Israel-Palestine live: Israel’s response to South Africa’s genocide case at the ICJ ends

Harvard President Claudine Gay will step down after her remarks at a US Congressional hearing sparked a fierce backlash that she was condoning anti-semitism and increasing scrutiny over plagiarism accusations.

Gay’s resignation comes after the university governing body decided to keep her on as President. However, she faced pressure from high-powered donors and politicians to resign.

Gay was one of three top university presidents, along with Liz Magill of the University of Pennsylvania and Sally Kornbluth of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to testify at a congressional hearing on antisemitism on 5 December.

In an exchange with Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik that went viral, all three presidents evaded directly answering whether calling for the genocide of Jews violated their schools' bullying and harassment policies.

“It can be, depending on the context,” said Magill, adding shortly after that “antisemitic rhetoric, when it crosses into conduct that amounts to bullying, harassment, intimidation, that is actionable conduct, and we do take action”.

The Harvard Crimson first reported the news.

Israel is preparing for the firing of long range ballistic missiles by Hezbollah in response to the assassination of Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri, according to Axios.

Arouri was assassinated on Tuesday in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold where the group maintains its headquarters.

Lebanese acting Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the attack and called it "an Israeli crime" that was designed to draw Lebanon into the war in Gaza.

Lebanese media said Arouri was killed in an Israeli drone strike.

Israel did not immediately comment on the killing. It usually refuses to deny or confirm military action abroad.

Protests engulfed the occupied West Bank on Tuesday in response to an Israeli strike in Beirut that killed senior Hamas official, Saleh al-Arouri.

Palestinian media showed protestors marching through the Aroub refugee, camp north of Hebron.

Protestors denouncing Israel’s assassination also demonstrated in Ramallah, the capital of the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank.

Although Arouri was based in Beirut, Lebanon, he had deep ties to the occupied West Bank where he was born in 1966.

His start with Hamas came while attending Hebron University and working in student politics. He was also commander of Hamas’s military wing in the West Bank.

Israeli lawmaker Danny Danon suggested the assassination of Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri was a joint effort between the Israeli military and the country’s spy services in a social media post.

“I congratulate the IDF, the Shin Bet, the Mossad and the security forces for killing senior Hamas official Saleh al-Aaruri in Beirut,” he said.

“Anyone who was involved in the 7/10 massacre should know that we will reach out to them and close an account with them.”

The Shin Bet is Israel’s internal security service while the Mossad is the national intelligence agency responsible for foreign espionage and covert operations.

Six people were killed in an Israeli strike on Tuesday in Beirut that killed Saleh al-Arouri, a senior Hamas official, according to Lebanese media. 

Arouri was deputy chairman of Hamas’s political bureau and commander of Hamas’s military wing in the West Bank. Two commanders from Hamas's military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, were also killed in the strike, the group said. 

It's not immediately clear who the other dead are. 

Saleh al-Arouri was deputy chairman of Hamas’s political bureau and commander of Hamas’s military wing in the West Bank.

Arouri was assassinated by Israel in a strike on Tuesday, along with two commanders from Hamas's military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades.

Arouri was born on 19 August 1966 in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah. He worked his way up through Hamas, starting with student politics at Hebron University. He was one of the founders of the al-Qassam Brigades.

Arouri lived relatively freely within Beirut, but he has been on the US terrorist list since 2015 and had a $5m bounty placed on his head by Washington.

According to a New York Times report, Arouri was responsible for strengthening ties with both Iran and Hezbollah. He visited Tehran to meet the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council in 2017 after he was elected as deputy chairman of Hamas’s political bureau.

He also expanded Hamas’s military infrastructure within Lebanon.

Arouri's assassination on Tuesday is a serious escalation by Israel, both against Hamas’s leadership abroad and Hezbollah. The southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh where Arouri was killed is a Hezbollah stronghold where the group maintains its headquarters.

Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged near-daily fire along the Lebanese-Israeli border. Tuesday’s strike could imperil US efforts to reduce tensions along the border and contain the conflict in Gaza.

The attack is also the most senior on a Hamas leader since 7 October and could mark the beginning of Israel’s campaign to target the group's leadership abroad.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants American lawyer Alan Dershowitz to represent Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague next week to address allegations Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, according to Axios journalist, Barak Ravid.

South Africa launched a case on Friday for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to declare that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians in its military campaign in Gaza.

