Israel’s campaign in Gaza: 100 days and counting, with no victory over Hamas in sight

A hundred days after the launch of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, it has become clear “to many Israelis,” and perhaps even to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that Tel Aviv’s stated goal of destroying Hamas is far from accomplished, says Dr. Lorenzo Trombetta, a Beirut-based scholar and analyst specializing in the Middle East.

While Israel’s victory is still nowhere in sight, what lies between victory and today for Netanyahu is “political survival,” which has probably become “the real objective” for him and his government, Dr. Trombetta suggests.

According to the scholar, the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip will result in a “sort of truce between Hamas and Israel,” with the Palestinian movement retaining a “physical presence” in the enclave while Israel “could maintain some partial control of key areas.”

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🇿🇦 🇮🇱 'A Courageous Step': Expert on Importance & Prospects of South Africa's ICJ Case Against Israel

The prospects for South Africa's genocide case at the International Court of Justice against Israel for its actions in the Palestinian Gaza Strip are promising, given the precedent set by The Gambia's successful case against Myanmar at the ICJ, Kelvin Mbatia Wachira, an advocate at the High Court of Kenya, told Sputnik Africa in a recent interview.

"I think, South Africa, has taken a courageous step," he said. "But we need to take into account that international politics do have a role to play in this particular case that is currently ongoing."

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Netanyahu's refusal to follow the US administration's requests on Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip is causing growing frustration on the part of Joe Biden and other senior officials in Washington, the Axios news portal reported on Sunday, citing sources.

"The situation sucks and we are stuck. The president's patience is running out," a US official was quoted as saying by the news portal.

In particular, Israeli authorities continue to refuse to grant the Palestinian Authority access to its frozen tax revenues, while Netanyahu is also reluctant to seriously discuss the post-war plan of action. There are also growing concerns about the Jewish state continuing the active phase of its operation without moving to a lower intensity of hostilities, the report read.

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An attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack on targets on Russian territory using Tochka-U missiles was thwarted, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported.

It was added that three Tochka-U missiles were destroyed by air defense systems over Russia's Kursk region.

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The US Navy Destroyer Laboon has been subjected to a missile attack in the Red Sea, carried out by the Shiite movement Ansar Allah (Houthis) ruling in northern Yemen, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a social media post Monday.

The missile was fired Sunday at about 4:45 p.m. local time at the USS Laboon and shot down in the vicinity of the coast, CENTCOM specified.

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Germany preparing for NATO’s war with Russia after Ukraine’s defeat - Bild

Germany is gearing up for war between NATO’s forces and Russia, which could begin in the summer of 2025, writes Bild citing a “secret” Bundeswehr document.

According to the alleged scenario of the German Ministry of Defense, “on ‘Day X,’ NATO’s commander-in-chief will give the order to move 300,000 troops to the eastern flank, including 30,000 Bundeswehr soldiers,” the tabloid states.

The escalation could reportedly begin as early as February 2024, with the start of a Russian offensive against the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. By June of the same year, according to Bild, Russia will have forced Kiev’s military to retreat. The most likely location of a “clash” would be the so-called Suwalki Gap (Przesmyk Suwalski) located between Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad region. However, the authors of the report leave open the question of how this hypothetical escalation would end.

President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly emphasized that Russia does not pose a threat to NATO or Europe. "[The US] was very frightened by Russia's rapprochement with Europe. It should be the masters there. It kept scaring ... evil Russia is threatening you. But I talked to many leaders and they tell me: 'Why are they scaring us? We understand that Russia is not going to fight with Europe.' Yes, we are not going to [fight] now," Putin said while presiding over a Russian Ministry of Defense meeting last month.

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The Republic of Nauru (island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean) has decided to sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan in line with the UN resolution that recognizes China as the sole legal government representing the whole of China and seeks to resume full diplomatic relations with China, the island country's government said on Monday.

"The Government of the Republic of Nauru today announces that, in the best interests of the Republic and people of Nauru, we will be moving to the One-China Principle that is in line with UN Resolution 2758 which recognises the People's Republic of China (PRC) as the sole legal Government representing the whole of China and seeking resumption of full diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC)," the government wrote on social media.

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🇷🇺🇰🇵 North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui arrived in Moscow the day before on an official visit, the DPRK Embassy told Sputnik.

Russia's top diplomat Sergey Lavrov is expected to have negotiations with the North Korean delegation, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova earlier said.

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Ukraine’s most experienced pilot, General Stanislav Pavlovich, has died in Ukraine

In addition to all the other failures of Ukraine at the front, the country has lost another high-ranking military who had been training Ukrainian pilots. The general was buried in a closed coffin, although according to the official version he died of a heart attack.

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WATCH LIVE: German farmers converge on Berlin's Brandenburg Gate in final bid to fight subsidy cuts

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🇨🇳 A representative of China was not among the participants in the “Ukrainian peace formula” meeting, despite the fact that Beijing received an invitation, media reports citing a source.

According to the source, Davos was deliberately chosen as the venue for a next meeting on the Ukrainian “peace formula” so that it would take place in a place where representatives of China are already present (the World Economic Forum is being held in Davos). However, Beijing refused to participate.

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🇦🇺 Australian authorities have decided to dispose of decommissioned Air Force MRH-90 Taipan helicopters rather than send them to Ukraine, despite a request from Kiev, ABC reports. The reason is problems with safety and operation, the publication notes.

Despite serious complaints about the safety of the Taipan, Kiev sent an official request to Canberra on December 19 for the helicopters to be transferred. Meanwhile, according to ABC, the process of dismantling the Taipan has already begun.

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❗️ A meeting between Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s foreign minister cannot be ruled out, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Russia intends to further develop partnerships with the DPRK in all areas, the dialogue will continue at all levels, Peskov stated.

He added that Moscow hopes that Putin’s visit to the DPRK will take place in the foreseeable future, the dates will be agreed upon through diplomatic channels.