Live
By Stephen Quillen, Linah Alsaafin and Alma Milisic
Published On 17 Jan 2024
  • A shipment of medical supplies meant for Israeli captives in Gaza and Palestinians in need has entered the Strip as part of a deal brokered by Qatar.
  • US designates Yemen’s Houthis as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” after the group’s attack on shipping in the Red Sea in response to Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
18 Jan 2024 - 00:00
 (00:00 GMT)

Thanks for joining us

This live page is now closed. Follow along with our ongoing coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza here.

To learn more about the deal – brokered by Qatar and France – to bring urgent medical and humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, read this story.

The US has re-designated Yemen’s Houthi group as “global terrorists”. Read more here.

Trucks with humanitarian aid wait to enter the Palestinian side of Rafah on the Egyptian border with the Gaza Strip on December 11 [Giuseppe Cacace/AFP]
17 Jan 2024 - 23:45
 (23:45 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

We will be closing this live page soon. Here’s a recap of the day’s main developments:

  • Israeli attacks continue in Gaza, where at least three children were killed in shelling of a home in Rafah.
  • Separately, Doctors Without Borders/MSF has warned that Israeli shelling near the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis has led to many of the thousands of displaced civilians there fleeing in panic.
  • US announces that Yemen’s Houthi rebels now a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” group, placing them under heavy sanctions amid Red Sea raids the Houthis say are meant to apply pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza.
  • Humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate in Gaza, where UN human rights experts say that “every single person” is facing serious hunger.
  • Vital medical assistance entered Gaza, a portion of which will be used for Israeli captives, as part of a Qatari-brokered agreement between Israel and Hamas.
  • Israeli forces carried out raids across the occupied West Bank, including in the town of Tulkarem, where at least six Palestinians were killed and others arrested, including three medical workers. Five other Palestinians were killed in an attack on Nablus.
17 Jan 2024 - 23:35
 (23:35 GMT)

WATCH: Aid for Israeli captives and Palestinian civilians arrives in Gaza

Yesterday, Qatar announced that Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement to allow medicines to be delivered to Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip and for aid to be transported to residents in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Today, that aid began to enter Gaza via the Rafah border crossing.

Watch our report to find out more:

17 Jan 2024 - 23:20
 (23:20 GMT)

Dead, injured children arrive at Rafah hospital after Israeli shelling

Footage verified by Al Jazeera documents the arrival of the bodies of three dead children to the Abu Youssef Al Najjar Hospital in Rafah after Israeli shelling of a house belonging to the al-Zamili family, in the east of the city.

Separate footage filmed by Palestinian journalist Shehab Younis shows a child suffering from a head wound being treated on the floor of the overwhelmed hospital.

 

17 Jan 2024 - 23:05
 (23:05 GMT)

Medical aid deal source of contention among Israeli politicians

A deal between Israel and Hamas allowing limited medical aid shipments into Gaza has divided Israeli officials, some of whom have bristled at a condition that Israeli forces cannot search the deliveries.

“Part of this deal was that this aid was not going to be screened or scanned, it would get into the Gaza Strip as quickly as possible. But that caused quite a firestorm within the Israeli political realm,” Al Jazeera correspondent Hamdah Salhut reported from occupied East Jerusalem.

“You had Netanyahu’s own government pointing the finger at him, as he would not accept responsibility for that.”

She added that military officials speaking anonymously to Israeli media outlets said they had no idea the shipment was not supposed to be scanned, and that far-right cabinet members have called the deal a huge mistake.

17 Jan 2024 - 22:55
 (22:55 GMT)

Vessel attacked by Houthis is ‘seaworthy and continuing’: US military

US Central Command says the US-owned Genco Picardy was struck by a one-way drone launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen around 8:30pm local time (17:30 GMT).

“There were no injuries and some damage reported. M/V [merchant vessel] Genco Picardy is seaworthy and continuing underway.”

17 Jan 2024 - 22:50
 (22:50 GMT)

Ship targeted by Houthis is owned by New York-based company

The vessel is called Genco Picardy – a bulk ship – and it is owned by Genco Shipping & Trading Ltd.

Shortly before the Houthis announced the attack in the Gulf of Aden, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said it received a report of a drone attack in the same area, which caused a fire that was extinguished.

“The Yemeni armed forces will not hesitate to target all sources of threat in the Arab and Red Seas within the legitimate right to defend dear Yemen and to continue supporting the oppressed Palestinian people,” the Houthis said in the statement announcing the attack.

17 Jan 2024 - 22:35
 (22:35 GMT)

PHOTOS: Israeli forces continue raid on Tulkarem

Israeli forces raid Tulkarem refugee camp. At least six Palestinians were killed in Tulkarem and its vicinity on Wednesday [Nedal Eshtayah/Anadolu Agency]
Israeli forces arrested a number of Palestinians and damaged Palestinian properties and infrastructure during the ongoing raid on the camp [Nedal Eshtayah/Anadolu Agency]
[Nedal Eshtayah/Anadolu Agency]
[Nedal Eshtayah/Anadolu Agency]

17 Jan 2024 - 22:20
 (22:20 GMT)

Overnight Israeli attacks kill Palestinians in central and southern Gaza

The Palestinian state news agency Wafa has reported a number of deadly Israeli attacks:

  • Two Palestinians killed and two injured after an Israeli attack on a gathering of people in Rafah
  • Deaths reported in an Israeli attack on the home of the al-Huti family in the Shaboura refugee camp
  • Three Palestinians killed in an attack near Abu Husni Street in Deir el-Balah
17 Jan 2024 - 22:05
 (22:05 GMT)
Analysis

Advocate decries failure of US Senate resolution to probe Israeli abuses

Annie Shiel says a Bernie Sanders-proposed Senate resolution, which was rejected by US lawmakers last night, asked a “very simple question” about Israel’s compliance with existing laws.

The failure of the measure, which would have required the State Department to produce a report on possible Israeli abuses in Gaza, signals unequivocal support for Israel in Congress.

“This resolution was the first Senate vote on critical oversight questions regarding US military aid to Israel amid catastrophic civilian harm in Gaza,” Shiel, US advocacy director at the group Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), told Al Jazeera.

“And it was one that asked a very simple question – do Senators want more information on Israel’s compliance with international law and the ways it has used US arms and other military assistance?”

US law prohibits security assistance to countries engaged in gross human rights violations.

Shiel called the 72-to-11 vote to block the resolution “deeply disappointing”.

Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on December 26, 2023 [File: Arafat Barbakh/Reuters]
17 Jan 2024 - 21:50
 (21:50 GMT)

Palestinian labour minister warns of impending societal implosion as a result of skyrocketing unemployment

By Ayman Nobani

Reporting from Nablus, occupied West Bank

Nasri Abu Jaish told Al Jazeera that he estimated unemployment in Gaza to be around 90 percent, up from approximately 47 percent before the war, with unemployment in the occupied West Bank also sitting around 25 percent, up from around 13 percent before October 7.

“Poverty and unemployment could lead to the destruction of Palestinian society and could lead to emigration,” warned Abu Jaish, who said that 500,000 jobs had been lost in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

“Living conditions in the Gaza Strip are very hard and tragic, beyond what can be imagined,” Abu Jaish added. “We can see that there is an inability to provide food and that Palestinians in Gaza are finding it difficult to obtain their basic needs, particularly food. What international and Palestinian bodies are doing has not filled the needs of the citizens.”

The minister added that authorities were doing everything they could to bring more food into Gaza, but that Israeli policies were preventing sufficient amounts from entering.

17 Jan 2024 - 21:35
 (21:35 GMT)

MSF says displaced Palestinians fled after Israeli forces carried out heavy bombing near hospital

Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) has said that Israeli forces carried out heavy bombardment near the Nasser hospital without prior evacuation orders on Tuesday night, causing patients and displaced Palestinians seeking refuge in the hospital to “flee in panic”.

During a visit today to the hospital, MSF’s Head of Mission for Palestine Leo Cans said that conditions at Nasser, the largest remaining functional hospital in Gaza, were “catastrophic” and that the facility was operating at 300 percent capacity.

“At Nasser hospital, MSF provides emergency care and surgical treatment for patients including those with traumatic and severe burn injuries,” the group said in a social media post. “Our activities have been significantly reduced since December due to the intense bombing around the facility.”

17 Jan 2024 - 21:20
 (21:20 GMT)

Amnesty says communications blackout hampering rescue services in Gaza

The human rights watchdog Amnesty International has said that a six-day telecommunications blackout has put civilians at risk, hampered the work of rescue services and complicated aid delivery efforts.

