Trump seeks approval for $1B in new arms sales to Israel – Ceasefire Day 15

, ,
Trump seeks approval for B in new arms sales to Israel – Ceasefire Day 15
Officials, wearing protective suits, exhume bodies in northern Gaza, February 02, 2025 (Hasan N. H. Alzaanin – Anadolu Agency)

Compilation of news reports – IAK staff

The World Health Organization has evacuated 39 patients and 55 caregivers from Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt (Israel is supposed to allow 50 patients in need of urgent care out of the Strip daily, but that target is not being met).

To learn about the sudden jump in the Gaza death toll, read: Deaths from Israel’s attacks on Gaza close to 62,000 as missing added

Israel delays entry of shelter materials, fuel to Gaza, authorities say

Israel is delaying the entry of shelter materials and fuel into Gaza, despite the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, local authorities in the Strip said yesterday.

“Although the humanitarian protocol under the ceasefire agreement clearly outlines these commitments, the Israeli occupation has failed to meet its obligations and continues to delay and obstruct the entry of humanitarian, relief and shelter aid,” the Government Media Office said in a statement.

The office added that, under the humanitarian protocol, Israel was supposed to allow the entry of 60,000 caravans and 200,000 tents into Gaza to accommodate displaced Palestinians whose homes and residential areas were destroyed by Israeli attacks.

The agreement also included the daily entry of 600 aid and fuel trucks, including 50 carrying fuel and gas, as well as essential humanitarian, medical and civil defence equipment. This also covered debris removal, infrastructure repairs, the operation of the power plant and the rehabilitation of humanitarian services in Gaza.

The office noted that Israel is “placing obstacles and stalling implementation,” worsening the humanitarian crisis and increasing civilian suffering. It warned that this could lead to “serious and unprecedented consequences.”

An aerial view of the destruction in the Jabalia region in the north of the Gaza Strip, on January 30, 2025.
An aerial view of the destruction in the Jabalia region in the north of the Gaza Strip, on January 30, 2025. (Hamza Z. H. Qraiqea – Anadolu Agency)

West Bank witnesses ‘replication of Gaza’ as Israel displaces thousands

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said in a statement on 3 February that it is facilitating mass evacuations of civilians from the Jenin and Tulkarem refugee camps in the occupied West Bank, as violent Israeli operations in the territory escalate. 

“The humanitarian situation in Jenin is very difficult, with the continued abuse of citizens,” PRCS said. 

“Our teams in Jenin are dealing with cases of beating and abuse by the occupation forces. We have evacuated more than 3,000 citizens from Tulkarem and Jenin during the past few days,” the statement added. 

In Jenin camp alone, over 20,000 Palestinians have been expelled from their homes since Israel’s operation began in the city two weeks ago. The operation has recently expanded to include Tulkarem and Tubas, where thousands more have been uprooted.

An elderly Palestinian man stands in the middle of a destroyed market during an Israeli military raid on the city of Tulkarem and Tulkarem refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
An elderly Palestinian man stands in the middle of a destroyed market during an Israeli military raid on the city of Tulkarem and Tulkarem refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. (Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

At least 70 Palestinians killed by Israel in occupied West Bank in 2025; 380 detained in West Bank since Gaza ceasefire

At least 70 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the occupied West Bank since the start of this year, the Health Ministry said on Monday.

The victims included 10 children, one woman and two elderly people, the ministry added in a statement.

The Israeli army has detained 380 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since the start of the Gaza ceasefire agreement on Jan. 19, a prisoners’ affairs group said on Tuesday.

On Jan. 21, the Israeli army launched an assault on Jenin city and its refugee camp, killing at least 25 Palestinians. The offensive was later expanded to include the city of Tulkarem, where four Palestinians were killed.

The new arrests brought the number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli army in the West Bank since October 2023 to over 14,300, including those who were released after being arrested, according to Palestinian figures.

Israeli army withdraws from Syrian town in occupied Golan Heights leaving trail of destruction

Anadolu filmed massive destruction left by the Israeli army after it withdrew from Madinat al-Baath, now renamed Madinat al-Salam (Peace City) in Syria’s Quneitra province in the occupied Golan Heights.

Footage showed damaged government and courthouse buildings, roads flattened by bulldozers, destroyed equipment, and burned and shredded papers and belongings.

Jadallah Hammoud, a resident of Khan Arnabeh neighborhood in Quneitra, said Israeli forces had used these buildings as strategic positions.

“The courthouse contained official records belonging to local residents and legal case files. The level of destruction there was severe. Official documents were scattered on the streets,” Hammoud told Anadolu.

Hammoud noted that the courthouse held important documents and records of cases lasting 20 to 30 years.

Military mobility of Israeli army continues on the Syrian-Israeli border in the Majdal Shams region of Golan Heights in Syria on December 19, 2024.
Military mobility of Israeli army continues on the Syrian-Israeli border in the Majdal Shams region of Golan Heights in Syria on December 19, 2024. (Saeed Qaq – Anadolu Agency)

Trump admin seeks congressional approval for $1B in new arms sales to Israel: Report

The Trump administration has requested congressional approval for the transfer of roughly $1 billion in bombs and other military equipment to Israel, even as Washington seeks to uphold a fragile cease-fire in Gaza, said a report Monday.

The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials familiar with the sale, reported that the proposed arms transfers include 4,700 1,000-pound bombs valued at over $700 million, along with Caterpillar-built armored bulldozers worth more than $300 million.

The report added that the request would be paid from the annual US military aid allocated to Israel, which totals $3.3 billion in foreign military financing.

Congressional approval is required for major foreign arms sales, with the State Department notifying key committees before proceeding. The House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees must approve such transfers before they can be finalized.

The State Department did not immediately respond to Anadolu’s request for comment.

US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington D.C., United States on January 30, 2025
US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington D.C., United States on January 30, 2025 (Celal Güneş/Anadolu Agency)

Columbia students just sued the university for attacks on pro-Palestine activism

Three students from Columbia University filed a lawsuit on Monday morning against the school administration for their suspensions related to their pro-Palestine activism on campus.

Among the claims in the complaint, the students state that the university violated its own policies during the disciplinary process, that the university targeted the students for their views, and that it violated New York’s landlord tenant laws when it evicted the students from university housing.

“The university just pulled out all the roadblocks and threw out its rule book in an attempt to punish and silence the plaintiffs however they could,” James Carlson, an attorney representing the students, told Drop Site News.

“Whether it was repeatedly siccing the police on the plaintiffs to violently arrest them for peaceful protest or whether it was diverting them into an illegitimate disciplinary program that threw out their due process rights or whether it was turning a blind eye to their assaults and abuse from faculty and students. This is a case where Columbia University basically went far out of its way to unjustly punish and silence these students” (continue reading here).

An aerial view of encampment as pro-Palestinian student protesters continue demonstrations during the second week of the ‘Gaza Solidarity Encampment’ at Columbia University in New York, United States on April 28, 2024
An aerial view of encampment as pro-Palestinian student protesters continue demonstrations during the second week of the ‘Gaza Solidarity Encampment’ at Columbia University in New York, United States on April 28, 2024 (Lokman Vural Elibol – Anadolu Agency)

MORE NEWS:

IMEMC Daily Reports

STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – FEBRUARY 3, 2025 (ongoing count):

At least 62,604 Palestinians killed, 118,592 injured – including:

  • at least 61,709 killed in Gaza (~20,600 children)
  • at least 895 killed in the West Bank (~179 children)
  • at least 111,592 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

Enter your email address below to receive our latest articles right in your inbox.

You might also like: