ASYARFS

Israeli strikes kill 15 in southern Gaza as Japan’s shipping company suspends Red Sea operations amid escalating tensions.

Here’s how things stand on Wednesday, January 17, 2024:

Latest updates

Qatar announced on Tuesday that Israel had agreed to the increased entry of medical aid to Gaza. The agreement mediated by Qatar in cooperation with France will also ensure medication for captives in Gaza.
Japanese shipping company, Nippon Yusen, which operates the Galaxy Leader ship seized by Yemen’s Houthis on November 19, announced on Wednesday that it is suspending operations in the Red Sea.
On Tuesday night, the United States Senate voted against a resolution put forward by Senator Bernie Sanders, calling for the Department of State to report on Israel’s human rights practices.
About 150 protesters from Mennonites Action, a Christian group, were arrested at the US Capitol building on Tuesday while calling for a ceasefire, US news outlets reported.

At least 15 people were killed following Israeli attacks in Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza on Tuesday, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.
An attack by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the armed group Jaish al-Adl in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Tuesday killed two children, according to Reuters news agency. It is unclear if the attack was linked to the regional escalation of Israel’s war on Gaza.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the attack from Iran, warning that the incident could have “serious consequences” and was “completely unacceptable”. Pakistan has also summoned an Iranian diplomat in Islamabad.
Palestinian fighters carried out attacks from northern Gaza, which has been devastated by Israeli bombardment, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP) on Wednesday.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a missile attack on a Malta-flagged cargo ship in the Red Sea on Tuesday as the US said it launched a new strike on Houthi targets in Yemen.

World leaders have gathered in the Swiss Alps for the World Economic Forum’s annual Davos summit. The Israel-Gaza war is expected to be on the top of the agenda.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, speaking at the Davos summit on Tuesday, described the situation in the Middle East as a “recipe for escalation everywhere”.
France will stick to its “defensive” approach in the Red Sea and stay out of the US-led air strikes on Houthi targets to avoid regional escalation of conflict, President Emmanuel Macron told a news conference on Tuesday.

Israeli forces continued with their deadly raids in the occupied West Bank. Their bulldozers destroyed streets and infrastructure in Tulkarem refugee camp on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.
An Israeli drone strike on a car in the Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, killed one Palestinian on Wednesday. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said Israeli forces fired at ambulances that were attempting to reach the burning vehicle.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES