Main events from Januari 3rd

• The UN Security Council held a discussion on Israel’s attacks on Gaza’s health facilities, with a report from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stating that Israeli forces have conducted more than 136 air raids on some 27 hospitals and 12 medical facilities over the past eight months.
• UN human rights chief Volker Turk also told the council that Israel has not provided evidence for its claims that Palestinian armed groups are using Gaza’s health facilities for military purposes.
• Israeli attacks have killed at least 61 Palestinians in Gaza since dawn on Friday, including in northern Gaza City, where Israel’s bombardment has killed nearly 30 people.
• Negotiators have arrived in Qatar for renewed ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, with the Palestinian armed group reiterating any agreement must include a permanent end to fighting and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
• Israel’s military has carried out a series of raids in the occupied West Bank, including in the Balata refugee camp, where an 18-year-old boy was fatally shot and eight others injured.
• There have been further violations of a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon, with the country’s state-run National News Agency reporting Israeli forces setting fire to homes in the southern village of Hula.

Biden ‘informally notifies’ Congress of $8bn arms sale to Israel: Report

This information comes from AFP, which quoted an unnamed source familiar with the plan.

The US State Department “has informally notified Congress of an $8 billion proposed sale of munitions to support Israel’s long-term security by resupplying stocks of critical munitions and air defence capabilities”, the official told AFP.

The preliminary notification allows congressional committees to scrutinise the proposed sale, before a formal notification to Congress.

The weapons package includes medium-range air-to-air missiles to defend against aerial threats; Hellfire AGM-114 missiles; 155mm projectile artillery shells for long-range targeting; and 500-pound (227kg) warheads, the official said.

The Biden administration has provided Israel with billions in arms aid during its war on Gaza.

Israel defends attack on northern Gaza hospital at UN meeting

Israel’s deputy UN ambassador Jonathan Miller says more than “240 terrorists were apprehended, including 15 who participated in the October 7 massacre” in southern Israel in 2023, justifying its attack on Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza last week.

The hospital’s director, Dr Hussam Abu Safia, was also detained in the raid.

“We suspect him of being a Hamas operative as hundreds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists were hiding inside the Kamal Adwan Hospital under his management. He is currently being investigated by Israeli security forces,” Miller said.

The World Health Organization expressed deep concern about Abu Safia, WHO representative Rik Peeperkorn said. “We have lost contact with him since and call for his immediate release.”

More pressure needed on Hamas over alleged activity in Gaza hospitals

Dan Perry, a journalist, author, and former chairman of the Israeli Foreign Press Association, says there should be more evidence provided by Israel’s army about Palestinian fighters allegedly inside Gaza hospitals – the justification it continually uses to attack health centres.

“That said, I can’t simply dismiss them [the allegations] as irrelevant. International law is a bit fuzzy when it comes to what to do when armed terrorists take over medical facilities and are hiding among genuine patients and using it as their main operating base,” Perry told Al Jazeera.

“They [Israel’s army] have supplied some evidence – whether it’s enough or not is in the eye of the beholder. In my perspective, I’d like to see equal maybe greater pressure on Hamas to stop playing these games.”

There have been 136 Israeli attacks on 27 Gaza hospitals in recent months “inflicting significant casualties among doctors, nurses, medics, and other civilians”, according to a UN report released last week.

Any attack on a medical facility is a war crime under international law.

Israeli claims that Hamas operates in Gaza hospitals are ‘lie after lie’

Mansour Shouman, a Palestinian journalist and humanitarian worker, told Al Jazeera he lived with his family at both the al-Shifa and Nasser hospitals during Israel’s war on Gaza.

During this time, he said, “none of us could see any evidence” of Hamas operating in the health facilities.

He described the destruction of hospitals by the Israeli military as part of the “General’s Plan”, a strategy to forcibly empty northern Gaza of its population.

Shouman said the Israeli army understands hospitals are a vital lifeline for civilians as they’re the only places with fuel, electricity and the internet, which means displaced people gather inside.

Israel’s claims of Palestinian fighters taking over health facilities are “lie after lie”, he added.

“These are civilians, these are doctors, nurses and patients. There is no evidence that Hamas, or any other resistance fighters, have taken these hospitals as centres for their command or control.”

Indonesian Hospital out of service amid Israeli attacks: Health Ministry

The Gaza Health Ministry says in a statement released on Telegram the medical facility in the northern Strip “no longer provides any services to patients or the wounded”.

