Operation Iron Swords (Updated to 1 p.m., February 6, 2024)

Overview^[1]

• The southern arena: IDF forces continued clearing the area west of Khan Yunis above and below the ground, killing dozens of terrorists and detaining several dozen Palestinians suspected of involvement in terrorist activities, including several terrorists who participated in the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre. In the northern and central Gaza Strip, IDF forces returned to areas which they had previously vacated, to deal with terrorist targets and armed terrorist operatives who had returned.
• According to unofficial statistics, since October 7, 2023, approximately 1,450 Israeli civilians and security personnel have been killed, 562 of them soldiers and officers; 132 civilian and military hostages are still being held by the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip; 121 hostages have been returned to Israel.
• Negotiations for a hostage deal: Statements of senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) members indicated they were still deliberating and had not yet reached a generally agreed-on decision. They promised to publish their decision soon and continued reiterating their conditions for a deal: a comprehensive ceasefire, Israel’s withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip and the lifting of the “siege.”
• The situation in the Gaza Strip: The UNRWA spokesman reported that many residents had migrated to Rafah, which resulted in a difficult situation and great overcrowding. He warned against carrying out a military operation in Rafah. The Palestinian Authority (PA) government will appoint a ministerial committee to coordinate the transfer and introduction of aid to the Gaza Strip. Jordanian and Dutch forces airlifted medical aid to the Jordanian field hospital in the northern Gaza Strip.
• The northern arena: Hezbollah claimed responsibility for seven attacks, most of them in the Mount Dov area. In response, the IDF attacked Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon from the air and with artillery fire. The Amal Movement, which has recently also attacked Israel, announced that three of its operatives were killed in action in south Lebanon.
• Judea and Samaria: Two shooting attacks were carried out at Kibbutz Merav on Mount Gilboa, in Israeli territory north of Jenin. There were no casualties. The IDF forces initiated a pursuit of the terrorists. It was the first shooting in the Gilboa communities since the beginning of the war. Terrorists shot at an IDF position south of Nablus. A terrorist was killed; there were no casualties to the IDF forces.
• Iran: Iran’s representative to the United Nations told a UN Security Council session that all the “resistance groups” in the region were independent, he denied an Iranian military presence in Iraq, and claimed that the military advisors in Syria had been invited by the Syrian government and were operating in the country legally.
• The pro-Iranian militias: The Islamic Resistance in Iraq published “photographic evidence” of the launch of a UAV at Eilat on January 28, 2024; no such attack was detected. The Houthis claimed responsibility for attacking two ships in the Red Sea. The United States military reported carrying out two waves of attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen.
• The UN: The UN Security Council met at the initiative of Russia to discuss the American attacks in Syria and Iraq. The UN secretary general said he intended to appoint an Internal Audit Division committee to determine whether UNRWA was making every possible effort to remain neutral; the committee will be headed by the former French foreign minister. Meanwhile, negotiations are being held to ensure the continuation of the UNRWA’s activities.

The Southern Arena

• Hashem Zaqout, an al-Jazeera correspondent in Rafah, reported that during the past day the IDF activities focused on the al-Amal neighborhood in the west of the city and near Nasser Hospital. In Rafah IDF forces focused on the region between Khan Yunis and Rafah and the in neighborhoods in eastern Rafah. He reported that IDF attacks had recently increased in the Rafah area and Israeli aircraft were heard overhead, indicating to local residents that the IDF was preparing for extensive activity in the area. In Gaza City there were heavy attacks in the south of the Rimal neighborhood, the port area, the Ansar compound, the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, the Sabra neighborhood and near Shifa Hospital (al-Jazeera YouTube channel, February 6, 2024).

    
An al-Jazeera TV presenter describes the IDF’s activity in the southwest of Gaza City (right) and west of Khan Yunis (left) (al-Jazeera YouTube channel, February 4, 2024)

    
IDF forces in the Gaza Strip (IDF spokesperson, February 6, 2024)

• The southern Gaza Strip: The IDF forces continued their activity in western Khan Yunis, clearing new locations above and below ground. They clashed with armed terrorists, some of whom were wearing in civilian clothes while attacking the forces. During the past day, the forces killed dozens of terrorists and detained about 80 Palestinians suspected of involvement in terrorist activities, including a number of terrorists who participated in the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre (IDF spokesperson, February 6, 2024).

