BBC News reports on Marib, the city in Yemen at the heart of the country’s civil war “the pressure of the war pervades every part of life in Marib.” The report outlines the pressure facing the medical facilities in the city, the severe famine across the city, and how the Houthi rebels continue to gain ground in the surrounding areas. The report quotes a diplomatic official who said that “if government troops here did not have the support of Saudi air strikes, Marib would fall quickly.”

The Guardian reports that diplomats and activists claimed that Saudi Arabia has used “incentives and threats” to shut down UN investigations into the country’s role in Yemen’s civil war. Sources claimed Saudi Arabia used a “stealth campaign” to stop the investigations, which ultimately succeeded in October when the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) voted against extending the independent war crimes investigation, marking the first time of the defeat of such a resolution in the 15 year history of the HRC.

BBC News, The Financial Times, The Times and The Telegraph report on a member of the Islamic State who has been found guilty by a German court of genocide against the Yazidi community. Taha al-Jumailly was sentenced in life in jail on charges of genocide, including the murder of a five year old Yazidi girl. The papers note that the trial has highlighted Germany’s “pioneering role in prosecuting suspected Middle East war criminals.” Amal Clooney, the lawyer representing the mother of the murdered child said “This is the mom ent Yazidis have been waiting for. To finally hear a judge, after seven years, declare that what they suffered was genocide. To watch a man face justice for killing a Yazidi girl because she was Yazidi. There is no more denying it. IS is guilty of genocide.”

The Independent reports on the increasing threat from landmines in Syria as the country now ranks first is terms of the number of landmine victims. The Landmine Monitor documents 2,729 deaths and injuries from landmines in Syria, the largest ever number since the organization began tracking these figures in 1999. The paper notes that Syria has now surpassed Afghanistan and Columbia, who were previously the two highest ranking countries on the list.

The Financial Times interviews Sheikha Al Mayassa Al Thani, the sister of Qatar’s Emir. Her official title is Chairperson of Qatar Museums, but the paper notes that she is the driving force behind the country’s efforts to “become a cultural hub” especially ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

The Independent reports the “soaring violence” perpetrated by Israeli settlers on Palestinians during the olive harvest. The report notes that “the recent violence has been so serious that the Israeli security forces themselves sounded the alarm last month, reportedly telling Army Radio that there has been a 60 per cent rise in violent attacks by extremist settlers in comparison to 2020, which was already a bad year.”

The Guardian reports that Tel Aviv has been named the most expensive city to live in, official overtaking Hong Kong, Paris and Zurich. The paper attributes this to the rapid rise of inflation, strength against the US dollar and prices for transportation and groceries. Tel Aviv climbed five spots in the last year to take the top spot.

The Omicron variant continues to dominate headlines in the Israeli media, with cabinet ministers trying to reassure the public that the newest phase of the pandemic is under control amid ongoing disagreements about the use of Shin Bet tracking to limit the spread. Kan Radio reports that the Health Ministry believes there are more people in Israel who are carrying the Omicron variant and that they can be found by means of contact tracing. The Health Ministry has instructed laboratories to retest individuals who have returned from abroad in recent weeks and were confirmed to carry the coronavirus, particularly from red countries, to see if they are carrying the Omicron variant.

Maariv quotes Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz and Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman when they visited Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheva yesterday. “There are no plans currently to impose restrictions on daily life in Israel. Our policy has been and remains: living with the coronavirus. In the coming days we will have precise information about the vaccines’ effectiveness, but there is already some room for optimism. Based on preliminary indications, it seems that anyone who has received the booster shot is more likely to be protected against this variant as well,” Horowitz said. Finance Minister Lieberman said: “The entire public needs to be vaccinated, but to continue [normal] life alongside the coronavirus. I’m coming away from here optimistic. We know what to do and how to do it, and we are backing up all the decisions that are made with funding.”

According to official data, 694 new cases of COVID were identified yesterday, with an infection rate of 0.66 per cent and a reproduction number of 1.03. The number of people in Israel suspected of carrying the Omicron variant rose yesterday to 34, but only four cases have been confirmed so far, including two cardiologists. There are 115 people hospitalised in serious condition, including 66 who are on ventilators.

Writing in Yediot Ahronot Nadav Eyal notes contradictory statements by leading vaccine manufacturers and says that two years into the coronavirus pandemic people have got to be patient. Eyal notes that scientific certainty about the new variant “requires tens of thousands of people who have been infected from different age groups and different populations; a thorough study that can neutralise variables, such as demographics; meticulous analysis; and careful calculations. None of that is possible yet simply because not enough people have been infected with the Omicron variant around the world yet”. Eyal adds: “There is one calculation that certainly is based on information: the pace of infection in South Africa can be compared and contrasted to previous outbreaks, such as with the emergence of the Delta variant. Those comparative data have led scientists to conclude that the Omicron variant has been 30% more infectious than the Delta variant to date.”

Maariv reports that the cabinet voted yesterday in favour of a bill to allow the Shin Bet to use cellular tracking devices for a period of up to two weeks, if needed. Ministers Gideon Saar, Yifat Shasha-Biton, Orna Barbivai and Eli Avidar all voted against. The current emergency ordinance that allows for Shin Bet tracking runs out tomorrow midnight. During deliberations yesterday at the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, Director of Public Health Services Dr Sharon Alroy-Preis stressed the importance of Shin Bet tracking to keep tabs on people carrying the Omicron variant. “The epidemiology investigation [i.e. contact tracing] into these cases found 186 people who had come into contact [with the confirmed cases], while at the same time the Shin Bet found 44 people who had come into contact. Of those, just two overlapped with the people who [were discovered] by the epidemiological investigation [contact tracing]. As such, it is an important tool that complements epidemiological investigation,” she said.

Reporting about the talks in Vienna, Israel Hayom’s Lilach Shoval quotes security officials as saying that Israel’s ability to attack in Iran has waned in recent years, especially after the JCPOA was signed in 2015. She reports that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Defence Minister Benny Gantz have refocused efforts to draw up attack plans to deal with the emerging threat. Shoval writes: “Changes in US policy made by the Biden administration and the decision to lift sanctions caught Israel unprepared and without adequate plans for an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Those developments prompted Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Defense Minister Benny Gantz to instruct the IDF to ramp up its preparations for attack in the so-called ‘third circle’ — namely, in Iran.”

Army Radio reports that the cross-examination of Nir Hefetz, the former media adviser to the Netanyahu family turned state witness, continues this morning at the Jerusalem District Court. Hefetz said under oath that police were clear during their interrogation: If he didn’t cooperate with their investigation they would destroy his family. Meanwhile, the prosecution has asked the court to reject an abuse of process motion that was filed by Netanyahu’s attorneys in response to new information from the investigation that was leaked to the media two weeks ago before the defense had been given access to material. According to media reports, Arnon Milchan’s personal assistant had purchased expensive gifts—a bracelet and a handbag for Sara Netanyahu. The prosecution argued the leaks did not prevent Netanyahu from receiving a fair trial and do not justify accepting the defense’s motion.