Israel-Hamas updates: Nasrallah says not afraid of war after Beirut attack

The live page is now closed. Follow along with our coverage of the Israeli war on Gaza on our new page, here.

To learn more about Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s much-anticipated speech and what it could mean for the region, read our story here.

You can also read our coverage of a series of deadly blasts in the Iranian city of Kerman, the source of which remains unclear but comes at a time of simmering tensions between the Islamic Republic and Israel.

We will soon be closing this live page. Here’s a review of the day’s main developments:

• Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah delivered his first speech since the killing of Hamas commander Saleh al-Arouri, stating that the Lebanon-based group does not fear war with Israel but stopping short of announcing a large-scale escalation.
• Nine Hezbollah members were reported killed as the group continues to exchange fire with Israeli forces along the Israel-Lebanon border.
• Five people, including a five-day-old baby, were killed in an Israeli attack on El Amal Hospital in Gaza’s southern Khan Younis city: Palestine Red Crescent Society.
• UNICEF head says that children in Gaza are facing ‘severe acute malnutrition’ that runs the risk of intensifying into famine.
• The UN Security Council members call for an end to Houthi raids on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, as attacks drive shipping companies to reroute away from the major trade route.

There has actually been no official reaction to [Hezbollah leader] Hassan Nasrallah’s speech. But you can be assured that the Israelis were watching closely.

It’s been more than 24 hours since the assassination of [Hamas deputy leader] Saleh al-Arouri on Lebanese soil and still no comment from the Israelis.

That’s because the country’s cabinet secretary ordered all members of the Israeli parliament to not speak about the issue. So Israel still hasn’t claimed responsibility.

The Israeli military chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, toured the northern border on Wednesday and held several operational assessments with the heads of the northern command.

He said that this is now an opportunity to change the status quo of the security situation there.

Remember, there have been tens of thousands of people who have been evacuated since the cross-border fire began on October 8.

He did say some other things: that their readiness is at an all-time high, in fact, at a peak that they have not seen before. They are drawing up plans – both offensive plans and defensive plans – for if Hezbollah were to strike first.

Hezbollah said that if Israel is going to wage a war on them, they are going to fight back no holds barred. We are not really sure of the capabilities that Hezbollah has in their arsenal.

Some Israeli officials, speaking anonymously to Israeli media, said that they are expecting some sort of retaliation on Israel for Saleh al-Arouri’s assassination.

But, the army chief of staff was clear. While they are alert and prepared for any possible scenario in the north, their focus still remains in Gaza and fighting Hamas

Fatima, a Palestinian living in the US, confronts the constant fear that each call from her family in Gaza may be their last.

Despite her anxiety, Fatima stages daily protests, tirelessly raising awareness of the dire situation in her homeland.

Watch AJ+’s video below:

Many Lebanese civilians have faith that Hezbollah will not drag Lebanon into an all-out war.

Karim Saifeddine, a Lebanese expert from southern Lebanon, said that extending the war to Beirut would be pointless. He added that the war in south Lebanon is relatively contained compared with what is taking place in Gaza and that most Lebanese would prefer to keep it that way.

“I don’t think an all-out war is something that neither most Lebanese want nor the political leaders of Hezbollah prefer,” Saifeddine told Al Jazeera. “But I do believe Hezbollah will escalate. However, they will escalate within certain rules of engagement that may not elicit a major response from Israel.”

Read more here.

The arrests came after Israeli forces stormed the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem.

The Israeli raid began on Tuesday and continued into Wednesday.

The casualties were in the central and southern parts of Gaza, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

Citing local medical sources, the report said at least 20 Palestinians were killed in Khan Younis and four in Rafah in the south. Israeli shelling and air raids also claimed four people in Deir el-Balah and two in the Nuseirat refugee camp.

Wafa reported that Israeli attacks also targeted northern Gaza causing casualties, without specifying the number.

More than 22,300 Palestinians have been killed since the outbreak of the October 7 war, including at least 9,600 children.

Members of the United Nations Security Council have called on Yemen’s Houthi rebel group to cease their attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

US envoy Chris Lu said that the situation threatens freedom of navigation and has reached an “inflection point” that requires a “global response”, during remarks today.

The United States has announced that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will depart on Thursday for a trip to the Middle East, including Israel.

Senior Biden administration adviser Amos Hochstein will also visit Israel as soon as Thursday, as concerns grow over the possibility of regional escalation.

Andrea Dessi, a professor in international relations at the American University of Rome, says that while the US and its European allies do not want to be dragged into a war with the Houthis, miscalculations could lead to expanding the conflict.

Dessi told Al Jazeera that an incident with a high number of casualties or an attack involving hostage-taking could see confrontations spiral out of control in the region.

The US announced a naval coalition last month to stop Houthi attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea. The Yemeni rebels have pledged to target Israel-linked vessels until adequate international aid is allowed into Gaza.

“Any miscalculation, any overreaction on either side could really lead to further conflict and further dragging in of other international players in the region,” Dessi said.

Israel has ramped up attacks against Iranian officials and proxy forces in the region. No one has taken credit for the attacks for the deadly explosions in Iran today.

“Of course, we have seen an escalation between Iran and Israel over the course of the last few weeks. Just about 10 days ago, the Israelis did assassinate an Iranian general in Syria, we’ve seen the Houthis who have attacked Israeli ships, and the frustration in Israel that, in their view, Iran has been able to get away with a lot of measures against Israel,” Trita Parsi, executive vice president at the Quincy Institute in Washington, DC, told Al Jazeera.

“But you also have ISIS [ISIL] -related groups that have conducted terrorist attacks in Iran in the past,” he said, offering an alternative explanation.

Jim McGovern, a Democrat, has denounced Israeli officials’ calls for removing Palestinians from Gaza, describing them as “reprehensible” and lauding the US State Department for condemning the remarks.

“It must be clear that America will not write a blank check for mass displacement from Gaza,” McGovern wrote in a social media post.

But Palestinian rights advocates have said that the Biden administration’s unconditional military and diplomatic support for Israel fuels Israeli atrocities, including possible ethnic cleansing plans.

Calling for the eviction of Palestinians from their land in Gaza is reprehensible & wrong. The international community must reject these comments. Thank you @StateDeptSpox for condemning—it must be clear that America will not write a blank check for mass displacement from Gaza. https://t.co/0sxdFLuUcg

— Rep. Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) January 3, 2024

Time is running out.

Many children already face severe acute malnutrition in Gaza.

As the threat of famine intensifies, hundreds of thousands more young children could soon be severely malnourished, with some at risk of death.

We cannot allow that to happen. pic.twitter.com/VC0ENaukuH

— Catherine Russell (@unicefchief) January 3, 2024

The UN international maritime organisation has told the UN Security Council that Houthi raids in the Red Sea have caused 18 shipping companies to change their routes.

“We’ve had earlier meetings on this very issue, and we actually had the Security Council come up with a joint statement at the beginning of December. I don’t think there’s going to be any progress towards anything more than that, some sort of resolution which would of course be binding international law,” Al Jazeera diplomatic editor James Bays reported from UN headquarters.

“I don’t think there’s an appetite there from some Security Council members.”