January 26, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

Our live coverage of Israel’s war against Hamas has moved here.

The United States struck and destroyed a Houthi anti-ship missile that was aimed into the Red Sea and prepared for launch, US Central Command said. 

“US Forces identified the missile in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, and determined it presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region,” Central Command said.
“US Forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missile in self-defense.”

Meanwhile, NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) said Friday it had detected a still continuing blaze in the middle of Gulf of Aden near to the last known location of the Marlin Luanda oil tanker.

The tanker went up in flames earlier Friday after being hit by a missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthis.

Adonia Ayebare speaks during the opening of the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in Kampala, Uganda on January 15, 2024.

The Ugandan government said a Ugandan judge who dissented on all provisional measures sought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) does not represent the country.

Julia Sebutinde was the only one of the court’s 17 judges to vote against all the provisional measures against Israel announced by the court on Friday. Even Israeli Judge Aharon Barak voted in favor of two measures – delivering aid to Gaza and punishing public incitement to violence. 

But Judge Sebutinde wrote in her dissenting opinion that the orders were not warranted as the ICJ’s jurisdiction “is limited to the Genocide Convention and does not extend to alleged breaches of international humanitarian law.”

Adonia Ayebare, Uganda’s permanent representative to the United Nations, responded on his X account as social media outrage grew. 

“Justice Sebutinde ruling at the International Court of Justice does not represent the government of Uganda’s position on the situation in Palestine,” the ambassador wrote. “Uganda’s support for the plight of the Palestinian people has been expressed through Uganda’s voting pattern at the United Nations.”

Judge Sebutinde believes the conflict requires a diplomatic or negotiated settlement so that Israeli and Palestinian people can coexist peacefully. 

Judge Sebutinde was elected to the ICJ in 2012 and is the first African woman to sit on the international court.

An oil tanker went up in flames in the Gulf of Aden after being hit by a missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group Friday.

The Houthis say they are retaliating for recent strikes on their infrastructure in Yemen by the US and UK militaries. Those attacks have been aimed at stopping the Houthis from disrupting global shipping in the region.

It all stems from Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza: The Houthis say their actions are aimed at pressuring Israel to stop its ground offensive and widespread bombardment of the Palestinian enclave.

The US sent a destroyer — which had itself been the target of Houthi fire Friday, according to US Central command — to respond to the commercial ship’s distress call.

It’s just the latest example of flaring tensions in the Middle East, where world leaders are trying to contain the ripple effects of the war in Gaza.

Here’s what else to know today:

Allegations against UN workers in Gaza: Israel’s foreign ministry said it expects the main United Nations relief agency in Gaza to conduct an urgent internal investigation after it fired staff members allegedly involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack against Israel.

Israel has shared all the information it has about the 12 staffers at the center of the stunning allegations with both the US and UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), an Israeli official told CNN Friday.

The head of the UNRWA had previously vowed to probe the claims. The allegations have jeopardized the group’s ability to offer desperately needed humanitarian aid in the enclave.

Growing pressure to free hostages: There are no “imminent developments” on an agreement to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, the US says, even as it orchestrates a flurry of diplomatic efforts to reach a deal.

The White House coordinator for the Middle East wrapped up meetings in the region Friday, while CIA Director Bill Burns is set to meet in the coming days with Israel and Egypt’s intelligence chiefs and the Qatari prime minister to discuss a deal.

Hamas, meanwhile, released a heavily edited video showing three female hostages, in an apparent attempt to ramp up pressure on Israeli leaders.

Deteriorating conditions for Gaza medical workers: Vital medical services “have collapsed” at Nasser Hospital, the largest functioning hospital in the Gaza Strip, according to Doctors Without Borders. Intense fighting around the hospital has made it perilous to resupply the medical center.

Fewer than half of Gaza’s hospitals are still partially functioning, the UN said Thursday. Those that remain open face shortages of staff, basic medical supplies, fuel, food and drinking water.

Today’s ruling by the UN’s top court: The UN secretary-general said he hopes Israel will comply with today’s order from the International Court of Justice, which called on the country to prevent a genocide in Gaza, but stopped short of calling for a ceasefire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the ruling as a rejection of what he called “discrimination” against his country, while the Palestinian Authority and South Africa said it represented a victory for human rights.

Vital medical services “have collapsed” at Nasser Hospital, which is the largest functioning hospital in the Gaza Strip, according to Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

“The [Nasser] hospital’s surgical capacity is now almost non-existent, and the handful of medical staff remaining in the hospital must contend with very low supplies that are insufficient to handle mass casualty events — large influxes of wounded people,” MSF said in a statement on Friday, adding that at least one patient died on Wednesday because there was no orthopedic surgeon available.

The World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said access to resupply the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis “remains challenging” due to intense fighting in the vicinity.

“[H]undreds of patients and health workers have fled,” he said in a statement on Friday. “Currently 350 patients and 5000 displaced people remain at the hospital.”

