Sunday, December 24, 2023
20:13 GMT – UN says at least 50,000 pregnant women in need of help in Gaza
The UN Palestinian refugee agency is struggling to provide care for at least 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza amid relentless Israeli attacks.
"There are an estimated 50,000 pregnant women in the Gaza Strip, with over 180 giving birth every day," the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) said in a statement.
The UN agency said its doctors and midwives "are doing everything possible to provide care for post-natal and high-risk pregnant women at the seven operational UNRWA health centres."
17:45 GMT – WHO chief decries 'decimation' of Gaza health system
The head of the World Health Organization said on Sunday that the health system in Gaza was being destroyed, and reiterated his call for a ceasefire.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also hailed Gaza's medical workers who continue their work under increasingly dire circumstances.
"The decimation of the Gaza health system is a tragedy," he posted on X, formerly Twitter. "We persist in calling for ceasefire now."
12:20 GMT – Israeli troops kill at least 47 Palestinians in southern Gaza
At least 47 Palestinians have been killed in the southern Gaza Strip in Israeli attacks since Saturday evening.
At least 40 Palestinians were killed and dozens others were injured in Israeli bombing of homes in the central region of the Gaza Strip as Israeli forces, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
One of the targets of Israeli planes bombarding southern Gaza was the home of the Abu Al-Awf family in the Canada camp, west of Rafah city, causing many injuries, the agency said.
12:00 GMT – Gaza death toll rises to 20,424
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Sunday that at least 20,424 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since the start of the war with Israel.
The toll included 166 deaths in the past 24 hours, it said, as fighting continued in the war that broke out when Hamas launched cross-border attack on southern Israel on October 7.
10:40 GMT – Israeli soldiers kill child in Gaza hospital
Israeli forces on Sunday killed a child in a hospital in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis.
"A 13-year-old child, displaced, has been martyred at the PRCS Al-Amal Hospital, in Khan Younis due to being shot by an Israeli drone while inside the hospital building," the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said in a statement.
In a separate incident, three other Palestinians were killed and others were injured in an Israeli raid that targeted a house in the Japanese neighbourhood, west of Khan Younis, medical sources told Anadolu.
05:00 GMT - Palestine accuses Israel of obstructing UN resolution on aid
Palestine accused the Israeli government of attempting to obstruct the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2720 concerning the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Israel had turned Gaza into a "mass grave for civilians."
It condemned Israel's escalation of violence and genocide against Palestinian civilians, "in the strongest terms".
04:10 GMT - Biden, Netanyahu discussed Israeli military's objectives in Gaza
US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed Israel's war on Gaza, including its "objectives and phasing," the White House said.
Biden "emphasised the critical need to protect the civilian population including those supporting the humanitarian aid operation, and the importance of allowing civilians to move safely away from areas of ongoing fighting," the White House said in a statement.
"The leaders discussed the importance of securing the release of all remaining hostages," the White House said.
03:30 GMT - Foreign ministers of Türkiye, UAE discuss situation in Gaza
Fidan and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed the draft resolution adopted by the UN Security Council regarding the current situation in Gaza and humanitarian aid.
Underlining the importance of making maximum efforts to carry out humanitarian aid activities in the most effective way, Fidan said the ultimate goal is to ensure permanent peace in the region and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
For our live updates from Saturday, December 23, click here.
