January 2, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 22,185 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intensifies its military campaign in the central part of the territory.

In the past 24 hours, at least 207 people were killed and 338 were injured, the health ministry in Gaza said. The figures from the ministry do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

CNN is unable to independently confirm the figures provided by the health ministry in Gaza due to restricted access to the region and the difficulty in verifying accurate numbers amidst the ongoing war. 

The Israel Defense Forces has expanded operations in central Gaza and on Monday said it was now able to draw down the number of soldiers deployed in the enclave.

Some context: US officials have urged Israel to begin a more targeted phase of fighting against Hamas, as the civilian death toll in Gaza spirals. US intelligence assessments suggest nearly half of the air-to-ground munitions that Israel used in Gaza have been unguided.

CNN previously reported that in the first month of its war in Gaza, Israel dropped hundreds of massive bombs, many of them capable of killing or wounding people more than 1,000 feet away.

Human rights groups and NGOs have said Israel's "indiscriminate" bombing is making it "impossible to sustain human life" in the densely populated Palestinian enclave.

The Israeli military said fighter jets struck targets belonging to the militant Lebanese group Hezbollah in the area of Yaroun in southern Lebanon, where crossfire has intensified since Israel launched its war on Gaza.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) added that it hit “military infrastructure belonging to the Syrian Army" in response to launches Monday toward Israeli territory.

In addition, two launches were identified crossing from Lebanon toward the area of Shlomi, northern Israel, it said.

Hezbollah claimed an attack on an Israeli military barracks near the border on Monday at Zar’it, in northern Israel. There have been no reports of injuries or damage.

Separately, Lebanon’s official news agency reported Israeli artillery bombardment of hills between Shebaa and Kafr Shuba.

Some background: Combat between the IDF and Iran-backed Hezbollah is concentrated in northern Israel and southern Lebanon -- separate from Israel's military campaign further south in Gaza.

However, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has flared since October 7, raising concerns that the war in Gaza could evolve into a wider Middle East conflict.

Hezbollah's leadership has expressed support for Palestinians and condemned Israel's offensive in Gaza but has yet to directly intervene on Hamas' behalf. 

CNN's Charbel Mallo, Sugam Pokharel and Tamar Michaelis contributed reporting.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its troops took control of “terrorist infrastructure” at the residence of Hamas’ Gaza Brigade Commander and killed "dozens of terrorist operatives" in an operation in central Gaza.

The 460th Brigade “enabled the entrance of special forces who scanned the area (Daraj Tuffah). During close-quarters combat, the troops killed dozens of terrorist operatives.” 

The commander of the 460th Brigade, Col. Dvir Edri said it had now “completed its mission in the Daraj Tuffah area.”

The IDF has expanded its military assault in central Gaza, but said Monday it was now able to reduce the number of soldiers stationed in Gaza. The 460th Brigade is one of the units being withdrawn to return to “scheduled training.”

Some background: The Israeli military has said thousands of its troops will leave Gaza, but added that "planning and preparation" for fighting will continue into 2024.

The move indicates a lower-intensity stage of the war, a US official said, as the White House urges Israeli officials to begin a more targeted phase of combatting Hamas. US President Joe Biden previously said Israel had been engaged in “indiscriminate bombing” in Gaza, which is prohibited by international humanitarian law.

US intelligence assessments suggest nearly half of the air-to-ground munitions that Israel used in Gaza have been unguided, otherwise known as “dumb bombs.” Unguided munitions are typically less precise and can pose a greater threat to civilians.

Israeli attacks have killed at least 21,978 people in Gaza and injured 57,697, the Hamas-run Ministry of Health said. CNN is unable to independently confirm the figures provided by the ministry due to restricted access to the region and difficulty in verifying accurate numbers amid the war. 

The Israel Defense Forces anticipates warfare in Gaza to last throughout this year as it begins to reduce the number of soldiers in the territory and prepares for a new phase of the conflict, a military spokesman said.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Supreme Court has struck down a controversial change to the judiciary, a move that could reignite fierce tensions within the country. 

Here's what else to know:

Israel says some communities displaced after the October 7 Hamas attacks will soon be able to return home.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday said Israeli citizens from houses within a range of 4 to 7 kilometers (about 2.5 to about 4 miles) north of the Gaza Strip will be able to start a gradual return in the near future.

