January 7, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

Israel has appointed British lawyer Malcolm Shaw to represent it at the International Court of Justice where this week it will fight genocide allegations, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat told CNN Sunday.

Shaw has a long history of representing national governments in international courts and has appeared before the European Court of Human Rights, the European Court of Justice, the Court of Final Appeal (Hong Kong), the High Court of Ireland, and the UK Supreme Court, in addition to the ICJ, according to the law firm where he works. 

He has represented the United Arab Emirates at the ICJ, and Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Ireland, Malaysia and Cameroon in other courts, his Essex Court Chambers biography says. 

Some context: South Africa filed an application against Israel at the ICJ last month, accusing Israel of being “in violation of its obligations under the Genocide Convention” because of its war in Gaza. 

Filing its case, South Africa said it was "gravely concerned with the plight of civilians caught in the present Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip due to the indiscriminate use of force and forcible removal of inhabitants."

Israel firmly rejected the accusations and said it would appear before the court “to dispel South Africa's absurd blood libel."

South Africa and Israel are both parties to the Genocide Convention, according to the ICJ, which is also known as the World Court and is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.

CNN's Amir Tal contributed to this post.

Three months ago, speaking to citizens rocked by a horrific day of attacks by Hamas, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a promise.

Now, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is shifting to a new phase of its war on Hamas in Gaza – and there are signs its objectives are changing too.

“The record is not very friendly to military campaigns seeking to eradicate political military movements that are deeply rooted,” Bilal Y. Saab, an associate fellow in the Middle East and North Africa at Chatham House, told CNN.

Israel has seen some successes in that regard; its forces claim to have killed thousands of Hamas fighters, including some high-ranking members, and have dismantled some parts of the group’s vast tunnel network under the enclave.

But challenges remain and an endgame is far from sight. Few countries at war set deadlines. Israeli officials have warned of a lengthy war that could stretch through the entirety of 2024 and beyond.

It will unfold in front of an international community that is increasingly aghast at the extraordinary humanitarian crisis and spiraling civilian deaths in Gaza.

And as international pressure increases, so too could domestic unease towards Netanyahu – an embattled prime minister eager to point to tangible victories.

“There is a race against time,” said Saab, outlining the key questions facing Israel’s leadership. “At what price is this tactical success going to come, and how much time do the Israelis have to achieve that tactical success without suffering from more significant international outrage?”

Read more: Israel is shifting to a new phase of its war on Hamas.

It’s been three months since the devastating Hamas attack that sparked Israel’s war in Gaza, and the deadly fighting has led to a dire humanitarian crisis in the area. 

The Israeli military began an offensive on the Palestinian enclave after Hamas militants launched a brutal assault on Israel on October 7, with gunmen killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 200 people hostage, according to Israeli authorities.

In the three months since the attack, more than 22,700 people in Gaza have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Here’s a look at some of the key moments in the conflict:

October 7: Hamas’ attack. Hamas’ surprise October 7 assault marked the biggest terrorist attack in Israel’s history. At least 1,500 Hamas fighters poured across the border into Israel by land, sea and air using paragliders. Soon after, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was "at war.”

October 9: Israel orders the "complete siege" of Gaza. Two days afterwards, Netanyahu said the Israeli military would attack Hamas with a force “like never before,” with the goal of destroying the militant group.

October 13: A growing exodus. Israel’s military told 1.1 million people in northern Gaza to evacuate their homes immediately, as it stepped up its response. Since the conflict began, the UN estimates up to 1.9 million people have been displaced.

October 17: Hundreds killed at Gaza hospital. A deadly blast tore through Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza, which was sheltering thousands of displaced people. CNN found that the blast was likely caused by a malfunctioning rocket fired by Palestinian militants rather than an Israeli strike.

October 27: Israel expands its ground offensive. After a war largely conducted from the air, the Israel Defense Forces announced it was “expanding ground operations” in Gaza.

November 15: Al-Shifa hospital raid. Israel launched a “targeted” operation against Hamas inside Gaza’s largest hospital, where thousands of Palestinians were believed to be sheltering. Conditions at the hospital deteriorated rapidly in the days of fighting. The raid sparked international criticism.

November 24: A truce begins. After days of careful negotiations, a truce between Israel and Hamas brought a pause to fighting. As part of the truce, civilian hostages held captive by militants were released, with groups of hostages being released each day.

December 1: The truce collapses. One week later, the Israeli military resumed fighting against Hamas in Gaza, accusing the group of breaking the terms of the truce. Israel’s focus began shifting from northern to southern Gaza.

December 15: Hostages killed in botched raid. Israeli soldiers shot and killed three Israeli hostages in northern Gaza after misidentifying them as threats. The IDF said the shooting was against its rules of engagement and that the soldiers involved would face disciplinary procedures.

January 1: Israel announces partial withdrawal. On the first day of the new year, Israel announced it would soon begin pulling thousands of soldiers out of Gaza in preparation for a new phase of the conflict, although a top official warned that he expected the fighting to continue throughout the year.

The Israel Defense Forces has dropped new flyers in neighborhoods in central Gaza urging Palestinians to evacuate to the nearby city of Deir al-Balah. 

