Qatar, US announce 'positive' response from Hamas to hostage exchange, cease-fire proposal: Day 123 of Hamas-Israel war

Thank you for following our LIVE coverage from day 123 of the Hamas-Israel war.

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

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office says that Israeli officials involved in negotiations to secure a new truce in the Gaza war were studying Hamas' response to the framework, Reuters reports.

"Hamas's reply has been conveyed by the Qatari mediator to the Mossad. Its details are being thoroughly evaluated by the officials involved in the negotiations.," the statement said.

A Hamas senior official also told Reuters that it took time for the group to respond to the proposal handed to them following a Paris meeting between American, Qatari, Israeli, and Egyptian intelligence officials because several elements of the framework were "ambiguous and unclear."

A source close to the mediation efforts told AFP that every proposal sent to Hamas' political bureau has to be communicated to officials inside Gaza. "Any change means communication back and forth," said the source, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

👉 Read an analysis of the relationship between Hamas' political and military wings here.

Israeli soldiers patrol past Palestinians walking with groceries in central Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, Jan. 12, 1997. (Credit: Awad Awad/AFP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized an army training exercise simulating a scenario in which a Jewish settler abducts a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera reports.

Settler violence against Palestinians has reached unprecedented heights during the last year, but Netanyahu condemned the exercise based on what he called a “fictitious scenario … detached from reality” in a statement made earlier today during which he praised illegal settlements.

Netanyahu also said that the maneuver was insulting at a time when Israeli settlers were “giving their lives” in the war in Gaza, says Al Jazeera. Netanyahu's comments echo rhetoric from far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in response to a series of US sanctions against Jewish settlers linked to violence against Palestinians.

Benny Gantz, a member of the emergency war Cabinet, called on Netanyahu to apologize for undermining the Israeli military, but also called the exercise “a mistake.” The spat underscores growing schisms within the war Cabinet.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler reiterated an interest in normalizing relations with Israel, but that it depends on peace in Gaza and the establishment of a Palestinain state, reports AFP.

"With regard specifically to normalization, the crown prince reiterated Saudi Arabia's strong interest in pursuing that," Blinken told reporters in Doha a day after their meeting in Riyadh.

"But he also made clear what he had said to me before, which is that in order to do that, two things will be required — an end to the conflict in Gaza, and a clear, credible timebound path to the establishment of a Palestinian state."

The chief of French diplomacy Stephane Sejourne, upon his arrival at the Grand Sérail in Beirut, on Feb. 6, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today)

French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne issued a stark warning to Lebanon, cautioning that Israel might initiate a war with its neighbor to the north, which seeks to avoid further escalation.

The warning came during the last stop in Sejourne's Middle East tour, which included visits to Israel, the occupied West Bank, Egypt, and Jordan, aimed at fostering a cease-fire in Gaza, and was cited by AFP.

According to Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, the French minister highlighted the possibility of Israel triggering a war to repatriate the tens of thousands of residents evacuated from areas near the Lebanon border.

👉 Read the full report here.

The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement refuting declarations attributed to Minister Abdallah Bou Habib in which he is alleged to have said the army was incapable of deploying and ensuring the security of southern Lebanon.

The text adds that the minister has not made any declaration regarding this to any media, considering these attributed remarks to be "taken out of context, erroneous, and pieced together from different past statements," and that they are "baseless."

Hamas announces it forwarded its response to a proposal drawn up by Qatar, Egypt, Israel and the US to intermediaries in the negotiations, after consulting with the various Palestinian factions, according to a statement made on a Telegram account belonging to the "Axis of Resistance."

The movement said it had "treated the proposal with a positive spirit, in order to guarantee a comprehensive and definitive cease-fire, and to put an end to the aggression against our people, which would guarantee the arrival of aid, housing, and reconstruction, and the lifting of the blockade on the Gaza Strip, as well as the exchange of hostages with prisoners."

🔴 BREAKING: Qatar's prime minister says that Hamas has delivered a "positive" response to a US-backed proposal to free hostages in return for pausing the Gaza war with Israel.

"We have received a reply from Hamas with regards to the general framework of the agreement with regards to hostages. The reply includes some comments, but in general it is positive," Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told a news conference in Doha with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Blinken told reporters that the US is reviewing Hamas' response and will discuss it further with the Israeli government tomorrow (Wednesday).

Argentina's President Javier Milei visits the Western Wall, the last remaining vestige of the Second Temple which is considered the holiest site where Jews can pray, in Jerusalem's Old City on Feb. 6, 2024. (Credit: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP)

Argentina's President Javier Milei announced to his Israeli hosts today the plans to move his country's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, almost as soon as he touched down, AFP reports.

The 53-year-old economist, who upended traditional politics to win the election last year, was greeted warmly off his plane by Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv.

The controversial declaration adds Argentina to a list of only five countries with their embassies in Jerusalem— the other 92 countries with diplomatic ties to Israel have their embassies located in Tel Aviv.

Jerusalem is at the heart of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as the latter has illegally occupied the east of the city since 1967, and internationally condemned Israeli settlements occupy land there which was designated by the UN as "Palestine" during the partitioning that created Israel in 1948.

👉 Read the full report and Hamas' response here

The Israeli army's Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote in a post on X that Israeli fighter jets attacked a "reconnaissance site and terrorist infrastructure used by Hezbollah" in the Labouna, Jabal Blat and Hula regions of southern Lebanon earlier today.

"Earlier in the day, several rocket attacks were also reported from Lebanese territory in the direction of the north of the country, without causing any casualties," he wrote. The Israeli army "retaliated by targeting the sources of the fire."

According to L'Orient Today's correspondent in southern Lebanon, Muntasser Abdallah, today's Israeli strikes all targeted deserted homes, and no casualties were reported.

⚡ The Biden administration has received positive feedback that Saudi Arabia and Israel are willing to continue to have normalization discussions, White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters, cited by Reuters.

A woman looks at a board displaying pictures of hostages taken captive in Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, in Tel Aviv, Feb. 5, 2024. (Credit: Susana Vera/Reuters)

Israeli intelligence officers have concluded that at least 32 of the remaining 136 hostages captured by Hamas and other Palestinian militants on Oct. 7 have died since the start of the war, according to a confidential assessment that was reviewed and reported on by The New York Times.

Four Israeli military officials, who spoke anonymously to the American newspaper, said that officers were also assessing unconfirmed intelligence indicating that at least 20 other hostages may have died.

In response to a request for comment, the Israeli military said that most of the dead were killed on Oct. 7, although there is no confirmation as to how exactly the time of death was determined.

👉 Read more here.

The Gaza Health Ministry says Israeli forces killed six Palestinian police officers today, who witnesses told AFP had been securing the passage of an aid truck.

"Six Palestinian police officers killed as a result of the Israeli occupation targeting their vehicle in the Khirbat al-Adas neighborhood in Rafah," a ministry statement said.

Children attend an UNRWA-run school at the Mar Elias camp for Palestinian refugees in Beirut on Feb. 6, 2024. (Credit: Anwar Amra/AFP)

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees expects a preliminary report into Israeli claims that a dozen of its employees took part in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel to be ready by early next month, according to its representative in Lebanon, cited by Reuters.

UNRWA's representative in Lebanon Dorothee Klaus told reporters, "We expect a preliminary investigation report early March, based on which we assume donors would look into their decisions of having suspended funding to UNRWA," Klaus said.

Israel had informed Lazzarini of the accusations against the 12 staff members verbally, but other allegations were leaked to media that a larger number of UNRWA employees have Hamas links. Neither Israel nor any other official source has shared with UNRWA a dossier alleging that 190 of the agency's staff members in Gaza are Hamas or Islamic Jihad militants.

Earlier today, British independent media company Channel 4 News, which viewed Israel's dossier, reported that no evidence is provided for the claims.

👉 Read the full report here.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati (R) greets Britain's Foreign Secretary David Cameron during a meeting at the Government's Palace in Beirut on February 1, 2024. (Credit: Joseph Eid/AFP)

Lebanon's foreign minister summoned the British ambassador to give him a note of protest following the visit of his counterpart, David Cameron, to Beirut last week, during which the two did not meet.

