Israel delays Gazans’ return to north, then relents – Ceasefire Day 8

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Israel delays Gazans’ return to north, then relents – Ceasefire Day 8
Palestinians camp out close to the Netzarim Corridor as they wait to return to their homes in the north, January 26, 2025, in Gaza City, Gaza (Hassan Jedi/Anadolu Agency)

Compilation of news reports – IAK staff

Two Palestinians were killed and seven others, including a child, injured on Sunday by Israeli gunfire in the Gaza Strip, medics said. One death was reported west of the Nuseirat refugee camp; the other in Rafah.

Of the 40,717 Palestinian bodies identified so far in Gaza, one third – 13,319 – were children, according to figures issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. This is a partial figure: thousands more have yet to be positively identified, and many more bodies were dismembered or evaporated.

 At least 19,000 children were hospitalized for malnutrition.

A young girl walks through the rubble in Jabalya, Gaza, as displaced families return to their destroyed homes following the ceasefire.
A young girl walks through the rubble in Jabalya, Gaza, as displaced families return to their destroyed homes following the ceasefire. (UNRWA)

Israel violates ceasefire by blocking return of displaced Gazans: Hamas

Palestinian resistance group Hamas accused Israel on Sunday of violating a ceasefire agreement by blocking the return of displaced civilians to northern Gaza.

Israel said it will not allow the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza until Israeli captive Arbel Yehud is released.

Hamas said that it informed mediators that Yehud is alive and has provided all necessary guarantees for her release.

“We are following up with the mediators to find a solution to this issue in a way that ensures the return of the displaced to their homes as soon as possible,” it said, holding Israel “fully responsible” for delaying the return of displaced civilians.

Hamas to release Israeli captive Arbel Yehud and two others before Friday: Qatar

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has released a statement in which it said Hamas would hand over 29-year-old Arbel Yehud and two other captives before Friday.

The ministry also said that Israel would, in return, allow displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza starting Monday morning.

‘See how valuable we are? We are worthless’

Crowds of people traveling by foot and carrying their belongings filled the main road leading to a closed Israeli checkpoint. “We have been in agony for a year and a half,” Nadia Qasem, a woman displaced from the north said as she waited. “Since 1am, we have been waiting to return.”

Fadi al-Sinwar, who was also displaced from Gaza City, said, “The fate of more than a million people is linked to one person,” referring to the Israeli abductee.

“See how valuable we are? We are worthless,” he said.

Israeli forces fired on the crowds on three occasions overnight and into Sunday, killing two people and wounding nine, including a child, according to al-Awda Hospital, which received the casualties. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

BREAKING: Palestinians have begun returning to northern Gaza

Forcibly displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the North on foot, Gaza City, Gaza on January 27, 2025.
Forcibly displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the North on foot, Gaza City, Gaza on January 27, 2025. (Dawoud Abo Alkas – Anadolu Agency)

West Bank:  Israeli forces kill 2 Palestinians, one a teenager

On Sunday, the Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the death of Abdul-Jawad Yasser Al-Ghoul, 26, who was shot and seriously injured by Israeli soldiers in the Jenin refugee camp, Jenin city, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, last Tuesday.

Al-Ghoul was shot by undercover Israeli soldiers in the Al-Jabriyyat neighborhood.

Al-Ghoul’s death brings the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank in the past few days to sixteen, with dozens more injured.

Also on Sunday, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian teen, Adam Ayman Sub Laban, and injured two others, near the Qalandia military roadblock, north of occupied Jerusalem in the West Bank.

The slain teen is a resident of the town of Kafr Aqab, north of occupied Jerusalem; and has been variously reported as 15 and 18. 

NOTE: Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 872 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7th, 2023.
Adam Ayman Sub Laban and Abdul-Jawad Yasser Al-Ghoul, killed by Israeli forces on Jan. 26, 2025
Adam Ayman Sub Laban and Abdul-Jawad Yasser Al-Ghoul, killed by Israeli forces on Jan. 26, 2025 (IMEMC)
Layla Muhammad Ayman Al-Khatib, age 2, killed by Israel in the West Bank
Layla Muhammad Ayman Al-Khatib, age 2, killed by Israel in the West Bank (social media)

Grandmother of toddler shot dead by Israeli sniper describes murder

The grandmother of two-year-old girl Laila al-Khatib, who was killed by Israeli sniper fire on Saturday in the occupied West Bank’s Jenin while she was eating at home, shared details about the shooting.

The grandmother said in videos shared by journalists on Instagram: “We were here having dinner and there was gunfire, the windows broke. When the girls heard the gunfire, they started running inside. The girl, her mother was feeding her, she got a bullet from the sniper in her head.”

She said with sorrow: “When we asked the sniper what he gained by killing her, he said, ‘Sorry, it was not intentional.’ May God avenge them because they are child killers. This child had no fault. Why did they kill her?”

NOTE: Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 177 children in the West Bank since October 7th, 2023.

West Bank: Israel demolishes 20 Palestinian structures in Jenin amid military assault

Pete Hegseth, secretary of defense
Pete Hegseth, secretary of defense (John Lamparski/Getty Images)

Newly appointed US defense secretary pledges support for Israel in call with Netanyahu

Netanyahu has congratulated US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on his appointment, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

“Hegseth noted his long-standing support for the State of Israel and his friendship with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and assured that the United States will stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel, with a total commitment to its security,” it said.

RELATED: Trump’s new cabinet is great news for Israel

In violation of agreement, Israeli troops open fire on Lebanese residents returning home, killing 22

Israeli forces opened fire on Lebanese residents returning to their homes Sunday, killing at least 22 and injuring 124, according to local media .

This number includes nine children and a paramedic, according to the Lebanon Health Ministry.

The escalation came as the Israeli army remained in the Lebanese territory after a 60-day deadline for its withdrawal from southern Lebanon passed on Sunday.

Israel has reportedly violated the ceasefire agreement more than 1,000 times since it took effect. 

GO DEEPER: ‘This is a crucial scene we’re seeing today’
Lebanese citizens, trying to go home are blocked by Israeli military vehicles, January 26, 2025.
Lebanese residents trying to go home are blocked by Israeli military vehicles, January 26, 2025. (Ramiz Dallah – Anadolu Agency)

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

STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – JANUARY 23, 2025 (ongoing count):

At least 48,155 Palestinians killed, 118,472 injured – including:

  • at least 47,306 killed in Gaza (~20,600 children)
  • at least 872 killed in the West Bank (~177 children)
  • at least 111,483 injured in Gaza
  • at least 7,000 injured in the West Bank

WAR STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 (Hamas attack) – JANUARY 19, 2025 (Ceasefire):

Palestinian death toll from October 7, 2023 – January 19, 2025: at least 48,143 – including at least 47,283 in Gaza (~20,600 children), and 860 in the West Bank (~177 children). Palestinian injuries: at least 118,472 – including at least 111,472 in Gaza, and 7,000 in the West Bank.

Thousands of those killed in Gaza have yet to be identified, and an estimated 11,000 more are still buried under rubble.

Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – January 19, 2025: ~1,616 (or 1,590) – including ~1,139 on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 436 (or 405) military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza, 46 military and civilians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel.

NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries of Israelis on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers.

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

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