Israeli soldiers launch violent raids across occupied West Bank

Israeli forces launched a series of raids in several areas of the occupied West Bank over the night and this morning, according to local sources and the Wafa news agency.

Israeli army confirms killing Palestinian child for throwing stones

The Israeli army says its soldiers shot dead a teenage Palestinian boy for throwing stones at them in the occupied West Bank yesterday. The army claimed in a short statement cited by The Times of Israel that a “riot” erupted in the area near Bethlehem, and stones were thrown at the Israeli forces.

“The troops used riot dispersal means and then opened fire on a main instigator,” the military said, adding that “a hit was identified.”

The Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry identified the victim as 16-year-old Ammar Yasser Muhammad Taamra. Local media showed his family grieving over the teenager’s body today.

A 19-year-old Palestinian, Mahib Ahmad Jibril, was killed and another young man seriously wounded by settler gunfire in Tuqu, southeast of Bethlehem, after a settler opened fire on youths following a funeral, amid escalating settler violence. pic.twitter.com/OcHyUqRBRS

— Government Communication Center (@pal_gcc_en) December 16, 2025

UNRWA warns of permanent displacement after Israeli demolition orders in Nur Shams camp

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has warned that new Israeli demolition orders in the occupied West Bank’s Nur Shams refugee camp risk permanently displacing hundreds of people.

Earlier, we reported that the Israeli military plans to demolish 25 residential buildings in Nur Shams camp this week.

In a statement posted on X, Roland Friedrich, UNRWA’s director of affairs for the occupied West Bank, said the latest order would affect hundreds of forcibly displaced Palestinian refugees, with demolitions expected to begin on December 18.

Friedrich said satellite imagery shows that even before the latest order, about 48 percent of all buildings in the camp had already been damaged or destroyed.

“This new demolition order fits the pattern we have seen too often this year, with Israeli forces destroying homes to enable their long-term control over the camps in the northern West Bank, permanently altering their topography,” he said.

Canadian MPs denied entry into West Bank

A delegation of 30 Canadians, including six members of parliament, have been denied entry into the occupied West Bank, according to CBC News.

A spokesperson for the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), which had members participating in the trip, told CBC News on Tuesday that Israeli authorities asked each delegate to sign a form declaring they acknowledged being a threat to public safety. The delegates declined to sign the document.

NCCM chief executive Stephen Brown, who was not part of the delegation, described the decision as “deeply troubling and extremely disappointing”. In a statement emailed to CBC News, Brown added that members of the group had been granted electronic travel authorisations by Israel before arriving at the border.

The delegation had planned to meet civil society groups, Palestinian refugees and internally displaced people, as well as officials from the Canadian government and the Palestinian Authority.

According to the statement, the delegates are safe and are now travelling back to Jordan. They plan to return to Canada after attending a series of meetings in Jordan.

At least 45 bodies pulled from single building in Gaza City

In Gaza City, the aftermath of the genocidal war continues to surface after the withdrawal of Israeli forces from some of the areas. Palestinian civil defence workers recovered at least 45 bodies from a building on Monday, long after it was destroyed by the Israeli military.

“If we had larger excavators, there would be less time in the intervention process,” said Mahmoud Basal, the spokesman of the Gaza Civil Defence. “The issue is that, at this rate, we would need approximately three years in recovery efforts.”

Abu Muhammed Salem, a relative of the family that was buried under the rubble of their home after Israeli bombs destroyed it, said he hopes the family can be put to rest.

“My wish is that we will be able to recover the last body so that they can be taken to the cemetery in Deir el-Balah, and then we’ll know where they are buried,” he said.

Another rough night for displaced families as heavy rains flood tents

The situation is grim on the ground as heavy rain has severely affected makeshift displacement sites across Gaza, where thousands of displaced families are living in tents made out of plastic sheets, fabric and scrap materials.

We saw how the rain flooded large areas, turning the ground into mud and causing water to leak inside these makeshift tents, damaging what’s left of the personal belongings of desperate families who have been struggling to cope with the terrible weather conditions.

Residents and displaced families told us that tents are offering very little protection against the rain. There is very limited access to waterproof materials, and there is no drainage system.

From the early hours of this morning, families have been helping each other by sharing their remaining plastic covers. But they are insufficient, and aid agencies have also repeatedly warned that the weather conditions are only exacerbating the terrible humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Israel continues to systematically ban the entry of tents and mobile homes for displaced Palestinians, some of whom are living in partially destroyed buildings that could collapse.

Concerns remain over second phase of ceasefire: Analyst

If the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire does not happen, the humanitarian catastrophe in the enclave will significantly worsen, according to analyst Muhanad Seloom.

“In order to move to phase two, they have to demarcate the so-called yellow line, which is currently controlled by the Israeli army,” said Seloom, an assistant professor in critical security studies at Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.

Seloom told Al Jazeera that European and other stakeholders have concerns about the international stabilisation force that is envisioned to be deployed in Gaza, adding that they do not want to be in combat situations.

He said Israel has also continued its military campaign in Gaza while allowing a limited amount of humanitarian aid in, marking more ceasefire violations.

“I think it is a military decision at the moment about how to monitor the yellow line, because there is a kill zone of about 500 metres (1,640 feet) around that, and there is a question about how it will be observed,” Seloom said.

Israeli army launches air attacks and artillery shelling in Gaza

The Anadolu agency quoted witnesses as saying the Israeli army launched air attacks and artillery shelling within the military-controlled yellow zone in Gaza this morning.

Israeli military vehicles also reportedly opened indiscriminate fire on the northern parts of the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah.

Israel says killed Palestinian in southern Gaza

In a statement, the military has said the individual “crossed the yellow line” and approached forces in a “manner that posed an immediate threat”.

Israel’s ‘blatant, outrageous violations’ threaten ceasefire agreement: Hamas

Senior Hamas figure Ghazi Hamad has said Israel’s “blatant and outrageous violations” threaten the ceasefire agreement.

In a televised statement, he said:

About 9,300 Palestinians remain imprisoned, detained by Israel: Rights groups

The figure includes at least 350 children held in Ofer and Megiddo prisons, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society.

At least 3,500 of the detainees from the occupied West Bank remain “administrative detainees”, a special status meaning they are held without charges or trial on suspicion they plan to break the law in the future. Such detentions are typically based on classified information not revealed to the detainee.

Another 1,220 Palestinians detained during Israel’s operations in Gaza are classified as “unlawful combatants”, a status which allows for indefinite detention, according to the group.


Gaza death toll rises

The Health Ministry in Gaza says two Palestinians have been killed and six wounded in Israeli attacks over the latest 24-hour reporting period. Since a ceasefire came into effect on October 10, the ministry said at least 393 Palestinians have been killed and 1,074 wounded.

The overall death toll from Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has now reached 70,667 with 171,151 people wounded since October 7, 2023.

The ministry also announced the death of a two-week-old infant who died from hypothermia. Health authorities have identified the infant as two-week-old Mohammed Khalil Abu al-Khair.

He was admitted to the hospital in recent days and was placed into intensive care due to “extreme hypothermia caused by extreme cold”. He died on Monday, adding to more than a dozen casualties from exposure in Gaza so far this winter season.

The UN and aid organisations have repeatedly called on Israel to lift restrictions on aid to allow more material for shelters and flood drainage. They have warned that the young and elderly are the most vulnerable to extreme conditions.

‘We are flooded’: Palestinians desperate as storm keeps hitting

Thousands of civilians continue to bear the brunt of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza after more than two years of genocidal war.

A displaced Palestinian man was desperate after his tent was ruined by the impact of heavy rainfall last night as harsh weather conditions continue to hit the besieged enclave.

“This is our reality, this is our life,” he shouted, pointing to his tent that was overwhelmed with water. “We are flooded… For God’s sake, where is humanity? Where is the [Arab] Ummah [nation]?” he asked. “We are drowned, submerged … what for? For God’s sake, what did we do to deserve this?”

_{Palestinians walk in the rain along a Gaza City street lined with Israeli-damaged buildings}

House collapses in Gaza City

The Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza has told Al Jazeera that an inhabited house has collapsed on al-Shifa Street, west of Gaza City. Several people are believed to have been injured in the latest collapse of buildings in the enclave amid the storm.


One killed as heavy rain causes building collapse in Gaza City

A Palestinian has been killed and several wounded after part of a residential building collapsed in Gaza City amid heavy rainfall, according to Gaza’s Civil Defence, cited by Anadolu agency.

Civil defence teams said they recovered the body of a Palestinian from the rubble of a house that partially collapsed in the Shati refugee camp. Several wounded people were also rescued from the scene.

Witnesses told Anadolu that thousands of tents sheltering displaced people were flooded or blown away by strong winds that have battered Gaza since Monday evening, worsening conditions for families already living in precarious circumstances.

Gaza’s infrastructure has been severely weakened after months of Israeli attacks, leaving many buildings vulnerable to collapse during extreme weather.

Severe weather strikes Gaza’s largest hospital

Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical complex, has been hit by flooding and storm damage as severe weather swept across the Gaza Strip.

The hospital sustained extensive damage during repeated Israeli attacks over two years of war, and rehabilitation efforts by the Gaza Health Ministry after a ceasefire took effect on October 10 have failed due to Israel blocking the entry of necessary equipment, according to Anadolu agency.

Witnesses said thousands of tents sheltering displaced people were affected by the flooding and strong winds that have battered Gaza since Monday evening.

Israel says targeted Hezbollah fighter in Lebanon

In a statement, the Israeli military has said it struck the Hezbollah fighter in the Taybeh area of southern Lebanon.

Israel has repeatedly violated a ceasefire with Hezbollah, which went into effect in November 2024, saying Lebanese authorities have failed to disarm the group south of the Litani River as part of the agreement.

Lebanon’s army has said Israel has failed to provide evidence of Hezbollah’s alleged re-armament in the area. Intensified Israeli attacks have raised concerns of a return to full-fledged war.

Israel struck vehicle traveling between Markaba and al-Aadaissah: Lebanon’s news agency

The state-run National News Agency has also posted a photo of the flaming remains of the vehicle following an Israeli drone strike.

Israel said earlier it had targeted a Hezbollah fighter. Further details were not immediately available. Lebanese authorities have repeatedly said that ongoing Israeli strikes threaten the fragile ceasefire.

Israel announces second Lebanon strike

The Israeli military has said it has struck another Hezbollah fighter in southern Israel. That came after it said it struck a fighter in the Taybeh area.

Repeated Israeli violations of the ceasefire reached in November 2024 have increased fears of a return to wider war.

Lebanon Health Ministry confirms two killed, five wounded in Israeli strikes

Lebanon’s Health Ministry has confirmed that one person was killed in an Israeli strike on a vehicle in the Marjayoun district in the country’s south.

It also reported that one person was killed and five others were wounded in a separate strike on a truck between the towns of Siblain and Jadra in the Chouf district.

Not reported at all in any msm due to the Bondi Beach attack

Palestinian Foreign Ministry welcomes UN resolutions

https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/165391

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has expressed support for the UN General Assembly’s adoption of two resolutions reaffirming the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and permanent sovereignty over their natural resources.

In a statement on X, the ministry said the first resolution reaffirms the “inalienable rights” of Palestinians, including the right to self-determination and to establish an independent state along the 1967 borders.

The resolution was adopted by an overwhelming majority yesterday, with 164 countries voting in favour, eight against and nine abstaining.

A second resolution, addressing permanent sovereignty over natural resources in the occupied Palestinian territory, was also adopted by a large majority. A total of 156 states voted in favour, eight against and 10 abstained.

The resolution affirms Palestinians’ calls on Israel to stop exploiting Palestine’s natural resources and recognises their right to seek compensation.

https://x.com/pmofa/status/2000820957028479101

Which countries voted against UN resolution for Palestinian self-determination?

‘I couldn’t be more scared’: Palestine Action hunger strike enters day 45

A friend of a Palestine Action activist on hunger strike in a British prison has spoken of growing concern for their health as the protest enters its sixth week.

Rowan Wilson said their friend, 30-year-old Amu Gib, has been refusing food for 45 days while being held on remand.

“In resisting with the only tool prison affords them, they join a tradition of prison protest that stretches from HMP Bronzefield to Ireland to Palestine,” Wilson said. “I couldn’t be more proud of them – and I couldn’t be more scared.”

Gib was among the first of the group to begin a hunger strike. Supporters say eight Palestine Action-affiliated prisoners are currently refusing food across five prisons, with five hospitalised.

Gib is accused of breaking into RAF Brize Norton, Britain’s largest air force base, and damaging two military aircraft alongside three other people. Gib has said the planes were used for surveillance flights over Gaza and to transport weapons.

Palestine Action, the group linked to the protest, has since been proscribed as a “terrorist” organisation by the UK government. UN legal experts called the decision “unnecessary” and a misuse of counterterrorism laws.

Fears grow for Palestine Action hunger strikers as friends recall 1981 protests

Friends of Palestine Action on hunger strike in UK prisons have drawn comparisons to the 1981 Irish hunger strikes, warning that detainees may be approaching a critical point as the British government remains silent on their deteriorating health.

Jessica Dolliver, a friend of one of those on a hunger strike, Jon Cink, said the situation echoes a dark chapter in Irish history.

“I’m petrified for my friend. As an Irish person, the hunger strikes from 1980 and 1981 are ringing in my ears,” she said. “I know that the British government are entirely capable of letting these protesters die in custody without trial.

“The hunger strikers have passed a point of no return. Jon’s kidneys are shutting down. I’m scared they will never be the same again.”

Ten Irish republican prisoners died in British prisons during the 1981 hunger strike, including elected MP Bobby Sands. Martin Hurson died after 46 days without food. Cink has been on a hunger strike for 41 days. He was arrested over an alleged break-in at RAF Brize Norton, where activists are accused of damaging military aircraft they say are linked to UK military operations in Gaza.

UK MPs urge government to intervene over Palestine Action hunger strikers

More than 50 UK MPs and peers have urged the government to urgently intervene over the health of Palestine Action activists on hunger strike in British prisons, warning that several detainees face life-threatening medical conditions.

In a letter signed by 51 parliamentarians and addressed to the justice secretary David Lammy, the lawmakers called for an immediate meeting with the law firm representing eight prisoners currently refusing food.

The MPs said the lawyers had written to the government on December 9, warning that their clients’ health could deteriorate “beyond any possible recovery” without urgent action.

“We are growing increasingly dismayed at the government’s lack of action to protect the health and wellbeing of British citizens,” the letter said.

The hunger strikes are linked to the detention of Palestine Action–affiliated activists accused of damaging military or defence-related sites, including RAF bases and facilities connected to Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems. Supporters say the protests are aimed at opposing UK military support for Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

Israel takes part in joint cyber-military exercise with US

Israel has taken part in a military cyber-exercise with the US, as officials say they have thwarted dozens of attempted cyberattacks. The Israeli military said it completed the 10th annual Cyberdome exercise alongside the US Cyber Command over the weekend.

More than 120 cyber-specialists from both militaries participated, which was held at a secure military facility in the US.