January 27, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

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

Norway said Saturday it would continue its financial support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) while awaiting the results of an investigation into allegations that UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7 attacks by Hamas in Israel. 

Norway’s representative said reports that UNRWA staff were allegedly involved in the attacks “are deeply disturbing and, if true, completely unacceptable,” saying the country welcomes the UNRWA’s investigation in the accusations and expects “full transparency.”

The head of the UN agency announced Friday that employees accused by Israel of being involved in the attacks had been fired, adding that the highest investigative authority of the UN has already taken action and an independent review by external experts is forthcoming.

An Israeli official told CNN on Friday that Israel shared information about 12 staffers allegedly involved in the October 7 attacks both with UNRWA and the US. The official did not share more specifics on the alleged actions of the 12 former staffers.

In the wake of the allegations against the UNRWA, the United States and a growing list of countries - including the UK, Canada and Australia - have paused funding to the main UN agency in Gaza. 

In its statement Saturday, Norway stressed the importance of UNRWA’s work in Gaza, saying:

Last October, Norway increased its funding for the UN agency up to 360 million Norwegian Kroner (around $34 million) for the year, referring to the agency’s “important and lifesaving work in Gaza,” according to a statement from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) trucks carrying fuel arrive at the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza on November 22, 2023.

Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany are pausing funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) after UNRWA employees were accused of being involved in the deadly October 7 Hamas attacks.

They join other nations such as the US, Canada, UK, Italy, Finland and Australia in pausing funding.

The Swiss Foreign Minister told CNN in a statement that Switzerland was “extremely concerned” about allegations put forth by Israel and will make a decision on future funding once more information has been provided after the investigation into the allegations.

The Swiss Federal Assembly, also known as the Swiss Parliament, decided during their winter session that further funds would only be paid in portions after discussing with foreign policy commissions, the ministry explained, but the consultations have not yet taken place.

The Netherlands announced it was “freezing future contributions to UNRWA.”

A statement on the Dutch government’s website on Saturday said Foreign Trade and Development Minister Geoffrey van Leeuwen made the decision after UNRWA announced it was terminating the contracts of the employees allegedly involved and launching an investigation into the matter.

The statement said the minister is awaiting the results of the investigation and that in the meantime, additional funds to UNRWA will be suspended.

The statement added that UNRWA was scheduled to receive 19 million euros from the Dutch Foreign Trade and Development budget this year and that this payment has already been transferred.

Germany’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday announced it would be suspending new funds to UNRWA until investigations into the agency’s employees’ alleged involvement had been completed. 

Germany has financed the UNRWA with basic supplies for the Gaza Strip since October 7, its foreign office said, which include water, food, medicine, emergency shelter, hygiene and sanitary products.

As of now, there are no new commitments pending, it said, adding that humanitarian aid would continue.

CNN filmed rare footage Saturday of Palestinian men detained by Israeli forces in Gaza and brought across the border to Israel — witnessing the men blindfolded and barefoot, with their hands bound behind their backs.

The Israel Defense Forces said the men are “suspected of terrorist activity and were arrested in Gaza and transferred to Israel for further interrogation.”

Meanwhile, a growing number of countries have temporarily suspended aid to the main United Nations relief agency in Gaza over allegations some staff members were involved in last October’s Hamas attacks, and the Palestine Red Crescent Society says hospitals in the southern part of the strip are “under siege.”

These are the biggest headlines from the war today:

More on the Palestinian detainees: Some of the men in the video appear physically exhausted, with their heads falling and swaying as they attempt to remain kneeling. They appear to be wearing only disposable white coveralls, despite the 10-degree Celsius temperature (50 degrees Fahrenheit). The IDF said the men filmed Saturday were about to be transferred to a “heated bus” when CNN filmed the scene, and maintained that detainees are treated in accordance with international law. A bus was waiting nearby, but CNN could not confirm when the men were put onto the bus. The Israeli military has detained hundreds – if not thousands – of Palestinian boys and men, and sometimes women, as its ground forces sweep through the enclave.

