Compilation of news reports – IAK staff
Israeli attacks killed at least 45 Palestinians in Gaza on Monday, according to medical sources.
On May 31, 2024, US President Joe Biden announced the framework of a ceasefire deal in Gaza, saying at the time that Israel had agreed to a “comprehensive” proposal, a framework still largely on the table.
At the time, the death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza in this war stood at about 36,500 people.
As of today, 46,645 Palestinians have been killed, meaning that more than 10,000 people have been added to the toll since Biden announced the plan for a ceasefire.
Palestinian women detail Israeli sexual assaults in Kamal Adwan raid
Before anything else happened, Maryam al-Muqayad says male Israeli troops told her to take off her clothes.
Then, the soldiers took the 13-year-old Palestinian girl, dragged her by her hair and made her kneel down. When they had stopped abusing her, they forced her to leave northern Gaza, her home, and make her way south.
She was not alone.
Dozens of Palestinian women and girls reported similar sexual abuses committed against them by Israeli forces during the storming of Kamal Adwan hospital in the north of the wartorn coastal enclave last month.
The incursion was preceded by nearly three months of a blockade preventing the entry of aid, medicine and food, as well as heavy bombardment in the hospital’s complex and vicinity.
Once troops reached the hospital, they burned down different departments and killed patients and medical workers inside, according to health officials.
The remaining doctors and patients, roughly 350 people, were forced out of the hospital at gunpoint, half-dressed.
Muqayad was at the hospital accompanying her sick grandmother. “The Israeli army set fire to several sections while shelling was everywhere around us,” she told Middle East Eye.
“The attacks continued for more than three-and-a-half hours before they started calling on everyone inside the hospital to stand in its yard,” she said.
At first, worried about leaving her grandmother, she resisted going out, but eventually decided to join the rest of the group (continue reading here).
Israeli strikes kill journalist as media targeted in Gaza
Journalist Mohammad Basheer al-Talmas succumbed to injuries sustained during an Israeli air strike on Gaza City, Al Jazeera Arabic reported. The deadly attack occurred on Monday.
Since 7 October 2023, Israel’s relentless campaign has devastated Palestinian media.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate reports that 88 media outlets have been destroyed, while dozens of journalists have been abducted by Israel or wounded.
More than 170 media professionals have been killed, many alongside their families, in what has been a deliberate effort to silence Palestinian voices.
Kamal Adwan’s Hussam Abu Safia held in Ofer Prison, rights group says
An Israeli rights group says Hussam Abu Safia, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital who was detained by Israeli forces during their raid on the facility in Beit Lahiya last month, is being held in a notorious Israeli military prison in the occupied West Bank.
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI), said the Israeli military confirmed in an email that Abu Safia was at Ofer Prison. A lawyer for Abu Safia’s family was told that he would not be allowed to see him until January 29, said a spokesman for PHRI, Ran Yaron, according to The Associated Press.
Colleagues and family have expressed fears over the safety of Abu Safia after troops forced him into a military tank upon his detention. Former detainees have reported harsh conditions at Ofer Prison, including beatings, minimal food rations and refusals of medical care.
Colleagues say the 51-year-old Abu Safia kept Kamal Adwan Hospital operating even as Israeli troops besieged it for about 85 days, starting in October. He became known for his frequent videos, pleading for international help as Israeli fire hit the hospital multiple times during the siege.
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Mediators submit ‘final draft’ of Gaza ceasefire proposal as Hamas, Israel inch toward deal
Gaza ceasefire negotiations are at critical stage but have made “significant progress,” as mediators are awaiting a response from both sides after submitting a “final draft.”
The “final draft” was “sent to both parties for approval” after “significant progress was made at midnight,” an informed source told Alhurra. This came after “intensive” meetings between Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, US President-elect Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.
An Egyptian official told AP that “good progress was made overnight but it will likely take a few more days,” and that the “mediators have delivered the draft agreement to both parties and the next 24 hours will be crucial.”
Hamas, which had been holding fast to its terms for a full Israeli withdrawal throughout the entirety of the war, has now agreed to a deal that would see troops maintain a presence on the Gaza–Egypt border and the Netzarim corridor, which splits the strip in two, according to a source cited by Al-Sharq TV over the weekend.
