Welcome to I-24 News, coming to you live from Tel Aviv. The headlines this hour. Israel's Defence Minister Joav Gallant to arrive in Washington amid tensions over the IDF's planned operation in Rafa. UN Chief Antonio Guterres calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as he visits Cairo. And Hezbollah fires dozens of rockets at northern Israel, one of the heaviest barrages since the start of the war. Israel's Defence Minister Joav Gallant is due to arrive in Washington amid anticipation of an IDF offensive in Rafa, the final Hamas stronghold in the Gaza Strip. This is the battle at the Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza rages on. Hundreds of terrorists have been either arrested or killed. Joe Brown has the latest. It's approaching one week since the IDF went back into Shifa Hospital, the largest in the Gaza Strip. Since then, over 800 people have been arrested in the grounds of the hospital, with the IDF saying 170 terrorists have been killed. And this operation shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. The operation here in Shifa is significant, a daring, tricky and most impressive operation so far. It struck hundreds of terrorists, apprehended hundreds of terrorists, and brought in significant operational and intelligence assets. We are continuing with this operation. The leadership of the commanders is excellent, and we will finish this operation only when the last terrorist is in our hands, alive or dead. Of the 800 suspects arrested, 480 are confirmed to have links to Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic jihad. Hundreds are still being interrogated by the Israeli security forces. Israeli soldiers are continuing to uncover weapons and storage depots. But amidst the heavy fighting around the hospital, the IDF has also confirmed the death of 21-year-old Staff Sergeant Lior Aviv, the third Israeli casualty in the week-long operation. His death brings the number of IDF fatalities since the ground operation began to 252. Elsewhere, the IDF is continuing its operation throughout the entirety of the Gaza Strip. The IDF has struck 65 Hamas targets in northern and central Gaza, where heavy fighting still persists. The Nahal unit has eliminated several terrorists in the central part of the Strip, including during a raid on a drone manufacturing facility. And fighting is still persisting in southern Gaza, where the international community is watching carefully ahead of the seemingly imminent Rafa operation. But with Monday marking one week since Israeli forces re-entered Chief of Hospital following the initial operation four months ago, Hamas still maintains a stronghold in northern Gaza, a grip that Israel is doing whatever it can to loosen. Well, for more, we can go now to the south of Israel. We're joined by our correspondent Robert Swift. So, Rob, is the battle still going on? And what does this say about the IDF's claim that it is in complete control of northern Gaza? Yeah, indeed. So, I think there's two elements to look at there. First of all, there's the fighting that's taking place around the hospitals. And it's worth noting that that's not just the hospital that we're referring to in that last package. There's also operations seeming to take place at two hospitals in Canunis. Just in the last few minutes, the IDF has confirmed that it has troops operating around the Amal hospital in Canunis. It's accused Hamas of using that building for military purposes. And this comes following reports by the Palestinian Red Crescent that both that hospital and also the Nasser hospital, which is just a few hundred meters from the other facility, that these were, in their words, under siege by the Israeli military. So, there does seem to be quite a lot of activity taking place both at hospitals in the south of the Gaza Strip and in the north. But to answer your question, in the wider northern parts of the Gaza Strip, there is continuing combat. We've seen some today. It was a lower intensity from what we've seen compared to in recent days. But just in the last few minutes, I've been watching an airstrike over in the background behind me. And there has been ongoing artillery fire. So, it does seem that some level of insurgency does persist here in the north of the Gaza Strip. And that has a big impact and a connotation for RAFA, because the Israeli government are saying, we've just this one last stronghold to take out. If we can go into RAFA, it will be done. But what we're seeing here in the north is that Hamas hasn't given up here either. All right, Rob, thank you very much. Robert Swift there in the south of Israel. Well, with me in the studio this hour, Dr. Michael Oren is the former Israeli ambassador to the United States. Good to see you, Ambassador Oren. So, let's turn our attention to Washington, because the Defense Minister, you have gallant, is due to arrive at any moment. And we have just heard from the American Vice President, Kamala Harris, again warning Israel against going into RAFA. The Americans have made it clear they don't want that. But what's different is that she said she won't rule out consequences for Israel if the IDF goes ahead. But how do you interpret that? Well, I think that Kamala Harris has served as the trial balloon for this administration. She was one of the first to come out to say that to accuse Israel of operating in a new main method in Gaza, reacting over the top. These were Kamala Harris's themes. She was the first to say that the Biden administration distinguishes between the people of Israel and the democratically elected government of Israel. And now she has said this. And I think that's reflected of a certain central mood in the Biden administration. In one way or another, the administration has been intimated that it opposes the RAFA operation and will draw conclusions if Israel then opposes its opposition to the RAFA operation. And nothing different there. I think with that, Israel is determined to go ahead. I think the Israeli people are determined to go ahead. This will certainly be on the table in the discussions between Yav Gallant, our Defense Minister, and Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin. There will be other issues as well, the supply of ammunition, which is related to RAFA and the sense that or the fear that the United States would begin to slow down the supply of ammunition to Israel or change the composition of that supply. Would that be unprecedented? No, it would not be unprecedented. Just a random example. In 1981, President Reagan held up the supply of jet fighters to Israel after the Osirak attack. The attack by Israel on the Iraqi nuclear facility at Osirak. So that's just one example. Listen, between 1948 and 1967, the United States had an arms embargo over Israel. You couldn't sell any arms. It was a federal crime to sell U.S. arms to the state of Israel. So it certainly has a precedent. Do you think we might be seeing a shift then in the relationship between the United States and Israel long-term? If Israel does kind of ignore these warnings from the U.S. and goes ahead and goes into RAFA, because as you say, the Israeli government has said time and again it has to go into RAFA. It has to finish off the last four Hamas battalions. Well, certainly a shift. The question is how long time and whether it's permanent. All right. What happened in 1981 when Reagan held up the supply of fighter jets to Israel, that ended after a period. Similarly, the American arms embargo that was instituted by President Truman in 1948 was ended by President Lyndon Johnson in 1967. There could be an end. Or are we witnessing more fundamental and permanent shifts in the U.S. relationship to Israel? We used to be very proud in saying that support for Israel is the only truly bipartisan issue in Washington. I think it's hard to make that case today. And there's a degree to which Israel will become the ultimate partisan issue. It will become a political football and become one of the most divisive issues along with immigration. In the 2024 presidential election. Why do you think that the Biden administration is so insistent that Israel must not go into RAFA? I think two major reasons. I think one is a purely humanitarian reason. And the Democratic Party generally has as a worldview that recoils from express use of military power. It always has. There's a great amount of trust given by that party to the U.N. You never see a Republican quoting U.N. statistics, but you see Republicans, Democrats quoting the U.N. almost every day all the time. And unquestionably, and indeed the Biden administration quotes the Hamas figures unquestionably. That's just the U.N. figures. I think you're going to have a hard time seeing that on the other side of the political aisle. And then there is the elections. There are the elections 2024 and the six key swing states, among them states like Michigan and Pennsylvania that have a large young population, a progressive population, constituencies of Arab Americans and Muslims that are not satisfied. And that's an understatement with the Biden administration's policy toward Israel and the Gaza conflict. Dr. Michael Oren, for now, thank you very much. Well, the CIA director Bill Burns and the head of the Mossad, David Barnier both reportedly left Qatar late last night. They were there for the latest round of talks to try and secure a hostage release deal and a temporary ceasefire in Gaza. For more on that, let's go to Central Tel Aviv. And the families of the hostages are gathered along with some of their reporters. And correspondent Balia Sladine is there. And Balia, we saw quite angry scenes last night with a lot of protests against the government and its strategy towards the hostages. What's the situation today? Yes. Well, definitely yesterday, a huge demonstration here at the Hostages Square. And in general, in Tel Aviv against the government and also for the release of the hostages and securing a deal by the Israeli government. And the tensions are very high right now after reports of the return of the head of the Mossad, David Barnier and also William Burns, the head of the CIA. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the negotiation has failed in Doha. It actually means that the Israeli delegation is still there. I mean, the rest of it is still there and is waiting for the response by Hamas. The talks are many are saying that the official response will be in 48 hours. So maybe by tomorrow we will know more details about what Hamas thinks about the latest proposal by the Israelis. And we know that the Israelis have been flexible in two main issues. The first is the return of the families that left the north of Gaza to the southern city of Rafa and the south of Gaza. In general, Israel was very harsh on that specific issue, saying that there could be no return. Later on, there was more flexibility about a return of only the women and the children and maybe the elderly. And now we can see that Israel is more flexible about a gradual return of the families to the north. But we're not sure whether Israel would accept any return of men, especially men above the age of 18 or any age that can be recruited by Hamas. And then Israel could definitely see that its main achievement, main military achievement of occupying the north of Gaza could be heard by that specific fact. The other issue that Israel is more flexible and is the number of Palestinian prisoners that can be freed for each female soldier. The Paris Initiative was talking about three Palestinian prisoners for each soldier. Now we see that Israel is accepting the American proposal of the release of five Palestinian prisoners for each female soldier. But Hamas is demanding 30 prisoners that he or the organization can even pick with names for the release for each of the female soldier. And from what we're hearing by Israeli officials, they're saying that if Hamas accepts that proposal, that means that we can go further with this negotiations. If not, then it would mean the end of these negotiations in the Doha. Of course, that would be very sad news for the people here at the Hostages Square that want to see the hostages back, at least the 40 or around 40 civilian hostages, women and children and the elderly coming back to Israel. And that could be, of course, very sad news for them to see that the negotiations that were very serious this time at Doha is coming to an end. So we're now waiting for the official for the official response by Hamas that could be even as soon as tomorrow. Balia, thank you very much. Balia Sledin there down in Central Tel Aviv and Dr Michael Lawrence with me in the studio. And do you see any signs that the two positions are moving closer together? We have been here so many times before. Not really. Not really. And I try to see the situation from the perspective of Sinwar, the commander of Hamas. And what is he hearing? He's hearing that two things. One that the United States is increasing its criticism of Israel. Here, this recent remark by Kamala Harris, there's going to be repercussions if Israel goes into Iraq. What kind of repercussions might there be? Would the United States begin to demand an immediate ceasefire or permanent ceasefire? That would be unconditional, a lot linked to the hostages. So Sinwar is concluding. All I have to do is sit quietly, dig into my tunnels, let Israel kill a lot more Palestinian civilians. That's my interest. And eventually, the world will impose a ceasefire on Israel and I'll be able to emerge from the rubble and declare victory and regain control of Gaza and start the process of attacking Israel anew. That. So why then would he want to give up hostages? Also, what's being offered is a temporary ceasefire of maybe six weeks. And, you know, I basically- Israel has ruled out a permanent ceasefire at every- Sinwar has said, excuse me, that Sinwar has said that, you know, he's been at that movie already. He's seen this twice in November. He had two ceasefires lasted for several days. He thought that would catch hold. He thought that would become a permanent ceasefire. It did not. And so why would he again give up assets and think of the hostages as a terrible thing to say, but they're assets for him. Why would he give them up in return for a ceasefire, which at the end of which Israel's going to renew its campaign and kill him? So he's not getting anything really in return. He's getting a bit of a breather for six weeks, but that's not going to help him very much with his backup against Rafiq. So from Sinwar's perspective, there's not much to go on. I think Israel would agree to a six-week ceasefire. I think Israel would agree to giving up a significant number of prisoners in Israeli jails in return for 40 hostages, including the women, the elderly, and the ill, perhaps not the soldiers. I think it's a deal that Israel would strike, but I don't think Hamas is there yet. Yeah, we're on to 170 days now, aren't we, for the families of the hostages? All right. Thank you, Dr. Michael Oren, for now. While I'm putting more pressure on Israel, the UN chief Antonio Guterres repeating calls for an immediate ceasefire today. Guterres has been at the Rafiq crossing, the border crossing between Egypt and Gaza over the weekend. And today he met with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sami Shukri in Cairo. Let's take a listen. Palestinians in Gaza desperately need what has been promised, a flood of aid, not trickles, not drops. Some progress has been made, but much more needs to be done. Making that happen takes very practical steps. It requires Israel removing the remaining obstacles and chalk points to relief. It requires more crossings and access points. All alternative routes are, of course, welcome, but the only efficient and effective way to move heavy goods is by road. It requires an exponential increase in commercial goods. And I repeat, it requires an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. And Dr. Michael Oren is with me in the studio, and there is significant pressure on Israel because of the aid situation inside Gaza. Has Israel done enough to increase the amount of aid that's going into the strip? And the answer to that is yes and no. Okay. My cards on the table, I was an early advocate of aid, even though the vast majority of Israelis were against giving aid, and it's giving aid to Gaza for several reasons. One reason was that Hamas was going to get a portion of that aid. And I assure you that nobody's in that tunnel are hungry in those tunnels at all. And also because this was the only way that Israelis had leverage over Hamas to find out who among the hostages was alive, who was dead, whether they were getting the medicines that were sent to them, whether Red Cross could visit them, the only leverage. I rejected these arguments. For the very simple reason, they assume that Hamas cares about the survival of the Palestinian people. It does not. It actually wants the Palestinians to die. The more Palestinians die, the greater the pressure, as you heard. On this, you'll agree to a permanent ceasefire, which would enable Hamas to win, declare victory, and to begin the process of attacking Israel anew. That's what all of what Hamas is about. So I was very much in favor of aid. And I think to the government's credit, it went against public opinion by giving any aid at all. The public was against any aid. The government began to give aid. But then again, not enough. Not enough. And eventually, it became too dangerous for international organizations to bring in the aid. And it fell to the IDF. And then the IDF started getting blamed when thousands of Palestinians would stampede the convoys, grab the aid, Palestinian armed Palestinians, whether from Hamas or from the heads of clans, would begin shooting people in order to get at the aid. And somehow Israel would take all the blame for this. Egypt's getting very little of the blame. And Egypt's getting no blame at all. So at the end of the day, yes, we could get, we do more to get aid in. But the fact of the matter is, the situation in Gaza is such that it makes very difficult getting it from, say, the beach or from the border into Gaza. Just a last point, I read an article recently about from 2003 about the American invasion of Iraq. And American convoys coming from Kuwait encountered the exact same problem of people stampeding the columns of armed Iraqis, shooting civilians to get at the aid, exactly the same, same, same problems. Okay. Thank you very much. Dr. Michael Orr, and stay with us. Well, I want to bring in Rami Aman, Palestinian journalist and peace activist. He joins us now from Egypt. Thank you for being with us, Rami. And I'm sure you're familiar with the aid crisis inside Gaza. What more can you tell us? And who do you think is to blame for the fact that the aid isn't getting where it's needed? Of course, the first one who need to blame now the Israeli side because the Israeli soldiers inside Gaza, the Israeli army controlling Gaza, and everything controlling by the Israelis now. If we need to talk about the gates of Gaza, there is the United Nations, there is Hamas, there is the strong fighters and these people and these families. Rami, we're having a bit of a sound problem there. That's a shame. We lost Rami there. We might be able to try and get it back. Can we get it back? Rami, are you with us? No, a bit of a problem, technical problem there. Sorry about that. All right. Well, moving on, the UN chief, not the only world leader in Egypt today, the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed, has been meeting with President Adolf Hatta Assisi in Cairo. For more on that, let's go to Dubai. And our correspondent, Bastia Bohi. Bastia, do we know what was said between the two men? Well, a lot was said about Gaza, of course, but in reality, it was mainly about economic cooperation between the two countries. The Gulf states are always very eager to help Egypt financially because it's a way for them to keep a close and essential partner in terms of energy in particular. So, you know, just one example, two years ago, a major UAE Israel pipeline project had been abandoned and Egypt was immediately in line to replace Israel in this deal, and at the same time prevent demirities from losing hundreds of millions of dollars per year. And for the stability of the region, the Gulf must support Egypt's weak economy. We're talking of tens of billions of dollars worth of aid granted mostly by the UAE and Saudi Arabia money that is most of the time injected into Egyptian companies, sometimes shares bought in public and private firms, sometimes it's injected in banks, including the biggest ones in Cairo, but it will take more for Egypt to get out of this long crisis in which it's been entangled almost uninterruptedly for the last 10 years. So, the war in Gaza is not the only matter of concern there. Ukraine actually tops this list. It has tremendous repercussions on Cairo because the Egyptians are the world's first importers of wheat. Absolutely. A lot of global issues are there for Egypt. But what about the fact that the UAE has been very much at the forefront of aid efforts for Gazans? I know it's flown out hundreds of children for medical treatment in the UAE. No other country has done that. How well is the UAE coordinating its aid efforts with Egypt? For the Emirates, Egypt is a vital hub of humanitarian aid. As you said, near the Rafah crossing, a water desalination plant has been inaugurated, financed in large part by Abu Dhabi. And since its opening a few weeks ago, it has been providing around 300,000 cubic meters of drinking water to Gazans daily. And this sort of factory will expand in the future, it will remain in Egypt to eventually benefit not only Gazans but also Egyptians. So, Abu Dhabi is killing two birds with one stone, if you will. And it's not just about Gaza. Over the past 10 years, there was a de facto alliance between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, that actually exercised influence over developments in the Middle East, notably to stop the rise of political Islam. And Hamas was and is still a target. But this wasn't very successful. All right. Bastian, thank you very much. Bastian Bohe there in Dubai. Well, we can go back now to Egypt. We're joined by Rami Aman. We're talking about the aid crisis inside Gaza. And again, tell us, Rami, because Israel says hundreds of trucks are going into the strip every day. Why isn't the aid getting to the civilians, to the people who need it the most? I'm hearing the Israeli media, of course, and I'm listening for what they say. But for me, I'm getting my news and information from my family and my friends there. Some of my friends and my relatives, they are in Gaza and they are in the middle of Gaza Strip. They can't achieve or reach this kind of humanitarian aid. The situation inside Gaza, controlling by the Israeli, by