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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-01-31 at 15:02
Published 1 month ago
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HEADLINES
Hamas aims decade hostage leverage against Israel
Iran signals US talks amid naval pressure
Ultra Orthodox conscription crisis shatters trust
The time is now 3:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
In the Disputed Territories (Gaza, Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem), Brigadier-General (Reserve) Gal Hirsch said in an in-depth Jerusalem Post interview that Hamas planned to hold Israeli hostages for as long as a decade, using captives, living and dead, as strategic leverage to grind Israel down over years. He noted his own assessment early on pointed to a timeline measured in years, not months, with a rough estimate of around four years before a resolution. Hirsch said Israel repeatedly prepared covert hostage rescue missions that were canceled or shelved because planners doubted they could succeed or because rescuing one captive could endanger others nearby; when in doubt, he said, negotiations could buy time. The interview followed the recovery of police officer Ran Gvili’s remains from Gaza, a development Israeli officials described as significant. In Gaza, Israeli forces and Shin Bet conducted operations in response to a violation of the cease-fire, targeting Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. Eight militants were identified emerging from the underground network in eastern Rafah, and four commanders along with additional militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad were said to have been killed across Gaza. In addition, a weapons-storage facility, a weapons-production site, and two Hamas launch sites in central Gaza were struck, with the tally of dead in Gaza rising to about 30.
In the conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said work on a framework for negotiations with the United States is underway, arguing that despite media commentary the structure for talks is progressing. Iran’s top security official noted that structural arrangements for negotiations are moving forward, despite the atmosphere created by what he described as artificial media warfare. Separately, Iran said that progress toward US talks had been made even as the Iranian army chief warned Washington against launching military strikes. The presence of a US naval group off Iran’s shores, including the USS Abraham Lincoln, has heightened tensions, though Tehran signaled openness to nuclear talks if missiles and defense capabilities are not on the agenda. In parallel, a report quoted Ali Larijani asserting that structural arrangements for negotiations continue to advance, despite outside commentary. A separate briefing referenced President Trump’s remarks about laying out an ultimatum to Iran and noted that a large American force was moving toward the region, with officials suggesting a possible path to a deal but warning of consequences if one is not reached. A separate report described a large explosion in southern Iran at a residential building with significant destruction, with the situation still unclear and opposition groups claiming additional blasts elsewhere in Iran. A World Israel News item echoed a claim that the US military might attack Iran tomorrow, citing a goal attributed to Iran of inflicting at least 500 American casualties in the event of another strike.
In US Policy Concerning Israel, US officials said Israeli concerns about the Gaza Board of Peace are unfounded. The briefing stressed that President Trump will make the calls and that the United States will ensure full implementation of all objectives of the plan.
In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, The Times of Israel reports that Gregory Bovino, a United States Border Patrol officer leading immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota, allegedly described the Jewish prosecutor Daniel Rosen as difficult to reach during Shabbat, using the term “chosen people” in a mocking context, in a conversation w
Hamas aims decade hostage leverage against Israel
Iran signals US talks amid naval pressure
Ultra Orthodox conscription crisis shatters trust
The time is now 3:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
In the Disputed Territories (Gaza, Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem), Brigadier-General (Reserve) Gal Hirsch said in an in-depth Jerusalem Post interview that Hamas planned to hold Israeli hostages for as long as a decade, using captives, living and dead, as strategic leverage to grind Israel down over years. He noted his own assessment early on pointed to a timeline measured in years, not months, with a rough estimate of around four years before a resolution. Hirsch said Israel repeatedly prepared covert hostage rescue missions that were canceled or shelved because planners doubted they could succeed or because rescuing one captive could endanger others nearby; when in doubt, he said, negotiations could buy time. The interview followed the recovery of police officer Ran Gvili’s remains from Gaza, a development Israeli officials described as significant. In Gaza, Israeli forces and Shin Bet conducted operations in response to a violation of the cease-fire, targeting Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. Eight militants were identified emerging from the underground network in eastern Rafah, and four commanders along with additional militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad were said to have been killed across Gaza. In addition, a weapons-storage facility, a weapons-production site, and two Hamas launch sites in central Gaza were struck, with the tally of dead in Gaza rising to about 30.
In the conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said work on a framework for negotiations with the United States is underway, arguing that despite media commentary the structure for talks is progressing. Iran’s top security official noted that structural arrangements for negotiations are moving forward, despite the atmosphere created by what he described as artificial media warfare. Separately, Iran said that progress toward US talks had been made even as the Iranian army chief warned Washington against launching military strikes. The presence of a US naval group off Iran’s shores, including the USS Abraham Lincoln, has heightened tensions, though Tehran signaled openness to nuclear talks if missiles and defense capabilities are not on the agenda. In parallel, a report quoted Ali Larijani asserting that structural arrangements for negotiations continue to advance, despite outside commentary. A separate briefing referenced President Trump’s remarks about laying out an ultimatum to Iran and noted that a large American force was moving toward the region, with officials suggesting a possible path to a deal but warning of consequences if one is not reached. A separate report described a large explosion in southern Iran at a residential building with significant destruction, with the situation still unclear and opposition groups claiming additional blasts elsewhere in Iran. A World Israel News item echoed a claim that the US military might attack Iran tomorrow, citing a goal attributed to Iran of inflicting at least 500 American casualties in the event of another strike.
In US Policy Concerning Israel, US officials said Israeli concerns about the Gaza Board of Peace are unfounded. The briefing stressed that President Trump will make the calls and that the United States will ensure full implementation of all objectives of the plan.
In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, The Times of Israel reports that Gregory Bovino, a United States Border Patrol officer leading immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota, allegedly described the Jewish prosecutor Daniel Rosen as difficult to reach during Shabbat, using the term “chosen people” in a mocking context, in a conversation w