Live blog: Israel pounds Khan Younis, forces people to flee further south

Saturday, January 27, 2024

1809 GMT — Israel has intensified its strikes on Gaza's city of Khan Younis, forcing Palestinian population in the area to flee further south.

The Israeli attacks come a day after the UN's top court ruled that Tel Aviv must prevent possible acts of genocide in the conflict and allow in aid.

The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said that at least 135 people were killed in Khan Younis as a result of overnight Israeli strikes.

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1915 GMT — Israel unusually 'steps up pressure' on Qatar over release of hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stepped up public pressure on Qatar to bring about the release of Gaza hostages.

Comments by Netanyahu came on the eve of what Reuters sources have described as a meeting among the Qatari prime minister and intelligence chiefs from Israel, the United States and Egypt to discuss a potential new deal to free hostages.

Those talks were expected to take place in an undisclosed location in Europe on Sunday, the sources said. Officials from the four countries have not formally confirmed the meeting, however.

1913 GMT — US strikes Houthi target in Yemen after attack on British oil tanker

US forces struck an anti-ship missile in Yemen that they said was ready to fire hours after Houthis caused a fire on a British tanker in the Gulf of Aden with a similar munition.

US and British forces have launched joint strikes aimed at reducing the Houthis' ability to target vessels transiting the key Red Sea trade route attacks the rebels say are in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

The Houthis' Al Masirah television said the United States and Britain launched two air strikes on the port of Ras Issa in Yemen's Hudaida province, which hosts the country's main oil export terminal.

1829 GMT — Thousands rally in Israel to demand Netanyahu's resignation, snap polls

Thousands of Israelis have demonstrated in several cities, calling for the dismissal of their government, coinciding with protests by the families of hostages held in Gaza in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence.

"Thousands of Israelis protested in the city of Haifa, at the Horev intersection, against the government, demanding immediate elections," according to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth. "The march started from the Carmel area in the city of Haifa to the protest centre at the Horev intersection."

In the city of Kfar Saba, near Tel Aviv, hundreds demonstrated under the slogan "Elections Now," according to the newspaper. The protesters demanded the dismissal of Netanyahu and immediate elections.

1547 GMT — Biden aide raised Iran's support for Houthis with China, official says

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan pressed Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to use that country's influence to help rein in Iran's support for Houthis attacking Red Sea merchant vessels, according to a senior Biden administration official.

Beijing has told Washington it is raising the issue with Iran, the US official said, adding they are waiting to see whether China does so and how effective the outreach will be.

The Chinese and US diplomats met for two days of meetings in Bangkok

1540 GMT — Palestine slams Peru for allowing citizens to fight alongside Israel in Gaza

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry criticised Peru for allowing its citizens to fight with the Israeli army in its war on Gaza.

This statement followed Peru's condolences for a soldier killed during the war.

Palestine, in its statement, interpreted Peru's acknowledgement as "permitting its citizens to participate in the genocide committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

"This was seen through the case of Israeli soldier Yuval Lopez, who held both Peruvian and Israeli citizenships, and the Peruvian government expressed condolences for his death."

1511 GMT — Hamas condemns UN agency layoffs on Israeli allegations

Hamas has condemned the termination of contracts for some staffers of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA).

"We strongly denounce the agency's decision to terminate the contracts of several UNRWA staffers in Gaza based on Israeli information regarding the alleged involvement of these staffers in the events of Oct 7," Hamas said on Telegram.

The contracts were terminated "without completing all the requirements of a fair and impartial investigation," it added.

1439 GMT — US, British 'defensive' strikes won't end Houthi attacks: Yemen leader

Yemeni leader has said "defensive" US and British strikes on the Houthis aren't enough and called for US and Saudi support to "eliminate" their ability to stage attacks on Red Sea shipping.

"Defensive operations are not the solution," Rashad Al Alimi, head of the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), told a briefing with journalists in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

"The solution is to eliminate the Houthis' military capabilities."

1358 GMT — African Union chief 'welcomes' UN court Gaza ruling

The African Union Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat has welcomed the UN top court's decision that Israel should do everything it can to prevent any acts of genocide in Gaza.

"The ruling upholds the respect of international law and the need for Israel to imperatively comply with its obligations under the Genocide Convention," Faki said in a social media statement.

1344 GMT — UK 'temporarily pausing' aid to UN agency for Palestinian refugees

The British government has said it would be "temporarily pausing any future funding" to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

"The UK is appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel," the Foreign Office said.

It added that the aid would be put on hold while "we review these concerning allegations."

1315 GMT — Heavy rains cause flooding in camps sheltering Palestinians

Heavy rains in Gaza have exacerbated the suffering of hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians in tents and shelter centres.

Water from Friday's rains flooded thousands of camps inundating the belongings of the residents and leaving them without blankets and warm clothes, Palestinian Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal told Anadolu.

"Heavy rains inundated many low-lying areas in Gaza, we received more than a thousand warnings about flooded tents and homes in various governorates of Gaza," he added.

1255 GMT — Israel vows to stop UN agency's activities in Gaza after war

Israel has vowed to stop the UN agency at the heart of humanitarian efforts in Gaza from operating after the war.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said Friday it had fired several staff over Israel's accusations.

The UN agency promised a thorough investigation into the claims, which were not specified.

1158 GMT — Israeli army detains 20 more Palestinians in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army has detained 20 more Palestinians in various areas of the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

According to a joint statement issued by the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority and the Palestinian Prisoners Society, the new arrests brought the total number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli forces since October 7 to 6,305.

The latest arrests took place in the occupied governorates of Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah, Hebron, Jericho and East Jerusalem.

