January 16, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

Israel's war in Gaza has brought famine with "such incredible speed," the United Nations’ relief chief told CNN on Monday, as he warned that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are starving in the besieged enclave.

The "great majority" of 400,000 Gazans characterized by UN agencies as at risk of starving "are actually in famine, not just at risk of famine," UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths told CNN's Christiane Amanpour.

Aid has been trickling into Gaza slowly from two border crossings in the south.

Last week, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Israel had denied critical supplies from entering northern Gaza. But Israel has accused the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency of not doing enough and “stalling” the progress.

Griffiths told CNN Monday that work to provide humanitarian aid to 300,000 Gazans who remain in the north of the strip continues to be a challenge. 

More than 24,000 people have been killed in Gaza and more than 60,000 others injured since October 7, the Hamas-run Ministry of Health said Monday. Meanwhile, nearly 90% of Gaza's pre-war population has been displaced, according to the UN.

Griffiths warned Monday that the dire humanitarian situation in the enclave could create "generational hatred." 

"We worry for the security of Israel as much as the security of Gaza," he said.

An Israeli soldier was wounded during an exchange of fire along the southern border with Egypt after about 20 unidentified people, some of them armed, approached the boundary, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Monday.

In a social media post, IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the Israeli soldier was lightly wounded and treated in the hospital.

Several suspects were also hit in the incident near the border crossing at Nitzana, the IDF said. It did not provide further details.

There has been no immediate word from Egypt about the incident.

Earlier, Egyptian media reported that authorities had foiled a drug-smuggling operation at the same location, arresting six people, though it is not clear if the two incidents were linked.

Some context: Border relations between Israel and Egypt have been back in the spotlight after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he wanted to change arrangements along the border between Egypt and Gaza. After the war, Israel would control all access into Gaza to prevent weapons and other smuggling into the enclave, Netanyahu claimed.

In response, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said Cairo has maintained full control over the security of its borders.

Last week’s US-led airstrikes on Houthi rebel targets in Yemen destroyed less than a third of the Iranian proxy group’s overall offensive capabilities, a US official told CNN, with the group maintaining the majority of its ability to strike ships in the Red Sea.

Despite a barrage of strikes last week, including 150 precision-guided munitions fired at nearly 30 sites, the Houthis still have about three-quarters of their ability to target commercial vessels in international shipping lanes in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the official added.

That was apparent Monday, when a Houthi missile hit a US-owned cargo ship in the Red Sea, marking what appears to be the first time the militants have successfully struck a US-owned or operated ship.

Last week’s airstrike was a success as designed — the US destroyed or damaged 93% of the targets it had selected — but some US officials privately acknowledged that it did little to set back the Houthis’ ability to continue striking international shipping.

Read more about the tensions in the Red Sea.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday delivered remarks to mark 100 days since the October 7 attacks and the ensuing Israel-Hamas war.

Guterres didn't hold back on renouncing the horrific Hamas attacks, the unprecedented civilian casualties and catastrophic humanitarian conditions in Gaza since Israel launched war on Hamas, the taking of and the fate of the hostages in the enclave and the tensions spilling over across the region. 

He said the only solution is an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages in Gaza. Guterres also called for all accounts of sexual violence committed by Hamas and others on October 7 to be rigorously investigated and prosecuted. 

He added that the "onslaught on Gaza by Israeli forces over these 100 days has unleashed wholesale destruction and levels of civilian killings at a rate that is unprecedented during my years as Secretary-General." 

"Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people," he said.