War breaking news. Middle East, media: 'Hamas response on hostage deal unlikely to arrive tonight'

After 15 rocket launches from Lebanon, Israel hit a number of 'Hezbollah sites' across the border. This was said by the military spokesman who said that the air raids hit positions 'in Blida and Mays al-Jabal, including a launch site operated by Hezbollah operatives'. According to the same source an Israeli tank hit "a Hezbollah cell and Blida" and soldiers are now responding towards "the source of the rocket launches" on the other side of the border

For the past few days, more than 100 pro-Gaza protesters have been camped outside Antony Blinken's residence in northern Virginia with tents and camping chairs. The New York Times reports. The Secretary of State leaves today on his mission to the Middle East and will stop in Israel and the West Bank this week for the fifth time since the 7 October attacks. However, protests against him continue, complete with placards accusing him of being a 'war criminal'. 'Here lives Blinken the bloodthirsty', reads another, while on the pavement someone wrote: 'Secretary of genocide'. "We brave the cold, wind and rain 24 hours a day to implore Blinken to support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza," the organisers of the protest called 'Occupy Blinken', named after the protest outside the New York Stock Exchange a few years ago 'Occupy Wall Street', wrote in a note. The Secretary of State was not the only one targeted by the protesters in recent months: protests were also organised in front of the residence of Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

There will be new US raids against Iran-affiliated groups'. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said this in an interview with CNN. 'If they attack we will respond,' the White House official insisted.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's surprise visit to the Robotyne front. "I met with the military and security forces to discuss security in the Zaporizhzhia region. We talked about the situation on the battlefield, the defence of Avdiivka, Robotyne and other areas of the front line, fortifications, key infrastructure and the protection of the defence industry," Zelensky wrote in X. The president also met with soldiers. "Zaporizhzhia region. Robotyne. Where the 65th mechanised brigade is located, I spoke with the defenders, thanked them and handed out honours. It is an honour to be here. Support the fighters and reward them. They have the difficult and crucial mission of repelling the enemy and defending Ukraine. We are proud of our warriors and grateful to them!" wrote Zelensky in another post. The president attached photo and video images of his encounters at the front.

New Israeli attack on UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. ''In recent days,'' Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu said today in a ministerial session, ''we have revealed to the world that it cooperates with Hamas, that some of its staff even participated in the massacres and kidnappings of 7 October. All this,'' he added, ''only reinforces what we have known for a long time, that it is not part of the solution, but part of the problem. The time has come,' he concluded, 'to start the process of replacing it with other organisations that have not been infected by support for terrorism'.

Netanyahu - the Times of Israel reports - said that there are those who say yes to every US demand and receive praise abroad, while endangering Israel's national security, and those who say no and receive praise at home, while damaging Israel's core interests. "I want to say, from my experience, that the key is to know how to navigate. Say yes when it is possible, say no when it is necessary,' said the Israeli PM. And again: 'I do not need help to know how to orient myself in relations with the United States and the international community, while defending our national interests. "As a sovereign state fighting for its existence and its future we will make our own decisions, even in cases where there is no agreement with our American friends," he concluded.

"We want to give a sign of hope and return to the Holy Land": this was announced to ANSA by the managing director of the Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, Monsignor Remo Chiavarini, who will be collecting adhesions for two pilgrimages to Israel and Palestine over the Easter period from today. "Several pilgrims have asked us to go again. We will do it at Easter, hoping that the conditions in those days will not be such as to prevent the trip," adds the ad. "Pilgrims messengers of peace in the Holy Land": this is the presentation of the two itineraries. Meetings with local communities are also planned. The Orp had suspended travel to the Holy Land since 7 October.

At least two children were killed in an Israeli attack on a kindergarten in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, the Strip's health ministry quoted by the Wafa news agency said. The attack took place during the night. There were also dozens of wounded. Many displaced people had taken shelter in the kindergarten.