It said the North Gaza governorate has three public hospitals, Kamal Adwan, Beit Hanoon and the Indonesian Hospital, all of which have been taken out of service by Israel’s offensive.

Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya was cleared of patients and staff and it was severely burned by the Israeli army last week.

Israel eyes Gaza aid cuts as Trump takes office: Report

Israel is reportedly considering significant reductions of the already minimal amounts of humanitarian aid it allows into the Gaza Strip as US President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, a news report says.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported current aid levels may be reduced in the coming weeks following Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

An unnamed Israeli “political source” told the network: “We doubt the amount of aid currently allowed into Gaza will remain the same under Trump’s administration. If such a decision is made to reduce aid, it will be coordinated with the new US administration.”

Continuing aid deliveries would help Hamas maintain its hold over Gaza, the source added.

Israel has a ‘complete monopoly’ over Gaza aid

Mansour Shouman, a Palestinian journalist and humanitarian worker, spoke to Al Jazeera and explained there are two ways in which aid comes into Gaza.

The first is via charities that only Israel allows to enter the Palestinian enclave. They are mostly run by the UN and the aid is distributed to warehouses, he said.

However, the most common method is done through businessmen in Gaza who deal directly with Israel, a setup that was in place before the war. Businessmen buy goods in bulk, bring them in, and then sell them “at the prices they want, at the time they want”.

“A lot of local charities have to go and negotiate with these businessmen who deal directly with the Israeli authorities … and then they distribute it for free or to the people,” said Shouman.

Both methods create “a complete monopoly” for Israel of what gets into Gaza and the prices the items are sold at, he added.

‘Never in the history of the United Nations’

UNWRA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, again urged Israel to reverse its ban on the organization that is crucial in providing desperately needed aid to the besieged people of Gaza.

“What needs to happen is for the Israeli parliament to retract the decision,” said the agency’s communications director Juliette Touma.

In November, Israel’s parliament adopted two controversial bills banning UNRWA from operating in Israeli territory, while closing its premises in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and war-battered Gaza.

The move has received widespread condemnation.

⏰The clock is ticking for a possible ban on UNRWA to deliver essential services for millions of #PalestineRefugees in #Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Our @JulietteTouma tells to @RTE that the UN is not planning to replace UNRWA. “What needs to happen is for… pic.twitter.com/0caZfBC0oQ

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) January 4, 2025

Israeli attack deliberately targets Gaza aid convoy security guards

The attacks continued until the early hours of this morning. The latest strike that targeted an empty residential home in the city of Deir el-Balah was at about 4am. We know from our sources and witnesses that this residential home was warned in the past but it was not until the early hours of this morning that it was bombed by a fighter jet.

Throughout the night, attacks continued to be carried out across the city of Khan Younis, where there were three separate attacks.

One was on a privately owned vehicle by a private security company carrying five security personnel. It was struck by a drone missile. This particular vehicle and the staff inside was tasked with securing the delivery of commercial and humanitarian trucks to designated points.

This is a pattern that we’ve seen in the past few months where security personnel and those who volunteer from the local community are targeted and killed deliberately in what seems to be an attempt by the Israeli military to create a further power vacuum and throw the entire Gaza Strip into mayhem and the chaos of lawlessness.

Trump wants Gaza war over ‘in any possible way’

As Gaza truce talks resume in Qatar, Dan Perry, a former regional editor for The Associated Press, says chances “are low” that a ceasefire deal gets done.

“Israel’s leaders are waiting for Donald Trump to take office because they think they’ll have greater leeway … to put more pressure on Gaza to finally get Hamas to relent. I’m not so sure this is going to a happy place soon,” he told Al Jazeera.

While Trump has indicated he wants the war on Gaza to end, Perry said that doesn’t mean a negotiated settlement that halts the bloodshed.

“When Trump says ‘get this done’, I think what he means is ‘I don’t care about the consequences; just get it done in any possible way you can so it’s over with and I can take credit for having brought peace, no matter how it was achieved,'” said Perry.

“I do not think Trump cares about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and, therefore, Netanyahu would have a freer hand.”

 
Trump names pro-Israel figure as deputy special envoy for the Middle East

US President-elect Trump named Morgan Ortagus, a favourite among the US’s pro-Israel lobby, as his incoming administration’s Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Middle East Peace.

Ortagus will serve under Special Envoy Steven Witkoff, who has been described as an admirer of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Ortagus served as spokesperson at the State Department from 2019-2021 under the first Trump administration, and was a member of the Abraham Accords team – which oversaw the normalisation of relations between Israel and Bahrain, and Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Accepting the appointment, Ortagus said she was “honoured” to represent her country in what she called a “crucial diplomatic role”.

