Live blog: Israel kills 17 Palestinians including mayor in central Gaza

Saturday, December 14, 2024

1853 GMT — The Palestinian civil defence agency in Gaza said Israeli strikes on the besieged enclave killed 17 people, including seven at a UN school housing displaced people.

Civil Defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP there were seven people killed, including women and children, and at least 10 wounded "when Israeli warplanes targeted the Al-Majida Wasila school west of Gaza City".

The school was run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees but like many such facilities, it has been turned into a makeshift shelter for those displaced by Israel's genocidal war in Gaza.

The vast majority of Gaza's population has been displaced by the war, often multiple times.

Bassal said an Israeli strike on the town hall in Deir al Balah in central Gaza killed mayor Deiab al Jaro and nine other people.

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1726 GMT — Hezbollah chief says group lost its supply route through Syria

Hezbollah head Naim Qassem said that the Lebanese armed group had lost its supply route through Syria, in his first comments since the toppling of Bashar al Assad.

Under Assad, Hezbollah used Syria to bring in weapons and other military equipment from Iran, through Iraq and Syria and into Lebanon. But on December. 6, anti-regime groups seized the border with Iraq and cut off that route, and two days later, the opposition captured the capital Damascus.

"Yes, Hezbollah has lost the military supply route through Syria at this stage, but this loss is a detail in the resistance's work," Qassem said in a televised speech, without mentioning Assad by name.

"A new regime could come and this route could return to normal, and we could look for other ways," he added.

1640 GMT — Israeli army deliberately kills prisoners — Qassam Brigades

The Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, said that the Israeli army bombed a location in Gaza, where Israeli captives were held, confirming that the bombing was repeated to ensure their death.

Abu Obaida, the spokesperson for the Qassam Brigades, said on Telegram: "The occupation army recently bombed a location where some enemy prisoners were present and repeated the bombing to ensure their death."

"We have intelligence confirming that the enemy deliberately bombed the location with the aim of killing the prisoners and their guards,” Obaida noted.

He added: "Our fighters attempted to rescue the enemy prisoners and succeeded in retrieving one of them, whose fate remains unknown."

1633 GMT — Number of journalists killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza climbs to 195

The number of journalists killed in Israeli attacks on Palestine's Gaza since October 7, 2023 has soared to 195, a local organisation has said.

"The number of journalist martyrs has risen to 195 following the martyrdom of journalist Mohammad Baalousha, a correspondent for Al-Mashhad Channel (a private Lebanese network based in Dubai), as a result of an Israeli air strike on Gaza,” the Palestinian Journalists’ Forum said in a statement.

The NGO condemned "the international silence and failure to protect Palestinian journalists and ensure their ability to perform their professional duties in accordance with international laws and humanitarian conventions."

1629 GMT — Israel bombing Gaza school violates int'l laws: Palestinian council

The Palestinian National Council (PNC) described the Israeli bombing of the Deir al Balah municipality building in central Gaza and a school sheltering displaced people as a "blatant violation of all international laws and norms and a deliberate targeting of defenceless civilians."

"What is happening in Gaza is a major humanitarian crime that reflects the brutality of the occupation and the world's silence over the suffering of an oppressed and besieged people,” the Council (Palestine Liberation Organisation Parliament) said in a statement.

The PNC noted that the bombing of the Deir al Balah municipality building and al-Majda Waseela Secondary School, where displaced people had sought refuge, was “a direct targeting of defenceless civilians, most of whom are women and children.”

1545 GMT — Egypt, Jordan say Israel must pull out of demilitarised zone in Syria

The foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan demanded that Israel pull out of a demilitarised zone along the border with Syria.

They were speaking at a joint press conference in Jordan.

1400 GMT — 10 killed in Israeli air strike on central Gaza

At least 10 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in an Israeli air strike on a municipality building in central Gaza, according to medical sources.

Israeli jets targeted the building in the city of Deir al Balah's bustling central market area, eyewitnesses reported.

Rescue operations are underway, with civilians using motorcycles, animal-drawn carts, and private vehicles to rush victims to medical facilities.

Diab al Jarou, the mayor of Deir al Balah city, was killed in the Israeli air strike that targeted the municipality's headquarters in the central Palestinian enclave, the Ministry of Local Government in Gaza said in a statement.

1345 GMT — Lebanon says one dead in Israeli strike in south

Lebanon's health ministry has said an Israeli drone strike in the south killed one person, the latest deadly raid despite a more than two-week ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.

"An Israeli enemy drone strike... killed one person" in Marjayoun district, the health ministry said in a statement. The official National News Agency reported a car was targeted.

1240 GMT — Israel kills 55 more Palestinians as death toll surpasses 44,900

At least 55 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, bringing the overall death toll since last year to 44,930, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave has said.

A ministry statement added that some 106,624 others were injured in the ongoing invasion.

“Israeli forces killed 55 people and injured 170 others in four massacres of families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.

“Many people are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

1239 GMT — 2-day-old infant among 7 Palestinians killed in Israeli air strike on Gaza school

At least seven Palestinians, including a two-day-old infant, were killed when an Israeli air strike targeted a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense.

"Seven martyrs and 12 injured have been recovered from the rubble of al-Majda Waseela Secondary School, with casualties transferred to the Baptist Hospital and Shifa Hospital,” the Civil Defense said in a statement.

