Israel’s war on Gaza updates: Clashes in Gaza City after Israeli all-clear
Heavy clashes and intense Israeli shelling reported in several neighbourhoods in Gaza City.
- Overnight attacks in the eastern part of Rafah have killed 24 people as an expected Israeli army operation looms.
- More than one million hungry, cold, and sick displaced Palestinians await Israel’s planned attack on Rafah city with children roaming the streets “looking for scraps of food”.
- Overnight attacks in the eastern part of Rafah have killed 24 people as an expected Israeli army operation looms.
- More than one million hungry, cold, and sick displaced Palestinians await Israel’s planned attack on Rafah city with children roaming the streets “looking for scraps of food”.
- US Central Command says it hit 85 Kataib Hezbollah targets in Syria and Iraq in retaliation against “Iran-affiliated” fighters that killed three US troops in a recent drone attack in Jordan.
- Deadly US attacks are condemned by officials in Iraq and Syria, as well as Iran.
- At least 27,238 people have been killed and 66,452 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attacks stands at 1,139.
Here’s what happened today
We will be closing this live page soon. Here’s a recap of the day’s main events:
- The US and UK have issued a joint statement saying their militaries – with support from allies including Australia, Bahrain and Canada – hit 36 Houthi targets in 13 locations across Yemen.
- Israeli settlers raided a village near Jenin by Israeli forces when they raided several homes in the village of Farasin, southwest of Jenin.
- Israel army says it has attacked more than 50 Hezbollah targets in Syria and many more in Lebanon since the war with Hamas in Gaza began in October.
- The armed wing of Hamas says it hit a group of Israeli soldiers in Gaza City with mortar fire.
- Portugal has decided to provide additional support to UNRWA, pledging 1 million euros ($1.08m) to the Palestinian refugee agency.
- Eleven displaced people have been injured inside the Palestine Red Crescent Society’s (PRCS) headquarters in southern Khan Younis city following the throwing of smoke bombs by Israeli forces.
Israeli attacks hit fuel tank near European Hospital in Khan Younis
Several Palestinians have been injured and killed amid Israeli bombardment of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, reports Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum.
“Within the past few hours, they have targeted the facility of the European hospital,” says Abu Azzoum.
Shrapnel caused damage to hospital buildings after a nearby fuel tank was destroyed, Abu Azzoum adds.
The Wafa news agency, meanwhile, reports that one person was killed and six others injured when the fuel station was hit.
Wafa also reports Israeli warplanes targeted the Al-Manara neighbourhood, southeast of Khan Younis and artillery shelling in the Miraj area of Khan Younis province.
PRCS: No one knows the fate of 6-year-old Hind
Nepal Farsakh, the director of media at the Palestinian Red Crescent, tells Al Jazeera that only Israeli forces know what happened to Hind, a little Palestinian girl its ambulances dispatched to rescue several days ago.
“We are worried about the child Hind and our team, whose fate we do not yet know,” he said. The PRCS said it lost contact with the ambulance crew it sent to undertake the rescue.
Hind’s sister Layan and other family members are believed to have been killed by an Israeli attack while they were on an emergency call.
WATCH: Israel vs UNRWA – Deflection and deception
Almost four months into the war on Gaza, the Israeli spin machine continues to deflect audiences away from stories it doesn’t want to be told and towards stories it does.
The accusations against UNRWA staff, a few of whom Israel says participated in Hamas’s October 7 attacks, created a media storm just days after the International Court of Justice issued a strong rebuke of Israel’s conduct in the war.
Watch Al Jazeera’s The Listening Post for more on how the media covers the war on Gaza.
No evidence given on how US Army selects targets
We put a question to the National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, on Friday on how targets [following the air strikes in Iraq and Syria] were selected.
We were told there was clear and irrefutable evidence that these were linked to attacks on US interests. When asked if we could see this evidence, none was provided. When we asked if this evidence would be forthcoming, we were told that we would just have to trust the US military.
You’ll remember that we were told to trust the US military back in 2003, prior to the US invasion of Iraq. And that intelligence turned out to be faulty.
This time around, the US military is promising to be more transparent.
Houthi official says Red Sea attacks will continue
On X, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi political bureau, says that the Yemeni group will continue “operations against the Zionist entity”, despite US and UK air strikes against it, the most recent of which occurred in the last hour.
“Our military operations against the Zionist entity will continue until the aggression against Gaza stops, no matter what sacrifices it costs us. We will meet escalation with escalation, and victory comes only from God,” al-Bukhaiti wrote.
US and UK claim credit for strikes on Yemen
The US and UK have issued a joint statement, saying their militaries, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand hit 36 Houthi targets in 13 locations across Yemen.
The strikes were “intended to further disrupt and degrade the capabilities of the Iranian-backed Houthi militia to conduct their reckless and destabilizing attacks against U.S. and international vessels lawfully transiting the Red Sea,” the statement said.
