‘An illiberal democracy can be ousted in elections’
| Photo Credit: AFP

A destroyed part of Gaza City as seen from southern Israel, on January 2, 2025. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 50 people, including several children, across the Gaza Strip, hitting Hamas security officers and an Israeli-declared humanitarian zone.

As the bombardment continued on Thursday (January 2, 2025) and into Friday (January 3, 2025), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he had authorised a delegation from the Mossad intelligence agency, the Shin Bet internal security agency and the military to continue negotiations in Qatar toward a ceasefire deal.

Gaza rescuers say 93 people killed in Israel air strike in north

Israeli media said the delegation would depart on Friday (January 3, 2025). There was no immediate Hamas comment. The U.S.-led talks have repeatedly stalled during 15 months of war.

The Israeli strike in the seaside humanitarian zone known as Muwasi occurred as hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have been huddling there in damp winter weather.

“Everyone was taking shelter in their tents from the cold and suddenly we found the world turning upside down. Why, and for what?” said Ziyad Abu Jabal, displaced from Gaza City.

The early morning strike killed at least 10 people, including three children and two senior Hamas police officers. Israel’s military said it targeted a senior police officer, saying he was involved in gathering intelligence used by Hamas’ armed wing in attacks on Israeli forces.

Another Israeli strike killed at least eight people in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. The men were members of local committees that help secure aid convoys, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies. An Associated Press journalist there confirmed the toll. There was no immediate comment from Israel’s military.

In southern Gaza, the military killed five policemen in eastern Khan Younis. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said the strike targeted the head of the Hamas internal security force in southern Gaza.

“Where did we find him? Where else, but of course hiding in the humanitarian zone in Khan Younis, where Gazans are sheltering from this war,” Mr. Mencer said.

Israel has repeatedly targeted Gaza’s police during the war, contributing to a breakdown of law and order that has made it difficult for humanitarian groups to deliver aid. Israel accuses Hamas of hijacking aid for its own purposes.

The Hamas-run government had a police force numbering in the tens of thousands that maintained a high degree of public security before the war, while also violently suppressing dissent. Now officers have largely vanished from the streets in many areas.

Meanwhile, three Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike that hit a group of people walking in the street in Maghazi in central Gaza. Their bodies were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

Late Thursday and early Friday (December 26 and 27, 2024), Israeli strikes in central Gaza, including Maghazi and the Nuseirat refugee camp, killed at least 24 people, including children, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

The war was sparked by Hamas-led militants’ October 7, 2023 attack into Israel. The militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250. Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third believed to be dead.

Israel’s offensive in retaliation has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which says women and children make up more than half the dead. The Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in their tally.

Israel’s military says it only targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because its fighters operate in dense residential areas. The army says it has killed 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

The war has caused widespread destruction and displaced some 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, many of them multiple times. Hunger is widespread. Children, some barefoot or in sandals, waited in line with metal pails or other containers at a food distribution centre in Deir al-Balah on Thursday (January 2, 2025.)

Members of the Synagogue recover items from the Adass Israel Synagogue on December 06, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday linked an arson attack on a synagogue in Australia to what he called Canberra’s “anti-Israel sentiment”.

The police in the Australian city of Melbourne said mask-wearing arsonists attacked a synagogue before dawn on Friday. They were still searching for the suspects and said they did not know why the premises had been targeted.

In a statement, Mr. Netanyahu said that “this heinous act cannot be separated from the anti-Israel sentiment emanating from the Australian Labor government.”

He cited Canberra’s “outrageous decision” to vote for a United Nations General Assembly resolution that demanded the end of Israel’s “unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.

Mr. Netanyahu argued that “anti-Israel sentiment is anti-Semitism”.

Australia’s was among 157 votes in favour of the resolution on December 3, after it abstained in a similar vote in September.

No serious injuries were reported in the fire which gutted much of the synagogue building. Congregants were only beginning to gather for morning prayers as the attack took place, a board member said.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said federal police would help their state counterparts to investigate. He condemned the attack and said he had “zero tolerance” for anti-Semitism.

“This violence and intimidation and destruction at a place of worship is an outrage,” he said in a statement.

Mr. Netanyahu called the attack “a vile, classic anti-Semitic act, and I expect the authorities in Australia to use the full extent of their power to prevent such anti-Semitic attacks in the future”.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
| Photo Credit: AP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks before Congress on July 24 in hopes of bolstering U.S. support for continuing Israel’s offensives against Hamas and other adversaries. But boycotts of his appearance by some Democratic lawmakers and expected protests outside are highlighting how his hard-line government’s conduct of the devastating war in Gaza is opening fissures in longstanding American support for his country.

Mr. Netanyahu is assured a warm welcome from Republican lawmakers who arranged his speech in the House chamber, an appearance making him the first foreign leader to address a joint meeting of Congress four times, surpassing Winston Churchill.

Many Democrats and political independent Bernie Sanders plan to boycott Mr. Netanyahu’s appearance. But the most notable absence will be behind him: Vice President Kamala Harris, who serves as President of the Senate and traditionally would sit behind whatever dignitary is speaking, says a long-scheduled trip will keep her away on Wednesday. And the next Democrat in line, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, is declining to attend.

Republicans targeted the absence of Ms. Harris, the new Democratic front-runner for the presidency, as a sign of disloyalty to an ally. However, former President Donald Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, said campaigning would also make him a no-show for the Israeli leader’s speech.

And outside the Capitol, demonstrators angry over the deaths of nearly 40,000 Palestinians, or over Mr. Netanyahu’s inability to free Israeli and American hostages taken by Hamas and other militants in the first hours of the Israel-Hamas war, are promising massive protests.

In anticipation, House Speaker Mike Johnson warned of a “zero-tolerance policy” for any signs of disturbances in the Capitol building. “It is our tradition to acknowledge every guest speaker’s right to free expression even if we disagree with their viewpoint,” the Louisiana Republican wrote to members on July 23.

Mr. Johnson arranged the address, an honour that marks both the two countries’ historically warm bonds and the political weight that support for Israel has long carried in U.S. politics. But the attention for the visit has been diminished some by American political turmoil of recent weeks, including the assassination attempt against Mr. Trump and President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek another term.

Mr. Netanyahu hopes to project the image of a tough, respected statesman for an increasingly critical domestic audience back home in Israel. That may be difficult given the wide division among Americans over Netanyahu’s conduct of the war.

Many Democrats who support Israel but have been critical of Netanyahu see the address as a Republican effort to cast itself as the party most loyal to Israel and to provide the prime minister with a much-needed political reprieve.

“I don’t know all the motivations for Speaker Johnson initiating the invitation but clearly he wanted to throw a political lifeline to Netanyahu whose popularity is very low in Israel right now,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, among the dozens of Democrats set to boycott, said on July 23.

A view of the screen showing the result of a vote on a resolution regarding the Israeli military campaign in Gaza,
during the 55th session of the Human Rights Council, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, on April 5, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

The United Nations’ (UN) top human rights body called on countries to stop selling or shipping weapons to Israel in a resolution passed on April 5 that aims to help prevent rights violations against Palestinians amid Israel’s blistering military campaign in Gaza.

The 47-member-country Human Rights Council voted 28-6 in favour of the resolution, with 13 abstentions.

The sweeping measure, which takes aim at an array of Israeli actions such as impeding access to water and limiting shipments of humanitarian aid into Palestinian areas, also calls on UN-backed independent investigators to report on shipments of weapons, munitions and “dual use” items — for both civilian and military purposes — that could be used by Israel against Palestinians. It is not binding.

Western countries were divided, with the U.S., Germany and others opposing the resolution, several abstaining and some European countries voting in favour. Israel — at times joined by the United States — has regularly and roundly criticised the council for its alleged anti-Israel bias.

