Israel, Hezbollah military leader killed. Pressure against Netanyahu
The war in the Middle East has been going on for three months now. Pressure in Jerusalem against Netanyahu, with several dozen protesters blocking the main entrance to the Knesset demanding early elections. Tel Aviv police have admitted they accidentally killed a 4-year-old Palestinian girl. A Hezbollah military leader killed in an Israeli attack.
Israel kills Hezbollah military leader
A Hezbollah military leader has been killed in an Israeli attack in Lebanon. This was reported by a security official.
USA: “Israel is moving to the special operations phase”
Ahead of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Israel, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that Israeli forces are moving from what he called “the intense maneuver phase of war” towards “different types of special operations”. But, Gallant warned, phase 3 of the conflict “will last longer” and Israel “will not abandon its goal of destroying Hamas, ending its control over Gaza and freeing the hostages who remain in the hands of the fundamentalists.
South Korea Intelligence: “Hamas is using weapons from North Korea”
South Korea's spy agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), has confirmed that Hamas is using North Korean-made weapons in its war against Israel.
Pope Francis' appeal: “Cease fire and free hostages”
“I reiterate my appeal to all parties involved for a ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, and for the immediate release of all hostages in Gaza.” Thus the Pope to the diplomatic corps on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “I ask that the Palestinian population receives humanitarian aid and that hospitals, schools and places of worship have all the necessary protection,” he said.
Blinken expected in Tel Aviv to discuss the situation in Gaza
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is expected in Israel this evening for talks on the war in Gaza, in a context of renewed tension on the Israeli-Lebanese border which raises fears of regional escalation. Washington's diplomatic chief yesterday deplored the “tragedy” of the thousands of civilians killed in the conflict and warned that the conflict could “easily metastasize” as tensions between Israel and Lebanon escalate.
Protests at the Knesset: “Off to Netanyahu's government”
A few dozen protesters from the “Changing Direction” movement and the “Elections Now” coalition are blocking the main entrance to the Knesset in Jerusalem this morning, demanding early elections and the immediate replacement of the government with the expulsion of extremists from the executive. The Israeli media writes it. The organizers of the protest stated among other things that “any hope that the government would rise to the level of emergency has been dashed in light of its failed conduct, which is reflected in the dysfunctions, in the abandonment of the abductees, in a fatal wound to the image of the State”.
READ ALSO: War, Israel hits Hamas headquarters in Beirut: one of the leaders killed
Gaza, average: 8 dead in a raid
The Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera says that at least eight Palestinians were killed tonight in an Israeli air raid on the Deir al-Balah refugee camp, in the center of the Gaza Strip. A 4-year-old Palestinian girl killed by mistake.
West Bank, 3 arrests for man killed in attack
Israeli security forces have arrested three Palestinians in connection with the terrorist attack in the West Bank in which an Arab Israeli from East Jerusalem was killed and a woman was injured. The local media reported it. Israeli sources cited by Ynet say that the people arrested are two doctors and a nurse. The Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera reports that a doctor named Aysar Nasr al-Barghouti was blindfolded and taken away by Israeli soldiers who broke into his home in the Batan al-Hawa neighborhood of Ramallah.
Germany to Israel: “Less intensive management of operations”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, visiting Jerusalem, called on Israel for greater restraint in the war waged in the Gaza Strip, saying that “less intensive management of operations” was essential. “The suffering of many innocent people cannot continue like this. We need less intensive conduct of operations,” Baerbock told reporters after talks with her Israeli counterpart Israel Katz and head of state Isaac Herzog.
Hamas: “Israel attacks the cultural heritage of Gaza”
Israeli forces reportedly destroyed over 200 historical sites in the Gaza Strip, including mosques, churches, museums and old houses. This was stated by Hamas official Osama Hamdan. Al Jazeera reports it. According to Hamdam, targeting these buildings is a “failed attempt to obscure” the presence and cultural heritage of Palestinians.
READ ALSO: Gaza, two journalists dead. Blinken fears Lebanon's involvement
Islamic Jihad releases live hostage video
Islamic Jihad has released a video showing an Israeli hostage, Elad Katzir, in Gaza. The 47-year-old, kidnapped on October 7 from the Nor Oz kibbutz, had already appeared in another video on December 20 together with another hostage, Gadi Mozes. Katzir's mother, Hanna, was kidnapped and was later released while his father Rami was killed.
In the video, Katzir in English and Hebrew calls for his release and pays homage to Tamir Adar, another hostage whose death was announced at the beginning of January. The 47-year-old's family, having learned of the video, urged the media not to broadcast it.
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