the strikes or by what kind of products and tanks can inter-Gaza. In the other side, we have Hamas, government and Rafah, and also we have United Nations and we have other international organizations. And all of these associations, you can ask them. You can invite them for that media and ask them why you are not covering all cities there. Sometimes they can't enter like places in Khanyounis or Rafah, because the Israeli army there, there are clashes every second, every moment. So it's very hard for everyone. So it's too dangerous for people to move around? Of course, of course, because you are here also talking about fighters, about people, about everyone, everyone hungry inside Gaza. And are people concerned about what is going to happen in Rafah? Of course, they are thinking all the time about that. Because of that, the hope and the dream is in the war, in the war and make this deal and release on the hostages, not just the Israelis. Also, we have two million people. There are hostages inside Gaza Strip, not just the Israeli. But of course, Hamas thinking about their future political situation. And also Netanyahu thinking about the future. Nobody thinks about the Israeli hostages or the civilians inside Gaza. Do you hear that Palestinians inside Gaza are returning against Hamas? That's happening already since years. Just last July, 100,000 people made many protests inside Gaza Strip. The majority inside Gaza Strip against not just Hamas, against Hamas, against the division. But we don't have any kind of media that can represent our voices. So if there are protests or if there are no protests against Hamas, who control the Palestinian situation? It's just Netanyahu, just the Israelis. Because I'm believing that Netanyahu is not fighting Hamas. Hamas name every day in the media. Netanyahu is just fighting the people there in Gaza Strip. So those people you talked to would like to see an immediate ceasefire? Of course, not just a ceasefire ending for this war. Even if that means Hamas continues to rule over them? No, no, no, no, no, no. The Palestinian mentality inside Gaza, it changed a lot. Against the Israeli and against the Palestinians themselves. And there is a big war waiting for us after this war, a war between the Palestinians themselves. Because already we have now two Gaza Strip, Gaza in the north and Gaza in the south. Gaza in the south, to Drafa crossing and Gaza in the north with the seaboard. So the Israelis also can give more answers about what is happening there. Rami, we're out of time, but thank you very much. We appreciate it. Rami Aman there. Time for a short break. When we come back, we'll head to the north where Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets at northern Israel this Sunday morning. That's next. Israel is in a state of war. Families completely done down in their beds. We have no idea where is she. As our soldiers are fighting on the front line, but the general perception is something that certainly needs to be fought as well. In fact, there's been an escalation in the north with the Iranian backed terrorist group Hezbollah firing a major barrage of rockets at northern Israel this morning. Our Lynn Plachmaier has the story. The IDF has conducted another strike deep inside Lebanon. A Hezbollah weapons manufacturing plant was hit in Al-Sera on the outskirts of Baalbek, some 62 miles from the Israel-Lebanon border. Reportedly, three people were wounded. The strike comes after several missile rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel over the weekend. Hezbollah replied by shooting rockets into northern Israel. The terror organization released a statement saying that in response to the bombing of a place in the city of Baalbek, it targeted an Israeli missile and artillery base with more than 60 rockets. The IDF confirmed Hezbollah's claim, saying about 50 launches from Lebanese territory into Israeli territory were detected. A number of launches were intercepted and the rest fell in open areas. In a quick closing of the circle, aircraft attacked the launchers from which some of the launchers into Israeli territory were detected. Following Hezbollah's response, the IDF struck southern Lebanon, killing a Hezbollah operative. This is the fourth time the IDF strikes deep inside Lebanese territory. The strike at Al-Sera ends a period of relative calm that had lasted around 10 days. Well, with me in the studio, Dr. Michael Oren is the former Israeli ambassador to the United States. Thank you for staying with us, Michael. Yoav Galant, the Defense Minister. He's known as one of the more hawkish voices in the war cabinet in the government against Hezbollah. Do you think he'll be seeking to persuade the Americans tonight that a diplomatic solution just isn't going to work with Hezbollah? Well, the Americans do have a proposal on the table, a diplomatic proposal being led by a veteran diplomat, Amos Hockstein. The goal is to impose retroactively a UN resolution 1701 from 2006. It was forged by then-Israeli Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Sipi Livni, American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The idea was that Hezbollah would withdraw its forces about 20 miles north of our border, north of the Letani River, and that there'd be an interim force that would enter the DMZ, the demilitarized zone, and ensure a ceasefire between the two. Originally, that role was designed to be filled by UNIFIL. UNIFIL failed flagrantly. And now they're talking about putting in the Lebanese army in there. Now there's two major problems here. One is that the United States and Israel disagree over Lebanon. The United States believes that there's a country called Lebanon. We think there's a country called Hezbollah. The United States believes that there is an entity known as the Lebanese army. We do not. Israel thinks that the Lebanese army is part of Hezbollah. You're going to have Hezbollah guarding Hezbollah on the northern border. That's not going to work for Israel. And I also don't know what leverage the United States has right now that would convince Hezbollah to withdraw under fire, under Israeli fire, 20 miles to the north of that border. So bearing that the situation in the north of the part of the country remains intolerable. The entire part of the northern part of the country is uninhabitable. 60,000 people can't go back to their homes. Half of the IDF is bogged down. And now for several weeks, Hezbollah has outshot Hamas in terms of the number of rockets it fired at Israel every day. So it has sustained its own losses as well, though. Hezbollah has sustained some pretty heavy losses as well. More than 200 of its fighters have been killed. The IDF says it has hit thousands of weapons depots deep inside Lebanon. And yet there are 150,000 rockets remain intact. Their military force of 1,000 terrorists remains pretty much unscathed. And a lot of it depends on Iran. If Iran gives Hezbollah the green light, Hezbollah will attack, as it did during the Syrian Civil War. Hezbollah didn't want to get involved in the Syrian Civil War, but Iran said, go, they went. And Hezbollah lost thousands of fighters fighting in Syria over the course of the decade after 2011. So we have precedent against this. My big fear, I've got to tell you, Laura, is that Hezbollah will strike the first blow and not Israel. And those rockets are longer range, heavier and very, very accurate. And while Hamas poses a tactical threat to the state of Israel, Hezbollah poses a strategic threat to the state of Israel. It can take out all of our major utilities, our airfields, our oil refineries, and Amona. A war with Hezbollah would look very different to a war with Hamas. That's a full-scale war. All right. Dr. Michael Oren, for now. Thank you. Well, there is another front in this war, attacks by Iranian-backed proxies against American troops in Iraq and Syria. But after a robust response by U.S. forces last month, the attacks do appear to have slowed. But now Iranian state media is claiming that those proxies have not given up. They've just switched their target and are now attacking Israeli assets. Let's talk more about that. We're joined by Dr. Meir Javed Danfa, Iran lecturer at Reichman University. Thank you very much for being with us, Meir. So there's no confirmation from the IDF or the Israeli government. But Iran, via its state media, has been making some pretty wild claims that its proxies in Iraq have attacked Haifa port, our Ben-Gurion airport, and others using drones. What are we to make of these claims? Look, it is possible that if the Iranians have given the Iraqi allies very sophisticated drones, it is possible. There was an incident in Ben-Gurion a couple of days ago, though they didn't exactly say what it was. It's not beyond the Iranians to use Iraqi militia in order to attack Israel. They've done it before. And they want to supplement Hezbollah because Hezbollah can only go so far. Hezbollah doesn't want to start a full-scale war with Israel because of the economic dire straits that Lebanon finds itself in. And also, the last time Israel and Hezbollah were in a war, it was in 2006. Iran was selling oil at somewhere between $100 to $130 a barrel. Now it's around, apparently it's around $60 a barrel that it's selling its oil and its economy. Unlike 2006, it's under heavy sanctions. So what I want to say is that war against Israel would be far costlier for Iran via Hezbollah than it was in 2006. The same, of course, for Hezbollah, which gets 75% of its income from Iran. So Iran has to be careful about how far it can go in terms of applying pressure on Israel using Hezbollah. So now it's using the Iraqis to do that. I mean, whether these attacks have been confirmed or not, it is very possible and credible that Iran would want to start relying on its Iraqi allies to pressure Israel on Gaza. And looking more broadly, Dr. Javid El-Far, how do you think Iran views the way this war is going five months in in terms of the war with Hamas and the failure to ignite the West Bank to the extent that it possibly wanted and also the fighting with Hezbollah? I think on the one hand, Iran is absolutely delighted by the reaction of the universities in the West, in the United States and Europe, and the people in the West who are calling for immediate ceasefire. But they're not calling for a simultaneous release of Israeli hostages. It goes to show that the narrative that Iran and its tactical allies in this war, which is Qatar, their narrative is winning a lot of hearts and minds in the West, especially among the intellectual elite and among some of the university students and among some people in the press. If they were calling for a simultaneous release of Israeli hostages as well as a ceasefire, then that would be different. But they're not, which is much to the delight of the Iranians. So that's a win for them. But they're also facing severe challenges. And Iran stands to lose Hamas and Hamas and Jihad-Islami controlling Gaza. That's what it looks like. It's not definite. It very much depends on how Israel manages its relations with the United States. But that's a separate conversation, Laura. In terms of Hezbollah, Hezbollah is pressuring your Israel. Again, there's so far that Hezbollah and the Houthis can go. They are trying their best. But for now, Iran's, one of Iran's major concerns is to stop Hamas and Jihad-Islami losing control of Gaza, because that would be a strategic loss for Iran's actors of resistance. And that's why it's supplying Hezbollah now, apparently, Iraqi, Mubarak and the Houthis. Whether they will succeed, again, that will really depend on how we manage our relations with the United States. But that's a threat. All right. Dr. Mea Javidamfa, thank you very much indeed. Thank you. Dr. Michael Oran is here with me in the studio. As you heard there, Dr. Javidamfa talking about the relationship with Iran is linked to Israel's relationship with the United States. And it's very difficult right now during a presidential league here, because the United States is just not going to get into a face-to-face military fight with Iran. Iran's proxies in Iraq, in Syria, have fired some 200 attacks, lost 200 attacks against American bases there, and in Jordan. And at the same time, you've got the United States negotiating with the leadership in Baghdad about withdrawing its troops from Iran. And it also withdrew of the two carrier strike groups that were initially sent into this area. The Eisenhower and the Ford one has been sent back to the United States in the Mandab Straits, the bubble Mandab Straits. The United States is firing back at the Houthis, but it's not firing back at the Iranians who are in many ways directing and supplying the Houthis. So Iran gets through this entire, an entire wave of violence throughout the Middle East for which it bears a tremendous amount of responsibility without paying any price whatsoever. So it's very difficult for Israel to engage with the United States that refuses to take on Iran because the United States at this point, certainly the Biden administration, is doing everything possible not to get involved in a war before November 2024. And that is what Rafah is about, and that's certainly what Iran is about. All right. Dr. Michael Orran, thank you very much. Well, another front in the wall that is Yemen's Houthi rebels. Well, today they attacked a Chinese-owned oil tanker in the Red Sea just two days after they promised to allow the safe passage of Chinese and Russian ships. The Houthis are vowed to target Israeli, British, and American ships as well as vessels heading to Israeli ports. They have chaos on shipping in this crucial channel. But the Huangpu was attacked by a series of missile strikes as well today. To talk more about that, we're joined by Tommy Steiner, Policy Director at the Signal Group. Thank you very much, Indy, for being with us. And first of all, has there been any response at all from Beijing to this attack? No, not that I have recorded at least not this hour. And I doubt that we will see anything coming out from them before Monday morning their time. How much of a problem are the Houthi attacks on shipping for China? Because one of the consequences has been a rise in the price of oil, hasn't it? It's been arrived also in the cost of shipping oil, which has risen to levels of, is increased by one figure that I saw just a month ago, then by 180% or so. So, the costs have been on the rise. So has everything in terms of shipping costs to and from China have grown up exponentially. So that's becoming an increasing concern and issue for the Chinese government and for its economy. That is not in a good shape. Will China or is it already perhaps using its leverage with Iran to try and get it to stop the Houthis from attacking ships? China has apparently limited leverage over Iran, which in turn has its own limited leverage over the Houthis. It's not as though China can say stand still and then the Iranians will stand still and so will the Houthis fall in place. It doesn't work like that. Yes, there have been reports of negotiations between the Chinese and the Houthis and between the Houthis and the Russians, but nothing has been made public or official at least. But in any case, it's hard to tell whether this was simply misfiring today or something else of the kind. Misidentified shipping in that lane. So that could be the case also. I wouldn't put too much emphasis on this incident, but it is interesting to show that the Chinese continue sending their ships or at least some of their ships through the Red Sea. How is China exploiting or using the current crisis in the Middle East to its own advantage, would you say? Well, it is trying to exploit it to its advantage. However, I think the crisis in the Middle East has not done well to China standing in the international community and vis-à-vis the United States because at the end of the day, China, and one of the first indications I think in my mind is that there has been very limited high-level Chinese engagement in the region since October 7th. If I'm not mistaken, the Chinese Foreign Minister has shown up in the Middle East only once and that was in Egypt earlier in the year and that was part of his annual trip to Africa. So in that respect, Chinese engagement in the region has been very limited. They have been finding it very difficult to influence events and to show themselves to be a major country as they aspire to be. Tommy Steiner at Signal, thank you very much. Thank you for having me. Now it's one of the biggest jihadist attacks on European soil to date. ISIS-K, an offshoot of the Islamic State group that emerged in Syria and Iraq over a decade ago, has claimed responsibility for an attack on a concert in Moscow. At least 133 people were killed and many more were wounded. This report from CNN's Fred Pleitken. The burned-out shell of the Kroka City Hall just outside Moscow, even half a day after the attacks, parts of the rubble still smoldering. The local governor surveying the places where gunmen killed so many. Two here and three there, Governor Andrey Vorobyov asks. Three here, they say. Hundreds of firefighters still on the scene of what Russian President Vladimir Putin called, quote, a bloody and barbaric attack. His security services on high alert. In all regions of the country, additional anti-terrorist and anti-sabotage measures have been introduced. The main thing now is to prevent those who are behind this bloodbath from committing a new crime. It was Friday evening when the attackers went on their rampage. Firing at people point-blank, eyewitnesses say, killing men, women and children, then setting the concert hall ablaze. Friends and family standing by, hoping for news of their loved ones, authorities searching for the many still missing. I don't know what to do, this man says. Desperate for news of his wife, I feel completely hopeless. Moscow's hospitals flooded with dozens of injured, Russian authorities say the death toll will likely continue to rise. The U.S. said it had warned Moscow about the threat of a terror attack, and ISIS has claimed responsibility. But Russian authorities seem intent on blaming someone else. After several arrests overnight, the Kremlin pointing the finger at Kiev. All four direct perpetrators of the terrorist attack, all those who shot and killed people, were found in the tank. They tried to hide and move towards Ukraine, where, according to preliminary data, a window was prepared for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the state border. Ukraine denies the allegations, Kiev saying they had nothing to do with the attack. Near the scene of the attack, many are laying flowers in memory of the victims. Vladimir Putin has declared Sunday a day of mourning, promising a Russia united in grief and retribution and oblivion for those behind the attack. So what is ISIS-K? And why did it launch this brutal attack on Russia? To talk more about that, we're joined by Scott Stewart, Vice President of Intelligence at Torchstone Global. Thank you very much indeed for being with us. And many in the West had believed that ISIS had been defeated some years ago. This attack suggests it has managed to regroup. It hasn't been defeated at all. Anybody who's been paying close attention can see the activities that they've been conducting, not only in Afghanistan, Pakistan, into peripheral countries like Iran, but also look at what the Islamic State group and really the network has been doing across Africa, whether it's Mozambique, Central African Republic, Nigeria. They're still very alive and well and very active. And so what is the response to this? Is there any coordinated response? Well, I mean, the response is obviously to try to find the cells where they're at. And also, I mean, first of all, we have to figure out exactly what happened and how it was conducted. It's still not clear whether this was a cell that was sent into Moscow by one of the affiliates such as Islamic State Coruscant, or whether this was just grassroots jihadists who were already residing in Russia and decided to conduct an attack in support of the Islamic State. I think it's important that when we look at the claims of responsibility from the Islamic States so far, it's come from the main group and from their Amak news agency, and not from one of the franchise groups, say Islamic State Coruscant. Right. And this is, as I said, another offshoot of the ISIS that is perhaps a better known ISIS that emerged in Syria and Iraq. I was going to ask you, how much coordination do you think there is between the two groups? There's actually quite a bit. It's not the two groups, I see it as a three-tier movement. So you do have the Islamic State Corr Group, which is operated there in Syria and Iraq. Then at the second phase, you have these, what I call, franchise groups. So those are the groups like in Coruscant and Afghanistan. Those are the groups like we're seeing in Mozambique, in Nigeria and elsewhere. And then you have the grassroots supporters. And they're the ones that we've seen conducting attacks largely in the West. They're the ones that kind of think globally act locally. And they often get kind of motivated and recruited online in these jihadist chat rooms and then operationalized and sent forth to do attacks. And so right now, we're really trying to still figure out which one of those three layers of the jihadist movement conducted this attack, whether it was the core, one of the franchises, or whether these were just grassroots attackers who were already within Russia. And their aim is to establish a global caliphate, right? Their enemies are Americans, Russians, Shiite Muslims, Jews. Is that right? And that is what they're determined to do. Yes, absolutely. That is their goal is to unite all the Muslims under their control of their leader to reestablish the caliphate. And really beyond that is to bring the entire world under submission to their caliph and into Islam. And so they see countries, not only Western countries, not only countries like Israel there, but they also see Russia as an enemy. And for many reasons, not only because of what Russia has done to their own domestic Muslim population, but also what they're seeing Russia do in places like Syria, where they've been propping up the Assad regime and helping them attack jihadists, and also what they're doing for their support in places like Afghanistan, where Moscow has a very close relationship with the Taliban. All right, Scott Stewart. Great to talk to you. Thank you very much. Thank you. While the families of southern Israel who were attacked by Islamists on October 7th are still recovering, and our reporter, Natasha Kotchuk, has been to meet some of them to see how they're getting on. This report could be disturbing. This is Avida Bachal. It's hard to catch him without a smile on his face, despite everything