Live blog: Israel's key ally US says it opposes territorial change in Gaza

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

2118 GMT — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has renewed opposition to territorial changes in Gaza as Israel pounds the besieged territory with bombs and artillery mostly manufactured and supplied by the United States.

Blinken, on a visit to Nigeria, was responding to repeated suggestions that Israel would create a buffer zone inside Gaza, a prospect that has stirred anger in the Arab world.

"It is totally appropriate, something that we support, that those people be able to return to their homes and that the necessary security arrangements be in place to give them the confidence to do that," Blinken tells reporters in Abuja.

"If there need to be transitional arrangements to enable that to happen, that's one thing," Blinken said.

"But when it comes to the permanent status of Gaza going forward, we have been very clear, we remain clear about not encroaching on its territory," he said.

The United States has been the main military and diplomatic backer of Israel, which has vowed to continue its brutal war on the blockaded Palestinians.

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2141 GMT — US giving Israel 'carte blanche' to collectively punish Palestinians — Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that any discussions about the future of the Gaza without an immediate ceasefire are "useless."

Speaking at a UN Security Council session on the situation in Gaza, Lavrov said the US has blocked all efforts and initiatives to stop the bloodshed in Gaza, noting that Washington is giving Israel "carte blanche" to collectively punish the Palestinians.

He said the whole world is waiting for the West to realise that its "persistent disregard" for multilateral diplomacy leads to tragedies "time after time."

Saying assessments of the current situation in Gaza indicate the land there is unlikely to ever be suitable for life, Lavrov defined the situation on the border between Lebanon and Israel as "explosive."

He said Russia is "alarmed" over statements by the Israeli leadership that call into question the two-state formula for resolving the Palestine-Israel conflict.

2024 GMT — Russia's Lavrov hold talks with Algerian, Jordanian, Palestinian counterparts

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has met with his Algerian, Jordanian and Palestinian counterparts in New York ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the meeting with Ahmed Attaf from Algeria contained an exchange of views on current issues on the international and regional agenda, with an emphasis on the Gaza conflict.

It said particular attention was paid to coordinating efforts at the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly "aimed at a ceasefire and ensuring unhindered humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip."

A separate statement said Lavrov met his Palestinian counterpart, Riyad al Maliki, and they discussed issues related to the Palestine-Israel conflict, primarily in Gaza.

"The importance of an early end to the bloodshed and the resumption of the Middle East settlement process on a generally recognised international legal basis, providing for the creation of the State of Palestine within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem, living in peace and security with Israel, was emphasised,” it said.

Another statement said a meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi exchanged key issues regarding the Middle East, with a focus on the ongoing escalation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone.

"The closeness of Russia's and Jordan's approaches to resolving, on the basis of compliance with international law, crisis situations in the Middle East that have a negative impact on regional and global stability and security was confirmed," it said.

2100 GMT — US hit missile in Yemen after joint strikes with UK

The United States has claimed to have destroyed a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile that was ready to launch soon after the second round of joint American-British strikes against the Yemeni group.

"Shortly after taking these strikes, an additional Huthi target was struck by the US in self-defense, destroying an anti-ship cruise missile that was prepared to launch and which presented an imminent threat to vessels operating in the region," Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said.

The additional strike occurred "probably within 15 to 30 minutes of the main operation there," Ryder told journalists.

US and British forces carried out a first wave of strikes against the Yemeni group earlier this month and followed that up with further joint strikes overnight.

The Yemen's Houthis began striking Red Sea shipping in November, saying they were hitting Israeli-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by Israel's war.

The Houthis have since declared US and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.

1920 GMT — Israel's rejection of two-state solution 'unacceptable' — UN

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said the "clear and repeated rejection of the two-state solution at the highest levels of the Israeli government is unacceptable" as he appealed for more aid access throughout Gaza.

"The entire population of Gaza is enduring destruction at a scale and speed without parallel in recent history," Guterres told the UN Security Council. "Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people."

He told the council that the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave was "appalling" and that "the people of Gaza not only risk being killed or injured by relentless bombardments, they also run a growing chance of contracting infectious diseases like hepatitis A, dysentery, cholera."

Guterres again appealed for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

1832 GMT — UN 'strongly' against forced displacement of Palestinians

The UN has said it "strongly" stands against any forced displacement of Palestinians and it would not support the idea of building an artificial island off the Gaza coast.

"This idea of an island is one we would not support," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in response to a question about Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz's reported plans to build an artificial island off the Gaza coast to temporarily house Palestinians, which was later denied by the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

1824 GMT — Gaza will 'bleed to death' amid denial of humanitarian access: UN

The UN humanitarian office has warned that Gaza will "bleed to death" amid the denial of humanitarian access to the Palestinian enclave. '

"The recurrent denial of access of humanitarian teams to northern Gaza is preventing the needed scale-up of life-saving operations,'' Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said in a statement.

She cited a doctor in Al Shifa Hospital as saying ''we are so alone in this world; they have forgotten us. The world must not grow numb to the suffering of the people in Gaza.”

1738 GMT — US official in Middle East for talks on new Gaza 'pause': White House

US President Joe Biden's Middle East advisor is holding talks in the region on a new, possibly longer deal for the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for a pause in fighting in Gaza, the White House has said.

Brett McGurk was in Egypt and would visit other countries to discuss "the potential for another hostage deal, which would require a humanitarian pause of some length," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

1730 GMT — Hamas claims to seize Israeli drones in Gaza

Palestinian resistance group Hamas has said that it seized three Israeli drones in northern Gaza.

The group’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said the three drones, including two kamikazes, were captured by its fighters east of Gaza City.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on the claim.

1715 GMT — Houthis order all US, British and UN staff to leave Yemen

Yemen's Houthis have ordered all US and British staff of the United Nations and its agencies to leave the country within a month, a UN official has told AFP.

In a letter dated January 20 and shared on social media, the authorities in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa told the UN resident coordinator that employees with British and US nationality had one month to "prepare to leave the country".

"They must be ready to leave as soon as the deadline expires," the document said, adding that 24 hours' notice would be given by letter.

1535 GMT — Saudi Arabia renews call for halting Israeli onslaught on Gaza

Saudi Arabia has renewed its call to halt Israel’s deadly offensive in Gaza, which has killed nearly 25,500 people.

A Cabinet statement reiterated "the kingdom’s rejection of the Israeli aggression on Gaza and the necessity of an immediate ceasefire," the state-run news agency SPA reported.

It also called for the need "to allow the entry of humanitarian aid, prevent forced displacement of Palestinians and create conditions for the return of stability and establishing lasting and sustainable peace."

1524 GMT — Israeli families declare war unlikely to bring back hostages

Rescuing the Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza through war is impossible, their families have said, calling on Tel Aviv to start negotiations with the Palestinian group.

The families of the Israeli hostages and a significant portion of the society accuse the government of "neglecting the captives and doing nothing to rescue them."

1519 GMT — Israel’s Netanyahu says 3rd phase of Gaza war to last six months

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told his Cabinet ministers that 'what he called the third phase' of the Gaza war will take six months, local media has reported.

"Netanyahu said that it will take six months for the army to finish the third phase of the war, which has already begun in northern Gaza," said Israeli public broadcaster KAN.

1504 GMT — Rocket attack from southern Lebanon damages Israeli air defence base

A rocket attack from southern Lebanon has damaged an air defence base in northern Israel, according to the Israeli army.

A military statement said Israeli air defence systems intercepted several rockets fired by the Hezbollah group from southern Lebanon.

It said that the attack caused minor damage in the Meron Air Force base in northern Israel, adding that no injuries were reported.

1439 GMT — Israel says 17 more soldiers injured in Gaza

At least 17 Israeli soldiers were injured in Gaza in the last 24 hours, the military has said.

Figures released by the army showed that 1,232 soldiers had been injured since Israel launched its ground offensive in Gaza on Oct. 27.

According to the figures, 556 soldiers have been killed and 2,689 others injured since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7.

1412 GMT — Israel claims to have 'completely' besieged Gaza’s Khan Younis

The Israeli army has said it completed a siege of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, hours after at least 24 soldiers were killed in the Palestinian enclave.

"Over the past day, troops carried out an extensive operation during which they encircled Khan Younis and deepened the operation in the area," it said in a statement.

"Ground troops engaged in close-quarters combat, directed strikes and used intelligence to coordinate fire," it said

1404 GMT — Displaced Palestinians killed at UN run shelter in Gaza: UNRWA chief

Six displaced Palestinians were killed when one of the UN-run shelters was hit in Khan Younis, the focus of Israel's ground offensive, in southern Gaza, a day ago, the head of the UN aid agency for Palestinians said.

"Terrified staff, patients, and displaced people are now trapped inside the few remaining hospitals in Khan Younis as heavy fighting continues,"

Philippe Lazzarine, UNRWA's general commissioner said in a post on X on Tuesday. Lazzarine said at least six of the displaced were killed and more others were wounded in the incident.

1350 GMT — Israeli tanks fire directly on Nasser hospital in Gaza

The Health Ministry in Gaza has said the Israeli army fired directly at a hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, where civilians are caught amid heavy fighting.

"Israeli tanks are firing heavily on the upper floors of the specialised surgery building and the emergency building of Nasser hospital, dozens expected wounded," a ministry statement said.

1346 GMT — Israel will not accept deal that leaves Hamas in power in Gaza-spokesman

Israel will not agree to a ceasefire deal with Hamas that leaves its hostages in Gaza or Hamas in power in the enclave, Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy has said.

1248 GMT — UK's Sunak warns of further response to Houthi attacks

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said UK would act again if Houthis in Yemen persist in attacking shipping in the Red Sea.

"We are not seeking a confrontation," he told parliament after a second round of US-UK strikes. "We urge the Houthis and those who enable them to stop these illegal and unacceptable attacks".

"But if necessary, the United Kingdom will not hesitate to respond in self-defence. We cannot stand by and allow these attacks to go unchallenged."

1222 GMT — Medical facilities under Israeli siege in Khan Younis: ministry

The Israeli army has laid siege to two medical facilities in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, Palestinian health authorities said.

"The Israeli occupation places Nasser Medical Complex and Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis in extreme danger," Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al Qudra said in a statement.

He called for protecting innocent people, patients and medical staff at the two facilities and facilitating ambulance dispatches to them.

1212 GMT — Yemeni Houthis vow to retaliate against US-UK strikes

Yemen's Houthis have vowed to retaliate against several overnight strikes conducted by the US and UK against the group.

In a statement, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said US and UK warplanes carried out 18 strikes late on Monday, including 12 in the capital Sanaa, three in the western province of Hudaida, two in southern Taiz province, and one in the central Al Bayda province.

"These assaults won't go unpunished," Saree said, without mentioning whether the attacks had caused any human casualties.

1149 GMT — Israel sets conditions for hostage swap, ceasefire in Gaza

Israel has set six conditions for a hostage swap and ceasefire in Gaza, an Israeli news channel has revealed.

According to Channel 12, Israel is waiting for a response from the Palestinian resistance group Hamas through mediators, which is expected to come within 48 hours.

"Within the next 24 to 48 hours, we will know whether we can make progress toward starting the talks after listening to Hamas about whether it is possible to move forward and if it shows flexibility in its declared demand to stop fighting and withdraw all forces from the Gaza," the Israeli broadcaster said, citing an unnamed Israeli official.

1142 GMT — Israeli army detains 25 more Palestinians in West Bank

The Israeli army has detained 25 more Palestinians from various areas of the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

According to a joint statement issued by the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society, the new arrests bring the total number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli forces since Oct. 7 to 6,220.

During the Israeli arrest campaigns, soldiers also beat, abused Palestinians, and conducted field interrogations, in addition to damaging their homes and other properties, the statement added.

1029 GMT — Mediation efforts on Gaza ongoing, Qatar foreign ministry says

Mediation efforts on ending Israel's war on Gaza are ongoing, Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman has said in a press briefing.

Separately, he added that escalation in the Red Sea represented a "big danger."

This comes a day after US and British forces carried out fresh strikes against Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis who have disrupted global shipping in protest over Israel's bombardment of Gaza.

1024 GMT — Very little aid reaching Gaza, prompting famine – WFP

The World Food Programme has said that very little food assistance has made it beyond southern Gaza since the start of Israeli attacks, and that the risk of pockets of famine in the Palestinian enclave remained.

"It's difficult to get into the places where we need to get to in Gaza, especially in northern Gaza," said Abeer Etefa, WFP spokesperson for the Middle East.

"Very little assistance has made it beyond the southern part of Gaza... I think the risk of having pockets of famine in Gaza is very much still there."

Etefa noted that there was a "systematic limitation on getting into the north of Gaza, not just for the WFP."

0918 GMT — At least 25,490 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza

A total of 25,490 Palestinians have been killed and 63,354 have been injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7, the Palestinian health ministry in the besieged enclave said in a statement.

At least 195 Palestinians were killed and 354 injured in the past 24 hours, the ministry added.

0848 GMT — Israel says it killed dozens of Hamas fighters in Gaza

Israel's military has said it killed "dozens" of Hamas fighters during a fierce exchange in Gaza in the past 24 hours, while its troops have encircled the city Khan Younis.

"Over the past day, IDF [Israeli army] troops carried out an extensive operation during which they encircled Khan Younis and deepened the operation in the area. The area is a significant stronghold of Hamas's Khan Younis Brigade," the military said.

"Ground troops engaged in close-quarters combat, directed (air force) strikes, and used intelligence to coordinate fire," it said.

0825 GMT — Netanyahu says Israel to push on in Gaza after 24 soldiers killed

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel would push on with fighting in Gaza until "absolute victory" despite suffering one of the toughest days of its war.

"Yesterday we experienced one of the most difficult days since the war erupted," said Netanyahu.

"We will not stop fighting until absolute victory."

He said the military was "investigating the tragedy" in which 21 soldiers were killed when buildings exploded in central Gaza, bringing the single-day Israeli death toll to 24.

0612 GMT — Israel says 21 soldiers killed in deadliest attack since Oct 7

The Israeli army has said that 21 soldiers were killed in Gaza in the deadliest attack on its forces of the three-month-old war.

The reservists were preparing explosives to demolish two buildings in central Gaza on Monday when a Hamas fighter fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a tank nearby, Daniel Hagari, the chief military spokesperson, said.

The blast triggered the explosives, causing both two-story buildings to collapse on the soldiers inside.

The heavy death toll could add new momentum to calls for Israel to pause the offensive or even halt it altogether. Large numbers of Israeli casualties have put pressure on Israel's government to halt its previous wars.

0534 GMT — Israel's attacks on Gaza continue as new hostage deal sought

Combat raged in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, against a backdrop of negotiations aimed at bringing about a pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas in the absence of a long-term peace plan.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said early Tuesday that Israeli forces had targeted its headquarters in Khan Younis "with artillery shelling on the fourth floor, coinciding with intense gunfire from Israeli drones, resulting in injuries among internally displaced individuals who sought safety on our premises."

The UN humanitarian agency OCHA reported that "ground operations, fighting and attacks intensified" over the preceding day around the main southern city, with the Israeli army saying its forces had conducted multiple raids and taken control of "Hamas command centres" there.

0200 GMT — Hamas denies receiving two-month ceasefire offer from Israel

Hamas has not received a proposal for a two-month ceasefire in Gaza via mediators, a media officer for the Palestinian resistance group told Anadolu Agency.

The US-based Axios news website earlier quoted two Israeli officials who said that Israel offered Hamas a proposal via Qatari and Egyptian mediators that includes up to a two-month pause in the fighting as part of a multi-phase deal that would include the release of all remaining hostages held in Gaza.

Speaking to an Anadolu correspondent, Walid Kilani, the media spokesperson for Hamas in Lebanon, said the offer was seen on media platforms but his group "hasn't received it officially."

He stressed that the Hamas's "main condition is a full and comprehensive cease-fire, not a temporary one." If this condition is agreed to, then there can be talks over exchanges of prisoners in batches, Kilani added.

Israel estimates that Hamas has been holding 136 Israelis in Gaza.

2342 GMT — Families of captives storm Israel's Knesset

Dozens of family members of captives held in Gaza have stormed a committee meeting in Israel's parliament, demanding a deal to win their loved ones' release, as European foreign ministers joined growing international calls for Israel to negotiate on Palestine's sovereignty after the war.

The developments showed the increasing pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has dug in on both fronts. He has insisted to the Israeli public that pursuing the devastating aggression in Gaza is the only way to bring the captives home.

At the same time, he has rejected the United States' vision for a postwar resolution, saying he will never allow a Palestinian sovereignty.

The family members of the captives held up signs and yelled, "You won't sit here while they are dying there!"

"These are our children!" they shouted. Some had to be physically restrained, and at least one person was escorted out.

2300 GMT — Israel kills Palestinian teen in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army has fatally shot a teenager during raids near the city of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank.

The young man was killed in confrontations between Palestinians and occupying Israeli forces in the town of Araba, south of Jenin, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

It identified the teen as Yamen Mohammed Husseti, 17, who succumbed to his wounds after being transferred to the town's medical emergency centre.

2200 GMT — 'No let-up in the atrocities inflicted on Gaza': UN

The UN relief chief has voiced concern over the ongoing Israeli aggression in besieged Gaza.

"More than 25,000 people reportedly killed — including two mothers every hour," Martin Griffiths said on X. "Hospitals overcrowded, besieged and under fire. Homes were reduced to rubble. Places of safety turned into places of danger.

"There is no let-up in the atrocities inflicted on Gaza since 7 October," he said.

2205 GMT — Palestinians in Gaza flee Israeli attacks as US, UK bomb Yemen

Israel has pounded the southern city of Khan Younis, pushing thousands of Palestinians in Gaza to flee even further south.

Families made their way on foot down the coastal highway, smoke billowing from the city behind them.

Others loaded blankets and belongings into vehicles or donkey carts.

Israel's war has displaced some 85 percent of Gaza's 2.3 million residents, and one in four of them are starving, the UN says.

It comes as American and British militaries bombed multiple sites in Yemen that they said were used by the Houthi group to attack shipping in the Red Sea, as fears grow that Israel's war on Gaza will spark a regional war.

For our live updates from Monday, January 22, click here.