Palestinians begin return to north Gaza
Displaced Palestinians have started returning to north Gaza, the territory’s interior ministry has confirmed as images posted on social media showed thousands of people streaming along sandy roadways fringed by the devastation of more than a year of Israeli airstrikes.
“The passage of displaced Palestinians has begun along the Al-Rashid Road via the western part of the Netzarim checkpoint towards Gaza City and the northern part” of the Gaza Strip, an official told the news agency AFP.
آلاف النازحين يعودون إلى مدينة غزة وشمال القطاع عبر شارع الرشيد الساحلي pic.twitter.com/L4HcmmioDU
— أنس الشريف Anas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0) January 27, 2025
“}}”>
آلاف النازحين يعودون إلى مدينة غزة وشمال القطاع عبر شارع الرشيد الساحلي pic.twitter.com/L4HcmmioDU
— أنس الشريف Anas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0) January 27, 2025
Thousands of Palestinians had headed to the Netzarim Corridor – a strip of land Israel has occupied that cuts the territory in two – on Saturday in anticipation of being allowed to cross back to their homes in the north as agreed under this month’s ceasefire deal.
But Israeli troops set up roadblocks and fired on some people trying to return, killing at least one person. It accused Hamas of failing to uphold the agreement by not including Arbel Yehoud, an Israeli civilian, in Saturday’s hostage release.
Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that several people were critically injured in the Israeli attack on the crowd of civilians waiting to cross the corridor near Nuseirat refugee camp.
Hamas said that blocking returns to the north also amounted to a truce violation, adding it had provided “all the necessary guarantees” for Yehoud’s release.
In the early hours of Monday, mediator Qatar said a deal had been reached that would see Yehoud released before Friday along with two other hostages and that Palestinians would be allowed to cross the corridor from early on Monday.
“,”elementId”:”c5388276-c8a4-4c03-8a58-020e43f06ac2″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Bassam Asous said Laila was shot while eating dinner with her family. Laila’s mum and Bassam’s daughter, a graduate student in engineering, was shot in the arm, and her aunt was hit in the head by shrapnel, he said. Laila’s father, an engineer, was killed in a work accident two years ago. Bassam said the Israeli soldiers did not ask the family to leave the house, situated on the outskirts of Jenin, before shooting at it.
“,”elementId”:”6ce1dc31-f456-4c95-aa9d-81a51f6189ff”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Bassam, who says his family has no connection to any terrorists, told Hareetz:
“,”elementId”:”f86d8e99-2690-4e85-b4c0-5ebf6b06c605″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
“At first she was still alive and crying. I asked the soldiers – why did you kill her? She is just a little baby. How is she involved, why did you shoot at us? The soldier told me, ‘Sorry.’ We spoke English. What do you mean sorry? She was shot in the head.”
“,”elementId”:”2fedb04d-1c36-429b-baa6-676440ba3322″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
He continued:
“,”elementId”:”b9c7c3bc-a1d1-4423-8859-cedab7b4fad3″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”
\n
We were having dinner; it was about 8 P.M. We were home, my daughters and I – I only have daughters – and my baby grandchild. There were soldiers outside but we didn’t hear them, we had the windows closed due to the weather.
\n
Suddenly they started to shoot at us and we were surprised, why would they be shooting at us? The women ran into an interior room. They kept shooting. My daughters started to scream and we got onto the ground because a window had broken and there were glass shards.
\n
My daughter held her daughter to her chest because she intended to feed her, and then she yelled – Laila has been hit! I grabbed her and went down to the street.
\n
“,”elementId”:”9967af03-7735-433d-9c10-8c2236ede86d”},{“displayCredit”:true,”_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement”,”role”:”inline”,”media”:{“allImages”:[{“index”:0,”fields”:{“height”:”3216″,”width”:”5357″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/5357.jpg”},{“index”:1,”fields”:{“isMaster”:”true”,”height”:”3216″,”width”:”5357″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg”},{“index”:2,”fields”:{“height”:”1200″,”width”:”2000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/2000.jpg”},{“index”:3,”fields”:{“height”:”600″,”width”:”1000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/1000.jpg”},{“index”:4,”fields”:{“height”:”300″,”width”:”500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/500.jpg”},{“index”:5,”fields”:{“height”:”84″,”width”:”140″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/140.jpg”}]},”elementId”:”be5b409a-44a0-43d1-84bc-2bb2cc653060″,”imageSources”:[{“weighting”:”inline”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=18e063cbb0ec1ca3858e6c0898457651″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=41e5c7196275efe9b48c049a1511b3db”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1f8a91d7b8f6e22593fd48ce2e3e2741″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f4580813db903fa12a7b0c47642680ba”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=3045ca797d66e4992441cc4beee4c4a7″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8711dd3667a7a59564db3e07b863dc92″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”thumbnail”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=74a5c63850572ef35f20f7bc4e9a6706″,”width”:140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=cd61b96f42abbd179faeddcc76ff16b9″,”width”:280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=120&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a227fd1e51606620e79f591dbc622be8″,”width”:120},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=120&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=9d0e3dea9c7ef8f969af32200ceb6099″,”width”:240}]},{“weighting”:”supporting”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=380&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9b91c1a497647224c464937ba92d20bf”,”width”:380},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=380&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=de36cd428c6c2d01d4f53081b8e56853″,”width”:760},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=009652d121ddebe4598867700d6e20ef”,”width”:300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=9760436f72a1f1664b185a4c4389cbe7″,”width”:600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=18e063cbb0ec1ca3858e6c0898457651″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=41e5c7196275efe9b48c049a1511b3db”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1f8a91d7b8f6e22593fd48ce2e3e2741″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f4580813db903fa12a7b0c47642680ba”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=3045ca797d66e4992441cc4beee4c4a7″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8711dd3667a7a59564db3e07b863dc92″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”showcase”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=640105af3bd54ba72433910e48add1c3″,”width”:860},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=860&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ad044fe812162b1ccc6e3d3b688a0a3c”,”width”:1720},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=780&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=509c823a6f32ff812644a5933d4bbe0d”,”width”:780},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=780&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=51e62c97dc63641c7169538c9670d99f”,”width”:1560},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=18e063cbb0ec1ca3858e6c0898457651″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=41e5c7196275efe9b48c049a1511b3db”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1f8a91d7b8f6e22593fd48ce2e3e2741″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f4580813db903fa12a7b0c47642680ba”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=3045ca797d66e4992441cc4beee4c4a7″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8711dd3667a7a59564db3e07b863dc92″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”halfwidth”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=18e063cbb0ec1ca3858e6c0898457651″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=41e5c7196275efe9b48c049a1511b3db”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1f8a91d7b8f6e22593fd48ce2e3e2741″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f4580813db903fa12a7b0c47642680ba”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=3045ca797d66e4992441cc4beee4c4a7″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8711dd3667a7a59564db3e07b863dc92″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”immersive”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=1900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=cc70acf25bccd1d06800c3ca925d766f”,”width”:1900},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=1900&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=decc5d1ba5f39dd6b199aa0b7810cdea”,”width”:3800},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=1300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=94dffdd3b5d8c01536c36e85d3e1ffa7″,”width”:1300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=1300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=49bdbfc6321a8ef61d9bc9013545fd18″,”width”:2600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=1140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=7c54ad218cb218499140be33ca8cf88b”,”width”:1140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=1140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f1360155e4a54127f04fb5f645b616a2″,”width”:2280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=980&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=28ab9431cbf3016d2cabe960dd20ad58″,”width”:980},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=7ed7902d3ccfefbdff687f23b3742774″,”width”:1960},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=740&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a641ebbea657a338026bbc8aacc9c0a7″,”width”:740},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=740&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=c605fbeeaa7c4c3ea31ac4034a358699″,”width”:1480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=660&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=bb9277ec9c96ac522aebbbbe07f1bcf9″,”width”:660},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=660&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=bc8235276e9dffc34482aeba93d6ff4a”,”width”:1320},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=480&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ed6fad0f8d66f7dc918300e5a6063fce”,”width”:480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37e9e8797838da3809ff8807048463a8efd82474/0_0_5357_3216/master/5357.jpg?width=480&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0b0b4859cba8d54a2d4295f6e53ebffe”,”width”:960}]}],”data”:{“alt”:”Tima Al-Khatib weeps over the body of her 2-year-old daughter Laila during her funeral in the West Bank village of al-Shuhada, near Jenin.”,”caption”:”Tima Al-Khatib weeps over the body of her 2-year-old daughter Laila during her funeral in the West Bank village of al-Shuhada, near Jenin.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Majdi Mohammed/AP”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Bassam, a schoolteacher, said an ambulance was called but was delayed due to military activity in the area. Laila “was bleeding into the street” and died after not being able to receive treatment in time, he said.
“,”elementId”:”ff81735e-234a-44ad-9d17-8e72fd81ef37″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The IDF told Hareetz that soldiers had surrounded a house and fired at a building where they believed a terrorist was located. The military said stun grenades were thrown at the building and calls were made on loudspeakers to warn those inside of their presence. When they realised Laila had been hit, they said they called for the Red Crescent and made sure Laila and her mother were evacuated.
