January 31, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war

The World Health Organization (WHO) was able to reach Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis and "deliver essential medical supplies for 1000 patients" on Monday, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said.

WHO has issued several warnings about fighting in nearby areas. The vicinity around Nasser Hospital has seen frequent shelling and air strikes as the Israeli military says it is targeting operatives.

A referral hospital is usually a major hospital that includes specialty and emergency care.

The team had hoped to also deliver food to the hospital but were unable to do so because those supplies were grabbed by crowds gathered around the checkpoint.

Tedros said the incident "underscores the utter desperation of people in Gaza, who live in hellish conditions, including severe hunger."

He highlighted the knock-on effect of delays in deliveries, saying the shortages "increase the health risks of vulnerable patients and hamper health personnel." 

The hospital is grappling with a "serious shortage" of specialist medical personnel, medicines, oxygen and fuel, Tedros said.  

He also said WHO continues to seek permission to deliver fuel to the hospital.  

The families of the six remaining American hostages in Gaza met Tuesday night at the White House with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and White House Middle East Coordinator Brett McGurk, according to a White House official. 

Sullivan and McGurk updated the families on the ongoing hostage negotiations, including information from Sullivan’s meeting this week with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

They also emphasized the administration’s continued commitment to get the hostages out, the official said. 

The families participated both in person and virtually and had a chance to ask questions.

A US destroyer intercepted a single Houthi anti-ship cruise missile launched toward the Red Sea on Tuesday, according to US Central Command.  

The USS Gravely, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, intercepted the missile shortly before midnight in Yemen (approximately 3:30 p.m. ET). There were no injuries or damage reported, Central Command said in a statement.

More on Red Sea attacks: The latest Houthi attack on commercial vessels in one of the world’s most critical waterways comes just days after a Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile hit an oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden, sparking a fire on the ship.

The USS Carney, another destroyer operating in the region, was one of several ships that responded to the Marshall Islands-flagged M/V Marlin Luanda after it issued a distress call.

The US has carried out a series of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, some along with the UK, to go after Houthi weaponry and disrupt the rebel group’s ability to target international shipping lanes.

The first steps to moving forward with a United Nations assessment mission to northern Gaza are expected to take place in the next few days, according to the US State Department.

Spokesperson Matt Miller said Tuesday that security and road conditions needed to be checked to ensure that the full assessment mission could be carried out safely. 

The planned mission was delayed “because of a renewed outbreak in fighting in the north,” Miller said at a briefing. 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced earlier this month that Israel had agreed to allow such a mission to move forward to “determine what needs to be done to allow displaced Palestinians to return safely to homes in the north.”