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An Israeli tank killed two Palestinians west of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, the Gaza civil defence said, despite the truce agreement reached last week with Hamas.
In the occupied West Bank, where Israeli military operations have continued for a third day in the Jenin refugee camp, the Israeli army killed two more Palestinians, bringing the total death toll since Tuesday to 12 with dozens more wounded.
Hamas said the casualties were members of its armed wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, and were killed Wednesday night in the village of Burqin, just west of Jenin, after being surrounded by Israeli troops for hours. The Palestinian health ministry said their bodies were being held by the Israeli army.
Israel's raid in Jenin, which has over the years seen frequent deadly incursions, began days after the ceasefire came into effect in the Gaza Strip, ending Israel's 15-month brutal war on the besieged coastal enclave. Israel's defence minister on Wednesday said his forces were applying lessons in Jenin learned in Gaza.
Hundreds of families have been forced to evacuate from Jenin. Various media reports state the attacks in Jenin have rendered it "nearly uninhabitable".
The New Arab's live blog on Israel's war in Gaza and raids in Jenin has now ended, and will resume at 0900am GMT.
Thank you for following.
Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, is set to visit Israel next week after first making a stop in Saudi Arabia, Israel’s Channel 12 said.
The report said Witkoff’s trip to Israel will focus on negotiating the second phase of the captive and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, the first phase of which came into force on Sunday.
Israel has carried out multiple raids in the West Bank over the last few hours, including the town of Azzun, east of Qalqilya, Halhul, north of Hebron, Ein Yabrud area in Ramallah district and Tulkarem, where a Palestinian man has been arrested/
US President Donald Trump says the Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal "should hold", and said more captives would return home after three Israeli women were released by Hamas on Sunday.
Trump's comments come days after he said he was unsure whether the truce would hold.
Asked to elaborate on those comments, Trump tells reporters, “It’s a very tricky place.”
Trump credits his Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff for securing the agreement that had been elusive for months. Noting that "both sides" liked Witkoff, Trump said: "That deal would have never been made without Steve."
Israeli forces stormed the town of Azzun, east of Qalqilya, on Thursday evening, as its violence in the West bank remains ongoing.
The army, according to eyewitnesses cited by Wafa, stormed the town from its northern entrance, and raided several homes, including that of a Palestinian man identified as Mohammad Musa Salim, without reporting any arrests.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said it considers Israel’s ongoing operations in Jenin a "flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and human rights", in an official statement.
Doha called on the international community to "assume its responsibilities in confronting these violations" and to work to ensure full protection of civilians.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said 653 aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip on Thursday, the fifth day of a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas.
OCHA cited information received from Israeli authorities and the guarantors for the ceasefire agreement - the United States, Egypt and Qatar.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was willing to visit Saudi Arabia if the Saudis invested in the United States.
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud will visit Damascus on Friday and meet with top officials in the new Syrian administration, a Syrian official said on Thursday.
Bin Farhan was last in Damascus in April 2023 to meet former President Bashar al-Assad, part of Saudi efforts to end the years-long regional isolation of Syria's then-president.
The following month, Saudi Arabia invited Assad to an Arab League summit in Riyadh, a body that had suspended Syria's membership over his deadly crackdown on protesters in 2011.
Arab countries have historically been concerned about Syria's production and trade of captagon, an amphetamine-like drug used in the Gulf by party-goers and labourers alike.
The UN's high commissioner for refugees called during a visit to Lebanon on Thursday for the "sustainable" return of Syrian refugees to their home country following the ouster of former president Bashar al-Assad.
According to Lebanese authorities, the country hosts nearly two million Syrians - around 800,000 of whom are registered with the UN making it home to the highest number of refugees per capita in the world.
"My visit to Lebanon is part of a regional visit to explore how best to support returning Syrian refugees," High Commissioner Filippo Grandi said in a statement after a meeting with new Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
"We want to ensure that these returns are sustainable, and this will require improved security and political stability as well as the respect of the rights of all communities in Syria, and the international community's support for recovery and reconstruction of a country that has been devastated by years of war."
The Palestinian UN refugee agency, UNRWA, said that while Palestinians are returning to their homes, the majority of homes in Gaza are destroyed or can no longer be used.
The agency said its teams "are working around the clock to support those returning to northern Gaza".
Since the #ceasefire in Gaza began, people have started to return to whatever is left of their homes. most homes are destroyed or can longer be used.
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) January 23, 2025
Despite the immense challenges and dire conditions, #UNRWAworks to support people in #Gaza with food and other life-saving… pic.twitter.com/tpwKj27GRD
Yemen's Houthi rebels accused Washington on Thursday of designating them a "terrorist organisation" for supporting the "oppressed Palestinian people", their cited motive for months of attacks on Israel and in the Red Sea.
"The American designation targets all the Yemeni people and their honourable position in support of the oppressed Palestinian people," said a Huthi statement quoted by the rebel-affiliated Al-Masirah TV channel. "This reflects the degree of bias on the part of the current American administration in favour of the usurper Zionist entity (Israel)."
US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke about the kingdom's "international economic ambitions" as well as trade and other opportunities in a call on Wednesday, the White House said.
In Trump's first call with a foreign leader since taking office on Monday, the two also discussed efforts to bring stability to the Middle East, bolster regional security, and combat terrorism, the White House said in a statement on Thursday.
The statement did not mention a $600 billion investment plan that, according to the Saudi State news agency, Bin Salman spoke about with Trump.
Iran condemned on Thursday Washington's designation of Yemen's Tehran-allied Houthis as a terrorist organisation, calling the move "baseless".
In a statement, foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the Houthi blacklisting was "a pretext for imposing inhumane sanctions against the Yemeni people", describing it as "unjustified and baseless".
The Houthis have said their support for Palestinians led to the "terrorist" designation.
Two Bulgarian sailors and a Romanian crew member returned home after being held for 14 months by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, receiving a warm welcome from their families and officials at Sofia airport on Thursday.
The trio were part of the 25-member international crew of the vessel Galaxy Leader that the Houthis seized off Yemen's Red Sea coast more than a year ago. They were released on Wednesday and handed to Oman following the three-day-old ceasefire in Gaza's war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, Houthi-owned Al Masirah TV reported.
Captain Lyubomir Chanev and First Officer Danail Veselinov arrived in Sofia aboard a government airplane that was sent to pick them up from Muscat in Oman on the order of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, local media reported.
Saudi Arabia's top diplomat said on Thursday he believes crisis-hit Lebanon's newly elected president and his prime-minister designate are capable of spearheading long-sought reforms.
"We are greatly confident in the ability of... the president and the prime minister to initiate reforms necessary to bolster Lebanon's security, stability and unity," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said after meeting President Joseph Aoun in Beirut, during the first high-level Saudi visit in more than a decade.
الرئيس جوزف عون يستقبل وزير الخارجية السعودي فيصل بن فرحان والوفد المرافق في قصر بعبدا (تصوير الزميل نبيل اسماعيل). pic.twitter.com/0qVTS4FuuR
— Annahar النهار (@Annahar) January 23, 2025
Hezbollah said on Thursday that Israel has to completely withdraw from southern Lebanon as the 60-day period in a ceasefire deal comes to an end, adding that the Lebanese state should push for guarantee for the withdrawal.
The Iran-backed group also said in a statement that it was following developments and any breach to the agreement would not be accepted.
The Iraqi parliament has passed an amnesty law that could lead to the release of thousands of prisoners, including Iraqis convicted of attacks on US soldiers and people who fought for Islamic State, lawmakers said on Thursday.
A copy of the law seen by Reuters shows that those found guilty of terrorism leading to murder or disability, manslaughter, vandalising government institutions, and recruiting for or joining terrorist organisations can request a retrial if they allege a confession was extracted under duress.
Judicial sources and lawmakers confirmed that those convicted of attacks against American forces in Iraq could benefit from the law.
The Israeli government said on Thursday a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah was not being implemented fast enough, days before Israel is meant to complete a withdrawal of its forces from southern Lebanon under the terms of the deal.
"There have been positive movements where the Lebanese army and UNIFIL have taken the place of Hezbollah forces, as stipulated in the agreement," Israeli government spokesmen David Mencer told reporters, referring to UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.
"We've also made clear that these movements have not been fast enough, and there is much more work to do," he said, affirming that Israel wanted the agreement to continue.
Mencer did not directly respond to questions about whether Israel had requested an extension of the deal or say whether Israeli forces would remain in Lebanon after the 60-day mark. Three diplomats said it looked like Israeli forces would still be in some parts of southern Lebanon after the deadline.
A senior Lebanese political source said President Joseph Aoun had been in contact with U.S. and French officials to urge Israel to complete the withdrawal within the stipulated timeframe.
Saudi Arabia's top diplomat landed in Beirut on Thursday to meet the country's new leadership in the first visit by a high-ranking official from the kingdom after more than a decade of strained ties.
"The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, arrived at Rafic Hariri International Airport," Lebanon's official National News Agency reported.
He is set to meet Lebanon's newly elected President Joseph Aoun - whose candidacy is widely believed to have been backed by Riyadh and Western countries. Prior to his visit, Prince Faisal said Aoun's election was "extremely positive", but said the kingdom was waiting to see real change before engaging further with Beirut.
لحظة وصول وزير الخارجية السعودي فيصل بن فرحان إلى بيروت@KSAembassyLB pic.twitter.com/RludWimy07
— Annahar النهار (@Annahar) January 23, 2025
Tourism Minister Haim Katz has been chosen to serve as caretaker minister for three ministries following the resignation of the far-right Jewish Power party from the government.
Katz will head up the ministries for national security, heritage and the Negev and Galilee for three months, as well as keeping his position as tourism minister, according to Israeli media.
Led by former national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Jewish Power's three cabinet ministers resigned from the government last week in protest at the ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has expressed "alarm" at Israel's military assault on Jenin and the escalating settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
“We are seeing disturbing patterns of unlawful use of force in the West Bank that is unnecessary, indiscriminate and disproportionate. This echoes the tactics Israeli forces have employed in Gaza,” Angelita Caredda, the organisation's Middle East and North Africa regional director, said in a statement today.
“The international community must take decisive action to stop these violations and end the occupation.”
Two-hundred aid trucks have entered the Kerem Shalom and Al-Awja crossings on the Gaza border so far today, Egyptian state media is reporting.
A third of the vehicles will make their way to Gaza City and other areas in the north, according to Al-Qahera News.
Twenty fuel trucks have also entered Gaza today, it said.
Turkey attacking Kurdish forces in northern Syria would be dangerous and would create more refugees in neighbouring Iraq, Iraqi foreign minister Fuad Hussein said on Thursday.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Hussein also said his country was ready to mediate between the new U.S. administration and Iran if it was asked.
Jordan could not afford another war in the neighbouring Israeli-occupied Palestinian West Bank, the country's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday.
Israeli security forces began on Tuesday an operation in the volatile West Bank city of Jenin, the Israeli military said.
Gaza's security forces clashed with looters on Thursday who the enclave's interior ministry say have tried to steal desperately needed humanitarian aid arriving for civilians.
Gunfire could be heard east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, as security forces reportedly cracked down on the gangs. Some reports said arrests were carried out.
📹 اشتباكات عنيفة بعد حملة أمنية تنفذها وزارة الداخلية بـ #غزة ضد عصابات لقطع الطرق وسرقة المساعدات مدعومة من الاحتلال شرق #رفح. pic.twitter.com/MJZpF0VNSl
— عربي بوست (@arabic_post) January 23, 2025
An Israeli tank killed two Palestinians west of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, the Gaza civil defence said.
Israel and Hamas agreed to halt fighting in Gaza in a deal that went into effect on Sunday.
Gaza's health ministry said on Thursday the death toll from Israel's war had reached 47,283, with numbers rising in spite of a ceasefire as new bodies are found under the rubble.
The ministry said hospitals in the Gaza Strip had received 122 bodies in the past 24 hours, including 120 that "were recovered from under the rubble", as well as 306 injured people, bringing the total number of injured to 111,472.
