Israel approves 19 new West Bank settlements, Smotrich says
Israel's government has overseen an recent expansion of West Bank settlements.
The ceasefire in Gaza is broadly holding, despite sporadic clashes between the Israel Defense Forces and Gaza militants -- plus deadly IDF airstrikes.
Israeli forces inside the strip have pulled back to the so-called "yellow line." Israel Defense Forces chief Eyal Zamir said the position constitutes "a new border line" with Gaza.
The ceasefire is still in the first of three proposed phases. The details of the second phase of the agreement are yet to be agreed. The remains of one deceased hostage are still thought to be in Gaza.
Israeli strikes are also ongoing against alleged Hezbollah targets in southern and eastern Lebanon.
Key Headlines
IDF launches series of strikes in south Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces said it launched a series of strikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday, targeting what it alleged were one Hezbollah member and several military facilities used by the group.
In a post to X, the IDF said it attacked a Hezbollah member in the Al-Tayyiba area of southern Lebanon.
In an earlier post, the IDF reported several strikes on what it called Hezbollah "infrastructure sites" elsewhere in the region.
Among the targets were an alleged Hezbollah military compound the IDF said was used for training and weapons storage. Several other "military structures" were also attacked, the IDF said.
Gaza faces severe storms and flooding
Displaced Palestinians are grappling with inclement weather in the Gaza Strip as a winter storm floods parts of the devastated territory.
Emerging pictures and video footage from Gaza showed tents, streets, shops and even hospitals having been flooded.
The Hamas-run Palestinian Civil Defense said that at least 15 partially damaged houses collapsed since the storm began last week, killing 12 people.
The U.N. said that around 92 percent of residential buildings in Gaza are either totally or partially destroyed, raising concerns that more structures could collapse as heavy rain and strong winds continue.
The director of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza said in a statement on Tuesday that the emergency and operating departments of the facility were flooded due to heavy rainfall, while health workers were reporting more weather-related illnesses.
"There has been a significant increase in the admission of children and patients with chronic illnesses to the hospital as a result of the weather systems," the director said.
The stormy weather comes on top of existing shortages of medical supplies across Gaza, even after the ceasefire deal reached by Israel and Hamas in October.
Humanitarian groups and U.N. bodies have accused Israel of continuing to throttle the flow of aid into Gaza despite the ceasefire.
The Israeli government has rejected such reports. On Tuesday, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said in a post to X, “Far more aid is entering than Gaza requires.”
-ABC News’ Samy Zyara, Diaa Ostaz, Jordana Miller and Somayeh Malekian
Israeli strike in south Lebanon kills 1, IDF says
The Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday that it killed another alleged Hezbollah member in its latest strike in southern Lebanon.
The attack occurred in the Al-Taybeh area, the IDF said in a post to X. The force posted a video showing a strike on a moving vehicle.
The IDF alleged that the target "was engaged in intelligence gathering on IDF forces in southern Lebanon and was involved in attempts to rehabilitate Hezbollah terrorist organization infrastructure."
IDF claims killing of 3 Hezbollah members in Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces said in social media posts on Sunday that it killed three alleged Hezbollah members in strikes in southern Lebanon.
Among those the IDF claimed to have killed was Zakariya Yahya al-Haj, who the IDF said "activated agents in Lebanon's security apparatuses" and "operated with the aim of suppressing criticism by opponents" of Hezbollah.
The other two targets were allegedly "engaged in attempts to rehabilitate" Hezbollah infrastructure and served as "the connection between the organization and the village residents on military and economic matters."