News from the Middle East: Eldest son of Al-Jazeera correspondent in Gaza killed
Al-Jazeera’s correspondent in Gaza loses eldest son
4:08 PM: In the ongoing conflict in Gaza, a well-known correspondent from the Arab world working for the news channel Al-Jazeera has lost his wife, two children, and a grandchild, and now he has also tragically lost his eldest son. Al-Jazeera announced on Sunday that Wael al-Dahdu, the head of the network’s office in Gaza, lost his 27-year-old son, Hamza al-Dahdu, in an Israeli airstrike. Hamza, also a journalist, was traveling in a vehicle in the western part of the city of Khan Younis when a missile struck. Another journalist was killed, and a third occupant was injured in the strike. An Israeli army spokesperson said they are investigating the report.
Photos captured Wael al-Dahdu bidding a tearful farewell to his eldest son. “Hamza was everything to me, the eldest son, the soul of my soul,” he was quoted as saying by Al-Jazeera. Despite his personal losses, the renowned journalist vowed to continue his reporting to “show the world what is happening in Gaza, despite the pain of one loss after another.”
Last month, Al-Dahdu himself was injured in a rocket attack. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) based in the United States, at least 77 journalists have been killed since the start of the Gaza conflict three months ago. The organization reported that among them, 70 were Palestinians, four were Israelis, and three were Lebanese. The CPJ stated on Saturday that journalists in Gaza are particularly vulnerable due to devastating airstrikes, disrupted communication channels, supply shortages, and power outages.
Six killed in Israeli airstrike in the West Bank
Sunday, 7 January, 8:09 AM: Six Palestinians lost their lives in an Israeli airstrike in the West Bank, as reported by multiple media outlets on Sunday morning, citing the Palestinian health authority in Ramallah. The attack in the city of Jenin targeted a gathering of local residents. According to local reports, there had been skirmishes between Palestinians and the Israeli army in the area prior to the airstrike.
During the operation in Jenin, four Israeli border police officers were injured by the explosion of an explosive device, as reported by several media outlets citing the army and police. A 19-year-old female officer later succumbed to her injuries in the hospital.
Raids by the Israeli military are regularly conducted in Jenin and Nablus, both administered by the Palestinian Authority and considered strongholds of terrorist groups. Since the start of the Gaza conflict following the massacre by the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas on 7 October, the Israeli military has been carrying out such raids in the West Bank even more frequently. The military recently announced that 2570 suspects had been arrested, with 1300 of them having connections to Hamas.
Israel: Hamas infrastructure in the northern Gaza Strip dismantled
9:24 PM: The Israeli military spokesperson described the military structure of the Islamist Hamas in the northern part of the Gaza Strip as dismantled. Spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated on Saturday that before the start of the conflict three months ago, Hamas had two brigades with twelve regiments in the northern coastal strip. “In total, there were about 14,000 terrorists,” Hagari said. Since then, numerous commanders have been killed, and weapons and ammunition have been destroyed. Soldiers have found and demolished underground tunnels.
Hagari reported the discovery of eight kilometers of underground tunnels and 40 entrances in the refugee district of Jabalia in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. He noted that in this area, Hamas is no longer operating in an organized manner. He stated, “There are still terrorists in Jabalia, but now they are acting without a framework and without commanders.” He expected sporadic rocket attacks on Israel to continue from this area.
Hezbollah reports extensive shelling of Israel – Army retaliates
Saturday, January 6, 10:28 AM: The Shiite militia Hezbollah claimed that a total of 62 rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel on Friday. This was more than on previous days since the beginning of the Gaza war in early October. The target of the attack was a military base near the town of Meron in northern Israel, added the militia allied with Iran and the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The attack was described as a “first reaction” to the killing of the second highest leader of the Islamist Hamas abroad, Saleh al-Aruri, in Beirut on Tuesday, emphasized Hezbollah. Hezbollah believes that Israel is behind the incident. However, the militia has been shelling the country from Lebanon almost daily since the beginning of the Gaza war with the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
The Israeli army confirmed the attack near Meron and reported that about 40 projectiles were identified during the approach to Israel. One of the launch sites in Lebanon was fired upon. According to Lebanese security sources, the Christian village of Rmesch in southern Lebanon was also heavily shelled by Israel. Fighter jets were also targeting the areas of Hula and Jarun.
The situation in the border area was described as very tense by Lebanese security sources. The UN observer mission UNIFIL has declared the second-highest alert level. Soldiers of the so-called United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, which has been monitoring the border area between Israel and Lebanon since 1978, are required to wear protective vests and helmets and stay near bunkers. No information was initially provided about possible casualties on both sides of the border.
Israel demands that the Hezbollah militia withdraw from the border for the security of its citizens in the north of the country and has threatened to use military means if diplomatic efforts do not succeed.
“Total anarchy” erupts in Israeli government meeting
5:10 PM: Three months after the start of the Gaza war, a heated dispute reportedly broke out at a meeting of the Israeli cabinet between right-wing ministers and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. The ministers sharply criticized the general after he announced the establishment of a commission to investigate the army’s mistakes that allowed the surprise attack by the Islamist Hamas on Israel on October 7.
According to several media reports, the meeting on the night of Friday turned into a “loud and angry dispute.” The state broadcaster Kan quoted a participant as saying, “Total anarchy” broke out.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu eventually adjourned the meeting, which was supposed to focus on the future of the Gaza Strip after the war, after several military officials angrily left the room, reports initially unconfirmed by the government continued. Halevi was personally verbally attacked. The right-wing cabinet members criticized the timing of the announced investigation, while the fighting was still ongoing. They also criticized the appointment of the former Defense Minister.Schaul Mofas encountered sharp protest upon his appointment as the head of the investigative committee.
Kibbutz resident officially deceased – Hamas retains corpse in Gaza
14.53 o’clock: The Kibbutz Nir Oz announced the death of its resident Tamir Adar, who had been presumed to be a hostage in the Gaza Strip. Contrary to previous assumptions that the 38-year-old was still alive, Adar was killed on October 7 while defending the kibbutz against the attack by the Islamist Hamas, as announced by the kibbutz on Friday, citing confirmation from the Israeli army. Since then, his body has been held in the Gaza Strip.
In the Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel, fighters of the Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the USA, killed or abducted about a hundred of the total four hundred residents during their raid on October 7 – including Tamir’s grandmother, Jaffa Adar. A video on the internet shows the 85-year-old being abducted on a sort of golf cart. In November, she and around a hundred other hostages were freed during a one-week ceasefire mediated by Qatar and Egypt.
Read all developments on the war in Israel on the following pages.
