Live blog: Hamas approves Israel's hostage list in exchange for truce deal

Sunday, January 5, 2025

1750 GMT — Palestinian resistance group Hamas has approved a list of 34 hostages presented by Israel to be exchanged in a possible ceasefire deal, a group official told Reuters.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, also reiterated that any deal is contingent upon reaching an agreement on an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire.

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1949 GMT — Ready to release 34 hostages in 'first phase' of exchange deal: Hamas

A Hamas official has said that the Palestinian resistance group was ready to release 34 hostages in the 'first phase' of an exchange deal.

1849 GMT — Mossad chief to visit Qatar for hostage swap talks with Hamas

The head of Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, David Barnea, is scheduled to depart for Doha on Monday to participate in talks regarding a hostage swap deal with Palestinian factions, Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported.

Citing unnamed sources, the broadcaster said: "Barnea will travel to Doha on Monday to take part in the exchange deal negotiations."

Similarly, the Israeli Channel 12 also reported about Barnea’s planned visit to Doha. The channel, quoting Israeli officials, noted significant progress in the negotiations, but said it is still too early to declare that the agreement is finalised.

On Friday, the Israeli delegation returned to Doha to resume indirect negotiations with Hamas, mediated by Qatar and Egypt.

1816 GMT — 2 Palestinians wounded by Israeli gunfire during West Bank raid

Two Palestinians were wounded by Israeli army gunfire during a military raid on the city of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank.

In a statement, the Palestinian Health Ministry said that the wounded individuals were transported to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, where their condition was described as "stable."

According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, Israeli forces stormed the Khillat al-Amoud area east of Nablus, firing live ammunition, sound bombs, and tear gas, resulting in injuries.

1259 GMT — At least 8 Palestinians killed as Israeli warplanes pound Gaza

At least eight Palestinians were killed and several others wounded in Israeli air strikes in Gaza, medics said.

Four people lost their lives and several others were wounded in Israeli shelling of a group of civilians in Jabalia in northern Gaza, a medical source said, adding that another Palestinian was killed in Israeli bombardment in the same town.

The Civil Defence Agency said the body of a Palestinian was recovered and several people were wounded after an Israeli strike that reduced a home to rubble in the southern city of Khan Younis.

Another Palestinian was killed in a drone strike in the Shabura refugee camp in central Rafah in southern Gaza, he added.

Civil defence crews also recovered the body of a Palestinian man after an Israeli strike in northern Gaza, the agency said.

1233 GMT — Israel keeps pounding Gaza, kills at least 23 Palestinians

Gaza's civil defence agency reported that Israeli strikes in the Palestinian territory had killed at least 23 people.

At least 11 people were killed in an air strike on a house in northern Gaza's Sheikh Radwan area, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said, adding that the dead included women and children.

In a separate strike, five people were killed when the house of the Abu Jarbou family was struck in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, the civil defence said.

Another strike killed four people in the town of Jabalia, the agency added.

1132 GMT — Scores protest in Tel Aviv to condemn Israel’s genocidal war, death of children in Gaza

Scores of Israelis demonstrated outside the Defence Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv to condemn Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.

“Killers of children,” chanted protesters as soldiers entered the Kirya base, which houses the Defence Ministry headquarters, Israel’s Army Radio reported.

1125 GMT — Illegal Israeli settler injured in alleged knife attack in occupied West Bank

An illegal Israeli settler was injured in an alleged stabbing attack in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli media.

A woman was stabbed in the central town of Deir Qaddis near the Modiin Illit settlement, west of Ramallah, the Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported.

Israeli Channel 12 said the Israeli army imposed a security cordon around the town and launched a manhunt for the attacker.

1103 GMT — Palestinian man shot during an Israeli raid in the West Bank, Fatah says

A Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli forces during a raid in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Fatah party has said in a statement.

The Israeli military blamed the man and it "confiscated four weapons, thousands of shekels in terrorist funds, and dismantled an explosives manufacturing laboratory".

Palestinian media said Israeli forces opened fire on the home of a 37-year-old man in a town south of the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

The body was being held by Israel, the report said.

1031 GMT — Israel kills 88 more Palestinians in Gaza within the past 24h

The death toll in Israel's war in Gaza has risen to 45,805, with 88 more people killed in the last 24 hours, the Palestinian Health Ministry in the enclave has said.

Additionally, 208 people were wounded in attacks carried out by the Israeli army in various parts of Gaza, the ministry reported.

The statement noted that the total number of wounded from Israeli invasion has increased to 109,064.

The ministry also reiterated that bodies remain trapped under rubble and along roadsides.

However, it said, medical teams and civil defence officials are unable to recover them due to obstacles imposed by Israeli forces.

1012 GMT — Yemen’s Houthis claim missile attack on power plant in northern Israel

Yemen’s Houthi group has said that it targeted a power plant in Haifa in northern Israel amid escalation over Tel Aviv’s genocidal war on Gaza.

Military spokesman Yahya Saree said a hypersonic ballistic missile was fired at the Orot Rabin power station in southern Haifa.

He said that the missile hit its target, without providing any details.

0923 GMT — At least 2 Palestinians killed as Israeli warplanes pound Gaza

At least two Palestinians were killed and several others injured in Israeli air strikes in Gaza, medics have said.

The Civil Defence Agency said the body of a Palestinian was recovered and several people were injured after an Israeli strike that reduced a home to rubble in the southern city of Khan Younis.

Another Palestinian was killed in Israeli bombardment in the northern town of Jabalia, a medical source said.

Artillery shelling also targeted northwestern Rafah in southern Gaza and the western and northern parts of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to witnesses.

No information about casualties was not yet available.

0908 GMT — Israeli soldier flees Brazil amid Gaza war crimes investigation

An Israeli soldier accused of committing war crimes during the Gaza war has fled Brazil where authorities were pressing for an investigation, local media has said.

The investigation stems from a complaint filed by the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a Belgium-based organisation advocating for justice for Palestinian victims, the Israeli public broadcaster KAN said.

According to Israeli Channel 12, the complaint includes over 500 pages of evidence, including videos, geolocation data, and open-source intelligence, linking the soldier to destruction in Gaza.

HRF called for the soldier’s immediate detention to prevent his escape or the destruction of evidence, the channel said.

Despite a court order, the soldier, identified as a reservist, managed to leave Brazil and is reportedly en route back to Israel, KAN said. Details about how he evaded arrest remain unclear.

The escape follows a series of similar incidents involving Israeli soldiers abroad.

0203 GMT — Israeli negotiator says captives not priority for gov't: report

A family member of a hostage revealed that a senior Israeli negotiator said returning the captives is not the Benjamin Netanyahu government's top priority, but rather dismantling Hamas.

The official, according to Haaretz citing the relative who spoke before the Israeli negotiator left for Qatar last week, said that while Hamas' infrastructure in Gaza has been largely destroyed, the group's eradication will take time, requiring ongoing military operations.

The relative expressed concern over the government’s priorities, especially in light of troubling public statements by Israeli ministers, who did not clearly commit to the return of all captives.

The family member shared the emotional distress caused by the ministers' comments, stating, “We hear these statements and can't sleep at night.”

2312 GMT — Israel military says missile from Yemen intercepted

The Israeli military has said that it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen, shortly after sirens sounded.

"Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in Talmei Elazar, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted prior to crossing into Israeli territory," the military said in a statement posted to Telegram.

2108 GMT — Israel killed 10 journalists in December: syndicate

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has said Israel killed at least 10 journalists in December, WAFA news agency reported.

In a statement issued by the Syndicate's Freedoms Committee, it revealed that the Israeli military carried out 84 violations and crimes against Palestinian journalists during the previous month.

The agency said five of the victims were killed in a brutal attack while inside a live broadcast vehicle.

2029 GMT — Gaza truce talks resume as Israel kills 30 in fresh strikes

Israel confirmed that negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal had resumed in Qatar, as rescuers said more than 30 people had been killed in fresh bombardment of the blockaded enclave.

The civil defence agency said a dawn air strike on the home of the al Ghoula family in Gaza City killed 11 people, seven of them children.

Katz said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given "detailed instructions for the continued negotiations".

2001 GMT — Israel killed 184 Palestinians over past 3 days in Gaza

The Israeli army has killed 184 Palestinians and wounded dozens of others over the past three days, the Gaza Media Office said.

"In a dangerous and unethical escalation as usual, the Israeli occupation army carried out more than 94 strikes, bombardments, and crimes over the past 72 hours, targeting unarmed civilians and residential areas across Gaza governorates, particularly in Gaza City, in a brutal and deliberate manner," the office said in a statement.

"The attacks killed more than 184 Palestinians, including dozens whose bodies have not been retrieved due to the destruction of infrastructure and the inability to reach them under the rubble," the office added.

For our live updates from Saturday, January 4, 2025, click here.