Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 65?

It seems unthinkable.

When Israel started its counteroffensive against Hamas in early October, the two goals were to “annihilate” Hamas and to return “all” of the hostages.

Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Sunday that an entire generation in the Middle East is at risk of becoming radicalized because of the war in Gaza.

Sheikh Mohammed was speaking at the Doha Forum conference in Qatar.

Jordan's foreign minister Ayman Safadi said on Sunday Israel was implementing a systematic policy of pushing Palestinians out of Gaza by a war that has killed thousands of civilians.

In remarks at a conference in Doha, Safadi, whose country borders the West Bank and had absorbed the bulk of Palestinians after Israel's creation in 1948, also said Israel had created an "amount of hatred " that would "haunt the region" and "define generations to come".

Dozens of Hamas terrorists lost contact with the terror group's leadership, leaving them with no option but to lay down their weapons and surrender to Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, Army Radio reported on Sunday morning.

After images of stripped terrorists in Jabalya and Khan Yunis circulated on social media, reports emerged that the IDF is "identifying changes in Hamas leadership's conduct."

A security source told Army Radio that Hamas's senior leaders, thought to have fled to Khan Yunis in Gaza's south, "prefer their personal survival over the survival of Hamas's command and control operations."

Hamas battalions 'capitulated' in Gaza fighting, US-based institute says

Earlier on Sunday, the US-based Institute for the Study of War assessed in an X thread that at least seven Hamas battalions have already capitulated in fighting with the IDF.

Israeli forces continued clearing operations in Khan Younis as Palestinian militias attempt to resist Israeli advances. The al Qassem Brigades—the militant wing of #Hamas—claimed several attacks on Israeli forces and vehicles in the southern #Gaza Strip.🧵(1/6) pic.twitter.com/2uvMJHD4pS

— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) December 10, 2023

In addition, six battalions are "close to collapse," the Institute continued. According to the Insitute, the collapse of Hamas's Gaza City and northern brigades could signal the fall of the northern Strip to Israeli forces.

Qatar's prime minister said on Sunday Doha will continue to pressure Israel and Hamas for a truce despite "narrowing" chances.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani added hostages were released from Gaza because of negotiations and not because of Israeli military actions.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said in Doah that Israel was implementing "systematic" policy to push Gazans out of the enclave beyond eliminating Hamas.

Safadi also said that Arabs have a major disagreement with Washington on ending "Israeli atrocities," and that Israel has created an "amount of hatred" that would "haunt the region for generations to come."

Sirens heavily sounded across northern Israeli border towns amid both rocket fire and a suspected infiltration of a hostile aircraft from Lebanon.

This is a developing story.

The head of UNRWA, the UN aid agency for Palestinians, on Sunday said that dehumanization of Palestinians has allowed the international community to bear continued Israeli attacks in Gaza.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said the refugee agency is on the verge of collapsing in Gaza, adding that an immediate ceasefire is needed to end “hell on earth” in Gaza.

The IDF must turn its attention to the 'inevitable' war in the North with Hezbollah after finishing with Hamas in Gaza, MK Avigdor Liberman told 103FM in a Sunday morning interview.

"The IDF is ready for a multi-front war," Liberman said. "We must complete the war in Gaza and prepare for another one in the North - it is inevitable," he added.

Israel's socioeconomic cabinet will discuss letting Palestinian workers from the West Bank back into Israel on Sunday, as per the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The cabinet, headed by the prime minister, is set to discuss and agree on guidelines and recommendations for the entry of Palestinian workers ahead of the decision's approval by the security cabinet, set to convene later on Sunday evening.

Since Hamas's October 7 massacre and the subsequent launch of the IDF's Operation Swords of Iron against the Palestinian terrorist group in Gaza, Israel has not allowed Palestinians, from both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, into Israel for work due to security concerns.

Palestinians lose jobs as Israel faces manpower shortage

However, in the wake of this decision, many important industries across the country were facing a shortage of manpower after most foreign workers left the country.

The government debated allowing some Palestinian workers into Israel, but the cabinet meeting ended without any decisions being made and another meeting was set to debate the issue.

The United States said it plans to sell 14,000 tank shells to Israel as National Security Advisor Tzahi Hanegbi told Channel 12 on Saturday that the Biden administration has not set a deadline for the IDF to end its military campaign to oust Hamas from Gaza.

He spoke amid persistent media reports that the administration has demanded a January deadline to end the war.

“The Americans have not set a deadline and they rejected the contention that they did,” he said, amid persistent media reports that a January timetable had been set, particularly with an eye to the campaign for the White House which begins in earnest next month.

“They [the US] understand they are not in a position to tell the IDF how much time is needed to achieve its goals,” he said. “Achieving the goals cannot be measured in weeks or months; the IDF will reach any point it wants in Gaza.”

Hanegbi said that the military operation is based on an understanding that Israel went after Hamas almost 17 years too late and that had it gone after the terror group when it first seized control of Gaza, the price would not have been as high as it is now.

The price will go up if it waits longer, Hanegbi said, as he described a situation in which Israel has no option but to eliminate the terror group, including assassinating Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

Similarly, he said, Israel has to eliminate the threat from Hezbollah in the North, otherwise the Israelis who were evacuated from the border communities won’t be able to return home.

“There are things that we cannot accept anymore,” he said.