Israel-Hamas Conflict: Some Arab Nations Among 19 Joiners Of Red Sea Alliance, Report Says

Israel considering 'extended' ceasefire: Report

Israeli officials are "considering an extended ceasefire, perhaps lasting two weeks, to allow Hamas to gather these hostages and deliver them to safety," journalist David Ignatius wrote in an op-ed for the Washington Post Wednesday.

He added that the Israeli government may also pledge to withdraw its forces and "conduct standoff operations" after the ceasefire.

The Israeli government has yet to confirm the report, but it has signaled readiness to engage in renewed negotiations regarding the release of hostages.

ZIM ships and all Israeli-flagged vessels banned from docking at Malaysian ports

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday announced that the Ministry of Transport will "take immediate action" to "block and disallow the Israeli-based shipping company ZIM from docking at any Malaysian port." Likewise, any Israeli-flagged vessel will also not be allowed to dock at the country.

Finally, Anwar said any ship headed to Israel will not be allowed to load cargo at any Malaysian port. "Malaysia is confident that the decision will not affect Malaysia's trade activities," he said.

Haniyeh arrives in Cairo

Hamas' leader has arrived in Egypt for talks regarding the latest developments in the war, the terror group said in a statement. Israel has said it was ready a new ceasefire agreement if the terror group drops its pre-requisite of a truce first before hostage-related negotiations begin.

Earlier reports noted that Haniyeh was due in Egypt for discussions on a possible new ceasefire deal.

Mother of abducted 19-year-old pleads for her daughter's release

Ayelet Levy Shachar, the mother of Naama Levy, 19, who was among more than 200 hostages taken by Hamas into Gaza during the Oct. 7 massacre, said "time is running out" for her daughter.

The 19-year-old's abduction is featured in a Hamas video where Levy can be seen with bloodied pants, blood on the right side of her face, cut ankles, and hands bleeding from the tight material that bound her wrists.

"My voice may be soft when I speak right now, but the scream is inside me, and I don't hear the voices of the world loud enough responding to the scream," Shachar said.

Shachar has been traveling to raise awareness about the case of her daughter and others who recounted Hamas' sexual crimes during their raid in Israel. While she would rather stay home and wait for her daughter to come back home, Shachar said she wants to "influence whoever I can" so her daughter and other hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza can be freed as soon as possible.

Israeli strikes target Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) attacked several military sites and infrastructure in Lebanon that belonged to the Iran-backed paramilitary group Hezbollah, the IDF said Wednesday.

As reported Tuesday, Netanyahu reportedly told the U.S. that Israel wants Hezbollah troops to be removed at least six miles from the border as part of efforts to ease tensions with Lebanon.

Gaza plunged into another communications blackout

The Gaza Strip's telecom service providers Paltel and Jawwal announced Wednesday morning local time that "all telecom services" in the enclave "have been lost."

Internet outage tracker NetBlocks said network data showed a "new collapse in connectivity" in the Gaza Strip, adding that some areas affected by the previous blackout last week are still offline.

EU, NATO, 8 countries join Yemen in condemning Hamas' Red Sea aggression

The European Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and nine countries, including Yemen, released a joint statement Wednesday condemning "Houthi interference with navigational rights and freedoms in the waters around the Arabian Peninsula, particularly the Red Sea.

The other countries that joined the condemnation of Yemen's Houthi rebels were Australia, the Bahamas, Japan, Liberia, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore and the U.S.

"There is no justification for these attacks, which affect many countries beyond the flags these ships sail under," the group said. They also called on the Houthis to release the hijacked Galaxy Leader and its captive 25-member crew, majority of them Filipinos.

Reinforcements deployed for ground troops in Khan Yunis

Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant said additional Israeli soldiers have been deployed to the battlefield in Khan Yunis as the Israeli army refocuses its efforts to eliminate Hamas in the Gaza Strip's second-largest city, local media reported Wednesday.

Trudeau says anti-Semitism has 'no place in Canada'

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote on X Wednesday that "hatred and violence against Jewish communities have no place in Canada."

His remarks came following the arrest of a Canadian youth on Friday over alleged terrorism-related offenses that targeted Jewish people. The youth was charged Saturday of knowingly instructing someone to carry out a terror activity against "Jewish persons," among other charges.

Iranian FM meets Hamas leader

Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held talks with Hamas' Haniyeh Tuesday night in Qatar, multiple outlets reported. The two leaders discussed developments in the Gaza Strip.

The meeting came a day after the U.S. announced a multinational maritime force in the Red Sea amid continuing attacks by Iran-backed Houthis targeting commercial ships that it says are either Israeli, linked to Israel, or headed toward the country.

Haniyeh is due in Egypt Wednesday to discuss a potential ceasefire deal with Egyptian mediators.

PIJ releases video showing 2 male hostages

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a Hamas ally, released a video featuring two male hostages, 79-year-old Gadi Mozes and 47-year-old Elad Katzir, who were both kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas.

In the video, Mozes says "we make every effort to be home soon," while Katzir says "we want to get back to our lives," as per a translation by Daily News Egypt. "We don't want to die in Gaza," Katzir added.

Mozes' wife, Efrat, and Katzir's father, Rami, were among more than 1,200 Israelis and foreigners murdered by Hamas on Oct. 7, while Katzir's mother, Hannah, was freed by the terror group last month, as per local media.

19 countries actually joined Red Sea alliance: Report

A total of nineteen countries "actually signed on" to the U.S.-led naval protection force in the Red Sea, but "most of them don't want to put their names to the move," journalist Lara Seligman reported Tuesday, citing a senior Biden administration official.

Aside from Bahrain, which was publicly announced as one of the 10 countries to have joined the coalition, "other Arab nations" have signed up but preferred not to go public about their decision due to the "complicated" situation for Arab countries, Seligman, who covers the Pentagon for Politico, wrote in a series of posts on X.

For Saudi Arabia, one of the issues is the possible derailment of ongoing peace talks with the Houthi rebel army.

Israel informed Qatar it's ready for truce in exchange of 40 hostages: Report

The Israeli government has informed mediator Qatar that it was prepared for another truce lasting at least a week in exchange for the release of about 40 hostages in Hamas captivity, local Walla reported, citing two Israeli officials and a foreign source.

The proposal reflects Israel's commitment to restart serious talks on freeing hostages even if Hamas has expressed no negotiations will begin unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire, senior Israeli officials said, as per a Google translation of the report.

As was the case in the previous ceasefire agreement, Israel is looking to bring home more women who remain captive in the Gaza Strip. However, they are also seeking the release of men aged 60 and beyond, as well as those who have life-threatening diseases or serious injuries that require urgent medical care, the officials said.

Finally, Israel also reportedly expressed its willingness to free Palestinian detainees who were convicted for more serious crimes.

"This is a test for the Qatari mediation. If they want to show that they can play a useful role, now is the time to do it," one Israeli official told the outlet.

State Department slams Houthis' 'flagrant' Red Sea attacks

U.S. Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a press briefing late Tuesday that the Houthi rebel army's "reckless attacks" against commercial vessels in the Red Sea was threatening the "free flow" of shipping in the region's waterways.

The attacks were a "flagrant affront to international law," he said. He also said the department calls for the "immediate and unconditional" release of the crew of the hijacked Galaxy Leader, which come from different countries, including the Philippines and Ukraine.

Fierce street gun fights in Khan Yunis

Israeli troops are engaging in heavy street gunfire battles against Hamas combatants Wednesday in Khan Yunis, the known hometown of Hamas' most senior official in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

Fighting was fierce both at the central and eastern districts of southern Gaza's main city, residents said.

Cyprus thwarts alleged Iranian plot to kill Israeli businessmen: Report

Cyprus, in a joint operation with the Israeli Mossad, foiled an alleged plot by Iran to target a group of Israelis – mostly businessmen, the Associated Press reported early Wednesdayz, citing a Cypriot official who spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn't allow to speak publicly about security-related matters.

As a result of the operation, two Iranian asylum-seekers were arrested, the official said, adding that the suspects were in communication with another Iranian linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The suspects were being observed by Cypriot security services for several weeks and were taken into custody before what authorities believed would have been the arrival of an assassination squad targeted at the Israelis.

1,500 tunnels shafts and underground passages located since Oct. 7: IDF

Israeli troops have uncovered 1,500 tunnel shafts and underground passages since the war started, the IDF said late Tuesday. Most of them were constructed underneath school buildings, mosques, hospitals, United Nations facilities, and other civilian infrastructure, the IDF added.

Gaza hospital director says Kamal Adwan used to hide Hamas officials: Interrogation video

Ahmad Mohammad Hassan al-Kahlout, the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, called out Hamas leadership for abandoning its members in the battlefield. He said the terror group's leaders were "cowards," as per footage of his interrogation by Israeli authorities that was translated and published by the Israeli government.

Kahlout said in the interrogation interview that he joined the militant group in 2010 and is an "Amid" in the Hamas ranks, which the Israeli government said was "parallel to a Brigadier General."

He revealed that "senior political officials" in the terrorist organization had "rooms" within the hospital that they used to hide for about 10 days before leaving the medical facility. When asked why Hamas senior officials were hiding in the hospital, Kahlout said, "because for them, the hospital is a safe place." At one point, "close to a hundred" Hamas officials used the Kamal Adwan Hospital as shelter, he revealed.

He also said he knows 16 people, hospital personnel, whom he said were members of Hamas' military wing – some of them doctors.

US-led Red Sea coalition 'contradicts international law': Houthis

The Red Sea maritime protection force led by the U.S. and includes nine other countries, is not what Washington says it is, Yemen's Houthis said. "This coalition contradicts international law and does not protect maritime navigation," but instead "seeks to militarize the Red Sea" for Israel's benefit, the Yemeni rebel army said in a statement.

The Houthis' remarks came after the rebel forces carried out attacks against multiple commercial vessels sailing around the vicinity of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in recent weeks. The group also hijacked an Israeli-linked cargo ship bound for India last month and held the ship's crew hostage.

Israel ready for another humanitarian pause: President

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said during a conversation with the Atlantic Council Tuesday that Israel "is willing to enter another humanitarian pause and bring in additional humanitarian aid in order to bring back the hostages."

He noted that "the entire responsibility" on the issue of a ceasefire-hostage deal lies in the hands of Hamas' top leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, and the terror group's leadership.

US, allies considering possible military action against Houthis: Report

Washington and its allies are considering the possibility of responding to the Red Sea aggression of Yemen's Houthi rebel army by launching military strikes, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing four people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The U.S. and its allies are currently planning for potential actions that will cripple the Iran-backed Houthis' ability to target commercial vessels by specifically striking the source of the Houthi launches from Yemeni territory, the people said. Washington reportedly reiterated that it still prefers diplomatic efforts over a military response.

The report comes hours after the Iranian IRGC announced the establishment of a 55,000-personnel maritime militia. The IRGC made the announcement less than a day after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin revealed the formation of a 10-nation naval task force in the Red Sea.

Qatar signals progress in talks with Israel over potential hostage deal

For the first time since a fragile weeklong hostage-ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas fell apart, Qatar has signaled progress in negotiations with the Israeli government after the heads of Israel's Mossad spy agency and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) met with the Qatari prime minister in Warsaw to discuss a possible hostage release deal.

"The talks were positive with negotiators exploring and discussing different proposals in an attempt to progress on negotiations," Reuters reported, citing a source briefed on the diplomatic discussions.

The source did note that an agreement wasn't expected "imminently." Still, the news marks the first time any progress was made since mediators scrambled to get the warring sides back to negotiations after the ceasefire deal's collapse earlier this month.

Modi notes navigation freedom amid Houthi attacks

The Indian prime minister said during his talk with his Israeli counterpart that "freedom of navigation is an essential global necessary that must be ensured," as per a statement from Netanyahu's office.

The two leaders discussed freedom of navigation in the Red Sea's tension-packed Bab el-Mandeb Strait due to attacks carried out by Yemeni Houthis against commercial ships in the area.

Netanyahu thanked Modi for India's support as Israel presses toward its goal of eliminating Hamas.

'Intense' discussions over Gaza delays UN Security Council vote again

For a third day, the UN Security Council delayed voting on Gaza amid an "intense day of diplomacy" for the council members. The council is scheduled to vote on a draft resolution Wednesday.

The vote was originally set for Monday, but the U.S. reportedly raised an issue regarding some of the language on the resolution, including calls for the "cessation" of hostilities in the enclave. The Israeli ally reportedly said it may support wording that calls for the "suspension" of fighting in Gaza.

Jabalia camp under Israeli army's control: IDF

The Jabalia camp in northern Gaza is now under the control of the Israeli military's 162^nd Division, division commander Lt. Itzik Cohen, said in a statement late Tuesday.

Jabalia is "not the Jabalia it used to be," he said, adding that troops with the division can now operate in the heart of Gaza City "with operational freedom" as they have dismantled the military capacity of Hamas' northern brigade in Gaza.

Haniyeh, other top Hamas leaders to visit Egypt: Reports

The chief of Hamas' political bureau will travel to Egypt Wednesday to hold talks with Egyptian mediators over a ceasefire in Gaza, AFP reported, citing a source close to the terror group.

Haniyeh is expected to meet with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel and other mediators. In particular, the two sides will discuss a stoppage to the war in Gaza "to prepare an agreement for the release of prisoners (and) the end of the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip," the source said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk about the matter.

Aside from discussions about a truce, Haniyeh is also expected to discuss the Israeli army's "withdrawal" from Gaza and the return of displaced northern Gazans to their homes.

Haniyeh's Cairo trip marks the first time he is visiting Egypt since Hamas broke the seven-day truce on Dec. 1 when the militant group refused to free more women and children.

A delegation that includes other senior officials of the terror group will also be in Egypt Wednesday, Haaretz reported, citing Palestinian and Arab sources.

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