Israeli strikes across Gaza kill scores of Palestinians, including two more journalists

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The South American country of Bolivia has endorsed South Africa's genocide file at the ICJ against Israel over its war crimes in Gaza, according to an official statement.

Bolivia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it was joining the case as a signatory to the Genocide Convention "committed to peace and justice".

"South Africa took a historic step in the defence of the Palestinian people," Bolivia’s statement added.

Comunicado en respaldo a la solicitud presentada por Sudáfrica ante la Corte Internacional de Justicia (CIJ).#DiplomaciaDeLosPueblos

🔗 Léelo aquí: https://t.co/Wg9b21xCmO pic.twitter.com/jGMuMQlr26

— Cancillería de Bolivia (@MRE_Bolivia) January 7, 2024

At least eight people have been killed after an Israeli air attack hit a house in the city of Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, according to Palestinian media.

British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan has interviewed Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza on the final scheduled episode of the Mehdi Hasan Show, on US-television network MSNBC.

"I was due to lose my life multiple times," Azaiza told Hasan. "They don’t want us to show the truth," the photojournalist added.

Azaiza emerged among the most prominent on-the-ground Palestinian journalists since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, documenting life in the territory. 

"Without those brave Palestinian journalists on the ground, there will be no one to tell the rest of the world about the ongoing, horrific impact of this war on the innocent people of Gaza," Hasan said, during the episode.

"Without those brave Palestinian journalists on the ground, there will be no one to tell the rest of the world about the ongoing, horrific impact of this war on the innocent people of Gaza."

My @MSNBC commentary on Gaza and the killing of journalists:pic.twitter.com/r79o44ZviE

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) January 8, 2024

Israeli forces have reportedly arrested a nurse and a doctor from Ramallah, during a raid on the West Bank city.

The two men are Aysar Nasr al-Barghouti, an anaesthesiologist arrested at his home in the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood in Ramallah, and Mourid Al-Atari, a nurse arrested at his home in the Jalazoun camp near el-Bireh, Al Jazeera said.

They did a full out invasion to arrest two doctors and a nurse in Ramallah.

Dr Aysar Barghouti an anaesthetist and Murad Dahadhah, a nurse.

A third Palestinian, Dr. Khaled Kharouf was also just arrested by the military. https://t.co/lUKvbPIotP pic.twitter.com/DgMagIzNbF

— Mariam Barghouti مريم البرغوثي (@MariamBarghouti) January 7, 2024

Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has reiterated Berlin’s support for Israel but said more must be done to protect civilians in Gaza, during a state visit to the country.

"Israel can count on our staunch solidarity in the fight against blind terrorism. Rockets from Gaza continue to fly towards Israel. People continue worry about the fate of the hostages – they must all be released immediately," she said in a post on X.

"At the same time, Israel must do more to protect civilians in Gaza. Israel needs to find a way to combat Hamas without causing harm to so many innocent people. This requires a less intense operational approach. The way Israel fights the war directly affects its own security."

The Israeli municipality of occupied Jerusalem announced Sunday that it will approve a settlement plan known as Silicon Valley, aimed at destroying the industrial area in the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood of the city, the Palestinian Wafa agency said.

The so-called Silicon Valley project will have buildings ranging from 8 to 14 stories will be constructed on the ruins of Palestinian-owned commercial and industrial establishments in the industrial area of Wadi al-Joz.

The Gaza government is calling for Egypt to open its border in a bid to transport wounded Palestinians, its media office said.

There were 6,000 wounded Palestinians in Gaza waiting to be approved to cross into Egypt through Rafah, reportedly.

"Only 10 to 20 wounded are allowed to be transferred daily, and this small number exacerbates the suffering of the wounded, whose numbers are increasing on a daily basis," the office said.

Israeli forces are reportedly carrying out raids in Ramallah, occupied West Bank.

The raid comes as over 10 Palestinians were killed in the occupied territory over the last 24 hours.

Jenin and areas surrounding Nablus are reportedly being raided too.

📍 Ramallah

⭕ Confrontations occurred in the Umm Al-Sharayet neighbourhood between fearless young men and the invading Zionist occupying forces. pic.twitter.com/mmwYa7GFhy

— Palestine Captives 𓂆 (@Palestinecapti1) January 7, 2024

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Sunday urged Israel to ease its brutal military campaign in Gaza and to do more to protect civilians in the besieged Palestinian territory.

"The suffering of many innocent people cannot go on like this. We need less intensive management of operations," Baerbock said on a visit to Jerusalem.

The armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad said it fired rockets at the Israeli towns of Sderot and Nirim.

Separately, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported siren sounds in Sderot and other border towns.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has urged US President Joe Biden to speak out against the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza, in the wake of the death of two Al Jazeera journalists on Sunday, including the son of Wael Dahdouh.

"Each day we call on the Biden administration to speak out against Israel’s war crimes in Gaza – this time the latest targeted killings of journalists – yet all we hear from administration officials are denials of the obvious genocide taking place and actions in support of that genocide, forced starvation and ethnic cleansing."

"The majority of Americans reject the Biden administration’s hypocritical and inhumane stance on the unfolding genocide in Gaza. It is time for President Biden to align his statements and actions with the will of the American people and call for an immediate ceasefire and a just and lasting peace."

Israeli police said on Sunday that officers responding to a car-ramming attack at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank shot a Palestinian girl, with medics confirming the child's death.

According to a police statement and footage shared by the force, a van driver swerved into officers at a checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah, prompting them to open fire.

"As a result of shooting at the terrorists, a girl who was in another vehicle at the checkpoint was hurt," police said.

Israel's emergency medical agency Magen David Adom said a three-year-old girl "was pronounced deceased" after an examination.

Police said the suspected assailants had also been shot, but their condition wasn't immediately clear.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday during a visit to Qatar that the killing of two Al Jazeera journalists in a strike in Gaza was an "unimaginable tragedy".

"This is an unimaginable tragedy. And that's also been the case for... far too many innocent Palestinian men, women and children," Blinken said of the deaths of Hamza Wael Dahdouh and Mustafa Thuria, announced earlier by the Qatar-based network.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Sunday the war waged by Israel in Gaza could "metastasise" and threaten security in the wider Middle East.

"This is a moment of profound tension in the region. This is a conflict that could easily metastasize, causing even more insecurity and even more suffering," Blinken told a news conference in Qatar on a regional tour aimed at de-escalating the conflict.

Beirut airport on Sunday came under a cyberattack, Lebanon's state news agency said, with footage shared by local media showing anti-Hezbollah messages had replaced screen displays at its terminal.

"The cyberattack on the departure and arrival screens at the airport disrupted the BHS baggage inspection system," the National News Agency said.

It added that authorities were working to restore the screens "and to maintain normal movement at the airport".

Earlier tonight screens at Beirut airport all switched to a message warning Nasrallah/Hezbollah against war & signed Jnoud el Rabb, an extremist Christian militia. Some ppl got msgs from the ISF, some from MEA re: a security breach at the airport. Now I just heard: pic.twitter.com/LIqSh1gWXq

— Lina Mounzer (@warghetti) January 7, 2024

Local media circulated images of a message criticising Lebanon's powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah group, displayed onscreen alongside the emblem of the Christian "Soldiers of God" group.

The message said the airport was "not the airport of Hezbollah and Iran", according to the reports.

"Hassan Nasrallah, no one will support you if you drag the country into war," it added, addressing the group's leader, also saying "we will not fight on behalf of anyone."

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has stated that "Palestinian civilians must be able to return home as soon as conditions allow," adding that "they cannot - they must not - be pressed to leave Gaza".

His comments come during a press conference in Qatar alongside Qatari PM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. 

Israel has named its former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak as its addition to an International Court of Justice panel due this week to hear a genocide allegation filed against it, an Israeli official said on Sunday.

Under the ICJ's rules a state that does not have a judge of its nationality already on the bench can choose an ad hoc judge to sit in their case.

Barak, a champion of Supreme Court activism, was a focus of opposition for members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, whose judicial reform push last year bitterly polarized the public.

South Africa, which accuses Israel of genocide in the Gaza war, has also appointed an ad hoc judge, former deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke, South African media said. 

(Reuters)

Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz has warned Lebanon's Hezbollah that the military "will remove the threat" posed by the group on Israel's northern border if a diplomatic solution is not found to the ongoing clashes between the two.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Gantz reiterated that "all of the war cabinet's members share this view."

Israel's war cabinet is made up of Gantz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. 

The reality where the citizens of Northern Israel cannot return to their homes - requires an urgent solution.

The world must remember that it was the terrorist organisation Hezbollah that initiated the escalation. Israel is interested in a diplomatic solution, but if one cannot…

— בני גנץ - Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) January 7, 2024

Netanyahu also reiterated threats during a cabinet meeting today, stating that "I suggest Hezbollah learn what Hamas has already learned in recent months: No terrorist is immune"

"We are determined to defend our citizens and to return the residents of the north safely to their homes," he added.

