Israel-Palestine live: Deadly Israeli attacks across Gaza as West Bank raids continue

Over 29,000 people in Gaza are dead or missing since the Israeli onslaught started on 7 October, the director of Gaza's government media office told Al Jazeera.

They added that an estimated  7,000 people are trapped under rubble, and that around 800,000 residents of Gaza City and northern Gaza cannot access a hospital.

A Palestinian youth has been wounded by Israeli gunfire at a junction south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, the WAFA news agency reported today.

The agency reported that Israeli forces fired at the young man in his vehicle, leaving him bleeding without medical assistance.

The Israeli forces claimed they shot the young man after he had attempted to run over several soldiers.

After the attack, the military reportedly assaulted several journalists and confiscated their equipment to ensure they did not cover the incident.

The UNRWA has posted on X that 2023 has been the "deadliest year" in the West Bank on record, with a total of 504 killed this year.

Since 7 October, 308 people sheltering in Unrwa facilities have been killed and 1095 injured, the UN agency said on X.

"Initial reports indicate on 25 December, 2 people sheltering in UNRWA Maghazi Prep School were killed & 1 injured, result of a direct strike," it said.

The UN agency added: "Nowhere in Gaza is safe".

Across the Middle East, Gaza's deadliest-ever war is casting a shadow over the countdown to the New Year. 

Authorities in Sharjah, the third largest emirate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have cancelled its customary New Year’s Eve celebrations - including all firework displays - in solidarity with Gaza. 

But no such ban has been announced anywhere else in the region. Nor are other emirates, renowned for their extravagant annual New Year’s Eve celebrations, announcing bans.

In Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s capital, the Sheikh Zayed Festival is set to feature a record-breaking firework display lasting for a full hour.

Meanwhile in Dubai, several major displays have been planned, including at the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.

Dubai’s Global Village confirmed on Wednesday that it will have no fewer than seven fireworks shows.

In Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, customary street parties and live concerts have been planned for the occasion, while multiple firework displays are scheduled for Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

Likewise, Lusail City in Qatar will host laser shows and fireworks. Qatar recently marked its National Day on 18 December with significantly reduced celebrations in solidarity with Gaza. 

Outside of the Middle East, Pakistan has issued a “strict ban” on “any kind of event for New Year”, with caretaker prime minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar urging people to “show solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters”.

Read more: UAE's Sharjah bans New Year parties over Gaza but Gulf neighbours plan extravaganzas

Figures released by the British police reveal that there has been a rise in hate incidents since the start of the war on Gaza following Hamas’ attack on Israel on 7 October. 

The figures, provided by some of the UK’s largest police forces, suggest there has been a sharp rise in Islamophobia, as well as examples of antisemitic hate crimes.

West Yorkshire Police stated that between 7 October and 7 November, Islamophobic offences rose to 49 incidents from 29 during the same period in 2022 - something they said represented the biggest increase they had witnessed.

Merseyside Police also said that Islamophobic offences rose from six to 10 for the same date range compared to 2022.

There has also been a significant increase in hate crimes recorded by the British Transport Police, who noted that Islamophobic offences jumped from two to 22.

Greater Manchester Police recorded 74 antisemitic incidents compared with 15 during the same period the previous year.

Met's commander for criminal justice Paul Trevers called the rise in religious hate crime in the capital "absolutely unacceptable".

"No one should be subjected to hate because of their faith or race, and we are taking action against those who are offending," he said.

Read more: Police in UK record rise in hate crimes since start of war 

At least four Israeli settlers have been wounded in a suspected car ramming incident near Hebron in the occupied West Bank, Israeli medics have said. 

The driver has been reportedly shot and killed. 

Israeli forces have killed at least 187 Palestinians in air strikes across the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Friday. 

This brings the death toll since 7 October to at least 21,500 with almost 56,000 wounded and 7,000 missing who are believed to be dead and buried under rubble. 

Overall, around four percent of Gaza's population have been killed, wounded or gone missing in less than three months of bombardment. 

The majority of victims are children and women, according to health officials.

Israeli forces fired tear gas at Palestinian worshippers attempting to reach Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Friday. 

Israeli authorities have continued to limit Palestinian access to the mosque since the war on Gaza began, often using force to disperse them and turning them away at checkpoints.  

Exchanges of gunfire and explosions were heard in the Far'a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank amid an ongoing Israeli raid. 

The cause of the explosions were not immediately clear.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich pushed back against pressure by the US to release Palestinian tax funds withheld by Israel, saying on social media "not a single shekel" will be transferred while he remains in charge. 

His statement came after a "difficult and frustrating" conversation between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden over the release of the funds. 

“We have a lot of respect for the US, our best ally in the world, and for President Biden, who is a true friend of Israel,” Smotrich said in a post on X. 

“But we will never put our destiny in the hands of foreigners, and as long as I am finance minister, not a single shekel will go to the Nazi terrorists in Gaza. This is not an extreme position. This is a life-saving and reality-based position.”

It's just over 10:00am in Palestine and Israel. Here are some updates from the past few hours: 

• Israeli air strikes at dawn have killed 20 Palestinians in the central Gaza refugee camp, taking the Palestinian death toll to nearly 21,400.  

• A Hamas delegation is due in Cairo for ceasefire talks.

• The UN said Israeli soldiers fired at an aid convoy in the northern Gaza Strip.

• An Israeli soldier was killed in Gaza, bringing the death toll in the army to 502 since the start of the conflict. 

• An estimated 100,000 Palestinians have been displaced to Rafah in recent days after increased attacks in central Gaza.

Like almost every day for nearly three months, Palestinians in Gaza woke up Friday to repeated scenes of flattened homes, lines of dead bodies and traumatised children. 

Israeli fighter jets bombed heavily overnight in Rafah, Khan Younis and overcrowded central refugee camps. Dozens were killed and wounded. 

An estimated 100,000 Palestinians have been forced to flee to Rafah, the Gaza Strip's most densely populated area, after increased Israeli attacks in recent days in central governorates, according to the UN. 

Some have been displaced already and forced to move again. 

Their relocation to Rafah, the southernmost town in Gaza, has "further exacerbated conditions related to the already overcrowded space and limited resources", the UN has said.

Israeli soldiers fired at a UN aid convoy in the Gaza Strip, director of the Unrwa affairs in the besieged strip said on Friday.

In a post published on social media platform X, Thomas White said no one was injured in the incident but a vehicle sustained damage. 

"Israeli soldiers fired at an aid convoy as it returned from Northern Gaza along a route designated by the Israeli Army," White said. 

"Our international convoy leader and his team were not injured but one vehicle sustained damage.

"Aid workers should never be a target."

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army.