Heartbreak and happiness on Day One of Gaza ceasefire

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Heartbreak and happiness on Day One of Gaza ceasefire
Palestinians returning home face massive destruction in Gaza City, Gaza on January 19, 2025. (Haneen Salem – Anadolu Agency)

Compilation of news reports – IAK staff

The Israeli military has killed at least 206 Palestinians in Gaza overall since it agreed to a ceasefire deal with Hamas on Wednesday evening.

The asymmetry of a ceasefire with Israel 

The long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect in Gaza Sunday at 09:15 GMT after a nearly three-hour delay. Israel announced the start of the ceasefire only after Hamas identified the captives due to be released today.

During the delay, Israeli attacks across Gaza killed at least 19 Palestinians. 

On the other hand, Israel did not release the final list of Palestinian prisoners to be freed until after the ceasefire started. There are no reports of belligerence from Gazan fighters due to the delay. 

One can only guess what the Israeli military would have done if Hamas had killed 19 Israelis today.

In a similar vein, Israel has forbidden Palestinians in the West Bank from showing joy at the return of their imprisoned loved ones. A strong military presence was deployed to see to it that Palestinians stay subdued in their time of happiness (update: it didn’t succeed).

At the same time, Israelis have gathered in large groups, danced, and cheered for their returning hostages.

In Lebanon, Israel has reportedly violated the November 27 ceasefire at least 564 times (some reports say over 800), killing 37 people. Israel has faced no repercussions. There have been few if any actual reports of Hezbollah violations.

The Palestinian group Hamas criticized Israel in a statement over the poor condition of some of the 90 Palestinian prisoners released on Sunday as part of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

“The pictures of the three female prisoners being handed over to the enemy showed them in full physical and psychological health, while our male and female prisoners showed signs of neglect and exhaustion,” the statement read.

Israeli doctors have said that the captives are in good health.

19 Palestinians killed, reportedly during ceasefire delay

At least 19 people were killed and 36 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza amid the ceasefire delay, by about three hours – to 11:30am local time (09:30 GMT), according to Mahmoud Basal, the spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense.

One person was killed in Rafah (south), six in Khan Younis (south), nine in Gaza City (north) and three more people were killed in the north, he said in a statement.

Israel said it was hitting “terror targets” on Sunday morning. However, Palestinian civilians told Middle East Eye they were being targeted as they tried to return to their homes.

A video shows what appear to be civilian men being shot at amid the ruins of Rafah in southern Gaza after the ceasefire was set to begin. One was killed.

The delay was reportedly caused by complications Hamas had in finalizing the hostage list. Because of the massive destruction in Gaza, Hamas had lost contact with teams that were holding hostages throughout the Strip. 

The Hamas negotiation team in Qatar had reportedly asked that Israel provide two days of calm to enable the group to gather information on the whereabouts of the captives and to prepare a list – but Israel refused.

Consequently, Hamas did not have its list of hostages ready at the specified time, but said it remains committed to the terms of the ceasefire.

Daniel Hagari, the spokesman for the Israeli military, issued a statement:

“As of this morning, Hamas is not fulfilling its obligations, and contrary to the agreement has not given Israel the names of the hostages [set for release today].

“Per the directive of the prime minister, the ceasefire will not take effect as long as Hamas is not fulfilling its obligations. The [Israeli military] is continuing to strike now in Gaza, as long as Hamas is not fulfilling its obligations to the deal.”

READ SEVERAL STORIES OF CIVILIANS KILLED DURING THE CEASEFIRE DELAY:

Hamas won Gaza war, Israel failed to achieve its goals: Ex-Israeli general

NGOs ready to deliver food, water, medicine to Gaza

Save the Children says it is preparing, along with other organizations, to surge the delivery of “food, water, and medical supplies to children in Gaza… as quickly as possible once entry points are reopened and security guaranteed”.

Getting winter supplies that have been waiting at Gaza’s entry points will also be critical, it said, to help with the “rain and cold temperatures expected for at least another two months”.

The charity noted that nearly all of the 1.1 million children in Gaza “are in urgent need of food, with many surviving on just one meal a day after 15 months of war”. Many have also been unable to get medical care with healthcare facilities destroyed and supplies exhausted.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says it has 4,000 truckloads of humanitarian assistance ready to enter the Gaza Strip. In a statement on X, UNRWA said half of them carry food and flour.

WFP trucks started crossing into Gaza via Zikim and Kerem Shalom crossings. The first trucks carried life-saving wheat flour and ready-to-eat food parcels for people in desperate need.
WFP trucks started crossing into Gaza via Zikim and Kerem Shalom crossings. The first trucks carried life-saving wheat flour and ready-to-eat food parcels for people in desperate need. (World Food Program)

Next prisoner swap slated for Saturday

In a statement, Hamas says that the exchange will occur next week, on Saturday, January 25.

Israel’s public broadcaster Kan says that four Israeli captives will be released during this exchange.

(Read the details of the ceasefire agreement here.)

Israeli doctors say the captives are in good health

Doctors have said that the captives are in good health, but as part of the plan to receive the captives back in Israel, there will be a minimum of a four-day stay at the hospital.

They’re going to be conducting several different psychological evaluations and medical exams to see exactly what kind of condition the captives are in.

Israel to deport some Palestinian prisoners released under cease-fire deal

West Bank: Palestinian happiness is prohibited

Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim describes the experience for the families of Palestinian prisoners who are going to be released in the occupied West Bank: “We’ve heard today from many families there that they’ve received calls from the Israeli intelligence officers telling them that they cannot show any sign of joy, any signs of happiness,” Ibrahim said.

She said Israeli military soldiers are currently surrounding the Ofer military prison and won’t hesitate to crack down on displays of joy, and that during previous prisoner releases, the Israeli forces have chased Palestinians who are welcoming their loved ones with tear gas.

Some Palestinians celebrated anyway:

West Bank: Israeli Soldiers Kill a Palestinian Youth; a Palestinian Prisoner Dies in Custody

Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian teen, Ahmad Rashid Rushdi Jazar, 14, on Sunday evening, after storming the town of Sebastia, northwest of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank and shooting him in the chest with live ammunition.

Since the beginning of the Israeli military onslaught against the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, Israeli forces have killed 860 Palestinians in the West Bank, including 177 children, and injured 7,000.

A Palestinian man in his early 20s who had been held in an Israeli prison for over 14 months under draconian “administrative detention” law died in custody, Palestinian prisoners’ rights organizations said Sunday.

Mohamed Jaber, 22, died on Saturday, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement. He had been held under administrative detention since Dec. 11, 2023.

With the death of Jaber, the sixth administrative detainee to die in Israeli prisons since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza in October 2023, the total number of identified deaths among prisoners and detainees rose to 56, according to the statement.

Ahmad Rashid Rushdi Jazar, 14 (L), and Mohammad Yaseen Jaber, 22
Ahmad Rashid Rushdi Jazar, 14 (L), and Mohammad Yaseen Jaber, 22 (IMEMC)

West Bank: Israeli settlers torch houses and cars across Palestinian villages 

Dozens of Jewish settlers torched houses and threw stones in several Palestinian villages in the West Bank on Sunday, in light of the first round of Palestinian prisoners being released as part of the cease-fire agreement.

In Sinjil, settlers set fire to two houses and at least four cars. In Ein Sinya, houses were set on fire. In Turmus Aya, dozens of settlers caused damage to property. On route 60, near Luban al-Sharqiya, stones were thrown on cars.

Earlier on Sunday, names of villages that released prisoners are expected to return to were posted on settlers’ social media groups, with calls to get to their entrances and cause disruptions.

NOTE: While there has been an uptick in settler violence since October 7th, every one of the more than 700,000 Israeli settlers living on Palestinian land are violating international law. Israel has illegally built around 280 settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and incentivized Israeli Jews to live in them. Many Palestinians believe that Israeli settlements and settlers on Palestinian land are 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.

Pope Francis called Israel's actions "immoral" and "disproportionate"
Pope Francis called Israel’s actions “immoral” and “disproportionate” (photo)

Pope Francis: ‘May everyone say yes to dialogue, yes to reconciliation, yes to peace’

Pope Francis called for the ceasefire in Gaza to be “immediately respected” as he pressed for a surge in humanitarian aid.

“I express gratitude to all the mediators,” he said. “I hope that, as agreed, it will be immediately respected by the parties and all the hostages will finally be able to go home to hug their loved ones again.

“I also hope that humanitarian aid will even more quickly reach … the people of Gaza who have so many urgent needs. Both Israelis and Palestinians need clear signs of hope.

“I hope the political authorities of both – with the help of the international community – can reach the right two-state solution.

“May everyone say yes to dialogue, yes to reconciliation, yes to peace,” he added.

Palestinians return to Jabalia in northern Gaza following the start of the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
Palestinians return to Jabalia in northern Gaza following the start of the implementation of the ceasefire agreement. (social media)

MORE NEWS:

IMEMC Daily Reports
Anadolu Agency: Israeli finance minister threatens to topple government if Gaza not occupied
Electronic Intifada: CNN accuses journalists raising Gaza genocide of “cringeworthy heckling”
 

Looking for a way to help get the word out about Palestine? Go here.

STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – JANUARY 19, 2025:

Palestinian death toll from October 7, 2023 – January 19, 2025: at least 47,772* – 46,913 in Gaza; in the West Bank, Israeli soldiers and/or settlers have killed at least 860 Palestinians (~177 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 (46,913), it is reasonable to estimate at least 234,495 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 20,642 of known direct deaths and 103,209 of the total deaths are children.

(Gaza’s health ministry has used the estimate of 18,000 of the known deaths to be children since at least September 2024; total deaths since then have risen by about 5,000, which would add about 2,200 to the children’s death estimate. This indicates that the estimate of 20,587 is fairly accurate.)

Palestinian injuries from October 7, 2023 – January 19, 2025: at least 117,725 (including at least 110,750 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 19, 2025: ~1,616 (or 1,590) (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 436*** (or 405) military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza (updated: Jan. 13, 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 56 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 71 Israeli soldiers –16.3% 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.

Hover over each bar for exact numbers. Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org
 

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