Rights groups urge sanctions over destruction of Gaza civilian infrastructure

Human rights advocates are calling for targeted sanctions against three Israelis and their related firms over allegations they colluded with the Israeli army “in the widescale destruction of civilian property in Gaza”.

In a statement, the so-called Global Sanctions Coalition urged the Canadian and British government, as well as the European Union, to sanction Harel Libi and Libi Construction Ltd; Alon Elgali and his company Meshek Afar Ltd; and Uria Loberman and the Uria Unit.

The coalition accused the individuals and companies of being involved in the destruction of homes, health facilities, places of worship and other civilian structures across Gaza.

“Civilian property is protected under international law, yet we are witnessing the systematic demolition of entire towns and urban neighbourhoods,” Corey Balsam, national coordinator of Independent Jewish Voices-Canada, said in a statement.

“These recommendations build on our ongoing work pushing for effective, escalatory sanctions against the institutions that design, fund, and operationalize illegal land seizures and infrastructure destruction across occupied Palestine.”

Israeli army confirms attack near ‘yellow line’ in northern Gaza

The military says it fired at two Palestinians – who it described as “terrorists” – after they approached the demarcation line in the north of the enclave, killing one.

But Gaza medical sources earlier told Al Jazeera that a child was among those killed after Israeli troops opened fire near the yellow line in Jabalia refugee camp.

The Israeli military has routinely fired at Palestinians, including women and children, near the unmarked line where the army is stationed in Gaza. Palestinians say the exact location of the yellow line remains unclear, leaving them open to deadly attacks by Israel.

World leaders ‘abdicating responsibility’ to end Israel’s Gaza assault: Rights group

Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem has accused the international community of “abandoning the people of Gaza” as Israel continues to attack Palestinians and block most humanitarian aid deliveries to the enclave.

“World leaders and the international community continue to abdicate their responsibility, abandoning the people of Gaza and enabling Israel to continue its destructive campaign unabated behind the smokescreen of a ‘ceasefire'”, the group said in a post on X.

That has prevented “the start of rehabilitation and the restoration of basic security” in Gaza, B’Tselem said, noting that most Palestinians are living without adequate shelter or access to critical supplies, such as food, water and medicine.

“Israel is still barring medical teams, humanitarian workers and foreign journalists from entering Gaza. This limits the availability of vital care, conceals reality on the ground and prevents documentation of harm to the population,” it added.

Israel is continuing its air and land strikes on the Gaza Strip. Although the first stage of the “ceasefire” agreement included withdrawal to the “yellow line” (leaving more than half of the Strip in Israeli control), the Israeli military continues to bomb, shell and shoot… pic.twitter.com/UCGX259EHK

— B'Tselem בצלם بتسيلم (@btselem) December 10, 2025

Israel prepares for Storm Byron as it restricts aid to Gaza

Israel has restricted the entry into Gaza of what it says are “dual-use” goods, including iron poles to set up tents. Meanwhile, it has been preparing to face Storm Byron, issuing one alert after another and advising residents – especially in coastal cities in the south – to take precautions.

These are cities that are not damaged, and where there are emergency response teams with a plan in place that can help people evacuate if needed. Nonetheless, there is concern that this storm is going to be very heavy.

The worst downpour is expected to take place Thursday into Friday, and yet preparations began more than 24 hours ago.

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank preparing themselves for loss: MSF

A psychologist working with Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, has described how the rising sense of insecurity and fear experienced by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank is impacting their mental wellbeing.

“Fear is everywhere, and this time it is paralysing people. Palestinians aren’t just worried: they’re preparing themselves for loss,” the psychologist, who requested anonymity, said.

“Instead of planning for their own or their children’s future, many are focusing on imagining the least painful way to die. A death that comes at once, and one that spares anyone from being left behind,” they added.

“There is a growing sense that something terrible is coming, but no one knows exactly when or how. It’s a collective awareness; a quiet, ever-present anxiety.”

As a consequence, MSF clinics are seeing a noticeable increase in symptoms of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Gaza bracing for ‘very tragic situation’ as storm approaches

The population of Gaza is bracing for a “very tragic situation” as a major winter storm is set to hit amid ongoing Israeli restrictions on the entry of shelter equipment, Oxfam humanitarian response adviser Chris McIntosh told Al Jazeera.

“Persistent bureaucracy prevented us from bringing in adequate dwellings for people in Gaza,” McIntosh said. “The Israelis have not permitted tents to enter Gaza for many months. The only thing they’re allowing at this point is some tarpaulin, which isn’t going to do much for people who need proper shelter.”

