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SvennoJ 21 hours ago
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Main events from January 13th

  • Medical sources told Al Jazeera that Israeli attacks killed at least 45 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip throughout Monday, with many of the attacks focused on Gaza City and northern parts of the territory.
  • Hamas said Gaza ceasefire talks are progressing well, according to a statement issued by the group after a meeting with Qatar’s emir, while the United States indicated that a ceasefire agreement is “on the brink” of being reached.
  • The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) reports that another Palestinian detainee has died in Israeli detention.
  • A Palestinian teenager was shot and wounded when Israeli forces stormed the town of Saiir near Hebron, the Wafa news agency reports.
  • Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI) said the Israeli military has confirmed that Dr Hussam Abu Safia, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, is being held in Ofer prison, a notorious Israeli military detention centre in the occupied West Bank.
  • Lebanon’s Civil Defence said the bodies of 10 victims of Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon have been recovered.
  • The Hind Rajab Foundation has called on Italy to arrest Israeli Major General Ghassan Alian, who heads the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) office and who it said is currently in Rome.

Hind Rajab Foundation calls on Italy to arrest head of Israel’s COGAT

The Belgium-based advocacy organisation Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has called for the immediate arrest of Israeli Major General Ghassan Alian, who the organisation says is currently in Rome.

HRF said in a statement posted on X that it had filed cases with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and informed Italian authorities about Alian, who heads the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) office.

“Alian oversaw the total blockade of Gaza, weaponizing famine and targeting civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, in acts amounting to genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity,” it said in a statement.

“Alian’s public dehumanization of Palestinians as ‘human animals’ reflects his intent behind these policies.”

Formed just five months ago, HRF has pulled together lawyers and activists from around the world to prepare legal cases, primarily based on social media content shared by Israeli soldiers.

The organisation said Italy was “obliged to act swiftly” given that the ICC had already issued arrest warrants for similar crimes against Israeli officials.



Kamal Adwan’s Hussam Abu Safia held in Ofer Prison, rights group says

An Israeli rights group says Hussam Abu Safia, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital who was detained by Israeli forces during their raid on the facility in Beit Lahiya last month, is being held in a notorious Israeli military prison in the occupied West Bank.

Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI), said the Israeli military confirmed in an email that Abu Safia was at Ofer Prison. A lawyer for Abu Safia’s family was told that he would not be allowed to see him until January 29, said a spokesman for PHRI, Ran Yaron, according to The Associated Press.

Colleagues and family have expressed fears over the safety of Abu Safia after troops forced him into a military tank upon his detention. Former detainees have reported harsh conditions at Ofer Prison, including beatings, minimal food rations and refusals of medical care.

Colleagues say the 51-year-old Abu Safia kept Kamal Adwan Hospital operating even as Israeli troops besieged it for about 85 days, starting in October. He became known for his frequent videos, pleading for international help as Israeli fire hit the hospital multiple times during the siege.