Thank you for following our LIVE coverage from day 70 of the Hamas-Israel war.
We'll be back tomorrow with more news updates and analysis, right here, at L'Orient Today.
Three hostages held in Gaza were killed in friendly fire, says an Israeli military spokesperson, according to a Reuters report. The spokesperson says Israeli armed forces take full responsibility for what happened and they have opened an investigation into the hostages' deaths.
"During combat in Shejaiya, the [army] mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat. As a result, the troops fired toward them and they were killed," the army said in a statement, quoted by AFP. The army expressed "deep remorse over the tragic incident."
🔴 BREAKING: Al Jazeera confirms the death of its camera operator, Samer Abu Daqqa, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, Reuters reports, citing the Qatar-based news outlet.
Earlier reports from Al Jazeera described an ambulance have difficulty reaching Samer due to debris from damaged houses blocking the only road leading to where he was located, injured by an Israeli drone strike.
According to the Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ), 63 journalists and media professionals have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7.
Hezbollah announces the killing of another of its fighters, Hamad Ahmad Youssef, from the southern Lebanese village of An Baal, bringing the party's death toll to 107. This is the third casualty on the southern border today, the second of which was a member of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, an ally of Hezbollah, and the first, another Hezbollah fighter.
As usual, no further details were given regarding the time or place of death.
US Senator Bernie Sanders is seeking a report from President Joe Biden's administration and a debate on the Israeli offensive on Gaza, Reuters reports.
Citing the heavy toll on civilians in the Strip, Sanders introduced a resolution under a provision in US foreign assistance law that prohibits security assistance to any government that "engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights." The provision also lets Congress vote to demand a report on a country's human rights practices. Sanders in an independent who caucuses with the Democrats and is also the senior Senator for Vermont.
If a resolution requesting the information passes, the Department of State must submit a report within 30 days, or all security assistance to the country in question is cut off.
An ambulance was unable to reach the injured Al Jazeera journalist Samer Abu Daqqa, the Qatari channel reported, quoting its journalist Tarek Abu Azzoum, who was present in Rafah.
The latter added that the ambulance driver turned back after noticing that the roads were "blocked by the debris of a destroyed house in this area."
"This is the only main road linking the vehicle to "the exact location where Samer is bleeding right now," he said. He added that arrangements were currently being made for a bulldozer to accompany the ambulance "to move the debris" so that the ambulance could get through. According to Al Jazeera, the journalist is "seriously injured."
At around 3 p.m., Al Jazeera reported that two of its journalists, Wael al-Dahdouh and Samer Abu Daqqa, had been injured by a drone missile in Khan Younis in southern Gaza Strip.
German transport company Hapag-Lloyd announces the suspension of its fleet through the Red Sea until Monday, after one of its vessels was attacked by Houthi rebels, AFP reports.
This announcement follows an earlier one from Danish shipping company Maersk, which has the largest fleet capacity globally, saying it is suspending the passage of its ships through the Red Sea. Hapag-Lloyd is also a major shipping company with 398 offices in 135 countries, according to the company's website.
The Israeli army bombed an area around Kfarchouba and Chebaa, southern Lebanon, a security source told L'Orient-Le Jour. The outskirts of Mes al-Jabal and Kfarhamam were also hit by Israeli fire, residents of the villages reported.
"We don't think there is a justification not to call for a ceasefire in Gaza," said the Saudi foreign minister, according to Reuters.
The Saudi official added that they hope a UN Security Council decision calling for a ceasefire will be more accepted, especially by the United States.
If there is a credible pathway to a Palestinian state, the Saudi FM said, the Palestinian Authority is "more than able to stand up for its responsibilities."
The Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), an ally of Hezbollah, announced the death of its member Wissam Mohamad Slim in an Israeli bombing.
Slim, from the South Lebanon village of Sarafand, represents the first SSNP death in the recent Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon.
A security source told L'Orient-Le Jour that Slim died in a drone strike on a house in the border village of Yarine, along with a Hezbollah fighter whose death was announced earlier today.
Rocket sirens and the booms of at least three interceptions by Israel's 'Iron Dome' air defenses were heard over Jerusalem on Friday for the first time in recent weeks, Reuters witnesses and the Israeli army said.
In the last 30 minutes:
• Israel bombed a house on the outskirts of the south Lebanon village of Majdil Zoun, a resident told L'Orient Today.
• Hezbollah claimed an attack against an Israeli brigade facing the South Lebanon border village of Aita al-Chaab, saying they "directly hit the target."
