Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 110?

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi on Wednesday rejected State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman’s request to turn over internal military documents for a probe into the state’s failures that enabled Oct. 7. Englman made the request earlier this month.

Halevi noted that although the military was undertaking its probe independently and the IDF was supportive of a postwar state commission of inquiry, distracting the IDF mid-war with comptroller inquiries would be dangerous.
He said there was “no precedent for undertaking this kind of probe” mid-war, such that all parallel probes took place only after the fighting stalled.

Halevi added that such a probe would “distract commanders and harm the ability and quality of the IDF’s ongoing operational probe. It would also prevent implementing the lessons necessary to achieve war goals.” Halevi recommended that Englman delay the probe until a later date.

The comptroller had not rushed to go public on the issue but after his requests for information to perform his probe were submitted to the IDF, the Mossad, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), and the National Security Council and then publicized, he was attacked for politicizing the process.

In response, he defended his probe as professional and non-partisan. Englman said that the war is so long and that aspects of it have slowed down enough so that the investigation into the failures of Oct. 7 could no longer be delayed; they have already waited months.

IDF SOLDIERS hold an Israeli flag as they patrol in a tank near the border with Gaza this week (credit: RONEN ZVULUN/REUTERS)

ACROSS THE BORDER, in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, tank shells hit a UN training center that had been sheltering tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians. Footage circulating among Palestinians showed black smoke pouring into the sky above the training center, which is run by UNRWA, the UN relief organization for the Palestinians. A UNRWA team trying to reach the center was blocked, the organization’s director of Gaza affairs, Thomas White, told Reuters.

The IDF said the wider area was a significant base for Hamas terrorists. “Dismantling Hamas’s military framework in western Khan Yunis is the heart of the logic behind the operation,” the army said.

The US is concerned about the attack, Deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said, repeating Washington’s calls for the protection of civilians, humanitarian workers, and aid facilities. “We deplore today’s attack on the UN’s Khan Yunis training center,” Patel told a news briefing, calling it “incredibly concerning.”

The IDF has documented at least dozens of incidents in which Hamas used hospitals, UN facilities, schools, and other sensitive sites to either stage attacks or store weaponry.

Responses from the UN

The director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza said that nine Palestinians were killed and 75 were injured when two tank rounds hit the building that was sheltering around 800 people. The IDF earlier ordered the evacuation of the area, which the UN humanitarian office said held half a million people, with four-fifths of them displaced by fighting in other parts of the coastal strip.

Palestinian at an UNRWA camp in Rafah after heavy rainfall, in the southern Gaza Strip, on November 14, 2023. (credit: ABED RAHIM KHATIB/FLASH90)

Is it safe to return home yet?

Hamas has been trying to pressure Palestinians to return to northern Gaza without surrendering or returning the approximately 130 hostages it is still holding. When a group of approximately 30 civilians, including children, gathered to begin moving toward the crossover point near the Gaza River, the IDF fired white smoke to discourage them from approaching.

This usually works, but if they continue to approach, then the IDF will shoot live-fire warning shots in the air and on the ground nearby to deter them. There have been a very small number of civilians who have continued past this point, so it has been easy to arrest them and then send them back south.

In contrast, if someone presenting a danger approaches the crossover point, IDF soldiers are authorized, after trying warning shots, to also fire at the person’s legs.

To date, Brigade 646, which has been involved in this effort, has been successful in preventing Palestinians from returning, as the IDF blocked Hamas from trying to reestablish itself more generally in central or northern Gaza.

Last week, the same brigade bombed key points that Hamas used in tunnels to get past Wadi Ghaza. Working with the Yahalom unit, they destroyed the tunnel network, which was located one and a half kilometers from the border. It was one kilometer long and reached a depth of 20 meters.

While destroying the tunnel, troops also found and seized Hamas rockets, including some platforms hidden in the ground or bushes.

Elsewhere in Khan Yunis, forces from the 98th Division continued their encirclement of Hamas terrorists, killing several terror cells. Multiple armed groups of terrorists attempted ambushes, including with anti-tank missiles, but were taken out in aerial strikes.

The IDF considers western Khan Yunis the heart of Hamas’s operations, including areas where its top two leaders, Yahya Sinwar and Muhammad Deif, grew up.

IN THE NORTH, the IDF hit Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including the village of Yaroun, Hezbollah military locations, and terror infrastructure.

The military also said it struck other areas in southern Lebanon to eliminate threats.

There were no rockets from Hamas for the third consecutive day, only three rocket sirens in the North, and the average number of rocket sirens for the week dropped to single digits.

Jerusalem Post Staff and Reuters contributed to this report. 

Qatar said it was appalled that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called them “problematic mediators” in a conversation he held with relatives of the hostages held in Gaza.

“We are appalled by the alleged remarks attributed to the Israeli Prime Minister in various media reports about Qatar’s mediation role,” Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari wrote in a post on X.

“These remarks, if validated, are irresponsible and destructive to the efforts to save innocent lives, but are not surprising,” he said.

Ansari accused Netanyahu of undermining the mediation.

 “If the reported remarks are found to be true, the Israeli PM would only be obstructing and undermining the mediation process for reasons that appear to serve his political career instead of prioritizing saving innocent lives, including Israeli hostages,” Ansari said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talking about the strikes and protests against the judicial reform (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)

 “Instead of concerning himself with Qatar’s strategic relations with the United States, we hope Netanyahu decides to operate in good faith and concentrate on the release of the hostages,” he said.\

The comments were supposed to be private, but were then leaked

The comments were said during a private meeting that was taped. That tape was then leaked to Channel 12, which published Netanyahu's remarks on Tuesday night.

Qatar and Egypt have been mediating a potential second hostage deal for the remaining 132 captives out of the 253 Hamas seized during its October 7 attack against Israel.

During a November deal mediated by Qatar and Egypt, 105 were freed. In addition, the IDF has returned eleven bodies of the captives from Gaza.

Answer said, “For months, and following a successful mediation last year that led to the release of more than a hundred hostages, Qatar has been engaged in regular dialogue with the negotiating parties, including Israeli institutions, attempting to establish the framework for a new hostage agreement and the immediate entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”

Two mortar shells that were fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon into the Metulla area last week are suspected to have contained white phosphorus, according to Israeli media reports on Wednesday.

The reports say that after the mortars landed, the explosions led to a big fire and even engulfed part of the road that they hit.

If this is true, this would be the first time that Hezbollah has used white phosphorus.

White phosphorus can be legally used in some situations

White phosphorus munitions can be legally employed on the battlefield for purposes such as producing smoke screens, generating illumination, marking targets, or causing the ignition of bunkers and buildings.

Hezbollah members hold flags marking Resistance and Liberation Day, in Kfar Kila near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, May 25, 2021 (credit: REUTERS/AZIZ TAHER)

Under Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, white phosphorus is classified as an incendiary weapon. This protocol explicitly prohibits the use of incendiary weapons against military targets located in areas with civilian populations, such as Metulla, where the mortars landed. However, it is important to note that Hezbollah has not ratified the protocol and is not obligated by its provisions.

Hezbollah and the IDF have been regularly trading fire since the outbreak of the war.

The Welfare Ministry, in collaboration with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the Health Ministry are developing a unique program to support kidnapped Israeli women who may return from Hamas captivity pregnant. This initiative came in response to sexual abuse perpetrated by Hamas terrorists. Walla News reported on Wednesday that the ministry aims to integrate existing support systems for sustained sexual abuse victims, particularly those facing unplanned pregnancies. The program will address both the advanced and early stages of pregnancy, offering comprehensive medical and psychological care. Women will have the option to either terminate the pregnancy or continue it, based on their choice.

Initially, the returnees will be taken to hospitals, following the precedent set by the first case of kidnapped women. Preparations at Wolfson Hospital in Holon are already underway for receiving kidnapped women suspected of enduring sexual abuse. In an acute care facility within the hospital, both the physical condition of the woman and the developmental status of the fetus will be closely monitored.

Extensive trauma therapy

The subsequent phase involves extensive trauma therapy, a process anticipated to be lengthy. This phase will also involve crucial decisions regarding the continuation of the pregnancy. Participation in emotional or psychological counseling is necessary, and in cases where a woman declines such treatment, social workers are instructed to maintain regular telephone contact. This approach is consistent with the treatment provided to four women who reported sexual abuse by Hamas terrorists after attending the Nova party.

Daily Mail writes about four female hostages who are still being held in Gaza (credit: DAILY MAIL)

Kidnapped women returning in a state of pregnancy will face a critical decision: whether to keep the fetus or to consider abortion, if still feasible. The ministry's professionals will debate whether it is appropriate to bypass the usual abortion committee proceedings in such cases, offering an expedited process compared to other women seeking pregnancy termination. Should a woman choose to carry the pregnancy to term and raise the child, she will be provided with extensive psychological, legal, and financial support to ensure her well-being.

During a recent Knesset session, Chen Almog Goldstein, who was held captive for over 50 days, shared distressing observations. She revealed that many young women still in Gaza are not menstruating. "There are girls in captivity who haven't had a period for a long time. Maybe what we need to pray for is that their bodies are protecting them, preventing pregnancy from rape," she expressed.

Almog Goldstein also raised concerns at a Knesset meeting dedicated to sexual and gender violence in warfare. She speculated whether the menstrual cycles of these captive girls were being disrupted as a bodily defense mechanism or due to the harsh conditions of their captivity.

Aviva Sigal, another returnee from over 50 days of Hamas captivity, spoke of the dehumanizing treatment they endured. "The terrorists give them demeaning clothing, turning the girls into their dolls, mere puppets on strings to be manipulated at will. It's hard to fathom that they are still there, enduring unimaginable suffering. We experienced abuse in every conceivable way, and they are still in those dire conditions, barely surviving. I feel like I am still there; my body is there. The boys, too, suffer abuse, similar to what the girls endure, though they do not face the risk of pregnancy. They, too, are treated like puppets on strings."

Terrorism can come in several forms, including sexual assault and rape motivated by nationalism. Pictured: The scene of Hamas's October 7 massacre at the Supernova music festival. (credit: YOSSI ZAMIR/FLASH90)

Raped in captivity

Earlier this month, Maariv exclusicely revealed that the Israeli medical community, usually reluctant to consider such scenarios, has recently actively been preparing for the appalling possibility of several female hostages who were raped in captivity and subsequently become pregnant.

According to sources who spoke with Maariv, there have been comprehensive discussions in hospitals across the country about preparing for the return of Israeli hostages who have been sexually assaulted by Hamas terrorists and are currently at different stages of pregnancy.

Israeli law permits abortions, granting women the autonomy to decide their course of action. However, the state is now faced with the daunting task of addressing the enduring trauma that will affect the victims and their families for a lifetime.

Unlike many countries where abortion is prohibited or allowed only up to the 23rd week of pregnancy, Israeli law permits abortions up to the moment of birth. Abortions can be authorized by a regular termination committee up to the 24th week of pregnancy. Beyond this period, terminations are overseen by a special committee of senior doctors, which also consider cases of fetuses with congenital disabilities, the mother's mental health, or even pregnancies resulting from rape. In Israel, both committees consistently approve abortions in rape cases.

In the early stages of pregnancy, abortions are carried out using Cytotec pills, which cause the opening and contraction of the cervix and the expulsion of the pregnancy, and Mifepristone, which inhibits the action of the hormone progesterone necessary for pregnancy development. However, as time passes, there is increasing concern that captives will have to undergo a late termination of pregnancy, in which drugs are used to stop the fetus's heart activity with a needle. The later the abortion is performed, the higher the medical risk to the mother and her chances of future pregnancies.

Medics prepare for scenario

Teams of gynecologists in medical centers nationwide have already appointed professionals to prepare for such a catastrophic scenario. The doctors emphasized that the medical aspect is based on established protocols for pregnancy termination. However, Israel must now grapple with the most challenging element: the severe psychological impact on a captive woman who has conceived.

"The human brain struggles to comprehend the situation of a captive in captivity who must deal not only with the pregnancy but also with the fact that it was conceived through the brutal rape by a murderous terrorist," said Prof. Tal Biron-Shental the chair and director of the Obstetrics and Gynecology division at Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba.

"Performing an abortion is a procedure we are all familiar with and skilled in. However, the primary challenge the state must now address is the horrific and daunting psychological trauma. A pregnant woman, feeling fetal movements and with a visibly growing belly, naturally attaches to the fetus.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant blamed Hamas leadership abroad for thwarting a hostage deal by taking a hardline stance as KAN news reported that the terror group had rejected the latest Israeli initiative.

"I am now hearing the beginning of all kinds of announcements on behalf of all kinds of Hamas officials, who are talking about hostage deals, as a result of their contacts in Egypt and Qatar," Gallant told soldiers during a visit down south.

He charged that "the most extreme people in the Hamas negotiations are the ones who are the furthest away From the Gaza Strip - those who fly in luxury planes [and] sit in luxury hotels."

"Those who suffer in Gaza and are constantly under your tanks' chains are not such heroes. I hear what they say; most of them want to stop" fighting, Gallant said.

Reuters had raised hopes of progress on a deal with its report on Wednesday morning that Israel and Hamas broadly agree in principle that an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners could take place during a month-long ceasefire, but the framework plan is being held up by the two sides' differences over how to bring a permanent end the Gaza war.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant flies above the skies of Gaza with the Israeli Air Force, January 21, 2024 (credit: DEFENSE MINISTRY)

Hamas has insisted that any deal must include a permanent ceasefire, while Israel has stood on its principled position that the war can only end when the terror group is ousted from the enclave.

