Live blog: Israeli strikes in Gaza kill over 200 in 24 hours – officials

Saturday, December 23, 2023

1741 GMT — At least 201 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza in the last 24 hours, Palestinian officials said, as violence rages on after a UN resolution called for delivery of more aid into the besieged territory.

Israel pressed on with its offensive focusing on southern Gaza, with clouds of grey and black smoke rising over Khan Younis city.

The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7 has risen to 20,258 — most of them women and children — with 53,688 injuries, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave said.

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2110 GMT — Families of Israeli hostages in Gaza protest in Tel Aviv

Hundreds of relatives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza protested in the centre of Tel Aviv to demand their return.

The official Israeli broadcasting authority reported that “hundreds of families of the hostages in Gaza gathered in central Tel Aviv to demand the government to immediately conclude a deal to release them."

The families affirmed that they are “ready to escalate their protests at any moment to exert pressure on the government to negotiate a deal with Hamas in Gaza,” it said.

2101 GMT — Israel takes revenge on Palestinians with administrative detentions: Head of Palestinian prisoner group

Israel uses administrative detention, inherited from the British mandate, as a tool of revenge against Palestinians, according to the head of the Palestinian Commission on Prisoners, Kadura Fares.

Since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza on October 7, a large wave of detentions and arrests have taken place in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

A total of 4,675 Palestinians have since been rounded by Israeli forces, according to the latest data from Palestinian prisoners’ affairs groups.

At least 2,870 Palestinians are held in Israeli detention facilities under administrative detainees; 2,345 were detained after October 7. It is the highest figure in the last 30 years.

2056 — Palestinians bury civilians killed by Israeli army in mass grave

Palestinians buried dozens of civilians who were killed by the Israeli army in recent days in northern Gaza after Israeli vehicles withdrew from areas.

Witnesses told Anadolu that Palestinians in Jabalia dug a mass grave and buried dozens of civilians killed in the area of ​​Tel al-Zaatar and the vicinity of the Indonesian Hospital.

They said the bodies, some being women and children, were collected after Israeli military vehicles withdrew from the area early Saturday.

The bodies were found scattered on roads after they were killed with shells, drones, and live ammunition, witnesses said.​​​​​​​

2030 GMT — Hundreds gather in Paris to show support for Palestinians

Hundreds gathered in Paris under the slogan: “No Christmas in Gaza” to denounce the ongoing war in the besieged enclave and demand an immediate ceasefire.

The Euro-Palestine Association was behind the rally at the Innocents Fountain in the French capital.

Olivia Zemor, French political activist and the president of the Association insisted on the necessity of organising more pro-Palestinian protests with the beginning of the new year.

“For our part, we have a duty to let these people know that they are not alone and that they have the support of millions of citizens in all countries,” she said.

1712 GMT — Arrests by Israeli army in Gaza estimated to be over 2,600

Arrests carried out by Israeli army in Gaza estimated to be over 2,600, including 40 medical staffers, 8 journalists, Gaza media office has said.

1633 GMT — Hamas says it lost contact with group holding 5 Israeli hostages

Hamas's armed wing said that five Israeli hostages might have been killed in Israeli attack, as it lost contact with a group holding the hostages.

In a statement on Telegram, Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for the Qassam Brigades, said: "As a result of the brutal Zionist bombardment, we have lost contact with the group responsible for five of the Zionist hostages, including Hayim Perry, Yoram Metzger, and Amiram Kober."

"We believe that the hostages were killed due to one of the Zionist airstrikes on Gaza," he added.

1608 GMT — Israeli army 'executed' dozens of elderly people in Gaza: Rights monitor

The Israeli army "executed" dozens of elderly Palestinians in Gaza in "direct shooting operations" since October 7, a human rights watchdog said.

In a statement, Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said that 1,049 elderly men and women have been killed so far — about 1 percent of the estimated 107,000 elderly people who live in Gaza, and 3.9 percent of all Palestinian deaths.

"The majority of them were crushed to death under the debris of their homes or the shelter centres where they sought safety after Israeli aircraft bombed their homes, or while being forced to seek basic necessities in the streets and marketplaces. Alarmingly, however, dozens were targeted in killings and field executions," it said.

1603 GMT — Number of journalists killed in Gaza rises to 100

One more journalist was killed in Gaza as a result of Israeli attacks, the government media office said, bringing the total number of journalists killed since October 7 to 100.

"The number of journalists killed has risen to 100, men and women, since the start of the brutal war on the Gaza Strip, after the martyrdom of journalist Mohammed Abu Hweidy in an Israeli airstrike in the Shujaiya neighbourhood," the media office said on Telegram.

1601 GMT — Iran dismisses US claims it is involved in Houthi ship attacks

Iran's deputy foreign minister dismissed US accusations that Tehran was involved in attacks by Yemeni rebels on commercial ships, saying the group was acting on its own.

"The resistance (Houthis) has its own tools... and acts in accordance with its own decisions and capabilities," Iran's deputy foreign minister Ali Bagheri told Mehr news agency.

"The fact that certain powers, such as the Americans and the Israelis, suffer strikes from the resistance movement... should in no way call into question the reality of the strength of the resistance in the region," he added.

1502 GMT — Dozens killed in Israeli operation in Gaza: health ministry

The health ministry in Gaza has said dozens of Palestinians were killed this week and publicly "executed" during an Israeli military operation in the north of the besieged enclave.

The Israeli "massacre resulted in the death of dozens" of people in the Jabalia camp and Jabalia town, ministry spokesman Ashraf al Qudra said in a statement. "They also executed dozens of citizens in the streets," he added.

When contacted, the Israeli army did not directly comment on the allegations.

1419 GMT — Israel continues striking Gaza after UN's call for more aid

Palestinians wept and prayed for their dead after fresh Israeli strikes followed a UN Security Council resolution that demanded more aid be allowed into Gaza but did not call for an immediate halt to fighting.

Clouds of grey and black smoke rose over Khan Younis city in the south after strikes in the morning, and live images showed black smoke drifting over the territory's north.

The health ministry in Palestine's Gaza reported 18 people killed in a strike on a house at the central Nuseirat refugee camp, and said other targets were hit up and down Gaza. The bombardments came after the Security Council approved a resolution demanding "immediate, safe and unhindered" deliveries of life-saving aid be rushed to Gaza "at scale."

1347 GMT — Hamas wants Israel to 'reveal fate' of Palestinians detained by Israeli army

Hamas calls on Red Cross, prisoners' rights groups to pressure Israel to 'reveal fate' of hundreds of Palestinians detained by army in Gaza.

1135 GMT — 2 more Hezbollah militants killed in clashes

Lebanese group Hezbollah said that two of its militants were killed in clashes with Israeli forces near the Lebanon-Israel border.

Hezbollah issued several statements regarding clashes with Israeli forces, including one in which Hezbollah confirmed the deaths of Hasan Abdunnabi Tileys and Ali Hussain Harb.

The group, however, did not provide any information about the circumstances surrounding the deaths of its two militants.

1000 GMT — 'No safe place for Christians or Muslims in Gaza'

Grief and desperation have overtaken Gaza in a season that is usually marked by merriment, as Israel continues its unrelenting attacks on the besieged enclave, where one Palestinian Christian Ibrahim al Amash summarised the somber situation by saying: "There is no holiday spirit here in Gaza."

"At the beginning of the war, we took refuge in the Church of St Porphyrius in Gaza City, but the church was targeted by Israeli warplanes which resulted in the killing and injuring of a large number of people," Amash said.

"There is no safe place for Christians or Muslims here in Gaza," he said.

0952 GMT — Iran threatens Mediterranean closure over Gaza

An Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander said the Mediterranean Sea could be closed if the United States and its allies continued to commit "crimes" in Gaza, Iranian media reported.

"They shall soon await the closure of the Mediterranean Sea, (the Strait of) Gibraltar and other waterways," Tasnim quoted Mohammad Reza Naqdi, coordinating commander of the Guard, as saying.

"Yesterday, the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz became a nightmare for them, and today they are trapped ... in the Red Sea," Naqdi was quoted as saying.

0931 GMT — Israel kills 90 members of one Gaza family after UN call for aid

An Israeli airstrike has killed 90 members of an extended family, rescue officials have said, a day after the UN chief warned again that nowhere is safe in Gaza and that Israel's ongoing offensive is creating "massive obstacles" to the distribution of humanitarian aid.

Friday's strike on a building in Gaza City was among the deadliest of Israel's war on the besieged enclave, now in its 12th week, said Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesman for Gaza's Civil Defence department.

He provided a partial list of the names of those killed — 16 heads of households from the Al Mughrabi family — and said the dead included women and children.

0930 GMT — US asks Israel to expedite release of remaining hostages in Gaza

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Defence Minister Yaov Gallant have discussed current initiatives to expedite the release of remaining hostages and increase humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

"Secretary Blinken and Defence Minister Gallant discussed active efforts to facilitate the release of all remaining hostages and increase levels of humanitarian assistance reaching Palestinian civilians in Gaza," said a statement issued by State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on Friday, a day after the two leaders spoke on the phone.

The top US diplomat emphasised the importance of taking precautions to prevent conflict and tension from escalating, particularly in the occupied West Bank and Lebanon.

0920 GMT — Israel planning to end ground operation in Gaza in '3rd phase of war'

Tel Aviv is preparing to end its military ground operation in Gaza as part of the third stage of its war in the coming weeks, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation has reported.

