 With this I-24 News Special Edition, I'm Batya Levinville, coming to you live from our Tel Aviv Studios thanks for joining me this hour. It is day 96 of war. Here are Wednesday's main headlines in Israel. In the South, fighting continues in the Gaza Strip. In the past 24 hours, the Israeli military struck over 150 terror targets. This as the IDF has expanded its operations in the central and southern parts of the enclave. As the battle against the terror group rages on, sadly so too does the IDF death toll, with another soldier falling in battle bringing the number of troops killed now to 186. In the North, a prominent Rezbollah field commander was killed in overnight and early morning strikes in southern Lebanon. All this, as US Secretary of State Antti Blinken is still in the region for a week of shuttle diplomacy, today being Wednesday, using Ramallah meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. However, he was met with fierce Palestinian protests among entering the city. All with me here in studio to discuss all this and more is political and international security analyst Martin Himmelmark. Good afternoon to you. Wasn't quite the welcome that the Americans were perhaps hoping for. The Palestinians don't seem very pleased to see him. Well, they're not going to be extremely pleased because after all, they're the number one supporter of Israel. And because of their support, Israel can continue its campaign in Gaza. And so therefore the Palestinians aren't exactly thrilled with that. I think it's a way of generating some pressure on Blinken to try to say the Palestinians need to be recognized for what their role should be in all of this. I don't think it's going to have much of an impact, the demonstration. Blinken told Abbas that the White House supports, quote, tangible steps toward the creation of a Palestinian state. The big question is, do the Palestinians? Do they support tangible steps through a Palestinian state? I think they would welcome it very much if they had a chance for it. The question is, what kind of a Palestinian state would it be? How would it function? Is Israel going to be overlooking it? Not, I mean, there's many, many questions there. I think right now the focus is, what kind of Palestinian, if any Palestinian administration will be in Gaza? That's the question right now. And, you know, Blinken came to the Israelis and said, look, the Arabs want to talk about this. They want to roll in it, but they're not going to go do it as long as it's done under full Israeli occupation. In other words, if Gaza is fully occupied by Israel, there's no tangible, credible Palestinian administration. The help is not going to come in, which really puts the ball into Netanyahu's court. Is he going to play ball with the Arab states or not? The truth is that Israel has said multiple times, both through the military and political echelon, that they have no intention of reoccupying the Gaza Strip, but they do want to have some sense of security oversight, obviously, in the enclave. Another question that's interesting is, if the PA is tasked to take control over the Gaza Strip, as well as the West Bank, probably even more areas in the West Bank, to sort of have some kind of Palestinian state order, at least earmarked for the time being, what would then happen for the atrocious pay-for-slay policy? That's something that Israel certainly cannot tolerate. If the whole idea is to obliterate terror from its borders, having it in its borders on top of that, that's not going to fly very well with the Israelis. That's one of the issues. It's not just a matter of that particular issue. I mean, a tangible part of the Israeli government, on the far right, doesn't want any Palestinian authority, doesn't want any Palestinian presence running the West Bank or Gaza. Netanyahu's hands are really tied here. He may, he seems to be having an axis of discussion through Ron Dürmer and himself with the United States and the Arab states to try to reach some sort of Palestinian administration. But on the other side, with Itamar Benghver and Bezalo Smoltridge, two Israeli ministers who represent a sizable part of his coalition, they're dead set against any Palestinian administration. In fact, they want settlements in Gaza. So Netanyahu's political hands are tied. And that's putting Israel into a very difficult position. Mine stay with me because it's not just the Americans that are amping up the pressure on Israel, but they are also facing intense international pressure to allow aid into Gaza to prevent a humanitarian crisis among the civilian population there. Israeli security forces on Tuesday blocked a convoy of hostages, relatives from reaching the Kerim Shalom crossing with Gaza, where they intended to block this aid from entering the strip in an attempt to protest against the failure, they say, to secure the release of their loved ones and the lack of aid reaching them. Our correspondent Pierre Closhetler was on the ground there yesterday as well as today and filed the following report. This is the first time that Israel has agreed to invite the foreign media to the Kerim Shalom crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip. That's where 182 humanitarian trucks yesterday were conveyed into the Gaza Strip, carrying food, water, medical supplies and equipment for erecting shelter, tents, blankets, etc. Adam Schulman is going to show you these are some of the trucks that have been screened for safety by the IDF and now are ready to enter the Gaza side of the Kerim Shalom crossing. It's only 300 meters away. When the trucks are going to reach the humanitarian organizations including the UN organizations on the Gaza side of the crossing, they're going to be downloaded from these trucks and uploaded onto other trucks and then distributed to the humanitarian crossings if they're not looted or hijacked by Hamas terrorists, obviously. This truck, for instance, carries bags of flour. You can see there's plenty of flour to bake bread. A new bakery has been opened. Now, the US administration is pressuring the Israeli government to allow not 200 trucks a day on average, but at least 300 trucks a day. The officer in Liaison, on behalf of the Israeli Ministry of Defense for the Palestinian territories, Colonel Moshe Tetro said that Israel has the capacity to increase the amount of aid. Let's hear what he told us. Israel is more than willing and has the ability to facilitate the entrance of more humanitarian aid into Gaza. As I mentioned, we have increased our capacity and opened an additional crossing. The problem lies with the international organization processing and receiving the aid. There are several steps that the international organizations can take to increase the amount of aid reaching the people in Gaza. For example, at El-Arish Port in Egypt, there is a need for additional UN menpower to receive and pack the aid. There is also a need for more trucks to transfer the aid to Israel for security checks. There is a need to extend the working hours, a traffic crossing, and off the UN staff receiving the aid there to avoid trucks waiting for hours and sometimes overnight to enter Gaza. So for Israel, the problem stems from the UN organizations and Israel is ready to increase the amount of trucks. In addition, water is being supplied by four pipelines, two that have been erected in the Sinai Peninsula by the United Arab Emirates and two pipelines that are coming from Israel and have been reopened during the war lately. This is Pierre Clauchandler at the Kerem Shalom crossing on the Israel-Gaza border. Still with me here in studios, political and international security analyst Martin Himmel and joining us as well as I-24 News senior editor Guy Azrael. Martin, international aid isn't fair to be sending this in when zero aid is being given to the hostages or currently being held by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other groups, even civilians in the Gaza Strip. The world keeps preaching proportionality. It's not very fair, especially if you're looking at it from Israel's side. It's not fair at all because their hostages need medicine terribly. Israel's hostages need other forms of medical care. They have to know that their relatives are alive. Basic recognition that they're alive. All this is quite important, but life isn't so fair. And this is a good example because if Israel wants to keep its offensive alive, if it wants to keep its goal of trying to dismantle Hamas, the price for that is to let in a lot of aid. Some of the aid will actually go to Hamas. It will help them feed them, help with their petrol needs, etc. But that's the price and that's the choice. Well, exactly on that point, Guy. What is being done with Hamas hijacking or stealing the aid on the convoys? There's literally video proof of this. In that case, does it really matter whether there's 50 trucks, 200 trucks going into the Gaza Strip when it's not even reaching the humanitarian crisis or the people that need it the most? Excellent point. And this goes to the debate yesterday between Secretary Blinken and the Israelis. I will just remind our viewers what Blinken said today in his speech. He said, as I underscored in our meetings today, more food, more water, more medicine, and other essential goods need to get into Gaza. And Israel needs to do everything it can to remove any obstacles from crossing to other parts of Gaza. Really blaming Israel for the fact that some of this aid does not get to the people it needs to get to. Well, yesterday, the IDF spokesman, Daniel Higari, addressed exactly that point. Let's take a listen. This might not fit the narrative told on TV or TikTok. But our actions are proof that we care more about the people of Gaza than Hamas, who sees the suffering of their own people as a strategy. We are ready and willing to facilitate as much humanitarian aid as the world will give, especially essential aid like food, medicine, and shelter. We recognize that aid distribution in a war zone is challenging. Also for us, which is why we coordinate routes for aid trucks, we coordinate daily humanitarian corridors, and implement specific tactical poses in our operations to support the aid distribution efforts. Yes, so this is no surprise for anyone who is following the news and watching those images of what goes to that, what happens to that aid once it reaches Gaza. Obviously, Hamas has the full control over those areas where the IDF is not stationed. So perhaps Secretary Blinken would like to watch those videos. And as we speak about that, news just in that Israel is going to increase the amount of trucks entering Gaza daily to 400 trucks. Remember, we started this war with zero aid to Gaza as a measure to apply pressure on Hamas. And now Israel is fighting this impossible war of trying to get the heads of Hamas out of their tunnels to return the hostages, while at the same time supplying them with plenty of food, water, and medicine, making that task virtually impossible. And when we speak about timing, this is exactly what perhaps the Americans also need to understand, that this aid is only prolonging the war even further, because if pressure was applied as it was back in November when Hamas agreed to the first hostage release deal, we would not be in this situation right now. And Martin, this has got to be a very sore point for a lot of the hostages' families or relatives that still have their loved ones being held captive in the Gaza Strip, knowing that they are not getting any care, that the Red Cross has been practically non-existent in terms of seeing to them their well-being, giving off medicine, food, making sure we've seen the reports of a lot of these Israeli hostages that were really saying that there was no