Israel confirms resumption of talks in Qatar for the release of hostages in Gaza | LIVE

Gaza

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed Saturday the resumption of indirect negotiations with Hamas in Qatar for the release of hostages held in Gaza since the Palestinian movement’s attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, according to AFP.

The minister informed the parents of hostage Liri Elbag, whose video was released Saturday by Hamas showing her alive, "of ongoing efforts to secure the release of the hostages, including the Israeli delegation that departed yesterday (Friday) for talks in Qatar," his office said in a statement. He added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had issued "specific directives for continuing the negotiations."

South Lebanon

In a statement, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported that its peacekeepers observed "an Israeli army bulldozer destroying a blue barrel marking the withdrawal line between Lebanon and Israel in Labbouneh, as well as an observation tower belonging to the Lebanese Army, located near a UNIFIL position."

UNIFIL condemned what it described as "the deliberate and direct destruction by the Israeli army of clearly identifiable UNIFIL property and Lebanese Army infrastructure," labeling it "a blatant violation of Resolution 1701 and international law." The statement also called on "all parties to refrain from actions, including the destruction of property and civilian infrastructure, that could jeopardize the cessation of hostilities" between Israel and Hezbollah.

Naim Qassem also addressed the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime on Dec. 8, stating that "in the future, the Syrian people will play a role in confronting Israel."

So far, the new Syrian authorities have declared they have no intention of targeting Israel, which has carried out an incursion into the Syrian side of the Golan Heights since the regime's overthrow.

Regarding the presidential election in Lebanon, just days before a scheduled parliamentary electoral session, Hezbollah’s chief expressed his "determination" to see a president elected "through consecutive sessions." During the dozens of sessions held since Michel Aoun’s term ended, Hezbollah, the Amal Movement and their allies have consistently withdrawn from the chamber after the first round, derailing the vote. "We want the Jan. 9 session to succeed in cementing national and Islamic unity," he stated.

After this war, "Lebanon can no longer exist without the Resistance," Naim Qassem said, asserting that it is Hezbollah’s leadership that "decides when and how to fight, as well as which weapons to use."

"There is no fixed timetable dictating Hezbollah’s actions, and the 'patience' it demonstrates is tied to the choice of the 'appropriate moment to confront the enemy,'" he said. "Our patience may run out before 60 days or after. When we decide to act, you will see it immediately," he added, referencing the group's singular strike on Israeli positions since the cease-fire came into effect. The Israeli army remains deployed in southern Lebanon and has carried out strikes that have killed at least 36 people.

Qassem further emphasized that the cease-fire agreement "exclusively concerns the area south of the Litani River," reiterating a stance frequently expressed by party officials in recent weeks. He stated that "the Lebanese state is responsible, along with mediators, for curbing Israeli actions and enforcing the agreement."

With regard to the war in Lebanon, Naim Qassem praised Hezbollah's “determination,” which enabled the Israeli army “to advance no more than a few hundred meters along the front lines,” whereas before Israel “reached Beirut in a matter of days.”

It was also thanks to the “resilience and sacrifices” of the party that “the enemy was forced to accept a cease-fire agreement.”

Naim Qassem dedicated the first part of his speech to paying tribute to Qassem Soleimani, who was killed on Jan. 3, 2020, in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad. Soleimani was "a true leader, both strategically, intellectually, and politically," Qassem said. He "exposed America's plans and conspiracies, including its support for the Islamic State group," he added, as well as the "expansionist ambitions of Israel."

Qassem praised the former head of the Quds Force for "working to connect the various fronts in the region so they could support one another," noting that the Gaza war, three years later, demonstrated the unity among the various "Resistance" groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Yemen’s Houthis and pro-Tehran militias in Iraq.

Soleimani "played a central role in restoring the significance of the Palestinian cause as a key regional issue."

South Lebanon

Civil Defense search and rescue teams, in coordination with the Lebanese Army, were able to recover the bodies of three killed in Al-Houma neighborhood in Khiam, according to our correspondent.

Gaza

Hamas' armed wing released a new video on Saturday of one of the hostages abducted on Oct. 7, 2023. The video, approximately 3 minutes and 30 seconds long, shows a young woman speaking in Hebrew, urging the Israeli government to act for her release, according to AFP.

