- Israeli attacks continue unabated overnight killing and wounding dozens of civilians in northern, central and southern Gaza.
- US aircraft shoot down a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthis at an American destroyer in the Red Sea.
- Numerous overnight raids on the occupied West Bank with two Palestinian teenagers shot dead and dozens of students arrested.
- At least 24,100 people killed and more than 60,800 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attacks stands at 1,139.
-
At least five Palestinians injured by Israeli forces in occupied West Bank: Report
Israeli forces have fired at and injured a Palestinian at the Qalandia military checkpoint, the main crossing point between Ramallah and Jerusalem, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA.
The Red Crescent Society said the 28-year-old was struck by a bullet in the lower abdomen at the checkpoint.
WAFA also reported that four Palestinians were injured during an Israeli raid on the city of Nablus.
Citing Ahmed Jibril, director of the Red Crescent Ambulance and Emergency Center in Nablus, the report said the injured included:
- A 15-year-old who was injured in the head
- A 71-year-old who was wounded in the abdomen
- A 9-year-old child was injured after being struck with shrapnel in the head
- A 27-year-old who was also wounded by shrapnel
-
Gaza war boosted Hamas’ popularity in Gaza and West Bank: Poll
The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research has said that the war also led to a significant decline in the standing of the Palestinian Authority‘s leadership.
“Support for Hamas in the West Bank increased considerably by more than three times to 44 percent but increased slightly in the Gaza Strip to 42 percent. Support for Fatah [a secular political party that dominates in the government of the Palestinian Authority] dropped considerably to 17 percent only (16 in the West Bank and 18 in the Gaza Strip),” according to the findings.
The poll also found that the October 7 war also led to a significant rise in support for armed struggle in the occupied West Bank.
-
US to send 1,500 soldiers to Iraq, Syria amid regional standoff
The United States is sending 1,500 troops to Iraq and Syria, ostensibly to fight ISIL (ISIS), even as its regional standoff with Iran-aligned groups in those countries is rapidly heating up.
A report by US outlet CBS News showed soldiers from the New Jersey Army National Guard being celebrated and honoured by New Jersey state Governor Phil Murphy before their deployment, which is reportedly their largest since 2008.
The soldiers will first head to Fort Bliss in Texas for training before going to the Middle East.
This is happening while US-opposed forces in Iraq and Syria have targeted US bases at least 130 times since the start of the war in Gaza.
The government of Syria considers US forces to be an “occupying” force, and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said last week that he wants a “quick” exit of US forces.
-
UK’s alleged use of Cyprus bases to arm Israel and hit Yemen draw protests
Crowds of angry Cypriots have gathered at a British air base to protest against the alleged funnelling of weapons to Israel for its brutal war in Gaza.
Akrotiri, near Limassol in southern Cyprus, is one of two military sites retained by the United Kingdom’s military under the 1960 treaty that saw the island gain independence from colonial rule.
Since the latest escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict began on October 7, locals have seen a “daily” increase in the number of flights from Akrotiri, which is 40 minutes flying time from Tel Aviv, said Charis Pashias, head of the Cyprus Peace Council.
-
Israeli police arrest Palestinian suspect after attack in Raanana near Tel Aviv
Earlier, we reported on a suspected car-ramming attack in the city of Raanana near Tel Aviv.
Israeli police now say that a man from Bani Naim, near the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, was arrested for that incident.
A second man from Hebron, a relative of the suspect, was also arrested.
In a statement, police said the man stole three cars during the suspected car-ramming attack.
The Magen David Adom emergency service said at least 14 people were wounded, including one in critical condition and two in serious condition. At least one was reported to have been stabbed.
-
PM Netanyahu needs to push amended budget through
First of all, you have those who are evacuated from their homes, both in the northern towns as well as the southern towns. You’re looking at more than 120,000 Israelis. Even in Tel Aviv here, the hotels are filled up and that costs a lot of money.
Then you also have the reservists who are waiting around. Some have been sent into Gaza, some haven’t, but they’re not doing their jobs fully, and they need some sort of money to help them get through with daily life. This is one of the most expensive countries in the world, Tel Aviv being one of the most expensive cities.
Then you also have the tourism sector. Israel relies heavily on that and it has completely dried up.
So once this budget goes through, we know the prime minister has said this war will continue.
-
US can’t call for restraint while backing Israel’s war on Gaza: Iran FM
In a televised joint press conference with his Indian counterpart in Tehran, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called on US officials “not to tie the security and national interests of the US to the fate of Israel’s prime minister, who is falling”.
He also told the United States it cannot call for restraint while supporting Israel’s war on Gaza. Amir-Abdollahian demanded a diplomatic solution to the conflict in the besieged enclave.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Beirut, Lebanon [File: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters] -
WHO paints grim picture of situation at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital
After a visit, the World Health Organization (WHO) has provided a more detailed picture of the situation inside two major Gaza health facilities, including Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
It said after a withdrawal this month by Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) and two other aid organisations, the hospital is even more short-staffed with only 12 health workers remaining, which is 10 percent of its total workforce.
“Only two doctors are available to treat the wounded in the emergency department, and maternity services have shut down,” it said, adding food, water and fuel are scarce.
The WHO also reported the 360-bed Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis remains overstretched with 700 patients, double its normal capacity.
About 7,000 displaced Palestinians are taking shelter at the hospital from Israeli bombing.
Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/15/israels-war-on-gaza-live-hunger-cold-threaten-more-lives-in-gaza
