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The Israeli army reported this Tuesday that it had killed three men, whom it accused of belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, inside the hospital in Jenin (West Bank), where the militants had taken refuge.
According to his account, one of them was a prominent member of Hamas and was preparing an imminent attack inspired by the October 7 attacks.
Israel denounces that Palestinian militia fighters use hospitals as refuge and bases to plan attacks.
On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that at least a quarter of Hamas militants in Gaza have been killed and as many wounded during Israeli military operations.
For their part, US military commanders have explained that the attack that cost the lives of three American soldiers at a base on the border between Jordan and Syria was possible by mistaking the attacking drone for one of their own.
Iran claimed it had nothing to do with the attack.
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The country
Israeli army kills three Palestinian militants in West Bank hospital
The Israeli army reported this Tuesday that it had killed three men, whom it accused of belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, inside the hospital in Jenin (West Bank), where the militants had taken refuge.
According to his story, the militiamen of the “squadron” were planning an imminent attack.
In a note published on its website, the Israeli army affirms that it has killed Muhammad Jalamana, 27, at the Ibn Sina hospital in Jenin, who was dedicated to "promoting important terrorist activities", who supplied weapons and ammunition to other terrorists to commit shooting attacks and “planned an attack inspired by the events of October 7”, the Hamas attacks that caused 1,200 deaths in towns in southern Israel and that triggered the current war in Gaza.
Likewise, soldiers killed two brothers in the same hospital, Muhammad and Bassel Azawi, whom they accuse of terrorist activities and claim to belong to Islamic Jihad.
The army denounces that many militiamen or people wanted and captured in Israel "hide in hospitals and use them as a base to plan terrorist activities and carry out attacks."
ACT.30 JAN 2024 - 07:36
Macarena Vidal LiyWashington
Photos released by the US Army with images of the three killed in the attack in Jordan.
/ via REUTERS
Expansion |
The US confused the drone that killed three of its soldiers in Jordan with its own
The confusion of an enemy drone with one of its own that was returning to the base at that time appears to have been the factor that allowed the attack against a US position in northeastern Jordan this Sunday, in which three US soldiers and 40 others died. They were injured, according to military commanders.
The incident, the first to leave US soldiers dead in a hostile act since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, increases pressure on Joe Biden as attacks by pro-Iran militias multiply in the Middle East and the risk of regional escalation appears greater than ever.
Read the complete information here.
ACT.29 JAN 2024 - 23:40
The country
Blinken assures that there is “real hope” for a hostage release agreement
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, assured this Monday that there is “real hope” for a possible quick release of the hostages that Hamas has been holding in the Gaza Strip since the attack against Israel on October 7.
“I can't say anything more, but I can say that very important and productive work has been done and that there is real hope for the future,” said Blinken, interviewed during a press conference about the weekend meeting in Paris. between American, Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari officials.
“Hamas will have to make its own decisions.
I can only tell you that there is a good and strong alignment between the countries involved and that this is a good and strong proposal,” he added.
The senior diplomat met in the morning with the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdelraman Al-Thani, who has reported “remarkable progress” in the Paris talks.
He said a framework for a truce in Gaza and the release of hostages must be conveyed to the Palestinian Islamist movement.
Qatar, along with Egypt and the United States, has led mediation efforts since war broke out on October 7 between Israel and Hamas, following an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian movement on Israeli soil.
In total, 132 hostages remain captive in Palestinian territory, of whom 28 are believed to be dead.
(AFP)
ACT.29 JAN 2024 - 23:12
The country
Hamas demands a definitive ceasefire before continuing negotiations
Hamas wants to negotiate a “complete ceasefire” with Israel in the Gaza Strip before any agreement, a senior official of the Palestinian Islamist movement told AFP this Monday.
“We are talking, first of all, about a complete and total ceasefire and not about a temporary truce,” Taher al-Nounou, a senior Hamas official, said after a meeting in Paris this weekend between American, Israeli and Israeli officials. , Qataris and Egyptians to silence the guns in the Palestinian enclave.
Once the fighting stops, “the rest of the details can be discussed,” including the release of the hundred Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.
A framework for a truce and the release of hostages must be conveyed to Hamas, Qatar's prime minister announced in Washington.
But on Monday afternoon it was unclear whether or not these statements by the Hamas official were a response to this framework.
(AFP)
ACT.29 JAN 2024 - 21:17
The country
Guterres will meet with UNRWA donors this Tuesday to ask for help for the organization
The Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, will meet this Tuesday in New York with potential donors to help cover the funds of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), after more than 15 countries have announced that They suspend their contribution due to the possible involvement of some of their members in attacks against Israel.
Guterres' spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, said at a press conference that he did not know which potential donors would attend that meeting, but added that the UN would do everything possible to respond to the concerns of all those, such as the European Union. , have requested an external audit carried out by independent agents.
“Any member state that has the financial resources to support UNRWA, we are going to call them,” Dujarric said, without citing any in particular.
The spokesperson has once again asked the countries that have announced that they are suspending their funding – among them, the United States, Canada, Japan and several Europeans – to “guarantee the continuity” of UNRWA's work, at least in “the most humanitarian work.” critical".
Dujarric recalled that UNRWA has 13,000 employees in Gaza who assist more than a million Palestinians, but their work does not end there, as they have another 17,000 agents in the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria in assistance tasks - health, education and even food—to Palestinian refugees.
But he has made it clear that UNRWA's work in Gaza is irreplaceable or unrealizable by another UN agency: “No organization outside UNRWA has the infrastructure to do the work they do.
It is not as if another organization arrives tomorrow and does their work, it is not feasible,” he clarified.
He thus responds to the statements of countries such as Germany, which have stated that there are other ways to support the Palestinian people, beyond UNRWA.
Regarding the accusations against UNRWA of collusion with terrorism, Dujarric recalled that there are two investigations underway: one by UN Internal Affairs, launched last Friday, to determine the alleged involvement of nine members of the agency in the attacks on October 7 against Israel, and another more global one about its operation, which had already begun previously.
According to the spokesperson, the alleged evidence incriminating the nine UNRWA agents – one of those mentioned by Israel is dead and two more missing – was shown to the agency's commissioner general, Philippe Lazzarini, who was the one who decided to expel the agents. nine as an administrative measure while the investigation is completed.
Lazzarini subsequently communicated by phone with Guterres on several occasions over the weekend, and Guterres said he felt “horrified by these accusations,” although Dujarric has clarified that the secretary general has not seen that incriminating evidence.
(Efe)
ACT.29 JAN 2024 - 20:23
The country
A column of Palestinian refugees leaves Khan Yunis to head to Rafah, at the southern end of the Gaza Strip.
/ MOHAMMED SALEM / REUTERS
What has happened in the last few hours
These are the most relevant news about Israel's military offensive in Gaza and the escalation in the Middle East at 8:00 p.m. this Monday, January 29:
UNRWA says it will not be able to help Gaza after February if countries that have stopped supporting it do not resume their funding.
The UN Palestine Refugee Agency (UNRWA) has stated that it will not be able to continue helping Gaza after February if countries that have withdrawn their economic support do not resume their funding.
“UNRWA will not be able to continue its services and operations throughout the region, including Gaza, beyond the end of next month,” an agency spokesperson said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has attacked the agency, while Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has called for the resignation of its director general, Philippe Lazzarini.
The European Commission has announced that it will maintain funding for the agency, at least until the internal United Nations investigation is resolved, while around twenty of the world's most important humanitarian NGOs have asked that their funding not be suspended.
Israel claims to have killed a quarter of Hamas militants in Gaza.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said this Monday that at least half of the Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip have died or been injured during operations by the Israeli armed forces in the Palestinian enclave.
Gallant has also assured that the Israeli army “will go into action very soon” in the north of the country, on the border with Lebanon, where exchanges of fire with Hezbollah occur daily.
Confusion with a US drone made possible the attack in which three US soldiers died in Jordan on Sunday
.
The attack on the Torre 22 outpost on the border between Jordan and Syria, in which three US soldiers died, was made possible by confusion, according to US military commanders.
The drone launched by pro-Iranian Syrian militias was flying low and approached the position just as another American drone was also returning.
Thinking it was theirs, the soldiers did not open fire to shoot it down.
The US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, assured this Monday that the United States will take “all necessary measures” to defend its troops.
