Monday, January 20, 2025
1210 GMT — Three Palestinians have been wounded by a grenade dropped by an Israeli drone east of Rafah in southern Gaza, a medical source has said.
The attack occurred as the three Palestinians were inspecting their homes near the buffer zone east of Rafah city, the source said.
According to witnesses, Israeli army forces are stationed in the eastern border areas of Rafah, preventing Palestinians from approaching the area under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.
1209 GMT — Death toll from Israel's brutal war on Gaza rises to 47,035
At least 47,035 Palestinians have been killed and 111,091 wounded in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct.7, 2023, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave has said.
The ministry added that in the past 24 hours, 60 people have been killed and another 62 bodies were recovered.
1118 GMT — Yemen's Houthis say they will only target Israeli-linked vessels after Gaza ceasefire
Yemen's Houthis will limit their attacks on commercial vessels to Israeli-linked ships after the Gaza ceasefire came into effect, according to the Yemen-based Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center.
The HOCC, which liaises between Houthi forces and commercial shipping operators, said in an email sent to shipping industry officials dated Jan. 19 that it was stopping "sanctions" against vessels owned by US or British individuals or entities, as well as ships sailing under their flags.
"We affirm that, in the event of any aggression against the Republic of Yemen by the United States of America, the United Kingdom ... the sanctions will be reinstated against the aggressor," the email said. "You will be promptly informed of such measures should they be implemented."
The HOCC said they would stop targeting Israeli-linked ships "upon the full implementation of all phases of the agreement".
1109 GMT — 27 Gaza civil defence members detained by Israeli army, agency says
Twenty-seven members of Gaza’s Civil Defence Service are still held by the Israeli army, the agency has said.
“At least 97 civil defence personnel were killed, 319 others wounded, including dozens with permanent disabilities, in Israeli attacks,” it added in a statement.
The service said Ahmad al-Kahlout, the head of the civil defence agency in northern Gaza, is among those held by the Israeli army.
0828 GMT — More than 630 trucks with humanitarian aid enter Gaza: UN
United Nations humanitarian officials say that more than 630 trucks of humanitarian aid have entered besieged Gaza, in implementation of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
In a post on social media platform X, Tom Fletcher, the United Nations under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs said that over 630 trucks entered Gaza on Sunday, with at least 300 of them bringing humanitarian assistance into the north.
"There is no time to lose," Fletcher wrote.
0828 GMT — Freed Palestinian medical student says her 'joy is limited'
Bara'a Al-Fuqha, 22, hugged her family as she stepped off the white Red Cross bus and into the sea of cheering Palestinians welcoming the 90 Palestinians freed by Israel early Monday.
A medical student at Al-Quds University in occupied East Jerusalem before her arrest, she had spent around six months in Damon Prison.
She said she was held under administrative detention — a policy of indefinite imprisonment without formal charge or trial that Israel almost exclusively uses against Palestinians.
0828 GMT — Released Israeli hostage says she has 'returned to life'
One of the Israeli hostages freed on the first day of the Gaza ceasefire said in her first comments since being released that she has "returned to life".
Emily Damari, 28, was one of three hostages freed Sunday. Officials at a hospital that received them said their condition was stable.
In an Instagram story, which was shared by Israeli media, Damari thanked her family and the large protest movement that coalesced to advocate for the release of the hostages.
0747 GMT — China 'welcomes' Gaza ceasefire coming into effect
China hailed the start of a long-awaited truce aimed at ending more than 15 months of Israel's war in Gaza.
A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas formally entered into force on Sunday, paving the way for the exchange of Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages.
A spokeswoman for Beijing's foreign ministry said "China welcomes the Gaza ceasefire agreement coming into effect".
"We hope that the agreement will be fully and continuously implemented, and that a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in Gaza will be achieved," Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing.
06:23 GMT — Israel releases 90 Palestinian prisoners in first exchange
The Israel Prison Service said it had completed the release of 90 Palestinian prisoners, part of a Gaza ceasefire deal that took effect a day earlier.
All prisoners "were released from Ofer prison and the Jerusalem detention centre", the service said in a statement issued just before 1:30 am.
A large bus carrying dozens of the detainees, all women or minors, exited the gates of Ofer prison, just outside the West Bank city of Ramallah.
05:44 GMT — Israel's inability to achieve its goals forced it to seek concessions: Hamas
Israel's failure to achieve its military objectives forced it to seek concessions at the negotiation table, said Mohammad Nazzal, a senior member of Hamas' political bureau.
"Israel aimed to rescue (its) hostages, dismantle the resistance — particularly Hamas — and fully occupy Gaza. None of these objectives were achieved," Nazzal said in an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency.
"They couldn't free their captives through military operations and had to resort to negotiations. At this point, hostages can only be freed through the ceasefire agreement," he said.
05:22 GMT — Palestinians welcome return of freed prisoners in occupied West Bank
Massive crowds gathered in the occupied West Bank town of Beitunia have cheered as they welcomed the return of freed Palestinians from Israeli jail.
04:54 GMT — Palestine Monetary Authority directs banks to resume services in Gaza
The Palestine Monetary Authority instructed banks to prepare their branches for the resumption of services in besieged Gaza as a ceasefire came into effect.
The monetary authority said in a statement that its governor, Yahya Al Shunnar, met with representatives of banks operating in Palestine.
The statement added that the meeting discussed "the measures required to resume banking services for the people in Gaza."
04:23 GMT — WHO says restoring Gaza health system 'complex'
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that restoring the health system in besieged Gaza will be a "complex and challenging task" after Israel's carnage in the blockaded enclave.
03:46 GMT — Israeli settlers attack West Bank to disrupt celebrations
Illegal Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank ostensibly to disrupt celebrations in several towns over the expected release of 90 Palestinian prisoners under the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
The illegal settlers attacked the northern outskirts of the town, setting fire to four Palestinian vehicles, and pelting stones at four houses, eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency.
The eyewitnesses added that "the town's residents gathered to repel the settlers' assault without any intervention from the army and without any reported injuries."
03:20 GMT — Al Qassam Brigades reaffirms commitment to Gaza ceasefire
Al Qassam Brigades said that the "Al Aqsa Flood Operation" against Israel "has changed the dynamics," reaffirming its commitment to the ceasefire agreement that went into effect earlier in the day.
In a recorded video message shared on its Telegram channel, the brigades' spokesperson, Abu Obaida, declared: "We, along with the resistance factions, announce our commitment to the ceasefire agreement and our readiness to implement its terms and adhere to its conditions, including halting combat, complying with the timeline for the exchange process, and ensuring the safety of (Israeli) enemy captives until their handover in exchange for our people's prisoners at all stages of the deal."
However, it all depends "on the enemy's commitment," Abu Obaida said.
02:40 GMT — Three captives released from Gaza in stable condition: hospital
The three women captives released from Gaza were in a stable condition, said a doctor at the hospital they were taken to.
"I'm happy to report that they are in stable condition. That allows us and them to focus on what is the most important thing for now... reuniting with their families", Itai Pessach, a doctor at the Sheba Hospital in central Israel, told journalists.
02:33 GMT — Israel kills Palestinian child in occupied West Bank
Israeli forces have shot dead a Palestinian child in the occupied West Bank in Nablus, the Palestinian news Agency WAFA reported.
The 15-year-old child was shot in the chest with live bullets during a raid in the town, the agency said, citing The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS).
He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was announced dead of his wounds by the Ministry of Health.
02:00 GMT — Crowds wait into the night for Palestinian prisoner release
Standing around fires, crowds braved the cold along the route where Palestinian prisoners are to be released from Israeli prisons as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal.
Hundreds gathered on a hill in the usually quiet suburb of Beitunia, whose location offers a view of Israel's Ofer prison, on the other side of the separation wall.
On the occupied West Bank side, throngs arrived to witness the first release of hundreds of Palestinians in exchange for three Israeli hostages held in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
For our live updates from Sunday, January 19, 2025, click here.
