Monday, January 29, 2024
18:10 GMT – Gaza death toll rises to 26,637
The Palestinian death toll from a deadly Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip has mounted to 26,637 since October 7, the Health Ministry in the enclave said on Monday.
At least 65,387 other people have been injured in the onslaught, ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra told a press conference in the southern city of Rafah.
"Israeli attacks have killed 215 people and injured 300 others in the last 24 hours," the spokesperson said, adding: "Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads, and rescuers can't reach them."
07:36 GMT — The US is weighing whether to slow down arms deliveries to Israel to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to scale down its assault on Gaza.
The NBC News outlet cited sources including three current US officials and a former one who said "The Pentagon has been reviewing what weaponry Israel has requested that could be used as leverage."
"The sources said Israeli officials continue to ask the administration for more weapons, including large aerial bombs, ammunition and air defenses," said NBC News.
"The US is considering slowing or pausing the deliveries in the hope that doing so will prod the Israelis to take action, such as opening humanitarian corridors to provide more aid to Palestinian civilians," it added.
Israel has pounded Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.
Despite a provisional ruling Friday by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza, it continued its onslaught against the coastal enclave, where at least 26,422 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and 65,087 injured since October 7, according to Palestinian health authorities.
The Israeli offensive has left 85 percent of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60 percent of the enclave’s infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
06:20 GMT — Japan suspends funding to UN Palestinian refugee agency
Japan said it is joining other countries in suspending funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees following Israeli charges that some UNRWA staff took part in Hamas's October 7 attack.
The agency has fired several staff over Israel's accusations and promised a thorough investigation into the claims, which were not specified, while Israel has vowed to stop the agency's work in Gaza after the war.
Several of the agency's top donors including the United States and Germany have since halted funding to UNRWA, which has been at the heart of humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
06:00 GMT — Israeli ministers join thousands at rally for Gaza settlement
Thousands of Israelis, including far-right ministers and allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, gathered in Jerusalem to call for the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza.
Netanyahu in official statements has rejected resettlement in the Palestinian land, where Israeli army continues its brutal war on the city and its people, but the rally shows that the position has gained momentum within his hard-right government.
"If we don't want another October 7, we need to... control the territory," said National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, alluding to the Hamas attack.
For our live updates from Sunday, January 27, click here.
