UN top court hears genocide allegation as Israel focuses fighting in central Gaza

The United Nations’ top court began hearings Thursday on South Africa’s allegation that Israel’s war with Hamas amounts to genocide against Palestinians. Israel strongly denies the claim.

Although the case is likely to take years to resolve, South Africa is asking the International Court of Justice to order an immediate suspension of Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli military operations in Gaza have recently focused on the southern city of Khan Younis and urban refugee camps in the territory’s center. Hundreds of people have been killed in recent days in strikes across the territory, including in areas of the far south where Israel told people to seek refuge.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been meeting with leaders across the Mideast, seeking to rally the region behind postwar plans for Gaza. The push came as the U.S. and British militaries launched retaliatory strikes on sites used by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The Oct. 7 Hamas attack from Gaza into southern Israel that triggered the war killed around 1,200 people and saw some 250 others taken hostage by militants. Israel’s air, ground and sea assault in Gaza has killed more than 23,000 people, 70% of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. The count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Currently:

— The U.S. and British militaries bomb more than a dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. Who are the Houthis, and why did the U.S. and U.K. retaliate for their attacks on ships in the Red Sea?

— The U.N.‘s top court opens hearings on South Africa’s allegation that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

— Friendly fire may have killed their relatives on Oct. 7. Israeli families want answers now.

— Palestinian viewers are captivated and moved by case at UN’s top court accusing Israel of genocide.

— The Israeli military says it found traces of hostages in an underground tunnel in Gaza.

— Nelson Mandela’s support for Palestinians endures with South Africa’s genocide case against Israel.

— Blinken sees a path to Gaza peace, reconstruction and regional security after his Mideast tour.

— Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.

Here’s what’s happening in the war:

ISRAEL ALLOWED JUST A FEW SUPPLY DELIVERIES TO NORTHERN GAZA THIS MONTH, U.N. OFFICE SAYS

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. humanitarian office says Israel allowed only three of 21 deliveries of food, medicine and other lifesaving supplies to northern Gaza between Jan. 1 and Jan. 10.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the deliveries also included missions to provide medical supplies and fuel for water and sanitation facilities in Gaza City.

“The U.N.’s ability to respond to extensive needs in the northern part of Gaza is being curtailed by recurring denials of access for aid deliveries and lack of coordinated safe access by the Israeli authorities,” he told reporters Thursday. “These denials and severe access constraints are paralyzing the ability of humanitarian partners to respond meaningfully, consistently and at scale.”

Dujarric said deteriorated compared with December, when more than 70% of planned U.N. missions to the north were undertaken, to about 14% in the first 10 days of January.

“Every day that we are unable to provide assistance results in the loss of lives and suffering for hundreds of thousands of people who remain in northern Gaza,” he said.

U.S., BRITISH MILITARIES LAUNCH RETALIATORY STRIKE AGAINST IRAN-BACKED HOUTHIS IN YEMEN

WASHINGTON — Several U.S. officials say U.S. and British militaries are bombing over a dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, in a massive retaliatory strike using warship-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets.

The expected targets included logistical hubs, air defense systems and weapons storage locations, the officials said.

Associated Press journalists in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, heard four explosions early Friday local time but saw no sign of warplanes. Two residents of Hodieda, Amin Ali Saleh and Hani Ahmed, said they heard five strong explosions. Hodieda lies on the Red Sea and is the largest port city controlled by the Houthis.

The strikes mark the first U.S. military response against the Houthis for what has been a persistent campaign of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships since the start of the war in Gaza. The officials confirmed the strikes on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.

AP