Israel-Gaza War, Live | Israeli Defense Minister Announces Plans for "New Phase" of War

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Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced in a statement on Thursday the Defense Ministry's plans for the new phase of the offensive in the Gaza Strip. According to Gallant, the armed forces will adopt a "more targeted" strategy in the northern part of the Palestinian enclave while "the persecution of Hamas leaders continues" in the south. After the war, the territory would be administered by "Palestinian authorities" "as long as they do not pose a danger to Israel and cannot act against it." Gallant makes the announcement on the day U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken departs for a week of diplomacy on Israel's war in Gaza, visiting Israel and the West Bank, as well as seven other countries in the region. At least one pro-Iranian militant has been killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad, Iraq's capital. In Lebanon, Hezbollah has confirmed the death of four of its members in an attack carried out late on Wednesday by the Israeli army against the south of the country.

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El País

Israel says three missing people are being held captive in the Gaza Strip, raising the number of hostages to 136

Three Israelis who have been missing since Hamas attacks on October 7 in the south of the country are being held hostage in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military announced on Thursday. This brings the official number of hostages to 136.

"Three citizens who had been declared missing have been identified as hostages. Their families have been informed," military spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters. (AFP)

ACT.4 JAN 2024 - 20:51

El País

Israeli Defense Minister Announces Plans for New Phase of War and Gaza's Future

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced in a statement on Thursday the Defense Ministry's plans for the new phase of the offensive in the Gaza Strip. According to Gallant, the armed forces will adopt a "more targeted" strategy in the northern part of the Palestinian enclave while "the persecution of Hamas leaders continues" in the south, where the largest number of refugees are located.

After the war, the territory would be administered by "Palestinian authorities" — without elaborating on whether this involves the Palestinian National Authority, something the Israeli government had initially refused to do — "as long as they do not pose a danger to Israel and cannot act against it." The Israeli Government would reserve the right to intervene militarily in the area whenever necessary, but there would be no Israeli civilian presence.

Gallant has presented his proposal just as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken leaves for a diplomatic tour of the Middle East. During his Israeli stopover, Blinken was scheduled to discuss his post-war plans with the Israeli government.

This proposal has to be presented to the Israeli government and approved by it, but even before the meeting of the executive, tensions have been unleashed in the government coalition. Finance Minister and representative of the most extreme wing of the settlers, Bezalel Smotrich, has come out in force against the project, which, contrary to what he proposes, seeks neither the expulsion of Palestinians nor the reestablishment of Israeli settlements in the Strip for the first time since 2006. "Gallant's plan for the next day is the same as the day before Oct. 7," he said. (Agencies)

ACT.4 JAN 2024 - 20:16

El País

A Palestinian boy sells food at a market in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. / IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA / REUTERS

What has happened in the last few hours?

Here are the most relevant news about the war between Israel and Gaza and the crisis in the Middle East at 20:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 4:

The U.S. Secretary of State travels to the Middle East seeking to prevent the escalation of war in the region. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will depart today for a week of diplomacy on Israel's war in Gaza, visiting Israel and the West Bank, as well as seven other countries in the region, over the next week, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller announced Thursday. Blinken will discuss specific steps that countries in the region can take to prevent the conflict from spreading, Miller said at a press conference. "It is in no one's interest, not in Israel's, not in the region's interest, not in the world's interest, that this conflict extends beyond Gaza," he said.

Hundreds of people in Beirut attend the funeral of Saleh al-Aruri, Hamas' number two. Hundreds of people in Beirut attended the funeral of Saleh al-Aruri, Hamas' number two and one of the main leaders of the militia, who was killed on Tuesday in an explosion in the Lebanese capital. The Islamist militia and other countries such as Yemen and Lebanon have attributed the attack to Israel, which has not yet confirmed responsibility.

The Lebanese militia Hezbollah confirms the death of four of its members in a new Israeli attack on southern Lebanon. The Lebanese militia Hezbollah has confirmed the death of four of its members in an Israeli attack on southern Lebanon, in the context of the clashes unleashed after the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian militia Hamas. In addition to Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, since early October there has also been an almost daily exchange of crossfire between Israel and Lebanon.

Dozens of dead and more than a hundred wounded by Israeli bombardments in the Strip. The Israeli army's new bombardment of the Gaza Strip between Wednesday night and Thursday has left dozens dead and a hundred wounded, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry. Attacks continue to be particularly intense in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. West of Khan Younis, in al-Mawasi, at least 14 Palestinians, including nine children, have been killed. The Gazan Ministry of Health has reported that the death toll from Israeli attacks on the Strip has risen to 22,438 Palestinians since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. In addition, another 57,614 people have been injured, according to ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra.

The UN estimates that some 7,000 people have disappeared in Gaza since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has estimated that around 7,000 people have disappeared in the Gaza Strip since the war between the Palestinian militia Hamas and Israel began. The organization points out that many of the missing are still buried under the rubble of buildings destroyed by the bombings.

The UN Security Council calls on the Houthis to stop the attacks. Members of the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday called on Yemen's Houthis to halt their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, warning they are illegal and threaten regional stability, freedom of navigation and the world's food supply. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron has assured that, if they are not stopped, international measures will be taken, although he has not specified which ones he would be willing to take. Just today, an unmanned vessel loaded with explosives exploded in the Red Sea, according to the U.S. Navy. The explosion, which caused no damage or casualties, has been described by the United States as a failed Houthi attack.

