discussion on the question of what Gaza will look like after Hamas has been toppled, says the official.

11:39 am

German FM says Berlin and Cairo agree that Gaza, West Bank belong to Palestinians

Egypt and Germany are agreed that Gaza and the West Bank belong to Palestinians, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says during a visit to Cairo.

She adds that the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza cannot continue and concrete measures are needed now to ensure aid gets to the people there.

11:31 am

Drone from Lebanon hits IDF Northern Command HQ, causing no casualties

An explosives-laden drone launched from Lebanon has blown up in the IDF Northern Command headquarters in Safed, Hebrew media reports.

There are no casualties in the incident, and minor damage was caused, the reports say.

Hezbollah has said it targeted the base with drones in response to the alleged Israeli killing of a top Hamas official in Lebanon last week and a senior Hezbollah commander yesterday.

11:29 am

Blinken meets FM Katz, touts ‘real opportunities’ regarding Israel’s Mideast integration

Foreign Minister Israel Katz, second from right, meets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, third from left, in Tel Aviv on January 9, 2024. (Shlomi Amsalem/Foreign Ministry)

Foreign Minister Israel Katz meets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv, and stresses that bringing the hostages home, returning displaced Israelis to their communities in the south, and restoring a sense of security is only possible if Hamas is defeated and Hezbollah withdraws from the border area in Lebanon.

“I know of your own efforts, over many years, to build much greater connectivity and integration in the Middle East, and I think there are actually real opportunities there,” responds Blinken.

“But we have to get through this very challenging moment and ensure that October 7 can never happen again and work to build a much different and much better future.”

11:14 am

Hezbollah claims to target IDF Northern Command HQ with drones; no comment from army

The Hezbollah terror group claims to have targeted the Israeli military’s Northern Command headquarters in Safed with several drones.

In a statement, Hezbollah says the attack is a response to the alleged Israeli assassination of Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut last week, and of senior Hezbollah commander Wissam al-Tawil in southern Lebanon yesterday.

The IDF has not yet commented on today’s incident.

Drone infiltration sirens had sounded in Safed and other nearby communities in the Galilee.

11:02 am

Israel seeking clarity after report COSCO to halt shipping to Israel

The Transportation Ministry says it is trying to clarify Chinese shipper COSCO’s decision on a reported halting of shipping to Israel.

The Globes news outlet this week reported that COSCO has suspended shipping to Israel. The company has yet to comment.

“The Administration of Shipping and Ports is working with the relevant parties to clarify the Chinese shipping company’s announcement to stop sailing to Israel,” the Transportation Ministry says in response to a Reuters query.

10:48 am

Three Hezbollah members killed in targeted strike in south of Lebanon — sources

By Reuters and ToI Staff

Smoke billows following an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila near the border with Israel on January 9, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas terrorists in Gaza. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)

Illustrative: Smoke billows following an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila near the border with Israel on January 9, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas terrorists in Gaza. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)

Three members of Iran-aligned Hezbollah have been killed in a targeted strike on their vehicle in the town of Ghandouriyeh in the south of Lebanon, two sources familiar with the group’s operations tell Reuters.

The sources do not immediately identify those killed.

Israel allegedly killed a top Hezbollah commander in a strike in south Lebanon yesterday, sources familiar with the group’s operations say. There is no official comment from Israel on yesterday’s operation, though Foreign Minister Israel Katz said live on Channel 14 last night that Israel was behind it.

10:43 am

Herzog tells Blinken Israel doing its ‘utmost’ to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza

President Isaac Herzog, right, meets with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv on January 9, 2024. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

Meeting President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks about Washington’s “relentless efforts” to bring the hostages home from Hamas captivity. He adds that he will share what he heard from regional allies with Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Herzog underscores that Israel is doing its “utmost under extremely complicated circumstances on the ground, to make sure that there will be no unintended consequences and no civilian casualties.”

“We are alerting, we are calling, we are showing, we are sending leaflets, we are using all the means that international law enables us in order to move out people, so that we can unravel this huge city of terror underneath, in people’s homes, living rooms and bedrooms, mosques and shops and schools.”

Some families of Gaza hostages rally outside the meeting, urging US President Joe Biden’s administration to do more to release the abductees.

Israelis protest calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, outside a meeting between President Isaac Herzog and United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv on January 9, 2024. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

10:11 am

More hostile aircraft invasion alarms sound in many northern towns, including Safed

More hostile aircraft invasion alerts are sounding in many communities in the north, including the city of Safed, as well as a few rocket alarms.

