Category: World news

(NEW YORK) — The climate crisis is not a distant threat; it’s happening right now and affecting what matters most to us. Hurricanes intensified by a warming planet and drought-fueled wildfires are destroying our communities. Rising seas and flooding are swallowing our homes. And record-breaking heat waves are reshaping our way of life.

The good news is we know how to turn the tide and avoid the worst possible outcomes. However, understanding what needs to be done can be confusing due to a constant stream of climate updates, scientific findings, and critical decisions that are shaping our future.

That’s why the ABC News Climate and Weather Unit is cutting through the noise by curating what you need to know to keep the people and places you care about safe. We are dedicated to providing clarity amid the chaos, giving you the facts and insights necessary to navigate the climate realities of today — and tomorrow.

How NASA could help solve the mystery of the 2024 temperature spike

Last year, 2024, was the warmest year on record for the planet, easily breaking the previous record set just a year earlier.

Scientists say the unfolding El Niño event superimposed on long-term global warming is a primary driver of this huge spike in global surface temperatures since mid-2023. But the magnitude of the increase shocked many experts, leaving them somewhat puzzled about what else could be behind the remarkable temperature.

NASA’s newest Earth-observing satellite, PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem), is expected to provide new data to help scientists understand how changing levels of different atmospheric aerosols impact Earth’s energy balance.

Read more here.

-ABC News meteorologist Dan Peck

Millions of students are missing school because of extreme weather

A new analysis from UNICEF finds that nearly a quarter of a billion children worldwide had their education disrupted by extreme weather events in 2024 — exacerbating what the organization calls an “existing learning crisis.”

The report found that at least 242 million students across 85 countries experienced schooling disruptions last year because of extreme weather like heat waves, storms, floods, droughts and tropical cyclones.

“Children are more vulnerable to the impacts of weather-related crises, including stronger and more frequent heatwaves, storms, droughts and flooding,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said. “Last year, severe weather kept one in seven students out of class, threatening their health and safety, and impacting their long-term education.”

Heat waves were the most common weather disruptor for education. UNICEF found that over 118 million students were impacted by extreme heat in April alone, with South Asia seeing some of the most widespread impacts.

The report also found that September had the most frequent weather-related disruptions, with at least 16 countries suspending classes for a time due to extreme weather events like Typhoon Yagi in East Asia.

While the analysis found that almost three-quarters of the students impacted were in low and lower-middle income countries, UNICEF says no region was free from these effects.

“Education is one of the services most frequently disrupted due to climate hazards. Yet it is often overlooked in policy discussions, despite its role in preparing children for climate adaptation,” Russell said. “Children’s futures must be at the forefront of all climate related plans and actions.”

-ABC News climate unit’s Kelly Livingston
 

Climate funders say they will cover US climate obligations after Paris Agreement withdrawal

On Monday, President Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, the U.N.-backed international climate treaty. Bloomberg Philanthropies announced Thursday that they, along with a coalition of climate charities, would step up and ensure that the U.S. meets its obligations under the Paris Agreement, including any financial and reporting requirements.

“While government funding remains essential to our mission, contributions like this are vital in enabling the UN Climate Change secretariat to support countries in fulfilling their commitments under the Paris Agreement and a low-emission, resilient, and safer future for everyone,” said Simon Stiell, United Nations climate change executive secretary, in a press statement.

This is the second time Trump has withdrawn the country from the Paris Agreement. During his first term, Trump justified backing out of the treaty by claiming that participating in the agreement would result in the loss of jobs and cost the U.S. trillions of dollars. In reality, in 2023, clean energy jobs grew at more than twice the rate of the overall U.S. labor market and accounted for more than 8.35 million positions, according to a Department of Energy report. In terms of spending, the U.S. has committed several billion dollars to the effort, not trillions.

Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire businessman, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and a U.N. Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions, said he also plans to continue supporting a coalition of states, cities and businesses that are working to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 61-66% below 2005 levels by 2035.

“More and more Americans have had their lives torn apart by climate-fueled disasters, like the destructive fires raging in California. At the same time, the United States is experiencing the economic benefits of clean energy, as costs have fallen and jobs have grown in both red and blue states. The American people remain determined to continue the fight against the devastating effects of climate change,” Bloomberg said.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(ALLAHABAD, INDIA) — At least seven people were killed and around 10 injured in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world’s biggest gatherings that occurs every 12 years, authorities said.

The Maha Kumbh Mela takes place every dozen years in the Indian city of Prayagraj, about 90 miles west of the holy city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, when an estimated 100 million people gather to bathe in holy river waters at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the Saraswati rivers. It is considered one of the most auspicious and holy dates on the Hindu calendar.

