Death toll reaches 46,000 in Gaza, Israeli strikes continue

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday welcomed the "crucial election" by Lebanese lawmakers of army chief Joseph Aoun as president and said he would soon visit the country.

Macron spoke with the general hours after Aoun was announced as the leader to end a two-year vacuum in the country's top post.

France "will continue to be at the side of Lebanon and its people," Macron told Aoun in a telephone call, the French presidency said in a statement. Macron said he would go to Lebanon "very soon".

"Congratulations to President Joseph Aoun on this crucial election," Macron wrote on X earlier.

"It paves the way for reform and the restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty and prosperity," he added.

Turkey on Thursday congratulated new President Joseph Aoun and said it hoped the new government in Beirut "will contribute to the stability of Lebanon".

The foreign ministry said in a brief statement that it hoped Aoun's election would also help bring about the "peace and prosperity of the region".

US President Joe Biden welcomed the election of Joseph Aoun as Lebanon's president on Thursday, saying in a statement that the army chief was the "right leader" for the war-battered country.

"President Aoun has my confidence. I believe strongly he is the right leader for this time," said Biden, adding that Aoun would provide "critical leadership" in overseeing an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani is travelling to Syria on Friday to encourage the country's transition following the ouster of President Bashar Assad by HTS rebels and said Europe should review its sanctions on Damascus now that the political situation has changed.

Tajani presided on Thursday over a meeting in Rome of foreign ministry officials from five countries — Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States — and spoke earlier by telephone with his counterparts from Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The aim, he said, is to coordinate the various post-Assad initiatives, with Italy prepared to make proposals on private investments in health care for the Syrian population.

"The first messages from Damascus have been positive. That’s why I’m going there tomorrow, to encourage this new phase that will help stabilize the international situation," said Tajani.

Speaking to reporters, he said the European Union should discuss possible changes to the sanctions regime on Syria. "It’s an issue that should be discussed because Assad isn’t there anymore, it’s a new situation, and I think that the encouraging signals that are arriving should be further encouraged," he said.

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides held meetings with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed on Thursday, the Cypriot presidency said, discussing with each how to reinforce regional security.

A Cypriot government source said Christodoulides met separately with the two officials. It was not immediately clear if there was also a joint meeting. Bin Zayed's visit to the island was not previously announced.

Media were not permitted access to the presidential palace, where the meeting took place.

Bin Zayed and his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar met on Jan. 7, where the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and regional and international efforts to reach a lasting ceasefire were discussed. Cyprus established a maritime corridor sending direct humanitarian aid into Gaza in early 2024.

At least 22 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn, according to medical sources cited by Al Jazeera Arabic.

Among the casualties, 13 were reported in the northern region of the territory.

The Polish government said on Thursday it would ensure free participation in the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Nazi death camp for the highest representatives of Israel.

Polish President Andrzej Duda asked the government to ensure that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can choose to attend the anniversary without fear of arrest under an ICC warrant, a senior aide said earlier.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his ex-defence minister, as well as a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.

On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that Duda had written Prime Minister Donald Tusk saying Poland should ensure Netanyahu can be "unhindered" in attending the Jan. 27 Auschwitz commemoration given the event's exceptional nature.

Malgorzata Paprocka, the head of Duda's office, confirmed to state news agency PAP on Thursday that such a letter had been sent.

"In the opinion of the president, there is one issue - precisely because it is the Auschwitz camp, every person from Israel, every representative of the authorities of this country should have the opportunity to take part in this exceptional event," she said.

The government adopted a resolution on the issue on Thursday, but it does not refer directly to Netanyahu or the ICC arrest warrant.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday welcomed the "crucial election" by Lebanese lawmakers of army chief Joseph Aoun as president after a two-year vacuum at the top, calling his victory an opportunity for reform in the country.

"Congratulations to President Joseph Aoun on this crucial election," Macron wrote on X.

"It paves the way for reform and the restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty and prosperity," he added.

France's foreign ministry on Thursday urged the formation of a strong government, saying Aoun's election "opens a new page for the Lebanese.

"France has always stood by Lebanon and the Lebanese people. It will continue to do so," the ministry added.

Aoun said he would call for parliamentary consultations as soon as possible on naming a new prime minister and vowed the state would have a "monopoly on arms".

تهاني إلى الرئيس جوزيف عون لفوزه في هذه الانتخابات الهامّة، فهي تفسح المجال للإصلاح واستعادة سيادة الدولة وازدهار لبنان.

أيّها اللبنانيون، تقف فرنسا إلى جانبكم.

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) January 9, 2025

Egypt's foreign minister met a Palestine Liberation Organization delegation Thursday, calling for "unity" and the strengthening of the Palestinian Authority amid Israel's ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza.

During his meeting with the PLO delegation in Cairo, Badr Abdelatty "reaffirmed Egypt's supportive stance towards the Palestinian Authority", his office said in a statement.

The minister also reiterated "Egypt's rejection of any plans to displace Palestinians from their lands", it added.

Last month, Egypt hosted talks between rival Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas to discuss bringing post-war Gaza under PA control.

Fatah, which governs parts of the occupied West Bank under the PA, dominates both the PA and the PLO, an internationally recognised representative of the Palestinian people.

It has been excluded from Gaza since Hamas seized control in 2007.

On Thursday, Abdelatty also discussed with the PLO delegation Egypt's efforts to end the Gaza war, reach a ceasefire agreement and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been engaged in months of talks to cement a truce in Gaza, but so far to no avail.

Medical sources have reported that at least 16 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air raids across the Gaza Strip, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.

Updates on the situation will follow as more details emerge.

Qatar praised the election of Lebanese army chief Joseph Aoun as president on Thursday, calling for "stability" after the more than two year vacancy was filled.

"The State of Qatar welcomes the election of Lebanese army commander General Joseph Aoun," the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that it hoped his election would "contribute to establishing security and stability in Lebanon".

Two Palestinians were reportedly assaulted by Israeli forces at a military checkpoint in Hebron, near the Old City and the Ibrahimi Mosque, according to local sources cited by the Wafa news agency.

The men were stopped by soldiers at the checkpoint, taken inside, and subjected to severe physical assault, leaving them with injuries and bruises.

Medical teams from the Palestine Red Crescent Society transported the injured men to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Lebanese army chief Joseph Aoun was voted in as president on Thursday, saying in his inaugural speech that the country was entering a new era and vowing a state monopoly on arms.

"The speaker announces that the president is Joseph Aoun," parliament speaker Nabih Berri said, reporting that Aoun received 99 out of 128 votes after failing to reach a majority of 86 in a first round earlier in the day.

After the vote which ended a two-year vacancy at the top position, Aoun entered parliament to a round of applause, shaking lawmakers' hands, wearing a suit and tie, unlike his usual military garb.

He was immediately sworn in, and in his inaugural speech to parliament, he said: "My pledge to Lebanese wherever they are -- and may the whole world hear -- today, a new phase in Lebanon's history begins."

He said he would call for parliamentary consultations on naming a new prime minister "as soon as possible, in order to choose a prime minister who will be a partner and not an opponent", in a country where a caretaker government has long been at the helm.

He noted the importance of a choosing prime minister who can gain the confidence of the international community and carry out urgently needed reforms to help relaunch the battered economy.

Aoun also vowed that he would work "to affirm the state's right to a monopoly on the carrying of arms" after a devastating war between Israel and the Hezbollah group, and to work to "respect the truce" with Israel.

"I pledge to call for discussing a comprehensive defence strategy... on the diplomatic, economic and military levels that will enable the Lebanese state -- I repeat, the Lebanese state -- to remove the Israeli occupation and deter its aggression," Aoun said.

⚡️ The moment members of General Joseph Aoun's family arrived at the Parliament pic.twitter.com/3sLS2iCcHn

— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) January 9, 2025

Iran's embassy in Beirut welcomed on Thursday the election of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, expressing hopes for close cooperation between the two countries.

"We congratulate brotherly Lebanon for the election of General Joseph Aoun," said the embassy in a statement on X, adding that "we look forward to working together... and to cooperate in different fields in a way that serves the common interests for our countries."

US ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson said she was "very happy" over Lebanese army commander Joseph Aoun's election as president on Thursday, ending a more than two-year vacuum in the post.

Johnson and other foreign envoys had attended Thursday's session at the Lebanese parliament in which Aoun was elected.