Israel to allow the first shipments of aid to transit through Kerem Shalom checkpoint into Gaza, reports Reuters.
Hezbollah announced that it attacked an Israeli military brigade facing the southern border village of Alma al-Chaab at 3:15 p.m. and another brigade facing Aita al-Chaab, which they said they "directly" hit with ballistic missiles.
Hezbollah announces the killing of another one of their fighters, Hussein Ali Issa, from the southern Lebanon border village of Mais al-Jabal. Earlier we reported 15 Israeli airstrikes on and around the town, with information obtained from the mayor by our correspondent in the south.
As usual, Hezbollah did not announce the time and place of the killing. This raises Hezbollah's death toll to 106 since the beginning of the conflict by our count.
Reporters Without Borders denounced "the endless attacks on journalists" and called for their protection, in a post on their X account, as reports come in about two al-Jazeera journalists, Wael Dahdouh and Samer Abou Daqqa, who were recently injured in Israeli bombardments on the town of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip.
The chief of Israel's Mossad spy agency will no longer be going to Qatar to negotiate a potential second truce and hostage exchange, The New Arab reports, citing CNN. The American broadcaster says David Barnea's trip was cancelled by Israel.
Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 also reported that the country's war cabinet had cancelled the plan and no senior officials would travel to Doha for discussions.
But Egyptian sources told The New Arab's Arabic sister service al-Arabi al-Jadeed that Israel has requested Cairo proceed with launching new negotiations instead.
A previous pause in fighting, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US, lasted for a week and saw the release of over 100 captives held in Gaza in exchange for Israel freeing 240 Palestinians kept in its jails.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan that the States must intervene to force Israel to halt its attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem, according to a Reuters report citing Palestinian state-run news agency Wafa.
More than 15 Israeli shells have fallen in the town of Mais al-Jabal and its outskirts, resulting in three houses sustaining significant damage, the mayor of the town told L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south.
The shelling has been ongoing for over 45 minutes and is still continuing, the mayor said.
A house in the town of Hula (Marjeyoun district) was hit as a result of Israeli shelling, sustaining damage, our correspondent in the south Muntasser Abdallah reports.
Similarly, a house in Mais al-Jabal (Marjeyoun district) was also hit according to residents from both towns, Abdallah reported.
Al-Jazeera journalist Wael al-Dahdouh stands next to the rubble of Jala Tower, which was housing international press offices, following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip on May 15, 2021. (Credit: Mohammed Abed/AFP)
Two journalists from Al-Jazeera were injured following a missile launched by a drone in Khan Younis, Gaza, as reported by a reporter from the same channel, according to Reuters.
Among the injured journalists are Al-Jazeera correspondent Wael al-Dahdouh, who had already lost his son, daughter, wife and grandson in an Israeli bombardment on Oct. 25. He was hit by shrapnel in the hand and waist. Samer Abu Daqqa, also injured, is reported to be trapped at the incident site, according to Al-Jazeera.
The channel adds that its journalists were injured by a missile launched by an Israeli drone near the Haifa School in central Khan Younis.
An Israeli interceptor missile exploded in the skies of Kafr Kila, eyewitnesses told L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south.
Residents in Naqoura (Sour district) told our correspondent in the south that intermittent shelling is ongoing on al-Labouneh and Wadi Hamoul in southern Lebanon. Eyewitnesses told our correspondent that report shelling on the outskirts of Taybeh (Marjayoun district), is currently ongoing.
Security sources have also told our correspondent that they detected the launch of a number of rockets from Lebanon toward Israeli locations, specifically the town of Kiryat Shmona. Several interceptor missiles exploded in the skies around Houla and Mais al-Jabal according to eyewitnesses who saw five explosions in the sky, our correspondent reported. The outskirts of Khiam (Nabatieh distrcit), has been targeted by three shells according to residents.
Hezbollah said that its fighters targeted at 1:50 pm an Israeli unit in the "Israeli Metat base...causing casualties among its members, including deaths and injuries."
Hezbollah said, in another statement, its fighters targeted at 2:10 pm the Israeli Jardah site using a Burkan rocket.
A woman mourns over the body of a boy killed in Israeli bombardment on Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, are laid out for identification by relatives, in front of the morgue of the Nasser Hospital on Dec. 15, 2023, as battles continue between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Credit: AFP)
A Spanish navy vessel is sailing at full speed towards the container ship that may have been hijacked by pirates, the European Union's counter-piracy force in Somalia said on Friday.