The council has approved far more resolutions against Israel for its actions toward Palestinians over the years than against any other country.

The council is wrapping up its first session of the year, which began on February 26, with action on more than 40 resolutions on subjects as diverse as the rights of the child; the environment and human rights; genocide prevention; and rights situations in countries like Sudan, Belarus and North Korea.

The resolution comes amid a growing focus on weapons shipments to Israel — notably by its strongest backer, the United States — as Israel continues its military campaign in Gaza that has led to the killings of nearly 33,000 Palestinians that began in response to the attacks in Israel by armed militants on October 7.

In a sign of Washington’s growing impatience with Israel’s handling of the military campaign, U.S. President Joe Biden issued a stark warning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on April 4 that future the U.S. support for Israel’s Gaza war depends on the swift implementation of new steps to protect civilians and aid workers.

That was the first time that Mr. Biden has threatened to rethink his backing if Israel doesn’t change its tactics and allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will undergo surgery on March 31 for a hernia his doctors have discovered, a statement from his office said.

The Prime Minister will be fully sedated after his doctors discovered the hernia “during a routine examination”.

“During this time, Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Yariv Levin will serve as acting Prime Minister,” the statement said.

Last year, the 74-year-old underwent surgery to have a pacemaker implanted.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will undergo surgery on March 31 for a hernia his doctors have discovered, a statement from his office said.

The Prime Minister will be fully sedated after his doctors discovered the hernia “during a routine examination”.

“During this time, Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Yariv Levin will serve as acting Prime Minister,” the statement said.

Last year, the 74-year-old underwent surgery to have a pacemaker implanted.

U.S. President Joe Biden. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

President Joe Biden said on October 20 he thought Hamas was motivated to attack Israel in part by a desire to stop that country from normalising relations with Saudi Arabia.

“One of the reasons … why Hamas moved on Israel, is because they knew I was about to sit down with the Saudis,” Mr. Biden said at a campaign fundraiser. The U.S. President indicated that he thinks Hamas militants launched a deadly assault on October 7 because, “Guess what? The Saudis wanted to recognise Israel” and were near being able to formally do so.

Israel-Hamas war, Day 15 LIVE updates | Biden says Hamas attacked Israel to stop historic agreement with Saudi Arabia

Jerusalem and Riyadh had been steadily inching closer to normalisation, with Mr. Biden working to help bring the two countries together, announcing plans in September at the Group of 20 summit in India to partner on a shipping corridor.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Mr. Biden on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in September and told him, “I think that under your leadership, Mr. President, we can forge a historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia.”

The Saudis had been insisting on protections and expanded rights for Palestinian interests as part of any broader agreement with Israel. An agreement would have been a feat of diplomacy that could have enabled broader recognition of Israel by other Arab and Muslim-majority nations that have largely opposed Israel since its creation 75 years ago in territory where Palestinians have long resided.

But talks were interrupted after Hamas militants stormed from the blockaded Gaza Strip where Palestinians live into nearby Israeli towns.

The October 7 attack coincided with a major Jewish holiday. It led to retaliatory airstrikes by Israel that have left the world on edge with the U.S. trying to keep the war from widening, as 1,400 Israelis and 4,137 Palestinians have been killed. Hamas also captured more than 200 people as hostages after the initial assault.

The normalisation push began under former President Donald Trump’s administration and was branded as the Abraham Accords. It is an ambitious effort to reshape the region and boost Israel’s standing in historic ways. But critics have warned that it skips past Palestinian demands for statehood.

What are Israel’s options after the Hamas attack? | Analysis

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said soon after the Hamas attacks that the militant group’s leadership may have been driven in part by a desire to scuttle the United States’ efforts at the sealing of diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Such a pact between Jerusalem and Riyadh would be a legacy-defining achievement for Joe Biden, Mr. Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.