It did not specify how the other two died.
Some Gazans have died since the cessation of hostilities from wounds inflicted before the ceasefire, with the health system in the Palestinian territory largely destroyed by more than 15 months of fighting and bombardment.
The ministry reiterated its appeal for Gazans to submit information about dead or missing people to help update its records.
Israel on Thursday welcomed US President Donald Trump's decision to designate the Houthi rebels in Yemen a "terrorist organisation".
"The Houthis are an Iranian proxy that disrupts freedom of navigation, threatens global trade and destabilises regional stability and the global order," Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on X.
"This is an important step in fighting terror and combating the destabilising elements in our region."
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri met with head of the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire monitoring committee, US General Jasper Jeffers, as the 60-day deadline for Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon approaches.
A Palestinian official said hundreds of residents of the occupied West Bank's Jenin refugee camp were leaving their homes Thursday, days into a large-scale and deadly Israeli raid in the area.
"Hundreds of camp residents have begun leaving after the Israeli army, using loudspeakers on drones and military vehicles, ordered them to evacuate the camp," where Israel's military launched an intense military operation this week, Jenin governor Kamal Abu al-Rub told AFP.
The army told AFP that it was "unaware of any evacuation orders for residents in Jenin as of now".
The Israeli cabinet is set to discuss later Thursday plans on either keeping or pulling out its forces from southern Lebanon ahead of the 60-day truce deadline.
US President Donald Trump is reportedly pressuring Israel to withdraw from south Lebanon at the end of this week as stipulated in the November ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah. Reports have said that Israel claims it needs more time to rid the border region of any militant infrastructure.
As Israeli soldiers pull out, Hezbollah is also obliged to move north of the Litani River - miles away from the border - while the Lebanese army deploys across southern Lebanon.
The Al Jazeera news network says the Palestinian Authority arrested one of its reporters after preventing him from covering an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank .
The Qatar-based news network reported Thursday that its reporter, Mohammed al-Atrash, was arrested from his home.
It said Palestinian security forces had earlier prevented him from reporting on a large Israeli military operation in Jenin.
There was no immediate comment from the Palestinian Authority.
الأجهزة الأمنية الفلسطينية تعتقل الزميل محمد الأطرش من منزله بعد منعه من تغطية العملية الإسرائيلية في جنين pic.twitter.com/dKhT78Rb5E
— قناة الجزيرة (@AJArabic) January 23, 2025
The first Turkish Airlines flight in 13 years landed in the Syrian capital Damascus on Thursday, an AFP correspondent reported.
The plane arrived from Istanbul carrying aid and 345 passengers, including Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Eksi and Turkish officials, the correspondent said.
"The first Turkish Airlines passenger plane landed at Damascus International Airport after a hiatus of some 13 years, with Syrian passengers on board," Syria's official news agency SANA reported.
The airline plans to conduct two flights a week to the Syrian capital.
A Turkish passenger aircraft landed at Damascus International Airport in a first Turkish Airlines flight to Syria in 13 years, operated by a Boeing 777-300 aircraft (TC-JJK).
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) January 23, 2025
Turkish Airlines halted operations in 2012, due to the country’s civil war, that lasted over a dozen… pic.twitter.com/0xTEylfdbi
The UN's Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA wrote on X on Wednesday: "After months of repeated displacement in other parts of Gaza, people are returning to massive destruction. Homes, hospitals, schools, including UNRWA premises - no place has been spared."
A video shows the horrific and unprecedented level of destruction left by Israel's war in Gaza.
#Rafah: After months of repeated displacement in other parts of #Gaza, people are returning to massive destruction.
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) January 22, 2025
Homes, hospitals, schools, including UNRWA premises - no place has been spared. pic.twitter.com/7LFnYPhr2F
A 70-year-old Palestinian man was wounded in Israeli gunfire in the Jenin camp on Thursday, the Palestinian Red Crescent announced.
The French foreign minister Wednesday expressed "grave concerns" over the growing Israeli violence in the occupied West Bank, saying he will raise the topic of the Palestinian territory and Israeli settlers at an EU foreign affairs meeting on 27 January.