Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 119?

Iran's Intelligence Ministry claimed Friday that "dozens" of spies working with Israel were discovered in 28 countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe, including several spies operating in Tehran and other parts of Iran.

The ministry claimed that the spies were uncovered in "the largest combined intelligence and counter-intelligence operation against the espionage and security organizations" of Israel, conducted by the regime's secret agents known as the "anonymous soldiers of Imam Zaman."

The operation also gathered information about "some of the most important secret military facilities, weapons factories, and civilian strategic industries of the usurping Zionist regime," according to the ministry.

The announcement by the ministry stressed that the publication of the details allegedly uncovered in the operation would be restricted, in part to protect the "human factors involved in this project, inside and outside the occupied territories," in an apparent claim that individuals in Israel helped Iran acquire the information the ministry claims to have gathered.

The ministry added that it had identified several Iranians who it said were serving as spies for Israel abroad, warning that "a decision will be made according to the situation of each of them and the level of relations of this ministry with the intelligence agencies of the countries where the spies reside."

Iran has repeatedly threatened Iranians critical of the regime who live abroad in the past, even kidnapping and attempting to kill them in several instances.

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

Israeli ministers appeared to pour cold water on the Gaza hostage release and ceasefire deal in a late Thursday night cabinet meeting, N12 reported on Friday morning.

As per the report, many ministers voiced displeasure over the length of the truce in the Gaza Strip, with most looking to avoid a break in fighting that would last more than a month.

This is a developing story.

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 the Israeli authorities via official channels, the TV said.

 Saudi Arabia would be willing to accept a political commitment from Israel to create a Palestinian state, rather than anything more binding, in a bid to get a defense pact with Washington approved before the US presidential election, three sources said.

Months of US-led diplomacy to get Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel and recognize the country for the first time were shelved by Riyadh in October in the face of mounting Arab anger over the war in Gaza.

But Saudi Arabia is increasingly keen to shore up its security and ward off threats from rival Iran so the kingdom can forge ahead with its ambitious plan to transform its economy and attract huge foreign investment, two regional sources said.

Saudi to accept Israeli 'political commitment'

To create some wiggle room in talks about recognizing Israel and to get the US pact back on track, Saudi officials have told their US counterparts that Riyadh would not insist Israel take concrete steps to create a Palestinian state and would instead accept a political commitment to a two-state solution, two senior regional sources told Reuters.

Such a major regional deal, widely seen as a long-shot even before the Israel-Hamas war, would still face numerous political and diplomatic obstacles, not least the uncertainty over how the Gaza conflict will unfold.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, June 6, 2023 (credit: VIA REUTERS)

A pact giving the world's biggest oil exporter US military protection in exchange for normalization with Israel would reshape the Middle East by uniting two long-time foes and binding Riyadh to Washington at a time when China is making inroads in the region.

A normalization deal would also bolster Israel's defenses against arch-rival Iran and give US President Joe Biden a diplomatic victory to vaunt ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election.

The Saudi officials have privately urged Washington to press Israel to end the Gaza war and commit to a "political horizon" for a Palestinian state, saying Riyadh would then normalize relations and help fund Gaza's reconstruction, one of the regional sources said.

"The message from the kingdom to America has been: 'Stop the war first, allow humanitarian aid and commit to a just and lasting solution to give the Palestinians a state'," said Abdelaziz al-Sagher, head of the Gulf Research Center think-tank in Jeddah, who is familiar with the ongoing discussions. "Without it, Saudi Arabia can't do anything."

The problem, though, is that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has spent much of his political career opposing Palestinian statehood, has rejected outright any US and Arab aspirations for a Palestinian state once the Gaza war is over.

"Normalization does require really - if not legally, at least politically - a commitment from the Israelis that they are open to a two-state solution," said one of the senior regional sources familiar with Saudi thinking.

"If Israel stopped its military offensive on Gaza - or at least declared a ceasefire - it would make it easier for Saudi Arabia to go ahead with the deal," the person said.

The Saudi government's communication office did not respond to requests for comment.

The IDF killed over 20 terrorists in clashes in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza on Thursday, as the offensive in the city continues, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said Friday morning.

Many of the terrorists eliminated in Khan Yunis were eliminated in close-range combat.

Soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade raided several targets in Khan Yunis on Thursday, finding grenades, explosive charges, military equipment, Kalashnikov rifles, and ammunition. 

