Live blog: US lifts sanctions on  Israeli settlers in occupied West Bank

Friday, January 24, 2025

1740 GMT — The US Treasury Department officially removed sanctions on illegal Israeli settlers and groups, including the Amana Settlement Movement, accused of committing violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank amid a surge in settler attacks.

The decision follows a recent executive order signed by President Donald Trump, reversing a Biden-era policy targeting individuals and entities deemed to undermine peace and stability in the region.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the termination of the sanctions, which had been imposed under an executive order signed by President Joe Biden.

Executive Order 14115 had targeted illegal Israeli settlers involved in "high levels of extremist settler violence, forced displacement of people and villages, and property destruction."

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1923 GMT — UN warns against 'deteriorating' situation in occupied West Bank

A UN official has warned against the "deteriorating" situation in the occupied West Bank and called on Israel to protect Palestinians.

During a press briefing, Deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters that the ongoing attacks by Israeli forces in Jenin and Jenin Refugee Camp, now in its fourth day, has expanded to nearby villages.

He said the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) "warns once again that lethal, war-like tactics are being applied, raising concerns over the use of force that exceeds law enforcement standards".

1922 GMT — White House says temporary ceasefire extension 'urgently needed' between Hezbollah, Israel

A "short, temporary ceasefire extension is urgently needed" between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah, the White House said as a critical deadline for Israeli forces to withdraw from Lebanon rapidly approaches.

In a statement, National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said President Donald Trump is committed to ensuring Israeli citizens can safely return to their homes in northern Israel and also supported Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and the new Lebanese government.

1822 GMT — Israeli strike kills two more Palestinians in Jenin

Two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike targeting their vehicle in Qabatiya, south of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank, officials said.

A Health Ministry statement said the attack was carried out by Israeli forces.

Witnesses told Anadolu that five Israeli army vehicles entered Qabatiya after the strike, deploying troops across the town and heightening fear among residents.

The airstrike coincided with the fourth day of Israel’s military raid in the Jenin refugee camp, which has left 14 Palestinians dead and around 50 wounded.

1759 GMT — UN urges Israel, Lebanon to fulfill commitments to cessation of hostilities

The UN urged Israel and Lebanon to fulfill their commitments to the cessation of hostilities.

Deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters that the UN urges both countries "to avoid further action that could raise tensions and further delay the return of residents on both sides to their towns and villages."

"We continue to call for the full implementation of Resolution 1701 as a comprehensive path towards longer term peace, security and stability on both sides of the Blue Line," Haq said.

He added that the UN, including Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and the UN interim force in Lebanon remains "absolutely committed" to supporting the parties to uphold the cessation of hostilities and their obligations under resolution 1701.

1700 GMT — Israeli army harasses Zakaria Zubeidi's family in Jenin ahead of his release from prison

The Israeli army stormed into the home of Palestinian detainee Zakaria Zubeidi in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank and harassed his family members.

Zakaria Zubeidi is expected to be released from Israeli jails on Saturday as part of the prisoner swap deal between Israel and the Hamas group.

Zubeidi is a well-known figure within the Palestinian Fatah movement, and was arrested by the Israeli army several times.

The Israeli army ordered the family not to celebrate Zubeidi's release.

1602 GMT — Hamas announces names of 4 Israeli female soldiers to be released on Saturday

The Palestinian Hamas group's armed wing announced the names of four Israeli female soldiers who will be released on Saturday as part of the prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas.

In a brief statement, Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obaida said his group will release four Israeli female soldiers on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025.

He identified the soldiers as Karina Ariev, Danielle Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag.

1515 GMT — Gaza Interior Ministry continues to neutralise, clear Israeli war remnants following ceasefire

The explosive engineering teams of the Interior Ministry in Gaza continue to neutralise and safely dispose the explosive remnants of war left by the Israeli army following the ceasefire that halted the Israeli genocidal war on the Palestinian enclave.

Speaking to Anadolu, Mohammad Meqdad, head of the explosive engineering division, said that since the start of the ceasefire on Sunday, the division "carried out 170 missions to identify and remove unexploded ordnance in residential areas of Rafah city" in southern Gaza.

He added that the division's teams at first locate the unexploded munitions in the homes and residential areas, carry out initial inspection, and then either safety dispose them on-site or remove them to be dismantled in safe areas far from residential areas.

1218 GMT — Israel enters southern Lebanon on eve of withdrawal deadline

Two days before the deadline for its withdrawal from southern Lebanon, the Israeli army entered the southern towns of Aitaroun and Qantara.