The premier Giorgia Meloni has arrived in Japan, in Tokyo, where she is scheduled to pay an official visit until 6 February, Tuesday. The key moment of the Prime Minister's stop in Japan is her meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. The face-to-face meeting at the Kantei Palace, the seat of the Japanese government, in fact marks the handover of the G7 leadership, which thus formally passes from the hands of Tokyo to those of Rome. At the end of the meeting, Meloni and Kisidha will make statements to the press. But the Prime Minister also has on her agenda, again for tomorrow, a meeting hosted at the ambassador's residence with the chairmen and CEOs of the major Japanese groups with interests in Italy.

Hamas and the other Palestinian factions in Gaza will release a joint statement tonight at 7pm (6pm in Italy) in response to the proposed hostage deal. This was reported by the Israeli daily Maariv, which quotes the Saudi TV channel 'Al-Hadath'. According to Maariv, the Israeli War Cabinet is also due to meet this evening.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz "strongly condemned the ugly acts against members of other religions". "Once again," he denounced, "an ugly episode of spitting at Christian clerics in Jerusalem". "Under the government of the State of Israel, all members of religions," he stressed, "will enjoy complete freedom of worship, as never before. As the prophet said: 'For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'".

At least 27,365 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the Israeli offensive began on 7 October. This is the new casualty update provided by the Gaza Health Ministry, which adds that there are 66,630 wounded. At least 130 people have been killed in the last 24 hours alone, the ministry adds.

A new episode of "spitting" against Christians in the Old City in Jerusalem by two Orthodox Jews. This was denounced by Wadie Abunassar, spokesman for the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land. The spitting - according to the same source - was directed yesterday towards Nikodemus Schnabel, Abbot of the Dormition in Jerusalem. The other Orthodox - according to Abunassar - instead insulted Jesus. The two, including a 17-year-old minor, were detained by the police.

The US struck a cruise missile last night that Houthi rebels were preparing to launch against ships in the Red Sea: this was announced by the Central Command (Centcom) in a post on X. "On 4 February, at around 4am (Sanaa time, 2am in Italy), US Central Command forces conducted a self-defence attack against a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile ready to be launched against ships in the Red Sea," the message reads. US forces identified the cruise missile in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that it posed an imminent threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region'. The action, the note concluded, will 'protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer for US Navy ships and merchant vessels'. Earlier Centcom had reported, also on X, that it had hit six anti-ship missiles fired by Houthi rebels off Yemen.

Polling stations are open until 6pm today in Tunisia, where more than 4 million citizens are being called to the polls to vote for local council representatives. These are the ballots of an electoral round aimed at the creation of the National Council of Regions and Districts, the country's second chamber, foreseen in the Constitution of 2022 and deputed to deliberate on local development projects. Voting is taking place in an atmosphere of general disinterest: the turnout in the first round on 24 December was 11.84%, and experts predict a similar turnout for today. Vying for a seat in the second round will be 1,858 candidates in 779 electoral districts. Voting will take place in 2,034 polling centres and 3,675 polling stations. There are 1,348 those who have already established themselves in the first round. The local elections - the first of their kind in Tunisia's history - will lead to the election of the 2,434 members of the 279 local councils. These will have the task of choosing the composition of the councils of regions and districts in order to complete the electoral process with the establishment of the National Council of Regions and Districts, scheduled for July. The preliminary results will be announced on 7 February at the latest. The announcement of the final results and the composition of the 279 municipal councils will take place after the deadline for appeals has expired. The new Chamber is expected to be established by next April.

The death toll in the bombing of a bakery in Lisichansk, Luhansk, by Ukrainian forces has risen to 28. This was reported by the Russian news agency Ria Novosti, citing the leadership of the Luhansk People's Republic. Among the victims was reportedly a child. Ten other people were injured. The death toll thus worsens compared to the 20 initially reported. Under the rubble, according to the rescuers, some 40 people could be found.

