KEY POINTS
- Syrian media reports that strikes off Damascus came from Golan Heights
- Around 10% of UNRWA employees have Hamas or PIJ links, as per intelligence document
- Israel's defense minister has informed the US he will not allow Israeli resettlement in Gaza
The conflict in the Middle East has reached a new high on the 116th day of the Israel-Hamas war as the world awaits how Washington will respond to the killing of three U.S. servicemen in Jordan.
U.S. President Joe Biden has reportedly directed his team to come up with possible military responses to the deadly drone attack on U.S. personnel – one option is striking Iranian naval assets in the Persian Gulf.
- New Zealand halts UNRWA funding amid Oct. 7 allegations
- 2 killed in strike off Damascus attributed to Israel: Syrian and Iranian media
- Confusion over another drone led to delayed response in Jordan attack: Report
- Hamas regroups -- combatants back in northern Gaza: Reports
- UK will consider recognizing a Palestinian state: British foreign secretary
- Hamas chief studying ceasefire-hostage proposal: Local media
- Israeli assassinate 3 it says are Hamas operatives in undercover operation
- Blinken says Oct. 7 allegations against UNRWA employees 'highly credible'
- Ramadan month truce proposal includes release of 30 hostages: Arab media
- Houthis launch drones toward Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea: Arab media
- Kerem Shalom crossing protests now on 7th straight day
Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani has expressed hopes that a U.S. response to the attack in Jordan won't have a negative impact on progress being made toward a new ceasefire-hostage deal.
Multiple rocket launches were detected from Lebanese territory amid escalating tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border. Iranian-backed Hezbollah has vowed to continue its aggression until the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ends its military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
Another Iran-backed militia, the Yemeni Houthis, have also sworn to keep up their attacks in the Red Sea – the latest being an alleged attack on a U.S. Navy frigate.
More countries have suspended funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) amid allegations that some of its employees played a role in Hamas' Oct. 7 atrocities.
More than a hundred days since Hamas invaded Israel and murdered over 1,200 people, interest in the tumultuous history of the Israel-Palestine conflict has soared, and supporters of the warring sides continue to stage protests worldwide.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed that the country will fight until Hamas is eliminated and more than 130 hostages remaining in Gaza are freed.
The live update has ended.
Israeli minister calls out 'reckless' ceasefire-hostage proposal
Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Tuesday said a "reckless" truce-hostage deal with Hamas means the Israeli government will be dismantled.
He was criticized in the last few weeks after he called for the voluntary emigration of Gaza residents.
Kerem Shalom protests continue for 7th straight day
Demonstrators calling for the immediate release of hostages still in Hamas captivity have gathered at the Kerem Shalom border crossing for the seventh consecutive day. They are specifically calling for a full stop of humanitarian aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip until all remaining hostages in the enclave are freed.
Near the city of Ofakim, southern Israel - Day#116 of Israel's war VS Hamas in Gaza and 7th consecutive day of the protest against the delivery of humanitarian aid trucks via the Kerem Shalom border crossing. People are gathering before driving in a car convoy to the crossing.… pic.twitter.com/Kzm517WcjL
— Pierre Klochendler (@P_Klochendler) January 30, 2024
Houthis launch drones across Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea: Arab media
The Yemeni Houthi rebel militia has launched reconnaissance drones across the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea for the purpose of monitoring new naval targets, Arab media reported Tuesday, citing Yemeni sources.
The report comes after the Iranian-backed militant group claimed it attacked the USS Lewis B. Puller, a U.S. Navy frigate. The rebel army has also been attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea since Nov. 19.
Ceasefire proposal includes release of 30 hostages, 100 prisoners: Arab media
Efforts are ongoing to conclude a truce agreement that includes the release of 30 Israeli hostages in exchange for 100 Palestinian prisoners, Sky News Arabia reported, citing unidentified sources.
The ceasefire is expected to take place during the "month of Ramadan," and will also include the entry of more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, as per the report. Ramadan 2024 is scheduled for March 9 through April 8.
Blinken says Oct. 7 allegations 'highly credible'
Israel provided evidence that accused 12 UNRWA employees of participating in Hamas' Oct. 7 atrocities, and the evidence presented are "highly, highly credible," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a press conference late Monday.
He then called on the agency to address and investigate the accusations "as thoroughly as possible."
Israeli undercover agents carry out assassinations in West Bank hospital
Israeli agents went undercover Tuesday at the Ibn Sina hospital in the West Bank, assassinating three individuals Israel said were Hamas operatives. The agents disguised themselves as medical staff in the raid, marking the first such operation that the country conducted in eight years.
Read the full story here.
Netanyahu 'at the end' of his political career: Iranian FM
Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Tuesday said Netanyahu is "at the end" of his political life as the U.S. supposedly "knows very well" that to end the war in Gaza, a political route should be taken, not a military one.
His comments come as more countries call for a two-state solution to the never-ending Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hamas studying ceasefire proposal: Local media
Hamas is currently studying a proposal for a possible ceasefire-hostage deal, Israel's national broadcaster Kan reported Tuesday. The Palestinian terror group's leader, Ismail Haniyeh, did not reject the outline but instead said Hamas has accepted it for review.
Haniyeh said Hamas was open to discussing any proposals as long as it leads to the ultimate end of Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
There are still more than 130 hostages in Hamas captivity.
