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SvennoJ 21 hours ago
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Main events on December 5th

  • The Israeli military fired on Palestinians in northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip, including via helicopter gunship, as it continues to attack the enclave despite a US-brokered truce.
  • Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man near Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, as the army carried out a series of raids across the territory.
  • The UN General Assembly passed a series of resolutions expressing support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and extending its mandate as it has come under attack by Israel and the US during the genocidal war on Gaza.
  • Gaza mediators Egypt and Qatar, and six other Muslim-majority countries, say they’re worried about Israel stating it will open a crucial crossing for Palestinians to exit the Strip, but not return.
  • Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has condemned Israel-Lebanon talks after the Lebanese government included a civilian representative in the process, calling the move a “free concession” to Israel.

Hezbollah chief: ‘We are prepared to sacrifice everything’

Hezbollah’s leader gave a defiant speech pledging never to surrender as Israel continues to attack and occupy Lebanon despite a yearlong ceasefire.

“They want to eliminate our existence,” Naim Qassem said in a televised address of Israel. “We will defend ourselves, our people, our country. We are prepared to sacrifice everything, and we will not surrender.”

He accused Israel and the United States of wanting Lebanese authorities to negotiate “under fire”. A UN Security Council delegation is in Lebanon for talks with the government on defusing tensions with Israel.

Qassem said his group is cooperating with the Lebanese authorities, and the US and Israel should have “no say in how we manage our domestic affairs”, calling their imposition of conditions on Lebanon “unacceptable”.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has said new talks with Israel are strictly limited to fully implementing last year’s truce and do not amount to broader peace discussions.

 

First Intifada: 38 years later, what's changed?


It’s been almost four decades since the First Intifada broke out, a six-year uprising where over a thousand Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces. Today, nearly the same number of Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank in just two years since 7 October 2023.

Human rights groups and UN monitors still warn of rising settler attacks, mass displacement, and an increasingly permissive military environment. As settlements expand and accountability remains elusive, Palestinian communities face intensifying danger and a future shaped by decisions far beyond their control.