While the Ukrainian presidency maintains silence on the future of Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny, the commander of the ground forces and possible successor to him, Oleksandr Syrsky, emphasises that "the operational situation remains tense" on the battlefield and "heavy fighting is taking place on all parts of the frontline". The senior official makes no reference to reports that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is preparing to announce Zaluzhnyi's resignation due to disagreements over what to do to win the war after the failure of the counter-offensive. However, in a message posted on his Telegram account yesterday after a troop visit near the city of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region (east), Syrsky also confirms the numerical superiority of the Russian forces, emphasising that 'the enemy continues to conduct high-intensity assaults and constantly brings new reserves'. Zelensky's reluctance to support Zaluzhny's request to mobilise up to half a million people, made last December, is seen as one of the main reasons for the rise in tensions between the two. Waiting for an announcement from the presidency, Syrsky writes: 'In order to resolve problematic issues of fundamental importance for defence stability, the necessary instructions have been issued and the redeployment of forces and resources has been carried out'. And the "main priorities," he concludes, "remain the effective conduct of intelligence, the coordinated use of all means of fire protection, the protection of our units through electronic radio warfare, and the preservation of the lives of our military."

"The people of South Carolina have made their voices heard again, and I have no doubt that you have marked the path to winning the presidency again, and again proving that Donald Trump is a loser." So said Joe Biden after winning the primary in the southern state, the first official one in which he wanted to participate to give a signal to the strong African-American electorate. According to Nbcnews projections, with more than 60% of the ballots counted, the president got 96% of the votes of the Democratic voters, with Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips and writer Marianne Williamson both getting 2%. The president thus won the state's 55 delegates. In the previous primaries in New Hampshire, Biden had not officially participated after the state's Democrats rebelled against the president's new calendar to put South Carolina and Nevada at the start of the primary race in recognition of the African-American and Hispanic electorate. Biden, however, had also won in New Hampshire, because voters had handwritten his name on the ballot.

The Israeli army announced the death of another soldier in combat in southern Gaza. The military spokesman made this known, adding that he is reservist Shimon Yehoshua (24). The tally of soldiers killed in battle since the beginning of the conflict now stands at 225.

After last night's new US-Gb raids in Yemen, the Houthi rebels are threatening to "respond to escalation with escalation". This was stated by Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, a member of the group's political bureau. "Our military operations against the Zionist entity will continue until the aggression in Gaza ends, no matter how many sacrifices it entails for us," he wrote in a post on X, "we will respond to escalation with escalation."

The US and UK confirm that they have hit 36 targets of pro-Iranian Houthi rebels in 13 different locations in Yemen in raids launched last night. In a joint statement, it is explained that missiles were launched from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, from which more than 20 fighter jets, some armed with bombs of over 900 kg, and precision guided missiles also took off. The 'precision raids', reads the communiqué, 'targeted sites associated with underground, deep-sea arsenals, missile systems and launchers, air defence systems and radar'. With the aim of 'disrupting and diminishing' the capabilities used by the Houthis to attack ships in the Red Sea, threatening global trade and the crews operating these ships. The new raids are therefore described as 'a response to the series of illegal, dangerous and destabilising actions carried out by the Houthis since the previous coalition raids on 11 and 22 January, including the attack on 27 January that struck and caused a fire on board the oil tanker M/V Marlin Luanda'.

"In 2020, it was the voters of South Carolina who proved the pundits wrong and breathed new life into our campaign, putting us on the path to win the presidency. Now, in 2024, the people of South Carolina have spoken again and I have no doubt that you have put us on the path to win the presidency again and make Donald Trump an underdog again." This was said by US President Joe Biden after his primary victory in South Carolina.

The president of Namibia, Hage Geingob, died today in a hospital in Windhoek. He was 82 years old. This was announced by the presidency office in a note posted on social media. "It is with extreme sadness and regret that I inform you that our beloved Dr. Hage G. Geingob, the President of the Republic of Namibia, died today, Sunday, 4 February 2024, at 00:24 at Lady Pohamba Hospital where he was being treated," reads the statement signed by Acting President Nangolo Mbumba.