Rome, December 24, 2023 – Un Christmas of War in the Middle East, despite appeals from the UN and WHO for a humanitarian pause. Other Eight Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting in the Gaza StripThe number of victims rose to 152. On the Palestinian front, Hamas speaks of more than 200 deaths within 24 hours. In the afternoon, an aid truck was attacked by a crowd in Rafah, southern Gaza. Hamas officers fired to disperse the crowd, killing two people, including a teenager. According to local sources, there is an “air of anarchy” on the streets.
An Israeli howitzer in action (Ansa)
Yesterday me Houthi rebels in Yemen They started again Rockets on international shipping routes Red Sea Headed south, but no ship reported being hit by the two anti-ship missiles. Today the Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto expressed his concern about the crisis in the region: “The ships are no longer sailing, we have to intervene because we cannot afford a new economic crisis.”
Live news
9:31 p.m
Hamas, number of victims of the attack on Al-Maghazi: 70 dead
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said at least 70 people were killed in an Israeli raid on several houses in Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said that “the number of martyrs of the Al Maghazi massacre has so far risen to 70,” after explaining that an “apartment block” was destroyed in the raid and that the The number of victims “will probably 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.
8:45 p.m
UNRWA: 50,000 pregnant women in the Gaza Strip
“It is estimated that there are 50,000 pregnant women in the Gaza Strip, of whom more than 180 give birth every day. UNRWA doctors and midwives are doing their utmost to provide postpartum and high-risk pregnant women in 7 (out of 22) operational UNRWA health centers.” UNRWA writes it on X.
8:04 p.m
UNRWA, danger of famine in Gaza: It would be a shame for humanity
“The people of Gaza have not experienced hunger until this war. Now it is widespread and the WFP is warning of impending famine. It would be nothing short of a man-made famine and a disgrace to our shared humanity. We can make it happen.” Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner General of UNRWA, the United Nations agency for the relief and employment of Palestinian refugees, writes this down
7:19 p.m
Netanyahu's wife writes to the Pope: “Intervene for the hostages”
The Israeli Prime Minister's wife, Sara Netanyahu, has written an official letter to Pope Francis asking for his help in efforts to release hostages held in Gaza. “Hamas still holds 129 men, women and children hostage. Many of them are injured and sick. They suffer from hunger and some are deprived of the basic medicines they need to survive. Your Holiness, I ask for your personal intervention in this matter. “Please use your influence to demand the unconditional release of all hostages immediately,” Sarah Netanyahu wrote in the letter. “Please also contact the Red Cross and ask them to visit all hostages immediately and provide them with essential medicines. So far, the Red Cross has failed to insist on these goals. Your intervention could make the difference and save precious lives,” he writes again.
6:21 p.m
Israel, all roads in the Upper Galilee have been reopened to traffic
Israel's Upper Galilee Regional Council has announced that all roads in the region have been reopened to car traffic after 12 intersections were closed this morning due to an “assessment of the security situation” by the army. Haaretz reports it. This morning, warning sirens sounded in the town of Shlomi in the Upper Galilee after rocket fire from southern Lebanon.
5:49 p.m
Netanyahu: “We are escalating the war in the Gaza Strip”
“We are escalating the war in Gaza. We will continue to fight until the final victory over Hamas.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this, adding: “This is the only way to bring back the hostages, eliminate Hamas and ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to the country .” “It will take some time, but we are united: soldiers, people and government. We are united and determined to fight to the end.” “The war – he stressed – exacts a high, very high price on the lives of our heroic soldiers and we will do everything to protect them. But one thing we won’t do is we won’t stop until we win.”
5:13 p.m
Explosives and weapons found in two schools in Gaza
Large quantities of combat vehicles, including hand grenades, weapons of various types, RPG launchers and explosives, were found by an Israeli army unit in the Sheikh Radwan district of Gaza City in two schools, near a mosque and civilian houses. This was announced by the military spokesman. The operation, he added, began with the evacuation of the civilians who had been displaced in these schools. During subsequent searches, the spokesman said, in addition to the weapons, numerous militiamen were also found who had found refuge in these buildings. Some were killed and dozens were taken to Israel for interrogation.
4:42 p.m
Second victim in Rafah
The number of incidents that occurred today in Rafah (south of the Gaza Strip) worsened when, according to local sources, Hamas operatives shot at people trying to confiscate humanitarian supplies entering the Sultan district by truck. According to sources, in addition to the teenager initially reported, a second person died in the hospital. Meanwhile, a similar incident occurred in nearby Khan Yunis, where a person who also tried to steal aid was injured by Hamas agents. “There is an atmosphere of anarchy on the streets,” the sources said.
16.30 o'clock
“The decimation of the health system in Gaza is a tragedy”
“The decimation of the health system in Gaza is a tragedy. We continue to call for a ceasefire now.” World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this on “With the constant uncertainty and influx of injured patients, we see how doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers and others continue to fight to save lives,” he stressed.
