Live blog: Member states must act now to end Gaza war, restore peace — UN

Monday, December 30, 2024

1816 GMT — The International Organization for Migration (IOM) chief has urged UN member states to act "now" to end the war in Gaza and restore hope for peace in 2025 as "the suffering has gone on long enough."

"As the new year nears, the crisis in Gaza has reached an unbearable breaking point. Innocent lives, including infants, are lost to winter cold. Hospitals and shelters are targeted," Amy Pope said on X.

"Member States must act now to prevent further devastation and restore hope for peace in 2025."

The IOM continues calling for an immediate ceasefire to stop further loss of life, Pope said.

More updates 👇

1910 GMT — UN denounces Israeli raids targeting hospitals in Gaza

The UN has denounced Israeli raids targeting hospitals in Gaza, including Kamal Adwan Hospital, now rendered non-operational.

"We've been very clear in the fact that we condemn any action that targets civilians, civilian infrastructure, and hospitals. We've called repeatedly for them to be respected as this is a safe space area where people go to seek medical assistance," Florencia Soto Nino, the UN chief’s associate spokesperson, told reporters during a news conference.

Asked about Israel's detaining of the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital Hussam Abu Safiya in Gaza, Nino said:

"Anyone that is an innocent civilian who is trying to help others should not be detained."

"I think we have been talking about this for a long time there is no safe space in Gaza," she said, adding that the UN is ready to work with anyone who would support its work to ensure the safety of civilians including the director.

1906 GMT — Israeli aviation sector faces $28.8M loss amid ongoing Gaza genocide

The Israeli aviation sector has suffered losses amounting to $28.8 million in the first nine months of 2024 as a result of the continued genocide in Gaza.

This information was revealed in a statement by the Israeli Airports Authority, alongside reports of continued flight cancellations by several Western airlines to and from Tel Aviv, as reported by local channels 13 and 14.

1901 GMT — Israel army intercepts two projectiles fired from north Gaza

Israel's army has said that it intercepted two projectiles fired from north Gaza.

1722 GMT — Israeli soldier killed, 7 wounded in anti-tank missile attack in Gaza

An Israeli soldier was killed and seven others wounded, including three in critical condition when a house sheltering soldiers in Beit Hanoon, northern Gaza, was hit by an anti-tank missile, according to multiple sources.

The Israeli military identified the fallen soldier as Sergeant Uriel Peretz, 23, from the Beitar Illit settlement near Jerusalem. He served in the Netzah Yehuda Battalion (97th) under the Kfir Brigade.

In the same attack, three other members of the Netzah Yehuda Battalion sustained severe injuries and were taken to an Israeli hospital, the military said in a statement on X.

While the army did not disclose further details about the incident, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that a Palestinian fighter fired an anti-tank missile at the house in Beit Hanoon, killing one and wounding seven others.

1708 GMT — UN official warns of 'dangerous escalation' in Middle East

The rising tensions between Israel and the Houthis are leading to a new "dangerous escalation" in the Middle East, a senior UN official has warned.

"The Middle East is witnessing yet another dangerous escalation. The hostilities unfolding between Israel and the Houthis have taken an escalatory turn over the past weeks," Khaled Khiari, UN assistant secretary-general for the Middle East and Asia and the Pacific, told the Security Council.

Noting the continued attacks by both Israel and the Houthis, Khiari recalled that on December 26, Israeli military air strikes targeted Sanaa International Airport, Red Sea ports on Yemen’s western coast, as well as power plants in Sanaa and Hudaida.

1708 GMT — Israel 'must face consequences' for undermining international law: UN experts

A group of UN experts has said that Israel "must face the consequences" of its campaign to undermine the legal framework for the protection of civilians in armed conflicts as the military aggression continues unabated.

"As we have repeatedly reminded Israel, international humanitarian law comprises a set of universal and binding rules to protect civilian objects and persons who are not, or are no longer, directly participating in hostilities and limits permissible means and methods of warfare," the experts said in a statement.

"Rather than abide by these rules, Israel has openly defied international law time and again, inflicting maximum suffering on civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory and beyond," they added.

1539 GMT — Healthcare in north Gaza 'obliterated' by Israel: ICRC

The International Committee of the Red Cross has said that the healthcare system in northern Gaza had been "obliterated" by Israel, with hospitals rendered "completely inoperable".

"Repeated hostilities in and around hospitals have obliterated the health care system in northern Gaza, putting civilians at an unacceptably grave risk of going without lifesaving care," the ICRC said in a statement.

It called for the respect and protection of medical facilities in line with international humanitarian law.

"This protection is a legal obligation and a moral imperative to preserve human life," it added, saying hospitals were a lifeline for those sick or wounded in conflict.

1459 GMT — France condemns Israeli military strikes on Gaza hospitals

France has condemned Israeli military operations targeting hospitals in Gaza, including Kamal Adwan Hospital, now rendered non-operational.

"France condemns the military operations targeting several hospitals in Gaza, notably Kamal Adwan Hospital, which is now out of service," said the French Foreign Ministry.

Calling on Israel to respect international humanitarian law, the ministry said: “We express our concern for the situation of its director, as well as the patients and medical staff.”

"France reminds Israel of its obligation to comply with international humanitarian law, which explicitly provides for the protection of hospital infrastructure," it stated.

1348 GMT — Four more Palestinian detainees from Gaza die in Israeli jails

Four more Palestinian detainees from Gaza have died in Israeli custody, prisoners’ affairs groups said on Monday.

A statement by the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society identified the four victims as Mohammad Al-Akka, 44, Samir Al-Kahlout, 52, Zuhair Al-Sharif, 58, and Mohammad Lubbad, 57.

Their death came one day after another detainee breathed his last in Israeli detention on Sunday.

"What is happening to the detainees is just another aspect of the (Israeli) war of extermination,” the statement said.

1316 GMT — Germany horrified as babies freeze to death in Gaza amid Israeli blockade

Germany has expressed “shock” over the death of six babies who froze to death in Gaza amid Israel’s ongoing inhuman blockade of humanitarian aid into the northern part of the enclave.

When it comes to news reports about "the dramatic situation of small children and babies, these are of course shocking reports," Deputy Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kathrin Deschauer told the press in Berlin.

Given the circumstances "that small children and babies are in such a difficult situation, that not enough humanitarian aid reaches them, that they are hungry, thirsty and cold is shocking," she added.

Deschauer "called on Israeli authorities to ensure humanitarian (aid) access” to the population in Gaza.

1256 GMT — UN special rapporteur calls for global medical boycott of Israel

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on Palestine, has urged medical professionals around the world to sever ties with Israel as a direct response to the destruction of Gaza's health care system.

"I urge medical professionals worldwide to pursue the severance of all ties with Israel as a concrete way to forcefully denounce Israel's full destruction of the Palestinian healthcare system in Gaza, a critical tool of its ongoing genocide," Albanese said on X.

Albanese’s statement comes as the ongoing conflict continues to devastate Palestinian infrastructure, with Gaza's medical facilities being severely impacted by Israeli military onslaught.

1150 GMT — Israeli minister threatens to assassinate Houthi leader

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen has threatened to assassinate Yemeni Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi as regional tension continues to escalate over Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

"I'm sending a message to the Houthi leader that if he continues with his actions, he will end up exactly like (Hamas leader Yahya) Sinwar and (Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan) Nasrallah," Cohen told local radio 94 FM.

Sinwar was killed by Israeli army forces in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 16, while Nasrallah was assassinated in an Israeli strike in the Lebanese capital on Sept. 27.

"Our focus now is on Yemen and Iran," Cohen said. "It should be said that unless Iran is harmed, instability in the Middle East will continue."

1028 GMT — Palestinian death toll in Gaza reaches 45,541

Israel's war in Gaza has killed at least 45,541 Palestinians and wounded 108,338 others since October 7, 2023, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

0959 GMT — Six infants die in Gaza's cold-stricken tent camps

The number of infants who have died from the cold in Gaza's tent camps over the past week rose to six, according to a statement by the Gaza Media Office.

Ali al-Batran, an infant displaced by Israeli attacks and living in a tent, died from severe cold and lack of heating, the statement said.

His twin, Jumaa al-Batran, who was in critical condition in the neonatal intensive care unit at the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza, also died from intense cold on Sunday.

The new fatality brought the total number of babies who have frozen to death in Gaza to six in the past week, according to local health authorities.

0932 GMT — China calls for ceasefire to attain stability in Middle East

China called for a ceasefire and an end to violence in the Middle East to restore stability in the region.

China's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning stated that Beijing's position on the Middle East is to promote stability through an immediate ceasefire, ending violence, alleviating the humanitarian crisis and pursuing a political solution through dialogue and negotiation, Global Times reported.

Responding to a question about China's role in fostering peace in the region, Mao said that over the past year, China has actively contributed to peace efforts.

0919 GMT — Cold wave, rains worsen misery of civilians in Israel-bombed Gaza, authorities say

Cold weather, rainfall and storms are worsening the already tragic living conditions for Palestinian civilians in Gaza City, municipal authorities said.

"Displaced civilians are suffering very tragic conditions due to rains and storms and there are no enough capabilities to help them," Gaza Municipality said in a statement.

"(The current cold wave) poses a danger to the worn-out tents of the displaced," it warned.

0914 GMT — WHO chief calls on Israel to stop attacks on hospitals in Gaza

World Health Organization (WHO) director-general called on Israel to stop attacks on hospitals in Gaza.

"Hospitals in #Gaza have once again become battlegrounds and the health system is under severe threat," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.

He stressed that the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza was "out of service", and its director doctor Hussam Abu Safiya's "whereabouts are unknown" since he was detained two days ago.

"The critical patients were moved to Indonesian Hospital, which is itself out of function," the WHO chief added.

0800 GMT — Israeli army bombs, blows up homes across Gaza

The Israeli army has continued to bomb and blow up homes and buildings across Gaza as its war on the besieged Palestinian enclave continues unabated.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that the Israeli army heavily shelled the northern Gaza areas, including the Al Saftawi and Jabalia areas.

Loud explosions were heard as a result of the Israeli army's detonation of homes and buildings in northern Gaza, the witnesses added.

The artillery shelling was also reported on areas across Gaza City, including in the southern and southeastern neighbourhoods of Al Sabra and Zeitoun, while in the Al Jalaa street area, northwestern part of the city, the Israeli quadcopter drones opened fire on homes.

In central Gaza, the Israeli army's artillery struck the northwestern areas of the Nuseirat refugee camp, in addition to opening gun-machine fire from the army's military vehicles and helicopters that resulted in at least one injury to a Palestinian man, according to witnesses in the area.

The Al Mawasi area in western Rafah city, southern Gaza, saw shelling from the Israeli army's gunboats, while the city's northern areas also experienced artillery shelling, according to witnesses.

0255 GMT — UN special rapporteur criticises proposed Israeli draft bill on prison guards

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese strongly criticised an Israeli draft bill aimed at recruiting volunteers as prison guards, warning that it could lead to increased abuses against Palestinian detainees.

In a post Sunday on X, Albanese called the proposal "so sickening", saying: "Israel MUST BE STOPPED: starting with its politicians, its soldiers, its settlers and its ideological fanatics." "We must save the Palestinians from the depravity of the century," she emphasised.

The draft bill, introduced by Zvika Fogel, a member of parliament with the far-right Jewish Power party, was outlined in a tweet thread by Itay Epshtain, an expert on international humanitarian law.

The bill aims to expand Israel's prison guard force with volunteers holding full authority over detainees, citing a rise in incarcerations due to ongoing conflicts.

0223 GMT — International human rights group condemns Israel's burning of Kamal Adwan Hospital

The Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) strongly condemned Israel for burning Kamal Adwan Hospital, rendering it inoperative and further crippling the health care system in northern Gaza.

The assault, marked by forced evacuations, arrests of medical staff and the destruction of critical facilities, has left the region without functioning hospitals.

Israeli forces besieged Kamal Adwan Hospital on December 27, forcing patients and medical teams to evacuate under artillery fire, according to ICHR documentation.

2334 GMT — Israeli communications minister storms Al-Aqsa Mosque

Israel's Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, accompanied by Jewish settlers occupying Palestinian lands, stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.

Karhi performed rituals in one of the tunnels beneath the Western Wall (Al-Buraq Wall or Wailing Wall) and commented on the incursion on X.

"In these days when the Israeli army is achieving victories on all fronts, I am reminded of the Midrash's (Jewish religious texts) saying: 'In the future, the gates of Jerusalem will reach the gates of Damascus'."

Hamas released a statement condemning Karhi's incursion and described his remarks as "dangerous".

2259 GMT — Israel detains Palestinians in critical health condition in Gaza

The Israeli army detained four Palestinian patients while they were being transported from northern Gaza to Gaza City for treatment, the enclave's Health Ministry has said.

"Occupation forces detained four patients out of 10 while they were being transported by the World Health Organization to receive treatment from the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City," the ministry said in a statement.

It noted that "one of the detained patients is in critical condition".

The ministry added that "seven patients remain at the Indonesian Hospital along with 10 medical staff members under dire conditions".

For our live updates from Sunday, December 29, 2024, click here.