“,”elementId”:”09400c07-7d24-419d-8392-106debe18fab”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The IDF has been carrying out a raid on Jenin aiming to rout out what it has described as militants. Jenin’s refugee camp, one of 19 across the West Bank built in the aftermath of Israel’s creation in 1948 to house displaced Palestinians, is a centre of armed Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation.
“,”elementId”:”3b551a85-0ae8-491a-9bf7-2b2f3bd791b1″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Since the start of the war in October 2023, which has sparked a wave of violence in the West Bank, Israel has raided or carried out airstrikes in Jenin multiple times, killing dozens of people and leaving a trial of heavy destruction there.
“,”elementId”:”0f4359e1-35e1-4570-b628-d3182efbc513″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1737962046000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”02.14 EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1737963978000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”02.46 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1737963523000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”02.38 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”02.38″,”title”:”IDF opened fire on family eating dinner in Jenin, killing 2-year-old toddler, grandfather says”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 27 Jan 2025 02.46 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 27 Jan 2025 00.23 EST”},{“id”:”67971f1e8f08082cd7ef1d93″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
UN human rights experts and activists have condemned the arrest of an American, pro-Palestinian journalist in the Swiss city of Zurich, saying it raised concerns about freedom of speech. Reuters reports:
“,”elementId”:”f8c1679a-81ff-4119-9e9e-aa5f268b53b3″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”
\n
Ali Abunimah, the executive director of online publication Electronic Intifada – which calls itself “Palestine’s weapon of mass instruction” – was arrested by Swiss police on Saturday ahead of a speech in Zurich, the organisation said in a statement.
\n
Swiss police confirmed that a 53-year-old American had been arrested, citing an entry ban, and said further measures under its immigration law were being considered.
\n
The UN special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan, called the arrest “shocking news” and urged Switzerland to investigate and release him in a post on the X social media platform.
\n
“The climate surrounding freedom of speech in Europe is becoming increasingly toxic, and we should all be concerned,” said Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied territories.
\n
Pro-Palestinian advocacy group Swiss Action for Human Rights launched a petition to release Abunimah on Sunday.
\n
A spokesperson for the US embassy in Bern said it was providing appropriate consular assistance after seeing reports of the arrest of a US citizen, declining further comment.
\n
“,”elementId”:”1e6ee0dc-da1c-4657-9132-0be43527b958″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
In a statement on its website, Electronic Intifada said the arrest appeared to be “part of a growing backlash from western governments against expressions of solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
“,”elementId”:”5ae46567-3e52-4465-8395-c167d957d0a2″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
It noted that last year, several activists and journalists in Britain were arrested, raided or charged using “counter-terror” powers, including Asa Winstanley, an associate editor with The Electronic Intifada. Winstanley has not been charged with any crime.
“,”elementId”:”d6a2a1f9-e93d-429c-ae74-7c0188120767″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1737957150000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”00.52 EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1737960177000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”01.42 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1737957642000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”01.00 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”01.00″,”title”:”Rights experts condemn arrest of US pro-Palestinian journalist Ali Abunimah”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 27 Jan 2025 02.46 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 27 Jan 2025 00.23 EST”},{“id”:”679719258f081abff9bf0bbc”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Displaced Palestinians have started returning to north Gaza, the territory’s interior ministry has confirmed as images posted on social media showed thousands of people streaming along sandy roadways fringed by the devastation of more than a year of Israeli airstrikes.
“,”elementId”:”472e1884-e587-4b2f-96d2-48d144353dd5″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
“The passage of displaced Palestinians has begun along the Al-Rashid Road via the western part of the Netzarim checkpoint towards Gaza City and the northern part” of the Gaza Strip, an official told the news agency AFP.
“,”elementId”:”2de0b2d2-4eb2-4f4c-ae10-9648f4371965″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TweetBlockElement”,”source”:”Twitter”,”id”:”1883749254726054124″,”elementId”:”cc013c11-488f-41c5-871a-48bc4a4d6256″,”hasMedia”:false,”role”:”inline”,”url”:”https://x.com/AnasAlSharif0/status/1883749254726054124″,”isThirdPartyTracking”:false,”html”:”
آلاف النازحين يعودون إلى مدينة غزة وشمال القطاع عبر شارع الرشيد الساحلي pic.twitter.com/L4HcmmioDU
— أنس الشريف Anas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0) January 27, 2025
“},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Thousands of Palestinians had headed to the Netzarim Corridor – a strip of land Israel has occupied that cuts the territory in two – on Saturday in anticipation of being allowed to cross back to their homes in the north as agreed under this month’s ceasefire deal.
