Israel confirmed, this Saturday, January 4, the resumption of indirect negotiations with Hamas in Qatar with a view to the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, where Israeli strikes left more than 30 dead according to local emergency services.
The armed wing of Hamas, as it had already done on several occasions, published a video of one of the people kidnapped during the attack of October 7, 2023: Liri Albag, a 19-year-old Israeli woman. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz informed his parents of “ongoing efforts to free the hostages, including the Israeli delegation that left yesterday (Friday) for talks in Qatar.” If Israel emphasizes the release of the hostages, Hamas, which reported on Friday the resumption of discussions, emphasizes the objective of achieving a truce in Gaza.
Information to remember
⇒ Hamas military wing releases video of hostage held in Gaza
⇒ The Israeli army announces having intercepted a missile fired from Yemen
⇒ Biden administration announces new arms sale to Israel
Hamas military wing releases video of hostage held in Gaza
The armed wing of Hamas released this Saturday a new video of one of the people kidnapped on October 7, 2023. The video of approximately 3 minutes and 30 seconds, the recording date of which cannot be verified, shows a young woman s ‘speaking in Hebrew and calling on the Israeli government to act to secure his release.
Liri Albag, 19, was kidnapped while doing her military service at the Nahal Oz base in southern Israel, along with six other soldiers, five of whom are still captive. While Israel confirmed on Saturday the resumption of indirect negotiations with Hamas in Doha for the release of the hostages, the hostage’s parents said in a video message that they had “asked the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense that the team of negotiators will not return (from Qatar) without an agreement.”
Israeli army announces intercepted missile fired from Yemen
The Israeli army announced this Sunday morning that it had intercepted a missile coming from Yemen before it entered its territory, a shot claimed by the Houthi rebels supported by Iran. “Following the warning sirens which sounded […] in Talmei Elazar (in northern Israel, Editor’s note), a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted before penetrating Israeli territory,” the army announced in a message on the Telegram social network.
A little later, Yemeni rebels claimed responsibility for the attack. The military operation targeted “the Orot Rabin power plant linked to the Israeli enemy south of the Haifa region”, and was carried out using “a hypersonic ballistic missile”, the military spokesperson said of the Houthis, Yahya Saree.
Fighting in Syria between Kurds and pro-Turks
More than 100 fighters have been killed over the past two days in clashes in northern Syria between armed factions supported by Turkey and Syrian Kurdish forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) said on Sunday.
Since Friday evening, fighting in villages around the town of Manbij has left 101 dead, 85 members of the pro-Turkish Syrian factions and 16 of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF, dominated by the Kurds), told AFP the director of the OSDH, Rami Abdel Rahmane. In a statement, the SDF claimed to have repelled “all attacks by Turkish mercenaries supported by Turkish drones and aircraft.”
Syrian Foreign Minister begins first visit to Qatar
The new head of Syrian diplomacy, Asaad Al-Shaibani, began an official visit to Qatar, his first to the Gulf country since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad almost a month ago. The minister arrived this Sunday morning for meetings, a Syrian diplomat in Doha and a Qatari official told AFP. Qatar was the second country, after Turkey, to reopen its embassy in the Syrian capital after Assad’s fall from power.
Biden administration announces new arms sale to Israel
The American administration of Joe Biden announced on Saturday an arms sale to Israel estimated at $8 billion, shortly before Donald Trump’s return to the White House. The sale, which must still be approved by Congress, notably includes anti-aircraft defense munitions, according to a source close to the matter.
Before leaving power, Joe Biden once again brushes aside the pressure put on by certain human rights organizations and elected Democrats, who oppose such sales to Israel. “The president made it clear that Israel has the right to defend its citizens, in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law, and to deter aggression from Iran and its affiliated organizations,” the same statement said. source.