Benjamin Netanyahu responded to Hamas. In a video broadcast on Sunday, January 21, the Israeli prime minister stated that he “categorically” rejects the organization's proposed conditions for the release of Israeli hostages held for 107 days in the Gaza Strip. In a document released today by the ruling group in the Palestinian enclave, Hamas presented its “version” of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks that killed more than 1,140 people, according to a count compiled by AFP using official Israeli data. “I categorically reject the terms of surrender of the monsters of Hamas,” which demand “the end of the war, the withdrawal of our forces from Gaza” and “the release of all murderers and rapists,” declared Benjamin Netanyahu. Since the beginning of the Israeli offensive, the authorities have made ending the attacks dependent on the release of the hostages. Follow our live stream.
Hamas rejects “any international or Israeli project” on the future of Gaza. “We categorically reject any international or Israeli project that aims to decide the future of the Gaza Strip,” Hamas warned in a 20-page document addressing the Oct. 7 terror attacks in Israel. Hamas also called for an end to “Israeli aggression” in the area under relentless shelling by the Israeli army, which in retaliation vowed to “destroy” the organization in power in the Palestinian enclave. These Hamas statements respond to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who in recent days has reiterated his opposition to “Palestinian sovereignty.” A speech that tested Israel's relations with its main American ally and supporter, the proponent of the “two-state” solution.
One death in Lebanon strike attributed to Israel. According to the official Lebanese agency (ANI), one person was killed on Sunday in a drone strike in southern Lebanon that was blamed on Israel. “The attack on a car in Kafra left one person dead and others sustained moderate and minor injuries,” the media reported, mentioning “an Israeli drone.” Since the October 7 attacks, there have been daily exchanges of fire on the Israeli-Lebanese border between the Israeli army and the Lebanese Hezbollah, which supports its ally Hamas.
Hamas condemns new attacks. The Palestinian terrorist organization reported dozens of airstrikes and artillery attacks in the Gaza Strip on Sunday and said Israeli forces had attacked the area around Nasser and Al-Amal hospitals in the southern city of Khan Younes, now the epicenter of military operations. At the same time, the Israeli army is carrying out several operations in the West Bank, Hebron, Qalqilya and Jenin, the Palestinian news agency Wafa said. Since the beginning of the Israeli air and ground offensive in the small area, the Hamas Ministry of Health on Sunday determined a death toll of 25,105.
The United Kingdom is strengthening its position in the Red Sea. Britain's Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday that the country will upgrade anti-aircraft batteries currently used by the Royal Navy to shoot down enemy drones over the Red Sea. The total cost of this modernization is estimated at 405 million pounds (around 471 million euros), as attacks by Yemen's Houthis threaten global trade.
• Food deliveries expected in Gaza. Israel will allow the delivery of flour to the Palestinian enclave through the port of Ashdod, halfway between Tel Aviv and Gaza, but has not yet announced an exact date for these deliveries. Above all, the country wants to maintain “security control” in the Palestinian enclave. “President [Joe Biden] “Welcomes the Israeli government's decision to authorize the delivery of flour for the Palestinian population directly through the port of Ashdod,” the White House said on Friday.
Thousands of Israelis take to the streets against Netanyahu. Thousands of Israelis demonstrated on Saturday evening in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and also Haifa to demand the return of the 132 hostages held in the Gaza Strip since October 7th. The demonstrators also called for the resignation of Benjamin Netanyahu, who was accused by the opposition and part of the population of continuing the war to stay in power with his far-right coalition. Some posters showed protesters calling for new elections to be organized while Israel is stuck in its military operation against Hamas in Gaza.