Live blog: Netanyahu brags about killing 500 Palestinians in West Bank

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

1911 GMT — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that his military forces have killed hundreds of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since October 7 and vowed to continue the killing spree there.

"We are in a battle where we will not stop until total victory," Netanyahu said during a meeting with army soldiers in the occupied West Bank as reported by the Israeli public broadcaster KAN.

"We must achieve victory. To do so, we must pay attention to other fronts, and this (the West Bank) is of utmost importance,'' he added.

"We have already eliminated 500 terrorists here, including today in Jenin, and there are more to follow,'' Netanyahu said.

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1956 GMT — Hamas may discuss prisoner exchange proposal in Egyptian talks

A Hamas delegation is set to visit Cairo later this week for talks with Egyptian officials on a proposed prisoner exchange deal, a Palestinian source has told Anadolu Agency.

The proposal offered to Hamas that was reached in Paris between Israel, Egypt, Qatar and the US, includes a three-staged exchange of prisoners and a ceasefire for several weeks, according to the source, who preferred anonymity.

The first stage involves releasing 30 Israeli civilian prisoners held in Gaza, including the elderly and women. The second has the release of captured soldiers.

As for the third stage, it will involve handing over the bodies of Israelis hostages killed in Gaza, according to the source.

Regarding the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, the source noted that there is no clear number but it ranges from 100 to 200 for each Israeli prisoner, to be agreed upon in the three stages.

The source confirmed that the number of Palestinian prisoners included in the second batch will be greater than the number in the first, considering that the second stage will include releasing Israeli soldiers held by Hamas.

At the conclusion of negotiations, Hamas will respond to the Egyptian side, the source added, suggesting that this is likely to occur by the end of the weekend.

1900 GMT — Israel's Dermer to meet Sullivan at White House

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan will meet with top Israeli official Ron Dermer on the Gaza war, a White House official has said.

Dermer, who is Israel's minister for strategic affairs, is a well-known figure in Washington, having served as Israel's ambassador.

1729 GMT — Israeli army raids Red Crescent, hospital in Gaza's Khan Younis

The Israeli army has raided the headquarters of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the organisation said.

“Israeli forces are demanding the medical staff and displaced people to vacate the building,” it added in a brief statement.

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

1813 GMT — UN says agency aiding Palestinians cannot be replaced

No organisation can "replace or substitute" the United Nations' Palestinian refugee agency, employees of which were implicated in the October 7 attacks on Israel, the UN's coordinator for Gaza aid said.

"There is no way that any organisation can replace or substitute (the) tremendous capacity, the fabric of UNRWA - (their) ability and their knowledge of the population in Gaza," said the recently appointed coordinator, Sigrid Kaag, referring to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.

1737 GMT — UN Security Council concerned by dire aid situation in Gaza

The UN Security Council has expressed concern about the "dire and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation" in Gaza and urged all parties to work with the senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag.

The statement by the 15-member council came after Kaag briefed the body behind closed doors for the first time since she was appointed about a month ago.

1709 GMT — Israel army says flooding Gaza tunnels to halt Hamas attacks

The Israeli army has said it is channelling water into Gaza's tunnels in a bid to destroy the sprawling underground network used by Hamas to launch attacks on Israel.

"It is part of a range of tools deployed by the IDF (Israeli army) to neutralise the threat of Hamas's subterranean network of tunnels," the military said in a statement.

1617 GMT — Israel says to keep military control of post-war Gaza

Israel will maintain military control over Gaza after the war, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has said.

''After the war, when it’s over, I think it’s completely clear that Hamas won’t control Gaza. Israel will control [it] militarily but won’t control it in a civilian sense,'' Gallant told the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee as cited by a statement released by the Knesset (parliament).

''When we’re talking about military freedom of operation, look what happened tonight in Jenin,'' Gallant said, in reference to Tuesday’s assassination of three Palestinians at Ibn Sina Hospital by Israeli soldiers disguised as doctors, nurses, and civilians.

1437 GMT — Israel starving Gaza to push Palestinians out: rights monitor

Israel is using “starvation as a means of war” to drive people out of Gaza or even kill them, according to the chairperson of Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.

Ramy Abdu said that people could not cook due to the large-scale food shortage in Gaza, noting that while an average of 500 truckloads of aid entered the region daily before the start of the ongoing Israeli war, this number is currently 100 trucks or less.

Abdu said: "We can speak about maybe 50 to 100 trucks that arrived in northern Gaza during the last 100 days at least and a severe hunger in this area (northern Gaza).”

