Blinken to visit Israel, five Arab countries, West Bank and call for more aid to Gaza: Day 90 of Hamas-Israel war

Thank you for following our LIVE coverage from day 90 of the Hamas-Israel war.

We'll be back tomorrow with more news updates and analysis, right here at L'Orient Today.

A man riding a bicycle with some of his belongings arrives in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip earlier today, having fled from Khan Younis amid relentless Israeli bombardment of "safe zones" the military had previously instructed civilians to move to. (Credit: AFP)

Three Israelis missing since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 are being held hostage in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army announced, according to reports from AFP. "Three citizens have been identified as hostages and their families have been informed," said army spokesman Daniel Hagari.

Prior to this announcement Israeli officials said they believed at least 123 people were still captive in Gaza, and had declared 23 of those taken to be dead, Reuters reported.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant outlined Israel's plans for the next stage of its war in Gaza, with what the army claims is a new more targeted approach in the northern section of the enclave and a continuing pursuit of Hamas leaders in the south, according to a Reuters report.

In a statement, Gallant said that following the war, Hamas would no longer control Gaza, which would be run instead by Palestinian bodies so long as there was no threat to Israel. Israel would reserve operational freedom of action but there would be no Israeli civilian presence.

Hezbollah announces that at 6:30 p.m. it targeted with rockets a group of Israeli soldiers stationed near the Shomera barracks, located opposite the southern Lebanese border town of Marwahine.

US top diplomat Antony Blinken will depart this evening for a week of diplomacy in the region, visiting Israel and the West Bank, as well as Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Reuters reports, citing State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.

Blinken will discuss specific steps that parties in the region can take to prevent the conflict from expanding, Miller said at a regular press briefing. Blinken would also discuss immediate measures to increase humanitarian assistance to Gaza and efforts to bring home remaining hostages taken by Hamas, Miller added. It is believed that 123 people remain captive in Gaza, with Israel having declared 23 dead.

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Four Israeli shells fell on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese town of Khiam, Marjayoun district, local residents told L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south. Israeli artillery fire also targeted Aita al-Shaab and the outskirts of Beit Lif and Ramiyeh, in the Bint Jbeil district, and an area between Kfar Kila and Adaisseh, in the Marjayoun district.

Shortly after, Israeli machine-gun and artillery fire targeted the outskirts of the village of Kfar Kila, Marjayoun district. According to local residents, the Israeli strikes caused power cuts in Kfar Kila, Deir Mimas and Bourj al-Moulouk.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched an explosives-laden sea drone that detonated in international shipping lanes earlier today, their first use of such a weapon in recent months, according to an AFP report, citing a senior US military officer.

The incident came a day after 12 nations led by the United States warned the Houthis of consequences unless they immediately halted firing on commercial vessels — attacks that the rebels say are in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

"A Houthi one-way attack unmanned surface vessel, or USV, detonated in international shipping lanes. Fortunately, there were no casualties and no ships were hit," Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of US naval forces in the Middle East, told journalists.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna agreed to seek steps to avoid a wider Middle East war following strikes in Lebanon and Iran, the State Department said Thursday, AFP reports.

In a telephone call the day before, the two top diplomats "discussed the importance of measures to prevent the conflict in Gaza from expanding, including affirmative steps to de-escalate tensions in the West Bank and to avoid escalation in Lebanon and Iran," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

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More than a thousand people gathered in Beirut on Thursday for the funeral of Hamas deputy political leader Saleh al-Arouri and two of his associates, who were killed in a strike, attributed to Israel, on the capital's southern suburbs Tuesday.

Calls for retaliation echoed as the procession moved through the city. Six other senior figures from the Palestinian movement and the Lebanese militant group, Jamaa Islamiya, also lost their lives in the strike that targeted a Hamas office in Hezbollah's stronghold of southern Beirut. Reportedly a meeting between the Palestinian factions was underway at the time of the attack.

(Photo: Mohammed Yassine)

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Hezbollah announces that at 4 p.m. it targeted a new Israeli military position at Marj, located opposite the Lebanese village of Markaba in southern Lebanon. According to another statement from the party, at the same time a Hezbollah sniper unit targeted surveillance equipment at the Israeli military position of Misgav Am, located opposite the Lebanese border village of Adaisseh, Marjayoun district.

