Sunday. 28 January, 2024
15:45 GMT – Israel arrests 22 more Palestinians in West Bank
The Israeli army rounded up 22 more Palestinians in military raids carried out in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, according to prisoners' affairs groups.
The new arrests brought the total number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli forces since October 7 to 6,330, the Commission of Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.
The latest arrests took place in the cities of Qalqilya, Jenin and Hebron. Tensions have been high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas which Israel says killed 1,200 Israelis.
9:10 GMT – Gaza death toll rises to 26,422
At least 165 Palestinians were killed and 290 others injured in the last 24 hours as Israel continues its onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip, the territory's Health Ministry said on Sunday.
"Many people are still trapped under rubble as rescuers are unable to reach them," the ministry said in a statement.
Despite the International Court of Justice's provisional ruling, Israel has continued its offensive on Gaza, killing at least 26,422 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 65,087 since October 7, according to Palestinian health authorities.
07:52 GMT - UN chief asks for donor 'continuity' in UNRWA operations
UN chief Antonio Guterres has pleaded for donor states to "guarantee the continuity" of the body's Palestinian refugee agency after several halted funding over Tel Aviv's accusations of staff involvement in Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel.
"While I understand their concerns — I was myself horrified by these accusations — I strongly appeal to the governments that have suspended their contributions to, at least, guarantee the continuity of UNRWA's operations," Guterres said in a statement, referring to the agency's acronym.
UNRWA fired several staff over Israel's accusations, promising a thorough investigation into the claims, which were not specified, while Tel Aviv vowed to stop the agency's work in Gaza after the war. The row between Israel and UNRWA follows the UN's International Court of Justice ruling on Friday that Israel must prevent possible acts of genocide in the conflict and allow more aid into Gaza.
07:10 GMT - UN agency warns its aid operation in Gaza is 'collapsing'
The head of the main UN aid agency in the war-battered Gaza warned that its work is collapsing after nine countries decided to cut funding over allegations that several agency employees had participated in the attack against Israel four months ago.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said he was shocked such decisions were taken as “famine looms” in the ongoing Israel war on the tiny enclave. “Palestinians in Gaza did not need this additional collective punishment,” he wrote on X. “This stains all of us.”
His warning came a day after he announced he had fired and was investigating several agency employees over allegations that they participated in the October 7 attack on Israel.
06:00 GMT - Protestors 'pressure' US Secretary of State Blinken for Gaza ceasefire outside his home
Pro-Palestinians continued to demand a ceasefire in Gaza as they set up camp across from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s home in the state of Virginia.
Protestors carrying Palestinian flags, chanted against Blinken while unfurling banners that said: "30,0 00 Killed By USA and Israel”, “Blinken Supports Israel’s Terror”, “Bloody Blinken”, “Occupy Bliken’s House Let Gaza Live” and “Full Ceasefire in Gaza Now.”
"We are camping in front of the house of the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken because he is complicit in supporting and enabling war crimes and genocide against Palestinian people done by the State of Israel," activist Hazami Barmada told Anadolu.
05:30 GMT - Netanyahu lashes out at protests by families of hostages in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised protests by families of hostages held in Gaza as “useless and contributing to the demands of Hamas.”
Netanyahu said in a news conference that “protests by the families of the hostages do not help but rather increase the demands of Hamas and delay their recovery.”
He noted giving directives within his government to “boost activation of local defence industries to rely more on local arms.”
For our live updates from Saturday, January 27, click here.
