Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 100?
US urges Israel to tone down Gaza war, Netanyahu vows victory • IDF: 522 soldiers killed since October 7, 2,536 wounded
IDF eliminates terrorists who infiltrated over Lebanese border
Throughout the day on Saturday, Hezbollah took responsibility for eight separate attacks along the Lebanese-Israeli border.
The IDF eliminated four terrorists who tried to infiltrate into Israel from Lebanon in the Mount Dov area early Sunday morning, according to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit.
The soldiers spotted the four terrorists during a patrol of the area and a firefight erupted, during which the four terrorists were killed.
The IDF also carried out artillery and mortar fire toward Lebanon during the incident, with Lebanese media reporting over 60 projectiles were fired toward the Shebaa Farms area of Lebanon in the incident.
Throughout the day on Saturday, Hezbollah took responsibility for eight separate attacks along the Lebanese-Israeli border.
Halevi warns 'Hezbollah may turn all of Lebanon into a combat zone'
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi warned on Saturday night that "Hezbollah has chosen to act as a 'Hamas shield' under Iran's command, and we are exacting an ever-increasing price from it."
"Those who condition an end of clashes in the north with an end to the fighting in the Gaza Strip will pay increasing prices. So it was, so it will be in the future," added Halevi.
"The security reality in the north is already taking shape these days. We are keeping the Radwan terrorists away from the border and damaging Hezbollah's capabilities that it has built up over the years. We operate freely in Lebanon's airspace and attack any threat we detect."
"The southern Lebanon region is a combat zone, and it will remain so, as long as Hezbollah operates from it. Hezbollah may turn the entire country of Lebanon into a combat zone, this will have a heavy price," warned the chief of staff. "We are prepared for war even today, and are constantly improving our capabilities. We are committed to changing the security situation in such a way that will allow the residents to return to their homes in complete safety - in the north and the south."
Go to the full article >>Sisters of former Hamas leader al-Arouri arrested in West Bank - report
Israeli forces arrested Dalal and Fatima al-Arouri, the sisters of former Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri, from their homes in al-Bireh and Aroura in the West Bank early Sunday morning, according to Palestinian reports.
Go to the full article >>Gallant storms out of cabinet meeting: Stop disturbing me!
The heated situation in the cabinet comes as tensions between Netanyahu and Gallant have continued to grow during the war.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stormed out of a meeting of the security cabinet on Saturday night after a dispute erupted concerning the participation of aides, Israeli media reported.
The meeting of the cabinet was designated as closed to aides, and Gallant's chief of staff was refused entry. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials, however, were allowed to bring in aides. According to reports, Gallant's military secretary was allowed to enter the meeting.
Gallant responded to the refusal with outrage, and an argument broke out. During the argument, National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi stated, "Even I didn't keep my aides here," to which Gallant responded, "You forgot that you're also an aide," according to Walla.
During the second part of the cabinet, Gallant returned to the meeting.
Sources close to Gallant told Maariv that Netanyahu brought five aides to the meeting, despite the supposed prohibition on bringing in aides. "The chief of staff of the Defense Ministry and the military secretary are not luxuries, they are an important executive arm in delivering instructions to the ministry and the army."
'Such a thing has never happened'
According to the sources, the refusal was a direct continuation of earlier such behavior toward Gallant, including the reported prevention of meetings of the heads of the Shin Bet and the Mossad with Gallant. The sources added that such a thing had never happened. Sources close to Netanyahu stated that this was a situation of "just politics."
The heated situation in the cabinet comes as tensions between Netanyahu and Gallant have continued to grow during the war.
Gallant and Netanyahu clashed in March as well when the defense minister warned against the effects of the judicial reform on Israeli society and Netanyahu responded by announcing he would fire Gallant. After massive protests erupted against the decision, Netanyahu froze the decision and backed down from firing the minister.
'Little children is what you all are, and during wartime no less'
Likud MK Tally Gotliv responded to the reported dispute in the security cabinet on Saturday night, posting on X "How can you trust a limited cabinet that behaves like children in kindergarten? Are we supposed to trust the presence of Tzachi Hanegbi more than the defense minister? Isn't there one responsible adult who will call the people to order? Geez, you're managing a war. The defense minister can't enter with his assistant who serves as his right hand??"
"Little children is what you all are, and during wartime no less," added Gotliv.
Go to the full article >>Relatives recount Gaza deaths as protesters in Washington demand ceasefire
Adam Abosherieah, one of the speakers, said over 100 family members, including his 83-year-old father, mother, and brother, have been killed in Israeli air strikes.
Family members of Palestinians killed in Israel's military campaign in Gaza shared grief-ridden stories with thousands of protesters who gathered in downtown Washington on Saturday, demanding an immediate ceasefire.
In one of the largest pro-Palestinian demonstrations to date in the US capital, the protesters repeated their call for US President Joe Biden to stop sending arms to Israel and chanted "free Palestine" and "ceasefire now."
Some people chanted: "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" - a slogan that critics interpret as a call for the elimination of Israel.
Adam Abosherieah, one of the speakers, said over 100 family members, including his 83-year-old father, mother, and brother, have been killed in Israeli air strikes.
"Dozens of my family members' bodies are still under the rubble," Abosherieah, a pharmacist from New Jersey, said. "President Biden can easily put a stop to this genocide ... He can easily pick up the phone and call Israel to stop this madness."
Other speakers included Randa Muhtaseb, who said she lost 36 family members in Gaza, and Alaa Hussein Ali, who spoke about over 100 of his relatives killed in Israeli attacks.
Reuters could not independently verify these figures.
On Saturday, protesters came to Washington from different parts of the country and expressed concerns about Biden's military support for Israel.
"We cannot tolerate this, we cannot allow our money to be used to murder children across the world ... that money could be used over here for good causes," said Suhail Mustafa, a protester from Cleveland.
Though long a supporter of Israel, Biden has expressed concern over civilian deaths as the war has gone on.
Biden has previously described Israel's bombing campaign as "indiscriminate," and said on Monday he had been working "quietly" with the Israeli government to encourage it to reduce its attacks and "significantly get out of Gaza."
Protesters "disappointed" by Biden's support for Israel
Mohammed Kaiseruddin, 79, who flew in from Chicago for the protest, was holding a sign that read: “Freedom for Gaza and the West Bank.”
“The Biden administration has truly disappointed everyone,” said Kaiseruddin, who described himself as typically voting for Democrats. “They seem to have lost their sense of humanity. When it comes to Palestine and Israel, his values are upside down completely.”
Another protester, Judy Johnson, said she resigned from the Democratic Party over US military support for Israel, although she added she would still vote for Democrats in the November US presidential elections if the choice was between Biden and Republican rival former President Donald Trump.
"I don't think people see an alternative to Trump, so they'll vote for Biden," Johnson said.
Go to the full article >>Hostage family members gather around hourglass in Times Square symbolizing time is running out
On display is a giant hourglass that previously was featured in Tel Aviv.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum gathered Saturday morning in Times Square marking 100 days since the hostages were taken on October 7.
On display is a giant hourglass that previously was featured in Tel Aviv.
Time is running out
"We came to the heart of New York, one of the most visited places in the world, to call on the entire international community to stop and do everything to free the hostages. We must not convey a message that kidnapping and holding innocent people hostage is an acceptable thing in the world,” Gili Roman, brother of released hostage Yarden Roman-Gat and a relative of hostage Carmel Gat, said, according to a release from the Forum.
Daniel Elgert, whose brother Yitzhak was abducted, said the hourglass was placed in Times Square so that “citizens of the whole world who come to travel here will remember our loved ones in captivity, and that their time is running out."
Go to the full article >>No one, including Iran or ICJ, will stop IDF in Gaza - Netanyahu
The genocide charge against Israel, Netanyahu said, "is a moral low in the history of nations.”
The International Court of Justice can’t stop Israel from defeating Hamas in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a news conference on Saturday night.
“No one will stop us – not The Hague, not the Axis of Evil, and no one else,” Netanyahu said as he referenced the ICJ as well as Iran and its proxies.
He spoke as the ICJ was hearing a request by South Africa to order Israel to halt its war against Hamas in Gaza.
South Africa had appealed to the ICJ to intervene, claiming Israel violated the 1948 Convention on the Prevention of Genocide. Both South Africa and Israel had argued in front of the court at The Hague in the Netherlands on Thursday and Friday.
Israel has said that Hamas is guilty of genocide for its October 7 attack against the Jewish state in which it massacred over 1,200 people and seized another 250 captive
Netanyahu: ICJ hearing a 'moral low in the history of nations'
Netanyahu lashed out at the “hypocritical attack in The Hague on the Jewish state that rose from the ashes of the Holocaust, by emissaries [of Hamas, a group] who came to perpetrate another Holocaust on the Jews.”
The genocide charge against Israel, Netanyahu said, "is a moral low in the history of nations.”
In Hamas encampments in Gaza, Netanyahu said, the IDF found copies of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s book Mein Kampf.
“Inside a house in Gaza they found a girl’s tablet, with a picture of Hitler as a screensaver,” Netanyahu said.
There is a reason that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Hamas terrorists are the new Nazis after watching a film depicting the brutal killings on October 7, Netanyahu continued.
He told reporters he wanted to thank Germany for its decision to argue on Israel’s behalf to the ICJ. Berlin announced on Friday that it had joined the case as a third party and would appear before the judges during the main hearing, which has yet to take place.
“Yesterday I spoke with Chancellor Schulz and thanked him for Germany’s willingness to send a delegation to The Hague to help debunk this despicable lie,” he said.
Those who support Hamas, are standing up for “murderers, rapists, decapitators, [and] baby-burners,” Netanyahu said.
“This international defamation campaign will not loosen our hands or weaken our determination to fight to the end, because something has changed in the history of our people.
“Antisemitism is the same antisemitism, but the status of the Jewish people has changed... because today we have a country,
“Today we have defense forces and we have heroic soldiers who protect our people,” Netanyahu said, as he pledged that “what happened on October 7, will not happen again.”
Go to the full article >>Israel can't end war without sealing southern Gaza corridor - Netanyahu
“We cannot end the war without sealing this breach,” Netanyahu said, because otherwise “we will eliminate Hamas, we will demilitarize Gaza” only to have arms flow back in.
The Gaza Strip buffer zone along the Egyptian border known as the Philadelphi Corridor must be sealed to prevent arms smuggling, but no operational decision has been taken as to the best way to do so, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
“We cannot end the war without sealing this breach,” he said, because otherwise “we will eliminate Hamas, we will demilitarize Gaza” only to have arms flow back in through this southern breach.
He spoke about the corridor during a Saturday night press conference, hours after The Wall Street Journal reported that the IDF was planning a military operation near Egypt’s border with Gaza to seize control of that corridor.
Israel had controlled the small 14-kilometer corridor under terms set out by the 1979 peace treaty with Egypt, but it left that buffer zone area when it withdrew from Gaza in 2005.
Hamas built tunnels underneath Rafah crossing
Egypt maintains a crossing with Gaza at Rafah, but Hamas has built tunnels underneath that area to smuggle weapons into the Strip.
“There are several options” as to how to seal the breaches in that area, “but no decision has been taken, save for one - it has to be blocked,” he said.
Netanyahu repeated his pledge to continue the war against Hamas in Gaza until the terror group was destroyed and the remaining 136 hostages there were freed.
He spoke at the same time as relatives of the hostage held a rally in Tel Aviv demanding the release of the captives now.
French President Emmanuel Macron and US Ambassador to Israel Jake Lew addressed the rally. Lew said that US President Joe Biden and everyone in the administration were determined to free the captives.
“To get this done we are working tirelessly with the governments of Israel, Egypt, and any other country that can help us reach a breakthrough to bring them home,” Lew said.
“We will not waver in our commitment to bring them home,” he said.
