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Arab World

Israel Strikes Gaza Rocket Launch Site, Ceasefire Deal under Strain

Rockets are fired by Palestinian militants into Israel, amid Israeli-Palestinian fighting, in Gaza City August 5, 2022. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
Rockets are fired by Palestinian militants into Israel, amid Israeli-Palestinian fighting, in Gaza City August 5, 2022. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
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Israel Strikes Gaza Rocket Launch Site, Ceasefire Deal under Strain

Rockets are fired by Palestinian militants into Israel, amid Israeli-Palestinian fighting, in Gaza City August 5, 2022. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
Rockets are fired by Palestinian militants into Israel, amid Israeli-Palestinian fighting, in Gaza City August 5, 2022. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Israel's military said on Thursday it had carried out a targeted strike on a rocket launch site near Gaza City after identifying a failed launch, as questions mount over when the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire will begin.

The military said the projectile did not cross into Israeli territory and that the launch site was struck shortly after the attempt was detected.

It accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire twice in the past ‌24 hours. A ‌source from the Palestinian militant group told Reuters it ‌was ⁠checking ​the ‌allegation.

Further highlighting the fragility of the ceasefire deal, local Palestinian health authorities said two people, a woman and a boy, had been injured on Thursday in two separate shooting incidents by Israeli forces in southern and northern Gaza.

There was no immediate Israeli comment on the report.

Israel is awaiting the handover of the final body due under the current stage of the truce. An Israeli official close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel ⁠will not move to the next phase of the ceasefire until Hamas returns the remains of the last Israeli ‌hostage still held in Gaza.

Israel has yet to open ‍the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, ‍which is another condition of the US-backed plan, saying it will only do ‍so once the remains are returned.

CEASEFIRE LOOKING FRAGILE

Israel and Hamas have accused each other of major breaches of the ceasefire deal and remain far apart on the more difficult steps envisaged for the next phase.

Israel has continued to carry out air strikes and targeted operations across Gaza. ​The Israeli military said it views "with utmost severity" any attempts by militant groups in Gaza to attack Israel.

A Hamas official told Reuters on ⁠Thursday the group had documented more than 1,100 Israeli violations of the ceasefire since October and had urged mediators to intervene.

The violations include killings, injuries, artillery and aerial strikes, home demolitions and detention of people, he said.

Hamas has refused to disarm and has been reasserting its control as Israeli troops remain entrenched in about half the Gaza Strip. Israel has said it will resume military action if Hamas is not disarmed peacefully.

More than 400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since the truce, according to Gaza health officials, as well as three Israeli soldiers.

Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people and abducted 251 others in an assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli figures. More than 71,000 Palestinians ‌have been killed in Israel's offensive in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.

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Arab World

Hundreds in Somalia’s Capital Protest Israel’s Recognition of Breakaway Territory of Somaliland

People protest against Israel’s recognition of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland in Mogadishu, Somalia, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP)
People protest against Israel’s recognition of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland in Mogadishu, Somalia, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP)
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Hundreds in Somalia’s Capital Protest Israel’s Recognition of Breakaway Territory of Somaliland

People protest against Israel’s recognition of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland in Mogadishu, Somalia, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP)
People protest against Israel’s recognition of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland in Mogadishu, Somalia, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP)

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Somalia’s capital to protest Israel’s recognition of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland, waving Somali flags and chanting patriotic songs in a show of national unity.

The protest on Thursday night took place at Taleh Square in downtown Mogadishu, where the crowds condemned Israel’s move as a violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity in the east African country. Demonstrators carried placards rejecting what they described as foreign interference in Somalia’s internal affairs.

The rally came two weeks after Israel announced that it recognized Somaliland as an independent and sovereign nation — and two days after Israel’s foreign minister visited Hargeisa, the Somaliland capital. On his visit, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that Israel would soon open an embassy and appoint an ambassador.

Thursday night's demonstration was the third such event since Israel recognized Somaliland on Dec. 26.

“We are protesting against the division of our country,” demonstrator Said Gedi said. “This is against the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Somalia, and we hope Somalia will stand united.”

Another protester, Abdirahman Abdulkadir, said that the demonstration was meant to send a message of unity.

“Somalia cannot be divided,” he said. “We are united by one religion, one culture and the same heritage.”

The demonstration coincided with a televised address by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who strongly rejected Israel’s decision and urged dialogue between Somaliland’s leaders and the federal government in Mogadishu.

“I want to make it clear once again that the Republic of Somalia is a sovereign and united country,” Mohamud said. “Its territory cannot be divided or ceded by any letter written by Israel or signed by (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu.”

Mohamud warned that the dispute could undermine Somalia’s political stability, economic recovery and development if not handled carefully. He urged Somaliland’s leadership to aim for talks, saying successful secessions elsewhere usually happened through political agreements. He cited examples including South Sudan, which became independent of Sudan in 2011.

Israel has no historical, cultural or economic ties with Somalia, he said.

Somaliland, a former British protectorate, declared independence from Somalia in 1991 following the collapse of the central government. Despite maintaining its own institutions and relative stability, it had never been recognized by a UN member state.

More than 20 mostly Middle Eastern or African countries and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation rejected Israel’s move.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Tuesday that Israeli recognition of Somaliland was a “dangerous precedent that threatens regional and international peace and security.”

