Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 94?

Hezbollah and foreign media reports claimed on Monday that the IDF killed Wissam al-Tawil, known as Jawad, a key operations commander in southern Lebanon, in an air strike in Khirbat Salem, Lebanon.

It was unclear if Jawad, a reportedly significant figure within Hezbollah, had been killed as part of ongoing exchanges of fire between the IDF and Hezbollah or whether he was specifically targeted.

If he was specifically targeted, the attack would seem to be part of a series of recent escalations.

From October 8 until early December, Hezbollah attacked Israel with rockets and anti-tank missiles, but only close to the northern border, to show solidarity with Hamas, and the IDF tended to respond proportionately.

In early December, the IDF ramped up its "responses" to start destroying much of Hezbollah's forces or assets within firing range of the northern border.

Israeli artillery unit firing shells towards Lebanon near the Israeli border with Lebanon, northern Israel, January 4, 2024. (credit: Ayal Margolin/Flash90)

Just six days after assassination of senior Hamas commander in Beirut

It would also mark the second major assassination on Lebanese soil in less than a week, following the killing of Hamas's Deputy Chief of Staff Saleh al-Arouri, the senior Hamas official, in a strike in Beirut last Tuesday.

In response to that strike, Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets on Saturday and significantly damaged an important piece of the IDF's air defense capabilities in the North.

If the IDF intentionally killed Jawad, it could be the latest response to that Hezbollah attack. Early reactions suggested Hezbollah itself could escalate even further.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The National Unity faction, led by minister Benny Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot and Gideon Sa'ar, must resign from the emergency wartime government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, opposition head MK Yair Lapid said Monday.

"The State of Israel needs a different government, a different prime minister," Lapid added. "Yesh Atid will give all of its 24 votes in the Knesset to any move to oust the government, either by election or by forming an alternative government."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Economy Minister Nir Barkat visited the 769th Hiram Brigade in Israel’s North on Monday, meeting with a group of combat soldiers from the Devorah unit, who live in the North and whose families have been evacuated from their homes.

“We will do everything possible to bring security back to the North and allow your families to return home,” Netanyahu told the soldiers. “We will do everything needed. We prefer that this be done without a large campaign, but that will not stop us. We gave Hezbollah an example, in what happened to his friends in the South.”

Soldiers from Netzah Yehuda and other haredi companies are fighting inside the Gaza Strip, the spokesperson of the Nezah Yehuda association reported on Monday. 

Along with thousands of Netzah Yehuda graduates who are fighting in different arenas, the spokesperson mentioned the haredi company Tomer of the Givati Battalion, whose soldiers have been taking an active part in the combat ever since October 7, when along with soldiers of the Netzah Yehuda battalion, they participated in the defense of the Gaza border communities. 

In recent weeks, others have joined the fight. The spokesperson’s list includes a company of the haredi 900th Battalion, which is carrying out a maneuver in the depth of the enemy territory for the first time; and the Hetz company of paratroopers as part of the 35th and 202nd Battalions.

During the battles, members of the haredi battalions were unfortunately killed in action. Among them were Major Benjamin Lev, a Hetz fighter in the paratroopers who was killed in battle on October 7; and Captain Harel Sharvit, a Netzah Yehuda graduate officer, who led fighters in the elite 551 brigade during a military mission in the Gaza Strip.

Netzah Yehuda Battalion (credit: HILEL MEIR)

The spokesperson quoted Yossi Levy, CEO of the Netzach Yehuda association, who said that the haredi fighters enter battle with a sense of mission and with very high morale. He added that it is important for the haredi soldiers to prove themselves and show their abilities in the field. 

The "Netzah Yehuda" battalion is also positioned along the Syrian border of Syria and northern Samaria.

According to the spokesperson, the entire "Netzah Israel" battalion serves in the reserves and has been operating for 90 days in the areas of Jenin, participating in dozens of operations and elimination of terrorists.

Army sees a rise in haredi enlistment during war

Since the beginning of the war, Israel has seen a rise in haredi enlistment. On October 21, the IDF spokesperson disclosed that since the beginning of the war, the army had received 2000 applications from members of the haredi community who wished to enlist in the IDF. 

A recent study by the Tatia haredi think-tank has shown that 68% of haredim approve of enlistment to the army while 60% sustain that their community should contribute to the country in general and the war effort in particular. 