The U.S. strikes a pro-Iranian militia in Baghdad with drones. At least one pro-Iranian militant has been killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad, Iraq's capital. Several senior U.S. officials have acknowledged the facts to the Reuters agency and also to The New York Times, assuring that the attack hit a vehicle and that it targeted a leader of a Shiite militia.

ACT.4 JAN 2024 - 20:00

El País

U.S. Secretary of State Travels to Middle East Seeking to Prevent War Escalation in the Region

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will depart today for a week of diplomacy on Israel's war in Gaza, visiting Israel and the West Bank, as well as Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt over the next week, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller announced Thursday.

Blinken will discuss specific steps that countries in the region can take to prevent the conflict from spreading, Miller said at a regular press briefing. "It is in no one's interest, not in Israel's, not in the region's interest, not in the world's interest, that this conflict extends beyond Gaza," Miller said.

The secretary of state is also scheduled to speak with the Israeli government about its plans for the post-war future of Gaza and what steps can be taken immediately to increase humanitarian assistance to the Strip. He will also discuss the possibilities of negotiations to free the hostages still in the Palestinian enclave. (Reuters)

ACT.4 JAN 2024 - 19:14

El País

Israel's ambassador will return to Spain next week after the "change for the better" in the government's messages

EFE

Israel's ambassador to Spain, Rodica Radian-Gordon, will return at the beginning of next week after Benjamin Netanyahu's government confirmed "a change for the better" in the Spanish government's messages regarding the conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Foreign Ministry announced in a statement.

The new head of this department, Israel Katz, in office since January 1, has made the decision after noting a change in pronouncements by the Spanish government and due to "the importance of relations between Israel and Spain," according to the statement. The Israeli ambassador was recalled for consultations on 30 November following statements by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, in which he questioned whether Israel was respecting International Humanitarian Law in its military offensive in Gaza in response to the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October.

ACT.4 JAN 2024 - 18:12

El País

Houthi unmanned vessel explodes in Red Sea, causing no casualties

An unmanned vessel loaded with explosives launched by Yemen's Houthi militias exploded in the Red Sea on Thursday, the U.S. Navy said. The explosion, which caused no damage or casualties, has been described by the United States as a failed attack.

"It came within a couple of miles of the ships operating in the area, both civilian and military, and everyone saw it explode," said Brad Cooper, who commands U.S. naval forces in the Middle East.

Since announcing they were halting shipping in the Red Sea in retaliation for Israeli attacks on Gaza, the Houthis have carried out 25 attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, according to Cooper. "There are no signs that their irresponsible behavior is abating," he said. (Reuters)

ACT.4 JAN 2024 - 17:45

El País

Three pro-Iranian militants killed in U.S. drone strike in Baghdad

Three pro-Iranian militants have been killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad, Iraq's capital. Several senior U.S. officials have acknowledged the facts to the Reuters agency and also to The New York Times, assuring that the attack hit a vehicle and that it targeted a leader of a Shiite militia.

In response, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry has defended that Iraq has the right to take "measures that deter anyone who tries to harm its territory or security." In a statement, the ministry said the attack represented "a dangerous escalation" and expressed its "strong condemnation".

Since the start of the Israeli offensive in Gaza, an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia group has carried out more than 100 strikes on bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria.

The U.S. has attacked Tehran-backed factions in recent months, but this is the first time it has done so in the Iraqi capital. In early December, five members of Harakat al-Nujaba, the same militia that was hit on Thursday, were also killed in a U.S. drone strike that targeted a U.S. drone strike that targeted the group's headquarters in northeastern Iraq. (Reuters and Efe)

ACT.4 JAN 2024 - 16:53

El País

Several people carry the coffin of Saleh al-Aruri during his funeral in Beirut on Thursday.

Hundreds of people attend the funeral of Hamas' number two Saleh al-Aruri in Beirut

Hundreds of people in Beirut attended the funeral of Saleh al-Aruri, Hamas' number two and one of the main leaders of the militia, who was killed on Tuesday in an explosion in the Lebanese capital. The Islamist militia and other countries such as Yemen and Lebanon have attributed the attack to Israel, which has not yet confirmed responsibility.

According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, around 1,500 people attended the funeral of al-Aruri and Samir Findi Abu Amer and Azzam al-Aqraa Abu Ammar, two other leaders of Hamas' armed wing who were also killed in the attack. Many of the attendees wore green caps and flags with the symbol of Hamas, recognized as a terrorist group by the United Nations, the European Union and the United States, among other countries.

ACT.4 JAN 2024 - 17:04

El País

David Cameron warns that international action will be taken if attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea are not stopped

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron has demanded an end to attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea, and has assured that, if they do not stop, international measures will be taken, although he has not specified which ones he would be willing to take.

"This is illegal. It has nothing to do with Gaza, it has nothing to do with Israel. It's about freedom of navigation. It's about the ability of the ships to carry their cargo," he told reporters during a trip to Kosovo. "The global economy, all economies, will be affected if ships continue to be attacked in this illegal and unacceptable way. And these attacks must stop or action will be taken."

The Houthi militia, which de facto controls 30% of Yemen's territory, has been attacking cargo and commercial ships for weeks under the pretext of solidarity with Gaza. (Reuters)

ACT.4 JAN 2024 - 14:51