Police in Beirut secure a crime scene after an explosion that is believed to have killed senior Hamas members.© picture alliance / Anadolu
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Hamas leader probably killed in explosion in Lebanon. Hostage deal talks stopped. Human Rights Commissioner: Signs of war crimes in Gaza war. All developments in the Middle East in the news ticker from January 2nd.
After the killing of Hamas leader Saleh al-Aruri in Lebanon, which was allegedly initiated by Israel, the Hezbollah militia has announced retaliation. The “crime” in Beirut was “a dangerous attack on Lebanon” and its people and security, the militia announced on Tuesday evening (January 2). “This crime will never go unanswered or punished.” Hezbollah has “the finger on the trigger” and its fighters are “at the highest level of readiness.”
The Israeli government’s security advisor is obviously trying to defuse the situation. The alleged attack was aimed solely at Hamas, Mark Regev told the US broadcaster “MSNBC”. “Whoever did this, it must be clear that this was not an attack on the Lebanese state. It was not even an attack on Hezbollah.”
“Whoever carried out this attack was very surgical and targeted a Hamas target. Because Israel is at war,” Regev said, without finishing the sentence.
Senior Hamas terrorists killed in Beirut blast
In the explosion in Beirut, according to a television station close to Hamas, not only a leader but also two other high-ranking members of the Islamist organization were killed. These are the commanders Samir Fandi Abu Amer and Assam al-Akra Abu Ammar of the group’s armed wing, as the TV station announced on Tuesday evening.
Hamas itself said two leaders of its Qassam brigade were killed. It also confirmed the death of one of its leaders, Hamas politburo deputy head Saleh al-Aruri. In total, six people were killed in Tuesday’s incident, according to Lebanon’s state news agency NNA.
Hostage talks with Hamas probably put on hold
After the alleged killing of a Hamas leader in Beirut, negotiations over a possible new hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas have come to a standstill, according to a report. The talks now focused on preventing an escalation between Israel and Lebanon, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Tuesday evening, citing Arab diplomatic circles.
The “assassination” changed the situation. Progress towards reaching another hostage deal is currently no longer possible. The exact background to the explosion initially remained unclear. However, suspicions quickly arose that it could be a targeted killing – possibly by Israel’s army or on Israel’s behalf. Israel’s military did not comment on the reports when asked.
New hope for Israeli hostages?
There may be new hope for Israeli hostages in the hands of Hamas. According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the terrorist organization softened its position in negotiations on a new possible hostage deal. Efforts to reach a new agreement continue, the prime minister told representatives of the hostages’ relatives, according to his office. Contacts during the talks were not broken off, he emphasized. “There was an ultimatum from Hamas, now it has been weakened.”
Hamas initially did not comment on this. The terrorist organization has recently emphasized several times that it rejects any negotiations until a ceasefire in the Gaza war comes into force.
Explosion in Lebanon – Hamas leader probably killed
An explosion occurred in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday evening. According to police circles, this happened in a southern district where the Shiite Hezbollah militia is particularly well represented. Videos showed at least one car burning near a busy street.
Apparently a Hamas member was killed in the detonation. As the German Press Agency claims to have learned, the deputy head of the Politburo, Saleh al-Aruri, is said to have been killed. The Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar television station also reported that Al-Aruri was dead.
Hamas blamed Israel. Al-Aruri died on Tuesday in an attack by “the Zionist occupation,” the Islamist organization said. When asked, the Israeli military did not want to comment on the reports of Al-Aruri’s death. According to Hamas, the attack proves Israel’s “catastrophic failure” to achieve its war goals in the Gaza Strip.
Human Rights Commissioner: Signs of war crimes in Gaza war
Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, sees the Gaza war as signs of war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity. On the Palestinian side, he cites the serious terrorist attack on Israel on October 7th and 8th, the indiscriminate firing of projectiles into Israel and the military action from civilian facilities. Regarding Israel, Türk told the German Press Agency in Geneva: “If you look at how Israel has reacted to this, I have serious concerns about compliance with both human rights and international humanitarian law.”
70 percent of those affected by the heavy Israeli bombings are women and minors. “One can assume that the majority of those who were hit are civilians,” the Austrian told dpa. “Furthermore, collective punishment of the Palestinians is a war crime. Of course, courts ultimately have to judge who committed which crimes.”
It is difficult to assess whether there are crimes against humanity there . This refers, for example, to large-scale or systematic attacks against the civilian population. In order to assess this, it must also be examined whether there is a corresponding intention behind it. Türk said there were signs that crimes against humanity may have been committed: “Given the disproportionate and very heavy bombings, combined with the lack of effective humanitarian assistance, there are serious concerns that need to be examined further.”
Israel’s army attacks targets in Syria and Lebanon
The Israeli military said it fired back in response to rocket fire from Syria and Lebanon. Five rockets fired from Syria flew into Israel and fell in open areas, the Israeli army reported on Monday evening (January 1). Israeli warplanes then attacked the launch sites.
In addition, a fighter plane hit “terrorist infrastructure” of the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon on Israel’s northern border. Rockets were fired from there on Monday towards a northern Israeli settlement, it said.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, there have been repeated confrontations between Israel’s army and Hezbollah in the border region. The security situation throughout the region has been very tense since the start of the Gaza war. The risk of the conflict expanding is also growing.
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