January 4, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

Fourteen people were killed Thursday morning in a strike on Al-Mawasi on the coast of Gaza, west of Khan Younis, the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza has said.

The ministry said that nine children were among those killed by an Israeli air strike on a house in the area.

CNN is unable to confirm details of what happened in the neighborhood and has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment.

Thousands of displaced people have moved to the area over the last few weeks as the conflict in Gaza has moved to central areas and Khan Younis.

Separately, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PCRS) said at least one person was killed and six wounded in an Israeli strike that hit the fifth floor of its headquarters in Khan Younis.

Two days ago, five people were killed in a strike on the same complex, according to the PRCS. The IDF told CNN that it was reviewing the details of that event.

In a statement sent to CNN, the IDF said that “upon receiving a report on the incident, an operational debrief was held in order to draw immediate lessons. The incident was transferred to the General Staff’s Fact Finding and Assessment Mechanism, which is responsible for examining exceptional incidents that took place during the conflict.”

More than 22,300 people have been killed in Gaza since 7 October, according to the ministry, with more than 57,000 people injured.

The Gaza ministry, as well as its counterpart in the occupied West Bank, estimates that about 70% of the casualties have been women and children.

CNN is unable to independently confirm the figures provided by the Gaza ministry, due to restricted access to the region and the difficulty in verifying accurate numbers amidst the ongoing conflict.

Saudi Arabia and a number of European nations on Thursday joined the United States in condemning comments by far-right Israeli officials calling for the resettlement of Gazans outside of Gaza.

In recent days, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have reiterated remarks that Israel's war with Hamas presents an opportunity to encourage Palestinian migration from the enclave.

In a statement Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry expressed its “condemnation and categorial rejection of the extremist statements of two ministers in the Israeli occupation government.”

Meanwhile, European Union members including Netherlands and Slovenia echoed earlier condemnation of the Israeli officials' comments by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

US State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Tuesday the US had been "told repeatedly and consistently" by Israel "that such statements [made by the far-right officials] do not reflect the policy of the Israeli government."

Israeli officials double down: Responding to the US rebuke, Ben Gvir on Tuesday called the United States a "good friend" of Israel but said the "emigration of hundreds of thousands from Gaza" will allow Israeli settlers to return and "live in security."  

Smotrich also responded to the State Department's rebuke, saying Israel could not afford to live in close proximity to "a hotbed of hatred and terrorism where 2 million people wake up every morning with a desire to destroy of the State of Israel."

Post-war Gaza: Last month, US officials discussed post-war Gaza governance plans with the Palestinian Authority along with regional US allies — making it a key focus as they try to look beyond the immediate conflict.

On Tuesday, Miller said the State Department had been "clear, consistent, and unequivocal that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land, with Hamas no longer in control of its future and with no terror groups able to threaten Israel."

"That is the future we seek, in the interests of Israelis and Palestinians, the surrounding region, and the world," he said.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday joined multiple countries in condemning deadly twin blasts in Iran, which have threatened to stoke tensions in the region nearly three months after war erupted in Gaza.

Dozens of people were killed Wednesday in the southern Iranian city of Kerman after twin explosions near the burial site of slain military commander Qasem Soleimani, in what officials called a terror attack. No group has claimed responsibility.

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has blamed Israel for the blasts, saying it will pay a “heavy price.” The Israeli military told CNN it had “no comment” on the matter.

Separately, Saudi's Foreign Ministry said in an X post that it affirms the kingdom's "rejection and condemnation of the terrorist bombings that targeted civilians in the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Both countries also expressed condolences to the victims.

The attacks have also been condemned by the European Union, the United Nations chief Antonio Guterres, and the foreign ministries of Pakistan and India.

Calling "terrorism" a “threat to regional and global peace and security,” Pakistan's foreign ministry urged bilateral and regional cooperation.

Some context: At least 84 people were killed and 284 others injured in the blasts, one of which was caused by a bomb, state TV said, near the grave of military commander Soleimani.

No group has claimed responsibility for the blasts. The Israeli military told CNN it had "no comment" on the matter while the US State Department said it had no reason to believe Israel was involved. A senior US official said the blasts were similar to previous terrorist attacks carried out by ISIS.

A US Department of Education political appointee resigned Wednesday over the Biden administration's handling of the Israel-Hamas war, becoming the second known US official to quit in protest during the nearly three-month long conflict.