Earlier on Friday, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said “fragments of shrapnel” were going through the walls of their headquarters at the Al-Amal Hospital building in Khan Younis, which the aid agency said was surrounded by Israeli tanks.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said Hamas was operating from inside the Al-Amal and Nasser hospitals. CNN cannot independently verify those claims.

CNN’s Celine Alkhaldi and Abeer Salman contributed to this report.

The Marlin Luanda oil tanker is on fire in the Gulf of Aden after it was struck by a missile, the commodities group Trafigura, said on Friday.

“Earlier on 26th January, the Marlin Luanda, a petroleum products tanker vessel operated on behalf of Trafigura, was struck by a missile in the Gulf of Aden after transiting the Red Sea,” the statement said. “Firefighting equipment on board is being deployed to suppress and control the fire caused in one cargo tank on the starboard side.”

Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in a statement they fired missiles toward the “British oil tanker” in response to the “American-British aggression against our country (Yemen)” and in support of the Palestinian people. 

Trafigura, which has offices in Britain, said it is monitoring the situation and that military ships in the region are headed to provide assistance.

A US destroyer, the USS Carney, is among the vessels responding to the distress call, according to a US official. The Carney shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Houthis toward the destroyer earlier Friday, according to US Central Command.

The British government has yet to comment on the attack.

This post has been updated to note that a US destroyer is responding to the commercial vessel’s distress call.

CNN’s Oren Liebermann and Haley Britzky contributed to this report.

This picture taken during a media tour organized by the Israeli military on January 8, shows a soldier standing at the entrance of a tunnel in al-Bureij central Gaza.

Israeli Master Sgt. Omri Erental was kneeling at the mouth of a tunnel shaft in Gaza, standing guard while waiting for a specialized unit to arrive, when he suddenly spotted movement down below.

Other soldiers in his Israel Defense Forces combat engineering unit had already thrown two grenades into the tunnel shaft, so Erental turned his flashlight on.

He then felt a hammer-like impact, as if “hot lava just punched into my face,” he recalled.

The impact was a 7.62-millimeter bullet that pierced his cheek and took out a fragment of his jaw, before lodging in his neck – very close to critical nerves and arteries, according to Erental and his doctor. As Erental crawled back to safety, his fellow soldiers killed the militant who shot him from inside the tunnel, he said. 

Exposing tunnels is central to the Israeli military’s campaign against Hamas in the Palestinian enclave, but the work presents big challenges and dangers. Israel uses enormous bunker-busting bombs to penetrate deep underground, targeting what it says are Hamas command centers and fighters – but these often leave gaping craters where civilian buildings once stood and can kill large numbers of civilians.

Members of Israel’s combat engineering forces also send drones, dogs and sometimes troops deep into booby-trapped tunnels in order to clear them of Hamas fighters, uncover potentially useful intelligence, and then ultimately detonate them.

Brig. Gen. Nitzan Nuriel (Res.), a former member of Israel’s national security council, estimates Israel has only discovered about 60% of the hundreds of miles of tunnels below Gaza and has detonated about 20.

Israeli officials believe that many Hamas fighters — including Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar — are surviving in sophisticated tunnels equipped with electricity, bathrooms and stocks of food and water. They could last in the underground shelters for up to two months, Nuriel predicts.

Watch Jeremy Diamond’s report:

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03:09 - Source: cnn

Antonio Guterres speaks during United Nations Holocaust Memorial Ceremony in observance of the International Day of Commemoration, at UN Headquarters in New York on January 26, 2024.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Friday that he hopes Israel will comply with Friday’s ruling from the UN’s top court, the International Court of Justice, ordering the country to take action to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza. 

In a statement from the UN chief’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, Guterres reiterated the legally binding nature of ICJ decisions, adding that he trusts “that all parties will duly comply with the Order from the Court.” 

The UN chief has repeatedly called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, expressing deep concern about the high reported number of civilian casualties and the “catastrophic” humanitarian situation in the enclave. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier hailed the preliminary ruling on South Africa’s accusation of genocide as a rejection of discrimination against his country. 

Israel’s foreign ministry said it is expecting the main United Nations relief agency in Gaza to conduct an urgent internal investigation after it fired staff members allegedly involved in the brutal and deadly October 7, 2023, Hamas attack against Israel.

“It is important that UNRWA conduct a thorough in-house check on the activity of Hamas and other terrorist factors in its ranks in order to ensure the organization’s humanitarian activity is not taken advantage of,” the foreign ministry said Friday. 

CNN reached out to UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East, for details about the nature of the alleged involvement and what information Israeli authorities shared with the agency, but they had no additional information to share.

UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said an investigation is being launched, and anyone involved will be held accountable, “including through criminal prosecution.”

A new video released by Hamas’ militant wing, Al Qassam Brigades, shows three female Israeli hostages in an apparent attempt to ramp up pressure on Israeli leaders amid reports of a hostage deal being on the table. 

The video, released on Telegram, opens with an animation of an hourglass with the three women’s pictures on it, and text reading, “Time is running out, more than 107 days have passed, before it is too late.” Then, there are heavily edited clips of each of the three hostages speaking.

Nineteen-year-old soldiers Karina Ariev and Daniel Gilboa, and 30-year-old Doron Steinbrecher call on the Israeli government for their release and are likely speaking under duress. 

This latest video, like previous hostage videos from the militant group, is highly produced and edited with jump cuts connecting soundbites from the hostages together. The videos also include dramatized sound effects, transitions and graphics — an example of Hamas’ tactics involving using hostages as leverage and taunting the captives’ families, in what the Israeli military has previously referred to as “psychological torment.”

CNN is not airing the video, and it is not immediately possible to verify when and where it was filmed.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, next to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, speaks to reporters at a White House briefing on Friday.

There are no “imminent developments” on an agreement to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, the White House says, even amid a flurry of diplomatic efforts to reach a deal.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby described ongoing talks as productive but not yet reaching the point of success.

He said on Friday, Biden had spoken to Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi as well as Qatar’s emir to discuss ongoing hostage talks and that the US is doing “everything we can to facilitate another hostage deal just like we did back in November.”

Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East, was returning to Washington on Friday from meetings in the region, Kirby said. He described those talks as a “good set of discussions.”

Judges at the International Court of Justice issue a ruling Friday in The Hague, Netherlands.

The 17-judge panel of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued emergency measures ordering Israel to “take all measures within its power” to prevent acts that could fall foul of the Genocide Convention.

It comes as at least 26,083 people have been killed and 64,000 injured by Israeli attacks in Gaza since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said Friday. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Here’s more about the preliminary ruling and other latest news from the war in Gaza:

What UN’s top court ordered: The ICJ made a preliminary ruling with six emergency measures in the genocide case South Africa filed against Israel. It said Israel must “ensure with immediate effect that its military does not commit any acts” that could go against the Genocide Convention. The court’s decisions are binding and cannot be appealed, but it has no way of enforcing them.

The reaction from involved parties: Israel, South Africa and Palestinians welcomed the ruling, even though no one got what they asked for. It rejected Israel’s request for the case to be thrown out, but it also stopped short of ordering Israel to halt the war as South Africa has asked. A number of countries in the Middle East — including Qatar, Jordan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt — also said they approved of the ruling.

US pauses funding to main UN relief agency in Gaza: The US State Department “has temporarily paused additional funding” to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East amid allegations that some of the UN agency’s employees were involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, spokesperson Matt Miller announced Friday. The commissioner general of the agency terminated the contracts of the individuals in question and said they will be investigated.

Meanwhile, in Gaza: Israel’s siege on hospitals in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis continued for the fifth day, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, aid workers and doctors, as the Israel Defense Forces said that Hamas militants were operating in them. The IDF had issued an evacuation call, but eyewitnesses say that civilians were shot at whenever they tried moving locations. In a video obtained by CNN, Mohammaed El Helo, a journalist in Khan Younis, is seen running while carrying a bleeding man on his shoulders. Israeli forces “don’t distinguish between one and another. They target everybody,” he said.

And in Israel, Netanyahu faces domestic opposition: More than 40 senior former Israeli national security officials, celebrated scientists and prominent business leaders have sent a letter to Israel’s president and speaker of parliament demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be removed from office for posing what they say is an “existential” threat to the country. They say Netanyahu is responsible for “creating the circumstances” that led to the massacre in Israel on October 7. “The victim’s blood is on Netanyahu’s hands,” the letter reads. It comes as other political figures have also called for fresh elections, saying the public has no trust in its government.

Efforts to release hostages: US President Joe Biden has deployed his point person on hostage talks to Europe for multiparty talks on the contours of a possible agreement — the latest in a spate of recent diplomatic efforts to free the more than 100 hostages held in Gaza while brokering a prolonged pause in fighting. CIA Director Bill Burns’ meetings over the coming days with the Israeli and Egyptian intelligence chiefs and the Qatari prime minister are a sign of ongoing progress as the White House presses for a deal. However, officials voiced caution that discussions so far have been volatile, and that hurdles remain in coming to a deal that all sides can agree on.

The US State Department said Friday’s International Court of Justice ruling is consistent with the Biden administration’s position that Israel must do more to protect civilians. 

“We have consistently made clear that Israel must take all possible steps to minimize civilian harm, increase the flow of humanitarian assistance, and address dehumanizing rhetoric,” a state department spokesperson said.

The ruling is also in line with the US view that Israel has a right to defend itself and “to take action to ensure the terrorist attacks of October 7 cannot be repeated, in accordance with international law,” according to the spokesperson.

The official added that the US maintains “that allegations of genocide are unfounded and note the court did not make a finding about genocide or call for a ceasefire in its ruling and that it called for the unconditional, immediate release of all hostages being held by Hamas.”

