Live blog: Biden, Qatari emir speak as Gaza truce deal hit 'critical point'

Monday, January 13, 2025

1835 GMT — US President Joe Biden discussed with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ongoing efforts in Doha to secure an agreement to end hostilities in the besieged Gaza during what the White House described as a "critical point in the negotiations."

During the telephone call, Biden "thanked the Amir for his leadership and praised the mediating role of Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani throughout the process," the White House said in a statement.

"Both leaders emphasised the urgent need for a deal to be implemented to return the hostages to their families and bring immediate relief to the people of Gaza through a surge in humanitarian aid enabled by the ceasefire and called for in the deal," it added.

Shortly after the White House issued its statement, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters that negotiators are "close to a deal, and it can get done this week."

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1909 GMT — Hamas keen on reaching a Gaza ceasefire deal: statement

Palestinian resistance group Hamas has said it is keen on reaching a Gaza ceasefire deal, according to a statement.

1838 GMT — Israeli FM claims progress in prisoner swap negotiations with Hamas

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said that significant progress has been made in indirect negotiations with Hamas for a prisoner exchange deal.

"Progress was made; we see some progress in the negotiations," Sa'ar told a joint news conference in West Jerusalem with his Danish counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen. He said Israel is working with the US to reach a hostage deal.

"There is progress, I said it looks much better than previously," Sa’ar said. "Soon we will know whether the other side wants the same thing."

1804 GMT — Turkish intel chief, Hamas officials agree to continue efforts for ceasefire

The Turkish intelligence chief and Hamas Political Bureau officials agreed to maintain efforts toward a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Ibrahim Kalin, head of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT), had a phone call with Hamas Political Bureau officials, security sources said.

Read more here

1820 GMT — Qatar ruler meets with Hamas officials over Gaza ceasefire talks

Qatar's ruler met with Hamas representatives and the Middle East envoys for the incoming and outgoing US administrations as part of a push to secure a so-far elusive ceasefire deal in Gaza.

Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and a delegation from the Palestinian resistance group headed by lead negotiator Khalil al-Hayya discussed "developments in the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza, which aim to achieve a long-term truce", his office said in a statement.

1758 GMT — Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes killed more than 50

Gaza's civil defence agency reported that a wave of Israeli air strikes killed more than 50 people in the Palestinian territory's main city.

Eleven people were killed and several others injured when an Israeli strike targeted a house belonging to the Jaradah and Abu Khater families in the city's Shujaiya neighbourhood, the agency said in a statement.

Seven people were killed in a strike on a group of Palestinians on al-Maamal Street in Gaza City, the agency reported.

And five people lost their lives in another strike that hit Salaheddin al-Ayyubi School in the city's al-Darraj neighbourhood, it added.

The remaining casualties occurred in other strikes across Gaza City throughout the day, according to the agency.

1717 GMT — Israel prepares for release of captives from Gaza in potential Hamas deal: media

Israeli ministries have been instructed to prepare for the arrival of hostages held Gaza as part of a potential swap deal with Hamas, Israeli media said.

"If the agreement is approved, the hostages are expected to arrive in Israel in the coming days," the Israeli public broadcaster KAN said.

KAN said Israeli military officials met with Health Ministry officials "to prepare hospitals for the potential reception of the hostages."

1428 GMT — US sees possible Gaza ceasefire deal this week: official

The Biden administration sees a possible Gaza ceasefire agreement as soon as this week, White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan told Bloomberg News, adding that there were no guarantees that the parties would agree to such a deal.

Sullivan, speaking to Bloomberg in an interview, added that US President Joe Biden's administration has been in contact with incoming president Donald Trump's team on the issue.

1358 GMT — Talks over some core issues for Gaza ceasefire made progress: Hamas

Hamas has said that talks over some core issues for a ceasefire deal in Gaza have made progress, an official in the Palestinian group told Reuters.

"The negotiation over some core issues made progress and we are working to conclude what remains soon," added the official who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Read more here

1314 GMT — Israel killed 31 relatives of slain Anadolu cameraman in Gaza: wife

The wife of Saed Abu Nabhan, a freelance Anadolu cameraman killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, said 31 members of her husband's family have been killed in the ongoing attacks.

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1226 GMT — Israel, Hamas inching closer to deal: officials

Israel and Hamas appear to be inching closer to a phased ceasefire agreement, officials have said.

However, a deal hasn't been reached yet, and there are a number of obstacles that could still scupper the talks in Qatar.

1217 GMT — Lebanon reports four more Israeli violations of ceasefire deal

Lebanese media has reported four more Israeli violations of the ceasefire deal between Beirut and Tel Aviv.

The state news agency NNA said that an Israeli reconnaissance plane flew at low altitude over the southern city of Tyre.

Israeli army forces blew up several homes in the town of Aita ash-Shaab in southern Lebanon, the same source said.

Israeli soldiers also staged a large-scale search operation in the town of Khiam, while military vehicles were reported to be advancing into the town of Meiss El-Jabal, NNA said. The Lebanese army forces were scheduled to be deployed in Meiss El-Jabal on Monday, but the move was postponed to a later time.

1132 GMT — Ten Israeli soldiers killed in north Gaza in three days: Hamas

Palestinian resistance group Hamas has said that its fighters had killed 10 Israeli soldiers in northern Gaza in the last three days.

"Over 10 Israeli soldiers were killed and scores injured in resistance attacks in the last 72 hours," Abu Obaida, spokesperson of Hamas' armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said in a statement.

He said Israeli military losses "are much higher than announced." "The (Israeli) enemy will be defeated from northern Gaza and will drag its tails of shame without being able to break the resistance," he vowed.

The spokesperson said the only achievements made by the Israeli army in northern Gaza are "destruction, devastation and massacres against innocent people."

There was no immediate Israeli comment.

1045 GMT — Palestinian death toll in Gaza nears 46,600

At least 19 more Palestinians were killed in unabated Israeli attacks in Gaza, bringing the overall death toll since October 2023 to 46,584, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.

A ministry statement added that some 109,731 others were injured in the ongoing assault.

"Israeli forces killed 19 people and injured 71 others in two massacres of families in the last 24 hours," the ministry said. "Many people are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them," it added.

1022 GMT — Israeli strikes kill eight Palestinians

At least four Palestinians were killed and others injured in an Israeli air strike on a vehicle carrying civilians in central Rafah in southern Gaza, a medical source said.

One more Palestinian was killed in an Israeli air strike north of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the source added.

In central Gaza, three Palestinians, including a young girl, were killed and others injured in a strike targeting civilians, another medical source at the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital said.

1021 GMT — Israel must 'open the gates of hell' on Gaza: Smotrich

Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has warned that he would not support a deal in Gaza that halts the war, insisting that Israel should "open all the gates of hell" on the Palestinian territory.

"The proposed agreement is a catastrophe for Israel's national security. We will not be part of a surrender deal," Smotrich said on X.

"We must take decisive control of humanitarian aid... and open the gates of hell on Gaza until Hamas surrenders unconditionally."

0953 GMT — Palestinian prisoners' body chief heads to Qatar to follow up on possible swap deal with Israel

The head of the Palestinian Commission of Detainees' Affairs, Qadoura Fares, said he will travel to Qatar to follow up on a potential hostage swap deal amid intensive efforts to finalise an agreement between Israel and Hamas.

"I will be in Doha today to communicate with the Palestinian team there to ensure that the standards for completing the prisoner exchange deal are accurate and error-free," Fares told Anadolu.

"There are no specific details, and I'm not part of the negotiation team, but the issue of prisoners is not a matter of dispute; it enjoys national consensus."

Fares is a prominent defender of Palestinian prisoners' rights.

0849 GMT — Israeli strikes kill six Palestinians across Gaza

At least one Palestinian was killed and others were injured in an Israeli air strike targeting a gathering of civilians in Jabalia town in northern Gaza.

Late Sunday evening, five Palestinians were killed and others injured in an Israeli strike that targeted a residential block housing members of the Jarada and Khater families in the Shujaiya neighbourhood, east of Gaza City in the enclave's south, eyewitnesses told Anadolu.

0837 GMT — Palestinian detainee dies in Israel's Ramon prison

A Palestinian detainee died in Ramon Prison, southern Israel, prisoners' affairs groups announced.

Citing the Palestinian Civil Affairs Authority, which liaises with Israeli authorities, the Commission of Detainees' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society, in a joint statement, identified the detainee as Motaz Abu Zanid, 35.

It explained that Abu Zanid, who was held under administrative detention without charge, died at the Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba, southern Israel.

According to the statement, Abu Zanid was from the town of Dura, south of Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank.

0738 GMT — Israeli army claims to have intercepted drone flying from Yemen

The Israeli army claimed that it intercepted a drone in southern Israel that had been launched from Yemen.

"The Air Force has just intercepted a drone launched from Yemen in southern Israel," army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X.

The Yemeni Houthi group has yet to respond to the army's report.

0649 GMT — Israeli strike on Gaza school shelter kills five Palestinians

At least five Palestinians were killed and others injured in an Israeli air strike targeting a shelter in Gaza City, a medical source told Anadolu.

Witnesses said the strike targeted the Salah al-Din school in al-Daraj neighbourhood, which serves as a shelter for the displaced.

Earlier, the civil defence reported an initial toll of four Palestinians killed in the attack.

0100 GMT — Israel carries out air strikes on eastern Lebanon

The Israeli military has conducted airstrikes in eastern Lebanon.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) highlighted that Israeli forces continued to violate a ceasefire agreement that went into effect on Nov. 27 last year.

Reports indicated that Israeli warplanes bombed areas near the town of Jinta, east of Baalbek.

0046 GMT — Israeli army warns civilians against returning to 62 Lebanese villages

The Israeli army warned displaced civilians against returning to their homes in 62 villages in southern Lebanon, despite a ceasefire agreement.

Military spokesman Avichay Adraee posted the warning on his X account with an attached map showing the targeted villages.

"A new reminder for the residents of southern Lebanon. At this stage, it is prohibited for you to return to your homes south of this line until further notice. Anyone crossing south of this line puts themselves at risk," Adraee said.

2212 GMT — Israeli army detains dozens in occupied West Bank raids

Israeli forces have detained around 70 Palestinians in a series of raids targeting homes in the occupied West Bank.

Eyewitnesses said Israeli soldiers stormed several homes in the town of Deir Istiya in Salfit governorate.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that Israeli troops have repeatedly raided Deir Istiya in recent days, blocking the town's entrances and exits with barriers.

Elderly residents were among those detained, according to WAFA.

Israeli troops also raided a shop in Haris, a village in Salfit, and opened fire on Palestinians in the city of Jenin.

For our live updates from Sunday, January 12, 2025, click here.