The latest o-n Israel's war on Hamas
By Heather Chen, Sana Noor Haq and Antoinette Radford, CNN
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- Catch Up
"Dreams have been shattered." Displaced Palestinians describe fear, death and disease as war rages into 2024
From CNN's Sana Noor Haq
Mohammed Aghaalkurdi says his nephews and nieces in Gaza are “craving a warm and healthy dinner” this year, as hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians try to seek protection from Israel’s bombardment and ground offensive.
“While children all around the world are celebrating Christmas and New Year’s and setting resolutions for what is hoped to be a bright future, children of Gaza are being heavily attacked,” Mohammed Aghaalkurdi, a program officer with UK-based charity Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), said Monday.
Aghaalkurdi’s testimony was shared with CNN by MAP. He’s staying in a rented house in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, with at least 10 other people – including five of his colleagues and their families.
Israel’s complete siege on the Palestinian territory and severe restrictions of essential supplies entering the strip have triggered spiraling food prices, leaving 2.2 million residents in Gaza at risk of severe dehydration, malnutrition and infectious diseases including upper respiratory tract infections, diarrhea, lice and scabies, chickenpox, skin rash, jaundice and meningitis, according to the World Health Organization.
Israeli attacks on Gaza since Hamas’ October 7 attacks have killed at least 22,185 Palestinians, most of whom are women, children and the elderly, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health. CNN is unable to independently confirm the figures provided by the health ministry in Gaza due to restricted access to the region and the difficulty in verifying accurate numbers amidst the ongoing war.
“For more than 80 days, they (children) have been unmercifully killed and displaced with their families for countless times until (they) ended up in a helpless and cold tent, unprotected, hungry and thirsty,” said Aghaalkurdi.
“Their beautiful dreams have been shattered and turned into nightmares filled with fear and homelessness. Surrounded by exhausted and busy adults (looking for food and drinking water), our kids have lost the beautiful meanings of life,” he added.
“Despite what has been happening, there is a little hope we carry inside our hearts that calm will prevail soon and our kids will heal.”
Salwa Tibi, a displaced aid worker who works at the humanitarian agency CARE International, told CNN on Tuesday she hopes 2024 will bring “security, safety, peace and prosperity.”
Tibi, 53, is staying in a rented house in Rafah, in southern Gaza, with at least 20 relatives including eight children and babies – the youngest of whom is three months old.
“(I) hope Gaza will be reconstructed as quickly as possible, and that life will return to normal despite the severe pain, losses of loved ones, friends and relatives,” she said.
What we know about the senior Hamas leader killed in the Beirut attack
From CNN’s Abeer Salman and AnneClaire Stapleton
Hamas said Tuesday that one of its senior officials has been killed in an attack in southern Beirut. Saleh Mohammed Suleiman al-Arouri was a prominent Palestinian political and military leader whom Israel considers one of the key founders of the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, in the occupied West Bank.
He was born in the village of Aroura in the Ramallah district in 1966. He received his primary, preparatory, and secondary education in the Palestinian territories. He obtained a bachelor's degree in Islamic Sharia from Al-Khalil University in Hebron.
A member of Hamas since 1987, he began establishing and organizing a military apparatus for the movement in the West Bank in 1991-1992, which contributed to the actual launch of the Al-Qassam Brigades in the West Bank in 1992.
He was the former deputy head of the Political Bureau of Hamas and had a hand in negotiating the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011, in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
He had been repeatedly detained by Israel, including for long periods between 1985 and 1992, and from 1992 to 2007, according to the European Council on Foreign Relations. In 2010 he was deported by Israel to Syria where he lived for three years before moving to Turkey, and then from there to Lebanon.
Hamas says senior leader has been killed in attack in southern Beirut
From Abeer Salman, Tamara Qiblawi and Charbel Mallo
Hamas has announced that one of the victims of an attack in the south of the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday night was a senior official, Saleh Al Arouri.
Hamas media outlet Al Aqsa TV said that the “Deputy Head of the Political Bureau of Hamas, the martyr leader Saleh Al Arouri, was martyred in a treacherous Zionist airstrike in Beirut.”
Al Arouri was considered one of the founding members of the group's military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, and was based in Beirut.
The Israeli army demolished Al Arouri’s house in the occupied West Bank town of Aroura in October.
At the time, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that forces “operated in the town” overnight to “demolish the residence of Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of the Hamas terrorist organization’s political bureau and in charge of the Hamas’ activities in Judea and Samaria.”