The Palestinian militant group Hamas welcomed the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its ruling on South Africa’s request to impose emergency measures against Israel over its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement on Friday, Hamas urged the international community to enforce the court’s decisions, demanding a cessation of the “crime of genocide” against the Palestinian people.

Friday’s decision by the ICJ is not a ruling on whether Israel’s actions constitute genocide. 

The ICJ also said on Friday it is necessary to reaffirm that all parties to the conflict in Gaza are bound by international humanitarian law and has called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. 

Judges are seen at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, on Friday.

A historic ruling by the United Nations’ top court in a genocide case against Israel on Friday was welcomed by the three main parties it involved: Israel, South Africa and the Palestinians. But at the same time, no one got what they asked for.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague, the Netherlands, ordered Israel to “take all measures” to prevent genocide in Gaza after South Africa accused Israel of violating international laws on genocide in its war in the territory.

ICJ ruling: It rejected Israel’s request for the case to be thrown out, but it also stopped short of ordering Israel to halt the war as South Africa has asked.

“I would have wanted a ceasefire,” said South African foreign minister Naledi Pandor after the ruling in The Hague. She said that she was still satisfied with the outcome.

Many Israelis hailed the ruling on Friday as a win for the Jewish state. Eylon Levy, an Israeli government spokesperson, said the court “dismissed (South Africa’s) ridiculous demand to tell Israel to stop defending its people and fighting for the hostages.” Avi Mayer, the former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post called it “a devastating blow to those accusing the Jewish state of ‘genocide.’”

Shelly Aviv Yeini, head of the international law department at Israel’s Haifa University, called the ruling an “expected outcome, and something that Israel will be able to comply with.” She said Israel would have “struggled to live” with a ceasefire order that doesn’t guarantee the return of the captives.

CIA Director Bill Burns is traveling to Europe for key talks on a possible hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.

Efforts to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza and broker a prolonged pause in fighting are at an important juncture as US President Joe Biden deploys his point person on hostage talks to Europe for multiparty talks on the contours of a possible agreement.

CIA Director Bill Burns’ meetings over the coming days with the Israeli and Egyptian intelligence chiefs and the Qatari prime minister are a sign of ongoing progress as the White House presses for a deal.

Whether they prove decisive in striking an agreement remains to be seen, and officials voiced caution that discussions so far have been volatile, and that hurdles remain in coming to a deal that all sides can agree on.

The talks are the latest in a spate of recent diplomatic efforts to free the more than 100 remaining hostages while moving toward a more prolonged cessation of hostilities. The flurry of activity amounts to the most intensive effort in months to strike an agreement that could significantly alter the trajectory of the war in Gaza.

US officials are now hopeful for a much longer cessation in the fighting, believing it could provide space for more humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza as well as continued discussions about the future of Israel’s campaign against Hamas and the future of Gaza.

The CIA declined to comment on Burns’ travel.

Read more about the efforts and obstacles.

CNN’s Katie Bo Lillis contributed reporting.

Smoke billows over Khan Younis, Gaza, on Wednesday.

An Israeli military siege on hospitals in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis is now in its fifth day, said Dr. Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesperson for the Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry. The Israel Defense Forces said Friday their intelligence indicated that “Hamas terrorists” were operating from inside the Al-Amal and Nasser hospitals.

Here’s the situation on the ground:

Al-Amal Hospital: “Fragments of shrapnel” are going through the walls of the Al-Amal Hospital building, which is surrounded by Israeli tanks, according to the Palestine Red Crescent, the aid agency that is also headquartered at the hospital. A house just outside the eastern gate of the Al-Amal hospital was targeted by the Israeli military, PRCS said, causing “extensive material damage” to the hospital building. 

Nasser Hospital: Most doctors have left the facility — only 12 surgeons and some other medical staff remain, Dr. Ahmad Moghrabi said in a video statement from the hospital. “What is going on at the hospital is a real horror. There is shelling all around, gunshot sounds,” he said. It has completely run out of food, anesthetics and painkillers, the health ministry spokesperson Qudra said. There are 150 health workers, 350 patients and hundreds of displaced people there now, he added.

What footage shows: In a video obtained and geolocated by CNN, several people — some injured — are carrying their belongings and appear to be scrambling to leave the premises of Nasser Hospital, fearing an imminent attack after the evacuation order, which was issued by the Israeli army on Friday. The calls for evacuation included residents of several neighborhoods west of the city of Khan Younis. They were asked to go to the nearby coastal area of Al-Mawasi.

What eyewitnesses say: Eyewitnesses in Khan Younis said they were shot at whenever they tried moving locations. Mohammaed El Helo, a journalist in Khan Younis, said Friday in a video obtained by CNN that the Israeli military is “hitting civilians directly and in a systemic way as they cross the safe corridor.” El Helo is seen running in the video, carrying a bleeding man on his shoulders. Around him are hundreds of people also running and searching for safety. El Helo said Israeli forces “don’t distinguish between one and another. They target everybody.”

