Israel is ramping up attacks on Gaza in the wake of the UN resolution, while the US claims to have taken down Houthi drones. Check out the latest updates.
An Israeli military vehicle operates in Gaza, as seen from southern Israel, Sunday [Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters]
Stay updated on the latest happenings for Sunday, December 24, 2023:
The latest developments
- The United States reported that Iran launched a drone from its territory, hitting a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) also reported downing several drones launched at vessels from Yemen by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement. The Houthis also fired two antiship ballistic missiles in the southern Red Sea, but no ships were hit.
- Pro-Palestinian marches are still going strong in cities across the world, with some of the latest protests in Australia, Germany and Turkey.
- The Israeli army has been carrying out heavy raids in the occupied West Bank. A convoy led by bulldozers entered Tulkarem in the early hours of Sunday, and raids have also been reported in Bethlehem, the town of Beita just south of Nablus, and the towns of Sa’ir and Karma near Hebron.
- The representative for Hamas in Beirut, Osama Hamdan, said Israel has failed in its stated goal of “destroying” the group, and that it will have to stop the war if it wants the captives released.
Human impact and fighting
- Thousands of Palestinians were forced to flee their homes once again after the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders in the central Gaza Strip. Since the United Nations Security Council resolution was passed on Friday without explicitly calling for a ceasefire, there has been a surge in aerial bombardments in central Gaza.
- Israeli air raids have resulted in over 400 deaths in Gaza in the past 48 hours. Gaza’s Government Media Office reported that more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7. The death toll from Hamas’s attack on Israel stands at nearly 1,140, revised from 1,400.
- At least 101 journalists have been killed since October 7, according to the Government Media Office, which also said more than 50 media offices have been completely or partially destroyed by Israeli attacks. Al Jazeera Arabic’s cameraman Samer Abudaqa was among those killed in Israeli strikes.
- The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it continues to operate at its medical point in Jabalia, northern Gaza, despite incessant shelling of the area. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also said on X: “As the conflict intensifies and the horror grows, we will continue to do our part. We will not give up.”
Diplomacy
- Yoav Gallant and Benny Gantz, Israel’s current and former defence ministers, along with Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, visited northern Gaza and promised that more attacks would be forthcoming despite international pressure for an immediate ceasefire.
- US President Joe Biden had a “private” phone conversation with Netanyahu.