France demands that Netanyahu condemn some of his ministers after a congress in favor of reopening Jewish colonies in Gaza
.
France condemns the holding of a conference in Jerusalem on Sunday to promote the installation of Israeli settlements in Gaza, the French Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
“We expect a clear denunciation of this position from the Israeli authorities,” the ministry said through a spokesperson.
Hamas fires long-range rockets into central Israel without causing any casualties.
The Palestinian militia Hamas has fired long-range missiles at Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities, after weeks of relative calm in central Israel.
The armed group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which has caused no victims, according to initial information.
The Israeli army has detailed that 15 rockets had been fired, of which six have been intercepted.
Typically, the military tries to shoot down only rockets that can hit populated areas.
Syria accuses Israel of killing seven people in an attack south of Damascus, including pro-Iran fighters.
At least seven people, including several pro-Iran fighters, have been killed in an Israeli attack in the south of Damascus, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH).
“Israeli missiles have attacked a Hezbollah and Iranian Revolutionary Guard base, killing seven people,” including pro-Iranian fighters, detailed Rami Abdel Rahman, director of OSDH. The attack took place in the Sayyida Zeinab district, al south of Damascus, according to the organization, which has not confirmed whether there are civilians among the dead.
The Palestinian Authority raises the number of Palestinian deaths to five in four incidents in the West Bank
.
The West Bank Health Ministry, controlled by the Palestinian Authority, has reported the death of five Palestinians in four incidents in different parts of the Palestinian territory this Monday.
A few hours ago, the same source had reported two fatalities in Israeli army operations in Nablus and Jenin.
ACT.29 JAN 2024 - 20:00
Macarena Vidal LiyWashington
Confusion with a US drone made possible the attack in which three US soldiers died in Jordan
The attack on the Torre 22 outpost on the border between Jordan and Syria, in which three US soldiers died, was made possible by confusion, according to US military commanders.
The drone launched by the Syrian pro-Iran militias was flying low and approached the position just as another American drone was also returning.
Thinking it was theirs, the soldiers did not open fire to shoot it down.
The militia drone attacked the barracks that serve as a residential area within the base, where 350 US soldiers are stationed.
Many of them were sleeping at that time.
In addition to the three deceased, another thirty soldiers were injured in the incident.
This Monday, Biden met with his National Security team at the White House to discuss the situation after the attack.
Among those in attendance were National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, according to the presidential office.
The death of American soldiers has fallen like a stone on the Biden Administration: it makes a reality the nightmare that the Pentagon feared since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7 precipitated an escalation in skirmishes by pro-Iranian militias against the positions of the United States.
Although Washington "is not seeking a war with Tehran," Sunday's attack means that now "we are entering a different scenario," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby acknowledged in statements to the NBC television network.
The Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, who returned to his office at the Pentagon this Monday after recovering from complications from the cancer he suffers, has expressed himself in a similar sense.
“Neither the president nor I will tolerate attacks against American forces, and we will take any action necessary to defend the United States and our troops,” he said, at the beginning of a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
ACT.29 JAN 2024 - 19:43
The country
Israel assures that the Israeli Army will take action “very soon” in southern Lebanon
The Israeli army "will go into action very soon" in the north of the country, on the border with Lebanon, where exchanges of fire with Hezbollah occur daily, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said this Monday.
In a meeting with soldiers stationed near the border with Gaza, Gallant warned that units currently deployed in Palestinian territory would leave the area towards the north of the country.
“They will soon go into action (...) so that the forces in the north are reinforced,” said Gallant, who indicated that reserve units will also participate in the operation.
The Chief of the General Staff, Herzi Halevi, recently estimated that the probability of a war “in the coming months” in the north of the country was today “much greater than in the past.”
Since the start of the war in Gaza there have been constant exchanges of fire between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, a Lebanese movement allied with Iran and Hamas.
In more than three months, more than 200 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to an AFP tally.
On the Israeli side, 15 people were killed, including nine soldiers and six civilians, according to the Israeli military.
Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for 12 attacks from Sunday night to Monday against Israeli positions.
On Friday, the Shiite Islamist movement mentioned for the first time the use of Falaq-1 rockets, produced in Iran.
(AFP)
ACT.29 JAN 2024 - 19:19
The country
France demands Netanyahu condemn some of his ministers after a conference in favor of reopening Jewish colonies in Gaza
France condemns the holding of a conference in Jerusalem on Sunday to promote the installation of Israeli settlements in Gaza, the French Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
“We expect a clear denunciation of this position from the Israeli authorities,” the ministry said through a spokesperson.
Israel's Security Minister, the far-right Itamar Ben-Gvir, urged Jewish settlers to return to Gaza at a congress in Jerusalem on Sunday surrounded by several ministers and deputies, including some from Likud, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party.
The meeting has provoked condemnation from the Palestinian authorities, who have denounced that his words amount to a call for forced deportation.
(Reuters)
ACT.29 JAN 2024 - 18:53
The country
Twenty NGOs ask not to suspend UNRWA funding
Twenty of the world's most important humanitarian NGOs have asked this Monday that funding for the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) not be suspended, after several governments have announced such a measure due to suspicions that some employees of the entity collaborated with Hamas in the October 7 attack.
“We could witness a complete collapse of the humanitarian response in Gaza, already restricted,” if these suspensions of financial aid are not reversed, the organizations, including Caritas, Save the Children and Doctors, have warned in a joint statement. of the world.
“We are shocked by the reckless decision to cut off vital aid to a population by the same countries that have called for increased assistance to Gaza and for humanitarian actors to be protected during their work,” the NGOs added.
The statement said the suspension of funding by some of UNRWA's major donors will reduce essential assistance for two million civilians, more than half of them children, who depend on the agency's activities in Gaza.
“Countries that are suspending their funding put Palestinians at risk of having even less access to essential food, water, healthcare, education and protection,” they added in the statement.
The NGOs recall that UNRWA is the main provider of humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza, where the population "risks famine and epidemics in a context of continuous indiscriminate bombings and deliberate deprivation of assistance."
The organizations also recall that the wave of suspensions occurs precisely when the International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to take immediate and effective actions to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches Gaza, in order to avoid a genocide.
(Efe)
ACT.29 JAN 2024 - 18:04
The country
Israel claims to have killed a quarter of Hamas militants in Gaza
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said this Monday that at least half of the Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip have died or been injured during operations by the Israeli armed forces in the Palestinian enclave.
“We have already killed at least a quarter of the Hamas terrorists, and the same number are wounded,” said the minister during a meeting with Army reservists, to whom he insisted that Israel will emerge victorious from the war against the Palestinian militia, however “long” it may be.
“Terrorists persist and we are fighting pockets of resistance.
It will take months, not a day (...) On the other hand, they do not have supplies, they do not have ammunition and they do not have reinforcements," added Gallant, who stressed that for Hamas "it is difficult to take care of themselves," as stated in the local newspaper
The Times of Israel
.
(Efe)
ACT.29 JAN 2024 - 17:53
The country
US Defense Minister promises to take “all necessary measures” after Sunday's attack in Jordan
The US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, assured this Monday that the United States will take “all necessary measures” to defend its troops after a drone attack by Iranian-backed militiamen that killed three US soldiers and He injured dozens more.
Sunday's attack was the first fatal attack on US forces since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out in October, and marks a major escalation of tensions that have engulfed the Middle East.
“Let me begin with my outrage and pain [at] the death of three brave American soldiers in Jordan and for the other soldiers who were injured,” Austin said at the beginning of his meeting at the Pentagon with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
“The President [of the United States, Joe Biden] and I will not tolerate attacks on American forces and will take all necessary measures to defend the United States and our troops.”
American troops have been attacked more than 150 times in Iraq, Syria and Jordan, as well as warships in the Red Sea, where Houthi fighters in Yemen have been firing drones and missiles at them.
This offensive multiplies political pressure on President Joe Biden to directly attack Iran, something he has so far refused to do for fear of starting a broader war.
Biden's response options could range from attacking Iranian forces outside or even inside Iran, or opting for a more cautious retaliatory strike only against the responsible Iranian-backed militiamen, experts say.
“Iran continues to destabilize the region, among other ways, by supporting terrorists who attack our ships in the Red Sea,” Stoltenberg said.