The stampede began in the early hours Wednesday morning, according to Indian officials. The death toll and numbers of those injured is expected to rise.

It was not immediately clear what triggered the panic at the festival but Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident “extremely sad” and extended his condolences to those affected.

“My deepest condolences to the devotees who have lost their loved ones. Along with this, I wish for the speedy recovery of all the injured,” Modi said in a post on X.

Modi added that he is in touch with his chief minister and other related authorities regarding the incident.

Authorities are expecting more than 100 million people to visit Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh Mela — meaning “Festival of the Sacred Pitcher” — on Wednesday for the holy dip. It is regarded as a significant and auspicious day for Hindus due to a rare alignment of celestial bodies after 144 years.

Authorities have built a gigantic tent city on the banks of the rivers to accommodate the millions of pilgrims and tourists attending the festival — equipped with 3,000 kitchens, 150,000 toilets, roads, electricity, water, communication towers and 11 hospitals, according to the Associated Press.

An estimated 50,000 security personnel are also stationed in the city to help keep the peace as well as manage the tens of millions of people in the crowds.

ABC News’ Somayeh Malekian and Prashun Mazumdar contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(ALLAHABAD, INDIA) —  At least 17 people were killed and over 30 have been injured in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world’s biggest gatherings that occurs every 12 years, authorities said.

The Maha Kumbh Mela takes place every dozen years in the Indian city of Prayagraj, about 90 miles west of the holy city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, when an estimated 100 million people gather to bathe in holy river waters at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the Saraswati rivers. It is considered one of the most auspicious and holy dates on the Hindu calendar.

The stampede began in the early hours Wednesday morning, according to Indian officials. The death toll and numbers of those injured is expected to rise.

It was not immediately clear what triggered the panic at the festival but Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident “extremely sad” and extended his condolences to those affected.

“My deepest condolences to the devotees who have lost their loved ones. Along with this, I wish for the speedy recovery of all the injured,” Modi said in a post on X.

Modi added that he is in touch with his chief minister and other related authorities regarding the incident.

Authorities are expecting more than 100 million people to visit Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh Mela — meaning “Festival of the Sacred Pitcher” — on Wednesday for the holy dip. It is regarded as a significant and auspicious day for Hindus due to a rare alignment of celestial bodies after 144 years.

Authorities have built a gigantic tent city on the banks of the rivers to accommodate the millions of pilgrims and tourists attending the festival — equipped with 3,000 kitchens, 150,000 toilets, roads, electricity, water, communication towers and 11 hospitals, according to the Associated Press.

An estimated 50,000 security personnel are also stationed in the city to help keep the peace as well as manage the tens of millions of people in the crowds.

ABC News’ Somayeh Malekian and Prashun Mazumdar contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LONDON) — Many residents of northern Gaza and southern Lebanon are expected to return to their homes in the coming days and weeks, with most of the fighting in both areas paused under Israeli ceasefire agreements with Hamas and Hezbollah.

Under Israel’s multi-phased deal with Hamas, some hostages held in the Gaza Strip and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have started to be released. Negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to continue amid the first phase of the deal, which was slated to last about six weeks.

Israel strikes southern Lebanon

Israel has launched several strikes against southern Lebanon on Tuesday, saying it struck a Hezbollah truck and an additional vehicle transferring weapons in the areas of Chaqif and Nabatieh.

“The truck and the additional vehicle were struck after being monitored by the IDF at the time of the transfer of the weapons,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

“The IDF is determined to continue to operate in accordance with the understanding between Israel and Lebanon, despite Hezbollah’s attempts to return to southern Lebanon, and will operate against any threat posed to the state of Israel and its citizens,” the IDF said.

Egypt denies speaking to Trump about taking Palestinians from Gaza

Egypt on Tuesday denied reports that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi had a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump after the latter said Jordan and Egypt should take in Palestinians from Gaza.

“There was no truth to what some media outlets reported about a phone call between the Egyptian and American presidents,” a senior official told state-affiliated Al-Qahera News TV. The official added that any such contact would have been announced.

Trump suggested on Saturday a plan to “clean out” the Gaza Strip, saying he would “like Egypt to take people,” and would like Jordan to do the same.

He elaborated on the remarks on Monday, telling reporters aboard Air Force One that he’d spoken with Sisi, although he did not clarify Sisi’s stance on accepting additional Palestinian refugees.

“I wish he would take some, we help them a lot, and I’m sure he can help us, he’s a friend of mine,” Trump said. “He’s in a very rough part of the world, to be honest, as they say, it’s a rough neighborhood, but I think he can do it.”

