Palestinian civilians must be allowed to return home, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says
From CNN’s Caitlin Danaher in London
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani attend a press conference in Doha, Qatar, on January 7. Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said Palestinian civilians must be allowed to “return home as soon as conditions allow” and "must not be pressed to leave Gaza" following comments from two far-right Israeli ministers.
Blinken made the comments during a press conference on Sunday with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha.
“They cannot and they must not be pressed to leave Gaza,” he said.
Blinken criticized “irresponsible” and “inflammatory” statements made by Israeli ministers and lawmakers calling for a resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza. He did not specifically name the Israeli ministers who made the comments.
Key context: Blinken's comments come after Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir sparked outrage when both far-right ministers made comments advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said on Sunday the resettlement of Palestinians out of Gaza is “outright, officially and unequivocally” not Israel’s position.
Additional reporting from CNN's Niamh Kennedy in London.
3:40 a.m. ET, January 8, 2024
WHO chief says key Gaza hospital "must remain functional" after medical providers withdraw
From CNN’s Duarte Mendonca
Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends an ACANU briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, on December 15. Denis Balibouse/Reuters
A key hospital in central Gaza "must remain functional," the head of the World Health Organization said Sunday, after several aid organizations withdrew medical staff from the facility citing increased Israeli military activity in the area.
In a statement, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Al-Aqsa Hospital in the city of Deir al-Balah is “the most important hospital remaining in Gaza’s Middle Area,” and demanded the facility, its staff, patients and the families located on its premises be protected from ongoing hostilities.
“Three months into this conflict, it is inconceivable that this most essential need — the protection of health care — is not assured,” he said.
Aid groups Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) and the emergency medical team of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) on Sunday announced their withdrawal from Al-Aqsa Hospital after the Israeli military dropped flyers on central Gaza ordering Palestinians to evacuate to "shelters" in thearea. Doctors Without Borders on Saturday said it would evacuate its staff working at Al-Aqsa due to artillery fire in the area.
No hospitals are fully functioning in northern Gaza and only “a mere handful” of health facilities elsewhere in the territory were operational, Tedros said in his statement.
He said representatives from WHO and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs who visited Al-Aqsa Hospital on Sunday saw large numbers of wounded people being brought in for urgent treatment.
“WHO staff saw sickening scenes of people of all ages being treated on blood-streaked floors and in chaotic corridors. An unidentified child laid dead, partially covered by a sheet, on a bed. Other injured were prostrate on the floor, being stepped over by the health staff and families,” the statement said.
Tedros said evacuation orders and lack of safety had forced most medical staff to leave. “Tonight’s reports indicate that only 5 doctors remain. Hospital management said health workers had no food,” he said.
CNN is not able to independently confirm the details of his statement. The Israel Defense Forces have said they do not generally target medical facilities but have accused Hamas of using them as cover for military activity and reserve the right to strike them if so.
Tedros said WHO was planning to facilitate the deployment of an emergency medical team to support the overstretched doctors and nurses of Al-Aqsa but that it would only be possible in a secure environment.
12:05 a.m. ET, January 8, 2024
Blinken says he's focused on preventing wider conflict in the Middle East. Here's what you should know
From CNN staff
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday said he's focused on preventing a wider conflict during a moment of "profound tension" in the Middle East, as he shuttles between capitals on his latest visit to the region since October 7.
“We have been intensely focused on working to prevent the conflict from spreading," Blinken said in Doha Sunday after meeting with Qatar's prime minister.
The top US diplomat will be the latest in a long parade of Biden national security officials to meet face to face with the Israeli government when he arrives in Tel Aviv this week. It's part of what US officials say is a constant effort to stay in touch with — and in front of — Israeli officials in an attempt to keep Israel’s war machine in check as the conflict drags on.
At least 22,835 Palestinians have been killed and 58,416 others injured in Gaza since October 7, the Hamas-run Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Sunday.
CNN is not able to independently verify the numbers released by the ministry.
Here are the latest updates:
Children maimed: More than 10 children on average have lost one or both of their legs every day in Gaza since October 7, while many of the amputations are conducted without anesthetic, Save the Children said Sunday, referencing UN statistics. Jason Lee, the charity's director for the occupied Palestinian territory, said the "suffering of children in this conflict is unimaginable and even more so because it is unnecessary and completely avoidable."
West Bank killings: Seven Palestinian men were killed in an Israeli airstrike near Jenin in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said Sunday. Israel confirmed the strike, calling the men "terrorists." Four of the dead were brothers, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA. The IDF did not say why they had categorized them as "terrorists."
Child killed: A 3-year-old Palestinian girl was shot and killed as Israeli forces fired at a vehicle that attacked a military checkpoint in the occupied West Bank, according to police and emergency services. Israeli police said a man and a woman were shot and killed after they attacked border police. The girl was fatally wounded while traveling in a different vehicle.
Aid workers leave: Two medical aid groups on Sunday announced their withdrawal from Al Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, citing increased Israeli military activity in the area. Medical Aid for Palestinians and the International Rescue Committee said they were pulling out after the Israeli military ordered Palestinians to evacuate to "shelters" in the area. "Given the recent history of attacks on medical staff and facilities in Gaza, the team is unable to return," the IRC said.
Post-war Gaza stance: The resettlement of Palestinians out of Gaza is "outright, officially and unequivocally" not Israel’s position, Israeli President Isaac Herzog told NBC on Sunday. It comes after some Israeli cabinet members called for the forced displacement of Palestinians from the enclave. Almost 90% of Gaza’s more than 2 million population has been forcibly displaced due to Israel’s war on Hamas, according to the UN.
Hostage talks: The recent killing of a senior Hamas leader could affect "complicated" ongoing negotiations to secure the release of hostages held by the militant group in Gaza, Qatar's prime minister said. Israel carried out the strike last Tuesday in Beirut that killed senior Hamas leader Saleh Al-Arouri, a US official previously told CNN. Israel did not claim responsibility.
12:28 a.m. ET, January 8, 2024
Killing of Hamas leader could affect "complicated" hostage negotiations, Qatari Prime Minister says
From CNN’s Mitchell McCluskey
Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani speaks during a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday. Karim Jaafar/AFP/Getty Images
The recent killing of a senior Hamas leader could affect ongoing negotiations to secure the release of hostages held by the militant group in Gaza, Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said.
At a joint news conference in Doha Sunday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Al-Thani was asked whether Arouri's death could impact talks to free the more than 100 hostages believed to still be held in Gaza following the October 7 attacks.
"Of course, having one of the senior leaders of Hamas being killed is something that can affect such a complicated process," Al-Thani said.
Qatar has played a central role in mediating hostage negotiations. And despite the challenges, the negotiation process is continuing, Al-Thani said.
"We are not giving up; we are moving forward. We are continuing our discussions with the parties and trying to achieve as soon as possible an agreement that can bring assistance for humanitarian relief and the release of the hostages," he said.
9:30 p.m. ET, January 7, 2024
Medical providers announce withdrawal from central Gaza hospital due to Israeli military activity
From CNN's Mitchell McCluskey
Two medical aid groups on Sunday announced their withdrawal from a central Gaza hospital, citing increased Israeli military activity in the area.
In a statement, the International Rescue Committee said its emergency medical team was "forced to withdraw" from Al Aqsa Hospital in the city of Deir al-Balah after the Israeli military dropped flyers on central Gaza ordering Palestinians to evacuate to "shelters" in thearea.
"Given the recent history of attacks on medical staff and facilities in Gaza, the team is unable to return," the IRC said.
The IRC team had provided vital services at the hospital, such as the treatment of trauma injuries, the release said.
“The amount of injuries being brought in over the last few days has been horrific, and with a huge reduction in the number of staff able to come to the hospital there is even less capacity for treating them," said Professor Nick Maynard, a surgeon and clinical lead for the team. "There are patients clearly dying in the emergency department who could be saved if there were enough staff."
CNN is not able to independently confirm this statement.
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) also said it was withdrawing from Al Aqsa hospital. It comes after Doctors Without Borders on Saturday said it would evacuate its staff and their families from the facility.
MAP and the IRC said they were "deeply appalled" their teams hadto pull out of the hospital and would work to identify alternate locations to provide health care to civilians.
“The dismantling of health services witnessed in the north must not be repeated in the middle and south of Gaza,” the release said.
12:34 a.m. ET, January 8, 2024
Qatar talks focused on preventing wider conflict, Blinken says
From CNN’s Aileen Graef
Antony Blinken arrives in Abu Dhabi on January 7. Evelyn Hockstein/AFP/Getty Images
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he’s focused on preventing a wider conflict during a moment of "profound tension" in the Middle East that could "easily metastasize."
"We have been intensely focused on working to prevent the conflict from spreading," Blinken said Sunday during a news conference in Doha with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.
Al-Thani also warned of an escalation of conflicts in the region and specifically condemned recent strikes in Beirut and Syria.
“Recent events that we have witnessed within Lebanon or Syria, unfortunately, are a violation to the sovereignty of those countries and we can see also continuous violations. Our main target or purpose is to stop this war and to avoid the bigger escalation in the region,” he said.
Al-Thani reiterated his calls for a ceasefire and said it would have a “positive implication” on the region.
