That concludes our live coverage of regional events for today. Thank you for joining us and we'll be back again tomorrow. Goodnight!
The governorate of Baalbeck-Hermel today received a shipment of aid, relief and medical supplies provided as part of an Iraqi donation. The donation was dropped off in Rayak, central Bekaa, and received by MP Rami Abou Hamdan, a member of the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc, according to our correspondent Sarah Abdallah.
The MP thanked the Iraqi government, people and institutions for their help and for taking in 33,000 Lebanese displaced during the war between Hezbollah and Israel, among others. “You have supported Lebanon in its distress and in its resistance to the Zionist and American project, which is the primary sponsor,” he said.
The release of hostages is central to Gaza cease-fire agreement. During the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack against southern Israel, militants took 252 people hostage, bringing them back to the besieged enclave with the intention, according to Hamas' January 2024 document titled "Our Narrative … Operation Al-Aqsa Flood," to negotiate an exchange that would see the release of "thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli jails."
Since Oct. 7, 2023, four hostages were released (later that month) for “humanitarian reasons,” over 100 hostages were released through the November 2023 truce agreement, eight were rescued during Israeli military operations and at least four were killed erroneously by the Israeli army.
Read what we know about how many hostages have been held captive in Gaza and how many remain here. 👈
Israeli occupation forces besieged a house in Jenin, a city in the occupied West Bank that has come under another violent Israeli military operation following the cease-fire in Gaza.
According to eyewitnesses cited by the Palestinian Wafa news agency, this evening, the Israeli army surrounded a house in the Birqin village that belonged, according to a Middle East Eye report, to the family of Ahmed Masad a Palestinian man who was killed. The army fired anti-tank missiles at the house and according to the village mayor, Israeli soldiers hid behind Palestinian women during the attack.
Israeli occupation forces raid houses in the West Bank almost daily, on the pretext of searching for "wanted" Palestinians, triggering clashes with residents.

Palestinian media reported that Hussein Fayyad, Hamas' Beit Hanoun Battalion commander who the Israeli army claimed to have killed in May last year, appears to be alive and well, speaking at a funeral in northern Gaza as seen in a video posted online.
A video relayed by several accounts on X and Instagram shows a man who appears to be Fayyad, praising Gaza's resistance to the Israeli invasion, the rubble of a building behind him and a group of men in civilian clothing listening to him speak. L'Orient Today has not been able to independently verify the video.
In recent days, the Israeli army's Givati Brigade has withdrawn from northern Gaza’s Jabaliya neighborhood as part of the implementation of the cease-fire with Hamas, Times of Israel reports.
The military says the brigade, which lost 86 soldiers and commanders during the war, including during the Oct. 7 attack, is now preparing for future operations.

Hezbollah and its supporters mourned today Sheikh Mohammad Hamadi, who was killed yesterday in western Bekaa. Unidentified masked men in a car with tinted windows shot Hamadi yesterday and hit him with six bullets in front of his home in the village of Mashghara.
The funeral procession passed through the streets of Mashghara amid pro-Hezbollah chants, led by scout teams that carried pictures of Hamadi and Hezbollah flags, according to our correspondent in the Bekaa.
The funeral was attended by MPs Hussein Haj Hassan, Ihab Hamadeh, Qabalan Qabalan, former MPs, among others.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz will begin the selection process on Sunday for the next army chief of staff to replace Herzi Halevi, who announced his resignation on Tuesday. The Minister plans to hold interviews with candidates as early as Sunday.
“I intend to conduct an orderly and swift process to enable the appointed chief of staff to prepare as soon as possible for the many security challenges currently facing the State of Israel,” Katz said in a statement relayed by Haaretz.
Candidates to replace Herzl Halevi as Chief of Staff include his deputy, Major General Amir Baram, former Deputy Chief of Staff and current Defense Ministry Director General Eyal Zamir and Major General Tamir Yadai.
The head of the Northern Command, Ori Gordin, was excluded from the list of candidates.
The Gaza Strip Health Ministry said on Wednesday that in the last 24 hours, 59 bodies and 273 wounded were brought to Gaza Strip hospitals; the bodies were recovered from under the rubble during the cease-fire.
According to the Health Ministry, 47,161 people have been killed and 111,166 wounded in Gaza since the start of the war.
Thousands are still missing.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad has issued a statement strongly condemning the recent Israeli military raid on Jenin.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the systematic displacement, destruction and killing perpetrated by the [Israeli] army against the Jenin camp and its population,” the group said in a statement.
The statement also accuses the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah and its security services of complicity in the assault. “We hold the Ramallah authority and its security services responsible for their participation and complicity in this aggression, having provided [Israel] with services to impose a siege on Jenin camp,” the militant group added.
Iran has expressed the hope that Donald Trump, former U.S. President, will adopt a more rational approach in his relations with the Islamic Republic, according to statements by Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Vice President for Strategic Affairs. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Zarif reiterated that Iran has never sought nuclear weapons and poses no threat to global security.
He also expressed the hope that “Trump 2” would adopt a more serious, realistic and focused attitude to managing international relations. Meanwhile, in remarks reported by Al-Jazeera, Zarif said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not achieved his goal of destroying Hamas, stressing that “the resistance is not dead” and that Iran supports the maintenance of the cease-fire in Gaza.
Zarif added that Israeli hopes for the demise of the resistance reflected a misunderstanding of Iran's connections and influence in the world, asserting that the Islamic Republic possesses a global mobilizing capacity and will not be an easy target for its adversaries.
The Israeli army carried out explosions in the localities of Rabb Thalathin, Markaba and Houla (Marjayoun), as well as in Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil), according to our correspondent in South Lebanon.
More than 20 explosions targeted homes in these areas, while more than seven houses were set on fire on the outskirts of the village of Taybeh (Marjayoun), residents reported.
The official National News Agency (NNA) has reported that the body of Mohammad Termos, a Lebanese from Tallousseh (Marjayoun), was found near his car in front of the mosque in the Wadi Slouqi area, on the outskirts of Majdel Selm (Marjayoun).
According to eyewitness reports, Termos was trying to return to his village yesterday when he was targeted by Israeli soldiers. They opened fire, killing him. The Lebanese Red Cross recovered his body today, according to local residents.
The Lebanese Red Cross, in coordination with UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon), has recovered the body of a person killed by Israeli forces two days ago in the locality of Houla (Marjayoun), according to the testimony of local residents.
Hezbollah organized funerals for several of its members killed in southern Lebanon in the Nabatieh, Saida and Iklim al-Touffah regions, during the war between Hezbollah and Israel that escalated on Sept. 23.
In Harouf (Nabatieh), a tribute was paid to four people killed: Mohammad Bakir Ayache, Abbas Harb, Mohammad Khachich and Youssef Chahrour. The funeral cortege crisscrossed the streets amidst chants of support for the “resistance.”
In the town of Nabatieh, a funeral was held to pay tribute to Mahmoud Jawad. Hezbollah supporters hoisted Shiite party flags and recited songs in his memory.
In Jibsheet (Nabatieh), at the funeral of fighter Yasser Harb, the crowd chanted slogans in support of Hezbollah.
In Bablieh (Saida), a popular funeral was held in memory of Mohammad Saada, with participants pledging to “continue the path of the martyrs.”
In Arabsalim, in Iklim al-Touffah, Abdallah Moussa's funeral was attended by the local community, who held up portraits of martyrs.
Finally, in Nmairieh (Nabatieh), the funeral of Ali al-Hadi Abou Khaled took place.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) says it is “deeply concerned” about the welfare of Palestinian civilians in the city of Jenin and its refugee camp, as Israeli forces continue their military operations.
“Since yesterday, our teams have provided first aid to around 19 wounded people and transported seven bodies of those killed,” the PRC said on its X account.
Lebanese Army units have deployed to Kfar Shuba (Hasbaya) in south Lebanon, following the withdrawal of the Israeli army. They were welcomed by the villagers, who threw rice at them to celebrate their arrival, reports our correspondent, Mountasser Abdallah.
Further south in the country, a Lebanese Army unit, accompanied by members of the Civil Defense, went to the locality of Hanine, in the Bint Jbeil district, as part of a mission to recover the remains of fighters killed in clashes with the Israeli army.
Israel arrested at least 25 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank between last night and this morning, according to the Commission for the Affairs of Detainees and Ex-Detainees and the Palestinian Prisoners Society.
The arrests took place in the Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jenin and Tulkarem governorates, the joint statement said.
“Occupation forces are still carrying out their field operations in several cities, with widespread abuses, attacks and threats against citizens, as well as acts of vandalism and destruction in their homes,” the text adds.

Houses burnt down by the Israeli army in Taybeh, in the Marjayon district in southern Lebanon. (Credit: Our correspondent Mountasser Abdallah)
The mayor of Jenin, Mohammad Jarar, said that the Israeli army had forced many Palestinians to leave their homes in the refugee camp in this occupied West Bank city for the Wadi Burqin area on the city's western outskirts, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Jarar said that the mass displacement order, transmitted by loudspeaker, concerned residents of the Mahyoub Street neighborhood, Jabal Abu Dhahir and other areas. He added that the soldiers had opened a passage for the displaced to leave the camp.
The mayor also said that the municipality had contacted those of Burqin, Kafr Dan and Arrabeh to send vehicles to transport displaced families and house them in these towns. He also pointed out that “Israeli forces are preventing municipal teams from circulating in Jenin,” adding that he had “contacted several international institutions to guarantee the emergency needs of those forcibly evacuated.” He added that Israel's ongoing “Iron Wall” military operation was making it difficult to count the number of families forced to flee.
The lifeless body of a resident of Tallousseh (M.T) was found near Wadi Slouqi (Marjayoun) in South Lebanon. According to our correspondent, Mountasser Abdallah, the man had been shot in his car.
This coincides with the continuation of Israeli sweeping operations in the region, accompanied by heavy gunfire.
“No one will provide aid [to Gaza] if Hamas remains in power,” Mohammad al-Hindi, deputy secretary general of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, told the Saudi news agency Al Hadath, quoted by Haaretz.
According to al-Hindi, Palestinian factions in Gaza are ready to relinquish control of the Strip to allow humanitarian aid to enter the region. “It is important to us that the Gaza Strip is rehabilitated after the massive destruction, and we have no interest in controlling or managing it,” he added.
“We can't leave the people of Gaza in a vacuum without planning for tomorrow. The people cannot manage themselves and take care of the rehabilitation of hospitals, schools and the entry of aid trucks,” he continued.
Israel will allow 50 wounded Hamas militants to cross daily to Egypt for treatment, according to Haaretz.
The Israeli army has announced the completion of a cement wall along the Blue Line separating Israel from Lebanon, from the village of Yarine in the Sour district to the village of Dhaira in the same district, reports our correspondent in South Lebanon, Mountasser Abdallah.
The two border villages in South Lebanon are about one kilometer apart. The Israeli army is also continuing to dynamite buildings in the villages of Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil) and Markaba (Marjayoun).
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi calls Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank on his country's border “dangerous,” in a post on X.
He warned that the ongoing raids could destabilize security in the region.
The Israeli military operation continued for the second day running in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, where some 200 people were being held in the courtyard of a hospital, according to the city's governor quoted by AFP.
“The situation is very difficult. The occupying army has bulldozed all the roads leading to Jenin camp and the hospital,” said the city's governor, Kamal Abu Rub. “There's shooting and explosions. A plane is flying overhead and around 200 people are trapped in the courtyard of Jenin hospital and can't get out,” he added, adding that around 20 people had been arrested.
Israel's Minister for Regional Cooperation, David Amsalem, told Army Radio in an interview that “the second phase of the [cease-fire] agreement will not take place,” Haaretz reports.
“I know it, and everyone knows it. It won't happen because Hamas won't agree to disarm and demilitarize the Gaza Strip,” he said. “Israel will resume the war decisively after the completion of the first phase [of the agreement] and will not move on to the second,” he added.

An image of the destruction caused by Israeli bombing in the Lebanese village of Khiam, in southern Lebanon, on Nov. 27, 2024, after a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect. (Credit: AFP)
The municipality of Khiam, in the southern Lebanese district of Marjayoun, urged residents to “take their time” and avoid rushing back to the village, while stressing the need to wait for “an official statement from the competent authorities and the Lebanese Army”, to assess the security situation on the ground, four days before the 60-day deadline of the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah expires.
An Israeli drone attacked a field between Majidiyeh and Wadi Khansa, in the Hasbaya district of southern Lebanon, reports our correspondent.
The Israeli army fired machine-gun bursts this morning in Taybeh, in the Marjayoun district in southern Lebanon, reports our correspondent Mountasser Abdallah. Houses were burnt and explosions were heard.
Yesterday evening, after 10 p.m., the Israeli army had already carried out explosions in Taybeh. Israeli bulldozers were also spotted at Bab al-Thaniyeh, near Khiam, also in the Marjayoun district.
Israel announced yesterday that it had launched a major military operation in Jenin, a stronghold of armed groups in the occupied West Bank, killing at least 10 Palestinians according to the Palestinian Authority.
The day after the inauguration of new U.S. President Donald Trump, whose strong support the Israeli government is hoping for, the army announced that it had “launched an anti-terrorist operation in Jenin,” a town in the northern West Bank, territory occupied by Israel since 1967.
The “large-scale and extensive” operation aims to “eradicate terrorism in Jenin,” according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, 10 people were killed and around 35 injured.
Five people were wounded yesterday in Tel Aviv, one of them seriously, in a knife attack in which the perpetrator, a foreign national who had arrived in Israel a few days earlier, was shot dead, according to the Israeli authorities.
The attack took place around 9:10 p.m. in a busy Tel Aviv neighborhood, the police said in a statement. “According to the initial investigation, a terrorist pulled out a knife and began stabbing people on Nahalat Binyamin Street, wounding four civilians” before wounding "another," slightly, on a nearby street, the text said.
In a statement, Hamas hailed the “heroic operation ... which proves once again that resistance continues,” but did not claim responsibility for the attack. On Saturday, another knife attack took place in the center of Tel Aviv, injuring one person.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East, including the fourth day of the truce in Gaza, which came into effect on Sunday, at least temporarily pausing a war that has lasted 471 days and claimed tens of thousands of lives.
We'll also be following the latest developments in Lebanon, Yemen and Syria, more than a month after the fall of the Assad regime.
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