     
Right: Attacking a PIJ terrorist operative who participated in the attack and massacre in the Deir al-Balah region on October 7, 2023. Left: Weapons found by IDF forces in Khan Yunis (IDF spokesperson, February 6, 2024)

• Residents who had taken shelter in the al-Amal Hospital compound and Palestinian Red Crescent headquarters in western Khan Yunis evacuated the sites after a stay of more than two weeks (Wafa YouTube channel, February 5, 2024). The spokeswoman for the Palestinian Red Crescent reported that 8,000 residents were recently forced to evacuate the area due to IDF activities (al-Arabi’s YouTube channel, February 5, 2024).

     
Residents who had taken shelter in al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis evacuate the site
(Wafa YouTube channel, February 5, 2024)

     
Right: Israeli Air Force attack on the Hamad neighborhood in northwestern Khan Yunis (Shehab X account, February 5, 2024). Left: IDF attacks on the Khan Yunis refugee camp (QudsN X account, February 5, 2024)

• Gaza City: IDF forces continued carrying out raids in the center and north of Gaza City and the al-Shati refugee camp region. IDF forces operating on the outskirts of the Rimal neighborhood continued attacking armed operatives and destroying terrorist facilities (IDF spokesperson, February 5, 2024).

• The northern Gaza Strip: IDF forces returned to areas where they previously operated to deal with terrorist targets and armed terrorist operatives who returned to the area, selecting specific sites for in-depth operations. The forces killed armed operatives, detained dozens of suspects and located large quantities of weapons (IDF spokesperson, February 5, 2024). IDF surveillance identified four terrorists in the Beit Hanoun area who were in the process of positioning an observation device to restore intelligence collection for the terrorist organizations in the northern Gaza Strip. A combat helicopter attacked and killed the squad (IDF spokesperson, February 6, 2024).

Palestinian perspective on the fighting

• Husam Badran, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, in response to remarks made by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, claimed that what senior Israeli officials said about the Hamas leadership was neither reliable nor realistic. He added that its objective was to influence Israeli public opinion, which had [allegedly] completely lost faith in the IDF and the security establishment, and to raise the morale of the Israeli public, as well as of the Israeli officials, who were debating their steps in the Strip and had not achieved any of their declared objectives. Regarding activity in Rafah, he said Israel spoke as if the campaign would end there, which was out of the question because the “resistance” was still active all over the Strip, and the rockets, which were launched according to decisions made by the “resistance” leadership, were even launched from the northern Gaza Strip. Furthermore, he reiterated that the Palestinians’ “firm stance” and the activity of the “resistance” had foiled Israel’s plan of displacing the Palestinians (al-Jazeera Mubasher TV website, February 6, 2024).

Israeli casualties

• According to unofficial statistics, since October 7, 2023, approximately 1,450 Israelis have been killed. According to the IDF spokesperson, 562 of them are soldiers and officers (225 since the start of the ground maneuver on 27 October, 2023); 132 civilian and military hostages are still being held by the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip; 121 hostages have been returned.