Lebanon's Hezbollah has claimed that it has killed an Israeli solider and wounded others in an attack on the Israeli town of Metula. 

The group also claimed to have destroyed an Israeli tank with a Kornet anti-tank guided missile at the Ruwaisat al-Asi site. 

Al Jazeera on Sunday condemned the killing and "targeting" of Palestinian journalists in Gaza after two reporters working for the Qatar-based television died in a strike on their car.

Hamza Wael Dahdouh, the son of its Gaza corresponent Wael Al-Dahdouh, and Mustafa Thuria, a video stringer for AFP news agency who was working for Al Jazeera, both died in the strike in Rafah.

"Al Jazeera Media Network strongly condemns the Israeli occupation forces' targeting of Palestinian journalists' car," the company said in a statement, accusing Israel of "violating the principles of freedom of the press".

UNICEF Palestine announced that it had delivered 600 thousand vaccines to Gaza alongside UNRWA and the WHO in occupied Palestinian Territory in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

UNICEF also reiterated it's calls for "a ceasefire and humanitarian corridor for the provision of critical child survival interventions to avert unnecessary deaths associated with communicable diseases"

Last week, we delivered 600K vaccines to #GazaStrip in cooperation with @WHOoPt & @UNRWA

UNICEF continues to call for a ceasefire & humanitarian corridor for the provision of critical child survival interventions to avert unnecessary deaths associated with communicable diseases pic.twitter.com/qlnNDPP7yd

— UNICEF Palestine (@UNICEFpalestine) January 7, 2024

Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that 11 Israeli soldiers have been injured in fighting over the past 24 hours, with three being injured in the Gaza Strip. 

Gaza's health ministry says that 113 Palestinians have been killed in the last 24 hours by Israel, with a further 250 injured.

The ministry says that since 7 October, 22,835 people have been killed, with a further 58,416 injured.

Jordan's King Abdullah on Sunday warned US Secretary of State Antony Blinken of the "catastrophic repercussions" of the continuation of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, a palace statement said.

The monarch also told Blinken that Washington had a major role to play to put pressure on Israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the statement said.

(Reuters)

An Israeli civilian was shot dead on Sunday in the West Bank, the army said, in the latest incident to rock the occupied territory where deadly violence has surged.

The civilian was "killed adjacent to the British police junction" north of Ramallah, the army said, adding police were searching for the attacker.

An Israeli airstrike has killed Journalist Hamza Dahdouh, son of journalist Wael Dahdouh, alongside journalist Mustafa Thuraya.

The airstrike reportedly targeted their car, which they were both in, west of Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip. 

Gaza's media office labelled the strike a "heinous crime" against journalists in the enclave. 

The Israeli army bombarded and killed two Palestinian journalists in Gaza including Hamzeh the son of Al Jazeera correspondent Wael Dahdouh who lost in a previous Israeli airstrike his wife, his daughter, his other son and his grandson . Israeli revenge from the free voice . pic.twitter.com/Uqknwv3cTg

— Mustafa Barghouti @Mustafa_Barghouti (@MustafaBarghou1) January 7, 2024

Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir continued his calls for a "voluntary" transfer of Palestinians out of Gaza following the end of the war in interviews on Israel's Kan Bet Radio.

In the interview Ben-Gvir said that he though a transfer would be "the right solution" as it would allow for the return of Gaza border residents.

He added he was "trying to convince my friends in the cabinet and the government" to back his plan.

A US intelligence assessment conducted by the Defense Intelligence Agency has revealed that success against Hezbollah would be difficult to achieve if Israel were to conduct any large scale Israeli action against the group in south Lebanon.

The assessment, reported by the Washington Post, was made following US concerns that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to expand the war into south Lebanon as clashes between the Israeli military and Hezbollah continue. 

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has arrived in Amman to begin a regional tour as regional tensions mount over Israel's war in Gaza.

Prior to arriving in Jordan, Blinken stated that he would speak to US allies in the region in an attempt to ensure that "this conflict doesn't spread".

I’m in the Middle East this week to meet with our partners in the region on the situation in Gaza.

These are not necessarily easy conversations. But it is vital that we engage in this diplomacy now both for the future of Gaza itself and for Israelis and Palestinians alike. pic.twitter.com/mk9VWOZNhl

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) January 7, 2024