Gaza death toll from Israeli attacks jumps to 26,751, and Some 65,636 other people injured in Israeli offensive since Oct. 7, Health Ministry says.
The Palestinian death toll from a deadly Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 has surged to 26,751, the Health Ministry in the enclave said on Tuesday.
The Gaza-based Health Ministry made the statement as the Israeli onslaught against Gaza enters its 116th day.
It also said 65,636 other people have also been injured in the onslaught.
The statement noted that in the past 24 hours, the Israeli army committed 13 massacres across the Gaza Strip which left 114 people killed and 249 others injured.
“Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads and the Israeli army prevents rescuers from reaching them,” it added.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas in October, in which nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed.
About 85% of Gazans have been displaced by the Israeli onslaught, while all of them are food insecure, according to the UN.
According to a report, Israel’s brutal war and invasion in Gaza — now in its 116th day — has killed at least 26,751 Palestinians and wounded 65,636, as extremist Israeli ministers call for reoccupation of Gaza.
The Palestinian death toll from a deadly Israeli offensive on Gaza since October 7 has surged to 26,751, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza made the statement as the Israeli onslaught against Gaza enters its 116th day.
It also said 65,636 other people have also been injured in the onslaught.
The statement noted that in the past 24 hours, the Israeli army committed 13 massacres across Gaza which left 114 people killed and 249 others injured.
“Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads and the Israeli army prevents rescuers from reaching them,” it added.
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Israeli forces continue to bomb Gaza and begin to close in on northern, southern and western parts of the enclave, leaving Palestinians with no safe place pic.twitter.com/eSqgId3cUp
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) January 30, 2024
1054 GMT — Far-rightist threatens to bolt Israel gov’t over any ‘reckless’ Gaza deal
A far-right partner in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition has threatened to quit the government over any attempt to enter a “reckless” deal with Hamas to retrieve hostages held by the Palestinian group.
“Reckless deal = dismantling of the government,” Itamar Ben-Gvir of the Jewish Power party posted on X, amid media reports that Israel was considering a long-term halt, brokered by Qatar and Egypt, to its offensive on Gaza.
1033 GMT — Israeli allegations on UNRWA ‘distraction’ from ongoing onslaught, WHO says
The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to continue funding the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), calling Israeli allegations against the UN body a “distraction” from the ongoing onslaught in Gaza.
“The discussion right now is much of a distraction of what is going on every day, every hour in Gaza,” WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told a UN press briefing in Geneva.
Arguing that while these claims should be investigated, he said they currently serve as a “distraction” from measures preventing an entire nation’s access to food, water, and electricity.
Around 10 Israeli soldiers wearing civilian clothing and medical staff uniforms stormed Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin, occupied West Bank, and killed three Palestinians on January 30 pic.twitter.com/NyG7yihmBZ
— TRT World (@trtworld) January 30, 2024
1001 GMT — Hamas is ‘examining’ Paris proposal for Gaza truce: Haniyeh
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said that the group had received a ceasefire proposal put forward after talks in Paris and would study it, adding he would visit Cairo for discussions on the plan.
Haniyeh said on Tuesday the group’s priority was to end Israel’s military offensive and a full pullout of Israeli forces from Gaza.
0934 GMT — Israel hands over bodies of Palestinians killed in Gaza: Palestinian health officials
Israel has handed over to Palestinian authorities the bodies of dozens of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in recent weeks, health officials in the Palestinian enclave said.
The bodies, which had been held in Israel, were handed over through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing and will be buried in mass graves in the city of Rafah in the south of Gaza, the officials said.
The health ministry in Gaza did not immediately say how many bodies had been handed over.
0409 GMT — Israeli minister rejects Gaza ceasefire, wants military rule
Israel’s hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said his Religious Zionist Party would not agree to halt the war in Gaza and called for Israeli military rule of the enclave.
Smotrich made the statement during a meeting with the party at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, according to the local Channel 12.
He said halting the war in Gaza for two months would allow the Palestinian resistance group Hamas to restore its governance.
His comments came in reaction to reports in Israeli media that Israel and Hamas were close to reaching a ceasefire deal under which a two-month ceasefire would take effect and a prisoner swap would occur.
“There will be Israeli military rule in Gaza because it’s agreed upon by all of us,” Smotrich said in an interview with Channel 12 on Saturday.
He also spoke out against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), saying “it must be kicked out of Gaza and the (occupied) West Bank.”
Good progress being made in talks aimed at securing a truce between Israel and Hamas – Qatar's PM and FM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani pic.twitter.com/O0Jvfp2tTb
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) January 30, 2024
0426 GMT — Israeli forces kill 3 Palestinians in Jenin hospital raid: Palestine TV
Israeli forces kill three Palestinians after storming Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin, according to Palestine TV.
0018 GMT — UN chief to meet donor nations after refugee agency accusations
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet with key donors to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees after 12 of its staff were accused by Israel of involvement in the October 7 surprise Hamas blitz, his spokesperson said.
“The secretary-general is personally horrified by the accusations against employees of UNRWA,” Guterres’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
“But his message to donors — especially those who have suspended their contributions — is to at least guarantee the continuity of UNRWA’s operations, as we have tens of thousands of dedicated staff working throughout the region.”
2340 GMT — Israel’s ally US slams ‘incendiary’ comments from top Israeli ministers
The US has sharply denounced comments from a number of extremist Israeli ministers who called for the reoccupation of the besieged Gaza and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians as the war continues to ravage the blockaded enclave.
“You got a couple of ministers in the cabinet using this reckless behaviour, or conducting this reckless behaviour, and making these incendiary comments,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the White House.
“These are individual cabinet members. They can speak for themselves and what they said and what they did. It doesn’t comport with our view, and we find it reckless,” he added.
2327 GMT — US holds Iran responsible for attack on its forces in Jordan-Syria border
Iran is responsible for a recent drone attack that killed three US soldiers at the Jordan-Syria border, a Pentagon spokesperson said.
“We hold Iran responsible, as they are supporting these groups. These groups continue to inflict casualties on our forces, whether it be in Jordan, Iraq or Syria,” said Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh at a news briefing.
“We absolutely hold Iran responsible because we know that they fund and train and support and equip these militias that operate in Iraq and Syria,” Singh added.
2316 GMT — New Zealand suspends funding to embattled UN agency
New Zealand has joined the list of countries that have suspended funding to the embattled UN Palestinian refugee agency following Israeli allegations that some staff participated in the October 7 Hamas surprise blitz.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said New Zealand had paused funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) until the allegations are investigated.
“The allegations are incredibly serious. It’s important they are properly understood and investigated,” Luxon told reporters. New Zealand will not “be making any further contributions” to UNRWA until Foreign Minister Winston Peters “says it’s good to do so,” Luxon added.
2200 GMT — Israel kills 20 Palestinians in new Gaza massacre
Israel has struck a family home in the Sabra neighbourhood of besieged Gaza, killing over a dozen Palestinians and wounding others, the state-run WAFA news agency reported.
Israeli shelling targeted a house in the Sabra neighbourhood, killing at least 20 civilians and wounding several others, it said.
“Israeli warplanes also launched a strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza,” WAFA added. Citing sources, The Palestinian news agency further said the Israeli artillery targeted the vicinity of a residential building in Khan Younis, in the south.