There are no immediate details on the nature of the incident or regarding a previous round of sirens 20 minutes ago that also included Safed.

10:08 am

Lebanese media reports alleged Israeli drone strike on car; no comment from IDF

Lebanese media outlets are reporting an alleged Israeli drone strike on a car near southern Lebanon’s Ghandouriyeh, some 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Israeli border.

According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, several casualties are reported at the scene.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

The alleged strike comes in the wake of repeated Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel.

9:47 am

Sirens sound in Safed, other northern communities near Lebanon border

Air raid alarms have sounded in the northern communities of Yiftach, Malkia, Dishon, and Ramot Naftali, near the border with Lebanon.

Minutes later, hostile aircraft alerts sound in the city of Safed and the town of Biriya.

There are no immediate reports of impacts or casualties.

9:46 am

Herzog meets Blinken, tells him genocide claim at ICJ ‘atrocious and preposterous’

By Reuters and ToI Staff

President Isaac Herzog says that “there is nothing more atrocious and preposterous” than the lawsuit filed in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of genocidal actions against Palestinians in the war against the Hamas terror group.

Speaking to visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Herzog censures South Africa for bringing the case, which is due to begin hearings on Thursday, and thanks Washington for its support of Israel.

הנשיא הרצוג הודה לשר החוץ האמריקני בלינקן על התמיכה והמחויבות לביטחון ישראל. הנשיא התייחס לתביעתה של דרום אפריקה נגד ישראל, ואמר כי חמאס הוא שקורא להשמדת המדינה היהודית. בלינקן אמר כי ירצה לשתף את הדברים ששמע במהלך ביקורו באזור עם הנשיא, ומאוחר יותר עם רה"מ והקבינט@ShirazTikva pic.twitter.com/B1Wb0GOQRk

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) January 9, 2024

9:31 am

IDF moves deeper into Khan Younis, with forces killing 40 Hamas operatives yesterday

The IDF says it is further expanding ground operations in Khan Younis, fighting Hamas deep within the southern Gaza city.

Over the past day, the 98th Division maneuvered further into Khan Younis, carrying out strikes and killing some 40 Hamas operatives in the process, the IDF says.

The IDF says the division’s forces also located “a wide range” of weapons and “significant” tunnel shafts.

Meanwhile in central Gaza’s Maghazi, the IDF says the Golani Brigade and 636th Combat Intelligence Collection unit directed an airstrike on a Hamas cell that was spotted in the area.

The IDF says the Navy also carried out strikes over the past day, targeting Hamas positions, warehouses, and vessels along the coast.

9:29 am

Police block hostage families from Gaza crossing; relative laments, ‘They’ll return in 136 coffins’

Police prevent a group of relatives of hostages from reaching the Kerem Shalom border crossing with Gaza, where the families said they intended to block the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip, in protest of the failure to secure the release of the 136 hostages believed held by Palestinian terrorists (though not all of them alive), and the lack of access and aid to them.

The convoy is blocked since the crossing area is designated as a closed military zone.

“It’s time to stop this joke. They’ll return in 136 coffins,” says Ayala Metzger, relative of elderly hostages Yoram and Tami Metzger.

המשטרה מונעת ממשפחות החטופים להיכנס למעבר כרם שלום בטענה שזה שטח צבאי סגור. איילה, כלתו של החטוף יורם מצגר בן ה-80: "כמה זמן הוא עוד ישרוד? הממוצע באושוויץ היה 3-4 חודשים"

צילום: אופיר דיין pic.twitter.com/pKpY5cBgPj

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) January 9, 2024

9:15 am

Senior Israel delegation said to have arrived in Cairo for hostage release talks

A high-level Israeli delegation arrived in Cairo last night for talks on releasing hostages held by Hamas, an Egyptian source confirms to the Al-Araby Al-Jadid newspaper.

The development indicates that indirect talks are back on track, after the assassination of senior Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri in Lebanon last week in a strike widely attributed to Israel.

8:52 am

WATCH: Students dug tunnel into Chabad HQ, attempt to violently prevent its sealing

In remarkable scenes, New York police prevent a group of young Chabad students from disrupting the sealing of a tunnel they apparently had secretly dug into the Lubavich movement’s headquarters.

Video of the incident pic.twitter.com/NqUFwAVFxG

— Sam Sokol (@SamuelSokol) January 9, 2024

The group entered the tunnel, apparently dug in the last year, which provided unauthorized access to the synagogue on 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood, and started studying Torah inside it.

