What happened on day 544 of the war?
IDF releases probe into Nova massacre • US sanctions Houthi pipeline for Russian arms and stolen Ukrainian grain • Hamas ignores Israel's hostage deal offer
Israel kills four Hamas terrorists in Jabalya, including one who partook in in Oct. 7 attacks
The terrorist that partook in the October 7 attacks and was killed was Shadi Diab Abd Al-Hamid Falouji of Hamas's East Jabalya Battalion.
The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) struck four Hamas terrorists on Wednesday, one of whom participated in the October 7 Hamas attacks in 2023, the military announced on Thursday evening.
The terrorist that partook in the October 7 attacks and was killed was Shadi Diab Abd Al-Hamid Falouji. He was a part of the terror organization's East Jabalya Battalion.
Go to the full article >>Houthis missile hits Saudi Arabia en route to Israel
Houthi missiles most recently triggered sirens across Israel on Sunday, the third time in a single week.
A ballistic missile launched from Yemen by the Houthis fell in Saudi Arabia as it was en route to Israeli territory, Army Radio reported on Thursday evening.
This is the second time a Houthi missile has landed in Saudi Arabia while heading toward Israeli territory. The last time this occurred was in late March.
Houthi missiles most recently triggered sirens across Israel on Sunday, the third time in a single week.
Go to the full article >>Israel strikes two Hamas terrorists located in Gaza City command center
The IDF said the the terrorists were located in a building used "plan and execute" attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops.
Israel killed two Hamas terrorists who were located in the terror group's command and control center in Gaza City, the military announced on Thursday afternoon.
The military said those hit were "prominent" terrorists and added that the center they were located in was used by Hamas to attack Israeli civilians and IDF troops.
The IDF emphasized that numerous steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians before the strike. The steps taken included the use of aerial surveillance and additional intelligence, the military said.
IDF spokesman in Arabic, Avichay Adraee, issued an urgent evacuation order earlier on Thursday to residents of Shejaia in the Gaza Strip due to upcoming IDF operations.
Go to the full article >>Nova festival massacre: Hamas murdered 378 Israelis in bloodiest Oct. 7 attack
Of the 378 Israelis killed, 344 were civilians • Hamas took 44 hostage from music festival, 17 remain in Gaza including 11 still among living
Hamas terrorists murdered 378 Israelis took 44 hostage from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023 in the most bloody single incident of Hamas’s invasion, according to the IDF's October 7 probe.
Breaking down the 378 Israelis, 344 were civilians and the other 34 were a mix of mostly IDF and police forces, with a small number also of Shin Bet fighters.
Regarding the hostages, 27 have been returned to Israel, 14 alive and 13 deceased.
17 more hostages remain in Gaza, 11 still alive, and six deceased.
Go to the full article >>IDF, Israel Police ignored all security dangers leading to Nova festival massacre
Over 400 partygoers were essentially left defenseless once Hamas invaders noticed their presence in the Re'im field areas near the Gaza border.
Both the police and the IDF completely ignored all security dangers regarding the Nova music festival leading into and during Hamas’s October 7 invasion of southern Israel, it appears based on the IDF's October 7 probe issued on Thursday.
The police still have not issued their own probe and did not respond to requests for comment.
There has also been a large controversy over whether to place greater blame on the police or the IDF regarding the Nova music festival disaster.
Go to the full article >>Observers say IDF abandoned Gaza border outpost in 12-hour security lapse
60 observers at the post were left without any protection, and the base gate was open and unsupervised.
For 12 hours last Thursday, the observation post at the Urim base - near the Gaza border - was left with no guard and no security, The Jerusalem Post confirmed on Thursday.
As a result, 60 observers at the post were left without any protection, and the base gate was open and unsupervised.
In footage obtained by N12, the outpost can be seen abandoned, meaning anyone could theoretically enter without hindrance.
One of the female observers told N12, "Our base was completely abandoned - without a guard and without a security force other than us, who were not all armed."
Go to the full article >>Hungary withdraws from 'politicized' ICC during Netanyahu visit
Gulyás said that the government will initiate the withdrawal procedure on Thursday.
Hungary announced that it will withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday, making it the first ever country to do so.
This comes after a ruling by the international court last November, which issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Israel-Hamas War.
“You made a courageous decision, an important decision for the whole world, to stand up against a corrupt organization like the ICC,” said Netanyahu.
Go to the full article >>Trump tariffs on Israel a regression in trade relations: Israeli officials, businesses react
Officials said they were convinced that Israel's decision to cancel Israeli tariffs on US imports would prevent US tariffs on Israel.
Israeli economic officials expressed shock overnight Wednesday at the Trump administration's decision to impose a 17% tariff on Israel, calling the decision "unjustified."
The duty on Israel is part of a sweeping set of tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump on Wednesday in which he will impose a 10% baseline tariff on all imports to the United States and higher duties on some of the country's biggest trading partners, in a move that ratchets up a trade war that he kicked off on his return to the White House.
Israel had already moved to cancel its remaining tariffs on US imports on Tuesday.
Officials added that they were convinced that Israel's decision to cancel Israeli tariffs on US imports would prevent US tariffs on Israel.
Go to the full article >>IDF kills several terrorists in southern Syria, confiscates weapons
The IDF killed several armed terrorists who fired on troops in the Tasil area of southern Syria on Wednesday night, the military confirmed on Thursday.
Israeli forces also confiscated weapons and destroyed terrorist infrastructure.
The IDF finished its operation in the area, but stated that Israel will not allow a military threat to exist in Syria.
Go to the full article >>Locals claim clashes ongoing between pro-HTS forces, IDF, near Daraa - report
Armed clashes between the IDF and pro-Ha'yat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) combatants in Daraa, southern Syria, have been ongoing for the past hour, reports from Daraa-based Syrian news sources claimed on Thursday morning.
Neither Israeli media nor the IDF have corroborated the reports of armed clashes at the time of writing.
However, "Dozens of IDF vehicles advance in the Nawa area of the Daraa suburbs," Kan News reported shortly before reports of clashes emerged.
Over the past few days, Israel has conducted airstrikes across Syria, the military confirmed, which the HTS-led Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned.
Go to the full article >>Israel at war: What you need to know
- Hamas launched a massive attack on October 7, with thousands of terrorists infiltrating from the Gaza border and taking some 240 hostages into Gaza.
- Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered, including over 350 at the Supernova music festival and hundreds of Israeli civilians across Gaza border communities.
- 59 hostages remain in Gaza.
- 49 hostages in total have been killed in captivity, IDF says.
- The IDF launched a ground invasion of Lebanon on September 30.
- The Israel-Lebanon ceasefire came into effect on November 27 at 4 a.m.
- Netanyahu confirmed the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire on January 17, 2025.