Live: At least 137 people killed by Israel recovered from rubble in Rafah

Palestinian telecom companies have begun restoring limited operations in Rafah and northern Gaza, desperately working to reconnect a population cut off by Israel’s 15-month bombardment.

According to the Ministry of Telecommunications and Digital Economy, engineers are racing to repair infrastructure deliberately crippled by Israeli forces.

The official Wafa news agency reported that Israeli strikes repeatedly targeted Gaza’s communication networks alongside other essential services, leaving residents in an information blackout.

The war has not only shattered Gaza’s infrastructure but also taken a heavy toll on the people trying to rebuild it.

Several engineers and technicians have been killed or severely injured while attempting to restore internet and phone lines - another grim reminder of how Israel’s assault has devastated even the most basic means of survival.

Israeli forces have pulled out of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza as the ceasefire takes effect, marking the departure of the Nahal Brigade, which played a key role in the devastating ground assault that reduced entire neighbourhoods to rubble.

The Israeli military confirmed that the brigade, part of Division 62, is now regrouping and “preparing for the next missions” after weeks of siege and relentless bombardment that left countless Palestinian families homeless and grieving.

During the invasion, 67 Israeli soldiers and commanders from the Nahal Brigade were killed, while the Palestinian death toll from the onslaught remains much higher, with civilians bearing the brunt of Israel’s military aggression.

Israeli occupation forces stormed the home of a recently released Palestinian prisoner, just a day after she was freed under the Hamas-Israel prisoner exchange deal, according to the Palestinian Information Centre.

The troops raided the house of Jenin Amro in the city of Dura, south of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, issuing threats to her family. During the raid, they warned them against holding any celebrations or even posting about her release on social media, according to the centre.

The move underscores Israel’s ongoing crackdown on freed Palestinian detainees. Many families have already endured years of separation and could face fresh intimidation tactics designed to suppress any display of joy or defiance.

The happiness and relief felt by Palestinians following the release of 90 prisoners from Israeli detention as part of the ceasefire deal to end fighting in Gaza has been tempered by concerns about the conditions they were kept in.

Palestinian prisoners were seen exhausted, malnourished and in some cases were left unrecognisable compared to their former selves before going into Israeli prisons.

Israeli authorities in the occupied West Bank released 90 prisoners, including women and children, in the first batch of releases following the ceasefire agreement.

Khalida Jarrar, a key figure in the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), left prison with her hair turned white after months of solitary confinement.

The 61-year-old, an MP, feminist and prisoners’ rights advocate, had been held in administrative detention - a policy that allows Israeli authorities to hold individuals without charge or trial - since 26 December 2023.

Read more: 'Beaten before release': Israeli treatment of Palestinian prisoners casts shadow on celebrations

Lebanon’s Hezbollah has praised the Palestinian resistance and its backers for what it calls a “great victory” in securing a ceasefire with Israel, lauding their resilience in the face of more than 15 months of relentless bombardment.

In a statement, Hezbollah described the truce as “the culmination of legendary and historic steadfastness,” arguing that it serves as a blueprint for standing up to what it called “Zionist-American aggression” across the region.

The group asserted that armed resistance remains the only effective strategy to push back against Israeli occupation, declaring the ceasefire a double blow to Israel - both a military and political defeat that underscores its failure to achieve its war objectives.

Hezbollah also condemned the United States as a complicit partner in Israel’s actions, accusing Washington of enabling what it described as war crimes and genocide against Palestinians.

Expressing solidarity with allies, Hezbollah extended its gratitude to Iran, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, and Yemeni fighters, asserting that Lebanon’s resistance played a crucial role in securing this “blessed victory” through its own sacrifices.

Qatar has begun supplying the besieged Gaza Strip with 1.25 million litres of fuel per day, as part of a humanitarian effort during the first ten days of the newly agreed ceasefire.

The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the initiative, stating that "under the directives of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of the country, Qatar has launched a land bridge to deliver 12.5 million litres of fuel to Gaza at a daily rate of 1.25 million litres".

The fuel, transported via the Kerem Shalom crossing, is being used to power hospitals, shelters for displaced civilians, and essential services, according to the ministry. "Today, 25 trucks funded by Qatar successfully reached Gaza," it confirmed.

Mariam bint Ali bin Nasser al-Misnad, Qatar’s Minister of State for International Cooperation, reaffirmed the country’s unwavering commitment to supporting Palestinians, saying the initiative aims to alleviate their suffering after months of relentless Israeli bombardment.

Qatar, alongside Egypt and the United States, played a key role in mediating the truce between Hamas and Israel, following more than 15 months of devastating Israeli military assaults that have left thousands of Palestinian civilians dead and infrastructure in ruins.

Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani on Monday met Palestinian and Israeli officials, welcoming the beginning of the ceasefire in Gaza.

