Live blog: World Food Program slams Israeli attack on its convoy in Gaza

Monday, January 6, 2025

1811 GMT — The UN's World Food Program (WFP) slammed Israel’s attack on one of its convoys in Gaza.

Calling the incident "absolutely unacceptable," WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain wrote on X: “A WFP convoy, clearly marked & carrying 8 team members, was shot at by Israeli forces near Wadi Gaza despite prior clearances. Humanitarians are not a target.”

“We must have safe, secure access to continue delivering life-saving aid,” added McCain, the widow of John McCain, a US senator.

During its assault on Gaza, now almost in its 16th month, Israel has frequently hit hospitals, mosques and churches, and humanitarian aid staffers and distribution zones – all possible violations of the laws of war. It has also severely limited aid supplies entering Gaza.

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1902 GMT — Two Israeli soldiers injured in northern Gaza battle: army

The Israeli army said that two soldiers were seriously injured during a battle in northern Gaza, with local media reporting that they were wounded by an explosive device in Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the enclave.

“The soldiers were evacuated for medical treatment at a hospital, and their families have been notified,” the military said in a statement.

1900 GMT— UN 'deeply concerned' over babies freezing to death in Gaza

The UN expressed grave concern after the death of a one-month-old baby in Gaza due to hypothermia, marking the eighth such fatality in less than three weeks.

Stating that such deaths are "preventable" if aid reached to families in Gaza," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric added that "civilians and civilian infrastructure – including humanitarian workers, convoys and assets – must be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law."

"Across the Gaza Strip over the weekend, 37 UN-led humanitarian missions were planned. 12 of these missions were facilitated, but 15 others were denied outright, nine were impeded, and one was cancelled due to logistical and operational constraints," Dujarric noted.

He further stated that armed looting of humanitarian aid convoys continues in southern and central Gaza, and said: "Yesterday, eight fuel trucks were seized, two of which have since been recovered."

1824 GMT — Lebanese army enters south after Israeli withdrawal

The Lebanese army entered the town of Naqoura in the Tyre district in southern Lebanon, the third town reclaimed following Israel’s withdrawal.

According to the state-run National News Agency, the army vehicles, backed by UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) troops, entered Naqoura at 3.20 pm local time.

The agency reported that a Lebanese army bulldozer was seen in the convoy.

It comes after a meeting of the Five-Party Committee on Ceasefire Monitoring in Ras Naqoura, attended by US envoy Amos Hochstein.

1822 GMT — Israeli army withdrawals from western Lebanon to continue: US

US envoy Amos Hochstein said that he was happy to see the Israeli army withdraw from the western sector of Lebanon back to Israel.

In a news conference in Lebanon following meetings with top Lebanese officials, Hochstein said these withdrawals would continue until the Israeli army was completely out of the country.

He also said: "I have no reason not to expect that all parties — all parties — will remain committed to implementing the agreement that they agreed to."

1649 GMT — Türkiye to continue Gaza peace efforts until results achieved: Erdogan

The Turkish president reaffirmed the country’s unwavering commitment to peace in Gaza, stating that the country will persist in its efforts "until we get results."

Speaking after a Cabinet meeting, Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked the Turkish people for their continued solidarity with Palestinians, saying: "On Jan. 1, our citizens sent a powerful message to the world, demonstrating Türkiye’s unwavering support for Palestine."

"After 61 years of Baath oppression and 13 years of massacres, just as faith, belief, and patience prevailed in Syria, God willing, justice will also prevail in Palestine, and the sun of justice will pierce through the darkness of oppression," Erdogan added.

He further stressed Türkiye’s long-term goal for Palestine, asserting: "An independent, sovereign Palestinian state with territorial integrity, based on the 1967 borders, and with East Jerusalem as its capital, will certainly be established."

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1325 GMT — Palestinian groups call for resistance against Israeli settlers

Palestinian factions called for escalating resistance operations in the occupied West Bank in retaliation for Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.

Three illegal Israeli settlers were killed and six others injured early Monday in a shooting attack near the Kedumim settlement in the northern West Bank.

Hamas hailed the attack as "a heroic response to the ongoing crimes and war of extermination committed by the (Israeli) occupation against our people in Gaza, the displacement plans in the West Bank, and the settler aggression on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and holy sites."

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) called the shooting attack a "powerful message" to the Israeli occupation.

It called for escalating resistance operations in the West Bank "to confuse the occupation's calculations and weaken its security system."

The Popular Resistance Committees termed the attack “a natural response” to Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza and the Judaization and annexation plans in the West Bank.

1331 GMT — At least 40 Palestinians wounded in Israeli drone strike

At least 40 Palestinians were wounded in an Israeli drone strike on a school sheltering displaced civilians in central Gaza, medics said.

Witnesses said Israeli drones dropped grenades on a school in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

The al-Awda Hospital confirmed that 40 people were brought in after the attack.

1234 GMT — Let Red Cross see detained director of Gaza hospital: Germany to Israel

Germany called on Israel to allow access to the International Red Cross to visit the abducted director of the Gaza-based Kamal Adwan Hospital but stopped short of demanding his release.

"We demand that Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, be treated according to international standards, has access to the International Red Cross and has access to legal support," deputy Foreign Ministry spokesman Christian Wagner told journalists in Berlin.

Asked whether his country would support the doctor’s release, Wagner said merely that the three above-mentioned demands were what his government was calling for.

1215 GMT — Illegal Israeli settlers block Palestinian minister’s convoy amid West Bank tension

Illegal Israeli settlers blocked the convoy of Palestinian Local Government Minister Sami Hijjawi in Masafer Yatta, south of the West Bank city of Hebron.

A statement by the Local Government Ministry said the minister’s vehicle was stopped by settlers dressed in military uniform.

The incident followed calls by illegal settlers to launch attacks against Palestinians in retaliation to a shooting attack that left three settlers dead in the northern West Bank.

According to media reports, illegal settlers blocked several roads between the cities of Nablus, Qalqilya, Tulkarem, and Jenin, attacking Palestinian cars with rocks.

1209 GMT — ‘Nablus, Jenin must look like Gaza’s Jabalia’: far-right Israeli minister

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for massive destruction in the West Bank cities of Nablus and Jenin as the case in Jabalia in northern Gaza.

“Funduq, Nablus, and Jenin must look like Jabalia,” Smotrich said.

His call came after three illegal Israeli settlers were killed in a shooting attack in the village of Funduq in the central West Bank.

The extremist minister called for an urgent cabinet meeting to discuss what he called “a change in Israel’s approach” in the occupied West Bank.

1042 GMT — Death toll in Gaza mounts as Hamas, Israel wrangle over talks

At least 48 more Palestinians were killed in unabated Israeli attacks in Gaza, bringing the overall death toll since October 2023 to 45,854, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.

A ministry statement added that some 109,139 others were injured in the ongoing assault.

"Israeli forces killed 48 people and injured 75 others in three 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.

1038 GMT — Two children among 20 Palestinians arrested in Israeli raids in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army rounded up at least 20 more Palestinians in fresh military raids in the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners' affairs groups.

Two children and former prisoners were among the detainees in the raids that targeted occupied East Jerusalem, Hebron, Nablus, Qalqilya, Jenin and Ramallah, the Commission of Detainees' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

"The arrest campaigns came amid a massive aggression launched by the (Israeli) occupation against our people in retaliation that falls under the crime of collective punishment," the statement said.

1019 GMT — WHO chief urges Israel to release Kamal Adwan Hospital director

The World Health Organization (WHO) chief urged Israel to release the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza.

"Kamal Adwan Hospital in North Gaza remains completely out of function and we have received no updates on the safety and wellbeing of its director Dr Hussam Abu Safiya since his detention on 27 December," Tedros Adhanom Ghe breyesus wrote on X.

"We continue to urge Israel to release him. We repeat: attacks on hospitals and health professionals must end. People in Gaza need access to health care," Tedros added, repeating his call for a ceasefire.

0954 GMT — Israel military says three projectiles fired from north Gaza

The Israeli military said it identified three projectiles fired from northern Gaza that crossed into Israel, the latest in a series of launches from the Palestinian enclave.

"One projectile was intercepted by the IAF (air force), one fell in Sderot and another projectile fell in an open area. No injuries were reported," the military said in a statement.

0843 GMT — Another newborn baby freezes to death in Gaza, death toll rises to 8

A new Palestinian newborn baby froze to death in Gaza, taking the death toll from the cold weather to eight amid Israel's genocidal war on the enclave, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said that 35-day-old Yousef Ahmad Kalloub lost his life due to the harsh winter cold in the territory.

0821 GMT — Israeli army, medics say three killed in occupied West Bank shooting

Gunmen opened fire on vehicles, including a passenger bus, near a village in the occupied West Bank, killing three people and wounding seven, the Israeli military and emergency services said.

"Paramedics have confirmed the deaths of three victims, including two women and a man," emergency service provider Magen David Adom said.

The military reported that troops were pursuing the gunmen who carried out the attack near the village of Al-Funduq.

0733 GMT — Israeli army kills 10 more Palestinians in strikes across Gaza

The Israeli army on Monday morning killed at least 10 more Palestinians in strikes across Gaza as the Israeli war continues unabated.

A medical source told Anadolu that four Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike on the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in northern Gaza City. Eyewitnesses said the Israeli warplanes struck a home for the "Barakat" family in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood.

