GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories: Shell-shocked Palestinians who returned Thursday to part of Khan Yunis where Israeli soldiers have carried out extensive military operations took stock of the outcome: dead bodies, toppled buildings and destroyed landmarks.
Across the grey ruins of central Khan Yunis, southern Gaza’s largest city, the streets were filled with thousands of residents who piled whatever they could salvage onto cars, donkey-carts and even their own heads.
The authorities stressed that much had been lost for ever.
As of Thursday afternoon, six bodies had been retrieved and “dozens of missing citizens are still under the rubble,” the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said in a statement.
One municipal official in Khan Yunis offered a detailed rundown of the destruction.
“The occupation (Israel) destroyed thousands of residential units in Khan Yunis, causing massive destruction and damage,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
“It destroyed markets, stores, clinics, medical centers, dozens of restaurants and stalls,” he said.
“It destroyed hospitals, destroyed all roads, water networks, electricity, communications and the Internet. It dug up all the roads and changed the shape of the city.”
The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by Hamas’s surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s resulting military campaign to destroy the Islamist Hamas movement has killed at least 30,800 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the territory.
The Israeli military has yet to respond to an AFP request to confirm a withdrawal from central Khan Yunis, but both the army and Hamas authorities said military operations were continuing in the city’s west.
Israel’s military also did not immediately respond to AFP’s request to comment on the destruction reported in central Khan Yunis.
As residents picked through the rubble, some of them wearing surgical masks to try to keep out the dust, Wajih Abu Zarifa struck a defiant tone even though his own house was among those destroyed.
“Israeli warplanes... destroyed thousands of houses, toppling them and turning them into rubble, but they were unable and will be unable to defeat memory and recollections,” the 55-year-old said.
Jamil Agha, 49, said he would stay with his family in what remained of their house.
“What do we do? Crying is useless,” he said.
“Sadness covers our lives.”
‘Crying is useless’: Gazans take stock in battered Khan Yunis
https://arab.news/c76ny
‘Crying is useless’: Gazans take stock in battered Khan Yunis
- The streets were filled with thousands of residents who piled whatever they could salvage
- The authorities stressed that much had been lost for ever
Fire at Turkiye ski resort hotel kills 10, injures 32
- The blaze at the 12-story Grand Kartal hotel, which has wooden cladding, started at 3:27 a.m.
- The resort is located on top of a mountain range about 170km northwest of Ankara
The blaze at the 12-story Grand Kartal hotel, which has wooden cladding, started at 3:27 a.m. (0027 GMT), Ali Yerlikaya said on X.
Private NTV broadcaster said three people died after jumping from the hotel’s windows.
The resort is located on top of a mountain range about 170 kilometers (100 miles) northwest of the capital Ankara.
The fire, which is believed to have started in the restaurant at around midnight, spread quickly. It was not immediately clear what caused it.
Television footage showed huge plumes of smoke rising into the sky with a snowcapped mountain behind the hotel.
Part of it backs onto a cliff, making it harder for firefighters to tackle the blaze.
Local media said 237 people were staying at the hotel, where the occupancy rate was between 80 and 90 percent due to the school holidays.
Those evacuated were rehoused in nearby hotels.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said six prosecutors had been allocated to investigate the blaze.
The health, interior and culture ministers are expected to visit the site later in the day.
Trump ‘not confident’ Gaza deal will hold
- Donald Trump however believes Hamas had been ‘weakened’ in the war
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Monday he was not confident a ceasefire deal in Gaza would hold, despite trumpeting his diplomacy to secure it ahead of his inauguration.
Asked by a reporter as he returned to the White House whether the two sides would maintain the truce and move on in the agreement, Trump said, “I’m not confident.”
“That’s not our war; it’s their war. But I’m not confident,” Trump said.
Trump, however, said that he believed Hamas had been “weakened” in the war that began with its unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
“I looked at a picture of Gaza. Gaza is like a massive demolition site,” Trump said.
The property tycoon turned populist politician said that Gaza could see a “fantastic” reconstruction if the plan moves ahead.
“It’s a phenomenal location on the sea — best weather. You know, everything’s good. It’s like, some beautiful things could be done with it,” he said.
Israel and Hamas on Sunday began implementing a ceasefire deal that included the exchange of hostages and prisoners.
The plan was originally outlined by then president Joe Biden in May and was pushed through after unusual joint diplomacy by Biden and Trump envoys.
Trump, while pushing for the deal, has also made clear he will steadfastly support Israel.
In one of his first acts, he revoked sanctions on extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank imposed by the Biden administration over attacks against Palestinians.
Syria’s de facto leader congratulates Trump, looks forward to improving relations
- In early January, Washington issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance
CAIRO: Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa congratulated US President Donald Trump on his inauguration in a statement on Monday, saying he is looking forward to improving relations between the two countries.
“We are confident that he is the leader to bring peace to the Middle East and restore stability to the region,” he said.
The US, Britain, the European Union and others imposed tough sanctions on Syria after a crackdown by ousted President Bashar Assad on pro-democracy protests in 2011 that spiralled into civil war.
In early January, Washington issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance.
Syria welcomed the move, but has urged a complete lifting of sanctions to support its recovery.
Over 900 aid trucks enter Gaza on 2nd day of truce: UN
- The ceasefire agreement calls for 600 trucks to cross into Gaza per day
UNITED NATIONS, United States: More than 900 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered Gaza on Monday, the United Nations said, exceeding the daily target outlined in the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
“Humanitarian aid continues to move into the Gaza Strip as part of a prepared surge to increase support to survivors,” the UN’s humanitarian office (OCHA) said.
“Today, 915 trucks crossed into Gaza, according to information received through engagement with Israeli authorities and the guarantors for the ceasefire agreement.”
Throughout conflict in Gaza, the UN has denounced obstacles restricting the flow and distribution of aid into the battered Palestinian territory.
On Sunday, the day the ceasefire came into force, 630 trucks entered Gaza.
An initial 42-day truce between Israel and Hamas is meant to enable a surge of sorely needed aid for Gaza after 15 months of war.
The ceasefire agreement calls for 600 trucks to cross into Gaza per day.
Hamas ‘ready for dialogue’ with Trump administration, senior official says
- Mousa Abu Marzouk, 74, currently based in Qatar, is native of Gaza, former resident of Virginia
- It is unclear whether statement reflects broad consensus among militant group in Gaza Strip
LONDON: The Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip is ready to engage in dialogue with the US and its new administration under Donald Trump, according to one of its senior officials Mousa Abu Marzouk.
Abu Marzouk, who is a member of Hamas’ political office, told The New York Times on Sunday that the group was “prepared for a dialogue with America and to achieve understanding on everything.”
Abu Marzouk, 74, who is currently based in Qatar, is a native of Gaza and a former resident of Virginia.
His statement came hours after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in the Gaza Strip, coinciding with the inauguration of a new administration in the White House.
It is unclear whether Abu Marzouk’s words reflect a broad consensus among the militant group in Gaza, which launched a cross-border attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The US has classified Hamas as a terrorist organization since 1997.
Abu Marzouk told The New York Times that Hamas was prepared to welcome an envoy from the Trump administration to the Gaza Strip.
He said: “He can come and see the people and try to understand their feelings and wishes, so that the American position can be based on the interests of all the parties and not only one party.”
Abu Marzouk praised Trump for helping to secure the ceasefire agreement in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, adding that “without President Trump’s insistence on ending the war and his dispatching of a decisive representative, this deal wouldn’t have happened.”
