Live blog: Israel continues Gaza bombardment approaching 100 days of war

Saturday, January 13, 2024

1211 GMT — Israel kept up bombardments in Gaza as its war in the enclave approaches 100 days with no end in sight.

In the southern city of Rafah, an Israeli air strike on a house sheltering two displaced families killed 10 people, the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said.

Holding up a photo of a dead girl with a piece of bread in her hand, Bassem Arafeh, a relative, said the families in Rafah had been eating dinner when the house was struck on Friday night.

"This child died while she was hungry, while she was eating a piece of bread with nothing on it, where is the International Criminal Court to see how the children die?" Arafeh said. "Where are the Muslims... and the world leaders?"

The scale of Israeli killings in Gaza and the dire humanitarian situation has shocked world opinion and fuelled growing calls for a ceasefire.

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1831 GMT — Netanyahu says 'no one will stop us' in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that no one would stop Israel from achieving victory in its "war against Hamas" in the besieged Gaza, as the country's relentless air strikes have killed at least 23,843 Palestinian civilians and wounded 60,317 so far.

"No one will stop us - not The Hague, not the Axis of Evil and no one else. It is possible and necessary to continue until victory, and we will do it," Netanyahu told a televised press conference as the brutal war in Gaza moves into its 100th day on Sunday.

He was referring to a case brought before the UN's top court, the International Court of Justice in The Hague, alleging Israel's offensive is in breach of the UN Genocide Convention, and an alliance of Iran-allied groups around the Middle East dubbed the Axis of Resistance.

1814 GMT — Hamas official thanks Qatar for Gaza medicine deal

A Hamas official thanked Qatar for sending medicine to Gaza "in light of the many risks that threaten the lives of Palestinians."

"Some medicine will be used to treat Israeli prisoners," Osama Hamdan, a Lebanon-based Hamas leader, told a news conference in Beirut.

Hamdan said the priority was the citizens of Gaza.

"First, we believe our people are more deserving and in need of medicine, and secondly, there are security issues this presents."

1711 GMT — Hundreds rally in Stockholm in support of Palestine

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, to express their support for Palestinians and to vehemently denounce Israel's attacks on Gaza.

Demonstrators gathered in the Odenplan region on the call of many non-governmental organisations in the country, calling on Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza, declare an immediate ceasefire, and allow full entry of humanitarian aid materials into the besieged enclave.

They carried banners reading "Children are being killed in Gaza," "Stop the genocide," and "Palestine forever," as well as models of children killed during the intensified bombardment.

1532 GMT — Hundreds of thousands attend 7th national march for Palestine in London

A pro-Palestine march began in the heart of London, marking the seventh demonstration in the British capital since Israel's onslaught on Gaza began in early October.

Drawing hundreds of thousands of participants, the event was organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), which has lauded the protests as constituting "one of the largest, sustained political campaigns in British history."

This demonstration is part of a global day of action, mobilising for a comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza across 60 cities and over 30 countries.

1504 GMT — Tally of Palestinians detained in occupied West Bank climbs

The Israeli army detained 15 more Palestinians in overnight military raids across the occupied West Bank, prisoners' affairs groups said.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club and Prisoners Affairs Authority said in a joint statement that the number of Palestinian detainees in the occupied West Bank had risen to 5,835 since October 7, following the Israeli army's "arrest of 15 Palestinians on Friday/Saturday night".

1345 GMT — Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza protested in Athens

Israel's relentless attacks on Gaza, as well as NATO, EU, and US policies regarding the plight of Palestinians, were protested at noon in the Greek capital city of Athens.

The rally was organised by the Palestinian Community of Greece and Stop the War-Alliance with Palestine, and it was attended by hundreds of people from left-wing student organisations, trade unions, and political parties who carried Palestinian flags and banners condemning Israeli attacks and demanding Palestine's right to live in freedom.

The protestors also chanted slogans condemning Israel's indiscriminate bombing of Gaza and the West's failure to acknowledge Israel's war crimes in the enclave and occupied the West Bank.

1306 GMT — South Africa's case of genocide at ICJ panicked Israel internally, globally

Israel is currently in a state of panic after South Africa's genocide trial against Israel began at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which should not be confused with the International Criminal Court (ICC), a Turkish academic and practising lawyer said, clearing up any confusion about the trial against Tel Aviv.