The adviser said Palestinians were being forced to live in “deplorable conditions”. Well over 50 percent of the population is living in tents, and many people will attempt to find dry ground inside bombed-out buildings that are at heightened risk of collapse due to forecast heavy rains and winds, he said.

McIntosh added that flooding would also make it harder to separate drinking water from wastewater and increase the spread of waterborne diseases.

UNIFIL says Israeli army fired on peacekeepers in Lebanon

The UN’s peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) says the Israeli military fired at peacekeepers yesterday who were patrolling the Blue Line – an unofficial “border” between Lebanon and Israel – near the Lebanese village of Sarda.

“One ten-round burst of machine-gun fire was fired above the convoy, and four further ten-round bursts were fired nearby,” UNIFIL said in a statement, noting that Israeli troops fired from a Merkava tank.

“Both the peacekeepers and the [Israeli army] tank were in Lebanese territory at the time. Fortunately, no one was injured,” it said, adding that Israel had been informed in advance of the location and timing of the patrol.

“In this very sensitive situation, we call on the [Israeli army] to cease aggressive behaviour and attacks on or near peacekeepers working to rebuild stability along the Blue Line,” UNIFIL said.

Israeli forces have routinely carried out attacks across southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreement reached last year with Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Yesterday, peacekeepers in vehicles patrolling the Blue Line were fired upon by IDF soldiers in a Merkava tank near Sarda.
 
One ten-round burst of machine-gun fire was fired above the convoy, and four further ten-round bursts were fired nearby.

— UNIFIL (@UNIFIL_) December 10, 2025

US ambassador to Lebanon says Israel will continue to ‘operate’ against Hezbollah

Michel Issa says that negotiations between Lebanon and Israel over economic ties and other matters are separate from Israel’s continued bombing campaign of what it says are Hezbollah targets in the country.

“Just because Lebanese-Israeli talks have begun does not mean that Israel will stop its operations”, the US ambassador said, according to local outlet L’Orient Today. His comments came following a meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, the influential Shia politician and sometimes ally of Hezbollah.

Last week, civilian representatives from Lebanon and Israel joined a session of the US-chaired ceasefire monitoring committee in Naqoura, south Lebanon, marking the first direct talks between the two countries in more than four decades.

Yesterday, Israel’s military carried out waves of air attacks in southern Lebanon, causing damage to several homes, according to Lebanese state media. Tensions remain high in Lebanon, as its people brace for a fresh Israeli assault, perceived on the ground as likely in the coming weeks.

US needs to look up the definition of ceasefire in the dictionary.

Israeli foreign minister holds talks with Rubio in US capital

Gideon Saar has hailed a meeting with his American counterpart, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in Washington, DC.

“I thanked the Secretary for his support for Israel and longstanding friendship,” the Israeli foreign minister wrote on social media.

Saar said the pair discussed “mutual opportunities and challenges” in the Middle East and other parts of the world, adding that he welcomed the Trump administration’s steps against the International Criminal Court.

The US government has repeatedly attacked the ICC over its decision to investigate and issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over allegations of war crimes in Gaza. Washington has imposed sanctions against ICC judges, accusing them of taking “baseless actions” against the US and its allies, namely Israel.

Honored to meet again in Washington DC with @SecRubio.
I thanked the Secretary for his support for Israel and longstanding friendship.
We had a good discussion on our mutual opportunities and challenges in the Middle East, Latin America, Africa and beyond.
I told the Secretary… pic.twitter.com/tnOfp1J4kB

— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) December 10, 2025

Iceland quits Eurovision in protest over Israeli participation

Iceland has become the fifth country to announce that it will not take part in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest after organisers confirmed Israel’s participation last week.

The country’s public broadcaster, RUV, said Iceland was among the countries that requested a vote on Israel’s participation. But the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) decided not to call a vote, saying it had instead passed new rules aimed at discouraging governments from influencing the contest.

“It is clear from the public debate in this country and the reaction to the EBU’s decision last week that there will be neither joy nor peace regarding RUV’s participation,” RUV ‘s Director General Stefan Eiriksson said in a statement.

The next Eurovision contest will be held in Austria’s capital, Vienna, in May. Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia also withdrew in protest, citing Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

How Israel is tearing Eurovision apart

Iceland is the latest country to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest over Israel's participation in the competition, despite the country's genocide in Gaza and continued oppression of the Palestinian people.

Broadcasters in Ireland, Iceland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia say that taking part alongside Israel would conflict with their public values, citing the high civilian death toll in Gaza and what they describe as serious human rights concerns. They argue that Eurovision cannot credibly claim to be a neutral cultural event while a participant is accused by many of grave violations in an ongoing conflict.