More countries pause UNRWA funding: Multiple nations have announced they are temporarily pausing their funding to the embattled UN agency in Gaza, in the wake of the allegations against its staff members. The Israel Defense Forces claimed UNRWA facilities were used for “terrorist purposes” in a statement on Saturday. The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East urged the countries to reconsider suspending their funding, noting the accused employees have been fired, the highest investigative authority of the UN has already taken action and an independent review by external experts is forthcoming.

Situation deteriorating at Khan Younis hospitals: Nasser Hospital, the main medical center in the southern Gaza city, is running out of its supply of blood, anesthesia and other medications, the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health said Saturday. The city has been a flashpoint area in recent fighting between Israel and Hamas. Hospital facilities have been “under siege” as the Israeli military intensifies operations there over the past week, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

Where hostage talks stand: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu challenged Qatar on Saturday, saying, “They position themselves as intermediaries. Well, let them prove it and help to bring the hostages back.” The prime minister was also asked about an alleged leaked audio recording that aired on Israeli television Tuesday, in which he appeared to criticize Qatar for not putting enough pressure on Hamas. “I’m not taking back even one word that I said,” he said on Saturday. “I will not give up a route of pressuring Hamas or whoever can affect Hamas to bring our hostages back.” Meanwhile, 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 hostage deal.

Houthi attack: A Marshall Islands-flagged commercial tanker was carrying a highly flammable liquid hydrogen mixture when it was struck by a Houthi missile in the Gulf of Aden on Friday, US Central Command said, sparking a fire that took a day to extinguish. Despite a series of US strikes against Houthi missiles, drones and radar sites, the Iran-backed rebel group has continued to attack international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The Houthis claim the attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinian people as a result of the war in Gaza — an argument the US has repeatedly rejected.

Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) speaks at a press conference in Rafah, Gaza, on November 1, 2023.

The head of the main United Nations agency in Gaza, reeling from allegations members of his staff participated in Hamas attacks on Israel, called the decision by a growing list of countries to suspend funds to the agency “shocking” and urged them to reconsider.

Commisioner-General Philippe Lazzarini says the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) provides food and health care in shelters for more than a million people in the besieged enclave.

Nine countries have announced they would temporarily pull funding from UNRWA after the agency announced it had fired employees who were allegedly involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, Lazzarini said.

The Israeli government has not released details of the evidence concerning the alleged UNRWA involvement. Lazzarini said the highest investigative authority of the UN has already taken action, and an independent review by external experts is forthcoming. 

Lazzarini also highlighted this week’s ruling from the International Court of Justice, which instructed Israel to enable more humanitarian assistance to prevent a genocide in Gaza. 

An image posted on X by the Indian Navy on January 27 shows the Marlin Luanda oil tanker on fire in the Gulf of Aden.

The Marlin Luanda oil tanker is sailing toward a safe harbor after extinguishing a fire caused by a missile attack from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the vessel’s operator, Trafigura, said Saturday.

All crew members on board are safe, the company said.

On Friday, the vessel was the latest commercial vessel struck by a Houthi missile as it crossed through the Gulf of Aden after passing through the Red Sea.

Trafigura highlighted the “exceptional dedication and bravery” of the crew and thanked Navy vessels from India, France and the United States for their assistance.

Remember: This all ties back to Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza: The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, say their actions are aimed at pressuring Israel to stop its ground offensive and widespread bombardment of the Palestinian enclave. The US has repeatedly rejected that argument.

The Houthis say they are also retaliating for recent strikes on their infrastructure by the US and UK militaries, which have been aimed at stopping the group’s attacks in the key global shipping lane.

More about the ship: The commercial tanker had been carrying a highly flammable liquid hydrogen mixture when it was hit by the missile, according to US Central Command. The strike sparked a fire that took a day to extinguish.

