Israel bombarded Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, killing and injuring patients and those sheltering inside. Egyptian human rights group reports construction underway on detention zone ahead of a possible mass expulsion from Gaza into Sinai.
Casualties
- 28,576+ Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including at least 12,000 children, and 68,291+ Palestinians have been injured.
- 380+ Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem
- Israel revises its estimated October 7 death toll down from 1,400 to 1,147.
- 569 Israeli soldiers have been killed since October 7, and at least 3,221 injured.**
*This figure was confirmed by Gaza’s Ministry of Health on Telegram channel. Some rights groups put the death toll number at more than 36,000 when accounting for those presumed dead.
** This figure is released by the Israeli military, showing the soldiers whose names “were allowed to be published.”
Key Developments
- Israeli forces shell Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, killing at least one person and injuring several others.
- Top US official confirm Israel not allowing flour into Gaza, reports Axios. Millions of Palestinians in Gaza are facing a famine due to Israel’s siege and refusal to allow adequate aid into Gaza.
- Defense for Children International Palestine: 16-year-old Palestinian boy shot by Israeli forces while leaving school is the 100th child to be killed in the West Bank since October 7th.
- PRCS: Intense shelling in vicinity of al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis.
- Canada, Australia, New Zealand say they are ‘gravely concerned’ about Israel’s planned ground operation into Rafah.
- At least ten civilians killed by Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon.
- Rights group: Egypt seems to be speedily constructing a ‘buffer zone’ in the Sinai Peninsula, directly south of the Rafah border crossing, to receive influx of Palestinian refugees from Gaza.
Preparations reportedly underway for mass expulsion from Gaza into Egyptian Sinai
Over four months of ruthless Israeli attacks on Gaza have left the besieged enclave, which is home to over 2 million people, decimated. More than half of its population has been crammed into Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah after Israel deemed the area a “safe zone.”
From the cities to the countryside, armed resistance is spreading in the West Bank
Armed resistance in the West Bank had been concentrated in larger cities, but since October 7 it is spreading. “Resistance in Azzun used to be non-armed,” a resident of the small town tells Mondoweiss. “Then everything changed after October 7.”
Israel’s Genocide War in Gaza Continues
Israeli forces raided the biggest functioning hospital in Gaza, as video posted online showed chaos, shouting and the sound of shooting in darkened corridors that were filled with dust and smoke. Separately, Hezbollah said Israel would pay “the price” for killing 10 people including five children in southern Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not approve sending an Israeli delegation to Cairo today for follow-up talks over a possible hostage deal, two Israeli officials said. Mossad director David Barnea and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar tried to convince Netanyahu to send the delegation and said they believe progress can be made, but he rejected their recommendation, one official said. Netanyahu believes there is no point in further talks until Hamas agrees to soften its position on the number of prisoners it demands to be released, according to both officials. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
Israeli forces stormed the Nasser Medical Complex today hours after an Israeli strike hit the hospital, killing at least one person and wounding six others, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The Israeli army said its operation was “precise and limited,” and sought to recover the remains of hostages taken by Hamas. Wafaa Shurafa and Bassem Mroue report for AP News.
The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) expressed fears yesterday that the Nasser Medical Complex might soon stop functioning, saying it had been cut off by heavy fighting and that Israel had refused to allow in medical resupply missions. The hospital has been surrounded for over a week by Israeli forces, and on Tuesday the Israeli military ordered civilians sheltering there to evacuate. The W.H.O. said it last had access to the hospital on Jan. 29 and had applied to Israel this week to conduct resupply missions and assess the hospital’s condition, but Israel had denied both requests. Nick Cumming-Bruce reports for the New York Times.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud called on Hamas to “quickly” reach a deal to release hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. He urged the group to conclude the deal to “protect Palestinian people and avoid an attack on Rafah,” also calling on the United States and Arab nations to “work seriously to complete the deal.” Mostafa Salem and Hamdi Alkhshali report for CNN.
The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said today it will hit a “negative cashflow” in March that will only get worse in April if funding suspended by several countries does not resume. Reuters reports.
REGIONAL RESPONSEIsraeli airstrikes killed 10 Lebanese civilians in a single day. Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate for the deadly Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon. The death toll of the previous day was the highest of daily cross-border exchanges that have accompanied Israel’s war in Gaza. Read more.
The fatalities marked a significant escalation after more than four months of daily cross-border exchangestriggered by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Government institutions, schools and Lebanese University were to close on Thursday in protest of the airstrikes. Read more.
