Live Updates: Red Sea attacks linked to Gaza, ceasefire needed — Saudi FM

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

12:09 GMT — Saudi Arabia's foreign minister has said that Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea are connected to the Israeli war on Gaza and there is a need for an immediate ceasefire there.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said during the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos that the kingdom's priority is finding a path to de-escalation through a ceasefire in Gaza.

12:11 GMT — Palestine calls for sanctions on Israel to dismantle violent settler groups

Palestine has called for imposing sanctions on Israel to compel Tel Aviv to dismantle violent far-right settler groups in the occupied West Bank.

"An international action is urgently needed to pressure the Israeli government to dismantle the settler groups, disarm them, dry up their source of funding, and end their political cover," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It also called for “placing all terrorist settler organizations and associations on international terror lists.”

"It’s not sufficient to only ban some settlers from entering the US or European countries but to list these settler groups on international terror list," the ministry said.

12:08 GMT — Israel launches new incursions in northern Gaza after end of ‘high-intensity’ offensive

The Israeli army has carried out new incursions into several areas in northern Gaza, hours after Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced an end to the "high-intensity" ground operation in the area.

According to an Anadolu reporter, Israeli forces advanced into the northern part of Gaza City and areas east of Jabalia town and west of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia.

Fierce clashes were reported between Israeli forces and Palestinian resistance fighters in these areas. There was no comment from the Israeli military on the report.

12:04 GMT — Cargo ship hit by missile off Yemen: maritime risk company

A Greek-owned cargo ship was hit by a missile off Yemen, a maritime risk management company has said following a string of attacks in the Red Sea.

"A Malta-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier was reportedly targeted and impacted with a missile while transiting the southern Red Sea northbound," Ambrey said.

11:44 GMT — Israel pounds Gaza as fears grow of widening war

Israel has pummelled southern Gaza, killing dozens, even as authorities announced the winding down of the intense phase of the war that has inflamed tensions across the Middle East.

The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come under mounting international pressure to end its offensive in Gaza.

But fears are mounting the war could be widening, with Iran and others stepping up attacks across the region in solidarity with Hamas.

Overnight, a wave of Israeli strikes killed at least 78 people in the Gaza, Palestinian press office in the besieged enclave said. An AFP correspondent said the southern city of Khan Yunis was hit hard.

The Israeli army said a barrage of 50 rockets was fired toward Netivot in southern Israel, without causing any casualties. Hamas's armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the attack.

11:33 GMT — 350,000 patients deprived of medication amid ongoing Israeli war: Gaza Health Ministry

At least 350,000 chronically ill patients are not receiving their medications due to the ongoing Israeli war since Oct. 7, the Gaza-based Palestinian Health Ministry has said.

The spokesperson for the ministry on Tuesday, Ashraf al Qudra, warned of serious health complications that may worsen the patients' conditions, calling on international organisations to urgently provide medications.

Al Qudra had previously announced the depletion of the anaesthesia nitrous oxide gas in operating rooms along with a severe shortage of other medical gases.

Palestinian and international health and human rights organizations had warned of the collapse of the faltering healthcare system in Gaza due to the ongoing war.

11:01 GMT — Qatari premier warns of massive destruction, says 'Gaza is not there anymore'

Qatar’s prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani warned of the massive destruction inflicted by Israel’s offensive on Gaza and criticised the Israeli defence minister’s rejection of a ceasefire in the battered Palestinian enclave.

"Gaza is not there anymore," he said.

10:33 GMT — No alternative to Hamas rule in Gaza: Israeli minister

The continued stronghold of Hamas in Gaza despite Israeli attacks is a sign that there is no alternative to its rule in the enclave, according to an Israeli minister.

"Hamas is far from being defeated, and if anyone thinks that there will be an alternative to its rule in Gaza, it simply won't happen," Israel's War Cabinet Minister Gideon Sa'ar told the Army Radio.

Last week, opposition leader Yair Lapid called on the ministers of the Blue and White party, including Gantz and Sa'ar, to withdraw from Netanyahu's government in protest against his policies in the ongoing battle.

However, Sa'ar, a prominent member of the Blue and White party, who opposed the war, said that it is important to keep the emergency government because we are still in a state of war.

10:21 GMT — Norway, allies working on concept for unified Palestinian government

Several European states, "concerned" Arab countries and the United States are working on a concept for a unified Palestinian government that could attract reconstruction funds, Norway's foreign minister said in an interview in Davos.

"A number of countries are working with us... trying to build a broad unity government," Espen Barth Eide said, without naming the specific countries.

Norway was of the view that a unified Palestinian territory should be run by the Palestinian Authority, but "prefacing everything, it has to be what the Palestinians want", he added.

10:16 GMT — Rockets fired from Gaza, reportedly one of strongest: Israel

Israel says a barrage of 15 rockets has been launched toward southern Israel, damaging a store.

Israeli media said it was one of the strongest bombardments from Gaza in more than a week.