water, that they were given a bagel, a piece of bread to survive off of for days, not knowing when their next meal would be. This must be very daunting to watch humanitarian aid going into the Strip, knowing that their families aren't getting anything. If it was me, I'd be pulling my hair out. That's for sure. It's extremely frustrating. It's agonizing. We see it all the time with the hostages communicating that all the time. There are many impediments that the hostages complain about, and they worry about their loved ones every day. So yes, that's a huge problem. But there's a ticket, there's a price. That's what I'm really trying to say. Let's say Israel says no, no aid, not until the hostages get. So where is that going to leave the United States with mounting world pressure to feed the people in Gaza? Eventually they'll buckle to some degree, or they'll say, look, we'll wash our hands out of that. Is that going to put Israel into a better position? Will it be able to continue its campaign freely as it is continuing right now? No, it won't. So it's a tough choice and a very bitter choice. And guys, with the US Secretary of State Antoni Blinken being in the region now, specifically Israel for the sixth time, one of the big narratives that appears to be coming out from across the spectrum in Israel is while we thank the Americans dearly for their support and their backing, they don't understand what they are doing in terms of putting pressure on the Israeli government and on the military to bring this war to a lower intensity in the sense that Israel has a goal to eradicate Hamas, to make sure the threat doesn't maintain itself on Israel's borders to protect its civilians. The Americans didn't have lower intensity in terms of eradicating ISIS. So there's a sense of almost understanding and being grateful for the assistance given, but also that they perhaps don't fully understand or comprehend the situation to its maximum capacity. Perhaps understand, but don't care enough about that. Look, it will be extremely difficult if not impossible for the Israeli government to sell this sort of arrangement to the Israeli public after the events of October 7th. If Israel doesn't go ahead with accomplishing the goals of this war, eliminating Hamas's military capabilities completely in Gaza and returning the hostages, if the government doesn't do that, I don't see what sort of support is it going to get from the Israeli people. How is Netanyahu going to sell this to the people? We already, when we move to this so-called third stage of the war, we are hearing how Israelis are discontent by this. The Americans, I believe, know that very well, and nonetheless the policy that they're leading is not to the interest of the Israeli public. I don't see how, well, maybe Secretary Blinken wants to meet the communities on the Gaza border and explain to them why they should return to their homes. At the moment, the way things are looking, they do not wish to go back until they are satisfied with the security settings there, with a new security reality that is far from happening. If Israel does allow the residents of northern Gaza to return to their homes, that is a huge accomplishment for Hamas, and that is drifting the goals of this war further away with that sort of victory for Hamas. I don't see how will it release the Israeli hostages. How would Israel be able to apply even more pressure on Hamas? That is something that the Israeli public will not be able to accept. And perhaps that is something that the Americans take into consideration already seeing the low popularity of this government and of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if they put him in this hard place. Well, this is a situation and this situation of Israel as a whole, unfortunately with it, it becomes much worse. As you mentioned, both for the Israelis and the Americans, it would be something hard to sell to their respective publics. The thinking or at least the hope would be that Israelis will do what's in the best interest for Israelis and the Americans will do what's in the best interest for Americans, which Martin brings me to the point, is the reason America is telling Israel knowing full and well what it means to go to lower intensity, because they do. Let's not beat around the bush here. America has brilliant intelligence. They are very close to Israel. They've been sitting in, as Guy has mentioned a few times, on high level security cabinet meetings, war cabinet meetings, discussing with their American and Israeli counterparts together on how they should move forward with the war. Is this not then tied into the U.S. elections that are upcoming? Well, it's not, as you mentioned, it's not a matter of the United States not understanding what's going on. It understands completely what's going on. But there's something called American interests. And that's what America, first of all, is catering to, its own interests. Let's not forget, America is a superpower. Israel is a regional power. Israel depends very heavily on American supplies. And America has got to take its interests for itself at this particular stage. And when President Biden goes to a famous church where a massacre occurred and is catering to the black vote, and Palestinian demonstrators get up there and talk about ceasefire now, ceasefire now, it puts him into a very serious position. It's hampering his campaign. He's fighting Donald Trump right now for the presidency, and he doesn't need that. So it's not a matter of understanding. It's a matter of his political considerations. That's number one. And number two, the United States is an avid proponent of the two-state solution. It wants to see a greater Palestinian role here. And Netanyahu is basically saying no, we're not in for a two-state solution. And that's a direct contradiction and conflict with American policy. So it's not a matter of understanding. It's a matter of Israeli-American interests. And just to that point, a survey published just this morning shows that the amount of Israelis that agree to have the Palestinian Authority control the Gaza Strip is 5%. This is the solution that the Americans are offering. And this is the support that it has within the Israeli public after what we've seen on October 7th. Another hard sell, so it would seem. Gentlemen, stay with me because I do want to change the angle a little bit here. Israel is predominantly focused, of course, on targeting Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But that doesn't mean that the North, or at least the very southern tip, have been protected, or at least not in the focal point. The UN Security Council is set to vote a resolution today being Wednesday that would condemn Andaman and immediate halt to attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea. Now, this comes after British and American naval forces have repelled the largest attack by the Iranian-backed Houthis in the area to date. More in this next report by I-24 News Middle East correspondent Ariello Saran. It's the largest Houthi attack to date in the Red Sea. The Iranian-backed militia in Yemen launched on Tuesday night a complex attack of 18 suicide drones and three anti-ship cruise and ballistic missiles towards international shipping lanes. All were intercepted by American and British naval forces. The naval forces, the missile force and the unmanned air force of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a joint military operation with a large number of ballistic and naval missiles and drones, targeting an American ship that was providing support to the Zionist entity. The operation came as a preliminary response to the treacherous attack our naval forces were subjected to by the American enemy forces last Sunday. The U.S. Central Command said there were no injuries or damage reported in the 26th Houthi attack on a strategic commercial waterway since November 19th. The Red Sea is extremely crucial for shipping because it connects the Far East with North Europe and also with the east coast of the United States, also with the East Mediterranean. CENTCOM reiterated a warning issued just last week by 14 countries including the United States that the Houthis will bear responsibility for the consequences of their continued attacks indicating that patience is running out. I think the Houthi intelligence will make a complex situation in Yemen. First of all, we must know that the Houthis are a religious group, not a party or a political force. And that's why they are not deterred by international moves nor resolutions or statements of the Security Council. Speaking to I-24 News from the city of Aden, an area of South Yemen not under Houthi control, journalist Marwan Nabil warns that the alternative of further militarization in the Red Sea won't necessarily be more effective. Any military intervention in Yemen will be costly and militarily and strategically because Yemeni terrain can only be dealt with by people of its country. This latest Houthi attack comes just hours ahead of a planned UN Security Council vote to potentially condemn and demand an immediate halt to the attacks. But Nabil says there is no condemnation that can affect the Houthis. I believe that there are no solutions for no third to end this crisis. Either Israel should stop its war against Gaza Strip at all costs or international coalition should support legitimate government in its war against Houthi's group. Meanwhile, India has increased the number of its warships in the Arabian Sea five-fold since December amid a rise in attacks, an indication that a direct confrontation is nearing. Well, still continuing the conversation here in studio, Martin, based on the proxy angle at least of this war. We're seeing a shift from the defensive to the offensive at the moment in the battle with Hezbollah. Now, does that mean that diplomatic solutions are completely off the table? And even with regards to Yemen, you know, America turns around and says we don't negotiate with terrorists. It's hard to imagine sitting and trying to have a diplomatic solution with a terror group like Hezbollah with a rebel group like the Houthis. I'm sure there's a lot of discussion going on with Hezbollah and the Houthis and indirectly or directly with Iran, because after all, Iran is where a lot of these decisions are being made. Both the Hezbollah and the Houthis are surrogates or proxies of Iran. I don't think the diplomatic solution to the north is ended. I think that it's not really has really begun. I think whatever solution, both sides don't want a major war. That's clear. They don't want a full scale war. That's already a good starting point. I think that more solutions will start coming whenever Israel decides to wind down its Gaza operation to some level where Hezbollah can say see our pressure has forced Israel to wind down its campaign. Once they can say something like that, I think then the diplomatic route might become much more important because both sides don't want to see a massive war. Guy, there is talk that potentially at least by September, which is almost a year after the October 7 massacre, that some of the residents that were evacuated from the south would be able to return home. Would that be the same for the north, given that Hamas' big bad brother Hezbollah is not being dealt a major blow in the way that Hamas has? Yes, the talk about the south is, in some places, February when it comes to the education system and the residents say we're having none of that. That is completely not the situation in the north. There is no deadline to the return of dozens of thousands of Israelis who live in Kirachmuna and nearby cities, all of that stretch of communities along the border. The situation there is going to have to change dramatically and we see the threat there every day, not just with the rockets but also with those anti-tank missiles hitting homes right on the border. And we know some of the communities like Metula can see the Hezbollah terrorists just in front of their eyes from the windows of their kitchen. So that threat is imminent. They will not return home until Hezbollah is pushed back away from the border according to Resolution 1701. It is still a very long way ahead, be it by diplomatic or military means. In the last 20 seconds. Well, there's also an optical illusion there too. So let's say Israel pushes back Hezbollah, five, six, seven kilometers. They can't fire the anti-tank weapons. There will be lots of missiles from Sidon or even close to Beirut that can pound the north all the time. It's not an issue of distance. It's an issue of understanding. But the Israeli government isn't talking straight to the people in the north. If they talk straight, maybe there will be more understanding. Martin Hemmel, Guy Israel, thank you very much for that. Stay tuned. We'll be right back at the top of the hour with more updates on day 96 of war. Martin Luther King's famous 1968 mountaintop speech was based on his trip to the Promised Land. Well now, 55 years later, his prophetic words are coming true. Hundreds of African-American women took a journey of a lifetime to the Holy Land. We'll introduce you to the amazing female spiritual and religious leaders who are infusing new energy into the next generation of African-Americans. From Israel, with dozens of correspondence throughout the world, brings the truth from Israel to hundreds of millions of people in scores of countries. Bringing Israel's story to the world. I-24 News Channels. Now on Hot. Through this I-24 News Special Edition, I'm back to 11th all coming to you live from our Tel Aviv Studios. Thanks for joining me this hour. It is day 96 of war. Here are Wednesday's main headlines in Israel. In the south, fighting continues in the Gaza Strip. In the past 24 hours, the Israeli military struck over 150 terror targets. Thus, as the IDF has expanded its operations in the central and southern parts of the enclave. As the battle against the terror group rages on, sadly so too does the IDF death toll, with another soldier falling in battle bringing the number of troops killed now to 186. In the north, the Promenade Tres Bolafil commander was killed in overnight and early morning strikes in southern Lebanon. All this, as US Secretary of State Antti Blinken is still in the region for a week of shuttle diplomacy. Today being Wednesday, he was in Ramallah meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. However, he was met with fierce Palestinian protests among entering the city. All with me here in studio to discuss all this and more. It's political and international security analyst Martin Himmelmark. Good afternoon to you. Wasn't quite the welcome that the Americans were perhaps hoping for. The Palestinians don't seem very pleased to see him. Well, they're not going to be extremely pleased because after all, they're the number one supporter of Israel. And because of their support, Israel can continue its campaign in Gaza. And so therefore the Palestinians aren't exactly thrilled with that. I think it's a way of generating some pressure on Lincoln to try to say the Palestinians need to be recognized for what their role should be in all of this. I don't think it's going to have much of an impact the demonstration. Blinken told Abbas that the White House supports quote, tangible steps toward the creation of a Palestinian state. The big question is, do the Palestinians? Do they support tangible steps for a Palestinian state? I think they would welcome it very much. If they had a chance for it, the question is what kind of a Palestinian state would it be? How would it function? Is Israel going to be overlooking it? Not. I mean, there's many, many questions there. I think right now the focus is what kind of Palestinian, if any Palestinian administration will be in Gaza? That's the question right now. And, you know, Blinken came to the Israelis and said, look, the Arabs want to talk about this. They want to roll in it, but they're not going to go do it as long as it's done under full Israeli occupation. In other words, if Gaza is fully occupied by Israel and there's no tangible, credible Palestinian administration, the help is not going to come in, which really puts the ball into Netanyahu's court. Is he going to play ball with the Arab states or not? The truth is that Israel has said multiple times both through the military and political echelon that they have no intention of reoccupying the Gaza Strip, but they do want to have some sense of security oversight, obviously, in the enclave. Another question that's interesting is if the PA is tasked to take control over the Gaza Strip as well as the West Bank, probably even more areas in the West Bank, to sort of have some kind of Palestinian state order at least earmarked for the time being, what would then happen for the autruous pay-for-slay policy? That's something that Israel certainly cannot tolerate. If the whole idea is to obliterate terror from its borders, having it in its borders on top of that, that's not going to fly very well with the Israelis. That's one of the issues. I mean, it's not just a matter of that particular issue. I mean, a tangible part of the Israeli government on the far right doesn't want any Palestinian authority, doesn't want any Palestinian presence running the West Bank or Gaza. Netanyahu's hands are really tied here. He may, he seems to be having an axis of discussion through Ron Dermer and himself with the United States and the Arab states to try to reach some sort of Palestinian administration. But on the other side with Itamar Benghver and Bezalo Smoltric, two Israeli ministers who represent a sizable part of his coalition, they're dead set against any Palestinian administration. In fact, they want settlements in Gaza. So Netanyahu's political hands are tied, and that's putting Israel into a very difficult position. Martin, stay with me because it's not just the Americans that are amping up the pressure on Israel, but they are also facing intense international pressure to allow aid into Gaza to prevent a humanitarian crisis among the civilian population there. Israeli security forces on Tuesday blocked a convoy of hostages, relatives from reaching the Karam Shalom crossing with Gaza, where they intended to block this aid from entering the strip in an attempt to protest against the failure, they say, to secure the release of their loved ones and the lack of aid reaching them. Our correspondent Pierre Closhetla was on the ground there yesterday as well as today and filed the following report. This is the first time that Israel has agreed to invite the foreign media to the Karam Shalom crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip. That's where 182 humanitarian trucks yesterday were conveyed into the Gaza Strip carrying food, water, medical supplies and equipment for erecting shelter, tents, blankets, etc. Adam Schulman is going to show you these are some of the trucks that have been screened for safety by the IDF and now are ready to enter the Gaza side of the Karam Shalom crossing. It's only 300 meters away. When the trucks are going to reach the humanitarian organizations, including the UN organizations on the Gaza side of the crossing, they're going to be downloaded from these trucks and uploaded onto other trucks and then distributed to the humanitarian crossings if they're not looted or hijacked by Hamas terrorists, obviously. This truck, for instance, carries bags of flour. You can see there's plenty of flour to bake bread. A new bakery has been opened. Now, the US administration is pressuring the Israeli government to allow not 200 trucks a day on average, but at least 300 trucks a day. The officer in Liaison on behalf of the Israeli Ministry of Defense for the Palestinian territories, Colonel Moshe Tetro, said that Israel has the capacity to increase the amount of aid. Let's hear what he told us. Israel is more than willing and has the ability to facilitate the entrance of more humanitarian aid into Gaza. As I mentioned, we have increased our capacity and opened an additional crossing. The problem lies with the international organization processing and receiving the aid. There are several steps that the international organizations can take to increase the amount of aid reaching the people in Gaza. For example, at El Harish Port in Egypt, there is a need for additional UN manpower to receive and pack the aid. There is also a need for more trucks to transfer the aid to Israel for security checks. There is a need to extend the working hours, a traffic crossing, and off the UN staff receiving the aid there to avoid trucks waiting for hours and sometimes overnight to enter Gaza. So for Israel, the problem stems from the UN organizations and Israel is ready to increase the amount of trucks. In addition, water is being supplied by four pipelines, two that have been erected in the Sinai Peninsula by the United Arab Emirates and two pipelines that are coming from Israel and have been reopened during the war lately. This is Pierre Kloschendler at the Kerem Shalom crossing on the Israel-Gaza border. Still with me here in studios, political and international security analyst Martin Himmel and joining us as well is I-24 News senior editor Guy Azrael. Martin, international aid isn't fair to be sending this in when zero aid is being given to the hostages still currently being held by Hamas. Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other groups, even civilians in the Gaza Strip, the world keeps preaching proportionality. It's not very fair, especially if you're looking at it from Israel's side. It's not fair at all because their hostages need medicine terribly. Israel's hostages need other forms of medical care. They have to know that their relatives are alive, basic recognition that they're alive. All this is quite important, but life isn't so fair as a good example because if Israel wants to keep its offensive alive, if it wants to keep its goal of trying to dismantle Hamas, the price for that is to let in a lot of aid. Some of the aid will actually go to Hamas. It will help them feed them, help with their petrol needs, etc. But that's the price and that's the choice. Exactly on that point, Guy. What is being done with Hamas hijacking or stealing the aid on the convoys? There's literally video proof of this. In that case, does it really matter whether there's 50 trucks, 200 trucks going into the Gaza Strip, when it's not even reaching the humanitarian crisis or the people that need it the most? Excellent point and this goes to the debate yesterday between Secretary Blinken and the Israelis. I will just remind our viewers what Blinken said today in his speech. He said, as I underscored in our meetings today, more food, more water, more medicine and other essential goods need to get into Gaza and Israel needs to do everything it can to remove any obstacles from crossing to other parts of Gaza. Really blaming Israel for the fact that some of this aid does not get to the people it needs to get to. Well, yesterday the IDF spokesman, Daniel Hagari, addressed exactly that point. Let's take a listen. This might not fit the narrative told on TV or TikTok, but our actions are proof that we care more about the people of Gaza than Hamas, who sees the suffering of their own people as a strategy. We are ready and willing to facilitate as much humanitarian aid as the world will give, especially essential aid like food, medicine and shelter. We recognize that aid distribution in a war zone is challenging. Also for us, which is why we coordinate routes for aid trucks. We coordinate daily humanitarian corridors and implement specific tactical poses in our operations to support the aid distribution efforts. Yes, so this is no surprise for anyone who is following the news and watching those images of what goes to that, what happens to that aid once it reaches Gaza, obviously Hamas has the full control over those areas where the IDF is not stationed. So perhaps Secretary Blinken would like to watch those videos. And as we speak about that, news just in that Israel is going to increase the amount of trucks entering Gaza daily to 400 trucks. Remember, we started this war with zero aid to Gaza as a measure to apply pressure on Hamas. And now Israel is fighting this impossible war of trying to get the heads of Hamas out of their tunnels to return the hostages while at the same time supplying them with plenty of food, water and medicine, making that task virtually impossible. And when we speak about timing, this is exactly what perhaps the Americans also need to understand, that this aid is only prolonging the war even further because if pressure was applied as it was back in November when Hamas agreed to the first hostage-release deal, we would not be in this situation right now. And Martin, this is going to be a very sore point for a lot of the hostages' families or relatives that still have their loved ones being held captive in the Gaza Strip, knowing that they are not getting any care, that the Red Cross has been practically non-existent in terms of seeing to them their well-being, giving off medicine, food, making sure we've seen the reports of a lot of these Israeli hostages that were really saying that there was no water, that they were given a bagel, a piece of bread to survive off of for days, not knowing when their next meal would be. This must be very daunting to watch humanitarian aid going into the Strip, knowing that their families aren't getting anything. If it was me, I'd be pulling my hair out, that's for sure. It's extremely frustrating, it's agonizing. We see it all the time with the hostages communicating that all the time. There are many impediments that the hostages complain about and they worry about their loved ones every day. So, yes, that's a huge problem. But there's a ticket, there's a price. That's what I'm really trying to say. Let's say Israel says no, no aid, not until the hostages get. So, where is that going to leave the United States with mounting rural pressure to feed the people in Gaza? Eventually, they'll buckle to some degree or they'll say, look, we'll wash our hands out of that. Is that going to put Israel into a better position? Will it be able to continue its campaign as freely as it is continuing right now? No, it won't. So, it's a tough choice and a very bitter choice. And Guy, with the US Secretary of State Antoni Blinken being in the region now, specifically Israel for the sixth time, one of the big narratives that appears to be coming out from across the spectrum in Israel is while we thank the Americans dearly for their support and their backing, they don't understand what they are doing in terms of putting pressure on the Israeli government and on the military to bring this war to a lower intensity in the sense that Israel has a goal to eradicate Hamas to make sure the threat doesn't maintain itself on Israel's borders to protect its civilians. The Americans didn't have lower intensity in terms of eradicating ISIS. So, there's a sense of almost understanding and being grateful for the assistance given but also that they perhaps don't fully understand or comprehend the situation to its maximum capacity. Perhaps understand, but don't care enough about that. Look, it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible for the Israeli government to sell this sort of arrangement to the Israeli public after the events of October 7th. If Israel doesn't go ahead with accomplishing the goals of this war, eliminating Hamas's military capabilities completely in Gaza and returning the hostages, if the government doesn't do that, I don't see what sort of support is it going to get from the Israeli people? How is Netanyahu going to sell this to the people? We're already, when we move to this so-called third stage of the war, we are hearing how Israelis are discontent by this. The Americans, I believe, know that very well and nonetheless the policy that they're leading is not to the interest of the Israeli public. I don't see how, well, maybe Secretary Blinken wants to meet the communities on the Gaza border and explain to them why they should return to their homes at the moment the way things are looking. They do not wish to go back until they are satisfied with the security settings there with a new security reality that is far from happening. If Israel does allow the residents of northern Gaza to return to their homes, that is a huge accomplishment for Hamas and that is drifting the goals of this war further away with that sort of victory for Hamas. I don't see how will it release the Israeli hostages or will Israel be able to apply even more pressure on Hamas? That is something that the Israeli public will not be able to accept and perhaps that is something that the Americans take into consideration already seeing the low popularity of this government and of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. If they put him in this hard place, well, his situation and the situation of Israel as a whole unfortunately with it becomes much worse. As you mentioned, both for the Israelis and the Americans it would be something hard to sell to their respective public. The thinking or at least the hope would be that Israelis will do what's in the best interest for Israelis and the Americans will do what's in the best interest for Americans which Martin brings me to the point is the reason America is telling Israel is going full and well what it means to go to lower intensity because they do. Let's not beat around the bush here. America has brilliant intelligence. They are very close to Israel. They've been sitting in as guys mentioned a few times on high level security cabinet meetings, war cabinet meetings, discussing with their American and Israeli counterparts together on how they should move forward with the war. Is this not then tied into the US elections that are upcoming? Well, it's not as you mentioned, it's not a matter of the United States not understanding what's going on. It understands completely what's going on. But there's something called American interests and that's what America first of all is catering to, its own interests. Let's not forget America is a superpower. Israel is a regional power. Israel depends very heavily on American supplies and America has got to take its interests for itself at this particular stage. And when President Biden goes to a famous church where a massacre occurred and is catering to the black vote and Palestinian demonstrators get up there and talk about ceasefire now, ceasefire now. It puts him into a very serious position. It's hampering his campaign. He's fighting Donald Trump right now for the presidency and he doesn't need that. So it's not a matter of understanding. It's a matter of his political considerations. That's number one. And number two is, you know, the United States is an avid proponent of the two state solution. It wants to see a greater Palestinian role here. And Netanyahu is basically saying, no, we're not in for a two state solution. And that's a direct contradiction in conflict with American policy. So it's not a matter of understanding. It's a matter of Israeli-American interests. And just to that point, a survey published just this morning shows that the amount of Israelis that agree to have the Palestinian Authority control the Gaza Strip is 5%. This is the solution that the Americans are offering and this is the support that it has within the Israeli public after what we've seen on October 7th. Another hard sell, so it would seem. Gentlemen, stay with me because I do want to change the angle. A little bit here. Israel is predominantly focused, of course, on targeting Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But that doesn't mean that the North or at least the very southern tip have been protected or at least not in the focal point. The UN Security Council is set to vote a resolution today being Wednesday that would condemn and demand an immediate halt to attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea. Now, this comes after British and American naval forces have repelled the largest attack by the Iranian back Houthis in the area to date. More in this next report by I-24 News, Middle East correspondent Arielle Osirin. It's the largest Houthi attack to date in the Red Sea. The Iranian-backed militia in Yemen launched on Tuesday night a complex attack of 18 suicide drones and three anti-ship cruise and ballistic missiles towards international shipping lanes. All were intercepted by American and British naval forces. The naval forces, the missile force, and the unmanned air force of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a joint military operation with a large number of ballistic and naval missiles and drones, targeting an American ship that was providing support to the Zionist entity. The operation came as a preliminary response to the treacherous attack our naval forces were subjected to by the American enemy forces last Sunday. The U.S. Central Command said there were no injuries or damage reported in the 26th Houthi attack on a strategic commercial waterway since November 19th. The Red Sea is extremely crucial for shipping because it connects the Far East with North Europe and also with the east coast of the United States, also with the east Mediterranean. CENTCOM reiterated a warning issued just last week by 14 countries, including the United States, that the Houthis will bear responsibility for the consequences of their continued attacks, indicating that patience is running out. I think the Houthi intrusions will make a complex situation in Yemen. First of all, we must know that the Houthis are a religious group, not a party or a political force, and that's why they are not deterred by international moves nor resolutions or statements of the Security Council. Speaking to I-24 News from the city of Aden in the area of South Yemen, not under Houthi control, journalist Marwan Nabil warns that the alternative of further militarization in the Red Sea won't necessarily be more effective. Any military intervention in Yemen will be costly and militarily and strategically because Yemeni terrain can only be dealt with by people of its country. This latest Houthi attack comes just hours ahead of a planned UN Security Council vote to potentially condemn and demand an immediate halt to the attacks. But Nabil says there is no condemnation that can affect the Houthis. I believe that there are no solutions for no third to end this crisis. Either Israel should stop its war against Gaza Strip at all costs or international coalition should support legitimate government in its war against Houthis group. Meanwhile, India has increased the number of its warships in the Arabian Sea five-fold since December amid a rise in attacks, an indication that a direct confrontation is nearing. Well, still continuing the conversation here in Studio Martin based on the proxy angle at least of this war. We're seeing a shift from the defensive to the offensive at the moment in the battle with Hezbollah. Now, does that mean that diplomatic solutions are completely off the table? And even with regards to Yemen, America turns around and says we don't negotiate with terrorists. It's hard to imagine sitting and trying to have a diplomatic solution with a terror group like Hezbollah with a rebel group like the Houthis. I'm sure there's a lot of discussion going on with Hezbollah and the Houthis and indirectly or directly with Iran, because after all Iran is where a lot of these decisions are being made. Both the Hezbollah and the Houthis are surrogates or proxies of Iran. I don't think the diplomatic solution to the north is ended. I think that it's not really begun. I think whatever solution, both sides don't want a major war, that's clear. They don't want a full-scale war. That's already a good starting point. I think that more solutions will start coming whenever Israel decides to wind down its Gaza operation to some level where Hezbollah can say, we are pressure as forced Israel to wind down its campaign. Once they can say something like that, I think then the diplomatic route might become much more important because both sides don't want to see a massive war. Guy, there is talk that potentially at least by September, which is almost a year after the October 7 massacre, that some of the residents that were evacuated from the south would be able to return home. Would that be the same for the north, given that Hamas' big bad brother Hezbollah is not being dealt a major blow in the way that Hamas has? Yes, the talk about the south is, in some places, February, when it comes to the education system, and the residents say, we're having none of that. That is completely not the situation in the north. There is no deadline to the return of dozens of thousands of Israelis who live in Kirachmuna and nearby cities. All of that stretch of communities along the border. The situation there is going to have to change dramatically, and we see the threat there every day, not just with the rockets, but also with those anti-tank missiles hitting homes right on the border. And we know some of the communities, like Metula, can see the Hezbollah terrorists just in front of their eyes from the windows of their kitchen. So that threat is imminent. They will not return home until Hezbollah is pushed back away from the border, according to Resolution 1701, that is still a very long way ahead, be it by diplomatic or military means. In the last 20 seconds. Well, there's also an optical illusion there, too. So let's say Israel pushes back Hezbollah, five, six, seven kilometers. They can't fire the anti-tank weapons. There'll be lots of missiles from Sidon or even close to Beirut that can pound the north all the time. It's not an issue of distance. It's an issue of understanding, but the Israeli government isn't talking straight to the people on north. If they talk straight, maybe there'll be more understanding. Martin Hemmel, Guy Israel. Thank you very much for that. Stay tuned. We'll be right back at the top of the hour with more updates on day 96 of war. In a state of war, families completely done down in their beds. We have no idea where she is. Our soldiers are fighting on the front lines, but the general perception is something that certainly needs to be fought as well. For a new special edition, I'm back to 11th all coming July from our Tel Aviv Studios. Thanks for joining me at this hour. It is day 96 of war. Here are Wednesday's main headlines in Israel. In the south, fighting continues in the Gaza Strip. In the past 24 hours, the Israeli military has struck over 150 terror targets. Thus, as the IDF has expanded its operations in the central and southern parts of the enclave. As the battle against the terror group rages on, sadly, so too does the IDF death toll. Another soldier falling in battle, bringing the number of troops killed now to 186. In the north, a prominent Tres Bolafil commander was killed in overnight and early morning strikes in southern Lebanon. All this as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is still in the region for a week of shuttle diplomacy. Today, in Ramallah, meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, however, he was met with fierce Palestinian protests among entering the city. Well, first and foremost, let's go now live to the north where Zach Anders joins us for an update. Zach, tensions have been simmering non-stop over the last couple of weeks, but have they reached boiling point? This seems like it has been going that direction, but at least in the last 20 hours, it's as if the heat has been turned off. There have been no attacks, and at this point yesterday, Hezbollah had claimed responsibility for eight attacks. So, so far, it has been quiet. No red alerts in the last 20 hours here. That's a long time to have gone without any red alerts, considering just how frequent they were at the beginning of this week, Zach. What is the situation on the ground, however, with UNIFIL? The UNIFIL is supposed to be the presence on the ground, sort of keeping the peace between Hezbollah in the southern part of Lebanon and the IDF, or at least the northern part of Israel. Have you seen them on the way up there? Is their presence still in the area? From what I've been told by United Nations spokesperson, there are some 10,000 UNIFIL members still inside the country. They would not designate whether they were still in southern Lebanon, although they have a presence on bases and in facilities in this area underneath the Lattani River, considered this buffer zone that's supposed to exist, but of course, in reality, does not. So it does appear that there is some unease within the United Nations, the UNIFIL forces, understanding that they're in the middle of two massive ground armies and that they don't have a mandate unless they're fired upon to return fire or to defend themselves. And in some instances, we've seen fire coming at these locations where UNIFIL is reportedly stationed, coming very close to where they are. And that's because the IDF says Hezbollah has been using them somewhat as a fodder, as attempting to launch or get close to these UNIFIL sites and use them as launch points for some of the early rocket fire. And that has not necessarily been something that's widely reported because Hezbollah, of course, is not claiming responsibility or stating where their launch sites, where they've been launching from, rather just where they've been attacking. And the IDF hasn't clarified either exactly where these launch sites are. So it is tense here. One of the main things that does stand out about the last few days, however, in particular with this Blinken trip is noticing that he's visited Greece, Turkey, the UAE, Qatar, not Lebanon. He has not made a... There is not a plan stop for Lebanon, despite the incredible tension here with Hezbollah. He does not plan to make a stop in Beirut. Of course, that could change on a short notice. But the official word from the State Department is that there is no planned trip there. All right, Isaac, and as our correspondent, they're giving us an update from the north of the country. Thank you very much for that. Bringing the conversation right here in studio, joining me is retired colonel Dr. Jacques Neria, former deputy head of assessment for Israeli military intelligence and a former foreign policy advisor to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. And, of course, on I-24 News senior editor, Guy Azrael. A very interesting point being made, Blinken is on a blitz diplomatic visit, but Lebanon, not part of that. There's another envoy. The auction is there. So what do we need to have, too? I think that auction is enough. If it's proving fruitful. Well, right now, there is just exchanging views. I don't think that there's a ground for any real negotiations, and there's no ground for an agreement between us and Lebanon. The Lebanese Prime Minister, interim Prime Minister, has declared that Israel has to withdraw to 1967 line. Islam says we have to withdraw to the 1923 lines, the international boundary. So, I mean, and repeatedly they say there will be no agreement with Israel unless there's a total ceasefire and there's no ceasefire. So there will not begin any negotiations. Anyway, they are not to negotiate. We have to negotiate with the government, with the Lebanese government, the representative. Who is this government? The government is an interim government. There's now the legal government. And the only government that can sign anything is, in fact, the president who's vacant since October 22. So I think we are playing with ourselves here in Lebanon dreaming that we might reach an agreement. Unfortunately, I don't think that this is possible in the coming days, even months. Guy, a lot of people have been displaced as well from the north, not just the south. It's unlikely that many of them are going to return without the hardcore promise of some sense of security if Hezbollah is not dealt with in the sense of either being dealt with from a diplomatic angle, from a decisive blow militarily. People are not going to feel secure going back to their homes. Completely different from the residents of the south that at least have some sort of prospect towards their return home as the IDF continues its war against Hamas in Gaza to create a new security reality in the south. There is no new security reality in the north, nothing close to that. Yes, the IDF is engaged in those mini battles with Hezbollah. And in recent days, we must say that it's definitely striking with more force and more high-level targets, including some senior Hezbollah officials. That is not enough to create any new reality on the ground for the residents on the north who, of course, some of them are... You can see the Hezbollah terrorists from their very homes. That reality cannot continue. Israel has to change that reality at the start of the war, the very first week of this war. Netanyahu said, we are going to change the Middle East. He was referring to a new sort of reality in the north. How will Israel accomplish this task? It's a big task on Israel's hands, on the IDF's hands. Obviously, both Israel and the Americans would like to choose the diplomatic path. The chances of this? Very slim, as we see. Hezbollah is not deterred militarily and certainly he doesn't care much about the well-being of the people of Lebanon. We saw what sort of destruction has this war brought on the people of Gaza initiated by Hamas knowing what would be the consequences. Hezbollah knows very well what would be the deadly consequences, both for Israel, of course, but also for Lebanon, which will be left in ruins. Should we go into a full-scale war? Nonetheless, we don't see any movement of Hezbollah towards solving this. Hezbollah has presented a list of demands. Many of them Israel will never be able to agree to. They have all sorts of territorial claims over areas in the border. Israel, we know, has perhaps suggested some sort of a solution. Nonetheless, we are still very far from reaching a point in which both Israel and Hezbollah will agree to any sort of agreement. And even if we do reach such an agreement, agreements in the Middle East are not respected. We saw the maritime border agreement with the previous government, then Prime Minister Yarela Pizza, this agreement pushes Hezbollah away from the possibility of a conflict. We'll see what the reality on the ground really is. And Dr, the question to that, rolling off of what Gaia just said, was, are Hezbollah actually acutely aware of what they would be getting themselves into? Should they move forward with a full-fledged war with Israel? And the reason that I ask that question is because just yesterday, being Tuesday, articles came to the fore saying that Hamas didn't fully understand or didn't take seriously the retaliation that would occur after October 7th. Well, Hezbollah, unlike Hamas, has a precedent. The 2006 war has left more than 100,000 apartments and houses in Lebanon destroyed. And Hassan al-Assad said, we built it again. So I mean, this is not the thing that will deter Hezbollah. Hezbollah is not deterred by Israel neither by the United States. And he's pushed by Iran. He's pushed by his ideology. He's pushed, I mean, and his tactic, his strategy was very clear from the beginning of the war till now, until a week ago, he was conducting a war of attrition against Israel, no more nor less. A war of attrition that forced Israel to deploy 120,000 soldiers, as he said, on the border with Lebanon, has forced the evacuation of almost 60,000 inhabitants the first time since 1948. This is, I mean, these were his accomplishments and he was very proud of it. And now at the paroxysm of this happened the assassination of Salah al-Aghouri, which in the sanctuary of Hezbollah, in the Dakhia, an element that forced him to react and his reaction was very, was signaling to Israel that he can hit sensitive targets. He hit the first time the air base on Mount Meron, and then he hit the command post of the Northern Command. So showing to Israel that he has the capability of doing so, and what is worrying today is that after the elimination of another high responsible of Hezbollah he has been quiet the whole day now. And this is very dramatic. I mean, he is signaling, in my view, that he is preparing something dramatic. And we should be aware of this possibility in the next few hours. I mean, this will not, certainly he will not accept the fact that we will impose on him elimination day after day without reaction from his part. Absolutely. It's definitely something that we are keeping a very watchful eye on as I would imagine so are Israeli politicians and the military. Gentlemen, stay with me because I do want to move from updates in the north to updates in the south. And I want to go to our correspondent Robert Swift who is standing by for us in the south of the country. Rob, we did hear earlier that there was a 20-hour lull in the north. Is the same situation there in the south? What's the latest on the ground? So with regards to upcoming attacks from Gaza Strip, such as rockets, yes, it has been relatively quiet. The last launch was about six o'clock yesterday evening. It's almost 24 hours ago. And so that is, yeah, a form of quiet but bear in mind that inside the Gaza Strip itself the combat still continues particularly in Canunas in the more southern neighbourhoods of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military has said that in the last 24 hours 11 of their soldiers have been wounded in fighting inside the Gaza Strip and one individual a combat medic was killed in the fighting there. And Robert, in terms of the humanitarian aid, there are reports that many more trucks are going to be entering through the Karim Shalom crossing in Israel. Obviously, that places it at odds with many of the relatives or families of some of the hostages still kept in the Strip that claim that with every aid truck that goes in, there's a stronger possibility of them receiving their loved ones back in a body bag. So it's possibly not a coincidence that the talks about the number of trucks increases as Anthony Blinken from the United States is in country and has been here pushing for Israel to take this approach to enable greater humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip. As you say, some of the relatives, the families of the hostages have been opposed to this in the last couple of days there has been protests outside the Karim Shalom crossing with some of these family members saying that they didn't want to see humanitarian goods going into the Strip without their family members being returned but this in itself is something that essentially it enables Israel to show the United States that it is coming their way that while Israel may be continuing combat operations inside Gaza, they are conscious that Jerusalem is conscious of the humanitarian situation there and is essentially making the optics better for the United States. Correspondent Robert Swift giving us an update from the south of the country, thank you very much for that. Still with me in studio retired colonel Dr. Jacques Naria and Guy Azrael Jacques it's a question that needs to be asked because the US administration as Rob pointed out has been sending Anthony Blinken to the region this is now his sixth visit and each time he comes there seems to be a push for more diplomacy in the region this time around him saying that there are more countries that are open and willing to normalize with Israel but it comes at the expense of a Palestinian state It comes at the expense of Israel At the expense of Israel, my point is if the Palestinian Authority that is set to be in control of now the Gaza Strip as well as areas in the West Bank that would set the stage for what could be a viable Palestinian state how is it that the United States is pushing this knowing that the Palestinian Authority also openly calls for the destruction of Israel? Well not only that I mean the American administration is asking Mahmoud Abbas to commit suicide you have to change all your government we want this and that and this government is corrupt plainly they say this government is corrupt and cannot be which is and it cannot be responsible of what's going on in Gaza you have to change you have to reform and this is something that is unacceptable to the Palestinian Authority so they say very bluntly instead of we changing ourselves and doing reforms America should reform your policy concerning Israel concerning the fact that you should impose on Israel the solution of two states this is what the Palestinian Authority is saying Blinken is hearing no and no on every front and now the bait is towards Israel I've been hearing sounds that Saudi Arabia and other Arab states are ready to normalize situation with Israel if if of course real peace is is attained in the in the region if you stop the right now you stop a ceasefire and you begin discussing the day after according to what we Americans believe we don't want you to occupy the Gaza Strip we want you to withdraw and this is what's happening in fact today we have most of the brigades that were engaged in the Gaza Strip have been withdrawn from Gaza Strip only the area of Nusrah and Khan Yun is still very much busy with troops and these are also going to be withdrawn in the in the days in the day after and Guy does appear that the Benny guns the current cabinet minister and head of the National Unity party is giving a press conference would you please translate people of Israel I wish to update you today where we stand in the war in all the arenas the achievements of the IDF continue to accumulate shaft after shaft headquarters and after headquarters in large of the Gaza Strip there is no effective Hamas control doesn't supply education or medicine other than through international organizations the people of Gaza have no Hamas ruling many of the battalions of Hamas have been dismantled many of their ability to launch rockets have been hurt it's effective control over Gaza does not exist we need to continue and stopping now Hamas will regain control we stick to our long term goals that we've presented to return the hostages alive and to remove the threat of Hamas this the achievements allow us to adjust our methods of action in every place and everywhere we have completed in most of the areas the taking over of the areas dismantling the terror structure we operate now while both in defense in offense and dismantling infrastructures each with its challenges each action weakens Hamas more and more together with these if we also operate diplomatically in the right way we will achieve our goal I said a few weeks ago something that Polly Modekha has told me a few weeks ago we have determination and patience our enemies need to know that our determination is endless the people of Israel understand that the activity in Gaza will continue for a long time in various methods in our security will remain in our hands the most important thing is the return of the hostages this comes before any action in the war if any of the hostages watched us now it is important that you will know we do everything so that you will return to your loved ones that continue to fight for you there is no route we don't walk through so that you will come back very strong on the northern front there is fighting that changes the reality we create destruction area in south Lebanon this method will continue in years to come the Lebanese government needs to understand to decide whether they are the defenders the defenders of south Lebanon we would act in south Lebanon as we operate in Gaza this is not a threat on Lebanon this is a promise to the residents of the south as for the state budget we learn this we will try to influence and then we will decide how to vote the war will require difficult measures the government must significantly reduce the coalition budgets to suspend the Norwegian law this will not solve all the economy issues but this is important for us to show to the people if those who come for God of October 7 people need to remember what our enemies are doing when we are divided the responsibility of the leadership is to allow the partnership and focus on responsible action for the people and not in politics this is how we would maintain unity and allow Israel and the IDF to win in light of what's happening in the north did you oppose opening a front with Hezbollah is there a new proposal on the table with regards to the hostages we chose at the start of this war to put the strategic effort the main effort in the south in order to change the reality at the same time defend in the north and make an impact on what's happening there I think we've decided right it's good that we did so and as we continue to fight in the south we operate successfully in the north as well if we need to expand that we will but there's no doubt that we did right that we try to change the reality in Gaza for many years to come as for the hostages we are in touch I've heard all sorts of rumors about new offers but there's a lot of whispers when there is something concrete we will tell the public thank you very much our guy Israel for giving that translation and it's very interesting that Benny Gantz is the one giving a press conference what was a general update there was nothing new really brought out from this but definitely interesting from the political standpoint given the fact that usually these are given by the IDF spokesperson or at times by the Israeli premier would it appear that Benny Gantz is trying to maybe appeal to a large part of the public that has lost its trust in the current government you're asking a very tough question to explain this sort of government I mean one day you see the prime minister standing alone another day he needs to Gantz on both sides Gantz and Gantz and another day Gantz is on his own and then Gantz is on his own I would not comment on that because I think that this is not really important what is important is the message that we hear from Gantz is that we will continue in the north in order to create a buffer zone in the north meaning that we are not going to stand still facing the provocations of Hezbollah this is one thing that it means that we are prepared to wage war with Hezbollah this is one thing that is very important on the southern front there was a sentence very interesting sentence when he said there might be there might be a political move diplomatic moves this is very interesting to hear meaning that we might the solution of asking the Sinwar and company to go in another country this is where we will have he and the government will have a lot of explaining to do to the public if the war does not end with a decisive victory over Hamas but rather a political solution of some sort that the Americans may be putting on the table well that's what I wanted to ask you guys just in the last minute of the broadcast something that at least called my air possibly a message from against the American administration that we will continue because if we don't Hamas is going to rebuild it really depends where you're asking I think his message was very clear to the Israeli public it is not for nothing that he made this pressure in Hebrew to the people of Israel we saw what sort of backlash came when the IDF and minister Gallant and other people have just mentioned these first phase of this war meaning that the IDF is no longer operating in full force against Hamas all over the Gaza Strip and when he speaks about some sort of political moves that would help Israel to fulfill its long-term goals he is trying to persuade the Israeli public of perhaps something that was put on the table by the Americans and I don't think that that is something that the Israelis would like to see. Thank you very much for being with me here this afternoon that does bring us to the end of this special edition but don't stress because you can tune in again at the top of the hour for more updates on day 96 of the war updates not just on the situation in the south with Gaza but also on the north the east and the very southern tip of the country stay tuned we'll be right back. Did you know that Martin Luther King's famous 1968 mountaintop speech was based on his trip to the promised land? Well now, 55 years later his prophetic words are coming true hundreds of African American women took a journey of a lifetime to the holy land. We'll introduce you to the amazing female spiritual and religious leaders who are infusing new energy into the next generation of African Americans.μέCoom m m m m m m m m m m m m m In the south, fighting continues in the Gaza Strip. In the past 24 hours, the Israeli military has struck over 150 terror targets. Thus, as the IDF has expanded its operations in the central and southern parts of the enclave. As the battle against the terror group rages on, sadly so too does the IDF death toll. Another soldier falling in battle, bringing the number of troops killed now to 186. In the north, a prominent Tres Bolafil commander was killed in overnight and early morning strikes in southern Lebanon. All this as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is still in the region for a week of shuttle diplomacy. Today, in Ramallah meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, however he was met with fierce Palestinian protests among entering the city. Well, first and foremost, let's go now live to the north, where Zach Anders joins us for an update. Zach, tensions have been simmering non-stop over the last couple of weeks, but have they reached boiling point? It does seem like it has been going that direction, but at least in the last 20 hours, it's as if the heat has been turned off. There have been no attacks, and at this point yesterday, Hezbollah had claimed responsibility for eight attacks. So so far, it has been quiet, no red alerts in the last 20 hours here. That's a long time to have gone without any red alerts, considering just how frequent they were at the beginning of this week, Zach. What is the situation on the ground, however, with UNIFIL? UNIFIL is supposed to be the presence on the ground, sort of keeping the peace between Hezbollah in the southern part of Lebanon and the IDF, or at least the northern part of Israel. Have you seen them on the way up there? Is their presence still in the area? From what I've been told by United Nations spokesperson, there are some 10,000 UNIFIL members still inside the country. They would not designate whether they were still in southern Lebanon, although they have a presence on bases and in facilities in this area underneath the Latani River. Considered this buffer zone that's supposed to exist, but of course in reality does not. So it does appear that there is some unease within the United Nations, the UNIFIL forces, understanding that they're in the middle of two massive ground armies, and that they don't have a mandate unless they're fired upon to return fire or to defend themselves. And in some instances, we've seen fire coming at these locations where UNIFIL is reportedly stationed, coming very close to where they are. And that's because the IDF says Hezbollah has been using them somewhat as fodder, attempting to launch or get close to these UNIFIL sites and use them as launch points for some of the early rocket fire. And that has not necessarily been something that's widely reported because Hezbollah, of course, is not claiming responsibility or stating where they're launch sites, where they've been launching from, rather just where they've been attacking. And the IDF hasn't clarified either exactly where these launch sites are. So it is tense here. One of the main things that does stand out about the last few days, however, in particular with this Blinken trip, is noticing that he's visited Greece, Turkey, the UAE, Qatar, not Lebanon. There is not a planned stop for Lebanon, despite the incredible tension here with Hezbollah. He does not plan to make a stop in Beirut. Of course, that could change on short notice. But the official word from the State Department is that there is no planned trip there. All right, Al-Zaq and as our correspondent, they're giving us an update from the north of the country. Thank you very much for that. Bringing the conversation right here in studio. Joining me is retired Colonel Dr. Jacques Neria, former deputy head of assessment for Israeli military intelligence and a former foreign policy advisor to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. And of course, on I-24 News, senior editor Guy Azrael. A very interesting point being made, Blinken, is on a blitz diplomatic visit, but Lebanon not part of that. Well, there's another envoy. The auction is there. So what do we need to have, too? I think that auction is enough. If it's proving fruitful? Well, right now, there is just exchanging views. I don't think that there's a ground for any real negotiation, and there's no ground for an agreement between us and Lebanon. The Lebanese Prime Minister, interim Prime Minister, has declared that Israel has to withdraw to the 1967 line. Hizbana says we have to withdraw to the 1923 lines, the international boundary. So, I mean, and repeatedly they say there will be no agreement with Israel unless there's a total ceasefire and there's no ceasefire. So they will not begin any negotiations. Anyway, they are not to negotiate. We have to negotiate with the government, with the Lebanese government representative. Who is this government? The government is an interim government. There is now the legal government and the only government that can sign anything is, in fact, the president who's vacant since October 22. So I think we are playing with ourselves here in Lebanon and dreaming that we might reach an agreement. Unfortunately, I don't think that this is possible in the coming days, even months. Guy, a lot of people have been displaced as well from the north, not just the south. It's unlikely that many of them are going to return without the hardcore promise of some sense of security if Hezbollah is not dealt with in the sense of either being dealt with from a diplomatic angle, from a decisive blow militarily. People are not going to feel secure going back to their homes. Yeah, completely different from the residents of the south that at least have some sort of prospect towards their return home. The IDF continues its war against Hamas in Gaza to create a new security reality in the south. There is no new security reality in the north, nothing close to that. Yes, the IDF is engaged in those mini battles with Hezbollah. And in recent days, we must say that he's definitely striking with more force and more high-level targets, including some senior Hezbollah officials. That is not enough to create any new reality on the ground for the residents on the north, who, of course, some of them can see the Hezbollah terrorists from their very homes. That reality cannot continue. Israel has to change that reality. At the start of the war, the very first week of this war, Netanyahu said, we are going to change the Middle East. He was referring to a new sort of reality in the north. How will Israel accomplish this task? It's a big task on an Israel's hands, on the IDF's hands. Obviously, both Israel and the Americans would like to choose the diplomatic path. The chances of this very slim, as we see, Hezbollah is not deterred militarily and certainly doesn't care much about the well-being of the people of Lebanon. We saw what sort of destruction has this war brought on the people of Gaza initiated by Hamas, knowing what would be the consequences. Hezbollah knows very well what would be the deadly consequences, both for Israel, of course, but also for Lebanon, which will be left in ruins. Should we go into a full-scale war? Nonetheless, we don't see any movement of Hezbollah towards solving this. Hezbollah has presented a list of demands. Many of them Israel will never be able to agree to. They have all sorts of territorial claims over areas in the border. Israel, we know, has perhaps suggested some sort of a solution. Nonetheless, we are still very far from reaching a point in which both Israel and Hezbollah will agree to any sort of agreement. And even if we do reach such an agreement, agreements in the Middle East are not respected. We saw the maritime border agreement with the previous government. Then Prime Minister Yarela Pete said this agreement pushes Hezbollah away from the possibility of a conflict. We'll see what the reality on the ground really is. And Dr, the question to that, rolling off of what Gaia just said, was, are Hezbollah actually acutely aware of what they would be getting themselves into? Should they move forward with a full-fledged war with Israel? And the reason that I asked that question is because just yesterday, being Tuesday, articles came to the fore saying that Hamas didn't fully understand or didn't take seriously the retaliation that would occur after October 7th. Well, Hezbollah, unlike Hamas, has a precedent. You know, the 2006 war has left more than 100,000 apartments and houses in Lebanon destroyed. And Hassan al-Assad said, we built it again. So, I mean, this is not the thing that will deter Hezbollah. Hezbollah is not deterred by Israel, neither by the United States. And he's pushed by Iran. He's pushed by his ideology. He's pushed, I mean, and his tactic strategy was very clear from the beginning of the war till now, until a week ago. He was conducting a war of attrition against Israel, no more, no less. A war of attrition that forced Israel to deploy 120,000 soldiers, as he said, on the border with Lebanon has forced the evacuation of almost 60,000 inhabitants the first time since 1948. And this is, I mean, these were his accomplishments. And he was very proud of it. And now at the paroxysm of this happened the assassination of Salah al-Hurri, which in the sanctuary of Hezbollah, in the Dakhia, an element that forced him to react. And his reaction was signaling to Israel that he can hit sensitive targets. He hit the first time the air base on Mount Meron. And then he hit the command post of the Northern Command. So showing to Israel that he has the capability of doing so. And what is worrying today is that after the elimination of another high responsible of Hezbollah, he has been quiet the whole day now. And this is very dramatic. I mean, he is signaling, in my view, that he is preparing something dramatic. And we should