The issue of the hostages and a ceasefire agreement

• Hamas has not yet responded to the Paris agreement framework and continues to hold consultations internally and consultations with the other [terrorist] organizations to formulate an official, unified position. Senior Hamas and PIJ members said no deadline had been set for their answer but that it would be “soon.”
  • Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas member, stated that the main problematic issues were their insistence on a total ceasefire, on Israel’s withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip and on lifting the “siege.” However, he said, Israel had rejected all the demands. He claimed Israel wanted to continue attacking the Gaza Strip, did not want a ceasefire, and wanted to maintain the “siege.” Regarding the names of specific Palestinian prisoners Hamas demanded be released from prison, Hamdan said that from the beginning they had said they demanded the release of all the prisoners (al-Anadolu News, February 5, 2024).
  • Muhammad Nizal, a member of the Hamas political bureau, said that the agreement framework had been delivered to them only a week ago, and the Hamas leadership was holding “real” consultations, both internally and with the other “organizations.” He claimed they were not wasting time, but engaging in discussions and maintaining contacts with those “inside” and “abroad,” which had to be carried out securely. He claimed they had already come a long way, and “very soon” Hamas would announce its position on the agreement. He said that a date for the Hamas delegation’s visit to Egypt had not yet been set, as that involved formulating a position, adding that they would hold discussions in Cairo, articulate their comments and formulate a final position regarding the next step (al-Arabi TV YouTube channel, February 5, 2024).
  • Husam Badran, a member of the political bureau of Hamas, said giving a response was not related to time but to having their demands met, the first of which was the cessation of “aggression.” He added that the ball was in Israel’s court, which also had not responded to the document. Regarding the completion of the consultations, he said it would be difficult to pinpoint a date, as sometimes it was difficult to maintain contact, particularly with the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip. He said that they wanted every point, paragraph and step in the document to be completely clear and they wanted promises that Israel would implement the agreement because they did not trust it. Israel, he claimed had sabotaged every agreement that had been reached. He also noted that no date had been set for the Hamas leadership’s visit to Cairo. He said they had been invited but without a specific date, first they had to finish discussing the Paris document (al-Jazeera Mubasher TV website, February 6, 2024).
  • Mahmoud Mardawi, a senior Hamas member, said the proposed agreement was still being examined. He claimed certain sections were not clear and many details required clarification. They were currently holding consultations and would respond to the proposal “soon.” He added that they did not authorize anyone to speak on their behalf and they spoke for the “resistance,” so they needed time to formulate a response. He said that the proposal included the demands of the Israeli side, but it ignored their demands and left them to the results of the negotiations (Arab World Press News Agency (AWP), February 6, 2024).
  • A “source in Hamas” who preferred to remain anonymous said that the consultations were continuing and Hamas had not committed to a specific date for submitting its response. He said the “external” Hamas leadership had completed the first round of internal consultations, which also included discussions and meetings with the leadership of the PIJ, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and other Palestinian [terrorist] organizations, adding that Hamas had also informed the Hezbollah leadership in Lebanon of the details. He reiterated yet again the demands of Hamas and the organizations for a ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, release of Palestinian prisoners, allowing the displaced to return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, the reconstruction of Gaza, the introduction of humanitarian aid, and the lifting of the “siege,” claiming that without international guarantees Israel would not realize anything (Moroccan website Hespress, February 5, 2024).
  • Ali Abu Shahin, a member of the PIJ’s political bureau, claimed pressure was being applied to the “resistance” through the media and it was being rushed to give a final answer, but the issue required examination and the formation of a unified Palestinian position. He said the document was being studied and examined in consultations among the “resistance” movements, and in internal discussions in the leaderships of each organization, to formulate a unified Palestinian position and submit a unified response. He said it was a proposal for an agreement and had to be examined to verify to what extent it was consistent with their basic principles. He said they were cautious because they did not trust Israel or those who stood behind it. He reiterated their demands and said the hostage deal was not the main point, there were other issues, and together they formed one comprehensive package. He said they would respond at the appropriate time, when they felt they had finished deliberating the document. Referring to a statement by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Ali Abu Shahin said that the atmosphere in Israel, together with Gallant and Netanyahu’s statements about the continuation of the fighting and its expansion to Rafah, did not bode well. He claimed the mediators should note that Israel did not contribute a positive atmosphere for progress towards a solution. Asked if Antony Blinken’s visit to the region would help speed up closing a deal, he said that they did not trust Blinken, since the United States government had not yet changed its stated policy of total support for Israel and aid and backing for its “aggression” (Al-Jazeera TV website, February 6, 2024).
  • A “senior PIJ member,” who chose to remain anonymous, said that the Palestinian “organizations” had not yet submitted their response to the Paris document, but would submit it no later than February 6, 2024. That was because of the ongoing consultations among the organizations, and in particular with Hamas. He said the organizations were not obligated to submit their response by a specific date. He added that the response included the view of the “resistance” regarding the implementation of its four conditions: a ceasefire, the withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip, the start of the reconstruction of the Strip and a discussion of a “comprehensive” exchange deal [“everyone in return for everyone”] (Ultra Palestine website, February 5, 2024).

The Gaza Strip

Palestinian casualties

• The Hamas-controlled ministry of health in the Gaza Strip reported that as of 10:30 a.m., February 6, 2024, the number of dead since the beginning of the war stood at 27,585 and the number of wounded at 66,978 (ministry of health in Gaza Facebook page, February 6, 2024).
• The al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades (AAMB) announced the death of Issam Khattab, one of the organization’s commanders, who was killed along with his family in the attack on his home in Deir al-Balah. Khattab was born in the Balata refugee camp in Nablus and in the past had escaped death several times (elaqsa_1965, the AAMB Telegram channel, @nanlugher Telegram channel, February 6, 2024).