Ariturk said such a case against Tel Aviv was previously initiated after Israel launched an attack on Gaza on Dec. 27, 2008, under the name "Operation Cast Lead," and evidence of the crimes committed was presented until Oct. 7, 2022, but no progress was made.

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0958 GMT — No injuries in latest US strike in Yemen, vows 'strong and effective response': Houthi official

An official of Yemen's Houthi group Ansarullah has said that there were no injuries in the latest US strike against Houthi forces in Sanaa, and vowed a "strong and effective" response.

"There were no injuries, no material nor human losses," Nasruldeen Amer told Al Jazeera.

0937 GMT — 135 more Palestinians killed as Israel continues onslaught on Gaza: Health Ministry

At least 135 Palestinians have been killed and 312 others injured in the last 24 hours alone, bringing the death toll from Israeli attacks to 23,843, the health ministry in the blockaded enclave has said.

"The Israeli occupation (forces) committed 12 massacres against families in Gaza, resulting in 135 deaths and 312 injuries during the past 24 hours," a ministry statement said.

It also said that at least 60,317 Palestinians were injured since the beginning of Israel's brutal war on Gaza on October 7.

0436 GMT — 4,000 Israeli soldiers disabled in ongoing Gaza war

Walla, an Israel-based news site in Hebrew language, reported that 4,000 Israeli soldiers have become disabled since the beginning of the war in Gaza in October, with estimations suggesting that the number could rise to 30,000.

"The country is preparing to receive a large number of disabled Israeli soldiers, and after 100 days of the war, around 4,000 soldiers have already been acknowledged as having disabilities," it said.

The site added that the Israeli army "does not provide all data about the wounded to the public, for fear that it will lower people's morale."

0430 GMT — Israel continues night raids in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army has reportedly continued night raids in parts of the occupied West Bank.

Following the announcement by the army that "three armed Palestinians trying to infiltrate the Adora Jewish settlement near Hebron were killed," raids were conducted in parts of the city.

The army claimed that an armed group of Palestinians attempting to infiltrate the settlement opened fire on Israeli security forces, resulting in the killing of three individuals.

0349 GMT — US confirms new strike on Yemen's Houthis

The United States military has said it had carried out another strike on Yemen's Houthis, this time on a radar site, a day after multiple air strikes by US and UK forces on the country's capital Sanaa.

"US forces conducted a strike against a Houthi radar site in Yemen" at around 3:45 am local time (0045 GMT) Saturday, a statement from US Central Command said.

The strike was "a follow-on action on a specific military target" related to the previous day's strikes, the statement said.

0119 GMT — Yemen's capital Sanaa under new US-UK strikes

The United States and Britain are targeting the Yemeni capital Sanaa with new attacks, the Houthi group's TV channel Al Masirah is reporting.

"The American-British enemy is targeting the capital, Sana'a, with a number of raids," Al Masirah TV posted on X, formerly Twitter, citing its correspondent in Sanaa.

The US military is carrying out an additional strike against the Houthis in Yemen, a day after launching a wave of attacks on nearly 30 locations in the country to degrade the Houthis' ability to strike Red Sea shipping, two US officials told the Reuters news agency.

2300 GMT — Israel kills 10 civilians in strike on Gaza house: Palestine

Israel has killed at least 10 civilians, including children, and wounded many others in an air strike targeting a home sheltering displaced persons east of the city of Rafah, in southern Gaza, official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

The Israeli occupation artillery also bombed al Bureij, Al Maghazi refugee camps and the town of Zuwaida, while its warplanes launched several raids on Salah al Din Road, and near the Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah, the centre of the enclave, WAFA said.

Israeli jets also launched strikes targeting the town of Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis, and areas in the southeast. The occupation also shelled areas in the Zeitoun neighbourhood in Gaza, wounding many people, the Palestinian news agency reported.

2230 GMT — US-UK strikes on Yemen 'blatant armed aggression': Russia at UN

Russia's ambassador to the UN has called the deadly joint American and British strikes on Yemen's Houthis "blatant armed aggression against another country."

"These states all carried out a mass strike on Yemeni territory," Vasily Nebenzya said of the US and British strikes, supported by allied countries.

"I'm not talking about an attack on some group within the country, but an attack on the people of the country on the whole. Aircraft were used, warships and submarines (too)."

For our live updates from Friday, January 12, click here.