Here's how it all started.

Bochurim ripped wooden panels to prevent a cement truck from sealing off the recently discovered tunnels.

They then went inside the tunnel and started to learn.

The NYPD was immediately called. pic.twitter.com/e5KFCPRDIC

— Frum TikTok (@FrumTikTok) January 8, 2024

Cops are subsequently called in to extract the students from the tunnel. They arrest some, after the group is filmed attempting to violently protest the police action.

The Chabad movement issues a statement denouncing the students’ actions.

STATEMENT BY CHABAD-LUBAVITCH HEADQUARTERS

The Chabad-Lubavitch community is pained by the vandalism of a group of young agitators who damaged the synagogue below Chabad Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway Monday night.

These odious actions will be investigated, and the… pic.twitter.com/Ysn0jr7FTr

— Chabad Lubavitch HQ (@Lubavitch) January 9, 2024

It isn’t clear why exactly the tunnel was built.

8:37 am

Families of hostages head to Gaza border crossing to block aid entry in protest

Relatives of hostages held by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza are making their way to the Kerem Shalom border crossing, intending to block it in protest of the daily shipments of humanitarian aid to Gazans while no access has been granted for Red Cross officials to visit the hostages, assess their condition and give them basic humanitarian and medical necessities.

A convoy of vehicles is on the way to the crossing, Hebrew media reports.

Shai Wenkert, father of 22-year-old hostage Omer, tells Ynet: “We will arrive at Kerem Shalom crossing to prevent the entry of goods and medications to the Gaza Strip. My son suffers from colitis [an autoimmune condition]. Since October 7 he hasn’t seen a doctor or received medications, and it cannot be hundreds of trucks are entering Gaza now.”

משפחות חטופים ואזרחים בדרכם למעבר כרם שלום במטרה למנוע מעבר של משאיות סיוע הומניטרי
(צילום: אופיר דיין) pic.twitter.com/3wlH9Rn2dg

— ישראל היום (@IsraelHayomHeb) January 9, 2024

8:25 am

During game, NBA’s Avdija showcases on his footwear a prayer for actor injured in Gaza

Washington Wizards' Deni Avdija plays during an NBA basketball game, November 6, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Israeli NBA player Deni Avdija has played his latest game wearing shoes with a tribute to singer and actor Idan Amedi, who was seriously injured yesterday while fighting in Gaza.

“For the recovery of Idan son of Tova Amedi,” says the handwriting on Avdija’s footwear, echoing the traditional text of Jewish prayer for a sick or injured individual.

Avdija scores 17 points in the Washington Wizards’ 128-136 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"לרפואת עידן בן טובה עמדי"
דני אבדיה עם הכיתוב על הנעליים במשחק לפנות בוקר pic.twitter.com/aIi5oo37XA

— Washington Wizards ???????? (@washwizardsil) January 9, 2024

8:16 am

Blinken to urge Israel to imminently lower intensity of fighting in Gaza — US official

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expects to focus on Israel’s plan to shift to the third phase of the war on Hamas, a senior US official tells CNN.

The official adds that Blinken and his team will push Israel’s war leadership for an “imminent” transition to the next phase, which will see a reduction in the intensity of fighting and a possible return of Gazans to their homes in the northern part of the Strip.

7:54 am

IDF razes illegal settler construction in West Bank, appearing to raise Smotrich’s ire

IDF forces have razed illegal settler construction overnight in the Pnei Kedem outpost in the Gush Etzion region of the West Bank, according to reports overnight.

Associates of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is also a minister in the Defense Ministry in charge of civilian issues in the West Bank, are quoted by the Israel Hayom daily as criticizing the move and saying the head of the IDF Central Command bypassed Smotrich’s authority by regarding the demolition as a task of “immediate security urgency” and taking the matter directly to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

The source laments that the IDF general hadn’t acted with the same urgency to demolish illegal Bedouin construction that allegedly was at the same site for years.

כוחות המנהל האזרחי הורסים בנייה בלתי חוקית באזור פני קדם במזרח גוש עציון.

מסביבתו של השר סמוטריץ' נמסר: ״אלוף הפיקוד החליט להגדיר את ההריסה כאירוע עם דחיפות ביטחונית מיידית ובכך עקף את סמכותו של השר כדי לקבל את אישורו של שר הביטחון״.

