By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close

Forums - Politics Discussion - Israel-Hamas war, Gaza genocide

SvennoJ 1 day ago

Main events on January 28th

  • The UN has said more than 370,000 Palestinians have returned to north Gaza since Monday, with many finding piles of rubble where their homes once stood.
  • Israel’s army has opened an investigation into the killing of an engineering contractor in Gaza, who was shot by Israeli soldiers while unarmed and wearing civilian clothing.
  • UN Palestinian refugee agency chief Philippe Lazzarini has told Al Jazeera there is “absolutely no alternative” to the essential services his agency provides, as Israel’s ban on UNRWA is set to come into force on Thursday.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said US President Donald Trump invited him to the White House on February 4. Netanyahu would be the first foreign leader Trump has hosted since beginning his second term.
  • The US Senate has failed to secure the necessary votes to pass a bill imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court over issuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israel’s former Defence Minister Gallant.
  • Israeli attacks in and near the southern Lebanese town of Nabatieh have wounded 24 people, Lebanon’s Health Ministry has said, despite a ceasefire being in force for more than six weeks.

Residents return to southern Lebanon to find homes in ruins

Lebanese residents have been returning to their villages near the border with Israel to what is left of their homes. Much of southern Lebanon has been destroyed, and it will take a while before life returns to normal.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army continues to attack Lebanon despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.


US Senate blocks bill sanctioning ICC

The United States Senate has failed to secure the necessary votes to pass a bill imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The bill would have punished the court for an arrest warrant issued for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for alleged war crimes in Gaza. The bill recently passed the US House of Representatives, but received 55 votes in the Senate, five short of the necessary 60.

For now...



Around the Network
SvennoJ 1 day ago

UK pledges $21m for Gaza, underscores importance of UNRWA

The United Kingdom has promised to provide 17 million pounds ($21m) to help with Gaza’s recovery but has also warned the looming ban on the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) “risks jeopardising the humanitarian response” in the war-torn territory.

UK Minister for Development Anneliese Dodds said the funds would help thousands of people to access healthcare, water, food and shelter and was “part of the UK’s investment in the ceasefire deal”.

“The scale of suffering in Gaza cannot be overstated and the UN, and its agencies, including UNRWA, must be allowed by Israel to do their vital work,” Dodds said in a statement.


Israel’s UN envoy says UNRWA must cease operations in 48 hours

We have been reporting on Israel’s ban on the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), which is set to come into force on Thursday.

Speaking at a UN Security Council news conference on Tuesday evening, Israeli envoy Danny Danon reiterated that UNRWA must end its activities and evacuate its premises inside Israeli territory in two days.

“Within 48 hours, the State of Israel will cease its cooperation with UNRWA,” Danon said. “UNRWA must cease its activities and evacuate all its facilities in Jerusalem.”

On Tuesday, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini told Al Jazeera the agency provides essential “human development” and public services to Palestinians on a scale only a Palestinian state could replicate.

“There is absolutely no alternative among the UN agencies and even international NGOs [to UNRWA],” he said.


South Korea expresses support for UNRWA as Israeli ban looms

South Korea has joined a long list of countries expressing support for the work of UNRWA at a special UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday.

South Korea’s UN envoy Joonkook Hwang told the council that UNRWA’s staff and facilities should be harnessed at maximum capacity to scale up humanitarian aid throughout Gaza, especially at this critical time of the ceasefire.

“We will continue to provide both political and financial support to ensure the basic services and humanitarian assistance provided by the UN to Palestinians in need,” Hwang said.


Seven countries tell UNSC they ‘deeply deplore’ Israel’s UNRWA ban

Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Slovenia and Spain have told the UN Security Council (UNSC) that they “deeply deplore” the Israeli parliament’s decision to “abolish” UNRWA’s operations in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

“We condemn Israel’s withdrawal from the 1967 agreement between Israel and UNRWA and any attempt to obstruct its capacity to operate and carry out its UNGA mandate,” the group said in a joint statement to the UNSC.

