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Israel Says It Intercepts Missile Fired from Yemen, Houthis Say they Targeted Eilat

New imported cars are seen in a parking lot next to the Eilat port, Israel, June 12, 2018. Picture taken June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
New imported cars are seen in a parking lot next to the Eilat port, Israel, June 12, 2018. Picture taken June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
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Israel Says It Intercepts Missile Fired from Yemen, Houthis Say they Targeted Eilat

New imported cars are seen in a parking lot next to the Eilat port, Israel, June 12, 2018. Picture taken June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
New imported cars are seen in a parking lot next to the Eilat port, Israel, June 12, 2018. Picture taken June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo

Israel said its air defenses intercepted a surface-to-surface missile launched from Yemen on Sunday and Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement said it had fired several missiles at the Israeli Red Sea city of Eilat.
The attack prolonged an escalation of violence between Israel and the Houthis that began on Friday when the Yemeni group launched a drone that hit the center of Tel Aviv, killing one man and wounding four others.
Israeli warplanes carried out an air raid near Yemen's Hodeidah port in response on Saturday, hitting what Israel said were Houthi military targets. Six people were killed and 80 others injured in the attack, medical sources in Yemen told Reuters on Sunday, saying that they were all civilians.
Images from the scene showed a fiery blaze and dense smoke rising from the site of the strike.
The Israeli military said its Arrow 3 missile defense system had shot down the projectile launched from Yemen on Sunday before it crossed into Israeli territory.
Before the interception, air raid sirens had sounded in Eilat, sending residents running for shelter.
The exchanges are part of a spillover from the more than nine-month-old Gaza war that has drawn in regional and world powers.
Iran-aligned groups including the Houthis have fired rockets and missiles at Israel saying they are doing so in support of Palestinians and the group Hamas that controls Gaza. The United States and its allies back Israel and provide weapons to it.
The war began on Oct. 7 after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in which about 1,200 people were killed, according to Israeli authorities. Israel has since bombed and invaded Gaza killing nearly 39,000 people, according to health officials in the enclave.
The Houthis, who control much of the north of Yemen and other large population centers have previously claimed targeting Eilat and other attacks directed at Israel, saying they are acting in retaliation for Israel's war on Gaza.
The group has also attacked Red Sea shipping routes for months.
Hamas' allies include Iran-backed groups such as the Houthis, Lebanese Hezbollah and Iraqi paramilitaries.

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UN Lays Groundwork for Gaza Aid Surge under Ceasefire but Still Sees Challenges

An Israeli Black Hawk military helicopter lands inside North Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from Israel, January 14, 2025. (Reuters)
An Israeli Black Hawk military helicopter lands inside North Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from Israel, January 14, 2025. (Reuters)
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UN Lays Groundwork for Gaza Aid Surge under Ceasefire but Still Sees Challenges

An Israeli Black Hawk military helicopter lands inside North Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from Israel, January 14, 2025. (Reuters)
An Israeli Black Hawk military helicopter lands inside North Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from Israel, January 14, 2025. (Reuters)

The United Nations said on Tuesday it was busy preparing to expand humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip under a potential ceasefire but uncertainty around border access and security in the enclave remain obstacles.

Negotiators in Qatar are hammering out final details of a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, with mediators and the warring sides all describing a deal as closer than ever. A truce would include a significant increase of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

The UN humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, met with Israeli and Palestinian ministers in recent days and spoke with the Egyptian foreign minister on Tuesday about UN engagement in a ceasefire, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

"The UN system as a whole is in intense planning and preparation for when a ceasefire comes into play, and how we can increase the aid," Dujarric said.

Among the unknowns are what border crossings would be open into Gaza under a truce and how secure the enclave would be for aid distribution since many shipments have been targeted by armed gangs and looters during the conflict.

"Obviously, things that will continue to be challenging because we don't have answers to all those questions," Dujarric said.

The UN has complained of aid obstacles in Gaza throughout the 15-month-old war. The UN says Israel and lawlessness in the enclave have impeded the entry and distribution of aid in the war zone.

'DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE'

Global food security experts warned in November there is a "strong likelihood that famine is imminent" in northern Gaza. More than 46,000 people have been killed in Israel's assault on Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials.

Israel has said the quantity of aid delivered to Gaza -- which it puts at more than a million tons over the past year -- has been adequate. But it accuses Hamas of hijacking the assistance before it reaches Palestinians in need. Hamas has denied the allegations and blamed Israel for shortages.

The fate of the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA - which the UN says is the backbone of aid operations in Gaza - is also unclear as a law banning its operation on Israeli land and contact with Israeli authorities is due to take effect later this month.

Dujarric said the UN and partner organizations are "doing everything possible" to reach Palestinians in need with extremely limited resources.

"However, ongoing hostilities and violent armed looting as well as systematic access restrictions continue to severely constrain our efforts," he said. "Road damage, unexploded ordinances, fuel shortages and a lack of adequate telecommunications equipment are also hampering our work."

"It is imperative that vital aid and commercial goods can enter Gaza through all available border crossings without delay, at a scale needed," he said.

Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel has laid much of Gaza to waste, and the territory's pre-war population of 2.3 million people has been displaced multiple times, humanitarian agencies say.