Live blog: Palestinian groups say Gaza ceasefire deal 'closer than ever'

Saturday, December 21, 2024

1545 GMT — Hamas and two other Palestinian groups said that a Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel is "closer than ever", provided Israel does not impose new conditions.

Last week, indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States were held in Doha, rekindling hope of an agreement.

"The possibility of reaching an agreement (for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal) is closer than ever, provided the enemy stops imposing new conditions," Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said in a rare joint statement issued after talks in Cairo on Friday.

A Hamas leader told AFP on Saturday that talks had made "significant and important progress" in recent days.

"Most points related to the ceasefire and prisoner exchange issues have been agreed upon," he said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the issue.

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1900 GMT — Five killed in air strike on house in Gaza's Nuseirat camp, medics say

Five people, including two children, were killed in an Israeli air strike on a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, medics told Reuters.

Meanwhile, Gaza's health ministry said there was ongoing intense and heavy bombing of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, which it said was occurring in an "unprecedented manner" and without prior warning.

The hospital is one of only three barely operational medical facilities on the northern edge of the enclave, where the Israeli army has been operating since October.

"The bombing is being conducted with explosives and tank fire, directly targeting us while we are present inside the hospital departments," the ministry said.

1800 GMT — Hamas military wing claims killing 5 Israeli soldiers in northern Gaza

The Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, claimed that it killed five Israeli soldiers in a "stabbing and engagement operation" in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza.

In a statement, the military wing said that during a combined operation in Jabalia, its fighters “eliminated three Israeli soldiers by stabbing them with knives, seized their personal weapons" and then "stormed a house where an infantry unit was fortified and killed two soldiers at its entrance."

It added that its fighters "engaged with others at point-blank range in the middle of Jabalia camp."

1533 GMT — Pope Francis condemns Israeli 'cruelty' in Gaza

Pope Francis condemned the recent Israeli air strikes on Gaza, expressing sorrow over the bombing of children in Gaza the previous day.

“Yesterday, children were bombed. This is not war. This is cruelty. I want to say this because it touches my heart,” he told members of the Roman Curia, the Vatican's central administration.

He also lamented that Israeli air strike s had prevented Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the highest representative of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, from entering Gaza.

1503 GMT — Army claims intercepting drone from east towards settlements in southern Israel

The Israeli army claimed that it intercepted a drone launched from the east towards settlements in the southern Negev region, near Gaza.

"Following the sirens that were activated a short while ago in Talmei Eliyahu, Gvulot, and Ein HaBesor, the Air Force intercepted a drone that entered the country from the east, ” the army said in a statement on X.

The three mentioned settlements are located in the Eshkol Regional Council area Negev, within the vicinity of Gaza.

1355 GMT — Yemen's Houthis say they hit Israel with ballistic missile

Yemen's Houthis said they had hit a "military target" in central Israel's Jaffa area with a ballistic missile.

The Israeli military said it has launched an "initial inquiry regarding the incident of a fallen missile fired from Yemen" and that the details were still under review.

1332 GMT — Israeli investigation reveals details of Yemen missile interception failure

An investigation by the Israeli army disclosed several failed attempts to intercept a ballistic missile launched from Yemen, which struck central Tel Aviv.

The missile, fired by Houthi forces, landed in a stadium in the Jaffa area early Saturday creating a large crater, injuring 20 people, and damaging numerous apartments, according to Israeli daily Haaretz.

The investigation revealed that the missile was detected and an alert was issued for the central region, according to the Israeli army report.

It noted that initial interception attempts using upper-atmosphere defense systems failed outside Israeli borders. Subsequent attempts at lower altitudes also missed allowing the missile to penetrate Israel’s defense system and strike Jaffa.

1154 GMT — Palestinian man killed by Israeli gunfire in northern occupied West Bank

A Palestinian man was killed by Israeli army gunfire in the northern occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said in a statement that its teams in the Jenin city transported Hussein Abdul Qader Khudur, who succumbed to a gunshot wound to the thigh.