The bloc also demanded the “suspension of the entry into force” of the Israeli laws banning UNRWA, which they said did not comply with international law and the UN Charter.

“We support UNRWA as part of our humanitarian commitment and our firm defence and respect of international law, including international humanitarian law,” they said.




SvennoJ 1 day ago

Trump administration drops US endorsement of UNRWA

The Trump administration has reversed the Biden administration’s endorsement of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), saying that it supports Israel’s decision to close UNRWA’s office in occupied East Jerusalem.

US deputy ambassador to the UN, Dorothy Shea, told an emergency meeting of the UN’s Security Council on Tuesday that there are other humanitarian organisations that can do UNRWA’s job – an assertion that has previously been rejected throughout the UN system.

“What is needed is a nuanced discussion about how we can ensure that there is no interruption in the delivery of humanitarian aid and essential services,” Shea said.

While the US Congress had already cut funding for UNRWA until March – due to an unfounded accusation made against the UN organisation by Israel – the US’s former UN ambassador had called UNRWA’s work “indispensable”.

UNRWA’s chief Phillipe Lazzarini leader has warned that Israel’s ban on the agency, due to start on Thursday, risks “harming the lives and future” of millions of Palestinians and will undermine the Gaza ceasefire agreement.


UNWRA employs over 30,000 people
https://www.unrwa.org/careers/working-unrwa

  • The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was created by the UN General Assembly on December 8, 1949.
  • The agency provides essential services to some six million Palestinian refugees who live within and outside Palestine.
  • As UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini has said, UNRWA services can only be taken over by a Palestinian state, since, unlike other aid agencies, UNRWA operates like a quasi-state, including by operating schools.
  • UNRWA runs 58 refugee camps for Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.
  • In 2023, about 540,148 children were enrolled in 711 UNRWA schools, including 298,363 children in Gaza.
  • As of 2023, UNRWA also operated 141 primary healthcare clinics and provided other services, including small business loans.


Israel’s UNRWA ban will ‘sabotage Gaza’s recovery and political transition’: Lazzarini

As the headquarters of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) faces imminent forced closure by Israel in occupied East Jerusalem, the agency’s chief Philippe Lazzarini addressed the UN’s Security Council (UNSC) to make his case for the crucial continuation of UNRWA’s work and the council’s support to ensure that.

Here are key extracts from Lazzarini’s address to the UNSC:

  • Across the Gaza Strip, Palestinians are turning to UNRWA – the agency they have known all their lives – for support.
  • In Gaza, undermining UNRWA’s operations will compromise the international humanitarian response.
  • It will sabotage Gaza’s recovery and political transition.
  • Curtailing our operations now – outside a political process, and when trust in the international community is so low – will undermine the ceasefire.
  •  UNRWA constitutes half the emergency response [in Gaza], with all other entities delivering the other half.
  • Since October 2023, we have delivered two-thirds of all food assistance, provided shelter to over a million displaced persons, and vaccinated a quarter of a million children against polio.
  • In occupied East Jerusalem, the government of Israel has ordered UNRWA to vacate its premises and cease operations by Thursday.
  • The political attacks on the agency are motivated by the desire to strip Palestinians of their refugee status.
  • The objective is to deny Palestine refugees the right to self-determination and erase their history and identity.
  • I am seeking your decisive intervention in support of peace and stability in the occupied Palestinian territory and the broader region.


Israel does not get to ‘pick and choose’ who represents the UN: Palestinian ambassador

Palestine’s ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, addressed the body’s powerful Security Council and said that “there is no alternative to UNRWA”.

Mansour told the council that Israel had destroyed Gaza and aims to get “rid of the Palestinian people”, but it does not get to “pick and choose” who represents the UN or who represents the Palestinian people.

“The entire international community has to come to the defence of UNRWA, both at the General Assembly and the Security Council,” he said.

The headquarters of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) faces imminent forced closure on Thursday by Israel in occupied East Jerusalem, which threatens the agency’s crucial humanitarian work in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.