 
Israel has much to gain regionally from ceasefire deal under Trump

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been stalling a Gaza ceasefire deal until US President Donald Trump comes to power, an analyst says.

“[Netanyahu has] been basically holding for time … in order to leverage with Trump [a] particular deal, in order to cash in – either in the West Bank by getting some areas annexed to Israel, or in Syria, or perhaps with a strike on Iran,” said Sami al-Arian, director of the Center for Islam and Global Affairs at Istanbul Zaim University.

Netanyahu, therefore, has been the main obstacle to a ceasefire deal, he added.

A truce deal could be close, however, as Trump has said he wants the war on Gaza over, al-Arian noted.

“After this destruction there is a lot of course to be gained for Israel, regionally speaking, because Trump wants to have a normalisation deal with Saudi Arabia, and perhaps even beyond Saudi Arabia, and this war in Gaza is just a reason not to have any kind of progress on that.”

And more of the every day bombings, massacres, starvation, misery, West Bank raids and clashes. While the West continues to ignore the humanitarian disaster and keeps defending Israel no matter what.

I fucking hate 2025 already. We're back to pre WW2 law of the jungle. Every lesson learned from WW2 has been destroyed in 2024. And I dread to see where we'll be at with Trump 'managing' the UN. The UNSC has failed completely, RIP 1945-2022.

There's No Such Thing as Int'l Law: Dr Tanya Haj Hassan Conveys Gaza Medics Mesaage to UNSC

Dr. Tanya Haj Hassan, a respected medical practitioner, addresses the UNSC, shedding light on the dire situation in Gaza. She highlights the unchecked violence and Gaza medics' plea for justice.

Main events from Januari 4th

US, UK forces bomb Yemen: Report

The Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV is reporting three attacks by troops from the US and the United Kingdom on northwestern Yemen. The channel said the attacks took place east of the city of Sa’adha.

Red Cross chief urges renewal of Lebanon ceasefire

Mirjana Spoljaric, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) made the appeal during a visit to Lebanon on Saturday.

“Civilians cannot afford for the ceasefire to lapse, plunging them back into heavy fighting that would bring more death and destruction,” she said in a statement. “Maintaining the ceasefire is essential for families to return home, rebuild their lives, and for humanitarian assistance to reach those in need.”

The 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah began on November 27. The deal requires Hezbollah to move north of the Litani River and gives Israel 60 days to withdraw from south Lebanon and hand over control to the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers.

So far, Israel has withdrawn from just two of the dozens of towns it holds in southern Lebanon, according to The Associated Press news agency, and has continued near-daily air raids on the country. Naim Qassem, the Hezbollah chief, said on Saturday that his group is ready to respond to Israeli ceasefire violations.

Israel says Hezbollah not meeting ceasefire terms

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has accused Hezbollah of not meeting the terms of the ceasefire, warning that if their fighters continued to breach the deal, Israel would “be forced to act”.

Katz said Hezbollah had still not withdrawn “beyond the Litani River” in southern Lebanon.

“If this condition is not met, there will be no agreement and Israel will be forced to act on its own to ensure the safe return of residents of the north to their homes,” he said.

According to the ceasefire deal, Israeli forces are supposed to exit southern Lebanon by January 26.

Court in Brazil orders probe against visiting Israeli soldier, say activists

The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) says a court in Brazil has taken “decisive action” on a criminal complaint it filed against an Israeli soldier who is vacationing in the Latin American country. It said the Federal Court of the Federal District ordered the police to investigate and take action against Yuval Vagdani, whom it accuses of committing war crimes in Gaza.

The HRF’s complaint against Vagdani accuses him of participating in “massive demolitions of civilian homes in Gaza during a systematic campaign of destruction”. The HRF, in a follow-up statement, said it had received reports that Israel was attempting to smuggle Vagdani out of Brazil.

“We call on Brazilian authorities to fulfill their responsibilities, protect their judicial process, and ensure justice prevails,” it said.

The Belgium-based Hind Rajab Foundation is named after the six-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed by Israeli forces as she and her family fled Gaza last year. The group has been pursuing legal cases against Israeli soldiers across the globe, including in Chile and Argentina, accusing them of war crimes.

