Live blog: 2023 brought devastation, tragedy for Palestinian refugees – UN

Sunday, December 31, 2023

1707 GMT — The UN refugee agency has said that the year 2023 brought devastation and tragedy to Palestinian refugees.

"The past year brought profound devastation and tragedy to Palestine Refugees facing war, extreme violence, displacement and poverty," the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) said in a statement on Sunday.

"UNRWA remained committed to serve in the darkest circumstances, with unfailing dedication from our heroic colleagues," it added.

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1901 GMT — Palestinians face 'genocidal war' by Israel: Abbas

The Palestinian people face a "genocidal war" amid a deadly Israeli offensive on Gaza, President Mahmoud Abbas has said.

"Israel's genocidal war will not break our will," Abbas said in a speech marking the 59th anniversary of the Palestinian revolution. "We will remain steadfast on our land and continue the struggle until we achieve victory and independence," he added.

The Palestinian leader stressed that the West Bank and Gaza "are one geographical unit that is indivisible."

1854 GMT — Israeli jets intercept hostile aircraft from Syria, Israeli military says

Israeli fighter jets intercepted a hostile aircraft that crossed from Syria, the military said without giving further detail.

Earlier, warning sirens sounded on Sunday, in areas of the southern Golan Heights.

1840 GMT — 'Assaliant' killed, 2 Israelis injured in West Bank knife attack: Police

Two Israeli security guards were injured in a suspected stabbing attack in the occupied West Bank, police has said.

A police statement said the attack took place at a checkpoint near the Mishor Adumim industrial area.

The attacker was "neutralised," police said, without providing any further details. The Magen David Adom ambulance service said the two guards sustained minor injuries in the attack.

1802 GMT — Israeli army withdraws 5 brigades from fighting in Gaza: Army Radio

The Israeli army has withdrawn five brigades from Gaza, in a move that indicates a lengthy fighting heading into 2024, the Times of Israel newspaper reported.

The 460th Armored Brigade, the 261st Brigade, the 828th Brigade, the 14th Reserve Armored Brigade; and 551st Reserve Paratroopers Brigade have all been released.

The brigades tasked with training soldiers will return to Gaza to carry out their usual activity, while the reservists will be released to help bounce back Israel’s economy, the daily said.

1713 GMT — Israel postpones municipal elections till Feb 27 amid Gaza war

The Israeli government has voted to postpone municipal elections until February 27, according to local media. The polls were originally scheduled for January 30.

Military data shows that 688 candidates for 144 cities and towns are currently serving in army reserves and could not be spared for elections.

"We usually do not hold elections in wartime but these elections were set in advance," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a Cabinet meeting.

1625 GMT — Israeli indicted for impersonating soldier, stealing weapons in Gaza war

Israeli prosecutors have filed criminal charges against a man accused of impersonating a soldier to join the Gaza war, of stealing munitions and, according to media, of posing for a frontline picture with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to the indictment served in Tel Aviv District Court, defendant Roi Yifrah never served in the Israeli military but nonetheless managed to make his way into the war zones by pretending to be a member of an elite Shin Bet combat unit.

1458 GMT — Tunisians protest outside US embassy to demand end to Israeli war on Gaza

Scores of Tunisians demonstrated outside the US Embassy in the capital Tunis to demand an end to the Israeli offensive on Palestinians in Gaza.

"What a shame — Gaza under siege" and "Together to stop aggression on Gaza," were among banners waved by protesters, according to an Anadolu reporter. Protesters chanted slogans for the expulsion of US Ambassador Joey Hood.

"The protest aims to pile more pressure for ending the Israeli aggression on Gaza," Sanaa Al Maliki, a Tunisian activist, told Anadolu.

1457 GMT — Hezbollah says Israel 'not in a position' to impose Lebanon border 'options'

The deputy leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah said Israel was "not in a position" to impose its preferences over the group's presence in the border area while its war in Gaza rages on.

The Israel-Lebanon border has been rocked by escalating exchanges of fire, mainly between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, since the Israel's war on Gaza, raising fears of a broader conflict.

The army has evacuated thousands of civilians from the border area, and Israel has been pushing for Hezbollah to withdraw north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometres north of the frontier.

1432 GMT — Israeli strikes kill over 60 in Gaza – official broadcaster

At least 68 Palestinians have been killed in fresh Israeli air strikes in Gaza City, according to the official Wafa news agency.

Israeli fighter jets carried out airstrikes on the Zaitoun neighbourhood, leaving 48 dead and scores injured, Wafa said citing local sources.

Another 20 people were killed in air strikes in the vicinity of Al Aqsa University, the broadcaster said.

Palestinian health authorities are yet to confirm the fatalities.

1422 GMT — Ending rocket fire from Gaza unlikely: Israeli army officials

Israel's ongoing war on Gaza is unlikely to end rocket attacks from the Palestinian enclave into the country, unnamed military officials have said.