he's been through. For the last five months, he's been living at Shiba Medical Center in central Israel, in this rehabilitation center. Like many of the patients in this center, Avida is still recovering from severe injuries he sustained on October 7th, when Hamas terrorists infiltrated his home in the southern Israeli community of Kibbutz Bayeri. The fact that he's alive today is truly a miracle, but not everybody in his family was so lucky. These are just some of the voice recordings that Avida's 13-year-old daughter Hadal frantically sent to the family WhatsApp group on the morning of October 7th. How can you listen to this? Because you've listened to it so many times now, it's just that's how it goes, how life goes. How life goes? Yeah, I can give you my story in 30 minutes, but we spend 12 hours in the safe room. We were four and so are two. On that dark Saturday morning, hundreds of Hamas terrorists overran Kibbutz Bayeri, as thousands of rockets flew over him. Avida and his wife and their two kids, 13-year-old Hadar and 15-year-old Carmel, attempted to barricade themselves inside their home's safe room. But that room was impossible to lock. It had been built to withstand rocket fire from Gaza, not the terrorists who found them there. So we're holding the hand door, me and Carmel, and around 8.30, terrorists tried to open the door. They told me in Arabic, they told me, if you open the door, they told me, go away, there's only children here, go. He shot through the door. And from that shot, I didn't hurt, but my son, Carmel, both hand goes. After Carmel was hit by the bullets, the terrorists shot through the door again, blowing off Avida's right leg. But somehow, those same bullets also jammed the lock, and the terrorists couldn't get into the safe room. So they decided to burn down the house in an attempt to smoke the family out, all while continuously trying to launch weapons through the window of the safe room. I'm on my left side on the floor. My wife, she's also on her left side, like a teaspoon with me.  So, and we really tried to put any tunic on his arm, but it's very difficult.  Yeah, I'm injured also. So it's like the amount of strength that you have to be able to stop the bleeding is... No, I didn't. You don't have strength, yeah. I don't have strength. Hadar finally manages to get emergency services on a video call, but the call drops as Hamas terrorists continue to attack the family. You know, the terrorists, they took the grenade and they wrap it with the screws, nails and whatever, so to make more damage for the people. And I told her, Hadar, don't touch your legs and don't take the sharpens out and the screws out because when you take it out, you also start bleeding. Despite what's happening, Hadar continues to try and get help from whoever she can. Israel is in a state of war. Families completely done down in their beds. We have no idea where is she. As our soldiers are fighting on the front line, but the general perception is something that certainly needs to to be fought as well. This is Breaking News Edition. I'm Bernice Levine. The goals of the war remain clear. Eliminate the Hamas terror threat from Gaza. Secure the release of the Israeli hostages held by terrorists for 170 days and make sure Hamas cannot conduct another terror rampage inside Israel right now. Intense fighting continues in the Shifa Hospital complex in Gaza, almost a week since the IDF launched a surprise raid on their premises earlier on in the war. Some hostages were held captive at that hospital. At the same time, talks continue in Qatar amidst efforts to secure a hostage-truse deal with top Mossad, Shin Bet and CIA officials leaving negotiating teams to reach an agreement. Humanitarian aid remains a focal point with the UN chief and US officials weighing in again. Germany's foreign minister, Annalena Birbach, is traveling to the Middle East today, her six trips since the October 7th massacre. In the north, tensions remain high across the Israeli-Lebanon border, with the Hezbollah terror group continuing to show its solidarity with Hamas in Gaza. The group in southern Lebanon announcing the death of one of its members killed in an apparent Israeli strike. The announcement coming after an alleged IDF strike earlier on Sunday on a vehicle in the east of Lebanon, as well as other recent strikes on Hezbollah targets in the past 24 hours. More in this report by Al-Lin Plachmayer. The IDF has conducted another strike deep inside Lebanon. A Hezbollah weapons manufacturing plant was hit in Al-Sera on the outskirts of Baalbek, some 62 miles from the Israel-Lebanon border. Reportedly, three people were wounded. The strike comes after several missile rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel over the weekend. Hezbollah replied by shooting rockets into northern Israel. The terror organization released a statement saying that in response to the bombing of a place in the city of Baalbek, it targeted an Israeli missile and artillery base with more than 60 rockets. The IDF confirmed Hezbollah's claim, saying about 50 launches from Lebanese territory into Israeli territory were detected. A number of launches were intercepted and the rest fell in open areas. In a quick closing of the circle, aircraft attacked the launchers, from which some of the launchers into Israeli territory were detected. Following Hezbollah's response, the IDF struck southern Lebanon, killing a Hezbollah operative. This is the fourth time the IDF strikes deep inside Lebanese territory. The strike at Al-Sera ends a period of relative calm that had lasted around 10 days. So, for more insight into all these developments, we welcome to studio Major General in the Reserves Eitan Dungart, former military secretary to three Israeli defense ministers and the former coordinator of government activities in the Palestinian territories in the IDF. Yaqi Dayan, former Israeli consul in Los Angeles and our senior diplomatic correspondent Owen Altman. Gentlemen, thank you all for being here in studio on the Festival of Purim, which of course is supposed to be a festival, a time of celebration, a time of joy for young and old. We're going to get straight to the developments on the ground in Eitan. I want to start specifically up north Hezbollah, the activities across that northern front on this day. First, I would like to say that we are keeping the headline of the escalation that we already faced two to three weeks ago, but we're not crossing it. We're not climbing up. We're coming to the top of this stage. What does it mean? And it starts with the high level, the Hezbollah already attacked in Israel with two UAVs. And the reaction of Israel, the UAV is going to be, in my opinion, the maximum way Hezbollah and Iran will plan their under escalation or a war. It will be thousands of such a case, and they are launching two or three, but not crossing it in order to get experience on this kind of attack. Israel respond, the IDF respond on attacking, let's call it the capital of the building the forces of the UAVs in the Balbek. There is the storages. There you have the launchers of the UAVs, and you have the other kind and complete this kind of mission. So against it, Hezbollah reacted, and it's the third time with 50 rockets. What does it mean? The rockets are launching the third time to the Golanites. Most of them open field. Only four were eaten by Israel defense, air defense systems. So the meaning, we are coming back to the top in this escalation, but we are not crossing it. Israel again reacting in the Baka Valley in Balbek, Hezbollah under circumstances of using UAV. The UAV is going to be one of the main issues or type of arsenal of weapons system that Israel should prepare itself. So the reaction was around it. Even I can say that in my estimation, we are not going to cross it at least the coming one, two weeks. We are not on a war in the north, but we are still on the top that we recognized before. Yeah, okay. I want to bring you in here because you have Garland is heading to Washington. Some major meetings. The war strategy certainly is being scrutinized by the US. A lot of pressure in recent weeks out of Washington. Your sense, obviously what's happening across the northern front will be included as will the hostage, true steel, as will the Rafah operation. Absolutely. So the north is going to be a main issue. I mean, the target of Israel is bringing back the population back to their homes and up in the north. And that's a big question. Now, clearly, no one wants an overall war. I mean, the Israelis, the Iranians, the Hezbollah, and especially not the Americans in 2024, they don't want to see an overall war. That would be devastating for them. So they are pressuring very much, but it is connected to what is going on in Gaza. So you have to achieve some kind of a piece and quiet in Gaza in order to reach some kind of an agreement, an interim agreement. It's going to be a band-aid. It's going to be an overall agreement. But the target is to bring back the Israeli target, obviously, is to bring back the population back to their homes in 2024. And that has to be achieved through a diplomatic solution. So this is one thing. The second major issue that Ganant is going to deal is no doubt the ammunition. Ammunition, ammunition. And again, the ammunition, it's a big issue all over the world, but especially here now in this war. And this is one of the main issues that Ganant is going to deal with. Rafah, he's going to, as Ron Dermer and Hanek B, the national security advisor that are heading to Washington, and they are going to deal only on Rafah. But no doubt that the Minister of Defense is going to deal with Rafah as well. He's going to explain in details what's the Israeli plan he has to. And overall, he is the partner of Austin over there. So there will be a very thorough discussion on those issues as well, because Israel is determined to have an operation in Rafah. And the Americans, obviously, are extremely worried about it. And nailing down that exact point is Kamala Harris and Owen, the vice president, saying there could be consequences from the U.S. If Israel does move into Rafah, what do you make of that messaging from Kamala? It's new. I mean, listen, Benita, it's possible we've heard whispers like this in the past, but to my ears, new to hear the vice president come out. And when she is asked in a second or third follow-up question, would there be consequences? She said, I don't rule out anything or I rule out nothing. What do consequences look like, though? Well, surely it could include, and Yaqui Dan was alluding to this, right? Slowing down further weapons shipments to Israel or denying Israel weapons shipments using, stopping using the veto and the UN Security Council. Those are the two that are most often cited as the real points of U.S. leverage over Israel. But obviously we can think of plenty of others if the consequences were to go even beyond those. But listen, it is new for such a senior member of the administration to come out and be so blunt. Her body language in that interview and ABC News also very, very telling, very cold, very chilly toward Israel. That may not be as new coming from Kamala Harris. She's been seen as the most pro-Palestinian voice from within the senior echelons in the administration, but still very, very telling. Again, on the eve of these two very, very big visits and crucial visits to Washington this week, you have Galen's visit and the visit of the Dermot Honegba delegation. I may say one thing, that between the issue on Rafah and between a war in the North, we are under a problem. We have a problem because the United States on one end is supporting Israel and the advantage of the quality of Israel, but on the other end made a big damage to Israel because of the tense of the relationship between Bibi Netanyahu and President Biden that has gone now top down. And I mean the statement like Kamala Harris and the other, open a gate to the EU, to Germany, to Canada and others in order to create pressure on Israel according to the war on the combination between humanitarian issue and the issue of when you are calling it humanitarian and the issue of the diplomat activities. On the other hand, it's still supporting Israel. I think that we have to solve it on a way to reduce this kind of statement. It's making damage. This damage will not be solved in the coming future. It will take time to Israel to return back to the place it has been on the beginning in this war. So the visit of Gallant is a meaning with the visit after Benny Gantz and there will be this week delegation of operational experts that are coming to discuss about the issues of Rafah. But above all, I think now we are under a damage under this kind of tense on the relationship between the leadership Israel and the United States. And one very quick point, Benita. Look, even if there aren't going to be consequences, the very fact of it being mooted already creates damage to the relationship, already opens up a possibility that could be used sometime in the near or even distant future. There is damage in the very fact that this was said. Something we're going to take a deeper look at in a short while. Gentlemen, stay with us more to discuss. But now we ask the question, will negotiators in Qatar be able to work through the so-called gaps between the sides amidst efforts to secure a hostage-truse deal as the war approaches the six-month mark. The deal on the table in Doha reportedly involves the release of 40 Israeli hostages held by terrorists in Gaza in exchange for a six-week truce. 134 hostages are still being held captive. No official confirmation as to how many of them are alive. Now for more. We go to our correspondent, Belair Sladen. He joins us live from Tel Aviv. And Belair negotiating teams are still in Qatar, even though the Mossad, the Shin Bet and CIA leaders have left. What are the main sticking points? We hear that there are a huge number of Palestinian security prisoners in terms of the demands that Hamas wants to have freed in return for those 40 Israeli hostages, most of whom are civilians. Yes, exactly. Well, first of all, a couple of flocks from here, not very far away. The families of the hostages and their supporters are blocking the road in order to pressure the Israeli government to accept the terms of the latest proposal. But from what we understand, there is a lot of flexibility from the Israeli side, especially in two main issues that were the main disagreements between Israel and Hamas. The first one is concerning the return of the families that lift the north of Gaza to the southern city of Rafa to the return to their homes. Israel, a couple of weeks ago, disagreed on this specific issue. And later on, Israel said that the mothers and their children, and maybe the elderly, can go back to their homes in the north, but not the men, because they are afraid that Hamas would recruit them and that Israel will lose its main military achievement of occupying the north of Gaza. Now we see that there is some flexibility with a gradual return proposal, an American proposal that Israel accepted to get into and negotiate with the other sides. So this is the first issue. The other one regarding the number of Palestinian security prisoners, from what we understand, Israel now agreed that there will be 700 and even more than 700 Palestinian security prisoners freed in exchange of the 40 Israeli civilians, or actually mostly civilians, five of them is female soldiers. And these female soldiers for each of them will be exchanged for 20, excuse me, for five life sentences, Palestinian prisoners, which means that Israel now agrees on a higher number of Palestinian prisoners in exchange of these female soldiers. I want you that the Paris Initiative was talking about three, now we're talking about five. And this is, of course, showing some flexibility on that specific issue as well from the Israeli side. But what we need to wait for is the official Hamas response. The Israeli officials are saying that we are showing some flexibility. But if the Hamas response was negative, then we can't continue with these negotiations and all will be somewhat in vain, all the talks in Doha. But if there was some positive response from Hamas, then the negotiation can continue, especially in regard of that, the return of the families from the south of Gaza to the north of Gaza. And there will be continuation of these talks in Doha. From what we understand, the response could be in two to three more days. So as soon as even tomorrow or the day after, we could see an official response from Hamas and then we will know whether David Barney will go back to Doha and the negotiation will continue something that, of course, the families of the hostages are wishing for, and that's why they are yet pressuring the Israeli government with that blocking of the roads, with these demonstrations, with everything that we have seen also yesterday that has been happening since the beginning of this war. Time is of the essence, no doubt about it. Thank you so much for now, correspondent Balia Sladen live from Tel Aviv. Now, it was a surprise security operation by the IDF inside northern Gaza. Tomorrow marks one week since Israeli troops re-entered the Shifa hospital complex believed to be a Hamas stronghold recovering weapons and cash hidden in the premises. Scores of terrorists have been killed in the past six days. Hundreds of suspects arrested, including senior Hamas officials. Aljo Brown has more in this report. It's approaching one week since the IDF went back into Shifa Hospital, the largest in the Gaza Strip. Since then, over 800 people have been arrested in the grounds of the hospital, with the IDF saying 170 terrorists have been killed. And this operation shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. The operation here in Shifa is significant, a daring, tricky and most impressive operation so far. It struck hundreds of terrorists, apprehended hundreds of terrorists, and brought in significant operational and intelligence assets. We are continuing with this operation. The leadership of the commanders is excellent, and we will finish this operation only when the last terrorist is in our hands, alive or dead. Of the 800 suspects arrested, 480 are confirmed to have links to Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Hundreds are still being interrogated by the Israeli security forces. Israeli soldiers are continuing to uncover weapons and storage depots. But amidst the heavy fighting around the hospital, the IDF has also confirmed the death of 21-year-old Staff Sergeant Lior Aviv, the third Israeli casualty in the week-long operation. His death brings the number of IDF fatalities since the ground operation began to 252. Elsewhere, the IDF is continuing its operation throughout the entirety of the Gaza Strip. The IDF has struck 65 Hamas targets in northern and central Gaza, where heavy fighting still persists. The Nahal unit has eliminated several terrorists in the central part of the Strip, including during a raid on a drone manufacturing facility. And fighting is still persisting in southern Gaza, where the international community is watching carefully ahead of the seemingly imminent Rafa operation. But with Monday marking one week since Israeli forces re-entered Chifa Hospital following the initial operation four months ago, Hamas still maintains a stronghold in northern Gaza, a grip that Israel is doing whatever it can to loosen. So for the latest on the ground, we now go live to our correspondent Robert Swift. He joins us from southern Israel on the Israel-Gaza border. And as we heard in that report, Rob, fighting continues around the Chifa Hospital complex, scores killed, scores arrested. What is the latest there and across the Strip? So reading between the lines of some of the press releases that came out of the IDF this evening, it's beginning to become clear that it's not just the Al-Shifa Hospital itself, it's increasingly some of the buildings, even the extended neighborhood around it. It does seem to be the focus of the combat there, as it does sound like that operation is expanding, continues, and is spreading out into the areas around it. But it is worth also noting that it is not the only hospital which is the center of combat at the moment. Al-Shifa is in the north of Gaza, but down south in Can Minas, there's two hospitals, Al Amal and Nasser, where it's understood that there are operations taking place there. The Palestinian Red Crescent said earlier this evening that in their words, the IDF had put these two hospitals under siege. And the IDF has confirmed that its troops are operating in the Al Amal area this evening. So with the IDF saying in fact that essentially Hamas was using that medical facility as a military infrastructure and therefore necessitating its troops operating there. But as we just heard in the last report, there's combat taking place at some scale, not always at the most intense scale, but taking taking place in various parts of the Gaza Strip. A press release from Hamas's forces this evening said that they had their forces attacked IDF forces in Gaza City, Bet Hanun, in the far north of the Gaza Strip, as well as a couple of locations in Can Minas. So it does seem that the combat is taking place in quite a few parts of the Gaza Strip. And the principal reason that this will be a concern for the IDF is the fact that as the government scales up anticipation for an operation in Rafa, the message that they are selling both to their Western allies who are not sounding too favourable about such an operation, but also to the Israeli public. The message they're selling is we just have to go into Rafa and this can all be over. It could just take a few more weeks, a few more months. But as the combat in other parts of the Gaza Strip seems to gradually scale up, that could set alarm bells ringing that Hamas is being able to start some sort of insurgency that could go on into the longer term. Certainly a worrying possibility. We appreciate the update. As always, correspondent Robert Swift live from southern Israel on the Israel-Gaza border. And now the latest on the political front and the contentious draft law for religious ultra-orthodox men. Benny Gantz is calling Benjamin Netanyahu's outline for a Kharedi draft law, a red line, the war cabinet minister and political rival, declaring that his national unity party will not be able to remain in the coalition if it is passed into law. Let's take a listen. The conscription law, as formulated by the government, is a serious failure of values that will lead to a deep rift within us, at a time when we have to fight together against our enemies. We are working so that such a law does not pass in this format. We cannot look in the eyes of the soldiers who are within the borders and beyond them, and are asked to extend