Tariq Habash, a Palestinian American policy adviser in the department's Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, said in his resignation letter that he could not "stay silent as this administration turns a blind eye to the atrocities committed against innocent Palestinian lives."

His resignation follows that of former State Department official Josh Paul, who quit in October "due to a policy disagreement concerning our continued lethal assistance to Israel."

Asked for comment on Habash's resignation, a Department of Education spokesperson said in a statement: “We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

Fierce fighting is raging in parts of Gaza including the southern city of Khan Younis, according to Israel's military and sources in the strip, even as several areas have quietened following the withdrawal of some Israeli units.

The death toll in Gaza has surpassed 22,300 people since October 7, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza.

Meanwhile, fears over the potential for a wider regional conflict were underscored after Iranian officials blamed Israel for deadly twin blasts in Iran and threatened revenge.

The blasts near the burial site of slain military commander Qasem Soleimani came on the fourth anniversary of his death in a US airstrike, threatening to accelerate tensions in the region that have spiked since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Here's what you need to know:

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Wednesday said it will hold public hearings next week regarding proceedings brought by South Africa against Israel over allegations of genocide in its war against Hamas in Gaza.

The hearings will be dedicated to South Africa’s request last week for “provisional measures” — emergency steps the court can order to preserve the rights of a party.

South Africa is scheduled to present its oral arguments on January 11, with Israel set to do the same the following day. 

An Israeli government spokesperson said Tuesday that Israel will appear before the ICJ "to dispel South Africa's absurd blood libel."

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi blamed Israel for deadly twin explosions during a memorial ceremony in southeastern Iran on Wednesday.

The blasts near the burial site of slain military commander Qasem Soleimani came on the fourth anniversary of his death in a US airstrike, threatening to accelerate tensions in the region that have spiked since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Raisi, who is the head of the Iranian government, also warned that Israel's punishment will be "regrettable and severe."

The Israeli military told CNN it had "no comment" on the explosions in Iran. No group has claimed responsibility for the blasts which Iran has called a "terror attack."

US State Department spokesperson Matt Miller told reporters Wednesday that the US does not "have any independent information" about the explosions, and that the State Department has “no reason to believe that Israel was involved.”

Read more about the deadly blasts in Iran.

Israel’s military on Wednesday released a video that it claims shows the dismantlement of a tunnel route it accuses Hamas of excavating under Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in Gaza.

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the underground tunnel route was dismantled on November 24 by special forces and soldiers from the Yahalom Unit, which specializes in engineering tasks.

The IDF claims the hospital was not damaged and that humanitarian activities were able to continue while it dismantled the tunnel route, which it says spanned more than 250 meters.

CNN cannot independently verify the IDF’s claims.

Israel accused Hamas of developing the tunnel system beneath the hospital and connecting it to nearby tunnel shafts and other Hamas centers to carry out “terrorist operations," which Hamas has repeatedly denied. 

The IDF also insisted that Hamas systematically operates in Gaza hospitals and adjacent areas, "using the residents as human shields." Hamas has previously denied using the hospital as a command hub. 

US intelligence: On Tuesday, the United States reiterated its assessment that Hamas and other Gaza militants used Al-Shifa Hospital as a command hub as well as to hold hostages and store weapons, with a senior intelligence official pointing to newly declassified intelligence that reinforces the conclusion of Israeli and US intelligence.

But the US intelligence community did not release any new evidence to support its assessment after questions were raised about to what extent the Al-Shifa Hospital was indeed the “beating heart” of Hamas operations, as Israel had claimed.

In late December, the Washington Post published an extensive investigation that cast doubt on some of Israel’s claims.

Israel had come under widespread criticism for its November siege and assault on the struggling hospital, where doctors had described the situation as “catastrophic.”

A unspecified number of people were killed Wednesday following artillery strikes near a hospital in southern Gaza, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, which runs the medical facility.

On Tuesday, the Red Crescent reported that five people were killed and three others injured in strikes near the same hospital.

CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment but has yet to receive a response. 

Some context: While some parts of Gaza have been quieter after the withdrawal of some Israeli units, intense combat is raging in Khan Younis, according to both the Israeli military and Hamas’ military wing.

“The troops, including armored corps and engineering forces, conducted targeted raids on central locations in the area,” the IDF said. It spoke of intensive battles in the neighborhood.