“When you look at the Gaza Strip, it’s been hell for so many years,” Trump said Monday. “There’s always been violence associated. So, I think you can get people living in areas that are a lot safer and maybe a lot better and maybe a lot more comfortable.”

Both Jordan and Egypt appeared to reject Trump’s suggestion. Egypt’s foreign ministry issued a statement affirming its rejection of the “displacement or the uprooting of Palestinians from their land whether temporarily or long-term,” and Jordan reiterated its “firm and unwavering” stance against any displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.

Netanyahu is scheduled to visit Washington D.C. on Feb. 4.

Israeli troops to remain in Syria for ‘unlimited period of time’

The IDF will remain on the summit of Hermon and in the security zone for an indefinite period, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.

“The IDF will remain on the summit of Mount Hermon and in the security zone for an unlimited period of time to ensure the security of the residents of the State of Israel. We will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves in the security zone in southern Syria — from here to the Sweida-Damascus axis, and we will not be dependent on others for our defense,” Katz said.

Israel warns Lebanese residents to avoid areas near border

Israel issued a warning to Lebanese residents on Tuesday, telling them to avoid multiple areas near the Israeli border as it redeploys in various locations in southern Lebanon.

At least 22 were killed over the weekend.

“The deployment process is taking place gradually and in some sectors it is being postponed and requires more time in order to ensure that Hezbollah is not able to re-establish its strength in the field,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

‎”Hezbollah, as usual, puts its narrow interests above the interests of the Lebanese state and tries through its mouthpieces to heat up the situation, despite being the main reason for the destruction of the south,” the IDF said.

Palestinians on returning home: ‘It feels like we’re reborn!’

Emotional scenes played out all over the Gaza Strip on Monday as families and friends reunited for the first time in over 15 months after the Israeli military allowed movement between northern and southern Gaza.

A sea of people swept the shoreline heading north along the sandy remains of the coastal highway. Many traveled on foot trudging through sand, a Palestinian flag flickering in the wind above them.

“It feels like we’re reborn!” Om Wael, a grandmother from Gaza City, told ABC News as she carried her granddaughter in her arms, with a look of joyful determination on her face.

“Even if our home is flattened, we’re so happy to return to our city, to our homes, unharmed. Thank God,” she said.

Mirvat Ajur, 29, from the Daraj neighborhood in central Gaza City, told ABC News that she walked for about five hours until she reached central Gaza.

“It was a difficult journey, but the people were very happy, singing, clapping and dancing in joy at returning to their homes,” she said.

Approximately 300,000 people made the journey home, according to figures released by Gazan authorities. Samira Halas, 55, was among them.

“I know that my home is damaged and burned, but I want to return to it,” Halas, from Gaza City’s Shuja’iyya neighborhood, told ABC News, describing the destruction she saw upon her return “like an earthquake had hit it.”

“I want to live in those burned and destroyed rooms,” she continued. “I am like a fish dying far from the sea.”

-ABC News’ Ruwaida Amer and Zoe Magee

At least 300,000 return to northern Gaza

At least 300,000 Palestinians returned home to northern Gaza on Monday, according to the Gaza government office, after Israel allowed them to cross into the north for the first time in over a year.

135,000 tents needed in Gaza

As people return to northern Gaza on Monday, the Gaza government said it “immediately and urgently” needs at least 135,000 tents because 90% of the buildings have been destroyed.

The government called on the international community to help provide “basic supplies” for Palestinians.

8 dead hostages among 33 being released in 1st phase: Israel

Of the 33 Israeli hostages set to be released during the first phase of the ceasefire, eight have been killed by Hamas, according to Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer.

Seven hostages have already been released since the start of the ceasefire, meaning 18 more living hostages will be released by Hamas in the coming weeks.

More hostages are set to be released on Thursday and Saturday, Mencer said.

Threats to ceasefire will ‘bear the full cost,’ Israeli minister says

Katz Israel, the Israeli defense minister, said on Monday that his country would “firmly” enforce the ceasefires that have paused fighting in Gaza.

“Anyone who violates the rules or threatens IDF forces will bear the full cost,” he said in Hebrew on social media. “We will not allow a return to the reality of Oct. 7.”

Tens of thousands trek into northern Gaza

Tens of thousands of people were marching and driving on Monday back to northern Gaza, after Israel allowed them to cross into the north for the first time in over a year.

Long lines of Palestinians — some singing, others smiling and some kneeling to kiss the soil as they stepped into the northern part of the strip — were seen making their way home.

Those returning home were moving along two main routes.

Many of those who were were walking home were moving along al-Rashid Street, a path expected to be taken by about 300,000 people.

Many of those who were driving north were doing so along Salah al-Din Road.

A line of cars could be seen stretching for about 8 miles on Monday morning, as they waited for permission to cross into the northern part of Gaza.

-ABC News’ Sami Zyara, Diaa Ostaz, Jordana Miller, Nasser Atta and Samayeh Malekian

1 dead, 4 injured after IDF fired at ‘dozens of suspects’ in central Gaza

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its team evacuated one person who was killed, and four people who were injured, after an attack by Israeli snipers near the Wadi Gaza Bridge on Sunday.

Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that troops fired “warning shots” at “several gatherings of dozens of suspects” who the IDF said posed a threat to them.

Additionally, a rocket was destroyed by Israeli troops in southern Gaza, according to the IDF’s statement.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had introductory call with Israel’s Netanyahu

Newly confirmed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had an introductory call on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a statement from a U.S. senior defense official.

“Both leaders discussed the importance of advancing mutual security interests and priorities, especially in the face of persistent threats,” according to the statement.

Hegseth, who won Senate confirmation after being selected by President Donald Trump for the role, stressed to Netanyahu that the U.S. is “fully committed” to ensuring that Israel “has the capabilities it needs to defend itself,” according to the statement.

Additionally, the defense official said that “both leaders agreed to remain in close contact.”

Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extended to Feb. 18

The White House announced Sunday that the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended until Feb.18.

Lebanon, Israel and the U.S. will also begin negotiations for the return of Lebanese prisoners captured after Oct. 7, 2023.

-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie

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(WASHINGTON) — As President Donald Trump makes a very public effort to acquire Greenland, one former Danish official said Trump’s attempts are nothing new — but he shouldn’t expect it to be easy. Interest in buying Greenland has “popped up from time to time in American politics,” Tom Høyem, Denmark’s minister to Greenland from 1982 to 1987, told ABC News in an interview.

Høyem, 83, discussed Greenland’s political importance over the years, as well as his reaction to Trump’s recent desire to buy the island territory.

“Trump is living in a narrative where this has been an issue for the last 150 years,” Høyem said.

The purchase of Greenland has been a topic of conversation since before World War II, when Denmark sold the Danish West Indies — now known as the U.S. Virgin Islands — to the United States in 1917 for $25 million, Høyem said. Many American policymakers argued the U.S. should also acquire Greenland as well, according to Høyem.

“[President] Woodrow Wilson at first said, ‘No, it’s not worth anything at all. It’s just ice. I don’t want it.’ But there was such a big debate in the U.S. that he was forced to do something,” Høyem said.

When Wilson asked for ownership of Greenland, the Danish minister at the time replied, “No,” according to Høyem. Wilson signed an agreement in 1917 stating the United States recognizes Greenland as Danish, Høyem said.

In the document discussing the transfer of the Danish West Indies, then-Secretary of State Robert Lansing wrote, “In preceding this day to the signature of the Convention respecting the cessation of the Danish West-Indian Island to the United States of America, the undersigned Secretary of State of the United States of America, duly authorized by his Government, has the honor to declare that the Government of the United States of America will not object to the Danish Government extending their political and economic interests to the whole of Greenland.”

If Denmark was to ever sell Greenland to any country, Høyem said the United Kingdom would receive the first right to buy it, since the U.K. held dominion over Canada at the time of the treaty.

“Canada is only 20 kilometers away. That’s why the British said, ‘If Denmark ever sells Greenland, we should be the first to decide whether to take it or not,'” Høyem told ABC News.

Now, with Trump saying he wants to purchase Greenland, Høyem said history is repeating itself.

“Trump grew up hearing these stories,” Høyem said. “His generation and his parents’ generation often heard about U.S. attempts to buy Greenland.”

Trump has repeatedly expressed his interest in acquiring the island territory, beginning during his first administration when he tried to buy Greenland, but instead gave $12 million for economic development. Trump has since restated his interest in buying the territory shortly before his second inauguration.

“For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” Trump said in a December 2024 statement.

Trump said the purchase was needed for security purposes, adding he is “protecting the free world.” The U.S. also operates Putiffik Space Base, the Defense Department’s northern-most base, which sits on the coast of Greenland.

“You have approximately 45,000 people there. People really don’t even know if Denmark has any legal right to it,” Trump said, without explanation, during a Jan. 7 press conference at Mar-a-Lago. “But if they do, they should give it up because we need it for national security. That’s for the free world.”

Greenland is also rich in valuable minerals, including rare earth metals, precious metals, precious stones, and uranium, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Association. While that may sound appealing to a potential buyer, Høyem said mining there is extremely expensive.