What does the Eurovision boycott mean for the future of the contest, can it survive the biggest crisis of its history? Joining Enda Brady for this discussion: Natalija Gorscak President of Management Board for RTV Slovenia.


Is the Eurovision nonsense finally going to wake up Europe?

Eurovision and Israel: No More Hiding Places For The BBC

Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia (and now Iceland) have shown the way and demonstrated it is perfectly possible for national broadcasters to take a principled stance and say that if Russian war crimes justify exclusion from Eurovision, so do Israeli war crimes.

The Israeli government, meanwhile, have explictly claimed that broadcasters that are not boycotting the contest are taking that position because they are "friends of Israel". So there is no longer any hiding place for the BBC - they appear to have picked a side and are enthusiastically participating in the 'artwashing' of Israel's atrocities in Gaza. The same is true of any singers or commentators who facilitate the BBC's participation in the contest next year.


As well as any advertisers for the show, BDS. Boycott the sponsors and there is no show. Banning the broadcast by 5 countries will already remove a lot of advertising euros. 

Main events on December 10th

• Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinian families across Gaza are bracing for heavy rainfall and flooding as a major winter storm hits the bombarded enclave.
• Israel has confirmed it attacked Palestinians near the so-called yellow line in northern Gaza, killing one person; medical sources told Al Jazeera that a Palestinian child was killed in Israeli fire near Jabalia.
• Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar says Israel will not back down from its demand that Hamas be disarmed as part of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire.
• The UN’s peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) says the Israeli military fired at peacekeepers who were patrolling the Blue Line – an unofficial “border” between Lebanon and Israel – in southern Lebanon on Tuesday.
• Iceland has become the fifth country to announce that it will not take part in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest after organisers confirmed Israel’s participation last week.

_{A thunderstorm is seen over a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in az-Zawayda, the central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, December 10}

UK Parliament Speaker rebukes Deputy PM over pro-Gaza prisoners’ hunger strike

In an extraordinary development, British parliament’s Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, has come down heavily on the country’s Justice Secretary and Deputy PM, David Lammy, over the controversy surrounding the hunger strike launched by a group of pro-Palestinian prisoners. This was after two MPs drew the Speaker’s attention to the fact that Lammy had refused to even acknowledge their correspondence over the issue. Rifat Jawaid looks at the treatment meted out to prisoners in the absence of a fair trial.

“It has always been a genocide for us” Mosab Abu Toha

In this address at the 2025 UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Palestinian poet and writer Mosab Abu Toha speaks as a survivor and witness. He recounts his family’s history of displacement from Yaffa, his birth in a refugee camp, his abduction and torture, and the loss of loved ones to Israeli airstrikes. He rejects symbolic language in favor of action, saying, “Humanitarian aid, food, medicine, shelter, should not require a UN resolution,” and insists that “ending the suffering of a besieged population should never be conditional or negotiable.” He calls for an end to occupation, accountability for war crimes, reparations, and protection for Palestinians, stressing that what is needed is not another peace plan but “a justice plan.” A

bu Toha then turns to poetry, reading excerpts that capture childhood dreams, loss, and life “under the rubble” in Gaza. His words document bodies unrecovered, homes destroyed, and children growing up amid bombardment, asking repeatedly, “Where should people go?” The reading closes with reflections on memory, grief, and survival, as he describes a place where even souls, like bodies, remain trapped beneath the ruins.

Civil Defence evacuates 14 tents in Khan Younis due to Storm Byron

The Palestinian Civil Defence reports that its crews in southern Gaza evacuated 14 tents flooded by rainwater in various areas of Khan Younis, moving displaced Palestinians to other locations.

The Civil Defence crews also freed two cars stuck in sandy, muddy roads, despite the difficult access and limited resources.


_{Palestinians ride in a cart pulled by a vehicle through a flooded street after stormy weather in Gaza City on December 10}


Israeli forces shoot Palestinian dead in southern Gaza

The Israeli military has shot dead a Palestinian in al-Mawasi, near Rafah in southern Gaza, Wafa reports.

A Wafa correspondent in Gaza reported that Israeli forces opened fire near the Flag Roundabout in al-Mawasi on Wednesday night, killing one person and injuring others, in yet another violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Israel has violated the ceasefire more than 700 times since it started on October 10, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.

Winter Storm Byron hits Gaza

<sub>Displaced Palestinian children walk through a tent camp after stormy weather in Gaza City on December 10


A man drives a car through a pool of water in the as-Saftawi neighbourhood, west of Jabalia city in the northern Gaza Strip, on December 10</sub>

US envoy visits Rafah crossing as aid in short supply in Gaza

US ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz has visited the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing in southern Gaza with Israeli army officials.

