Israel pounds Gaza, particularly Khan Younis, where death toll surges

This live blog on Day 106 of Israel's war on Gaza has concluded. Make sure to follow us for the latest news on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said the kingdom was "very worried" that tensions in the Red Sea amid attacks by Yemen's Houthis and U.S. strikes on Houthi targets could spiral out of control and escalate the conflict in the region.

Heads of states of the Non-Aligned Movement Saturday called Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip "illegal" and strongly condemned indiscriminate attacks against Palestinian civilians, civilian infrastructure and the forced displacement of the Palestinian population.

While calling for a ceasefire desperately needed for humanitarian aid to access the Gaza Strip, the movement in a joint statement called for a two-state solution, on the basis of the borders before 1967, when Israel seized Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem in a brief war with neighboring Arab states.

The group also reiterated support for a Palestinian state to be admitted as a member of the United Nations to take its rightful place among the community of nations.

Thousands of people demonstrated in central Tel Aviv on Saturday, calling for the return of hostages held in Gaza and early elections to oust Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Demonstrators marched through the city's Habima Square, a frequent protest site, with some carrying signs calling Netanyahu "the face of evil" and demanding "elections now".

Protesters demanding the return of hostages also gathered in Haifa and outside the premier's Jerusalem residence.

An Israeli strike on southern Lebanon on Saturday killed a member of Hezbollah and one other Lebanese national, two security sources in Lebanon told Reuters, after earlier saying two members of Hamas were killed.

The strike hit a car in the village of Bazouriyeh, east of the coastal city of Tyre.

استهداف سيّارة على طريق داخلية بين بلدتي البازورية وطيردبا في جنوب #لبنان pic.twitter.com/LMvwA93Icz

— Annahar (@Annahar) January 20, 2024

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi vowed to punish Israel for a strike on Saturday that killed five Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Syria on Saturday, state media said.

"The Islamic Republic will not leave the Zionist regime's crimes unanswered," Raisi said in a statement condemning the strike, state broadcaster IRIB said on its website.

The right of the Palestinian people to build their own state "must be recognised by all", UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Uganda on Saturday

"The refusal to accept a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians, and the denial of the right to statehood for the Palestinian people, are unacceptable," the UN leader insisted in the Ugandan capital Kampala.

Such a stance "would indefinitely prolong a conflict that has become a major threat to global peace and security; exacerbate polarization; and embolden extremists everywhere," Guterres warned.

"The right of the Palestinian people to build their own state must be recognized by all."

Israel's bombardment and ground offensive on Gaza has killed at least 24,927 people in Gaza, mostly women and children.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has deplored the "inhuman living conditions" in the small coastal territory, of 2.4 million inhabitants, many of whom have been displaced by the Israeli action.

On Monday, Guterres appealed for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

The United States, Israel's main ally and key supporter in its war against Hamas, has also recently reiterated its support for the creation of a Palestinian state.

In recent days, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reaffirmed his opposition to the creation of a viable Palestinian state, drawing criticism from his American ally.

Two British Royal Navy mine-hunter vessels were involved in a collision in a port in Bahrain, the Royal Navy said.

No one was injured in the accident which occurred in Bahrain Harbour on Friday, it said. An investigation into the incident has been opened.

The Royal Navy is working with the U.S. Navy in the Gulf region in an effort to protect Red Sea shipping from an upsurge in attacks by Houthi forces based in Yemen.

The Houthis say they acting in solidarity with the Palestinian people and Hamas. The attacks have disrupted world trade and raised fears of supply bottlenecks.

Video on social media showed one boat, the HMS Chiddingfold, reversing into another, HMS Bangor, which was moored, causing a loud crashing noise and Bangor to rock.

Rear Admiral Edward Ahlgren, the Royal Navy's Commander Operations, said in a post on X that nobody was hurt but some damage was sustained.

"I assure you that a full and thorough investigation is already under way and any changes in procedure that could prevent further incidents will be rapidly implemented," he said.

"In the meantime the UK will continue to play a key part in ensuring the safety of merchant shipping in the region."

Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian politician and head of the National Initiative Movement, says US President Joe Biden’s purported backing for a two-state solution – without agreeing to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the removal of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank – is “nonsense”, as reported by Al Jazeera.

“It’s an attempt to normalise the continuation of the genocide of the Palestinian people,” Barghouti said. “And it appears to be an attempt by Biden to avoid his expected defeat in the [2024 US presidential] elections due to the majority of the American people’s rejection of his policy of supporting the barbaric aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.”