their service. You will not be able to look directly at the reservists who leave behind families and jobs. Passing such a law is a routine red line, and in times of war it's like a black flag over it. And in times of war, it's like a black flag flies over it. The people will not be able to put up with it. The Knesset will not be able to vote for it. And my friends and I will not be able to be members of the emergency government if such legislation passes the Knesset and enters the Statute Book of the State of Israel, in a way that would harm the unity and security of the country in general, in wartime in particular. Still in studio, Yaki Dayan, former Israeli consul in Los Angeles. This is an ominous warning right now with potentially devastating consequences. It is, but take it with a grain of salt because, you know, the law is not going to pass before June. So this is a long, I would say a long ultimatum, and many things can happen before that. But nevertheless, this law is an outrage that this draft law that is presented has been called by the Ministry of Finance saying that this is going to cost billions to Israel. Many others are opposing this law. We heard from Gallant that he's going to oppose this law. And hundreds of thousands of Israelis, I have no doubt, will go out to the streets to protest against such a law, because this is really an outrage of a law. But when Gandhi is saying that he's going to leave the coalition, he's speaking about the long, long future of maybe June and maybe afterwards, because it's not going to pass before that. Polarizing indeed, Owen. Well, first of all, it just, I just keep up with some of the things Yaqui just said. This law just looks like a dead end, right? Gallant is against it. It stands to reason much of the military is going to be against it. Gans has come out against it. Sharon Haskell of Gidon Saar's New Hope Party, or formerly called New Hope Party, has come out against it as well. The State Attorney General, according to Channel 12 Report tonight, has come out against it. The finance, the budget department inside the finance ministry, as Yaqui said, all kinds of centers of power in the Israeli administrative structure and Israeli politics have come out against it. So it's hard to understand how this could even get past the Supreme Court, even get us to June. But assuming it won't, it seems to be the Haredi parties, the ultra-Orthodox parties have two potential options. One is the more risk-averse option, to try to get to some kind of compromise that's not this bill, but where they get some of what they want, even if they have to make some real concessions, something to bring gallant and gants on board, so that this can get through the government and pass the Supreme Court, and would involve potentially some concessions by the ultra-Orthodox parties, but maybe give them a better result than an alternative. And the other is the risk-taking strategy, to actually see the government fall apart over this, have everything be put on hold and the status quo preserved, pending elections, and then hope that the election campaign is not about this, is about something else, and that on the other side they get a better deal. One very, very quick thought, Benita. This is an unusual situation where, usually in democracies, when your group gets bigger, it's easier for you to achieve your political goals. In the Haredi case, the larger they get, the harder it is for them to achieve their political goals. They're a bigger part of the society, and this issue becomes harder for them to solve. And we're going to take a deeper look at exactly that after the break. Gentlemen, stay with us, because we are taking a very short break right now, but when we get back, our rolling coverage continues on this breaking news edition. Stay tuned, back in just a few moments. Our breaking news coverage continues. I'm Denise Levine. 134 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza, 170 days since the Hamas terror rampage on the 7th of October. Still no proof of life, still no list of the hostages who are still alive. The hostages include 22-year-old Guy Gilboi Dalal, who was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival in southern Israel. He and his brother Gull were at the event together. Gull hid in the bushes for hours until he was rescued by security forces. Later, a video emerging in which Guy and his best friend were shown tied up by terrorists. And now for more, we welcome, once again, to I-24 News, Ilan Dalal, the father of Guy Dalal, joining us from Alfei Manashe. Thank you so much, Ilan, for joining us once again. Our hearts are with you. This waiting must be beyond agonizing. But there seem to be a glimmer, just a glimmer of hope around the latest talks in Qatar. Officials from Mossad and Shin Bet, plus the CIA, have left Doha. But the negotiating teams are staying on to try to reach a deal. How are you feeling about these latest efforts, day 170 of the war? Well, this time it seems that it really goes to a good direction. We can see that both Hamas and Israel are willing to get the demand a little lower so they can come together to a deal. I really, really hope that this time they can make a deal that will release all the hostages and allow us to start our life back, fix what's broken and go on. Certainly the whole nation hoping and waiting for some kind of breakthrough out of Qatar. As you will know, Joav Galant has left for Washington, the Defense Minister's meeting with people in DC to discuss the war strategy. What is your sense of the international pressure, the impact it is having on those discussions in Qatar as we speak? Well, I must say that this is very frustrating, this international pressure on Israel because it seems like they've all forgotten October 7th and now they're all concentrating at the suffering of the Palestinian people, which it's not our to blame. It is Hamas to blame because he put them in this situation, not Israel, but the world I think in a manner of phrase doesn't really love us, if we can say that. There are many antisemitism around the world which raise its head now and the countries all over the world has pressure from their own people that most of them, I don't know why, but support Palestinians and even United States is now pressuring on Israel more than they're pressuring on Qatar. If United States would put this pressure on Qatar as much as they prefer Israel, our situation now would be much better in the negotiation. It certainly is devastating to think of this wait and waiting for news and as you say, for some kind of feedback as well. Obviously, time is of the essence right now, more details are emerging about the conditions in captivity inside Gaza. If you could give a message right now to the war cabinet, to the decision makers, what is it that you would want to say right now, day 170? Okay, I want to say that after almost six months in captivity, all hostages are now, I believe, in a bad condition. All of them must come home right now to start, rebuild their lives and it's been too long and they must come home. They have to take this opportunity and make this deal and if they need to make a little more, to give up a little more terms then they should do it because the hostages must come back now. No doubt about it and all the hostages as well. Ilan Dalal thoughts are with you, your family, we hope for good news about Guy and all the hostages. Thank you once again for being with us on I-24 News. Thank you. The nation is hoping, no doubt about that. And talking about the humanitarian aid and Ilan was just alluding to it right now. Heated reaction to the latest remarks by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres when he visited Egypt, making an appeal in the quote, Ramadan spirit of compassion. Let's take a listen. Looking at Gaza, it almost appears that the four horsemen of war, famine, conquest and deaths are galloping across it. And that is why the time for an immediate humanitarian fire is now. And in the Ramadan spirit of compassion, I also urge the immediate and unconditional relief of hostages. The suffering must end. Palestinians in Gaza desperately need what has been promised, a flood of aid. In the spirit of compassion, Major General on the reserves, Eitan, thank God, your response. I saw yesterday his show and we spoke about the Secretary General a lot in this, and I think he continued on his way. This guy came to Rafa crossing. He was in El Arish. He made a very nice photograph with triambulance under his back when he started to talk about the suffering of the Palestinians. But he forgot. He forgot about talking about what happened on the 7th of October. He didn't mention the hostages at this speech when we saw it yesterday. He forgot to mention the demand of releasing them as a condition towards going. And he forgot also to mention the fact that his organization, UNRWA and others under his, let's say umbrella responsibility, were a part of this terror system. This man is not should be any kind of, let's call it, a weight in this region.  And I think his policy is what we are now looking around us, the fact. And I connected it to the United States that emphasizing humanitarian issue about the Gaza civilian, about the population. And I'm not saying there is no problem there. But the problem is start with the hostages. And that gave a back wind to others to continue in their emphasizing the fact that Gaza has become the main issue instead of reminding us that the first thing is to release these hostages. So in my opinion, it's un-proportional. It's going to a way that we should correct it immediately. This man should not be accepted in Israel at all till he changes way and changing the organizations under his umbrella that are coming to work here and to serve you. Yaki, we're talking about the pressure from the UN nonetheless, the pressure from the US at the same time. Talk to us about your insights. I'll tell you, I think that the humanitarian assistance is an Israeli interest. It's not because only because the Americans are pressuring and we have to play according to what the Americans want. But I think that showing the suffering now, that all the images that are being shown on televisions around the world doesn't serve the interest of Israel and continuing the war. So I think that here Israel should do that. Actually, it's the first time I hear the Secretary General mentioning in the spirit of the holiday releasing the hostages, which is a progress, by the way, I would say, with all these anti-Israeli policies that he had. But nevertheless, humanitarian assistance, this is something that Israel has to move forward because the Americans are pressuring it, the images from the international media are not serving. And also it's an interest of the Hamas to show the suffering of the population. So we have to continue fighting, but at the same time making sure that the humanitarian aid is coming in. And Israel is just losing the argument. I mean, Israel continues to argue that enough trucks are being sent in and showing the numbers. But the reality is that nobody is being convinced. Even before you get to international public opinion, even before you get to the UN and Guterres, the US government, the Biden administration, is not convinced. Israel simply has not been able to convince anyone. So either there has to be better way of making the argument or, as Yaqui said, a change in policy. I agree. We'll be watching 10 seconds. The unsatisfaction from the United States, as you see it on the speech by the Deputy of the President, is showing Israel missed two months in order to join the American demand and to create such a system in order to put it on the right level in the right place. Certainly the pressure is there. We wait to see on the next developments. We so appreciate your insights. As always, Aitan Dangat, Yaqui Dayan, Owen Ultiman. Thank you so much for being here in studio, as always. And now dealing with trauma. We turn to families from Israel's southern communities targeted in the Hamas-Terra onslaught on the 7th of October. Our Natasha Kirchhoff went to meet one of these families, a warning that some details may be difficult to watch. This is Avida Bachal. It's hard to catch him without a smile on his face, despite everything he's been through. For the last five months, he's been living at Shiba Medical Center in central Israel, in this rehabilitation center. Like many of the patients in this center, Avida is still recovering from severe injuries he sustained on October 7th, when Hamas terrorists infiltrated his home in the southern Israeli community of Kibbutz Baeri. The fact that he's alive today is truly a miracle, but not everybody in his family was so lucky. These are just some of the voice recordings that Avida's 13-year-old daughter, Hadal, frantically sent to the family WhatsApp group on the morning of October 7th. How can you listen to this? Because you've listened to it so many times, now it's just... That's how it goes. How life goes, yeah. How life goes? Yeah, you know, I can give you my story in 30 minutes, but we spend 12 hours in the safe room. We wear four, and so are two. On that dark Saturday morning, hundreds of Hamas terrorists overran Kibbutz Baeri, as thousands of rockets flew over him. Avida and his wife, and their two kids, 13-year-old Hadar and 15-year-old Carmel, attempted to barricade themselves inside their home's safe room. But that room was impossible to lock. It had been built to withstand rocket fire from Gaza, not the terrorists who found them there. So we're holding the hand door, me and Carmel, and around 8.30, the terrorists tried to open the door. They told me in Arabic, they told me, I told him, go away, there's only children here, go. He shot through the door. And from that shot, I didn't hurt, but my son, Carmel, both hand goes. After Carmel was hit by the bullets, the terrorists shot through the door again, blowing off Avida's right leg. But somehow, those same bullets also jammed the lock, and the terrorists couldn't get into the safe room. So they decided to burn down the house in an attempt to smoke the family out, all while continuously trying to launch weapons through the window of the safe room. I'm on my left side on the floor. My wife, she's also on her left side, like teaspoon with me.  So, and we really tried to put any tunic on his arm, but it's very difficult. And I mean, you're injured also, so. Yeah, I'm injured also. So it's like the amount of strength that you have to be able to stop the bleeding is, you don't have strength. Yeah. Hadar finally manages to get emergency services on a video call, but the call drops as Hamas terrorists continue to attack the family. You know the terrorists, they took the grenade and they wrap it with the screws, nails and whatever. So to make more damage for the people. And I told her, don't touch your legs and don't take the sharpness out and the screws out because when you take it out, you also start bleeding. Despite what's happening, Hadar continues to try and get help from whoever she can. After several hours, Avida's wife, 48-year-old Dana, passes away from internal bleeding after being shot in the ribs. 15-year-old Carmel is barely hanging on. Around 4.30 afternoon, Carmel knew that he's going to go out from the safe room, he's going to stay in the safe room. And he told me that when you bury me, please do it with my surfboard. He was a surfer.  I don't even say that. The army is supposed to come really soon, but in a few minutes later, he got a short breath and he died. So we put him near Dana and I told Hadar, Carmel is all right. Mommy, she's great. We just need to survive until the army comes.  A group of eight Israeli soldiers reach their home and pull Hadar and her father out of the window to safety. This picture's from July. Yeah. So that's Carmel and that's your wife. That's Carmel and Dana. Today, five months later, life looks totally different. Hadar has recovered from her injuries, but Avida is still going through rehab. His right leg was amputated because of the severity of his injuries, yet he still remains positive. You're getting a prosthesis fitted right now so that you'll be able to walk. Yeah, yeah. I have a prosthesis. Six weeks got running from here. That's your plan? Yeah. When I'm sitting with you right now, you're smiling, you're positive, you know, that's something that for a lot of people is difficult to understand. How are you able to do that? I wake up at Sunday morning and next to my bed, there is a rabbi. He also got hurt in the same Shabbat. So every day, this rabbi, when the nurse took his bandit, he's crying and screaming, but say thanks for God. And I told him, Eliyahu, why you tell him thank you?  Look what happened to us. There's no God anymore. And he told me I feel better and it's helped me. I think it's the best lessons I got in my life. When you say thank you, and it doesn't matter to whom, you can say thank you for the trees, for your cellular phone, for your car, for God, whatever. It doesn't matter, believe me. It's a system. It doesn't matter to who you say thank you. It's mean you go forward. I'm not believing God, believe me. But I can say thank you to Dana. About 32 years with me because I met her. She was 17 and we grow together and we travel over the world and we got a great family and great community. I got the 32 years. I'm more than a rich people in the world, believe me. And I also, I can say thank you for my son, Karmel. I got a great son and I got it for 15 years. So I'm happy from that. And I tell them thank you about this. And we go forward. Yeah. And we're going to rebuild everything again. Incredible faith, incredible strength. And now changing gears slightly as we take a deeper look at the impact of the war on the finance world and the investment sector. We welcome Dr. Andrew Hutter, National and International Chairman of the Board at Israel Bonds. He joins us live from Livingston in New Jersey. Dr. Hutter, thank you so much for your time. So to start, for viewers who perhaps don't know, what exactly are Israel Bonds and what do they do? First, thank you for having me and thank you to you and your staff for keeping all of us informed about the truth of what's going on.  So I appreciate that. Israel Bonds is the best way to connect the diaspora to the state of Israel. We are not a charity. We are an investment. You buy a bonds for the people in the United States. It's like buying the United States savings bond. You buy the bond. Israel gets to use the money. And then you get the money back with interest at the end. It's the best way to connect. We're not a charity, so therefore we're not in competition with any other organization. And we can work with all the other Jewish organizations for the betterment of the state of Israel. Now, we understand there has been a massive increase in interest and in the purchasing of bonds since the 7th of October. Why do you think that is? I think, as I said, we're the best way to connect to Israel. We've done about a billion dollars of investments from the United States every year for about 10 years now. We had just reached our goal right before the war broke out. As soon as the war broke out, Israel needed finances and they needed help and they came to us. And we did, by the end of the year, worldwide 2.7 billion dollars in investments in Israel. So we more than doubled our yearly investment. And I think it's a strong statement saying that we support Israel. The other thing that was great is that of the people, the individuals, the retail sales after October 7th, 50 percent of the people that bought Israel bonds were new people that never purchased bonds before. So I think we really are getting the message out that we need to stand with Israel and support Israel. And bonds is one of the best ways to do that. And what does this say about American support of Israel specifically? What is your sense of that at this juncture? Unfortunately, there's a lot of politics and press out there that likes to downgrade what Israel is doing. But I think we are showing that the American public and the Israelis are very strong and tied together. We've also not only just had our retail investments, but there's been a strong investment from state and county governments. Florida has increased their Israel bond purchase. It's Combeach County, Chicago, and Ohio. All of these places have bought Israel bonds and increased their purchases since the war started, stating that not only is it just the American Jews that are standing with Israel, but it's the American people that are standing with Israel. And amazing to see the different reactions since the 7th of October. Where were you personally on that day? Talk us through your emotions. Woke up in the morning getting ready to go to synagogue and my wife got some texts about something going on in Israel and we couldn't really figure out what was going on. And this is not a plug, but we actually did turn on I-24 news to find out what was going on. And we heard what was going on. I then went to synagogue and we were talking about it there. And my rabbi was able to get some information from our security guard outside of that what was going on. And we started a policy there in our synagogue that day where we say to hill them. And since that day, we end every Shabbat morning service after I don't alone by standing and singing hattik. Very moving indeed. Very powerful indeed. We understand you just returned to the United States from Israel. I think we saw some photographs on the screen and Israel bonds leadership delegation. We could see some of those pictures earlier. Tell us more about that experience. What was that like? I've been to Israel more times than I can count, thank God. But this was a very emotional trip and a very important trip. We went with a small group of people, just 24 of us, and we really saw what was happening. And I saw the segment before me where you're talking to somebody from Kibbutz Berry. We went to Kfaraza. We spoke with people there. We saw the devastation. We went to the Nova Festival site and we saw the devastation there. We met with a police officer that saved dozens of people with the only thing that he had was a pistol. We went to meet with displaced people from Kfaraza and heard their stories of what happened that day and how it wasn't just Hamas that came in, but the Ghazan people followed them in and looted the place. We went to Roka Hospital, met with Dr. Kodesh, the director of the hospital. And we were able to meet with soldiers who were injured and speak with them. And it was I think the most amazing thing to us was the resilience of the Israeli people and the soldiers. No doubt about it. And it's so important that people come and see firsthand and experience and speak to people and understand exactly what happened. Thank you so much. We unfortunately need to leave with the