Israel mounts Gaza attacks amid efforts to restart ceasefire talks
- Israeli forces attack densely populated areas across Gaza, killing at least 14 Palestinians overnight and 49 in the past 24 hours.
- Hamas and Israel are wrangling over the details of a potential ceasefire agreement, with the Palestinian group telling news agencies it has approved a list of 34 captives presented by Israeli authorities to be released as part of the first phase of that deal. Israel says Hamas has yet to provide a list of the captives.
Iran-led axis still exists, additional forces entering: Netanyahu
The Israeli prime minister was joined by Defence Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to receive a report from a committee tasked with examining the country’s military budget and the army’s troop designs.
“We have known for years that Iran is our greatest threat, both directly and through its proxies,” PM Benjamin Netanyahu said, according to videos and text released by his office.
He said Israel made sure to damage the Iran-led axis of resistance “in a very serious way”.
“But we see that it still exists, and that additional forces are entering the field, and we must always be prepared for what is to come,” he noted.
Earlier today, Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said “as time goes by, our enemies are becoming worn out and get closer to their downfall”.
WFP condemns Israeli attack on its convoy in Gaza
The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) says that Israeli forces opened fire on its convoy in Gaza yesterday in an incident it described as “horrifying”.
The agency said that its convoy of three vehicles carrying eight staff members was struck by 16 bullets near the Wadi Gaza checkpoint, causing no injuries.
The convoy was clearly marked and had received prior security clearances from Israeli authorities, a WFP statement said.
The Israeli army has attacked aid convoys in the Gaza Strip numerous times, causing deaths. The most recent incident came last month, when an attack on Palestinian security guards escorting an aid shipment killed at least 12 people and injured dozens.
Trump reiterates threat on release of Gaza captives
The US president-elect has renewed his earlier threat that there will be “hell to pay” if the captives held by Hamas in Gaza are not released by the time he is in office in about two weeks.
Asked what he meant by the previous threat during a radio interview with a conservative radio talk show host, Donald Trump said: “Exactly what it says – if those hostages aren’t released by the time I get to office, there will be hell to pay.”
Trump said he does not believe he has to get into details, but added that his response would not consist of saying “don’t” to enemies, as he accused outgoing President Joe Biden of repeatedly doing since the start of the war on Gaza. Trump also said “I’m with Israel” but “also for peace”.
A group of families of Israeli captives held a press conference in Tel Aviv earlier today, sending a direct message to Trump in English.
“Please don’t leave any hostage behind, please make sure all hostages are coming back home,” they said.
Gaza families struggle after Israel detains relatives; demand justice, details on missing loved ones
The toll of Gaza’s war isn’t just measured in destruction and displacement, but also in the loss of critical community members, detained without charge.
Doctors, teachers, and other ordinary citizens have been detained or forcibly disappeared, leaving families in anguish and vital services strained.
Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud spoke to Palestinians in Deir el-Balah, whose lives have been disrupted by the arrest of their family members.
