Live updates (closed)
The Times of Israel liveblogged Monday’s events as they unfolded.
Ukraine’s Zelensky says Russia is suffering major losses
This handout photograph taken and released by Ukrainian Presidential Press Service on December 29, 2023, shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a visit of the advanced checkpoint of the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after late Ukrainian General-Corporal Marko Bezruchko in the town of Avdiivka, Donetsk region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Handout / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / AFP)
President Volodymyr Zelensky says in an interview published by the Economist that the notion that Russia was winning the nearly two-year-old war is only a “feeling” and that Moscow is still suffering heavy battlefield losses.
Zelensky also says there are no real signs that Russia is interested in peace and that any indication that Russia wants talks signifies that Russia is running out of weapons and soldiers.
“I see only the steps of a terrorist country,” he says.
Zelensky also says that hitting Russian strength in Crimea is critical to reducing attacks on Ukraine, as is defending cities in the east of the country.
5 rockets fired at Israel from Syria; Israel shells launch sites, strikes Hezbollah
Five rockets were fired from Syria at northern Israel earlier this evening, the IDF says.
Sirens sounded in the southern Golan Heights communities of Avnei Eitan and Nov, but the IDF says all the projectiles landed in open areas, causing no injuries or damage.
The IDF says it shelled the launch sites in southern Syria. Additionally, the IDF says it struck a Hezbollah site in southern Lebanon from which projectiles were launched at the Adamit area in northern Israel earlier, lightly wounding five reservists.
The army has released footage of the strike.
כלי-טיס של חיל-האוויר תקף לפני זמן קצר תשתית טרור של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה ממנה בוצעו השיגורים מוקדם יותר היום (ב') למרחב אדמית. pic.twitter.com/bN9OYiJPPX
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) January 1, 2024
Military Police investigating soldier’s killing of Palestinian detainee in Gaza
IDF soldiers operating inside the Gaza Strip in an undated photo released by the military on December 28, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)
Military Police have launched an investigation into the killing of a Palestinian detainee in the Gaza Strip, allegedly by a soldier who was supposed to be guarding him.
The terror suspect was arrested last night alive, and after being questioned by field interrogators of the Military Intelligence Directorate’s Unit 504, he was handed over to another soldier to be guarded.
The Israel Defense Forces says that at a certain point, the soldier guarding the suspect allegedly opened fire and killed him.
According to Kan news, the soldier claimed he felt in danger after the terror suspect allegedly attacked him, and therefore opened fire.
“Following the initial information that was provided, an investigation was opened by the Military Police regarding the circumstances of the shooting,” the IDF says.
Ben Gvir’s office says ‘agenda-driven’ attorney general ‘hates’ him
Responding to the attorney general’s criticism, Itamar Ben Gvir’s office asserts that “there is no incident that reaches the court in which the attorney general does not act against Minister Ben Gvir.”
Accusing Baharav-Miara of being “biased” and “agenda-driven,” the statement claims she bears “hatred for Minister Ben Gvir” and says he “will continue to instruct police to uphold the law.”
Attorney general says Ben Gvir ‘wrongfully and illegally intervened in police work’
FILE - National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir attends a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on February 5, 2023. (Alex Kolomoisky/POOL)
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara tells the High Court that National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir “wrongfully and illegally intervened in police work” related to the right to protest, during the war in Gaza.
As minister in charge of police, Ben Gvir can set policy, but is not permitted to instruct police on specific enforcement.
In November, several organizations petitioned the High Court to prevent the minister from instructing the police on how to react to certain protests, after he spoke out against a rally organized by the Arab-majority Hadash party calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and made clear his belief that it should not be allowed to take place.
This followed numerous instances throughout the protests against the government’s judicial overhaul legislation efforts in which Ben Gvir was accused of closely involving himself with policing of the demonstrations, pressuring police to take a far tougher hand with demonstrators seen to be disrupting public order.
Baharav-Miara says a review of the case at hand indicates Ben Gvir “crossed a line” into “forbidden intervention” in police discretion, and particularly criticizes such intervention “in the sensitive issue of demonstrations and the right to protest.”
IDF spokesman says societal rift may have played part in Hamas decision to attack
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says the Hamas terror group may have launched its onslaught on October 7 partially due to its belief that Israeli society was in chaos, due to the controversial judicial overhaul.
“These things will become clear in the in-depth investigation that we will carry out, but the answer is that it is likely that the characteristic of a rift [in society], the readiness of the army, perhaps in [Hamas’s] perception, was one of the characteristics” the terror group took into account, Hagari says in response to a question at a press conference.
“I think that now in the fighting… [Hamas] is meeting a determined, functioning army,” he says.
Gantz: Court ruling must be respected; we’ll reach broad agreement after war
National Unity party leader Benny Gantz, a member of the emergency government, says that “on the eve of October 7, Israeli society had reached extreme places, division, and a discourse of hate we should not have come to.
“The [High Court] ruling must be respected, and the lesson from conduct in the past year must be learned. We are brothers, and have a shared fate.”
He says, after the war, “we will need to decide relations between the branches of government and legislate a “Basic Law: Legislation” that will anchor the status of Basic Laws. We will do so with broad agreement.”
IDF probes footage showing troops kicking, stepping on Palestinian gas station worker
Footage shows an IDF soldier kicking a Palestinian gas station worker at the Fawwar Refugee Camp in December 2023. (Screen capture/YouTube)
Footage of IDF soldiers kicking and stepping on a Palestinian gas station worker near Hebron has circulated widely on social media, leading to condemnations from Arab Israeli lawmakers and the opening of a probe by the military.
The footage shows an Israeli soldier looking on as one of his comrades orders the Palestinian man in the Fawwar Refugee Camp to lie face first on the ground. The soldier then kicks the Palestinian several times to get him to spread his legs and arms.
The soldier proceeds to look up at what appears to be a security camera and give the middle finger.
Another soldier appears, stepping on top of the Palestinian’s back in order to get by, rather than over him.
Responding to the incident, the IDF says in a statement, “The behavior of the soldiers in the video is very problematic and is not consistent with the values of the IDF.”
“The incident is under investigation, at the conclusion of which a decision will be made regarding how to deal with those involved,” the army ads.
״ביקור נימוסין״ של חיילי כיבוש בתחנת דלק במחנה פאוואר אצל מתדלק פלסטיני.
"زيارة" احتلالية لعامل فلسطيني في محطة وقود في مخيم الفوار.
A courtesy visit was made by occupation soldiers at a gas station in the West Bank, specifically at Fawar camp, to a Palestinian employee… pic.twitter.com/BHUEDWPiV9
— Ahmad Tibi (@Ahmad_tibi) December 31, 2023
Report: Judicial officials warn ‘irresponsible’ comments on flattening Gaza carry price
On the South African appeal for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to probe Israel for “genocidal” acts in Gaza, Channel 12 cites senior judicial officials in Israel as saying: “Comments on erasing and flattening Gaza by irresponsible politicians were not responded to with the appropriate severity by Israeli officials.”
