Live blog: Israeli drone strikes south Lebanon in new ceasefire violation

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

1640 GMT — Two people were injured in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon, in the latest violation of a ceasefire deal between the two sides, Lebanese media said.

The strike targeted a vehicle in the town of Majdal Zoun in Tyre district, the state news agency NNA reported.

Lebanon has reported nearly 250 Israeli violations, including the killing of 30 people and injury of 36 others, since the ceasefire deal came into force on November 27.

Under the ceasefire terms, Israel is required to withdraw its forces south of the Blue Line - a de facto border - in phases, while the Lebanese army is to deploy in southern Lebanon within 60 days.

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1648 GMT — Netanyahu visits Israeli-occupied Syrian territory to review army deployment

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Israeli-occupied Syrian territory for a security assessment there, according to his office.

A statement released by his office said Netanyahu met with his defence minister, army chief of staff, and other officials on the peak of Hermon Mount (Jabal al-Sheikh) on the Syrian side of the border.

"The prime minister reviewed the IDF (army) deployment in the area and set guidelines for the future," the statement said.

1550 GMT — Stray dogs mauling bodies of lifeless Palestinians in northern Gaza

Footage aired by Al Jazeera news network showed stray dogs scavenging the bodies of lifeless Palestinians in northern Gaza, with Israeli soldiers present in the vicinity.

The distressing scenes have prompted widespread outrage, with Palestinian resistance group Hamas condemning the incidents as emblematic of the "cruelty, sadism, and inhumanity" of the Israeli military and its leadership.

In a statement, Hamas described the video as further evidence of a "systematic extermination" campaign in Gaza, where humanitarian teams have been denied access to retrieve bodies and assist victims.

The video depicted stray dogs mauling bodies in areas where rescue efforts have been obstructed.

1418 GMT — Two more Palestinians killed by Israeli army fire in occupied West Bank

Two Palestinians were shot dead in the occupied West Bank, according to medics.

Witnesses said that Israeli soldiers opened fire on two Palestinian youths near a separation barrier in the northern city of Qalqilya.

The Red Crescent Society confirmed that the bodies of the two victims were transferred to the hospital.

1410 GMT — Netanyahu reportedly on way to Cairo to discuss Gaza truce deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on his way to Cairo for talks on a ceasefire in Gaza, sources briefed on the meetings said.

Hamas said a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap deal is possible if Israel stops setting new conditions, according to a statement.

The statement comes after sources briefed on meetings related to the ceasefire talks told Reuters that a deal was expected to be signed in the coming days.

1250 GMT — Over 32 Palestinians killed in fresh Israeli strikes in Gaza

At least 32 Palestinians have been killed in a series of Israeli air strikes across Gaza, as the Israeli genocidal war on the enclave continued unabated.

Ten people lost their lives in a strike that hit a home in the Al-Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza City, a medical source told Anadolu.

The Gaza Civil Defence said that body parts and charred remains of the victims were brought to the hospital.

Two more people were killed in another strike targeting a group of civilians near a mosque in the Zeitoun neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City, eyewitnesses said. Another Israeli strike targeting a house left 15 people dead in the northern town of Beit Lahia, another medical source said.

1243 GMT — Jerusalem resident detained for suspected Iranian spy plot

An Israeli resident of Jerusalem has been arrested on suspicion of being in contact with Iranian intelligence agents as part of a plot to carry out an attack in Israel in return for payment, Israeli security forces said.

The 23-year-old man was activated by an Iranian agent known as "John" in October and arrested in November on suspicion of committing security offences, said a joint statement from spokeswomen for the Shin Bet security service and Israel police.

It said their investigation showed he had proposed cutting off the power to the Jerusalem light rail system and sent a video to his Iranian operator in an attempt to locate the power supply. It said he searched social networks to purchase a gun, a silencer and materials to produce explosives for the purpose of carrying out an attack in Israel.

The suspect had been detained and an indictment was expected in the coming days, the statement read.

1120 GMT — Israel to keep security control in Gaza 'after defeating Hamas': minister

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the Israeli army will keep security control over Gaza after "defeating" Hamas in the enclave.

In a statement on X, Katz said his position on Gaza remains clear: "After we defeat Hamas's military and ruling power in Gaza, Israel will have control security in Gaza."

He said Israel will have "full freedom of action, just as it did in Judea and Samaria," in reference to the Israeli control over the occupied West Bank.

Katz, who is known for his anti-Palestinian stance, said Israel won't "allow a return to the pre-October 7 reality."

1015 GMT — Death toll from Israel's war on Gaza rises to 45,059

At least 31 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, pushing up the overall death toll since last year to 45,059, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.

A ministry statement added that some 107,041 others were injured in the ongoing assault.

"Israeli forces killed 31 people and injured 79 others in three massacres of families in the last 24 hours," the ministry said.

1015 GMT — Israeli army says 2 soldiers killed in Gaza’s Rafah

Two Israeli soldiers were killed in Rafah in southern Gaza, the military has said.

A military statement said the two soldiers, from the army’s Nahal Brigade's Combat Engineering Corps, were killed in the city, without providing any further details.

Israeli media said that an initial probe by the army found that the two soldiers lost their lives in a building collapse on Monday, in addition to two others wounded.

The new fatalities brought the number of Israeli soldiers killed since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict last year to 819, according to military figures.

1014 GMT — Displaced Palestinians in Gaza flee western Rafah amid Israeli military incursion

An Israeli military incursion into Rafah has forced hundreds of displaced Palestinians to flee from the city in southern Gaza, witnesses said.

Israeli military vehicles staged a limited incursion in northwestern Rafah towards al-Mawasi, an area designated by the Israeli army as a “safe zone” for civilians, the witnesses said.

Tents of displaced people came under fire from Israeli drones and military vehicles moving in the area, forcing civilians to flee, they added.

The Israeli army did not issue any prior warnings before the raid.

Separately, the Civil Defence Agency said several Palestinians were killed and wounded in an Israeli strike near a mosque in the beach area in Rafah.

0720 GMT — Israeli strikes across Gaza kill at least 14 Palestinians

Israeli strikes across Gaza have killed at least 14 Palestinians, at least 10 of them in one house in Gaza City, medics have said as tanks pushed deeper towards the western area of Rafah in the south.

Medics said the Israeli air strike on the house in the Daraj suburb of Gaza City destroyed the building and damaged nearby houses.

Four other people were killed in two separate air strikes in the city and the town of Beit Lahia north of the enclave said medics, medics added.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

In Rafah, near the border with Egypt, Israeli tanks pushed deeper towards the western area of Mawasi, known as a humanitarian-designated area, residents said.

Heavy fire from tanks rolling into the area forced dozens of families sheltering there to flee northwards towards Khan Younis.

2116 GMT — Israel kills one Palestinian, wounds several in West Bank raids

Israel has killed a Palestinian man and wounded several others during raids across the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that "a martyr tried to reach the Rafidia Government Hospital in Nablus coming from the Askar refugee camp."

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society, which earlier issued an alert about a young man wounded on the hill near Askar camp, confirmed that Israeli forces had blocked medical teams from reaching the site.

2012 GMT — Gaza truce talks 'productive', 'small differences' remain — US

The US has described recent talks over a potential ceasefire and hostage exchange deal between Israel and Hamas as "productive" while cautioning that a "very small number of differences" still stand in the way of an agreement.

"The negotiations have been productive in recent days," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told a press briefing.

"We have continued to try to work with the other mediators to narrow the differences."

Miller emphasised that there are a "very small number of differences" that remain between the parties and expressed confidence that those differences can be bridged.

2108 GMT — Israeli officials in Doha for Gaza truce talks

Israeli officials arrived in Doha, Qatar, for talks aimed at a Gaza ceasefire and a hostage deal, a source with knowledge of the talks told the AFP news agency.

"An Israeli technical team is in Doha to discuss the ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza," the source said, on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.

"This is between Israeli and Qatari working-level teams," the source said, indicating discussions were aimed a bridging gaps between the parties.

2054 GMT — Conditions in north Gaza hospital 'appalling': WHO chief

A World Health Organization said a humanitarian team finally reached one of northern Gaza's only functioning hospitals at the weekend to deliver fuel, food and medicines and found "appalling" conditions.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X that after multiple attempts, the United Nations health agency and partners reached the Kamal Adwan Hospital "two days ago, amid hostilities and explosions in the vicinity of the hospital during the mission".

The team, he said, had "delivered 5,000 litres of fuel, food and medicines, and transferred three patients and six companions to Al-Shifa", the Palestinian territory's main hospital.

The agency said efforts to deliver desperately needed supplies have been repeatedly hampered.

For our live updates from Monday, December 16, 2024, click here.