The family of the hostage, Liri Elbag, a 19-year-old Israeli, did not authorize the video’s publication, the Forum of Families, a leading association for relatives of hostages held in Gaza, said. Elbag was kidnapped while serving in the Nahal Oz military base in southern Israel.

Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian armed group involved in the Oct. 7 attack that triggered the Gaza war, have previously released hostage videos.

The video's release on Saturday coincides with Hamas' announcement on Friday of the resumption of indirect cease-fire talks with Israel in Doha. Israel has not confirmed the resumption of negotiations.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem is set to deliver a speech today at 6:30 p.m. Beirut time to mark the assassination of Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis on Jan. 3, 2020, in Iraq.

Qassem, the successor to Hassan Nasrallah, will also address "the latest political developments," as stated in the party's announcement.

Gaza

At least 26 people were killed today by Israeli strikes, according to Gaza's emergency services, the day after Hamas announced the resumption of truce negotiations in the Palestinian territory devastated by almost 15 months of war.

Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, had threatened on Wednesday to further intensify strikes on Gaza if the Palestinian Islamist movement continued to fire rockets at his country.

Since then, projectiles have been fired almost daily from Palestinian territory, and Israel is continuing its raids while Hamas announced on Friday that truce talks were resuming in Doha.

Syria

A fifth Saudi humanitarian aid plane has arrived in Damascus, along with another sent by Egypt carrying 15 tons of humanitarian aid, reports the National News Agency.

Lebanon

Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem will give a speech today to commemorate the assassination of Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3, 2020 in Iraq.

The time of his speech has not yet been announced.

Lebanon

The Israeli army is carrying out bombardments on the outskirts of Shihine, in Sour, according to our correspondent in the south.

Syria

An armed clash in the village of Serghaya pitted Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) soldiers against local gunmen, according to Annahar.

Lebanon

An Israeli army force is advancing towards Wadi Hujeir (Marjayoun), on the outskirts of Qousseir and Deir Serian, taking up positions in orchards and woods, according to our correspondent in the south.

Lebanon

Citing official Israeli sources, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reports that no decision has yet been taken on whether to extend the Israeli army's presence in southern Lebanon beyond the end of the cease-fire.

Earlier in the day, Israeli army radio reported that Israel is expected to inform Washington that it will not withdraw from Lebanon at the end of the 60-day period, which ends on Jan. 27.

Gaza

According to Haaretz, the Palestinian Red Crescent has reported that eight security personnel overseeing humanitarian aid convoys in Gaza have been killed in Israeli air strikes in the last 24 hours, including three in the town of Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

According to Hamas, at least 700 security personnel in charge of humanitarian aid convoys have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war.

Syria

An Egyptian cargo plane has landed at Damascus airport for the first delivery of humanitarian aid from Cairo since the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad almost a month ago, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said.

The aircraft was carrying 15 tons of supplies and food, a delivery that is part of “Egypt's commitment to support the brotherly Syrian people,” the Ministry said in a statement. The shipment provided by the Egyptian Red Crescent was handed over to its Syrian counterpart. It included tents, blankets, food and medical supplies, state-owned Al-Qahera News reported.

Lebanon

An Israeli tank fired a shell at an area between Bint Jbeil and Maroun al-Ras, reports our correspondent in the South. In addition, the Israeli army intermittently combed the area with machine guns.

Lebanon

The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric, on a visit to Lebanon, stressed that “humanitarian needs remain enormous following the recent escalation of hostilities” and called for the cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel to be maintained.

Read more here.

Syria

Syria announced on Saturday the resumption of international flights to and from Damascus International Airport on Tuesday, the country's main airport, after a suspension of commercial links following the rebel takeover in December.

“We are announcing the resumption of international flights to and from Damascus International Airport as of Tuesday,” said the head of the Civil Aviation and Air Transport Authority, Ashhad al-Salibi, quoted by the Syrian news agency Sana. International aid planes have already landed in Syria, and domestic flights have also resumed.

Lebanon

An Israeli artillery shell fell near the Imam al-Sadr sports complex in the Doubieh area, west of the village of Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun), according to our correspondent in the south Mountasser Abdallah.

