January 26, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

Our live coverage of Israel’s war against Hamas has moved here.

The United States struck and destroyed a Houthi anti-ship missile that was aimed into the Red Sea and prepared for launch, US Central Command said. 

Meanwhile, NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) said Friday it had detected a still continuing blaze in the middle of Gulf of Aden near to the last known location of the Marlin Luanda oil tanker.

The tanker went up in flames earlier Friday after being hit by a missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthis.

Adonia Ayebare speaks during the opening of the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in Kampala, Uganda on January 15, 2024.

The Ugandan government said a Ugandan judge who dissented on all provisional measures sought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) does not represent the country.

Julia Sebutinde was the only one of the court’s 17 judges to vote against all the provisional measures against Israel announced by the court on Friday. Even Israeli Judge Aharon Barak voted in favor of two measures – delivering aid to Gaza and punishing public incitement to violence. 

But Judge Sebutinde wrote in her dissenting opinion that the orders were not warranted as the ICJ’s jurisdiction “is limited to the Genocide Convention and does not extend to alleged breaches of international humanitarian law.”

Adonia Ayebare, Uganda’s permanent representative to the United Nations, responded on his X account as social media outrage grew. 

Judge Sebutinde believes the conflict requires a diplomatic or negotiated settlement so that Israeli and Palestinian people can coexist peacefully. 

Judge Sebutinde was elected to the ICJ in 2012 and is the first African woman to sit on the international court.

An oil tanker went up in flames in the Gulf of Aden after being hit by a missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group Friday.

The Houthis say they are retaliating for recent strikes on their infrastructure in Yemen by the US and UK militaries. Those attacks have been aimed at stopping the Houthis from disrupting global shipping in the region.

It all stems from Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza: The Houthis say their actions are aimed at pressuring Israel to stop its ground offensive and widespread bombardment of the Palestinian enclave.

The US sent a destroyer — which had itself been the target of Houthi fire Friday, according to US Central command — to respond to the commercial ship’s distress call.

It’s just the latest example of flaring tensions in the Middle East, where world leaders are trying to contain the ripple effects of the war in Gaza.

Here’s what else to know today:

Allegations against UN workers in Gaza: Israel’s foreign ministry said it expects the main United Nations relief agency in Gaza to conduct an urgent internal investigation after it fired staff members allegedly involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack against Israel.

Israel has shared all the information it has about the 12 staffers at the center of the stunning allegations with both the US and UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), an Israeli official told CNN Friday.

The head of the UNRWA had previously vowed to probe the claims. The allegations have jeopardized the group’s ability to offer desperately needed humanitarian aid in the enclave.

Growing pressure to free hostages: There are no “imminent developments” on an agreement to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, the US says, even as it orchestrates a flurry of diplomatic efforts to reach a deal.

The White House coordinator for the Middle East wrapped up meetings in the region Friday, while CIA Director Bill Burns is set to meet in the coming days with Israel and Egypt’s intelligence chiefs and the Qatari prime minister to discuss a deal.

Hamas, meanwhile, released a heavily edited video showing three female hostages, in an apparent attempt to ramp up pressure on Israeli leaders.

Deteriorating conditions for Gaza medical workers: Vital medical services “have collapsed” at Nasser Hospital, the largest functioning hospital in the Gaza Strip, according to Doctors Without Borders. Intense fighting around the hospital has made it perilous to resupply the medical center.

Fewer than half of Gaza’s hospitals are still partially functioning, the UN said Thursday. Those that remain open face shortages of staff, basic medical supplies, fuel, food and drinking water.

Today’s ruling by the UN’s top court: The UN secretary-general said he hopes Israel will comply with today’s order from the International Court of Justice, which called on the country to prevent a genocide in Gaza, but stopped short of calling for a ceasefire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the ruling as a rejection of what he called “discrimination” against his country, while the Palestinian Authority and South Africa said it represented a victory for human rights.

Vital medical services “have collapsed” at Nasser Hospital, which is the largest functioning hospital in the Gaza Strip, according to Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

The World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said access to resupply the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis “remains challenging” due to intense fighting in the vicinity.

“[H]undreds of patients and health workers have fled,” he said in a statement on Friday. “Currently 350 patients and 5000 displaced people remain at the hospital.”

