Gaza Unrest
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Death toll in Gaza crosses 27,000 mark
At least 27,019 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israeli attacks since October 7 while another 66,139 have been wounded, the health ministry in the besieged enclave has just said.
Red Sea disruptions threaten Italy’s economic stability, minister says
Disruptions in the Red Sea threaten to destabilise Italy’s economy and marginalise ports in Southern Europe, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto says.
Commercial traffic through the Suez Canal, which he said represent about 40% of Italy’s total maritime trade, dropped by 38% by the last week of 2023, the minister said. Navigation times increased by 10 to 12 days, and costs went up almost fivefold.
Italy is considering sending aircraft to the region for surveillance and data collection.
The Houthi group has launched attacks off Yemen’s shores against Israel-linked vessels in response to its bombardment of Gaza. In retaliation, the UK and US have launched multiple air raids on Houthi military positions in Yemen.
Petition filed in Supreme Court against Netanyahu
Nine people, including former army chiefs Moshe Ya’alon and Dan Halutz, have filed a petition in the Israeli Supreme Court to pursue an indictment of PM Netanyahu, Haaretz reported.
The petition argues that Netanyahu holding the position of prime minister, while having criminal charges, is a conflict of interest. The petitioners say Netanyahu is motivated more by his personal interests rather than those of the country, the public or the captives held in Gaza and their families.
Released Palestinian prisoners in Gaza speak of ill treatment, beatings
Palestinians arrested by the Israeli army in Khan Younis and released this morning in Rafah say they have been subject to ill treatment, including beatings and acts of torture.
Mahmoud al-Nabulsi, an elderly man, said the army entered his house in the al-Amal neighbourhood. He told the military he was sick and could not move, but was arrested and brought to a detention centre in Israel, where he was held for 10 days.
“Every day we were beaten and tortured, I have never seen this torment in my life,” he said. “They would ask me about the tunnels and the prisoners, and I told them I don’t know anything, I am 70 years old.”
Al-Nabulsi said he was not given anything to drink for four days.
“They were pouring water on the ground in front of us, so they would torture us while we were thirsty,” he said.
Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque compound
Palestinian news agency Wafa is reporting that dozens of Israeli settlers under the protection of police have stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem.
Witnesses said they entered in separate groups and conducted mock tours through the mosque’s courtyards.
The storming of the compound has become an almost daily occurrence even though entering any part of it is forbidden for Jews due to the sacred nature of the site, according to Jewish law.
Chicago latest US city to seek ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza
Chicago has become the latest city in the US to call for a permanent ceasefire as Israel’s war on Gaza nears its four-month mark, placing more pressure on President Joe Biden before November’s election to help end the fighting.
After weeks of rowdy public meetings, councillors in the US’s third largest city on Wednesday narrowly approved the nonbinding resolution 24-23. The tie-breaking vote was cast by Mayor Brandon Johnson, who also had to temporarily clear the council chambers during the heated session.
The symbolic declaration includes a call for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and the release of all captives held in the enclave.
Over a dozen bodies recovered after Israeli forces exit refugee camp
Ambulance crews and civilians have recovered about 14 bodies of Palestinians after a partial retreat of Israeli vehicles from a Khan Younis refugee camp towards other areas inside the city.
Footage obtained and verified by Al Jazeera shows the bodies arriving at Nasser Hospital to be prepared for burial.
They show funeral prayers being performed in the presence of distraught relatives in the hospital’s courtyard.
Australian gov’t ‘stalling’ on military exports to Israel
PM Anthony Albanese’s government is intentionally slowing down sales of military equipment to Israel over concern about civilian casualties in Gaza, the country’s national broadcaster ABC reported quoting an anonymous defence industry insider.
Israel has tried to purchase Australian-made equipment, such as a counter-drone system, but the Department of Defence has failed to provide a formal response for months, the source said.
“There appears to be a deliberate ‘go slow’ happening on anything to do with Israel while the war in Gaza continues,” they continued. “Nobody in the government wants to be seen to be either approving or rejecting Israeli military sales.”
Israeli forces storm PRCS headquarters for a third time
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) says Israeli forces opened fire as they stormed its headquarters in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, for the third time.
In a post on X, PRCS said 12 people were killed at the hospital yesterday, including a PRCS employee and volunteer. Six others were wounded.
“The shooting also resulted in bullets penetrating five vehicles, including three ambulances,” it said.
Al-Amal Hospital has been under siege by Israeli forces for days, with the PRCS warning that medical supplies, fuel and food are running critically low inside.
The Palestinian used as a human shield by Israel
Bahaa el-Din Abu Ras said he was used as a human shield to protect Israeli soldiers.
On January 15, the Israeli army stormed Dura, south of Hebron, using about 10 military vehicles, stopping in the town’s downtown commercial area, near Bahaa’s shop, and his ordeal began.
Bahaa found himself marched into the street, where Palestinians were putting up the only resistance they had: throwing rocks at the heavily armed invading soldiers. The commanding officer sent Musaab and Mahmoud home and made Bahaa walk in front of him, saying, “You go in front of me, we’ll see if anyone dares to throw stones at us now.”
In the moments of terror, as bullets whizzed past his head and the sounds of shooting rang in his ears, he wondered if he would see his wife or his children again.
Qassam Brigades says it struck Israeli vehicles in West Bank
The armed wing of Hamas posted on X that its forces targeted Israeli vehicles entering Tubas, a Palestinian city in the northeastern occupied West Bank, with “appropriate explosive devices and weapons”.
Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, Israeli forces have carried out daily raids and arrests in the occupied West Bank, including in the city of Tubas.
At least 382 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli army and settler attacks across the West Bank since October 7.
Hamas leader expected in Egypt for truce talks
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is expected in Cairo today as the Palestinian group reviews a proposal for a six-week truce.
Qatari and Egyptian-led mediation efforts forged the proposal in Paris last week alongside CIA chief William Burns. The proposal is a three-stage plan that would begin with an initial six-week halt to the fighting and more aid deliveries into Gaza.
Only “women, children and sick men over 60” held by Hamas would be freed during that stage in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel, the AFP news agency quoted a source as saying who added that there would also be “negotiations around the withdrawal of Israeli forces” with more phases of captive-prisoner exchanges.
Gallant warns of power outages if conflict with Hezbollah escalates in north Israel: Monitors
Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has warned local authorities in northern Israel that power may be lost in the event of a wider conflict with Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP) report.
The warning that northern areas could be deprived of electricity, which would cut communications and water, was made during a meeting on Wednesday with the heads of local Israeli municipalities, the US-based military think tanks said.
In the war on Gaza, Palestinian fighters battled Israeli forces in the west and southwest of Gaza City where tanks are now deployed despite Israel declaring the city largely “cleared” of armed groups earlier this year.
Clashes are also ongoing in central Gaza and in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis where Palestinian fighters are continuing to resist the Israeli advance on the city, the ISW/CTP reports.
According to the report, the flooding of Hamas tunnels in Gaza has “destroyed” only a “few kilometres” of the underground networks as the Israeli military is “experiencing issues achieving sufficient water pressure to flood tunnels further inland”.
Defunding UNRWA is worse than collective punishment
The day the ICJ issued an interim ruling on South Africa’s case accusing Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinian people, the Israeli government dropped a bomb.
It was not the usual 900kg US-made bunker buster, but a much more lethal one: it accused 12 employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) of having ties to Hamas or being involved in its October 7 operation.
This immediately resulted in over a dozen countries cutting their financial support for the agency and UNRWA’s chief, Philippe Lazzarini, firing nine of the accused (of other three, one is dead and two are unaccounted for).
Given the meagre aid trickling into Gaza and the looming starvation of its people, particularly in northern Gaza, defunding UNRWA now is worse than collective punishment – it could be a death sentence for many destitute and hungry Palestinians.
Gallant warns of power outages if conflict with Hezbollah escalates in north Israel: Monitors
Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has warned local authorities in northern Israel that power may be lost in the event of a wider conflict with Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP) report.
The warning that northern areas could be deprived of electricity, which would cut communications and water, was made during a meeting on Wednesday with the heads of local Israeli municipalities, the US-based military think tanks said.
In the war on Gaza, Palestinian fighters battled Israeli forces in the west and southwest of Gaza City where tanks are now deployed despite Israel declaring the city largely “cleared” of armed groups earlier this year.
Clashes are also ongoing in central Gaza and in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis where Palestinian fighters are continuing to resist the Israeli advance on the city, the ISW/CTP reports.
According to the report, the flooding of Hamas tunnels in Gaza has “destroyed” only a “few kilometres” of the underground networks as the Israeli military is “experiencing issues achieving sufficient water pressure to flood tunnels further inland”.
‘Nothing justifies’ Gaza’s population suffering ‘collective punishment’: UN chief
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says that “nothing can justify the collective punishment of the people in Gaza”.
Listing off the types of attacks attributed to Hamas during its October 7 raid on southern Israel, the UN chief said on social media that even such horrendous crimes do not justify punishing the entire population of the Palestinian territory.
Guterres also said in a later post that “no party to an armed conflict is above international law” and the decisions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) must be adhered to.
“Int’l humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality [and] precautions in attack, must always be upheld,” he said.
The ICJ last month ordered Israel to take measures to stop acts of genocide being carried out against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, to preserve evidence of genocide in Gaza, punish those in Israel publicly inciting genocide in Gaza, and ensure humanitarian assistance reaches the population in Gaza.
No party to an armed conflict is above international law.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) February 1, 2024
Int’l humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality & precautions in attack, must always be upheld.
And the binding decisions of the International Court of Justice must be complied with.
Blinken meets with new UN Gaza humanitarian coordinator
The US Secretary of State said the US government is “working closely” with Sigrid Kaag to “maximize aid getting into Gaza”.
“Her mission could not be more vital, and we strongly support it,” he wrote on X.
Kaag assumed her position in early January, with a UN Security Council resolution saying the former Dutch diplomat and politician would be tasked with “facilitating, coordinating and monitoring a scaling up of aid into Gaza”.
Last week, the US suspended its funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) – which provides vital humanitarian support to millions of people in Gaza – over allegations that 12 of its staff members participated in the October 7 attacks on Israel.
184,000 people sheltering on western outskirts of Khan Younis: UN
Some 184,000 people have registered for humanitarian assistance in the western outskirts of Khan Younis in recent days, the UN humanitarian agency, OCHA, has said in its daily update.
“They were displaced from western Khan Younis city in recent days amid evacuation orders and continued hostilities,” OCHA said.
The UN’s relief agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has also relocated to the western outskirts of the city, the update said, as it was forced to abandon health centres and shelters in western Khan Younis.
US military shoots down Houthi antiship ballistic missile and UAVs
The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) says that the USS Carney shot down “one anti-ship ballistic missile” and “three Iranian UAVs” fired from Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen.
There were no injuries or damage reported.
Earlier we reported that the Houthis had claimed an attack on the US merchant ship “KOI” in the Gulf of Aden, with Yemeni news agency SABA saying the missiles “directly hit the vessel”.
The US military then struck several unmanned Houthi drones that were being prepared for launch into the Red Sea, according to a CBS news report.
Motion granted to dismiss case accusing Biden administration of ‘complicity’ in Gaza ‘genocide’
A civil case accusing US President Joe Biden and other senior officials of being complicit in Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza has been dismissed by a US Federal Court Judge on jurisdiction grounds.
Federal Court Judge Jeffrey S White, did however “implore” the defendants [Biden, and the US Secretaries of Defense and State] to examine their role in the war on Gaza.
Here is what Judge White said:
“There are rare cases in which the preferred outcome is inaccessible to the Court. This is one of those cases.”
“The Court is bound by precedent and the division of our coordinate branches of government to abstain from exercising jurisdiction in this matter.”
“Yet, as the ICJ has found, it is plausible that Israel’s conduct amounts to genocide.”
“This Court implores Defendants to examine the results of their unflagging support of the military siege against the Palestinians in Gaza.”
UNRWA says facilities for displaced families in Gaza attacked at least 270 times
The embattled UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said that its facilities housing displaced families across the Gaza Strip have come under attack at least 270 times resulting in 372 people killed.
The UN agency, which has suffered funding cuts amid Israeli allegations that around a dozen former staff members were involved in the October 7 attacks, said the situation in Gaza is “utterly desperate”.
“Because there is nowhere else to go, people continue to shelter in these same @UN facilities, even after attacks,” UNRWA said in a post on social media.
In an earlier post, UNRWA said every day is a “struggle to survive” for the people of Gaza who lack clean water and food.
“Without safe water, many more people will die from deprivation and disease,” the UN agency warned.
#Gaza There have now been at least 270 attacks impacting @UNRWA facilities sheltering displaced families, killing 372 people.
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) January 31, 2024
Because there is nowhere else to go, people continue to shelter in these same @UN facilities, even after attacks.
The situation is utterly desperate. pic.twitter.com/lU5rRkMxlf
Islamic Resistance in Iraq claims drone attack on Haifa: Report
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed to have carried out a drone attack on the Israeli city of Haifa, the Shehab news agency reports, citing a statement from the umbrella group of Iran-linked militias.
“In continuation of our approach to resisting the occupation and supporting our people in Gaza, today, Thursday, our [fighters], using drones, attacked the port of Haifa in our occupied territories in Palestine, and we affirm our continued destruction of enemy strongholds,” the statement said.
There was no confirmation of the reported attack by Israeli authorities.
US, UK defence chiefs discuss ‘Houthi aggression’ and ‘Iran-aligned’ groups
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin met with his UK counterpart Grant Shapps to discuss “escalating attacks by Iran-aligned militia groups” in the Middle East, as well as “illegal Houthi attacks” on shipping in the Red Sea, and humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“Secretary Austin thanked Secretary Shapps for the United Kingdom’s steadfast support and leadership in coalition efforts to stave off further Houthi aggression while defending naval and international commercial vessels exercising navigational rights and freedoms,” the US Department of Defense said in a statement.
