The main thing to remember

  • Nine countries, including Japan, have announced that they are suspending their funding to UNRWA, 12 members of which are suspected by Israel of having been involved in the Hamas attack on October 7.

  • The UN special representative on sexual violence in conflict, Pramila Patten, is visiting Israel and the West Bank until February 1.

    The essentials of the day before

    • United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday urged countries that have suspended funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) to "at least guarantee" the continuation of its operations, including two million people depend “for their daily survival”. 

    • France will decide "when the time comes" whether to continue funding the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, the French Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

    • On the ground, the Israeli army described “intense fighting” in Khan Younes, which it considers to be a Hamas stronghold, indicating that it had killed “terrorists and seized large quantities of weapons”. At least 24 people were killed during the day, according to the Hamas health ministry.

    • A few thousand Israelis in favor of reestablishing settlements in the Gaza Strip, including ministers, gathered Sunday evening in Jerusalem, urging the Prime Minister to see the project through.

    • The meeting in Paris between American, Egyptian, Qatari and Israeli officials on a ceasefire in Gaza was "constructive", said the Israeli Prime Minister's office, noting that there "still remained differences" between the parts.

    • At least 26,422 Palestinians have been killed and 65,087 injured by Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7, the Gaza health ministry said. Over the past 24 hours, 165 Palestinians were killed and 290 injured, according to the same source.

    Please note: the number of victims is provided by the Hamas-led Gaza Ministry of Health.

    The ministry collects information provided by hospitals in the enclave and by the Palestinian Red Crescent.

    The Gaza Health Ministry does not indicate how the Palestinians were killed, whether by Israeli airstrikes and/or barrages or missed Palestinian rocket attacks. It describes all victims as victims of "Israeli aggression" and also does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

    During the four wars and numerous skirmishes between Israel and Hamas, United Nations agencies regularly cited Health Ministry figures in their reports. The International Committee of the Red Cross and the Palestinian Red Crescent also use these figures.

    In the aftermath of previous episodes of war, the United Nations Humanitarian Office published casualty figures based on its own research into medical records. The UN figures largely agree with those of the Gaza Ministry of Health, with a few differences.

    To learn more about the reports from the Gaza Ministry of Health, click here or here.

    (France 24 with AP)

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