Main events from Januari 11th
- Israel’s bloodshed in Gaza continues, with an attack on the Zainab al-Wazir school in northern Jabalia killing at least eight people, including two women and two children.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says it will send a high-level delegation, including the chiefs of Mossad and Shin Bet security agencies, to Qatar for talks on a deal to secure the release of captives held in Gaza.
- The announcement comes after US President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, travelled to Israel to meet Netanyahu as part of diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
- The Israeli military says four of its soldiers have been killed in battle in the besieged north of the Gaza Strip. Five others were also wounded, with two in critical condition.
- In the occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers, burning their tents and livestock barns in the village of Kisan, east of the city of Bethlehem.
- In Lebanon, Israeli forces launched more air attacks on southern parts of the country, even as the Lebanese army announced deploying troops to more border areas in line with a ceasefire agreement struck with Hezbollah in November.
- Yemen’s Houthis claimed attacks on a US warship in the Red Sea and promised to continue its campaign in the critical shipping lane until Israel’s war on Gaza ends.
Trump envoy emphasised goal of ceasefire by January 20: Report
Axios, a US news outlet, citing Israeli officials, says the Trump envoy pressed Netanyahu for a ceasefire deal before the president-elect’s inauguration on January 20. “Witkoff is playing a crucial role in the negotiations right now, applying pressure from Trump,” one Israeli official was quoted as saying.
Following the meeting, Netanyahu’s office announced that Israel was dispatching the heads of Mossad and Shin Bet as well as Israeli army general Nitzan Alon to the Qatari capital, Doha. Witkoff also earlier met with Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, in Doha on Friday, a source briefed on the visit told the Reuters news agency.
Where do truce talks stand now?
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he’s sending a high-level delegation to the Qatari capital, Doha, to meet with mediators in the hope of securing a ceasefire deal. This delegation will be made up of the heads of Israel’s Mossad, that’s the external security agency, and the Shin Bet, the internal security agency, as well as a representative from the Israeli military.
It’s worth mentioning that the last time that all three were dispatched together for talks was last year, in August 2024.
But the Israelis say they still have heavy sticking points. They say that even if a ceasefire deal is reached, they are going to continue until they achieve all of the objectives of the war.
Hamas says they are only going to agree to a deal if the war ends and there is a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops.
And the Israeli public has been protesting for more than a year, against Netanyahu, against his government, saying that they are neither capable nor willing to get a deal, more than 15 months since Israel’s war on Gaza began.
‘Pressure on Israel, not Hamas, to secure a deal’
Israeli political commentator Ori Goldberg tells Al Jazeera there are “real hopes” of a ceasefire deal being achieved, which has to do with Israel’s stance in the negotiations rather than Hamas.
“I think the pressure is on Israel to deliver for [US President-elect] Donald Trump, not for Hamas. Hamas has been very steady in its demands and in its position towards the negotiation pretty much since the war started,” Goldberg said.
“But what I think is that Israel is weakening, and that’s not surprising. Israel is in a weak position. It has absolutely nothing to show for its 15 months of genocidal war. Israeli soldiers are dying in really unprecedented numbers.”
Goldberg added that he thinks Netanyahu has become aware that his chance of winning a potential future election is by being “a prime minister who ended the war and brought a deal”.
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