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WATCH: Israeli hostages share ‘surprising’ experience with Hamas
READ: How Israel wiped out a generation of Gaza’s poets, writers and artists
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Israeli PM Netanyahu faces hostage families' wrath during parliament address
Families of hostages taken by Hamas heckled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday as he addressed parliament, vowing to bring the captives home but saying "more time" was needed.
"Now! Now!" the families chanted when Netanyahu said Israeli forces needed "more time" to increase military pressure on Gaza's Hamas rulers. Israel says 129 hostages are still held in the Palestinian territory.
Israeli air strike in Syria kills senior Iranian official: security sources
An Israeli air strike outside the Syrian capital Damascus has killed a senior adviser in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, three security sources said.
The sources told Reuters that the adviser, known by his nickname Sayyed Razi Mousavi, was responsible for coordinating the military alliance between Syria and Iran.
Concerns raised over Israeli media rules on Gaza reporting
Akiva Eldar, a columnist with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, says he’s worried about newly implemented media rules on how to report the fighting raging on in Gaza.
“The footage the Israelis saw on October 7 and since then the stories of the captives, it turned the journalists from doing honest, balanced reporting into Israeli patriots. The only way you can get into Gaza and to see and report and offer footage is to follow the military spokesperson to where he wants them to go,” Eldar told Al Jazeera.
“Until today, I haven’t seen any Israeli network interview a Palestinian woman, child or old people in the camps. And the reason is this isn’t what the customers want to see. And the media doesn’t want to antagonise their clients.”
20,674 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since Oct 7: health ministry
Gaza’s health ministry has said that 20,674 people have been killed and 54,536 injured in Israeli strikes since October 7.
The ministry added that 250 Palestinians were killed in the past 24 hours and 500 wounded.
Red Crescent says 34 injured evacuated from Gaza hospitals
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Netanyahu says Gaza fighting will last long, not close to ending
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the fighting in Gaza is far from over and dismissed what he cast as false media speculation that his government might call a halt to fighting against Hamas.
“We are not stopping. We are continuing to fight, and we will be intensifying the fighting in the coming days, and the fighting will take long and it is not close to concluding,” he told lawmakers from his Likud party, according to a statement.
Hamas, Islamic Jihad reject giving up power in return for permanent ceasefire: Egyptian sources
Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad have rejected an Egyptian proposal that they relinquish power in the Gaza Strip in return for a permanent ceasefire, two Egyptian security sources have told.
Both groups rejected offering any concessions beyond the possible release of more hostages seized on October 7.
Hezbollah ramps up attack on Israeli military base
The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah says it has targeted the Beit Hillel military base east of Kiryat Shmona, near the Lebanese border, and there were “confirmed casualties”.
According to a statement put out by the group, Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of the Birjat Rish site were also attacked.
“We targeted enemy soldiers in the vicinity of the Mitat barracks with appropriate weapons,” they added.
Eight missiles were launched from southern Lebanon towards Israeli military sites in the vicinity of the Sasa settlement in the Upper Galilee area of northern Israel.
The Israeli army also carried out a series of air strikes overnight, and this morning on sites and military infrastructure it said belonged to Hezbollah.
Pope deplores ‘desperate humanitarian situation’ in Gaza
Pope Francis has called for the release of hostages and an end to the war in Gaza during his annual Christmas Day mass.
“My heart grieves for the victims of the abominable attack of 7 October, and I reiterate my urgent appeal for the liberation of those still being held hostage,” he said during the “Urbi and Orbi” blessing.
“I plead for an end to the military operations with their appalling harvest of innocent civilian victims, and call for a solution to the desperate humanitarian situation by an opening to the provision of humanitarian aid. “
Iran refutes US claim it targeted tanker near India
Iran has dismissed a US claim that it was behind an attack on a chemical ship near India, terming the accusation “baseless”.
On Saturday, the Pentagon asserted that a drone launched from Iran struck a chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean.
Tehran has earlier denied claims by the US that it was “deeply involved” in attacks by Houthi rebels on commercial ships in the Red Sea.
On Saturday, Iran’s deputy foreign minister said Houthis were acting on their own.
Israeli attacks hit Jabalia
In the last couple of hours, there were attacks on Jabalia in northern Gaza that targeted small local businesses.
We have confirmed reports of an attack … on a warehouse which accommodates trucks and mechanic tools used for local businesses in the area.
There has been a pattern (in this war) of homes being destroyed, but now there are also attacks on businesses. The private sector is being destroyed across the Gaza Strip.
People search through rubble for air attack survivors with bare hands in Maghazi
People are desperately searching for survivors after overnight attacks by Israeli forces.
One man said five of his family members are trapped under the rubble, including his two-month-old child. He said there had been no ambulances or members of the civil defence present since Sunday so he had resorted to digging with his hands.
It smells like blood, we see shattered bodies, and we just saw them remove a little baby from under the rubble.
Now, people are attempting to pull out part of the body of someone who was trapped between slabs of concrete.
Israel’s war cabinet to discuss Egypt’s truce proposal today
Egypt is reported to have proposed a formula for a truce. They’re proposing seven to 10 days where all civilians would be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
There are a couple of extra elements that might be more challenging for the Israeli government to agree to. There’s another stage that suggests the release of all female soldiers in exchange for Palestinian prisoners – that would get another seven-day ceasefire. And then a month of negotiations to discuss the release of all military personnel held by Hamas in exchange for a lot more prisoners and Israel pulling back to Gaza’s borders.
Israel’s war cabinet will continue to discuss that today. But there are a lot of political considerations here in Israel. The cabinet is not particularly united. There’s one minister criticising the government for having a large ground operation instead of air strikes, resulting in the deaths of 17 soldiers since Friday.
Homes raided in Jenin refugee camp
The Israeli army came down here and raided at least 10 houses. They said they were looking for Palestinians to arrest but interestingly enough, they didn’t make any arrests.
Israeli forces did call for Palestinian fighters to come out and give themselves up but that didn’t happen either.
Residents are telling us that this is simply a campaign of harassment. Jenin refugee camp is now the most raided camp in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli forces are destroying any symbol of resistance or nationalism in the camp.
ICC slammed for blocking Australian cricketer’s show of support for Gaza
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has been slammed for showing a “lack of moral standing” after it refused to allow an Australian cricketer to show on-field support for Gaza where more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks.
Australia’s Usman Khawaja had “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal” written on his boots in the colours of the Palestinian flag in a training session ahead of the first match against Pakistan earlier this month. He was not allowed to wear those during the match.
His next attempt – printing a dove and an olive branch on his bat and shoes – was also blocked by the ICC.
“If it had been most other organisations that showed some semblance of consistency with their attitude and behaviour on issues I could claim surprise, but not them. Once again, they show their hypocrisy and lack of moral standing as an organisation,” said former West Indies fast-bowler Michael Holding.
Israeli air raids hit Aita al-Shaab, Lebanon
Videos posted by Lebanese accounts on X show the first moments of Israeli bombardment of the town of Aita al-Shaab and its surroundings in southern Lebanon, a short while ago.
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Women, children among victims of Israeli attacks on central Gaza
There was more death and destruction in the central Gaza Strip overnight concentrated in the al-Maghazi and al-Bureij refugee camps.
Some 100 people have been killed in the last 12 hours, with the vast majority of them women and children.
The bombs fell on homes and buildings… destroying neighborhoods and infrastructure, such as roads leading in and out of the refugee camps.
Since the UN Security Council Resolution passed on Friday (boosting aid to Gaza), the scale of air raids has only increased in magnitude. There is a huge gap between the sheer level of destruction being caused by Israeli forces and the promise of more aid.
People are going hungry. There is a severe shortage of necessities including clean drinking water and medical supplies.
Pope laments war in Holy Land on solemn Christmas Eve
CAIRO/GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Pope Francis lamented war in the land of the birth of Jesus on Sunday, where Christmas Eve brought only fresh bloodshed and an intensification of fighting across the length of the Gaza Strip.
Hours before midnight tolled for Christmas in the Holy Land, Palestinian health officials reported at least 70 dead in an Israeli airstrike on central Gaza. The Israeli military spokesperson's office said it was looking into the report.
Israel reported the highest two-day death toll for its troops in more than a month.
Battle to control Khan Younis could take ‘months’
Israel’s military believes it could take months to take control of Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis.
In a report published on Sunday, the Wall Street Journal cited a senior Israeli military officer as saying it could take months to assert control in the same way that Israeli forces have done in northern Gaza as Hamas is using guerrilla tactics to inflict mounting Israeli casualties.
The report comes amid rising casualties among Israeli forces in Gaza, with at least 16 Israeli soldiers killed in the enclave between Friday and Sunday.
Israel claims five hostages found dead in tunnel
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Five Israeli hostages killed in Hamas captivity were recovered from an underground tunnel network in the northern Gaza Strip, the military said on Sunday, showing footage of a white-tiled bathroom and work room linked by dark concrete-lined passages.
The publication left open the question of how they had died, with chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari saying post-mortems were pending. "We will brief the families and then, depending on what they approve, the public," he said.
Raids in Nablus, Jenin reportedly over, with arrests in Jenin
As we have been reporting, there are several raids happening across the occupied West Bank tonight.
Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut reporting from occupied East Jerusalem has been monitoring the situation overnight and has this update:
“The raids in both Nablus and Jenin are reportedly over with arrests taking place in Jenin and Jenin refugee camp.”
We’ll bring you updates on the ongoing raids across the occupied West Bank, including in Burka and Tubas soon.
Australia cricket captain Cummins backs Khawaja on his Gaza view
Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins has thrown his support behind star opener Usman Khawaja, saying his bid to bring attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was “not offensive”.
“We really support Uzzy. He’s standing up for what he believes and I think he’s done it really respectfully,” Cummins told reporters on the eve of the Test in Melbourne.
“As I said last week, ‘All lives are equal’, I don’t think that’s very offensive and I’d say the same about the dove.
Khawaja has been denied permission by the International Cricket Council to have a sticker showing a black dove holding an olive branch on his bat and shoes during the second Test against Pakistan.
The 36-year-old was also stopped from wearing shoes emblazoned with the hand-written slogans “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal” during the first Test in Perth.
‘Bethlehem has never been sad like this before’
The Holy Family Cave is a sculpture that depicts a harrowing tableau: a bombed-out version of the traditional nativity cave, which many Christians traditionally believe is where Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
“We have not witnessed such a scene in the square, and we have not seen the city in this condition,” said Father Ibrahim Feltz, the deputy custodian of the Holy Lands. “Bethlehem has never been sad like this before.”
Palestinians feel 'no joy' as Israel bombs Gaza on Christmas
Gaza Strip (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Palestinians said they felt "no joy" this Christmas as Israel bombed the besieged Palestinian territory on Monday, with no end in sight to the war that Hamas says has claimed more than 20,000 lives.
Festivities were effectively scrapped in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, revered as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, with few worshippers or tourists on the usually packed streets.
In the Gaza Strip, the Hamas militant group reported 50 strikes in central areas early on Monday, including in the Nuseirat refugee camp.
Israeli army: Two more soldiers killed in Gaza
The Israeli army identified the two soldiers as reservist Staff Sgt Maj Nitai Meisels, a 30 year old soldier from the 14th Armoured Brigade, and Sgt Rani Tamir, 20, from the 50th Battalion of the Nahal Brigade.
Both Meisels and Tamir were killed in battle in northern Gaza, the military said.
Another soldier was also seriously injured in the incident, added the statement posted on X.
Thousands of Moroccans rally against Gaza war
Rabat (AFP) – The crowd in Rabat of about 10,000 people denounced what protest leaders called a "war of extermination" as well as the normalisation of relations between Morocco and Israel.
The protesters were called to the streets by a disparate group of organisations backing the Palestinian cause, including left-wingers and members the Islamist Justice and Charity movement.
They marched along Mohammed V Avenue in the heart of the city, beneath banners declaring "stop the war of extermination in Gaza, stop normalisation".
On Christmas Eve, Bethlehem resembles a ghost town
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — The typically bustling biblical birthplace of Jesus resembled a ghost town Sunday after Christmas Eve celebrations in Bethlehem were called off due to the Israel-Hamas war.
The festive lights and Christmas tree that normally decorate Manger Square were missing, as were the throngs of foreign tourists and jubilant youth marching bands that gather in the West Bank town each year to mark the holiday. Dozens of Palestinian security forces patrolled the empty square.
“This year, without the Christmas tree and lights, there’s just darkness,” said Brother John Vinh, a Franciscan monk from Vietnam who has lived in Jerusalem for six years.
Netanyahu denies reports of US influence over Israeli military activity
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed reports that the United States had convinced Israel not to expand its military activity during a weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.
"I have seen false publications claiming that the US prevented and is preventing us from operational operations in the region," Netanyahu said, without elaborating on the reports. "This is not true. Israel is a sovereign state. Our decisions in the war are based on our operational considerations, and I will not elaborate on that."
The Wall Street Journal on Saturday reported that Netanyahu was persuaded by US President Joe Biden not to attack the militant Hezbollah group in Lebanon out of concerns it would launch an attack on Israel, similar to the Oct. 7 rampage by Hamas in Gaza on Israel's southern communities.
Netanyahu insisted on Sunday that Israel's actions are "not dictated by external pressures."
"The decision on how to use our forces is an independent decision of the IDF and no one else," Netanyahu said.
Palestinians recount 'torture' in Israeli custody
Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – The two men were among hundreds detained by Israeli forces over alleged links with the armed group Hamas during Israel's ongoing ground offensive in the besieged Hamas-run territory.
Israel vowed to defeat Hamas after a deadly attack by militants on October 7, launching a relentless military campaign in Gaza.
About 20 men released from Israeli custody "have bruises and marks of blows on their bodies", Marwan al-Hams, hospital director in the southern city of Rafah, told AFP.
Macron talks with Jerusalem patriarch and expresses 'great concern' about Gaza Catholic parish
(AFP) - Macron spoke with Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa by telephone on Saturday to discuss the "tragic situation" there since the outbreak of war between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants on October 7.
"Hundreds of civilians of all confessions... have been living under bombs and bullets for more than two months while worshippers and nuns take care of the sick, elderly or disabled," Macron was quoted as saying in a press release by the Elysée Palace.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said on December 16 that an Israeli soldier shot dead "in cold blood" a Christian mother and daughter on the grounds of the Gaza Strip's only Catholic church.
At least 70 Palestinians killed in air strike on refugee camp
(Web Desk) - At least 70 Palestinians have been killed in an air attack on the al-Maghazi refugee camp, which a Palestinian Health Ministry spokesperson describes as a “massacre”.
Christians in Bethlehem as well as Pope Francis have renewed calls for peace in Christmas messages.
Palestinian artist Rana Bishara and sculptor Sana Farah Bishara have created an artwork showing a baby Jesus in an incubator in Bethlehem.
The bronze statue is lying on a red and white keffiyeh inside an illuminated incubator outside the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank.
