Unexpected but some hope
After sparking panic, Israeli forces appear to have withdrawn from area around Khan Younis’ largest hospital
Israeli forces appear to have withdrawn from the area around the largest hospital [Nassar hospital] in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, after their approach towards the medical compound late on Tuesday prompted panic among the thousands of people sheltering there.
People on the scene told CNN that there were no more military vehicles in the area around the Al Nasser Hospital compound as of Wednesday morning. Around 7,000 people are sheltering at the compound, according to the World Health Organization. Late on Tuesday, Israeli forces began moving towards the hospital, prompting crowds of people to flee. Multiple videos from the scenes showed people carrying blankets, mattresses and other personal belongings making their way out of the compound. 
Palestinians check damaged graves at a cemetery following an Israeli raid in Khan Younis, Gaza, on January 17. Ahmed Zakot/Reuters
Jordan says its field hospital in Gaza damaged by Israeli shelling
The Jordanian army said its military field hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis was badly damaged as a result of Israeli shelling in the vicinity. In a statement, it held Israel responsible for a “flagrant breach of international law”. An unnamed military source stated that a Palestinian citizen, who was receiving treatment in the ICU, was injured by shrapnel and a bullet during the Israeli attack.
The source added that the hospital, which was subjected to severe material damage as a result of the continuous Israeli bombing in its surroundings from yesterday until this morning, will continue to operate.
(The field hospital is a few hundred meters from Nassar hospital and next to the cemetery)
Terrorist label is just a political tool, on/off when convenient
Biden administration re-designates Houthis as specially designated global terrorists
US President Joe Biden's administration on Wednesday re-designated the Houthis as a specially designated global terrorist (SDGT) entity amid continued attacks by the Yemen-based militia.
Administration officials said the designation is aimed at deterring the Houthis from their ongoing aggression in the Red Sea. It is the latest in a series of US actions targeting the Iranian-backed group, and comes as the specter of a wider regional war in the Middle East looms large amid Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.
The administration removed the Houthis’ SDGT designation and de-listed it as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) in February 2021, after it was designated by the Trump administration in its final weeks. At the time, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the decision to remove the group’s designations was driven by concerns that it could imperil the ability to deliver crucial assistance to the people of Yemen. He said it was “a recognition of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.”
“We believe that the SDGT designation is the appropriate tool at the moment to pressure the Houthis,” said the senior administration official. The official said that the SDGT designation allows “better flexibility” to target the Houthis while minimizing the risk to humanitarian aid.
Israel’s far-right wants to move Palestinians out of Gaza. Its ideas are gaining attention
Two soldiers in Gaza hold an Israeli flag, altered to include an orange stripe and the words, in Hebrew: “Coming home!”
As Israel’s war against Hamas enters its fourth month, the Israeli government has said little of substance, at least in any official way, on its plans for post-war Gaza. Into that void has stepped a group — once fringe, but now in the governing coalition — that hopes for full Israeli control, to resettle Gaza and even expel Palestinians. And its ideas are permeating mainstream debate.
"We must promote a solution to encourage the emigration of the residents of Gaza,” far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on January 1."
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also holds a position in the defense ministry, says that Israel “will rule there. And in order to rule there securely for a long time, we must have a civilian presence.”
Israeli army cracks down on Jerusalem, Ramallah, Nablus
Israeli soldiers have been carrying out raids throughout the West Bank, including on Tulkarem refugee camp, where they killed four Palestinians, as we reported earlier. (The death toll from the Israeli drone strike on Tulkarem has gone up to four. The Palestinian Red Crescent says it has recovered the bodies of four people killed inside the camp. The aid group also reported that Israeli forces initially blocked its ambulances from reaching those targeted)
In occupied East Jerusalem, forces added new military checkpoints, and in al-Eizariya nearby, they continue to engage in night raids and house searches.
In Ramallah, the closure of certain checkpoints and the establishment of others disrupted movement. Israeli forces conducted several raids in Beitin, the Jazalone camp and nearby towns, resulting in multiple arrests and the confiscation of property.
In Nablus, Israeli forces also killed three Palestinians in a drone attack. The city faced similar disruptions as in East Jerusalem and Ramallah, with tightened security at various checkpoints. Additionally, Israeli settlers attacked the outskirts of Burin village, targeting a civilian’s home and vehicle.
Israeli security forces raid Tulkarem refugee camp
‘Censorship, surveillance and arrests’
7amleh, The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, says that since the war on Gaza began, Israeli authorities have been cracking down on Palestinians “for simply expressing their views or opinions on various online platforms, through a variety of measures including censorship, surveillance and arrests”.
The Palestinian digital rights group also said in a report that since October 7, Israel has introduced a “draconian legislation” to restrict freedom of expression and criticism of its actions in Gaza. Social media platforms played a key role in facilitating what it called Israel’s oppressive measures, 7amleh said.
“The most notable measures included mass content removals and extensive ‘shadowbanning’ of users criticising Israel or posting in support of Palestinians. During Israel’s war on Gaza, these content restrictions and removals soared to unprecedented levels,” it noted.
“Users of Meta’s platforms, including journalists, activists, media pages and those simply documenting reality on the ground or posting in support of Palestinian rights were subject to account banning, content removal and other restrictive measures.”
Israel to indict lawmaker Cassif for 2022 assault on police officer: Report
Ofer Cassif, a member of the Knesset for the Hadash-Ta’al party who recently declared his backing for South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), has been informed that he will be indicted on charges of aggravated assault, The Times of Israel reports.
Cassif may request immunity from prosecution from the Knesset if he wishes.
In May 2022, Cassif was trying to reach a protest against the displacement of Palestinians from their homes in Masafer Yatta in the South Hebron Hills, but was blocked from doing so by a police officer. A physical altercation occurred between the politician and the officer. The State Attorney’s Office and the police recommended indicting Cassif in 2022.
It is unclear why the indictment is proceeding now. But Cassif has recently been in the spotlight for his comments against members of the government, saying they are “calling for ethnic cleansing and even actual genocide” against Palestinians.
Israeli lawmaker Ofer Cassif, centre, during a protest against the eviction of Palestinian families by a Jewish settler organisation in the Old City of Jerusalem on June 16, 2023
Hamas condemns Germany for considering Israeli request for tank shells
Hamas has denounced Germany as its government considers sending about 10,000 tank shells to the Israeli military.
In a statement, Hamas said the move “makes Germany a direct partner in the war against our people in Gaza”. Germany “bears full political and moral responsibility for the war crimes committed by the Nazi Zionist government and the genocidal war against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip”, the statement continued.
On Tuesday, the German news magazine Der Spiegel reported that the German government was considering an Israeli request for about 10,000 precision-guided 120mm tank shells. All the agencies involved have approved the request, Der Spiegel said.
Gaza will be ‘the grave of the Western-led world order’
Saul J Takahashi Professor of Human Rights and Peace Studies at Osaka Jogakuin University
The unabashed Western support for Israel’s genocidal rampage in Gaza has truly exposed the double standards of the West with regard to human rights and international law.
South Africa’s lawsuit in the International Court of Justice alleging Israel is committing genocide will either be remembered as the first step towards finally holding a rogue state accountable for repeated, longstanding violations of international law or as the last, dying breath of a dysfunctional, Western-led international system.
Thus, the hypocrisy of Western governments (and the Western political elite as a whole) has finally brought the so-called “rules-based world order” they purport to lead to the point of no return.