“,”elementId”:”b884db4b-eb0b-44ba-9c22-ec9afa29baf0″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
But Israeli troops set up roadblocks and fired on some people trying to return, killing at least one person. It accused Hamas of failing to uphold the agreement by not including Arbel Yehoud, an Israeli civilian, in Saturday’s hostage release.
“,”elementId”:”4e312756-f05a-4be6-9250-19f7edbf6255″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that several people were critically injured in the Israeli attack on the crowd of civilians waiting to cross the corridor near Nuseirat refugee camp.
“,”elementId”:”ec9f60c6-9698-4962-a295-f8f18e1399fb”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Hamas said that blocking returns to the north also amounted to a truce violation, adding it had provided “all the necessary guarantees” for Yehoud’s release.
“,”elementId”:”8de5fa34-0d11-4688-adbe-27a0a94cf190″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
In the early hours of Monday, mediator Qatar said a deal had been reached that would see Yehoud released before Friday along with two other hostages and that Palestinians would be allowed to cross the corridor from early on Monday.
“,”elementId”:”fc8f49fb-7452-4c81-925c-b9369c3a80f2″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:true,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1737955621000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”00.27 EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1737957079000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”00.51 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1737956435000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”00.40 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”00.40″,”title”:”Palestinians begin return to north Gaza”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 27 Jan 2025 02.46 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 27 Jan 2025 00.23 EST”},{“id”:”6796e2158f08082cd7ef1c5d”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Middle East.
“,”elementId”:”13fce279-9aa3-4ea8-b3cf-5cad0448a1b3″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Displaced Palestinians are expected to begin returning to their homes in northern Gaza on Monday, two days later than scheduled, after an agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas to release a civilian Israeli hostage.
“,”elementId”:”3b3a0950-bb32-474b-b570-d10fba46c132″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Over the weekend, Israel had prevented Palestinians from crossing the Netzarim Corridor – a strip of land it has occupied that cuts the territory in two – as agreed under this month’s ceasefire deal, accusing Hamas of failing to uphold the agreement by not including Arbel Yehoud, an Israeli civilian, in Saturday’s hostage release.
“,”elementId”:”ed454004-7de9-4420-aba9-f226bf037383″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Hamas said that blocking returns to the north also amounted to a truce violation, adding it had provided “all the necessary guarantees” for Yehoud’s release.
“,”elementId”:”82f21a51-5c03-4813-a440-cf3bbd582643″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
In the early hours of Monday, mediator Qatar said a deal had been reached that would see Yehoud released before Friday along with two other hostages and that Palestinians would be allowed to cross the corridor from early on Monday. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu later confirmed the news in a statement.
“,”elementId”:”49268b0b-f1ae-429e-8a69-62122dad29c8″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said Palestinian residents would be allowed to return on foot starting at 7am and by car at 9am.
“,”elementId”:”22253b2b-5c77-4222-861e-35f0ccf5c628″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The news was greeted with joy by the thousands of displaced Palestinians living in inadequate shelters and tent encampments. “No sleep, I have everything packed and ready to go with the first light of day,” said Ghada, a mother of five.
“,”elementId”:”cf51ac9c-193e-49df-a9b3-e1b26b605ca8″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
“At least we are going back home, now I can say war is over and I hope it will stay calm,” she told Reuters via a chat app.
“,”elementId”:”97ba90c4-0160-4942-8300-b8255eaa596e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
In other developments:
“,”elementId”:”31f86fac-578a-4d43-bdc4-aa99760dd1bc”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
- \n
- \n
Israeli forces opened fire on people trying to return to their homes, killing at least 22 people, including a Lebanese soldier and six women, and injuring 124 amid a dispute with Lebanon over a ceasefire agreement. Israel said it would not allow civilians to return to southern Lebanon, and accused the Lebanese army of violating key commitments under the ceasefire deal. Videos showed tense face-offs between Israeli soldiers and tanks and Lebanese crowds waving banners and chanting slogans.
- \n
The White House said late on Sunday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to extend the deadline for Israeli troops to depart southern Lebanon until 18 February. Israeli prime minister Netanyahu said on Friday that the Lebanese state had not yet “fully enforced” a deal to secure the south, meant to ensure that Hezbollah withdrew beyond the Litani River.
- \n
Donald Trump’s proposal that large numbers of Palestinians should leave Gaza to “just clean out” the whole strip has been rejected by US allies in the region and attacked as dangerous, illegal and unworkable by lawyers and activists. Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, told reporters that the country’s stance against any displacement of Palestinians from Gaza remained “firm and unwavering”.
\n Egypt’s foreign ministry said it categorically rejected any displacement of Palestinians from their land, be it “short term or long term”. - \n
“To ‘clean’ Gaza immediately after the war would in fact be a continuation of the war, through the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people,” said Hassan Jabareen, the director of Palestinian rights group Adalah. Omer Shatz, a lecturer in international law at Sciences Po Paris and international criminal court (ICC) counsel, said Trump’s comments were a “call for ethnic cleansing” that echoed calls from extremist Israeli politicians and public figures dating to the start of the war.
\n
\n
\n
\n
“,”elementId”:”6c7dcc6e-57c5-45bc-b989-1e406281a83e”},{“displayCredit”:true,”_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement”,”role”:”inline”,”media”:{“allImages”:[{“index”:0,”fields”:{“height”:”3456″,”width”:”5760″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/5760.jpg”},{“index”:1,”fields”:{“isMaster”:”true”,”height”:”3456″,”width”:”5760″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg”},{“index”:2,”fields”:{“height”:”1200″,”width”:”2000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/2000.jpg”},{“index”:3,”fields”:{“height”:”600″,”width”:”1000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/1000.jpg”},{“index”:4,”fields”:{“height”:”300″,”width”:”500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/500.jpg”},{“index”:5,”fields”:{“height”:”84″,”width”:”140″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/140.jpg”}]},”elementId”:”d54a071d-65a7-4ccc-b475-42adba32b5a7″,”imageSources”:[{“weighting”:”inline”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0d3592aed880a5f11be415eb71c04fd9″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0a0fe45d14f019b68523e9f8d31329ed”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4cf14c40529db72d5275599bc3860986″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1aabbfd67d40fc7d8da44bcc71df797b”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=86175358b90b7af1764b250359ef84f2″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=fd325cf50d9735195c7f8b4b568c43f6″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”thumbnail”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d68b9d13aa193c41c0483dce0d2a61b8″,”width”:140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=55064728dec5c28d69a2942c864a382f”,”width”:280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=120&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=18942cdabc33d173d953eff0d4617c60″,”width”:120},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=120&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=c07369167d180c790691fffc308cff9e”,”width”:240}]},{“weighting”:”supporting”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=380&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4ff4e2705f349e515a4a3d8849077639″,”width”:380},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=380&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=b958a105af07212477b2fd0dce560cfc”,”width”:760},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d0f60cbd9e46110bd492b296c0decc96″,”width”:300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=75f5effcc9a6a6922518005fe649e630″,”width”:600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0d3592aed880a5f11be415eb71c04fd9″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0a0fe45d14f019b68523e9f8d31329ed”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4cf14c40529db72d5275599bc3860986″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1aabbfd67d40fc7d8da44bcc71df797b”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=86175358b90b7af1764b250359ef84f2″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=fd325cf50d9735195c7f8b4b568c43f6″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”showcase”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5b4a22a81d230fc4ee1f1ca3791d21a0″,”width”:860},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=860&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=2ee03f7f73fd1f0ea23bfd0e73f416d5″,”width”:1720},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=780&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5329694cdcc6e8f3099cdce32c541bbc”,”width”:780},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=780&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=fd9e0fb9cf78d9ae63b0d0d65acc126e”,”width”:1560},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0d3592aed880a5f11be415eb71c04fd9″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0a0fe45d14f019b68523e9f8d31329ed”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4cf14c40529db72d5275599bc3860986″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1aabbfd67d40fc7d8da44bcc71df797b”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=86175358b90b7af1764b250359ef84f2″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=fd325cf50d9735195c7f8b4b568c43f6″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”halfwidth”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0d3592aed880a5f11be415eb71c04fd9″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0a0fe45d14f019b68523e9f8d31329ed”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4cf14c40529db72d5275599bc3860986″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1aabbfd67d40fc7d8da44bcc71df797b”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=86175358b90b7af1764b250359ef84f2″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=fd325cf50d9735195c7f8b4b568c43f6″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”immersive”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=1900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=f7aec8d9acd3c1e28b2c76d3bd7ef14f”,”width”:1900},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=1900&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=18c27e01b4ab011c42e41a3a9aafba85″,”width”:3800},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=1300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2e602567253fef69c808c9314afdfcb7″,”width”:1300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=1300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ef9c2ae6e87c0496db706b58be351667″,”width”:2600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=1140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9818c2716d02b34d6e8fcafd7966a27e”,”width”:1140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=1140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=214cbe7279097f9b7c67e5fbefff990b”,”width”:2280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=980&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9abb4a137565a4a23a0cf6a68c2c3d66″,”width”:980},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=7b1bd4a7ea59270728426c1c5a206d80″,”width”:1960},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=740&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=f2c6c8d5d6190f8605816c1a37dca9c2″,”width”:740},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=740&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0f2bee9e7900bf92f738f6ef8d82bcba”,”width”:1480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=660&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=fc4d6001d9253f4a387a9ed541f765b9″,”width”:660},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=660&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=81d4663ff133f3dffdbf559e2daf11f3″,”width”:1320},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=480&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=8a3dd5310ebe0839f642a1cb30c5b28a”,”width”:480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f8054f7ac0b67f97279e5dde5c7380efa4f0356/0_0_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=480&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=5de9f0a27415a987698b1a44d67cb13a”,”width”:960}]}],”data”:{“alt”:”Palestinians wait at near the Netzarim Corridor on Salah al-Din Road to return to their homes in the north.”,”caption”:”Palestinians wait at near the Netzarim Corridor on Salah al-Din Road. Israel had prevented them from returning to their homes in the north over the weekend, in violation of the ceasefire deal.”,”credit”:”Photograph: APAImages/REX/Shutterstock”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
- \n
- \n
The US president had said Palestinians could move to countries including Jordan, which already hosts more than 2.7 million Palestinian refugees, and Egypt. “I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing at a different location where they can maybe live in peace for a change,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say: ‘You know, it’s over.’”
\n
“,”elementId”:”7da4d597-b6a5-4fa2-887d-5342dfe43daa”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1737955437000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”00.23 EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1737955236000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”00.20 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1737955437000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”00.23 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”00.23″,”title”:”Opening summary”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 27 Jan 2025 02.46 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 27 Jan 2025 00.23 EST”}],”filterKeyEvents”:false,”id”:”key-events-carousel-mobile”,”absoluteServerTimes”:false,”renderingTarget”:”Web”}”>
Key events
IDF opened fire on family eating dinner in Jenin, killing 2-year-old toddler, grandfather says
Israeli news outlet Hareetz has a harrowing account from the grandfather of a two-year-old Palestinian toddler who he says was killed on Saturday night by Israeli soldiers during the IDF’s raid on the West Bank city of Jenin.
Bassam Asous said Laila was shot while eating dinner with her family. Laila’s mum and Bassam’s daughter, a graduate student in engineering, was shot in the arm, and her aunt was hit in the head by shrapnel, he said. Laila’s father, an engineer, was killed in a work accident two years ago. Bassam said the Israeli soldiers did not ask the family to leave the house, situated on the outskirts of Jenin, before shooting at it.
Bassam, who says his family has no connection to any terrorists, told Hareetz:
“At first she was still alive and crying. I asked the soldiers – why did you kill her? She is just a little baby. How is she involved, why did you shoot at us? The soldier told me, ‘Sorry.’ We spoke English. What do you mean sorry? She was shot in the head.”
He continued:
We were having dinner; it was about 8 P.M. We were home, my daughters and I – I only have daughters – and my baby grandchild. There were soldiers outside but we didn’t hear them, we had the windows closed due to the weather.
Suddenly they started to shoot at us and we were surprised, why would they be shooting at us? The women ran into an interior room. They kept shooting. My daughters started to scream and we got onto the ground because a window had broken and there were glass shards.
My daughter held her daughter to her chest because she intended to feed her, and then she yelled – Laila has been hit! I grabbed her and went down to the street.
Bassam, a schoolteacher, said an ambulance was called but was delayed due to military activity in the area. Laila “was bleeding into the street” and died after not being able to receive treatment in time, he said.
The IDF told Hareetz that soldiers had surrounded a house and fired at a building where they believed a terrorist was located. The military said stun grenades were thrown at the building and calls were made on loudspeakers to warn those inside of their presence. When they realised Laila had been hit, they said they called for the Red Crescent and made sure Laila and her mother were evacuated.
The IDF has been carrying out a raid on Jenin aiming to rout out what it has described as militants. Jenin’s refugee camp, one of 19 across the West Bank built in the aftermath of Israel’s creation in 1948 to house displaced Palestinians, is a centre of armed Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation.
Since the start of the war in October 2023, which has sparked a wave of violence in the West Bank, Israel has raided or carried out airstrikes in Jenin multiple times, killing dozens of people and leaving a trial of heavy destruction there.
Even knowing that their homes have likely been damaged or destroyed by Israeli bombardments, Palestinians returning to northern Gaza have expressed joy on their return. Associated Press reports:
Many had feared Israel would make their exodus permanent, and expressed similar concerns about an idea floated by President Donald Trump to resettle large numbers of Palestinians in Egypt and Jordan.
Ismail Abu Matter, a father of four who had waited for three days before crossing with his family, described scenes of jubilation on the other side, with people singing, praying and crying as they were reunited with relatives.
“It’s the joy of return,” said Abu Matter, whose family was among the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled or were driven out of what is now Israel during the 1948 war surrounding its creation. “We had thought we wouldn’t return, like our ancestors.”
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz has said the country will “continue to firmly enforce the ceasefires in the north and south”, in a post on X, referring to Lebanon and Gaza. He added:
Anyone who violates the rules or threatens IDF forces will bear the full cost. We will not allow a return to the reality of 7 October.
Israel itself has been accused of breaching the ceasefire on both fronts on multiple occasions, including by launching 350 airstrikes across Lebanon.
Israeli forces killed at least 22 people when they opened fire on civilians trying to return to their homes in southern Lebanon on Sunday.
“The IDF must avoid firing at civilians within Lebanese territory,” the UN’s peacekeeping force in Lebanon said in a statement.
“Further violence risks undermining the fragile security situation in the area and prospects for stability ushered in by the cessation of hostilities and the formation of a government in Lebanon.”
Some images of joy and jubilation as Palestinians return to northern Gaza and reunite with loved ones:
Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right Israeli MP who served as national security minister until he resigned in protest at the ceasefire agreement, has called the opening of the Netzarim Corridor “another humiliating part of the reckless deal”. In a post on X he wrote:
This is not what “complete victory” looks like – this is what complete surrender looks like. The heroic IDF soldiers did not fight and give their lives in the Strip to make these images possible. We must return to war – and destroy!
Ben-Gvir, who was convicted in 2007 of racist incitement against Arabs and backing a group considered by Israel and the US to be a terrorist organisation, has repeatedly called for Israelis to resettle Gaza and for the “voluntary” resettlement of Palestinians elsewhere.
A snippet of analysis here from Mairav Zonszein, a senior Israel analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank, on the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza. In a post on X, she writes:
This is significant. When Israel began depopulating northern Gaza, it seemed like they would never let people return, that Israel would remain and ultimately build settlements. Not letting people go back was one of Israel’s major bargaining chips. Now it’s gone.
Holding onto north Gaza was not for security reasons, but b/c it would be harder to resume combat. This also means that if Hamas wants to tamper with hostage exchange, it has more room to maneuver because it’s already gotten the return to the north early on.
As Palestinians who are on foot begin their journey north, others who are travelling by vehicle still have another 45 minutes to wait until Israeli troops will allow them to cross the so-called Netzarim Corridor that they created to split the territory in two. Thousands are waiting to cross:
Hamas has issued a statement describing the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza as “a victory” for the Palestinians and a defeat for the Israelis, Al Jazeera reports.
Hamas said the return of Palestinians to the areas from which they were displaced confirmed their link to the land once again and “proves the failure of the occupation to achieve the aggressive goals of displacing people and breaking their steadfast will”.
Rights experts condemn arrest of US pro-Palestinian journalist Ali Abunimah
UN human rights experts and activists have condemned the arrest of an American, pro-Palestinian journalist in the Swiss city of Zurich, saying it raised concerns about freedom of speech. Reuters reports:
Ali Abunimah, the executive director of online publication Electronic Intifada – which calls itself “Palestine’s weapon of mass instruction” – was arrested by Swiss police on Saturday ahead of a speech in Zurich, the organisation said in a statement.
Swiss police confirmed that a 53-year-old American had been arrested, citing an entry ban, and said further measures under its immigration law were being considered.
The UN special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan, called the arrest “shocking news” and urged Switzerland to investigate and release him in a post on the X social media platform.
“The climate surrounding freedom of speech in Europe is becoming increasingly toxic, and we should all be concerned,” said Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied territories.
Pro-Palestinian advocacy group Swiss Action for Human Rights launched a petition to release Abunimah on Sunday.
A spokesperson for the US embassy in Bern said it was providing appropriate consular assistance after seeing reports of the arrest of a US citizen, declining further comment.
In a statement on its website, Electronic Intifada said the arrest appeared to be “part of a growing backlash from western governments against expressions of solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
It noted that last year, several activists and journalists in Britain were arrested, raided or charged using “counter-terror” powers, including Asa Winstanley, an associate editor with The Electronic Intifada. Winstanley has not been charged with any crime.
Some of the first images of Palestinians returning to their homes in northern Gaza are beginning to appear on the wires:
Palestinians begin return to north Gaza
Displaced Palestinians have started returning to north Gaza, the territory’s interior ministry has confirmed as images posted on social media showed thousands of people streaming along sandy roadways fringed by the devastation of more than a year of Israeli airstrikes.
“The passage of displaced Palestinians has begun along the Al-Rashid Road via the western part of the Netzarim checkpoint towards Gaza City and the northern part” of the Gaza Strip, an official told the news agency AFP.
آلاف النازحين يعودون إلى مدينة غزة وشمال القطاع عبر شارع الرشيد الساحلي pic.twitter.com/L4HcmmioDU
— أنس الشريف Anas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0) January 27, 2025
“}}”>
آلاف النازحين يعودون إلى مدينة غزة وشمال القطاع عبر شارع الرشيد الساحلي pic.twitter.com/L4HcmmioDU
— أنس الشريف Anas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0) January 27, 2025
Thousands of Palestinians had headed to the Netzarim Corridor – a strip of land Israel has occupied that cuts the territory in two – on Saturday in anticipation of being allowed to cross back to their homes in the north as agreed under this month’s ceasefire deal.
But Israeli troops set up roadblocks and fired on some people trying to return, killing at least one person. It accused Hamas of failing to uphold the agreement by not including Arbel Yehoud, an Israeli civilian, in Saturday’s hostage release.
Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that several people were critically injured in the Israeli attack on the crowd of civilians waiting to cross the corridor near Nuseirat refugee camp.
Hamas said that blocking returns to the north also amounted to a truce violation, adding it had provided “all the necessary guarantees” for Yehoud’s release.
In the early hours of Monday, mediator Qatar said a deal had been reached that would see Yehoud released before Friday along with two other hostages and that Palestinians would be allowed to cross the corridor from early on Monday.
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Middle East.
Displaced Palestinians are expected to begin returning to their homes in northern Gaza on Monday, two days later than scheduled, after an agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas to release a civilian Israeli hostage.
Over the weekend, Israel had prevented Palestinians from crossing the Netzarim Corridor – a strip of land it has occupied that cuts the territory in two – as agreed under this month’s ceasefire deal, accusing Hamas of failing to uphold the agreement by not including Arbel Yehoud, an Israeli civilian, in Saturday’s hostage release.
Hamas said that blocking returns to the north also amounted to a truce violation, adding it had provided “all the necessary guarantees” for Yehoud’s release.
In the early hours of Monday, mediator Qatar said a deal had been reached that would see Yehoud released before Friday along with two other hostages and that Palestinians would be allowed to cross the corridor from early on Monday. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu later confirmed the news in a statement.
Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said Palestinian residents would be allowed to return on foot starting at 7am and by car at 9am.
The news was greeted with joy by the thousands of displaced Palestinians living in inadequate shelters and tent encampments. “No sleep, I have everything packed and ready to go with the first light of day,” said Ghada, a mother of five.
“At least we are going back home, now I can say war is over and I hope it will stay calm,” she told Reuters via a chat app.
In other developments:
-
Israeli forces opened fire on people trying to return to their homes, killing at least 22 people, including a Lebanese soldier and six women, and injuring 124 amid a dispute with Lebanon over a ceasefire agreement. Israel said it would not allow civilians to return to southern Lebanon, and accused the Lebanese army of violating key commitments under the ceasefire deal. Videos showed tense face-offs between Israeli soldiers and tanks and Lebanese crowds waving banners and chanting slogans.
-
The White House said late on Sunday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to extend the deadline for Israeli troops to depart southern Lebanon until 18 February. Israeli prime minister Netanyahu said on Friday that the Lebanese state had not yet “fully enforced” a deal to secure the south, meant to ensure that Hezbollah withdrew beyond the Litani River.
-
Donald Trump’s proposal that large numbers of Palestinians should leave Gaza to “just clean out” the whole strip has been rejected by US allies in the region and attacked as dangerous, illegal and unworkable by lawyers and activists. Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, told reporters that the country’s stance against any displacement of Palestinians from Gaza remained “firm and unwavering”.
Egypt’s foreign ministry said it categorically rejected any displacement of Palestinians from their land, be it “short term or long term”. -
“To ‘clean’ Gaza immediately after the war would in fact be a continuation of the war, through the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people,” said Hassan Jabareen, the director of Palestinian rights group Adalah. Omer Shatz, a lecturer in international law at Sciences Po Paris and international criminal court (ICC) counsel, said Trump’s comments were a “call for ethnic cleansing” that echoed calls from extremist Israeli politicians and public figures dating to the start of the war.
-
The US president had said Palestinians could move to countries including Jordan, which already hosts more than 2.7 million Palestinian refugees, and Egypt. “I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing at a different location where they can maybe live in peace for a change,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say: ‘You know, it’s over.’”
