There are no civilians in Hamastan
Israel at War, Tuesday, 09.01.2024. Day 95.
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What happened today.
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โ LEBANON: A Hezbollah commander in charge of drone strikes against Israel was killed in a strike on a vehicle in Lebanon, near the home of Hezbollah’s Radwan force commander Wissam a-Tawil, who was killed Monday, reports in Lebanon said.
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Three members of Hezbollah were killed on Tuesday in a targeted strike on their vehicle in the town of Ghandouriyeh in southern Lebanon, two sources told Reuters.
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Sirens blared across northern Israel on Tuesday, with at least ten hostile aerial intrusions from Lebanon. The IDF said it intercepted most of the targets that infiltrated.
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Earlier on Tuesday, a Hezbollah drone fell in Israel’s Northern Command army base. Hezbollah said the launch was in response for the killing of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri and Hezbollah Radwan force commander Wissam al-Tawil.
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Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, told a senior UN official on Tuesday that his country was ready for talks on long-term stability on its southern border with Israel.
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Amos Hochstein, the Biden adviser tasked with preventing Israel-Hezbollah tensions from escalating, will travel to Beirut later this week.
โ GAZA: The IDF announced that a missile production workshop for long-range missiles, capable of reaching northern Israel, was discovered in the heart of the Gaza Strip.
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World Health Organization (WHO) officials voiced concern on Tuesday about the possible collapse of hospital provision in southern and central Gaza, with hundreds of medical staff and patients having fled seeking shelter. WHO’s emergency medical teams coordinator in Gaza said: “We cannot lose these health facilities. They absolutely must be protected.”
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The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza said a total of 23,210 Palestinians have been killed and 59,167 have been wounded since the war began.
An Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson clarified on X that Israel is not actively exploring the possibility of relocating Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to African countries, countering recent publications.
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British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Tuesday he was worried that Israel may have breached international law in Gaza.
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A delegation of Israeli security officials has arrived in Cairo to renew negotiations for the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas, according to the Qatari-owned Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper.
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The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum published a report concerning hostages’ urgent health risks in their captivity in Gaza.
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“Much more than senior Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip, Nasrallah must also take into account to some extent the other powers in the country and the opposition of the Lebanese public” – Amos Harel
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โ ISRAEL: The IDF announced the names of nine soldiers who had been killed fighting in Gaza.
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The IDF is investigating the possibility that an explosion which killed six soldiers in the Gaza Strip was caused by Israeli tank fire. The IDF has aerial footage of the blast, and now suspects the explosion was not caused by enemy fire.
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Israel and met with Israeli President Herzog, Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and PM Netanyahu. He told Israeli officials that, following his visits to Arab capitals earlier this week, he saw opportunities for Israel to build closer ties in the region after the war.
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Blinken said the U.S. backed Israel’s right to prevent any repeat of October 7 while minimizing “harm to civilians” in Gaza. He also “discussed efforts to achieve broader regional integration” for Israel, and that would advance “the establishment of an independent Palestinian state,” U.S. Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.
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Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the U.K., Prince Khalid bin Bandar, told the BBC his country is interested in normalizing relations with Israel after the war in Gaza, but that any agreement must lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
About 100 Israeli and U.S. women, some family members of hostages held in Gaza, protested outside the Blinken-Netanyahu meeting, calling for the immediate release of those still in Hamas captivity.
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Israel Police stopped a convoy organized by families of hostages held in Gaza aiming to block the Kerem Shalom-Gaza border crossing to insist the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Strip be conditional to the release of the hostages.
Aviva Siegal, an Israeli hostage freed from Hamas captivity, told the Knesset on Tuesday that she witnessed women hostages being tortured during her time in Gaza.
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โ WEST BANK: A 31-year-old Palestinian was shot to death by the IDF north of Ramallah, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported. Earlier, the ministry said that three Palestinians were killed in a village near the Tul Karm during clashes with the IDF.
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A Palestinian was killed after attempting to stab soldiers at a checkpoint near Ramallah, according to the IDF.