Live: Israeli forces detonate 20 homes in Jenin

Gaza’s education ministry has condemned the world’s inaction as Israel’s relentless assault has devastated the enclave, accusing the international community of allowing “killing, destruction, and burning” on a scale unseen since World War II.

The ministry said that around 15,000 school-aged children and 800 education workers have been killed since the war began, leaving an entire generation traumatised.

Israeli bombardment has damaged 95 percent of Gaza’s schools, with 85 percent rendered completely unusable, further crippling an already strained education system.

Students have now lost nearly two full academic years as attempts at remote learning and makeshift classrooms have been repeatedly disrupted by the destruction of infrastructure, widespread displacement, and the collapse of basic services like electricity and internet access.

As people in Gaza scour what remains of their homes and land following the ceasefire that took effect on Sunday, victims of Israel's heavy bombardment campaign since 7 October 2023 are being recovered from beneath the rubble. 

According to the latest figures from the Palestinian health ministry, the death toll in Gaza from the 15-month war has risen to 47,107, with an additional 111,147 wounded, as assessments of the scale of destruction continue.

Since the ceasefire, over 248 people have been added to the death toll, including 183 bodies found under the rubble.

The ministry noted on Wednesday that 54 dead bodies were transported to hospitals in the past 24 hours, 53 of them retrieved from destroyed buildings, along with 19 wounded.

Meanwhile, civil defence crews in the enclave announced that while searching through the rubble, they retrieved over 66 bodies on Tuesday and another 62 on Monday.

Read more: Death toll in Gaza rises as ceasefire allows rescuers to search rubble

Fatah, the dominant party within the Palestinian Authority (PA), has lashed out at Hamas after the group accused the PA of colluding with Israel in its latest assaults on Jenin.

In a statement, Fatah accused both Hamas and Al Jazeera of “distorting” the PA’s security operations in the occupied West Bank, urging Palestinians to remain “alert” to Hamas’s claims.

For weeks, PA forces have carried out raids in Jenin and its refugee camp, targeting resistance fighters, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and residents, who accuse the PA of effectively aiding Israel’s siege on the city.

Even as Israel intensified its deadly operations in the West Bank following the Gaza ceasefire, the PA continued its crackdown in Jenin, further deepening tensions.

“The accomplishments of Palestinian security forces in Jenin were achieved despite the deception carried out by ISIL-like [ISIS] elements—those behind them in arming and funding them to transport the vicious crimes of the Israeli military from Gaza to the West Bank,” Fatah claimed, echoing Israel’s rhetoric equating Hamas with ISIL.

The PA has also mirrored Israel in shutting down Al Jazeera’s platforms in the West Bank in recent weeks, further fuelling accusations that it is acting as an enforcer of Israeli policies.

Earlier today, Hamas called on all Palestinian factions, as well as community leaders in the West Bank, to “mobilise with full force” to put an end to the PA’s “serious violations.”

Over the last month, Jenin has witnessed escalating violence as Israeli-backed PA security forces attempt to assert control over the camp, facing resistance from fighters opposing the Israeli occupation.

Last month, the Israeli army reportedly expressed satisfaction with a recent operation conducted by PA forces in the Jenin refugee camp, according to the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA).

Operations by the PA in Jenin under Israeli military oversight have involved approximately 300 armed PA personnel.

Israel's Central Command has recommended strengthening the PA’s security apparatus and increasing coordination.

Following this advice, the Israeli security cabinet instructed the army to bolster its collaboration with PA forces.

Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy has announced plans to visit the region as part of what he called “an inspection team” tasked with overseeing compliance with the Gaza ceasefire.

In an interview with Fox News, Steve Witkoff insisted that all Middle Eastern nations would eventually “get on board” with normalising relations with Israel.

Pressed on which countries might be next, he pointed to Qatar, calling it a key player in securing the truce.

His remarks come as Palestinians in Gaza continue to endure the aftermath of Israel’s relentless bombardment, which has devastated entire neighbourhoods and left hundreds of thousands homeless.

The Israeli army’s Givati Brigade has announced it is “preparing for the next mission” after weeks of brutal combat in Jabalia, northern Gaza.

The infantry unit admitted to losing 86 soldiers since launching its assault on the besieged territory in October 2023.

Yemen's Houthis said on Wednesday they had released the detained crew of a ship held since November 2023, following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza.

The Houthi supreme council "announced the freeing of the crew of the Galaxy Leader, who were arrested on November 19, 2023 during the campaign in solidarity with Gaza."

The Saba news agency said the release came "in support of the ceasefire" in Gaza which began on Sunday.

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told the Walla news site that he is prepared to begin talks on the second stage of the Gaza ceasefire deal as soon as possible, ahead of the scheduled deadline for negotiations.

