• It is the 108th day of the war: According to Hamas, over 25,000 Palestinians have died. According to the UN, 70% of the victims are women or children (data from January 18). According to a U.S. intelligence estimate, Israeli security forces have killed only 20-30% of Hamas fighters (January 21). In Israel, 1,200 people died in the attack on October 7th.
•Tunnels were found in Khan Yunis where Israeli hostages were being held
•Hamas: The October 7 attack against Israel is a necessary step
•The appeal of the Jewish community: Stop the fire of words against us
•Erdogan is preparing for visits from Raisi and Putin
8:46 a.m. – Alarm sirens in the Upper Galilee
Alarm sirens are also sounding today in several communities in the Upper Galilee, along the border with Lebanon. This was announced by the military spokesman. Yesterday evening, the spokesman added, three rockets were fired from Lebanon at the Israeli village of Shomera in the central section of the border. A building was hit, but no injuries were reported. According to media reports, this attack was claimed by Hezbollah.
8:43 a.m. – NBC: Israel rejects Hamas' offer of a ceasefire in exchange for hostages
Talks over the release of hostages in Gaza remain deadlocked due to Hamas' demands for a permanent ceasefire. This was reported by NBC News, citing diplomatic sources, saying that American, Qatari and Egyptian officials continue to push for an agreement that would release about 130 prisoners believed to have remained in the Gaza Strip, most likely underground in tunnels or privately hides houses. According to Israeli officials, in exchange for the hostages' release, Hamas is demanding a permanent cessation of fighting, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners, including some responsible for the Oct. 7 attack . A Hamas official said in an interview that the group would not move forward until it had a promise that the war would end and all Israeli troops would leave Gaza.
According to a senior Israeli government official, Israeli officials said their efforts to secure the hostages' release never stopped, but last week they resisted Hamas' demands for a permanent ceasefire. Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected Hamas' demands. “I work on this 24 hours a day, but to be clear: I openly reject the terms of surrender of these Hamas monsters,” he stressed. “Most of the details have been agreed.” “The key point is that the Israelis do not want to accept a permanent ceasefire,” the diplomat, who wished to remain anonymous, told the American broadcaster. “The agreement would include the suspension of fighting for more than a month with the gradual release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.”
8:18 a.m. – Israel Labor: Motion of no confidence against Netanyahu government
Israel's Labor Party, which has four of 120 seats in the Knesset, will today file a motion of no confidence – its first since the start of the war – against Benjamin Netanyahu's government for “failing to bring home the hostages held by Hamas.” in the Gaza Strip. The party made this clear by emphasizing that “the government is not making the necessary decisions to save and bring them back.” Labor – led by Merav Michaeli – said it expects opposition parties to “support the no-confidence motion” even if the chances of it being passed are very slim.
8:16 a.m. – Borrell: Resistance to a two-state solution is unacceptable
“From now on we have to talk about a two-state solution and not a peace process, words matter.” This is what the EU High Representative Josep Borrell said upon his arrival at the Foreign Affairs Council. “I know Israel does not agree with this, but it is unacceptable, as the UN Secretary General said. So we have to discuss. What is their solution? Drive people out of Gaza? Kill them all? “Israel has been fomenting hatred for generations,” he said. “Hamas is one of the obstacles to the two-state solution, but not the only one. We must work with the Arab world and discuss approaches among ourselves in order to make progress.”
8:01 a.m. – Netanyahu under siege: Now everyone wants him to resign
It is now clear to the families of the hostages still held in Gaza that the goal of exterminating Hamas is at odds with the release of the hundreds of prisoners. Noam Dam – aunt of two boys released at the end of November while their father remains in the tunnels of the Gaza Strip – says on television that the prime minister, the defense minister and the entire war council are taking action “against my family,” over the kidnapped citizens Doctrine,” the order the officers would never give to shoot the commando who kidnapped a soldier at the cost of the hostage’s life. So Eli Elbag, along with dozens of other relatives, lined up with a tent in front of the Netanyahu villa on the coast of Caesarea and promises not to leave: Here is the detailed analysis of Netanyahu's siege.
5:46 a.m. – Night attacks in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip
The Israeli army bombed Khan Yunis, the new epicenter of the war in Gaza, while the families of hostages held by Hamas renewed calls on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a deal to secure their release. Witnesses reported attacks that claimed lives overnight in Khan Yunis, the largest city in the southern Gaza Strip, and fierce fighting between Israeli soldiers and Hamas militants. Netanyahu promised a “complete victory” over Hamas after the October 7 attacks that killed around 1,140 people. According to the Israeli army, sirens were heard again overnight in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon.
5:27 a.m. – Netanyahu: “No Palestinian state as long as I’m there”
Benjamin Netanyahu is once again slamming the door on Joe Biden and the EU: As long as he is prime minister, there will be no Palestinian state, let alone one with sovereignty over Gaza. “I have made it clear to the US President,” the prime minister said after the conversation between the two on Friday, “that Israel is determined to achieve all war objectives and to guarantee that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.” The Gaza Strip must “be demilitarized” and “remain under full Israeli security control.” As long as I am prime minister, this will be my position.” Meanwhile, American Middle East envoy Brett McGurk will be in Egypt and then Qatar in the next few days.
5:25 a.m. – Family members of the hostages with tents in front of Netanyahu's residence
The families of the Israeli hostages still in the hands of Hamas have set up some tents in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence on Azza Street in Jerusalem. “We were shocked to hear that the prime minister has decided to sacrifice our family members and leave them to their terrible fate in the jaws of the Hamas monsters,” Channel 12 reported. “If you have decided to sacrifice the hostages “Say it.” honestly. Whoever left her must now give her back to us.
The demonstration, organized by the Forum of Families of Hostages and Missing Persons, walked a fine line, blaming the current government for the lives of the hostages while avoiding direct condemnation of the current Israeli leadership. During speeches by the hostages' families, organizers had to silence some protesters who broke out into cries of “Shame!” against the government. Israel believes there are 132 hostages still in the Gaza Strip following a deal to release 105 Hamas civilians in late November.
5:22 a.m. – Israelis are divided over the goals of the war, according to a poll
All polls show that the ruling coalition is weakening and the opposition is growing, but support for military action against terrorists in Gaza remains strong. According to a recent “Panels” poll conducted last Tuesday and Wednesday, Israelis are actually divided on whether the most important goal of the war is to secure the release of the hostages or to defeat Hamas, but They largely agree that this is the right thing to do to free the hostages and maintain strong military pressure against the terrorist organization. When asked what was more important, the release of the hostages held in Gaza or the defeat of Hamas, a slim majority of 46.6% said that the release of the hostages was the priority. Just under that percentage, 44.8% believe that winning the war against Hamas is most important. Despite the differences, however, both groups agree that the best way to release the hostages is to put strong military pressure on Hamas until it grants acceptable conditions for the hostages' release: more than four-fifths of respondents (81, 5%) believe that military pressure on Hamas is the best way to secure the release of the hostages; Only 10% believe that the best solution is to stop military activity and try to negotiate with Hamas.