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At least nine killed, dozens wounded in Israeli attack on Jenin

At least nine killed, dozens wounded in Israeli attack on Jenin
By Lyndal Rowlands, Mersiha Gadzo, Urooba Jamal, Stephen Quillen, Ali Harb and Federica Marsi
Published On 22 Jan 2025

This live page is now closed. You can continue to follow our coverage here.

22 Jan 2025 - 23:59
 (23:59 GMT)

Thank you for joining us

Before you go, you can read about Trump’s Middle East envoy’s planned trip to Gaza and its motives here.

You can also watch our video of the Israeli military carrying out destructive and deadly operations across the occupied West Bank’s Jenin.

And check out this interactive story to see our mapping of the 1,800 Israeli settler attacks in the West Bank since October 2023.

22 Jan 2025 - 23:51
 (23:51 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

This live page is about to close. Before we go, here’s a quick recap:

  • The United Nations has warned that deadly Israeli raids on the occupied West Bank city of Jenin risk killing more people and destroying essential infrastructure.
  • Hamas’s Qassam Brigades said “fierce clashes” with Israeli troops took place in the occupied West Bank villages Arrabeh and Fahma southwest of Jenin, as military raids continue for a second day.
  • Fatah has hit back at Hamas for rebuking the Palestinian Authority over its crackdown on Palestinian resistance fighters in Jenin, saying that “ISIS-like elements” are trying to bring Israel’s devastation of Gaza to the West Bank.
  • New satellite imagery shows the Israeli military has built fortifications and sand berms, and paved a new road surrounding the Rafah land crossing from the Palestinian side in southern Gaza. A number of military vehicles are still inside the Rafah crossing along with engineering equipment.
  • The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said 808 trucks carrying food, fuel and medical supplies entered Gaza today.
  • The newly sworn-in US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call with Netanyahu to stress that maintaining “steadfast support” for Israel is a top priority for Trump, the State Department said.
22 Jan 2025 - 23:40
 (23:40 GMT)

Saudi Arabia denounces Israeli assault on Jenin

The Saudi Foreign Ministry says Riyadh condemns the Israeli offensive in the occupied West Bank in the strongest terms.

“The kingdom renews its calls for the international community to shoulder its responsibility towards ending Israeli violations of international laws and treaties that could lead to renewed fighting and chaos in the occupied Palestinian territories,” the ministry said.

It also warned that Israeli abuses threaten the safety of innocent civilians and undermine the chances of peace in the region.

The United States has been pushing to establish formal relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

22 Jan 2025 - 23:30
 (23:30 GMT)

Hamas claims attack on Israeli bulldozer in Jenin

The Qassam Brigades, the Palestinian group’s armed wing, says its fighters detonated an explosive device targeting an Israeli military bulldozer near Cinema Jenin in the heart of the occupied West Bank city.

22 Jan 2025 - 23:26
 (23:26 GMT)
Analysis

More on looming US designation of Houthis as ‘foreign terror group’

Trump has issued an order directing his Secretary of State Marco Rubio to submit a report on the Houthi “terror” designation within 30 days and then formally label the group as a “foreign terrorist organisation” (FTO) within 15 days later.

Designating the Houthis an FTO would spark extensive restrictions and sanctions on the group.

It would make Houthi members inadmissible to travel to the US. It would also make it illegal for Americans to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to the Yemeni group.

Aid groups have previously warned that such a designation would hinder humanitarian efforts in Yemen, where most of the population lives in Houthi-controlled areas.

Trump had designated the Houthis as an FTO in the final weeks of his first presidency in 2021. His successor Joe Biden reversed that decision, citing concerns about the delivery of humanitarian aid to crisis-hit Yemen.

After the Houthis began attacking shipping lanes in and around the Red Sea in a campaign of solidarity with Gaza, the Biden administration blacklisted the Houthis as “designated global terrorists” – which incurs less sweeping penalties than the FTO label.

On Wednesday, the White House said that as part of the designation, the US aid agency USAID would have to ensure that none of its partner groups in Yemen has made a payment to Houthi members or institutions.

The Houthis are the de-facto government in the Yemeni capital Sanaa and most of northern Yemen.

“The Houthis’ activities threaten the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade,” the Trump executive order said.

Houthi fighters parade in Sanaa to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, August 24, 2024 [File: Khaled Abdullah/Reuters]
22 Jan 2025 - 23:15
 (23:15 GMT)

Video shows destruction at Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital

Footage posted by Al Jazeera Arabic shows the destruction caused by a siege laid by the Israeli military in December at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya, in northern Gaza.