Earlier in the evening IDF Chief-of-Staff Herzl Halevi told reporters he believed that military pressure was the best way to secure their release. Netanyahu issued the same statement when he spoke to the press.
When quizzed by a reporter about how it might feel to have one’s loved one in captivity for close to 100 days, Netanyahu said that was impossible to stand in those shoes, just like the relatives of the captives could not stand in his.
“No one can put themselves in the place of the family members” of the captives who are undergoing a terrible night,” he said.
“They cannot put themselves in the place of the political echelon Difficult decisions need to be made. We are making efforts [to free the captives” even in these moments.”
Hamas is trying to exact the highest price it can and Israel is countering that with military pressure, he said.
“If we lower that pressure and Hamas feels safe, no one will return,” he stressed.
On Friday the Prime Minister’s Office said the hostages in Gaza will receive medication through a deal mediated by Qatar.
"This effort is part of Israel's humanitarian aid mechanism for the Gaza Strip. The medicine will be delivered in the next few days,” the PMO stated.
At Netanyahu’s directive Mossad chief David Barnea “approached Qatar with a plan to deliver much-needed medicine for the hostages held in Gaza by the terror organization Hamas,” it explained.
It’s estimated that Hamas is holding 136 captives in Gaza out of the over 250 seized during its October 7 attack against southern Israel, of which 110 have already been freed. The bodies of some 11 captives have been returned to Israel and it is estimated that some 23 hostages have died or been killed in captivity.
Hamas has prevented the Red Cross from visiting the hostages and they have not received any medications.
The families' campaign for the return of the hostages said in response that “visual proof” was needed to ensure that the medications were truly delivered before moving forward on any aid mechanism for Gaza.
“The shocking images of the captives in captivity necessitates that the countries involved in the negotiations must increase pressure to lead to their immediate release” and should not be satisfied with the delivery of mediations, the campaign said.”
A Hamas official thanked Qatar on Saturday for sending medicine to the Gaza Strip "in light of the many risks that threaten the lives of Palestinians."
"Some medicine will be used to treat Israeli prisoners," Osama Hamdan, a Lebanon-based Hamas leader, told a news conference in Beirut.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Go to the full article >>Hamas official thanks Qatar for Gaza medicine deal
A Hamas official thanked Qatar on Saturday for sending medicine to the Gaza Strip "in light of the many risks that threaten the lives of Palestinians."
"Some medicine will be used to treat Israeli prisoners," Osama Hamdan, a Lebanon-based Hamas leader, told a news conference in Beirut.
Israel announced on Friday that it had made an arrangement with Qatar that will allow the delivery of medicines to hostages held in Gaza by Hamas, the Palestinian group that rules the Strip.
Hamdan said the priority was the citizens of Gaza.
"First, we believe our people are more deserving and in need of medicine, and secondly, there are security issues this presents."
Go to the full article >>Israelis mark 100 days of Gaza hostages' captivity, block Ayalon highway
Protesters blocked the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, with the Forum denying its involvement.
The Hostages and Missing Families' Forum called on the Israeli government to hold their cabinet meeting at Tel Aviv's Hostage Square in a special rally held on Saturday evening to mark 100 days of captivity in Gaza of those kidnapped by Hamas on October 7.
The rally included protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government. Protesters later blocked the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, with the Forum denying its involvement in the blocking of the highway.
Six suspects were arrested on suspicion of disturbing order, Israel Police said in a statement. The highways were later cleared of protesters.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who sent a recorded message to be screened at the Hostages' Square, was pictured holding a shirt bearing the "Bring Them Home Now" slogan, CRIF shared on X. In his message, Macron told the families of the Gaza hostages that they could trust him to "bring them all home."
Le Président de la République Monsieur @EmmanuelMacron arbore le t-shirt « Bring Them Home Now » pour témoigner son soutien à la libération des 136 otages encore retenus à Gaza. Trois Français sont toujours otages du Hamas.