"Based on the initial information available on the MV Ruen, the Spanish flagship Victoria of the EUNAVFOR ATALANTA operation is rapidly heading towards the suspected pirate hijacked vessel to learn more and assess what action to take," the European Union force said in a statement sent to Reuters.
It added that it was coordinating with the Combined Maritime Force.
Earlier on Friday, UK maritime agency UKMTO said it had received a report from a ship's safety officer who believed the crew no longer had control of a vessel currently heading for Somalia.
According to Reuters, the Houthis are behind two attacks on commercial vessels sailing in the Red Sea on Friday.
First, a projectile was launched from Houthi-controlled Yemen, striking the Liberian-flagged container ship Al Jasrah, operated by German carrier Hapag-Lloyd. The impact caused a fire but no injuries, according to a US defense official.
The second incident was reported by maritime security company Ambrey, which reported that another Liberian-flagged container ship, the MSC ALANYA, had been ordered to change course towards Yemen by people in a small boat believed to be members of Yemen's Houthi movement.
Great Britain and 15 partner countries, including Australia, Canada and France, called on Israel to take immediate and concrete steps to combat settler violence in the West Bank, Reuters reported.
"This rise in extremist settler violence against Palestinians is unacceptable," the countries said in a joint statement issued by the British government, according to Reuters.
The outskirts of Blida and Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil district ) were also bombed by the Israeli army, according to residents of the second locality, cited by our corresponding. The latter counted five shells.
Two Israeli missiles were intercepted in the sky over Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil district), and Israeli artillery shelling is taking place on the outskirts of the town, eyewitnesses told our correspondent in the south, Muntasser Abdallah.
Eyewitnesses also told Abdallah that shells fired by Israeli artillery fell on the town of Kounin (Bint Jbeil district.)
Israeli artillery shelling took place on the western outskirts of the town of Blida (Marjayoun district), with two shells landing between residential houses, residents from the town told L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south, Muntasser Abdallah. Additionally, there was artillery shelling on the eastern outskirts of the town of Mhaibib (Marjayoun district), residents told Abdallah. Three Israeli shells targeted the outskirts of Wadi Slouqi (Bint Jbeil district), a security source told our correspondent. Three shells fell between Maroun al-Ras and Aitroun (Bent Jbeil district) according to residents from Aitroun.
The Netherlands can continue to supply parts for the F-35 fighter jets used by Israel in the Gaza Strip, after the dismissal of the case on Friday by a Dutch court of a procedure brought by a group of human rights organizations.
The Hague District Court ruled that the provision of the documents was above all a political decision in which judges should not interfere. "The considerations formulated by the minister are to a large extent of a political nature and the judges should allow the minister a great deal of freedom," the court ruled.
The villages of Majidieh and Kfar Shouba (Hasbaya district) are also currently being bombarded by the Israeli army, according to a security source quoted by our correspondent in the region, Muntasser Abdallah.
Israeli aircraft flew over the western sector of southern Lebanon at around 11 a.m. on Friday, reports our correspondent in the region, Muntasser Abdallah, contacted by local residents.
A quarter of an hour later, three Israeli missiles exploded in the locality of Hamamis, on the southern outskirts of Khiam (near the town of Nabatieh).
And at around 11.30 a.m., Israeli bombardments hit the village of Yarine (Sour district). Security sources told our correspondent that a number of shells were fired from southern Lebanon towards Israeli positions in the western sector. In addition, three missiles exploded on the outskirts of Tayr Harfa (Sour district).
In the morning, rescue teams were still clearing away rubble in Markaba (Nabatieh caza), following the previous day's bombardment.
During a visit to Israel, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said, according to Reuters, that the war in Gaza was going to shift from the large-scale bombardments of the enclave to more precise targeted attacks on the Hamas leadership that are intelligence-driven rather than military-focused. However, Sullivan gave no timetable for when this transition would occur.
In statements made from Tel Aviv, Sullivan said that Hamas was using the civilian population as "human shields," hiding behind "hospitals and schools." The national security advisor, though, did continue to stress the importance of avoiding civilian deaths and added that the best way to get Israel to take more precautions was through "discussion behind closed doors."
The US continues to maintain that Israel does not have the "right" to re-occupy Gaza once the war is over.
"We do not believe that it makes sense for Israel, or is right for Israel, to occupy Gaza, reoccupy Gaza over the long term," Sullivan stated.
Sullivan also said that the US was working with the international community to counter the Houthi threat in the Red Sea where the Iran-backed rebels were launching attacks on passing vessels almost daily.
The US official has been in Israel since Thursday and is expected to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke from Tel Aviv: "We believe that Israelis evacuated from the north should be able to return home safely."
"The best way to achieve this is to find a solution through negotiations."
He also asserted that "the Palestinian Authority must be reorganized and revived," Reuters reports.
The Israeli army says it is conducting military operations in the Shujaiya neighborhood, east of Gaza City’s center.
Army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X that the military destroyed the headquarters of a Hamas-linked battalion and a tunnel. He added that a “saboteur” was killed after attempting to throw an explosive device.
The bodies of two more captives were recovered by Israeli forces inside Gaza and brought back to Israel, the Israeli army has said, in a statement on X and Telegram.
The army said it identified the two as Nick Beizer and Ron Sherman, two 19-year-old soldiers who were taken by Hamas fighters on Oct. 7.
Both families were informed following an identification process carried out by medical officials, the statement added.
A ship west of Hodeidah, Yemen, was hit by an unknown object, causing a fire onboard, according to the UKMTO, a branch of the British Navy responsible for providing information on maritime commerce.
This event occurs in a context where Yemeni Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for several attacks on ships in the Red Sea. They have even recently announced that they would prohibit the passage of any ship heading towards Israel, regardless of the country of its origin.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is expected to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas today, according to Al-Jazeera.
Family members of those held captive in Gaza met with UN Chief Antonio Guterres in what Israeli media described as a tense encounter.
The group criticized Guterres for his past comments on the Oct. 7 attack and for having failed to visit Israel since the start of the war.
The UN senior official came under fire by Israel for saying that the assault into southern Israel did “not happen in a vacuum,” referring to Israel’s decades-long occupation, the Times of Israel reported.
In response, Guterres stressed once again that there was no justification for the Hamas attack and that he made overtures for a visit to Israel, but that he did not receive a response from the Israeli government, the Times of Israel noted.
The Israeli army announced on Friday evening that it had recovered the body of French-Israeli Elya Toledano from the Gaza Strip and brought it back to Israel, after he had been taken hostage by Hamas during its bloody attack on Oct. 7.
Elya Toledano had been kidnapped on the morning of Oct. 7 at the Tribe of Nova music festival, where he was taking part with his friend Mia Shem, a French-Israeli who was released under a truce agreement at the end of November.
Two new shells fired by the Israeli army fell in the vicinity of the locality of Kfar Kila (Marjeyoun district), according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon, Muntasser Abdallah, citing eyewitness accounts from local residents.
An Israeli drone dropped flyers over the town of Kafr Shouba that read: "To the residents of southern Lebanon, we would like to inform you that the terrorist Hezbollah is taking advantage of the opportunity to infiltrate your..land...in order to work against the State of Israel and to exploit your property for its terrorist plans. You must stop this terrorism for your safety by being careful in the region, the concealment of Hezbollah members in civilian areas is the real danger and this is what harms you."
A resident told our correspondent in the south that the flyers fell in the middle of the town and on the rooftops. This is the first time that Israel has dropped leaflets on southern border villages since the conflict started on Oct.7.
Turkey strongly condemns "provocations" by Israeli forces during raids on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin and the desecration of a mosque there, Turkey's foreign ministry said, calling for those responsible to be punished, Reuters reported.
Israeli troops killed a youth at a hospital and read out Jewish prayers at a mosque in Jenin during the raids that Palestinian authorities said killed 12 and that Israel said helped capture dozens of militants, according to Reuters.
"We strongly condemn the provocations of Israeli soldiers who stormed the Jenin Refugee Camp, and disrespected the sanctity of a place of worship by entering the mosque," Spokesman Oncu Keceli said on social messaging platform X late on Thursday.
"We expect attacks on Muslim holy places to be ended immediately and those who perpetrate these provocations to be punished in the most severe way," he added.
The Palestinian government criticized the operation inside Jenin as a "dangerous escalation." Israel's army said it would discipline the soldiers, Reuters reported.
Before we get started, make sure to read today's edition of the Morning Brief to ensure that you are caught up with what has been happening.
Good morning!
Thank you for joining us for our live coverage of day 70 of the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel in Gaza.
You have reached your article limit
Benefit from our limited time offer!
Get unlimited access to L'Orient Today for $4.9/month instead of $9.9.
You have reached an article that is only available to L’Orient Today subscribers.
Already have an account? Log in