He said there is “severe hunger” and a “shortage in everything” in the region.

“The people are starving, really starving in this area.”

1436 GMT — Netanyahu rejects Hamas' key demands in ceasefire talks

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will not withdraw from Gaza or release thousands of jailed Palestinians, two of the key demands Hamas has made in ongoing indirect ceasefire talks.

During an event in the occupied West Bank, Netanyahu once again vowed that the war would not end without Israel's “absolute victory” over Hamas.

“We will not end this war without achieving all of our goals,” he said. “We will not withdraw the Israeli military from the Gaza Strip, and we will not release thousands of terrorists.”

1419 GMT — Houthi group ready for 'long-term confrontation' with US, UK

Yemen's Houthis are ready for a "long-term confrontation" with the US and Britain, commander of the Houthi forces Mohamed al Atifi has said in a statement.

"(...) We are prepared for a long-term confrontation with the forces of tyranny. The Americans, the British, and those who coordinated with them must realise the power of the sovereign Yemeni decision and that there is no debate or dispute over it," he said.

1408 GMT — Palestinians in Lebanon protest halt in funding to UN agency

Dozens have demonstrated outside the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees in Beirut against several countries' decision to suspend funding for the body after Israel charged some staff participated in Hamas's October 7 attack.

"We are afraid for the future of UNRWA," said Palestinian refugee Abu Mohammed, 65, who attended the protest organised by Hamas in Lebanon.

"All our children study in UNRWA schools and most of our medical care is covered by the agency," he said, urging countries "to reverse their decision".

"The suspension of aid would be catastrophic from a social and humanitarian perspective," he added.

1405 GMT — Russia condemns 'collective punishment' of UN agency in Gaza

Russia has criticised a decision by several countries to suspend their funding for UNRWA, calling it a form of "collective punishment".

"What has happened and is happening is collective punishment, prohibited by international humanitarian law," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

An investigation into accusations that UNRWA staff were involved in the October 7 attack should not be replaced by "collective punishment" of the agency and Palestinian people, he added.

"If that investigation is implemented, then the facts will be established," Lavrov said.

"But if the investigation is replaced by collective punishment of both UNRWA and, most importantly, those to whom the UN has provided invaluable assistance, then I think that is the wrong decision," he added.

1347 GMT — US’ Blinken to visit Israel this week amid talks for Gaza ceasefire deal with Hamas

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to visit Israel this week amid efforts for a ceasefire deal with Hamas, according to Israeli media.

It will be Blinken’s sixth visit to the Middle East region since the start of Israel’s deadly offensive on Gaza following a Hamas attack on October 7.

Blinken’s talks in Israel will focus on a possible deal for a ceasefire and hostage swap with Hamas, Israeli Channel 12 reported.

There has been no official confirmation of Blinken’s visit from US or Israeli authorities.

1338 GMT — Islamic Jihad will not engage in any Gaza hostages deal without ensuring a ceasefire

Palestinian group Islamic Jihad will not engage in any understandings regarding Israeli hostages without ensuring a comprehensive ceasefire and the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from Gaza, the group's secretary general Ziad al Nakhala ahs said in a statement.

1110 GMT — Death toll in Gaza from Israeli attacks jumps to 26,751

The Palestinian death toll from a deadly Israeli offensive on Gaza since October 7 has surged to 26,751, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza made the statement as the Israeli onslaught against Gaza enters its 116th day.

It also said 65,636 other people have also been injured in the onslaught.

The statement noted that in the past 24 hours, the Israeli army committed 13 massacres across Gaza which left 114 people killed and 249 others injured.

“Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads and the Israeli army prevents rescuers from reaching them,” it added.

1054 GMT — Far-rightist threatens to bolt Israel gov't over any 'reckless' Gaza deal

A far-right partner in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition has threatened to quit the government over any attempt to enter a "reckless" deal with Hamas to retrieve hostages held by the Palestinian group.

"Reckless deal = dismantling of the government," Itamar Ben-Gvir of the Jewish Power party posted on X, amid media reports that Israel was considering a long-term halt, brokered by Qatar and Egypt, to its offensive on Gaza.

1033 GMT — Israeli allegations on UNRWA 'distraction' from ongoing onslaught, WHO says

The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to continue funding the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), calling Israeli allegations against the UN body a "distraction" from the ongoing onslaught in Gaza.

"The discussion right now is much of a distraction of what is going on every day, every hour in Gaza," WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told a UN press briefing in Geneva.