In a second targeted attack in the city, a woman and a child were killed as an Israeli drone struck a home sheltering displaced people near the Great Omari Mosque, according to a medical source in the al-Ahli Baptist hospital.

Two brothers were also killed in an Israeli air strike on northern Gaza, which is experiencing an ongoing Israeli devastating campaign for over three months.

The Israeli army continued to detonate and destroy homes and buildings in Gaza's northern areas, including Jabalia, Beit Lahia, and Beit Hanoon, according to witnesses.

In southern Gaza, a medical source confirmed that two Palestinians were killed as the Israeli army struck an agricultural area in northern Rafah city.

0659 GMT — Germany halts funding for Israeli human rights groups critical of Tel Aviv's policies

The German government has cut off funding for two Israeli human rights organisations, "Zochrot" and "New Profile", which have criticised Israel's policies and attacks in the Gaza Strip, media reported on Sunday.

According to Germany's public international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, this move is part of a broader trend of halting federal funding for human rights organisations that criticise Israeli policies and ongoing attacks in Gaza.

Germany's funding cut effectively ended the ongoing projects of these organisations. Observers are concerned this move will shrink the space for voices critical of the Israeli government.

0600 GMT — Hamas and Tel Aviv wrangle over talks as Israel pounds Gaza

Indirect talks on a truce and hostage release agreement has resumed in Qatar, sources said, as Israel continued to bombard Gaza.

Mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States have tried for months to strike a deal to end Israel's war. The latest effort comes just days before Donald Trump takes office as president of the United States on January 20.

The talks took place as Israel pounded Gaza yet again on Sunday, killing scores.

0552 GMT — Blinken aims to 'cross finish line' on ceasefire, hostages deal

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington wanted to see a ceasefire deal in Gaza concluded and the hostages brought out in the next two weeks.

A renewed push is under way to reach a ceasefire in Israel's war on Gaza and return Israeli hostages before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20.

"We very much want to bring this over the finish line in the next two weeks, the time we have remaining," Blinken told a press conference in South Korea, when asked whether a ceasefire deal was close.

0216 GMT — Pro-Palestine protesters in Toronto demand release of Kamal Adwan Hospital director

A group of pro-Palestine protesters gathered in Toronto, Canada, to demand the release of the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, who was abducted by Israeli forces last month.

The protesters carried banners that said, "Health for Gaza, stop the genocide" and "Healthcare is not a crime."

They also demanded an arms embargo and the severing of diplomatic relations with Israel.

2305 GMT — 7 infants dead in Gaza from cold weather, inadequate shelter: UNRWA

At least seven infants have died in Gaza due to cold weather and inadequate shelter, the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) said.

"Cold weather and lack of shelter are causing the deaths of newborns in Gaza. 7,700 newborns lack lifesaving care. To date, at least seven babies have reportedly died," UNRWA wrote on X.

2101 GMT — Israel kills one teen, wounds two in occupied West Bank

Israel has killed one Palestinian teen and wounded two in a raid on the city of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said in a brief statement that 17-year-old Mutaz Madani was shot dead by the Israeli forces in Askar refugee camp in Nablus.

2030 GMT — US pro-Palestine protesters condemn Israeli destruction of Gaza hospitals

US pro-Palestine protesters have braved the January chilling cold in Washington DC to condemn Israel's destruction of hospitals in besieged Gaza.

Protesters called for an end to Israel's attack on the blockaded enclave's health facilities and demanded an arms embargo on Israel.

During the protest, participants carried placards that read "Hospitals are not warzones", "Health care not warfare", and "Stop bombing health care workers."

"Jews true to the Jewish religion totally oppose and condemn the Zionist brutality, the murder, the carnage and the genocide of the people of Gaza, and what they're doing maliciously now, destroying the hospitals," Neturei Karta Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss told TRT World at the protest site. "It's all part of one satanic movement."

2030 GMT — Israeli strikes kill at least 12 Palestinians across Gaza

Israel has killed at least 12 more Palestinians and wounded several others in its air strikes on besieged Gaza.

Three of them were killed when a drone targeted a motorcycle north of Rafah in southern Gaza, a medical source told Anadolu Agency.

In an air strike on the Asdaa police station in Khan Younis, four Palestinians lost their lives, the source added.

Two Palestinians were killed and several others wounded when a group of civilians were targeted in Abasan Al-Kabira, east of Khan Younis.

Al Awda Hospital said in a statement that an air strike on a house belonging to the Abu Jarboa family in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza killed two Palestinians.

In Gaza City, one Palestinian was killed, and several others were wounded in an air strike targeting a civilian gathering in the Shujaiya neighbourhood east of the city.

For our live updates from Sunday, January 5, 2025, click here.