Middle East Conflict: Israel Eliminates Hamas Operations Chief; US Reportedly Sets Rafah Limits

Netanyahu a 'major obstacle to peace': Schumer

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will criticize Netanyahu for his handling of the war and the humanitarian situation in Gaza during a speech Thursday morning EST. He is expected to describe the Israeli prime minister is a "major obstacle to peace" and should call for an election, as per prepared remarks obtained by the Associated Press

Schumer will further say that it was a "grave mistake" for Israel to reject a two-state solution, which multiple leaders, including Biden, have indicated could put an end to the yearslong violence in Gaza. "Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah," the senator is expected to say.

IDF eyes Rafah evacuation toward central Gaza: Report

The Israeli army is looking to evacuate a large number of civilians from Rafah towards "humanitarian islands" in the central part of the Gaza Strip, The Washington Post reported Thursday, citing Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, chief of the IDF's spokesperson's unit.

The humanitarian islands will be constructed in cooperation with the international community, Hagari was quoted as saying.

US-UK coalition forces strike south of Hodeidah: Arab media

U.S. and UK aircraft attacked four areas in Al-Jah, south of Hodeidah -- a Houthi-held Yemeni city -- Thursday afternoon, Sky News in Arabic reported, citing Houthi media.

This comes following the U.S. military's announcement earlier in the day that it destroyed several Houthi assets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

Qatari emir proposed expulsion of Hamas leaders from Doha: Report

Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani proposed the expulsion of Hamas leaders from Doha days after Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, The Times of Israel reported Thursday, citing two officials familiar with the matter.

Al Thani made the proposal during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the outlet reported. Blinken reportedly responded with a suggestion that Qatar use its Hamas connections to mediate between the parties for a ceasefire agreement instead.

Some of the Palestinian terror group's top leaders, including its political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh, have been residing in Doha for years.

Netanyahu says will 'repel' international pressure over Rafah: Local media

The Israeli prime minister on Thursday said he will push back against mounting international pressure to refrain from entering Rafah. "While the IDF is preparing to continue fighting in Rafah, we are facing international pressure to prevent us from entering the area and completing the job. As the prime minister of Israel, I will repel these pressures," he said while visiting Israeli troops, local media reported.

His comments were made after FT reported that the U.S. has informed Israel of the kind of military operation in the overcrowded city that it could support – a targeted approach that minimizes civilian casualties instead of a full-blown invasion.

Israeli tank fired at 'clearly identifiable' journalist group in Lebanon: UNIFIL report

An Israeli tank opened fire at a group of "clearly identifiable journalists" in Lebanon on Oct. 13, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said in a Feb. 27 report that Reuters reviewed, the outlet reported Thursday. The tank fire killed Reuters reporter Issam Abdallah and wounded six other journalists on-scene.

"It is assessed that there was no exchange of fire across the Blue Line at the time of the incident. The reason for the strikes on the journalists is not known," the UNIFIL report stated.

When asked about the UNIFIL report, IDF spokesperson Nir Dinar said Iran-backed Hezbollah combatants attacked Israeli troops near Hanita on Oct. 13, triggering a tank fire response to remove the threat.

"The IDF deplores any injury to uninvolved parties, and does not deliberately shoot at civilians, including journalists. The IDF considers the freedom of the press to be of utmost importance while clarifying that being in a war zone is dangerous," he said, adding that the IDF will continue reviewing the incident.

US, Jordan conduct joint aid airdrop operation in northern Gaza

U.S. forces and the Royal Jordanian Air Force before noon Thursday conducted a joint humanitarian aid airdrop operation in northern Gaza, CENTCOM said.

The operation, which included a U.S. C-130 aircraft, airdropped 13,900 meal equivalents for Gaza civilians in the devastated north. "These airdrops are part of a sustained effort, and we continue to plan follow-on aerial deliveries," the U.S. military added.

US held secret talks with Iran amid Houthis' Red Sea rampage: Report

Washington held secret talks with Tehran earlier this year to convince Iran, which supports various militant groups across the Middle East, to rein in Yemeni Houthi rebels who have been disrupting Red Sea shipping lanes since mid-November, the Financial Times reported Thursday, citing U.S. and Iranian officials.

While the parties did not meet directly, Omani officials brokered the first round of talks. A second session scheduled for February was reportedly delayed due to the U.S. focusing on efforts to strike a temporary ceasefire in Gaza.

"Iran has repeatedly said it only has a form of spiritual influence [over the rebels]. They can't dictate to the Houthis, but they can negotiate and talk," an Iranian official told the outlet.

Hostages' families block highway in Tel Aviv in call for their loved ones' release

The loved ones and supporters of some 130 hostages still in Hamas captivity on Thursday morning blocked the Avalon Highway, or Highway 20 in Gush Dan, Israel, as per local N12 News. They called for a ceasefire deal that should see the remaining abductees freed.

Israel intercepts aerial target from Lebanon

Israeli defense systems intercepted a "suspicious aerial target that crossed from Lebanese territory" to Israel Thursday afternoon, the IDF said. Fighter jets with the IDF also attacked several Hezbollah infrastructure in the Kunin region in southern Lebanon Thursday.

Explosion reported off Aden: UKMTO

A merchant ship reported "an explosion at a distance astern" of the vessel some 50 nautical miles southeast of Aden in Yemen on Thursday afternoon Sana'a time, UKMTO said.

No damage was sustained in the attack and the crew are reported safe but authorities have started investigating the incident.

US destroys Houthi drones in Yemen

The U.S. military early on Thursday said CENTCOM forces "successfully engaged and destroyed" four drones and one surface-to-air missile in Houthi-held areas of Yemen Wednesday afternoon.

The operation was carried out after an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) was fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Gulf of Aden. No ships were hit by the missile, CENTCOM said.

Hezbollah claims attack on IDF sites

Hezbollah early on Thursday claimed that it attacked several Israeli army sites near the Israel-Lebanon border Wednesday. It published footage of the said attacks, but did not specify which bases were targeted.

The Iranian-backed terror group, which is a Hamas ally and has a much larger weapons arsenal than the Palestinian militant group, has been launching rockets toward northern Israel since the Israel-Hamas war started.

Aid ship moving slowly toward Gaza

A charity boat carrying 200 tons of food aid for the people of Gaza has been making slow progress toward the Strip Thursday. It is 2 p.m. (8 a.m. EST) in Gaza, and the aid has yet to arrive.

The Open Arms charity ship departed Cyprus' Larnaca port Tuesday, towing bags of flour, rice and protein. Cypriot officials said the journey to Gaza could take up to two days.

Read the full story here.

US privately informed Israel of Rafah operation it may support: Report

Washington has laid out to Israel the type of military operation in Rafah that it could support, Politico reported Thursday, citing four U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic. Top Biden administration officials reportedly told the Netanyahu government that the U.S. could back a plan that's more akin to targeted counterterrorism operations instead of an all-out invasion of the overcrowded city.

U.S. officials argued that a more targeted approach in Rafah would minimize casualties while also decimating Hamas units and preventing further criticism of Israel's military activities in the war-torn enclave.

"They'd have to do some repositioning of forces, and that has not happened," a Defense Department official said.

Israeli strike kills Hamas commander

A targeted Israeli airstrike in Rafah killed Hasna, whom the IDF said was "a commander in Hamas' Operations Unit," the Israeli army announced late Wednesday. Hasna is accused of seizing humanitarian aid meant for Gaza civilians and distributing the stolen supplies to Hamas operatives.

Hasna's assassination is the second this week in Israel's operations targeting high-ranking officials in the Palestinian terror group. The first was Wednesday, when Hamas' Al Aqsa channel said Hadi Mustafa, a "leader of the group's armed wing," was assassinated in a drone strike in Lebanon.

A Hamas source denied that Mustafa was a senior official in the group but multiple Israeli and Arab outlets described him as a "senior" leader in Hamas. The Israeli army also said he was a "significant" figure in the militant group.