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Gaza War

Gaza War

US warns Israel over civilian deaths amid Gaza offensive

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US Secretary of State Blinken met with Qatari prime minister

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani discussed their coordination on efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas and the importance of preventing the conflict in Gaza from spreading, the State Department said on Friday.

“The secretary expressed appreciation for Qatar’s critical efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas and the recent humanitarian pause in Gaza,” the department said in a statement.
 

US warns Israel over civilian deaths amid Gaza offensive

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Thursday expressed growing frustration at Israel's failure to protect civilians in Gaza. Speaking at a press conference, Blinken said, "It remains imperative that Israel put a premium on civilian protection".

There is a gap between the "expressed intention" from Israel concerning civilian deaths and the "reality on the ground", says FRANCE 24 Chief Foreign Editor Rob Parsons reporting from Tel Aviv.

"The US is saying to Binyamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, that something has to be done to close that gap."

Rockets fired at southern Israel from Gaza

Four rockets have been fired from Gaza towards the southern Israeli city of Sderot, according to the local authorities.

Two of the rockets were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defence system, while two landed outside the city. No casualties have been reported.

 

Hamas armed wing says Israeli soldier killed in thwarted rescue attempt

The armed wing of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, says it thwarted a rescue attempt by Israeli forces this morning, which led to the death of a captured soldier.

The Qassam Brigades said it discovered Israeli forces trying to free one of its hostages, but it “clashed” with them, which led to the death of the captured soldier, Sa’ar Baruch.

“The military aircraft intervened and bombed the place with a series of raids to cover up the attack,” the brigade said.

They added that the attack led to the obtaining of an Israeli rifle and the special forces communication device.

 

Israeli military says journalist killed was in an ‘active combat zone’

The Israeli military has responded to criticism that its October strikes along the Lebanese border, which killed a journalist and injured six others, were a direct attack on civilians and should be investigated as a war crime.

On October 13, “Hezbollah launched an attack on multiple targets within Israeli territory along the Lebanese border”, the Israeli forces said in a statement.

The Israeli military added that they “used artillery and tank fire” after fears of an “infiltration” arose after an anti-tank missile struck the border fence between Lebanon and Israel.

“The area is an active combat zone, where active fire takes place and being in this area is dangerous. The incident is currently under review,” the statement said.

 

At least five Palestinians killed in Far’a refugee camp

At least five Palestinians have been shot dead by Israeli forces in a raid on the Far’a refugee camp in occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Overnight and early this morning, raids have been reported in several areas across the occupied Palestinian territory:

Ramallah, where Israeli soldiers fired sound grenades and tear gas
Al-Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron
Villages of Kafr Qaddum and Jinsafut, east of Qalqilya
Occupied East Jerusalem, where Israeli forces have also arrested two Palestinian men, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa
 

Israeli military claim to have hit targets in Syria

The Israeli military announced that they had, overnight, struck what they described as an “armed terrorist cell” in the vicinity of the occupied Golan Heights.

They said they had also hit several targets in Syria in response to attacks on the occupied Golan Heights yesterday.

The Golan Heights is a 1,200 square kilometre (463 square miles) plateau in Syrian territory that was occupied by Israel in 1967 after capturing the area in the Six-Day War. It was annexed by Israel in 1981.

 

Ben-Gvir requests Hamas prisoners be moved to underground prison wing

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has ordered the country’s prison service commissioner to reopen an underground prison wing to hold jailed members of Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades.

The Times of Israel, citing Hebrew media, reported that the wing was part of the Nitzan prison in central Israel and is reported to have been unused for years.

Ben-Gvir also wrote to Israel’s police commissioner describing the conditions in the underground wing as “not among the best”, but that the conditions “comply with the provisions of the law and the relevant regulations, and it has housed prisoners in the past”. 

Renewed Israeli air strikes across Gaza

Israeli forces struck a number of areas across the Gaza Strip earlier today, including in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza.

Additionally, an Israeli air attack on a house in Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza, killed five people. 

Latest casualty figures


Gaza
Killed: 17,177
Wounded: 46,000

Occupied West Bank
Killed: 266
Wounded: 3,365

Israel
Killed in Oct 7 attack: 1,147 (revised from 1,400)
Wounded: 8,730
Soldiers killed since Oct 7: 418

*Figures as reported by Palestinian health ministry and Israeli army 

UN Security Council to consider urging Gaza ceasefire

UNITED NATIONS (United States) (AFP) – The UN Security Council meets on Gaza Friday under acute pressure from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and will vote on urging an immediate ceasefire after weeks of ruinous war.

Even though the civilian death toll in the Palestinian territory is mounting and living conditions are described as catastrophic amid Israel's bombardment, the outcome of the session is up in the air.

In a letter to the council on Wednesday, Guterres took the extraordinary step of invoking the UN charter's Article 99, which states that the secretary-general may bring to the attention of the council "any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security."

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UN Security Council to consider urging Gaza ceasefire

US Jewish community gathers in New York to demand Gaza ceasefire

Rabbis and members of the Jewish community gathered in the US city to mark the first day of Hanukkah and to call for a ceasefire and an end to genocide in Gaza. 

People hold candles and placards as Jewish rabbis and members of the community gather demanding a permanent ceasefire in Gaza during the first night of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Two more Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza fighting

The Israeli military has announced the deaths of two more soldiers killed in fighting in Gaza, while a third was seriously injured.

One of the soldiers, a 41-year-old in the 271st Engineering Battalion, was killed in battle in southern Gaza. The second, a 28-year-old in the 699th Battalion, was killed during fighting north of the Gaza Strip.

The UN reports that 93 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the start of the ground invasion of Gaza, citing official Israeli sources.

It is not known if the latest deaths are included in that total.

 

Casualties reported as Israeli fighter jets pound Gaza

Israeli warplanes have launched a series of raids across the Gaza Strip, according to the Al Jazeera team in Gaza, with reports of casualties, specifically in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central area of the war-torn Palestinian enclave.

An Al Jazeera video shows civil defence and civilian volunteers carrying injured Palestinians out of a building destroyed in the attack.

Air strikes were also launched in the early morning hours in several areas of Khan Younis in the south, including Maan, Jourat al-Aqqad, and around al-Mahatta Street, as well as in the neighbouring city of Rafah.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported several deaths and injuries from an Israeli bombing that targeted the Shujayea neighbourhood, east of Gaza City.

 

Israeli tank fire killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah in Lebanon

An Israeli tank crew killed a Reuters journalist and wounded six reporters in Lebanon on Oct. 13 by firing two shells in quick succession from Israel while the journalists were filming cross-border shelling, a Reuters investigation has found.

The two strikes killed Reuters visuals journalist Issam Abdallah, 37, and severely wounded Agence France-Presse (AFP) photographer Christina Assi, 28, just over a kilometre from the Israeli border near the Lebanese village of Alma al-Chaab.

Reuters spoke to more than 30 government and security officials, military experts, forensic investigators, lawyers, medics and witnesses to piece together a detailed account of the incident. The news agency reviewed hours of video footage from eight media outlets in the area at the time and hundreds of photos from before and after the attack, including high-resolution satellite images.

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Israeli tank fire killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah in Lebanon

Israeli forces conduct night raid in central Ramallah

Al Jazeera reported that Israeli soldiers are conducting raids in the centre of the Palestinian city.

Israeli soldiers have fired sound grenades and tear gas in the streets of the Palestinian administrative capital, but so far they’ve not been met with resistance.

“What’s surprising so far is we haven’t seen the hundreds of youths that normally come out and hurl rocks at the military when they come in in situations like this.

The raid follows another yesterday on a publishing house in the city after its owner was accused of producing pro-Hamas material.

 

Man arrested in New York state after gun fired outside synagogue, governor says

A man has been arrested in New York state after allegedly firing a gun outside a synagogue, according to the state’s governor.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said a 28-year-old suspect was in custody after shots were fired outside Temple Israel in Albany and that no one was injured in the incident.

“Undermining public safety at a synagogue on the first night of Hanukkah is deplorable,” Hochul said in a post on X on Thursday. “New Yorkers stand united against antisemitism, hate, & violence in all forms.”

Authorities in the US have warned of a sharp rise in hate crimes targeting Jewish people, Muslims and Arabs since the start of the war in Gaza.

 

‘Duck and cover’: Siren alarm, explosions heard near US embassy in Baghdad

Videos circulating online and verified by Al Jazeera’s verification unit, Sanad news agency, showed the first moments after rockets hit an area near the US Embassy in Baghdad.

In one verified video posted on X, siren alarm was overheard at dawn amid a series of mild and loud explosions near the embassy building.

A loudspeaker also announced in English, “Duck and cover. Get away from the windows. Take cover and await further instructions.”

A separate video posted on Facebook also showed the area of Baghdad’s diplomatic area as explosions were heard in the background.

The incident comes as supporters of Palestinians in the region vowed retaliation against Israel and its close ally, the US, for the deadly war in Gaza. 

Urban fighting rages in Gaza as war enters third month

GAZA STRIP (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Heavy urban combat raged in and around Gaza's biggest cities on Thursday as the bloodiest-ever war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas entered its third month since the militants' attack on October 7.

The death toll in Gaza has soared to 17,177 according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and vast areas of the besieged territory have been reduced to a rubble-strewn wasteland of bombed-out or bullet-scarred buildings.

Israeli forces have encircled major urban centres as they seek to destroy Hamas over its unprecedented attack in October when militants broke through Gaza's militarised border to kill around 1,200 people and seize hostages, 138 of whom remain captive, according to Israeli figures.

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Urban fighting rages in Gaza as war enters third month

Hundreds more Palestinians killed in Israel's assault on Hamas in south Gaza

GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Hundreds more Palestinians were killed as Israel fought Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip's biggest cities on Thursday, and almost 2 million displaced Gazans facing shortages of food struggled to find safe refuge.

Residents reported fierce battles going on east of Khan Younis, southern Gaza's largest city. Palestinian health officials said three Gazans were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza.

Israel said its forces killed a number of gunmen in Khan Younis, including two who emerged firing from a tunnel.

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Hundreds more Palestinians killed in Israel's assault on Hamas in south Gaza