From a population of 2.4 million, approximately 1.9 million displaced Gazans in the besieged enclave are facing an alarming spread of infectious diseases, the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, announces on their official X account.

The figures include 180,000 people with upper respiratory tract infections, 136,000 suffering from diarrhea (half of whom are children under the age of five), 55,000 cases of lice and scabies, and 5,000 cases of chickenpox.

Israeli artillery fire has targeted the outskirts of Wadi Hamoul, south of Naqoura, and the outskirts of Alma al-Shaab, both in Sour district, residents there tell L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south.

Israeli shells fell on the outskirts of Houla and Markaba, both in Marjayoun district, and Wadi Slouqi, local residents told our correspondent.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar strongly condemned comments by two Israeli ministers calling for Palestinians to emigrate from the Gaza Strip, AFP reports.

On Monday, Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for promoting "a solution to encourage the emigration of Gaza's residents" and the re-establishment of Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, a day after far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made similar comments

"The policy of collective punishment and forced displacement practiced by the occupation authorities against the inhabitants of Gaza will not change the fact that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian," reads a statement published by Qatar's foreign ministry.

Kuwait followed suit with its Gulf neighbors, and warned against "Israeli plans to displace Gaza residents in particular, and the Palestinian people in general."

The United States, France and the European Union have also denounced the comments.

👉 Read more here.

Palestinians prepare and cook food at a market, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, earlier today. (Credit: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters)

During a meeting with American envoy Amos Hochstein, Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant stressed that while Israel wants a diplomatic solution to the tensions with Lebanon, the window of opportunity for this is small, according to Axios reporter Barak Ravid.

Lebanon's deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab says that "It is not possible to talk about UNSC Resolution 1701 before stopping the war and then moving to the stage that follows, i.e. a ceasefire in Lebanon [which] includes the land demarcation issue," state-run National News Agency reports.

The statement came during a meeting between Bou Saab and Egypt's ambassador to Lebanon Alaa Moussa at the former's office in Parliament.

Resolution 1701 ended the July 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel. It called for the full cessation of hostilities, the deployment of Lebanese forces to southern Lebanon, parallel withdrawal of Israeli forces behind the Blue Line, and the establishment of a demilitarized zone between the Blue Line and the Litani River.

Israeli drones have carried out several raids on southern Lebanon, residents in Aita al-Shaab, Bint Jbeil district, told our correspondent Muntasser Abdallah.

Locals say three missiles were fired on the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab and one missile on the road between Debl and Aita al-Shaab.

An Israeli done also fired a missile at the western outskirts of Maroun al-Ras, Bint Jbeil district, residents told our correspondent in the south.

Caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati discussed the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and "Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty" during a meeting with the Head of Mission and Force Commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), General Aroldo Lazaro, at the Grand Serail, according to a statement issued by the premiership on X.

According to the statement, Mikati expressed Lebanon's objection to "Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty," during the meeting. "All parties are required to ensure that UNIFIL's military operations remain neutral with regard to the military operations [underway along the border] in order to enable it to play its role to the full," he added.

The funerals of Hamas leaders Saleh Arouri and Azzam al-Aqraa and member Mohammed al-Rayes have started in the Imam Ali mosque in Tarik Jdideh, in Beirut, according to our photo-journalist on the ground Mohammad Yassin.

People wearing Hamas hats carry the coffins of the deceased. Arouri, al-Aqraa and al-Rayes were killed in an Israeli attack on the Southern suburbs of Beirut two days ago along with four other militants.

Around 1,500 people are currently in Tarik Jdideh and they are expected to move towards the "Martyrs' cemetery" in the Shatila refugee camp.

Israel's political-security cabinet will meet at 9 p.m. to discuss post-war Gaza, according to Haaretz. This meeting will follow discussions in the war cabinet.

Israeli artillery fire targeted the southwestern outskirts of the town of Mais al-Jabal (Marjeyoun), residents told our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

Caretaker Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib met with Joe Biden's top Middle East adviser, Brett McGurk, at the White House to discuss the Hamas-Israel war and the importance of “ avoiding any escalation in Lebanon and the region.”

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said Thursday he was "very concerned" after comments from senior Israeli officials calling on Palestinians to leave Gaza.

“Very disturbed by the statements of senior Israeli officials on plans to transfer civilians from the Gaza Strip to third countries,” Mr. Turk said on the social network protected persons within an occupied territory or their expulsion from this territory.”

A woman (R) mourns her husband, killed when the tent where the Salah and Abu Hatab families were sheltering was hit by Israeli bombardment, at the morgue of the Nasser Medical Center in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, on Jan. 4, 2024, as battles between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants continue. (Credit: AFP)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Soudani said the attack earlier Thursday in Baghdad on a pro-Iranian militia was "a dangerous escalation and a violation of Iraq's sovereignty," Reuters reported.

Earlier in the day, a military official and another member of Hashd al-Shaabi were killed in a "drone strike" that the group accused the United States of perpetrating.

Read the full story here,

Israeli embassies around the world have reportedly been put on alert following the assassination of Hamas's political number two, Saleh al-Arouri, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, reports Israeli public channel KAN. “All embassies and Israeli and Jewish institutions have been asked to be extra vigilant.” “The air force and forces stationed on the border with Lebanon have also been asked to redouble their vigilance in the face of threats of reprisals from Hamas and Hezbollah,” adds the media.

A house in the northern Israeli town of Metula was hit by an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanese territory, according to the head of the town's municipal council cited by Haaretz. Earlier in the day, Hezbollah announced that it had struck, in particular, soldiers stationed in Metula.

During the last half hour:

- Israeli artillery fire targeted the outskirts of Mhaibib (Marjeyoun), residents told our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

- Six artillery bombardments targeted the surroundings of Khiam and the outskirts of the local prison, according to residents.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan rejected "extremist remarks" by two Israeli ministers who called for the displacement of Gaza's population, its occupation by Israel and the construction of settlements, Reuters reported.

Miki Zohar, Israel's Minister of Culture and Sports, said it was "unrealistic" to talk about a displacement of Gaza's population, "even though some Israelis would like it to happen." "It is clear that the international community will not accept it," he told the Israeli news site Ynet, adding that the subject should not be discussed publicly. "Even if you have a belief or an objective as such, it is possible to discuss and debate it behind closed doors."

The remarks follow calls from Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to "encourage the emigration" of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza to make way for Israeli settlers.

Hezbollah announced that it targeted the Jardah Israeli position at 11:00 a.m. as well as a group of Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of the Manara site at 11:10 a.m. and another gathering of Israeli soldiers in Metula at 11:20 a.m.

Regarding Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea:

"China opposes attacks on civilian ships," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, several media outlets including al-Jazeera reported. "I believe that all parties must play a constructive and responsible role in preserving the safety of shipping lanes in the Red Sea."

According to the head of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez, eighteen shipping companies are currently bypassing the African continent to avoid the Red Sea, where ships are under attack from Yemen's Houthi rebels.

The Houthis claim to be carrying out these attacks to halt shipping traffic in "support" of Gaza.

Two members of the Iran-backed Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) were killed in a drone strike on the group's headquarters in eastern Baghdad.

Five others were injured in the attack. No one has taken credit for the attack yet.

Young relatives mourn over the bodies of the Salah and Abu Hatab families, killed when the tent where they were sheltering was hit by Israeli bombardment, at the morgue of the Nasser Medical Center in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, on Jan. 4, 2024, as battles between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants continue. (Credit: AFP)

According to Abbas Awada, president of the Naqoura municipality, eleven civilians were injured in the night-time strike on the area. "Only one of them was in a serious condition, but he should be all right. The strike was so powerful that it affected several neighborhoods. Many homes were damaged. Some residents decided to leave."

Hezbollah announced that it hit a position of Israeli soldiers in Shtoula (facing the Lebanese village of Aita al-Shaab, in the Bint Jbeil district) at 9 a.m.

Israel targeted the fifth floor of the Palestinian Red Crescent headquarters in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, leaving one dead and several injured, the organization reported on X.

Two days ago, Israel had already struck the same building twice, causing "five victims and three injured" among the displaced people who had taken refuge there, according to the organization.

An Israeli warplane has carried out a strike on the town of Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil), residents told our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

In addition, an Israeli warplane has struck the outskirts of Bint Jbeil, according to eyewitnesses.

Finally, a security source told L'Orient Today that Israeli artillery shelling targeted a park in Maroun al-Ras and the outskirts of Houla (Marjayoun).

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati during a phone call yesterday, that "it is time to take responsibility, more than ever before," and that "no one will win from escalation."

Both discussed the current developments in Lebanon and the situation in Gaza and the region.

Colonna said that she was assigned by French President Emmanuel Macron to convey France’s commitment to respecting Lebanon’s sovereignty.

Moreover, during the call, Mikati stressed the need for pressure to stop the "ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon and its sovereignty" and to prevent Israel from aggravating the situation.

He also stressed the necessity of working to end the Israeli war on Gaza and reach a cease-fire, because the "continuation of the aggression will plunge the region into dangerous confrontations with unknown repercussions."

A Hezbollah spokesperson told L'Orient Today that Israel's killing of Hezbollah official Hussein Yazbek yesterday night was not a targeted assassination.

Following the strike, senior researcher at the Washington Institute for Middle East Policy Hanin Ghaddar stressed on X that Yazbek was a "senior official" of the party and that the strike was aimed at eliminating him directly.

"He is a martyr like all the other martyrs, he is a local official [in Naqoura] and not a senior official," the Hezbollah spokesperson told L'Orient Today.

This incident happened one day after Israel's assassination of the deputy leader of Hamas's political wing Saleh Arouri in the Southern Suburbs of Beirut.

On Wednesday, the White House criticized South Africa's "unfounded" application to the international courts against Israel for "genocide" in the Gaza Strip.

"This request is unfounded, counterproductive and based on no facts," said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, quoted by AFP.

In addition to the Israeli strike on Naqoura, here is what happened on the Lebanese-Israeli border overnight:

- Hezbollah said that it had struck at 8:55 p.m. a group of Israeli soldiers at the Birket Riche position (located opposite the Lebanese towns of Marwahine and Dhaira, in the district of Sour), "with appropriate weapons."

- An Israeli drone fired a rocket at Yaroun, in the Nabatieh area.

- Israeli artillery targeted the surroundings of Naqoura and Labouneh (Sour) and launched flares in this area; it also fired ten rockets at Tallet al-Hamames, south of Khiam (Nabatieh); targeted the surroundings of Kfar Kila (Nabatieh) and Taybeh (Marjayoun).

- Machine gun fire targeted the area around Wazzani (Hasbaya).

Hezbollah announced around half past midnight that four of its members were killed following an Israeli strike on a three-story building in Naqoura. The names announced were Ibrahim Afif Fahs, originally from Jibchit, Hussein Hadi Yazbek, originally from Naqoura, Hadi Ali Rida, from Teffahta, and Hussein Ali Mohammad Ghazaleh, originally from Adloun. 

Yazbek was a local official for Hezbollah in Naqoura.

Besides the four Hezbollah members, a woman and her three daughters were injured in the strike.

Asked at his press briefing about the attack in Iran, Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari reiterated on Wednesday evening that the Israeli army was "ready on all fronts": "I won't talk about what you mentioned, but I'll just say that we're focused on fighting Hamas...but since the beginning of the war we have also had challenges in the north [of Israel], where Hezbollah continues to attack, particularly today, in the Red Sea and in Syria."

The head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken embarks today on a new tour of the Middle East in the hope of avoiding an expansion of the war in Gaza after the assassination in Lebanon of Saleh al-Arouri, number two of Hamas, and deadly explosions in Iran.

The American Secretary of State will leave Washington Thursday evening for this new diplomatic shuttle in the region, the fourth since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, with a stop planned on Israeli soil, an American official said Wednesday evening.

“Hamas still has significant capabilities in Gaza,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in Washington.

"We believe that reducing and defeating Hamas's capabilities to carry out attacks in Israel is an absolutely achievable goal for Israeli military forces. It can be done, militarily. Will its ideology be eliminated? No. And the group is it likely to be annihilated? Probably no...,” he added.

In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army continued its air raids during the night from Wednesday to Thursday, notably in Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah, where the Hamas Ministry of Health reported deaths.

Take a look at the Morning Brief to make sure that you are caught up with what has been happening.

Morning Brief

Nasrallah vows retaliation, Israeli strikes kill 9, over 100 killed in Iran: Everything you need to know to start your Thursday

Good morning.

Thank you for joining us for our live coverage of day 90 of the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel in Gaza.