Earlier on Friday, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said “fragments of shrapnel” were going through the walls of their headquarters at the Al-Amal Hospital building in Khan Younis, which the aid agency said was surrounded by Israeli tanks.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said Hamas was operating from inside the Al-Amal and Nasser hospitals. CNN cannot independently verify those claims.

CNN’s Celine Alkhaldi and Abeer Salman contributed to this report.

The Marlin Luanda oil tanker is on fire in the Gulf of Aden after it was struck by a missile, the commodities group Trafigura, said on Friday.

Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in a statement they fired missiles toward the “British oil tanker” in response to the “American-British aggression against our country (Yemen)” and in support of the Palestinian people. 

Trafigura, which has offices in Britain, said it is monitoring the situation and that military ships in the region are headed to provide assistance.

A US destroyer, the USS Carney, is among the vessels responding to the distress call, according to a US official. The Carney shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Houthis toward the destroyer earlier Friday, according to US Central Command.

The British government has yet to comment on the attack.

This post has been updated to note that a US destroyer is responding to the commercial vessel’s distress call.

CNN’s Oren Liebermann and Haley Britzky contributed to this report.

This picture taken during a media tour organized by the Israeli military on January 8, shows a soldier standing at the entrance of a tunnel in al-Bureij central Gaza.

Israeli Master Sgt. Omri Erental was kneeling at the mouth of a tunnel shaft in Gaza, standing guard while waiting for a specialized unit to arrive, when he suddenly spotted movement down below.

Other soldiers in his Israel Defense Forces combat engineering unit had already thrown two grenades into the tunnel shaft, so Erental turned his flashlight on.

The impact was a 7.62-millimeter bullet that pierced his cheek and took out a fragment of his jaw, before lodging in his neck – very close to critical nerves and arteries, according to Erental and his doctor. As Erental crawled back to safety, his fellow soldiers killed the militant who shot him from inside the tunnel, he said. 

Exposing tunnels is central to the Israeli military’s campaign against Hamas in the Palestinian enclave, but the work presents big challenges and dangers. Israel uses enormous bunker-busting bombs to penetrate deep underground, targeting what it says are Hamas command centers and fighters – but these often leave gaping craters where civilian buildings once stood and can kill large numbers of civilians.

Members of Israel’s combat engineering forces also send drones, dogs and sometimes troops deep into booby-trapped tunnels in order to clear them of Hamas fighters, uncover potentially useful intelligence, and then ultimately detonate them.

Brig. Gen. Nitzan Nuriel (Res.), a former member of Israel’s national security council, estimates Israel has only discovered about 60% of the hundreds of miles of tunnels below Gaza and has detonated about 20.

Israeli officials believe that many Hamas fighters — including Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar — are surviving in sophisticated tunnels equipped with electricity, bathrooms and stocks of food and water. They could last in the underground shelters for up to two months, Nuriel predicts.

Watch Jeremy Diamond’s report:

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Antonio Guterres speaks during United Nations Holocaust Memorial Ceremony in observance of the International Day of Commemoration, at UN Headquarters in New York on January 26, 2024.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Friday that he hopes Israel will comply with Friday’s ruling from the UN’s top court, the International Court of Justice, ordering the country to take action to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza. 

In a statement from the UN chief’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, Guterres reiterated the legally binding nature of ICJ decisions, adding that he trusts “that all parties will duly comply with the Order from the Court.” 

The UN chief has repeatedly called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, expressing deep concern about the high reported number of civilian casualties and the “catastrophic” humanitarian situation in the enclave. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier hailed the preliminary ruling on South Africa’s accusation of genocide as a rejection of discrimination against his country. 

Israel’s foreign ministry said it is expecting the main United Nations relief agency in Gaza to conduct an urgent internal investigation after it fired staff members allegedly involved in the brutal and deadly October 7, 2023, Hamas attack against Israel.

CNN reached out to UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East, for details about the nature of the alleged involvement and what information Israeli authorities shared with the agency, but they had no additional information to share.

UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said an investigation is being launched, and anyone involved will be held accountable, “including through criminal prosecution.”

A new video released by Hamas’ militant wing, Al Qassam Brigades, shows three female Israeli hostages in an apparent attempt to ramp up pressure on Israeli leaders amid reports of a hostage deal being on the table. 