Israeli Channel 12 TV reported that the rockets were launched from the central Gaza town of Bureij.

It came a day after Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the Israeli army was expanding military control from northern Gaza towards other parts of the enclave.

09:13 GMT — Death toll in Israel's attacks in Gaza swells, reaching 24,285

The Health Ministry in Palestine's besieged Gaza has said at least 24,285 people have been killed in Israel's attacks since October 7, 2023.

A ministry statement said some 61,154 people have also been wounded in the Palestinian territory during the war.

09:10 GMT — Qatar underlines mandatory two-state solution for stability

Requiring Israel to agree to a time-bound, mandatory path to a two-state solution is key to future stability in Israel and the Palestinian territories, Qatar's prime minister has said during the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said the Palestinians must be the ones to decide if Hamas will continue to play a political role in the future.

08:02 GMT — Israel strikes Lebanon border area 'to remove threat': army

The Israeli military has said that its special forces had carried out a strike in the area of Ayta ash Shab in Lebanon.

"IDF special forces struck in order to remove a threat in the area of Ayta ash Shab in Lebanon," the military said.

It did not say what kind of forces had struck nor where specifically they had operated.

The military also said its aircraft struck an anti-tank missile launcher in southern Lebanon that belonged to the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah.

07L02 GMT — Israeli military says it killed dozens of Palestinian fighters in north Gaza

Israeli military has said its troops killed dozens of Palestinian fighters around the town of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza and also uncovered about 100 rocket launchers.

"During IDF activity in the area of Beit Lahia, the troops located approximately 100 rocket set installations and 60 ready-to-use rockets. The troops killed dozens of terrorists during the activity," it said.

06:23 GMT — Casualties reported after deadly exchange of fire at Israel-Egypt border

Israel has said one of its troops was “slightly injured” in an exchange of fire along the country’s border with Egypt, which Cairo attributed to drug smuggling.

One person in Egypt was killed.

The statement from the Israeli military said the fighting happened near the Nitzana border crossing with Egypt on the Sinai Peninsula, and that there were 20 armed suspects.

The Israelis and the suspects exchanged fire, with Israel saying “hits were identified” among the suspects, without elaborating.

The Israeli soldier who was hit “was evacuated to a hospital to receive medical treatment and her family has been informed,” the military said.

The Israeli military did not identify the suspects. An Egyptian military statement on Tuesday described the suspects involved as trying to smuggle drugs. It said one person was killed and six people were arrested afterwards.

06:00 GMT - Israel kills 25 civilians in new Gaza carnage - Palestine

Israel has killed 25 Palestinians and wounded dozens of others during its ongoing bombardment of different areas in besieged Gaza, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

Citing medical sources at the European Gaza Hospital, WAFA reported that 11 people from the al Saiban and Ben Jermi families, most of whom are children and women, were killed and many others wounded in an Israeli air strike that targeted a house in the Mirage area, north of Rafah in besieged Gaza.

Israel also killed eight people and wounded dozens, including members of the Civil Defence, following an Israeli bombing of a site near the Civil Defence headquarters in Khan Younis City, said WAFA.

Israel also killed four people and wounded several others in air strike on the al Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, the news agency said, adding the Israeli bombardment of the Tel al Hawa neighbourhood in Gaza City resulted in the killing of two people and the wounding of several others.

05:33 GMT - UKMTO reports incident offshore Eritrea's Assab

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations [UKMTO] organisation has received a report of a small craft circling a vessel in the Red Sea about 105 kilometres northwest of Eritrea's Assab.

The vessel and crew were reported safe and are proceeding to their next port after security personnel on the ship "fired warning shots and small craft departed," UKMTO said in an advisory note.

Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have stepped up attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea in protest against Israel's brutal war on besieged Gaza.

04:49 GMT - Israeli 'colonists' attack Palestinian properties in West Bank

Scores of armed "Israeli colonists" have attacked the vehicles of Palestinian civilians in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, WAFA news agency reported, citing local sources.

A group of "armed colonists" attacked Palestinian vehicles in the town of the town of Sinjil and smashed the windows of several cars.

WAFA said "colonists attacked citizens' vehicles on Monday evening at the junction of Ayun Haramiya, north of Ramallah."

04:15 GMT - Jewish activists storm Austrian Parliament to condemn Gaza genocide

A group of Jewish activists who oppose Israeli carnage have stormed the Austrian Parliament Building in Vienna to voice their rejection of the "massacre" and "genocide" committed by Israel in besieged Gaza.

Russia Today, citing eyewitnesses, stated that a group of young Jewish activists belonging to an organisation called "Don't Speak for Us", which opposes the positions of the Israeli government, interrupted a session of the Austrian parliament on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, shouting "Stop the genocide" and denouncing the Israeli crimes of ethnic cleansing in besieged Gaza.

The activists raised Palestinian flags and threw leaflets inside the Parliament Building while chanting slogans demanding an end to the genocide in Gaza before police intervened and forced them out.

For our live updates from Monday, January 15, click here