January 4, Thursday, 2024

1. Qatar-based satellite TV network Al Jazeera says 14 people have been killed in Israel’s overnight bombardment targeting areas near an evacuation zone in southern Gaza. Al Jazeera says that many of the victims of the Israeli strike outside the city of Khan Younis on Wednesday and Thursday were children.
2. Russia and Ukraine have conducted their largest exchange of prisoners of war since Russia’s invasion began in 2022. Ukraine’s military said on Wednesday that 230 people, including soldiers and six civilians, returned home. The Russian defense ministry said 248 military personnel returned to the country.
3. Officials in Ishikawa Prefecture in central Japan say that 84 people have been confirmed dead after the magnitude 7.6 earthquake that struck on New Year’s Day. The cities of Wajima and Suzu accounted for the majority of the confirmed total. As of Thursday, 48 deaths had been reported in Wajima, and 23 in Suzu. A total of 305 people are reportedly injured in the prefecture.