Live blog: Israeli strikes deeper into Lebanon; West Bank deaths rise to 8

Wednesday, December 25, 2024

0733 GMT — The Israeli army launched an air strike in the Bekaa region in eastern Lebanon, the first such attack since a ceasefire agreement last month, Lebanese media has said.

The Israeli strike targeted an area between the towns of Talia and Hizzine in the Baalbek district, the state news agency NNA reported.

Lebanese authorities have reported around 300 Israeli violations since the ceasefire agreement took effect on November 27 to end over 14 months of fighting between the Israeli army and Hezbollah group.

Separately in the occupied West Bank, Israeli army fire has killed four Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarem, taking the death toll from ongoing military attacks in the area to eight, the Health Ministry has said.

A ministry statement said that seven more people were wounded, including two seriously, in the offensive.

The Israeli army began a large-scale military operation in Tulkarem late on Monday, triggering clashes with angry Palestinian residents, according to witnesses.

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0626 GMT — Jewish settlers storm Al-Aqsa, perform Talmudic rituals

Jewish settlers, escorted by Israeli forces, stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Palestinian news agency WAFA has reported.

Local sources confirm that dozens of settlers in successive groups entered the mosque through the Al-Maghariba Gate.

Reports say the Jewish settlers conducted provocative tours, performing Talmudic rituals across the Mosque’s courtyards, coinciding with the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

Israeli forces have fortified their presence at the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque and at the entrances to the Old City.

0527 GMT — Israeli army says intercepted missile from Yemen

The Israeli army has said it intercepted a ballistic missile fired towards the country from Yemen.

Air raid sirens sounded over a wide swathe of central Israel as a precaution against falling debris, but the army said it shot down the projectile before it entered Israeli territory.

No injuries were reported, according to Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's emergency medical services.

"A missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory," the Israeli army wrote on the Telegram social media platform.

"Sirens regarding rocket and missile launches were activated due to the possibility of falling shrapnel from the interception."

0600 GMT –– West Bank, Gaza Christians pray for peace amid Israeli attacks

The West Bank city of Bethlehem is gearing up to observe Christmas without its customary festive displays for the second consecutive year due to Israel’s deadly war on Gaza.

The city, including the Church of the Nativity, believed to be built on the grotto where Jesus Christ was born, lacks any celebratory atmosphere. Instead, prayers and calls for an end to the Israeli war on Gaza have replaced the usual festivities.

Typically, at this time of year, Bethlehem's streets, alleys, and churches are adorned with Christmas decorations, with one of the world’s most beautiful Christmas trees erected in Manger Square near the famous church. The city also usually bustles with tourists during the holiday season.

But for the second year, the Israeli war on Gaza has dimmed the Christmas celebrations in the city and stolen the joy from its residents. This year’s Christmas celebrations in the city are limited to religious rituals and family visits.

1926 GMT — Israel has killed at least 7 Palestinians and wounded several others across besieged Gaza.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency that six Palestinians were killed and scores of others wounded when an Israeli warplane targeted a home in Jabalia al-Nazla in northern Gaza.

A medical source told Anadolu that a Palestinian was killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted the top floor of a building near the Jabalia bus station east of the city.

According to a statement from the administration of Al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, 12 Palestinians, including two children and three women, were wounded as a result of an Israeli strike on an area near the Abu Areeban School.

2103 GMT — Palestinian death toll in occupied West Bank rises to 8

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that an ongoing assault by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank has resulted in eight fatalities, including two women.

The Ramallah-based ministry said seven were killed in the Tulkarem refugee camp and one in the nearby Nur Shams camp after the military launched a brutal raid.

Two women — Khawla Ali Abdullah Abdo, 53, and Bara Khalid Hussein, 30 — were among those killed in Tulkarem, the ministry said.

2053 GMT — Israeli army detonates explosive robots near Gaza hospital

The Israeli military detonated two explosive-laden robots near the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, causing loud explosions heard as far as Gaza City, witnesses told Anadolu Agency.

Due to the intensity of Israeli fire in the area, details remain unavailable.

2005 GMT — Saudi Arabia hails UN resolution seeking ICJ opinion on Israeli obligations to facilitate aid to Palestinians

The Saudi Cabinet has welcomed the adoption of a UN General Assembly resolution seeking an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israel's obligations to facilitate humanitarian aid to Palestinians from the United Nations, states, and international organisations.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the session held in Riyadh.

In this context, the Cabinet praised the UN resolution and the positive stance of nations that supported it.

For our live updates from Tuesday, December 24, 2024, click here.