The situation at a glance: Talks in Qatar – hostage relatives push for Gaza deal

While the people of Gaza and the relatives of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas hope for a breakthrough in the Gaza negotiations in Qatar, the war continues for now. According to the Civil Defense, which is controlled by the Islamist Hamas, at least 20 people were killed in Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip on Saturday.

Meanwhile, in Israel, thousands demonstrated again in the evening for an agreement on the release of the hostages and an end to the war. At a rally in Tel Aviv, the friend of a kidnap victim recently found dead in the Gaza Strip also called for a deal with Hamas. The relatives of the remaining hostages should not also have to hug coffins, said Masen Abu Siam, an Arab Israeli.

His 53-year-old friend and his 22-year-old son were discovered dead in a tunnel in the Gaza Strip a few days ago. The two men, who belong to a Bedouin community, were abducted on October 7 and killed in Hamas captivity, according to the army. The Gaza war had led to a lot of unnecessary bloodshed on both sides, emphasized the father’s friend in Tel Aviv.

Dead in attacks in the Gaza Strip

Meanwhile, attacks in the Gaza Strip continue unabated. At least nine Palestinians were killed in several Israeli bombings in the city of Gaza on Saturday, a spokesman for the Hamas-controlled civil defense told the German Press Agency.

According to reports, at least eight people were killed and several injured in an air strike on a former school site in Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, refugee families were accommodated in the area that was hit. An Israeli army spokesman said the airstrike had destroyed a Hamas command post. There was no information from the Israeli side about killed or injured Hamas fighters or other victims. The information provided by both sides could not initially be independently verified.

According to the army, four Israeli soldiers were killed and two others were seriously injured in the northern Gaza Strip.

Forum of hostage families sees “historic opportunity” for deal

According to his office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided in the evening to send a top delegation to negotiations on a ceasefire and the release of hostages. Among others, the head of the Israeli foreign secret service Mossad, David Barnea, and the head of the Shin Bet domestic secret service, Ronen Bar, are scheduled to travel to Qatar’s capital Doha. The Hostage Families Forum spoke of a “historic opportunity” to secure the release of the abductees.

US President-elect Donald Trump is also reportedly pushing for a quick deal before he takes office on January 20th. Trump’s nominee for US envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, told Netanyahu this at a meeting on Saturday, Israeli media reported.

Report: Army approves plans for rapid troop withdrawal from Gaza

Meanwhile, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israel’s army had approved plans for a rapid troop withdrawal from large parts of the Gaza Strip. It is capable of implementing any agreement approved by the political leadership, it said. Hamas is insisting on a withdrawal of the Israeli military from the Gaza Strip. According to reports, it is now showing flexibility in implementing this demand. The withdrawal should therefore take place gradually.

Reports of settler raids in the West Bank

The situation in the West Bank remains tense. Several people are said to have been injured in attacks by Israeli settlers in two villages in the northern West Bank on Saturday, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. The Palestinian residents tried to fight off the settlers. There were also clashes with the Israeli army.

The information could not initially be independently verified. When asked, the Israeli army said that in both cases there had been “a violent confrontation” between Israelis and Palestinians. Israeli security forces stopped this. The information provided by both sides could not initially be independently verified.

After an attack that killed three Israelis in the northern West Bank at the beginning of the week, reports of attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian residents are increasing.

Israeli settlers want to send delegation to Trump’s inauguration

An umbrella organization for the self-government of Israeli settlements in the West Bank announced that it wanted to send a delegation to the inauguration of the future US President Donald Trump in Washington. During the visit, the delegation will hand over a letter “as an expression of their appreciation,” the Yescha Council wrote on Facebook.

The Yescha Council was invited to the event, said its chairman Israel Ganz, according to the right-wing religious news portal “Arutz Sheva”. “The invitation we received from the government reflects the shared values ​​of Israel, the settlements and the USA, which are based on biblical principles,” the portal quoted him as saying.

Trump will be sworn in as president on January 20th. During the election campaign, he indicated that he wanted to align US foreign policy more closely with Israel’s interests. He is considered a supporter of the political right in Israel, which is pushing forward the Israeli government’s settlement construction in the West Bank.

Israel shoots suspects in Lebanese border area

According to the army, the Israeli Air Force shot at three suspects in the Israeli-Lebanese border area. The three had moved towards Israeli territory in the Har Dov area of ​​Lebanon, the Israeli military said on Saturday evening. Har Dov, also known as Sheeba Farms, is located in the far north of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

However, the military emphasized in the statement that they were continuing to act in accordance with the ceasefire between the two countries. The army will remain stationed in the south of Lebanon and will take action against any threat to the State of Israel and its citizens.

Baerbock travels to Saudi Arabia for the Syria conference

A conference in Saudi Arabia on Sunday will focus on the situation and future of Syria after the fall of ruler Bashar al-Assad. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) is also traveling to the Saudi capital Riyadh. According to the Foreign Office, representatives of important states in the region, Western countries and the United Nations are taking part in the Foreign Ministers’ Conference.

The Islamist group Haiat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew Syria’s long-term ruler Assad at the beginning of December after a lightning offensive and is now leading the country with a transitional government.