The IDF said people in the neighborhoods of Al-Amal, Al-Sdera, Al-Basateen, Al-Farouq and Ain Jalout are in a dangerous war zone.

United Nations officials have previously said there is nowhere safe for civilians to go in Gaza. Many displaced residents have already fled to Deir al-Balah. Gazans told CNN this week that living conditions there are dismal, despite instructions from the Israeli military that it would be safer there.

Here are some other key updates:

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed Saturday that it had completed dismantling Hamas' command structure in northern Gaza.

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the IDF was now focused on dismantling Hamas in central and southern Gaza. 

Hagari told a press conference that around 8,000 Hamas militants had been killed in northern Gaza. 

CNN cannot independently verify the IDF claim that it has dismantled the Hamas command structure in northern Gaza or that 8,000 Hamas militants have been killed.  

At least 22,722 people have been killed in Gaza as a result of Israeli military operations that began following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

Almost 70% of those individuals killed in Gaza are women and children, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report released in December.

Hagari said the IDF would continue its effort to dismantle Hamas, but this would take time. 

Almost 90% of Palestinians in Gaza have been forcibly displaced due to Israel’s war on Hamas, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

About two million people live in Gaza. The civilians there “lack everything," the UNRWA said.

Iran is facing an "all-out battle" with an "enemy" actor, a top Iranian commander said, as Western nations vow to tackle the recent slew of attacks from Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.

Salami did not name the enemy during the televised speech, according to Reuters.  

On January 2, the Iranian Navy dispatched a military destroyer to the Red Sea as tensions in the waterway soared. Although Iran did not officially provide a reason for the deployment, state affiliated Tasnim News Agency said the destroyer was dispatched as part of a series of vessels taking part “in regular missions in international waters.” 

This comes as the UK-based maritime security group, Ambrey Analytics, said in an alert Saturday that it had received a report of "a maritime security event in the Bab al Mandab area" in the Red Sea.   

“Crews are advised to minimize deck movements and only essential crew should be on the bridge,” it said. 

This is just one of several similar events to take place in the Red Sea in recent weeks. The Houthi rebels, considered to be one of Iran's proxies, have launched several attacks against commercial and merchant vessels in the Red Sea in what the group have called a revenge campaign against Israel's war in Gaza.   

A coalition of 11 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, condemned the "illegal" and "profoundly destabilizing" attacks in a joint statement Wednesday. The coalition outlined their serious intention to "hold malign actors accountable" for "unlawful seizures and attacks."    

The UK's finance minister underlined the severity of the situation during an interview with BBC Radio 4 Saturday, acknowledging that attacks "may have an impact" on prices in the country. 

Finance minister Jeremy Hunt said the UK and its partners have made it "very clear to the Houthis" that the rebel group's actions in the Red Sea will bear "consequences."  

"We will not just sit back and accept that because it’s so vital for global trade," Hunt warned.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Saturday that the war against Hamas “must not be stopped” until Israel achieves three main objectives: “eliminate Hamas, return our hostages and ensure that Gaza will no longer be a threat to Israel.”

In a statement released Saturday by his office, the prime minister said Israel will “not give Hamas immunity anywhere, and we are fighting to restore security in both the south and the north.”

Israel's plans for new phase of war: Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday unveiled plans for the next phase of the war in Gaza. In the third phase, Israel Defense Forces soldiers in northern Gaza will adopt a “new combat approach” encompassing “raids, the destruction of terror tunnels, aerial and ground activities, and special operations,” according to Gallant.

In southern Gaza, the Israeli military will continue its pursuit of Hamas leaders in the region “for as long as necessary,” Gallant said. Israeli forces stationed in the south will also focus on “enabling the return of the hostages” still in captivity, he added. 

Gallant also provided details of the fourth and supposed final phase of the war, entitled the "Day After." The post-war phase announced by Gallant envisages a Gaza Strip no longer controlled by Hamas, which would no longer “pose a security threat to the citizens of Israel.” 

Once the "goals of the war have been achieved" there would be "no Israeli civilian presence in the Gaza Strip," according to his plan. Israel would, however, maintain its “operational freedom of action in the Gaza strip” and continue to "carry out the inspection of goods entering the Gaza strip," the plan stated. 

The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, stressed that it is “absolutely necessary” to avoid Lebanon “being dragged into a regional conflict” as the paramilitary group Hezbollah engages in intensifying clashes with Israeli forces across the Lebanese border.

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah were further inflamed this week by the killing of a senior Hamas leader in Beirut. 

Borrell also said the entire international community needs to work toward “change in the Middle East,” adding that “we cannot continue with the deplorable, awful track record of the last year or the last decade” in the region. 

Bou Habib also spoke at the news conference, telling reporters that he “strongly reaffirm(s) that peace for Lebanon is essential and that all Lebanese (people) are attached to peace.” 

"The Lebanese government is actively seeking to de-escalate" the situation at the border, he said.

Borrell will travel to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, he said at Saturday’s news conference, where he will be discussing “concrete steps that could galvanize a serious international peace effort.” 

“Nobody will win from a regional conflict,” he said, referencing growing fears that the Israel-Hamas war could spill into a wider conflict involving Iranian proxy groups like Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.