New Delhi, Jan 8: A senior leader affiliated with the Hezbollah movement was killed in what appears to be an Israeli drone attack in southern Lebanon. Wissam Tawil, a senior commander in Hezbollah’s Radwan force, was killed as reports indicate that a targeted car in the Khirbet Selm area veered off the road and caught fire. Hezbollah has confirmed Tawil’s death but provided no further details. The incident comes after warnings from Hezbollah’s leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, cautioning Israel against initiating a full-scale war on Lebanon.
WHO Cancels Gaza Medical Mission Over Safety Concerns
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called off its fourth mission to transport medical supplies to northern Gaza due to a lack of security guarantees. The cancellation, spanning 12 days since the organization’s last successful mission, has impacted the delivery of urgently needed supplies to Al-Awda Hospital and a crucial pharmacy. The WHO cites heavy bombardment, movement restrictions, and disrupted communications, making it impossible to ensure regular and safe delivery of medical supplies across Gaza, particularly in the north. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expresses shock at the health needs and devastation in northern Gaza, emphasizing that further delays will lead to more death and suffering.
Medical Aid Groups Halt Operations in Central Gaza
The International Rescue Committee announces the withdrawal of its medics from Gaza’s only functioning hospital in central Gaza, citing increasing Israeli military activity. Both the Medical Aid for Palestinians and the International Rescue Committee’s emergency medical team state that Israel’s military has designated the hospital’s surrounding areas as a “red zone,” making it unsafe for the medical team to continue their work.
Gaza’s Plea for Medical Aid and Urgent International Intervention
The Gaza government’s media office calls on Egypt to open the Rafah border crossing urgently, seeking the transfer of 6,000 wounded individuals from Gaza for treatment abroad. The appeal emphasizes the catastrophic reality faced by Gaza’s health sector, with 30 facilities rendered completely out of service due to Israeli bombardment. The statement urges Egypt to improve mechanisms for transferring wounded individuals, and it appeals to the international community, including the U.S., to intervene and pressure Israel to cease the ongoing conflict. The Gaza health ministry reports 73 Palestinians killed and 99 injured in the past 24 hours, with the IDF stating its troops killed 10 “terrorists” in Khan Younis. The IDF also reports striking 30 significant targets in southern Gaza.