February 1, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

Our live coverage of Israel's war against Hamas has moved here.

The Gaza offices of Belgium's development agency, Enabel, were destroyed in what Belgian officials described as a bombing.

Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hadja Lahbib shared photos of the leveled office building in a post on X on Thursday.

"Targeting civilian buildings is unacceptable," Lahbib said, adding that she and Belgium's Minister of Development Cooperation Caroline Gennez would summon the Israeli ambassador to "clarify everything."

The agency's primary mission is "to implement the policy priorities of Belgian governmental cooperation and to promote sustainable international development," according to Enabel's website.

Israel did not immediately comment on the minister's statement.

As the humanitarian situation in Gaza spirals, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) warns it will likely have to halt its work across the Middle East by the end of February.

Nearly 20 governments have suspended $440 million in funding to the organization over allegations some of its staff were involved with Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.

“If the funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by the end of February – not only in Gaza, but also across the region,” the agency’s Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said Thursday.

Catch up on other top headlines related to the war and tensions in the Middle East:

• Hostage deal: The top US State Department official for the Middle East said Thursday that she is not aware of “any definitive response” from Hamas to a proposal crafted over the weekend that would see the release of hostages held by the group and a sustained pause in the fighting in Gaza. 
• On the ground: In the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza, which has seen intense fighting in recent days, Israel's Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant said his country's military operation is "yielding impressive results." In northern Gaza, a Palestinian journalist has documented what remains of a neighborhood after Israeli troops withdrew from the area. In the video, the entire neighborhood has been leveled — not one single building is left standing.
• Sanctions against Israeli settlers: The US State Department announced the first round of sanctions under a new executive order targeting Israeli settlers perpetrating violence in the West Bank. The new sanctions impact four Israeli nationals. The White House said there are currently no plans to target any Israeli officials with economic sanctions. The issue is one that US President Joe Biden has personally discussed in recent months with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
• Biden speaks about the conflict: Biden said Thursday he understood the "pain and passion" felt for the citizens of Gaza and Israel by "Americans and around the world" in response to the "trauma, the destruction in Israel and Gaza." Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast at the US Congress, Biden said he was engaged in bringing hostages held by Hamas home “day and night,” and was also working to “ease the humanitarian crisis and to bring peace to Gaza and Israel and enduring peace with two states for two peoples.”
• Death toll: According to the Hamas-run health ministry, 27,019 people have been killed and 66,139 injured since Israeli military operations began on October 7 — with 118 killed over the latest 24-hour period. CNN cannot confirm the figures, and the ministry does not disclose how many of the casualties may have been Hamas fighters.
• Palestinian state: The US has affirmed its support for the development of an independent Palestinian state. State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said there has been "no policy shift," despite an Axios report suggesting otherwise.
• Houthi drone downed: US forces shot down a drone over the Gulf of Aden and destroyed a Houthi sea drone in the Red Sea on Thursday, according to a US defense official and confirmed by US Central Command. The sea drone, also known as an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV), posed a threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships operating in the area, the official said. Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that it’s time to "take away even more capability" of Iran-backed groups as a result of the deadly drone attack on a US base in Jordan that killed three troops last weekend. 

The Israeli military operation in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza is "progressing and yielding impressive results," the country's minister of defense said Thursday.

"We are achieving our missions in Khan Younis, and we will also reach Rafah and eliminate terror elements that threaten us," Yoav Gallant said, according to a statement from the ministry.

There has been intense fighting in the southern city in recent days, specifically around a hospital complex where thousands of people are sheltering, according to an aid group.

The Israeli military's operations "targeting terrorists above and under the ground, bring us closer to enabling the return of the hostages, because Hamas only responds to pressure," Gallant said. In the past, Israel has frequently asserted that Hamas is using hospitals and other infrastructure as cover for tunnels and military operations.

More on the operations: Israeli forces have so far killed an estimated 10,000 Hamas fighters, he said. Another 10,000 have been wounded and are "not functioning," he said. "This is a serious blow that erodes Hamas’ abilities."

CNN is not able to independently confirm those numbers. 

Two weeks ago, the Israel Defense Forces estimated it had killed about 9,000 Hamas fighters since the start of military operations following the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

There are currently no plans to target any Israeli officials with economic sanctions, the White House said Thursday after the administration announced a new executive order targeting four individuals accused of directly perpetrating violence or intimidation in the West Bank. 

“There’s no plans to target with sanctions Israeli government officials at this time,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. “This was an initial set of designations; I’m not going to preview whether there will be more or not going forward, but it is a new tool that we’re going to take a look at using appropriately.” 

Axios reported Thursday that the administration had considered sanctioning some ultra-conservative Israeli government ministers, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, both of whom have vocally advocated for the mass relocation of Palestinians from Gaza to make way for Israeli settlers. 

Ben Gvir has taken steps to arm Israeli civilians in the wake of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, and, according to The New York Times, has pledged 10,000 guns to towns and cities across Israel, including Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory. 

The US State Department announced the first round of sanctions under a new executive order targeting those perpetrating violence in the West Bank on Thursday.

The new sanctions — which block their financial assets and bar them from coming to the US — target four Israeli nationals. 

In a statement Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that “Israel must do more to stop violence against civilians in the West Bank and hold accountable those responsible for it.”

Here are some more specifics:

Who the order will target: The order focuses on four individuals accused of directly perpetrating violence or intimidation in the West Bank, the State Department said, including people accused of initiating and leading a riot; setting buildings, fields and vehicles on fire; assaulting civilians; and damaging property. The four individuals named are David Chai Chasdai, Einan Tanjil, Shalom Zicherman and Yinon Levi.

What the order will do: The White House notified the Israeli government of its plans ahead of the order, an official said. The order will block the individuals' property and financial transactions in the United States and prohibit Americans from funding or contributing money to them. The order is directed toward foreign nationals and not American citizens, an official said, though some dual nationals have been accused of being involved in the violence.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement in response to the US sanctions, saying they were not necessary.

Why this matters: President Joe Biden has faced backlash from key parts of his political coalition for his backing of Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza. While the order is not expected to address the situation in Gaza, it will mark one of the more significant actions he has taken to critique Israel since the war began, and it could be a signal from Biden toward Muslim and Arab-American voters who are upset with his refusal to call for a ceasefire.

Remember: Approximately 500,000 Jewish settlers now live in the West Bank, encroaching into land that Palestinians, along with the international community, view as territory for a future Palestinian state. While the areas around these settlements have always been prone to violence, the situation has worsened in recent months.

This post has been updated with the announcement of the order from the State Department and Netanyahu's response.

The top US State Department official for the Middle East said Thursday that she is not aware of “any definitive response” from Hamas to a proposal crafted over the weekend that would see the release of hostages held by the group and a sustained pause in the fighting in Gaza. 

Hamas said that Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau, received the proposal at a meeting in Paris this weekend that involved officials from Israel, Egypt, Qatar and the United States. 

“I think we're still very much in deliberation stage,” Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf said in a virtual briefing.

Leaf said the potential hostage deal is “a critical starting point” toward an end to the conflict.

Hamas said that Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau, received the proposal at a meeting in Paris this weekend that involved officials from Israel, Egypt, Qatar and the United States. 

Hamas said in a statement Tuesday that the head of its political bureau “is in the process of studying (the proposal) and submitting its response to it on the basis that the priority is to stop the aggression, the brutal attack on Gaza and the complete withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Strip.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will head back to the region in the coming days as moving forward on the deal remains a top priority for President Joe Biden's administration.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that it’s time to "take away even more capability" of Iran-backed groups as a result of the deadly drone attack on a US base in Jordan last weekend. 

“(T)his particular attack was egregious … the attack was on the sleeping area of our base,” Austin said at the Pentagon. “And again, Kataib Hezbollah and other elements continue to attack our troops and, again, I think at this point we should — it’s time to take away even more capability than we have in the past.” 

The attack on Tower 22 in Jordan killed three US soldiers and wounded dozens more service members, the first time American troops were killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the beginning of the Gaza war. There have been more than 160 attacks on US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria since October 17.

The US response against Iran-backed proxies for the attack against US forces in Jordan would be “multi-tiered,” Austin said Thursday, adding that US adversaries in the region do not have “a one-and-done mindset.”

US President Joe Biden told reporters Tuesday he has made a decision about the US response but declined to provide further details.

CNN's Michael Conte contributed to this reporting.

New video shot in the northwestern part of Gaza shows an extraordinary level of destruction in an area near the coast.

The video, shot by journalist Fadi Al-Wahidi, shows what remains of the neighborhood bisected by Al-Rashid Street, which runs northwest of the district of Beit Lahiya. It is the closest northern area to the border with Israel.

The video shows that the entire neighborhood has been leveled. There is not a single building standing. CNN is unable to geolocate the video for lack of landmarks.

Despite the devastation, people are now returning to what remains of their homes in the neighborhood, after Israeli troops withdrew from the area, Al-Wahidi told CNN.

International aid agencies say they have little access to northern Gaza and that food scarcity there has worsened. Fighting has continued there sporadically. 

Al-Wahidi, who is from nearby Jabalya, told CNN that this part of Al-Rashid Street had been resurfaced and landscaped just a few months before the war. Most of the area's coastal resort houses have now been destroyed, the journalist added.

His visit to the area on Wednesday was the first time Al-Wahidi had seen the sea since the latest Israel-Hamas war began, he said.