Among the victims was two-day-old infant Janan al Ghurra, according to an Anadolu reporter on the ground.

1123 GMT — Israeli air strikes target rocket launchers in Lebanon

The Israeli army announced that its air force had targeted rocket launch platforms in Lebanon, claiming they violated the ceasefire agreement between the two countries.

"An air force jet attacked rocket launchers in Lebanon that were loaded, ready to fire, and aimed at Israeli territory,” the Israeli army said in a statement.

The army further alleged that these platforms represented a breach of the ceasefire agreements but did not provide specific details about their locations.

1111 GMT — Lebanese army expands deployment in south, says prime minister

The Lebanon army has begun expanding its presence in southern Lebanon to assert the authority of the state and to ensure that no weapon exists without the legal framework, the country’s prime minister said.

In a meeting with Arab ambassadors accredited in Italy, Najib Mikati said: "The primary challenge lies in holding Israel accountable for its violations of the ceasefire agreement and demanding the withdrawal of its forces from Lebanese territory," according to a statement from the Prime Minister's office.

"We are waiting for the implementation of these measures with American-French guarantees, but we do not see an Israeli commitment,” he added.

1110 GMT — At least seven Palestinians killed as Israel strikes Gaza school

At least seven Palestinians have been killed and 12 wounded after an Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza, the civil emergency service in Gaza City has said.

The dead include a woman and her baby, according to medics.

1111 GMT — Lebanese army expands deployment in south, says prime minister

The Lebanon army has begun expanding its presence in southern Lebanon to assert the authority of the state and to ensure that no weapon exists without the legal framework, the country’s prime minister has said.

In a meeting with Arab ambassadors accredited in Italy, Najib Mikati said: "The primary challenge lies in holding Israel accountable for its violations of the ceasefire agreement and demanding the withdrawal of its forces from Lebanese territory," according to a statement from the Prime Minister's office.

"We are waiting for the implementation of these measures with American-French guarantees, but we do not see an Israeli commitment,” he added.

1037 GMT — Egypt's Sisi discusses Gaza ceasefire efforts, hostages with top US officials

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi discussed with visiting US officials efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoners deal in the Palestinian enclave, Sisi's office has said.

The officials who met Sisi in Cairo included US national security adviser Jake Sullivan and US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk, it said.

0927 GMT — Jordan condemns Israeli air strike on residential block in Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp

Jordan has condemned an Israeli air strike on a residential block in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza that left more than 30 Palestinians dead.

In a statement, Jordan’s Foreign Ministry reiterated the “kingdom’s absolute rejection of Israel's continued violations of international law and international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, which ensures the protection of civilians during wartime.”

The ministry criticised the “systematic targeting of innocent civilians and the lack of international accountability for these attacks.”

0556 GMT — Israel kills more people in Gaza as its brutality continues

Several people have been killed and wounded in ongoing Israeli air strikes across multiple areas of Gaza, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

In the town of Jabalia, northern Gaza, four members of the Saadallah family have been killed when an Israeli air strike targeted their home.

Additionally, two other Palestinians were wounded during a raid on a house on Abu Warda Street in Jabalia al Balad.

Two people have been killed and several others wounded in an Israeli raid on Yaffa School, located northeast of Gaza City.

A woman also lost her life in an Israeli bombing of a tent sheltering displaced persons in the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis.

2224 GMT — Israel gives ultimatum to Palestinians in northern Gaza to flee

The Israeli army has given an illegal ultimatum to Palestinians in southeastern Jabalia in northern besieged Gaza to flee areas in preparation for another assault.

Army's spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the ultimatum is for an attack planned by Israel against what he said is an area where rockets were fired from toward Israel.

He warned residents to leave toward "shelters in central Gaza City."

2036 GMT — Israel says it intercepts 2 rockets fired from Gaza

The Israeli army said that it intercepted two rockets fired from besieged Gaza toward nearby urban areas.

Israeli Army Radio said the army had intercepted the two rockets fired from central Gaza toward Ashkelon, prompting the activation of air-raid sirens in areas surrounding the blockaded enclave.

2030 GMT — Illegal Israeli settlers attack Palestinian Bedouin community in eastern West Bank

Illegal Zionist Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian Bedouin community northwest of Jericho (Ariha) city in the eastern occupied West Bank, said an organisation.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Hasan Mleihat, head of the non-governmental Al-Baidar Organization for the Defense of Bedouin Rights, said residents of the Arab Al-Malihat Bedouin community in the Al-Mu'arrajat area fended off the settlers' attack, forcing them to retreat.

Mleihat said that the area has faced repeated assaults by Zionist settlers, including acts of intimidation aimed at driving Palestinians out of their communities.

1939 GMT — Israel commits 5 more ceasefire violations in Lebanon

The Israeli army has committed five more violations of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire.

According to the official Lebanese National News Agency (NNA), the Israeli violations concentrated in the districts of Tyre and Sidon in southern Lebanon, including air raids and drone flights.

The Israeli army raided on a valley between the towns of Al-Shaitiyeh and Jabal Al-Botom in the Tyre district.

In the Sidon district, an Israeli raid targeted the Al-Sanibar area on the outskirts of the town of Al-Zrariyeh from the direction of the town of Ansar.

Another raid was documented in the town of Naqoura, according to NNA.

For our live updates from Friday, December 13, 2024, click here.