Day 98 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Friday, Jan. 12

Qatar has brokered a deal between Israel and Hamas to get medicine to hostages in Gaza.

Rina Bassist, Ezgi Akin, Beatrice Farhat, Elizabeth Hagedorn, Adam Lucente, Jack Dutton, Jared Szuba and Al-Monitor’s contributors on the ground in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel contributed to this blog.

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Live updates (all times EDT):

Friday, Jan. 12, 2024

11:39 am: Netanyahu turns to longtime foe to defend Israel — and himself — at ICJ

One of the 17 judges presiding over this week’s International Court of Justice hearing into South African accusations that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians is Aharon Barak, a former Israeli chief justice. The ICJ's fixed panel consists of 15 judges, but each party to a dispute is allowed to appoint one additional judge. Ben Caspit reports.

10:12 am: Tesla, Volvo pause production lines as oil prices rise amid Red Sea tension

Car companies Tesla and Volvo announced Friday that they would temporarily suspend production at some of their European factories due to the increasing attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen on ships in the Red Sea and the subsequent airstrikes on the country by the United States and United Kingdom overnight. Jack Dutton and Adam Lucente report.

9:59 am: Condemnations, calls for revenge over strikes on Houthis

Tension in the Middle East hit a new height on Friday, after the United States and the United Kingdom launched precision strikes from the air and sea against dozens of Houthi military targets in Yemen overnight in response to the repeated attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The strikes sparked statements of condemnation around the region and have further raised concerns of a regional war. Beatrice Farhat reports.

7:08 am: Dozens die in Israeli strikes on central, southern Gaza

Telecommunication services were cut across the besieged Gaza Strip Friday while Israeli strikes killed dozens in southern Gaza cities. Hundreds of thousands are struggling to survive hunger and cold there on day 98 of the war between Israel and Hamas. Read the full story here.

6:15 am: Israel hits back at 'distorted' genocide case

Israel said Friday it was not seeking to destroy the Palestinian people as it hit back at what it called a "profoundly distorted" and "malevolent" genocide case against it at the UN's top court. 

South Africa has filed an emergency case at the International Court of Justice arguing that Israel stands in breach of the UN Genocide Convention, signed in 1948 in the wake of the Holocaust. Read the full story here.

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