Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 105?

Deputy Head of Information for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization Wael Makin Abdallah Abu-Fanounah was targeted and killed by the IDF in an airstrike on Thursday, the military announced on Friday in a joint statement with the Israel Security Service (Shin Bet.)

Fanounah was originally arrested in Israel on December 12, 1989, and was sentenced to three life sentences for his terrorist activities, but was released in 2011 as part of the Gilad Schalit prisoner deal.

Fanounah then served as deputy to Khalil al-Hayya, the Northern Gaza Strip Commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Since 2017, before assuming his role as deputy head of the organization's Information Network, Fanounah was responsible for producing terror videos related to rocket attacks on Israeli territory and creating and disseminating documentation of Israeli captives as part of the psychological warfare conducted by terror groups in Gaza against Israeli residents.

IDF graphic showing Wael Abu-Fanounah, killed on January 18, 2024 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

IDF continues battling in Gaza 

IDF troops are continuing to operate within Gaza, coordinating with the Israeli Air Force to conduct precise strikes based on the information received from the ground. 

Soldiers from the 179th 179th Armored Brigade "Ram" came under fire from terrorists armed with RPGs in central Gaza on Thursday. Subsequently, the soldiers scanned the area and the structure where the terrorists were operating, discovering RPG launchers, Kalashnikov rifles, and military equipment.
 
In the northern sector of Gaza, the 5th "Sharon" (Reserve) Infantry Brigade neutralized several armed terrorists involved in recent attacks on IDF troops that occurred in northern Gaza. The soldiers attacked and killed the militants with the assistance of tank fire and aerial support from the Air Force.

US Central Command forces on Friday conducted strikes against three Houthi anti-ship missiles that were aimed into the Southern Red Sea and were prepared to launch, the US military said on X, formerly called Twitter.

"US forces identified the missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region. US forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missiles in self-defense," the US Central Command said in the post on X.

US President Joe Biden on Friday said the creation of an independent state for Palestinians was not impossible while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was still in office, and the two leaders had discussed the issue on Friday.

Asked if a two-state solution was "impossible" while Netanyahu was in office, Biden said, "No, it's not."

He said Netanyahu was not opposed to all two-state solutions, and there were several types possible, adding that some United Nations members don't have military forces.

The United States and other top powers need to use their influence with Israel to end the ongoing "carnage" in Gaza, Jordan's Prime Minister, Bisher al Khasawaneh, said on Friday.

Jordan, which shares a border with the West Bank, has been highly critical of Israel's bombardments of Gaza with Khasawaneh saying on Friday that they "ticked all the boxes of war crimes against humanity."

Israel has denied allegations that it has committed war crimes.

Khasawaneh said heavyweight international diplomacy and influence were needed to secure a ceasefire.

"Leadership is needed from our American friends and our American partners, and from various capitals in the world, that can influence the decision-making process in Israel in genuine terms to bring this carnage to an end," the Jordanian prime minister said at an event at the London School of Economics.

He added that public opinion in the West was clear in its concerns about the violence and the pressure the international rules-based system was being put under around issues such as providing aid to the devastated parts of Gaza.

"The main powers are under not only a moral responsibility but also an obligation in the context of preserving the rules-based international system to come and tell the current Israeli government that this needs to stop," he said.

The hope was that then things could "move into a mode that fundamentally resolves this vicious cycle of violence and killing," said Khasawaneh, who had been met with loud protests as he arrived at the event from LSE students and the Arab diaspora.

Israel and its biggest backer the United States appear at odds now, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition government largely rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state even though Washington maintains that the two-state solution is the only feasible way to bring lasting peace to the region.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in his fourth trip to the Middle East last week since the October 7 attack by Hamas, took a rough agreement to Israel that its predominately Muslim neighbors would help rehabilitate Gaza after the war and continue economic integration with Israel, but only if it committed to eventually allowing the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

The latest episode of hostilities in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict started when Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages. Israel says more than 130 remain in captivity.

Israel responded to Hamas' assault with a siege, bombardment, and ground invasion of Gaza that has devastated the tiny coastal territory and killed more than 24,000 people, according to Gaza health officials.

US-brokered talks on a Palestinian state collapsed almost a decade ago.

US Democrats push Biden over civilian toll in Israel's Gaza campaign

Additionally, dozens of President Joe Biden's fellow Democrats signed a letter around the same time on Friday urging his administration to reaffirm that the United States strongly opposes "the forced and permanent displacement" of Palestinians from Gaza.

The letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, led by US Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Jamie Raskin, was signed by 60 Democratic House of Representatives members, reflecting concern, especially on the left, over the steep toll on Palestinian civilians of Israel's campaign against Hamas.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) speaks at the Lincoln Memorial during the 'Get Your Knee Off Our Necks' march in support of racial justice, in Washington, US, August 28, 2020. (credit: MICHAEL M. SANTIAGO/POOL VIA REUTERS)

"We urge you to continue to reiterate the United States’ firm commitment to this position and ask that you provide clarification regarding certain provisions of the administration's supplemental humanitarian and security funding request," the letter said.

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The United States gives Israel $3.8 billion in annual military assistance. Biden has asked Congress to approve an additional $14 billion, part of a sweeping supplemental funding request stalled in Congress as Republicans and Democrats negotiate immigration policy changes.

Separately, a group of Democratic senators said on Friday that 18 Democrats in that chamber support an amendment requiring that any country receive funding in the supplemental use of the money by US law, international humanitarian law, and the law of armed conflict.

Also this week, Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, forced a vote on a resolution that would have frozen security aid to Israel unless the State Department produced a report within 30 days examining whether Israel committed human rights violations in its campaign against Hamas.

