• It is the 138th day of the war: over 29,000 people have been killed in Gaza. In Israel, 1,200 people died in the attack on October 7th.
• WSJ: Hamas is willing to accept the release of three thousand Palestinian prisoners in Israel in exchange for Israeli hostages.
• CIA chief Bill Burns will travel to Paris today for talks with Qatari, Egyptian and Israeli officials.
10:59 a.m. – The Israeli army continues operations in Khan Yunis and Zaitun
Israeli ground forces operations continue today in Khan Yunis, the Zaitun district of Gaza City and the central part of the Gaza Strip. This was announced by the military spokesman. In the western sector of Khan Yunis, the spokesman said, “over ten terrorists were killed by snipers and drones yesterday.” The air force destroyed a weapons depot, a military warehouse and a Hamas command center. At the same time, the Israeli commando unit “Maglan” located another weapons depot in which dozens of rockets, explosive devices and mortars were stored. In the Zaitun district, the spokesman added, additional weapons caches and entrances to Hamas military tunnels were discovered.
10:42 a.m. – PNA: “Netanyahu’s plan for Gaza is doomed to failure”
Abu Mazen's Palestinian Authority (PNA) has rejected Benjamin Netanyahu's government's plan for post-war Gaza. Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina, quoted by Wafa, said: “Gaza will only be part of the independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and any other plan is doomed to failure.” “Israel,” he added, “will be at “If the world wants security and stability in the region, it must end the occupation and recognize the independent Palestinian state.”
10:18 a.m. – Israel's plans for 3,300 houses in the West Bank
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have decided to submit plans to build over 3,300 houses in the West Bank to the “Supreme Planning Commission” following an attack on Maale Adumin yesterday that killed an Israeli. The settler broadcaster Channel 7 states that 2,350 houses are destined for Maaleh Adumim (near Jerusalem), 694 in Efrat and 300 in Keidar (Bethlehem). “Any terrorist who wants to kill Israelis should know that we will respond to the attacks by deepening control over the entire land of Israel,” Smotrich said.
9:52 a.m. – 40 dead and over 100 injured in Israeli attacks in the center
Attacks by Israeli forces in the central Gaza Strip killed at least 40 Palestinians and injured more than 100, mostly women and minors. This was reported by the Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing medical sources, saying that “Israeli airstrikes hit four houses in the central area of Gaza last night,” the same sources said. The bodies of the victims and injured were transferred to Shuhdaa al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah, central Gaza. Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force bombed the tents of displaced Palestinians in Durra, Deir al Balah and Zawayda, resulting in several deaths and injuries among Palestinians, Wafa added.
9:41 a.m. – Iran: “Israel denies the Palestinians their inalienable rights”
“Israel continues to deny the inalienable rights of the Palestinian nation,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani, commenting on the vote of the Israeli parliament, which approved the decision of the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ban any unilateral statement by a Palestinian state rejects. “The opposition to an independent Palestinian state has once again revealed the vile face of this regime as well as its warmongering and occupying nature,” Kanani wrote in a message on to peace and useless agreements of the past that the Zionist leaders have promised through tricks and deception in recent decades.” Finally, the representative of the Islamic Republic demanded that “a referendum be held to allow the Palestinians to exercise their right to self-determination “.
9:01 a.m. – Netanyahu's post-war plan calls for the closure of UNRWA
One of the key aspects of Benjamin Netanyhau's government's plan for the post-war Gaza Strip is the closure of UNRWA. After recalling the alleged involvement of 12 members of the agency on October 7, the plan states that Israel will work to replace the agency with “responsible international humanitarian organizations.” The plan then sets out the short-term principles, that is, the continuation of the war until the objectives are achieved: destruction of the military capabilities and governance structures of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, return of the hostages, elimination of any security threat from Syria Gaza.
8:47 a.m. – The Hamas delegation led by Haniyeh leaves Egypt after three days of talks
After three days of talks in Cairo, the Hamas delegation led by Ismail Haniyeh left Egypt. This was reported by al-Jazeera satellite television based on Hamas news reports about meetings with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel over a ceasefire agreement with Israel and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Gaza.
8:43 a.m. – The IDF confirms the targeted drone attack on Jenin
The IDF and Israel's Shin Bet security service confirm they carried out a drone strike in the West Bank city of Jenin overnight, which they say killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad agent en route to a terrorist attack. The target was identified as Yasser Hanoun, a resident of Jenin. The man had previously been detained by Israel for his involvement in Islamic Jihad activities. According to Israel, Hanun has been involved in numerous shootings in recent months. The Hamas-controlled Palestinian Health Ministry said 15 other people were injured in the attack in Jenin, including two in critical condition.
7:43 a.m. – Biden: “The Palestinians are suffering from Hamas terrorism”
“The vast majority of Palestinians are not part of Hamas. And Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people. In reality, they too are suffering from Hamas terrorism. We have to be clear about this reality.” US President Joe Biden wrote it on X.
7:34 a.m. – Netanyahu's post-war plan: Local officials in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally submitted to the Security Cabinet last night for the first time a policy document on the post-war administration of the Gaza Strip, with the aim of using “local officials” who have nothing to do with terrorism to replace Hamas in controlling the Gaza Strip administer . The document was published overnight. Israeli media reported on this. The text does not name the Palestinian Authority or rule out its involvement, but says that civil affairs in Gaza are managed by “local officials” with “administrative experience” who are not affiliated with “countries or organizations that support terrorism.” are connected. »
6:30 a.m. – Israel: “Palestinian terrorist killed in Jenin”
A “terrorist who was about to carry out an attack, and who had carried out several in recent weeks, was eliminated yesterday evening in an air strike on Jenin” by the Israeli army and special services. The joint operation, coordinated by the secret service, was communicated by the IDF and the ISA themselves in the Telegram profile. The man, Yasser Hanoun, is defined by the army as an “Islamic Jihad terrorist” and was previously imprisoned for “his involvement in the terrorist organization's military activities.” In recent months, he has been involved in several shootings against communities in Israel, including in Meirav and Mevo Dotan, as well as attacks on Israeli soldiers and military garrisons along the buffer zone near the Judea and Samaria security barriers and in the passage towns of Salem and Jalameh . “The terrorist – concludes communication via social media – was eliminated while on his way to another arson attack.”
3:40 a.m. – Hamas demands the release of 3,000 prisoners in exchange for the hostages
According to preliminary reports from the Wall Street Journal, Arab sources confirmed that one of the conditions set by Hamas for the release of the hostages would be the release of 3,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, many of whom were in Gaza but also imprisoned after October 7 in the West Bank.
3:37 a.m. – China at the United Nations: immediate ceasefire in Gaza
Zhang Jun, Chinese ambassador to the UN, has again called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The appeal came just as US sources say international negotiations over an agreement between Israel and Hamas have gained momentum in the last few hours.
3:29 a.m. – Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest with Eden Golan's song about the October 7th massacre
(by Davide Frattini, our correspondent from Jerusalem) “There is no more air to breathe / No place, no self, day after day.” The final verses are whispered rather than sung and in English so that international audiences can understand them. Eden Golan was chosen to represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest, and the title leaves no doubt about the events the ballad aims to commemorate: October Rain. Although the sky had been blue since dawn that day as Hamas terrorists attacked Israeli villages in the south of the country around the Gaza Strip.