Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 102?

The Qatari foreign ministry also announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday that an agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas to send medications and aid into Gaza. 

Qatari mediation succeeds in reaching an agreement, between Israel and Hamas to send medications and aid into Gaza#MOFAQatar pic.twitter.com/d99TcM7JT8

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) January 16, 2024

Israel and Qatar have included the transfer of life-saving medicine to the hostages in the Gaza Strip during the last round of talks, according to reports by Israeli media on Saturday.

The agreement reached between Israel and Hamas stipulated that "medicine along with other humanitarian aid is to be delivered to civilians in Gaza Strip, in the most affected and vulnerable areas, in exchange for delivering medication needed for Israeli captives in Gaza," Qatar said in a statement.

The medications will leave Doha on Wednesday and will then be transported to Egypt, where they will be prepared to be transported into Gaza.

Israelis gather in Tel Aviv for the release of Gaza hostages on November 25, 2023 (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)

US in negotiations to end Israel-Hamas War in exchange for hostages 

The US is involved in negotiations in Qatar that are reportedly aimed at bringing an end to the Israel-Hamas War in exchange for a return of the hostages held by Hamas, Israeli media, citing a report, publicized on Tuesday.

The US has worked with Qatar and Egypt to mediate a deal for the release of the 136 captives seized during the Hamas-led attack on October 7 and held since then in Gaza. 

Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this article.

The United States Central Command Seized advanced Iranian weaponry bound for the Houthi rebels in Yemen on January 11, CENTCOM said Tuesday.

It was the first seizure of "lethal Iranian-supplied advanced conventional weapons" to the Houthis since Houthi attacks against merchant ships began in November, the statement added.

This is a developing story.

IDF Warr. Ofc. (res.) Noam Ashram has died as a result of wounds suffered from fighting in Gaza, the Israeli military said Tuesday.

Ashram was injured in combat in the central part of the Gaza Strip on December 29, 2023.

He was 37 years old, from Kfar Saba, and a fighter in the 5352nd reconnaissance company. 

Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday accused Iran of killing innocent civilians in its strikes on the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards earlier said they attacked an Israeli spy center in the region.

Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos after the attack, Barzani said the Iranian allegations were baseless and added that now was not the time for US forces to withdraw from the country.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office released an official statement on Tuesday, rejecting the implicit claims of genocidal intent in a statement made by Netanyahu earlier amid Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza.

During one of the first press conferences held after October 7, Netanyahu recited a quote in his speech referring to "Amalek" - the eternal enemy of the Jewish people while comparing them to Hamas.

Since then, the statement has been interpreted by some as meaning to wipe out every citizen of Gaza, and was even used as evidence by South Africa during the ICJ hearing.

'Remember what Amalek did to you'

The Prime Minister's Office had this to say:

"Among the absurdities leveled against Israel at the Hague was the charge that after the October 7 massacre, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu incited genocide by quoting the biblical phrase 'remember what Amalek did to you.' This false and preposterous charge reflects a deep historical ignorance."

The memorial for Dutch Jews at the Hague, captioned with the same quote that Prime Minister Netanyahu is being attacked for. (credit: THE HAGUE MUNICIPALITY)

The statement continues, saying, "The Amalekites mercilessly attacked the Children of Israel after the Exodus from Egypt. The comparison to Amalek has been used throughout the ages to designate those who seek to eradicate the Jewish people, most recently the Nazis."

Additional legitimate uses of the quote

Furthermore, the statement points out that this quote is used in other appropriate instances and is even displayed outside the Hague.

"That is why the words on a banner in a permanent exhibit at Yad Vashem, Israel's famed Holocaust Museum, urge visitors to 'remember what Amalek did to you.' This same phrase appears in the Hague at the memorial for Dutch Jews murdered during the Holocaust. Obviously, neither reference is an incitement to genocide of the German people."

the statement concluded with a clarification of the Prime Minister's true intent by using the quote.

"So, too, Prime Minister Netanyahu's reference to Amalek was not an incitement to genocide of Palestinians but a description of the utterly evil actions perpetrated by the genocidal terrorists of Hamas on October 7 and the need to confront them."

A lot has changed in the North since I last visited the Ramot Naftali/Metzudat Koach police fort area on October 17, only the second week of the current war.

That is both at a tactical and strategic level.

At a tactical level, there were more constant booms in the air there in mid-October from rockets, anti-tank missiles, and gunfire.

On Monday, when I visited the air was eerily silent besides the slight swaying of the trees and nearby bushes.

There was a slight drizzle that masked the angry and stormy-looking clouds overhead which had been unloading rounds of torrential rain throughout the drive up from central Israel.

Of course, the silence and relative calm were deceptive.

The military preparations in the immediate area and all around were far more extensive than in mid-October.

There were over 10 soldiers posted in that same spot with multiple fighting vehicles.

And this was in addition to the nearby heavily fortified permanent security outpost.

To arrive at the lookout spot, surrounded by enormous concrete columns to block the road and for protection from Hezbollah attacks, I had to cross through around four checkpoints.

I say "around," because three of the checkpoints stopped and interviewed me, while a fourth just slowed my travel by partially blocking the road - long enough to take a quick look at me and decide that I was not a security threat.

At least one of the checkpoints had a large sign saying, "You are entering a threatened area."

The Israeli military is more prepared than ever for war with Hezbollah in the North, IDF's Northern Command OC Maj.-Gen. Uri Gordin told his reservists following a training drill simulating operations deep inside Lebanon.

"We are more prepared than ever...we can [go to war] tonight if needed," Gordin said. "We struck many terror cells in the North, more than 150 were destroyed and a lot of their capabilities have been taken away.

"We are working to peel away Hezbollah's capabilities and pushing it as far back as possible. There is much more to do in order to bring the desired result of improved security, to return northern Israeli residents to their homes."

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Tuesday Israel was placing many obstacles to the entry of aid into Gaza that were worsening the plight of Palestinians.

In remarks during a press conference with his Australian counterpart, Safadi said these hurdles meant only 10% of the total needs of more than two million Gazans under siege were being covered.

Requiring Israel to agree to a time-bound, mandatory path to a two-state solution is key to future stability in Israel and the Palestinian territories, Qatar's Prime Minister said on Tuesday during the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said the Palestinians must be the ones to decide if Hamas, which runs Gaza, will continue to play a political role in the future.

US and British military strikes will not contain the attacks by Yemen's Houthis on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea without diplomatic efforts, Qatar's Prime Minister said on Tuesday during the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said Qatar believes that defusing the conflict in Gaza will stop the escalation on other fronts, adding that the current regional situation is a "recipe for escalation everywhere."