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IPRI Team
16 January 2024 |
Israel-Gaza War: DAY 106
Rosemary Kurian, Nuha Aamina, Rishita Verma and Gananthula Uma Maheshwari
WAR ON THE GROUND
On 20 January, Al Jazeera reported that displaced Palestinains in four evacuation zones in Gaza City received orders from the Israeli military to move towards central parts of the city. According to the Palestinian media, fighting broke out as Palestinians refused to submit to an Israeli military operation on the Balata refugee camp, where houses were searched and civilian infrastructure was demolished by an Israeli military bulldozer.
On 20 January Al Jazeera reported that for the fourth day in a row, Palestinian fighters had claimed attacks against Israeli soldiers in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza. This came amid assessments by the Critical Threats Project (CTP) and the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) which said that armed groups in Gaza were "re-infiltrating" areas in the north.
REGIONAL RESPONSE
On 20 January, Iran accused Israel of an attack on Damascus that killed four members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards of Iran. Nasser Kanani, the spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry of Iran, said that Iran had a "right to respond" to the attack.
GLOBAL RESPONSE
On 20 January, according to Al Jazeera, global supplies of crude oil were nearly halved due to shipping delays caused by a route diversion due to the Houthi threat in the Red Sea. The global benchmark Brent crude, which is known as the most traded benchmark used to price almost 80 per cent of global oil in trade, skyrocketed due to disruptions since the joint US-UK strike against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Israel-Gaza War: DAY 105
Rosemary Kurian, Nuha Aamina, Rishita Verma and Gananthula Uma Maheshwari
WAR ON THE GROUND
On 19 January, Al Jazeera cited local media sources, who said that an Israeli airstrike on a residential structure west of Khan Younis claimed the lives of five people. Meanwhile, 12 people were killed and dozens injured in an Israeli air raid on an apartment building close to the al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on the same day, according to local media.
REGIONAL RESPONSES
On 19 January, Reuters reported that the Houthi rebels stated that they had no intention of spreading their attacks in and around the Red Sea. Their attacks “represented pressure on Israel only.” However, they added that since “America joined in and escalated the situation further, there is no doubt that Yemen would respond.”
GLOBAL RESPONSES
On 19 January, the Office of the Swiss Attorney General said that it had received complaints against Isaac Herzog, the Israeli President, accusing him of committing war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza. During Herzog’s visit to Davos to present Israel’s stand in the war, several individuals sought criminal prosecution against.
On 19 January, Josep Borrell, the foreign policy chief of the European Union (EU), stated that Israel aided the funding of Hamas to rule Gaza in a bid to weaken the power of the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, denied the allegations. Borrell added that the only solution to the conflict was a two-state solution “imposed from the outside.”
On 19 January, Joe Biden, the US President, stated that he was not opposed to all two-state solutions, hinting at a possible solution without a militarised Palestine. During a phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, Biden discussed possible solutions to the conflict as well as the release of hostages and a targeted warfare approach, and allowing for greater flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
On 19 January, Russia’s foreign ministry said that Mikhail Bogdanov, the deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, in a conversation with Abu Marzouk, a Hamas Politburo member, discussed the “ongoing confrontation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone, against the backdrop of which the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has reached catastrophic proportions.” He urged “the release of civilians captured during the attacks of 7 October 2023 and held by Palestinian factions, including three Russian citizens - A. Kozlov, A. Lobanov and A. Trufanov."
On 19 January, Salvador Valdez Mesa, the Vice President of Cuba, stated that the Gaza crisis was “one of the cruellest genocidal acts ever to be recorded by history.” This statement was made during the Non-Alignment Summit. The summit members adopted a resolution that called for a ceasefire and humanitarian assistance to Gazans, while extending support to South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
Israel-Gaza War: Day 104
Rosemary Kurian, Nuha Aamina, Rishita Verma and Gananthula Uma Maheshwari
WAR ON THE GROUND
On 18 January, Al Jazeera confirmed that as per information from local sources and video evidence, at least 16 Palestinians, including children, were killed overnight after an Israeli shelling of a house east of Rafah in the Gaza Strip occurred.
On 18 January, Al Jazeera reported that Qatar, which acted as a mediator in the agreement between Hamas and Israel, said that five trucks bringing supplies for hospitals and 45 Israeli prisoners arrived in Gaza on 17 January.
REGIONAL RESPONSES
On 18 January, Reuters reported that a senior Lebanese official said that Hezbollah remains open to US diplomacy to avoid a huge war. The official said that Hezbollah was “ready to listen.”
On 18 January, Arab News reported that Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the President of Egypt, in a conversation with Mark Rutte, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands warned that the prolonged Israel- Hamas war was endangering regional and international security.
