White House says Israeli military has taken steps to move toward more "targeted" operations in Gaza
From CNN's Donald Judd
US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby declined to weigh in on reports of a mass casualty event at a United Nations shelter in Khan Younis Wednesday, but said Israeli forces have "taken steps to transition their operations," including moving toward more "targeted" operations.
"Low-intensity operations doesn't mean no-intensity operations, and even in a low-intensity environment — again, I won't speak for them — but from our own experience, even in low-intensity operations, you're still going to be in combat; there is still going to be fighting, and there's still going to be casualties,” he told CNN.
The UN relief agency in Gaza, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, said earlier Wednesday that nine people died after a shelter in the southern Gaza city was struck.
1:55 p.m. ET, January 24, 2024
No medicine, no clothes and soaking rain: Displaced Gazans describe dire conditions
From CNN's Ibrahim Dahman, Celine Alkhaldi and Hamdi Alkhshali
Children stand outside tents at a makeshift tent camp housing displaced Palestinians in Rafah, near the border with Egypt in southern Gaza, on January 23. AFP/Getty Images
Several Gaza residents told CNN about the painful challenges of displacement, cramped living and miserable weather as fighting between Israel and Hamas continues.
Mohammed Al-Jaro, who is displaced in Nuseirat in central Gaza, said:
“The basic problem is that you are cramped with a large number of people in one place. Movement is hard when it is raining, especially for the children who are used to running, jumping, and playing, not to mention that clothes take long to dry and there is not enough change of clothes.”
Wajih Ajjour, from the al-Rimal area, is now displaced in a United Nations agency shelter in Khan Younis. He described the harsh impact of rain on makeshift shelters:
“Yesterday, we got drenched in the rain. There was heavy rain and bitter cold. We don't know what to do for the children, no medicine, no blankets, no clothes, you can't even change clothes."
Hani Qalja in Rafah said most of the tents have water dripping through the middle as strong winds gust through:
“The situation is worse than you can imagine; even last night, the tent flew from the weather and the strong winds, and the nylon flew; it was chaotic for us, and the covers were soaked.”
12:41 p.m. ET, January 24, 2024
UN shelter in southern Gaza struck as health officials say Khan Younis hospitals are surrounded. Catch up here
From CNN staff
The Israel Defense Forces appears to continue its focus on Khan Younis, as people try to flee the southern Gaza city. The main United Nations relief agency in Gaza said there have been "mass casualties" after a strike at a shelter there, and Palestinian health care workers and officials say the Israeli military is firing near two main hospitals in the area.
Meanwhile, while indirect talks between Israel and Hamas are happening, according to an Israeli official, no proposal has reached the negotiating table.
Here's what to know:
UN shelter struck: A building sheltering displaced people in southern Gaza was hit Wednesday amid intensified Israeli military attacks on Khan Younis, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza, killing at least nine and injuring 75 others. There have been "mass casualties" and "people are trapped," according to UNRWA's director of affairs. The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday that it continues to operate in Khan Younis, which it said will continue for "several days."
Hospitals surrounded: Palestinian health officials and medics have reported Israeli tanks and drones firing at people trying to flee the vicinity of the Al-Amal and Nasser hospitals in Khan Younis. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said Israeli forces are “surrounding” the organization's headquarters and the Al-Amal Hospital, while the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said Israeli forces are also around the Nasser medical complex, cutting off crucial medical, food, and fuel supplies.
Death toll: The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza said Wednesday that in 24 hours, 210 people have been killed and 386 others injured due to ongoing IDF operations in Gaza. Some victims remain trapped under rubble, and rescue efforts are hindered as ambulance and civil defense crews struggle to reach them, the ministry said. According to the ministry, the toll has risen to 25,700 people killed and 63,740 others injured in Gaza since October 7, 2023. CNN cannot independently confirm the numbers.
Israel-Hamas talks: Any proposed deal between Israel and Hamas has not reached the negotiating table, an Israeli official told CNN Wednesday, adding that any recent reports saying that an agreement is close are not correct. Hamas did not reject a proposal to release Israeli hostages in exchange for a pause in fighting, because it was never offered to them, the official said. But indirect talks are ongoing, the official added.
Wider regional conflict: The war between Israel and Hamas has already spilled over to the broader Middle East. A group of Western countries has once again called for the end of attacks being carried out by Houthi militants on vessels in the Red Sea, following US military strikes in Yemen against two Houthi anti-ship missiles on Tuesday. Also, US airstrikes in Iraq on Tuesday killed up to seven Kataib Hezbollah fighters, according to US defense officials, who cited a preliminary battle damage assessment. As tensions escalate in the region, here's where Iran or its allies are present, where US forces are stationed, and where both sides have conducted military operations since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
11:27 a.m. ET, January 24, 2024
Egypt’s president rejects blame for delay in aid to Gaza
From CNN's Hamdi Alkhshali
Egypt's president Abdul Fatah El-Sisi talks to the press in Cairo, Egypt, on November 24. Nicolas Maeterlinck/Belga/AFP/Getty Images
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Wednesday rejected claims that Egypt is delaying the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip. Instead, he pointed a finger at Israel, accusing it of squeezing the civilian population to secure the release of captives in Gaza.
"If I am the reason for not letting a loaf of bread into Gaza, how could I face God? No, I swear. Egypt's Rafah crossing is open 24/7 every day of the month. But the procedures taking place on the Israeli side for us to send in the aid without it being blocked by anyone, they are the reason (for holdups)," Sisi said.
Sisi asserted that before the conflict, Egypt would allow approximately 600 trucks daily into Gaza. The United Nations has put the daily average at around 500, including both aid and commercial goods.
What Israel is saying: On Wednesday, Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) emphasized its role in getting aid to Gaza, saying on X, formerly Twitter, that "Israel's role in the humanitarian aid operation for Gaza is one: Inspecting the aid for security reasons. Our inspection process is efficient, with us scaling up our capacities to maximize inspection capabilities. There is no limit to the amount of aid that can enter Gaza."
10:54 a.m. ET, January 24, 2024
Arab states demand "guaranteed pathway" for Palestinian statehood
From CNN’s Nic Robertson in London and Mostafa Salem in Abu Dhabi
Some Arab countries are demanding an "unambiguous commitment" from Israel and a "guaranteed pathway" to Palestinian statehood in return for underwriting Gaza reconstruction and normalization with Israel, regional officials told CNN this week.
The United Arab Emirates, which normalized relations with Israel in 2020, conditioned their contribution to the reconstruction of Gaza post-war on a “commitment” to establishing an “independent and sovereign Palestinian state.”
“Looking ahead, we confirm that our contribution to any reconstruction effort in Gaza will be conditional on the existence of an unambiguous commitment, backed by tangible steps, to launch a concrete plan to achieve the two-state solution with a viable, independent and sovereign Palestinian state, in line with relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and negotiated between the two parties with full international backing,” a UAE official said.
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Arab states submitted a joint proposal to Israel via the US “for postwar Gaza that would create a pathway toward a Palestinian state in exchange for Saudi recognition of Israel.”
The proposal also includes that Arab states will train Palestinian security forces, assist with reviving and reforming the Palestinian Authority and eventually help organize elections, the WSJ said, citing unnamed Arab officials.
CNN could not immediately verify the proposal's contents.
The initiative is still being finalized, but it has so far been rejected by Israel’s government, “with the creation of a Palestinian state the main sticking point,” the WSJ said.
CNN has reached out to the US and Israeli governments for comment.
10:40 a.m. ET, January 24, 2024
Israeli forces are surrounding hospitals in Khan Younis, Palestinian health officials and paramedics say
From CNN’s Celine Alkhaldi and Ibrahim Dahman
Palestinian health officials and paramedics have reported Israeli tanks and attack drones firing at people trying to flee the vicinity of the Al-Amal and Nasser hospitals in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said Israeli forces are “surrounding” the organization's headquarters and the Al-Amal Hospital, and they have enforced “restrictions on movement around both the building and the hospital.” The PRCS said six people were killed in attacks in Khan Younis Wednesday, three of which had been “targeted” at the entrance of their headquarters.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said Israeli forces have also surrounded the Nasser medical complex, cutting off crucial medical, food, and fuel supplies.
“Hundreds of patients with infections and pregnant women are facing serious complications,” health ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qudra said.
A Geneva-based nongovernmental organization advocating for human rights in the region, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, said on Wednesday that Israeli forces conducted “numerous intense air raids" extending to the west of Khan Younis. It said shelters housing “tens of thousands” of displaced people in the western part of the city and in the neighboring coastal town of Al-Mawasi are under siege by the Israeli military.
The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday that it will continue to operate in Khan Younis for "several days," maintaining there are Hamas militants located in hospitals. CNN has sought comment from the IDF on whether its forces have surrounded the Nasser and Amal hospitals.
11:19 p.m. ET, January 24, 2024
UN agency says there are "mass casualties" after shelter struck amid intense fighting in Khan Younis
From CNN’s Celine Alkhaldi, Ibrahim Dahman and Kareem Khadder
Smoke billows over Khan Younis, southern Gaza, during Israeli bombardment on January 24. AFP/Getty Images
A building sheltering hundreds of displaced people in southern Gaza was hit Wednesday amid intensified Israeli military attacks on Khan Younis, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza, killing at least nine and injuring 75 others.
“Buildings ablaze and mass casualties. Safe access to and from the center has been denied for two days. People are trapped,” Thomas White, director of affairs for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said Wednesday on X, formerly Twitter.
White also said that a team from his agency and the World Health Organization were trying to reach the site, but that an agreed-upon route with the Israeli military is "blocked with (an) earth bank."
White said the building shelters 800 people. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on X that the entire Khan Younis Training Center, one of the largest UNRWA facilities in Gaza, was sheltering 30,000 people, and is clearly marked as a UN site.
Wajih Ajour, who is sheltering in the UNRWA facility, told CNN he could see tanks near the building.
“We are completely surrounded. There are Israeli military tanks just outside the walls of the building. Some people have shrapnel wounds from the fighting in the area, and the building also sustained damage,” Ajour said.
The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday that it continues to operate in Khan Younis, where it is pursuing "military targets, outposts, infrastructure and command and control centers" and said the operation there will continue for "several days."
CNN has sought comment from the IDF on the fire at the UNRWA shelter.
This post has been updated with more details about the UNWRA facility in Khan Younis.
9:53 a.m. ET, January 24, 2024
Contrary to reports, no concrete Israel-Hamas deal has reached the negotiating table, Israeli official says
From Lauren Izso in Tel Aviv
No proposed deal between Israel and Hamas has reached the negotiating table, an Israeli official told CNN Wednesday, adding that any recent reports saying that an agreement is close are incorrect and that there is a long way to go before a deal is reached.
Hamas did not reject a proposal to release Israeli hostages in exchange for a pause in fighting, because it was never offered to them, the official said.
But indirect talks are ongoing, the official added.
There have been various proposals from parties involved in the negotiations, including several from within Israel, and they are expected to be discussed in an Israeli security cabinet meeting on Thursday, the official said.
Israel is offering different terms in exchange for the return of the hostages, including a pause in fighting, but will not offer a permanent ceasefire until Hamas is destroyed, the official said.
The official asked not to be named discussing internal government deliberations.
A Haaretz report earlier this week cited a senior Egyptian official as saying Hamas had rejected a two-month pause in fighting in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages. Additionally reports from Reuters, The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post outlined details of deals they said had reached advanced stages of negotiation.
9:25 a.m. ET, January 24, 2024
Where the US and Iran have conducted military operations since the start of the Israel-Hamas war
From CNN's Nadeen Ebrahim and Abbas Al Lawati
Houthi fighters march during a rally of support for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and against the U.S. strikes on Yemen outside Sanaa, Yemen, on January 22. AP
The war between Israel and Hamas has already spilled over to the wider Middle East, with prospects of a confrontation between regional and world powers becoming ever more likely.
Across the region, the fighting has largely been confined to tit-for-tat attacks between Iran-backed militias on one side and the US, Israel and its allies on the other. But the direct intervention of both Iran and the US in recent weeks has heightened fears that the proxy conflict between the two could turn into a direct one.
So far, the US and Iran have avoided directly confronting each other. The US has attacked Iranian-backed groups in Yemen, Syria and Iraq, while Iran-linked groups have targeted American personnel in Iraq and Syria. Tehran has also struck what it said were anti-Iran groups in Iraq, Syria and Pakistan. Pakistan responded with retaliatory strikes.
The Islamic Republic, which has long opposed the presence of US forces in what it considers to be its backyard, has spent the past few decades building a network of Islamist, anti-Western and anti-Israel militias that it trains, funds and arms. Recently, certain groups, particularly Yemen’s Houthi rebels, have disrupted a vital international waterway, wreaking havoc on global trade and prompting Western states to intervene. And it has built ties with and helped fund Hamas, which launched its war on Israel on October 7.
As tensions escalate in the region, here's where Iran or its allies are present, where US forces are stationed, and where both sides have conducted military operations since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
