Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 104?

Any ceasefire in Gaza is conditional on the dismantling of the Hamas terror group and immediate release of all hostages, the European Parliament ruled in a Thursday vote, Israel's Foreign Ministry said, lauding a major "diplomatic achievement."

The parliament resolution was accepted following a vote, with 312 supporters to 131 who voted against.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that the European Parliament "recognized Israel's right to defend itself...we will continue to work for the interest of the State of Israel.

 White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan is meeting on Thursday with families of hostages being held by Hamas militants, fellow national security adviser John Kirby said.

Those discussing the day after in Gaza are discussing the establishment of a Palestinian state led by the Palestinian Authority, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed in a Thursday evening press conference.

Israel will only agree to a deal that would see Israel gain security control over the entire Gaza Strip, Netanyahu added, claiming that he "told this to the Americans.

"I blocked an attempt to force us into a reality that would harm the State of Israel," Netanyahu claimed.

Asked about potential Israeli military action against Iran, Netanyahu responded: "Who said we aren't attacking Iran? It is the head of the octopus...imagine what Iran could do across the Middle East, take it over and cause its collapse."

Netanyahu: Israel won't settle for less than total victory in Gaza war

The IDF's war on Hamas on all fronts will continue until all targets are met, "The victory will take a few more months, but we are determined to reach it," the prime minister said.

Netanyahu also lamented the press for "doubting" Israel's ability to defeat Hamas. "The government, under my leadership, will not settle for anything less than a total victory."

That the dozens of Israeli diplomats, legal officials, and political officials involved in preparing for fighting the genocide allegations against Israel before the International Court of Justice did not have a simple job would be the understatement of the year.

Although all Israelis have had a traumatic three months due to the ongoing war, the Jerusalem Post understands that these officials went through a special level of difficulty given the responsibility to protect the country from genocide recriminations.

Many of them would say that there was a small amount of relief after the hearing ended, but certainly no elation.

Rather, their view would be that it was a very difficult situation and process, having to engage about such accusations against Israel.  

On the positive side, much of Israel’s ICJ team was happily surprised to receive a proverbial “hug” from the general public in Israel following the hearing.

Their view would be that the public was exposed to their work on more of a day-to-day basis and to the complexity and importance of what they do, which helped the public relate more to the kind of legal discourse the team is part of on behalf of Israel.

Team members would say that it was a very unique intense experience on a personal level.

Because of the intensity of the mission and the speed of the process, team members did not initially get to think about the full public significance of the event beyond the legal intricacies they dived into.

The amount of time there was to prepare was limited to two weeks.

The IDF's war on Hamas on all fronts will continue until all targets are met, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed in a Thursday evening press conference.

"The victory will take a few more months, but we are determined to reach it," the prime minister

Netanyahu also lamented the press for "doubting" Israel's ability to defeat Hamas. "The government, under my leadership, will not settle for anything less than a total victory."

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir denied claims that he ordered Border Police forces to shoot any terrorist on sight, "even if they do not provide a threat," during a visit to the YAMAS counterterrorism unit on Thursday.

"You have my backing, when you see a terrorist, shoot. Even if he does not provide a threat to your lives," Ben-Gvir was quoted by Israeli media as saying.

In response, the national security minister released a statement,  saying that the quotes reported were "inaccurate.

"The minister told the officers that, when they operate, they have to kill armed terrorists before they shoot at forces, rather than wait for them to open fire."

Hamas has set a trap in Rafah for the IDF.

Despite reports that the IDF has an updated operational plan for entering Rafah, or for at least securing the Egypt/Gaza border known as the Philadelphi Corridor, the Jerusalem Post understands that there is not yet an immediate decision to move forward.

Both the Hamas trap and the factors that have held back the IDF from entering Rafah with ground troops even past the 100-day mark of the war relate to a series of highly complex factors that could be decisive in shaping the outcome of the war and the post-war era.

Why hasn’t the IDF gone into Rafah to date?

The reasons have evolved, but paradoxically there are even more problems today with going in at the same time that going in has become more critical than ever.