be aware of this possibility in the next few hours. I mean, this will not, certainly he will not accept the fact that we will impose on him elimination day after day without reaction from his part. Absolutely. It's definitely something that we are keeping a very watchful eye on as I would imagine so are Israeli politicians and the military. Gentlemen, stay with me because I do want to move from updates in the north to updates in the south. And I want to go to our correspondent, Robert Swift, who is standing by for us in the south of the country. Rob, we did hear earlier that there was a 20-hour lull in the north. Is the same situation there in the south? What's the latest on the ground? So with regards to upcoming attacks from Gaza Strip, such as rockets, yes, it has been relatively quiet. The last launch was about six o'clock yesterday evening. It was almost 24 hours ago. And so that is, yeah, a form of quiet. But bear in mind that inside the Gaza Strip itself, the combat still continues, particularly in Canunas, in the more southern neighbourhoods of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military has said that in the last 24 hours, 11 of their soldiers have been wounded in fighting inside the Gaza Strip and one individual, a combat medic, was killed in the fighting there. And Robert, in terms of the humanitarian aid, there are reports that many more trucks are going to be entering through the Kerem Shalom crossing in Israel. Obviously, that places it at odds with many of the relatives or families of some of the hostages still kept in the Strip that claim that with every aid truck that goes in, there's a stronger possibility of them receiving their loved ones back in a body bag. So it's possibly not a coincidence that the talks about the number of trucks increases as Anthony Blinken from the United States is in country and has been here pushing for Israel to take this approach to enable greater humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip. As you say, some of the relatives and the families of the hostages have been opposed to this. In the last couple of days, there has been protests outside the Kerem Shalom crossing with some of these family members, saying that they didn't want to see humanitarian goods going into the Strip without their family members being returned. But this in itself is something that essentially it enables Israel to show the United States that it is coming their way that while Israel may be continuing combat operations inside Gaza, they are conscious that Jerusalem is conscious of the humanitarian situation there and is essentially making the optics better for the United States. Correspondent Robert Swift giving us an update from the south of the country. Thank you very much for that. Still with me in studio retired colonel Dr. Jacques Neria and Guy Azrael. Jacques, it's a question that needs to be asked because the US administration, as Rob pointed out, has been sending Anthony Blinken to the region. This is now his sixth visit and each time he comes, there seems to be a push for more diplomacy in the region. This time around him saying that there are more countries that are open and willing to normalize with Israel. But it comes at the expense of a Palestinian state. It comes at the expense of Israel. At the expense of Israel. My point is if the Palestinian authority that is set to be in control of now the Gaza Strip as well as areas in the West Bank that would set the stage for what could be a viable Palestinian state. How is it that the United States is pushing this, knowing that the Palestinian authority also openly calls for the destruction of Israel? Well, not only that. I mean, the American administration is asking Mahmoud Abbas to commit suicide. You have to change all your government. We want this and that and this government is corrupt. Plainly, they say this government is corrupt and cannot be... Which is? And it cannot be responsible of what's going on in Gaza. You have to change. You have to reform. And this is something that is unacceptable to the Palestinian authority. So they say very bluntly, instead of we changing ourselves and doing reforms, America should reform your policy concerning Israel, concerning the fact that you should impose on Israel the solution of two states. This is what the Palestinian authority is saying. Now, Blinken is hearing no and no on every front. And now the debate is towards Israel. I've been hearing sounds that Saudi Arabia and other Arab states are ready to normalize the situation with Israel. If, of course, real peace is attained in the region. If you stop right now, you stop a ceasefire, and you begin discussing the day after, according to what we Americans believe, we don't want you to occupy the Gaza Strip. We want you to withdraw. And this is what's happening in fact today. We have most of the brigades that were engaged in the Gaza Strip have been withdrawn from Gaza Strip. Only the area of Muserad, Buraj, and Hanyun is still very much busy with troops. And these are also going to be withdrawn in the days after. And Guy, it does appear that the Benny Guns, the current war cabinet minister and head of the National Unity Party is giving a press conference. Would you please translate? People of Israel, I wish to update you today where we stand in the war in all the arenas. The achievements of the IDF continue to accumulate. Shaft after Shaft, headquarters and after headquarters. In large parts of the Gaza Strip, there is no effective Hamas control. It doesn't supply education or medicine other than through international organizations. The people of Gaza have no Hamas ruling. Many of the battalions of Hamas have been dismantled. Many of their ability to launch rockets have been hurt. It's effective control over Gaza does not exist. We need to continue. And stopping now, Hamas will regain control. We stick to our long-term goals that we've presented to return the hostages alive and to remove the threat of Hamas. The achievements allow us to adjust our methods of action in every place and everywhere. We have completed in most of the areas the taking over of the areas dismantling the terror structure we operate now while both in defense, in offense and dismantling infrastructures each with its challenges, each action weakens Hamas more and more. Together with these, if we also operate diplomatically in the right way, we will achieve our goal. I said a few weeks ago something that Polly Mordechai has told me a few weeks ago, we have determination and patience. Our enemies need to know that our determination is endless. The people of Israel understand that the activity in Gaza will continue for a long time in various methods. Our security will remain in our hands. The most important thing is the return of the hostages. This comes before any action in the war. Any of the hostages watch us now. It is important that you will know. We do everything so that you will return to your loved ones that continue to fight for you. There is no route we don't walk through so that you will come back. Stay strong. On the northern front there is fighting that changes the reality. We create a destruction area in south Lebanon. This method will continue in years to come. The Lebanese government needs to understand to decide whether they are the defenders of south Lebanon. We would act in south Lebanon as we operate in Gaza. This is not a threat on Lebanon. This is a promise to the residents of the south. As for the state budget, we learn this. We will try to influence and then we will decide how to vote. The war will require difficult measures. The government must significantly reduce the coalition budgets to suspend the Norwegian law. This will not solve all the economy issues, but this is important for us to show to the people. If some forgot of October 7th, people need to remember what our enemies are doing when we are divided. The responsibility of the leadership is to allow the partnership and focus on responsible action for the people and not in politics. This is how we would maintain unity and allow Israel and the IDF to win. In light of what is happening in the north, did you oppose opening a front with Hezbollah? Is there a new proposal on the table with regards to the hostages? We chose at the start of this war to put the main effort in the south in order to change the reality and at the same time defend in the north and make an impact on what's happening there. I think we decided right. It's good that we did so. And as we continue to fight in the south, we operate successfully in the north as well if we need to expand that we will. No doubt that we did right. That we try to change the reality in Gaza for many years to come. As for the hostages, we are in touch. I've heard all sorts of rumors about new offers, but there's a lot of whispers. If there is something concrete, we will tell the public. Thank you very much, our guy Azrael, for giving that translation. It's very interesting that Benny Gantz is the one giving a press conference what was a general update. There was nothing new really brought out from this, but definitely interesting from the political standpoint, given the fact that usually these are given by the IDF spokesperson or at times by the Israeli premier. Would it appear that Benny Gantz is trying to maybe appeal to a large part of the public that has lost its trust in the current government? You're asking a very tough question in order to explain this sort of government. One day you see the Prime Minister standing alone, another day he needs two guards on both sides, guns and Gantz, and another day Gantz is on his own, and then Gantz is on his own. I would not comment on that because I think that this is not really important. What is important is the message that we hear from Gantz, is that we will continue. We will continue in the north in order to create a buffer zone in the north, meaning that we are not going to stand still facing the provocations of Hezbollah. This is one thing that it means that we are prepared to wage war with Hezbollah. This is one thing that is very important. On the southern front there was a sentence, very interesting sentence when he said there might be a political move, diplomatic moves. This is very interesting to hear. Meaning that the solution of asking the Sinoir and company to go in another country, I think this is something that... This is where we will have, he and the government will have a lot of explaining to do to the public if the war does not end with a decisive victory over Hamas, but rather a political solution of some sort that the Americans may be putting on the table. Well, that's what I wanted to ask you guys just in the last minute of the broadcast. Something that at least caught my ear was possibly a message from Gantz to the American administration that we will continue because if we don't, Hamas is going to rebuild. It really depends who you're asking. I think his message was very clear to the Israeli public. It is not for nothing that he made this presser in Hebrew to the people of Israel. We saw what sort of backlash came when the IDF and Minister Gallant and other people have just mentioned these first phase of this war, meaning that the IDF is no longer operating in full force against Hamas all over the Gaza Strip. And when he speaks about some sort of political moves that would help Israel to fulfill its long-term goals, he is trying to persuade the Israeli public of perhaps something that was put on the table by the Americans. And I don't think that that is something that the Israelis would like to see. Retired colonel Dr. Jacques Neriana, guy Israel. Thank you both very much for being with me here this afternoon. That does bring us to the end of the broadcast.