The submission from Cape Town, which says that Israel is in breach of its obligations under the Genocide Convention, calls for a halt to Israel's military operations in the besieged enclave.

Dershowitz is a well-known Jewish-American defence lawyer who has regularly defended Israel in Op-Ed articles and media appearances.

Dershowitz defended former US President Donald Trump during his Senate impeachment trial.

Israel assassinated senior Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut, Lebanese and Israeli media have said. 

There was no immediate comment from Hamas. 

An explosion rocked the southern suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut late on Tuesday, with videos posted on social media showing a destroyed vehicle with flames raging from the wreckage.

According to Lebanese state media, the blast was caused by an Israeli drone strike on Hamas's office, killing a senior Palestinian official. 

According to the video, ambulance sirens could also be heard in the background while buildings around the blast site appeared to have been damaged.

The Reuters news agency reported that the explosion took place in a Hezbollah stronghold. 

The incident comes amid heightened tensions between the Lebanese movement Hezbollah and Israel.

Israeli forces shot a Palestinian man in Gaza’s Khan Younis on Tuesday while he was going to buy essentials.

The man has been identified as Ahmed Emad Abu Mustafa.

According to his brother, he was shot more than once, wounding him severely. 

“We were walking to go and get resources, because as you know there is no fuel or bread and we can’t cook or do anything, all of a sudden we were targeted by Israeli forces,” Khaled Emad abu- Mustafa, his 20-year-old brother told Middle East Eye. 

“My brother was shot in the kidney and in his spine,” he added.

Khaled said that in the absence of emergency services, they were forced to pick up his brother and carry him on a horse drawn carriage. 

“We hope that countries all over the world feel for us, we can’t handle this anymore, people need to listen to us, there are tanks all over,” he added. 

Reporting by Ahmed Abu Aziz 
 

Earlier today, Israeli forces attacked the Palestinian Red Crescent compound in Gaza’s Khan Younis, killing five people.
The Red Crescent compound in Khan Younis includes various facilities such as the Red Crescent Society, Al-Amal Hospital, a hotel, and a building designated for people with special needs.

Israel is continuing to target the area, where around 14,000 Palestinians are sheltering after being forcibly displaced.

Waseem, a 37-year-old from Khan Younis told Middle East Eye that an explosion shook his home, in the area, at around 2.40pm and “screams filled the air.”

"They targeted the Red Crescent Society's top two roofs. The medical team recovered the bodies of four civilians who had sought refuge there, including a baby. There were a significant number of injuries. I saw at least 15 people rushing to Al-Amal Hospital," he said.

"The area here is designated as a safe zone, and we have not received any orders to evacuate, but it has been targeted over four times now. Targeting the top roofs today is alarming, as thousands of people seek refuge here," he added.

Reporting by Walaa Sabah
 

The head of Hamas’ political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, said on Tuesday that the captives held in Gaza will only be released when their conditions are met. 

Haniyeh added that “their resistance, leaders and fighters” are in good spirits and are “close to victory,” while Israel has “iolated everything in its aggression against the Gaza Strip with the utmost barbarism and brutality.”

Earlier, the Lebanese Al Mayadeen news channel reported that a senior member of Islamic Jihad said that Hamas and Islamic Jihad have outlined their position to Egypt, which includes demanding a ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip as a precondition for any progress in negotiations for the release of the hostages.
 

The Israeli army said on Tuesday that at least 31 soldiers have been wounded in Gaza over the last 24 hours. 

The figure takes the number of those wounded since the start of the ground invasion in October to 983.
 

Yemen’s Houthis have continued to impact vital trade routes in the Red Sea, forcing shipping companies to re-route. 

The attacks have affected a route vital to East-West trade, especially of oil, as ships access the Suez Canal via the Red Sea, according to Reuters.

In response, some shipping companies have instructed vessels to instead sail around southern Africa, a slower and therefore more expensive route.

The Danish shipping group said on 31 December it was pausing all sailing through the Red Sea for 48 hours after Houthis attacked the Maersk Hangzhou container vessel.

A South Korean container shipper said on 19 December it had also ordered its ships which would normally use the Suez Canal to reroute via the Cape of Good Hope.

Similar container shipping lines have also taken the decision to avoid the Red Sea.
 

An Israeli attack on the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) building in Gaza’s Khan Younis has killed five people, according to Al Jazeera.

A photo shared by the organisation shows shattered windows.

At least 14,000 displaced Palestinians are sheltering in and around the building, PRCS said.