בסביבתו של סמוטריץ׳ תמהים על כך שלאלוף… pic.twitter.com/MMeTMuLcOE

— ישראל היום (@IsraelHayomHeb) January 9, 2024

7:33 am

Man in his 30s found shot to death in his backyard in Tira

A man in his 30s is found dead in his own backyard in the Arab city of Tira in central Israel, after being fatally shot.

Police say they have launched a probe, adding that Magen David Adom medics pronounced his death at the scene.

There is a violent crime epidemic in the Arab community, with homicides last years reaching an all-time record and being more than double the number for 2022.

7:28 am

Supreme Court rejects petition demanding foreign press be allowed freely into Gaza

The Supreme Court has rejected out of hand a petition by the Foreign Press Association which demanded that military authorities allow foreign journalists to freely enter the Gaza Strip.

In the ruling, handed out yesterday according to Hebrew media, justices Dafna Barak-Erez, Khaled Kabub and Ruth Ronen rule that while the court recognizes the right to freedom of the press, the current war-related conditions justify the restriction since reporters could endanger IDF forces by reporting their positions.

They say journalists can keep entering the Strip accompanied by the IDF.

6:19 am

IDF announces 4 soldiers killed fighting in Gaza; ground op toll rises to 180

From left to right, this composite photo shows Sgt. First Class (res.) David Schwartz, Sgt. First Class (res.) Gavriel Bloom, Sgt. First Class (res.) Yakir Hexter and Sgt. Roi Tal, who the Israel Defense Forces announced on January 9, 2023, were killed fighting against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip. (Israel Defense Forces)

The Israel Defense Forces announces that four soldiers have been killed fighting in the Gaza Strip, raising the death toll in the ground offensive against Hamas to 180.

They are:

Sgt. Roi Tal, 19, of the Kfir Brigade’s Duchifat Battalion, from Kfar Yehoshua.

Sgt. First Class (res.) David Schwartz, 26, of the Combat Engineering Corps’ 8219th Battalion, from Elazar.

Sgt. First Class (res.) Yakir Hexter, 26, of the Combat Engineering Corps’ 8219th Battalion, from Jerusalem.

Sgt. First Class (res.) Gavriel Bloom, 27, a combat engineer in the 36th Division, from Beit Shemesh.

Tal was killed during a battle with Hamas operatives in southern Gaza; Schwartz and Hexter were killed by an RPG in the Khan Younis area, and another soldier of the 8219th Battalion was seriously wounded; and Bloom was killed by explosives detonating in Bureij, and four other soldiers were seriously wounded in the same incident.

Additionally, two officers from the 646th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade were seriously wounded in central Gaza.

5:08 am

Blinken speaks with UN’s new humanitarian coordinator for Gaza

The US State Department says Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with the UN’s new coordinator for humanitarian and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip.

According to the State Department, Blinken and Sigrid Kaag called for “strengthening the coordination mechanism delivering humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, and facilitating assistance to the northern part of the Gaza Strip to enable the return of displaced people.”

“They emphasized a shared commitment to reach the most vulnerable including urgently expanding the entry of aid and commercial goods into Gaza, increasing use of localized aid to meet immediate needs, and enhancing funding for humanitarian assistance,” says the readout from the State Department.

The State Department statement is released following Blinken’s arrival in Tel Aviv, where he’s slated to meet with Israeli leaders to discuss the ongoing war against Hamas.

3:11 am

Jordan launches strikes in Syria on Iran-linked drug smugglers — intel sources

AMMAN — Jordanian jets conducted four strikes inside Syria early Tuesday in the second such raid within a week against suspected farms and hideouts of Iran-linked drug smugglers, regional intelligence sources say.

Jordan’s army has stepped up a campaign against drug dealers after clashes last month with dozens of people suspected of links to pro-Iranian militias, who were carrying large hauls over its border with Syria along with weapons and explosives.

Jordan and its Western allies have blamed Lebanon-based, Iran-backed Hezbollah and other pro-Iranian militia who control much of southern Syria as being behind the surge in smuggling.

Iran and Hezbollah have dismissed the allegations as a Western plot against Syria, which itself denies complicity with Iran-backed militia which opponents link to its security forces.

The sources confirm reports by Syrian newsportal Suwayda 24 that three strikes targeted leading drug dealers in the towns of Shaab and Arman in Sweida province near the Jordan-Syria border. The fourth strike hit a farm near the village of Malah.

Last Thursday, Jordan hit similar locations in Sweida, where officials suspect much of the cross-border smuggling operations take place.

1:32 am

Pentagon says no plans to withdraw US troops from Iraq