UNRWA’s aid boxes to be repackaged due to Israeli ban

The local staff of UNRWA can still continue operating in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem [despite the Israeli ban coming into force tomorrow] but passing through Israeli checkpoints will be very difficult.

According to the analysts, the most devastating consequences will be in Gaza. They already have more than a million tonnes of aid waiting outside Gaza to be sent in to the Gaza Strip.

The packages with an UNRWA logo will not be allowed in, so they have to repackage a lot of it under the UN agencies.



SvennoJ 1 day ago

Rubio tells Egypt cooperation needed to stop Hamas returning to power in Gaza

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty that it was important for Washington and Cairo to closely cooperate to ensure that Hamas will never govern Gaza again, the State Department said.

Rubio held the call with his Egyptian counterpart after Trump reiterated that Palestinians should be moved out of Gaza and that Egypt and Jordan should take in the Palestinians that do leave.

Qatar, Turkiye to take in Palestinians convicted of serious crimes: Report

The Times of Israel, citing two anonymous officials, has claimed that Qatar and Turkiye will host Palestinians convicted by Israeli authorities on serious charges as part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Israel has reportedly demanded that Palestinians convicted for crimes such as murder not return to Gaza or the occupied West Bank after they were released in exchange for Israeli captives.

Egypt has been temporarily hosting about 70 Palestinian former detainees convicted by Israeli authorities of serious charges, including murder, and released as part of the deal.


Germany preparing to send border experts to Rafah Crossing with Egypt: Report

Plans are under way to send German border management experts to Gaza’s southern Rafah Crossing with Egypt.

Germany’s DPA news agency reports that the government plans to amend a 2005 cabinet decision that previously allowed only unarmed German personnel to be deployed.

According to government sources, the amendment would permit the deployment of Germany’s armed forces, as the current security situation in Gaza is deemed too dangerous for unarmed border guards.

The deployment could be part of the European Union Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point (EUBAM Rafah), which is set to resume operations after a years-long suspension, the DPA reports.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Monday said that Italy, Spain and France are the first three EU countries to send personnel to help manage the Rafah Crossing, which is expected to open shortly.

The reopening of the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt is part of a three-phase ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.



SvennoJ 1 day ago

Fragile truce in Lebanon violated by Israel once again

The ceasefire which went into effect in late November has generally been holding, but it is fragile. Now, there is growing concern about its continued stability.

On Tuesday night, Israeli drones carried out two attacks in Nabatieh, a city in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military said it hit vehicles belonging to Hezbollah that were transporting weapons.

There has been no independent confirmation of that claim but Israel does not believe it is a violation of the truce. The Israeli military says it is enforcing the agreement because there is no other force on the ground able to do so.

Lebanon sees it differently. They believe that Israel has violated the truce, they have appealed to the international committee monitoring the ceasefire that has led the United States “to take a firm stance to stop these violations”.




Ex-Israeli envoy calls on Netanyahu to lobby against UN in talks with Trump

Gilad Erdan, the former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, has told Israeli Army Radio that the top international organisation “represents a threat no less than Iran” for his country.

“The biased political composition in the United Nations has turned The Hague Court and the Human Rights Council into tools against Israel,” he added.



Around the Network
SvennoJ 1 day ago

Over 500,000 Palestinians returned to north Gaza in 72 hours: Media Office

Gaza’s Government Media Office says more than half a million displaced Palestinians have returned to the northern governorates of Gaza via al-Rashid and Salah al-Din streets in the past 72 hours.

“This comes after 470 days of forced displacement since the start of the genocide committed by the Israeli occupation army in the Gaza Strip,” it said.

Our colleagues have reported from the ground earlier that some returnees are heading back to the centre of the enclave after finding no water, food, shelter or sanitation in the north.


Residents returning to unrecognisable Gaza City

Nader Shamalakh witnessed Israel’s initial bombardment of Gaza City more than 15 months ago. But nothing had prepared him for returning to a city that he no longer recognises.

“I swear that when I arrived here, I did not realise it,” Shamalakh told The Associated Press news agency on Tuesday, speaking of his return home after spending months forcibly displaced in southern Gaza.

More than 376,000 Palestinians have returned to the north of the territory since Monday, and Shamalakh is not alone in describing an inability to match memories of their homes with reality – a landscape decimated by Israel’s bombing where mounds of rubble are all that remain of entire neighbourhoods.


Buildings that were destroyed by the Israeli air and ground offensive are seen in the Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood of Gaza City on Tuesday

Civilians who made the journey successfully back to the north of the Gaza Strip are facing a drastic humanitarian reality. They have returned to assess the destruction left behind by the Israeli military operations in all border towns and villages – and what they have found is nothing but debris. They have expressed their deep concerns about the ability to reconstruct Gaza again, which will take years.

They are struggling to get access to water sources, while Gaza’s Government Media Office has reiterated many times that there are not enough shelters for families still expected to return to the north of the Strip. We are talking about hundreds of thousands of families.


An aerial view of the destruction in Beit Hanoon on January 28

Some people, meanwhile, have started to return to central Gaza, saying that they did not find any sort of life in the north and that it’s quite miserable and difficult for children and elderly people to cope with. In central areas of the Gaza Strip, they have at least the minimum level of essential services like access to food, water and even municipal services.

One year passes since Israeli tank killed Palestinian girl Hind Rajab in Gaza City

Today marks a year since an Israeli tank fired from a close distance at the family car of six-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, and a tank shell directly hit the ambulance that was dispatched to help.

“We carry her name with pain, hope and an unyielding determination to seek justice – for her and for all the victims of the Gaza genocide,” said the Hind Rajab Foundation on X, marking the grim anniversary.

“Hind will never be forgotten,” the charity organisation pledged.



Gaza hospitals received 63 bodies in past 24 hours: Ministry

Israel has killed two Palestinians in the past 24 hours across Gaza, while two others succumbed to their wounds and 59 bodies of people killed in previous Israeli attacks have been recovered from the rubble, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.

The new numbers have raised the total death toll in Israel’s war on Gaza to 47,417, the statement published on Telegram said. At least 111,571 Palestinians have also been injured in Gaza since October 7, 2023, the ministry added.



SvennoJ 1 day ago

Israeli authorities destroy home of deceased Palestinian in Tulkarem

Israeli forces have demolished a house in the Shuweika suburb, north of Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank, our Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues report.

The home belongs to a deceased Palestinian man accused of carrying out an attack on Israelis. Its demolition is part of a longstanding policy by Israeli authorities to destroy the family homes of suspects accused of attacking Israeli targets.

Israeli bulldozers have also destroyed the al-Jaroun Roundabout in the same area of Tulkarem.

As we previously reported, in a separate incident on Tuesday night, Israeli forces shot and killed a 23-year-old Palestinian man in the Tulkarem suburb of Irtah.



Translation: The occupation bulldozer is bulldozing and destroying the al-Jaroun Roundabout in the Shuweika suburb in Tulkarem.

Israeli military destroys civilian infrastructure in Tulkarem refugee camp: Report

We reported earlier that Israeli forces demolished a house in the Shuweika suburb, north of Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank, amid a days-long military operation in the Tulkarem area.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa has reported that a house was also blown up by Israeli forces in the al-Balawna neighbourhood in the centre of the Tulkarem refugee camp on Tuesday.

Israeli forces have also damaged other Palestinian-owned private and commercial properties, such as shops, in various parts of the camp, Wafa reports.

Residents have been ordered to leave the camp as Israeli military bulldozers continue to destroy public infrastructure in several areas, blocking road entrances to the camp with mounds of earth, according to Wafa.

Israel’s military “destroyed all the camp’s streets, water and electricity networks, roads, sewage and communications, and set the camp back years”, Faisal Salama, the head of the Popular Committee for Services in Tulkarem Camp, told the news agency.