Thousands of Syrians from ousted President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite community mourned on Thursday three civilians killed by foreign allies of the country's new authorities, a war monitor said.

Since Assad's ouster, violence against Alawites, long associated with his clan, has soared, with the monitor recording at least 148 killings.

"Thousands of mourners gathered at the funeral of three Alawite farmers from the same family, including one child, killed by foreign Islamist fighters allied to Syria's new authorities," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.

The civilians were killed on Wednesday in the village of Ain Sharqia, in the Alawite heartland of Latakia province, the Observatory said.

"Down with the factions," some of those in attendance chanted in reference to armed groups, according to footage shared by the monitor.

Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Observatory, told news agency AFP the mourners also demanded that Syria's new rulers free thousands of detained soldiers and conscripts.

The Alawite community was over-represented in the country's now-defunct armed forces.

On Tuesday, three Alawite clerics were also killed by unknown gunmen on the road from Tartus to Damascus, the monitor said.

Another cleric and his wife were found dead in the Hama countryside Thursday after they were abducted a day earlier.

Last month, angry protests broke out in Syria over a video showing an attack on an Alawite shrine, with the Observatory reporting one demonstrator killed in Homs city.

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar welcomed on Thursday the election of Lebanese army chief Joseph Aoun as Lebanon's president, expressing hope that it would help achieve stability.

"I hope that this choice will contribute towards stability, a better future for Lebanon and its people and to good neighbourly relations," Saar, whose country was at war with Lebanese armed group Hezbollah until late last year, said on X.

More than 50,000 Syrian refugees have left Turkey to return home in the month since the fall of strongman Bashar al-Assad, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Thursday.

"Over the course of a month, 52,622 Syrians went home," he told journalists at the Cilvegozu border crossing in the southern province of Hatay.

The number jumped by more than 20,000 since the previous update on December 27, when he gave a figure of 30,663.

Of the overall number, 41,437 had gone back with family members, while another 11,185 had returned alone, he said.

Turkey is home to nearly three million refugees who fled Syria after the civil war began in 2011.

With anti-Syrian sentiment running high within Turkish society, Ankara is keen to see as many refugees as possible return to their homeland.

Turkey shares a 900-kilometre (560-mile) border with Syria and has six operational crossings, one of which was reopened in the last month to help facilitate the refugees' return.

Last month, Yerlikaya said Turkey would open a "migration management" office in Aleppo, Syria's second city.

Around 1.24 million -- or some 42 percent -- of the Syrian refugees in Turkey hail from the Aleppo region, the interior ministry has said

Lebanese lawmakers elected army chief Joseph Aoun as head of state on Thursday, filling the vacant presidency with a general who enjoys U.S. approval and showing the diminished sway of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group after its devastating war with Israel.

Turkey is planning to start flights to Syria's Damascus in the coming days, Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said on Thursday.

"We are planning a flight from Turkey (to Damascus) in the coming days ... When the connection from Damascus to Istanbul is established, we will have solved a great need. Our efforts continue on this issue," Uraloglu said.

In an interview with Turkish broadcaster NTV, Uraloglu said the initial flights would be visually guided due to a lack of technology but regular flights connecting Istanbul to Damascus are planned after the radar system is operational at the airport. 

Palestinian security forces have arrested 247 people in its crackdown on armed groups at the Jenin refugee camp, a Palestinian Authority (PA) spokesperson said Thursday. 

The PA has been engaged in a military operation at the camp for more than a month to clamp down on the Jenin Brigades, further fueling tensions in the occupied West Bank.

Israel's extremist national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has ordered authorities to prioritise demolishing Palestinian homes that house families, according to Haaretz, a move that will accelerate the ongoing displacement of Palestinians.

"The greatest deterrence is to remove a family from the home," one of the Israeli newspaper's sources reported the Jewish Power leader as saying.

"Ben-Gvir is looking for provocation and chaos, that's what interests him," said another.

The number of Palestinian homes destroyed by Israel has sharply increased in recent months, with human rights monitors reporting that the number has doubled since the war in Gaza began.

Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 46,006 Palestinians and wounded 109,378 since October 7, 2023, the Palestinian enclave's health ministry said on Thursday.

Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri adjourned a session held on Thursday to elect a president for two hours of consultations, after a first round of voting failed to produce enough votes for Lebanese army commander Joseph Aoun.

Aoun needs 86 votes to be elected but received 71. Two political sources said he was likely to cross the 86-vote threshold in a second session on Thursday. 

Lebanese lawmakers began voting in a presidential election on Thursday, aiming to fill a post which has been vacant since 2022, with political sources expecting army commander General Joseph Aoun to be elected.

The election of Aoun, who heads Lebanon's US-backed military and enjoys Washington's approval, would show the diminished sway of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group after its devastating war with Israel.

Aoun requires the support of 86 of parliament's 128 lawmakers to be elected. A second round of voting will be held if no candidate secures victory in the first round.

The post, reserved for a Maronite Christian in Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system, has been vacant since Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022, with deeply divided factions unable to agree on a candidate able to win enough votes.

Pope Francis on Thursday stepped up his recent criticisms of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, calling the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave "very serious and shameful".

In a yearly address to diplomats delivered on his behalf by an aide, Francis appeared to reference deaths caused by winter cold in Gaza, where there is almost no electricity.

"We cannot in any way accept the bombing of civilians," the text said.

"We cannot accept that children are freezing to death because hospitals have been destroyed or a country's energy network has been hit."

The pope was present for the address but asked an aide to read it for him as he is recovering from a cold. 

Lebanon's lawmakers on Thursday began a session that could see army chief Joseph Aoun elected as president following a vacancy of more than two years, according to news agency AFP.

The 128-lawmaker chamber, which has failed to reach consensus a dozen times amid tensions between the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement and its opponents, started discussions at 11:00 am (0900 GMT).

The death toll from Israel’s assault on the Abu Kharouf family in the Nuseirat refugee camp has increased to four, according to the Wafa news agency.

The victims have been identified as Bassam Abu Kharouf and his three children.

The agency also reported that several individuals remain missing beneath the rubble, with rescue efforts ongoing.

The Israeli army is investigating whether Youssef Ziyadne, an Palestinian Bedouin citizen of Israel taken hostage to Gaza, was killed during a military operation.

His body was recovered from a tunnel in Rafah, located in southern Gaza, Israeli media reported on Wednesday.

Haaretz stated that Ziyadne’s body was discovered alongside the remains of Palestinian fighters, leading to suspicions that he may have been killed in an army strike.

Additionally, a second body, believed to be that of Ziyadne’s son, was also recovered from the same site.

Ziyadne is reportedly the 30th known hostage to have been taken alive into Gaza and subsequently killed there, according to Haaretz.

Ynet reported that his body was found in an area previously targeted by Israeli military operations but added that the army remains uncertain about the circumstances or timing of Ziyadne’s death.

Israeli forces raided the home of Jaafer Dababshe in the town of al-Badhan, northeast of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, just days after he was shot and killed.

According to the official Wafa news agency, soldiers entered the town at dawn, stormed Dababshe’s residence, and caused significant damage before withdrawing. Dababshe had been fatally shot earlier in the week by special forces outside his home.

Tensions have escalated in the occupied West Bank following the incident.

Israeli settlers launched attacks on Palestinian communities after the shooting organised by Dababshe, in which three Israelis were killed and eight others wounded near the illegal settlement of Kedumim.

The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, described Dababshe, aged 40, as a commander who "masterminded the heroic operation" in Qalqilya.

Battles between Turkish-backed groups, supported by air strikes, and Kurdish-led forces killed 37 people on Thursday in Syria's northern Manbij region, a war monitor said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported "fierce battles in the Manbij countryside... in the past hours between the (Kurdish-led) Syrian Democratic Forces and the (Turkish-backed) National Army factions... with Turkish air cover".

The monitor said the attacks "killed 37 people in a preliminary toll", mostly Turkish-backed combatants.

The Israeli military has confirmed the deaths of three soldiers during an operation in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza, on Wednesday.

The soldiers were identified as Staff Sgt. Matityahu Ya'akov Perel, 22, from Beit El; Staff Sgt. Kanaoo Kasa, 22, from Beit Shemesh; and Staff Sgt. Nevo Fisher, 20, from Bruchin.