Netanyahu: More than half of Hamas fighters dead or wounded, no cease-fire near: Updates

Editor's Note: This page is a summary of news on the Israel-Hamas war for Monday, Feb. 5. For the latest news on the conflict in the Middle East, view our live updates file for Tuesday, Feb. 6.

Israel has destroyed 18 of 24 Hamas military battalions and has killed or wounded more than half of the militant group's fighters, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday.

Anything short of "total victory" would mean thousands of Israelis forced from their communities along the Gaza border could not return to their homes, he said. Eventually the militants would attack again and Iran, Hezbollah and others would "celebrate" while destroying the region, Netanyahu said. Israel has estimated Hamas had about 40,000 fighters at the start of the war.

"We are on the way to total victory and I want to tell you that we are committed to it and will not give up on it," Netanyahu told company commanders at the Armored Corps Memorial at Latrun, 15 miles west of Jerusalem. "We will not stop the war without achieving this goal of total victory."

Netanyahu spoke at his Likud party’s weekly faction meeting, emphasizing that cease-fire talks were continuing but that a deal is not near. Israel, he says, wants a deal similar to the one that resulted in the release of more than 100 hostages in November. But no deal for the remaining hostages will be tied to a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, he said.

"Hamas has demands that we will not agree to," Netanyahu said.

Developing:

∎ The U.N. agency in charge of handling aid to Palestinians, known as UNRWA, would lose $65 million by the end of the month after donors cut off funding in light of Israeli accusations that several UNRWA workers participated in the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7, the New York Times reported.

∎ American porn actor Whitney Wright, who advocates online for Palestinians, traveled to Iran and filmed herself throughout Tehran. Pornography is illegal in Iran and could carry the death penalty.

∎ A drone attack on a base housing American troops in eastern Syria killed six allied Kurdish fighters late Sunday, two days after the U.S. launched airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria. An umbrella group of such militants, known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, claimed responsibility. No casualties were reported among U.S. troops.

∎ Iranian leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei called on leaders of the Islamic world to cut all economic ties to Israel. "The issue of Gaza is a serious matter, and the elite of the Islamic world, including scholars, scientists, politicians and the media can play a significant role here,” he told the state-affiliated Tasnim News Agency.

Houthi rebels vow revenge: Israel also raids outpost where Hamas trained

Blinken, Saudi crown prince discuss war in Gaza, tensions in region

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Monday with Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, the first stop in a Middle East trip aimed at brokering a deal to halt the bloodshed in Gaza and return hostages to Israel. Blinken will also visit Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the West Bank before returning Thursday.

Blinken emphasized "the importance of addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza and preventing further spread of the conflict'' and discussed with the crown prince "the importance of building a more integrated and prosperous region'' and of tamping down tensions in the Middle East, the State Department said in a statement.

Blinken's office also stressed the U.S. "will take appropriate steps" to defend its personnel and the right to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels continue to wreak havoc on commercial shipping.

The trip marks Blinken's fifth visit to the region since Oct. 7, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on a rampage that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians. More than 240 people were taken hostage as the militants fled back to Gaza. Israel's military response has killed more than 27,000 Palestinians and left much of the enclave that is home to 2.3 million people in ruins.

Iraq not notified ahead of airstrikes on its soil, State official says

The U.S. did not notify Iraq ahead of time about Friday's airstrikes on Iraqi and Syrian territory against Iran-backed militias, the State Department said Monday, contradicting previous White House information, Reuters reported.

State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters Iraq was informed right after the series of strikes on 85 targets, a response to the Jan. 28 drone attack on a U.S. base in Jordan that killed three American soldiers and injured around 40.

"Iraq, like every country in the region, understood that there would be a response after the deaths of our soldiers,'' Patel said. "As for this specific response on Friday, there was not a pre-notification.''

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Friday that Iraq was informed before the strikes, which killed dozens. The Iraqi government formally protested the attacks, saying they killed at least 16 of its citizens and wounded 25, including civilians.

"It is fair to conclude that there likely were casualties associated with these strikes," Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters Monday, adding there's no indication any Iranians were killed.

Ryder also said the U.S. is not planning an extended "full-scale war'' against Iranian proxies.

Hamas forces creeping back into northern Gaza

There are growing signs of Hamas reestablishing its presence in northern Gaza following Israel's withdrawal of some troops there, the Associated Press reported.

Residents say Hamas-led security forces, which numbered in the tens of thousands before the war, have begun to reappear in some areas where they focus on distributing civil salaries and cracking down on looters. Such enforcement appears to be what's shown in a video posted online with masked gunmen leading a group of shirtless detainees in front of battered buildings in northern Gaza, although the video's authenticity has not been confirmed.

The Israeli military, whose campaign has been focused on the enclave's south for weeks, says it's also conducting targeted operations in the north aimed at keeping Hamas forces from reclaiming a foothold.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel Hamas war updates: Israeli Prime Minister committed to victory