"The deepening of the fighting certainly contributes to reducing the missile capabilities in Gaza," the officials said, according to Israeli Army Radio.

"However, even if the war ends with Israel's success in achieving its goals, estimates indicate that it will be possible for rockets to still be launched from the Gaza towards Israel," the sources added

1411 GMT — Israeli minister calls for return of illegal settlers to Gaza

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for the return of illegal Jewish settlers to Gaza after the war and said its Palestinian population should be encouraged to emigrate.

"To have security we must control the territory," Smotrich told Israel's Army Radio on Sunday in response to a question about the prospect of re-establishing settlements in Gaza. "In order to control the territory militarily for a long time, we need a civilian presence."

Smotrich, head of the ultranationalist Religious Zionism party that is part of the ruling coalition, also said Israel should "encourage" the territory's approximately 2.4 million Palestinians to relocate to other countries.

1259 GMT — Israeli strike kills former PA minister in Gaza: ministry

A former Palestinian Authority minister was killed in an Israeli strike on his home in the Gaza, the official Palestinian news agency and health ministry said.

Youssef Salama, the 68-year-old former minister of religious affairs in the Palestinian Authority, was killed in a strike on the Al Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, Wafa news agency and the ministry reported.

Considered close to Fatah, the party of Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, Salama served as minister between February 2005 and March 2006. He also served as a preacher at Al Aqsa mosque in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem.

1241 GMT — US military says it sank Houthi vessels that 'attacked' cargo ship in Red Sea

The US said it destroyed anti-ship missiles and boats operated by Yemen's Houthi rebels after a failed attempt to board a container ship in the Red Sea.

Shipping giant Maersk suspended the passage of its vessels through the key Red Sea strait for 48 hours after its ship was targeted, the latest of two dozen attacks by Houthis on international shipping in six weeks.

The US Navy had responded to a distress call from the Maersk Hangzhou, a Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned and operated container ship that reported coming under attack for a second time in 24 hours while transiting the Red Sea, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

1225 GMT — Israeli army storms Palestinian camps in occupied West Bank

Israeli forces stormed five Palestinian camps in the occupied West Bank in pre-dawn raids to arrest people, destroying infrastructure with bulldozers and clashing with locals, injuring two people.

The Israeli army raid that lasted until Sunday morning, described by locals as one of the largest, was carried out on the camps of Tulkarm and Nur Shams, an Anadolu correspondent on the ground said.

Israeli forces also stormed the Askar camp in Nablus, the Aqabat Jaber camp in Jericho, and the Fawwar camp south of Al Halil.

1223 GMT — Israeli government approves Katz as new foreign minister amid Gaza onslaught

The Israeli government has approved appointment of Energy Minister Yisrael Katz as the country's foreign minister.

Katz will replace Eli Cohen, who will become energy minister under a rotation agreement within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party, Haaretz newspaper reported.

The replacement must be approved by the Knesset. Under the agreement, Cohen will return as foreign minister in 2026, if the current government is still in power.

1156 GMT — 2 more Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza fighting: military

Another two Israeli soldiers have been killed in clashes with Palestinian resistance fighters in Gaza, the Israeli army said.

A military statement said a soldier lost his life in the central Gaza, while the other was killed in Gaza's north.

According to military figures, at least 506 soldiers have been killed since the outbreak of the conflict on October 7.

1119 GMT — Israel ready to let ships bring aid to Gaza's shores: minister

Israel is prepared to let ships deliver aid to the war-stricken Gaza "immediately" as part of a proposed sea corridor from Greek-administered Cyprus, the Israeli foreign minister has said, naming four European countries as potential participants.

Under the arrangement first suggested by Nicosia in November, cargo would undergo security inspection in the Greek-administered Cyprus' port of Larnaca before being ferried to the Gaza coast, 370 km away, rather than through neighbouring Egypt or Israel.

1042 GMT — Erdogan calls for global unity against Israel's Gaza killings

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that "all countries and institutions" ought to unite in their opposition to the killing of defenceless women and children in Gaza for a better future.

"All countries, institutions need to take a united stand against the killing of innocent children and women in Gaza," Erdogan said in his video message on New Year's Eve.

"We hold hope for a better future for humanity. So-called democratic, freedom-loving countries must stop supporting bloody terrorists for this to happen," the president said.

1019 GMT — Netanyahu defends Israel's unparalleled 'morality' in Gaza war

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel displayed unparalleled "morality" in the Gaza war and rejected South Africa's charge that it was committing "genocidal" acts in the Palestinian territory.

"We will continue our defensive war, the justice and morality of which is without peer," Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv.

1007 GMT — Palestine Health Ministry updates death toll in Gaza to 21,822

At least 150 Palestinians have been killed and another 286 injured as the Israeli forces continued their ongoing onslaught against them in besieged Gaza, with 12 families becoming the latest victims in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave has said.

The Palestinian death toll from the Israeli army's ongoing attacks on Gaza since October 7 has risen to 21,822, with 56,451 injured, the ministry said.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on Gaza following a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas on October 7. Authorities claim the Hamas attacks have killed around 1,200 Israelis.

0947 GMT — Maersk announces halt on shipping from Red Sea

Iranian-backed Houthi militants attacked a Maersk container vessel, prompting the company to pause all sailing through the Red Sea for 48 hours, Maersk has said.

The crew onboard the Maersk ship reported a flash on deck on December 30 at around 1830 CET (1730 GMT), when the vessel was 55 nautical miles southwest of Al Hodeidah, Maersk said.

Helicopters from the USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely, responding to distress calls from Maersk Hangzhou, returned fire on the Houthi boats in self-defence and sank three of the vessels, with no survivors, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

0926 GMT — US military sinks three Houthi vessels attacking ships

US Navy helicopters sank three vessels operated by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels that had attacked a container ship in the Red Sea, the military has said.

After the Houthis fired on the US helicopters, they "returned fire in self-defence, sinking three of the four small boats, and killing the crews. The fourth boat fled the area," the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

0724 GMT — Israel kills 64 Palestinians, wounds over 180 in past 24-hours

In the central region of Gaza, Israeli bombings targeting homes have resulted in a grim toll, with 64 Palestinians losing their lives and 186 sustaining injuries within the past 24 hours.

The overall impact of the ongoing conflict is staggering, with the Palestinian Health Ministry reporting a total of 21,672 Palestinians killed, with approximately 70 percent being women and children.

Additionally, 56,165 Palestinians have been injured, and distressingly, more than 7,000 individuals remain trapped under the rubble of demolished buildings.

0658 GMT — UK's maritime body receives attack report attack in Red Sea

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency received a report of an attack on a ship 60 nautical miles northwest of Yemen's port of Hodeida in the Red Sea, an advisory note said on Sunday.

UKMTO said that an unidentified vessel reported being attacked by three small boats on its port side and shots were exchanged.

All crew have been accounted for with no casualties, UKMTO added.

0110 GMT — Historian Raz Segal blasts Israel's 'genocidal incitement' against Palestinians in Gaza

Israeli historian Raz Segal blasted Israel's aggression against the people of Gaza and said that it amounts to "incitement to genocide."

Segal told Breaking Points YouTube channel that the incitement is dealt with in Article 3 of the The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, or the Genocide Convention for short — an international agreement that criminalises genocide and obligates countries to pursue the enforcement of its prohibition.

"Incitement to genocide, which usually happens actually in media discourses, but also in political discourses, sometimes in public spaces in various ways," he said. "Anyone who follows Hebrew language sources would know about the 'genocidal discourse' in Israeli media and outdoor signs as well."

0115 GMT — US shoots down 2 anti-ship ballistic missiles fired by Houthi group in Red Sea: CENTCOM

The US said it shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles in the Red Sea in response to a Houthi attack on a merchant vessel.

"Today at approximately 8:30 p.m. (Sanaa time), the container ship MAERSK HANGZHOU reported that they were struck by a missile while transiting the Southern Red Sea.

"The Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned/operated container ship requested assistance, and the USS GRAVELY (DDG 107) and USS LABOON (DDG 58) have responded to the ship," US Central Command (CENTCOM) wrote on X.

0045 GMT — Netanyahu says Israel must control Gaza's border with Egypt

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retake control of Gaza's border with Egypt, escalating Israel's aggression on the besieged enclave as the Palestinian death toll rises to over 21,670.

"The war is at its height," Netanyahu told reporters of the fighting since October 7 when the Palestinian resistance group Hamas and its allies infiltrated Israel, killing 1,200 people and capturing 240 others.

He said the Philadelphi Corridor buffer zone that runs along Gaza's border with Egypt must be in Israeli hands."It must be shut," Netanyahu said. "It is clear that any other arrangement would not ensure the demilitarisation that we seek."

2300 GMT — Israeli War Cabinet members refuse to attend news conference with Netanyahu

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz refused to attend a news conference by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late Saturday.

The Israeli broadcasting authority reported on X that Gallant and Gantz refused to attend the conference without specifying the reason.

As of 1840 GMT, there has been no official statement from the three men.

2200 GMT — More than 20 Israeli soldiers killed, injured in Gaza: Al Qassam Brigades

Al Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, said that more than 20 Israeli soldiers were killed and injured during clashes in Gaza City.

The Al Qassam Brigades said on Telegram that their fighters clashed with Israeli special forces "penetrating the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City, resulting in more than 20 soldiers killed or injured."

In another post, it added that fighters targeted an "Israeli Merkava tank with a Sho'ath explosive in the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza."

For our live updates from Saturday, December 30, click here.