Israel retaliates after rockets fired at central communities
Israeli warplanes struck rocket launchers in Gaza after a barrage of rockets were fired at central Israel Monday, the IDF said Tuesday.
Ground operations continue in Khan Yunis, with "multiple terrorists" eliminated in ground combat and an Israeli airstrike.
IDF operations continue in Gaza:
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) January 30, 2024
In response to the barrage of rockets fired at central Israel yesterday, IAF fighter jets struck the launchers used to fire the rockets, which were loaded with mortar shells.
📍Khan Yunis
Multiple terrorists were eliminated by an IAF aircraft… pic.twitter.com/Tii0pNbJ4u
Britain to consider recognizing Palestinian state: Cameron
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Monday night that the United Kingdom will consider recognizing a Palestinian state as part of the efforts to deliver an "irreversible" settlement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"We should be starting to set out what a Palestinian state would look like – what it would comprise, how it would work," he said at a reception in London. Cameron previously pressed the Israeli government over a two-state solution to put an end to decades of fighting.
Hamas combatants back in northern Gaza
Hamas fighters have returned to northern Gaza and have started rebuilding the region's governance system after Israeli ground troops drove them out in a weeks-long campaign, multiple outlets reported, citing Israeli officials and analysts.
The resurgence of Hamas combatants in the area became apparent in recent days as Israeli tanks returned to some parts of northern Gaza that they left just a week prior.
Confusion led to delayed US response in Jordan drone attack: Report
An American drone was returning to the base in Jordan when another drone was on its way to the area, creating confusion about whether the second drone was hostile or not, CNN reported Monday, citing two U.S. officials. The confusion then led to a delayed response.
The drone attack killed Sgt. William Rivers, 46, Specialist Kennedy Sanders, 24, and Specialist Breonna Moffett, 23.
Gallant told US he will block Israeli resettlement in Gaza: Report
Israel's defense minister Yoav Gallant told U.S. officials last week that he will not allow Israelis to resettle inside the Gaza Strip, Axios reported Monday, citing four U.S. and Israeli officials.
The report comes after nearly one-third of the Biden government's cabinet members attended a conference Sunday night that aimed to encourage the rebuilding of Israeli settlements inside the enclave.
Around 10% of UNRWA staff have Hamas, PIJ links: Intelligence reports
Around 10% of 12,000 staffers at UNRWA have connections to Hamas and its ally, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), The Wall Street Journal reported, citing intelligence reports submitted by Israel to the U.S. that the outlet reviewed.
The report added that around 50% of the agency's staff in Gaza had at least one close relative with links to the mentioned terror groups.
More than a dozen countries have already suspended funding to UNRWA due to the allegations that some employees of the agency were involved in Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.
2 killed, others wounded in strike off Damascus: Syrian and Iranian media
Syrian and Iranian media reported Monday that an "Israeli strike" killed two people and wounded several others south of Damascus, Syria's capital. Syrian media reported that the strike came from the Israel-annexed Golan Heights.
The reports came after an explosion was heard around the Sayyidah Zeinab area, which is located in the outskirts of Damascus.
New Zealand halts UNRWA funding
New Zealand has joined the expanding list of countries that are halting funding to UNRWA amid Oct. 7 allegations.
The country will not be making "any further contributions" to the agency until "it's good to do so," Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said. "The allegations are incredibly serious. It's important they are properly understood and investigated," Luxon told reporters.
IDF responds to launches from Lebanon
The Israeli army has responded with fire to "a number of launches" from Lebanese territory Monday toward northern Israel, the IDF said.
As part of its retaliatory fire, Israeli fighter jets attacked several Hezbollah targets and destroyed an observation post belonging to the Iranian-backed terror group in southern Lebanon.
בתוך פחות משעתיים מאז התקיפה האחרונה, מטוסי קרב תקפו פעם נוספת מטרות טרור של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בלבנון.
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) January 29, 2024
במסגרת התקיפה, הושמדו מספר תשתיות טרור של הארגון לצד עמדת תצפית במרחבים מרכבא, א- טייבה ומרון א-ראס בדרום לבנון>> pic.twitter.com/1ZEhKy9t4W
Qatar hopes US retaliation won't affect hostage deal talks
Qatar's prime minister in an appearance at a Washington think tank event Monday, said he hopes "nothing would undermine the efforts that we are doing or jeopardize the process" of negotiating for a possible ceasefire-hostage deal, Reuters reported.
He was responding to a question regarding the possible impact on talks for a new truce agreement if the U.S. responds to the killing of its three servicemen in Jordan.
Qatar, along with Egypt, played mediating roles in the seven-week truce in November that led to the release of more than a hundred hostages from Gaza.
US considering possible strike on Iranian Navy assets: Report
Amid growing pressure to take a decisive action over the killings of three U.S. servicemen in Jordan Sunday, Biden has instructed his team to draw up military options, Politico reported late Monday, citing two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly about the discussions.
There are two options on the table, the first being a strike on Iranian personnel stationed either in Iraq or Syria. The second option is to strike Iranian naval assets in the Persian Gulf, as per the report.
The officials indicated that once Biden agrees to any of the options, Washington's retaliation will likely kick off in the coming days and will be carried out in several stages.
The report comes after a host of Republican senators called on the Biden government to take military steps and not allow Iran, which the U.S. blames the drone attack on, to continue targeting American troops.