This, the unnamed sources say, “will obligate Israeli to offer explanations.”
Reports: Hamas, Israel very far apart in positions on new hostage deal
Channel 12 reports that negotiations with Hamas for a new hostage deal are “very difficult,” with Hamas making exorbitant demands that Israel will find it difficult to accept. It cites top officials as saying the efforts to reach a deal are unlikely to bear fruit soon.
Channel 13 reports that Hamas wants Israel to pull all forces out of Gaza.
High Court ruling undoes sole achievement of government’s judicial overhaul
A view of the Supreme Court in Jerusalem October 17, 2021. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)
The High Court of Justice ruling striking down the reasonableness limitation law means that, for the moment, the sole achievement of the government’s judicial overhaul agenda has been undone.
Although, in some cases, the losing party in a High Court decision can request a new hearing with a larger panel of justices, in this case all 15 justices of the court heard the petitions against the law, so there is no prospect for another hearing.
In theory, the government could re-legislate the law in the knowledge that the decision to strike down the legislation was 8 to 7 and that two of the justices who ruled in the majority — former Supreme Court president Esther Hayut and Justice Anat Baron — have now retired. This means there is now a majority against striking down the law, but it seems doubtful that the government would want to adopt such a divisive and controversial process, at least now, during perhaps the worst security crisis Israel has faced in half a century.
The government could also in theory say it does not view the decision as valid and that, should the court reverse a government or ministerial decision based on the reasonableness standard, it would not respect such a ruling. Such a step would create an unprecedented constitutional crisis where the institutions of state would not know who to obey — the government or the court. But creating such constitutional chaos, certainly during the current war, would be an extreme reaction.
IDF Southern Command chief: Gaza fighting will continue in varying forms
Chief of the IDF's Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman (center), speaks with officers in Gaza City, January 1, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The chief of the IDF’s Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, says the fighting in Gaza “will continue in a variety of methods, in a variety of intensities, and in varying forms.”
Finkelman’s remarks are made during a visit to the area of Gaza City’s Daraj and Tuffah neighborhoods, where the last standing Hamas battalion in northern Gaza is believed by the army to be.
He says the change in fighting methods will make it “difficult for the enemy to pinpoint them and understand them.”
“We will continue to hit [Hamas] here, and in all parts of the Strip,” Finkelman adds.
Hezbollah says three more operatives killed in southern Lebanon
Lebanon’s Hezbollah says on its Telegram account that three more of its operatives have been killed in southern Lebanon.
The statement gives no details about how the three were killed, but says they “were martyred on the road to [liberate] Jerusalem.”
Lapid: Court has our full backing; if government restarts fight, it’s learned nothing
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid says the High Court’s ruling “ends a difficult year of conflict that tore us apart from within and led to the worst disaster in our history.”
He says “the source of power of Israel, the basis for Israeli strength, is our being a Jewish, democratic, liberal, law-abiding state.”
He says he offers “full backing” to the court. “If the government restarts the fight over the High Court, they’ve learned nothing.”
Justice Mintz, for minority, alleges ruling ‘undermines basic democratic principles’
Supreme Court Justice David Mintz, December 25, 2017. (Miriam Alster/ Flash90)
Justice David Mintz, in an opinion for the minority, slams former Supreme Court president Esther Hayut’s ruling striking down the reasonableness limitation law, describing her doctrine for doing so as “something out of nothing,” which “undermines basic democratic principles including the separation of powers.”
Mintz, a strongly conservative justice, says the court’s ability to review and strike down even regular legislation is “not based on strong foundations” and says there is “certainly no authority allowing for the court to deliberate the validity of a Basic Law” or to strike one down.
“Annulling a Basic Law based on an amorphous doctrine and an undefined formula carries a heavy price from a democratic point of view, certainly when it comes to an issue about which the court itself is in an ‘institutional conflict of interest,’” writes Mintz.
The justice argues further that the new law did not stop the court reviewing government and ministerial decisions with other judicial doctrines, “does not give [the government] complete and total discretion, and does not grant immunity for [its] decisions.”
US official: IDF pullout of some Gaza troops seems to herald ‘shift to lower intensity’
IDF soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip in an undated photo released January 1, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Israel’s decision to withdraw some troops from Gaza appears to signal the start of a shift to lower-intensity operations in the north of the Palestinian enclave, although there is still fighting going on there, a US official says.
“This appears to be the start of the gradual shift to lower-intensity operations in the north that we have been encouraging,” the official says, noting the change reflects the success of the Israeli military in dismantling Hamas’s military capabilities there.
Fighting continues in the north, however, and the revised Israeli tactics do not “reflect any changes in the south” of Gaza, the official tells Reuters.
Hayut: Knesset can’t undermine Israel’s key characteristics as Jewish democratic state
Supreme Court President Justice Esther Hayut during a court hearing on the illegal West Bank outpost of Homesh, January 2, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Former Supreme Court president Esther Hayut, who participated in today’s decision as one of her last cases, argues in her ruling to strike down the reasonableness limitation law that the Knesset in its role as the formulator of Israel’s quasi-constitutional Basic Laws cannot undermine Israel’s key characteristics as a Jewish and a democratic state.
She says this limitation stems from the principles laid out in the Declaration of Independence, the Basic Laws already legislated, and legal precedent from historic court rulings.
Hayut also notes the extreme ease with which a Basic Law can be changed with a simple majority and the fact that narrow political majorities can control this process, and says this reality means judicial review over Basic Laws is critical in restraining the Knesset in extreme circumstances.
The former justice, who retired in October, argues that the reasonableness law is one such extreme case, as it abolishes judicial review through the judicial standard of reasonableness over all decisions made by the prime minister, the cabinet and government ministries without exception.
This, says Hayut, “does the most severe harm possible to the principle of the separation of powers and the principle of the rule of law,” and thus constitutes “a severe blow to two of the most explicit characteristics of Israel as a democratic state.”
As such, the law must be annulled, she writes.
IDF says it carried out series of strikes against Hezbollah sites
The IDF says it carried out a wave of strikes against Hezbollah sites in Lebanon, following attacks on the border today, including one incident that left five reservists wounded.
Air Force fighter jets and other aircraft struck Hezbollah military sites, rocket launch positions and other infrastructure across southern Lebanon, the IDF says. It adds that a Hezbollah cell in the area of the village of Houla was also hit.
A “suspicious aerial target,” believed to be a drone, that entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon was downed by air defenses over northern Israel, the IDF says. The interceptor missile set off alarms in Kiryat Shmona.
Hezbollah fired several projectiles at the Adamit area, lightly injuring five reservists, the IDF says. They were taken to a hospital for further treatment.
Hezbollah meanwhile names three members killed in Israeli strikes today.
בשעות האחרונות כוחות צה"ל, מטוסי קרב וכלי טיס של חיל האוויר השלימו סבב תקיפות בשטח לבנון.
