UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Monday for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza as the war between Israel and Hamas surpassed 100 days. Guterres was speaking hours after three UN agencies urged Israel to allow access to the port of Ashdod, north of Gaza, to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
This blog is no longer being updated.
Summary:
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A Turkish court on Monday ordered the release of Israeli footballer Sagiv Jehezkel, who was detained and charged with inciting hatred after displaying a message referring to the Israel-Hamas war during a first division match.
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Officials in Hamas-run Gaza on Monday said dozens of people were killed overnight in "intense" Israeli bombardment as the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group passed the grim 100-day milestone.
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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on Monday for "the formulation of a specific timetable and road map for the implementation of the 'two-state solution' and support for the prompt resumption of Israel-Palestinian peace talks".
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Israeli officials say 1,139 people were killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks in southern Israel, among them 695 Israeli civilians including 36 children. Militant fighters took some 240 hostages during the attack, and 136 are still in Gaza, Israeli foreign ministry adviser Tal Becker said on January 12.
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At least 24,100 people have been killed and 60,834 wounded in Israel's ensuing assault on the Gaza Strip, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave.
Yesterday's key developments:
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The White House said Sunday that “it’s the right time” for Israel to scale back its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, as Israeli leaders again vowed to press ahead with their operation against the territory’s ruling Hamas militant group.
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Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said killing and displacing Palestinians crosses a line and cannot be accepted.
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The families of hostages held in the Gaza Strip kicked off a 24-hour rally in Tel Aviv Saturday night, calling on the government.
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Visiting the devastated Gaza Strip, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, said "the massive death, destruction, displacement, hunger, loss and grief of the last 100 days are staining our shared humanity".
Gaza’s health ministry collects data from the enclave’s hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent.
The health ministry does not report how Palestinians were killed, whether from Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages or errant Palestinian rocket fire. It describes all casualties as victims of “Israeli aggression”.
The ministry also does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Throughout four wars and numerous skirmishes between Israel and Hamas, UN agencies have cited the Hamas-run health ministry’s death tolls in regular reports. The International Committee of the Red Cross and Palestinian Red Crescent also use the numbers.
In the aftermath of war, the UN humanitarian office has published final death tolls based on its own research into medical records. The UN's counts have largely been consistent with the Gaza health ministry’s, with small discrepancies.
For more on the Gaza health ministry’s tolls, click here.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)
