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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-01-22 at 05:07
Published 1 month ago
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US Finds Ran Gvili's Body in Gaza
Hamas Demands Governance Rights for Disarmament Talks
Putin Seeks US Talks on Middle East
The time is now 12:00 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
This is the international update. In the Gaza arena, a critical moment has arrived as attention centers on the fate of hostages and the path to the second phase of a US backed peace framework. President Trump disclosed that the United States believes it knows where the body of Corporal Ran Gvili is being held in Gaza, a finding that follows months of searching efforts by Israel and mediators. The revelation has intensified pressure on Israel to secure the remains before proceeding with further stages of the agreement, a condition that many in Jerusalem and Washington say must be satisfied if the broader deal is to advance. Gvili’s mother, Talik Gvili, reinforced the demand, saying that Hamas knows his son’s location and has violated the framework by withholding his burial. She urged the government of Israel and the United States to use every instrument of influence to secure Hamas’s obedience to the agreement, or to impose serious sanctions if necessary. Hamas has repeatedly claimed it does not know where the remains are, a claim that has drawn skepticism given past patterns in which delay was used to serve strategic aims. The core point in the current debate is whether the return of all hostages will be treated as a prerequisite for any further steps, a principle many see as non negotiable if the parties are to restore stability in Gaza and northern Israel.
Beyond the hostage issue, tensions between Jerusalem and Washington have grown at a moment when tactical clarity is needed. Differences over the Gaza Board of Peace and the role of Turkish and Qatari mediators have the potential to muddy the immediate task of bringing Hamas to comply with the conditions tied to the deal’s second phase. Still, observers stress that strategic disagreements about Gaza’s long term governance must not derail the nonnegotiable demand at the heart of Trump’s plan—the return of all hostages. If credible intelligence exists on Gvili’s whereabouts, analysts say Washington and Jerusalem should leverage that information with appropriate measures and a sense of urgency, rather than allow it to be set aside in a broader contest over mediation frameworks. The Gvili family’s call for action highlights the personal dimension of a conflict that remains deeply painful for Israeli citizens and soldiers alike.
In the meantime, the Gaza exchange and disarmament questions loom large as the regional diplomacy landscape evolves. A separate line of reporting describes Hamas presenting a stringent set of conditions for surrendering weapons. The list includes the reintegration of Hamas officials into Gaza’s incoming administrative structure, integration of its security forces into the Palestinian Authority’s apparatus, recognition of Hamas as a legitimate political faction eligible to participate in elections, and protections for top Hamas leadership against Israeli action. In exchange, Hamas would retain a limited armament for senior leadership security. Intelligence assessments flag that tens of thousands of small arms, hundreds of anti-tank missiles, mortars, and a limited rocket arsenal would still lie in play, complicating any effort to demobilize without concessions from multiple parties. US mediators, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, have signaled that talks are poised to resume in the coming days, with broad agreement that any path to a Gaza peace would require complex compromises, realistic security guarantees, and credible mechanisms to prevent renewed violence. President Trump, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, framed the issue of Hamas disarmament with a stark deadline, asserting that Hamas had pledged to surrender its weapons but that Washingto
US Finds Ran Gvili's Body in Gaza
Hamas Demands Governance Rights for Disarmament Talks
Putin Seeks US Talks on Middle East
The time is now 12:00 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
This is the international update. In the Gaza arena, a critical moment has arrived as attention centers on the fate of hostages and the path to the second phase of a US backed peace framework. President Trump disclosed that the United States believes it knows where the body of Corporal Ran Gvili is being held in Gaza, a finding that follows months of searching efforts by Israel and mediators. The revelation has intensified pressure on Israel to secure the remains before proceeding with further stages of the agreement, a condition that many in Jerusalem and Washington say must be satisfied if the broader deal is to advance. Gvili’s mother, Talik Gvili, reinforced the demand, saying that Hamas knows his son’s location and has violated the framework by withholding his burial. She urged the government of Israel and the United States to use every instrument of influence to secure Hamas’s obedience to the agreement, or to impose serious sanctions if necessary. Hamas has repeatedly claimed it does not know where the remains are, a claim that has drawn skepticism given past patterns in which delay was used to serve strategic aims. The core point in the current debate is whether the return of all hostages will be treated as a prerequisite for any further steps, a principle many see as non negotiable if the parties are to restore stability in Gaza and northern Israel.
Beyond the hostage issue, tensions between Jerusalem and Washington have grown at a moment when tactical clarity is needed. Differences over the Gaza Board of Peace and the role of Turkish and Qatari mediators have the potential to muddy the immediate task of bringing Hamas to comply with the conditions tied to the deal’s second phase. Still, observers stress that strategic disagreements about Gaza’s long term governance must not derail the nonnegotiable demand at the heart of Trump’s plan—the return of all hostages. If credible intelligence exists on Gvili’s whereabouts, analysts say Washington and Jerusalem should leverage that information with appropriate measures and a sense of urgency, rather than allow it to be set aside in a broader contest over mediation frameworks. The Gvili family’s call for action highlights the personal dimension of a conflict that remains deeply painful for Israeli citizens and soldiers alike.
In the meantime, the Gaza exchange and disarmament questions loom large as the regional diplomacy landscape evolves. A separate line of reporting describes Hamas presenting a stringent set of conditions for surrendering weapons. The list includes the reintegration of Hamas officials into Gaza’s incoming administrative structure, integration of its security forces into the Palestinian Authority’s apparatus, recognition of Hamas as a legitimate political faction eligible to participate in elections, and protections for top Hamas leadership against Israeli action. In exchange, Hamas would retain a limited armament for senior leadership security. Intelligence assessments flag that tens of thousands of small arms, hundreds of anti-tank missiles, mortars, and a limited rocket arsenal would still lie in play, complicating any effort to demobilize without concessions from multiple parties. US mediators, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, have signaled that talks are poised to resume in the coming days, with broad agreement that any path to a Gaza peace would require complex compromises, realistic security guarantees, and credible mechanisms to prevent renewed violence. President Trump, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, framed the issue of Hamas disarmament with a stark deadline, asserting that Hamas had pledged to surrender its weapons but that Washingto