במסגרת התקיפות הושמדו מספר תשתיות טרור, לצד אתרים צבאיים בהם פעלו מחבלי ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה ועמדות שיגור. בנוסף, הותקפה חוליית מחבלים שפעלה במרחב חולא >> pic.twitter.com/xXXtxnynRW
— דובר צה״ל דניאל הגרי – Daniel Hagari (@IDFSpokesperson) January 1, 2024
Movement for Quality Government hails ‘tremendous public victory’ after court ruling
Labor Party chair MK Merav Michaeli announces that she will step down from the party leadership, at a press conference in Tel Aviv, December 7, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, a key petitioner against the government legislation, hails the “historic verdict” as “a tremendous public victory for those who seek democracy.”
“A government and ministers who sought to exempt themselves from the rule of law have been told that there are judges in Jerusalem; that there is democracy; that there is a separation of powers.
National Unity MK Matan Kahana urges both sides to “take a deep breath and keep things in proportion.” He stresses that “a High Court ruling must be obeyed,” while criticizing both the Knesset and the court for making landmark decisions on such matters with the barest of majorities. He says the next Knesset should reach broad agreements on judicial reform.
Labor Party chief Merav Michaeli says, “Even the conservative judges ruled today that the court has the authority to review and invalidate Basic Laws. There is no clearer statement to all the wreckers and destroyers of democracy. Israeli democracy will not give up.”
Justice minister, coalition officials blast High Court for nixing ‘reasonabless law,’ but say war effort comes first
Justice Minister Yariv Levin seen during at the weekly cabinet meeting in the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on September 10, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)
Reactions are flowing in to the High Court’s landmark ruling.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the architect of the judicial overhaul, accuses the justices of “taking into their hands, with the ruling, all the authorities that in a democracy are divided between the three branches of government.” This creates a situation, Levin argues, “in which it is impossible to legislate even a Basic Law or take any decision in the Knesset or the government without the agreement of the Supreme Court, depriving millions of citizens of their voice.”
He calls the ruling unprecedented in the democratic world and says it “won’t stay our hand.”
Levin says the court demonstrated “the opposite of the spirit of unity required these days for the success of our soldiers on the front.”
But he adds that the government “will continue to act with restraint and responsibility” so long as the IDF military campaign against Hamas in Gaza is in progress.
Likud’s Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar says, “It would have been better had this ruling come out after these difficult days, if only to prevent the return of divisive discourse.” He says, “We must at this time bite our lips, show responsibility, and maintain unity. That is our responsibility to the fallen [in the war].”
Immigration and Absorption Minister Ofir Sofer says the timing of the ruling is “unfortunate, outrageous, and mainly shows a disconnect. But please keep things in proportion. We are still at the height of a difficult war and the challenge in the north is still ahead. Discourse must focus only on our united fight.”
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi says: “While all of us set aside our differences for now to unite and lead Israel to complete victory over our enemies, the High Court justices are insisting on proving to us again how disconnected and unrepresentative they are of the people.”
He accuses the judges of issuing “a highly divisive ruling while many soldiers who are endangering their lives in a war for our homeland oppose the dangerous regime change it heralds.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party says it is “unfortunate that the Supreme Court decided to issue a ruling at the heart of the societal disagreement in Israel when IDF soldiers from right and left are fighting and endangering their lives.”
“The court’s decision contradicts the people’s desire for unity, particularly at a time of war.”
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana says “It is obvious that the Supreme Court does not have any authority to annul Basic Laws.” But “it is even more obvious that we cannot deal with this so long as we are in the midst of a war.”
Knesset approves appointment of Israel Katz as foreign minister
Energy Minister Israel Katz speaks at a conference in Tel Aviv, March 13, 2023. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
The Knesset plenum approves the appointment of Energy Minister Israel Katz as Israel’s top diplomat, replacing outgoing Foreign Minister Eli Cohen — who filled the role for a year in line with an internal Likud party rotation agreement.
Katz, who had previously served as foreign minister from 2019 to 2020, is entering the ministry at a crucial time for the diplomatic service, which must maintain Jerusalem’s international ties and represent the country on the world stage amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
The Knesset’s approval of the swap comes a day after the move was approved by the cabinet. Katz’s appointment takes effect immediately.
In historic 1st, High Court strikes down Basic Law amendment, voiding reasonableness law
All 15 High Court justices preside over a court hearing on petitions against the government's 'reasonableness law' at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, September 12, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
In a monumental, highly controversial decision, the High Court of Justice strikes down legislation passed earlier this year that curtailed judicial oversight of the government, annulling for the first time in Israel’s history an element of one of its quasi-constitutional Basic Laws.
The court split almost down the middle over the highly contentious legislation, which eliminated judicial use of the “reasonableness” standard — the only significant law from the government’s judicial overhaul agenda to have been passed so far. Eight justices vote in favor of striking down the law, while seven vote to uphold it.
The ruling establishes in legal precedent the High Court’s contention that it has, in limited circumstances, the right to annul Basic Laws, despite these being the basis of authority for all state institutions, including the court.
Twelve of the 15 justices agree the court does have the authority to strike down Basic Laws.
The reasonableness law, passed back in July as an amendment to Basic Law: The Judiciary, bars all courts, including the High Court, from deliberating on and ruling against government and ministerial decisions on the basis of the judicial standard of reasonableness.
The petitioners against the law, as well as Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara, argued it removed crucial guardrails protecting Israeli democracy and should therefore be struck down; the government argued that the standard gave the court too broad a scope to intervene in policy decisions which should be the purview of the government alone, and that the court had no authority to strike down Basic Laws in the first place.
Before October 7, some government ministers and coalition MKs indicated they may not respect a decision to annul the legislation, which would lead to a severe constitutional crisis. The ongoing war against Hamas and Hezbollah may temper such reactions, however.
Liberal justices, including Acting Supreme Court President Uzi Vogelman, expressed deep concern during the September hearing on the law that it annulled all effective judicial review over government and ministerial decisions. Conservative justices such as David Mintz and Noam Sohlberg opined, however, that there was no justification within Israel’s constitutional make-up for the High Court to strike down Basic Laws.
IDF announces death of reservist soldier Amichai Yisrael Yehoshua Oster in Gaza
Sgt. First Class (res.) Amichai Yisrael Yehoshua Oster, 24, killed in Gaza on January 1, 2024 (Courtesy)
The IDF announces the death of a soldier killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip today, bringing the toll of slain troops since the start of the ground offensive against Hamas to 173.
He is named as Sgt. First Class (res.) Amichai Yisrael Yehoshua Oster, 24, of the 5th Brigade’s 7020th Battalion, from Karnei Shomron.
Another two soldiers of the 7020th Battalion were seriously wounded in the same incident, the IDF says.
Army says it’s widening offensive south of Gaza City
The IDF says it has expanded its ground offensive to new areas south of Gaza City, where the 99th Division is currently battling Hamas gunmen and locating the terror group’s infrastructure.
In a statement, the IDF says the 99th Division has killed “many” Hamas gunmen, destroyed more than 100 tunnel shafts, located several weapons caches, and directed dozens of airstrikes on the terror group’s sites and operatives in central Gaza, just south of Gaza City.
