Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the army in the Strip again. “I have two things to say to you: the first – he stressed to the soldiers, according to his office – is that we must do everything to protect your safety and your lives.” “The second – he added – is, that we don't stop. Whoever talks about it, it's not like that. It will continue until the end. Until we finish them off. Nothing less.”
Netanyahu was challenged during a speech to parliament by the families of hostages held in the Gaza Strip since the war against Hamas began 80 days ago. “Now, now,” relatives of the hostages chanted at various points in the speech as the prime minister explained that Israeli forces needed “more time” to secure their release while continuing operations in Palestinian territory.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad They rejected Egypt's proposal to replace their government in Gaza in exchange for a permanent ceasefire. Haaretz writes this based on information received from Egypt today. The Qatar-backed Egyptian plan calls for a new prisoner exchange, followed by a permanent ceasefire and the future formation of a technocrat government in Gaza. The information website “Gaza Report” also writes from the Gaza Strip that it has learned that Hamas and Islamic Jihad have “officially rejected” the Egyptian plan.
The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced that at least 70 people were killed in an Israeli attack on the al-Maghazi refugee camp. in the middle of the strip. The ministry said the Israeli attack destroyed at least three houses in the camp. Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said that an “apartment block” was destroyed in the raid and that the number of victims “is likely to increase” given the large number of families living there. In another incident, ten family members were killed in a raid on Jabalia camp, according to the ministry.
In the Maghazi refugee camp, which Hamas said was hit by an Israeli attack yesterday, people are also digging through the rubble with their bare hands which caused at least 70 deaths. “Injured people and bodies still lie under the rubble,” a spokesman for Al-Aqsa Hospital told Al Jazeera. The images show entire buildings being gutted and dozens of bodies being recovered sealed in plastic bags.
Israeli army ground units moved in at dawn today in refugee camps in the central part of the Gaza Strip. This was stated in the Knesset by a member of the Israeli War Cabinet, the leader of the Orthodox “Shas” party, Arie Deri. “We have more or less achieved military enforcement in the north of the Gaza Strip.” Many armed forces are stationed in the south. “Now we can say that Zahal (abbreviation for the armed forces, editor’s note) can be found everywhere in the Gaza Strip.”
A general in the Revolutionary Guard, Iran's ideological army, has been killed in Syria Israel is to be blamed for an attack near Damascus, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported. General Razi Moussavi, one of the Guardians' most senior advisers in Syria, was killed “a few hours ago” in a “Zionist regime attack” in the Sayyida Zeinab neighborhood south of Damascus, IRNA reported.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said this Israel “will pay.” “certainly” for the murder of a high-ranking Revolutionary Guard general in Syria. “Without a doubt, this action is another sign of the frustration, impotence and incompetence of the Zionist regime in the region,” Raisi said in a statement, adding that Israel “will certainly pay for this crime.”
Video Israel, Netanyahu's Christmas greetings: “If we stay united, we will win this war”
According to the Hamas Ministry of Health, the death toll rises to 20,674
The Hamas Ministry of Health has announced the new death toll in the Gaza Strip: 20,674. The ministry also reported that more than 54,536 people have been injured since October 7.
Netanyahu: “The war will last a long time, it is not over yet”
The war in Gaza “will last a long time and is not over yet”: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this in a meeting of the Likud parliamentary list in the Knesset. Returning from a meeting with soldiers deployed in the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu said he heard from them a clear desire to “go to the end.” “Even if doubts arise in the press and on local television, we will not stop fighting,” he said. And we will continue to intensify the fighting in the coming days. “We must be patient,” he concluded, “remain united and persevere in fulfilling our mission.”
The Israeli army is reviewing the attack on the refugee camp
The Israeli army has begun a “review” of the airstrike carried out last night in the Maghazi refugee camp in the central part of the Gaza Strip. The military radio reported it. Meanwhile, Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee (speaking in Arabic) returned today to call on the population of the central part of the Gaza Strip to move away from the fighting areas, which are currently focused on Khan Yunis and the Sallah Artery. Dyn. For those attempting an evacuation, Adraee has provided an itinerary online that runs from the central sector to Deir al-Balah and from there along the sea to Rafah at the southern end of the Gaza Strip.
Israel raises the state of alarm on the border with Lebanon
The Israeli army today further increased the state of alert on the border with Lebanon and closed large parts of the Upper Galilee to traffic. Checkpoints have been set up at around ten major road junctions, including in Sasa, Baram, Banyas and Naftali. The capitals of the Upper Galilee, Kiryat Shomona and Metulla, are completely deserted. Many buildings were damaged by the fire from Lebanon.
Since the start of the war, 80,000 Israelis living near the border with Lebanon have had to be evacuated. Their representatives reiterate that they will not return to these locations until Hezbollah is removed from the border area.
Hospital, 16 dead in raid on Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza
An Israeli airstrike on the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza killed at least 16 Palestinians and damaged several houses. This was stated by Palestinian health officials at Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital, quoted by the Guardian. Officials say the death toll could rise.
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA