Live Updates: Israel approves plan to withdraw troops from Gaza — media report

Sunday, January 12, 2025

0845 GMT — Israel approves plan to withdraw troops from Gaza — media report

Israel has approved plans to withdraw troops from Gaza, after advancements in prisoner exchange negotiations with Hamas, media reports have said.

The Haaretz newspaper said the military authorised several plans for the swift withdrawal of soldiers from Gaza in response to progress in the talks.

It examined options, including withdrawing troops through the Netzarim Corridor, which divides Gaza into two.

07:52 GMT — Yemeni Houthis claim another attack on US aircraft carrier in Red Sea

The Houthi group in Yemen has announced another attack on the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea.

The group's military spokesman Yahya Saree said their forces targeted the ship in the northern Red Sea using missiles and drones.

Saree claimed the attack was to force the carrier to leave its operational area.

07:22 GMT — Israeli media says deal near on prisoner swap between Israel, Hamas

Israeli media has said that an agreement on a prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas is nearly finalised.

The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported, based on political sources, that 90 percent of the details have been agreed upon.

Neither Hamas nor the mediating countries, Egypt, Qatar and the US, have made an official statement confirming the agreement.

06:23 GMT — Palestinian Sports Media Association says 708 athletes killed in Gaza by Israel

The Palestinian Sports Media Association (PSMA) has reported that 708 athletes, including 95 children, have been killed in Gaza by Israel since Oct. 7, 2023.

The head of the PSMA, Mustafa Siyam, said that the deaths of handball coach Ahmad Haroun from the Rabat Handball Club and Anas al-Debji, who played for the Deir al-Balah and Al-Jalaa clubs, raised the number of athletes killed to 708.

He noted that Haroun was killed in an artillery strike targeting his home on Friday in the west of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, while al-Debji was killed in an air strike that hit his family’s home on Wednesday in the west of Deir al Balah.

05:12 GMT — Hamas completes Gaza ceasefire draft, awaits Israeli response

Hamas has announced the completion of a draft agreement for a Gaza ceasefire deal, pending response from Israel, signalling potential progress in efforts to end hostilities.

A spokesperson for the Palestinian resistance group, Jihad Taha, told the London-based pan-Arab news outlet, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed TV, that mediators finalised a draft outlining the terms for a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange.

He noted they were awaiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's representative in Doha to approve the arrangements and sign the deal.

04:00 GMT — States not permitted to break international law, says UN Palestine rapporteur on Poland’s decision to host Netanyahu

The UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories has said that nations are not permitted to contravene international law.

“Are states allowed to violate international law with impunity? No, they are not. International law is as strong as the will of the member states to enforce it,” Francesca Albanese, said at an event hosted by the European Palestine Network in Copenhagen.

The remarks were in response to Poland's controversial decision to shield Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from an international arrest warrant if he attends a commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz.

03:30 GMT — Four Israeli soldiers killed, five injured in northern Gaza fighting

Four Israeli soldiers were killed and five others wounded in clashes with Palestinian fighters in northern Gaza, the military has said.

A military statement said those killed included one officer, adding that two of the injured are in critical condition.

It added that the incident occurred in the Beit Hanoun area after an explosive device detonated near the soldiers' vehicle.

For our live updates from Saturday, January 11, 2025, click here.