In a video statement following a tour of kibbutz Dorot near the Gaza border in southern Israel, Gallant said the return will begin with communities farthest out and then later move to all the remaining ones.

Gallant said Israeli forces "know their mission … so that here, in our southern communities, life will return to its course."

Israel's announcement that it is starting to draw down its number of troops in Gaza shows signs of the country's gradual shift to a lower-intensity phase of its war, a senior United States official said Monday.

The Israel Defense Forces said earlier Monday it was beginning to reduce the number of soldiers on the ground in Gaza as it prepares for prolonged fighting throughout 2024.

The US has been pressing Israeli officials to begin the more surgical phase of fighting as the Israeli military continues to target Hamas. 

The official said the move reflected the success IDF forces have had in northern Gaza in dismantling Hamas' military capabilities. 

Still, the official cautioned there was still fighting ongoing in the north and that it did not appear to reflect any changes in the south of Gaza. 

US officials are viewing the next few weeks as a critical period that will demonstrate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s willingness to move to a lower-intensity phase of going after Hamas in Gaza.  

To look out for: Later this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to the Middle East to continue discussions with Israeli officials about the next phase of the war in Gaza, which American officials have made clear they expect to begin soon.

Blinken’s trip is a continuation of a Biden administration initiative of sending its most senior officials to Israel on a near-weekly basis for direct, in-person meetings with Israel’s war cabinet.

The topic of the war’s trajectory has been at the center of conversations between American and Israeli officials, including a lengthy phone call between President Joe Biden and Netanyahu last week that officials described as very direct and at times strained.

Israel’s Supreme Court on Monday struck down a controversial government plan to limit the powers of the judiciary, in an unprecedented move that reignited fierce tensions in the country as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wages war against Hamas in Gaza.

The court ruled, by eight votes to seven, that a government amendment to the so-called reasonableness law should not stand. The bill had stripped the Supreme Court of the power to declare government decisions unreasonable, and was the first major piece of a multipronged effort to weaken the judiciary to be passed by the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, last year.

The verdict reopened an emotional and heated debate that had raged in Israel throughout 2023 but was sidelined following Hamas’ attacks on October 7. And it could cause splits within Israel’s war cabinet, made up of Netanyahu and two prominent critics of his efforts to overhaul the courts.

Netanyahu’s next moves will be watched closely by all sides, with the threat of a constitutional crisis looming should he attempt to push ahead with the controversial change.

In its ruling, the court said it rejected the amendment because it would deal a “severe and unprecedented blow to the core characteristics of the State of Israel as a democratic state.”

The law, which came into effect after it was passed in July, took away the court’s power to veto government decisions based on them being “unreasonable.” Vast swathes of Israel’s population opposed the change, according to opinion polls, which critics said would erode the independence of the courts and harm Israel’s democracy.

Among those opposing the plans were the two fellow members of Netanyahu’s war cabinet. Yoav Gallant, the minister of defense, became the first member of Netanyahu’s pre-war cabinet to publicly oppose his plans in March, leading to his temporary dismissal before he was reinstated. And Benny Gantz, the leader of Israel’s opposition National Unity party, led protests against the efforts earlier in the year.

Following the verdict Monday, Gantz said the court’s decision “must be respected.”

Read more reaction to the ruling.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) expects warfare in Gaza to last “throughout” this year as it begins to reduce the number of soldiers in the territory and prepares for a new phase of the conflict, a military spokesman said.

The 551st and 14th brigades — comprised of reservists — will return to their families and civilian lives this week, the IDF said in a statement Monday. 

The 828th Brigade, which trains squad commanders, the 261st brigade, which trains army officers, and the 460th Brigade, which trains the armored corps, will return to their scheduled training, the IDF said.  

In a briefing Sunday, IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the objectives of the war “require prolonged fighting.” 

Monday's statement said the move is expected to “significantly alleviate economic burdens” and the troops “to gather strength for upcoming activities in the next year, as the fighting will persist, and their services will still be needed.” 

Background: Senior US officials told CNN in early December that they expected the current phase of Israel’s ground operation targeting the southern end of the strip to last several weeks before it transitions to a lower-intensity, hyper-localized strategy that narrowly targets specific Hamas militants and leaders. 

US President Joe Biden's administration has warned Israel that it cannot replicate the kind of devastating tactics it used in northern Gaza and must do more to limit civilian casualties.