Our live coverage of Israel's war against Hamas has moved here.
January 14, 2024 Israel-Hamas war
By Heather Chen, Andrew Raine, Sophie Tanno and Antoinette Radford, CNN
Updated 12:00 a.m. ET, January 15, 2024
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Turkish soccer club suspends Israeli star over message supporting hostages
From CNN's Hande Atay Alam
An Israeli soccer player who displayed a message of support for Gaza hostages during a Turkish Super League game on Sunday has been suspended by his club, officials said.
Sagiv Jehezkel showed the message of "100 days, 7/10" on his bandaged wrist after scoring the equalizer for Antalyaspor in its 1-1 tie with Trabzonspor.
The 28-year-old winger had acted against "national values," Antalyaspor said on its official website.
"Our Board of Directors will never allow behavior against the sensitivities of our country, even if it results in a championship or a cup," it said.
Prosecutors have launched an investigation into the player for allegedly "inciting the public to hatred and hostility," Turkey's Justice Minister said on X.
Sunday marked a grueling milestone for the hostages who have been held for 100 days in Gaza following the deadly attack by Hamas in Israel on October 7.
Turkey has repeatedly criticized Israel's military campaign in Gaza, which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described as "oppression, atrocity, massacre and barbaric."
US military shoots down missile in Red Sea fired from Houthi-controlled area of Yemen
From CNN’s Philip Wang
US fighter aircraft on Sunday shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired at a US Navy destroyer from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen, the US military said.
The missile was fired toward USS Laboon, which was operating in the southern Red Sea, US Central Command posted on X. No injuries or damage were reported.
Strikes by the US and UK against Houthi targets in Yemen last week marked a significant response after the Biden administration and its allies warned the Iran-backed militant group it would bear the consequences of its attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The situation in Yemen is a key focal point in fears that the Israel-Hamas war will expand further through the Middle East, involving Iranian proxy groups like the Houthis and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
"The rain seemed to follow us wherever we went": Displaced Gazans describe hardships as winter bites
From Abeer Salman and CNN's Andrew Carey
Displaced Gazans spending their days in makeshift tents or huddled around outdoor fires have told CNN about the additional hardships winter has brought.
Temperatures have dropped close to zero in the eastern Mediterranean in recent days, and there have been several winter storms passing through, bringing heavy rainfall to the region.
Ayman Jamal, who moved his family to Deir al-Balah in the center of the Gaza Strip from Shujaiya in the north, showed CNN inside his tent. Its walls consist of thin nylon sheeting attached to a rudimentary wooden structure; there are gaps between the sheeting where the rain can get in. There is no groundsheet to offer protection from the damp ground — just compacted, sandy earth.
"It was extremely cold last night. We couldn't sleep, moving from one place to another inside the tent. The rain seemed to follow us wherever we went,” Jamal told CNN. “My children were freezing.”
In another corner, ten children, all under 10 years old, gathered around a pot filled with water being heated by a simple charcoal fire. They were barefoot, and raised their hands to the steam to keep warm.
“All of us are sick and no one cares. We don’t have any medicine,” one of them said.
“We are so dirty. We haven't taken a bath in a long time. Please stop this for a little while,” she added.
The United Nations estimates about 85% of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million people have been displaced by the war.
Negotiators strike deal to deliver medication to hostages held by Hamas
From CNN’s Alex Marquardt
Negotiators have struck a deal that will allow medicine to be delivered to more than 40 hostages held in Gaza, an official familiar with the discussions said.
Some logistical issues still need to be resolved, but the expectation is that Qatar will soon make a shipment to Egypt, which will then hand it over to the Ministry of Health in Gaza via Rafah crossing. The ministry will then figure out how to get it to the hostages through Hamas.
The Red Cross is not expected to play a role, as it has in other hostage deals in Gaza.
There have been some delays to providing the medication to the hostages, including that Doha is waiting for medicine to arrive from another unnamed country before it can ship it into Gaza, according to the official.
Hamas only agreed to the deal if more medicine was sent for hospitals and Palestinians in Gaza, the official said.
Originally, the request asked Hamas to allow the Red Cross to visit the more than 40 hostages Israel believes are in need of medical treatment or medicine. But Hamas refused to let the Red Cross visit the hostages, according to the official.
Palestine Red Crescent Society says its ambulance and emergency services are back in Gaza
From CNN's Abeer Salman in Jerusalem
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has resumed its ambulance and emergency services in the Gaza Strip after a nearly two-month pause, the organization said Sunday.
The humanitarian group said it was forced to halt emergency operations due to Israeli military action and what it described as the "siege" on its Gaza ambulance center and Al-Quds Hospital.
The PRCS also said it has added more ambulances to its services in northern Gaza, after its ambulance center in Jabalya came under attack about three weeks ago.
US expects retaliation from Houthis after strikes on key infrastructure in Yemen last week
From CNN’s Sam Fossum and Camila DeChalus
US President Joe Biden's administration expects the Iranian-backed Houthis, who have been harassing shipping in the Red Sea, will likely respond to the strikes made by the US and UK last week, National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby says.
While the US is still assessing the damage, officials believe the strikes had “good effect” against Houthi infrastructure in Yemen that has been used to attack shipping in the region, Kirby said.
The US government is now watching "very, very closely" for any potential retaliatory strike by the Houthis, Kirby said on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday. He said the administration hopes the Houthis will rethink their aggressive activity in the region.
“Nobody wants to conflict with the Houthis. We're not looking for a conflict with Yemen here. We're trying to get these attacks to stop,” he said.
Some context: The US and UK militaries' strikes against Houthi targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on Thursday and Friday marked a significant response after the Biden administration and its allies warned the Iran-backed militant group it would bear the consequences of its attacks in the Red Sea.
The situation in Yemen is a key focal point in fears that the Israel-Hamas war will expand further through the Middle East, involving Iranian proxy groups like the Houthis and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Netanyahu's vows as Israel marks 100 days of war: What you need to know
From CNN staff
It’s been 100 days since the outbreak of Israel’s war in Gaza, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed "nobody will stop us" from destroying Hamas.
His comments suggest Israel would not comply with the International Court of Justice, where it has been accused of genocide and could be ordered to halt its offensive. "Nobody will stop us – not The Hague, not the axis of evil and not anybody else," he said.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant echoed Netanyahu's vows Sunday, saying the Israeli army is "fighting the most just war in our history" and will not stop until it defeats Hamas.
While Israelis remain strongly supportive of the war, international pressure continues to build in favor of a ceasefire, as the death toll from Israeli bombardment in Gaza climbs.
At least 23,843 people have been killed in the enclave since the latest fighting broke out, with more than 60,000 wounded, according to figures released by the Hamas-run Ministry of Health on Saturday. CNN cannot independently verify the casualty figures due to limited access to the area.
Below are some of the day's other key updates:
- Egypt border: During a news briefing on Saturday, Netanyahu also said the border between Egypt and Gaza must be closed before Israel's war with Hamas is finished. "We’ll destroy Hamas, we’ll demilitarize Gaza, and military equipment and other deadly weapons will continue to enter this southern opening — so of course we need to close it," Netanyahu said. In response, Egypt said it controls its borders "completely."
- Lebanon border fatalities: The Israeli military says soldiers on the northern border with Lebanon have shot four people dead who they say crossed into Israeli territory and opened fire on them. The incident took place in the Har Dov area, also known as the Shebaa Farms, a common flashpoint along the border.
- Rocket launch sites: Israel’s military said it is still uncovering launch sites previously used by militants in Gaza to fire rockets at Israel. It has also insisted that increased pressure is needed in the besieged enclave to dismantle Hamas and ensure the return of hostages. It comes as Israel looks to consolidate its control in northern Gaza.
- "Warning after warning": The UK gave the Houthis “warning after warning” about their actions in the Red Sea before it carried out airstrikes on Yemen alongside the US earlier this week, the UK’s Foreign Secretary said Sunday. “We've given warning after warning,” David Cameron said on the BBC’s "Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg," adding that “yet the attacks continued ... We've sent this very clear, very unambiguous message that we are prepared to follow our words and warnings with action.”
- Namibia statement: Namibia rejected Germany's “shocking” support of Israel against genocide allegations at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), according to a statement from the president’s office on Saturday. The statement decried what it called the “genocidal intent of the racist Israeli state against innocent civilians in Gaza,” and cited Germany’s colonial history in the African nation.
Israel marks painful milestone with "100 Days of Hell" rally
From CNN's Lauren Iszo and Radina Gigova
As the sun started to break through the clouds, following a cold and wet morning in Tel Aviv, the mood at Hostages Square remained somber and solemn on Sunday.
Several thousand people were present at a rally called "100 Days of Hell" – marking the number of days since Hamas attacked Israeli communities, killing about 1,200 people, as well as the period of time the hostages still held in Gaza have remained captive.
The rally began Saturday evening — when organizers said attendee numbers were as high as 120,000 — and is due to last 24 hours.
In the early hours of Sunday, the sound of a techno track could be heard in the square. It was the last tune played at the Nova music festival on October 7 before the attack began, and it was the same DJ who played the tune again, Yarin Binyaminov.
Speakers have addressed the crowd throughout the event, and messages from Israel and overseas have been played on large screens, including from US Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Meira Privman, a member of the “Women Wage Peace” movement, said she comes to Hostages Square for two hours every day, but noticed a difference today.
“It’s very united, there are people from all over the Israeli public here," Privman said.
No price was too high, she said, to bring the hostages home.
“This government is on its way out,” another member of her group shouted, a reminder of the political tensions existing in Israel over the fate of the hostages.
Away from the rally, public offices, schools and businesses across Israel observed a 100-minute "solidarity pause" to mark the milestone.