3:06 p.m
Egypt offers Hamas a three-stage ceasefire agreement
A delegation from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement has arrived in Cairo for talks with Egyptian security officials. This was reported by various media outlets including Al Jazeera. As the Egyptian newspaper Ahram reports, the delegation will be led by the group's secretary general, Ziad Nakhaleh, and will discuss ways to end Israeli aggression in Gaza. Another Hamas delegation led by Ismail Haniyeh is already in Cairo for similar talks with Egyptian officials about the ceasefire in Gaza and the prisoner exchange. According to Saudi media Asharq, the Hamas delegation has already returned to Qatar to consult with the Politburo on the initiative proposed by Egypt, which envisages a three-stage ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian factions in the country. The sources explained that the head of the movement's political office, Haniyeh, arrived in Doha at the end of four days of talks in Cairo and stated that “Hamas will examine in its political office the Egyptian initiative document that they receive in Egypt has “a ceasefire”
2:35 p.m
Aid truck attacked in Rafah, Hamas agents shoot teenagers
A teenager was killed today in Rafah (southern Gaza Strip) by shots fired by Hamas police officers during unrest following the arrival of humanitarian aid. According to local sources, when an aid truck entered Sultan district, many people tried to grab boxes of food and officers responded by firing warning shots in the air. But the crowd of displaced people immediately grew and officers fired again to disperse them. At this point the young man was killed. The crowd then stormed towards a nearby police station and attacked it with stones.
1:56 p.m
IDF operations in Gaza continue
IDF operations in the Gaza Strip continue with heavy fighting throughout the Gaza Strip. The military spokesman said that around 200 Hamas targets had been hit in the last 24 hours. In the northern Gaza Strip, according to the same source, troops discovered “a Hamas weapons depot in a civilian building. Inside the complex, which was located next to schools, a mosque and a medical clinic, were dozens of children's explosive belts. “Mortar shells, hundreds of grenades and intelligence documents were found.” In Jabalya, also in the north, the troops killed loudly According to the same source, “seven terrorists and destroyed four Hamas observation posts scattered in the area.” Weapons were also “found” in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
1:42 p.m
Red Sea, Crosetto's concern: “We have to intervene”
“I raised the alarm two weeks ago and expressed my concerns and unfortunately they are proving to be correct because ships are no longer sailing through the Red Sea, so costs are going up because they have to go around Africa, insurance costs are going up and then everything happens. “, unfortunately on the table of each of us, in the shopping bag, on the electricity bill.” This was said by Defense Minister Guido Crosetto during his visit to the Italian contingent at Camp Adazi in Latvia and commented on the Houthis' renewed missile launch. We have to intervene, said the minister, “because we cannot afford a new economic crisis”
1:37 p.m
Anti-tank missile from Lebanon
An anti-tank missile was fired from Lebanon at the Israeli community of Avivim near the border
1:35 p.m
Abu Mazen: “The sun of freedom is coming”
“The sun of freedom and an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital is inevitably coming and is even just around the corner.” This is what President Abu Mazen said in his Christmas speech, quoted by the Wafa agency. “The river of blood, the enormous sacrifices, the suffering and the heroic steadfastness of our people on their land, he added, are the path to freedom and dignity.” Abu Mazen said the Palestinians “will continue the struggle for the legitimate “To obtain the right to live on the soil of Palestine in a free, independent and fully sovereign state.”
11:40 a.m
“20,424 dead in Gaza”
Hamas' health ministry announced that the death toll in the Gaza Strip had risen to 20,424
10:09
Warning sirens in the Upper Galilee
Warning sirens sounded in the Upper Galilee town of Shlomi after rocket fire from southern Lebanon. The army had previously ordered the residents of around twenty border towns in the Upper Galilee to close the entrance gates and ban everyone from entering and leaving the country until further notice.
08:57
Cameron accuses Iran of harmful influence
“There are the Houthis, Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq attacking British and American military bases. And of course Hamas.” In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron accused Iran of exerting “a very damaging influence in the region and the world.” And that's why he emphasizes: “I think it's extremely important that Iran receives a very clear message: This escalation will not be tolerated.” Cameron traveled to the Middle East this week. He held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi about the war between Israel and Hamas. Cameron said London would step up cooperation with its allies “to establish a range of effective deterrence measures against Iran”: “It is important to do this. The level of danger and uncertainty in the world is extremely high compared to precedents of years and decades. and the Iranian threat is part of that picture.” The UK is a member of the Prosperity Guardian alliance, which aims to end Houthi attacks on ships that Yemeni rebels, backed by Iran, consider to be “aligned with Israel ” regard. Are further measures against Iran possible? David Cameron responds that it is not a “public” matter. However, London wants to “send a very clear warning to the Houthis and their Iranian supporters: we will not tolerate these continued attacks on ships.”
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Iran: “We will close the Mediterranean if the crimes in Gaza continue.” Because the threat is not very credible
