Eli Shtivi, whose son Idan was among those kidnapped from a music festival in southern Israel, pledged to eat only a quarter of a pita a day – the amount of food some hostages reportedly receive some days – until the prime minister agreed to meet with him. Dozens of people who joined Shtivi were still there Saturday.

The Syrian army said the building in the tightly guarded western Damascus neighborhood of Mazzeh was entirely destroyed, adding that the Israeli air force fired the missiles while flying over Syria's Israeli-held Golan Heights. The Israeli military did not comment on the strike.

Instead of preferring moderate intensity over an extended period, it is best to increase intensity over a shorter duration. Continued public support for the IDF's activities is vital, especially in dealing with an enemy that knows Israeli society well and plans its moves with awareness of its sensitivities.

Since the start of the war until the first week of January, 4,783 new immigrants have made aliyah to Israel, most of them from Russia, US, Ukraine and France. Almost all of the immigrants who arrived in Israel during this period began the process before the war.