In west Khan Yunis, soldiers from the Givati Brigade directed aircraft to strike buildings where terrorists were operating, including one squad that was firing anti-tank missiles at Israeli forces.

In north and central Gaza, forces from the 162nd Division raided terrorist infrastructure and eliminated terrorist squads. Soldiers from the 401st Brigade eliminated about ten terrorists on Thursday.

Israeli soldiers seen operating in the Gaza Strip on February 2, 2024 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Additionally, overnight, air defense systems intercepted a suspicious aerial target that crossed from Gaza into Israeli airspace.

Minister-without-portfolio Gideon Sa'ar rejected plans by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to possibly recognize a Palestinian state after the war in Gaza on Friday morning, posting on X that this would be "short-termism at its worst."

Recognizing a Palestinian State is short-termism at its worst. It is saying to the Palestinians: murder as many Jews as possible, rape their women, take hostages and you will be rewarded with a state. A state that will undoubtedly continue the armed struggle against Israel.

— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) February 2, 2024

"Recognizing a Palestinian State is short-termism at its worst. It is saying to the Palestinians: murder as many Jews as possible, rape their women, take hostages, and you will be rewarded with a state. A state that will undoubtedly continue the armed struggle against Israel," wrote Sa'ar.

The raid by Israeli special forces on Tuesday morning of the Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin legitimately made international headlines. In a video caught by the hospital security cameras, a group of Israeli commandos, disguised as Palestinians – some wearing headscarves, white medical coats, and nurses’ uniforms – are seen pacing the corridor with drawn assault rifles.

Within 10 minutes, the commandos were back outside after eliminating three top Hamas terrorists said to have been in the midst of planning an October 7-style attack somewhere in the West Bank.

But beyond the Hollywood-like drama of the operation, there is something more important to take away from it – what the IDF did that morning is a perfect illustration of the type of security reality Israel seeks to create in the Gaza Strip.

It shows how, 22 years after Operation Defensive Shield, which saw the IDF return to Palestinian cities during the Second Intifada, the Israeli military continues to retain operational freedom and enter and operate in the West Bank when it deems it to be necessary.

This is ultimately what Israel is looking to achieve in the Gaza Strip. Despite earlier declarations – according to which the IDF would destroy and eradicate Hamas – Israel understands today that this is not possible. Instead, it is focused on what seems like more modest goals of freeing the hostages, toppling the Hamas leadership, and creating a new security reality in southern Israel. What will make this possible is the ability to continue operating inside Gaza as needed.

The Foreign Minister of Belgium announced Friday night that the offices of the Belgian Development Agency in Gaza were bombed by Israel and destroyed.

She stated that she and the international development minister had invited the Israeli ambassador to Belgium for a clarification conversation.

"Damaging civilian buildings is unacceptable," said the Belgian foreign minister.

This is a developing story.
 

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Thursday night that Hamas forces in Khan Yunis have been officially defeated.

He said that after additional gains by the IDF in Khan Yunis, 10,000 Hamas fighters have been killed and 10,000 wounded, up from around 9,000 killed and around 8,000 wounded around a week and a half ago.

If true, along with the close to 2,500 Hamas terrorists who have been arrested, the percentage of Hamas forces out of commission would now be up to between 56-75%, up from 48-64% around 10 days ago, presuming Hamas' forces pre-war were between 30,000-40,000.

Gallant's statement that the IDF has completed taking apart Hamas's remaining battalions in Khan Yunis, including in the western part of the terror group's southern Gaza capital, would also seem to be a week or a couple of weeks ahead of IDF statements.

Earlier this week, the IDF said it was on the verge of taking apart Hamas's final Khan Yunis battalion in the western section but appeared to suggest that it could still be some weeks before the process was complete.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visits IDF soldiers in Khan Yunis, Gaza on February 1, 2024 (credit: ARIEL HERMONI/DEFENSE MINISTRY)

It was unclear if some additional dramatic progress had been made in the last few days or if Gallant was projecting a bit forward by a week or so.

The IDF itself still has not announced full operational control in Khan Yunis as it did in northern Gaza in late December and early January.

Gallant vows to rout Hamas in Gaza's Rafah

The defense minister also vowed to rout Hamas in Rafah, where to date, the military has avoided using ground troops so as not to alienate Egypt.

However, an increasing number of top officials have suggested to the Jerusalem Post that Hamas's top leaders and many hostages may have moved from Khan Yunis to Rafah.