Israel-Palestine live: Deadly Israeli attacks across Gaza as West Bank raids continue
Live Updates
A Hamas delegation was due in Cairo on Friday to give its "observations" about an Egyptian plan for a ceasefire recently put to officials from Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Sources close to Hamas say Cairo's three-stage plan provides for renewable ceasefires, a staggered release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel, and ultimately a ceasefire to end the war.
It also provides for a Palestinian government of technocrats after talks involving "all Palestinian factions", which would be responsible for governing and rebuilding in post-war Gaza.
A Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP on Thursday that the delegation would "give the response of the Palestinian factions, including several observations" regarding details of the exchanges and "guarantees for a complete Israeli military withdrawal".
Diaa Rashwan, who heads Egypt's State Information Services, said the plan was "intended to bring together the views of all parties concerned, with the aim of ending the shedding of Palestinian blood".
Reporting by AFP.
Israeli fighter jets bombed the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip at the break of dawn, killing at least 20 people, according to Al Jazeera.
Dozens more are missing and feared trapped dead under the rubble.
Good evening Middle East Eye readers,
At least 21,320 people have now been killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip since the war began on 7 October, the Palestinian health ministry said on Thursday.
Another 55,603 people have been wounded in the fighting, it says. At least 210 Palestinians have been killed in the past 24 hours, the ministry added.
In other developments:
- Israeli settlers have used the cover of the ongoing war on Gaza to attempt to take over a large parcel of the Armenian Quarter.
- The Israeli army admitted on Thursday that it killed dozens of Palestinians in an air strike on the Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza on Christmas Eve.
- An Israeli air strike in Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip, killed 20 Palestinians and injured 55 others on Thursday.
- JewBelong, a tax-exempt non-profit Jewish organisation, posted, and then deleted, a statement on Instagram saying, "Trust me. If Israel wanted to commit genocide in Gaza, it could."
We're going to be taking a pause in our live coverage. However, you can stay up to date on the latest developments from Gaza and Israel. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok and Telegram.
JewBelong, a tax-exempt non-profit Jewish organisation, posted, and then deleted, a statement on Instagram “gaslighting” the genocide of the Palestinian people.
The post said, “Trust me. If Israel wanted to commit genocide in Gaza, it could.”
Zahra Billoo, a civil rights lawyer, posted the screengrab on X and wrote, “They’re gaslighting on genocide under the guise of fighting anti-Semitism. 20,000+ dead Palestinians would beg to differ.”
On 16 November, United Nations experts at the UN Human Rights Council wrote, “Grave violations committed by Israel against Palestinians in the aftermath of 7 October, particularly in Gaza, point to a genocide in the making.”
In 2018, one of the co-founders of JewBelong, Archie Gottesman, posted on X, “Gaza is full of monsters. Time to burn the whole place.”
On X, Jewish Voice for Peace responded to the JewBelong post saying, “Trust Palestinians. The Israeli government is committing genocide. Snarky propaganda campaigns can’t hide what’s really going on: Over 20,000 Palestinians killed by the Israeli military as they try to force Palestinians off their land and out of their homes.”
Israeli “aggression” targeted the vicinity of the Syrian capital, Damascus, Syrian state TV said on Thursday.
The state news agency previously reported that explosions occurred near Damascus and that investigations are in progress to ascertain their origin.
The airport in Damascus was also targeted, just hours after it reopened following the first attack.
By Mahmoud al-Homs
Israeli forces continue shelling Al-Bureij Refugee Camp, preventing ambulance teams from retrieving the bodies of the killed.
Abu Ali, a 58-year-old man from the Al-Bureij Refugee Camp, told Middle East Eye that following the ground invasion of the camp, warplanes intensified their shelling on the camp. He said he waited in his home for it to pass, but the bombardment worsened, and so he fled to a nearby school and sought refuge there.
“Later, the occupation forces dropped leaflets on the school, demanding civilians to leave. As the fires intensified, children and the elderly found it unbearable, and many of them left for Deir Al-Balah,” he said.
Ali said he chose to stay with other people in the school. When the occupation forces began targeting anyone leaving their houses with drones, artillery, and warplanes, Ali decided to leave the school for Deir Al-Balah.
“On the way there, many civilians were killed and injured, and ambulances were not allowed to reach the area to rescue them. Bodies have been left on the road for five days now. We want them to be buried to prevent the spread of disease in the camp. The camp is being exposed to ethnic cleansing, something I have never seen in my 58 years of life in Gaza,” he said.
By Walaa Sabah
Israel continued to bomb areas around Al-Amal hospital in Khan Younis for the third time in less than 24 hours.
“This is the third time they bombed houses around Al-Amal Hospital, to the south of the Gaza Strip. The hospital is affiliated with the Red Crescent, and thousands of people who were displaced from their homes are seeking shelter in this area considering it is a safe zone,” said Waseem, a 37-year-old from Block 108.
“Yesterday, they killed 20 people in this area. Today, they targeted a house belonging to the Dahalan family. The bombing killed 17 civilians, including 5 children. The bodies were scattered throughout the area, with some individuals having their body parts strewn about. Many children are also injured and have been transported to Nasser Hospital,” he continued.
An Israeli air strike in Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip, killed 20 Palestinians and injured 55 others on Thursday, Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra said.
We will update once we get more information.
By Ahmed al-Sammak
Psychologists working at a UN shelter for thousands of displaced people in central Gaza told Middle East Eye that the war has taken a devastating psychological toll on displaced children.
“We are trying to help them express themselves, but the main issue is that the schools are severely overcrowded. Children are easily frightened by any loud noise. A large number of them are bedwetting. I have also encountered many adults who are bedwetting out of fear,” Khaled told Middle East Eye.
“The harsh living conditions are now negatively affecting how children perceive their parents, as they are unable to provide them with basic necessities like food. Children now are experiencing frustration and severe psychological harm. I don’t believe psychologists will be able to heal children after the war. It’s more complex than anyone realises.”
Ahmed al-Ghariz, a trauma and dance therapist, told Middle East Eye that he organised numerous breakdancing sessions and expressive activities for displaced children in schools to help them share their fears and emotions.
“There is a marked difference in children’s behaviour before and during the war. Unfortunately, we have experienced close bombardments while working with children in school,” said al-Ghariz, who operates the first breakdancing school in Gaza.
“Children used to gather around excitedly to participate. Sadly, they aren’t receiving enough attention from their fathers as they are busy securing food for them. It’s a challenging situation. Our children are incredibly creative if given the opportunity and if they are under better circumstances.”
At least 21,320 people have now been killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip since the war began on 7 October, the Palestinian health ministry said on Thursday.
Another 55,603 people have been wounded in the fighting, it says.
At least 210 Palestinians have been killed in the past 24 hours, the ministry added.
The Israeli army admitted on Thursday that it killed dozens of Palestinians in an air strike on the Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza on Christmas Eve.
An army spokesperson told Kan news that the military regretted that the attack, which killed 70 people, had harmed people adjacent to the intended target.
"A preliminary investigation revealed that during the attack, additional buildings were damaged adjacent to the targets that were [meant to be] attacked," the spokesperson told Kan.
"[This] apparently resulted in harm to those not involved... The IDF regrets the harm to those not involved."
Israel has previously bombed the camp, but the attack on Sunday was described as one of the "deadliest" since the start of the conflict in early October.
Read more: Israel admits it killed dozens in Christmas 'massacre'
The Palestinian Red Cresent Society (PRCS) has condemned the Israeli targeting of al-Amal Hospital in Gaza that killed 10 people and injured 21.
“The PRCS expresses its deep concern for the safety of its staff working in the hospital and the headquarters of the Society, especially since the latest targeting; today is the fifth targeting of the hospital and its surroundings in less than a week,” PRCS said in a statement published on X.
“The occupation's intensification in targeting the vicinity of al-Amal Hospital during the past few days may be considered a prelude to targeting it directly,” it added.
Israeli settlers have used the cover of the ongoing war on Gaza to attempt to take over a large parcel of the Armenian Quarter.
The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem has issued an emergency communique warning that a "massive and coordinated physical attack was launched on bishops, priests, deacons, seminarians, and other Armenian community members in Jerusalem," by Israeli settlers.
"Over 30 armed provocateurs in ski-masks with lethal and less-than-lethal weaponry including powerful nerve-agents that have incapacitated dozens of our clergy broke into the grounds of the Cow's Garden and began their vicious assault," said the statement.
"Armenian clerics in Jerusalem are fighting for their lives against impune provacateurs," added the communique.
With Israel’s war on Gaza taking much of the world's attention, Israeli settlers in the occupied territories, including the Old City in East Jerusalem, have increasingly used the distraction to press illegal land claims.
The abbot of the German-speaking Jerusalem Benedictine Dormition Abbey discovered anti-Christian graffiti on Thursday on the outer wall of the Greek Orthodox cemetery next to the Dormition Abbey.
Photos that Nikodemus Schnabel published on X show the graffiti, which reads: "The Christian mission is worse than Hamas. Death to missionaries. A missionary is a Nazi."
"Is this Christian hatred, terror trivialization or a call for murder?" the abbot asked.
"The public surveillance cameras in Jerusalem are so good that the city cleaners are immediately on the spot to remove hate graffiti, but at the same time so bad that the police can never identify the sprayers," noted the abbot.
There has been rising anti-Christian violence in occupied Jerusalem at the hands of extremist Israeli groups.
It's just over 2:30 pm local time in Palestine and Israel. Here are some updates from the last few hours:
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Israeli morning bombing across Gaza has killed at least 50 Palestinians
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In the West Bank, Israeli forces seized millions of dollars from Palestinian businesses in overnight raids and killed one citizen
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The UN issued a report warning of a "rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in the West Bank" and asking Israel to end "unlawful killings"
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Palestinian citizens of Israel staged a small anti-war protest in Nazareth despite police bans
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Israelis are marching in Jerusalem to demand the government strike a deal to release captives from Gaza.