(Reuters)
ACT.29 JAN 2024 - 17:22
The country
Hamas fires long-range rockets into central Israel without causing casualties
The Palestinian militia Hamas has fired long-range missiles at Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities, after weeks of relative calm in central Israel.
The armed group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which has caused no victims, according to initial information.
The Israeli army has detailed that 15 rockets had been fired, of which six have been intercepted.
Typically, the military tries to shoot down only rockets that can hit populated areas.
Air raid sirens sounded in major cities in central Israel shortly before the attack, sending residents running for cover.
Police have said they are working to clear debris that has fallen in at least one Tel Aviv suburb, likely as a result of one of the mid-air interceptions.
(Reuters)
ACT.29 JAN 2024 - 16:59
The country
Israel's Foreign Minister calls for the resignation of the head of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees
El ministro de Relaciones Exteriores israelí, Israel Katz, ha cancelado la reunión que tenía prevista con el jefe de la Agencia de la ONU para los refugiados palestinos (UNRWA) y le ha pedido que dimita por las acusaciones que aseguran que 13 miembros del personal de la agencia participaron en el ataque de Hamás a Israel el 7 de octubre. “Acabo de cancelar las reuniones del jefe de la UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, con funcionarios del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Israel”, ha dicho Katz. “Los empleados de UNRWA participaron en la masacre. Lazzarini debería sacar conclusiones y dimitir. Los partidarios del terrorismo no son bienvenidos aquí”, ha afirmado Katz.
La semana pasada, Israel denunció que algunos trabajadores de la agencia de la ONU que proporciona ayuda a los refugiados palestinos habían estado implicados en los ataques de Hamás a Israel. La agencia los despidió y abrió una investigación para esclarecer los hechos. (Reuters)
ACT.29 ENE 2024 - 15:47
El País
Asciende a 26.637 la cifra de muertos por ataques israelíes a Gaza desde el 7 de octubre, según el Ministerio de Sanidad gazatí
El Ministerio de Sanidad gazatí, controlado por Hamás, ha elevado a 26.637 muertos —la mayoría de ellos niños y mujeres— el número de víctimas en la Franja desde que se inició la ofensiva israelí el 7 de octubre. Según la misma fuente, 65.387 personas han resultado heridas por los ataques israelíes.
Solo en las últimas 24 horas, 215 palestinos han perdido la vida en el enclave mediterráneo y 300 han resultado heridos, según el comunicado del ministerio. Esta cifra se refiere a las víctimas que han llegado a los hospitales de la zona en las últimas horas, pero las autoridades estiman que hay muchas personas bajo los escombros.
Aunque las cifras son del Ministerio de Sanidad gazatí —las ha publicado este organismo en un comunicado recogido por Reuters—, la ONU ha dado validez al balance de muertos que publica diariamente el ministerio. Los más de 26.600 muertos representan más del 1% de la población del enclave. (Reuters)
ACT.29 ENE 2024 - 15:06
El País
Netanyahu carga contra la UNRWA y afirma que está “perforada por Hamás” y que “adoctrina” a los niños contra Israel
El primer ministro israelí, Benjamín Netanyahu, ha cargado contra la Agencia de la ONU para los Refugiados Palestinos (UNRWA) y ha defendido que algunos de sus miembros participaron en el ataque del 7 de octubre desde Gaza. Según Netanyahu, la organización que proporciona ayuda humanitaria a los palestinos está “perforada con Hamás”. “Hemos descubierto que había 13 trabajadores de la UNRWA que participaron, directa o indirectamente, en la masacre del 7 de octubre”, ha afirmado a la cadena británica TalkTV.
Además, ha asegurado que en las escuelas donde la ONU acoge a refugiados gazatíes “se han estado enseñando las doctrinas del exterminio contra Israel y la alabanza y glorificación del terrorismo”.
Last week, Israel alleged that some UNRWA workers had been involved in Hamas attacks on Israel.
The agency fired them and opened an investigation to clarify the facts.
As a result of the accusations, more than a dozen countries have temporarily withdrawn their funding, including the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Canada.
Spain has stated that it “closely follows the internal investigation” opened by the UN but that it will continue to support the agency, since it is “indispensable to alleviate […] the terrible humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.
(Reuters)
ACT.29 JAN 2024 - 14:51