The IDF said it didn't have a comment about the attack when reached out to by CNN.
Lebanon'd Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the explosion that is reported to have killed Al Arouri.
Mikati said on X that the “explosion is a new Israeli crime” aimed at drawing Lebanon into a new phase of confrontation.
“We call on the concerned countries to put pressure on Israel to stop its targeting. We also warn against the Israeli political level resorting to exporting its failures in Gaza to the southern (Lebanese) border,” the prime minister wrote.
Former Israeli envoy to United Nations Danny Danon congratulated the Israeli security and intelligence agencies for the "assassination" of a senior Hamas figure.
“I congratulate the IDF, the Shin Bet, the Mossad and the security forces for killing senior Hamas official Salah al-Aaruri [sp] in Beirut,” Danon said on X. “Anyone who was involved in the 7/10 massacre should know that we will reach out to them and close an account with them,” Danon added.
Bipartisan US Senate delegation plans to meet with Israeli prime minister on trip to Middle East
From CNN's Manu Raju and Morgan Rimmer
A bipartisan group of United States Senators will travel to the Middle East Tuesday night to meet with senior Israeli officials to discuss the state of the Israel-Hamas war.
The lawmakers are members of the Senate Intelligence Committee. They are also expected to talk with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and leaders in Arab countries during the visit, according to Sen. Kyrsten Gillibrand.
Gillibrand told CNN that her group is one of several congressional delegations in the region planning to meet with top officials to learn about the latest in the conflict and the impact Israel's military campaign has had on Hamas. She said her group of five senators will also head to Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
"We're going to assess the status of the war as well as what the opportunities are for regional allies to create a path to peace," the New York Democrat told CNN.
What else to look out for: Later this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will also travel to the Middle East to continue discussions with Israeli officials about the next phase of the war in Gaza.
Blinken’s trip is a continuation of a Biden administration initiative of sending its senior-most officials to Israel on a near-weekly basis for direct, in-person meetings with Israel’s war cabinet.
The topic of the war’s trajectory has been at the center of conversations between American and Israeli officials, including a lengthy phone call between President Joe Biden and Netanyahu last week that officials described as very direct and at times strained.
Israel's prime minister says Hamas hostage ultimatum has "softened slightly"
From Lauren Izso in Tel Aviv
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that there was an ultimatum from Hamas on the release of hostages from Gaza and that it has now “softened slightly.”
He did not provide more details about the ultimatum.
According to the prime minister’s office, he made the remarks during a meeting with representatives of the families of those being held hostage in Gaza.
"The effort continues, there is contact, it has not been cut off,” Netanyahu said.
“There was an ultimatum from Hamas, now it has softened slightly,” he continued.
He added there is a “contact currently taking place” with Hamas without providing further details.
Israel will appear before ICJ at The Hague to address South Africa's claim of genocide
From CNN’s Amir Tal
The State of Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice at The Hague “to dispel South Africa's absurd blood libel,” Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy said in a news briefing Tuesday, referring to South Africa’s claim that Israel is committing genocide in its war against Hamas.
“How tragic that the rainbow nation that prides itself on fighting racism will be fighting pro-bono for anti-Jewish racists," Eylon Levy said.
"We have no doubt that after the Jewish state brings to justice the perpetrators of the bloodiest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, history will judge South Africa for abetting the modern heirs of the Nazis. We assure South Africa's leaders history will judge you,” he said.
Some context: On Friday, South Africa filed an application at the International Court of Justice to begin proceedings over allegations of genocide against Israel for its war against Hamas in Gaza, the court said.
In its application, South Africa accuses Israel of being “in violation of its obligations under the Genocide Convention” and says “acts and omissions by Israel... are genocidal in character, as they are committed with the requisite specific intent... to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group,” the ICJ said in a statement.
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Israel defense minister says IDF operations in Gaza won't stop soon – but will change
From CNN's Tim Lister
The Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, said on a visit to the Gaza Strip that Israel's military operations in the enclave will continue for some time but will change as it assesses the situation.
“The feeling that we will stop soon is incorrect — without a clear victory, we will not be able to live in the Middle East," the official said.
Gallant made a visit to the soldiers of the 99th Division inside Gaza along the Salah Al-Din route, the central road connecting north and south Gaza. He said it was vital to hold the route “in order to strengthen achievements in the northern area of the Gaza strip, while focusing efforts on the area of Khan Younis,” according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
“We must emerge victorious for two reasons — first in order to exact a price, and to ensure that anyone living near the Gaza strip may do so safely. In addition – a scenario in which 1,500 people are killed or taken hostage, must end with clear-cut deterrence and victory, otherwise we cannot live in the Middle East. As such, we are determined to achieve our goals,” Gallant said.
He contended that there were “several thousand [Hamas fighters] out of the 15 or 18 thousand that were in this area.”
“A large number of terrorists were eliminated, while some fled to the south. This means that in this place, tactically speaking, we will operate via firepower, some maneuvering, special operations, and if necessary, we will hold this area for a period of time. The goal is to exhaust the enemy [Hamas terrorists] and eliminate them," he said.
Gallant asserted that “in the north we destroyed 12 Hamas battalions. This does not mean that we have eliminated all the terrorists – but the scenario in which a terrorist may pick up binoculars, report back, shoot mortars, and then a battalion commander sends over maneuvering forces — this scenario is irrelevant here.”
He added: “In the southern area of the Gaza strip, the reality is different,” and that in Khan Younis operations were focused on what is above the tunnels where “senior Hamas officials are hiding, at great depths."
Gallant insisted that operations were changing, and not stopping.
“Our course of action changes as a function of our accomplishments and situation assessments. We are not giving up — it's not that we are stopping our activities now —there is an incorrect feeling [about this] that I have been hearing," he added.
"We are ending this campaign when Hamas no longer functions as a governing body and certainly not as a military body that sends troops [to conduct attacks]. Now we continue maintaining our capabilities," he said.
Gallant then spoke briefly about the northern border with Lebanon, describing it as an additional threat. “We will begin a preparation process to address this. We are constantly watching the arena and holding a finger on the trigger, as far as what is happening in the northern arena.”
Palestinian Health Ministry: Respiratory and skin diseases continue to spread in Gaza amid humanitarian crisis
From CNN's Tim Lister
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in West Bank has provided its latest update on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Its information is draw from data supplied by hospitals and other sources in the Hamas-controlled territory.
The ministry cautions that obtaining accurate data is difficult given how many people are now living in the streets.
The latest update says:
- 1.93 million people are now displaced in Gaza, of whom some 1.2 million are registered at UN facilities across the territory.
- Nine out of 36 hospitals in Gaza are partially functioning but the ministry says it has no information about health provision in central and northern Gaza.
- The average bed occupancy in those functioning hospitals was 351%.
- Respiratory and skin diseases continue to spread.
- There are nearly 200,000 cases of acute respiratory infections, more than 130,000 cases of diarrhea, and more than 50,000 cases of scabies and lice. It said the combination of being forcibly displaced and cold weather aggravated the risk of illnesses.
- The ministry also echoed assessments by the United Nations and NGOs working in Gaza about the extent of food security, now estimated to be affecting almost the entire population. It estimated that 378,000 people were at a “catastrophic” level of food insecurity.
CNN is unable to confirm figures provided by the ministry.
Several people killed in bombardment of Palestinian Red Crescent Society Khan Younis headquarters, NGO says
From CNN's Ibrahim Dahman and Eyad Kourdi
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) says several people have been killed by Israeli bombardment of its headquarters in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Khan Younis is currently a focus of Israeli military operations.
The PRCS says there were also others wounded among the 14,000 displaced individuals housed in the PRCS’s premises and the adjacent Al-Amal Hospital.
A spokesperson for the PRCS, Raed Al-Nims, told CNN:
"There was a bombing that targeted the eighth floor of the Red Crescent Hospital. There are more than five martyrs. There is panic in the place and dozens of injuries.”
“There is difficulty in communication with Khan Younis. The numbers are not final.”
Al Nims said that medical teams are still working to rescue the wounded.
Separately, a spokesperson at the nearby Nasser hospital told CNN it had received five bodies and several more injured people “due to an Israeli bombing of the upper floor of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society HQ in Khan Younis."
CNN has sought comment from the Israel Defense Forces.
Israeli military secures Hamas intelligence and control center in Gaza City, IDF says
From CNN’s Tim Lister
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says its units have secured a Hamas intelligence and control center in Gaza City but sustained casualties in close-quarter fighting.
The IDF says the 401st Brigade conducted a “targeted raid on the central building of the Eastern Military Post in Gaza City. The Eastern Military Post is a strategic stronghold of Hamas in Gaza City, in which there were operational command and control rooms.”
The IDF also said the brigade had discovered an underground Hamas bunker, from which it “managed the war in the Gaza Strip. The underground compound was 20 meters deep and included large operational rooms and hideouts for the Hamas’ leaders.”
CNN is unable to verify details provided by the IDF.
In the Eastern Military Post, the 401st discovered five central tunnel shafts dozens of meters deep which were inter-connected and provided entrance to the underground control center compound. An engineering unit had destroyed the tunnel route.
The IDF also spoke of close quarter fighting around the Eastern Military Post. “During the targeted raid, the forces engaged the enemy, during which terrorists fired at them from the upper floors. The forces returned fire while evacuating the wounded soldiers.”
Three IDF soldiers had been killed in close-quarter combat.
There has been intense fighting, accompanied by multiple Israeli air strikes, in several parts of central Gaza in recent days.
Gaza death toll rises to more than 22,000, reports Hamas-run health ministry
From CNN’s Ibrahim Dahman, Abeer Salman, Eyad Kourdi and Sana Noor Haq
Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 22,185 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intensifies its military campaign in the central part of the territory.
In the past 24 hours, at least 207 people were killed and 338 were injured, the health ministry in Gaza said. The figures from the ministry do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
CNN is unable to independently confirm the figures provided by the health ministry in Gaza due to restricted access to the region and the difficulty in verifying accurate numbers amidst the ongoing war.
The Israel Defense Forces has expanded operations in central Gaza and on Monday said it was now able to draw down the number of soldiers deployed in the enclave.
Some context: US officials have urged Israel to begin a more targeted phase of fighting against Hamas, as the civilian death toll in Gaza spirals. US intelligence assessments suggest nearly half of the air-to-ground munitions that Israel used in Gaza have been unguided.
CNN previously reported that in the first month of its war in Gaza, Israel dropped hundreds of massive bombs, many of them capable of killing or wounding people more than 1,000 feet away.
Human rights groups and NGOs have said Israel's "indiscriminate" bombing is making it "impossible to sustain human life" in the densely populated Palestinian enclave.
IDF reports striking Hezbollah and Syrian army targets
From CNN's Amir Tal and Charbel Mallo
The Israeli military said fighter jets struck targets belonging to the militant Lebanese group Hezbollah in the area of Yaroun in southern Lebanon, where crossfire has intensified since Israel launched its war on Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) added that it hit “military infrastructure belonging to the Syrian Army" in response to launches Monday toward Israeli territory.
In addition, two launches were identified crossing from Lebanon toward the area of Shlomi, northern Israel, it said.
Hezbollah claimed an attack on an Israeli military barracks near the border on Monday at Zar’it, in northern Israel. There have been no reports of injuries or damage.
Separately, Lebanon’s official news agency reported Israeli artillery bombardment of hills between Shebaa and Kafr Shuba.
Some background: Combat between the IDF and Iran-backed Hezbollah is concentrated in northern Israel and southern Lebanon -- separate from Israel's military campaign further south in Gaza.
However, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has flared since October 7, raising concerns that the war in Gaza could evolve into a wider Middle East conflict.
Hezbollah's leadership has expressed support for Palestinians and condemned Israel's offensive in Gaza but has yet to directly intervene on Hamas' behalf.
CNN's Charbel Mallo, Sugam Pokharel and Tamar Michaelis contributed reporting.
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IDF says unit has taken control of "terrorist infrastructure" in central Gaza operation
From CNN's Amir Tal and Tim Lister
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its troops took control of “terrorist infrastructure” at the residence of Hamas’ Gaza Brigade Commander and killed "dozens of terrorist operatives" in an operation in central Gaza.
The 460th Brigade “enabled the entrance of special forces who scanned the area (Daraj Tuffah). During close-quarters combat, the troops killed dozens of terrorist operatives.”
“The soldiers also discovered and destroyed tunnel shafts, large quantities of weapons, and found intelligence material connecting the central Daraj Tuffah Mosque to the October 7th massacre,” the IDF said.
The commander of the 460th Brigade, Col. Dvir Edri said it had now “completed its mission in the Daraj Tuffah area.”
The IDF has expanded its military assault in central Gaza, but said Monday it was now able to reduce the number of soldiers stationed in Gaza. The 460th Brigade is one of the units being withdrawn to return to “scheduled training.”
Some background: The Israeli military has said thousands of its troops will leave Gaza, but added that "planning and preparation" for fighting will continue into 2024.
The move indicates a lower-intensity stage of the war, a US official said, as the White House urges Israeli officials to begin a more targeted phase of combatting Hamas. US President Joe Biden previously said Israel had been engaged in “indiscriminate bombing” in Gaza, which is prohibited by international humanitarian law.
US intelligence assessments suggest nearly half of the air-to-ground munitions that Israel used in Gaza have been unguided, otherwise known as “dumb bombs.” Unguided munitions are typically less precise and can pose a greater threat to civilians.
Israeli attacks have killed at least 21,978 people in Gaza and injured 57,697, the Hamas-run Ministry of Health said. CNN is unable to independently confirm the figures provided by the ministry due to restricted access to the region and difficulty in verifying accurate numbers amid the war.
Israel is removing some troops from Gaza as it expects fighting "throughout" 2024. Here's what to know
From CNN staff
The Israel Defense Forces anticipates warfare in Gaza to last throughout this year as it begins to reduce the number of soldiers in the territory and prepares for a new phase of the conflict, a military spokesman said.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Supreme Court has struck down a controversial change to the judiciary, a move that could reignite fierce tensions within the country.
Here's what else to know:
- Troop withdrawals: Thousands of Israeli troops will leave Gaza, the IDF said. The military said it is aimed at ensuring “planning and preparation for the continuation of 2024 ... understanding that we will be required for additional tasks and warfare throughout this year.” The move signals Israel's gradual shift to a lower-intensity phase of its war, a senior United States official said. The US has been pressing Israeli officials to begin the more targeted phase of fighting Hamas as the death toll continues to grow in Gaza.
- New year fighting: Israel intercepted at least 12 rockets fired from Gaza just minutes into the start of 2024, according to a CNN team in Tel Aviv that witnessed the attack. Inside Gaza, at least 156 people were killed in the enclave over one day, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza. Since the October 7 attacks, 21,978 people across Gaza have been killed, the ministry said in a statement. CNN is unable to independently confirm the figures provided by the ministry due to restricted access to the region and difficulty in verifying accurate numbers amid the ongoing conflict.
- Israeli divisions: Israel’s Supreme Court on Monday struck down a controversial government plan to limit the powers of the judiciary, in an unprecedented move that reignited fierce tensions in the country as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wages war against Hamas in Gaza. The verdict reopened an emotional and heated debate that had raged in Israel throughout 2023 but was sidelined following Hamas’ attacks on October 7. And it could cause splits within Israel’s war cabinet, made up of Netanyahu and two prominent critics of his efforts to overhaul the courts.
- Palestinians struggle to find food: Palestinians displaced inside Gaza have described cramped living conditions, sky-high prices for food, children going hungry and poor sanitation. CNN spoke by phone with several people trying to survive in Rafah, in the south, which tens of thousands have fled to despite it already being the most densely populated part of Gaza.
- Shipping attacks: Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have stepped up their attacks in the Red Sea, which they say are revenge against Israel for its military campaign in Gaza. There are fears that the attacks could escalate Israel’s war against Hamas into a wider regional conflict. On Sunday, the US sank three Houthi boats and killed those aboard after coming under fire, marking the first occasion since tensions broke out earlier in 2023 that the US has killed members of the rebel group. The US said Sunday that it has no desire to enter a wider war, but that it will act in its own self-defense.
Israeli communities evacuated after Hamas attacks will be able to return soon, defense minister says
From CNN’s Lauren Izso in Tel Aviv and Eve Brennan in London
Israel says some communities displaced after the October 7 Hamas attacks will soon be able to return home.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday said Israeli citizens from houses within a range of 4 to 7 kilometers (about 2.5 to about 4 miles) north of the Gaza Strip will be able to start a gradual return in the near future.
In a video statement following a tour of kibbutz Dorot near the Gaza border in southern Israel, Gallant said the return will begin with communities farthest out and then later move to all the remaining ones.
Gallant said Israeli forces "know their mission … so that here, in our southern communities, life will return to its course."
Withdrawal of some Israeli troops appears to be start of next phase of war, US official says
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
Israel's announcement that it is starting to draw down its number of troops in Gaza shows signs of the country's gradual shift to a lower-intensity phase of its war, a senior United States official said Monday.
The Israel Defense Forces said earlier Monday it was beginning to reduce the number of soldiers on the ground in Gaza as it prepares for prolonged fighting throughout 2024.
The US has been pressing Israeli officials to begin the more surgical phase of fighting as the Israeli military continues to target Hamas.
The official said the move reflected the success IDF forces have had in northern Gaza in dismantling Hamas' military capabilities.
Still, the official cautioned there was still fighting ongoing in the north and that it did not appear to reflect any changes in the south of Gaza.
US officials are viewing the next few weeks as a critical period that will demonstrate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s willingness to move to a lower-intensity phase of going after Hamas in Gaza.
To look out for: Later this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to the Middle East to continue discussions with Israeli officials about the next phase of the war in Gaza, which American officials have made clear they expect to begin soon.
Blinken’s trip is a continuation of a Biden administration initiative of sending its most senior officials to Israel on a near-weekly basis for direct, in-person meetings with Israel’s war cabinet.
The topic of the war’s trajectory has been at the center of conversations between American and Israeli officials, including a lengthy phone call between President Joe Biden and Netanyahu last week that officials described as very direct and at times strained.
Israel's top court strikes down key part of judicial overhaul, reigniting divisions as war rages
From CNN's Rob Picheta, Amir Tal and Lauren Izso
Israel’s Supreme Court on Monday struck down a controversial government plan to limit the powers of the judiciary, in an unprecedented move that reignited fierce tensions in the country as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wages war against Hamas in Gaza.
The court ruled, by eight votes to seven, that a government amendment to the so-called reasonableness law should not stand. The bill had stripped the Supreme Court of the power to declare government decisions unreasonable, and was the first major piece of a multipronged effort to weaken the judiciary to be passed by the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, last year.
The verdict reopened an emotional and heated debate that had raged in Israel throughout 2023 but was sidelined following Hamas’ attacks on October 7. And it could cause splits within Israel’s war cabinet, made up of Netanyahu and two prominent critics of his efforts to overhaul the courts.
Netanyahu’s next moves will be watched closely by all sides, with the threat of a constitutional crisis looming should he attempt to push ahead with the controversial change.
In its ruling, the court said it rejected the amendment because it would deal a “severe and unprecedented blow to the core characteristics of the State of Israel as a democratic state.”
The law, which came into effect after it was passed in July, took away the court’s power to veto government decisions based on them being “unreasonable.” Vast swathes of Israel’s population opposed the change, according to opinion polls, which critics said would erode the independence of the courts and harm Israel’s democracy.
Among those opposing the plans were the two fellow members of Netanyahu’s war cabinet. Yoav Gallant, the minister of defense, became the first member of Netanyahu’s pre-war cabinet to publicly oppose his plans in March, leading to his temporary dismissal before he was reinstated. And Benny Gantz, the leader of Israel’s opposition National Unity party, led protests against the efforts earlier in the year.
Following the verdict Monday, Gantz said the court’s decision “must be respected.”
“These are not days for political arguments, there are no winners and losers today. Today we have only one common goal — to win the war together,” he said.
“After the war, we will be required to regulate the relationship between the authorities and enact a basic law that will also anchor the status of the basic laws.”
Israel says it is reducing number of soldiers in Gaza, but expects war "throughout" 2024
From CNN's Michael Rosenblatt, Alex Stambaugh and Amir Tal
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) expects warfare in Gaza to last “throughout” this year as it begins to reduce the number of soldiers in the territory and prepares for a new phase of the conflict, a military spokesman said.
The 551st and 14th brigades — comprised of reservists — will return to their families and civilian lives this week, the IDF said in a statement Monday.
The 828th Brigade, which trains squad commanders, the 261st brigade, which trains army officers, and the 460th Brigade, which trains the armored corps, will return to their scheduled training, the IDF said.
In a briefing Sunday, IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the objectives of the war “require prolonged fighting.”
The return of reservists, he added, is aimed at ensuring “planning and preparation for the continuation of 2024 ... understanding that we will be required for additional tasks and warfare throughout this year.”
Monday's statement said the move is expected to “significantly alleviate economic burdens” and the troops “to gather strength for upcoming activities in the next year, as the fighting will persist, and their services will still be needed.”
Background: Senior US officials told CNN in early December that they expected the current phase of Israel’s ground operation targeting the southern end of the strip to last several weeks before it transitions to a lower-intensity, hyper-localized strategy that narrowly targets specific Hamas militants and leaders.
US President Joe Biden's administration has warned Israel that it cannot replicate the kind of devastating tactics it used in northern Gaza and must do more to limit civilian casualties.
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