The Israeli military raided the facility and forced out dozens of medical staff and patients. Contact was lost with the hospital’s director, Hussam Abu Safia, since the raid began. He was detained by Israeli forces but it is not known where he has been taken.

The hospital’s intensive care unit caught fire during the attack, leaving what was the only ICU in north Gaza out of service.

Translation: Watch – The extent of the destruction and devastation that befell the intensive care unit at Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli aggression. 

22 Jan 2025 - 23:00
 (23:00 GMT)

Lebanese army says it deployed in border village after Israeli withdrawal

The Lebanese army says its troops have completed their deployment in Kfarchouba, which sits on Lebanon’s border with the occupied Golan Heights, after the Israeli military withdrew from the village.

The November ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah affirmed UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the war in 2006, and stipulated that the Lebanese army must deploy and be the only armed force at the border with Israel.

Today, the Lebanese army urged residents to stay away from areas where the Israeli army recently withdrew until its forces secure the roads and clear unexploded bombs.

Earlier, the Israeli army carried out several attacks in villages southwest of Kfarchouba, where it has not withdrawn. Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that Israeli troops blew up at least three homes in the Christian-majority village of Deir Mimas.

22 Jan 2025 - 22:53
 (22:53 GMT)

Trump to designate Yemen’s Houthis as ‘terrorist organisation’

Correction: A previous version of this post erroneously said the US has designated the Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organisation”. In fact, Trump issued an order to start the process of the designation.

The US president has issued an order to “set the motion” to label the Yemeni group as a “foreign terrorist organisation” (FTO), a designation that would enable further sanctions against the Houthis.

22 Jan 2025 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)

Israeli army demolish besieged house in Burqin

The Israeli army have demolished a home in the town of Burqin that they had surrounded and attacked amid fighting with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigades.

The Wafa news agency said the house was bulldozed after the military sent additional reinforcements to the town, located near Jenin, in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad earlier said its fighters had caught the Israeli soldiers in a “field of fire”, resulting in “confirmed casualties”.

22 Jan 2025 - 22:35
 (22:35 GMT)

Israeli military admits Hamas commander not killed as previously claimed

We reported earlier that Palestinian outlets are sharing footage showing Hamas’s Beit Hanoon commander Hussein Fayad talking to reporters in northern Gaza, months after Israel claimed to have assassinated him.

Now, the Israeli military appears to have confirmed that Fayad is still alive.

The Times of Israel quoted the army as saying in a statement that the intelligence findings that Fayad was killed in May “were not accurate enough”.

22 Jan 2025 - 22:27
 (22:27 GMT)

Marco Rubio speaks with Netanyahu, pledges ‘steadfast support’ for Israel

Newly sworn-in US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call for Netanyahu to stress that maintaining “steadfast support” for Israel is a top priority for Trump, the State Department says.

“The secretary congratulated the prime minister on Israel’s successes against Hamas and Hezbollah and pledged  to work tirelessly to help free all remaining hostages held in Gaza,” the State Department said.

“The secretary also conveyed that he looks forward to addressing the threats  posed by Iran and pursuing opportunities for peace.”

The conversation is the first call between Netanyahu and a top Trump aide since the new US administration took office on Monday.

Trump presented himself as an anti-war candidate during the election, but he appointed staunchly pro-Israel hawks to key positions in his administration, including Rubio as his top diplomat.

22 Jan 2025 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)

Ben-Gvir calls Gaza truce ‘national humiliation’

Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s former national security minister who quit Netanyahu’s government in protest against the ceasefire deal, has expressed outrage over a report that the military ordered soldiers to remove graffiti in central Gaza that may be offensive to Palestinians.

Ben-Gvir called the purported order a “disgrace” and reiterated his opposition to the ceasefire.

“This is not only a reckless surrender deal, it is also a national humiliation,” he wrote on X. “We must stop this humiliation and immediately return to war and destroy our enemies.”

22 Jan 2025 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

France expresses serious concern over West Bank raids

France’s Foreign Ministry has expressed serious concern over the upsurge in violent Israeli attacks across the occupied West Bank since the Gaza ceasefire came into effect.

“Settlements are accelerating and violence by extremist settlers is increasing, fuelling instability,” it said in a statement.

“France, very concerned by the launch of the Israeli operation in Jenin, calls on the Israeli authorities to show restraint.”

The statement added that Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot would be discussing the issue of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank with his European counterparts at the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday in Brussels.

22 Jan 2025 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)

UN warns Israeli raids on Jenin destroying essential infrastructure

The United Nations has warned that deadly Israeli raids on the occupied West Bank city of Jenin risk killing more people and are destroying essential infrastructure.

“OCHA [the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs] warns that the ongoing operation by Israeli forces in Jenin is putting people’s safety and welfare at risk while destroying infrastructure as basic as roads, electricity and water pipes,” Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN Secretary-General said.

“OCHA warns that since yesterday, the Jenin government hospital has been disconnected from the water grid and electricity network. It relies on dwindling water reserves from emergency tanks that were installed just weeks ago in preparation for such situations.”

At least 10 Palestinians have reportedly been killed and dozens more injured in Jenin as Israeli raids on the city continue into a second day.

22 Jan 2025 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

UN says 808 aid trucks entered Gaza today

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says the trucks carried food, fuel and medical supplies into Gaza.

“Humanitarian partners are carrying out rapid assessments in newly accessible areas to identify people’s most urgent needs, including water, hygiene, sanitation and healthcare. They are also stepping up disease surveillance efforts,” OCHA said.

Before the ceasefire came into effect on Sunday, some days in January saw as few as 13 trucks enter Gaza, with the Israeli military imposing a suffocating siege on the territory.

During the war, Israel also targeted security officers associated with Hamas who guarded aid convoys, enabling criminal gangs to hijack the trucks and sell the assistance at high prices.

Last year, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza, including using starvation as a method of war.

Palestinians secure aid trucks in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, January 22 [Hatem Khaled/Reuters]
22 Jan 2025 - 21:15
 (21:15 GMT)

Israeli military says it killed Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighter in southern Gaza

The Israeli military has said it struck an armed group approaching its forces in southern Gaza, killing one of its members, but remains committed to the ceasefire deal that paused the 15-month-long war.

In a statement posted on X, it said it killed Akram Atef Farhan Zenun, a fighter with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group.

The military added that armed men approached Israeli forces in several parts of the Gaza Strip and were dispersed.

The Israeli army “is determined to fully implement the terms of the agreement in order to return the captives,” the statement said, adding it would nonetheless continue to respond to any threats to its soldiers.

22 Jan 2025 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)

Hamas says its fighters are clashing with Israeli army near Jenin

Hamas’s Qassam Brigades claims “fierce clashes” with Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank villages Arrabeh and Fahma southwest of Jenin.

The group said its fighters are targeting Israeli forces with machineguns and locally manufactured explosive devices.

22 Jan 2025 - 20:45
 (20:45 GMT)

MSF says West Bank raids taking ‘heavy toll’ on Palestinians

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has said Israel’s attacks on the occupied West Bank after a ceasefire deal was announced in Gaza “are taking a heavy toll on people’s physical and mental health”, as ambulances and medical staff are prevented access.

“What we are seeing in Jenin camp is horrific,” an unnamed MSF-trained paramedic was quoted by the organisation as saying.

“People are targeted while being evacuated, and wounded cannot be reached by ambulance. We are running out of electricity, and we will soon be unable to use our electric vehicles to transport and stabilise patients.”

MSF said the surge in violence was taking place at a time when it had already been “forced to suspend operations in Jenin and reduce activities in Hebron and Nablus due to obstruction of movement”.

MSF called for “unimpeded access to medical care” and the protection of hospitals, ambulances and healthcare workers.

22 Jan 2025 - 20:30
 (20:30 GMT)

Khamenei rejects ‘delusional’ Trump’s claim that Iran is weak

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei rebukes Trump for saying that Tehran has been “weakened” by the regional violence that broke out with the war in Gaza.

“That delusional dreamer announced that Iran has become weak,” Khamenei wrote on X. “The future will show who has become weak.”

The US president told reporters on Monday that the Israeli attack on Iranian military facilities in October “really set them back”.

But Khamenei likened the perception that Iran is weak to when Iraq invaded the country in 1980 under Saddam Hussein with the support of the administration of then-US President Ronald Reagan.

“Saddam began his attack & Reagan gave him a huge amount of aid based on the illusion that Iran had become weak,” Khamenei said.

“They & tens of other delusional people have gone to Hell, while Islamic Republic has grown stronger every day. It will be the same this time too, by God’s grace.”

Besides Israel’s attack in October, Iran’s regional influence suffered heavy blows over the past year with the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria and the assassination of Hezbollah’s top political and military leaders by the Israeli military in Lebanon.

22 Jan 2025 - 20:15
 (20:15 GMT)

WATCH: Palestinian’s last moments before being killed by Israeli forces

Palestinian Ahmed Obeidi’s family filmed the final moments of his life before he was shot dead while driving by Israeli forces on Tuesday during a raid on the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.