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.

IDF special forces operated inside Lebanon, killing a terror threat in the Ita al-Sha'ab area, the IDF said on Tuesday morning.

Additionally, Israeli Air Force aircraft attacked an anti-tank launcher belonging to the terrorist organization Hezbollah.

The airstrike took place in the area of ​​Kfar Kila in southern Lebanon.

According to Hezbollah-affiliated news outlet al-Mayadeen, a different course of events took place.

They claim that soldiers from the Maglan commando unit attempted to infiltrate the border near the al-Raheb military site to plant surveillance devices but were noticed and aborted the mission.

The IDF has yet to provide more details on the operation as of Tuesday morning.

This is a developing story.

A barrage of some 50 missiles were fired from the central Gaza Strip toward Netivot and the surrounding Western Negev and Gaza border communities.

The local municpality said that one building was damaged by a direct hit, with no casulaties reported.

IDF special forces operated inside Lebanon, killing a terror threat in the Ita al-Sha'ab area, the IDF said on Tuesday morning.

Israeli Force aircraft attacked an anti-tank launcher of the terrorist organization Hezbollah late Tuesday night, according to the IDF.

The attack took place in the area of ​​Kfar Kila in southern Lebanon.

The IDF withdrew security forces from the ultra-Orthodox West Bank city of Modi’in Illit following several physical and verbal altercations with haredi extremists in the city, Army Radio reported Tuesday morning.

Israeli forces have been securing the settlement city since the October 7 massacre and the subsequent outbreak of Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip amid the rising threat of terror emanating in the West Bank.

Since being deployed to the city, Israeli forces have been met with verbal and physical attacks by local Israelis from the Peleg Yerushalmi sect.

Some of the violent incidents reported in Modi'in Ilit include hurling objects at IDF soldiers and breaking the windows of military vehicles. In some incidents, IDF fighters were met with "incessant slurs" from the local community, Army Radio said citing soldiers on the ground. Due to this, Israeli forces had refrained from carrying out patrols in the city and operating in certain neighborhoods.

The IDF has succeeded in killing more Hamas terrorists and uncovered approximately 100 rocket launchers, according to an IDF statement on Tuesday.

In the Beit Lahia area, soldiers of the 401st Brigade Combat Team located about 100 rocket launchers and about 60 rockets ready for launch.

During operations to recover the rockets, the soldiers engaged dozens of Hamas terrorists and killed them.

In North Shati, cooperation between the Israeli Air Force and soldiers of the 5th Brigade Combat Team, who directed an aircraft and a combat helicopter, resulted in the killing of nine terrorists.

Fighting also continued in Khan Yunis

In the Khan Yunis area, soldiers from the 7th Brigade Combat Team directed several aircraft to eliminate terrorists identified in the area, as well as a combat helicopter that destroyed an observation device.

Also, in the Khan Yunis area, soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade combat team identified an armed terrorist near their location and eliminated him. Shortly after that, another terrorist was identified in the same building, who was also eliminated by tank fire from the combat team.

This is a developing story.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they attacked the "spy headquarters" of Israel in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, state media reported late on Monday, while the elite force said they also struck in Syria against the Islamic State.

The strikes come amid concerns about the escalation of a conflict that has spread through the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, with Iran's allies also entering the fray from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

"In response to the recent atrocities of the Zionist regime, causing the killing of commanders of the Guards and the Axis of Resistance ... one of the main Mossad espionage headquarters in Iraq's Kurdistan region was destroyed with ballistic missiles," the Guards said in a statement.

Reuters could not independently verify the report. Israeli government officials were not reachable for immediate comment.

Iran had vowed revenge for the killing of three members of the Guards in Syria last month, including a senior Guards commander, who had served as military advisers there.

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.

It has been 100 days since the hostages in the Gaza Strip found themselves without essential medical treatment, raising concerns about their health and well-being. Recent reports from Maariv highlight the dire situation, revealing that many of these individuals are grappling with chronic illnesses, while others are suspected to have succumbed to infectious diseases and the harsh living conditions in the strip.

In a significant development between Israel and Qatar, plans are underway to provide much-needed drugs to address the health issues faced by the hostages.

Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Nitzan Schessler, 21, from Hadera, fell in battle in the south of the Gaza Strip.

His family has been notified; he was posthumously promoted from the rank of Staff-Sergeant (res.) to the rank of Sergeant-Major (res.) after his death.

The IDF fired at a group of suspected drug smugglers on the Egyptian border late on Monday night.

Several people were wounded in the firefight, with a female soldier being taken to hospital, although she is now considered to be in good condition, according to Israeli media. Her family has been informed.

The IDF identified around 20 suspects on the Egyptian side in the area near the Nitzana border crossing, some of them were armed.

#عاجل وصل قبل قليل نحو عشرين مشتبه فيهم من بينهم عدد من المسلحين من داخل الأراضي المصرية نحو منطقة الحدود بالقرب من نيتسانا حيث قام الجنود العاملين في المنطقة بإطلاق النار نحو المسلحين ورصدوا عدة إصابات.

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) January 15, 2024

This is believed to have been an attempt to smuggle drugs into Israel according to Avichay Adraee, the IDF's Arabic spokesperson.

Following the incident, the six drug smugglers were arrested according to Egyptian security officials, quoted by Reuters.