KAN said that Hamas, in rejecting the latest proposal, had wanted the IDF to fully withdraw from Gaza in the first stage of the deal. Many of the proposals have included phased releases of the 132 hostages still held in Gaza.

On the American front

US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters in Washington on Wednesday that special envoy Brett McGurk was in Doha to discuss a hostage deal. Qatar and Egypt have acted as mediators between Hamas and Israel on the issue.

"Brett is in the region right now; this is top of his agenda. He is in Doha today," Kirby said. 

"These are very sober and serious discussions we are having. We certainly want another humanitarian pause so we can get aid in and hostages out," he stated.

The US has supported Israel's military goal and has stated publicly that it does not believe there should be a ceasefire until Hamas is defeated.

At the Knesset, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that this "is a war for our home. It must end – and it will end – with the defeat of the aggression and evil of the new Nazis. 

"Anyone who participated, took hostages, and raped and murdered our citizens, brought unprecedented destruction on themselves," Netanyahu said.

"There is not, nor will there be, any compromise with regard to safeguarding our existence and our future for the generations to come," he stressed.

The latest round of shuttle diplomacy started on Dec. 28 and has narrowed disagreements about the length of an initial ceasefire to around 30 days, after Hamas had first proposed a pause of several months, said one of the sources, an official briefed on the negotiations.

However, Hamas has since refused to move forward with the plans until the future conditions of a permanent ceasefire are agreed, according to six sources. Most of the sources consulted for this story requested anonymity to speak freely about sensitive matters.

While Israel has sought to negotiate one stage at a time, Hamas is seeking "a package deal" in which there would be a permanent ceasefire before hostages are released during the initial phase, said one of the sources, a Palestinian official close to the mediation efforts. Israel and Hamas are speaking through the mediators, not talking directly.

Two Egyptian security sources said that there was work underway to convince Hamas to accept a one-month truce to be followed by a permanent ceasefire. However, Hamas is requesting guarantees that the second phase of the deal would be carried out to agree to the initial truce, the sources said.

The sources did not provide details of what such guarantees might consist of.

Asked about the negotiations, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters on Monday the organization was open to discussing ideas but that no deal was yet in place.

"We are open to all initiatives and proposals, but any agreement must be based on ending the aggression and the occupation's complete pullout from the Gaza Strip," said Abu Zuhri.

One offer by Israel is to end the war if Hamas removes six senior leaders from Gaza, said a seventh source, a senior Hamas official. However, Hamas "absolutely" rejected the proposal, he said.

The source said the list included the masterminds of Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, Yahya Sinwar and Mohamed al-Deif, who are Israel's top targets to kill or capture in the war and are thought to be hiding deep within Hamas' extensive network of tunnels beneath Gaza.

The International Court of Justice plans to issue its ruling on South Africa’s request that it order Israel to halt its war in Gaza in open court this Friday at 1 p.m. at The Hague in the Netherlands (2 p.m. Israel time.)

South Africa’s News24 said a delegation from its government had touched down in The Hague in anticipation of the judgment. 

The ICJ had held hearings earlier this month on South Africa's request that it issue provisional measures related to its charges before the court that Israel was guilty of genocide in Gaza.

The ruling on provisional measures is preliminary, as the ICJ has yet to hold hearings on the actual genocide charge, which Israel rejects.

ISRAEL FOREIGN MINISTRY legal adviser Tal Becker and British barrister Malcolm Shaw KC, who appeared on behalf of Israel, attend the International Court of Justice hearing, in The Hague on Friday. (credit: THILO SCHMUELGEN/REUTERS)

Israel dismissed the genocide allegations as "grossly distorted" and said it had a right to defend itself and was targeting Hamas, not Palestinian civilians, which had attacked its country on October 7, killing over 1,200 people and seizing some 250 hostages.

The ruling comes at a critical junction in hostage release negotiations

The ruling comes as Israel is under intense international pressure to halt the war in Gaza and is in talks over a hostage deal to secure the release of the remaining 132 captives held there in exchange for at least a month-long pause in the war.

Israel has been under intense scrutiny due to the high fatality county, with Hamas asserting that over 25,000 Palestinians have been killed in war-related violence in Gaza. Israel has said that at least 9,000 are combatants.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Yemen's Houthi forces on Wednesday fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles toward the US-flagged and owned container ship M/V Maersk Detroit as it was transiting the Gulf of Aden, the US Central Command said on X.

There were no reports of injuries or damage to the ship, it added in a statement.

Yemen's Houthi forces on Wednesday fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles toward the US-flagged and owned container ship M/V Maersk Detroit as it was transiting the Gulf of Aden, the US Central Command said on X.

There were no reports of injuries or damage to the ship, it added in a statement.

It is too early to say whether the latest push by the IDF in western Khan Yunis, which started on Monday, will be a game-changer in the current Israel-Hamas war.

The IDF's minimal goal is to tear apart Hamas's Khan Yunis battalions as part of a third stage in southern Gaza and a fourth stage of the entire Gaza invasion.

This would leave none of Hamas's top organized forces functioning in Gaza.

The broader goal is to finally reach the cracking point where Hamas will either give more hostages back to Israel or even finally agree to some kind of a deal in which its leadership is expelled from Gaza or otherwise gives up its power.

IDF soldiers of Division 98 in Khan Yunis, January 22, 2024 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

In the first stage of the Gaza invasion, southern Gaza encountered few IDF ground forces, and the focus was on dismantling Hamas's prized northern Gaza battalions.

This time period ran from October 25 until early December.

In early December, at the same time that the IDF sought to finish off Hamas's smaller remaining northern Gaza forces and take apart its much smaller central Gaza forces, the invasion of Khan Yunis and southern Gaza went into high gear.

From early December until late December, the IDF made significant progress taking apart Khan Yunis's northern and eastern battalions.

However, from late December until January 22. Progress was much slower, with most updates from the IDF talking about smaller skirmishes against single digits or very small double digit forces of Hamas.

It seemed that Hamas forces had fled underground or to western Khan Yunis.

Looking back, the IDF probably used that time period to start probing and planning its next big push in western Khan Yunis.

Khan Yunis crucial to defeating Hamas

If the IDF can rout Hamas's forces in western Khan Yunis, the only remaining Hamas-organized battalions will be in Rafah, even further south, and in Nuseirat in central Gaza.

While top Israeli defense officials would like to take apart these battalions as well, completing the elimination of the Gaza City and Khan Yunis battalions will be a further long-term blow to Hamas's operations and morale.

The recent intensifying of attacks in Khan Yunis has also brought the average of firing Hamas rockets to an all-new low, something the IDF was not able to do in around 15 years of prior rounds.

All of this is true no matter what happens next.

Of course, what happens next still matters a lot.

Will this pressure lead Hamas's leaders to finally cut another hostage exchange deal?

Can the IDF locate Hamas's leader and hostages in Khan Yunis to bring about a moment of truth that will place a whole new level of pressure on the terror group's top people?

Or will they remain hidden in Khan Yunis tunnels for an extended period, or have they fled to Rafah or some other less well-known Gaza village?

Such options offer them less control of the fighting and a smaller defensive network, but could prolong the amount of time until the IDF finds them, which in and of itself maintains pressure on Israel to cut a less good deal to receive the hostages back.

Also, it is unclear whether routing Hamas in Khan Yunis will improve the standoff between Israel and the US (and other Israeli Western and moderate Arab allies) about how to handle managing Gaza "The Day After" the IDF withdraws and hands it to some other third party or group of third parties.

But there is no question that tactically the push could be a new victory point for the IDF over Hamas, and it potentially could also positively impact the broader strategic picture.

Italy will provide hospital treatment for 100 Palestinian children from Gaza after transporting them by plane and ship in an operation to be launched in the next few days, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said on Wednesday.

The first 30 children will fly from Egypt, Crosetto said, where they sought refuge and medical assistance after escaping the Israeli bombardment of the neighbouring Gaza enclave.

Another 30 will reach Italy with their families at the end of January aboard the military vessel Vulcano which will depart from the Egyptian port of al-Arish. Crosetto did not clarify when or how the remaining 40 children will be transported.

Over 25,700 Palestinians have been killed since Israeli forces launched an all-out war to eliminate Gaza's ruling Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, after its militants burst across the border into southern Israeli towns and bases on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages.

"One cannot remain indifferent in the face of the serious humanitarian crisis," Crosetto said in a statement, adding that Italy's move was "a moral duty more than a political one."

The children will be treated in hospitals in Bologna, Florence, Genoa and Rome, the statement said.

Italy initially backed Israel's war on Hamas, saying it had the right to defend itself following the Oct. 7 attack, and it has avoided criticising the Israeli government even as the death toll in Gaza has mounted.

Crosetto said the transfer of the children would be organised out of al-Arish, which is less than 50 km (31 miles) from the Rafah crossing into Gaza, and has become the international coordination centre for humanitarian aid.

About 1,000 people from Gaza have been treated on a French warship turned field hospital docked off the coast of Egypt, its captain said on Sunday.