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ISRAEL AT WAR - DAY 534

Gianluca Pacchiani

Gianluca Pacchiani

Gianluca Pacchiani is the Arab affairs reporter for The Times of Israel
People place a picture of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah over the rubble of the shrine of Shamoun al-Safa, in the village of Shamaa in southern Lebanon's Tyre, January 31, 2025. (Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)
February 2, 2025, 9:30 pm
Hezbollah says Nasrallah to be buried outside Beirut in February 23 ‘grand’ funeral
Terror group chief Naim Qassem admits Hashem Safieddine had been chosen as successor before he was killed, calls on Lebanese authorities to pressure Israel over ostensible ceasefire violations
By Agencies and Gianluca Pacchiani
Palestinians celebrate the release of some 90 prisoners set free by Israel in the early hours of January 20, 2025, upon their arrival aboard a Red Cross bus in the Palestinian West Bank town of Beitunia, on the outskirts of Ramallah. (Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
January 29, 2025, 11:34 pm
Israel is about to free another 110 prisoners; nobody knows where they are going
Experts are debating whether those let out, including major terror convicts, should be exiled or allowed to stay in West Bank and Gaza, where Israel can keep a close eye on them
By Gianluca Pacchiani
Locals shout slogans against Israel soldiers blocking a road leading to their southern Lebanese village of Maroun al-Ras, Lebanon, January 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
January 28, 2025, 1:21 am
Lebanon says 2 killed as protests against Israeli presence erupt for a second day
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem slams extension of IDF pullout deadline, says ‘resistance’ not bound by it, as Lebanese Christian politician blames ‘pointless’ deaths on terror group
By Agencies, Gianluca Pacchiani and ToI Staff
Posters of Hezbollah's slain leaders Hassan Nasrallah (L) and Hashem Safieddine are placed amid destruction caused by Israeli strikes against the terror group in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on December 4, 2024. (Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP)
January 7, 2025, 9:28 pm
Defanged but still dangerous, Hezbollah will try to regain its bite, experts predict
Focused for now on reconstructing Lebanon and rebuilding support, the terror group will also seek to reconstitute its arsenal in hopes of fighting Israel another day
By Gianluca Pacchiani
Watching planes take off at Ben Gurion International Airport, August 26, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
January 7, 2025, 2:23 pm
Daily Briefing Jan. 7: Day 459 – Will new law bring airlines back to Israel’s skies?
Arab affairs reporter Gianluca Pacchiani discusses hostage talks and Hezbollah; tech editor Sharon Wrobel reviews central bank comments, funds for the north, and foreign airlines
By Jessica Steinberg, Gianluca Pacchiani and Sharon Wrobel
Supporters of Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis march in the capital Sana'a on March 15, 2024, in support of Palestinians, during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. (Mohammed Huwais/ AFP)
January 3, 2025, 10:47 am
Who’s afraid of the Houthis? Iran’s last proxy standing is proving no pushover for Israel
Repeated nighttime missile launches have brought the danger from Yemen to the fore. How did a group of mountain rebels in a faraway country rise to become a global threat?
By Gianluca Pacchiani
People gather in front of a clock counting the days since the hostages were taken by Hamas, in Tel Aviv, January 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
January 2, 2025, 11:21 pm
Israeli negotiators head to Qatar amid some reported progress in hostage talks
After reports that talks had reached an impasse, both Israel and Hamas signal negotiations will resume on Friday; hostage families forum: ‘We can’t miss this window of opportunity’
By Lazar Berman, Gianluca Pacchiani and ToI Staff
Syria's new leader and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) chief Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) receives Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (Andriy Sybiga) in Damascus on December 30, 2024. (Bakr Alkasem / AFP)
December 30, 2024, 1:56 pm
Daily Briefing Dec. 30: Day 451 – Democracy in Syria? De facto leader says not so fast
Arab affairs reporter Gianluca Pacchiani sheds light on who the Houthis are; reporter Sue Surkes on Israeli international aid orgs’ funding crisis and how Israel can achieve net-zero
By Amanda Borschel-Dan, Gianluca Pacchiani and Sue Surkes
Yemeni-Swedish activist and journalist Luai Ahmed in Tel Aviv, December 25, 2024. (Gianluca Pacchiani/Times of Israel)
December 27, 2024, 9:57 am
‘Houthis are simply insane’: In Tel Aviv, Yemeni activist explains current conflict
Luai Ahmed fled Yemen for Sweden after rebels rose to power, becoming an activist against Islamic fundamentalism; after Oct. 7, he joined the social media fray against antisemitism
By Gianluca Pacchiani
A liquor store decorated for Christmas in the Christian Quarter of the Jerusalem Old City, December 24, 2024 (Gianluca Pacchiani/Times of Israel)
December 24, 2024, 10:42 pm
Jerusalem’s Christmas dimmed by war, but some Christians see a glimmer of hope
As conflict persists and tourist influx remains limited, public celebrations in the Old City are canceled for the second year in a row, but some refuse to give in to despair
By Gianluca Pacchiani
A damaged poster of the late Syrian president Hafez Assad is seen above the stands of a stadium that was used by the army of ousted president Bashar al-Assad as a military post, in Damascus, Syria, December 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
December 19, 2024, 4:30 pm
Once the power holders under Assad, Syria’s Alawites now fear for their fates
Deposed leader’s minority sect now gripped by uncertainty and worry over reprisals from country’s other 90%, amid looming risk of Muslim extremism
By Gianluca Pacchiani
Palestinians carry UN-donated flour in Khan Younis, central Gaza Strip, Saturday December 14, 2024.(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
December 18, 2024, 2:10 pm
Daily Briefing Dec. 18: Day 439 – How Palestinians envision ruling Gaza the day after
Arab affairs reporter Gianluca Pacchiani on hostage talks and Syria’s Christian minority; archaeology reporter Gavriel Fiske on the ‘first’ alphabetic writing and an early Christian amulet
By Amanda Borschel-Dan, Gianluca Pacchiani and Gavriel Fiske
Palestinian security forces patrol in the center of the city of Jenin in the West Bank, December 16, 2024. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)
December 16, 2024, 4:47 pm
With a show of force in Jenin, the PA tries to prove it can rule Gaza. But can it?
Ramallah is bent on regaining control of the northern West Bank and thereby improving its credentials to govern in postwar Gaza. But its legitimacy among Palestinians remains low
By Gianluca Pacchiani
Israelis attend a rally calling for the release of those held hostage by the Hamas terror group in Gaza, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, December 7, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
December 16, 2024, 4:21 pm
Katz said to tell MKs hostage-truce deal ‘closer than ever,’ echoing Hamas optimism
Terror group leader quoted as saying agreement close, ‘if Netanyahu doesn’t obstruct it’; Egyptian security sources say talks aim to free more hostages, secure longer truce
By Gianluca Pacchiani and ToI Staff
The leader of Syria's Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group that headed a lightning rebel offensive snatching Damascus from government control, Abu Mohammed al-Julani, address a crowd at the capital's landmark Umayyad Mosque on December 8, 2024. (Aref TAMMAWI / AFP)
December 14, 2024, 8:30 pm
Syrian rebel leader: Israel has ‘no more excuses’ to strike, we don’t seek conflict
In first comment on Jewish state since fall of Assad regime, Sharaa says Syria will seek stability after long civil war, hints at ‘diplomatic solutions’ to avert regional escalation
By Gianluca Pacchiani
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