Thursday, January 23, 2025
06:00 GMT — US, Israel talk Gaza as Tel Aviv abducts Palestinians from Jenin
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reiterate Washington's support for its ally, and the two also discussed Iran and Israeli captives in Gaza, the State Department said.
The call was Rubio's first with Israel since the administration of Republican President Donald Trump took office on Monday. Trump and his predecessor, Democratic former President Joe Biden, have both been supporters of Israel's genocidal war in Gaza.
Rubio underscored that "maintaining the United States' steadfast support for Israel is a top priority for Trump," the State Department said in a statement.
05:33 GMT — Trump re-designates Houthis as 'Foreign Terrorist Organization'
US President Donald Trump has re-designated Yemen's Houthi group as a 'Foreign Terrorist Organization'.
The Biden administration revoked the designation of the Houthis, or Ansarallah, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) on Feb. 16, 2021.
The White House said in a statement that the order was issued by the president, adding the Yemeni group has fired at US Navy warships dozens of times since 2023, endangering American men and women in uniform.
04:20 GMT — Israeli forces abduct seven more Palestinians
Israeli occupation forces have abducted at least seven Palestinians from the occupied West Bank governorates of Jenin and Jericho, WAFA news agency said, citing eyewitnesses.
"The occupation forces rounded up at least four Palestinians; two women identified as the mother of two Palestinians slain by Israeli army gunfire and two youths, from the Jenin refugee camp," the Palestinian news agency reported.
Israeli forces raided the city of Jericho, triggering confrontations, WAFA said, adding two youths from the Silwan neighbourhood in occupied Jerusalem were abducted by the invading soldiers.
For our live updates from Wednesday, January 22, 2025, click here.
