Palestinian group, Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, has announced the start of military the operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel. Thousands of rockets have been fired from the blockaded enclave towards the occupied territories as far away as Tel Aviv, killing over 1,400 Israelis, including both military and settlers. More than 5,000 Palestinians have been so far killed in an exchange of fire between the two sides.
Nearly two-thirds of Gaza’s health facilities have ceased functioning during a deadly increase in Israeli air raids, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed.
A total of 46 of 72 healthcare facilities – including 12 out of 35 hospitals – have stopped functioning across Gaza, it said.
Palestinian health officials stated damage from air raids and the lack of electricity and fuel to power generators due to an Israeli blockade have forced many overcrowded hospitals to close.
For the first time in months, Israeli police have closed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and stopped Muslim worshippers from entering the compound, according to the Islamic Waqf department which is in charge of the holy site.
Israeli police allowed Jewish worshippers to enter the compound in the morning and hold rituals in violation of the status quo at the mosque which states only Muslims can worship at the holy site, Palestinian Wafa news agency reported.
Residents in Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp say that supermarkets are quickly being emptied of stock as survivors scramble to get hold of food.
“We are not terrorists, America! We just want to live… we came here to get milk or biscuits or anything, and air strikes struck the supermarket,” one resident told Al Jazeera Arabic.
The supermarket in Nuseirat has been targeted at least three times before, since the start of the war on 7 October, leaving it heavily damaged.
It is one of the few remaining markets in the densely populated area that still has stock of food items, with only one other bakery still functioning in the camp.
Israel imposed a full siege on Gaza on 9 October, cutting off all electricity, fuel, food and water to the besieged enclave.
The United Nations’ Palestinian refugee agency reiterated its urgent calls for an unimpeded flow of humanitarian assistance to Gaza on Tuesday.
“We call for an unimpeded and continuous flow of humanitarian assistance and medical assistance to continue coming into Gaza,” stated Tamara Alrifai, spokesperson for the organisation.
“The trucks that have come in so far are just a trickle in the face of the immense needs of people on the street.”
Gaza
Killed: 5,791 (2,360+ children, 1,292 women) -*Data on combatant casualties not yet available
Wounded: 16,297
West Bank and East Jerusalem
Killed: 90 (30 children, one woman)
Wounded: 1,400
Killed: 1,400 (769 civilians, 307 soldiers, 57 police officers) – Data on children and women casualties not yet available
Wounded: 5,007 (299 hospitalised)
Killed: 27 (3 civilians, 18 Lebanese fighters, 6 Palestinian fighters)
Wounded: Data not yet available
The Kremlin announced Tuesday it had not succeeded in freeing Russian hostages being held by Hamas, who it has working relations with, and did not know how many of its citizens had been taken.
“Indeed, we have not succeeded so far, but we will continue,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, when asked about Moscow’s efforts to secure the release of Russian citizens.
“We don’t have exact information about how and when they can be returned at the moment,” Peskov added.
At least 12 British nationals were killed following in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, a spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday.
“We can confirm at least 12 British nationals were tragically killed in last week’s terrorist attacks,” the spokesperson stated, adding that five Britons were still missing, but he could “not be more specific” on the number of UK nationals the government believes may have been captured by Hamas.
Israeli Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi has suggested Israel has no intention of curbing its deadly air strikes on Gaza.
“We want to bring Hamas to a state of full dismantling,” Halevi said in a statement.
“We are well prepared for the ground operations in the south.”
Israeli military spokesperson Rear-Admiral Daniel Hagari also stated the military was “ready and determined” for the next stage in the war, and is awaiting political instruction.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says medicine and health supplies have been delivered to three key hospitals in southern Gaza but are still needed to reach the north.
“We still have not been able to reach the hospitals in the north with the medical supplies or the desperately needed fuel,” stated Dr Rick Brennan, WHO regional emergencies director for the Eastern Mediterranean region.
One-third of hospitals in the Gaza Strip are now non-functional at a time when the medical burden is enormous, Brennan added.
“We are on our knees asking for that sustained, scaled-up, protected humanitarian operation. We appeal to all of those in a situation to make a decision or to influence decision-makers to give us the humanitarian space to address this human catastrophe.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel’s fight against Hamas “could be a long war.”
Israel formally declared war on Hamas on October 8, the day after the group launched a brutal terror attack on Israel that killed more than 1,400 people.
Speaking at a news conference in Jerusalem on Tuesday alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Netanyahu stressed the need to defeat Hamas or “we will all lose.”
Netanyahu warned that Hamas would also present a threat to Europe.
He also echoed Macron’s warning to Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Islamist militant group that dominates southern Lebanon, not to join the war. He said Hezbollah would “regret” entering the conflict.
“I hope they heed our warning. They will suffer horrible consequences,” he added.
French Presdient Emmanuel Macron called for the international coalition fighting the Islamic State group to be expanded to also fight Hamas after the October 7 attacks on Israel.
The French president, speaking after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, said that countries fighting IS “should also fight against Hamas.”
He stressed there must be a “decisive relaunch” of the Palestinian peace process following the crisis set off by the deadly Hamas attacks and Israel’s response.
Foad Najem, general manager of al-Wafa hospital in Gaza City, told Al Jazeera:
The Israeli army has appealed to residents in Gaza to reveal information on captives held by Hamas in exchange for security and financial compensation.
“If you want a better future for you and your child, take action and give us as soon as possible solid and useful information concerning the abductees in your area,” an army statement read.
“The Israeli army assures you it will put forth maximum effort to provide security to you and your home, as well as a monetary reward. We guarantee you complete confidentiality.”
The army then provided contact details.
Nine French citizens are “missing or held hostage” following the Hamas attacks on Israel, French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter, after meeting with relatives of dead and missing French citizens in Israel.
“We are tied to Israel by grief,” Macron, who arrived in Tel Aviv on Tuesday morning, said on X.
Upon his arrival, Macron met with 30 relatives of 18 French citizens killed or missing since the Hamas attack on October 7, including the family of Mia Schem, a 21-year-old French-Israeli woman who was shown on a video released by Hamas last week.
Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, said that “Israel shouldn’t be given a green light for unconditional killing,” in a speech on Tuesday morning.
He also warned that the “dangerous escalation” of the war “threatens the region and the world.”
The Emir added that Israel must abide by international laws, and immediately end its full siege on Gaza.
French President Emmanuel Macron vowed not to leave Israel isolated in its fight against militants but warned against the risks of a regional conflict as he arrived in Israel on Tuesday.
France is “tied to Israel by grief,” Macron has said during a visit to Tel Aviv.
Macron told Israeli President Isaac Herzog: “We share your pain. What happened on the 7th of October is an awful terrorist attack against your people, your nation.”
“I want you to be sure that you are not left alone in this war against terrorism. Because I speak here on behalf of a country which experiences terrorist attacks,” he added.
Isaac Herzog has stated Israel is committed to “destroying” its enemies, noting though that the situation remained “extremely complicated and fragile” regarding those held captive by Hamas.
“We demand the immediate release of all our citizens,” Herzog said, speaking alongside French President Emmanuel Macron.
He also discussed the situation in the north of Israel where skirmishes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah have been intensifying since the war started on October 7.
“We are following very closely the situation,” he continued, adding while the country was not looking for a confrontation at its border, Lebanon was “playing with fire”.
“If Hezbollah drags us into a war it should be clear that Lebanon will pay the price.”
Mohamed Zaqout, general manager of hospitals in Gaza, told Al Jazeera:
Gaza’s largest hospital will become a “mass grave” if it runs out of fuel, a British-Palestinian doctor working there told CNN on Tuesday.
“The real question is, is there anything left of a hospital when there’s no electricity? And my answer is no. Effectively, Shifa Hospital will become a mass grave if it runs out of electricity,” Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah told CNN’s John Vause, adding there are currently 150 patients on ventilators with doctors unable to run operating theatres and anesthetic machines due to the shortages.
The hospital currently has “around 1,700 wounded patients, three times its capacity,” he said.
With longer and more frequent power cuts, Abu-Sittah said Shifa Hospital “effectively… will cease to exist as a hospital.”
This would also impact the maternity and neonatal units, the largest in Gaza, as over 15 incubators will “cease to function” once the power runs out, Abu-Sittah added.
In response to a question on whether this is a “countdown” to children dying, Abu-Sittah stated, “Absolutely.”
The shortages are also impacting ambulance services, which require petrol to reach and bring in the wounded.
Abu-Sittah said to his knowledge the hospital has not received any extra fuel supplies from Hamas.
“I’m not aware that the hospital has been receiving any extra fuel supplies but the stand from the administration is that what we have is what was in the supplies before,” Abu-Sittah added.
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, live TV footage showed.
Marcon plans to express solidarity following the October 7 Hamas attacks and to discuss a two-state solution, an Élysée Palace source said on Monday.
Macron is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli President Issac Herzog and opposition leader Yair Lapid.
China’s foreign minister said Israel had the right to defend itself in a call with his Israeli counterpart Monday, but “should abide by international humanitarian law and protect the safety of civilians”.
The remarks acknowledging Israel’s right to self defence are a step up for Beijing, which has called the lack of justice for Palestinians the ‘crux’ of the conflict, after Hamas 7 October attack on Israel.
Wang Yi also spoke Monday with his Palestinian counterpart, Riyad al-Maliki, where he reaffirmed Beijing’s support for a ceasefire and preventing forced displacement of Palestinians.
Yi is set to travel to Washington this week to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
The Lebanese government does not want a war with Israel, Lebanese Acting Minister of Information Ziad Makari said in an interview with the Russian state media RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
“The Lebanese government does not want war. If, God forbid, this happens, we will work with it,” said Makari, as quoted by RIA.
According to RIA, Makari added that such “threats” from Israel have become a “constant occurrence.”
“Israel has never refrained from making threats, and almost every week one or another Israeli political or military official threatens Lebanon and promises to return the country ‘to the stone age’ and so on. Netanyahu’s threats have become a constant occurrence for Israel,” stated Makari.
The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip has warned that the electric generators in hospitals will cease functioning within the next 48 hours due to a fuel shortage, amid intensified air raids by Israel on the besieged enclave.
Spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra said in a brief statement on Telegram early on Tuesday that the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza is “slow and cannot change the reality” on the ground.
“The healthcare system has reached its worst stage in its history,” he added.
On Monday, the ministry announced 32 health centres were out of service after Israel cut off access to essential supplies, including fuel, as it carries out a bombing campaign that has destroyed entire neighbourhoods and brought humanitarian conditions to a breaking point.
It added that the immediate needs of hospitals must be prioritised in terms of aid distribution, urging the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to push for the delivery of supplies of fuel and blood units into the enclave.
John Kirby, the White House spokesman, has said “this is not the time for a ceasefire” in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
“Israel has a right to defend themselves,” he told CNN, adding, “They still have work to do to go after Hamas leadership.”
Amid reports the US is pressuring Israel to delay its expected ground invasion of Gaza during negotiations to release captives held by Hamas, the spokesman stated it is up to the Israeli military to make its own decisions.
“It’s our view that the [Israeli army] need to decide for themselves how they’re going to conduct operations,” John Kirby told reporters on Monday.
“We’re not in the business of dictating terms to them, and we’re certainly not in the business here at the White House of previewing any future operations, one way or the other. That would be inappropriate,” he added.
It is “too early” to make any predictions for Syria’s future as there are a…
In a message to the Pope on Christmas Day, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has urged…
An Iranian knowledge-based company has developed a vacuum distillation device that is now being used…
As the New Year 2025 approaches, a warm and festive atmosphere envelops Iran’s capital of…
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed solidarity with Christians, highlighting endeavours for peaceful coexistence in…
Israel has provided full support for the theft of humanitarian assistance, killing security personnel to…