- An air strike in Rafah – an Israeli-designated “safe zone” – kills 16 people, including children, who were sheltering in a home.
- A shipment of medical supplies for Israeli captives and Palestinians in need is being distributed as part of a deal brokered by Qatar and France.
- US missiles rain down on sites used by Yemen’s Houthis after the armed group targeted an American Navy vessel and “scored a direct hit”.
- At least 24,448 people killed and 61,504 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attack stands at 1,139.
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UN chief meets released Israeli captives in Davos
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has met released Israeli captives for the first time at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, according to Israeli media.
The i24 News report said Guterres met with Nili Margalit and Moran Stella Yanai as well as Noam Perry, the daughter of Haim Perry, who is still held in Gaza.
He also met with representatives from the Hostage and Missing People’s Families’ headquarters.
Guterres said that he called for the immediate release of all the captives, the report said.
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‘All patients have a right to treatment’: Red Crescent
Mahmoud Alsaadi – who leads ambulance operations for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank – says Israeli raids and movement restrictions make it impossible to provide timely care for injured and sick Palestinians.
This not only impacts Palestinians wounded in Israeli attacks, he said, but others facing unrelated medical emergencies.
“We do not only transport the injured and those wounded by bullets,” said Alsaadi. “There are many humanitarian cases and we receive calls from citizens with medical conditions — kidney patients, heart patients, or cancer patients. All of these cases require transportation to hospitals.”
Because of lengthy Israeli inspections of Red Crescent ambulances and “harassment of medical staff”, patients in need of urgent hospital treatment may be held up for more than an hour, putting their lives in jeopardy, he said.
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More than 300 Palestinian sports clubs call for Israel Olympic Games ban
More than 300 Palestinian sports clubs and dozens of major Palestinian civil society organisations are calling for a ban on Israel from the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.
The International Olympic Committee should “apply its principles and fulfil its obligations by banning Israel from the next Olympic Games to be held in Paris in July 2024, until it ends its grave violations of international law, particularly its system of apartheid and its ongoing genocide in Gaza”, they said.
The Palestinian clubs include men’s and women’s football, basketball and volleyball teams, and those whose players have been killed by Israeli fire.
Last month, Israeli forces killed the Palestinian Olympic football team coach, Captain Hani al-Masdar. Israel’s bombings also destroyed the office of the Palestinian Olympic Committee in Gaza.
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‘Endless chaos and growing despair’: UNRWA chief
After making his fourth trip to Gaza since the war broke out, the head of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees says the enclave has sunk even “further into despair” and renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire.
“Everyone I met had a personal story of fear, death, loss, trauma to share,” said UNRWA Commissioner Philippe Lazzarini. “The people of Gaza have moved from the sheer shock of losing everything – in some cases every member of their family – to a debilitating struggle to stay alive and protect their loved ones.
“This has gone on for far too long. There are no winners in these wars. There is endless chaos and growing despair. I call once again for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to bring some respite.”
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The genocide must stop, Turkey’s FM says
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan issued a call to “stop the genocide” in the Gaza Strip.
“It is absolutely unacceptable for Israel to justify its attacks [on Gaza] for security reasons,” he said.
Speaking at a news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi in Amman, Hakan also said the Palestinians have the right to establish an independent state.
In November, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry recalled its ambassador to Tel Aviv, citing Israel’s refusal to accept a ceasefire, “continuing attacks against civilians”, and denying free entry to humanitarian aid. It was the culmination of a sharp dive in ties since October 7.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara, Turkey [File: Cagla Gurdogan/Reuters] -
Israel should allow displaced Gaza residents to return home: Jordan
Israel should allow displaced Palestinians in Gaza to return to their homes, says Jordan’s foreign minister.
Ayman Safadi was speaking at a news conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.
“With regard to the current priorities, they are clear: ending the aggression in Gaza, letting in sufficient permanent humanitarian aid to all parts of the Strip, south and north, stopping the destruction, and working immediately for the return of displaced Gazans to their areas and homes,” Safadi said.
Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/18/israels-war-on-gaza-live-medicine-arrives-for-captives-palestinians