Trump’s son, Donald Trump, Jr., visited Greenland on Jan. 7, but stated the visit was for personal reasons. During this trip, his father said on social media, “Don. Jr. and my Reps landing in Greenland. The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also reiterated an interest in the U.S. securing Greenland during his Senate confirmation hearings.

“Putting aside all the things that are going on in the media, I think we need to understand that Greenland’s been strategically important to the United States and to the West for a very long time,” Rubio said. “I think we now have the opportunity to see it for what it is, and that is one, if not the most important, one of the most critical parts of the world over the next 50 to 100 years will be whether there’s going to be freedom of navigation in the Arctic and what that will mean for global trade and commerce.”

Høyem said he does not know Trump, but thinks “he needs to be briefed a bit more by his civil servants.”

“His new minister of foreign affairs spoke to the Danish foreign minister — my party leader and friend — and they both agreed: ‘Let’s not discuss Greenland for now,'” Høyem said.

The prime minister of Greenland, Múte Egsede, has rejected the idea of selling Greenland to Trump, saying, “Greenland is ours.”

“We are not for sale and will never be for sale,” Egsede said in a statement. “We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.”

Officials from Denmark also have not supported Trump’s Greenmark proposal, including Danish politician Anders Vistisen, who explicitly urged the newly elected president to “f— off.”

“Greenland has been part of the Danish kingdom for 800 years,” Vistisen said during a European Parliament meeting on Jan. 21 in Strasbourg, France. “It’s an integrated part of our country. It is not for sale.”

Høyem said if Greenland decided to become independent, “they would immediately be targeted by major global powers.” Until then, Høyem said the territory needs more U.S. military investment to help defend it.

“I personally can’t imagine Greenland becoming fully independent,” Høyem said. “Running a country that large with so few people is nearly impossible.”

Regardless of the future of Trump’s Greenland proposal, Høyem said the land holds significant power.

“Trump might have looked at Greenland as a real estate deal, but for Denmark and Greenland, it’s a matter of geopolitical survival,” Høyem said. “The Arctic is extremely important, and I agree with Trump on that.”

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(GAZA and LONDON) — Emotional scenes continued to play out in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday as families and friends reunited for the first time in over 15 months, after the Israeli military allowed Gazans who had been trapped in the south of the strip to return to their homes in the north.

A sea of people swept along the shoreline on Monday, trudging on foot through the sandy remains of the coastal highway, passing along the way a Palestinian flag fluttering in the wind above them.

Hundreds of thousands were on the march, making their way home, according to Gazan authorities. The young, elderly and wounded were among them, carrying whatever they could.

“It feels like we’re reborn!” Om Wael, a grandmother from Gaza City, told ABC News as she carried her granddaughter in her arms with a look of joyful determination on her face.

“Even if our home is flattened, we’re so happy to return to our city, to our homes, unharmed. Thank God,” she said.

In the early stages of the war after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack, the Israeli military divided Gaza in two, funneling those from the north to the south through a series of evacuation orders. They set up an impassable buffer zone, called the Netzarim Corridor, and prevented anyone from the south from crossing into the north. As part of this month’s ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Gazans would now be allowed to travel to the north, and Monday’s opening of that buffer zone gave more than 1 million people the opportunity to return home for the first time in months.

About 300,000 made the journey on Monday with an estimated 1 million expected to travel over the coming days, according to the Gaza Government Office.

“I held my young son Samir and my daughter Farah and walked along the coast,” Jawaher Muharab, 44, from Gaza City, told ABC News. “They were in pain from walking because of the long distance. There are no taxis. The city is destroyed, but I felt safe when I arrived in the city, my house was largely destroyed and unfit for living, but I will put my tent next to it.”

As the mass migration continued Tuesday, Gazan authorities said they need at least 135,000 tents to house the displaced that are returning to the north — a part of Gaza that suffered enormous destruction due to Israeli bombardment and has seen some of the most fierce fighting between Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF has said it’s only targeting Hamas and other militants in Gaza and alleges that Hamas deliberately shelters behind civilians, which the group denies.

While pedestrians made the long walk along the coast, many of those traveling into northern Gaza by car were stuck in traffic on the inland road allocated to them. As part of the ceasefire agreement, this route has checkpoints manned by American security contractors who inspect each vehicle. The line of cars on Tuesday stretched for over 5 km, or about 3 miles, with people reporting potential waits of up to 30 hours to reach the checkpoints and complete inspection.

But along the coastal road, there were joyful scenes as Gazans reunited while they walked. Videos posted online showed some of those moving moments. Among the most poignant was that of twin brothers hugging, close to knocking each other over. They had been separated for more than a year.

One girl is seen on social media asking her father, “Papa, why are you crying?” as he hugs her and her sister. The man is Muhammad Shahin, a freelance journalist who had stayed in northern Gaza to cover the war and had not seen his family in well over a year.

“When the army announced yesterday evening that Monday morning would be the day for the displaced to return, I did not sleep for a moment,” Mirvat Ajur, 29, from the Daraj neighborhood in central Gaza City, told ABC News.

This anticipation for north Gazans to return home had been mounting ever since a ceasefire came into place on Jan. 14, temporarily ending 15 months of fighting that’s ravaged the Gaza Strip, the intense Israeli bombardment reducing much of it to rubble. Under phase one of the agreement, 33 hostages are expected to be released, with seven Israeli hostages having already been released by Hamas. The hostages released so far are Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, Doron Steinbrecher, Daniella Gilboa, Liri Albag, Naama Levy and Karina Ariev. Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners being held by Israel are also expected to be released in exchange for the hostages.

This has been the deadliest conflict ever between Hamas and Israel. It began when Hamas terrorists stormed Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping some 250. The Israeli response has led to the death of more than 47,000 Palestinians, most of whom were women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, and the almost total destruction of Gazan infrastructure. The United Nations estimates that nine out of 10 homes in Gaza have been destroyed and 90% of its population of 2.3 million people have been displaced.

“I know that my home is damaged and burned, but I want to return to it. I want to live in those burned and destroyed rooms. I am like a fish dying far from the sea,” 55-year-old Samira Halas, from Gaza City’s Shuja’iyya neighborhood, told ABC News.

“We walked for about five hours until we reached central Gaza. It was a difficult journey, but the people were very happy, singing, clapping and dancing in joy at returning to their homes,” Ajur, from the Daraj neighborhood, said after she had arrived home.

“I did not feel tired at all, because I knew that I would return to my home and sleep in my room,” she added.

Many Gazans have been living in difficult crowded conditions in tents with little access to basic necessities, crammed into a small area in the south of the strip. Many have said they feared they would never be allowed to return home. This return was made possible when the ceasefire that was agreed to on Jan. 14 held, and Hamas returned some of the Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The ceasefire is still in its first phase, but some who spoke to ABC News said they hope it could lead to a permanent end to the war.

“I entered and I inhaled the air of Gaza City,” Halas told ABC News by phone from her home.

“The closer I got to the area, the safer I felt,” she said. “Today, I felt that the war is over,” but her joy at being able to return home was tinged with sadness.

“I cannot describe the destruction we saw,” she said, “everything was destroyed.” As she approached her neighborhood, she said “it was like an earthquake had hit it.”

In the past few months, the Israeli military intensified its activity in northern Gaza, ordering evacuations for large parts of it as it battled Hamas fighters. While thousands followed the orders and left, hundreds of thousands stayed, enduring harsh conditions with little access to food, water or international aid.

“We found the people of the north waiting for us and cheering for our return. I hugged them as if they were my children and family. I felt that I had returned from abroad. Gaza has a great place in our hearts. No one knows our love for it,” Halas explained.

“Life here is difficult,” she said. “There is no water or electricity, but we will revive the area again.”

Videos on social media showed that attempts at reconstruction were already underway, with some residents of the north painting their walls bright colors to welcome family and friends home.

“I cannot describe to you how much I missed Gaza City,” Ajur told ABC News. “The soil of Gaza is priceless and we do not want anyone to force us to leave it again.”

 

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(WASHINGTON) — Scientists and global leaders revealed on Tuesday that the “Doomsday Clock” has been reset to the closest humanity has ever come to self-annihilation.

For the first time in three years, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the metaphorical clock up one second to 89 seconds before midnight, the theoretical doomsday mark.

“It is the determination of the science and security board of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists that the world has not made sufficient progress on existential risks threatening all of humanity. We thus move the clock forward,” Daniel Holz, chair of the organization’s science and security board, said during a livestreamed unveiling of the clock’s ominous new time.

“In setting the clock closer to midnight, we send a stark signal,” Holz said. “Because the world is already perilously closer to the precipice, any move towards midnight should be taken as an indication of extreme danger and an unmistakable warning. Every second of delay in reversing course increases the probability of global disaster.”

For the last two years, the clock has stayed at 90 seconds to midnight, with scientists citing the ongoing war in Ukraine and an increase in the risk of nuclear escalation as the reason.

Among the reasons for moving the clock one second closer to midnight, Holz said, were the further increase in nuclear risk, climate change, biological threats, and advances in disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence.

“Meanwhile, arms control treaties are in tatters and there are active conflicts involving nuclear powers. The world’s attempt to deal with climate change remain inadequate as most governments fail to enact financing and policy initiatives necessary to halt global warming,” Holz said, noting that 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded on the planet.

“Advances in an array of disruptive technology, including biotechnology, artificial intelligence and in space have far outpaced policy, regulation and a thorough understanding of their consequences,” Holz said.

Holtz said all of the dangers that went into the organization’s decision to recalibrate the clock were exacerbated by what he described as a “potent threat multiplier”: The spread of misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories “that degrade the communication ecosystem and increasingly blur the line between truth and falsehood.”

What is the Doomsday Clock?

The Doomsday Clock was designed to be a graphic warning to the public about how close humanity has come to destroying the world with potentially dangerous technologies.

The clock was established in 1947 by Albert Einstein, Manhattan Project director J. Robert Oppenheimer, and University of Chicago scientists who helped develop the first atomic weapons as part of the Manhattan Project. Created less than two years after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, during World War II, the clock was initially set at seven minutes before midnight.

Over the past seven decades, the clock has been adjusted forward and backward multiple times. The farthest the minute hand has been pushed back from the cataclysmic midnight hour was 17 minutes in 1991, after the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty was revived and then-President George H.W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev announced reductions in the nuclear arsenals of their respective countries.

For the past 77 years, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a nonprofit media organization comprised of world leaders and Nobel laureates, has announced how close it believes the world is to collapse due to nuclear war, climate change and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

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(LONDON) — Many residents of northern Gaza and southern Lebanon are expected to return to their homes in the coming days and weeks, with most of the fighting in both areas paused under Israeli ceasefire agreements with Hamas and Hezbollah.

Under Israel’s multi-phased deal with Hamas, some hostages held in the Gaza Strip and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have started to be released. Negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to continue amid the first phase of the deal, which was slated to last about six weeks.

Israeli troops to remain in Syria for ‘unlimited period of time’

The IDF will remain on the summit of Hermon and in the security zone for an indefinite period, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.

“The IDF will remain on the summit of Mount Hermon and in the security zone for an unlimited period of time to ensure the security of the residents of the State of Israel. We will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves in the security zone in southern Syria — from here to the Sweida-Damascus axis, and we will not be dependent on others for our defense,” Katz said.

Israel warns Lebanese residents to avoid areas near border

Israel issued a warning to Lebanese residents on Tuesday, telling them to avoid multiple areas near the Israeli border as it redeploys in various locations in southern Lebanon.

At least 22 were killed over the weekend.

“The deployment process is taking place gradually and in some sectors it is being postponed and requires more time in order to ensure that Hezbollah is not able to re-establish its strength in the field,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

‎”Hezbollah, as usual, puts its narrow interests above the interests of the Lebanese state and tries through its mouthpieces to heat up the situation, despite being the main reason for the destruction of the south,” the IDF said.

Palestinians on returning home: ‘It feels like we’re reborn!’

Emotional scenes played out all over the Gaza Strip on Monday as families and friends reunited for the first time in over 15 months after the Israeli military allowed movement between northern and southern Gaza.

A sea of people swept the shoreline heading north along the sandy remains of the coastal highway. Many traveled on foot trudging through sand, a Palestinian flag flickering in the wind above them.

“It feels like we’re reborn!” Om Wael, a grandmother from Gaza City, told ABC News as she carried her granddaughter in her arms, with a look of joyful determination on her face.

“Even if our home is flattened, we’re so happy to return to our city, to our homes, unharmed. Thank God,” she said.

Mirvat Ajur, 29, from the Daraj neighborhood in central Gaza City, told ABC News that she walked for about five hours until she reached central Gaza.

“It was a difficult journey, but the people were very happy, singing, clapping and dancing in joy at returning to their homes,” she said.

Approximately 300,000 people made the journey home, according to figures released by Gazan authorities. Samira Halas, 55, was among them.

“I know that my home is damaged and burned, but I want to return to it,” Halas, from Gaza City’s Shuja’iyya neighborhood, told ABC News, describing the destruction she saw upon her return “like an earthquake had hit it.”

“I want to live in those burned and destroyed rooms,” she continued. “I am like a fish dying far from the sea.”

-ABC News’ Ruwaida Amer and Zoe Magee

At least 300,000 return to northern Gaza

At least 300,000 Palestinians returned home to northern Gaza on Monday, according to the Gaza government office, after Israel allowed them to cross into the north for the first time in over a year.

135,000 tents needed in Gaza

As people return to northern Gaza on Monday, the Gaza government said it “immediately and urgently” needs at least 135,000 tents because 90% of the buildings have been destroyed.

The government called on the international community to help provide “basic supplies” for Palestinians.

8 dead hostages among 33 being released in 1st phase: Israel

Of the 33 Israeli hostages set to be released during the first phase of the ceasefire, eight have been killed by Hamas, according to Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer.

Seven hostages have already been released since the start of the ceasefire, meaning 18 more living hostages will be released by Hamas in the coming weeks.

More hostages are set to be released on Thursday and Saturday, Mencer said.

Threats to ceasefire will ‘bear the full cost,’ Israeli minister says

Katz Israel, the Israeli defense minister, said on Monday that his country would “firmly” enforce the ceasefires that have paused fighting in Gaza.

“Anyone who violates the rules or threatens IDF forces will bear the full cost,” he said in Hebrew on social media. “We will not allow a return to the reality of Oct. 7.”

Tens of thousands trek into northern Gaza

Tens of thousands of people were marching and driving on Monday back to northern Gaza, after Israel allowed them to cross into the north for the first time in over a year.

Long lines of Palestinians — some singing, others smiling and some kneeling to kiss the soil as they stepped into the northern part of the strip — were seen making their way home.

Those returning home were moving along two main routes.

Many of those who were were walking home were moving along al-Rashid Street, a path expected to be taken by about 300,000 people.

Many of those who were driving north were doing so along Salah al-Din Road.

A line of cars could be seen stretching for about 8 miles on Monday morning, as they waited for permission to cross into the northern part of Gaza.

-ABC News’ Sami Zyara, Diaa Ostaz, Jordana Miller, Nasser Atta and Samayeh Malekian

1 dead, 4 injured after IDF fired at ‘dozens of suspects’ in central Gaza

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its team evacuated one person who was killed, and four people who were injured, after an attack by Israeli snipers near the Wadi Gaza Bridge on Sunday.

Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that troops fired “warning shots” at “several gatherings of dozens of suspects” who the IDF said posed a threat to them.

Additionally, a rocket was destroyed by Israeli troops in southern Gaza, according to the IDF’s statement.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had introductory call with Israel’s Netanyahu

Newly confirmed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had an introductory call on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a statement from a U.S. senior defense official.

“Both leaders discussed the importance of advancing mutual security interests and priorities, especially in the face of persistent threats,” according to the statement.

Hegseth, who won Senate confirmation after being selected by President Donald Trump for the role, stressed to Netanyahu that the U.S. is “fully committed” to ensuring that Israel “has the capabilities it needs to defend itself,” according to the statement.

Additionally, the defense official said that “both leaders agreed to remain in close contact.”

Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extended to Feb. 18

The White House announced Sunday that the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended until Feb.18.

Lebanon, Israel and the U.S. will also begin negotiations for the return of Lebanese prisoners captured after Oct. 7, 2023.

-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie

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(LONDON) — An elephant trampled a tourist on safari to death in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, officials said.

In what park officials are calling a “tragic accident,” the tourist was charged and trampled by an elephant near Crocodile River at Malelane Gate which “regrettably resulted in the loss of life,” according to a statement from South African National Parks released on Saturday.

“South African National Parks (SANParks) officials are at the scene to attend to the matter and support the family,” park officials said.

Authorities are currently investigating the events that led up to the incident as well as the circumstances surrounding the death of the tourist.

“Due to the sensitivity of this matter, we appeal to the public to refrain from posting any pictures or videos of the incident and the victim,” officials said.

Authorities have not yet released any information about the tourist who was killed in the incident.

“SANParks Board and Management extend their heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the deceased for the loss of their loved one,” officials said.

The investigation remains open.

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(TOKYO) — The oval-shaped pit suddenly formed on a busy road in Yashio, Japan, taking down a truck and trapping the driver inside. Emergency crews battled unstable ground and debris.

The crater is about 30 feet wide and 16 feet deep. It formed in a well-traveled area of Saitama Prefecture, just outside Tokyo, Japan’s capital. While Tokyo is a global economic hub, Saitama is more residential.

Authorities say the driver, a man, is inside the cab and is in communication with firefighters. However, his truck’s front end appeared lodged in dirt, making the rescue difficult.

Locals appeared stunned. One woman described hearing a thunderous boom, running outside and seeing a hole where the road had been: “I could still see part of the truck at first, but then it kept sinking … and sinking … and then it was just gone.”

Another man, on his way to grab lunch, said he was just as shocked: “I drive this road all the time. Now I don’t know if it’s even safe to use anymore.”

Firefighters have deployed a crane and ropes. The walls of the hole are fragile, making the operation dangerous. Police have shut down roads in the area, fearing more collapses. Status of the driver is unclear.

The cause of the sinkhole is also not clear, but officials are investigating whether underground pipes, recent weather, or construction may have contributed.

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