What the IDF says: The IDF has not responded to CNN’s request for comment on the claims made by health officials and eyewitnesses in Khan Younis, including allegations they have shot at civilians. In a statement Friday, the IDF said it is carrying out “precise operations” against Hamas in Khan Younis, and that it is liaising with hospital directors in Khan Younis to ensure the hospitals remain operational.  

A man walks past the United Nations Relief and Works Agency building in Gaza City in January 2023.

The US State Department “has temporarily paused additional funding” to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East amid allegations that some of the UN agency’s employees were involved in the Hamas attack on Israel, spokesperson Matt Miller announced Friday.

“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on January 25 to emphasize the necessity of a thorough and swift investigation of this matter,” Miller said in a statement. 

“We welcome the decision to conduct such an investigation and Secretary General Guterres’ pledge to take decisive action to respond, should the allegations prove accurate,” he continued. 

Miller said the US has contacted the Israeli government for more information about the allegations and has briefed members of Congress. The department also welcomed “the UN’s announcement of a ‘comprehensive and independent’ review of UNRWA,” Miller said.

“UNRWA plays a critical role in providing lifesaving assistance to Palestinians, including essential food, medicine, shelter, and other vital humanitarian support,” he said. “Their work has saved lives, and it is important that UNRWA address these allegations and take any appropriate corrective measures, including reviewing its existing policies and procedures.”

Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant thanked the US for holding the UN agency “accountable,” and said “major changes” need to take place now to ensure that “international efforts, funds, and humanitarian initiatives” do not bolster Hamas. 

This post has been updated with additional information from Gallant.

CNN’s Lauren Iszo and Niamh Kennedy contributed reporting to this post.

Philippe Lazzarini speaks during a news conference in May 2021.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East’s commissioner general announced Friday that he was “immediately” terminating the contracts of staff members allegedly involved in the October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel.

“The Israeli Authorities have provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks on Israel on 7 October,” Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement Friday, adding that he has made the decision in order to protect the agency’s ability to deliver humanitarian aid.

Lazzarini said an investigation is being launched into the alleged involvement of the employees and those involved will be held accountable “including through criminal prosecution.”

“These shocking allegations come as more than 2 million people in Gaza depend on lifesaving assistance that the Agency has been providing since the war began,” he said, “Anyone who betrays the fundamental values of the United Nations also betrays those whom we serve in Gaza, across the region and elsewhere around the world.”

CNN has reached out to UNRWA and the Israeli authorities about the information Israel provided UNRWA and the nature of the alleged involvement of the UNRWA employees.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged allies of Israel to secure the country’s compliance with the “watershed ruling” by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday, which ordered Israel must act immediately to prevent genocide in Gaza amid its military campaign.

“The court’s clear and binding orders raise the stakes for Israel’s allies to back up their stated commitment to a global rules-based order,” Balkees Jarrah, associate international justice director at HRW said on Friday. 

The advocacy group called on leaders in a statement to “urgently use their leverage to ensure that the order is enforced,” adding the scale of civilian suffering by Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave “demands nothing less.” 

“The World Court’s landmark decision puts Israel and its allies on notice that immediate action is needed to prevent genocide and further atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza,” added Jarrah.

The statement stressed the ICJ’s “speedy ruling” is a recognition of the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Remember: Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 26,083 Palestinians since October 7, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, as allies warn against the mounting death toll.

Israel launched its military campaign to eliminate the militant group, after it killed 1,200 people and abducted more than 250 hostages in an unprecedented attack on southern Israel.

Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki speaks during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday.

Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki expressed gratitude on Friday for the provisional measures imposed by the International Court of Justice on Israel over its military operation in Gaza.

“The ICJ judges assessed the facts and the law. They ruled in favor of humanity and international law,” al-Maliki said in a video statement.

Al-Maliki stated:

“The ICJ ruling breaks Israel’s entrenched culture of criminality and impunity, which has characterized its decades-long occupation, dispossession, persecution, and apartheid in Palestine.”

He called on all states to ensure the implementation of the provisional measures, emphasizing it as a binding legal obligation for Israel.

Separately, the Palestinian Assistant Minister for Multilateral Affairs Ammar Hijazi said Friday is a “good day for humanity.”

“This ruling is in favor of (an) international system based on law, against exceptionalism and double standards,” Hijazi told reporters outside the ICJ in The Hague, Netherlands.

Hijazi said the decision by the court to enact emergency measures ordering Israel to prevent the death and destruction caused by its military campaign means “that the cries and suffering of our people in Gaza have been heard.”

Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the International Court of Justice in The Hague on Friday.

One of the protest organizers, Nadia Slimi, told CNN she was “very happy” following the ICJ’s ruling imposing provisional measures on Israel over its military operation in Gaza, but was disappointed the court did not rule in favor of an immediate ceasefire.  

“It feels like a victory and a significant milestone and a step in the right direction in the liberation of the Palestinian people in a way. It is also very disappointing that the court did not rule in favor for an immediate ceasefire at this time, because I personally believe that that is what the people need,” she said. 

“It’s finally a moment (where) Israel is going to be held accountable, and I’m very happy that they’re choosing to pursue this case in court,” she added. 

One of those protesting Friday is climate activist Greta Thunberg, who said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that “we cannot remain silent.”

South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor, center, attends the session of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, on Friday.

South Africa’s Foreign Minister believes that a ceasefire would be necessary for Israel to comply with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling, but insisted she was not “disappointed” the court didn’t include it in the order.

“In exercising the [ICJ] order, there would have to be a ceasefire,” Naledi Pandor said after the hearing. “Without it the order doesn’t actually work.”

“No way I am going to say I am disappointed, I hope for it (a ceasefire) but the fact of delivering humanitarian aid, the fact of taking measures that reduce the levels of harm against persons who have no role in what Israel is combating to me requires a ceasefire.
“I believe Israel would have to attend to how it conducts its search for the hostages and for those Hamas individuals, who carried out the October 7th attacks,” she added. “I am satisfied with the directions that have been given.”

The South African foreign minister thanked the ICJ judges “for dealing with this matter expeditiously” and warned states who have been supporting Israel that they may find themselves involved in the case as the proceedings develop.

“It’s clear that the court does say, circumstances exist, where it is plausible, that genocidal acts have been committed,” Pandor explained. “This, of course, means once the merit case is addressed, and if the finding is that there has been genocide, those states that have aided and abetted become a party to commission.”

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called the ICJ ruling a “victory for international law, for human rights, and above all for justice.” South Africa expects Israel to comply, he continued.

A family photo of Hala with her grandson, Tayem, who is now 5-years-old. They were holding hands when she was shot.

Sara Khreis replays the last day she spent with her mother, Hala, over and over in her mind.

Their family had spent weeks agonizing over whether to flee as Israeli troops moved into Gaza City’s al-Rimal neighborhood, tanks rolling past their front door and a terrifying cacophony of bombs, quadcopter drones and gunfire thundering all around them.

After two nights of bombardment so intense they thought it might blow their home apart, they were resolved: they had to go.

“We woke up on November 12, the day that I will never forget my whole life. I remember every detail in it, minutes, hours, seconds,” Sara, 18, told CNN in a recent interview, holding back tears.

Out in front, a few paces ahead of a group of relatives and neighbors, Hala, 57, was walking with her grandson, Tayem, then 4, holding hands as they navigated a street littered with debris, a white flag in his other hand. Seconds later, a shot rang out and Hala slumped to the ground.

That unthinkable moment was captured on camera. The video surfaced earlier this month in a report by UK-based news website Middle East Eye. Watching it makes Sara and her siblings feel sick.

The clip of Hala’s killing is one of a growing number that show unarmed civilians holding white flags being shot dead in Gaza. The Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has said that they are investigating nine such incidents. CNN has examined four cases, including that of Hala Khreis.

CNN made multiple attempts to sit down with the Israel Defense Forces to share its findings. They have yet to provide a comment.

Read more about Hala’s story and instances of people waving white flags from CNN’s investigation.

Protesters hold a Palestinian flag outside the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, on Friday.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) 17-judge panel issued six emergency measures ordering Israel to “take all measures within its power” to prevent acts which could fall foul of the Genocide Convention.

Here’s a summary of the measures Israel must take according to the court’s preliminary ruling:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv in December.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday hailed the preliminary International Court of Justice ruling on South Africa’s accusation of genocide as a rejection of discrimination against his country. 

“Like every country, Israel has an inherent right to defend itself,” he said in a short video message.

“The vile attempt to deny Israel this fundamental right is blatant discrimination against the Jewish state, and it was justly rejected.”

Judges are seen at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, on Friday.

The UN’s top court has ordered Israel to act immediately to prevent genocide in Gaza, but stopped short of calling for a ceasefire in the war-torn enclave.

The International Court of Justice said Israel must take “all measures” to “ensure with immediate effect that its military does not commit any acts” which could fall foul of the Genocide Convention.

In a preliminary ruling on the accusation of genocide brought by South Africa, the court’s 17-judge panel on Friday issued six such measures, ordering Israel to take steps to limit the death and destruction caused by its military campaign, as well as to prevent and punish incitement to genocide, and to ensure the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

“Israel must in accordance with its obligations under the Genocide Convention, in relation to Palestinians in Gaza take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article Two of the convention in particular, a killing groups of members of the group be causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group,” Judge Joan Donoghue said as she delivered the court’s decision.

The court’s decisions are binding and cannot be appealed, but it has no way of enforcing them.

Judge Joan Donoghue speaks at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, on Friday.

The situation in Gaza is at serious risk of deteriorating further and there is “urgency” required to impose provisional measures, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said.

“The court considers that the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is at serious risk of deteriorating further before the court renders its final judgement,” Judge Joan Donoghue said. “The court considers that there is urgency in the sense that there is a real and imminent risk at irreparable prejudice will be caused to the rights found by the court to be plausible before it gives its final decision.” 

The civilians in Gaza remain “extremely vulnerable,” she added.

Some background: South Africa asked the court to issue “provisional measures” ordering Israel to stop its war, which it said was “necessary in this case to protect against further, severe and irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people.” A provisional measure is a temporary order to halt actions, or an injunction, pending a final ruling.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has concluded that “some of the rights claimed by South Africa and for which it is seeking protection are plausible.”

“This is the case with respect to the right of Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide and related prohibited acts identified in Article Three and the right of South Africa to seek Israel’s compliance with the latter’s obligations under the convention,” Judge Joan Donoghue said.

Donoghue added, “at least some of the provisional measures sought by South Africa are aimed at preserving the plausible rights it asserts on the basis of the Genocide Convention in the present case, namely, the right of the Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide and related prohibited acts mentioned in Article Three and the right of South Africa to seek Israel’s compliance with the latter’s obligations under the convention.”

Judges at the International Court of Justice are seen during the interim ruling on emergency measures against Israel on Friday.

The International Court of Justice has concluded that under Article 2 of the Genocide Convention, Palestinians constitute what it considers to be a “protected group.”

“The Palestinians appear to constitute a distinct national, ethnical, racial or religious group, and hence a protected group within the meaning of Article Two of the Genocide Convention,” Judge Joan Donoghue said.

“The board observes that, according to United Nations sources, the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip comprises over 2 million people. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, form a substantial part of the protected group.”

“The court notes that the military operation being conducted by Israel, following the attack of seven October 2023 has resulted in a large number of deaths and injuries as well as massive destruction of homes,” Donoghue added.

Judge Joan Donoghue opens the session at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, on Friday.

The International Court of Justice said it has jurisdiction over the dispute between South Africa and Israel, over whether Israel’s actions in Gaza could amount to genocide.

“In the court’s view, at least some of the acts and omissions alleged by South Africa, to have been committed by Israel in Gaza, appear to be capable of falling within the provisions” of the genocide convention, judge Joan Donoghue said.

Donoghue said the court had rejected Israel’s request to remove the case.

The International Court of Justice is about to deliver its ruling on whether to enact provisional measures to temporarily suspend Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

South Africa filed the case against Israel at the ICJ, claiming it is committing genocid against Palestinians in Gaza and failing to prevent and punish genocide in violation of its obligations under the Genocide Convention. 

Israel has rejected the accusations, calling them “false” and “grossly distorted.”

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is comprised of 15 judges, each of whom serve nine-year terms. They are now responsible for casting judgment on South Africa’s case alleging genocide by Israel in Gaza, one of the most closely-watched rulings by the court in years.

The current judges are from the United States, Russia, China, Slovakia, Morocco, Lebanon, India, France, Somalia, Jamaica, Japan, Germany, Australia, Uganda and Brazil. Five seats come up for election every three years, with no consecutive term limit.

In addition to the 15 permanent judges, ad-hoc judges can be appointed by parties in contentious cases between two states – in this instance, Israel and South Africa – bringing the number of judges in the case to 17.

South Africa has appointed Dikgang Moseneke, the country’s former deputy chief justice, and Israel has named Aharon Barak, ex-president of the country’s Supreme Court.

Eliav Lieblich, a professor of international law at Tel Aviv University, told CNN earlier this month that the case is significant politically and legally. “An allegation of genocide is the gravest international legal allegation that can be made against a state,” he said.

Lieblich added he doubts that Israel would cease the fighting altogether should the court issue an injunction on the war. Instead, it could attack the legitimacy of the court and its judges, “considering that some of them are from states that don’t recognize Israel.” It would also matter whether the decision is unanimous, he added.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech at Palmachim Airbase in Israel in July.

More than 40 senior former Israeli national security officials, celebrated scientists and prominent business leaders have sent a letter to Israel’s president and speaker of parliament demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be removed from office for posing what they say is an “existential” threat to the country.

The signatories on the letter include four former directors of Israel’s foreign and domestic security services, two former heads of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and three Nobel Prize winners.

“We believe that Netanyahu bears primary responsibility for creating the circumstances leading to the brutal massacre of over 1,200 Israelis and others, the injury of over 4,500, and the kidnapping of more than 230 individuals, of whom over 130 are still held in Hamas captivity,” it reads. “The victim’s blood is on Netanyahu’s hands.”

Netanyahu’s popularity has fallen dramatically since starting his sixth term as prime minister, just over a year ago. Critics have blasted his judicial reform efforts – which threatened to trigger a constitutional crisis and divided the country, with months of massive, regular demonstrations.

Read the full article here.

At least 26,083 people have killed and 64,000 injured by Israeli attacks in Gaza since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said Friday.

The ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, said at least 183 people had died and 377 were injured in the last 24 hours.

The ministry said “a number of victims” remain under rubble, claiming Israeli forces have obstructed ambulances and civil defense crews from reaching them. 

The ministry draws its statistics from medical sources in Gaza. CNN cannot independently confirm the figures due to the difficulty of reporting from the war zone.

Earlier this month, the Israel Defense Forces claimed that around 9,000 Hamas fighters had been killed in Gaza since the October Hamas attack.

Bill Burns, director of the CIA, is expected to meet with officials from Israel, Egypt and Qatar to discuss a deal to secure the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas, according to a US official familiar with the plans.

The meetings come amid intensive discussions on the parameters of a new deal that would pair hostages’ release with a cessation in the fighting in Gaza. The meetings are expected to be held in Europe, the official said.

US officials said they remain focused on securing a release of hostages after a leaked recording said to be of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticizing Qatar drew anger from the Gulf state.

Here’s what else you need to know:

As the Gaza war nears its fifth month, with more than 25,000 Palestinians — civilians and combatants — dead and Israel nowhere close to achieving its objective of destroying Hamas, no one seems to have come up with a concrete proposal that’s palatable to both parties to pause the conflict, let alone end it. But there are suggestions, however half-baked, from both sides, that show a willingness to talk.

Indeed, Qatar — the main go-between — says there are “serious discussions” with Israel and Hamas, and is receiving “constant replies” from both sides. They’re not “negotiations” yet, says the White House. But with indirect talks ongoing, we seem to be inching toward what Ofer Shelah, senior researcher with Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), describes as a “Zopa” — a zone of possible agreement.

On Monday, Axios reported Israel had proposed a two-month truce in exchange for the release of all the 100-plus hostages still held in Gaza. Later that day, CNN learned that Mossad chief David Barnea had suggested allowing Hamas leaders to go into exile as part of a broader ceasefire.

On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal said Hamas was now open to releasing some of the hostages in exchange for a pause in the fighting. And Reuters reported that Israel and Hamas had agreed in principle to a one-month truce, during which abductees would be freed and Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails released.

Read more on how Israel and Hamas may be inching toward a deal to end the war.

Dr. John Kahler speaks with CNN on Thursday, January 25.

Surgeons from the humanitarian group MedGlobal who are in Gaza don’t have the resources to sedate patients while cleaning their wounds, according to Dr. John Kahler, a cofounder of the group.

He says they receive between 150 to 200 patients in an outpatient center for wound cleaning per day, which can include children with facial burns.

Kahler, an American doctor who has provided humanitarian assistance around the world from Haiti to Yemen, said being in Gaza is a “soul-crushing event” and “by far the worst situation” he has ever seen.

Kahler’s teams at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis tell him there is constant shelling within four or five blocks. Mass casualties with rushes of 20, 30, or 40 people at a time can be brought into the emergency room, he said.

“There is absolutely no room in the hospital whatsoever. There’s patients on the floor, on the stairs, everywhere. It’s a catastrophe. It isn’t collapsing, it is virtually collapsed,” Kahler said.

He also has team members in Rafah at a primary health center that sees 600 to 700 patients a day, including many children. He says there is major respiratory disease, and “every one of these children is hungry. All the children have diarrhea.”

CIA Director Bill Burns testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing in March.

The director of the CIA is expected to meet with officials from Israel, Egypt and Qatar to discuss a deal to secure the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas, according to a US official familiar with the plans.

Bill Burns will talk with Israel’s Mossad Director David Barnea, Egyptian Intelligence Director Abbas Kamel and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in the coming days, the source says. It comes amid intensive discussions on the parameters of a new deal that would pair hostages’ release with a cessation in the fighting in Gaza.

The meetings are expected to occur in Europe, the official said. The CIA declined to comment. The White House, which also declined to confirm Burns’ meetings, said Thursday that ongoing hostage talks were “sober and serious.”

Another top American official, White House Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk, has been in the region this week to continue discussions on the release of hostages. McGurk has visited Cairo and Doha for the talks.

Egypt and Qatar have acted as key players in brokering with Hamas, including securing a temporary pause and hostage release in November.

The Washington Post first reported Burns’ plans.

The US says it remains focused on securing a release of hostages, including in discussions with Israel and Qatar, after a leaked recording said to be of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticizing Qatar drew anger from the Gulf state.

“I don’t think I’m gonna comment on leaked comments attributed to another foreign leader,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters aboard Air Force One.

CNN cannot verify that the voice on the leaked recording belongs to Netanyahu.  

Kirby did not reveal further US frustrations at the comments, though impatience has been growing inside the White House at Netanyahu’s public rejections of a two-state solution and a lack of progress in securing the release of hostages.

Kirby said efforts on striking a hostage deal — which have included Qatar as a mediator — would proceed apace.

“The Israeli people want their loved ones back, we want to make sure we get our American hostages back to their families where they belong,” Kirby said. “There is a lot of energy being put at this across the region, with our Israeli counterparts as well as our other counterparts, including the Qataris. And we’re just going to keep working at that.”