Situation at a glance: The dying in Gaza continues – compassion in Bethlehem

The devastating Gaza war cost more lives at Christmas and worsened the catastrophic situation for both the Palestinians and the Israeli hostages. At least five Palestinians were killed when the Israeli army deployed in the area of ​​a hospital in the north of the sealed-off coastal area. According to the UN, these and other clinics, where fighting also occurs again and again, urgently need food and water. Hopes for a quick agreement on a ceasefire and the release of the hostages from the Islamist Hamas remained unfulfilled. Israel brings back its negotiators from Qatar.

Latin Patriarch shows compassion for people in Gaza

At midnight mass in Bethlehem, the highest representative of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, expressed solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. “You are not alone,” he said in St. Catherine’s Church, right next to the Church of the Nativity in the small West Bank town. “You are truly a visible sign of hope in the midst of the catastrophe of total destruction that surrounds you,” said the Latin patriarch, who visited the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip before Christmas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously addressed Christians around the world in a Christmas message. “At a time when Israel is fighting on seven fronts, we deeply appreciate the steadfast support of our Christian friends,” Netanyahu said, according to his office. “We seek peace with all those who want peace with us, but we will do everything to defend the only Jewish state.” Israel’s “fight against the forces of evil and tyranny” is not yet over.

Israel’s army intercepts another rocket from Yemen

Meanwhile, Israel’s air defense intercepted another rocket fired from Yemen during the night, according to military sources. It was shot down outside the country’s own borders. The sirens were sounding again in several areas in central Israel. Only the previous night, the Houthi militia in Yemen said they had fired a ballistic missile towards the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv. This too had been intercepted. Since the beginning of the Gaza war, the Hamas-allied militia has been attacking targets in Israel and ships in the Red Sea with rockets and drones.

Overshadowed by the Gaza War, Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem – traditionally the birthplace of Jesus Christ – were subdued. The traditional procession from Jerusalem did arrive in Bethlehem. However, there were no festive decorations or the lighting of a large Christmas tree in the square in front of the Church of the Nativity. The tense situation in the West Bank has worsened since the Hamas massacre with 1,200 deaths in Israel on October 7, 2023 and the Gaza war it triggered.

More deaths in the West Bank too

According to Palestinian information, at least seven people were killed in an Israeli military operation in Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank. In two further incidents, four more Palestinians died. Israel’s army said forces were in Tulkarem on an anti-terrorism mission. It was said that night that an Israeli commander’s vehicle was hit by an explosive device. One of the senior officers was injured. The other occupants remained uninjured.

Israeli soldiers “killed a terrorist in face-to-face combat” during the operation in Tulkarem, it was previously said. Armed Palestinians opened fire on Israeli soldiers, who fired back. Reports are being investigated that bystanders also died. The information provided by the Palestinian Ministry of Health and that of the Israeli army could not initially be independently verified in detail.

The deaths also continued in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army said forces “executed and completed a limited operation against terrorists and infrastructure” in the Indonesian Hospital area of ​​northern Gaza. Five terrorists were killed in and around the hospital and others were arrested. There have been repeated attacks on Israeli soldiers from there over the past month. This information could not initially be verified either.

UN emergency relief office complains about the situation in northern Gaza

The situation at Kamal Adwan and Al Awda hospitals, as well as the Indonesian hospital, has deteriorated drastically since December 21, OCHA reported. The north of Gaza remains virtually under siege. Since December 1, Israeli authorities have denied 48 of 52 UN attempts to coordinate humanitarian access. The new UN emergency coordinator Tom Fletcher previously reported a breakdown of law and order in the sealed-off coastal area. Supplies were systematically looted by local gangs.

According to Israel, there is enough aid, but the UN has not managed to distribute it. According to international law, Gaza is Israeli-occupied territory. Israel is responsible for maintaining order.

Israel’s army continues to take action against Hamas

Meanwhile, Israel’s army announced that night that it had attacked another Hamas terrorist in southern Khan Yunis. He barricaded himself there in a humanitarian protection zone. Before the “precise attack” measures were taken to reduce the danger to civilians. The army did not provide any information about possible victims. The Israeli military repeatedly accuses Hamas of barricading itself in clinics and other civilian facilities and using civilians as human shields.

Israel wants to destroy Hamas in Gaza. According to Palestinian figures, more than 45,300 people have been killed in the coastal strip with more than two million inhabitants since the beginning of the war, although the number, which can hardly be verified, does not distinguish between fighters and civilians.

After a week of intensive negotiations in Qatar regarding a ceasefire, Israel is bringing back its negotiators. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office said there should be internal discussions about continuing negotiations to release the hostages held in Gaza. Qatar, together with the USA and Egypt, acts as an intermediary between Israel and Hamas. According to Israeli information, around 100 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip. However, many of them are probably no longer alive.