News Wrap: At least 40 killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza
In our news wrap Thursday, Gaza health officials say Israeli airstrikes killed at least 40 people with one strike hitting a tent camp that Israel had designated as a safe zone, South Korean investigators are carrying out a warrant to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over last month's declaration of martial law and 10 people were hurt in a shooting outside a nightclub in New York.
Amna Nawaz:
We start the day's other news in the Gaza Strip, where the new year has brought more death and destruction.
Palestinian health officials say Israeli airstrikes killed at least 40 people today. One of those strikes hit a tent camp that Israel has designated as a safe zone. Israel says the attack killed two high-ranking members of the Hamas police force. Officials on the ground say the death toll was 10 people, including three children.
As the sun rose on the second day of 2025, Ziyad Abu Jabal emerged from his tent in Southern Gaza's Al-Mawasi camp still in shock.
Ziyad Abu Jabal, Displaced Gazan (through interpreter):
We were sleeping. Everyone was taking shelter in their tents from the cold, and suddenly we found the world turning upside down. Why and for what?
Amna Nawaz:
Witnesses say the predawn Israeli attack came without warning. Some scrambled to put out fires, while others carried away the dead and the injured.
The camp, which Israel had designated as a safe zone, is located by the sea west of Khan Yunis. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have relocated there to ride out the cold and wet Mediterranean winter. Israel says one of the Hamas policemen killed in today's strike helped to gather intelligence to carry out attacks on Israeli troops.
David Mencer, Spokesperson, Israeli Prime Minister’s Office:
Where did we find him? Where else but of course hiding in the humanitarian zone in Khan Yunis, where Gazans are sheltering from this war.
Amna Nawaz:
But among the dead were three children from one family, Ahmed, Mohammed and Abdul Rahman al-Bardawil. At their funeral today, each received one final kiss from their mother and father.
Walid Al-Bardawil, Father of Children Killed in Strike (through interpreter): We woke up to the sound of the strike at around 1:20 a.m. at that time, I called on the children, but no one answered. The three of them had been sleeping next to each other.
Amna Nawaz:
Israel also struck the Hamas-run Interior Ministry headquarters in Khan Yunis early today. Nearby tents were damaged by the blast.
In Central Gaza, at least eight people were killed in a strike in Deir al Balah. Hospital officials say the victims were members of a local committee that helped secure aid convoys. As the war grinds into a new year, Israel announced that it will send negotiators to Doha tomorrow in an effort to make a breakthrough in cease-fire talks before President Biden leaves office.
Also today, events are unfolding fast in South Korea, where investigators are aiming to carry out a warrant to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. It's part of their investigation into whether Yoon's declaration of martial law last month amounts to rebellion.
It's not clear at this hour whether the president will cooperate with the authorities. Yoon has remained defiant, writing in a letter to supporters that he would — quote — "fight until the end against anti-state forces." Yoon's legal team even warned that any officers trying to detain him could face arrest themselves by his security team.
This comes as pro- and anti-Yoon protesters have been gathering outside his residence in Seoul. Yoon himself said he's been watching the scene via YouTube and applauded his supporters' efforts. His future ultimately lies in the hands of the Constitutional Court, which has begun deliberations on whether to formally remove him from office or reinstate him.
At the White House this evening, President Biden awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal to 20 people who — quote — "performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens." Among them were Democratic Representative Bennie Thompson and former Representative Liz Cheney, a Republican. Both received standing ovations.
In 2022, they led a congressional investigation into the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Their final report found that then-President Trump engaged in a multipart conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election. Trump has said that both Thompson and Cheney should be put in jail.
In New York, police say that 10 people were hurt in a shooting outside a nightclub in Jamaica, Queens. Officials say three or four men approached a group of people waiting outside the club late last night before firing some 30 shots. The gunmen then fled on foot. Six women and four men between the ages of 16 and 20 were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police say that the motive is unclear, but the shooting is not considered an act of terrorism.
Tesla reported a drop in sales last year for the first time in more than a dozen years. The electric automaker delivered just under 1.8 million vehicles in 2024. That's about 1 percent lower than the year before. A strong fourth quarter failed to offset the company's slow start to 2024.
The dip in sales comes as Tesla faces weakening demand for electric vehicles in the U.S. and worldwide. It's also battling increased competition from legacy automakers and start-ups in China, Europe and the U.S.
On Wall Street today, stocks started the new year of trading on a sluggish note. The Dow Jones industrial average gave back about 150 points. The Nasdaq slipped exactly 30 points on the day. The S&P 500 fell for a fifth straight session.
And a passing of note: Agnes Keleti, a Holocaust survivor and the oldest living Olympic medalist, has died. Born in Budapest in 1921, her life as an aspiring young gymnast was upended by World War II. She was forced out of the sport for being Jewish and into hiding under a new name. After the war, Agnes Keleti returned to gymnastics and went on to win 10 Olympic medals, five of them gold.
She then settled in Israel, where for decades she coached and helped to build its gymnastics programs. Even well into her 90s, Keleti could still hit her splits. In 2021, on the eve of her 100th birthday, she told the Associated Press about the importance of physical fitness.
Agnes Keleti, Olympic Gold Medal Winner (through interpreter):
I wish you all good health. Health is the most important. Without it, there is nothing. These 100 years feel to me like 60. I live well and I love life.
Amna Nawaz:
Agnes Keleti was hospitalized with pneumonia on Christmas Day and reportedly died this morning in Budapest. She was 103 years old.