Khudur, 24, was shot near the Israeli separation wall between the villages of Faqqua and Arabbuna, eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency.

1111 GMT — Gaza death toll soars to 45,227 as Israel escalates its assault

At least 45,227 Palestinians have been killed and 107,573 wounded in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since October 7, 2023, the Gaza Health Ministry has said.

1036 GMT — Israel leaves Palestinian bodies for stray dogs: Gaza Civil Defense

Gaza’s Civil Defense reported that Israeli forces killing Palestinians and leaving their bodies in the streets where stray dogs feed on them is a clear violation of international law.

In a statement, the Civil Defense explained that Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted rescue teams and ambulances, specifically when they attempt to approach the bodies of those killed.

It added that it had found several Palestinian bodies that had been reduced to skeletons.

In other instances, it described seeing stray dogs feeding on the bodies in several neighbourhoods, including Zeitoun, Shujaiya, Tel al-Hawa, the Jabalia area, Tal al-Zaatar, Beit Hanoun, and parts of the eastern areas of Khan Younis and Rafah.

0923 GMT — Israel continues to kill forcibly displaced Palestinians in Gaza

Five Palestinians were killed and several others wounded in Israeli air strikes targeting civilian gatherings in western Gaza City and eastern Rafah in southern Gaza.

“Four Palestinians were killed, and others were wounded in an Israeli drone strike on a group of civilians in Al-Shati Camp west of Gaza City,” a medical source told Anadolu.

In a separate incident, Gaza’s Civil Defense said their teams recovered “the body of a Palestinian targeted by an Israeli drone in the Khirbat al-Adas area, northeastern Rafah."

0522 GMT — Houthis confirm targeting central Israel with ballistic missile

Yemen's Houthis have said they had hit a "military target" in central Israel's Jaffa area with a ballistic missile.

2300 GMT — Israeli air strike levels Gaza home, killing 10, mostly children

At least 10 Palestinians, including seven children, were killed and another eight wounded in an Israeli air strike on a home in northern Gaza as Tel Aviv's genocidal war on the besieged coastal enclave continues unabated.

The Palestinian Civil Defense said in a statement that seven of the 10 victims killed in the Israeli attack on Friday evening were children.

A medical source in the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City told Anadolu that the bodies of 10 people and eight others who received injuries were brought to the hospital after the Israeli air strike on the home in the Jabalia Nazla neighbourhood.

According to witnesses, an Israeli warplane struck the "Khilla" family's home, destroying it and killing and wounding those inside.

2214 GMT — More Israeli violations of Israel-Lebanon cease-fire

The Israeli army has committed at least three more violations to a cease-fire that took effect last month to end the year-long fighting between the Israeli army and Hezbollah.

The official Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) said the Israeli army blew up several homes in the neighbourhood of Naqoura town in southern Lebanon on Friday.

It added that Israeli forces opened gun machines toward the valleys located between the Qabrikha area and near the town of Al-Ghandourieh in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese broadcaster reported more explosive operations to several houses and properties in Yaroun town of the southern Bint Jbeil district.

2130 GMT — Deutsche Welle insiders accuse outlet of pro-Israel bias: report

Senior figures in the newsroom at Germany's international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, are fostering a climate of fear for journalists covering Israel's war on the Gaza, according to a report.

Al Jazeera said 13 staffers, freelancers, and a former long-term correspondent have exposed the network.

They accuse Deutsche Welle of having a pro-Israel and anti-Palestinian bias.

They claim to have overheard colleagues making Islamophobic and dehumanising remarks about Palestinians and protesters in the Berlin office, without facing consequences.

2100 GMT — University of California resolves Gaza discrimination complaints

US Department of Education said it has reached an agreement with the University of California resolving complaints from Muslim and Jewish students of discrimination and harassment during protests last spring over the war in Gaza.

The department’s Office for Civil Rights said it investigated nine complaints against University of California schools in Los Angeles (UCLA), Santa Barbara, San Diego, Davis and Santa Cruz.

For our live updates from Friday, December 20, 2024, click here.