Israel-Hamas war: Dozens killed after Israeli strikes in Rafah; Houthis 'will not stop' Red Sea attacks

According to Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, at least 13 Palestinians have been killed while 75 others wounded in an Israeli air strike on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza on Tuesday.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claims to have found an explosive device hidden inside a health clinic in Gaza's Shejaiya neighbourhood. In the same area, Israeli forces also found many weapons belonging to Hamas fighters, said the IDF. 

In Gaza's Khan Yunis where a Hamas fighter supposedly launched anti-tank RPG missiles at Israeli troops has been "eliminated," said the Israeli army. 

"Troops destroyed a tunnel shaft near the coastline in southern Gaza," said the IDF, in an update on X. The Israeli Air Force later struck a building that the Hamas fighters were entering after "fleeing the original shaft."

"The Israeli Navy is continuing to strike terrorist targets throughout Gaza including compounds where terrorist operatives and vessels used by Hamas for its military activity were located," said the Israeli army. 

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels they would not halt attacks on Red Sea shipping despite the announcement by the United States of a new maritime protection force.

"Even if America succeeds in mobilising the entire world, our military operations will not stop...no matter the sacrifices it costs us," senior Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said in a statement posted on X. 

The new US-led naval alliance in the Red Sea will have no impact on the Houthis' stance in the Gaza war, said the group's chief negotiator, reported Reuters. 

Houthi official Mohammed Abdulsalam told Reuters that the international naval patrol mission meant to safeguard Red Sea shipping lanes is "essentially unnecessary" saying that the waters near Yemen are still safe, except for Israel-linked ships or vessels travelling to Israel.

Israeli missiles and air strikes hit three houses in southern Gaza's Rafah, killing at least 20 Palestinians, said Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry in Gaza, on Tuesday. This comes as tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have crammed into Rafah on Gaza's border with Egypt to escape Israeli bombardments in the north. 

Early on Tuesday residents in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza, witnessed fierce gun battles between Hamas fighters and Israeli forces, reported Reuters citing residents. 

Israeli tanks and planes bombed areas near the city centre, said the residents. 

Israel will gradually transition to the next phase of operations in Gaza, the country’s defence minister said on Monday following talks with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin about lower intensity combat and ways to reduce harm to civilians.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the local population would likely be able to first return to Gaza’s north, which was the most populated area of the Mediterranean enclave before Israel’s invasion in retaliation for the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.

The United States announced that several countries have agreed to jointly carry out patrols in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to protect commercial ships from missile and drone attacks by Yemen-based Houthis, who say they are doing so in support of Palestinians amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

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In Germany, a Jewish artist's exhibition has been cancelled over her stance on the Israel-Hamas war. Reuters reports that Candice Breitz invested several years in curating an exhibition in Saarbruecken, Germany. However, allegedly due to her anti-Israel position, her art exhibit was cancelled.

"German institutions are likely to increasingly avoid working with artists who are politically engaged," says Breitz. 

She also said that she anticipates a future for contemporary art in Germany "very much like the past," with spaces reserved for artists who are "compliant and not prone to asking critical questions."

Across Germany, a wave of cultural events and prize ceremonies have been axed after participants expressed views considered too anti-Israel. While other countries have also seen event cancellations in similar circumstances, the trend in Germany has been particularly pronounced, reports Reuters.
 

On Monday, the United States reiterated its commitment to bolster Israel's military efforts against Hamas, even as it simultaneously advocated for increased humanitarian aid to the distressed population in Gaza.

During his visit to Israel, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, "We must get more humanitarian assistance in to the nearly two million displaced people in Gaza and we must distribute that aid better."

Emphasizing the strong alliance between the US and Israel, Austin said that Washington remains Israel's "greatest friend" and will continue to provide "critical munitions, tactical vehicles and air defence systems".

He also said that the purpose of his visit wasn't to "dictate timelines or terms" for the ongoing conflict.

The father of one of the three Israeli hostages mistakenly killed by Israeli forces issued an unambiguous message for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government on Monday.

“I’m going to say this [to] the government. You murdered my son twice,” Avi Shamriz said Monday. “You let Hamas take my son on Oct. 7, and you killed my son on Dec. 14.”

Rain has brought temporary relief for Gazans, currently struggling with the shortage of food and aid supplies.

However, the winter rains have also exacerbated miseries of shelter-less victims, especially women and children in some parts of the beseized territory.

White House is hoping that the ongoing discussions will lead to another potential hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, according to White House spoksesperson John Kirby.

"We continue to work really hard to try to get another deal in place, which would of course be accompanied by another humanitarian pause, and some hopefully some additional humanitarian assistance but we are I can't say that we are at a point where another deal is imminent," Kirby told reporters.

A World Health Organization (WHO) team confirmed the death of a young girl in a strike at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis Monday night, according Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"A WHO, @UNOCHA and @UNDSS team, on a mission to Nasser Hospital in south Gaza today, found deeply concerning conditions following attacks on Sunday which left a young female patient dead in the pediatric unit, and injured two more children," Tedros said in a post on X.

The UN on Monday said Gaza had become the most dangerous place for journalists in the world. 

Since the October 7 attacks, at least 57 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). In total, at least 64 journalists have been killed since October 7, which include four Israeli and three Lebanese journalists, the organisation said.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that its Swan Atlantic, a Cayman Islands-flagged tanker, was attacked with a drone and ballistic missile launched from the Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, while M/V Clara, a cargo ship, reported an explosion in the water near their location.

CENTCOM said that a US warship responded to a request from assistance from the Swan Atlantic.

The US, along with its partners, has launched Operation Prosperity Guardian in the Red Sea, which brings together the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, to jointly address security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

“The recent escalation in reckless Houthi attacks originating from Yemen threatens the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent mariners, and violates international law. The Red Sea is a critical waterway that has been essential to freedom of navigation and a major commercial corridor that facilitates international trade," said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday.