Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 119?

Hamas's top leaders are arguing about the proposed ceasefire and hostage exchange deal, forcing it to be pushed off further and further, the Wall Street Journal revealed, citing officials "familiar with the negotiations" on Friday night.

The IDF's 646th Brigade destroyed a complex used by Hamas to produce rockets in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said Friday.

The complex contained civilian and dual-use machines which were converted by Hamas for the production of weapons.

In a CNN interview on Friday, former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett addressed the Israeli security operation that saw Israeli commandoes foil a terror attack in the West Bank hospital of Ibn Sina earlier this week.

Israeli ministers said that no plan for a hostage release deal has been presented to the cabinet, stressing that any such deal isn't coming soon, if ever, N12 reported on Friday.

The ministers, who remained unnamed in the report, told N12 that "the feeling that the plan is coming is unfounded. The deal is still far away and it is not certain that it will come to fruition."

The IDF attacked a Hezbollah military complex as well as trucks that were storing weapons in southern Lebanon, it announced on Friday.

If the infantryman has a defining responsibility, it is to march on. Even before mastering marksmanship, before learning tactics, the IDF infantryman learns to put one foot before the other, and to continue on with this simple task ad infinitum. Time and distance make even the simplest of tasks arduous, the lightest of weights into unbelievable burdens. The infantryman learns to march under the weight of time, his hope residing on the horizon. Every 5 kilometers is said to be the final stretch of the journey, though the destination always remains elusive. Each mountaintop is the final height, until the discovery that there are yet taller peaks still to climb.

The United Nations humanitarian office on Friday voiced concern about the hostilities in Khan Yunis that have forced more people to flee to Rafah in the south of Gaza, describing the border town as a "pressure cooker of despair."

"I want to emphasize our deep concern about the escalation of hostilities in Khan Yunis, which has increased the number of internally displaced people seeking refuge in Rafah in recent days," said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

"Thousands of Palestinians have continued to flee to the south, which is already hosting over half the population of some 2.3 million people...Rafah is a pressure cooker of despair, and we fear for what comes next."

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Thursday that success in Khan Yunis, where Israel launched a major ground attack last week, meant its forces could advance to Rafah on Gaza's southern border.

More than half of Gaza's 2.3 million people are sheltering in this area.

An Israeli tank stands amid the rubble as Palestinians flee Khan Yunis on January 27, 2024 (credit: REUTERS/IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA)

"We are achieving our missions in Khan Younis, and we will also reach Rafah and eliminate terror elements that threaten us," Gallant said in a statement.

UNICEF says nearly all Gaza's children require mental health support

UNICEF said on Friday it estimated that 17,000 children in Gaza were unaccompanied or have been separated from their families during the conflict, and that nearly all children in the enclave were thought to require mental health support.

"They present symptoms like extremely high levels of persistent anxiety, and loss of appetite. They can't sleep, they have emotional outbursts or they panic every time they hear a bombing," said Jonathan Crickx, UNICEF's chief of communication for the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

"Before this war, UNICEF was considering that 500,000 children were already in need of mental health and psychosocial support in Gaza. Today, we estimate that almost all children need that support, and that's more than 1 million children."

Jordanian border guards briefly arrested four Israelis on Thursday who had mistakenly crossed the border, Jordanian state TV reported on Friday citing a military source.

Investigations showed they crossed by mistake and were later returned to Israeli authorities via official channels, the TV said.

For young Israelis briefly detained, releasedd

Asked about the incident, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson in Jordan said: "Last night, the Ministry received a report about four young Israelis who, during a jeep trip, accidentally crossed the border in Wadi Rum area and were detained for questioning on the spot by the Jordanian local authorities.

A Syrian soldier is seen standing in the Nasib border crossing with Jordan in Deraa, Syria July 7, 2018. (credit: OMAR SANADIKI/REUTERS)

"Upon receiving the report, the Israeli consulate in Jordan and the Foreign Ministry worked with the relevant authorities to bring about their speedy return to Israel. 

"A few hours later, they all returned, safely, to Israel."

The United Nations humanitarian office on Friday voiced concern about the hostilities in Khan Younis that have forced more people to flee to Rafah in the south of Gaza, describing the border town as a "pressure cooker of despair."

"I want to emphasize our deep concern about the escalation of hostilities in Khan Yunis, which has resulted in an increase in the number of internally displaced people seeking refuge in Rafah in recent days," said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

"Thousands of Palestinians have continued to flee to the south, which is already hosting over half the population of some 2.3 million people. ... Rafah is a pressure cooker of despair, and we fear for what comes next."

Iran will not start a war but would "respond strongly" to anyone who tried to bully it, President Ebrahim Raisi said on Friday, a day after the US said it was planning attacks on Iranian sites in Iraq and Syria.

There has been mounting speculation this week about how Washington might retaliate after three US soldiers were killed last Saturday in a strike on their base in Jordan by an Iranian-backed group.

CBS News, citing US officials, reported on Thursday that the United States had approved plans for multi-day strikes in Iraq and Syria against multiple targets, including Iranian personnel and facilities in those countries.

"We will not start any war, but if anyone wants to bully us they will receive a strong response," Raisi said in a televised speech.

"Before, when they (the Americans) wanted to talk to us, they said the military option is on the table. Now they say they have no intention of a conflict with Iran," Raisi said.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi gives a speech during a ceremony to mark the fourth anniversary of the killing of senior Iranian military commander General Qassem Soleimani in a US attack, in Tehran, Iran, January 3, 2024. (credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA/REUTERS)