"We are pushing for this," the prime minister said, adding that he plans to speak with Mossad head David Barnea this week to initiate discussions on the second phase of the agreement.

An unnamed senior Israeli official told the outlet that Israel had "no problem" starting the talks before day 16, the initial date announced by Tel Aviv for the negotiations to begin.

"Negotiations on the first phase lasted months, and reaching an agreement on the second phase may also take a long time," the official said.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres hailed Donald Trump's diplomatic efforts that helped to secure a truce in the Gaza Strip following 15 months of war.

"There was a large contribution of the robust diplomacy of the at-the-time president-elect of the United States," he said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Israel's ongoing military raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank has displaced 2,000 families since mid-December and left the camp "nearly uninhabitable", according to Roland Friedrich, director of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa).

Friedrich said Unrwa cannot provide “full services to the camp” right now due to the scale of the operation, warning that new Israeli legislation, set to be implemented in a week, “severely undermines” the agency's activity in the West Bank.

Yesterday Israeli Security Forces launched a massive operation in #JeninCamp and city, using advanced weaponry and warfare methods including airstrikes. At least ten Palestinians have been killed and more than forty injured. The operation is expected to last days. (1/3)

— Roland Friedrich (@GRFriedrich) January 22, 2025

Israel will permit the daily exit of about 50 wounded Hamas members from the Gaza Strip to Egypt for medical treatment as part of the ceasefire deal, Haaretz reported. 

The injured fighters will be allowed to travel with up to three companions each, starting on the 14th day of the ceasefire until the first phase of the deal concludes on the 42nd day, the report says.

The agreement also allows for 200 Palestinians to travel to Egypt daily during the same 28-day period, totalling 5,600 people by the end of the first phase of the ceasefire deal.

Under the terms of the agreement, Israel's Shin Bet internal intelligence agency will have the final authority to approve the identities of Hamas members and their companions. However, the process and the Rafah crossing will be monitored by Gaza residents, most of whom are Fatah members approved by the security agency.

Israeli forces have arrested at least 25 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since Tuesday evening, according to the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society.

“The occupation forces continue to carry out field investigations in several towns in addition to the widespread abuse, attacks and threats against citizens, as well as acts of vandalism and destruction in citizens’ homes,” the joint statement said.

The arrests were made in the governorates of Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jenin and Tulkarm.

Israeli security chiefs and the head of Egyptian intelligence have reached an agreement for the Palestinian Authority (PA) to oversee Gaza's side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, according to an unnamed source cited by Asharq Al-Awsat.

The arrangement will reportedly include "international supervision and monitoring by the UN", the sources said, though no date has been set for reopening the key border crossing.

Meanwhile, discussions remain unresolved regarding the Philadelphi Corridor, a 14km long, 100m wide border zone between Egypt and Gaza.

However, the source said that “the differences of opinion are technical and they will be resolved”.

“Israel proposed partial withdrawals from the corridor, but Egypt did not accept the idea and insists on a complete withdrawal and a return to the situation as it was before the war," the source added. 

Iman Muhammad Abdul Salam Eid, 45, died yesterday at the Beit Einun checkpoint, northeast of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, after Israeli forces blocked her access to medical care following a heart attack, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Israel has intensified raids in the occupied West Bank in recent days and installed iron gates at the entrances of towns and villages.

According to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, a Palestinian government body, the number of Israeli military checkpoints and gates in the occupied West Bank has increased to 898.

Freed Israeli captive Romi Gonen expressed her relief at returning home while reminding others that many captives remain in Gaza, waiting to be rescued.

In an Instagram post accompanied by a photo of her mother embracing her, Gonen wrote: "I wanted to stop for a moment and say thanks to the people of Israel, my family, and friends. The prayers and strength you sent accompanied us the entire way and helped us believe this nightmare would ultimately end.

"It will take more time to process and thank you all. It must be remembered that there are 94 more hostages in Gaza who are dying for us to save them."

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, has raised concerns over the potential consequences of Israel's raids in the West Bank.

“As the long awaited ceasefire in Gaza took place, Israel’s death machinery escalated its firing in the West Bank, killing 10 people in Jenin [on Tuesday],” Albanese wrote in a post on X.

“If it is not forced to stop, Israel’s genocide of Palestinians will not be confined to Gaza. Mark my words,” she added.

As the long awaited ceasefire in Gaza took place, Israel's death machinery escalated its firing in the West Bank, killing 10 people in Jenin today. If it is not forced to stop, Israel's genocide of Palestinians will not be confined to Gaza. Mark my words. https://t.co/M4QcmCcPdL

— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) January 21, 2025