Friday, January 31, 2025
0020 GMT — Four medical doctors from the US who had recently returned from Gaza have provided sobering accounts of the dire conditions there and reported a lack of basic survival needs as well as medical equipment.
Speaking at a news conference at UN headquarters in New York, they shared their firsthand experience with patients in Gaza.
"We have normalised the killing of health care workers. That's not just going to be a problem in Gaza, it's going to be a problem worldwide," said Dr Thaer Ahmad, an emergency room physician from Chicago.
More updates
0336 GMT — Lebanon reports 15 new Israeli breaches of ceasefire
The Israeli army has committed 15 new violations of a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon on Thursday.
The latest breaches bring the total number of violations since the agreement came into force 66 days ago to 823, according to statistics compiled by Anadolu based on announcements from Lebanon's National News Agency.
According to reports by the agency, the latest violations of the agreement were concentrated in the areas of Marjayoun, Bint Jbeil and Hasbaya in Nabatieh Governorate in southern Lebanon and in Tyre district in the South Governorate.
0159 GMT — Hamas delegation, Iranian foreign minister discuss Gaza ceasefire developments
A senior delegation from the Palestinian group Hamas led by Mohammed Darwish, the head of its Shura Council, met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss the latest developments related to the Gaza ceasefire agreement and political issues tied to the Palestinian cause.
According to a statement from Hamas, the meeting in Qatar’s capital Doha focused on key political and field developments, including the implementation of the ceasefire, prisoner exchanges, and Israel's attempts to delay the reconstruction process.
They also discussed ongoing relief efforts for Palestinians in Gaza.
2130 GMT — Two Palestinian children wounded by Israel in Bethlehem
Two Palestinian children have been shot and wounded by Israeli forces in the town of Al-Khader, south of Bethlehem, WAFA news agency reported.
"Israeli forces opened fire on the two children near the Bakoush area, west of the town, wounding them in the foot. They were transported to Al-Yamama Hospital in the town for treatment," it reported.
Israeli forces stormed the Al-Bawaba area of Al-Khader and fired tear gas and stun grenades, causing several civilians to suffer from suffocation due to gas inhalation, WAFA said.
2130 GMT — Trump says Egypt, Jordan will comply in accepting Gaza's Palestinians
US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his controversial proposal to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan, insisting that the two countries will comply, despite their repeated rejections.
"They will do it. They will do it. They're going to do it, okay? We do a lot for them, and they're going to do it," Trump told reporters when asked if he would consider measures to pressure Cairo and Amman to accept his plan.
Trump called over the weekend to "clean out" Gaza and resettle Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan, describing the enclave as a "demolition site" after Israel's genocidal war.
The two countries have vehemently rejected any call for ethnic cleansing or relocation of Palestinians from their land.
Human rights groups have already accused Israel of ethnic cleansing, which United Nations experts define as a policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove the civilian population of another group from certain areas "by violent and terror-inspiring means."
2030 GMT — West Bank in turmoil as Trump repeats Gaza ethnic cleansing plan
The Palestinian Health Ministry has said that Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, after the military announced a soldier had also been killed in the occupied territory.
The Ramallah-based ministry said in a statement that two citizens were killed by the "occupation forces' bullets in Jenin camp this evening".
This latest incident brings the total number of Palestinians killed during the ongoing military violence to 28.
Israel also wounded 66 other Palestinians on Thursday in various parts of the occupied West Bank.
For our live updates from Thursday, January 30, 2025, click here.