Blinken skirted a question about whether Arab countries were correct in calling for a ceasefire. He said the US wanted to ensure the October 7 attacks would not happen again, which "means dealing with the threat that Hamas continues to pose.”
“But as we've made clear also from day one, it's imperative that in dealing with this very, very difficult challenge, that it do so in a way that puts a premium on protecting civilians. Making sure that people get the assistance they need,” Blinken added, speaking of Israel’s war against Hamas.
In response to a question about whether the US should make providing weapons to Israel conditional, Blinken said they will continue to make sure any US military assistance is used in accordance with international law.
8:15 p.m. ET, January 7, 2024
Child killed in Israeli police response to vehicle attack at West Bank checkpoint, authorities say
From CNN's Ibrahim Hazboun
A 3-year-old Palestinian girl was shot and killed as Israeli forces fired at a vehicle that attacked a military checkpoint in the occupied West Bank, according to police and emergency services.
Israeli police said a man and a woman were shot and killed after they attacked border police Sunday at the Ras Bidu military checkpoint about 10 kilometers (6 miles) northwest of Jerusalem.
As police shot at the attackers, the girl was hit while traveling in a different vehicle.
Magen David Adom, from Israel’s emergency medical service, said the unconscious child was brought to their team and pronounced dead after medical examinations.
Two other people were injured in the incident, including a 20-year-old woman, Israel’s emergency medical service said.
CNN’s Amir Tal in Jerusalem contributed reporting to this post.
12:36 a.m. ET, January 8, 2024
More than 10 children lose one or both legs in Gaza every day, Save the Children says
From CNN's Radina Gigova
More than 10 children on average have lost one or both of their legs every day in Gaza since October 7, with many amputations performed without anesthesia, a charity said Sunday, underscoring the dire humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave following more than three months of Israeli bombardment.
In a statement citing United Nations statistics, Save the Children’s director for the occupied Palestinian territory, Jason Lee, said the “suffering of children in this conflict is unimaginable and even more so because it is unnecessary and completely avoidable.”
“The killing and maiming of children is condemned as a grave violation against children, and perpetrators must be held to account,” he said.
Save the Children referenced remarks from UNICEF spokesperson James Elder, who after returning from Gaza, said on December 19 that around 1,000 children had lost one or both of their legs since October 7, when Hamas launched its attack on Israel and war broke out.
The charity also cited a World Health Organization statement in which the agency said many of these operations on children were conducted without anesthesia, given the severe shortages in medical supplies and basic goods in Gaza.
Lee said he had seen “doctors and nurses completely overwhelmed” when children are brought in with blast wounds.
“The impact of seeing children in that much pain and not having the equipment, medicines to treat them or alleviate pain is too much for even experienced professionals,” he said.
Blinken aims to sustain US pressure on Israel in high-stakes visit as Middle East tensions soar
From CNN's Alex Marquardt and Jennifer Hansler
Antony Blinken boards his aircraft plane as he departs Doha for Abu Dhabi on January 7. Evelyn Hockstein/AFP/Getty Images
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be the latest in a long parade of Biden national security officials to meet face to face with the Israeli government when he arrives in Tel Aviv this week for his fifth visit since the October 7 attack by Hamas.
Blinken’s meetings in Israel, one of nine stops on a frenetic, weeklong crisscrossing of the region, are part of what US officials say is a constant effort to stay in touch with — and in front of — Israeli officials in an attempt to keep Israel’s war machine in check as the conflict drags on.
“What happens is you get in a room and say, ‘This is what we need to see,’” a US official told CNN, noting that breakthroughs with Israel have typically occurred after a visit by Blinken or a call from President Joe Biden. Sometimes the Israelis agree with what the US says, the official said, and sometimes they don’t and negotiations ensue.
There are “at least a dozen live issues we are pushing for,” the official told CNN, including protecting Palestinian civilians amid a skyrocketing death toll as well as creating conditions to allow desperately needed aid to get where it is required most.
Shifts by Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu’s government have been slow and incremental, and US officials have acknowledged that “gaps” remain between what they claim are Israel’s intentions and what has played out.
“We don’t tell Israel what to do, but at the same time, as close allies, these are tough conversations that you can only have as friends where you ask the hard questions,” a second US official told CNN. “You ask, ‘Well, what is your objective? What is your angle? How do you intend to achieve it? What do you think is realistic? Have you considered this, have you considered that?’”
The stakes of Blinken’s fifth trip are high as America’s allies that stood behind Israel at the start of the war have grown critical as the civilian toll in Gaza rises. Those partners will be looking for evidence Israel is listening to the US, and, as tensions skyrocket in the region, allies are hoping Blinken can ensure Israel has a viable plan to end the war amid concerns over a wider conflict.
