Live blog: Nearly 1M displaced Palestinians in Gaza face harsh winter — UN

Sunday, December 8, 2024

1327 GMT — Nearly one million displaced Palestinians in war-stricken Gaza are at risk of extreme cold and rain this winter, the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has warned.

"Displaced people in Gaza need protection from the rain and cold. Only around 23 percent of this need has been met, leaving 945,000 people at risk of exposure this winter," the UN agency said in a statement.

"Aid is urgently required to address the overwhelming needs as the crisis deepens."

UNRWA said that Palestinian civilians in the central city of Deir al Balah and across the enclave "search through the rubble of their destroyed homes, trying to salvage what little remains after an Israeli air strike".

"As strikes continue, civilian casualties rise, and homes and vital infrastructure are reduced to ruins," it said.

"The human cost of this war is unbearable," UNRWA said, reiterating its call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to prevent further suffering.

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1624 GMT — Israeli army says curfew imposed in five Syrian towns in occupied Golan

Israel's military has imposed a curfew for residents of five Syrian towns in a buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights along its border with Syria which Netanyahu ordered troops to seize.

"For your security you must stay at home and not go out until further notice," Lieutenant Colonel Avichay Adraee, an Israeli army spokesman, said on X, after Netanyahu's order earlier for the military to seize the zone, which abuts the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, after the fall of Syria's regime.

1155 GMT — Suspected Israeli strikes hit a part of Damascus, two security sources say

Israeli jets have reportedly targeted Mazzeh district of Damascus, one Lebanese and one Syrian security source said.

Additionally, jets believed to be Israeli bombed the Khalkhala air base in southern Syria that was evacuated by the Syrian army overnight, two regional security sources told Reuters.

The Israeli government had no comment on the reported strikes.

1132 GMT — Israel arrests 10 more Palestinians in West Bank raids

The Israeli army rounded up at least 10 Palestinians in military raids in the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners' affairs groups.

An injured individual was among the detainees in the raids that targeted Hebron, Tulkarem and Ramallah, the Commission of Detainees' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

The new arrests brought the number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli army in the occupied West Bank since October last year to over 11,900, including those who were released after being arrested, according to Palestinian figures.

The figure does not include those arrested from Gaza whose numbers are estimated to be in the thousands.

1127 GMT — Palestinian death toll in Israel's war on Gaza tops 44,700

At least 44 more Palestinians were killed in relentless Israeli attacks in Gaza over the last 24 hours, bringing the overall death toll since last year to 44,708, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.

A ministry statement added that some 106,050 others were also injured in the ongoing assault.

"Israeli forces killed 44 people and injured 74 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, with rescuers are unable to reach them," it added.

0946 GMT — Israel shells Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital, disrupting service

Palestinian health official said that Israeli forces had shelled the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, damaging electricity and oxygen pumps and disrupting urgent surgeries.

Hussam Abu Safiya, director of the hospital, one of only three barely operational on the northern edge of the enclave, said the facility was hit by around 100 tank shells and bombs, wounding several of the medical staff and patients.

"The situation is extremely dangerous. We have patients in the intensive care unit and others awaiting surgeries. Access to the operating rooms is only possible after restoring electricity and oxygen supply," Abu Safiya said in a statement.

The hospital is treating 112 wounded people, including six in the intensive care unit, he said.

2022 GMT — Israel strikes eastern Gaza City, kills 3

Israel struck the Tuffah neighbourhood, east of Gaza City, killing three Palestinians and wounding others, WAFA news agency said.

The agency said Israel targeted a house near the Shawwa Square in the neighbourhood, killing three civilians.

The report also added that Tel Aviv bombarded a residential compound near Kamal Adwan Hospital in the north of the enclave.

2021 GMT — Saudi foreign minister, US envoy Hochstein discuss developments in Lebanon

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan discussed the current developments in Lebanon with the US envoy to Lebanon, Amos Hochstein.

The discussion occurred during a meeting between bin Farhan and Hochstein in the Qatari capital, Doha, on the sidelines of the Doha Forum 2024, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

The meeting focused on "current developments in Lebanon and ongoing efforts to address the situation".

1900 GMT — Israel kills four women in Gaza City neighbourhood bombardment

Israel targeted Saftawi neighbourhood in the north of Gaza City, killing four women, WAFA news agency said, citing local sources.

For our live updates from Saturday, December 7, 2024, click here.