The Times of Israel is liveblogging Monday’s events as they unfold.
Australian FM calls for ‘sustainable ceasefire’ at start of Middle East tour
Australia’s foreign minister calls for a “sustainable ceasefire” in Gaza as she leaves for a Middle East tour on Monday that includes a visit to the West Bank and meetings with the families of Israeli hostages.
Penny Wong said she would use the visits to Jordan, Israel, the West Bank and the United Arab Emirates to advocate for a pathway out of the current conflict and a lasting peace in the form of a two-state solution.
Australia would also use its voice to push for more humanitarian assistance, greater protection of civilians and a de-escalation of regional tensions, she added.
“Our position is that we want to see a sustainable ceasefire and that we see an international humanitarian, immediate humanitarian ceasefire as a step towards that,” Wong said at a news conference ahead of her departure Monday.
“No ceasefire can be one sided and no ceasefire can be unconditional.”
Australia backed a UN resolution for a Gaza ceasefire in December in a rare split with its ally, the US.
During her first stop in Israel, Wong will meet with government officials and families of hostages and survivors of the October 7 Hamas onslaught, when terrorists killed 1,200 people and took some 240 hostages.
Australia supported Israel’s right to defend itself in response to “terrorism” but “the way it does so, matters,” Wong said in a statement that also called for the unconditional release of all hostages.
Wong will then travel to Jordan before visiting the West Bank, where she will meet representatives of communities affected by violence from Israeli settlers. Australia considers settlements illegal under international law.
“I will make clear Australia’s support for Palestinians’ right to self-determination and commitment to meeting humanitarian needs in Gaza and the West Bank,” she said.
“I will also emphasize Australia’s opposition to the forcible displacement of Palestinians and our view that Gaza must no longer be used as a platform for terrorism,” he said.
US says it shot down anti-ship cruise missile from Houthi-controlled areas
US fighter aircraft shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired from Iranian-backed Houthi militant areas of Yemen toward the USS Laboon, which was operating in the Southern Red Sea, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) says.
There were no injuries or damage reported, according to CENTCOM.
Blinken: US will not rest until all remaining hostages brought home
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken vows the US “will not rest” until all remaining hostages taken from southern Israel by Hamas terrorists on October 7 are back home, marking the 100th day since their abduction to Gaza and the first day of the war.
“100 days of captivity in Gaza is far too long,” tweets Blinken. “The United States will not rest until all remaining hostages, including six Americans, are reunited with their loved ones.”
Earlier, US President Joe Biden said on the 100th day since October 7 that America is still working to bring home the “more than 100 innocent people, including as many as six Americans, who are still held being hostage by Hamas in Gaza.”
In a statement marking the somber anniversary, Biden said that “their families have lived in agony,” and at the same time, they have been “at the forefront of my mind as my national security team and I have worked non-stop to try to secure their freedom.”
Biden said his administration has “pursued aggressive diplomacy to bring the hostages home,” lauding the deal in late November under which more than 100 hostages were freed.
“I will never forget the grief and the suffering I have heard in my meetings with the families of the American hostages,” he added. “No one should have to endure even one day of what they have gone through, much less 100. On this terrible day, I again reaffirm my pledge to all the hostages and their families — we are with you. We will never stop working to bring Americans home.”
‘Shame on you’: Former PM Bennett slams Turkey over arrest of Israeli soccer player
Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett blasts the reported arrest tonight of Israeli soccer player Sagiv Jehezkel, of the Antalyaspor club, as part of an alleged incitement probe opened by Turkish authorities over a gesture made earlier by Jehezkel on TV for the Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
“This is Turkey 2024. Shame on you, Turkish government,” tweets Bennett, calling the arrest “unbelievable.”
Jehezkel, 28, was suspended from the team after he celebrated an equalizer goal in Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Trabzonspor in the top Turkish league by making a heart sign with his hands to the camera, and showing the words “100 days. October 7” along with a Star of David symbol on his wristband. 100 is the number of days the hostages have been in the Palestinian terror group’s captivity.
The gesture was met with fierce backlash from fans and Turkish media.
Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc announced an investigation against Jehezkel for charges of “inciting people to hatred and hostility.”
Hebrew media reported Sunday night that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been updated on the events and that the Prime Minister’s Office together with the Foreign Ministry and the Culture and Sports Ministry were working to push Turkey for Jehezkel’s release.
‘Irrelevant whether Houthis are designated’ as terrorists, Biden says, dampening speculation he’ll take step
US President Joe Biden appears to dampen expectations that he will designate the Houthis as a terror organization two days after calling the Iran-backed rebel group ruling Yemen a terror group.
“It’s irrelevant whether they’re designated,” Biden tells reporters at an event in Pennsylvania in response to a question regarding whether he would take that step after intensifying his rhetoric against the Houthis.
During his first year in office, Biden removed the Houthis’ terror listing amid pressure from progressives who argued that it was harming efforts to deliver humanitarian aid in Yemen.
The administration said it decided to review that decision in November against the backdrop of repeated attacks by Houthis on international vessels in the Red Sea, which the rebel group claims are taken in solidarity with Palestinians after October 7.
No update has been offered since then, but Biden’s affirmation to a question regarding whether he considers the Houthis a terror group led many to assume the administration was leaning toward slapping the terror label back on. The president’s remarks came hours after the US led airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen for the first time in years.
China calls for large-scale peace conference on Israel-Hamas war
China Foreign Minister Wang Yi says the war in Gaza continues to escalate and China is calling for a larger-scale, more authoritative and effective international peace conference and a concrete timetable to implement a two-state solution.
Wang made the comments to reporters after talks with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Cairo, sharing his views on the Israel-Hamas war, according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry late on Sunday.
In a press conference with Shoukry, the top Chinese diplomat said “it is necessary to insist on the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign state of Palestine on the 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital.”
Shoukry and Wang called for “an international summit for peace to find a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the Palestinian cause by ending the occupation and establishing an independent, contiguous Palestinian state.”
A joint statement from the two ministers urged an immediate end “to all acts of violence, killing and targeting of civilians and civilian establishments.”
Wang additionally discussed the conflict with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, according to Chinese state media Xinhua, with both sides agreeing a ceasefire “should be achieved as soon as possible to prevent the conflict from further spilling over.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping has previously called for an “international peace conference” to resolve the fighting.
China has historically been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and supportive of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Wang is currently on an African tour that will see him also visit Togo, Tunisia and Ivory Coast.