While most analysts believe Hezbollah and Israel have little appetite for a full-blown war, they fear that any miscalculation could trigger a major conflict. The U.S., France and other countries have dispatched diplomats in recent weeks to try to tamp down tensions on the border. Read more.
Arab countries at the U.N. are preparing to introduce a Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian relief. The resolution would also block any transfer of Gaza residents to a different location, which Arab countries insist is collective punishment prohibited under international law. The United States has publicly stated it opposed the draft resolution. Richard Roth reports for CNN.
Report: US, Arab partners preparing timeline for Palestinian state, announcement could come in weeks. Initial cease-fire for release of hostages is seen as key to providing space to introduce a new peace deal. The Biden administration and a small group of Middle East partners are rushing to complete a detailed, comprehensive plan for long-term peace between Israel and Palestinians, including a firm timeline for the establishment of a Palestinian state, that could be announced as early as the next several weeks.
The Egyptian authorities are beginning to build a security buffer zone surrounded by walls to receive the Palestinians of Gaza. The Sinai Foundation obtained information from a relevant source stating that the construction work currently underway in eastern Sinai is to create an isolated security zone with the border with the Gaza Strip, with the aim of receiving refugees from Gaza in the event of a mass exodus of residents of the Gaza Strip. In an interview with the Foundation, two local contractors said that the construction work, which was subcontracted to local companies and commissioned by the Sons of Sinai Construction and Building Company, owned by a businessman close to the authority, Ibrahim Al-Arjani, aims to create an area surrounded by walls 7 meters high, after removing the rubble of the homes of the indigenous people. Which were destroyed during the war on terrorism, and the soil will be paved and leveled, provided that these works are completed in the shortest possible time, not exceeding ten days.
INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Round up of global action opposing Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza & in compliance with ICJ Decision on 26 Jan 2024. Further illustration of what states can do despite the US’s deployment of its veto to block the will of the international community. #thread
Spain and Belgium suspending arms exports to Israel – as UK continues Dutch court orders halt to export of F-35 jet parts to Israel
Japanese trading giant cuts ties with Israel defense firm
Joint statement by the Prime Minister of Australia, Canada and New Zealand warning against the ethnic cleansing of Rafa and demanding an immediate ceasefire.
Powerful words by 102 years old philosopher Edgar Morin, one of France’s most revered intellectual figures, as well as a Jewish WW2 resistant who fought as a lieutenant in De Gaulle’s France combatant.
Here are his words on Gaza in an op-ed in Le Monde a few weeks ago “I am both astonished and outraged by the fact that those who represent the descendants of a people who were persecuted for centuries for religious or racial reasons… That the descendants of this people who are today the decision-makers of the State of Israel, that they could not only colonize an entire people, partly drive them out of their land and seek to expel them for good… But also, after the massacre of October 7, engaged in a real massive slaughter on the populations of Gaza and continue, incessantly, hitting civilians, women, and children. And to see the silence of the world, the silence of the United States, protectors of Israel, the silence of the Arab states, the silence of the European states who claim to be defenders of culture, humanity, human rights. I think we are living through a horrible tragedy because we are also powerless in the face of this thing that is unleashing. At least, I say: bear witness! The only thing that remains if we cannot resist concretely is to testify. Let’s resist in our minds, let’s not be fooled, let’s not forget, let’s have the courage to face things head-on.”
South Africa’s request to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to consider whether Israel’s planned Rafah offensive requires additional emergency measures to protect Palestinians serves Hamas and is an attempt to stop Israel from defending itself, the Israeli foreign ministry said yesterday. “South Africa continues to represent the interests of the Hamas terrorist organization and is trying to deny Israel the fundamental right to defend itself and its citizens,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat. Reutersreports.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made his first visit to Egypt since 2012 yesterday, where is due to discuss the situation in Gaza, including a potential ceasefire and delivering aid. Sharon Braithwaite reports for CNN.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock condemned Israel’s plans to launch a ground offensive in Rafah, saying it would create a “humanitarian catastrophe.” “More than half of Gaza’s population is currently seeking shelter in Rafah,” Baerbock said at a news conference after meeting with Netanyahu. “These people cannot simply vanish into thin air. If the Israeli army were to launch an offensive on Rafah under these conditions, it would be a humanitarian catastrophe in the making.” Baerbock also said she pushed for “more border crossings [to] be opened quickly” so more humanitarian aid can reach people in Gaza. Niamh Kennedy reports for CNN.
The prime ministers of Spain and Ireland asked the European Commission yesterday to urgently review whether Israel is complying with its human rights obligations. In a joint letter, both leaders said attacking Rafah posed “a grave and imminent threat that the international community must urgently confront.” The European Commission confirmed receipt of the letter, with a spokesperson saying, “We do urge all sides when it comes to Israel to respect international law.” Reuters reports.
The leaders of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand today called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, according to a joint statement released in response to reports about Israel’s planned military operation in Rafah. “The protection of civilians is paramount and a requirement under international humanitarian law,” the statement said. “Palestinian civilians cannot be made to pay the price of defeating Hamas.” Lewis Jackson reports for Reuters.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed “firm opposition” to an Israeli ground operation in Rafah during a phone call with Netanyahu yesterday. According to a readout from the Élysée Palace, Macron warned that such an operation would “constitute violations of the international humanitarian law and would pose an additional risk of regional escalation.” Pierre Emmanuel Ngendakumana reports for POLITICO.
Relatives of hostages being held in Gaza flew from Israel to The Hague yesterday on a trip to draw attention to a complaint filed on Tuesday against Hamas’s leaders at the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing them of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The case is being led by the legal team of the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, an Israeli nongovernmental organization advocating for the hostages’ release, and the Canada-based Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights. The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, must now evaluate the evidence submitted to the court before deciding whether to press charges against the accused Hamas leaders. Isabel Kershner reports for the New York Times.
U.S. RESPONSE
Israel’s looming plans to invade Rafah have exacerbated tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and the Biden administration, threatening negotiations for a Gaza cease-fire.
President Biden yesterday protected thousands of Palestinians in the United States from deportation for the next 18 months, using an obscure immigration authority as he faces mounting criticism over U.S. support for Israel’s war in Gaza. Approximately 6,000 Palestinians will be eligible under the Deferred Enforced Departure program, which allows immigrants whose homelands are in crisis to remain and work legally in the United States. Palestinians who have been convicted of felonies or those “who are otherwise deemed to pose a public safety threat” would not be protected, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. Hamed Aleaziz reports for the New York Times.
FBI Director Christopher Wray made an unannounced trip to Israel yesterday to meet with the country’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Adam Goldman reports for the New York Times.
The United States imposed sanctions on a subsidiary of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), along with two entities in the United Arab Emirates, one in Turkey, and on three individuals accused of smuggling U.S. technology to the CBI. The sanctions represent Washington’s latest efforts to punish Tehran, whose proxies in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza have attacked U.S. and Israeli targets. Reuters reports.
President Biden issued an executive order instructing federal immigration officials to refrain from deporting most Palestinian immigrants in the US, saying the months-long war in the Gaza Strip has made it too dangerous to send deportees there.
IRAN-BACKED MILITANTS
The civilian death toll from two Israeli air strikes in Lebanon yesterday has risen to 10, according to Lebanese state media, making Wednesday the deadliest day in over four months of cross-border exchanges. Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate for the strikes. On Tuesday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah also warned, “To those who threaten us with a widening of the war: if you widen, we will too,” adding that “those who think the resistance might be afraid are very mistaken.” Mohammed Zaatari and Bassem Mroue report for ABC News.
Some Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, are restricting the United States from using military facilities on their territory to launch strikes on Iranian proxies, according to a U.S. official, a congressional aide, and two Western officials. The U.S. official said some countries have implemented measures including restricting access to basing and overflight for assets participating in the strikes, without specifying how many countries are taking this action. Laura Seligman, Alexander Ward, and Nahal Toosi report for POLITICO.
Iran will reciprocate if its ships are seized, the legal adviser to Iran’s President told state media today, after the U.S. Department of Justice issued a statement this month announcing the seizure of more than 500,000 barrels of Iranian fuel to clamp down on black-market oil sails used to its “criminal activities, including its support of the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps], Hamas, Hizballah, and other Iranian aligned terrorist groups.” Reuters reports.
Hezbollah is the Arab world’s most significant paramilitary force. Backed by Iran, its fighters have gained experience during Syria’s 13-year conflict in which they helped tip the balance of power in favor of government forces.
President Biden holds back action on Israel despite dire Gaza warnings as he’s prepared to punish Israel if it refuses to heed his warnings against launching an offensive in Rafah.