Seventy-two senators voted to set the resolution aside, versus 11 who backed it, easily clearing the simple majority needed to kill the resolution in the 100-member chamber.

The European Union has imposed sanctions today on six individuals who provide financial assistance to Hamas, Maariv reported on Friday.

The six are: Sudanese businessman Abdel-Bast Hamza, Lebanese businessmen Nabil Shoman and his son Khaled, the Lebanese businessman Rada Ali Hamis, member of Hamas's political bureau Musa Dodin, and Ayman Ahmed Al-Davik - a Jordanian businessman who lives in Algeria and helps manage Hamas's investment portfolio.

This is a developing story.

US President Joe Biden doubled down on his push for a two-state solution on his first phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in nearly a month, National Security spokesman John Kirby said Friday from the White House. 

The phone call between the leaders comes a day after Netanyahu publicly rebuffed the future of Palestinian statehood, saying Israel must maintain security control of the West Bank.

On the call, Biden and Netanyahu discussed ongoing efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages, according to Kirby. 

Kirby said Biden and Netanyahu also reviewed the situation in Gaza and the shift to targeted operations to enable the flow of increasing amounts of humanitarian assistance while keeping military pressure on Hamas. 

"The President also discussed Israel's responsibility even as it maintains military pressure on Hamas and its leaders to reduce civilian harm and to protect the innocent," Kirby said. 

Israeli troops operate in the Gaza Strip, January 19, 2024 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

According to Kirby, Biden also expressed his vision for "more durable peace and security for Israel" through a two-state solution. 

"The President still believes in the promise and the possibility of a two state solution. He recognizes that it's going to take a lot of hard work. It's going to take a lot of leadership there in the region, particularly on both sides of the issue," Kirby said. "And the United States stands firmly committed to eventually seeing that outcome right now

Kirby avoided questioning on why the US is continuing to support a government that opposes its policy, saying the US is supporting the Israeli government's right to defend itself and supporting the Israeli people's right to exist as a nation. 

Kirby did not say what the administration is prepared to officer in trying to get Netanyahu to align with US policy. 

Kirby said the hope is that when the conflict is over, the US can work in a "collaborative way" with the Israeli government and counterparts in the region on good governance in Gaza. 

Netanyahu's stance against a Palestinian state is not going to change Biden's view that the best long-term solution for regional security, and the security of the Israeli people, is a free, independent Palestinian state, Kirby said. 

"We want to make sure Israel has what it needs to defend itself. But as we're talking about post conflict Gaza, and we have been now for many, many weeks, you can't do that without also talking about the aspirations of the Palestinian people and what that needs to look like for them," Kirby said. "So we're going to continue to have those conversations."

Bring them home

The release of the remaining hostages remains a priority for Biden and efforts are being taken seriously by the national security team, Kirby said. 

The White House does not have any additional information on the condition of the hostages.

Kirby said he does not think Netanyahu's comments against a two state solution is negatively impacting hostage release discussions. 

Kirby said he anticipates more calls between Netanyahu and Biden, as well as conversations between Biden and President Al Sisi of Egypt, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, and King Abdullah of Jordan. 

The US still opposes a general ceasefire as it wouldn't benefit anyone but Hamas, according to Kirby. 

Rocket alarms sounded in Haifa on Friday evening. Israel's emergency medical service, Magen David Adom (MDA), subsequently stated that response teams had been dispatched to areas where rocket falls had been reported.

The MDA added that had received no reports of injuries.

Later, regarding the rocket alarms in Haifa, the IDF stated that a guided missile had intercepted the aerial target and that the incident had concluded.

Earlier in the day, the IDF reported that it had identified an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the Acre area in northern Israel.

The UAV, which had crossed into Israel from Lebanon, was intercepted by the Iron Dome.

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in southern Israel, January 16, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/TYRONE SIU)

Rocket alarms sound in northern Arab town

Later that afternoon, a rocket alarm sounded in the Israeli-Bedouin town of Arab el-Aramsha, in northern Israel.

Later, the IDF again reported identifying a threat from Lebanon. The IDF stated that it had fired a guided missile at a "suspicious target" inside Lebanese territory.

The IDF added that the target did not cross into Israeli territory.

Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.

US President Joe Biden discussed developments in Israel and Gaza with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call on Friday, the White House said, as the Israeli military continued a major advance in the southern Gaza Strip.

No further details were immediately disclosed, but the White House said it would issue a fuller statement later Friday.

Biden's call with Netanyahu came as Red Crescent officials reported "intense gunfire from the Israeli drones targeting citizens at Al-Amal Hospital" in Khan Yunis, the main city in the southern part of Gaza.

Israel launched a major new advance in Khan Younis this week to capture the city, which it says is now the primary base of the Hamas terrorists who attacked Israeli towns on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 and precipitating a war that has devastated the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said 142 Palestinians had been killed and 278 injured in Gaza the past 24 hours,  raising the alleged death toll from more than three months of war to 24,762.

The IDF fired a guided missile at a "suspicious target" inside Lebanese territory, the Israeli military reported on Friday evening. The IDF added that the target did not cross into Israeli territory and that the incident had concluded.

The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Friday the state of Israel has financed the creation of Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in a bid to weaken the Palestinian Authority.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied accusations by his opponents in Israel and some global media that his government spent years actively boosting Hamas in Gaza.

"Yes, Hamas was financed by the government of Israel in an attempt to weaken the Palestinian Authority led by Fatah," Borrell said in a speech in the University of Valladolid, without elaborating further on such alleged financing.