The video, released on Telegram, opens with an animation of an hourglass with the three women’s pictures on it, and text reading, “Time is running out, more than 107 days have passed, before it is too late.” Then, there are heavily edited clips of each of the three hostages speaking.

Nineteen-year-old soldiers Karina Ariev and Daniel Gilboa, and 30-year-old Doron Steinbrecher call on the Israeli government for their release and are likely speaking under duress. 

This latest video, like previous hostage videos from the militant group, is highly produced and edited with jump cuts connecting soundbites from the hostages together. The videos also include dramatized sound effects, transitions and graphics — an example of Hamas’ tactics involving using hostages as leverage and taunting the captives’ families, in what the Israeli military has previously referred to as “psychological torment.”

CNN is not airing the video, and it is not immediately possible to verify when and where it was filmed.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, next to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, speaks to reporters at a White House briefing on Friday.

There are no “imminent developments” on an agreement to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, the White House says, even amid a flurry of diplomatic efforts to reach a deal.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby described ongoing talks as productive but not yet reaching the point of success.

He said on Friday, Biden had spoken to Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi as well as Qatar’s emir to discuss ongoing hostage talks and that the US is doing “everything we can to facilitate another hostage deal just like we did back in November.”

Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East, was returning to Washington on Friday from meetings in the region, Kirby said. He described those talks as a “good set of discussions.”

Judges at the International Court of Justice issue a ruling Friday in The Hague, Netherlands.

The 17-judge panel of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued emergency measures ordering Israel to “take all measures within its power” to prevent acts that could fall foul of the Genocide Convention.

It comes as at least 26,083 people have been killed and 64,000 injured by Israeli attacks in Gaza since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said Friday. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Here’s more about the preliminary ruling and other latest news from the war in Gaza:

What UN’s top court ordered: The ICJ made a preliminary ruling with six emergency measures in the genocide case South Africa filed against Israel. It said Israel must “ensure with immediate effect that its military does not commit any acts” that could go against the Genocide Convention. The court’s decisions are binding and cannot be appealed, but it has no way of enforcing them.

The reaction from involved parties: Israel, South Africa and Palestinians welcomed the ruling, even though no one got what they asked for. It rejected Israel’s request for the case to be thrown out, but it also stopped short of ordering Israel to halt the war as South Africa has asked. A number of countries in the Middle East — including Qatar, Jordan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt — also said they approved of the ruling.

US pauses funding to main UN relief agency in Gaza: The US State Department “has temporarily paused additional funding” to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East amid allegations that some of the UN agency’s employees were involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, spokesperson Matt Miller announced Friday. The commissioner general of the agency terminated the contracts of the individuals in question and said they will be investigated.

Meanwhile, in Gaza: Israel’s siege on hospitals in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis continued for the fifth day, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, aid workers and doctors, as the Israel Defense Forces said that Hamas militants were operating in them. The IDF had issued an evacuation call, but eyewitnesses say that civilians were shot at whenever they tried moving locations. In a video obtained by CNN, Mohammaed El Helo, a journalist in Khan Younis, is seen running while carrying a bleeding man on his shoulders. Israeli forces “don’t distinguish between one and another. They target everybody,” he said.

And in Israel, Netanyahu faces domestic opposition: More than 40 senior former Israeli national security officials, celebrated scientists and prominent business leaders have sent a letter to Israel’s president and speaker of parliament demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be removed from office for posing what they say is an “existential” threat to the country. They say Netanyahu is responsible for “creating the circumstances” that led to the massacre in Israel on October 7. “The victim’s blood is on Netanyahu’s hands,” the letter reads. It comes as other political figures have also called for fresh elections, saying the public has no trust in its government.

Efforts to release hostages: US President Joe Biden has deployed his point person on hostage talks to Europe for multiparty talks on the contours of a possible agreement — the latest in a spate of recent diplomatic efforts to free the more than 100 hostages held in Gaza while brokering a prolonged pause in fighting. CIA Director Bill Burns’ meetings over the coming days with the Israeli and Egyptian intelligence chiefs and the Qatari prime minister are a sign of ongoing progress as the White House presses for a deal. However, officials voiced caution that discussions so far have been volatile, and that hurdles remain in coming to a deal that all sides can agree on.