US and Israeli officials told The Associated Press last year that Israel had approached Somaliland about taking in Palestinians from Gaza as part of US President Donald Trump’s plan at the time to resettle the territory’s population. Somalia's foreign ministry says such a proposal has neither been discussed nor considered.

Washington has since abandoned that plan, and the US State Department says it continues to recognize the territorial integrity of Somalia, “which includes the territory of Somaliland.”

Arab World

Israel Casts Doubt on Hezbollah Disarmament South of the Litani

A French peacekeeper of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) stands by munitions formerly used by Iran-backed Hezbollah at a position that was held by the group in the Khraibeh Valley in el-Meri in south Lebanon on August 27, 2025. (AFP)
A French peacekeeper of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) stands by munitions formerly used by Iran-backed Hezbollah at a position that was held by the group in the Khraibeh Valley in el-Meri in south Lebanon on August 27, 2025. (AFP)
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Israel Casts Doubt on Hezbollah Disarmament South of the Litani

A French peacekeeper of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) stands by munitions formerly used by Iran-backed Hezbollah at a position that was held by the group in the Khraibeh Valley in el-Meri in south Lebanon on August 27, 2025. (AFP)
A French peacekeeper of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) stands by munitions formerly used by Iran-backed Hezbollah at a position that was held by the group in the Khraibeh Valley in el-Meri in south Lebanon on August 27, 2025. (AFP)

Israel on Thursday voiced skepticism over the Lebanese Army’s announcement that its plan to seize weapons from southern Lebanon has reached an advanced stage, calling the effort insufficient.

The reaction came even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the move as an “encouraging beginning,” while reiterating accusations that Hezbollah is rearming with Iranian support.

In a statement, Netanyahu’s office said the efforts by the Lebanese government and army to disarm Hezbollah amount to “a promising start, but absolutely not enough.”

It accused the group of attempting to rebuild its military infrastructure with backing from Iran, stressing that the US-brokered ceasefire agreement clearly calls for Hezbollah’s complete disarmament.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry echoed this skepticism, saying Hezbollah’s military infrastructure south of the Litani River remains intact and that the goal of disarming the group in southern Lebanon “is still far from being achieved.”

The ministry described the Lebanese Army’s efforts as limited, repeating claims that Hezbollah continues to rearm with Iranian assistance.

The Israeli security establishment adopted a sharper tone. Army Radio quoted military sources as saying statements by the Lebanese Army about disarmament in the south “do not reflect reality on the ground,” asserting that Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure are still present south of the Litani.

A military source told Haaretz that Israel’s assessment of the disarmament process “is not based on declarations, but on data and operational results,” adding that as long as Hezbollah’s military structures remain in place, there can be no talk of genuine disarmament.

Yedioth Ahronoth, citing military sources, reported that the Lebanese announcement had been expected and that Israel is inclined to reject claims that the area south of the Litani has been effectively disarmed.

According to the paper, the Israeli army believes Hezbollah still maintains combat capabilities there, describing the Lebanese Army’s performance as slow and partial, despite reaching sites where it was tasked with collecting Hezbollah weapons.

Lebanese parliamentary sources said Israel’s skeptical stance comes as no surprise. MP Mohammed Khawaja, of the Development and Liberation bloc, warned that Israeli threats against Lebanon “have not stopped and continue through its media,” stressing that the danger is aimed at all Lebanese, not a specific group or faction.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Khawaja said Israel is openly threatening the region and that Lebanon has long been part of its ambitions.

MP Waddah Al-Sadek said Netanyahu’s recent remarks suggest that, from Israel’s perspective, the continuation of the ceasefire is now conditional on Hezbollah’s full disarmament.

He argued that Israel’s description of Lebanese efforts as encouraging but inadequate may be a sign that an escalation could happen in the future despite assurances from Lebanon’s leaders and army command of their commitment to the ceasefire.

In Israel’s view, he said, such commitments are meaningless without concrete measures and a clear timetable for disarmament, conditions that risk providing Israel with justification for further escalation.

Arab World

Chinese Envoy Visited Israel and Ramallah This Week, Ministry Says

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar speaks during a meeting with Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto (not pictured), in Budapest, Hungary, October 27, 2025. (Reuters)
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar speaks during a meeting with Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto (not pictured), in Budapest, Hungary, October 27, 2025. (Reuters)
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Chinese Envoy Visited Israel and Ramallah This Week, Ministry Says

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar speaks during a meeting with Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto (not pictured), in Budapest, Hungary, October 27, 2025. (Reuters)
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar speaks during a meeting with Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto (not pictured), in Budapest, Hungary, October 27, 2025. (Reuters)

A Chinese envoy visited Israel and Ramallah ​this week and met senior officials from both sides, China's foreign ministry said in statements on ‌Friday.

Zhai Jun, ‌special ‌envoy ⁠of ​the ‌Chinese government on the Middle East issue, was in Israel from Tuesday to Thursday and held talks ⁠with Israeli officials ‌including Foreign Minister Gideon ‍Saar ‍and "exchanged views on ‍regional hot issues".

In a separate statement, the ministry said Zhai ​also visited Ramallah in the West Bank ⁠on Wednesday and held a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in which they discussed China-Palestinian relations and the Palestinian issue.