Waltz claimed that since the ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas, more than 600 trucks have been bringing food, shelter and medicine into Gaza each day. Amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the UN and international aid agencies report that not enough food aid or emergency equipment is being allowed into the enclave by Israel.

Israel’s military again claimed on Wednesday that the UN is “manufacturing a false narrative” about the lack of essential medicine and other life-saving drugs that have either completely run out or are facing severe shortages.

At Israel’s southern border with Egypt, I visited Kerem Shalom to see firsthand the primary processing point for international aid and commercial goods into Gaza.

Since President Trump’s Peace Plan was endorsed by the UN Security Council, over 600 trucks per day are now… pic.twitter.com/fLyonXD32p

— Ambassador Mike Waltz (@USAmbUN) December 10, 2025

Gaza officials reject US claim on humanitarian aid allowed by Israel

Gaza’s Government Media Office says no more than 234 trucks of aid per day have arrived in the enclave on average since the October 10 ceasefire deal, countering the claim by US envoy Mike Waltz that 600 trucks were coming in daily.

The US ambassador’s claim represents a “blatant attempt to exonerate the [Israeli] occupation from the crime of the blockade and starving the civilian population”, the office said in a statement.

Since the ceasefire, it said, only 14,534 of the 37,200 agreed-upon trucks have entered Gaza. The government office called this “adopting a systematic economic strangulation policy aimed at keeping the Gaza Strip on the brink of famine”.

Israel controls the nature of the goods allowed into the enclave, it said, adding that dozens of essentials, including basic food items, medical supplies and spare parts, are being blocked.


How much aid is Israel really letting into Gaza?

Israel continues to reject accusations that it is blocking assistance to Palestinians in Gaza despite myriad reports from the UN and leading aid groups, which say Israel is blocking trucks from bringing desperately needed supplies into the territory.

The Associated Press also reported this week that Gaza aid deliveries are falling “far short” of what was agreed to under the US-brokered ceasefire agreement that came into effect last month.

UN calls for unhindered aid flow as flooding worsens dire situation in Gaza

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says some streets in Gaza are flooded and tents are soaked after the latest winter rains, making dire living conditions even worse for the enclave’s forcibly displaced population.

“Cold, overcrowded, and unsanitary environments heighten the risk of illness and infection,” the agency said. “This suffering could be prevented by unhindered humanitarian aid, including medical support and proper shelter.”

The Israeli military has refused to allow the entry of many tents and mobile homes to Gaza despite the harsh weather conditions and the destroyed infrastructure, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without adequate protection and support.

Night fell harshly on Gaza, where families living in tents struggled through pounding rain, fierce winds, and freezing cold. pic.twitter.com/AazxX2RzMV

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) December 11, 2025

Israeli forces continue to restrict items entering Gaza despite ceasefire

There are a lot of things that have not been able to go through to Gaza because of Israeli restrictions, including Israel’s use of the “dual purpose” excuse, as many have accused it of.

For example, the tent poles would make it stand firmer and perhaps withstand the weather elements. Not allowing paper and pens because they might be of “dual use”. Not allowing equipment to repair the sewage and water networks that Israeli forces have destroyed over the past two years in Gaza.

Those are all clearly spelt out as Israel’s obligations in phase one of the ceasefire agreement. None of them has been implemented.

_{Palestinians living in tents inside the Nemsawi Cemetery in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on November 30}

Baby dies in Khan Younis due to cold weather

A nine-month-old girl has died due to the extreme cold in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, medical sources told our Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues. 

Medics told the Reuters news agency that eight-month-old Rahaf Abu Jazar died of exposure to cold after water gathered in her family’s tent in Khan Younis amid the heavy rainfall.

Her mother, Hejar Abu Jazar, said she fed her daughter before they went to sleep. “When we woke up, we found the rain over her and the wind on her, and the girl died of cold suddenly,” she told Reuters. “There was nothing wrong with her. Oh, the fire in my heart, the fire in my heart, oh my life,” she said in tears.

According to Gaza’s Civil Defence, most tent camps across the enclave were flooded due to the storm.

Displaced Gaza families struggle as winter storm hits

After a night of relentless rain, Arafat al-Ghandour and his wife, Nour, finally exhaled in relief as the morning sun emerged, if only briefly, over the soaked displacement camp. The couple, parents of five, live in a worn tent riddled with holes. They spent the night battling water pouring in from every direction.