The ship’s crew consists of one Bangladeshi member and twenty-two Indian crew members, according to the US military officials.

CNN’s Oren Liebermann contributed reporting to this post.

This post has been updated with more details about the ship from US officials.

This still image from CNN video shows Palestinian men, who were detained by Israeli forces in Gaza, sitting and kneeling in southern Israel near the Gaza border on January 27.

More than two dozen men are sitting and kneeling on the wet, cold ground near the Israel-Gaza border – blindfolded and barefoot, their hands bound behind their backs. Israeli soldiers, their faces obscured by balaclavas, are standing guard. 

This was the scene CNN found in southern Israel near the Gaza border on Saturday morning, filming rare footage of Palestinian men detained by Israeli forces in Gaza and brought across the border to Israel.

Some of the men appear to be physically exhausted, with their heads falling and swaying as they attempt to remain kneeling. One detainee is laying on the ground before an Israeli soldier arrives to rouse him, propping him back up. The men are barefoot and appear to be wearing nothing more than disposable white coveralls, despite the 10-degree Celsius temperature (50 degrees Fahrenheit).

The Israeli military said the men are “suspected of terrorist activity and were arrested in Gaza and transferred to Israel for further interrogation.”

The IDF said the men filmed on Saturday had been brought into Israel from Gaza and were about to be transferred to a “heated bus” when CNN filmed the scene, and maintained that detainees are treated in accordance with international law.

A bus was waiting nearby, but CNN could not confirm when the men were put onto the bus, as an Israeli soldier at the scene ordered CNN to leave the premises within minutes.

Detained Palestinians: The Israeli military has detained hundreds – if not thousands – of Palestinian boys and men (and in some cases, women) in Gaza as its ground forces swept through the enclave, often transferring them to detention sites in Israel and holding them for days without charge. Many of those detained have been identified as civilians by friends and relatives after images of their detention surfaced online.

Many detainees have alleged abuse at the hands of Israeli forces, including several Palestinian boys and men who told CNN in December they were detained for five days before being ultimately released without charge, emerging with bruised and swollen wrists. At the time, the Israeli military said: “The individuals detained are treated in accordance with international law” and that “the IDF strives to treat any detainee with dignity. Any incident in which the guidelines were not followed will be looked into.”

Watch Jeremy Diamond’s report below:

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Workers of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees hand out supplies in Rafah, Gaza, on December 12.

More countries joined a growing list Saturday of governments temporarily pausing funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) after allegations that 12 staff members were involved in the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas in Israel.

The countries include:

In a statement shared with CNN, the UK foreign office said it was “appalled” by the allegations and awaiting results of the UN’s internal investigation.

The Finnish foreign ministry said Saturday it had suspended its funding of 5 million euros (around $5.4 million US) per year due to the “serious allegations.”

Germany’s Foreign Ministry said it will “temporarily not approve” of any new funds for the organization, but other humanitarian aid will continue, with a recent 7 million euro (about $7.6 million US) increase in funding for the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund.

Hamas condemns Israeli “threats”: Hamas said in an official statement released Saturday that it condemns Israel’s “threats and blackmail” against the UNRWA. The group criticized the relief agency’s decision to fire the accused employees in Gaza and called for an “impartial investigation” into Israel’s allegations.

Hamas also slammed a claim made by Israel’s UN ambassador that the World Health Organization is in “collusion” with the Hamas movement, calling that a “hollow accusation,” and stressing the importance of these agencies in providing aid in the besieged enclave.

This post has been updated to add countries that are halting funding.

CNN’s Ibrahim Hazboun and Lauren Kent contributed reporting to this post.

Hafiz Abdel Jabbar speaks during an interview with CNN on January 27.

The father of a Palestinian American teenager criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration Saturday for its handling of his 17-year-old son’s killing in the West Bank last week.