During his visit, Cameron proposed the following equation: The withdrawal of Hezbollah’s heavy weapons to the north of the Litani River in compliance with the UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which Lebanon would respect in entirety, provided that Israel undertakes to end its land, sea and air violations of Lebanese sovereignty.

👉 Read the full report here.

Updates from the last 30 minutes in southern Lebanon:

• An Israeli drone struck an empty house in the southern Lebanese border village of Hula, in Marjayoun district, residents of the village told L'Orient Today.

• The Israeli army bombed agricultural land between the southern Lebanese villages of Kfar Hammam and Rashaya Fawqar in Hasbaya district, residents of the village told our correspondent in the south.

Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne sits for a meeting with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, in Beirut on Feb. 6, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today)

Around 8,000 displaced people were evacuated today from a besieged hospital in Khan Younis where they had sought refuge, says the Red Cross, cited by AFP.

Tommaso Della Longa, spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), told reporters in Geneva that the ICRC was told al-Amal hospital, run by the Palestinian Red Crescent (PRCS), had been largely emptied following a lengthy siege by Israeli forces.

He said al-Amal had been under siege for more than two weeks, surrounded by heavy shelling and fighting. It was hit several times, including on Friday when a PRCS volunteer was killed.

Around 100 elderly, wounded, and disabled patients remained there, with about 100 staff and volunteers, the ICRC said.

👉 Read the full report here.

Update on the situation in southern Lebanon over the last 30 minutes:

•⁠ ⁠The Israeli army struck a house in the southern Lebanese village of Tayr Harfa, Sour district, residents of the village told L'Orient Today. Ambulances are at the scene of the strike.

•⁠ ⁠The Israeli army also bombed the outskirts of Naqoura, Sour district, and Hula, Marjayoun district, in the last hour.

•⁠ In a statement, Hezbollah announced that its fighters targeted an Israeli position near Margaliot and a group of soldiers nearby at 1:12 p.m., using artillery shells.

Intense shelling and shooting took place around Al-Amal hospital in Khan Younis, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported on X. The building was hit by shrapnel, the PRC added.

Update on the situation in southern Lebanon in the last 30 minutes:

•⁠ ⁠The Israeli army struck a house in the south Lebanon village of Tayr Harfa in Sour district, residents of the village told L'Orient Today. Ambulances are at the scene of the strike.

•⁠ ⁠The Israeli army also bombed the outskirts of Naqoura (Sour) and Houla (Marjayoun) in the last hour.

•⁠ In a statement, Hezbollah said that it targeted an Israeli position near Margaliot as well as a group of soldiers nearby at 1:12 p.m. using artillery. 

French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne arrived in Beirut at the head of a delegation and is currently holding talks with Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain al-Tineh.

No evidence was provided by Israel in a document that persuaded the US and other donors to pull funding from the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) over allegations that its staff were involved in the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, British independent media company, Channel 4 News reports.

Nine donors suspended funding to UNRWA in 24 hours, following Israel's claims, which the agency is now investigating. UNRWA has warned it may not be able to continue providing essential healthcare and educational services in Gaza due to the sudden suspension of funds.

The six-page dossier, seen by Channel 4 News, says they were able to identify “more than 10 UNRWA staffers” who took part in the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, via “intelligence information, documents and identity card seized during the course of the fighting.” However, they did not include this evidence in the document.

Watch the full report here.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir apologized Tuesday after his son mocked US President Joe Biden on the social network X, suggesting he had Alzheimer's,  AFP reports.

"Shuvael is my son and I love him but last night he made a grave mistake with a tweet that I deeply disapprove of," wrote Itamar Ben Gvir, also on X. "The US is our greatest friend and President Biden is a friend of Israel," he continued.