The situation in the Gaza Strip

• Adnan Abu Hasna, UNRWA spokesman in Gaza, said that the situation in Rafah was currently very difficult, and a city which once housed 250,000 inhabitants now housed 1.4 million people, with severe overcrowding. He claimed a military operation in Rafah would be disastrous and that the Gaza Strip was now experiencing a “real nakba,” worse than the nakba of 1948 (UN Arabic language news site, February 5, 2024).
• Local residents said that due to the high density of residents and displaced persons in Rafah, they had decided to set up tents and live near the city cemetery (Aljazeera YouTube channel, February 6, 2024).

     
Displaced persons in Rafah set up tents near the cemetery
(al-Jazeera YouTube channel, February 6, 2024)

Aid for the Gaza Strip

• During the weekly PA government meeting headed by Muhammad Shtayyeh, it was decided to continue monitoring and providing humanitarian aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip. To that end they would appoint a ministerial committee to coordinate the transfer and delivery of humanitarian aid with Arab and international parties (Ma’an, February 5, 2024).
• Jordanian and Dutch forces airlifted medical aid to the Jordanian field hospital in the northern Gaza Strip (Jordanian prime minister’s X account, February 5, 2024).

   
Right: The aid plane. Left: The equipment in the plane’s fuselage (X account of the Jordanian prime minister, February 5, 2024)

World Jerusalem Week conference

• World Jerusalem Week 4 is being held in Istanbul with the theme, “Al-Aqsa… the flood of the nation.” It began on February 2 and will continue for a week, with events and activities in support of the Gaza Strip. A conference was held on February 5, 2024 with the participation of important figures and religious scholars from various countries, entitled, “The flood of the nation in support of the “resistance.” Nawaf Takruri, head of the Council of Palestinian Scholars Abroad, a group affiliated with Hamas,^[2] and chairman of the World Jerusalem Week committee, called on the Muslim nation to participate in Operation al-Aqsa Flood. He said it was not the time for vague, partial positions, little support and ambiguous speech. He claimed jihad was the Muslim nation’s “life and honor,” what gave it its status among the nations of the world. Takruri called on the countries sending trucks with aid to Israel not to allow them to pass unharmed, and called for storming the Rafah Crossing, the supply line for the residents of Gaza, even if there were casualties at its gates.
• Musa Abu Marzouq, a member of the Hamas political bureau, claimed that “80% of the world’s military force” [sic] had gathered against the Gaza Strip, and they attacked, imposed a “siege” and deprived the Strip of all means of life, but Gaza was “winning” after all the days [that had passed], and the condition of the “resistance” was “excellent.” The “fighters” [terrorist operatives], he claimed, were able to deal with all forms of “aggression.” He claimed that more than 300,000 Israeli soldiers in Gaza could not be based in a specific place, the IDF had withdrawn from the northern Gaza Strip and the Hamas administration had returned to the region. He claimed that despite the enormous forces, the “resistance” was in good condition as long as it manufactured its own weapons. He claimed it was the obligation of the [Muslim] nation to make every effort to support “Palestine” and Gaza, and they had to act on the popular and legal levels in addition to supplying aid and medical services and receiving the wounded.
• Muhammad al-Hindi, deputy PIJ secretary general, said that after more than 120 days, Israel had failed to achieve its goals, and it was clear that the “aggression” had no horizon, scope, or goals to achieve, and given that the hostages were still in the hands of the “resistance,” the ongoing Israeli deaths and the wounded, and the regional expansion of the events, the Paris meeting had been held to find an exit strategy for Israel, not for the residents of the Gaza Strip. He said the objective of the Paris proposal was to remove the hostages from the hands of the “resistance” as soon as possible (Council of Palestinian Scholars Abroad website, February 5, 2024; al-Anadolu News, February 5, 2024).

A delegation of senior Hamas members concludes a visit to Algeria

• A Hamas delegation that included a number of senior members, including Bassem Na’im, the head of Hamas’ political department in Gaza, concluded an eight-day visit to Algeria, during which they met with the Algerian leadership. They discussed ways to cooperate in alleviating the suffering of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and bilateral relations (Hamas Telegram channel, February 6, 2024).