1024 GMT — Palestinian death toll tops 26,250 as Israel resumes its bombing

At least 174 Palestinians were killed and 310 others injured in the last 24 hours as the Israeli army continues its onslaught on besieged Gaza, the territory's Health Ministry has said.

"The Israeli occupation committed 18 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, leaving 174 martyrs and 310 injured during the past 24 hours," the ministry said in a statement. "Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them," the statement said.

With the latest Palestinian casualties, the death toll from Israel's ongoing attacks on Gaza since October 7 has risen to 26,257, with 64,797 others injured, the ministry said. Israel has pounded Gaza since a cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

1023 GMT — PLO urges donors to reverse UNRWA aid cut decision, citing risks

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) secretary-general has said that the decision by some countries to cease support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) entails great political and relief risks.

"We call on countries that announced the cessation of their support for UNRWA to immediately reverse their decision," Hussein al Sheikh, secretary general of the PLO said on X.

Separately, Palestinian resistance group Hamas has slammed Israeli "threats" against the relief organisation. "We ask the UN and the international organisations to not cave into the threats and blackmail" from Israel, Hamas's press office said in a post on Telegram.

0936 GMT — Italy suspends financing for UNRWA: Foreign Minister Tajani

Italy has decided to suspend financing of the UNRWA, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has said.

"The Italian government has suspended financing of the UNRWA after the atrocious attack on Israel on October 7," Tajani posted on social media platform X, adding that some of Italy's allies had already taken the same decision.

0930 GMT — Israel says will seek to stop UN agency's activities in Gaza after war

Israel will seek to stop the UN agency for Palestinian refugees from operating in Gaza after the war, its foreign minister has said.

The foreign ministry aims to ensure "that UNRWA will not be a part of the day after," Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on X, formerly Twitter, adding that he would try to gather support from the US, EU and other major donors to the agency.

0923 GMT — India, France concerned at massive killings in Gaza, urge Israel to respect int'l humanitarian law

India and France have expressed concern about the massive loss of civilian lives in the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, urging Tel Aviv to respect international humanitarian law and create conditions, including a humanitarian ceasefire, for aid to flow to the enclave.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed these views in a joint statement issued by the Foreign Ministry in New Delhi on Friday night.

0845 GMT — Australia, Canada suspend UN agency funding after Israeli allegations

Australia and Canada have suspended their funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, after Israel accused several employees of involvement in Hamas's October 7 attack.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she was "deeply concerned" by the allegations against the agency, UNRWA. "We are speaking with partners and will temporarily pause disbursement of recent funding," she wrote on social media platform X.

Canada's International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen on Friday announced that Ottawa had "temporarily paused any additional funding to UNRWA while it undertakes a thorough investigation into these allegations."

0803 GMT — Palestinian death toll soars in West Bank amid Israeli raids

Israeli soldiers killed a young man in his 20s with indiscriminate fire during an overnight incursion into a village in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian media has reported.

The official news agency Wafa said that “a twenty-seven-year-old Palestinian was killed overnight after being shot by Israeli forces’ live fire during confrontations in the village of Deir Abu Deif, northeast of Jenin.”

Israeli forces stormed the village and sealed off its entrances, provoking residents and sparking confrontations, the agency said.

During the confrontations, Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition at residents, seriously injuring Qassam Ahmad Yasin, who died from his injuries shortly after, the news agency said.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 373 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank since October 7.

0417 GMT — Houthi media reports US, UK air strikes hit Yemen's key oil port

The Houthi's Al Masira television has said that the US and the UK launched two airstrikes that targeted the port of Ras Issa, Yemen's main oil export terminal.

No further details were immediately available. The airstrikes came as Yemeni Houthis have stepped up attacks on vessels transiting the Red Sea, including a hit that sparked a fire on a fuel tanker on Friday.

The tanker Marlin Luanda, which was operating on behalf of trading firm Trafigura, was damaged but no injuries were reported and a US Navy ship was providing assistance, the US military said.

About eight hours later, the US military destroyed a Houthi anti-ship missile that was aimed into the Red Sea and ready to launch, Central Command said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

0200 GMT — Security Council to meet after UN top court's Gaza ruling

The UN Security Council will meet next week over the decision by the global body's top court calling for Israel to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza, the council's presidency announced.

The Wednesday meeting was called for by Algeria, whose Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would give "binding effect to the pronouncement of the International Court of Justice on the provisional measures imposed on the Israeli occupation."

2243 GMT — Michigan's Arab American leaders shun Biden campaign, ahead of president's visit

A group of Arab American leaders in Dearborn, Michigan has skipped a meeting with President Joe Biden's campaign manager that was organised ahead of a possible visit to the battleground state by Biden on February 1, two participants and two sources said.

Biden's likely visit to the state next week involves meetings with members of the United Auto Workers Union and potential meetings with the Arab American community, the participants and sources said.

Ahmad Chebbani, co-founder and chair of the Arab American Chamber of Commerce, told Reuters news agency that a majority of the 15 Arab community leaders invited to the meeting with Julie Chavez Rodriguez had decided to skip it, citing frustration and anger with Biden because he has not called for a ceasefire in Israel's brutal war on Gaza.

2100 GMT — Hamas said to be back in parts of Gaza vacated by Israel

Two Israeli senior security officials have said that the military informed political leadership that the Palestinian resistance group Hamas has started to restore its capabilities and governance in certain areas across Gaza, according to media reports.

Public broadcaster KAN said the two officials, whose names were not mentioned, said Hamas started to restore its presence in areas where the army decreased its presence.

According to the information provided by the army to the political leadership, the municipalities that were under Hamas governance have recently started to provide services to the residents in the central and northern areas.

In addition, there are emergency committees formed by the Palestinian resistance group that also work beside the municipalities, the officials added.

For our live updates from Friday, January 26, click here.