"At a crucial moment for the Middle East, thanks to the beginning of the truce at Gaza and the release of the first hostages, my mission in Israel and Palestine wants to confirm the commitment to build a future of peace in the region," he wrote on Twitter.

He added that he told Palestine's prime minister that Italy is ready to take part in reconstruction efforts.

In un momento cruciale per il Medio Oriente, grazie all’inizio della tregua a #Gaza e al rilascio dei primi ostaggi, la mia missione in #Israele e #Palestina vuole confermare l’impegno 🇮🇹 per costruire un futuro di pace nella regione. Al Ministro @gidonsaar al PM 🇵🇸Mustafa ho… pic.twitter.com/MfoU9NrvLV

— Antonio Tajani (@Antonio_Tajani) January 20, 2025

Israeli forces on Monday raided several areas in the occupied West Bank, including Shuafat camp in occupied Jerusalem, Burin town south of Nablus, Zeita and Attil towns northeast of Tulkarm, according to Palestinian local media.

Israeli soldiers killed two Palestinians in Rafah, southern Gaza, on Monday despite the ceasefire coming into effect, according to Wafa news agency.

One of those killed was a teenage boy, Wafa said, citing medical sources. The Israeli army has yet to comment on the incident.

Herzi Halevi, the chief of staff of the Israeli army, said on Monday that his forces are planning for continued fighting in the West Bank and Lebanon, as the ceasefire in Gaza comes into effect.

“Along with the intense defence preparations in the Gaza Strip, we must be prepared for significant operations in Judea and Samaria in the coming days in order to preempt and capture the terrorists before they reach our citizens,” Halevi said in a statement, using Judea and Samaria in reference to the West Bank.

Moreover, Halevi instructed Israeli forces “to formulate plans for continued fighting in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon”.

 At least 47,035 Palestinians have been killed and 111,091 injured in Israel's war on Gaza since 7 October 2023, the Gaza health ministry said on Monday.

The ministry added that in the past 24 hours, 60 people were killed and another 62 bodies were recovered.

US President-elect Donald Trump, whose envoy took part in negotiations ahead of his return to the presidency, claimed credit for the Gaza ceasefire deal following months of fruitless negotiations.

“Perhaps most beautiful of all this week we achieved an epic ceasefire agreement as a first step towards lasting peace in the Middle East,” Trump said on Sunday during a celebration before his second inauguration.

“This agreement could only happen as a result of our historic victory in November. That was some victory. Was that the greatest? I don’t even know which was greater, 2016 or this one. I think this one.

“I will stop war in the Middle East and I’ll prevent World War III from happening – and you have no idea how close we are.”

Rescue teams have recovered the remains of 47 bodies from the city of Rafah in southern Gaza and transferred them to the European Hospital near Khan Younis, Al Jazeera reported a medical source saying.

Gaza’s civil defence agency is continuing the search for 10,000 bodies on the second day of the ceasefire.

It will take the world some time to fully grasp how the US President, Donald Trump, managed to impose a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal on Israel - not from any ideological or moral opposition to the war, but from a narcissistic desire to demonstrate that he alone commands the American empire and will decide when the war ends. 

This comes after 15 months of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu skillfully manipulating the Biden administration, leading many around the world to wonder how Tel Aviv managed to dictate its genocidal policies in Gaza to the US, ultimately contributing to the Democrats’ election loss. 

Now, we must wait and see how the Trump administration chooses to reward Israel and Netanyahu.

While the Israeli public is still struggling to process how, within a week, Israel was forced to accept the same deal that the Biden administration proposed last spring - raising questions about why the war continued, 'sacrificing soldiers’ lives' and endangering the hostages - the more painful realisation is that none of Israel’s original war objectives were achieved. 

Israel failed to dismantle Hamas or even significantly weaken its military capabilities. In the end, Israel was forced to sign a deal with Hamas, and there is no foreseeable scenario in which Hamas will not remain a presence in Gaza. 

Read more: Gaza ceasefire: Israel created a biblical catastrophe for Palestinians. It still lost the war Opinion by Abed Abou Shhadeh

Gaza’s civil defence agency has provided an update on the besieged Strip, revealing that more than 10,000 bodies remain buried under rubble from destroyed homes and buildings, with recovery efforts ongoing on the second day of the Gaza ceasefire.

The rescuers said these casualties have not yet been included in the official death toll of Israel's war on Gaza.

Over the course of the 15-month war, 99 of its rescuers were killed in Israeli attacks, with 319 others injured, including dozens left with permanent disabilities, the agency reported. It also said 27 members have been detained by Israeli forces, and their fate remains unknown.

The civil defence teams have rescued more than 97,000 injured Palestinians since 7 October 2023. The agency also stated that around 2,840 bodies were "evaporated without a trace" by Israeli weapons that generated extreme temperatures of up to 9,000 degrees Celsius (16,000 Fahrenheit).