The U.S. State Department has informed Congress that it plans to approve an $8 billion sale of U.S.-made weapons to Israel, the New York Times (NYT) reported yesterday, citing the department's office responsible for arms transfers.

Gaza

Gaza's Civil Defense announced that at least 19 people, including eight children, had been killed in several Israeli strikes across the Palestinian territory, the scene of nearly 15 months of war between the Islamist Hamas movement and Israel.

According to Gaza's emergency services, a dawn air strike on the home of the al-Ghoul family in Gaza City killed 11 people, including seven children and a woman.

Lebanon

Israeli drones fly over the villages of Abbasieh, Burj Rahal and Deir Qanoun al-Nahr, in the Sour district, and the villages of Aaba al-Sharqieh and Jibsheet, in Nabatieh, on Saturday morning.

Gaza

Gaza's Health Ministry has announced that at least 59 people have been killed in the last 24 hours in the Palestinian territory, the scene of almost 15 months of war with Israel.

This brings the total death toll to 45,717, it said in a statement, adding that 108,856 people had also been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war, triggered by an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Lebanon

An incursion by the Israeli army was observed today between the villages of Adaisseh and Taybe, in Marjayoun, reports the official National News Agency (NNA).

On the other hand, the Israelis carried out a series of blasts at around 6:30 a.m. between the villages of Taybe and Rabb Thalathin, in Marjayoun, again according to NNA. These villages have already been largely destroyed by the war in southern Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, which led to a cease-fire that came into effect on Nov. 27, 2024, despite daily Israeli violations such as these.

In addition, Israeli drones fly continuously at low altitude over the city of Sour and the surrounding area, as well as the Zahrani region, a district of Saida, north of the Litani River.

Morgan Ortagus, State Department spokesperson under Trump's first term. (Credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced yesterday that he has appointed Morgan Ortagus, who was State Department spokesperson in his first term, as the President's Deputy Special Envoy for Middle East Peace.

Her appointment comes at a time of great regional tension in the Middle East, as the war between Israel and Hamas continues in Gaza. 

Read more here.

Lebanon/Israel

Israel should inform Washington that it will not withdraw from Lebanon after the 60-day cease-fire deadline, which ends on Jan. 27, Israeli army radio reported, citing local media.

Israel should also let the U.S. know that it will not allow residents of Lebanese villages near the border to return home, it added.

Under the cease-fire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel, which came into force on Nov. 27, Israel must withdraw from Lebanon within 60 days of that date.

Lebanon

The Lebanese Army Command has announced that its specialized units will detonate unexploded ordnance in the village of Qlaya, Marjayoun, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This area in southern Lebanon has been heavily shelled by Israeli aircraft since Oct. 8, 2023, and particularly during the two months of intense warfare between Sept. 23 and Nov. 27, 2024, when a precarious cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect.

Lebanon/Syria

A telephone conversation took place last night between Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Syria's new leader Ahmad al-Sharaa.

During this first official contact, Sharaa called on the outgoing head of government to visit Syria in order to “discuss common issues between the two countries and strengthen bilateral relations”, reports the Grand Serail. The two men also discussed Friday's clashes between a Lebanese Army unit and Syrian armed elements in the Maaraboun region on the Lebanese-Syrian border, which left four troops wounded.

Syria

Syria's new head of diplomacy, Assaad al-Shibani, announced yesterday that he would make official visits this week to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, following his first official trip to Saudi Arabia.

“This week, I will represent my country, Syria, on an official visit to our brothers in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,” Assaad al-Shibani said in a statement on X. “We look forward to these visits contributing to supporting stability, security, economic recovery and building good partnerships,” he added.

Occupied West Bank

Palestinian authorities announced last night that an Israeli military operation in a refugee camp in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, had left seven people injured, two of them in serious condition.

“Seven people were wounded by bullets during clashes in the Balata camp, including two with serious chest wounds,” the Palestinian Red Crescent said in a statement. Contacted by AFP, the Israeli army replied that it was investigating the facts reported.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa confirmed the Red Crescent's report and referred to “snipers deployed on rooftops” during the Israeli raid.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East, including the war in Gaza, which has entered its 456th day, and its repercussions in the region, notably in Lebanon and Yemen. We'll also be following the latest developments in Syria, more than three weeks after the fall of the Assad regime.