“These recurrent and life-threatening blackouts must not be normalized. An immediate ceasefire is critical to urgently restore power and connectivity to Gazans,” the group said in a social media post, noting that the communications blackout is the ninth imposed by Israeli forces since the beginning of the current round of fighting.

17 Jan 2024 - 21:10
 (21:10 GMT)

Clashes in Bani Naim injure one Palestinian

Confrontations have broken out in the occupied West Bank town, east of Hebron, after Israeli forces began a raid of the area.

Video verified by Al Jazeera shows groups of Palestinian young men marching through the streets of the town chanting slogans and burning rubbish on their way to confront Israeli forces.

The Palestine Red Crescent (PRCS) said that one young man was injured in his leg by live Israeli bullets fired during the clashes.

Additional video we verified shows the arrival of a PRCS ambulance at the scene of the classes so that he could be transferred to the hospital for treatment.

Intense Israeli raids have been taking place throughout the day in the occupied West Bank, with at least 10 Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers.

17 Jan 2024 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)

Three medics arrested by Israel during Tulkarem raids: Palestine Red Crescent

By Ayman Nobani

Reporting from Nablus, occupied West Bank

Ahmed Jibril, the head of the emergency and ambulance department in the occupied West Bank for the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), adds that Israeli forces had hindered medical staff trying to help those injured in the attacks in Tulkarem.

“Israeli soldiers hindered the work of the Red Crescent teams and obstructed ambulances … in addition to searching the ambulances,” Jibril told Al Jazeera, adding that PRCS teams had to wait for hours to be allowed to reach the injured inside Tulkarem refugee camp due to Israel refusals.

17 Jan 2024 - 20:58
 (20:58 GMT)
Houthi

Medicine and aid have entered Gaza: Qatari official

Majed al-Ansari, the spokesperson of Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has said the assistance reached the besieged territory in “the past few hours”.

The aid was part of a deal that would also allow medicine to reach Israeli captives in Gaza.

“Qatar, along with its regional and international partners, continues mediation efforts at the political and humanitarian levels,”  al-Ansari wrote in a social media post.

17 Jan 2024 - 20:50
 (20:50 GMT)

In response to Iran, US says it will protect its interests

The White House’s Kirby has dismissed links between the Houthis’ Red Sea attacks and the conflict in Gaza, although the Yemeni group has said it is targeting Israel-linked ships because of the war.

Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian had said that attacks by the “Axis of Resistance” in the region will stop if the Gaza war ends.

But Kirby struck a defiant tone in response to Amir-Abdollahian.

“As for the ‘resistance’ continuing, I’ve said it many times, happy to repeat it: We have national security interest in the region – significant interest – and we have moved additional military resources at the president’s order into the region to make sure we can protect those interests,” Kirby said.

“And we mean what we say. And if you doubt it, take a look at what happened just a few nights ago,” he added, referring to the recent US-led attacks against the Houthis.

The world’s largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford sails during a fueling-at-sea operation in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, October 11, 2023 [File: Jackson Adkins/US Department of Defense via AFP]
17 Jan 2024 - 20:49
 (20:49 GMT)
Houthi

Houthis say they targeted US ship in Gulf of Aden

The Yemeni group said they fired rockets at the vessel, achieving “precise and direct” hits.

“The Yemeni armed forces reaffirm that the response to the American and British aggression is inevitable, and no aggression will pass without response or punishment.”

17 Jan 2024 - 20:40
 (20:40 GMT)

Israel says more than 30 Palestinian fighters killed in Khan Younis over past day

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari says Israeli forces have killed more than 30 Palestinian fighters in Khan Younis over a 24-hour period as Israel presses its assault farther south.

“Battles there over the past day were tough. Sadly, there were casualties too. Our forces killed more than 30 militants in that area in the past 24 hours alone,” Hagari said in televised remarks on Wednesday.

17 Jan 2024 - 20:30
 (20:30 GMT)

Hamas fighter killed in Lebanon

The Palestinian group has said one of its members was killed in south Lebanon as part of the “Al-Aqsa Flood battle” – the name Hamas uses for the October 7 attack against Israel and subsequent war.

Hamas identified the slain fighter as Walid Ahmad Hassanein from the Mieh Mieh Palestinian refugee camp near the coastal city of Sidon.

Earlier, Hamas said that it fired rockets at northern Israel from Lebanon.