Dozens of injured and ill patients evacuated from Gaza for medical care

Dozens of patients have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip as the healthcare system faces collapse due to Israeli strikes on and around hospitals.

Early on Tuesday, 45 patients were transported from the European Hospital in Khan Younis to the UAE, leaving via the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom Crossing.

Among them was 10-year-old Abdullah Abu Yousef, who is suffering from kidney failure. He was accompanied by his sister after Israeli authorities rejected his mother’s application to join.

“The boy is sick,” his mother, Abeer Abu Yousef, said. “He requires hemodialysis three to four days a week.”

The Ministry of Health reports that several thousand Palestinians in Gaza require medical treatment abroad. Israel’s offensive, launched following Hamas’ attack on 7 October 2023, has devastated the territory’s health care system, forcing the closure of most hospitals. Those that remain operational are functioning only partially.

Israel has maintained control over all entry and exit points since taking the southern city of Rafah in May.

The UN reports that Israeli strikes have devastated Gaza’s health care system, which is “on the brink of total collapse.” 

In a report, it documented 136 strikes on hospitals and medical facilities since October 2023, warning of violations of international law. 

“This report graphically details the destruction of the healthcare system in Gaza, and the extent of killing of patients, staff, and other civilians in these attacks in blatant disregard for international humanitarian and human rights law,” stated UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

Israel claims militants used hospitals for military purposes, though the UN says evidence is insufficient to substantiate these allegations.

Netanyahu attends budget vote after surgery

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared in parliament on Tuesday for a critical budget vote less than two days after prostate surgery, defying doctors' advice.

His governing coalition managed to secure a majority in a last-minute effort.

The vote was crucial as Tuesday marked the final day of the 2024 tax year, and failure to pass the measure would have forced the government to seek alternative funding to cover a deficit of around 10 billion Israeli shekels (€2.6 billion).

The coalition's unity remains strained, with far-right Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir instructing his party to oppose the budget.

US targets Houthis in airstrikes

The US has launched airstrikes against Houthi military facilities in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, targeting command centres and weapons storage after Houthi attacks on US vessels in the Red Sea.

Houthi negotiator Mohammed Abdul-Salam called the action “a gross violation of sovereignty.”

The Houthis have launched drones and missiles at Israel and targeted shipping in the Red Sea corridor, declaring that these attacks will continue until Israel agrees to a ceasefire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Israel admits assassination of Hamas leader

For the first time, Israel has acknowledged its role in the January 2024 assassination of Hamas leader Saleh Arouri in Beirut.

Arouri was one of five senior Hamas figures assassinated in Lebanon this year, according to Israel's Shin Bet security service.

France strikes Islamic State in Syria

France has carried out airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Syria for the first time since Bashar al-Assad’s fall from power, according to Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu.

While visiting French UN peacekeepers in neighbouring Lebanon, Lecornu stated in a post on X that Sunday’s airstrikes were “part of the fight against terrorism in the Levant.”

France has participated in the international coalition against the Islamic State group, known as Operation Inherent Resolve, since 2014 in Iraq and 2015 in Syria.

Despite a swift offensive by Syrian insurgents that ousted Assad and reshaped the region’s political dynamics, the coalition has continued targeting IS militants.

Israel claims 2,500 arrests in Gaza in 2024

Israel’s Shin Bet security service says it arrested approximately 2,500 Palestinians in Gaza during 2024, with 650 of them subjected to interrogation.

The agency claimed, without offering evidence, that the interrogations led to the recovery of nine bodies of hostages kidnapped and taken to Gaza during Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attack.

Additionally, Shin Bet revealed that 27 Israelis were charged with spying for Iran, representing a nearly four-fold increase compared to 2023. 

In the occupied West Bank, 3,682 Palestinians were detained on suspicion of involvement in “terror activities,” according to the agency.

The UN reported that between October and December last year, Israel arrested over 4,000 Palestinians in the West Bank.

Heavy rain exacerbates Gaza crisis

Palestinians in Gaza are facing worsening conditions as heavy rains flood makeshift shelters. 

Displaced families, many living in tents, are struggling with cold temperatures and inadequate shelter, with at least four infants dying from hypothermia in recent weeks.

“I’m drowning,” cried Manal Lubbad as she waded through ankle-deep water in her tent on Tuesday, trying to rescue blankets and other belongings.

 “I’m taking everything out into the street,” she added.

“We are dead, we are not alive! Why is this happening?” she added, reflecting the anguish felt by many in the battered region.

Israel’s nearly 15-month offensive against Hamas, launched following the militants’ attack on 7 October 2023, has devastated much of the impoverished territory, displacing around 90% of its 2.3 million residents, many of them several times over.

The Civil Defence, part of the Hamas-run administration, reported receiving hundreds of calls for help to evacuate residents from flooded shelters.