Arafat, 39, shares the cramped space, no larger than eight square metres (86sq feet), with 15 family members, including his elderly parents, his sister and her family, and his brother’s wife and children. The conditions, he says, are “inhumane”. “All night I was plugging the holes with rags and plastic bags,” Arafat told Al Jazeera. “I haven’t slept yet. And they say the storm hasn’t really started.”

In the early morning, the family hurried to spread their drenched clothes, blankets and belongings in the sunlight to dry.


_{People walk past a pool of water in the as-Saftawi neighbourhood, west of Jabalia city, in the northern Gaza Strip, on December 10}

Israel sets out precautions as worst of Storm Bryon to hit

Over the past 24 hours, we’ve seen one alert in Israel after another, advising residents, especially in coastal cities and cities in the south in the Negev, to take precautions, warning of possible flooding.

Now, remember these are cities that are not damaged. The infrastructure there works, there are emergency responders, there are plans in place and money that can be pumped into helping people evacuate if they need to, but nonetheless, there’s a lot of concern that this storm is going to be heavy.

It’s expected to bring the worst downpours on Thursday into Friday.


_{A man drives a car next to a pool of water in the al-Saftawi neighbourhood, west of Jabalia city, in the northern Gaza Strip on December 10}

The Byron Storm is not just a weather event for many people. It’s colliding with displacement, homelessness, exhaustion, trauma and a collapsed health system.

There used to be rubble- and sewage-filled roads. Now, those are flooded with rainwater mixed with sewage because of the destruction of infrastructure, making it very difficult for people to survive these difficult conditions.

Gaza ‘urgently’ needs 300,000 new tents, says its media office

One and a half million displaced Palestinians are living in “harsh humanitarian conditions in Gaza camps” and need better shelter, according to the director of Gaza’s Government Media Office, Ismail al-Thawabta.

“Hundreds of thousands of families are living inside dilapidated tents damaged by the war of extermination and storms. The sector urgently needs 300,000 new tents, while only 20,000 tents have entered,” al-Thawabta said. He explained that an earlier rainstorm flooded “tens of thousands of tents” in Gaza, leaving areas submerged in mud and water.

“More than 22,000 tents were completely damaged, including tarpaulins, insulation materials and blankets. Emergency shelters collapsed, temporary water networks broke down and became mixed with rainwater,” he said.

“Ten mobile medical points were disrupted, vital supplies were lost, and medical teams faced difficulty accessing the area. The displaced people have lost the minimum necessities of life and are living without protection from the cold, wind and rain,” al-Thawabta added

Civil defence says more than 2,500 ‘distress signals’ recorded across Gaza

Gaza’s civil defence says it has received “more than 2,500 distress signals” from Palestinians whose tents and shelters have been damaged since the heavy rainfall began.

In updates posted on Telegram, rescue teams found that entire displacement camps were flooded in the al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, the al-Bassa and al-Baraka areas in Deir el-Balah, the “Central Market” area in Nuseirat, and the “Yarmouk and Port” areas in Gaza City.

“Displaced citizens with their children and women are now drowning, and the rain is sweeping away their tents despite the many appeals and humanitarian calls we have made to save them,” the civil defence said.

_{A child walks through a flooded area after heavy rain in the Abu Marhil refugee camp in Gaza City, December 11}

Flood risk analysis by OCHA and affiliated international bodies on the ground in Gaza showed that 761 displacement sites hosting about 850,000 people are “at the highest risk of flooding”.

“Over 3,500 displacement movements were recorded on December 7 and 8, likely in anticipation of forecasted heavy rainfall expected to make landfall on December 10,” it said in a report.

Aid agencies have been accelerating efforts to relocate displaced families from high-risk shoreline areas, with several hundred families hoping to move to municipalities in Khan Younis to survive.

UN partners are distributing remaining flour sacks to be used as sandbags, as well as limited tools and actual sandbags, “wherever feasible”.

Israeli shelling kills and injures Palestinians in Jabalia camp

Israeli shelling has killed at least one woman and others were injured, ambulance and emergency services in Gaza told our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic.

The attacks were carried out outside the Israeli army’s areas of control.

Israeli shelling targets Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis

Israeli shelling has targeted a school in the vicinity of Bani Suheila roundabout, east of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, local sources told our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic.


Israeli attacks have killed 383 people in Gaza since October: Health Ministry

Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that four bodies and 10 injured Palestinians were brought to hospitals across the enclave in the past 24 hours.

In an update posted to Telegram, the ministry said since the ceasefire began in October, 383 Palestinians have been killed, 1,002 people have been injured and 627 bodies have been recovered.

Since the war began in October 2023, Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed 70,373 people and injured 171,079 others, the ministry added.