What happened on Day 126 of the war?
Biden gives Israel 45 days to submit report on international law violations or lose military aid • IDF strikes Hezbollah rocket launch sites in Lebanon
Netanyahu orders plan for evacuation and military action in Gaza’s Rafah
It is impossible to achieve the goal of the war without eliminating Hamas, and by leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah," the Prime Minister's Office stated..
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed the IDF and the defense establishment to bring to the war cabinet a plan for both the evacuation of civilians in the south Gaza city of Rafah and the neutralization of the four Hamas battalions therein, the Prime Minister’s Office stated on Friday.
Hamas cannot be defeated with four battalions remaining in Rafah
It is impossible to achieve the goal of the war without eliminating Hamas, and by leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah," the statement noted. "On the contrary, it is clear that intense activity in Rafah requires that civilians evacuate the areas of combat."
The Prime Minister's Office:
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) February 9, 2024
It is impossible to achieve the goal of the war without eliminating Hamas, and by leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah.
On the contrary, it is clear that intense activity in Rafah requires that civilians evacuate the areas of combat.
"Therefore," the statement continued, "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the IDF and the security establishment to submit to the Cabinet a combined plan for evacuating the population and destroying the battalions."
Therefore, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the IDF and the security establishment to submit to the Cabinet a combined plan for evacuating the population and destroying the battalions.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) February 9, 2024
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US 'aware' of reports two American citizens detained by Israel in Gaza
The two dual citizens, brothers, reportedly have four other relatives detained.
The United States is aware of reports that two Americans in Gaza were detained by Israeli forces in a raid early on Thursday and is seeking more information, the State Department said.
The department did not identify the two US citizens, citing privacy concerns.
But the family of US-Palestinian dual nationals Hashem Alagha, 20, and Borak Alagha, 18, say the two brothers were detained in a raid on a home west of the city of Khan Younis on Thursday morning.
Four other relatives were detained, including the brothers' Canadian father and an uncle who is mentally disabled, according to the brothers' cousin, Yasmeen Elagha, who lives near Chicago.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the State Department said it was "aware of reports of (the) detention of two US citizens in Gaza and (was) seeking additional information."
Go to the full article >>Israel-Hamas War: What you need to know
- Hamas launched a massive attack on October 7, with thousands of terrorists infiltrating from the Gaza border and taking some 240 hostages into Gaza
- Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered, including over 350 in the Re'im music festival and hundreds of Israeli civilians across Gaza border communities
- 136 hostages remain in Gaza, IDF says