The IDF says the troops are establishing “operational control” over the area, “allowing the offensive to be expanded to additional locations and prevent the enemy from returning to its positions.”
The division’s 646th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade located a cache of weapons in a daycare center, according to the IDF.
The IDF says the division’s 179th Reserve Armored Brigade spotted a group of Hamas gunmen in a building, and following intelligence that the area surrounding the building was booby-trapped, it was decided to shell the structure.
In a video published by the IDF, secondary explosions are seen, which it says “indicates that it was booby-trapped and used by the Hamas terror organization for an operational purpose.”
The IDF says it has expanded its ground offensive to new areas south of Gaza City, where the 99th Division is currently battling Hamas operatives and locating the terror group's infrastructure.
In a statement, the IDF says the 99th Division has killed “many” Hamas gunmen,… pic.twitter.com/nE3oaAD0Is
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) January 1, 2024
Rocket sirens activated in Kiryat Shmona
Sirens sound in northern Israel, including Kiryat Shmona, signaling possible incoming rockets.
There are no immediate reports of casualties.
Israeli watchdog: 2023 was ‘most violent’ year on record for settler attacks
Israeli settlers killed at least 10 Palestinians and torched dozens of homes in the West Bank in 2023, making it the “most violent” year on record for settler attacks, an Israeli watchdog says.
Numerous West Bank attacks were carried out by large groups of settlers, and the violence spiked after Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel, says the Yesh Din organization.
Violence has surged across the West Bank over the past year and a half, with a rise in Palestinian shooting attacks against Israeli civilians and troops, near-nightly arrest raids by the military, and an uptick in revenge attacks by extremist Jewish settlers against Palestinians.
Bank of Israel cuts interest by 0.25% — first change of direction since April 2022
Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron speaks during a press conference at the Bank of Israel in Jerusalem on January 2, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
In a bold move, the Bank of Israel decides to cut interest rates by 25 basis points to 4.5 percent — the first change in trajectory since the bank began steadily raising interest in April 2022.
This amid growing uncertainty over the economic costs and duration of the ongoing war with the Hamas terror group.
“The war is having significant economic consequences, both on real economic activity and on the financial markets,” the central bank says in a statement. “There is a great amount of uncertainty with regard to the expected severity and duration of the war, which is in turn affecting the extent of the impact on activity.”
The policy decision to lower borrowing costs comes after the key lending rate was kept unchanged at 4.75% since July and as Israel is almost three months into the war with Hamas.
To bring down rising inflation, the Bank of Israel has steadily hiked interest rates from a record low of 0.1% in April 2022 to 4.75% in July 2023.
Report: Israeli delegation in Cairo to discuss possible hostage deal
London Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat claims an Israeli delegation is in Cairo to discuss a potential hostage and ceasefire deal with Hamas.
The paper, citing unidentified sources with knowledge of the matter, reports that the deal on the table would see the release of some 40 Israeli hostages in exchange for several hundred Palestinian prisoners, and a weeks-long truce in the Strip.
There is no outside confirmation of the report.
Musician performs songs of hope near burnt remains of parents’ home
Daniel Weiss, right, performs with a band on the charred remains of his parents' home in Be'eri on January 1, 2024. (Canaan Lidor/Times of Israel)
Standing on the charred remains of his murdered parents’ home in Be’eri, Daniel Weiss thanks them for raising him and proceeds to sing an ode to resilience.
Weiss, a musician in his 20s whose father, Shmulik, was slain in the kibbutz on October 7 and whose mother, Yehudit, was abducted to Gaza by Hamas terrorists and subsequently murdered there, sings at a commemoration ceremony “Muchrahim Lehamshich Lenagen,” a tune whose title means “We must keep playing.”
Weiss, who survived the massacre in Be’eri, lets the music do most of the talking. The song is based on a metaphor offered during the 1973 Yom Kippur War by then Israel Air Force commander Benny Peled in an iconic speech that likened the force’s desperate fight amid huge losses to an orchestra that plays as its instruments break down. Weiss shakes his fist as he sings the refrain.
Miri Aloni, a legendary Israeli folk singer, is brought by a wheelchair for the ceremony, organized by survivors for dozens of journalists visiting Be’eri today.
Some of the listeners huddle in a sukkah, a ceremonial hut that is still standing in the manicured yard, as the killings took place on the final day of the Sukkot holiday.
Amid thuds from shelling by Israeli troops of Gaza, Aloni and Weiss perform “Prachim BaKaneh,” or “Flowers in the barrel,” a song about longing for peace that mentions Gaza and Rafah.
Holding back tears, Weiss tells those gathered that he is playing on the first guitar his father bought him. He ends the concert with a song that he describes as a prayer, “Yamim Shel Sheket,” whose title means “Days of Quiet.”
Smotrich repeats call to reestablish Gaza settlements
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich holds a joint press conference with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (not seen) in Jerusalem, December 26, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reiterates his call for the reestablishment of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and the “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians following the end of combat operations in the Hamas-controlled coastal territory.
The “correct solution” to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict is “to encourage the voluntary migration of Gaza’s residents to countries that will agree to take in the refugees,” he says at his far-right Religious Zionism party’s weekly faction meeting, predicting that “Israel will permanently control the territory of the Gaza Strip,” including through the establishment of settlements.
Smotrich’s comments come two days after he told Channel 12 that he was “for completely changing the reality in Gaza… We’ll need to rule there for a long time… If we want to be there militarily, we need to be there in a civilian fashion.”
He also repeated his previous statement that Jerusalem could not allow Gaza to remain as a “hothouse of 2 million people who want destroy the State of Israel” and said that while he appreciates the support of the United States, “as long as I am the finance minister, not one shekel will go to the Nazi terrorists in Gaza.”
US President Joe Biden recently held a “frustrating” call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Axios reported, in which he stated that Jerusalem’s decision to withhold Palestinian tax funds following Hamas’s shock onslaught on October 7, including some funds the Palestinian Authority intends to send to Gaza, must be reexamined.
Ben Gvir: War an opportunity to encourage migration from Gaza
Head of the Otzma Yehudit party, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on January 1, 2024 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir expresses support for resettling Palestinians from the Gaza Strip abroad, declaring that the war presents an “opportunity to concentrate on encouraging the migration of the residents of Gaza,” during his Otzma Yehudit party’s weekly faction meeting.
He says such a policy would facilitate the return of residents of Israel’s Gaza-border communities as well as Israeli settlements in Gaza, evacuated in 2005, and is “a correct, just, moral and humane solution.
“We cannot withdraw from any territory we are in in the Gaza Strip. Not only do I not rule out Jewish settlement there, I believe it is also an important thing,” he adds.
A number of lawmakers, including members of the cabinet, have pushed for what they call the “voluntary resettlement” of Palestinians from Gaza, a policy that has been roundly rejected by Prime Minister Netanyahu and the international community.
The idea of population transfer, once considered a fringe view held by members of the ultranationalist Kahane movement, was given renewed prominence in Israeli political discourse this November when MKs Danny Danon (Likud) and Ram Ben-Barak (Yesh Atid) published an op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal, calling for “countries around the world to accept limited numbers of Gazan families who have expressed a desire to relocate.”
Their proposal was welcomed by Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who called their initiative “the right humanitarian solution for the residents of Gaza.”
Writing in The Jerusalem Post several days later, Likud Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel mulled the possibility of promoting “the voluntary resettlement of Palestinians in Gaza, for humanitarian reasons, outside of the Strip.”
IDF releases footage from Hamas fighter’s camera
The IDF publishes footage obtained from a camera of a Hamas gunman who was killed by troops in the area of Gaza City’s Daraj and Tuffah neighborhoods.
It says that over the past week, the 401st Armored Brigade and Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion have been battling Hamas’s Daraj-Tuffah battalion.
In one incident, the IDF says troops received intelligence of Hamas gunmen in a building and raided the site, killing them.
During scans, the soldiers recovered a camera used by Hamas to film their attacks on IDF troops.
The IDF says the videos show how Hamas uses civilian sites to launch RPGs at Israeli tanks operating in the Strip.
The IDF publishes footage obtained from the camera of a Hamas operative who was killed by troops in the area of Gaza City’s Daraj and Tuffah neighborhoods.
It says that over the past week, the 401st Armored Brigade and Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion have been battling Hamas’s… pic.twitter.com/ZPbwWgAd9n
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) January 1, 2024
Released hostages and families of hostages return to visit destroyed homes in Be’eri
Raaya Rotem, standing, speaks to journalists near her home in Be'eri on January 1, 2024, at a press conference by survivors of the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023. (Canaan Lidor/Times of Israel)
On her first visit to Kibbutz Be’eri since October 7, 13-year-old Oran Sharabi says she is afraid to be in the kibbutz where she grew up.
“I’m coping with the fear because the scariest thing to me is that my dad, Yossi, who’s being held hostage in Gaza, is still there,” Sharabi tells a few dozen journalists gathered in Be’eri for a press conference with survivors and released hostages.
The survivors and three released hostages — Raaya and Hila Rotem and Amit Shani — tell the journalists of the need to bring back their relatives and the other hostages abducted on October 7.
“I want us to have the soccer practice we said we’d do on Friday [October 6],” Oran Sharabi says about her father, Yossi, 53. His brother Eli, 51, is also presumed to be held hostage in Gaza.
The speeches take place in front of the burnt-down home of Raaya Rotem, where she and her daughter Hila were abducted. The two were released on November 29 and 25, respectively. The journalists inspect the charred interior, where molten plastic covers much of what used to be a domestic interior.
Raaya Rotem recalls eating an orange in captivity, before her release during the weeklong ceasefire in late November that facilitated an exchange of over 100 Israeli hostages in exchange for more than 200 Palestinian prisoners.
“We divided it among ourselves. Each of us got a tiny slice,” she says. “Time is running out for the hostages. Food is running out. Water is running out. We need to bring the hostages back.”
The tour, organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, is part of a campaign by that group to promote an exchange of prisoners with Hamas for the retrieval of more than 100 hostages presumed to still be held in Gaza. Other families of hostages object to freeing Palestinian prisoners for the release.
High Court to strike down reasonableness law in ruling tonight, reports say
Hebrew media outlets report that the High Court of Justice will publish its ruling on the government’s “reasonableness law” this evening and that it will strike down the controversial legislation, which is an amendment to Basic Law: The Judiciary.
This would be the first time the court strikes down any aspect of one of Israel’s Basic Laws, which have quasi-constitutional status.
A draft of the ruling leaked last week to Channel 12 suggested that there was an 8-7 majority on the court to strike down the legislation, which bans the courts from using the judicial standard of reasonableness to review and annul decisions made by the cabinet and government ministers.
Before October 7, some government ministers and coalition MKs indicated they may not respect a decision to annul the legislation, which would lead to a severe constitutional crisis. The ongoing war against Hamas and Hezbollah may temper such reactions, however.
There had been some reports of efforts underway by some members of the coalition to delay the publication of the decision through legislation, but those would be rendered moot if the ruling is published later today as reported.
Liberman says Israel may have to reoccupy southern Lebanon for 50 years
Yisrael Beytenu party chairman MK Avigdor Liberman leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on January 1, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Hawkish opposition MK Avigdor Liberman calls for Israel to reoccupy southern Lebanon, saying the country must “pay in territory” for damage caused by Hezbollah strikes on Israel’s northern towns.
The former defense minister says Israel’s military must “close off” a swath of southern Lebanon and push the terror group north of the Litani river, even if it means 50 years of occupation.
“It can’t be that there are entire towns where close to half of the buildings were simply destroyed,” he says during his Yisrael Beytenu party’s weekly faction meeting, referring to northern Israel where structures have suffered missile damage.
“We will not annex anything, and we will not build settlements, but we will release the territory only when there is a government in Beirut that knows how to exercise its sovereignty.”
“Everything between the Litani and Israel must be under the control of the IDF,” he says, comparing it to the post World War II military occupation of Germany. “If Lebanon won’t pay in territory we haven’t done anything,” he declares.
Israel’s military occupied southern Lebanon to keep Hezbollah away from the border from 1982 until a chaotic retreat in 2000.
Israeli soldiers opening gates for tank during the IDF’s withdrawal from Lebanon, on June 22, 2000. (Flash90)
Liberman also takes a swing at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war against Hamas, calling his government one “that does not know how to end the war in the south – or how to act in the north.”
Home Front Command prepares for displaced civilians to return to Gaza border communities
A man looks at the damage caused to the Yad Mordechai Museum from a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip a few weeks ago, in Kibbutz Yad Mordechai, on December 21, 2023. (Yossi Zamir/Flash90)
The IDF’s Home Front Command is preparing to allow the return of displaced civilians from some Gaza border communities, beginning with those that are between four and seven kilometers from the Strip.
Communities up to seven kilometers from the Gaza border were evacuated following the October 7 onslaught.
The IDF believes rockets will continue to be launched from the Gaza Strip at the southern towns, and therefore nobody will be forced to return at this stage of the plan.
Those who wish to return to their communities will receive a small grant of NIS 200 for an adult and 100 NIS for a child.
Initially, residents of Mavki’im, Gvar’am, Dorot, Yachini, Bror Hayil — all of which are in the 4- to 7-kilometer zone — and Yad Mordechai, will be allowed to return to their homes.
Residents of Yad Mordechai, which is only some 3 kilometers from the border, asked to be allowed to return at this stage, according to the IDF.
The IDF will bolster the local security teams in the towns to which residents are returning, and soldiers will continue to protect the area.
The local security teams will be provided with better equipment, trained by the IDF, and considered civilians employed by the army, under the plan.
The IDF will also attempt to move artillery forces to different areas to cause less noise for the returning residents.
Communities in the 0- to 4-km zone, including the city of Sderot, may not return for some time longer, as many of the homes are damaged from the October 7 attack.
IDF says it hit Hezbollah cell preparing to launch drones from southern Lebanon
The IDF says it struck a Hezbollah cell in southern Lebanon that was preparing to launch drones at northern Israel.
“An Air Force aircraft attacked the squad before it could carry out the launch, and destroyed the aircraft they were using,” the IDF says.
The IDF says Hezbollah also attempted to launch drones at Israel from within the border village of Maroun el-Ras.
“This is another example of the cynical exploitation by the terror organization of civilian populations and facilities,” the IDF says.
IAF fighter jets also struck Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon today, the military adds.
Suspected drone infiltration alarms and rocket sirens that sounded earlier in northern Israel were all false alarms, according to the IDF.
בשעות הבוקר כוחות צה"ל זיהו חוליית מחבלים מארגון הטרור חיזבאללה, שניסתה לשגר כלי טיס בלתי מאויישים לעבר שטח ישראל. כלי טיס של חיל האוויר תקף את החולייה בטרם הצליחה לבצע את השיגור והשמיד את כלי הטיס שבהם השתמשו>> pic.twitter.com/33hB9X1gSS
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) January 1, 2024
Kibbutz Be’eri resident Ilan Weiss, missing since Oct. 7, is confirmed killed
Ilan Weiss (Courtesy)
Kibbutz Be’eri announces that Ilan Weiss, who has been considered missing since the Hamas-led massacres on October 7, was killed in the assault on his community.
Weiss, 56, left his home on the morning of October 7 to join the kibbutz emergency response team. His family didn’t hear from him after 7:15 a.m. that day.
His wife Shiri, 53, and daughter Noga, 18, were seized and taken hostage in Gaza. The two were released on November 25 as part of a temporary ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar and the United States between Hamas and Israel.
Iranian warship Alborz enters the Red Sea
Iran’s Alborz warship has passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and entered the Red Sea, the country’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reports.
Iranian warships have been operating in the region “to secure shipping lanes since 2009,” Tasnim said.
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have attacked more than 20 vessels along the Red Sea shipping route in recent weeks.
Iran has claimed the Houthis are acting independently and haven’t received instruction from Iran.
However, Tehran has provided the rebel group with unmanned aerial systems, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles in the past, some of which have been used in the recent attacks.
Vaccines against polio, measles and other childhood diseases enter Gaza via Rafah crossing
An aid truck on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing waits to cross into the southern Gaza Strip on December 6, 2023. (AFP)
Thousands of doses of vaccines against childhood diseases including polio and measles have started to enter the Gaza Strip to help deal with a growing health emergency, the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah says.
The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, triggered by the brutal October 7 massacres carried out by the terror group in southern Israel, has effectively stopped normal health services in Gaza, including vaccinations against highly contagious childhood diseases that had been brought under control by mass immunization programs.
The ministry says supplies, estimated to be sufficient to cover vaccinations for 8 to 14 months, have entered Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt with the aid of Egyptian government cold storage facilities.
Israel announced Friday that it would facilitate the entry of the vaccines to help prevent the spread of disease.
Yasser Bouzia, head of international relations in the health ministry in Ramallah, says there were estimated to be some 60,000 newborn babies in Gaza who would normally receive vaccination but who have been largely cut off from medical services.
He adds that administering the vaccines will be difficult because most of Gaza’s population have been displaced from their homes, with hundreds of thousands living in tents or other temporary accommodation.
The vaccines against diseases including rubella, polio, measles and mumps come from supplies purchased by the Palestinian health ministry and also donated by UNICEF, the United Nations children’s fund, the ministry says.
Internal Affairs Committee approves pushing municipal elections to February 27
The Internal Affairs and Environment Committee approves delaying municipal elections to February 27.
Of the committee, 13 members voted in favor of the delay, MK Walid Taha of Ra’am abstained and Youssef Atuana of Hadash-Ta’al voted against, a statement from the Knesset says.
The vote comes a day after the cabinet voted unanimously to postpone the elections amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which presents challenges to candidates and voters alike.
Hamas denies NYT report of rape on Oct. 7, claims Israeli women received ‘good treatment’
Demonstrators gather during a '#MeToo unless you are a Jew' protest outside of United Nations headquarters in New York City, on December 4, 2023. (Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
Hamas denies the New York Times report on the weaponization of rape and sexual violence during the Gaza terror group’s brutal onslaught against Israel on October 7.
In a statement in Arabic and English, Hamas politburo member Basem Naim claims that the Western media and news agencies are “biased to what the Israeli propaganda says [in terms of] lies and slanders against the Palestinians and their resistance.”
Describing the October 7 savagery as “glorious,” Naim falsely claims that the New York Times report was based on accounts given indirectly by “women who said they heard other women repeating these allegations,” but there is “no conclusive evidence” that rapes took place.
In a detailed report published on Thursday, the publication described the systematic sexual violence perpetrated against Israeli women and girls by Palestinian terrorists on October 7, including interviews with more than 150 witnesses, medical personnel, first responders, soldiers, rape counselors, and government officials, along with the scanning of video footage, photographs and GPS data from cellphones. The report contained harrowing details of sexual abuse, mutilation, torture and murder.
Naim further claims that the New York Times piece contradicts testimonies given by Israeli women of the “good treatment they had experienced from the Palestinian fighters on October 7,” and the accounts given by released by Israeli female hostages of the terrorists’ “eagerness to provide them all they needed despite the difficult situation in Gaza,” adding that Islamic values and culture prevent Hamas members from committing such acts.
The Associated Press reported in early December that at least 10 of the Israeli civilians released by Hamas, both men and women, were sexually assaulted or abused while in captivity. Doctors who treated released hostages further reported physical, mental, and psychological abuse, including drugging, beatings, food and water deprivation, and separation of children from their family members.
Suspected drone infiltration alert sounds near Lebanon border
Alerts warning of a possible drone infiltration sound across northern Israel communities close to the Lebanon border.
Sirens were heard in the communities of Avivim, Baram, Dalton and Ramat Dalton industrial zone, among others.
???? Large Rocket Alerts [11:56:16] – 9 Alerts:
• Confrontation Line — Dalton, Rehaniya, Jish (Gush Halav), Ramat Dalton Industrial Zone, Yir'on, Baram, Alma, Avivim, Kerem Ben Zimra#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/szFqE3U2K8
— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) January 1, 2024
Hamas won’t release remaining hostages until Israel ends fighting, official tells Arabic media
Hamas won’t agree to release the hostages held in Gaza before there is a complete cessation of fighting, a Hamas source tells Saudi-owned news outlet Al-Arabiya after several days of ceasefire talks with Egyptian officials in Cairo.
The source confirms that despite the talks in Cairo, the terror group’s position has not changed and it will not release the hostages still held in Gaza until Israel agrees to a permanent halt in fighting after almost three months of war.
Last week, reports claimed that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad had both rejected an Egyptian proposal that would see Hamas give up control of the Strip in return for a permanent ceasefire.