The Northern Arena

Hezbollah’s attacks

• During the past day, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for seven attacks using anti-tank missiles and rockets, including Burkan rockets (with warheads weighing 300-500 kgs) and a Falaq-1 rocket (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, February 5-6, 2024). Most of the attacks were in the Mount Dov area; two IDF soldiers were superficially injured (IDF spokesperson, February 6, 2024).
• In response, the IDF forces attacked Hezbollah terrorist targets with fighter jets and artillery fire, including a military site near Labouneh, military headquarters near al-Jabin, and military buildings near Beit Lif area, Marwahin and Baraachit; terrorist facilities in Meiss al-Jabal were also attacked. In addition, IDF forces attacked the sources from which Israel was attacked (IDF spokesperson February 5 and 6, 2024).

      
Right: Attack on a Hezbollah military structure in the Marwahin region. Left: Attack on Hezbollah facility in Meiss al-Jabal (IDF spokesperson, February 6, 2024)

   
Right: Attacks in Baraachit (Fouad Khreiss’ X account, February 5, 2024). Left: Attacks in Marwahin (Ali Shoeib’s X account, February 6, 2024)

Activity of the Amal Movement

• The Amal movement announced the death of three operatives: Hasan Hussein Shekiki, Jaafar Amin Eskander and Hussein Ali Azzam, “killed while fulfilling their national and jihadist duty in defending Lebanon and south Lebanon” (Amal Movement – Central Information Bureau X account, February 5, 2024). It was the second time this week that Amal operatives were killed in south Lebanon, indicating their involvement in events and activities against Israel.

          
The Amal casualties (Amal Movement – Central Information Bureau X account, February 5, 2024)

• Amal issued a statement after a meeting of the movement’s political bureau stating they were proud of the involvement of their operatives in the defense of the south and of Lebanon’s strength, and were proud of and respected the Palestinian stand against American-supported Israel. They called on the Lebanese government to implement an emergency plan for health, aid and security to prevent Israel from achieving its goal of emptying the border area of its residents. They also condemned the attacks carried out by the United States in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Regarding the issue of the Lebanese government, they announced that they were prepared for a dialogue end the presidential crisis (al-Siyasah, February 5, 2024).

The Lebanese administration

• Abdallah Bou Habib, the Lebanese foreign minister, reported that at the UN Security Council meeting at the end of January 2024, he had presented a plan for security and stability in south Lebanon, which had been received positively by the relevant countries. He referred to the demand of the Western countries for the withdrawal of Hezbollah eight to ten kilometers north of the Litani River, and said that Lebanon was not interested, because it opposed half-solutions which did not guarantee stability and would lead to a renewed war. He said that was why Lebanon insisted on the implementation of Resolution 1701. He also said that Lebanon was not opposed to the return of residents from both sides but there had to be negotiations regarding the border between Lebanon and Israel. As to the possibility of a war with Israel, he said a war against Lebanon would not be easy [for Israel], as Hezbollah had experience in the field and was prepared to wage war (Nidaa al-Watan, February 6, 2024).

Judea and Samaria

Terrorist attacks

• According to an initial report, on the afternoon of February 6, 2024, an armed Palestinian shot at an IDF post located between the Israeli settlements of Itamar and Elon Moreh (south of Nablus). He was shot and killed. There were no IDF casualties (IDF spokesperson’s X account, February 6, 2024).
• On the morning of February 6, 2024, shots were fired from the village of Jalbun (west of Jenin) at Kibbutz Merav on Mount Gilboa. A bullet penetrated a residential building and caused damage. No casualties were reported. The security forces responded with gunfire and searched the area (IDF spokesperson’s X account, February 6, 2024). It was the first shooting from the Jenin area at the Gilboa communities since the beginning of the war, after several gunfire attacks had been recorded in the past.

Counterterrorism activities

• The Israeli security forces continued their counterterrorism activities in Judea and Samaria, detaining eight Palestinians. According to Palestinian media, the detentions focused on southern Mount Hebron, Nablus, and Jenin (al-Quds, February 6, 2024).

Solidarity with the Gaza Strip

• On February 5, 2024, a demonstration was held in Ramallah’s al-Manara Square, in solidarity with the residents of the Gaza Strip and the “resistance” (Hurriya News, February 5, 2024). According to a video documenting the demonstration, only a handful of demonstrators participated (QudsN X account, February 5, 2024).

Palestinian Authority (PA)

• Mahmoud Abbas, PA chairman, met with French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné and updated him on the latest developments in “the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.” Abbas praised France’s position supporting a ceasefire and stressed the importance of urgently bringing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip (Wafa, February 5, 2024). Riyadh al-Maliki, PA foreign minister, also met with the French foreign minister and described the dangers to which the Palestinian people were exposed due to “the genocidal war carried out by the occupation forces.” Séjourné stressed the need to achieve a humanitarian ceasefire, release all the hostages, protect civilians and ensure the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip (PA foreign ministry Telegram channel, February 5, 2024).

    
Right: Mahmoud Abbas meets with the French foreign minister. Left: Riyadh al-Maliki meet with Séjourné (Wafa, February 5, 2024)

• Ziad Hab al-Reeh, PA minister of the interior, participated in the opening of the World Defense Exhibition currently being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. During his visit, he met with the Saudi deputy interior minister and discussed ways to cooperate and develop relations between the two ministries (Wafa, February 6, 2024).

Iran

• Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, meeting in Tehran with Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadeq Ali, said that the rapprochement of several regional countries with Israel had caused heavy damage to the Islamic nation. He noted that the “criminal Zionist regime” could not be a friend of the Islamic countries, and that the “big question” the Islamic nation was currently asking some of the Muslim countries was how they continued to maintain relations with that regime despite its [alleged] crimes. He added that if the Muslim countries had severed their ties with the Zionists, “we would not have witnessed their continued attacks and bombings of the Palestinian people in Gaza today” (ISNA, February 5, 2024).

Pro-Iranian militias

Iraq

• The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for a UAV attack on the city of Eilat, allegedly carried out on January 28, 2024 (Islamic Resistance Telegram channel, February 5, 2024). In practice, no such attack was detected.

• Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein spoke with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to discuss the recent attacks in Iraq and the current regional situation. They said a dialogue had to be held to reduce the escalation and tension, and it was necessary to cooperate on the Palestinian issue and support regional and global peace and stability (Iraqi News Agency, February 5, 2024).
• Contrary to White House spokesperson John Kirby’s remarks on February 3, 2024, that the United States had notified the Iraqi government prior to the airstrikes carried out by its forces in Syria and Iraq on February 2, 2024, Vedant Patel, deputy spokesperson for the American State Department, said that the United States did not warn Iraq before the airstrikes, but only reported to the Iraqis afterwards (Reuters, February 5, 2024).

Yemen

• British maritime security firm Ambrey said a cargo ship owned by a British company and flying the flag of Barbados had been damaged by a UAV while sailing in the Red Sea. No casualties were reported, and the ship continued its voyage (Reuters, February 6, 2024). The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported an incident that occurred 57 nautical miles west of al-Hudaydah in Yemen. A cargo ship reportedly sustained minor damage after being hit by a missile (UKMTO X account, February 6, 2024).
• Yahya Saria, spokesman for the Houthi armed forces, said that in support of the “injustice done to the Palestinian people” and in response to the American-British “aggression,” they had carried out two military operations in the Red Sea, the first against the American ship Star Nasia and the second against the British ship Morning Tide. He said the attack had been carried out with naval missiles, and direct hits were recorded (Yahya Saria’s Telegram channel, February 6, 2024).
• The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that on February 5, 2024, at around 3:30 p.m. (Sana’a time), they had attacked two Houthi unmanned vessels (CENTCOM X account, February 6, 2024).
• The Houthis reported that the United States and Britain had attacked in the Yemeni city of al-Hudaydah (February 5, 2024). The next day, three airstrikes were reported in the eastern part of the city of Saada (al-Masirah Telegram channel, February 5 and 6, 2024).

     
Airstrikes in al-Hudaydah (al-Jazeera, February 5, 2024)

The Arab Arena

Saudi Arabia

• Saudi Defense Minister Khaled bin Salman spoke with Lloyd Austin, the American Secretary of Defense, to discuss regional and international developments. The two noted the importance of calming the regional situation to achieve security and stability (Saudi ministry of defense X account, February 5, 2024).

United Arab Emirates

• UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed spoke with UN Secretary General António Guterres to discuss cooperation between the country and the UN, and regional and international issues, especially the situation in the Middle East and developments in the Gaza Strip. Both sides noted the importance of supporting UNRWA and the need for cooperation (UAE News Agency WAM, February 5, 2024).
• Mohammed bin Zayed met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II. They said that efforts to achieve a ceasefire had to be strengthened, civilians had to be protected and international humanitarian organizations had to be supported. They also called for action to prevent the conflict from spreading, and for cooperation and pushing for a peace process based on the two-state solution (UAE News Agency, February 5, 2024).

