Israel News for 2-8-2024
News Update
Rockets and anti-tank missiles were fired at the Kiryat Shemona and Mt. Hermon area. Three soldiers were wounded. The IDF responded with airstrikes and artillery fire.
An Israeli delegation went to Cairo today to continue negotiations for a potential hostage release agreement. A Hamas delegation led by Ismail Haniyeh will also be there, along with a Qatari delegation. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday that the Hamas counter proposal contained many demands that were “non starters”, but that he thinks that there is still hope for negotiating an agreement. Hamas had demnded a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of thousands of terrorists held by Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu said that Israel would continue the war until victory is achieved.
Blinken met with Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant and expressed humanitarian concerns regarding the situation in Gaza and the IDF advancing on Rafah.
For a complete list of the soldiers killed in the ground offensive, click here.
Security forces killed 3 wanted terrorists in an operation in the Nur a-Shams refugee camp in Samaria. Meanwhile, Senior Israeli security officials held a covert meeting with their counterparts from the Palestinian Authority in Tel Aviv this week to discuss efforts to calm tensions in the West Bank ahead of Ramadan, which begins in a month. The Israeli officials said that they would reduce the number of checkpoints and arrest raids, allow several thousand workers above the age of 45 to return to their jobs in Israel, and reopen several Palestinian cities to Arab Israelis. For more, click here.
According to data published by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, Arab families are having more children than Jewish families. For more on this, click here.