In interrogation, former Hamas operative says group uses Gaza civilians as human shields
Zahdy Ali Zahdy Shahin, identified by the IDF as a former Hamas operative, is seen in an interrogation video published January 1, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF releases new interrogation videos of Palestinians who were captured by troops in the Gaza Strip, detailing Hamas’s use of civilians as cover for terror.
Zahdy Ali Zahdy Shahin, identified by the IDF as a former Hamas operative, tells interrogators of the Military Intelligence Directorate’s Unit 504 that “he felt we were being used as human shields.”
Shahin says he was heading from northern Gaza to the Strip’s south in a humanitarian corridor when apparent Hamas gunmen pulled him and other civilians aside and brought them to Shifa Hospital.
He says he and other civilians were on the ground floor of the hospital, and once IDF forces reached the medical center, Hamas operatives came out from tunnels and hid among the sheltering civilians.
Shahin says he even argued with one of the Hamas operatives. “I told him ‘Your place isn’t up here with the civilians, but below. Why did you come up?'”
“He started to threaten me, said when the war ends he would settle the score,” he tells the interrogator.
Another detainee, Muhammad Darwish Amara, who is identified by the IDF as a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, says Hamas fighters took over his home.
Amara says he was sheltering in a school in northern Gaza, and told his son to check their home every couple of days to ensure nobody was breaking in to steal their belongings.
Muhammad Darwish Amara, identified by the IDF as a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, is seen in an interrogation video published January 1, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
“He entered the apartment, opened the door, and there was a mess. He looks and sees young men sleeping in my apartment,” Amara tells the Unit 504 interrogator, claiming that they were Hamas fighters.
Amara says he did not give approval for Hamas to use his home to fight against the IDF.
“We left the apartment and they took control of it. On the upper floor where my son lives… a sniper was sitting by the window, and in the other room, there were several [operatives]. He said there were more than 20 people [in the apartment], their weapons thrown on the floor,” he says.
Recalling an incident he was told, Amara tells the interrogator that a Hamas operative tried to place an explosive device a few meters away from the home of an acquaintance.
He says the homeowner saw the operative placing the bomb, “and went down and told him, how are you placing an explosive by the door.”
Amara claims the Hamas operative responded to the man saying “If this doesn’t suit you, leave, this is none of your business.”
“He told [the Hamas operative] ‘how is this not my business, these are my children, this is not OK.’ And the [Hamas operative] responded saying ‘I’ll place the explosive even if it doesn’t suit you, I’ll even place it between you and your wife,'” Amara claims, adding that the Hamas operative then shot the homeowner in the leg.
Tens of thousands in Istanbul protest against Israel over Gaza war
Thousands demonstrate against Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza, in Istanbul, Turkey, January 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Tens of thousands of people march in Istanbul to protest against “murderer” Israel’s war in Gaza with Hamas and the killing of Turkish soldiers by outlawed Kurdish militants in Iraq.
The rally, organized by a foundation that counts Bilal Erdogan, the son of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, among its members started after crowds performed morning prayers at Istanbul’s iconic mosques, including Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
Protesters wave Turkish and Palestinian flags as they rally to the Galata Bridge on the Bosphorus chanting: “Murderer Israel, get out of Palestine” and “Allahu Akbar” (God is the greatest).
Tens of thousands of people joined the rally “Mercy for our martyrs and a curse on Israel,” the official Anadolu news agency reports.
The elder Erdogan has lashed out at Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu multiple times since the outbreak of the war in Gaza and, in a speech last week in the Turkish capital, said Netanyahu was worse than Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
Rocket sirens sound in northern Israel
Sirens sound in northern Israel communities close to the Lebanon border, warning residents of possible rocket fire.
The sirens are activated in the communities of Goren and Avdon in the Western Galilee.
Rocket Alerts [11:01:18] – 2 Alerts:
• Confrontation Line — Goren, Avdon#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/HMwmtWGayr
— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) January 1, 2024
IDF says it eliminated Nukhba force commander who led October 7 attack on Kissufim
The IDF says it has eliminated the company commander of Hamas’s elite Nukhba force in central Gaza’s Deir al Balah in an overnight airstrike.
It says Adel Msammah commanded the Nukhba terrorists who carried out the attack on Kissufim on October 7, and directed other Hamas members to attack the border communities of Be’eri and Nirim.
“After that, Msammah led fighting in the Gaza Strip against our forces,” the IDF says.
מטוס קרב של חיל האוויר, בהכוונת חופת האש והמודיעין של אוגדת עזה חיסל את עאדל מסמח, מפקד פלוגת הנח׳בה של דיר אל בלאח. מסמח פיקד בשטח על כוחות מחבלי הנח'בה שפשטו לכיסופים במהלך ה7/10 ושלח כוחות של ארגון הטרור חמאס ליישובים נוספים בעוטף ובהם בארי ונירים >> pic.twitter.com/cLurCCaFpB
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) January 1, 2024
Meanwhile, in northern Gaza, reservists of the Yiftah Brigade raided several Hamas and Islamic Jihad sites in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood, locating a cache of weapons in a mosque, the IDF says.
During the operation, Hamas operatives launched mortars at the forces. The IDF says a drone identified the cell and struck them.
In southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, troops of the Commando Brigade identified a Hamas operative launching rockets, and directed an aircraft to strike them, the IDF says.
Also overnight, the Air Force and Navy continued to strike sites across the Strip, aiding the ground forces with their maneuvers against Hamas.
Japan issues tsunami alerts after 7.6 magnitude quake off the country’s coast
Japan issues tsunami alerts after a series of strong quakes in the Sea of Japan.
The Japan Meteorological Agency reported quakes off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures earlier this morning, one of them with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6.
It issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of the island of Honshu.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV warns torrents of water could reach as high as 5 meters (16.5 feet) and urges people to flee to high land or the top of a nearby building as quickly as possible.
NHK says the tsunami waves could keep returning, and warnings were continuing to be aired nearly an hour after the initial alert.
A tsunami of about 3 meters high was expected to hit Niigata and other prefectures on the western coast of Japan. Smaller tsunami waves were already confirmed to have reached the coastline, according to NHK.
The area includes a nuclear plant. Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator, says it is checking for problems but there are no immediate reports of any irregularities.
Japan is an extremely quake-prone nation. In March 2011, a major quake and tsunami caused meltdowns at a nuclear plant.
Ben Gvir claims prison chief ignored instructions to reduce food for October 7 terror prisoners
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir claims Israel Prison Service Commissioner Katy Perry refused to carry out his instructions to reduce the amount of food given to security prisoners who carried out the October 7 massacre.
Sharing an image from the Ynet news outlet which alleges to depict the daily menu received by prisoners, Ben Gvir writes on X, formerly Twitter, “Anyone who ignores my express directive to reduce all types of meat dishes to the Nukhba killers, and allows them a rich and meaty menu like the one shown, while our hostages in Gaza eat half a pita a day – does not deserve to stay in office one single day longer. We must reform the prison service!”
מי שמתעלם מהנחייתי המפורשת להוריד את כל סוגי המנות הבשריות לרוצחי הנוחב'ה ומאפשר להם תפריט עשיר ובשרי כמו זה המוצג, בזמן שהחטופים שלנו בעזה אוכלים חצי פיתה ביום – לא ראוי להמשיך עוד יום אחד בתפקיד. חייבים לעשות רפורמה בשירות בתי הסוהר! pic.twitter.com/EmDvsMTAis
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) January 1, 2024
According to Ynet, Ben Gvir instructed Perry to remove all meat from the meals given to soldiers from the Hamas Nukhba forces who carried out the brutal massacres of the October 7 assault.
“The conduct of the outgoing Prison Commissioner Katy Perry crosses every possible red line,” Ynet reports Ben Gvir’s office as stating. “The commissioner behaves as if the State of Israel is not at war, as if it is part of the United Nations, without morality or values.”
The Israel Prison Service responded that contrary to Ben Gvir’s claim, the meals provided to the members of the Nukhba forces are different from those given to other prisoners and provide the minimum amount of food required by law, Ynet adds.
Israeli forces carried out arrests in East Jerusalem, West Bank overnight – Palestinian reports
Palestinian media outlets report multiple arrests by Israeli forces across East Jerusalem and the West Bank overnight.
According to Quds News Network, several people were arrested in the Palestinian town of Qatanna on the outskirts of Jerusalem. In a photo allegedly from the arrest operation posted by the network on X, several people can be seen kneeling with blindfolds on.
تغطية صحفية: "قوات الاحـــتـلال تقتحم بلدة قطنة شمال غرب القدس، وتنفذ حملة اعتقالات واسعة". pic.twitter.com/lTvUL7WpZl
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) January 1, 2024
At the same time, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that one person was arrested from East Jerusalem neighborhood of Wadi al-Joz during an overnight raid on his home.
Footage shared by Quds News Network on X earlier this morning alleges to show clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces in the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem.
تغطية صحفية: "شبان يستهدفون قوات الاحـــتـلال على حاجز مخيم شعفاط شمال شرق القدس المحتلَّة، الليلة الماضية، بوابل من الزجاجات الحارقة". pic.twitter.com/gxJzJ3N0hP
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) January 1, 2024
Elsewhere, two people were reportedly arrested in Bethlehem, and several others were arrested in areas close to Ramallah, Nablus and Tulkarem.
IDF says 29 of 170 soldiers killed in Gaza were from so-called friendly fire, other accidents
Israeli soldiers seen at a staging area near the Israeli-Gaza border, southern Israel, December 31, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Of 170 soldiers killed in the Gaza Strip during the ground offensive, 29 were killed by so-called friendly fire and other accidents, according to new data released by the IDF.
Eighteen of the soldiers were killed by friendly fire due to mistaken identification, including in airstrikes, tank shelling, and gunfire.
Two soldiers were killed by gunfire that was not intended to hit them.
Nine soldiers were killed in accidents, including accidental weapon discharges, being run over, and being hit by shrapnel from controlled demolitions.
Since the beginning of the ground operation, between two and six soldiers have been killed per week in incidents of friendly fire or accidents, according to the data.
The IDF has assessed that myriad reasons have led to the deadly accidents, including the large number of forces operating in Gaza, communication issues between forces, and soldiers being tired and not paying attention to regulations.
There are currently thousands of infantry forces, tanks, and other troops in Gaza taking part in Israel’s ground offensive against Hamas, operating in the Strip’s dense neighborhoods.
The military has said it is constantly assessing the ongoing fighting, including the cases of friendly fire, and quickly implementing lessons learned.
Biden facing pressure to strike Houthi weapon bases in Yemen, NYT reports
US President Joe Biden walks towards the members of the media as he leaves the White House Dec. 23, 2023. (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
The New York Times reports that US President Joe Biden is facing increasing pressure to act against the Houthis in Yemen as the rebel group’s Red Sea attacks increase in ferocity.
According to the report, US defense officials have prepared plans to strike missile and drone bases in Yemen, but the Biden administration is hesitant to use them.
Senior officials in the administration are concerned that carrying out the strikes could inadvertently benefit Iran, while also risking a delicate truce between Yemen and Saudi Arabia, the report says.
Retired Fifth Fleet commander Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan warns the New York Times, however, that if the US doesn’t respond to the threat posed by the Houthis to US military vessels and personnel, it invites more attacks as enemy groups start believing that “attacking a US ship carries a low risk of retaliation.”
The Iran-backed Houthis have carried out over 20 attacks on vessels in the vital Red Sea shipping lane since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, and while the rebel group claims it only targets ships with ties to Israel, it has launched attacks on ships traveling under the Norwegian and Liberian flags, among others.
Ukraine says Russia launches a drone attack against Lviv, after dueling claims
Ukraine’s air defense systems were engaged in repelling a Russian drone attack on Lviv, regional governor Maksym Kozytskyi says on the Telegram messaging app.
Earlier, Moscow accused Ukraine of shelling the city of Donetsk, killing four people, while Ukrainian officials said at least one person was killed in an Russian air attack on Odesa.
North Korea’s Kim says military will ‘thoroughly annihilate’ US, South Korea if provoked
This photo provided by the North Korean government on September 10, 2023, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waving from a train in Pyongyang as he leaves for Russia. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un orders his military to “thoroughly annihilate” the United States and South Korea if provoked, state media reports, after he vowed to boost national defenses to cope with what he called an unprecedented US-led confrontation.
Kim is expected to ramp up weapons tests in 2024 ahead of the US presidential election in November. Many experts say he likely believes his expanded nuclear arsenal would allow him to wrest US concessions if former president Donald Trump is reelected.
In a meeting yesterday with commanding army officers, Kim said it is urgent to sharpen “the treasured sword” to safeguard national security, an apparent reference to his country’s nuclear weapons program. He cited “the US and other hostile forces’ military confrontation moves,” according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
Kim stressed that “our army should deal a deadly blow to thoroughly annihilate them by mobilizing all the toughest means and potentialities without moment’s hesitation” if they opt for military confrontation and provocations against North Korea, KCNA says.
Armed drone shot down over Iraqi air base with US presence
This picture taken on July 8, 2021 shows a view of the Ain al-Assad air base hosting US forces in Iraq. (Ayman HENNA / AFP)
Defense systems shot down an armed drone over the Ain al-Assad airbase, which hosts US and other international forces in western Iraq, Iraqi army sources tell Reuters.
The attack in the early hours of Monday, which the sources say did not cause casualties or damage, is the second one in hours after a drone was shot down yesterday over Erbil airport in northern Iraq where US and other international forces are stationed.
More than 20 rockets fired at Israel in midnight barrage; no injuries reported
Iron Dome intercepts rockets from Gaza above Tel Aviv just after midnight as 2023 gives way to 2024. (Times of Israel)
More than 20 rockets were fired by Hamas at southern and central Israel just at the start of the new year.
Most were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system. Sirens sounded in various locations in the center of the country, including Rehovot, Ness Ziona, Holon, Lod and Modiin, as well as Ashdod, Sderot and other southern towns.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service says no injuries have been reported so far.
read more: