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Israel’s Supreme Court has rejected a request for journalists to have free access to the Gaza Strip. Foreign Minister Baerbock arrived in Lebanon for her visit. All developments in the live blog.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) met with the acting Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati against the backdrop of the current tensions between Israel and the Shiite militia Hezbollah. The conversation in the capital Beirut is likely to focus, among other things, on the question of how a conflagration in the region can be prevented given the intensifying clashes between Israel and the Iranian-backed militia.
The Federal Foreign Minister then wanted to find out about the situation on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon during a visit to the UN observation mission UNIFIL. Since the war between Israel and the Hamas terrorist militia in the Gaza Strip began on October 7th, clashes between Israel and the Hamas-allied Hezbollah have increased significantly.
Israel’s army continues its attacks in the city of Khan Yunis and in the area of the Al-Magasi refugee district in the center of the Gaza Strip. Israeli troops attacked around 150 targets of the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas over the past day, the military said.
In Khan Yunis in particular, the army says it has taken action against Hamas terrorists and killed several. In Al-Magasi, 15 underground tunnel shafts were also uncovered. During further operations in the area in the center of the Gaza Strip, the troops also discovered rocket launchers, drones and explosive devices, the military said.
As a result of Israeli military operations, 23,210 people have been killed since the start of the war, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority. In addition, almost 59,200 other people were injured. This information cannot currently be independently verified.
Conflict parties as a source
In the current situation, information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by the Palestinian and Israeli conflict parties cannot be directly verified by an independent body.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II will today receive Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for talks about the war between Israel and the radical Islamist Hamas. The meeting in the Red Sea resort of Aqaba was part of Jordanian efforts to “coordinate Arab positions to achieve an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and ensure the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid,” the royal palace in Amman said.
At a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday, the Jordanian king called on Washington to urge Israel to an “immediate ceasefire” and end the humanitarian crisis caused by the Gaza war. Abdullah II warned of “the catastrophic consequences” of continuing Israeli military operations.
According to the US, the armed forces of the USA and Great Britain shot down 18 drones and three missiles over the Red Sea. The Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen attacked international shipping lanes with drones and missiles, US Central Command Centcom said. There are therefore no reports of injuries or damage.
Since the war between Israel and the militant Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip began in early October, the Houthi militia has repeatedly attacked ships off the coast of Yemen.
A former Hamas hostage has reported sexual assaults on other held women in the Israeli parliament. Women also had to suffer torture, said Aviva S. in a special session in the Knesset, which discussed the fate of the 136 hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip.
S. was kidnapped with around 240 other people to the Gaza Strip after the unprecedented major attack and massacre by Hamas and other extremist groups in southern Israel on October 7th. She was held hostage for 51 days before she and more than 100 others were released at the end of November as part of a ceasefire from Hamas violence. In return, Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons.
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) arrived in Lebanon in the evening for a visit – the last stop on her multi-day Middle East trip. The focus of their discussions will be the regional shocks triggered by the war between Israel and the militant Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas. On Wednesday, Baerbock wants to meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and army chief Joseph Aoun in Beirut.
Gabor Halasz, ARD Berlin, currently Rafah, tagesschau, January 10, 2024 5:53 a.m
Israel’s Supreme Court has rejected a request from international media for unhindered access to the Gaza Strip. The court based its ruling on security concerns. Journalists entering the Palestinian territory independently could endanger the safety of Israeli soldiers by revealing their location or other details about the military operation.
The court said it sought to balance the safety of journalists and soldiers with “freedom of the press.” Even if the ban “does not allow the full exercise (…) of press freedom”, it is “balanced and appropriate” given the “current extreme security situation” in the Gaza Strip. In addition, foreign and Israeli journalists, accompanied by army representatives, will be given limited access to the area controlled by the Islamist Hamas.
Israel’s army claims to have killed an air force commander of the Shiite militia Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Hamas leader Haniya calls on Muslim countries to supply arms. All developments can be read in the live blog.