Israel strikes Gaza, West Bank as ceasefire talks enter 'final stages'

Israel killed at least 57 Palestinians in Gaza on Tuesday, and carried out a deadly drone attack on the West Bank.
11 min read
14 January, 2025

Israel has carried out strikes on Gaza and the occupied West Bank amid reports that ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel are at their "closest point".

At least 57 people were killed by Israeli forces in Gaza on Tuesday, with one strike killing 11 people in a building where displaced people were sheltering in Deir el-Balah, according to medics.

In the occupied West Bank, an Israeli airstrike killed at least 6 people in the evening, with many others injured. Among those killed was 15-year-old Mahmoud Ashraf Mustafa Gharbiyeh, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency.

Meanwhile, officials have expressed mounting optimism that they can conclude an agreement in the coming days after more than a year of talks that have repeatedly stalled.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and US President Joe Biden spoke on Tuesday regarding the negotiations, saying that they would remain in close contact in the coming hours.

Key mediator Qatar said negotiations for a Gaza truce and hostage release deal were in their "final stages" on Tuesday, expressing hope an agreement could be reached "very soon".

Hamas requests withdrawal maps to ensure Israeli compliance
11:29 PM
The New Arab Staff

Hamas has requested maps detailing areas from which Israel will withdraw and specific timings for each area, a source with knowledge on the ceasefire talks in Doha has said.

Speaking to The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, the source said that the Palestinian group "fears that Israel will evade the gradual withdrawal if the mediators do not have clear maps that can be referred to in the event of an Israeli breach".

Israeli airstrike kills 5 in Jenin refugee camp
8:55 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

The Palestinian health ministry said an Israeli air strike in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday killed at least five people, with the Israeli military confirming it carried out an attack in the area.

Israel says shot down Houthi missile
7:51 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Israel’s army said it intercepted a missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi group on Tuesday.

The missile sent sirens blaring across the centre of the country in the early morning hours.

 

Hamas waiting on Israel to deliver withdrawal maps
7:18 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

The Palestinian group Hamas has not delivered its response to mediators yet because Israel did not submit maps of its forces' withdrawal from Gaza, a Hamas official told Reuters on Tuesday.

Sisi, Biden discuss Gaza mediation efforts
7:05 PM
The New Arab Staff

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and U.S. President Joe Biden discussed in a phone call on Tuesday the ongoing mediation efforts by Cairo, Doha and Washington to reach a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza.

They also discussed a captives-for-prisoners exchange deal, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement. 

Blinken: Israel must accept Palestinian state
5:37 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that Israel must accept a pathway to a Palestinian state, under conditions, as part of a long-term deal on the Gaza war.

"Israel will have to accept reuniting Gaza and the West Bank under the leadership of a reformed PA," Blinken said referring to the Palestinian Authority, and "must embrace a time-bound, conditions-based path toward forming an independent Palestinian state."

Captives families say Netanyahu 'shared details of deal'
5:31 PM
The New Arab Staff

Families of captives held in Gaza met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and told Israeli media that he shared details of a potential ceasefire agreement.

Malki Shem-Tov, whose son Omer is still in Gaza, said Netanyahu explained that only the first phase of a three-phase plan had been tentatively agreed upon. This initial phase would reportedly involve the release of 33 captives.

The families urged the government to begin negotiations on the remaining phases of the deal.

Blinken: Saudi normalisation 'best incentive' for peace deal
5:10 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that a normalisation deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which he negotiated but did not complete, remained the best way to encourage Israeli-Palestinian peace.

"The prospect of normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia represents the best opportunity to achieve the long-sought goal of Israel's greater integration in the region, and it's also the best incentive to get the parties to make tough decisions necessary to fully realize the aspirations both of Israelis and Palestinians," he said at the Atlantic Council.

Blinken: plan for post-war Gaza will be handed over to Trump
4:11 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

The outgoing Biden administration will hand over to President-elect Donald Trump's team a plan for the post-war management of Gaza, including details of an interim security mission including international forces and Palestinians, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday.

In an address at the Atlantic Council in Washington where he laid out the plan, Blinken said a reformed Palestinian Authority would lead Gaza under the plan and would invite international partners to help establish and run an interim administration for the enclave.

'Ball in Hamas's court' on Gaza deal: Blinken
4:04 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that it was up to Hamas to seal a Gaza ceasefire, saying a final proposal was on the table at talks in Qatar.

"The ball is now in Hamas's court. If Hamas accepts, the deal is ready to be concluded and implemented," Blinken said in Washington, speaking at the Atlantic Council think tank.

The US has repeatedly attributed blame to Hamas for ceasefire deals falling through, despite Israel's repeated rejection of such deals in favour of continuing war and maintaining ground occupation in Gaza. 

Blinken: PA should use 'int'l partners' to run post-war Gaza
3:58 PM
The New Arab Staff

Anthony Blinken has outlined some of the vision of the outgoing Biden Administration had for a post-war Gaza:

"The Palestinian Authority should invite international partners to establish and run an interim administration with responsibility for key civil sectors in Gaza like banking, water, energy, health in coordination with Israel"

'Secretary of genocide': Gaza protester interrupts Blinken
3:52 PM
The New Arab Staff

While U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was highlighting the Biden administration’s perceived accomplishments in the Middle East during a speech at the Atlantic Council think tank, a protester interrupted the event, as reported by Al Jazeera.

“You will forever be known as ‘secretary of genocide’; you have the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent people on your hands,” the protester shouted.

Blinken has faced criticism from human rights groups for certifying that Israel is not obstructing humanitarian aid to Gaza. Additionally, his department has authorised billions of dollars in military aid to Israel to support its Gaza offensive, which UN experts have characterized as genocide.

Israel gearing up for possible return of captives
3:38 PM
The New Arab Staff

Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of the Israeli Health Ministry’s public health division, stated that the ministry is preparing for the return of 33 captives as part of the initial phase of a possible ceasefire, according to The Times of Israel.

Blinken will make a case for post-war Gaza reconstruction
2:48 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to make a last-minute case Tuesday for a plan for the post-war reconstruction and governance of Gaza as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears tantalizingly close to completion.

Blinken will tout the proposal, which has been in the works for a year, and discuss the importance of ensuring its success after the Biden administration leaves office in a speech to the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank, according to a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the speech.

The official said the Gaza plan is just one part of the speech, which will also cover other areas of the administration’s Middle East policy, including Iran and potential normalisation of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

UN rights chief arrives in Syria for first ever visit
1:02 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk arrived in Syria's capital, Damascus, on Tuesday for the first ever visit of the global body's rights chief to the country.

Turk, an Austrian lawyer, will visit Syria and Lebanon from Jan. 14-16 and meet with officials, civil society groups, diplomats and UN bodies, the U.N. statement said, without giving further details.

Lebanon new PM 'reaching out to all sides to save country'
12:45 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Lebanon's new Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Tuesday said he was reaching out to all across the political spectrum to help "rescue, reform and rebuild" his crisis-hit country.

"My hands are extended to all to set off together on this mission of rescue, reform and rebuilding," he said in his first speech as premier, after Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah and its allies did not back his nomination.

"I am not of those who exclude but those who unite," he said, calling for a "new chapter" in Lebanon.

President Joseph Aoun tasked Salam with forming a government on Monday, after a majority of other members of parliament gave him their endorsement.

Hezbollah had objected to any suggestion of Salam as premier in the past, but the militant group has been weakened by a war with neighbouring Israel that ended with a ceasefire in November.

Speaking after flying back to Lebanon to take on the post, Nawaf also pledged to ensure state authority over all Lebanese soil after the November 27 truce between Hezbollah and Israel.

He said he would "extend the authority of the Lebanese state across all its territory" and "work seriously to completely implement UN resolution 1701" that calls for Hezbollah to withdraw from south Lebanon.

Nawaf Salam was elected Lebanon PM on Monday after securing 68 votes [Getty]
Hamas hopeful truce talks will lead to 'clear agreement'
12:25 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

The Palestinian group Hamas said on Tuesday that it hopes for "clear and comprehensive agreement" at the conclusion of an ongoing round of indirect negotiations in Doha for a truce in Gaza.

Hamas said in a statement it had held consultations with leaders of other Palestinian factions "where it informed them of the progress made in the negotiations underway in Doha," adding that the completion of the agreement "has reached its final stages" and the movement "hoped that this round of negotiations will end with a clear and comprehensive agreement".

1,000 Palestinian prisoners to be freed in initial Gaza deal
12:02 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Two Palestinian sources close to Hamas told AFP on Tuesday that Israel would release about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in the first stage of a Gaza truce deal in exchange for 33 hostages.

"Israel will release about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including several with lengthy sentences," one of the two sources said. An Israeli government official said that "several hundred terrorists will be released" as part of the first phase of the deal.

You can read The New Arab's break down of the deal below.

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61 killed in Gaza in last 24hrs, death toll rises to 46,645
11:49 AM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

The health ministry in Gaza said on Tuesday that 61 people were killed in the Palestinian territory in the past 24 hours, taking the overall war death toll to 46,645.

The ministry said at least 110,012 people have been wounded in more than 15 months of Israel's war on Gaza.

Qatar says Gaza deal at ‘closest point’ yet
11:19 AM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Key mediator Qatar says Israel and Hamas are at their ‘closest point’ yet to a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

Negotiations in Doha for a Gaza truce and hostage release deal were in their "final stages", mediator Qatar's foreign ministry ALSO said on Tuesday.

"We do believe that we are at the final stages... certainly we are hopeful that this would lead very soon to an agreement," foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told a news conference, adding that "until there is an announcement... we shouldn't be over-excited about what's happening right now".

Israel kills two in al-Shati refugee camp
10:41 AM
The New Arab Staff

Israeli airstrikes have targeted a group of Palestinians in al-Shati camp, located west of Gaza City, according to the Wafa news agency.

The attack resulted in the deaths of at least two people and left several others injured, the agency reported.

Ben-Gvir urges Smotrich to quit to stop peace deal
9:29 AM
The New Arab Staff

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has urged Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to resign alongside him if a ceasefire deal in Gaza is finalised soon, according to a statement he shared on Telegram.

“The deal that is taking shape is a surrender deal for Hamas … Therefore, I call on my friend Bezalel Smotrich to join me and cooperate in working against the deal,” Ben-Gvir stated.

“My Jewish Power Party does not have the power alone to prevent the deal, but together it is possible. We can go to the prime minister and tell him that if he passes the deal, we will resign from the government.”

He further added, “Even if we are in opposition, we will not bring down Netanyahu, but this move is our only chance to prevent its implementation, and in fact to prevent the surrender of the state of Israel to Hamas, after more than a year of bloody war, in which over 400 soldiers fell in the Gaza Strip, and to ensure that their deaths will not be in vain."

Israel won't hand over body of Sinwar as part of peace deal
9:19 AM
The New Arab Staff

An Israeli government source stated Monday night that Israel will not return the body of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as part of a hostage-prisoner exchange deal.

Earlier in the evening, the Arab media outlet Al Arabiya/Al Hadath reported that Hamas had requested Sinwar's body be handed over during the first phase of the agreement.

"Israel will not hand over the body of arch-terrorist Sinwar to Hamas as part of the deal," the source confirmed.

"It won't happen, period."

Hamas praises ongoing ceasefire talks in Doha
8:47 AM
The New Arab Staff

Hamas said in a Telegram statement that "matters are proceeding well" in the Gaza ceasefire talks in Doha.

It said that "Hamas is dealing positively with these efforts and developments" as its delegation discussed "the details of efforts exerted to reach a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip" with the Qatari emir.

The statement noted that the Hamas negotiating team had praised the efforts exerted by Qatar since the start of the war.

Another statement said two Hamas leaders also discussed "the current progress in the indirect negotiations held under Qatari-Egyptian mediation" in two separate phone calls with Turkish National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) chief Ibrahim Kalin.

Al Jazeera cited several sources today as expecting the announcement of a deal within hours.

Qatari emir discusses Gaza deal with Hamas, US officials
8:46 AM
The New Arab Staff

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received a Hamas delegation led by the group's deputy head, Khalil al-Hayya, in his office at the Lusail Palace to discuss developments in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations.

During the meeting, the emir reiterated what was described as Qatar's firm position towards "the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people's legitimate rights and the establishment of their state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital".

He also discussed the mediation efforts to end the Gaza war in a phone call with US President Joe Biden.

The Qatari emir had received Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steven Witkoff, and the current White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, Brett McGurk.

Houthis claim targeting of Israeli defence ministry
8:44 AM
The New Arab Staff

Yemen's Houthi rebels announced they had carried out a ballistic missile attack on the Israeli defence ministry in Tel Aviv, claiming that Israeli air defences had "failed to intercept it".

Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarea said it was the group's third operation in 12 hours. He had made a separate announcement the previous evening saying Houthi forces had attacked "vital targets" in Tel Aviv with a hypersonic missile and four drones.

The Israeli army said in a post on X early this morning that rocket sirens had sounded in central Israel and several interception attempts were made against missiles launched from Yemen. It said the missiles were "apparently intercepted".

However, Israeli media highlighted this morning that a house in the Jerusalem area was damaged by large shrapnel

Israeli forces arrest 18 in West Bank
8:41 AM
The New Arab Staff

Israeli forces have conducted additional raids in the occupied West Bank, carrying out field interrogations and arrests in the Salfit and Hebron governorates, according to the Wafa news agency.

In Salfit, 15 individuals, including three brothers, were detained from various villages, while three more were arrested in the town of Halhul, north of Hebron, Wafa reported.

Israeli forces also established checkpoints and blocked roads leading into Hebron and surrounding towns.