“Israeli forces also entered the southern town of Qantara, setting fire to vehicles and damaging a local mosque,” the Lebanese National News Agency reported, adding: “Israeli forces also carried out an explosion in the southern town of Rab’ Thalathin."

The Israeli patrol continues to maintain its position in the area, according to the agency.

The agency also reported that the Israeli army escalated its destruction in southern Lebanon by 60 percent since the ceasefire began on November 27, 2024.

Israeli Prime Minister's Office has said withdrawal from southern Lebanon may take longer than 60 days as stipulated in ceasefire agreement.

1157 GMT — Hamas to provide names of 4 Israeli hostages for next swap

A senior Hamas official told AFP that the resistance group will provide the names of four Israeli women hostages to be freed the following day as part of a second release under the ceasefire with Israel.

"Tomorrow, Saturday, the four women hostages will be released in exchange for a group of Palestinian prisoners, as agreed upon in the ceasefire deal," said Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas's political bureau based in Doha.

"The displaced will return from the south to the north via Al-Rashid Road, as Israeli forces are expected to withdraw from there under the agreement," he added.

1125 GMT — UN rights office 'deeply concerned' by use of unlawful lethal force in Jenin

The UN human rights office said it is "deeply concerned" by the use of unlawful lethal force in Jenin, occupied West Bank.

"The deadly Israeli operations in recent days raise serious concerns about unnecessary or disproportionate use of force, including methods and means developed for warfighting, in violation of international human rights law, norms and standards applicable to law enforcement operations," spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told a UN briefing in Geneva.

These operations include multiple air strikes and random shootings at unarmed residents attempting to flee or find safety, Al-Kheetan said, reminding Israel of its responsibilities as the occupying power.

According to the UN rights office, at least 12 Palestinians have been killed and 40 injured by Israeli security forces since Tuesday, most of them said to be unarmed.

"By persistently failing, over the years, to hold accountable members of its security forces responsible for unlawful killings, Israel is not only violating its obligations under international law but risks encouraging the recurrence of such killings," the spokesperson stressed.

0950 GMT — Israeli army escalates 4th day of offensives in occupied West Bank

The Israeli military intensified its offensive in the city of Jenin and the adjacent refugee camp on Friday, marking the fourth consecutive day of attacks on Palestinians in the northern occupied West Bank.

Eyewitnesses reported to Anadolu that Israeli forces sent additional reinforcements into the camp, escalating the violence as clashes and explosions reverberated throughout the area.

Witnesses highlighted the destruction of Palestinian homes and the continued use of heavy machinery to raze more structures over the past three days.

The Israeli army has also detained dozens of Palestinians, transferring them to nearby investigation centres, according to local sources.

0914 GMT — Palestinian prisoners’ body chief heads to Cairo ahead of expected prisoner release

The head of the Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ Affairs, Qadoura Fares, has left the occupied West Bank for Cairo to prepare for Saturday's expected release of Palestinian prisoners by Israel.

“We are optimistic about achieving the complete emptying of Israeli prisons of Palestinian prisoners, especially during the second phase, which will be pivotal if Israel does not disrupt the negotiation process,” Fares stated.

He also expressed hope for “an unprecedented prisoner exchange deal in the history of the conflict with Israel contingent on the success of ongoing negotiations.”

The Palestinians set to be released by Israel are expected to be deported abroad, according to the official.

0830 GMT — UN concerned over displacement of 1.9M Palestinians, dire humanitarian situation in Gaza

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) expressed concern over the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza as a result of Israel's over 15 months of genocidal war against Palestinians, which has left at least 1.9 million people homeless.

“Most homes are either completely destroyed or uninhabitable,” UNRWA said, emphasising that “rebuilding infrastructure and lives, and addressing the trauma will take years.”

The organization also stressed that “as soon as the ceasefire took effect, UNRWA teams have been working nonstop to start distributing food aid in northern Gaza .”

“Living among the rubble left by months of intense bombardment, people are in dire need of this life-saving assistance,” it noted.

0340 GMT — Israel planning genocide in Jenin camp — Palestinian official

Jenin Deputy Governor Mansour al-Saadi warned of an Israeli military plan to carry out a large-scale invasion of the Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank, likening the potential offensive to the Israeli genocide conducted in northern Gaza.

Speaking to Anadolu, al-Saadi said Israeli forces "closed the four entrances to the city of Jenin and its refugee camp with earth mounds, preventing entry and exit".