According to the statement, air strikes hit buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems, launchers and other capabilities of the Houthis.
It is not clear if these strikes, though the statement mentions the Houthis’ affiliation with Iran, are part of the US’s stated plans to retaliate for drone attacks on Jordan that killed three US personnel.
Video shows strikes on Yemeni capital
A social media video verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking unit shows a large explosion over Yemen’s Sanaa.
We are still waiting on more details on these strikes but US media is reporting they were carried out jointly by the militaries of the US and UK.
Stay with us for more details.
الان من بيتنا! pic.twitter.com/onPCBK2wXf
— مُـزن. (@Mozn_Senan) February 3, 2024
Translation: Now from our home!
We now have more on the strikes hitting Houthi targets in Yemen.
The Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV says seven US raids hit the al-Jar area in the Abs district in the Hajjah governorate, and two strikes were on the Ni Hushaish district in Sanaa.
The media outlet said another three strikes targeted the Jabal Al-Jada area in al-Lahiya and al-Salif districts in Hodeidah.
Reports of new strikes on Yemen
Houthi-affiliated media, the Saba Agency, has said that US and UK strikes have hit the governorates of Sanaa, Hajjah, Dhamar and al-Bayda.
In addition, the Reuters news service, quoting two unnamed US officials, has filed a report saying the targets struck in Yemen were “Iran-linked”. Reuters said these strikes appeared to be part of the US’s ongoing retaliation against Iran-affiliated groups, which the US blames for drone attacks that killed three of its personnel in Jordan last week.
Yesterday, the US struck 85 targets in Iraq and Syria, which it says belong to Kataib Hezbollah, the armed group that claimed responsibility for the attack in Jordan.
At least 16 people in Iraq were killed in yesterday’s strikes, the Iraqi government said as it condemned the “new aggression against” its sovereignty and warned of dire consequences in the region.
We will bring you more updates as information comes in.
Israeli settlers raid village near Jenin: Wafa
According to the report, the settlers were accompanied by Israeli occupation forces when they raided several homes in the village of Farasin, southwest of Jenin.
The report said the settlers damaged the contents of the houses and seized surveillance camera recordings.
Malik Al-Zaban, a resident of the village, said the settlers ransacked a poultry farm he owns, which they destroyed after tearing down greenhouses and smashing equipment.
He added that the settlers broke down the doors and windows of several houses.
Settlers also took control of a plot of agricultural land in the mountainous area of the nearby Zabda village, which they are now using for their livestock to graze.
They are also preventing the Palestinian landowners from accessing their properties while under the protection of the Israeli military, Wafa reported.
Report: Israel considering moving border crossing from Rafah over Egypt tensions
As diplomatic tensions between Israel and Egypt continue to rise over Israel’s continuing war on Gaza and its military’s plans to seize the strip’s southern border with Egypt, Israel is considering closing the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 reports.
If Israel decides to go ahead with the move, the crossing would be placed at the Israel-Gaza-Egypt border triangle area, near Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom), and would not have any involvement from Egyptian authorities in security checks, the broadcaster says.
Its report adds that Israel has raised this issue with the Egyptians but has not yet gotten a definitive response.
US hits Houthi missiles in Yemen: CENTCOM
The US Army’s Central Command says it has conducted strikes against six Houthi antiship cruise missiles prepared to launch against vessels in the Red Sea.
“US forces identified the cruise missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined they presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region,” the statement on X said.
The Houthis have been attacking ships in the region since November in support of the Palestinian people, demanding Israel stop bombarding Gaza.
USCENTCOM Destroys Six Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles in Yemen
On Feb. 3, at approximately 7:20 p.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces conducted strikes in self-defense against six Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea. U.S. forces… pic.twitter.com/W9BVxiYedU
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 3, 2024
US House panel recommends $17.6bn in military aid for Israel
The funding bill, offered by a House of Representatives appropriations panel, could come to a vote in the full House sometime next week, Speaker Mike Johnson said in a letter to members.
The Republican-controlled House had previously approved $14.3bn in new military aid to Israel but with the requirement that it be paid for by clawing back a chunk of money already targeted for the US Internal Revenue Service.
Video shows massive destruction of residential towers in Gaza City
Palestinian journalist Omar al-Gaza has shared video, which Al Jazeera verefied, of the ruins of northern Gaza City.
It shows entire residential towers reduced to rubble after an extensive and indiscriminate bombing campaign by the Israeli military on the city.
Palestinians who fled the bombing have been returning to Gaza’s largest city after the Israeli army pulled out of some neighbourhoods there. In other areas, it continues to clash with Palestinian fighters.
Translation: Al-Maqusi Towers area – northern Gaza City, where a large number of towers, buildings, schools and clinics have been destroyed.
Only 450 out of 2700 Palestinians referred for treatment abroad have left Gaza: Doctor
Dr Sobhi Skaik, director general of the Turkish Friendship Hospital, who has been pushed to another hospital in Rafah like most of the internally displaced, says the referrals to be treated abroad are high but the injured are not being allowed out of Gaza fast enough.
Skaik tells Al Jazeera that the services he and his staff have been able to provide are “simple” due to a lack of equipment and medicine, and that the small number of specialists is not enough to sustain the large numbers of injured and sick.
“We have no cancer medications at all in Gaza. We also don’t have the facilities to diagnose illnesses: Our doctors have been killed, our infrastructure has been destroyed, no medications to our patients, we are merely receiving patients to alleviate their pain,” he said.
More the 50 Hezbollah targets in Syria hit, Israel says
“We are taking action. Everywhere Hezbollah is, we shall be,” chief military spokesperson Daniel Hagari has said during a news briefing.
The remarks were a departure from Israel’s usual reticence when talking about Syria operations. The Israeli army has launched repeated air raids on Syria since its war on Gaza began on October 7.
Moreover, Hagari said Israeli forces have attacked many Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, including 120 border surveillance outposts, 40 caches of missiles and other weaponry and more than 40 command centres.
UNRWA warns of catastrophe in Gaza
In a post on X, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees warns that “an unprecedented catastrophe is unfolding before our eyes”.
“Each hour is more desperate. People are dying at the world’s watch,” it said as it displayed a picture of children, women and the elderly in Gaza trying to get their share of food being provided.
📍#Gaza: An unprecedented catastrophe is unfolding before our eyes. Each hour is more desperate.
People are dying at the world’s watch. pic.twitter.com/O9JgTsNDG8
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) February 3, 2024
Families of hostages continue protests in Tel Aviv
There are a few thousand people gathered here at what is now known as Hostage Square.
What we’re hearing tonight are pleas to the government to do more to ensure the release of those captives. There is a lot of speculation in Israel right now about where things stand when it comes to another potential ceasefire and that we see the release of Israeli captives.
Many speakers have been talking tonight to the assembled demonstrators, addressing the government directly saying that, yes, there are competing goals when it comes to the war in Gaza, that yes, obviously one of the objectives is the defeat of Hamas.
However, they say the objective that’s of paramount importance is to ensure the safety of those captives that are still there and that the government needs to be doing more.
Video shows fire in Gaza City residential high-rise targeted by Israeli shelling
The footage, verified by Al Jazeera, has been circulating on social media, and shows the building on fire in the Remal neighbourhood.
Heavy clashes between the Israeli army and Palestinian fighters have been reported today in the Strip’s central city, despite Israel’s claim that it had dismantled Hamas’s fighting capability there.
قوات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي تستهدف أبراجا سكنية بحي الرمال بمدينة غزة pic.twitter.com/ZlckT59svw
— الجزيرة مصر (@AJA_Egypt) February 3, 2024
Translation: Israeli occupation forces target residential towers in the Remal neighbourhood in Gaza City
Amman protest calls for Gaza ceasefire
Jordanians have formed a human chain calling for an end to the siege on Gaza, while urging the government to nullify the bilateral agreements with Israel.
"أوقفوا الجسر البري للصهاينة".. سلسلة بشرية في العاصمة الأردنية عمّان للمطالبة بوقف إمداد إسرائيل بالبضائع، رفع المشاركون فيها لافتات دعت إلى كسر الحصار عن #غزة وإنهاء الاتفاقيات الأردنية – الإسرائيلية #حرب_غزة #فيديو pic.twitter.com/BNK2L5pvKq
— الجزيرة فلسطين (@AJA_Palestine) February 3, 2024
Israeli soldiers hit in missile attack: Hezbollah
The Lebanese armed group in a statement has said a group of Israeli soldiers were targeted on al-Kubra hills in a rocket attack, resulting in an unknown number of injuries.
Hezbollah and the Israeli army continue to exchange fire along the border area ever since the war in Gaza broke out on October 7.
Young man shot during Israeli raid near Tulkarem
A young Palestinian has been wounded in the chest by Israeli gunfire, as its troops raided the town of Kafr Jamal in the occupied West Bank, reports Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Local sources told Wafa that clashes broke out between residents of the town and Israeli soldiers, who deployed tear gas, sound grenades and eventually live gunfire. The young man was hit by one of their volleys.
He was transported to the hospital for treatment, and we will bring you updates on his condition as information comes in.
Israeli soldiers continue to record their own crimes: Palestinian research centre
One week after the ICJ ruling ordering Israel to take action to prevent genocide in Gaza, its soldiers continue to film themselves as they commit crimes, according to Bisan Research and Development Center.
- In one video, a soldier can be seen smiling as a neighbourhood is blown up.
- A video shows a soldier coercing blindfolded detainees into pledging themselves as slaves.
- A video of Israeli soldiers standing over several Palestinian men after blindfolding them and tying their hands behind their backs.
- Another video of Israeli soldiers taunting Palestinians as they are forced of their homes and passing a military checkpoint in southern Gaza.