Arguing that while these claims should be investigated, he said they currently serve as a "distraction" from measures preventing an entire nation's access to food, water, and electricity.

1001 GMT — Hamas is 'examining' Paris proposal for Gaza truce: Haniyeh

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said that the group had received a ceasefire proposal put forward after talks in Paris and would study it, adding he would visit Cairo for discussions on the plan.

Haniyeh said on Tuesday the group's priority was to end Israel's military offensive and a full pullout of Israeli forces from Gaza.

0934 GMT — Israel hands over bodies of Palestinians killed in Gaza: Palestinian health officials

Israel has handed over to Palestinian authorities the bodies of dozens of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in recent weeks, health officials in the Palestinian enclave said.

The bodies, which had been held in Israel, were handed over through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing and will be buried in mass graves in the city of Rafah in the south of Gaza, the officials said.

The health ministry in Gaza did not immediately say how many bodies had been handed over.

0409 GMT — Israeli minister rejects Gaza ceasefire, wants military rule

Israel's hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said his Religious Zionist Party would not agree to halt the war in Gaza and called for Israeli military rule of the enclave.

Smotrich made the statement during a meeting with the party at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, according to the local Channel 12.

He said halting the war in Gaza for two months would allow the Palestinian resistance group Hamas to restore its governance.

His comments came in reaction to reports in Israeli media that Israel and Hamas were close to reaching a ceasefire deal under which a two-month ceasefire would take effect and a prisoner swap would occur.

"There will be Israeli military rule in Gaza because it's agreed upon by all of us," Smotrich said in an interview with Channel 12 on Saturday.

He also spoke out against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), saying "it must be kicked out of Gaza and the (occupied) West Bank."

0426 GMT — Israeli forces kill 3 Palestinians in Jenin hospital raid: Palestine TV

Israeli forces kill three Palestinians after storming Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin, according to Palestine TV.

0018 GMT — UN chief to meet donor nations after refugee agency accusations

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet with key donors to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees after 12 of its staff were accused by Israel of involvement in the October 7 surprise Hamas blitz, his spokesperson said.

"The secretary-general is personally horrified by the accusations against employees of UNRWA," Guterres's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

"But his message to donors — especially those who have suspended their contributions — is to at least guarantee the continuity of UNRWA's operations, as we have tens of thousands of dedicated staff working throughout the region."

2340 GMT — Israel's ally US slams 'incendiary' comments from top Israeli ministers

The US has sharply denounced comments from a number of extremist Israeli ministers who called for the reoccupation of the besieged Gaza and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians as the war continues to ravage the blockaded enclave.

"You got a couple of ministers in the cabinet using this reckless behaviour, or conducting this reckless behaviour, and making these incendiary comments," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the White House.

"These are individual cabinet members. They can speak for themselves and what they said and what they did. It doesn't comport with our view, and we find it reckless," he added.

2327 GMT — US holds Iran responsible for attack on its forces in Jordan-Syria border

Iran is responsible for a recent drone attack that killed three US soldiers at the Jordan-Syria border, a Pentagon spokesperson said.

"We hold Iran responsible, as they are supporting these groups. These groups continue to inflict casualties on our forces, whether it be in Jordan, Iraq or Syria," said Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh at a news briefing.

"We absolutely hold Iran responsible because we know that they fund and train and support and equip these militias that operate in Iraq and Syria," Singh added.

2316 GMT — New Zealand suspends funding to embattled UN agency

New Zealand has joined the list of countries that have suspended funding to the embattled UN Palestinian refugee agency following Israeli allegations that some staff participated in the October 7 Hamas surprise blitz.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said New Zealand had paused funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) until the allegations are investigated.

"The allegations are incredibly serious. It's important they are properly understood and investigated," Luxon told reporters. New Zealand will not "be making any further contributions" to UNRWA until Foreign Minister Winston Peters "says it's good to do so," Luxon added.

2200 GMT — Israel kills 20 Palestinians in new Gaza massacre

Israel has struck a family home in the Sabra neighbourhood of besieged Gaza, killing over a dozen Palestinians and wounding others, the state-run WAFA news agency reported.

Israeli shelling targeted a house in the Sabra neighbourhood, killing at least 20 civilians and wounding several others, it said.

"Israeli warplanes also launched a strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza," WAFA added. Citing sources, The Palestinian news agency further said the Israeli artillery targeted the vicinity of a residential building in Khan Younis, in the south.

For our live updates from Monday, January 29, click here.