Thank you for following our LIVE coverage of day 84 of the Israel-Hamas war. We will be back tomorrow with more news updates.
The spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, said that "as the hostilities between Israel and Hamas and other groups in Gaza intensify," Secretary-General António Guterres remains "gravely concerned about the further spillover of this conflict, which could have devastating consequences for the entire region."
"The daily exchanges of fire across the Blue Line risk triggering a broader escalation between Israel and Lebanon, and affecting regional stability," Dujarric added.
The Israeli army said that it has destroyed the hideout apartment of Gaza's Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, as well as a network of tunnels connecting to the apartment.
In a statement published on his X (formerly Twitter) account, the Arabic-speaking spokesperson for the army Avichay Adraee announced that ''in recent weeks, the forces of the 162nd Division were able to monitor and destroy one of the safe apartments of Yahya Al-Sanwar. The apartment is located in the northern Gaza Strip, near Gaza City."
Two Israeli shells have fallen on the outskirts of Dhayra, residents told our correspondent in the south. Shells have also fallen on the outskirts of Alma Shaab and Tayr Harfa.
All of these towns are in Sour district.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that he was "very concerned" about the growing threat posed by infectious diseases in the Gaza Strip, since the Israeli offensive in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, according to AFP.
"As people continue to be massively displaced in southern Gaza, with some families forced to move several times and many taking shelter in overcrowded health facilities, my WHO colleagues and I remain very concerned about the growing threat of infectious diseases," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
The armed wing of Islamic Jihad, Al-Quds Serail, announced in a statement on Friday evening the death of two of its fighters killed in southern Lebanon, one belonging to the "Ali Al Aswad Martyr Brigade" in Syria, and the other from the "Abu Hamza Majzoub Martyr Brigade" in Lebanon.
Three Palestinian brothers rounded up by Israel in the Gaza Strip said they and fellow detainees were beaten, stripped to their underwear, burnt with cigarettes and subjected to other forms of mistreatment during their detention, according to Reuters.
Read more here.
“We know that 2023 has been the deadliest year for Palestinians," said John Kelley, representative of the United States to the UN.
“Gaza in 2023 demonstrates the immense capacity of humans to inflict untold horror on other humans … this is a war of extremists,” said Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of UAE to the UN.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Friday denied any role in Israel returning the bodies of 80 Palestinians — who were killed in the war — to Gaza on Tuesday, according to AFP.
The bodies had been returned by Israel via the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip to local authorities, who buried them in a mass grave.
Sources in the Hamas government had indicated that the transfer of the bodies had been carried out via the Red Cross.
"We are aware of reports that the ICRC was involved in the recent transfer of bodies from Israel to Gaza. We were not involved at any time in this operation," ICRC spokeswoman in Jerusalem Sarah Davies told AFP in a statement.
UN Assistant Secretary-General of the Department of Political and Peace Building Affairs (DPPA) Khaled Khiari said that “the situation in the Middle East is alarming” during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the Middle East.
“Settler violence remains a great concern and continues at high levels," he added.
Hezbollah announces three attacks: The first at 3:15 p.m. against an Israeli brigade facing the south Lebanese border village Ramaya, another one against Israeli soldiers facing the south Lebanese border village of Marwahine at 3:30 p.m. and a third one at an Israeli position at 4:10 p.m., in the disputed area of the Shebaa Farms. They said they "directly hit the target."
After 4 p.m., the Israeli artillery bombed the outskirts of Rashaya and Khreibeh (Hasbaya district) with ten shells, residents of the town told our correspondent in southern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army announced that its warplanes attacked launching positions in Lebanon and a Hezbollah military compound, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
A wounded Palestinian girl arrives with others at the Rafah border crossing in Egypt after being evacuated from the Gaza Strip, on Dec. 28, 2023, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. (Credit: AFP)
Hezbollah announced that at 2:30 p.m. they targeted Israeli artillery facing the south Lebanon border village of Boustan (Sour) and said they "directly hit the target."
Hostile aircraft infiltration sirens were heard in northern Israel around 2:36 p.m. and sirens were heard in the same area around 2:24 p.m., according to Haaretz.
Hezbollah announces that it targeted at 1:10 pm an Israeli position facing the south Lebanon border village of Markaba and said they "directly hit the target."
Hezbollah Central Council member Nabil Qaouk said in a statement that "any [Israeli] attack targeting houses [in Lebanon] will have consequences" and that "any attack targeting civilians will result in a rapid and severe response," from the party.
The intensity of Israeli attacks on South Lebanon has increased over the past week and more civilians have been killed on the Lebanese side. Hezbollah has launched several operations against Israeli positions, some of which it claims to have carried out in response to attacks on civilians.
Hassan Ezzedine, Hezbollah MP, for his part, declared that those who call for the withdrawal of Hezbollah from south of the Litani River "follow Israeli interests," according to another press release.
Reports of Israeli demands for Hezbollah to withdraw from Lebanese border villages have circulated in recent weeks without any preliminary agreement being reached.
Gaza's health ministry said Friday that 21,507 Palestinians have been killed and 55,915 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since Oct. 7.
In the last 30 minutes in southern Lebanon:
- The Israeli army shelled an area between Dhaira and Alma al-Shaab in the Sour district, a security source told L'Orient Today.
- The Israeli army shelled the outskirts of Tayr Harfa (Sour), residents of the village told L'Orient Today.
- A drone struck the outskirts of the south Lebanon village of Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil), residents of the village told L'Orient Today. A car was hit during the strike according to the residents.
- The Israeli army shelled the outskirts of the south Lebanon border village of Shihine (Sour), residents of the village told L'Orient Today.
- The Israeli army shelled an area around the south Lebanon border village of Jibain, residents of the village told L'Orient Today.
- Meanwhile, sirens were heard in northern Israel, according to Hareetz
The municipality of Sderot, which borders the northern part of the Gaza Strip, and the municipality of Kiryat Shmona, which is located on the border with southern Lebanon, announced that the government is expected to approve on Sunday an extension until Jan. 31 the stay in the hotels of tens of thousands of residents evacuated from their homes.
The municipalities have indicated that the occupancy allowances granted to residents who have opted for other housing solutions will also be extended until this date.
Hapag-Lloyd has decided to continue diverting its ships from the Suez Canal for security reasons, a spokesperson for the German container shipper told Reuters on Friday, adding that a new assessment would be made on Jan. 2.
Read the full report here.
A man mourns as the shrouded bodies of loved ones killed during Israeli bombardment arrive at Al-Najar hospital in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 29, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Credit: AFP)
The Israeli army announced the death of another of its soldiers in Gaza, according to Haaretz.
More than 150 of them have been killed since the start of the ground offensive launched in the enclave, according to various counts carried out by press agencies.
The vice-president of Hezbollah's Executive Council, Sheikh Ali Dahmouch reported on Telegram of an "Israeli impasse which extends today from the Gaza front to the Lebanese front because the resistance in Lebanon has plunged the enemy in a daily war of attrition, displaced settlement residents along the border with occupied Palestine and worsened the internal impasse.”
He announced “the decision of the resistance to remain on the ground and continue its operations whatever the pressures, threats and sacrifices.” “We will not back down until the enemy withdraws in its aggression against Gaza,” he concluded.
The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees ( UNRWA ) said Friday that the Israeli army had fired on one of its aid convoys in the Gaza Strip, without reporting any casualties.
"Israeli soldiers fired on an aid convoy as it returned from northern Gaza, using a route designated by the Israeli army. Our international convoy leader and his team were not injured, but a vehicle was damaged,” UNRWA Gaza director Thomas White said on X (formerly Twitter).
Read the full report here.
Hezbollah announced that it had targeted, at 10:35 a.m., the same Israeli position that it had struck 15 minutes earlier, claiming to have “directly hit its target.”
The targeted site is located opposite the village of Yaroun (Bint Jbeil), on the southern border of Lebanon.
A man mourns as the shrouded bodies of loved ones killed during Israeli bombardment arrive at Al-Najar hospital in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 29, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Credit: AFP)
Hezbollah announces that it targeted at 10:20 am an Israeli position facing the south Lebanon border village of Yaroun (Bint Jbeil) and said they "directly hit the target."
Following the attack, eyewitnesses told L'Orient Today that the Israeli army bombed the outskirts of the south Lebanon border village of Yaroun.
The Lebanese southern borders experienced a relatively slow night compared to other days on Thursday with only a few Israeli bombings, security sources and residents of southern border villages told L'Orient Today.
Recap of the night according to security sources and residents of the villages.
- The Israeli army bombed the village of Mais al-Jabal.
- Two missile intercepters were fired around the area of Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun).
- Some bombings were heard around the locality of Bint Jbeil after midnight without them being identified.
- On Thursday Hezbollah launched six operations against the Israeli army.
- More than 22 villages were bombed by Israelis on Thursday which is higher than the usual villages that get struck.
In an op-ed written for the Wall Street Journal, former Israeli Prime Minister Neftali Bennett called for Israel to take direct action against Iran.
In the piece, Bennett also takes credit for ordering the destruction of an Iranian drone factory and the assassination of an Iranian military commander in 2022.
These actions, Bennett argued, were part of an effort to take direct action against Iran rather than utilizing proxies.
However, the efficacy of this approach is yet to be seen as Iran, so far, has remained undeterred.
According to testimonies from residents collected by our correspondent, an Israeli army machine gun fired this morning on the outskirts of the town of Boustan (Sour).
A quick update on southern Lebanon:
- According to our correspondent in southern Lebanon, several Hezbollah operations took place during the night. The surroundings of 22 Lebanese villages were bombed, according to information collected from different sources. The locality of Aita al-Shaab was particularly targeted, according to the head of its municipality.
- On Thursday evening, the Israeli Prime Minister finally canceled the government meeting scheduled for the same day to discuss the future of Gaza after the war, according to several Israeli media.
- According to the Times of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu had "until now refused to organize such meetings, arousing the anger of the American administration, which believes that the failure to predict who will govern Gaza after the war will lead to the stranding of the Israeli defense forces in the enclave for an indefinite period."
- Still, according to the Times of Israel, Netanyahu has agreed to discuss the issue at a meeting of the expanded security cabinet to be held on Tuesday and which is expected to include the far-right party of Bezalel Smotrich.
A quick update on Gaza:
- During the night from Thursday to Friday, Israeli forces increased strikes in the Gaza Strip, particularly on Rafah in the south.
- A Hamas delegation is expected in Cairo on Friday to discuss a three-step Egyptian plan that provides for renewable truces, staggered releases of Palestinian hostages and prisoners and, ultimately, a cease-fire ending hostilities.
- The war, which began on Oct. 7, left 21,320 dead in Gaza, the majority of them women and children, according to the Hamas administration's Ministry of Health. In Israel, the attack by Hamas commandos left around 1,140 dead, most of them civilians, according to an AFP count based on the latest official Israeli figures. This count does not include the number of Israeli soldiers killed since October 7.
- Around 250 people have been kidnapped by Hamas, of whom 129 remain detained in Gaza, according to the Israeli military.
Before we start, make sure that you read the Morning Brief to make sure that you are caught up with what has been happening.
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