He cautioned against "an Israeli plan to launch a major invasion of the camp's center amid ongoing demolitions of buildings and homes surrounding it".

Al-Saadi likened the anticipated offensive in the camp to "a repetition of what happened in northern Gaza — a systematic genocide campaign" that began on October 5, 2024 and continued until the ceasefire in Gaza on January 19 of this year.

He also highlighted the difficult conditions faced by patients and medical staff at Jenin Governmental Hospital due to power outages and a lack of fuel caused by the Israeli aggression.

Al-Saadi also noted the absence of an accurate count of displaced people in recent days.

0323 GMT — Russia accuses UNICEF chief of viewing children in Gaza as 'less important than children in Ukraine'

Russia's UN envoy accused the head of UNICEF of prioritising Ukrainian children over those in Gaza after she failed to brief the UN Security Council on the plight of children in the enclave.

"The refusal of UNICEF's head to brief the Security Council about the horrific tragedy linked to the deaths of tens of thousands of children in Gaza is a flagrant step which deserves our most serious censure," Vassily Nebenzia said Thursday at a Security Council session on children in Gaza.

Nebenzia recalled that UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Catherine Russell had briefed the Council last December about the "so-called children's aspects" of the situation in Ukraine, describing the briefing as "disgraceful" and politically motivated.

"So it would appear that for UNICEF, children in Gaza are less important than children in Ukraine. Otherwise, how can we explain the fact that UNICEF deems it unnecessary to brief the Security Council about the situation surrounding these children?" he argued.

0255 GMT — Israeli forces wound 5 Palestinians amid military offensive in Jenin

Israeli forces wounded five Palestinians amid a military offensive in the city of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said in a statement that its teams handled two injuries caused by Israeli gunfire in Jenin and received three other injuries at the Jalameh checkpoint resulting from assaults by Israeli forces on detainees.

The Israeli army continued for a third straight day a deadly military assault in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, killing at least 12 people and injuring more than 40.

0223 GMT — 1 million children in Gaza need mental health support for depression, anxiety: UN

At least one million children in Gaza urgently need mental health and psycho-social support for depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, the UN relief chief said.

"The ceasefire has provided a vital reprieve from relentless hostilities for Palestinians," Tom Fletcher told a Security Council session on the plight of children in Gaza.

He stressed the importance of maintaining the ceasefire by all sides and added that "safe, unobstructed humanitarian access alongside the absence of hostilities and the almost complete cessation of criminal looting over the past days have significantly improved our ability to operate."

Describing the grave impact of the conflict, Fletcher said: "Children have been killed, starved and frozen to death. They have been maimed, orphaned or separated from their family. Conservative estimates indicate that over 17,000 children are without their families in Gaza."

2200 GMT — Israeli security cabinet meets to discuss troop withdrawal from Lebanon

Israeli security cabinet has met to discuss whether it can delay pulling all of its troops out of southern Lebanon by January 26, which would violate the terms of a ceasefire it signed with Lebanon.

An Israeli government spokesperson claimed that Israel wants the ceasefire agreement to endure, however he hinted that the Lebanese army wasn't deploying fast enough to secure areas.

Under the ceasefire deal from November, Hezbollah and Israel are both supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon by Sunday to allow the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers to provide security.

Lebanon has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement hundreds of times and has said that the Lebanese army has been unable to enter many areas to hold up its end of the deal because the Israeli troops have not vacated on schedule.

"The Israeli government had approached the Trump administration to try to see if they can grant them 30 days of additional time. So far the US administration isn't enthusiastic about granting Israel an additional month to stay in Lebanon," said TRT World's Mohammad Al-Kassim, who is reporting from occupied East Jerusalem.

2130 GMT — UN says 17,000+ children without their families in Gaza

Israel's genocidal war in Gaza has seen children killed, starved, frozen to death, orphaned and separated from their families, the UN humanitarian chief has said.

"A generation has been traumatised," Tom Fletcher told a UN Security Council meeting called by Russia about the war's impact on Gaza's youngest residents.

"Conservative estimates indicate that over 17,000 children are without their families in Gaza," he said.

In his video briefing from Stockholm, Fletcher did not give any figures on the number of children killed. But he said, "Some died before their first breath — perishing with their mothers in childbirth."

An estimated 150,000 pregnant women and new mothers are also "in desperate need of health services," Fletcher said.

For our live updates from Thursday, January 23, 2025, click here.