US, mediators push for Gaza ceasefire as talks continue in Doha
- White House national security advisor says Israel, Hamas “very, very close” to a ceasefire and captive exchange deal, as President Biden and PM Netanyahu hold phonecall.
- Meanwhile, top officials from the incoming Trump administration have reiterated threats of more violence in Gaza if a deal is not reached by January 20. Israel’s negotiating team will stay in Doha, Qatar, as talks continue tomorrow.
Israeli woman wounded by Hezbollah rocket dies: Israeli media
The woman, Tamar Edri, had been wounded in a rocket attack on Nahariya in November, just two days before a ceasefire agreement was reached with Israel.
In a statement today, the municipality reported that Edri had died from the wounds.The latest update comes as the January 26 deadline for the Israel miltary to withdraw from the area in southern Lebanon it is occupying and for Lebanese forces to deploy to those areas.
Both sides have accused the others of multiple violations, although the ceasefire has broadly held.
The Israeli far-right has been against a ceasefire deal for some time
There’s a lot of turmoil within Benjamin Netanyahu’s own government.
Remember that when the first and only ceasefire deal took place, you had members of his own coalition, like Itamar Ben-Gvir, vote against it.
Now you have the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who’s been quite an outspoken opponent of any sort of ceasefire deal.
There is a large school of thought in Israel that if Netanyahu agrees to a deal, his government will collapse.
So there were reports earlier in the day that Netanyahu held a meeting with members of the far right, including Smotrich, to try and warm him up to the idea of the ceasefire deal.
The far right has been against this for some time, saying that it would be a victory for Hamas and that they would be rewarding the Palestinian group.
Benjamin Netanyahu, nonetheless, still decided to send his negotiating team to give them a mandate and let them stay another day in Doha for these talks.
Ultimately, this is going to be Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision.
Dozens of young men detained in Deir Istiya
Israeli raids have been continuing in the occupied West Bank, with dozens of young men now detained in Deir Istiya.
The town in the Salfit government has been repeatedly targeted in recent days, with Wafa news agency reporting the Israeli military has used dirt barriers at the town’s entrance to hinder movement.
Videos verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking unit show the detained men being walked in a single-file line through the town.