Initially, the IDF decided to mostly focus its late October invasion in northern Gaza, leaving not only Rafah, but also most of Khan Yunis and the rest of southern Gaza untouched.

The Post understands that the hope or gamble was that Hamas’s leadership would see the dominance, power, and destruction in northern Gaza and decide to cut a deal favorable to Israel to avoid the same occurring in Khan Yunis.

 Iran-backed Hezbollah has rebuffed Washington's initial ideas for cooling tit-for-tat fighting with neighboring Israel, such as pulling its fighters further from the border, but remains open to US diplomacy to avoid a ruinous war, Lebanese officials said.

US envoy Amos Hochstein has been leading a diplomatic outreach to restore security at the Israel-Lebanon frontier as the wider region teeters dangerously towards a major escalation of the conflict ignited by the Gaza war.

Attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis on shipping in the Red Sea, US strikes in response, and fighting elsewhere in the Middle East have added urgency to the efforts.

"Hezbollah is ready to listen," a senior Lebanese official familiar with the group's thinking said while emphasizing that the group saw the ideas presented by veteran negotiator Hochstein on a visit to Beirut last week as unrealistic.

Hezbollah's position is that it will fire rockets at Israel until there is a full ceasefire in Gaza. Hezbollah's rejection of the proposals presented by Hochstein has not been previously reported.

Despite the rejection and Hezbollah's volleys of rockets in support of Gaza, the group's openness to diplomatic contacts signals an aversion to a wider war, one of the Lebanese officials and a security source said, even after an Israeli strike reached Beirut on Jan. 2, killing a Hamas leader.

Israel has also said it wants to avoid war, but both sides say they are ready to fight if necessary. Israel warns it will respond more aggressively if a deal to make the border area safe is not reached.

Such an escalation would open a major new phase in the regional conflict.

As soon as Agam Goldstein-Almog (17) was abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7 in Gaza, she was forced to put on a headscarf and a long dress, commanded to look at the ground, was forced to recite Islamic prayer, and her abductors gave her a name from the Quran, Salsabil, the Washington Post reported on Monday.

In an interview with international media, Agam described the horror she experienced for nearly two months as a hostage inside Gaza while speaking from a kibbutz in central Israel that has largely become a temporary refuge for displaced Israeli civilians. 

In the interview, Agam addressed the female hostages still in Gaza. She asked, “Have you eaten enough today? Are you together, or have they separated you? Has he harmed you again? Has he asked you, again, if you’re married, if he could set you up with someone from Gaza? Has he entered your shower again, stripped the pajamas that he gave you, touched the would from the bullet that he shot, that really hurt you? But his control hurt more.” 

Agam was taken to the Hamas tunnels underneath Gaza, to apartments and a school that was also a rocket launching site. Her captors allowed her to shower five times in the 51 days she was in Gaza, the Washington Post reported. 

At Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Goldstein-Almog’s father and older sister were shot dead by Hamas terrorists in their family home. She was taken in her “tiny shortie pajamas,” half sleeping in Gaza with her mother and her nine and 11-year-old brothers. 

Guarded by terrorists at all times at gunpoint, their mother and the three siblings were not allowed to cry, make noise, or mourn the death of their family members in any apparent way. Sometimes, the guards would shout at Agam, other times, they tried to win Agam’s sympathy with looted creams and perfumes, Agam said, reported the Washington Post. 

The International Committee of Red Cross stated on Thursday that they would not be involved in the transfer of medication during the Qatar-Israel agreement to bring medication to the hostages being held captive by Hamas, according to Israeli media.

The Red Cross stated that they are "in contact with the parties necessary in order to reach an agreement regarding the creation of a mechanism to transfer medication to the hostages."

"The Red Cross is not a party that will participate in the implementation of the agreed upon mechanism, including the supply of medicine. The Red Cross welcomes the agreement of the delivery of medication to hostages and medical facilities for the residents of Gaza, viewing it to be a positive humanitarian step," they concluded.