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Israeli ban on aid groups working in Gaza ‘criminal behaviour’: Hamas

By
IFP Media Wire
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Gaza War

“The occupation government’s decision to revoke the operating licences of dozens of international relief organisations constitutes a dangerous escalation and a blatant disregard for the humanitarian system,” Hamas said in a statement.

“We call on the international community, and the United Nations in particular … to take urgent and effective action to condemn this criminal behaviour,” it added.

Israel has announced 37 aid organisations will be banned from operating in Gaza from Thursday unless they comply with guidelines requiring detailed information on Palestinian staff, drawing criticism from the United Nations and the European Union.

Several NGOs have announced that the new rules will have a major impact on food and medical shipments to Gaza, at a time when humanitarian organisations say the amount of aid getting in is inadequate to the devastated territory’s needs.

Israel’s deadline for NGOs to provide the details expires at midnight on Wednesday.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since October, following a deadly war waged by Israel in response to Hamas attack on the occupied territories on October 7, 2023.

Some of the 37 NGOs to be hit with the ban are Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the Norwegian Refugee Council, World Vision International, CARE and Oxfam.

On Wednesday, the United Nations rights chief Volker Turk described Israel’s decision as “outrageous”, calling on states to urgently insist Israel shift course.

“Israel’s suspension of numerous aid agencies from Gaza is outrageous,” he stated in a statement, warning that “such arbitrary suspensions make an already intolerable situation even worse for the people of Gaza”.

On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of ten countries, including France and the United Kingdom, had already urged Israel to “guarantee access” to aid in the Gaza Strip, where they said the humanitarian situation remains “catastrophic.”

In a territory with 2.2 million inhabitants, “1.3 million people still require urgent shelter support,” the ministers of Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland said.

While a deal for a ceasefire that started on October 10 stipulated the entry of 600 trucks per day, only 100 to 300 are carrying humanitarian aid, according to NGOs and the United Nations.

 

Putin says Russia will prevail in Ukraine in New Year address

By
IFP Media Wire
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Vladimir Putin

Putin’s traditional speech was first aired in the far-eastern Kamchatka peninsula — the first Russian region to enter 2026.

He called on Russians to “support our heroes” fighting in Ukraine, saying: “We believe in you and our victory.”

He wished a happy New Year to “fighters and commanders” in Ukraine and stated: “Millions of people across Russia, trust me, are thinking of you.”

The conflict in Ukraine has had a huge human cost — with military deaths on both sides believed to be in the tens, or even hundreds, of thousands.

December 31 marks the 26th anniversary of Putin coming to power.

He became president of Russia on New Year’s Eve 1999, when Boris Yeltsin stepped down.

The televised New Year’s Eve speech, which continues a tradition started by Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, is a holiday staple in Russia and watched in millions of households.

It is aired on state TV just before midnight in each of Russia’s 11 time zones.

 

Iran denies fatality in attack on southern governor’s office 

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

Hamed Ostovar, Head of the Fasa Judiciary, dismissed rumors circulating about the alleged killing of an individual identified as Mehdi Samavati, stating that such claims are false and constitute misinformation spread by hostile sources.

Commenting on images shared online, Ostovar said that during the attack by a group of individuals on the Fasa governor’s ofice, parts of the building’s glass and the guard post door were damaged.

He added that law enforcement forces intervened promptly, leading to the arrest of four attackers.

According to Ostovar, three police officers were injured during the incident.

He also noted that preliminary investigations indicate that some of those involved in the attack were not residents of Fasa County.

The incident comes amid heightened public tensions, as several Iranian cities have recently witnessed protests driven by rising inflation and the sharp increase in foreign currency exchange rates, which have placed growing pressure on households and businesses across the country.

Israel suspending Gaza NGOs would block ‘life-saving aid’: EU

By
IFP Media Wire
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Gaza War

“The EU has been clear: the NGO registration law cannot be implemented in its current form,” EU humanitarian chief Hadja Lahbib posted on X, after Israel said several groups would be barred for failing to provide details of their Palestinian employees.

“IHL (international humanitarian law) leaves no room for doubt: aid must reach those in need,” Lahbib wrote.

NGOs had until December 31 to register under the new framework, which Israel says aims to prevent “hostile actors or supporters of terrorism” operating in the Palestinian territories, rather than impede aid.

Israeli authorities announced Tuesday that organisations which “refused to submit a list of their Palestinian employees in order to rule out any links to terrorism” had received notice that their licences would be revoked as of January 1, with an obligation to cease all activities by March 1.

