Live blog: Gaza ceasefire deal remains 'very close' — Blinken

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

1635 GMT — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that a Gaza ceasefire remained close but reiterated that it may not happen before President Joe Biden hands over to Donald Trump.

"In the Middle East, we're very close to a ceasefire and hostage deal," Blinken told reporters in Paris.

"I hope that we can get it over the line in the time that we have," said Blinken, who leaves office with Trump's inauguration on January 20.

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1742 GMT — Doctors Against Genocide demand release of Kamal Adwan Hospital director

Doctors Against Genocide (DAG) gathered in Washington, DC to demand the release of the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza.

DAG, a global coalition of healthcare workers, mobilised more than 50 medical professionals on Capitol Hill to advocate for the release of Hussam Abu Safiya, who was detained by Israeli forces along with others during a December 27 raid on the hospital.

The delegation visited members of the House of Representatives and Senate to advocate urgent congressional action on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

1727 GMT — Three Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza

Israel's military has said that three of its soldiers were killed in Gaza during what it termed as "combat operations".

1722 GMT — Israel army detains, 'mistreats' French reporter in occupied Golan Heights

A French journalist was briefly detained by Israeli troops in occupied Golan Heights, the army said.

Sylvain Mercadier, a freelance reporter working for French magazine Marianne, posted on X that he and his colleague, Mohammed Fayad, were "mistreated for more than four hours" and had their equipment "stolen" by the Israeli army.

Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told a press briefing that the journalist "came too close to the soldiers, was questioned and then released".

1547 GMT — Qatar, UAE condemn Israeli map claiming 'historical territorial rights' for Israel

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have strongly condemned the publication of an Israeli map claiming "historical territorial rights" for Israel in Palestine and large parts of Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

Official Israeli social media accounts published a map that falsely claims that parts of Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon are within Israel’s territory.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry called the publication of the Israeli map "a flagrant violation of international legitimacy resolutions and the provisions of international law."

1453 GMT — UNICEF reports 'mass casualty' for children in Gaza during the first week of 2025

At least 74 children were killed by Israel in Gaza during the first week of 2025, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has said.

Israel's "nighttime attacks" in areas like Gaza City, Khan Younis and Al Mawasi, a supposed “safe zone” have claimed young lives, as UNICEF stated that "the most recent attack, yesterday, saw five children reportedly killed in Al Mawasi."

"For the children of Gaza, the new year has brought more death and suffering from attacks, deprivation, and increasing exposure to the cold," Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement, adding, "A ceasefire is long overdue."

1445 GMT — Palestinian detainees from Gaza face 'severe violence' in Israeli prisons: report

Palestinian detainees from Gaza are subject to severe violence and insults in Israeli prisons, Israeli media has said.

Thousands of Palestinians are believed to have been detained by the Israeli army in Gaza during Israel’s genocidal war on the enclave.

The Israeli army did not specify the number of detainees from Gaza, who included women, children, medics, and civil defence personnel, according to Palestinian reports.

"Most of the detainees since the start of the war are now held in facilities run by the Prison Service," the Israeli public broadcaster KAN said.

1422 GMT — US-UK air strike launch air strikes in Yemen amid escalation with Houthis

US and British warplanes launched seven air strikes in the Yemeni capital Sanaa and the northern Amran province on Wednesday, the Houthi group has said.

The Al-Masirah TV said five strikes targeted the Harf Sufyan district in Amran, while two additional air strikes hit the Jarban area in the Sanhan district of Sanaa.

No details were provided about injuries or damage from the attacks.

1207 GMT — Palestinian used as human shield shot dead by Israeli commander in Gaza

An Israeli army commander shot dead a Palestinian man used as a human shield in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, according to Israeli media.

The Palestinian was forced to serve as a human shield by Israeli army forces to search buildings in Khan Younis when he was shot to death by an army commander, said the Hebrew-language independent investigative journalism website, "The Hottest Place in Hell."

As the Palestinian was permitted to be in the area, a commander in the army’s Nahal Brigade arrived, identified the man as Palestinian, took out a rifle, and shot him dead.

1154 GMT — Three Palestinians, including two children, killed in West Bank: WAFA

Three Palestinians, including two children, have been killed in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian news agency WAFA said, as Israeli strikes persisted following Monday's killing of three Israelis in the territory.

The Israeli military said its air force "struck a terrorist cell in the area of Tamun", a town northeast of Nablus city. It told Reuters it was looking into reports children had been killed in the strike and would respond shortly.

WAFA said two boys, aged nine and ten, were killed by a drone strike which also killed a 23-year-old man. There was no immediate confirmation from the Palestinian Health Ministry.

1123 GMT — Lebanon reports six more Israeli violations of ceasefire deal

Lebanese media reported six more Israeli violations of a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel in late November.

The state news agency NNA said an Israeli tank shell hit the residence of Bin Jbeil mayor of southern Lebanon.

Israeli soldiers armed with machine guns launched a search operation in Maroun El Ras in southern Lebanon, the broadcaster said.

Military vehicles were also seen moving on the outskirts of Maroun El Ras as reconnaissance drones flew over Lebanese airspace, NNA said.

1000 GMT — UK lawmakers demand govt to end double standards for Gaza

British lawmakers have strongly condemned Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza’s healthcare system and called for the immediate release of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital detained by Israel for nearly two weeks now.

Speaking to Anadolu, John McDonnell, an independent MP for Hayes and Harlington, criticised Israel’s actions and the UK’s weak stance against them, emphasising that mere condemnation and calls for a ceasefire are insufficient.

"Yes, we need a ceasefire immediately, but also we’ve got to bring these war criminals to justice at some stage," McDonnell said, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders.

0952 GMT — Palestinian death toll hits 45,936 amid Israel's war on Gaza

The Health Ministry in Gaza has said that 51 people were killed in the besieged Palestinian territory in the past 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to 45,936.

The ministry also said in a statement that at least 109,274 people had been wounded in more than 15 months of Israeli war after Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack.

0910 GMT — Israel kills tens of Palestinians amid intensified truce talks

Israeli military strikes across Gaza killed at least 22 people, Palestinian medics have said, as the US stepped up efforts to overcome sticking points between Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire to end the war.

One of the air strikes killed at least 10 people in a multi-storey house in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City, while another killed five in the nearby Zeitoun suburb, medics said.

In Deir al Balah city in central Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering, an Israeli air strike killed three other people.

In Jabalia, where the army has operated for more than three weeks, an Israeli air strike killed four people, medics said.

0843 GMT — US checks weapons to be destroyed by Lebanese army

US Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, head of the five-nation oversight committee monitoring the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, visited the Lebanese army headquarters in southern Lebanon to follow up on the army deployment in the area and check the stockpiles of weapons to be destroyed in the coming days by the Lebanese army.

According to a statement by the US Embassy in Beirut on Tuesday, Jeffers, accompanied by French Brig. Gen. Guillaume Ponchin, visited the Lebanese army’s 5th Brigade headquarters following the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the area and the deployment of the Lebanese army "to clear roads, remove unauthorised munitions, and provide security for the people of Lebanon."

"Generals Jeffers and Ponchin viewed stockpiles of weapons to be destroyed in the coming days, which the LAF (Lebanese army) seized from unauthorised armed groups," the statement said.

0115 GMT — EU funding for Israeli tech raises fresh concerns of complicity in genocide

Israel's use of artificial intelligence (AI) funded by European Union research programmes to target civilians is drawing criticism.

Since the Israeli attacks on Gaza began on October 7, 2023, the EU has provided over $246 million to Israeli institutions for research and innovation.

The funds are believed to have supported the development of AI-driven "location and killing" technologies used against civilians in Gaza by Israel.

2208 GMT — Israel says only 'limited' number of its soldiers faced possible arrest overseas

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that the number of Israeli soldiers subjected to possible arrest overseas for accusations of war crimes in Gaza is "very limited", despite intense media coverage of a case of a soldier forced to leave Brazil this week due to possible legal action.

The Foreign Ministry said it is aware of fewer than a dozen similar complaints around the world.

Eden Bar-Tal, the ministry's Director General, accused "terrorist organisations" of spearheading the efforts to investigate Israeli soldiers.

He dismissed the complaints as a public relations stunt with little chance of succeeding.

2200 GMT — Palestinians in Gaza still hopeful for ceasefire amid Israel's carnage

Displaced Palestinians in besieged Gaza still have hope that Israel's 15-month carnage will end soon, as both sides appear to be inching toward a ceasefire deal.

"What we are living is not a life. Nobody could bear the situation we're experiencing for a single day," said Munawar al Bik, a displaced woman from Gaza City.

"We wake up at night to the sounds of men crying, because of the bad situation," al Bik said.

"The situation is unbearable; we have no energy left, and we want it to end today."

Muhammad Zaqout, a displaced man from Gaza City, said he's sick of children being killed daily, of the destruction and displacement.

Issam Saqr, displaced from Khan Younis, said he hopes the ceasefire "will happen today — before tomorrow!"

1930 GMT — Israel kills 4 Palestinian children in south Gaza's 'safe zone'

Israel has killed four Palestinian children in a drone attack targeting a tent housing displaced people in the Al Mawasi area of western Khan Younis in southern besieged Gaza, which Israel has designated as a so-called "safe zone".

Ten others, mostly children, were wounded in the attack, a medical source told Anadolu Agency.

An Israeli drone targeted the tent in "Wijdan Camp", resulting in the deaths of four children and numerous injuries, eyewitnesses informed Anadolu.

The witnesses added that the dead and wounded were transported to Nasser Medical Hospital in western Khan Younis using animal-drawn carts.

For our live updates from Tuesday, January 7, 2025, click here.