News Digest — 1/9/26
Hamas Agency Says 13 Killed by Israeli Strikes in Gaza After Failed Missile Launch
The Hamas-run Gaza civil defense agency said Israeli attacks in the coastal enclave killed at least 13 people late Thursday (8th), despite a ceasefire that has largely halted the fighting.
In a joint statement on Friday morning (9th), the Israeli Defense Forces and Shin Bet security service confirmed the strikes, saying they were undertaken in response to a “failed launch” of a missile from Gaza City toward Israel.
The security organizations said the strikes “precisely” targeted Hamas terrorists and the group’s infrastructure, including tunnels used for launching rockets, in the north and south of Gaza.
“The IDF and the Shin Bet view any breach of the agreement with the most severity and will continue to act against any attempt by terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip to carry out terrorist attacks against IDF forces or Israeli civilians.”
Earlier on Thursday (8th), the IDF said a projectile was launched “from the area of Gaza City toward the State of Israel” but that it fell within the Gaza Strip and that “shortly after, the IDF precisely struck the launch point.”
Gaza civil defense agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that four people were killed when a drone struck a tent sheltering displaced people in southern Gaza. Another drone strike near Khan Younis killed a man, the Hamas agency added.
Since October 10, a fragile US-sponsored truce in Gaza has largely halted the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, but both sides have alleged frequent ceasefire violations.
The flare-up in violence came even as Israel and other countries prepare for the onset of the Gaza ceasefire’s second phase, which the US is planning to begin next week.
Phase two is meant to establish longer-term governance and security frameworks for the enclave.
On Wednesday (7th), multiple sources told The Times of Israel that US President Donald Trump aims to begin the second phase of the ceasefire, even as the body of one slain hostage, Ran Gvili remains held in Gaza. Trump is set to announce the Board of Peace, which will supervise Gaza’s on-the-ground government.
Trump’s move comes as other key pieces of the ceasefire have yet to occur, such as Hamas’ disarmament, which the terror group has rejected, and the opening of the Rafah Border Crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
Calling Lebanon’s Bluff: Israel Gears Up For New Lebanon Operation
Following the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) declaration that southern Lebanon has been demilitarized – excluding areas with an Israeli presence – Israel is preparing a response designed to embarrass the Lebanese military. Officials believe the LAF presentation diverges significantly from reality – to put it mildly.
Preparation began weeks ago – as Israeli assessments predicted the LAF would claim compliance with the southern Lebanon demilitarization agreement. Intelligence indicates the declaration is false – confirming the continued presence of both weaponry and terrorists in the sector (though not directly on the contact line with Israel). Once Israel issues its response – potentially revealing evidence exposing the LAF declaration as a lie – it will seek to solidify international legitimacy for military action in Lebanon.
The IDF has maintained readiness for intense strikes against Hezbollah sites for several weeks. However, the persistent media discussion surrounding the plans has eroded the element of surprise – potentially promoting targeted terrorists to go into hiding. Consequently, despite having both legitimacy and operational readiness – Israel may delay the attack for a more appropriate moment rather than act immediately.
“Homecoming” Is Voted Hebrew Word Of The Year
In solidarity with freed hostages and evacuated families returning to their homes, Israelis selected the word “homecoming” (habaita in Hebrew) , the Hebrew Academy announced Thursday (8th).
In the context of the past war, the word home symbolizes, in the eyes of many, the return of the abducted to their homes –after two years of threats, pain and anticipation.
Throughout this period, the word has risen again and again in public discourse, and it has even moved hearts in a song made for one of the symbols of struggle and expectation.
It also represents the return (and the aspiration for return) to the Gaza border area communities and the northern communities,” the Academy said.
“Artificial intelligence” (bina milahutit) came in second place, while “hope” (tikva) came in third.
More than 125,000 Israelis were forced to leave their homes near the Gaza and Lebanon borders, while 11,000 more had to evacuate during 12 days of Iranian missile barrages in June.
Around 1,200 people were killed,and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken captive by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.
Most were freed in a series of exchanges with Hamas as part of a ceasefire , though soldiers recovered the remains of others in Gaza. The body of Israeli Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili remains in Gaza.
The academy announced its annual word of the year on the Hebrew birthday of Eliezer Ben Yehuda, a linguist who was the driving force behind reviving Hebrew as a modern spoken language.
Born in present day Belarus in 1858, he moved to Israel in 1881. Living in Jerusalem, he wrote the first dictionary of modern Hebrew and published a Hebrew-language newspaper.
His initiative was controversial, with many people believing that using Hebrew for every day conversation profaned the language.
Ben Yehuda died of tuberculosis in 1922.
Israel Rolls Out Advanced Arad Rifle In Bid To Strengthen Border Communities
The Defense Ministry and the IDF on Thursday (8th) announced that they have completed the distribution of thousands of advanced Arad rifles to the local border communities’ rapid response teams across the country.
They said that this moment marks “a significant milestone in Israel’s community defense strategy.”
The distribution was facilitated by a deal with Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), valued at approximately $31 million, and was previously signed with the minister’s procurement Directorate (DPD) Land Acquisition Unit.
This initiative also “forms part of the Ministry and IDF Ground Forces Command’s broader initiative to bolster security capabilities in communities nationwide.”