Israel has not disclosed the number of groups facing a ban, but it has specifically called out Doctors Without Borders (MSF) for failing to meet the rules. It accused the medical charity of employing two individuals with links to Palestinian armed groups.

Several NGOs announced that the new rules will have a major impact on aid distribution in Gaza, with humanitarian organisations saying the amount of aid entering Gaza remains inadequate.

While an accord for a ceasefire that started on October 10 stipulated the entry of 600 trucks per day, only 100 to 300 are carrying humanitarian aid, according to NGOs and the United Nations.

 

Iran’s communications minister says over 80% of population use VPNs, warns of security risks

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Iran Internet Mobile

Hashemi warned that widespread and uncontrolled use has led to serious security concerns. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Hashemi noted that the government and the Ministry of Communications view the issue of VPN usage as a major challenge, stressing that existing internet restrictions have created security vulnerabilities for the country.

“The fact that more than 80 percent of people rely on VPNs shows there is a real demand”, Hashemi said. The minister said the government is serious about addressing internet filtering, but acknowledged that there are various stakeholders involved, some of whom oppose lifting restrictions and advocate maintaining the current filtering system.

He underscored that the issue of internet restrictions and VPN usage is being pursued seriously despite strong opposition.

Hashemi also announced plans to establish an artificial intelligence operator under a recent government resolution, saying the license would be granted to the private sector.

In a separate remark, the minister revealed that one of the largest cyberattacks against Iran’s communications infrastructure took place on Sunday night, originating from more than 120,000 sources worldwide.

He said the attack, which specifically targeted a major telecommunications service provider, was fully neutralized.

China says ‘successfully completed’ Taiwan exercises

By
IFP Media Wire
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“The PLA Eastern Theater Command has successfully completed ‘Justice Mission 2025’ drills,” spokesperson Senior Captain Li Xi said in a statement, referring to the People’s Liberation Army.

Troops would keep training to “resolutely thwart the attempts of ‘Taiwan Independence’ separatists and external intervention”, he added.

Shortly after Beijing’s military announced the end of live-fire drills around Taiwan, China’s President Xi Jinping stressed that “reunification…is unstoppable” as he addressed the nation

“The reunification of our motherland, a trend of the times, is unstoppable,” Xi stated in his 2026 New Year message from Beijing, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Russia publishes map of Ukrainian drone attack on Putin’s residence

By
IFP Media Wire
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According to Moscow, Kiev launched 91 UAVs at the compound on the night of December 28-29. All of the incoming drones were destroyed before they could reach the residence.

The map released by the Defense Ministry on Wednesday shows the flight path of the UAVs, which were launched from several locations in Ukraine and flew north towards Russia’s Novgorod Region through Bryansk, Smolensk and Tver regions.

According to the map, Russian air defenses shot down 49 drones above Bryansk Region, one above Smolensk Region and another 41 above Novgorod Region as they approached Putin’s residence.

Later in the day, the Defense Ministry published footage showing the debris of one of the UAVs that had been used in the failed attack.

The ministry said in a statement that it has “presented irrefutable evidence of a terrorist attack planned by the Kiev regime on the Russian President’s residence.”

The intentions of the Ukrainian government are confirmed by “fragments of drones shot down in Novgorod region, including those with warheads equipped with special striking elements designed to kill people,” the statement read.

The local eyewitness accounts of those who observed Russian air defenses at work “refute all attempts by Western and anti-Russian media outlets” to argue that there was “no evidence of a terrorist attack by the Kiev regime,” it added.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who denies the drone raid on Putin’s residence took place, is “either unaware of the actual situation or is simply lying as he usually does,” the ministry argued.

The Kremlin noted previously that the drone attack was targeted not only against Putin, but also “against [US] President [Donald] Trump’s efforts to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.”

 

US claims it killed or captured 25 Daesh operatives in Syria over nine days

By
IFP Media Wire
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Daesh

US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees the US military’s Middle East operations, issued a statement on Tuesday marking the conclusion of the operations this month.

The campaign followed the killing of two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter by an ISIL gunman in Syria on December 13 and widescale US strikes against the group six days later.

“US Central Command (CENTCOM) and partners across Syria killed at least seven ISIS members and captured the remainder during 11 missions conducted Dec. 20-29,” CENTCOM statement said.

“The operations also led to the elimination of four ISIS weapons caches.”

It did not provide the identities of those targeted.

The US deployed as many as 2,000 soldiers to Syria during the fight against ISIL, which started in 2014.