The US State Department said Friday’s International Court of Justice ruling is consistent with the Biden administration’s position that Israel must do more to protect civilians. 

The ruling is also in line with the US view that Israel has a right to defend itself and “to take action to ensure the terrorist attacks of October 7 cannot be repeated, in accordance with international law,” according to the spokesperson.

The official added that the US maintains “that allegations of genocide are unfounded and note the court did not make a finding about genocide or call for a ceasefire in its ruling and that it called for the unconditional, immediate release of all hostages being held by Hamas.”

The Palestinian militant group Hamas welcomed the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its ruling on South Africa’s request to impose emergency measures against Israel over its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement on Friday, Hamas urged the international community to enforce the court’s decisions, demanding a cessation of the “crime of genocide” against the Palestinian people.

Friday’s decision by the ICJ is not a ruling on whether Israel’s actions constitute genocide. 

The ICJ also said on Friday it is necessary to reaffirm that all parties to the conflict in Gaza are bound by international humanitarian law and has called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. 

Judges are seen at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, on Friday.

A historic ruling by the United Nations’ top court in a genocide case against Israel on Friday was welcomed by the three main parties it involved: Israel, South Africa and the Palestinians. But at the same time, no one got what they asked for.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague, the Netherlands, ordered Israel to “take all measures” to prevent genocide in Gaza after South Africa accused Israel of violating international laws on genocide in its war in the territory.

ICJ ruling: It rejected Israel’s request for the case to be thrown out, but it also stopped short of ordering Israel to halt the war as South Africa has asked.

Many Israelis hailed the ruling on Friday as a win for the Jewish state. Eylon Levy, an Israeli government spokesperson, said the court “dismissed (South Africa’s) ridiculous demand to tell Israel to stop defending its people and fighting for the hostages.” Avi Mayer, the former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post called it “a devastating blow to those accusing the Jewish state of ‘genocide.’”

Shelly Aviv Yeini, head of the international law department at Israel’s Haifa University, called the ruling an “expected outcome, and something that Israel will be able to comply with.” She said Israel would have “struggled to live” with a ceasefire order that doesn’t guarantee the return of the captives.

CIA Director Bill Burns is traveling to Europe for key talks on a possible hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.

Efforts to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza and broker a prolonged pause in fighting are at an important juncture as US President Joe Biden deploys his point person on hostage talks to Europe for multiparty talks on the contours of a possible agreement.

CIA Director Bill Burns’ meetings over the coming days with the Israeli and Egyptian intelligence chiefs and the Qatari prime minister are a sign of ongoing progress as the White House presses for a deal.

Whether they prove decisive in striking an agreement remains to be seen, and officials voiced caution that discussions so far have been volatile, and that hurdles remain in coming to a deal that all sides can agree on.

The talks are the latest in a spate of recent diplomatic efforts to free the more than 100 remaining hostages while moving toward a more prolonged cessation of hostilities. The flurry of activity amounts to the most intensive effort in months to strike an agreement that could significantly alter the trajectory of the war in Gaza.

US officials are now hopeful for a much longer cessation in the fighting, believing it could provide space for more humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza as well as continued discussions about the future of Israel’s campaign against Hamas and the future of Gaza.

The CIA declined to comment on Burns’ travel.

Read more about the efforts and obstacles.

CNN’s Katie Bo Lillis contributed reporting.

Smoke billows over Khan Younis, Gaza, on Wednesday.

An Israeli military siege on hospitals in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis is now in its fifth day, said Dr. Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesperson for the Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry. The Israel Defense Forces said Friday their intelligence indicated that “Hamas terrorists” were operating from inside the Al-Amal and Nasser hospitals.

Here’s the situation on the ground:

Al-Amal Hospital: “Fragments of shrapnel” are going through the walls of the Al-Amal Hospital building, which is surrounded by Israeli tanks, according to the Palestine Red Crescent, the aid agency that is also headquartered at the hospital. A house just outside the eastern gate of the Al-Amal hospital was targeted by the Israeli military, PRCS said, causing “extensive material damage” to the hospital building. 

Nasser Hospital: Most doctors have left the facility — only 12 surgeons and some other medical staff remain, Dr. Ahmad Moghrabi said in a video statement from the hospital. “What is going on at the hospital is a real horror. There is shelling all around, gunshot sounds,” he said. It has completely run out of food, anesthetics and painkillers, the health ministry spokesperson Qudra said. There are 150 health workers, 350 patients and hundreds of displaced people there now, he added.

What footage shows: In a video obtained and geolocated by CNN, several people — some injured — are carrying their belongings and appear to be scrambling to leave the premises of Nasser Hospital, fearing an imminent attack after the evacuation order, which was issued by the Israeli army on Friday. The calls for evacuation included residents of several neighborhoods west of the city of Khan Younis. They were asked to go to the nearby coastal area of Al-Mawasi.

What eyewitnesses say: Eyewitnesses in Khan Younis said they were shot at whenever they tried moving locations. Mohammaed El Helo, a journalist in Khan Younis, said Friday in a video obtained by CNN that the Israeli military is “hitting civilians directly and in a systemic way as they cross the safe corridor.” El Helo is seen running in the video, carrying a bleeding man on his shoulders. Around him are hundreds of people also running and searching for safety. El Helo said Israeli forces “don’t distinguish between one and another. They target everybody.”

What the IDF says: The IDF has not responded to CNN’s request for comment on the claims made by health officials and eyewitnesses in Khan Younis, including allegations they have shot at civilians. In a statement Friday, the IDF said it is carrying out “precise operations” against Hamas in Khan Younis, and that it is liaising with hospital directors in Khan Younis to ensure the hospitals remain operational.  

A man walks past the United Nations Relief and Works Agency building in Gaza City in January 2023.

The US State Department “has temporarily paused additional funding” to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East amid allegations that some of the UN agency’s employees were involved in the Hamas attack on Israel, spokesperson Matt Miller announced Friday.

“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on January 25 to emphasize the necessity of a thorough and swift investigation of this matter,” Miller said in a statement. 

Miller said the US has contacted the Israeli government for more information about the allegations and has briefed members of Congress. The department also welcomed “the UN’s announcement of a ‘comprehensive and independent’ review of UNRWA,” Miller said.

“UNRWA plays a critical role in providing lifesaving assistance to Palestinians, including essential food, medicine, shelter, and other vital humanitarian support,” he said. “Their work has saved lives, and it is important that UNRWA address these allegations and take any appropriate corrective measures, including reviewing its existing policies and procedures.”

Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant thanked the US for holding the UN agency “accountable,” and said “major changes” need to take place now to ensure that “international efforts, funds, and humanitarian initiatives” do not bolster Hamas. 

This post has been updated with additional information from Gallant.

CNN’s Lauren Iszo and Niamh Kennedy contributed reporting to this post.

Philippe Lazzarini speaks during a news conference in May 2021.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East’s commissioner general announced Friday that he was “immediately” terminating the contracts of staff members allegedly involved in the October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel.

Lazzarini said an investigation is being launched into the alleged involvement of the employees and those involved will be held accountable “including through criminal prosecution.”

“These shocking allegations come as more than 2 million people in Gaza depend on lifesaving assistance that the Agency has been providing since the war began,” he said, “Anyone who betrays the fundamental values of the United Nations also betrays those whom we serve in Gaza, across the region and elsewhere around the world.”

CNN has reached out to UNRWA and the Israeli authorities about the information Israel provided UNRWA and the nature of the alleged involvement of the UNRWA employees.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged allies of Israel to secure the country’s compliance with the “watershed ruling” by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday, which ordered Israel must act immediately to prevent genocide in Gaza amid its military campaign.

“The court’s clear and binding orders raise the stakes for Israel’s allies to back up their stated commitment to a global rules-based order,” Balkees Jarrah, associate international justice director at HRW said on Friday. 

The advocacy group called on leaders in a statement to “urgently use their leverage to ensure that the order is enforced,” adding the scale of civilian suffering by Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave “demands nothing less.” 

“The World Court’s landmark decision puts Israel and its allies on notice that immediate action is needed to prevent genocide and further atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza,” added Jarrah.

The statement stressed the ICJ’s “speedy ruling” is a recognition of the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Remember: Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 26,083 Palestinians since October 7, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, as allies warn against the mounting death toll.

Israel launched its military campaign to eliminate the militant group, after it killed 1,200 people and abducted more than 250 hostages in an unprecedented attack on southern Israel.