Palestinians carry some belongings as they flee Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on January 26, 2024. Photo by AFP
Doha, Qatar: Israeli strikes continue in Gaza's Khan Younis despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling which orders the Israeli entity to take measures to prevent genocide in Gaza. Nasser Hospital, a key healthcare facility in the area, has completely lost power due to heavy clashes in its vicinity.
"A lot of people who were in Khan Younis are telling us that they again experienced exactly what happened in other parts of Gaza when the largest facilities like al-Shifa Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital came under attack," said Al Jazeera correspondent Hani Mahmoud.
Watch this page for more live updates:
[8:06pm Doha Time] Surge in attacks in central and southern Gaza Strip following ICJ Gaza Genocide ruling
Al Jazeera reported that, in less than 24 hours, air strikes on a residential home housing displaced Palestinians in the Geneina district – the central part of Rafah – killed three people and injured others.
Al Jazeera also reported the civil defense forces in Khan Younis managed to retrieve and identify bodies at targeted sites, with nine people reportedly already identified.
These attacks come one day after the International Court of Justice stipulated ordered Israel to take measures that would prevent genocide of Palestinian people in Gaza.
The court outlined measures Israel would take to “prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of the Article 2 of the Convention, in particular, A) killing members of the group, B) causing serious bodily or mental harm to the members of the group, C) deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part, and D) imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.”
[3:36pm Doha Time] EAA welcomes ICJ decision as essential step to guarantee humanitarian aid to Gaza
Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, a global champion for education, providing education services in Gaza since 2009, welcomes the recent decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Request for the indication of Provisional Measures by the Republic of South Africa against Israel (Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel)).
This decision represents a crucial step in ensuring humanitarian aid to Gaza and safeguarding the rights of Palestinians, particularly children, affected by the ongoing conflict. Read more
[2:37pm Doha Time] Red Crescent denounces siege, targeting of Khan Younis hospital
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has condemned the ongoing Israeli siege and targeting of its headquarters in El Amal Hospital in Khan Younis.
For six days in a row, Israeli forces have bombarded the vicinity of the hospital.
This is “jeopardising the safety of medical staff, the wounded, patients, and approximately 7,000 displaced individuals who sought refuge there to escape Israeli bombardment,” the PRCS said.
“The curfew and the continued blockade in the hospital’s vicinity hinder the movement of ambulances and their emergency medical teams in the city, preventing them from reaching the injured, providing first aid services, and transporting them to the hospital for necessary medical care.”
[2pm Doha Time] Gaza death toll reaches 26,257
At least 26,257 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and 64,797 wounded since the start of Israel’s war, according to the latest update by the enclave’s health ministry.
The ministry added that 174 Palestinians were killed and 310 injured in the past 24 hours.
[1:21pm Doha Time] PLO says countries’ decision to stop UNRWA backing entails ‘great’ risks
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has urged the countries that said they were suspending the support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) to immediately reverse their decision”.
As we’ve reported, a number of Western countries have announced such steps after UNRWA said it had opened an investigation after Israel alleged some employees were involved in the October 7 attacks.
PLO Secretary General Hussein AlSkeikh said the countries’ decision “entails great political and humanitarian relief risks”.
“At this particular time and in light of the continuing aggression against the Palestinian people, we need the maximum support for this international organization and not stopping support and assistance to it,” he wrote on X.
[1:04 pm Doha Time] Security Council to hold emergency session Wednesday after ICJ ruling on Gaza
The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday following the International Court of Justice's ruling regarding the Gaza Strip upon Algeria's request.
In a statement, Algeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it closely followed the ICJ ruling regarding the lawsuit filed by South Africa concerning the commission of the crime of genocide in Gaza, indicating that the meeting aims to give binding force to the ICJ ruling regarding the interim measures imposed on the Israeli occupation. Read more
[11:46am Doha Time] Immediate ceasefire ‘only way’ to implement ICJ ruling: Ministry
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said an immediate ceasefire is “the only way” to implement Friday’s ICJ interim ruling.
It condemned the “continuation of the ongoing genocidal war against our people” in a statement, which it said shows “Israeli determination to complete the destruction of the Gaza Strip”.
It also highlighted the fact that not a single high-ranking Israeli official promised to abide by the ruling, and top officials, including Benjamin Netanyahu, promised to continue the war, effectively undermining the ruling.
[11:11am Doha Time] Israeli bombardment on Gaza Strip results in martyrs, casualties
Dozens of Palestinians, mostly children and women, were killed, and others were injured, as a result of the ongoing Israeli bombardment on the Gaza Strip, by land, sea, and air, on the 113th day of the aggression that began on October 7th last year.
The Palestinian news agency (WAFA) reported, citing medical sources, that martyrs and wounded arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, following the Israeli shelling of several houses in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, noting that 9 citizens were killed due to the Israeli shelling of homes in Khan Yunis. Read more
[8am Doha Time] Malaysia welcomes ICJ ruling, says stance on Israel’s ‘atrocities’ in Gaza ‘vindicated’
Malaysia’s government has welcomed the ICJ’s interim ruling in South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
“Malaysia has been vindicated in her call for Israel to be held accountable for the atrocities, crimes against humanity, and genocide committed on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, following the landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice [ICJ] 26 January 2024,” the country’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
Kuala Lumpur said it also looked forward to the upcoming proceedings in the case and reiterated its calls for Palestine to be admitted as a full member of the United Nations and recognised as a state based on the pre-1967 borders.