— CRIF (@Le_CRIF) January 13, 2024
100 jours que les familles sont sans nouvelle de leurs… pic.twitter.com/uGX3sjLyWa
Providing words of solidarity in person was Jack Lew, US Ambassador to Israel. "I stand with you," Lew said. "President Biden and the US are determined to bring all the remaining abductees home." Lew added that the US is "working around the clock with the governments of Israel, Qatar, Egypt, and any other nation that can aid in this mission. We won't rest until everyone is returned home. We are united in the demand to bring them back now."
Tunnel exhibit unveiled in Tel Aviv
A nearly 100-foot long (30-meter) tunnel exhibit was unveiled at the plaza, opened ahead of the rally. The exhibit stood just feet away from the Shabbat table set up in honor of the kidnapped, set up in their honor in the earliest days of the war.
Constructed by industrial artist Roni Levavi, the tunnel was built to simulate how life in a tunnel would appear to those held by Hamas. The dark tunnel drew large crowds throughout the day and was filled with signatures of captive family members who accessed the exhibit before the general public.
The tunnel was filled with messages of hope, posters for missing loved ones, and pleas for help in English and Hebrew: bring them home now. Family members of the captives who visited went through with markers to write their remarks inside the exhibit. While walking through the dark tunnel, sounds resembling exploding bombs played on a loop.
Hostages in attendance
Some of those in attendance included released hostage Ofir Engel, a teen released as part of November’s hostage swap deal.
Engel was released after 54 days as a hostage in Gaza, after being kidnapped on October 7th from Kibbutz Be’eri while visiting his girlfriend, Yuval Sharabi. The Kibbutz Ramat Rachel resident was abducted alongside Sharabi’s father. Both Yuval and her sister Ophir Sharabi toured the tunnel replica alongside Engel.
Yuval and Ophir are both the daughters of Yossi Sharabi, and nieces of Eli Sharabi, both of whom have remained in Hamas captivity for 100 days.
While visiting, Engel stated: “Walking in this tunnel is terrifying, and being a hostage underground is unbearable. Their time is running out.” He called for their immediate release.
Also in attendance was Doron, a Kibbutz Hatzor resident and host father to many IDF lone soldiers throughout the years. On October 7th, one of his own was kidnapped, not long after arriving to begin his service through Tzofim Garin Tzabar.
Doron is 20-year-old Edan Alexander, a lone soldier who came for his IDF service from Tenafly, New Jersey in September. Among Alexander’s advocates are his entire host family, working to show up to the square daily and advocating for his immediate release.
“Edan is an amazing boy. Every time he came to the kibbutz, he came to us,” Doron told The Jerusalem Post. “On bloody Saturday, he was kidnapped from his base early in the morning. He was kidnapped alive. We are calling on the government, they need to bring him back alive,” he added.
Doron, who uses a motorized chair for mobility, has decorated the vehicle with signs calling for his release, and his kidnapped posters — each one with a different age, signifying that Alexander spent his 20th birthday in Hamas captivity. He said he has been passing the time by spending every day possible at the Hostage Square and headquarters, advocating for his return.
Families of the captives flowed in and out of the structure throughout the day. Starting Saturday afternoon, the public can access the tunnel while visiting the square.
"As long as Ohad isn't home, I feel abducted too."
Also in attendance was Raz Ben-Ami, who was released from Hamas captivity after 54 days in Gaza, and whose husband Ohad remains captive.
"My Ohad," Ben-Ami said, "you taught me about being in a relationship, but not about being abducted."
Ben-Ami went on: "Being abducted means constant uncertainty about your next meal, feeling suffocated all the time, and not knowing when you'll see daylight again. As long as Ohad isn't home, I feel abducted too. Time is running out for Ohad and the other abductees."
Go to the full article >>Israel-Hamas war: All you need to know
- Hamas launched a massive attack on October 7, with thousands of terrorists infiltrating from the Gaza border and taking some 240 hostages into Gaza
- Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered, including over 350 in the Re'im music festival and hundreds of Israeli civilians across Gaza border communities
- 136 hostages remain in Gaza, IDF says