🚨🚨 Urgent Alert❗️
The #HindRajabFoundation has verified information that Israel is imminently attempting to smuggle suspected Israeli war criminal Yuval Vagdani out of Brazil, because of a Brazilian court order for police to take investigative measures against him. There are… pic.twitter.com/DiIigN4kC2

— The Hind Rajab Foundation (@HindRFoundation) January 4, 2025

Israeli soldier facing Gaza war crimes charges flees Brazil: Reports

An Israeli soldier who was accused of committing war crimes in Gaza while vacationing in Brazil, has fled the South American country, Israeli media report.

Shortly before Yuval Vagdani fled after being wanted for questioning by the authorities in Brazil, his family said he “is not under arrest”, that they are “interested in him coming to Israel”, and that “those who need to help him are helping him”, broadcaster Kan reported.

Israeli outlet Israel Hayom also reported that the man had fled Brazil, without giving details.

PM ‘rules over the Israeli mind through the media’, says Israeli professor

Menachem Klein, a professor of political science at Bar Ilan University in Israel, told Al Jazeera that the average Israeli is not exposed to the scenes coming out of Gaza.

“As a human being, as a Jew and as an Israeli, I am ashamed and very, very sad that my country and my army treat this way innocent people, Palestinian kids, women, citizens,” he said.

He said a major issue is that the Israeli public hardly gets to see the photos and videos coming out from the Gaza Strip. “Netanyahu rules over the Israeli mind through the media, and there is a self-censorship of the mainstream media”.

“The other problem is that the Israelis want revenge. They still live in October 7” he added.“They want to take full revenge, ignoring the fact that we, Israel, is engaging in a war of attrition in Gaza. It is a bloodshed that Israel suffers from. It is a lose-lose situation for all sides involved,” he said.

Silence on Israel’s massacres of journalists is dangerous to all

A December 26 press statement by the Israeli army attempted to justify a war crime.

It unabashedly admitted that the military incinerated five Palestinian journalists in a clearly marked press vehicle outside al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip.

The five victims were Ibrahim Sheikh Ali, Faisal Abu al-Qumsan, Mohammed al-Ladaa, Fadi Hassouna, and Ayman al-Gedi. Ayman had arrived at the hospital with his wife who was about to give birth to their first baby; he was visiting his colleagues in the vehicle when it was struck.

His baby boy was born several hours later and now carries the name of his father who was not allowed to live long enough to celebrate his birth.

Thousands march against Israel’s war on Gaza in San Francisco


_{Over a thousand pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered at Union Square in San Francisco, California on Saturday to protest US support for Israel’s war on Gaza}

Israeli police remove protesters demanding return of captives

_{According to Israeli media, thousands of people joined the protests in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem}

Lapid thanks Biden for allowing Israel to ‘wage war’

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has lauded the Biden administration’s $8bn boost in military aid as a genocide is under way in Gaza.

“The support of the United States over the past 15 months has enabled us to defend ourselves and wage war,” Lapid said in a post on X. “This is an opportunity to thank President Biden and his administration for their support.”

Israeli forces killed more than 200 people in Gaza in 3 days

The past few days remind us of the initial days of this genocidal war across the Gaza Strip. More than 200 people have been killed in the past three days due to the ongoing attacks on residential buildings, on groups of people gathering in the streets, in marketplaces or inside their shelters.

Just yesterday alone, more than 60 people were killed. And contrary to Israeli statements [that claim their targets are Hamas operatives] we are seeing women and children making up the vast majority of casualties.

Early evening yesterday, Israeli forces hit a gathering of people in front of an evacuation centre in Bureij refugee camp, which was an UNRWA school, who were buying dinner at a falafel shop or buying something to drink. The drone attack killed four people and injured many others.

Hospitals are also overwhelmed.

At the emergency department here at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, people were left on the floor and others were waiting to be admitted into the operating theatre. And by the time it’s their turn, it’s too late – they have already bled to death. The burns are quite severe, and no pain medication is available at the hospital.

There is also a silent death going on. In the past weeks, due to the ongoing attacks, people are dying quietly because of the lack of medical supplies.

_{Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on houses in Gaza City, on January 4}

Israel claims it hit more than 100 Gaza targets in last two days

The Israeli military has issued a statement, claiming it struck more than 100 targets across the Gaza Strip in the last two days, killing several Hamas fighters. The military also said it hit a number of launch sites from which projectiles were fired towards Israeli territory, the statement added.

What’s happening at North Gaza hospitals?

As we’ve been reporting, Israeli forces have ordered the evacuation of the last semi-functional hospital in the North Gaza governorate.

Here’s what you need to know: