UPDATES ON THE WAR – Day 117 (Jan 31st):
*Anderson Tours has officially decided to move forward with our April Holy Land Tour with contingencies in place to cancel or postpone if deemed unsafe! So far so good!
*We are one Day 117 (Jan 31st). CEASE FIRE / HOSTAGE RELEASE IN SIGHT!
[We have created categories to make our summaries easier to read and understand.]Headlines:
- London-based newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports that a deal between Hamas and Israel could be reached within days.
- Egyptian sources told the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper that they expect a cease-fire and hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas to be reached early next week. According to the report in the Qatari newspaper published in London and in the Arab countries, the sources said negotiations are going well.
- Negotiators are said to be closing in on a deal that would see a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip for up to two months in exchange for the release of more than 100 Hamas-held hostages. The majority of those released would be women, the elderly, and those needing medical care—an agreement to return the remaining hostages would be worked on within the first 30 days of the pause in fighting.
OUCH:
- The Houthis in Yemen are prepared for a “long-term confrontation” with the U.S. and U.K., according to a statement on Tuesday by the commander of the Houthi forces, Mohamed al-Atifi.
YEAH:
- Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer met on Wednesday (Jan 30th) with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan at the White House to discuss the flow of humanitarian assistance in Gaza and efforts to reach a hostage deal.
- Hamas political bureau leader Ismail Heniyeh will go along with a hostage deal if guarantees for an extended cease-fire are provided, say Hamas political sources who spoke to Haaretz.
- Anderson Tours is resuming Tours to sacred locations in the Holy Land beginning in April
IN THE SOUTH (RED SEA):
- Drone Strike in Jordan: At least three US troops were killed, and at least 25 other US personnel were wounded, after a drone strike hit a remote military post in northeast Jordan yesterday. Officials said the attack, the first in the Middle East to kill American forces since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, was carried out by unspecified Iran-backed militias. The strike occurred near al-Tanf, a base sitting a few miles from the Jordan-Syria-Iraq meeting point and lying along the Baghdad-Damascus highway. The base anchors a localized zone outside of Syrian government control, and has served as a launch point for coalition operations against ISIS in the region in recent years.
- US officials said yesterday (Jan 29th) American air defenses failed to intercept a weekend drone strike in northeast Jordan that killed three US troops because the incoming drone was mistaken for an American one. A US drone had been scheduled to return to the military base, known as Tower 22, following a surveillance mission at the same time as the incoming hostile drone, a preliminary report found.
- S. President Biden said on Tuesday (Jan 30th) he has decided how to respond to a drone attack that killed U.S. service members in Jordan, but did not elaborate.
- S. President Biden said on Tuesday (Jan 30th) he has decided how to respond to a drone attack that killed U.S. service members in Jordan, but did not elaborate.
- The United States on Wednesday (Jan 30th) attributed the drone attack that killed three U.S. service members in Jordan to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias, as President Joe Biden weighs his response options to the strike.
- S. strikes multiple drones in Yemen, American official says. The United States struck up to 10 unmanned drones in Yemen that were preparing to launch, a U.S. official said late on Wednesday (Jan 30th), amid escalating tensions from the war in Gaza spreading through the region.
GAZA (NORTH):
GAZA (SOUTH):
- Israeli Army Admits It’s Flooding Hamas Tunnels in Gaza in Bid to Destroy Them
- IDF Commander Killed in Gaza Fighting
POST WAR GAZA:
- In a released statement, the U.K. Foreign Office said, “The U.K.’s position is clear: Gaza is occupied Palestinian territory and will be part of the future Palestinian state.”
IN THE NORTH (LEBANON):
- The Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen channel reported that an Israeli drone struck the village of Bloda in southern Lebanon, hitting an ambulance and a house.
IN THE EAST (IRAQ/SYRIA):
JERUSALEM:
WEST BANK:
NEGOTIATIONS – HOSTAGE RELEASE – CEASE FIRE:
- Hamas reportedly considering proposed three-phase cease-fire in Gaza in exchange for most of the remaining hostages taken in the initial Oct. 7 raid; deal does not include an Israeli withdrawal from the territory
- During a meeting in Washington, Secretary of State Blinken thanked Qatari Prime Minister Al Thani for Qatar’s mediation efforts to free the hostages, according to Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State Matthew Miller.
- Islamic Jihad’s secretary general, Ziad al-Nakhala, said, in a statement on Tuesday, the group will not negotiate about the hostages without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said, regarding the formulation of a possible hostage deal: “The Prime Minister’s position remains – the war will only end when all its goals are achieved. The IDF will not withdraw from the Gaza Strip and thousands of terrorists will not be released.”
- During a visit to the Bnei David pre-military preparatory school in the settlement of Eli, Prime Minister Netanyahu said he has no intention of releasing thousands of terrorists as part of a potential hostage deal.
GLOBAL RESPONSE & INVOLVEMENT:
- S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan and British Defense Minister Grant Shapps discussed during a meeting on Wednesday (Jan 30th) the prevention of conflict escalation in the Middle East and defending against Houthi attacks, the White House said.
- CIA Chief Bill Burns, in a new essay in the U.S. magazine Foreign Affairs, wrote that dealing with Iran is imperative for Israel and the region’s security.
- Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on Tuesday said allegations about the involvement of UNRWA staff in the Oct. 7 attack should be investigated.
- The International Court of Justice instructed Israel yesterday (Jan 30th) to limit casualties and increase humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, a highly anticipated ruling that stopped short of ordering a complete cease-fire. The case was brought by South Africa, which accuses Israel of committing acts of genocide against Palestinians in the territory. The outcome of the decision is twofold: Israel must report back to the court on measures taken to implement the order within one month, and the court may continue to consider South Africa’s claims of genocide—which it did not directly refute—in the future. See pages 22 to 24 of the ruling here. The court, which is part of the United Nations, has no enforcement mechanism, though all member countries are expected to abide by its rulings. The genocide convention has its roots in World War II, after which international leaders felt existing legal frameworks inadequately addressed atrocities seen during the fighting, including the Holocaust.
*If you would like to gain more understanding of the history of this country and conflict from a scriptural standpoint we recommend you take our Holy Land Scripture Course created to accompany our Virtual Tour of the Holy Land. Link below:
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
What should Israel do in order to secure peaceful borders and relations with the Palestinians and other Arab neighbors as well as facilitate the release the hostages still being held in Gaza? Â Â
What should Hamas do to get needed support and help? (They are land-locked and restricted and are experiencing extreme economic conditions)
*We know the questions are MANY and the issues deep and complex. We hope the information shared on this blog will help you process all the information and issues.
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*If you would like to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications when new posts are made please email Dr. Clark Anderson at clark@andersontours.com