The broadcaster quoted unnamed sources as saying that the Israeli army "is preparing to move to the third phase of the fighting in Gaza during the coming weeks, in accordance with operational achievements."

"The third phase includes ending the ground operation in Gaza, reducing army forces and demobilizing reserves, resorting to air strikes, and establishing a buffer zone on the border between Israel and Gaza," according to the sources.

0805 GMT — Jordanian foreign minister in Doha to discuss routes to end war in Gaza

Jordan's foreign minister has begun an official visit to Qatar's capital to discuss potential routes to ending Israel's war on Gaza.

"Today (Saturday), the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi begins a working visit to Doha," the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said.

During his visit, Safadi will meet with Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, within "the framework of the ongoing coordination and consultation process to intensify targeted efforts to stop the raging war on Gaza."

0452 GMT — Gaza residents facing starvation: WHO chief

Residents in Gaza City are facing starvation and selling their possessions for food, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

"Hunger is present, and famine is looming in Gaza," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X.

Four of five households in northern Gaza and half of displaced households in the south are going days and nights without eating, said Ghebreyesus. "This is heartbreaking. This protracted conflict is blocking much-needed access to food and other life-saving humanitarian aid," he wrote.

0435 GMT — Israeli army detain 20 Palestinians in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army has arrested at least 20 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, sources have said.

The Palestinians were detained in Hebron, Ramallah, Jerusalem, Jenin, Qalqilya and Tubas, according to a statement by the Palestinian Prisoner's Society and the Palestinian Authority Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs.

They were brutally beaten during the arrests, and their homes were damaged, it said.

0347 GMT — Israel resumes its raids across occupied West Bank

Israeli forces launched raids on multiple locations in the occupied West Bank, targeting cities such as Jenin, Nablus, Jericho, Bethlehem, and Hebron, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

In Jericho, Israeli soldiers, accompanied by military vehicles, raided the Aynes Sultan and Akabeti Jabr refugee camps, leading to clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian youth.

Similar incursions took place in Hebron, including the Yatta district and the Dheisheh Refugee Camp in Bethlehem.

2200 GMT — Palestine reacts to UNSC Gaza resolution amid Israeli onslaught

Palestine's Foreign Ministry has welcomed the adoption by the United Nations Security Council [UNSC] of a resolution intended to help bring more humanitarian aid into blockaded Gaza.

The ministry, which is part of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, called the resolution "a step in the right direction," and said it would help "end the aggression, ensure the arrival of aid and protect the Palestinian people."

"We consider it a step that may contribute to alleviating the suffering of our people in Gaza," the ministry statement added.

0321 GMT — Israeli army carrying out more West Bank invasions

Israeli forces have invaded the city and refugee camp of Jenin.

Eyewitnesses confirmed that a large number of Israeli military vehicles, accompanied by a bulldozer, entered the city and the camp from the Jalama checkpoint, sparking clashes between youth and Israeli occupational forces.

They reported that several military vehicles were positioned near Jenin Government Hospital, close to the Horse Roundabout adjacent to Jenin's main entrance. Additional reinforcements were being deployed by the Israeli forces from various directions.

2400 GMT — Palestine aid group says UNSC resolution 'utterly insufficient'

The head of Medical Aid for Palestinians [MAP] said that the UN Security Council [UNSC] resolution that called for more aid and better access to besieged Gaza is not a sufficient move.

Melanie Ward welcomed the resolution but said, "It is an utterly insufficient response to the scale of humanitarian need."

The CEO of the UK-based charity noted that 20,000 Palestinians have been killed while a quarter of hospitals function and said the world continues to "fail Gaza's people in their darkest hour." Ward said the resolution will not halt the "disaster."

2217 GMT — US alleges Iran 'deeply involved' in Red Sea attacks

Iran was "deeply involved" in planning operations against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and its intelligence was critical to enable Yemen's Houthi movement to target ships, the White House alleged on Friday.

"We know that Iran was deeply involved in planning the operations against commercial vessels in the Red Sea," White House national security spokeswoman Adrienne Watson claimed in a statement. "This is consistent with Iran's long-term materiel support and encouragement of the Houthis' destabilizing actions in the region."

Iran denies involvement in attacks by the Houthis in the Red Sea.

1900 GMT — British Jews commemorate Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks

British Jewish group Na'amod has organised a vigil in London to mourn Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks.

The crowd gathered at the Gasholder Park to join "a call to global action by activists in Jerusalem, where any public expression of solidarity with Palestinians risks hostile reprisals and repression."

Calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, end to siege of the territory and release of hostages, the protesters carried signs, some of which read: "Each person is a world," "End the siege," and "Ceasefire now."

For our live updates from Friday, December 22, click here.