The Hamas source added that the deal will go through if Israel does not impose new conditions at the last minute.
Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Monday his opposition to a potential prisoner exchange deal with Palestinian group Hamas, calling for opening “the gates of hell” on the enclave.
The emerging deal is a “catastrophe for Israel’s national security,” Smotrich, the leader of the Religious Zionism Party, said on his X account.
The extremist minister, however, did not threaten to leave the government if the deal is approved.
“This is the time to continue with all our might, to occupy and cleanse the entire Strip, to finally take control of humanitarian aid from Hamas, and to open the gates of hell on Gaza until Hamas surrenders completely and all the hostages are returned,” he said.
RELATED: Israeli Cabinet expected to approve Gaza cease-fire, prisoner exchange deal Tuesday: Media
Report: Trump’s Envoy Pressured Netanyahu To Advance Gaza Ceasefire Deal
President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, leaned hard on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to get him to agree to compromises to advance a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, Israeli media reported on Monday.
Witkoff, a real estate investor, flew to Israel from Qatar to meet with Netanyahu on Saturday. The pressure Witkoff put on Netanyahu is being credited for the progress in negotiations in recent days, and officials from all sides are now saying an agreement is close.
According to Haaretz, Witkoff has “forced Israel to accept a plan that Netanyahu had repeatedly rejected over the past half year.” Netanyahu had been pushing for a deal that only involved a temporary ceasefire, but according to the reports, the new plan would involve a full Israeli withdrawal.
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Ben-Gvir reveals that he repeatedly prevented Gaza hostage deal, contrary to Netanyahu’s claims that Hamas derailed talks
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir took responsibility on an X post earlier on Tuesday for the delays caused by Israel in the hostage-release deal negotiations, a claim that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently denied, instead placing the blame on Hamas.
Despite Ben-Gvir’s call earlier on Tuesday for Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to join him in opposing the deal, the two cannot act alone. If they both resign from the government, it could threaten Netanyahu by signaling that they might topple the government and hinder potential legislation.
Ben-Gvir did not explicitly threaten to resign from the government without Smotrich, but he effectively placed the responsibility on the latter to oppose the deal.
‘Critical moment for justice’: Pro-Palestine rights group urges Italy to arrest Israeli general under Rome Statute
The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a Belgium-based rights group, called on 13 January for Italian authorities to immediately arrest Israeli Major General Ghassan Alian for war crimes committed against Palestinians in Gaza.
According to HRF, Alian is currently in Rome, making this a “critical moment for justice.”
The group has filed cases with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and Italian authorities, urging his immediate arrest under the Rome statute on charges of “genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.”
As the Head of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Alian is responsible for administering the siege of Gaza, including cutting off the supply of water, food, and fuel just days after the war began.
On 10 October 2023, Alian said in an Arabic-language video message to the civilian population of Gaza that Israel was imposing a total blockade, “no electricity, no water, just damage.”
“Alian, who publicly referred to Palestinians in Gaza as ‘human animals,’ has no immunity from prosecution. Time is of the essence to ensure accountability for his actions,” the HRF said in a statement on its website.
Palestinians dedicate new West Bank olive grove to Jimmy Carter
Palestinian activists and residents planted a grove of 250 olive trees in a northern West Bank town on Monday in memory of the late U.S. President Jimmy Carter, describing him as a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause.
The former president’s legacy is “rooted” among Palestinians and across the globe, said Abbas Melhem, executive manager of the Palestinian Farmers Union. Carter was one of the few world leaders who “stood firmly supporting the struggle of the Palestinians for independence and for freedom,” he said.
Under clear winter skies, Palestinian kids helped a handful of adults place the trees into newly dug holes. Melhem said the 10-dunam (2.5-acre) grove in the city of Tulkarem, titled “Freedom Farm,” would be fenced in to protect it from wildlife or extremist Jewish settlers, who have attacked Palestinian olive trees in the past.
The advocacy group for farmers in the West Bank launched the project in collaboration with U.S.-based nonprofit Treedom for Palestine, which plants trees to empower Palestinian farmers.
Carter, who died last month at the age of 100, brokered the Camp David peace accords between Israel and Egypt in 1978.
Israel plans 2,749 new settlement units in occupied West Bank within 6 weeks
Israeli authorities plan to approve the construction of 2,749 new settlement units in the occupied West Bank within six weeks, according to Peace Now, which monitors settlement activities.
The organization noted that at this pace, 2025 could witness “record numbers” of settlement units promoted in the West Bank, averaging 1,800 units per month.
NOTE: Israel has illegally built around 280 settlements on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are home to more than 700,000 illegal settlers. Israeli settlements and settlers on Palestinian land are a violation of international law, and considered by many Palestinians to be the main barrier to any lasting peace agreement.
Some settler groups, moreover, have a history of violence against Palestinians, often with the assistance of Israeli military forces.
In a landmark advisory opinion on July 19, 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land “illegal” and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Israel escalates bombing of Lebanon ‘in accordance’ with ceasefire
The Israeli army launched violent air raids on southern and eastern Lebanon late on 12 January, marking a significant escalation of Israel’s ceasefire violations two weeks before the end of the 60-day implementation period.
“In recent hours, Air Force fighter jets attacked and destroyed a number of terrorist targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organization throughout Lebanon, under the direction of the Intelligence Branch,” the Israeli army said in a statement.
“Among the targets attacked: a rocket launcher site, a military site, and crossing routes on the Syrian–Lebanon border used to transfer weapons to the Hezbollah terrorist organization,” it added.
The Israeli army has violated the ceasefire over 1,000 times but claims to be acting on its rights within the agreement, which is based on UN Resolution 1701. Under the terms of the deal, the Lebanese army must dismantle Hezbollah’s presence and infrastructure south of the Litani River, and the Israeli army must withdraw its forces within a period of 60 days.
Extremist Israeli settler leaders invited as ‘special guests’ to Trump inauguration
A delegation of extremist Israeli Jewish settler leaders has been invited to participate in US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next Monday in Washington, Israel Hayom reported on 13 January.
The delegation comprises Yesha Council chairman and Benjamin Regional Council Head Israel Ganz, Oranit Council Head Or Piron-Zomer, Yesha Council CEO Omer Rahamim, and Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan.
The group will attend the inauguration as official guests and will hold meetings with incoming administration officials and leaders from the US Jewish and evangelical Christian communities. A similar delegation attended Trump’s 2017 inauguration.
“Our objective is to strengthen existing connections and forge new ones. Washington’s attention is elsewhere at present. Trump is focused on Greenland sovereignty matters, not Israel’s concerns in Judea and Samaria. Timing is crucial. We must proceed strategically and appropriately,” a council official told the Hebrew newspaper.
The Yesha Council and other regional authorities that oversee illegal settlement activity in the occupied West Bank – which they call Judea and Samaria – “have devoted considerable resources to cultivating relationships with Republican Party leadership in recent years,” Israel Hayom added.
Cuba files to join South Africa’s genocide case at ICJ against Israel
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IMEMC Daily Reports
The Cradle: Mahmoud Abbas’ big gamble to crush West Bank resistance
The Intercept: Surviving war and HIV in Gaza
Drop Site News: The Palestinian Authority’s Assault on the West Bank Resistance
Informed Comment: Crime of the Century: CBS’ 60 Minutes Exposes the Biden Administration’s Complicity in Gaza Genocide, Interviews the Whistleblowers
🚨🚨 Breaking: HRF Calls for Immediate Arrest of IDF Major General Ghassan Alian who is currently in Rome.
The #HindRajabFoundation (HRF) has filed cases with the ICC and informed Italian authorities demanding the immediate arrest of Major General Ghassan Alian, Head of COGAT,… pic.twitter.com/NMMi7yNsBZ
— The Hind Rajab Foundation (@HindRFoundation) January 13, 2025
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STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – JANUARY 13, 2025:
Palestinian death toll from October 7, 2023 – January 13, 2025: at least 47,490* – 46,645 in Gaza; in the West Bank, Israeli soldiers and/or settlers have killed at least 845 Palestinians (~175 of them children).
Thousands of those killed in Gaza have yet to be identified, and an estimated 11,000 more are still buried under rubble.
According to a report in the Lancet, by multiplying the reported deaths by five, it is possible to reach a conservative estimate of total deaths (including indirect causes like starvation and lack of medicine). Using the latest figure from AFP (46,645), it is reasonable to estimate at least 233,225 total deaths in Gaza since October 7th, 2023.
According to a recent report by the UN Human Rights Office of identified fatalities in Gaza, about 44% were children. It is reasonable to estimate that 20,524 of known direct deaths and 102,619 of the total deaths are children.
Palestinian injuries from October 7, 2023 – January 13, 2025: at least 116,660 (including at least 110,012 in Gaza and 7,000 in the West Bank, including 830 children). [It remains unknown how many Americans are among the casualties in Gaza.]
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – January 13, 2025: ~1,616 (or 1,590) (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 431*** (or 405) military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza (updated: Jan. 11, 2025); 46 military and civilians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel) and~10,000 injured.
NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries of Israelis on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers.
ADDITIONAL STATISTICS: Since October 7th, 2023:
- At least 54 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (at least 35 of them from Gaza).
- At least 43 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition (at least 37 of them children)**.
- About 1.9 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million population are currently displaced.
- About 345,000 Gazans are currently experiencing catastrophic levels of food insecurity.
*The Ministry’s figures have been contested by the Israeli authorities, although they have been accepted as accurate by Israeli intelligence services, the UN, and WHO. These data are supported by independent analyses, comparing changes in the number of deaths of UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff with those reported by the Ministry, which found claims of data fabrication implausible.
Previously, IAK did not include 471 Gazans killed in the Al Ahli hospital blast since the source of the projectile was being disputed. However, given that much evidence points to Israel as the culprit, Israel had previously bombed the hospital and has attacked many others, Israel is prohibiting outside experts from investigating the scene, and since the UN and other agencies are including the deaths from the attack in their cumulative totals, if Americans knew is now also doing so.
**Euro-Med Monitor reports that Gaza’s elderly are dying at an alarmingly high rate. The majority die at home and are buried either close to their residences or in makeshift graves dispersed across the Strip. There are currently more than 140 such cemeteries. Additionally, according to Euromed, thousands have died from starvation, malnourishment, and inadequate medical care; these are considered indirect victims as they were not registered in hospitals.
***The figure does not include the reportedly 59 Israeli soldiers – nearly 17% of the total Israeli military deaths – killed due to friendly fire in Gaza and other military-related accidents.
† For most of the conflict, women and children accounted for about 70% of deaths in Gaza, with children making up a little over 40% of those killed, according to official statistics.
Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here.
- Human rights reports on Israel-Palestine (regularly updated)
- Israel must be added to UN’s sexual violence blacklist
- Dr Abu Safiya symbolized humanity in Gaza, as it is destroyed
- Gaza death toll may be 41% higher than official figures: study
- NYTimes rejects Quaker ad for calling Israel’s actions “genocide”
- Blinken Declares Genocide in Sudan But Refuses to Acknowledge Genocide in Gaza
- Blood Splattered Madness
- Knesset members urge IDF to destroy Gaza’s food, water and power
- ‘No Civilians’: IDF Soldiers Reveal Killings, Lawlessness in Gaza
- Israel’s Judaization Policy Replaces Arab Towns with Synagogues
- Gaza is Now ‘Hell on Earth’—Exactly as Intended
- Trump shared video criticizing Netanyahu’s ‘obsessive’ push for US-Iran conflict
- Last Christmas in Gaza?
- WATCH: The Israel Lobby Pays, The U.S. Congress Obeys
- Israel still can’t find any 7 October rape victims, prosecutor admits
- Biden administration is manufacturing doubt about Gaza’s famine
- Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s life in danger due to torture: Immediate international intervention needed for his release
- 60 Minutes program on Lebanon pager attack was Israeli propaganda
- Systemic Rape Allegations Against Israel Meet A Deafening Silence
- The Myth of Israel as ‘US Aircraft Carrier’ in Middle East