Beyond supplying the rifles, a statement by the ministry said that the agreement includes comprehensive maintenance support for the next decade, including upkeep of Meprolight M5 optical sights.
These sights will be transferred from IDF stocks and mounted on the weapons, said the statement.
Further, the ministry stated that the completion of the initiative will “create a standardized, Israeli-manufactured defense system for rapid response teams.”
This represents another significant step in advancing the ministry’s strategy to expand Israel’s defense production based on lessons learned from the war, said a statement.
During Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 invasion, among the many errors that Israel made was that the local village security teams were not properly armed or trained to hold off the invaders until reinforcements arrived.
Although, in the distant past, these villages’ local security teams had been well-armed and well-trained, over time complacency had set in, given that virtually no one in Israel anticipated an invasion from Gaza.
Part of Israel’s new security strategy after October 7 has been forward-leaning defense, such that buffer zones will prevent invaders from getting into civilian communities.
However, the defense establishment has also recognized that no border security is hermetic, and that better armed and trained local security teams are critical to mitigate the harm of a potential invasion.
Samoa To Inaugurate Embassy In Jerusalem This Year
The Pacific Island nation of Samoa will open an embassy in Jerusalem this year, the country’s prime minister told Christian leaders this week.
The news comes on the heels of similar moves by fellow Oceania nations, including Fiji, which inaugurated an embassy in Jerusalem in September, and Papua New Guinea, which opened its embassy two years ago, and serves to highlight the strength of faith-based diplomacy.
“I have instructed our foreign affairs to start preparation to open an office of Samoa in Jerusalem this year,” Samoa Prime Minister La’auli Levatea Schmidt said in an address to the Christian leaders, with the flags of both countries in the background.
He noted that Samoa was following in the footsteps of neighboring Fiji.
Israel and Samoa, which have maintained bilateral ties since 1972, have strong, growing relations marked by cooperation in health, technology, agriculture, and energy.
The Israeli embassy in Wellington, New Zealand, handles diplomatic relations with the predominantly Christian nation of 210,000 people.
“It is exciting to see another nation give Jerusalem the respect it deserves by deciding to open its embassy in the Israeli capital,” Juergen Buehler, president of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, told JNS on Wednesday (7th).
“Like Fiji, the island nation of Samoa has a large Christian population that wants its leaders to stand with Israel on Biblical principles. We are optimistic that more countries will follow suit in the coming year”
Seven countries currently maintain embassies in Israel’s capital: the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji.
The ceasefire following the two-year war against Hamas in Gaza, triggered by the October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, has renewed a diplomatic push for additional embassy moves to Jerusalem.
Argentina intends to move its embassy to Jerusalem this spring, while both Hungary and the Czech Republic are also mulling such a move.
Ousting Hamas Is Not Enough: The Reality Of Gazans Must Change – Gershon Baskin
I have consistently and unequivocally advocated for Palestinian rights of freedom, self determination and national dignity. This is an attempt to deal with the realpolitik of the current days with a strong desire for an outcome that will move us all forward to genuine peace.
The military defeat of Hamas has occurred, even if not yet completed. The alternative Palestinian governance for Gaza is on its way, with a Palestinian technocrat governing committee responsible for day-to-day affairs. The members of the committee have been vetted, selected, and notified. They are all serious, loyal nationalist Palestinians who have demonstrated clearly for years their contempt for Hamas.
In addition to the speed of reconstruction, the success of the process will also be measured by nearly two decades of Hamas rule and control that included the inculcation of hate toward Israel.
The new reality of Gaza has to change. It is not enough for Hamas to no longer control Gaza. Change must be seen in daily life. Change must also be seen in the classroom, in all the Gazan textbooks. Textbooks in Gaza (and in the West bank) need to educate toward building a modern and successful Palestinian society willing to live in peace next to Israel. It should also include the study of Hebrew and a clear recognition that the Palestinian people share the land with the Israeli Jewish people.
I Worked At A Palestinian Summer Camp – Richard McDaniel
When I worked for a reconciliation organization and lived in the largely Palestinian Christian town of Beit Sahour last summer, there were multiple aspects of Palestinian society that disturbed me. What I found most discomforting was its overwhelming celebration of martyrdom – glorifying those Palestinians who sacrificed themselves in the name of Palestine.
After witnessing a large crowd of young children chanting “we will die to make Palestine live” at the summer camp where I volunteered, a Palestinian teenager asked me: “What have we Palestinians ever done wrong?” I responded by mentioning the dozens of suicide bombings that took place in Israeli civilian areas during the Second Intifada. She replied: “But those are acts of resistance.” Living in the West Bank taught me that most Palestinians regardless of religion, have long bought into the Islamist celebration of martyrdom.
Palestinian society’s extremism and fetishization of death are encouraged (or mandated) by the Palestinian leadership in a mindset shared by both the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas. Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin told me that because Hamas’ “political-religious philosophy…is based on the sanctification of death,” they’re more than happy never to surrender.
The nearly universal celebration of martyrdom across Palestinian society demonstrates that extremism is deeply entrenched within Palestinian culture. Consequently, Israel will never exist comfortably unless it tackles this Palestinian issue.