The current deployment of US soldiers sits at about 1,000 with the administration of US President Donald Trump announcing this year that it would further slash the number of US bases and soldiers in the country.

ISIL controlled large areas in Syria and Iraq from 2014 to 2019. Despite the group’s territorial defeat, US officials said ISIL remnants continue to pose a threat to the region.

The US military has long cooperated with the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria. Since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad a year ago, CENTCOM has said it is also working with the new Syrian government.

Syria officially joined the US-led global coalition against ISIL last month after President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former rebel commander who once led a group with ties to al-Qaeda, visited the White House and met with Trump.

On Tuesday, CENTCOM said the initial December 19 attacks against ISIL hit “70 targets with more than 100 precision munitions”.

“The massive strike executed by dozens of fighter aircraft, attack helicopters and artillery destroyed ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites across central Syria,” it noted, adding that the strikes were conducted in coordination with Jordanian forces.

CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper stated that the US “will not relent” in going after ISIL remnants.

“Continuing to hunt down terrorist operatives, eliminate ISIS networks, and work with partners to prevent an ISIS resurgence makes America, the region, and the world safer,” he added.

 

Abdolnaser Hemmati officially appointed as Governor of Iran’s Central Bank

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

Speaking briefly to reporters at the government compound on the day of his appointment, Hemmati said the Central Bank’s primary responsibilities would be curbing inflation and exercising stricter oversight over banks, adding that he would be fully accountable for progress in these areas. He stressed that addressing unbalanced banks, which he described as a major driver of inflation, would be a top priority, and pledged support for the capital market.

Hemmati also vowed to dismantle corruption and rent-seeking practices stemming from Iran’s multiple exchange-rate system.

The newly appointed governor said he would refrain from commenting on exchange rates, noting that market players are seeking stability.

“Preserving foreign currency reserves is more important to me than direct interventions”, he said.

Hemmati added that the foreign exchange market can be managed and that stability and calm would return in the coming days.

Hemmati further said he would consult with parliament but would ultimately implement economic policies based on what he believes to be in the country’s best interest.

Criticizing previous policies, he said repeated allocations of preferential foreign currency had led to the depletion of reserves and were eventually followed by price shocks. He also pledged to ensure the return of all foreign currency revenues that have not yet been repatriated, while emphasizing that the responsibility for exchange-rate pricing should not rest with the Central Bank.

Hemmati’s appointment as the new governor of the Central Bank comes amid sporadic protests in some Iranian cities, including Tehran, by businessmen and ordinary citizens against soaring currency prices and rising inflation.

UN condemns Israel’s moves against UNRWA

By
IFP Media Wire
-
UNRWA

Israel’s parliament passed new legislation on Monday formally stripping the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) of diplomatic immunity, and barring Israeli companies from providing water or electricity to the agency’s institutions.

According to UNRWA, the legislation also grants the Israeli government the authority to expropriate the agency’s properties in East Jerusalem, including its headquarters and main vocational training centre.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini condemned the legislation as “outrageous”, decrying it on social media as “part of an ongoing, systematic campaign to discredit UNRWA and thereby obstruct the core role that the agency plays providing human-development assistance and services to Palestine refugees”.

Filippo Grandi, the outgoing head of the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and a former UNRWA chief, also criticised the move as “very unfortunate”.

In an interview with AFP, he highlighted that UNRWA, unlike other UN agencies, provides basic public services such as education and healthcare to the millions of registered Palestinian refugees it serves across Gaza and the West Bank, as well as in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

“If you deprive those people of those services… then you had better find a substitute,” he said, warning: “I think it would be very difficult.”

“At the moment, there is a great risk that millions of people will be deprived of basic services if UNRWA is further deprived of space to work, and resources to work,” he added.

Israel has been ratcheting up pressure on UNRWA over the past two years.

It has accused the agency of providing cover for Hamas militants, claiming that some UNRWA employees took part in the militant group’s October 7, 2023 assault on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza.

A series of UN-linked internal and external investigations found some “neutrality-related issues” at UNRWA, but stressed Israel had not provided conclusive evidence for its headline allegation.

Grandi criticised the torrent of accusations that have swirled around the agency.

“UNRWA is a very indispensable organisation in the Middle East,” he stated.

“Contrary to much of the frankly baseless rhetoric that we have heard in the past couple of years, UNRWA is a force for peace and stability,” he added.

“In a region in which you need every bit of stability and efforts towards peace, it would be really irresponsible to let such an important organisation decline further.”

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