Speaking on CNN, Hafiz Abdel Jabbar addressed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, asking what he should tell his young daughter about the death of her brother, Tawfic.  

What we know about the shooting: It is not yet clear who fired the shots that killed Tawfic on Friday, January 19.

Last week, Israeli authorities told CNN they received a report that an off-duty police officer and an Israeli civilian fired toward a “Palestinian individual suspected of hurling rocks” in the West Bank neighborhood where Tawfic, a former Louisiana resident, lived.

Abdel Jabbar says there is no way his son could have thrown rocks at them from where he was located at the time of the shooting.

An IDF soldier was also in the area at the time of the shooting, and has been accused of firing at the person killed, the IDF said in a statement. Israel has said that claim, as well as the entire incident, will be investigated.

Abdel Jabbar said he has video evidence of the killing, which he has sent to the US Consulate and some senators.

The Israel Defense Forces claimed facilities of the main United Nations relief agency in Gaza were used for “terrorist purposes” in a statement to CNN on Saturday.

During a probe into the deadly October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, investigators found evidence “incriminating several UNRWA employees for their alleged involvement in the massacre, along with evidence pointing to the use of UNRWA facilities for terrorist purposes,” the IDF said.

Remember: On Friday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East said it was immediately terminating the contracts of employees Israel had accused of being involved in the Hamas attacks.

The UN says it is conducting an investigation into the matter, while the US and a growing list of other nations have suspending their funding for the agency.

UNRWA responds: When asked about the Israeli military’s claim on the use of its facilities, the UNRWA told CNN in a statement, “We don’t have more information on this at this stage,” and that the internal oversight body of the UN was looking into all the allegations as part of its investigation.

Pictures released by the Indian Navy show the aftermath of a missile attack on an oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden by Houthi rebels Friday — the latest incident linked to the Iran-backed group in the key shipping route off the coast of Yemen.

The images show the British-linked vessel, Marlin Luanda, ablaze. No injuries have been reported.

Stills show the Marlin Luanda vessel on fire in the Gulf of Aden after it was reportedly struck by an anti-ship missile fired from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen.

Surgeons operate on a Palestinian man injured during Israeli attacks, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 16.

Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza is running out of its supply of blood, anesthesia and other stress medications, the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health said Saturday.

The shortage of blood is “severe and dangerous,” ministry spokesperson Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra warned in a statement.

Nasser is the main medical center in the city of Khan Younis, which has been a flashpoint area in recent fighting between Israel and Hamas. The southern city’s hospital facilities have been “under siege” as the Israeli military intensifies operations there over the past week, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS).

The Israeli military says Hamas was operating in the area from inside the Al-Amal and Nasser hospitals. CNN cannot independently verify those claims.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement Friday that it is carrying out “precise operations” against Hamas and is liaising with hospital directors in Khan Younis to ensure the hospitals remain operational. But the PRCS claimed Saturday that the IDF has not made efforts to communicate with hospital administration.

Fewer than half of the 36 hospitals in Gaza are still partially functioning, the United Nations said Thursday.

Mustafa Barghouti, leader of the Palestinian National Initiative, speaks during a press conference in Ramallah, West Bank, on October 15.

The leader of a Palestinian political party has condemned countries that are pausing aid to the main United Nations agency in Gaza, in response to claims some of its workers participated in the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.

Mustafa Barghouti, leader of the Palestinian National Initiative, specifically called out the US, Canada, Italy and Australia in a post on social media for what he called the “shameful” decision to suspend support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Barghouti criticized the governments taking this action despite taking “no punitive acts against Israel which killed 102 of UNRWA aid and health workers in Gaza.” 

Some context: The UN said last November that at least 102 UNRWA workers had been killed in Gaza since October 7, but CNN cannot independently verify Barghouti’s claim they were all killed by Israeli forces.

As of January 19, UNRWA said the death toll had increased to 151 of its workers.

