Updates: Israel continues attacks in West Bank’s Jenin as Gaza truce holds

Before you go, you can read about how Israel is arresting more Palestinians than it has released as a result of its ceasefire deal with Hamas here.

You can also find more information on Israel’s drone attack on a vehicle near the occupied West Bank town of Qabatiya that killed two people here.

You can also watch Ibrahim and his family as they return to a destroyed Gaza home and face the reality of rebuilding it from nothing.

This live page is about to close. Before we go, here’s a quick recap:

• Hamas has published the names of four female Israeli soldiers who are set to be exchanged tomorrow for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
• The Palestinian Detainees’ Commission has said the release of Palestinian prisoners from the Ofer Prison will take place between 10am and 11am (08:00 – 09:00 GMT).
• An Israeli military aircraft has bombed a vehicle in the West Bank town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, killing at least two people.
• UNRWA has said at least seven children died of cold in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect on Sunday.
• Israel’s military will not fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Monday, when the 60-day deadline set by the ceasefire agreement ends, according to a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office cited by Israeli Army Radio.
• The US Department of Treasury has lifted sanctions on violent Israeli settlers and organisations that have been behind unrest in the occupied West Bank, in compliance with an executive order by President Donald Trump.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini has said Israel’s ban on the UN agency’s operations set to come into effect on Tuesday “might sabotage the Gaza ceasefire”.

“Only in the first 3 days of the ceasefire, UNRWA brought in food for 1 million people. Our teams already distributed food to around 300,000 people including in northern Gaza,” Lazzarini said.

The ceasefire has set a minimum target of 600 trucks a day for the first six weeks of the ceasefire. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees is the main provider of aid to the people of Gaza, and its work is necessary to meet the required target.

The US State Department has issued a “stop-work” order for all existing foreign assistance and paused new aid, according to a memo seen by Reuters, but issued waivers for military financing to Israel and Egypt.

Trump ordered a 90-day pause in foreign development assistance pending a review of efficiencies and consistency with his foreign policy, the news agency said.

The State Department memo said that, effective immediately, senior officials “shall ensure that, to the maximum extent permitted by law, no new obligations shall be made for foreign assistance” until Secretary of State Marco Rubio has made a decision after a review.

The army has announced its presence in the villages of Chihine and al-Jebbin, in the Tyre district of the country. It said its troops deployed to these villages after the withdrawal of Israeli troops.

“The army command calls on citizens not to approach the areas from which the Israeli enemy is withdrawing and to adhere to the instructions of the military units”, the Lebanese army said in its announcement.

Earlier today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory would last beyond the soon-expiring 60 days stipulated by the ceasefire agreement between it and Hezbollah, claiming the agreement has not yet been fully enforced by Lebanon.

Local Palestinian outlets are reporting that the Israeli army opened fire on a group of journalists gathered on the main road leading to the Jenin Government Hospital to report on the ongoing raids in Jenin’s refugee camp.

Translation: The moment the occupation forces opened fire on Hospitals Street towards journalists in the city of Jenin. 

Hamas says four female Israeli soldiers will be released on Saturday. For one female civilian captive, Israel will release 30 Palestinian women and children, and for one female military captive, Israel will release 50 Palestinian women and children.

With Hamas due to release the four soldiers, Israel is expected to then free 200 Palestinians being held in its jails.

It’s the second prisoner exchange after three Israeli civilians were released last Sunday.

Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford reports:

Hamas has recruited between 10,000 and 15,000 members since the start of its war with Israel, according to a report by Reuters that cited two congressional sources briefed on US intelligence.

The sources told the news agency that intelligence indicated a similar number of Hamas fighters have been killed during that period.

While the group recruited new members, many are young and untrained and are being used for simple security purposes.

The data confirms a statement earlier this month from the outgoing Biden administration saying they believed Hamas had recruited almost as many fighters as it had lost.

The Israeli army has stormed the town of Meithalun, south of Jenin, and laid siege to a house amidst clashes with Palestinian armed groups.

The Wafa news agency reported that the Israeli army hit a site near the besieged house with a drone strike.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said its medics could not reach the site to aid the wounded.

The UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA must “cease its operations in Jerusalem, and evacuate all premises in which it operates in the city” by 30 January, Israel’s UN envoy told the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a letter on Friday.

A law banning UNRWA’s operation on Israeli land and contact with Israeli authorities takes effect on 30 January. Israel has annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognised abroad.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that 339 aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip on Friday, the sixth day of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

OCHA cited information received from Israeli authorities and the guarantors for the ceasefire agreement – the United States, Egypt and Qatar.

Palestinian medical and rescue teams have recovered the bodies of 17 people from the rubble of destroyed homes in Rafah, who were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza.

A medical source told Anadolu that the remains were brought to the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis from Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.

“The recovered bodies were found in a decomposed state, making the identification process challenging in some cases”, the medical source said.

Following their arrival, dozens of families rushed to the hospital in hopes of identifying the bodies of their missing relatives, according to witnesses.

The witnesses added that the families identified the corpses by their clothes and some belongings.

A UN official has warned against the “deteriorating” situation in the occupied West Bank, and called on Israel to protect Palestinians.

During a news briefing, deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters that the continuing operation by Israeli forces in Jenin and Jenin Refugee Camp, now in its fourth day, has expanded to nearby villages.

He said the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) “warns once again that lethal, war-like tactics are being applied, raising concerns over use of force that exceeds law enforcement standards.”

In Jenin refugee camp, it is estimated that 3,000 families have left over the past two months, including several hundreds in the past week alone, he added.

The evacuation of trapped civilians and wounded persons have been coordinated, Haq said.

“Israel, as the occupying power, has a legal obligation to protect Palestinians and maintain public order and safety in the West Bank in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law,” he stressed.

We’re getting some pictures from Qabatiya, in the occupied West Bank, where the Israeli army struck a car allegedly carrying Palestinian fighters.

The White House has called for a “short, temporary extension” to the deadline for Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon set by the ceasefire reached in November, The Times of Israel has reported.

The Israeli newspaper quoted White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes as saying in a statement, “All parties share the goal of ensuring Hezbollah does not have the ability to threaten the Lebanese people or their neighbors. To achieve these goals, a short, temporary ceasefire extension is urgently needed.”

“We are pleased that the [Israeli military] has started the withdrawal from the central regions, and we continue to work closely with our regional partners to finalize the extension,” he added.

Here are the latest developments:

• Hamas has released the names of four female Israeli soldiers to be released from captivity in Gaza on Saturday.
• Israel, which was expecting the release of civil captives rather than military personnel, appears willing to move forward with the deal despite having to release a greater number of Palestinian prisoners in exchange.
• The Palestinian Detainees’ Commission said the release of Palestinian prisoners from Ofer will begin at 10:00am (08:00 GMT) on Saturday. As per the terms of the deal, 200 Palestinian prisoners should be released.
• An Israeli military aircraft has bombed a vehicle in Qabatiya, in the occupied West Bank, based on “intelligence” suggesting a Palestinian armed cell was on board.
• The US Department of Treasury has lifted sanctions on violent Israeli settlers and organisations that have been behind unrest in the occupied West Bank in compliance with an executive order by the new president.

Two Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli air strike targeting their vehicle in Qabatiya, south of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank, officials said.

A Health Ministry statement said the attack was carried out by Israeli armed forces.

Witnesses told the Anadolu news agency that five Israeli army vehicles entered Qabatiya after the strike, deploying troops across the town and heightening fear among residents.

The air strike coincided with the fourth day of Israel’s military operation in the Jenin refugee camp, which has left 14 Palestinians dead and about 50 injured.

On Thursday, Jenin’s Deputy Governor Mansour al-Saadi warned of a potential large-scale invasion of the camp’s centre by Israeli forces.

Speaking to Anadolu, al-Saadi likened the anticipated campaign to the genocidal war carried out by Israel in northern Gaza.

He also highlighted worsening conditions at Jenin Government Hospital, where patients and medical teams are struggling due to power outages and fuel shortages caused by the continuing military offensive.

The military operation, which includes air strikes and ground raids by Israeli special forces, has forced hundreds of Palestinians to flee their homes in the camp.