January 17, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

By Kathleen Magramo, Sophie Tanno, Antoinette Radford, Adrienne Vogt and Elise Hammond, CNN

Updated 12:01 a.m. ET, January 18, 2024

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11:14 p.m. ET, January 16, 2024

More than 10,000 children have been killed in Gaza since October 7, Hamas-run health ministry says

From CNN’s Ibrahim Dahman and Eyad Kourdi

A Palestinian woman and children check debris following Israeli bombardment in Rafah, southern Gaza, on December 22, 2023. Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images/File

At least 10,600 children have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7, the Hamas-run Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.

“The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression has exceeded 24,285, of which 75% are children, women, and elderly people (+10,600 children, 7,200 women, and 1,049 elderly people),” the ministry said.

At least 158 people were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza in the past 24 hours, and 320 others were wounded, the Hamas-run Ministry of Health added Tuesday.

“A number of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them,” the ministry said.

CNN cannot independently verify the ministry's figures.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed on Sunday that more than 9,000 of those killed were Hamas fighters. CNN also cannot confirm this figure.

10:47 p.m. ET, January 16, 2024

Saudi Arabia could recognize Israel if Palestinian issue is resolved, foreign minister says

From CNN’s Celine Alkhaldi in Abu Dhabi

Saudi Arabia is willing to recognize Israel if the Palestinian issue is resolved, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said Tuesday.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, he said the first step to resolving the Palestinian issue is through a ceasefire "on all sides."

“We agree that regional peace includes peace for Israel but that could only happen through peace for the Palestinians through a Palestinian state,” bin Farhan said.

Asked at a panel at the WEF whether Saudi Arabia could, within that context, agree to recognize Israel as part of a wider agreement, the Saudi foreign minister said “certainly.”

Some context: In 2020, four Arab nations, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan, recognized Israel under a set of treaties known as the Abraham Accords, sidestepping the longstanding Arab demand for a Palestinian state.

Since then, the Biden administration has been working to bring Saudi Arabia, widely regarded as the leader of the Muslim world, to follow suit, a move that could have opened the door to other Muslim countries to recognize Israel.

11:21 p.m. ET, January 16, 2024

"Intensive" phase of war in Gaza is nearly over, Israeli defense minister says

From CNN's Radina Gigova and Ivana Kottasová in London and Amir Tal in Tel Aviv

This picture taken on January 6, 2024, shows Gaza City's landmark Al-Hassaina Mosque, damaged in Israeli bombardment. AFP/Getty Images

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday said the "intensive maneuvering stage" of Israel's military offensive in northern and southern Gaza will "end soon."

The Israeli military is working to "eliminate pockets of resistance" in northern Gaza, Gallant said, adding: "We will achieve this via raids, airstrikes, special operations and additional activities."

After the October 7 attacks, Gallant said the original plan was for the "intensive maneuvering stage" of Israel's military campaign in Gaza to last approximately three months. But, he cautioned the Israeli military adapts its operations "in accordance with the reality on the ground" and "our intelligence."

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has announced one of its army divisions had exited Gaza on Monday night, in the most significant sign yet of a shift to a new phase of fighting that some Israeli officials have been promising.

The IDF said its 36th division, which comprises armored, engineering, and infantry companies, withdrew from the strip after 80 days.

The brigade operated in the areas of Zeitun, Shati, Shejaiya, Rimal, and the Central Camps, the Israeli military added. The IDF did not respond to CNN’s questions about whether the withdrawal was temporary, what was behind the withdrawal, or how many troops it involved.