There is no room for "derogatory" remarks, he said. Read the full story here.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Cairo, Egypt to meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi. In this photo, Blinken is flanked by US Ambassador to Egypt Herro Mustafa Garg and the Egyptian President at Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 6, 2024. (Photo: Mark Schiefelbein/Pool via Reuters)

In the last three hours:

•⁠ ⁠Hezbollah announced that it attacked at 10 a.m. a military brigade in an Israeli position facing the south Lebanon border village of Naqoura and said they "directly hit" the target. In a second statement, Hezbollah said that it targeted a group of Israeli soldiers at the Ramim Barracks in the Kiryat Shmona area, the second time today that Hezbollah has targeted the area, at 11:20 a.m. using rockets.

•⁠ ⁠The Israeli army shelled the outskirts of Yarine and Marwahine in Sour district around 11:30 a.m., residents of the villages told L'Orient Today.

•⁠ ⁠The Israeli army shelled the outskirts of Khiam in Marjeyoun district, residents of the village told L'Orient Today.

Gaza's Ministry of Health says that, since fighting began on Oct. 7, 27,585 people have been killed in the enclave, AFP reports.

The ministry added that another 66,978 had been injured since the start of the war. In the last 24 hours, 107 were killed and 143 injured.

Gaza's Ministry of Health says that, since fighting began on Oct. 7, 27,585 people have been killed in the enclave, AFP reports.

The ministry added that another 66,978 had been injured since the start of the war. In the last 24 hours, 107 were killed and 143 injured.

The Israeli army claims to have killed "dozens of Palestinian gunmen" and captured others in operations in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the army said in a statement quoted by Reuters, describing southern Khan Younis as the epicenter of the fighting.

Around 80 suspects have been detained in Khan Younis, some of whom are accused of involvement in the wave of murders and kidnappings perpetrated by Hamas militants in southern Israel on Oct. 7.

The Lebanese-Israeli border last night until now:

•⁠ ⁠The Israeli jets struck a two-floor house in Mais al-Jabal in the Marjeyoun district around 4:30 a.m., without any casualties being recorded, residents of the village told L'Orient Today.

•⁠ ⁠The Israeli army bombed the outskirts of Naqoura in the Sour district around 7 a.m., a security source told L'Orient Today.

•⁠ ⁠Rocket alarms were activated in the town of Margaliot in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, Haaretz reported at 8:18 a.m.

•⁠ ⁠Hezbollah announced that they attacked at 8:15 a.m. a military position in the area of Kiryat Shmona, Northern Israel, and said they "directly hit" the target.

•⁠ ⁠The Israeli army shelled the outskirts of the south Lebanon border village of Marjeyoun around 9 a.m., residents of the village told L'Orient Today.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is continuing his tour of the Middle East in an attempt to impose a truce in the war between Israel and Hamas, which is about to enter its fifth month.

Blinken, who began his fifth regional tour since the start of the war in Saudi Arabia on Monday, is on his way to Egypt this morning, then on to Qatar at the end of the day, two countries mediating alongside Washington, before visiting Israel and the occupied West Bank.

Overnight, the United States also carried out a new strike against the Houthis in Yemen, targeting two naval surface drones loaded with explosives, announced US Middle East Command (CENTCOM).

The military conducted "a self-defense strike against two naval surface drones loaded with explosives" at around 12:30 GMT, Centcom said on social network X. U.S. forces "identified" these drones in "Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen" and deemed them "an imminent threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels," it added, echoing the words usually used after each strike.

A British ship sailing in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen was slightly damaged by a drone attack overnight, according to a security company, and US forces announced they had struck Yemeni rebels, reports AFP.

The "port side" of a British-owned, Barbados-flagged cargo ship suffered "minor damage" in a drone strike, said security firm Ambrey, which specializes in shipping. According to the UK Maritime Safety Agency (UKTMO), a window of the freighter was "slightly" damaged by drone fire over the ship, which was then 57 nautical miles, or around 105 kilometers, west of Hodeida, a major port on Yemen's west coast and under the control of Houthi rebels.

Make sure to read the Morning Brief so that you are caught up with what has been happening.

Morning Brief

Six killed in south Lebanon, mobile operators strike, Lebanese army retirees protest: Everything you need to know to start your Tuesday

Good morning!

Thank you for joining us for our live coverage of the war in Gaza and conflict in the wider Middle East.