Zvika Klein contributed to this article. 

A drone attack on a vehicle today in the village of Khirbat Salem in southern Lebanon killed Jawad al-Tawil, a Hezbollah field commander appointed just a few weeks ago, according to reports in Arabic media.

The report has not yet been confirmed by Hezbollah-affiliated outlets. 

Israeli forces from the IDF, the Shin Bet, and Border Police arrested 17 terror suspects throughout the West Bank overnight and confiscated many weapons, the IDF said in a statement on Monday.

Reserve soldiers operated in the towns of Azzun and Ni'lin, arresting ten wanted persons and confiscating weapons, the statement said. During the operation in Azzun, explosive devices found in a vehicle were destroyed. In Nablus, forces arrested three wanted persons and confiscated weapons. 

The wanted persons were transferred to security forces for further investigation. There were no casualties among Israeli forces. 

More than 2,600 wanted persons have been arrested throughout the West Bank since the beginning of the war. Approximately 1,300 of those have been associated with Hamas.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it had been compelled to cancel a mission to bring medical supplies to northern Gaza on Sunday after failing to receive security guarantees.

It was the fourth time WHO had had to call off a planned mission to bring urgently needed medical supplies to Al-Awda Hospital and the central drug store in northern Gaza since December 26, it said.

"It has now been 12 days since we were last able to reach northern Gaza," the WHO office in the Palestinian territories wrote on the X social media platform.

Bombardment interrupts mission to deliver medical supplies 

"Heavy bombardment, movement restrictions, and interrupted communications are making it nearly impossible to deliver medical supplies regularly and safely across Gaza, particularly in the north."

The delivery planned on Sunday, WHO said, had been designed to sustain the operations of five hospitals in the northern part of the enclave.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was "shocked by the scale of health needs and devastation in northern Gaza."

"Further delays will lead to more death and suffering for far too many people," he wrote on X.

In separate comments, the International Rescue Committee aid group said its emergency medical team and the Medical Aid for Palestinians charity had been forced to withdraw and cease its activities at the Al Aqsa Hospital in Gaza's Middle Area due to increasing Israeli military activity in the area.

The Israeli offensive launched in the wake of a deadly rampage by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7 has displaced most of Gaza's 2.3 million population, left many homes and civilian infrastructure in ruins, and caused acute shortages of food, water, and medicine.

Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon after an anti-tank missile landed in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona on Monday morning, despite no sirens sounding in the area.

No casualties or structural damage was caused, as per Israeli media. The IDF struck targets in Lebanon in response to the anti-tank fire.

In addition, fighter jets struck active Hezbollah military sites and other terror infrastructure along the border, the IDF said.

IDF strikes Hezbollah military compound, terror infrastructure in Lebanon

The IDF attacked a series of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon overnight, the IDF said in a statement earlier on Monday.

Israeli Air Force fighter jets attacked a Hezbollah military compound near the village of Marwahin overnight, as well as a rocket launcher and terrorist infrastructure near the village of Ayta ash Shab.

Over the past 24 hours, a remotely manned aircraft of the Air Force attacked a launcher from which a shot was fired at Israeli territory, and a combat helicopter attacked an area from which an anti-aircraft missile was launched into Israel. 

Israel has the duty to protect Palestinians in the West Bank, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in Ramallah on Monday.

Her comments came after the Palestinian health ministry said Israeli forces had killed six Palestinians in the West Bank. Israeli officials said an Israeli police officer was killed in the violence.

Forces from the IDF's 7th Brigade have been working in recent days to expand operations in southern Khan Yunis, the IDF said in a statement on Monday.

Combat soldiers killed many terrorists in close-range battles, the statement went on, using tank shells and working together with the Air Force. 

The forces carried out searches of terrorist infrastructure located next to civilian homes. The searches yielded weapons, ammunition, radios, and documents of intelligence value.

Israeli forces operate in the Gaza Strip on January 8, 2024 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Search finds photos of weapons training for schoolchildren

In addition, the forces discovered a tunnel shaft near a school, toy Kalashnikov guns, and photos documenting schoolchildren receiving weapons training, the IDF said.

While IDF soldiers carried out operations, a terrorist squad targeted the soldiers with several RPG missiles. Using tank attacks and airstrikes, IDF forces killed the attacking terrorists.