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.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to meet Israeli leaders on Tuesday in his quest to prevent the Gaza conflict from growing into a regional conflagration as the Israeli military said its fight against Hamas will rage all year.

Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv late Monday to brief Israeli officials on his two days of talks with Arab leaders on ending the war triggered by Hamas terrorists' attack on Israel that by Israeli tallies killed about 1,200 people on Oct 7.

He also said he would press Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government "on the absolute imperative to do more to protect civilians and to do more to make sure that humanitarian assistance is getting into the hands of those who need it."

Israel must allow displaced Palestinian civilians to return to their homes in Gaza, Blinken said in response to calls by right-wing members of Israel's ruling coalition for them to move elsewhere.

Israeli leaders will tell Blinken that they will not allow Palestinians from northern Gaza to return if Hamas refuses to free more of the Israeli hostages it seized on Oct. 7, Axios reported, quoting two senior Israeli officials.

Netanyahu has vowed to pursue the drive until Hamas is destroyed. But he has come under growing pressure from the United States, his country's closest ally, and Arab leaders to scale back the assault.

US President Joe Biden, confronted on Monday by protesters shouting "ceasefire now" while visiting an historic Black church in South Carolina, said he had been "quietly" working to encourage Israel to ease its attacks and "significantly get out of Gaza."

Smoke rises after an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip, as it seen from the Israeli side of the border, on January 7, 2024. (credit: FLASH90)

Israeli officials have said the operation is entering a new phase of more targeted warfare, but there was no respite in the fighting on Monday.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman, said a "different mix of forces" was pursuing holdout Hamas fighters in the north as "intense operational activity" focused on central Gaza and around the southern city of Khan Younis.

"Handling tough battles in both the center and south," Hagari said. "The fighting will continue through 2024."

Israeli forces bombarded the eastern part of Khan Younis and the central Gaza Strip amid ground clashes, residents said.

Hamas's military wing the Al-Qassam Brigades said its fighters fired missiles at Tel Aviv in response to what it called the "Zionist massacres against civilians."

And in a further sign of the war spreading, Israel killed a top commander of Hamas' ally Hezbollah in south Lebanon on Monday, sources familiar with the group's operations said.

Blinken flew to Tel Aviv after talks in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to try to chart a way out of the bloodiest chapter ever of the decades-long Israel-Palestinian conflict. It is his fourth mission to the region since October.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi oasis town of Al Ula, Blinken said he still found support among Arab leaders for Israel's goal of normalizing relations.

But that will "require that the conflict end in Gaza" and "a practical pathway to a Palestinian state," said Blinken, who held talks in Jordan and Qatar on Sunday.

The Saudi crown prince, the kingdom's de facto ruler, stressed the importance of stopping the hostilities and forging a path to peace, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

SPA said the crown prince - who prior to the war's outbreak had been leading a rapprochement between his country and Israel - underscored the need to ensure the Palestinian people's legitimate rights.

Israel, which says it is in a fight for its very survival, accuses Hamas of operating among civilians. Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction, denies this.

The Israeli offensive so far has killed 23,084 Palestinians, Gaza health officials say. Israel says Hamas still holds more than 100 hostages of the 240 seized in its attack on Israel.

 'Dangerous combat zones'

Jordan's King Abdullah said on Monday that "indiscriminate aggression" and shelling could never bring peace or security.

In remarks at the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Rwanda, he said: "More children have died in Gaza than in all other conflicts around the world this past year. Of those who have survived, many have lost one or both parents, an entire generation of orphans."

The Israeli military said it had bombed an arms cache and uncovered a tunnel shaft in central Gaza and killed at least 10 terrorist fighters in Khan Younis.

It dropped leaflets on al Moghani in central Gaza warning residents to evacuate several districts it said were "dangerous combat zones." Hamas said a sniper had killed an Israeli soldier in central Gaza.

Nearly all of Gaza's residents have fled their homes at least once and many remain on the move, often sheltering in makeshift tents or under tarpaulins.

For Aziza Abbas, 57, camped close to the southern border with Egypt, there was nowhere else to go after what she said was bombing around a school in which she had taken shelter after leaving her home in the north.

"They may kill us here, it doesn't matter to them," she told Reuters, saying she did not want to leave Gaza for Egypt, which has closed the border fearing an exodus.

An Israeli security delegation reportedly arrived in Cairo on Monday to negotiate the release of the hostages, according to Israeli media reports citing the pro-Qatari Al-Arabi Al-Jadid newspaper. 

The resumption of negotiations comes amid mounting internal and external pressure to end the war and for Hamas to return the hostages. 

Negotiations had been suspended after the assassination of the deputy head of the political wing of Hamas, Saleh al-Arouri , in Beirut, a week ago. An Israeli security delegation cut short the visit it was making to Cairo in the wake of the Egyptian decision.

Who was Saleh al-Arouri?

Arouri, 57, was reportedly the deputy to Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas' political bureau, and was responsible for the military activities of the terror organization in the West Bank.

Along with Arouri, six other Hamas members, some of them senior, were killed in the attack on the offices of the terrorist organization in an area considered to be a Hezbollah stronghold in the Lebanese capital.

Hamas leader Saleh Al-Arouri (left) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (right) (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90 and ARAB MEDIA)

Historically, Egypt has been a key negotiator between Israel and Hamas in conflict, and since December, has proposed ceasefire deals to Israel and Hamas in exchange for Hamas releasing hostages. The parties have not yet agreed to any terms.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz confirmed Monday evening in an interview with Channel 14 that Israel is behind the assassination of the commander of the Radwan Force, Wissam al-Tawil, despite Jerusalem not officially taking responsibility for the assassination, Ynet reported on Tuesday.

"Regarding the strike in southern Lebanon, we took responsibility for that assassination of the Radwan Force commander," said the Foreign Minister. "It's part of the war; we're targeting Hezbollah operatives, infrastructure, and systems they've set up to deter Israel."

The FM said, "We are paying prices. There is a war here; we are operating under a framework that has been established. We did not decide to thwart 150,000 missiles right now. We set a goal to restore security to the residents of the north, to restore security to the residents of the south, and to the State of Israel."

IDF refuses to comment

The IDF Spokesman, Lt. Col. Daniel Hagari refused to comment this evening on the assassination of the commander of the Radwan Force in Lebanon, although he was asked about it during the daily press briefing.

He replied, "We need to act to remove the threat on the northern border and create the conditions that will allow it's residents to return home safely - we will achieve this with actions, not words. I don't want to comment on what is published in the foreign media, we are well prepared on the northern border."

Israel Katz (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

Al-Tawil, was a senior Hezbollah official who was killed in an attack reportedly attributed to Israel by the international media. He was recently appointed commander of the Radwan force, an elite unit of the Lebanese terrorist organization. He is the most senior member of Hezbollah to be killed in an Israeli strike. 

Al-Tawil was responsible for the ambush on October 7, 2000, at Mount Dov, when IDF combat engineers Adi Avitan, Benyamin Avraham, and Omar Sawaed were killed, kidnapped by Hezbollah, and then their bodies were returned to Israel in a prisoner exchange. 

Al-Tawil was also behind the killing and abduction of soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev in July 2006, an operation that led Israel to the Second Lebanon War. He was also responsible for the attack in Magidoo in March 2023, where a terrorist from Lebanon infiltrated Israel and planted an explosive that severely injured an Israeli driver.

In Lebanon, it was reported that al-Tawil was killed in an attack by an Israeli drone that targeted a car in the destroyed town of Salim in the southern part of the country. In the attack, about 10 kilometers from the Israel-Lebanon border, another person whose identity has not yet been disclosed was killed, likely another member of Hezbollah.

Since October 8, Hezbollah has attacked Israel with rockets and anti-tank missiles close to the northern border, and the IDF has fired back in response. However, since late December, and particularly after the assassination of Hamas Deputy Chief Saleh al-Arouri, Hezbollah has fired dozens of rockets and significantly damaged an important piece of the IDF’s air defense capabilities in the North.

The IDF announced the names of 4 soldiers who fell in battle in Gaza on Tuesday morning. 

Sergeant Roi Tal, 19 years old, from Kfar Yehoshua, a fighter in the 94th Battalion, Kafir Brigade, fell in battle in the southern Gaza Strip.

Major (res.) David Shortz, 26 years old, from Elazar, a fighter in the 8219th Engineering Battalion, Haci Hash formation (551), was killed in battle in the south of the Gaza Strip.

Major General (res.) Yakir Hakaster, 26 years old, from Jerusalem, a fighter in the 8291 Engineering Battalion, Hace Hash formation (551), fell in battle in the south of the Gaza Strip.

Major (ret.) Gabriel Blum, 27 years old, from Beit Shemesh, a fighter in the divisional engineering team of the 36th division, fell in battle in the center of the Gaza Strip. 

Warning that an Israel-Hezbollah war is not in anyone’s interests, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was set to arrive in Israel on Tuesday, as part of his efforts to secure a diplomatic solution by which the Iranian proxy group would withdraw from the northern border.

“It is not in the interest of anyone, Israel, Lebanon, Hezbollah for that matter, to see this escalate,” Blinken told reporters before departing Saudi Arabia for Tel Aviv on Monday night.

“Israelis have been clear with us that they want to find a diplomatic way forward, a diplomatic way forward that would create the kind of security that allows Israelis to return home,” Blinken said.

In Jerusalem, government spokesman Eylon Levy said “Hezbollah is dragging Lebanon into an unnecessary war, the war that Hamas began.

“The situation in the North is intolerable now,” with Hezbollah shelling the northern border, preventing some 80,000 Israelis from living in their homes, Levy said.

“We are now at the fork in the road, either Hezbollah backs away or we will push it away. There is now a very narrow window of diplomatic opportunity for the world to secure the enforcement of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and push Hezbollah away from the border. Hezbollah’s systematic aggression has rendered that security council resolution null and void,” he said.

Both Israel and the US have hoped that it can fully implement 1701, which forbids the presence of non-state actors, such as Hezbollah, from situating itself along Israel’s border.

According to CNN, Blinken has gone so far as to send back-channel messages to Iran about the importance of calm along the Israel-Lebanon border.

He spoke as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Economy Minister Nir Barkat traveled to the northern border city of Kiryat Shmona, to visit the IDF 769th ‘Hiram’ Brigade close to the border.

The prime minister issued a warning to Hezbollah not to escalate the cross-border violence any further, recalling the destruction the IDF leveled against it during the Second Lebanon War in 2006.

“Hezbollah made a big mistake with us in 2006, and it is also doing so now. It thought that we were like ‘spider’s cobwebs’. Suddenly it sees what kind of ‘spider’. It sees great force here, the unity of the people, the determination to do everything necessary to restore security to the North.

Netanyahu reiterated that Israel will do everything to restore that security“ and allow your families – because many of you are from here – to return home in safety. We are not to be trifled with.”

Separately, Blinken, before leaving Saudi Arabia, said he spoke with regional allies about the importance of halting Houthi attacks against ships in the Red Sea as an act of protest against the Gaza war.

“These attacks... are a threat to everyone,” he said, explaining that the attacks are raising prices on basic commodities. “If it continues, there have to be consequences, so our strong preference is that the Houthis get the message .. that this has to stop."

Idan Amedi, one of the stars of Fauda and a popular singer, is among the wounded in Monday’s disaster in Gaza, the IDF spokesman announced in the evening. Unofficial reports on social media that have been circulating for hours said he was seriously injured while fighting in an IDF counterterrorism operation. 

Amedi went to fight in Gaza as a reservist in the early days of the war. Amedi documented moments from his service on his Instagram account, posting in November, “This is not a scene from Fauda, this is real life,” in a video recorded ahead of an operation, adding that he and his fellow soldiers were motivated by their concern for the victims of Hamas’s October 7 massacre. “May God and us avenge their blood,” he said.

How did he get his start?

Amedi began his career as a musician, competing on the eighth season of the Israeli talent competition show, Kochav Nolad. In that competition and throughout his career, he composed and performed many songs related to his military service in the combat engineering corps. He has released several popular albums, and his songs have millions of views on YouTube.

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A post shared by Idan Amedi | עידן עמדי (@idan_amedi)

He joined the popular series, Fauda, from Yes Studios, which has become a worldwide hit on Netflix, in its second season, playing Sagi, a member of the counterterrorism unit headed by Doron (Lior Raz). In recent seasons, he began a romance with fellow counterterrorism unit member, Nurit (Rona Lee-Shimon), that was a big hit with fans. 

As Israelis wait for updates on Amedi’s condition, his many fans around the world join his family in wishing a speedy recovery for the actor whose real-life bravery on the battlefield was as bold as anything he portrayed on television. 

The White House has been pushing Israel to massively reduce its military presence in Gaza, US President Joe Biden said on Monday as Secretary of State Antony Blinken was scheduled to visit Tel Aviv on Tuesday to meet with top officials about the transition to a low-intensity campaign in the enclave.

“I have been quietly working with the Israeli government to get them [to] reduce and significantly get out of Gaza,” Biden said in what has been one of his clearest statements to date expressing his desire for the Gaza war to end.

He spoke after several protesters calling “ceasefire now” interrupted his remarks at the historic Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, where avowed white supremacist Dylann Roof gunned down nine Black parishioners in 2015.

"I understand their passion," Biden said of the protesters as security removed them from the church.

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

He also underscored the need for working to create conditions for restoring stability and the peace track to ensure the Palestinian people obtain their legitimate rights and achieve just and lasting peace.

It was a message that Blinken heard as he visited Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates during his diplomatic blitz this week. On Monday, Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas visited Cairo to discuss the importance of ending the war with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi, according to the Palestine News Agency Wafa.

The US has publicly defended the IDF campaign in Gaza and provided military support even as it has pressed Israel to begin a low-intensity phase and to do more to both protect Palestinian civilians and to secure the entry of humanitarian assistance into the enclave.

In Qatar, Blinken on Sunday said that “too many innocent Palestinian lives had been lost.”

Israel has insisted that it plans to continue its military campaign until it has destroyed Hamas in Gaza and secured the release of what is now esteemed to be some 136 hostages seized during the October 7 attack.

Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy said on Monday that the free world understands that “anything short of a total Israeli victory after the 10.7 atrocities would leave Hamas free and emboldened to attack again, thinking it has the support of the international community.”

A failure to defeat Hamas would “fuel violent extremism around the world, the same sort of violent extremism we have been helping to thwart on the streets of Western capitals,” he said.

He spoke as the IDF has said that it is entering the third phase of the war, which began after the Hamas-led October infiltration into Israel, in which over 1,200 people were killed and 250 seized as hostages. To date, 110 of those captives have been released and the bodies of an additional 11 hostages have been returned to Israel.

The Wall Street Journal said on Monday that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had indicated in an interview with them that Israel was moving from an “intense maneuvering phase of the war” toward “different types of special operations.”

A recent survey conducted by Panel Project has unveiled stark disapproval among Israelis regarding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The survey, comprising 503 respondents from Jewish communities in Israel, highlights a prevalent belief that UNRWA fails to effectively fulfill its official role as a social service provider in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Key findings of the survey reveal that only 5% of Israelis believe UNRWA adequately performs its duties.

This sentiment is reinforced by revelations of UNRWA personnel's involvement in the Hamas massacre and their affiliations with Islamic Jihad terrorists.

These revelations have led to 71% of Israelis viewing the recent events as reflective of UNRWA's true nature, not mere anomalies.

The Israeli public's dissatisfaction extends to their government's handling of UNRWA's conduct.

UNRWA employees take part in a sit-in demonstration, according to them against anticipated austerity measures within the organization, in Amman, Jordan November 8, 2021. (credit: REUTERS/JEHAD SHELBAK)

Nearly half, 45%, assign a failing grade to the government's management of the issue, with a further 27% offering a barely passing grade.

76% of Israelis support removal of UNRWA

The survey delves deeper into the problematic aspects of UNRWA's operations. For instance, 76% of Israelis support the removal of UNRWA from the Gaza Strip post-war, as proposed by the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Furthermore, 85% hold Hamas primarily responsible for the situation, followed by the Palestinian Authority, 79%, UNRWA, 75%, and Western countries which fund UNWRA, 69%.

Dr. Einat Wilf, a former Knesset member, and researcher on the UNRWA issue, commented on the results, stating that UNRWA's continued existence perpetuates the conflict and absolves Palestinian terrorist organizations of civilian responsibility.

"Unfortunately, despite increasing public awareness of the harm associated with maintaining UNRWA, certain factions within the Israeli government and security establishment continue to view UNRWA as important, even if only in providing assistance," Wilf said. "However, a comprehensive understanding reveals that UNRWA serves two pivotal roles: 1) perpetuating the conflict by cultivating the notion of 'perpetual refugees' and advocating for 'return,' 2) absolving Palestinian terrorist organizations of any responsibility for the civilian population, enabling them to focus solely on attacking Israelis. Consequently, it becomes evident that there is no need to seek any replacement for the organization."

The survey indicates a significant shift in Israeli public opinion towards UNRWA, highlighting concerns over its role in regional conflicts and its impact on Israel's security. This development may influence future policies and international relations in the region.

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stressed on Monday the importance of stopping the military operations in Gaza and forming a path for peace, the Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

The crown prince's remarks came as he received visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Al Ula city.

He also underscored the need for working to create conditions for restoring the stability and the peace track to ensure the Palestinian people obtain their legitimate rights and achieve just and lasting peace.