“The Palestinian state is not just a name without content, borders, sovereignty, and control over land, water, airspace, and borders,” he continued. “It cannot be achieved without removing the occupation and the settlements and settlers."

The United States carried out fresh strikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels Saturday, the military said, targeting an anti-ship missile that was "prepared to launch."

Washington is seeking to reduce the Iran-backed Houthis' military capabilities, but the Yemeni rebels have continued their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, despite more than a week of strikes, and have vowed to keep targeting merchant vessels.

At around 4 am Sanaa time (0100 GMT), US "forces conducted airstrikes against a Houthi anti-ship missile that was aimed into the Gulf of Aden and was prepared to launch," a statement from US Central Command said Saturday.

"US forces determined the missile presented a threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region, and subsequently struck and destroyed the missile in self-defense."

"This action will make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy and merchant vessels," the statement said.

The IRGC has told Iranian State Media that a fifth member has now died from wounds sustained by what it says was an Israeli strike in Syria.

US personnel suffered minor injuries and a member of Iraq's security forces was seriously wounded in an attack on Iraq's Ain al-Asad air base on Saturday, a US official said, citing initial assessments, which are subject to change.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said initial reports indicated that the base was hit by ballistic missiles but left open the possibility the base was hit by rockets, adding an assessment was ongoing.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday he told US President Joe Biden that he rejected Palestinian sovereignty in the Gaza Strip, in a call the day before.

The two leaders spoke by phone on Friday for the first time in nearly a month, with Biden saying following the call that he believed it was still possible Netanyahu could agree to some form of Palestinian state.

"In his conversation with President Biden, Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated his policy that after Hamas is destroyed Israel must retain security control over Gaza to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel, a requirement that contradicts the demand for Palestinian sovereignty," Netanyahu's office said in a statement issued on Saturday.

On Thursday, Netanyahu had rejected Palestinian sovereignty over the occupied West Bank, saying it was incompatible with Israel's need to have "security control over all the territory west of the (River) Jordan".

Biden had said after the call on Friday that it was possible Netanyahu could come round to some form of two-state solution, seen for decades by diplomats as the best way to bring peace to the Middle East.

Musa Abu Marzouk, a member of the Hamas political bureau, says the movement does not want to keep the Israeli captives and is seeking a new prisoner exchange deal.

“In the end, Israel will be forced to make a deal, because it failed during more than a hundred days of war to recover any prisoners by force,” Abu Marzouk told the Russian Sputnik news agency. “It will either take them back through a deal with the movement or take them as bodies.”

He also said that Hamas appreciates the Houthi group’s support of the Palestinian people, and at all efforts aimed at ending Israel’s war in Gaza.

“What the Houthis are doing is real and effective solidarity with our people, and we express our appreciation,” he said. “We also call on all forces to take bold and principled positions in order to end this genocide."

Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid has stated in a post on X that during his time as foreign minister and prime minister, he often had disagreements with the US but he never aired them in public.

His comments appear to reference a press conference on Thursday in which Netanyahu appeared to publicly reject US discussion on the topic of Palestinian statehood.

Lapid claimed relations with the US are “too important to turn them into public quarrels whose only purpose is political gain”.

He added that it was irresponsible “during wartime when the US stands by us”.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in November donated $95,000 to Mike Johnson, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, after he pushed through a $14bn aid package for Israel, the Intercept reports.

The news organisation’s analysis of the Federal Election Commission records also shows that AIPAC, the largest pro-Israel lobby group in the US, was Johnson’s top donor in 2023, with a total of $104,000.

The majority of the payments came after Israel’s war on Gaza began and Johnson was elected House speaker in October

More on the 22 Palestinians detained overnight by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank:

Israeli forces detained 22 Palestinians on Saturday during ongoing raids on several cities in the occupied West Bank, local NGOs said.

Israeli forces carried out incursions in Hebron, Bethlehem, Tubas, Nablus, Jenin, and Jerusalem, among other cities in the West Bank, the Commission of Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

The latest arrests bring up the total number of Palestinians arrested by Israeli forces in the West Bank since 7 October to 6,115.

During the raids, Israeli forces damaged homes and infrastructure, the statement said, adding that they also confiscated money and vehicles.

The total number of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons by the end of 2023 was recorded as 8,800, with at least 80 women, according to prisoner affairs institutions.

Read the full article below.

A senior Hamas official dismissed on Saturday comments by US President Joe Biden about the possibility of Israel agreeing to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Biden said Friday it was still possible that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could agree to some form of Palestinian state after the two leaders spoke by phone for the first time in nearly a month, while Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza grinds on.

"The illusion that Biden is preaching about a state of Palestine and its characteristics does not fool our people," Izzat al-Rishq, member of Hamas's political bureau, said in a statement.

"Biden is a full partner in the genocidal war and our people do not expect any good from him."

Biden said after the call that it was possible that Netanyahu could become open to some form of two-state solution, raised for decades to end tensions in the Middle East.

"There are a number of types of two-state solutions. There's a number of countries that are members of the UN that... don't have their own militaries," Biden told reporters after an event at the White House.

The call between Biden and Netanyahu came a day after the Israeli leader said he opposes allowing Palestinian sovereignty as the war in Gaza shows no signs of letting up.

The Israeli military say that fighter jets have attacked Hezbollah infrastructure in the Al Adisa area of southern Lebanon.

In a post on X, the military also said that in the morning there were two launches from Lebanese territory into Israeli territory detected.

They said they had attacked the source of these launches, with no casualties reported.

The IRGC has now named the four members that it lost in a reported Israel airstrike in Syria, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Hojjatollah Omidvar, Ali Aghazadeh, Hossein Mohammadi and Saeed Karimi were named as the casualties, but their ranks or any further information was not provided.

But some Iranian state-linked media are reporting that Omidvar was a commander known operationally as Haj Sadegh – the intelligence deputy of the Quds Force in Syria operating an intelligence unit when targeted by missiles.

Israeli planes have dropped leaflets on the southern city of Khan Younis with photos and names of 69 Israelis taken captive.

The leaflets contain a message and number, telling the Palestinians that if they want to return to their homes, they should inform the Israeli army if they recognise any of the captives.

Israeli army has dropped leaflets that state they have conditioned the forced displacement of Palestinian citizens (war crime) on the return of the hostages. So, although their abduction had nothing to do with them Palestinian citizens are being collectively punished (war crime). https://t.co/PC9eqWToFV

— Naks Bilal (@NaksBilal) January 20, 2024

An Israeli strike on southern Lebanon on Saturday killed two members of Hamas as they were traveling in a car, three security sources in Lebanon told Reuters.

Israel has been carrying out air strikes on southern Lebanon against Palestinian militant groups based there as well as their Lebanese ally Hezbollah, a powerful armed group, which have fired rockets across the border at Israel.

At least 22 Palestinians, including a woman and children, were arrested overnight in occupied West Bank by Israeli forces, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club says.

The arrests were carried out in Hebron, Nablus, Tubas, Bethlehem, Jenin and Jerusalem and “were accompanied by widespread raids and abuse, in addition to widespread sabotage and destruction of citizens’ homes, the destruction of infrastructure, and the confiscation of money and vehicles”, the organisation said.

Iran has confirmed that four members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have been killed in the air strike on Damascus, along with several members of Syrian armed forces.

“Once more the criminal Zionist regime has moved to violate the city of Damascus, the Syrian capital, and during an airstrike by the fighter jets of the invading and occupying regime a number of Syrian forces and four military advisers of the Islamic Republic of Iran were martyred,” the IRGC said in a brief statement, saying more information will be published later.

Iranian state television called it a “terrorist” attack by Israel.

The Palestinian Authority’s Foreign Ministry says a ceasefire is needed, and not just statements warning of the extent of the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, the ministry said that the mission of the United Nations and the international community is not limited to publishing statistics about Palestinian victims.

“They must assume their legal responsibilities. The moral imperative is to cease fire immediately and take the necessary practical measures to protect civilians and secure their basic needs,” the ministry said.

The Israeli air strike we previously reported on in Damascus on Saturday killed four members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, including a senior figure in its information unit, a security source in the regional pro-Syrian alliance told Reuters.

The strike, using precision-guided missiles according to the source, flattened a multi-storey building in the neighbourhood of Mazzeh in the Syrian capital.
 

Gaza Health Ministry update for Saturday, January 20, 2024, Day 106 of Israel's war on Gaza:

🚨 Israel commits 14 massacres against families in Gaza, resulting in 165 deaths and 280 injuries in the past 24 hours.

🚨 Some victims remain under the rubble and on the roads, inaccessible to ambulance and civil defense teams.

🚨 The death toll of Israel's war rises to 24,927 and 62,388 injuries since October 7th last year.

Jordan's Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawaneh urges heavyweight international diplomacy to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.

Khasawaneh called for the US and other influential nations to utilise their leverage to bring an end to the violence during an event at the London School of Economics on Friday.

"The world can't tolerate apartheid policies now. If you do not have a two-state solution, what are the alternatives? A state of perpetual war? The two-state solution is the only way that ensures Israel's security as well," he said.

"Leadership is needed from our American friends and our American partners, and from various capitals in the world, that can influence the decision-making process in Israel in genuine terms to bring this carnage to an end," he added.

"The main powers are under not only a moral responsibility but also an obligation in the context of preserving the rules-based international system to come and tell the current Israeli government that this needs to stop."

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has said the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza remains dire, with Israeli air strikes preventing aid packages from reaching the embattled population.

“People have returned to primitive methods for food preparation and general hygiene, to make bread,” said Mohammed Abu Msbeh, director of ambulances and emergency centres in the Strip.

“The daily struggle for water is a daily torment for Gaza residents to secure life-sustaining droplets, who stand in large crowds for hours with containers."

⭕️ The humanitarian crisis in #Gaza and the northern governorates remains dire, exacerbated by the continuous Israeli blockade hindering aid delivery. 📍With 800,000 Palestinians grappling with a severe scarcity of essential supplies. 📌Colleague Mohammed Abu Msabeh sheds light… pic.twitter.com/RF5f0GbJWI

— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) January 20, 2024

Syrian state media said a likely Israeli attack had targeted a building in the Mazzeh neighbourhood of Damascus on Saturday, without giving further details.

Other local media in Syria reported explosions heard across the capital.

As Israeli continues to raid the occupied West Bank, here are the latest figures from the territory since October 7:

• Killed: 369 people including 98 children, 3 women, and 7 Palestinian prisoners who died in Israeli custody
• Wounded: Over 4,212
• Detained: At least 6,108

US President Joe Biden said Friday it was still possible Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could agree to some form of Palestinian state, after the two leaders spoke for the first time in nearly a month amid tensions over the Gaza war.

Their call came a day after Netanyahu said he opposes allowing Palestinian sovereignty in the wake of Tel Aviv's war on Gaza, deepening Israeli divisions with key backer Washington over the conduct of Israel's offensive and what comes next.

But Biden said after the call that it was not impossible Netanyahu might come round to some form of so-called two-state solution, mooted for decades as a way to end tensions in the Middle East, despite the Israeli premier's comments.

"There are a number of types of two-state solutions. There's a number of countries that are members of the UN that... don't have their own militaries," Biden told reporters after an event at the White House.

"And so, I think there's ways in which this could work."

Asked what Netanyahu was open to, Biden replied: "I'll let you know."

Palestinians are entitled to a contiguous state comprising Gaza and all of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to international law and UN resolutions. 

Human rights groups have been gathering testimonies of summary executions of Palestinians by Israeli forces.

According to footage obtained by Al Jazeera and witness accounts from members of one family,  Israeli soldiers executed at least 19 civilians in Gaza City in on Decembe6 19.

“Tanks and bulldozers surrounded the building. Shells had been hitting the building for days. The situation was desperate,” Umm Odai Salem, mother of one of those killed, said.

“On December 19, Israeli soldiers entered the building. They banged on our door. My husband opened it and told them we are all civilians. They took him to another apartment. I followed them, pleading with them to let him go because we are civilians. They beat me and my daughters up. They put us women in one place and threatened us with guns and knives. They made us strip. They searched us, insulting us using the most terrible words.

“My husband was one of the 19 men killed in this building. They ordered them to bend down and executed them. They killed them all."

The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell has accused Israel of having "created" and "financed" the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has in recent days reaffirmed his opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state, drawing criticism from his US ally, which is still advocating a "two-state solution".

"We believe that a two-state solution must be imposed from outside to bring peace. Although, I insist, Israel is reaffirming its refusal (of this solution), and to prevent it they have gone so far as to create Hamas themselves," Borrell said.

"Hamas has been financed by the Israeli government to try to weaken the Palestinian Authority of Fatah."

"If we do not intervene strongly, the spiral of hate and violence will continue from generation to generation, from funeral to funeral, as the seeds of hatred that are being sown in Gaza today flourish," he added during a speech in Spanish at the University of Valladolid in central Spain, which awarded him an honorary doctorate.

Hamas was created in December 1987 shortly after the start of the first Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories as an offshoot of  the Muslim Brotherhood, including founding member Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.