22:00 GMT – WHO chief says Gaza situation 'more horrific'
The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said "carnage must stop," in Gaza, where the Palestinian death toll has climbed to 20,000.
"I have lost count of the number of times when I thought the crisis in Gaza could not get more horrific. But it has happened again," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.
"The horrors are endless for those trapped in what has become a Hell on earth," the WHO chief said, adding that on average around 300 people are being killed daily in the besieged enclave.
17:20 GMT – UNSC resolution may 'slow down' aid delivery to Gaza, US warns
The United States has said that there are "serious and widespread concerns" that the current draft of a UN Security Council resolution that aims to boost humanitarian aid to Gaza "could actually slow down" deliveries.
"The goal of this resolution is to facilitate and help expand humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza, and we cannot lose sight of that purpose," said Nate Evans, spokesperson for the US mission to the United Nations ahead of a likely vote.
"We must ensure any resolution helps and doesn't hurt the situation on the ground," he said.
13:15 GMT - Sirens as Hamas fires rockets
Sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and reporters witnessed rocket interceptions as Hamas fighters in Gaza have said they launched a salvo at Israel's capital.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service said there had been several impact points in southern Tel Aviv but no immediate word of casualties.
13:10 GMT - Hundreds of wounded died at Al Shifa Hospital due to lack of services: Health Ministry
Hundreds of wounded people are losing their lives due to a lack of health care services at the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the Ministry of Health has said.
The ministry spokesperson, Ashraf Al Qudra, said that hospitals in the Gaza City and the northern part of the besieged enclave have ceased operations.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces returned to and targeted the Al Shifa Hospital, as well as a civilian vehicle in front of its gate.
13:05 GMT - No talks over prisoner swap except after end to Israeli 'aggression': Hamas
Palestinian factions reject any talks about prisoner swaps until after Israeli "aggression" is ended, a statement published by Hamas has said.
"There is a Palestinian national decision that there should be no talk about prisoners or exchange deals except after a full cessation of aggression", the statement said.
In addition to Hamas, Islamic Jihad, a smaller Palestinian resistance group, is also holding hostages in Gaza.
Thursday, December 21, 2023
13:00 GMT - Israeli strike kills border crossing chief, three others: official
An Israeli air strike killed a senior border official and three others in Rafah in southern Gaza near the border with Egypt, Hamas and health officials have said, but Israel's military indicated it was not involved.
The Hamas and health officials said Colonel Bassam Ghaben, director of the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing of the Israel-Gaza border, and three other Palestinians were killed in the strike near the gate of Rafah crossing.
Asked for comment, an Israeli military spokesperson said: "We checked this, and it's not an incident that is familiar to us."
12:55 GMT - Hamas demands release of top 3 Palestinian leaders
Hamas demands the release of three top Palestinian leaders in any hostage swap deal with Israel, according to Israeli media.
Hamas insists Marwan Barghouti, Ahmed Saadat and Abdullah Barghouti be on the list of prisoners to be released in any new deal, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported.
Barghouti, 64, a prominent member of Fatah’s Central Committee, was arrested by Israel in 2002 and slapped with five life sentences.
12:43 GMT - Northern Gaza no longer has a functional hospital: WHO
The World Health Organisation has said that northern Gaza has been left without a functional hospital due to a lack of fuel, staff and supplies.
"There are actually no functional hospitals left in the north," Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative in Gaza, told reporters via video link from Jerusalem.
"Al-Ahli (Hospital) was the last one but it is now minimally functional."
12:30 GMT - At least 55 Palestinians killed in Khan Younis
At least 55 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Khan Younis in southern Gaza in the last 24 hours, says Palestine’s official news agency Wafa.
Khan Younis is the largest city in southern Gaza and was home to about 400,000 people before Israel launched its war on the besieged enclave.
Despite ordering Gaza residents to move from northern Gaza to the south, implying that the south was safer, Israel has expanded its air and ground attacks into the south, further displacing a shell-shocked population of millions.
11:25 GMT - Hamas demands release of top 3 Palestinian leaders
Hamas demands the release of three top Palestinian leaders in any hostage swap deal with Israel, according to Israeli media.
Hamas insists Marwan Barghouti, Ahmed Saadat and Abdullah Barghouti be on the list of prisoners to be released in any new deal, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported.
Barghouti, 64, a prominent member of Fatah’s Central Committee, was arrested by Israel in 2002 and slapped with five life sentences.
09:53 GMT - Northern Gaza no longer has a functional hospital: WHO
The World Health Organisation has said that northern Gaza has been left without a functional hospital due to a lack of fuel, staff and supplies.
"There are actually no functional hospitals left in the north," Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative in Gaza, told reporters via video link from Jerusalem.
"Al-Ahli (Hospital) was the last one but it is now minimally functional."
08:34 GMT - Israeli strike kills elderly woman in southern Lebanon
An Israeli strike killed an elderly woman and wounded her husband in their home in southern Lebanon, Lebanon's state news agency and a security source has said.
Israel's military said the air force had carried out retaliatory strikes on Hezbollah targets, including a site from which the group launched an attack on Wednesday night, and that Israel had shelled several launch sites in southern Lebanon.
The woman's death brought the civilian death toll from Israeli fire on southern Lebanon in recent weeks to about 20, including journalists and children, according to a Reuters count.
07:52 GMT - EU to contribute to US-led security coalition in Red Sea attacks
The European Union will contribute to a maritime coalition led by the US for security in the Red Sea amid ongoing Houthi attacks on commercial vessels.
At the extraordinary Political and Security Committee (PSC) meeting today, member states have agreed to contribute to the US Operation Prosperity Guardian, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on X.
Borrell added that "irresponsible Houthi actions are a threat to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea."
06:50 GMT - Israel reports more soldier loses in Gaza invasion
Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation has reported three more Israeli soldiers killed and eight others injured seriously in Gaza.
Israeli army confirms casualties, including Corporal Lavi Ghasi, as death toll reaches 469 in Gaza invasion since October 7th.
The Israeli army announced in a written statement that Corporal Lavi Ghasi (19) from the 931st Battalion of the Nahal Brigade was killed in the conflict in northern Gaza.
05:31 GMT - Israel issues new ultimatum to Gaza residents to leave
Israel has issued a new ultimatum, ordered the residents of large areas of besieged Gaza's main southern city to flee, the United Nations said.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [OCHA] said Israel had released maps showing new areas covering about 20 percent of the Khan Younis city that had been marked for mass exoduses.
Before fighting broke out, the area was home to more than 110,000 people, OCHA said.
05:00 GMT - Hezbollah loses another fighter
Lebanon's Hezbollah has said that one of its fighters was killed in fighting with the Israeli army along border areas with Israel.
A statement by the Lebanese group identified the fighter as Ibrahim Raslan, and it said he was killed "on the road to Jerusalem," in reference to Hezbollah's fight in support of Palestinian resistance against a devastating Israeli onslaught on besieged Gaza.
The group also said its fighters targeted an Israeli military site in Al Abad and fortifications with appropriate weapons, and inflicted "confirmed casualties."
04:49 GMT - Almost 60% of Germans believe Israel is 'foreign'
Fifty-nine percent of Germans agree with the phrase, "Israel is foreign to me," according to a poll by the German Forsa Institute on behalf of the Welt newspaper.
Among Germans between 30 and 44 years of age, as much as 70 percent feel Israel is foreign, the newspaper reported.
The survey concluded that 57 percent of Germans think Israel pursues "its interests without regard for other peoples."
04:13 GMT - Israel holds 300 Palestinians from Gaza in harsh conditions
Israeli media have reported that the army is holding hundreds of Palestinians from besieged Gaza, accused of being Hamas' armed wing elite forces members, in harsh conditions.
Israeli Channel 12 alleged that 300 members of the Al Qassam Brigades elite forces, known as Nukhba Forces, are currently being held in Israel.
It said the Palestinians are being classified at the highest level — dangerous.
It noted that they were arrested in Israeli towns and areas around Gaza on October 7, and are accused of being involved in the Hamas surprise blitz.
04:00 GMT - Blinken underscores US commitment to 'independent Palestinian state'
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has underscored Washington's commitment to "an independent Palestinian state" in a telephone conversation with his French, German and UK counterparts.
Blinken "stressed the importance of urgently addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza, the imperative of minimising civilian casualties, and the need to prevent the conflict’s further escalation," in the call with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, according to spokesperson Matthew Miller.
"The Secretary also condemned attacks by the Houthis on commercial vessels operating in the Red Sea and urged cooperation among all partners to uphold maritime security," he added.
03:24 GMT - 'Over 4,000' French mercenaries engaged in Israel's war on Gaza
A French lawmaker has urged the government to investigate more than 4,000 citizens fighting alongside the invading Israeli army for "war crimes" in Palestinian territories.
Thomas Portes from the La France Insoumise [LFI] party wrote on X that he sent a letter to Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti, requesting an investigation into the 4,185 French-origin soldiers fighting alongside Israeli army in Gaza.
It comes as French President Emmanuel Macron urged Israel not "to flatten Gaza" or "attack civilian populations indiscriminately."
03:00 GMT - Sanctions requested against pro-Israel lawmaker in France
Tensions have reached a boiling point in a heated French parliamentary session as sanctions were sought against lawmaker Meyer Habib, who holds French and Israeli citizenship.
Accusations stemmed from alleged "war crime propaganda" following a debate on recent Israeli attacks on Gaza. Eric Coquerel, a member of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) took the floor to mourn a Foreign Ministry official killed in Gaza by Israel.
Coquerel's attempt to observe a one-minute tribute for the official was met with rejection, prompting him to voice concerns about casualties in Gaza.
02:23 GMT - 8,000 Palestinian children killed by Israel remembered in Netherlands
A commemorative event was organised in Rotterdam for more than 8,000 Palestinian children killed in Israel's attacks on Gaza.
The event was organised by the Olive Tree Planting Foundation at Binnenrotte Square, which was transformed into a somber sea of remembrance as approximately 8,000 pairs of children's shoes were laid out to symbolize the tragic toll of the conflict.
Every 10 minutes, pairs of shoes were added to the display, symbolising the alarming frequency with which children are killed in the region. Volunteers tirelessly worked to distribute informational brochures to passersby, shedding light on the dire situation in Gaza.
For our live updates from Wednesday, December 20, click here.