Salama also said more than 1,000 people have been displaced due to the Israeli military operation in the area and are sheltering in mosques and community centres in the suburbs of Tulkarem city.

Hospitals in the area have also been surrounded by Israeli forces and ambulance and medical crews were hindered in their work, he said.


People view the wreckage of a vehicle destroyed in an Israeli strike that killed two people in the occupied West Bank refugee camp of Nur Shams, Tulkarem, on Monday


Israeli forces storm Nablus amid intensifying occupied West Bank operation

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic report that Israeli forces have launched a dawn raid on Nablus city. Local sources report that a residential building has been stormed in the at-Taawon area of Nablus.

Israeli forces are currently carrying out an extensive military operation in Tulkarem refugee camp and nearby areas, located to the west of Nablus, as they extend a deadly, weeklong offensive in the Jenin area to other communities in the occupied West Bank.


Journalists’ federation concerned over Israeli violence against reporters in West Bank

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said “escalating violence” against journalists in the occupied West Bank must end, following a report that an Israeli soldier hit a New York Times reporter with a loaded rifle during a raid on the home of a Palestinian released as part of a prisoner exchange.

Before journalist Aaron Boxerman could identify himself as a journalist, the soldier used the muzzle of his rifle to hit him in the rib cage, leaving a large bruise, the newspaper reports. The same soldier also pointed his rifle at a second New York Times journalist, Natan Odenheimer, after he had identified himself as a journalist, the report added.

The details of the attack on Saturday were included in an article published by The New York Times, describing the Israeli raid on the family home of the released Palestinian prisoner Ashraf Zughayer on the outskirts of Jerusalem. The article did not refer to what happened to the reporters until the 13th paragraph.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/26/world/middleeast/israel-army-palestinian-prisoners.html

...

One soldier immediately used the muzzle of his loaded rifle to strike Aaron Boxerman, a Times reporter who happened to be standing close to the yard entrance. Before Mr. Boxerman had a chance to identify himself, the soldier hit him in the rib cage, leaving a large bruise.

A second Times reporter, Natan Odenheimer, then identified himself as a journalist, video recorded by The Times shows. The same soldier told Mr. Odenheimer that he didn’t care, using an expletive to underscore his point. The soldier then pointed his loaded rifle at Mr. Odenheimer again, the video shows.

The soldiers also aimed their rifles at other attendees. The video shows the attendees quickly complying with the soldiers’ commands and appearing to pose no threat. The soldiers yelled profanities at Mr. Zughayer’s relatives; and shoved his father in the chest.



SvennoJ 1 day ago

Death toll in Israeli violence in occupied West Bank since Gaza war reaches 884

The latest death comes in the suburb of Irtah, south of Tulkarem, where Ayman Naji, 23, was killed yesterday by Israeli forces during a raid, according to our team on the ground.

Also in Tulkarem, Israeli forces demolished the home of a Palestinian suspect killed in an attack in which an Israeli was shot dead in November 2023. Another home belonging to a Palestinian Israel said it wanted was blown up in the Tulkarem refugee camp.

For a second week now, Israeli troops have been conducting a major operation in Jenin which was expanded to Tulkarem three days ago. More families have been pushed outside their homes, as Israeli raids in the city continue, with local officials estimating the number of those displaced at more than 1,000 Palestinians.

Since Israel’s war on Gaza erupted on October 7, 2023, 884 people have been killed in the occupied West Bank, at least 6,700 others have been wounded, and more than 14,400 more have been detained, according to our team on the ground.


Prayer hall among several buildings demolished by Israeli forces in West Bank: Report

Israeli forces demolished six houses, a restaurant and a prayer hall since dawn today in the governorates of Hebron, Jericho, Salfit, Bethlehem and East Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, according to the Wafa news agency.

During the past year, Israeli authorities carried out a total of 684 demolitions, during which they demolished 903 facilities in the West Bank, including in the city of Jerusalem, and 4,332 people were affected as a result, including 2,320 children, Wafa said.


Two Palestinian detainees from Gaza killed in Israeli prisons: Prisoners’ groups

The deaths of Muhammad Sharif al-Asali, 35, and Ibrahim Adnan Ashour, 25, have been announced in a joint statement by the Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS), and the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association.

The statement issued on Telegram said al-Asali, who was arrested at Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital in March last year, was killed on May 17 that year, and Ashour, who was arrested on February 14 last year at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, was killed on June 23 last year.

The groups quoted their families as saying that neither of the men suffered from any chronic diseases and accused Israel of concealing the circumstances of the deaths and holding the prisoners’ bodies for evading international accountability.

The number of Palestinian prisoners killed in Israeli prisons since October 7, 2023, has risen to 58, including 37 from Gaza, according to the Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs and the PPS.

“The institutions added that the issue of the martyrdom of the detainees Al-Asali and Ashour constitutes a new crime in the record of the Israeli brutality system, which has reached its peak since the beginning of the war of extermination,” the statement added.

“The institutions also confirm that what is happening to the prisoners and detainees is nothing but another aspect of the war of extermination, and its goal is to carry out more executions and assassinations against the prisoners and detainees.”

Israel arrests 12 Palestinians for ‘expressions of joy’ following release of prisoners

Israeli forces have arrested 12 Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem who celebrated the release of prisoners under the ceasefire deal.

Israel’s internal Shin Bet security service and the police said they arrested the men after videos emerged showing them celebrating by waving Hamas flags and firing guns into the air. They alleged that the men violated a ban on “expressions of joy” and “identification with Hamas” that has been imposed since the Gaza ceasefire took hold.

Israeli forces to remain in Jenin refugee camp after military operation: Katz

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has visited the Jenin refugee camp and says the Israeli military will remain in the stronghold of Palestinian resistance fighters after the end of their military operation there, which has entered its second week.

“We have declared war on Palestinian terrorism in Judea and Samaria,” Katz said, the outlet Israel Hayom reported, using biblical terms for the occupied West Bank.

“The Jenin refugee camp will not return to what it was – after the operation is completed, [the Israeli military] will remain in the camp to ensure that terrorism does not return,” he claimed.

Mohammad Jarrar, Jenin mayor, has said that about 15,000 residents have already been forced to flee the city of Jenin and its refugee camp due to the Israeli operation.


Israeli settler group calls to ‘expel’ Palestinians from Gaza: Report

Nachalla, a far-right Israeli settler group, has released a new flier with the slogan “Occupy, expel, settle”, according to the Times of Israel newspaper, which published a photo of the Hebrew-language document.

“You don’t sell Israel’s security and you don’t give up on one part of the Land of Israel,” said flier of the group, which helps settler youths build new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

“There’s only one solution, a blue and white Gaza. Occupy, expel, settle the entire Gaza Strip,” it added.

Back in 2022, the settler group, claiming to mobilise 10,000 volunteers, tried to set up six new illegal West Bank settlements, Israeli media reported at the time.



SvennoJ 1 day ago

Israel gets list of next captives to be released: Reports

Israel’s government has received a list of Israeli captives slated for release from Gaza tomorrow, according to a statement from Israel’s prime minister’s office cited by Israeli media.

Three captives are expected to be released tomorrow, in the third captive-prisoner swap of the ongoing Gaza ceasefire deal.


Five Thai nationals, three Israelis to be freed on Thursday, Netanyahu’s office says

Netanyahu’s office says eight captives being held in Gaza – three Israelis and five Thai nationals – are to be freed by Hamas on Thursday.

The office released the names of the Israeli captives – Arbel Yehud, Agam Berger and Gadi Moses – but not of the Thai nationals.


Egypt’s el-Sisi rejects Trump’s calls to take in Palestinians from Gaza

Speaking at a news conference, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi says Egypt will play no part in the displacement of Palestinians, which he says would constitute an act of “injustice” and a threat to Egypt’s security.

“The Egyptian people, if I ask that of them [to accept displacing Palestinians to Egypt], they will all come out in the streets and tell me: ‘No, don’t participate in injustice,'” said el-Sisi, days after US President Donald Trump suggested Jordan and Egypt help “clean out” Gaza by taking in Palestinians.

“I say clearly: The displacement of the Palestinian people from their land is an injustice that we will not participate in.”

He said that Egypt remains committed to a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians and is willing to work with Trump to achieve it.

“The solution to this issue is the two-state solution – establishing a Palestinian state. These are historical rights that cannot be surpassed,” said el-Sisi.

Arab states, including Egypt, have long ruled out receiving Palestinians from Gaza, territory they want included in a future Palestinian state.



SvennoJ 4 hours ago

Main events from Januari 29th

  • The third exchange of captives for Palestinian prisoners is set to take place later today as part of the truce deal between Israel and Hamas.
  • Eight captives held in Gaza – three Israelis and five Thais – are due to be freed by Hamas, while 110 Palestinian prisoners – 30 of whom are under 18 – are to be released by Israel.
  • At least 10 Palestinians have died in an Israeli air strike in Tammun in the Tubas governorate, as Israel’s intensification of its assault on the occupied West Bank continues.
  • Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has said Israel’s army will remain in the Jenin refugee camp, which has been subject to a weeks-long military operation by Israel and Palestinian Authority security forces, promising it “will not return to what it was”.
  • The Lebanese Ministry of Health has said eight people were injured in Israeli attacks on Wednesday, despite a ceasefire agreement in place between Israel and Hezbollah.
  • An Israeli air strike has killed three Turkish citizens who attempted to cross illegally from Lebanon into Israel, Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry has said.

Israeli forces blow up warehouse in Tulkarem, surround house in Jenin

We have been reporting on the Israeli army’s ongoing military operation in the Jenin area of the occupied West Bank, which was expanded to Tulkarem four days ago.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa now reports that Israeli forces have blown up a warehouse beneath a residential building in the al-Wakala neighbourhood in the Tulkarem refugee camp.

The resulting fire spread to a shop selling cooking gas cylinders, causing large explosions that damaged several homes nearby. Israeli forces have prevented rescue crews from reaching the area to extinguish the fires and assist families trying to evacuate, Wafa said.

In the town of Bir al-Basha, south of Jenin, Israeli forces have also surrounded a house and demanded that its occupants surrender themselves, our Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues report.

Palestinian teen bled out after being shot by Israeli soldier in watchtower

Defense for Children International Palestine (DCIP) says that 16-year-old Adam Majdi Ahmad Sub Laban was shot and killed by an Israeli soldier north of Jerusalem in the central occupied West Bank on Sunday.

Sub Laban was left to bleed out after the sniper from the Israeli Border Guard Brigade shot him in the back of the thigh from a military watchtower from approximately 100 metres (328 feet) away, DCIP said in a statement.

He was walking with two other children at the time, and “no clashes or tensions were present”, DCIP added.

“After more than two decades of collecting documentation of Palestinian children killed by Israeli soldiers, it is clear that soldiers kill these children simply because they want to,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability programme director at DCIP.

“They know that they will face no consequences from their superior officers, government officials, or anyone in the international community for killing a Palestinian child.”


Same as in Gaza

Israeli soldier dons women’s lingerie during occupied West Bank raid

Video has emerged showing an Israeli soldier wearing women’s lingerie during a raid in the occupied West Bank.

The scale of Israeli military operations there has increased in recent weeks, with numerous reports of Israeli troops raiding homes and opening fire on Palestinians during intense raids across the occupied West Bank.




Israeli forces blow up house in Qalqilya

As we reported earlier, Israeli forces were preparing to blow up the home of a deceased Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank city of Qalqilya earlier tonight.

The Israeli military has now carried out the demolition of the home, which belonged to Palestinian man Jamal Abu Haniya, according to the Palestinian Information Center.