The International Arena

United Nations Security Council

• The UN Security Council held a discussion initiated by Russia on the American and British attacks on Iranian-backed groups in the Middle East. Iraq’s deputy representative to the UN said they condemned any attack on their territory that violated their sovereignty and security. The Syrian ambassador to the UN noted their complete rejection of all the [alleged] “excuses and lies” the American administration was using to justify its “aggression.”
• Amir Saeed Iravani, Iran’s representative to the UN, condemned the attacks by the United States and Britain in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, claiming they violated international law and the UN Charter. He said that all the “resistance groups” in the region were independent and their decisions and actions were a response to the illegal presence of the United States in their countries and the [alleged] “genocide” in the Gaza Strip. He claimed there was no Iranian military presence and no Iranian bases in Iraq, and that Iran’s military advisors in Syria had been invited by the Syrian government and were operating in the country legally. He said the current regional crisis had its roots in the “occupation, aggression and crimes” carried out by Israel, with American support, against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (Tasnim, February 6, 2024).
• Vasily Nebenzya, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, strongly condemned the attacks and called on the international community to condemn the “reckless actions” of the United States and its allies in the Middle East. Robert Wood, the American representative to the United Nations, noted that the targets hit by the United States had been carefully selected to prevent civilian casualties and had been based on clear evidence. Barbara Woodward, the British representative, said that Britain fully supported the right of the United States to self-defense (UN website, February 5, 2024).

UNRWA

• UN Secretary General António Guterres said that after Israel had accused UNRWA and claimed that some of its employees had participated in the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, he intended to appoint an audit and oversight committee headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to examine whether the agency was doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality and to respond to allegations of serious breaches when they arouse (AFP, February 5, 2024).
• Adnan Abu Hasna, UNRWA media advisor in Gaza, said freezing UNRWA funding had “devastating” consequences and that current funding would be sufficient for the agency’s operations only until the end of February 2024. He claimed that there were “elements” in Israel that wanted the end of UNRWA. Regarding the accusations against UNRWA employees, he said Israel had to submit all the information it had on the matter and that the investigation would be carried out by an Internal Audit Division committee (UN Arabic-language news website, February 5, 2024).
• Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Qatari prime minister and foreign minister, met with UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini. They discussed cooperation between Qatar and the agency, with an emphasis on the humanitarian issue in the Gaza Strip. Bin Abdulrahman said Qatar would continue to support the agency and it was working to continue bringing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. He warned against cutting off UNRWA’s funding and called for the agency and its role as an international institution to be separated from the accusations against its employees. Lazzarini expressed his appreciation to Qatar for its support (Qatar News Agency, February 5, 2024).

• Mahmoud al-Aloul, Fatah deputy chairman, met with the Japanese ambassador to the Palestinian Authority, and called on Japan to reverse its decision to suspend funding for UNRWA, noting that what UNRWA and the other international institutions did was humanitarian activity that had to continue, and that they saw “great danger” in the struggle against the agency and the cessation of its funding. He claimed that the suspension of the aid was consistent with Israel’s plans to uproot residents of the Gaza Strip (Wafa, February 5, 2024).

Russia

• Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed to discuss the transfer of additional humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip (TASS, February 5, 2024).

Turkey

• On February 4, 2024, a mass anti-Israeli demonstration was held in the city of Diyarbakır in southeastern Turkey as part of International Jerusalem Week. The demonstration included calls in Arabic for “death to Israel” and flags affiliated with Hamas and the jihad movements were waved (ilkha.com, February 5, 2024).

   
The demonstration in Diyarbakır (ilkha.com, February 5, 2024)

^[1] Click https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en to subscribe and receive the ITIC's daily updates as well as its other publications. ↑
^[2] The organization is headquartered in Istanbul and chaired by Nawaf al-Takruri, a member of Hamas' founding generation. He was among the senior Hamas and PIJ members deported in December 1992 to Marj al-Zahour in south Lebanon. He lives in Istanbul. The vice-chairman is Abd al-Jabbar Sayid, who appears on the Hamas website as a member of Hamas' "external" leadership. ↑

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