GLOBAL RESPONSES
On 18 January, lawmakers in the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for an unconditional ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, “provided” the hostages were released and Hamas was dismantled. The resolution was originally called for by the socialists, centrists and the greens in the European Parliament, who had earlier called for a permanent ceasefire and release of hostages.
On 18 January, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has visited West Bank and met the Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and Palestinians affected by settler violence. Upon his visit, he stated that “Australia deeply concerned by ongoing settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank”
On 18 January, in a referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on potential crimes, Mexico and Chile expressed "growing worry" on Thursday over the rising conflict in the Palestinian territory of Gaza following many months of fighting between Israel and Hamas. In a statement the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico stated that the ICC is the proper place to establish potential criminal responsibility, "whether committed by agents of the occupying power or the occupied power."
On 17 January, the World Health Organisation (WHO) stated that more than 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been injured so far and have been deprived of food and water to survive. Civilians in Gaza continued to face a humanitarian crisis with a deteriorating healthcare system and limited aid delivery. Sean Casey, the WHO’s emergency medical team coordinator, stated that the situation in Gaza had reached a new “level of desperation,” and called for a ceasefire to be the only solution to the crisis.
On 17 January, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' office demanded an impartial probe into the Israeli military in the wake of the deadly airstrikes on Nablus and the raids in the Tulkarem refugee camp.
Israel-Hamas War: Day 103
Rosemary Kurian, Nuha Aamina, Rishita Verma and Gananthula Uma Maheshwari
WAR ON THE GROUND
On 17 January, Palestinian militants engaged in combat with Israeli soldiers in northern Gaza and launched a salvo of rockets from farther south the combat demonstrated how far Israel still had to go to accomplish its objectives of destroying Hamas and freeing a large number of hostages taken in the 7 October attack.
REGIONAL RESPONSES
On 17 January, Jordan’s army stated that one of its field hospitals in Khan Younis was destroyed due to Israeli shelling. The military held Israel “fully responsible for a flagrant breach of international law.”
On 17 January, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, said that attacks against Israel and its interests by the "Axis of Resistance" would end with the end of the war in Gaza. He said that the end of genocide would put a stop to military actions and crises in the region.
GLOBAL RESPONSES
On 17 January, Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Advisor, stated that the US had redesignated the Houthis as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist,” as a result of their attacks on vessels in the Red Sea. Sullivan stated that the step was taken to prevent funding to the group and deny access to financial markets to limit their violence in the Red Sea. The Houthis responded by suggesting that the American designation wouldn’t put an end to their operations against Israel in the Red Sea.
Israel-Hamas War: Day 102
Rosemary Kurian, Nuha Aamina, Rishita Verma and Gananthula Uma Maheshwari
WAR ON THE GROUND
On 16 January, Al Jazeera cited the most recent statistics provided by the Gazan Health Ministry, as per which the Israeli shelling of Gaza killed at least 158 persons in the last 24 hours. An Israeli strike in Rafah blew up a family home, killing all 12 people, while a nighttime bombing in the area resulted in hundreds of Palestinian casualties and injuries.
REGIONAL RESPONSES
On 16 January, Ayman Safadi, the Foreign Minister of Jordan, in his address at a press conference with Penny Wong, the Foreign Minister of Australia, said that Israel was creating impediments in providing aid to Gaza. As a result of this, only a fraction of total needs were being delivered to the Palestinians, worsening their plight.
On 16 January, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, stated: "We agree that regional peace includes peace for Israel, but that could only happen through peace for the Palestinians through a Palestinian state." Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he said that Saudi Arabia would recognise Israel if a comprehensive agreement including statehood for Palestinians, is reached.
GLOBAL RESPONSES
On 16 January, the US Navy seized lethal weapons being supplied to the Houthi rebels from Yemen by Iran, during a nighttime raid near the coast of Somalia. The US Central Command noted that it was the first haul since the beginning of the Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. Michael Erik Kurilla, the CENTCOM Commander General, stated that the seizure of weapons was proof of Iran’s efforts to sow “instability throughout the region.” Iran denied any association with the Houthi attacks.
On 16 January, according to Reuters, Espen Barth Eide, the Norwegian Foreign Minister, stated that they were working with the US and “concerned” Arab countries towards building a unified government for Palestine. Eide stated that while the Palestinian Authority was their first choice, “it has to be what the Palestinians want.” Norway had earlier facilitated the talks leading to the Oslo Accords in 1993. Eide urged the need for the two-state solution as conflict escalates in the Middle East, but emphasised the role the US and Israel need to play to facilitate any desired outcome.
On 16 January, the European Union (EU) imposed sanctions on Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, and added him to the terrorist list because of his role in the 7 October attacks on Israel. The decision by the European Council would impose an asset freeze within the EU and prevent any financial transaction between Sinwar and any EU citizen. The decision was welcomed by Israel.
Israel-Gaza War: Day 101
Rosemary Kurian, Nuha Aamina, Rishita Verma and Gananthula Uma Maheshwari
WAR ON THE GROUND
On 15 January, according to Al Jazeera overnight Israeli attacks on Gaza's central and southern regions left dozens residents dead or injured. Israeli forces targeted the al-Thalatheni Street in the heart of the Gaza Strip, resulting in at least 22 fatalities and several injuries.
On 15 January, Al Jazeera reported that three Israeli prisoners had been depicted in a 37-second video that Hamas published on Sunday. The group also promised to reveal the prisoners' fate on the next day and called on the Israeli government to halt its offensive.
REGIONAL RESPONSE
On 15 January, the Israeli Security Agency Shin Bet revealed that Iran was using fake online profiles to gather intelligence in Israel. They were also being used to target the families of hostages. ‘Tears of the war’ and ‘Here+’ were some of the platforms used as fronts for Iranian intelligence.
On 14 January, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran in its social media X, formerly known as Twitter “100 days of Zionist failure”. Subsequently, the Iranian diplomat Nasser Kanaani stated, “100,000 Palestinian victims (including over 23,000 martyrs and more than 60,000 injured) as a result of 100 days of war by the Zionist regime against #Gaza, is a dark, disgraceful, and shameful record that has been kept in the pages of history and in the court of human conscience for the fake Israeli regime and the US government forever.”
GLOBAL RESPONSES
On 15 January, according to Al Jazeera, the US shot down an anti-ship missile fired against its vessel by the Yemen-based Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. The missile that targeted USS Laboon was the first attack by the Houthis against shipping in the Red Sea since the US and UK attacked Houthi bases in Yemen. The missile was shot down by an American fighter aircraft near the coast of Hodeida, according to the US Central Command.
On 14 January, protesters gathered at a British air base to condemn the UK’s supply of weapons to Israel. The supply was through Cyprus in the port of Akrotiri, one of the two bases under the UK’s control. Charis Pashias, the head of the Cyprus Peace Council, stated that thousands of American soldiers are illegally stationed in Akrotiri, and there had been a significant increase in “daily” flights from Akrotiri to Tel Aviv.
The Israel-Hamas War: Day 100
Rosemary Kurian, Nuha Aamina, Rishita Verma and Gananthula Uma Maheshwari
WAR ON THE GROUND
On 14 January, Al Jazeera reported that a Rafah home was struck by an Israeli army strike overnight, killing 14 Palestinians, including a two-year-old girl. In the past 24 hours, almost a hundred Palestinians lost their lives there. Overnight raids were conducted by Israel in a number of cities located in the occupied West Bank. Additionally, Israel used bulldozers in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.
REGIONAL RESPONSE
On 14 January, Sameh Shoukry, the Foreign Minister of Egypt, and Wang Yi, his Chinese counterpart, called for "an international summit for peace to find a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the Palestinian cause by ending the (Israeli) occupation and establishing an independent, contiguous Palestine state."
GLOBAL RESPONSE
On 14 January, in a statement, Biden noted that the 100 days of conflict in Gaza represent a "devastating and tragic milestone" for the people who are still detained there. He stated that despite the fact that negotiations have stagnated since a seven-day ceasefire last week, the US will keep trying to secure their release. He further stated: “I will never forget the grief and the suffering I have heard in my meetings with the families of the American hostages. No one should have to endure even one day of what they have gone through, much less 100.”
On 13 January, Hage Geingob, the President of Namibia, took to X to discuss Germany’s support to Israel at the International Court of Justice. He stated: “Germany has chosen to defend in the ICJ the genocidal and gruesome acts of the Israeli government against innocent civilians in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian Territories.” Geingob said that Berlin had opted to overlook the death of 23,000 Palestinians and the UN reports that indicated the internal displacement of 85 per cent of the people. He added that “Germany cannot morally express commitment to the United Nations Convention against genocide, including atonement for the genocide in Namibia, whilst supporting the equivalent of a holocaust and genocide in Gaza.”
About the Authors
Rosemary Kurian and Nuha Aamina are undergraduate scholars from St Joseph's University, Bangalore. Rishita Verma and Gananthula Uma Maheshwari are postgraduate scholars from Pondicherry University.
Curated by Dhriti Mukherjee and Shamini, Research Assistants at NIAS.
