Main events on December 24th
- At least one Palestinian was killed and six, including a child, were wounded in Israeli attacks across Gaza on Wednesday.
- According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, Israeli forces have killed more than 400 people in the battered enclave since the start of the ceasefire in October.
- Gaza’s Government Media Office said Israel committed “serious and systematic violations” of the truce, noting that Israeli forces had breached the ceasefire 875 times since it came into force.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said an Israeli delegation met officials from mediating countries in Cairo, Egypt, on Wednesday to discuss efforts to return the remains of the last Israeli captive, police officer Ran Gvili, from Gaza.
- Fourteen countries, including the UK, Canada, Denmark and France, have condemned Israel’s approval of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying the move was illegal and jeopardised the Gaza ceasefire and “long-term peace and security across the region”.
Palestinian charity single ‘Lullaby’ tops UK Christmas charts, raising funds for Gaza
A charity single has topped the UK Christmas charts in an attempt to raise funds for families in Gaza. Filmed in the Strip and occupied East Jerusalem, “Lullaby” reimagines a traditional resistance song.
Within the week, it’s become the most downloaded song.
Gaza’s Christian community marks subdued Christmas amid sound of bombs, drones
Christmas morning here is already marked by the deep mechanical hum of drones, the roar of armoured vehicles. This is the eastern part of Gaza, where the sounds of bombardment have carried through the night and into the early hours of this morning.
For the Christian community here, it’s not just this morning but also last night – even the early evening hours yesterday – when the reality was felt.
As celebrations were meant to begin, particularly at the remaining churches in Gaza, mainly the Holy Family Catholic Church, there was no true sense of celebration. The ongoing attacks by the Israeli military and the overall security situation have made it extremely difficult for families to mark the holiday.
Many churches across Gaza either scaled back or cancelled Christmas activities altogether, replacing them with small, private gatherings and prayers within the church walls.