The UN agency has fired staff members allegedly involved in the Hamas attacks, and said it is launching an investigation into the matter.

Israel and UNRWA have not specified the nature of the alleged involvement of the organization’s employees.

Many Arab Americans and Muslim voters who have spoken to CNN say they will not vote for US President Joe Biden’s reelection efforts due to his unwavering support of Israel and failure to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. 

In the last presidential election cycle, Biden received the backing of several prominent Muslim American elected officials and community leaders. But this time around, many are skeptical – and angry.

The Abandon Biden campaign was created in Minnesota after a group of Muslim Americans demanded the president call for a ceasefire by October 31. And when Biden didn’t respond to these calls to support a permanent halt in fighting, the group vowed to campaign against him.

At least 146,620 of the 200,000 Muslim American voters in Michigan cast a ballot in the 2020 election cycle, according to an analysis by Emgage. In 2020, Biden won Michigan by three percentage points over Trump. Four years prior, Trump won the state over Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton by 0.2 percentage points.

Read more about the views of Muslim and Arab Americans toward the Biden campaign as the war in Gaza continues.

An injured Palestinian boy receives medical assistance at Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, in this handout image released on January 23.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) says its medical workers are living in a “state of terror and panic,” and has once again accused Israel of besieging its headquarters and a southern Gaza hospital.

The PRCS condemned the “siege and targeting” of Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis “for the sixth consecutive day” in a statement released Saturday, calling on the international community to shield its aid workers.

The aid group called the situation part of a “series of systematic attacks” on the organization and medical facilities in the Gaza Strip. The PRCS has previously said its headquarters and the hospital are “under siege” by Israel. 

CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for a response to the latest claims. It has previously claimed Hamas was operating in the area from inside the Al-Amal and Nasser hospitals.

PRCS disputed those claims Saturday as “false,” and said the IDF has not made efforts to communicate with hospital administration.

CNN cannot independently verify either side’s claims about the situation at the hospital due to the difficulties of reporting from the war zone.

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.

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.

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.

Watch Jeremy Diamond’s report:

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Workers of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees transport aid in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza, on October 25.

The Palestine Liberation Organization called on countries halting support for the main United Nations agency in Gaza to “immediately retract their decision.”

The US, Canada, Australia and Italy each announced they have paused funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) following allegations that some of its staff members were involved in the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas in Israel.

“In light of the continuing conflict and aggression against the Palestinian people,” Al-Sheikh wrote, the decision to drop funding “entails great political and relief risks.”

“This organization must be supported and not stopped from being supported and assisted by the international community,” he said. 

The PLO is recognized internationally as a representative body of the Palestinian people. 

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.

As tensions across the region rise, CNN takes a look at 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.

Read the story here.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz speaks to media on January 22, in Brussels, Belgium.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has suggested that Israel will seek to stop the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) from operating in post-war Gaza, saying it “will not be a part of the day after.”

It follows allegations that its staff members were involved in the October 7 attacks on Israel.

On Friday, an Israeli official told CNN that Israel shared information about 12 staffers allegedly involved in the October 7 attacks both with UNRWA and the US. The official did not share more specifics on the alleged actions of the 12 former staffers.

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 on October 7.

Israel’s relations with the UN have deteriorated in recent months, after the organization’s senior officials repeatedly condemned the country’s military approach to the war in Gaza.

It was supposed to be a safe haven – a new life for those seeking refuge from the turbulence of war.

But when tens of thousands of Ukrainians fled to Israel in the wake of Russia’s invasion, they had no idea of what the future would hold.

With men aged 18 to 60 forbidden to leave Ukraine, the refugees were mostly women, children and the elderly. Among them, four courageous teenagers who arrived alone in Israel to start a new life as a result of Moscow’s assault on their homeland on February 24, 2022.

Little more than a year and a half later, these young people found themselves immersed in another conflict, as they study at a boarding school just 8 miles from Gaza.

Read their story here.