Live Blog Update| Israel's genocide in Gaza
This is an entry from: Israel-Palestine live: Israel’s response to South Africa’s genocide case at the ICJ ends

Evening recap

4 January 2024 00:00 GMT

Good evening Middle East Eye readers,

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah delivered a highly anticipated speech Wednesday, warning that the assassination of a senior Hamas official in Beirut would “not go unpunished" by the Iran-aligned group. 

Nasrallah said the Israeli strike that killed Saleh al-Arouri, a senior Hamas official with close links to Tehran and Iran-backed groups like Hezbollah “was very serious.”

Arouri was killed in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, which Hezbollah controls.

Hezbollah faces a deterrence challenge as it weighs how to respond to the Israeli strike. In his speech, Nasrallah struck a note of caution, refusing to say exactly when or how Hezbollah would respond. 

He also provided a lengthy description on how Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” movements function across the region, saying they operate independently of each other, taking into account their own interests and those of their populations.

He said Hezbollah had honed its response to the war in Gaza to take into account other issues facing Lebanon. 

The US said it wasn’t informed by Israel of the Beirut strike beforehand and downplayed concerns that Arouri’s killing in Lebanon’s capital could escalate tensions, saying risks of the Gaza war widening  were “not any higher today” than before the assassination.

Shortly after Nasrallah’s speech, Reuters reported that a local Hezbollah official and three other members of the group were killed in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon.

In another major development, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced it will hold public hearings next week on South Africa’s allegation that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza.

Here are the major developments from the last few hours:

  • Israel pounded Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip Wednesday with artillery and air strikes, killing at least 20 people.
  • The EU’s top diplomat slammed Israeli ministers who called for the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza
  • The US and its allies issued a final ultimatum to the Houthis to stop maritime attacks in the Red Sea or “bear the responsibility of the consequences”
  • Jordan’s foreign minister said Israel’s goal is to 'ignite' the West Bank and Lebanon while dragging the West into a regional war
  • The US warned that Hamas still has a "significant force posture" inside Gaza and that Israel is unlikely to erase the group from existence

We're going to be taking a pause in our live coverage. However, you can stay up to date on the latest developments from Gaza and Israel. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok and Telegram.