Thank you for following our LIVE coverage from day 76 of the Hamas-Israel war.
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The same area on the outskirts of southern Lebanese village of Aitaroun that was hit earlier was hit again a few minutes later, residents of the village tell L'Orient Today.
There are no fully functioning hospitals left in the Gaza Strip, says the World Health Organization.
In a post on the official X account for the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, the UN agency called for an immediately cease-fire, saying Gaza's health system "needs urgent resuscitation."
Due to non-stop Israeli bombardment of the besieged enclave, 23 hospitals in Gaza are not functioning at all, while 9 are partially functioning and 4 are at minimum function.
The Israeli army announces that its forces destroyed the network of tunnels beneath what it refers to as Hamas' "Senior Quarter" in Gaza, according to reports from Haaretz.
The compound, located under the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City, includes a network of tunnels connecting safe houses and offices used by senior Hamas figures, the army claims. Yesterday, the army announced they had taken control of the compound, uncovering intelligence materials indicating the existence of the tunnel network. Today, Israeli forces "detonated" the underground structure.
Hezbollah announces the killing of another one of its fighters, Hussein Moserra, from southern Lebanese border village of Aita al-Shaab. This raises the party's death toll to 119 since the beginning of cross-border fighting with Israel, by our count. This numbers includes Hezbollah fighters also killed in Syria during the conflict.
As usual, Hezbollah did not reveal the date and time of the death. A local authority in his hometown told L'Orient Today that Moserra died in his house in Aita al-Shaab.
The military wing of Hamas, al-Qassam Brigades, states that Israel's objective of eliminating the ruling Palestinian militant group in Gaza was "doomed to failure," AFP reports.
In an audio recording, Abu Obeida, spokesperson for the al-Qassam Brigades, also asserted that negotiations for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza would only begin once there is "an end to the aggression" from the Israeli army. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said the same yesterday after meetings with intelligence officials in Cairo.
"If the enemy wants its hostages back alive, it has no choice but to stop the aggression," Obeida added, stating that the continuation of the war would lead to the death of Israeli hostages in Israeli bombardments.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reaffirmed that Israel will not stop fighting in Gaza until Hamas is eliminated and the hostages released. "Once we have eliminated Hamas, I will do everything in my power to ensure that Gaza is no longer a threat to Israel. Neither Hamastan, nor Fatahstan," Netanyahu said.
The Israeli army bombed Khyam valley in the southern Lebanese border village of Khyam, residents of the area tell L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south.
A man checks his water tank on the roof of a building in Rafah, on the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 21, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Credit: Mohammed Abed/AFP)
Drinkable water has begun to flow into the battered Gaza Strip from three desalination plants that started working Tuesday. In an interview with Reuters, Gaza resident Zaki Abu Sleyma, says the water tastes “like sugar” after weeks of Israel’s bombardment and siege left him and many others drinking unclean, brackish water.
The water is coming from three plants built by the United Arab Emirates on the Egyptian side of the border and pumped into Rafah, part of an effort to relieve one of the biggest humanitarian challenges in Gaza.
“We were really suffering … we used to bring water from the sea before. This water tastes like sugar, it is drinkable,” Abu Sleyman said.
Israeli war-time Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz says that Israel has no intention of ceasing aggression in Gaza until the hostages are returned and "until we change the reality in the south and the north," Haaretz reports.
"The operation in Gaza is continuing and the damage to Hamas is worsening. The operation will continue in the depths of the territory and at different stages," he added.
Yesterday, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh rejected an Isreali offer for a one-week cessation in hostilities in return for the release of dozens of hostages, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. Haniyeh said Hamas would not begin any negotiations unless a cease-fire is put into effect first.
🔴 BREAKING: Hezbollah announces that "in line with our decision to respond to the Israeli aggression against our villages and people," it targeted several civilian buildings in the Israeli village of Metula and in another Israeli village facing the southern Lebanese village of Aitaroun, in a public statement released by the party.
Earlier today, the Israeli army bombed a house in the southern Lebanese village of Maroun al-Ras, killing a civilian woman and wounding her husband. In his first speech following the outbreak of the conflict, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said "a civilian for a civilian," indicating that his party would attack civilians in Israel in retaliation for Israeli attacks on civilians in Lebanon.
The Israeli army announces that it has taken control of the Shujaiya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City, Haaretz reports.
The army claims to have achieved an "operational foothold" in the neighborhood, assuring that it would continue to hold the area and carry out "targeted operations."
The army also announced that it had arrested "numerous terrorists," including a company commander who took part in the Oct. 7 offensive. It also reported that the homes of senior Hamas officials had "been searched and intelligence material seized."
A Saudi think tank submitted a confidential document to the French Foreign MInistry. French newspaper Le Monde was able to view the text, which puts forward two strategies for ending the war in Gaza.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron calls "a lasting cease-fire" in the Gaza Strip, during a visit to Cairo, AFP reports.
"We must do everything possible to get aid into Gaza, where the population is in a desperate situation," he warned at a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukri.
"We need ... a lasting ceasefire where Hamas is no longer able to threaten Israel with rockets and acts of terrorism, where the fighting can stop and where we can talk about a long-term solution," Cameron said.
Hezbollah announces that they targeted an Israeli position facing the southern Lebanese border village of Hounin at 3:30 p.m. and that they "directly hit the target."
In the last 30 minutes:
• The Israeli army bombed three houses in the southern Lebanese border village of Kfar Kila, residents of the village tell our correspondent in the south, Muntasser Abdallah.
• The Israeli army shelled the outskirts of the southern Lebanese border villages of Mais al-Jabal and Mheibib, according to residents of those villages.
• The Israeli army bombed the southern Lebanese border village of Aita al-Shaab, the outskirts of Houla, Yaroun and Rmeish, a security source tells L'Orient Today.
Palestinian women mourn where a relative is believed to be trapped in debris following Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 21, 2023, (Credit: Mohammed Abed/AFP)
Palestinians check the rubble following Israeli bombardment in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 21, 2023. (Credit: Said Khatib/AFP)
The Israeli army announces it attacked Hezbollah military targets in southern Lebanon, according to a report from Haaretz.
Rocket-launching positions, military buildings and a squad that attempted to fire rockets at the town of Arab al-Aramshe were attacked, it said.
The Israeli army also claimed to have detected fire from Lebanon aimed at the Israeli towns of Dovev and Avivim and the Mount Dov region, saying it had returned fire.
Iraq says it has sent a fuel tanker to Egypt to help alleviate shortages in the Gaza Strip that have hampered relief efforts amid the ongoing Israeli siege, Reuters reports.
"An Iraqi tanker carrying a cargo of 10 million litres of fuel has left Basra port for the Suez Canal as an aid to the Palestinians in Gaza and the government of Iraq is planning to send further aid cargoes in future," said Zedan Khalaf, an adviser to the prime minister for humanitarian affairs.
Hezbollah fighters targeted the Israeli site of al-Jardah at 1:30 p.m., the group says in statement.
Hezbollah fighters launched an aerial strike at 12:45 p.m. using "three simultaneous drone strikes on the newly established ... [Israeli soldier] encampments behind their positions in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms, hitting and accurately destroying their targets."
The impacts of the Israel-Hamas war are set to push Lebanon's economy back into recession, the World Bank says, blaming mainly a "shock to tourism spending." Click here for more.
Sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and a Reuters camera crew witnessed rocket interceptions over Israel's commercial capital today after a TV channel showed launches from the Gaza Strip.
There was no immediate word of any damage or casualties in what appeared to have been a long-range salvo by Palestinian militants in the third month of a Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, Reuters reports.
Hezbollah says its fighters targeted, at 12:15 p.m., groups of Israeli soldiers in the Shebaa Farms "with rocket and artillery fire, resulting in direct injuries."
Hezbollah says its fighters carried out attacks at 11:15 a.m. on the Israeli towns of Duviv and Avivim, both located in northern Israel, causing injuries.
According to Haaretz, three people were lightly wounded after an anti-tank missile hit Avivim and several vehicles caught fire. The outlet addes that siren sounds were heard in northern Israel.
Hezbollah says this attack came in response to Israel's killing of the "citizen Nahed Musa Mhanna and the injury of her husband." Mhanna was killed earlier this morning when an Israeli airstrike hit her house in Maroun al-Ras.
The mayor of Taybeh (Marjayoun district), Abbas Diab, tells L'Orient Today that 30 minutes ago an Israeli airstrike targeted a telecom transmission column fixed on a house, causing material damage. He adds that the same transmission column and the same house were attacked a few days ago.
Egypt's foreign minister says that countries on the Red Sea have a responsibility to protect it, Reuters reports.
"We continue to cooperate with many of our partners to provide suitable conditions for the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea," Sameh Shoukry said at a press conference with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Cairo.
The comments come amid disruption to shipping in the Red Sea, following attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis on passing container ships in support of Palestinians amid the Gaza war
The United Nations human rights office said it had received reports that Israeli troops "summarily killed" at least 11 unarmed Palestinians in a possible war crime in Gaza. Click here for more.
Two Israeli raids have struck between the towns of Khraibeh and Mari in the Hasbaya district, a security source tells our correspondent in the south. Israeli artillery struck the two towns again a short time later.
Israeli warplanes have also launched a series of airstrikes targeting the forest and outskirts of Rachaya al-Foukhar (Hasbaya district), a security source tells our correspondent.
Israeli warplanes have also raided an area between al-Damashkiyah and al-Mahmoudiyah in the vicinity of the Jezzine district. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli artillery has also targeted Kfar Shouba and Rashaya, both located in the Hasbaya district.
According to residents of the area, Israeli artillery shelling has also struck the outskirts of Jibbayn and Tayr Harfa, both located in the Sour district.
An Israeli airstrike has killed a Hamas-appointed senior border official and three others in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip near the border with Egypt, Reuters reports, citing Hamas and health officials.
According to the Reuters report, Col. Bassam Ghaben, the Hamas-appointed director of the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom commercial crossing, and three other Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike near the gate of Rafah crossing.
There was no immediate Israeli response to a Reuters request for comment.
Three people have been lightly injured by an anti-tank rocket attack targeting the Israeli town of Avivim, on the border with southern Lebanon, Haaretz reports. The Israeli news site claims that several vehicles were also on fire in the attack.
Image: Palestinian children stand in front of a pile of debris following Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 21, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and Hamas. (Credit: Mohammed Abed/AFP)
Four released hostages and the families of two still in captivity in Gaza are suing the International Red Cross, Haaretz reports.
According to the Israeli news outlet, Four hostages who were released and the families of two hostages who are still being held captive yesterday submitted a compensation claim for 10 million shekels (approximately $2.8 million) against the International Red Cross to the Jerusalem District Court. It names the four released hostages as Raz Ben Ami, Judith and Natalie Ra'anan, and Amit Susanna.
Haaretz also reports that the lawsuit states that the Red Cross did not meet its obligations under international humanitarian law and that it should be ordered to visit all the Israeli abductees in the Gaza Strip, update their family members on their condition and provide them with medication. It adds that the lawsuit further states that the Red Cross ignored the appeals of the Ben Ami family and that the representative of the organization in Germany wished the families "success in making contact with their loved one."
Greece will join a US-led naval coalition to protect the Red Sea global shipping lane from Yemen's Houthi rebels, AFP reports. The Iran-backed Houthis have been conducting attacks on passing container ships in the Red Sea in support of Palestinians in the Gaza war raging between Israel and Hamas since Oct. 7. More details here.
The World Health Organization says northern Gaza has been left without a functional hospital due to a lack of fuel, staff and supplies, Reuters reports.
"There are actually no functional hospitals left in the north," the agency cites Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative in Gaza, as telling reporters via video link from Jerusalem.
"Al-Ahli [Hospital] was the last one but it is now minimally functional."
Israeli forces continue to besiege the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance center in Jabalia, in the north of the Gaza Strip, the PRCS said on X.
"Intense artillery shelling persists in the vicinity of the center, accompanied by gunfire from Israeli snipers. This poses a threat to the safety of 127 individuals, including paramedics, volunteers, and their families, among whom are 22 wounded individuals receiving treatment inside the center," the post says.
Though most Palestinians blame Israel for the destruction of Gaza, The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that more Gazans are criticizing Hamas.
Nearly 20,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to Palestinian health officials. The US paper cites a survey by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, which found that one in five Gazans polled blame Hamas for their suffering in the war.
“Gaza, which usually gives Hamas greater support, is showing more criticism of Hamas than the West Bank. There is more questioning of the decision to go to war,” Khalil Shikaki, director of the think tank and a professor of political science based in Ramallah, told WSJ.
Israeli fighter jets attacked Hezbollah infrastructure overnight, the Israel army says, Haaretz reports. Israeli artillery also attacked a launcher that fired at Israel last night.
Israeli artillery is shelling on the outskirts of Naqoura (Sour district), residents tell our correspondent.
Hezbollah has announced the death of one of its fighters: Ibrahim Abdel Rida Raslan from the town of Markaba was killed on Wednesday night.
The town was struck by Israel. Raslan was the only person killed in strike. Initially the mukhtar and mayor of the town told our correspondent that Raslan was a civilian, but Hezbollah claimed shortly after that he was a member of the party, in an official statement. The total number of Hezbollah fighters killed since Oct. 7 is 118.
Rocket fragments fell on the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona, causing no casualties, Haaretz reported overnight, citing Israeli police. Only material damage was reported.
Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for two attacks against Israel last night: one at 12:15 a.m. against Kiryat Shmona, "using Katyusha rockets," and the other at 12:30 a.m. targeting forests at the Pranit position, "using incendiary bombs.
Dozens of Israeli aircraft have attacked about "230 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip" over the past day, Haaretz reports, citing the Israeli army.
Israeli artillery fire is targeting the outskirts of the town of Um al-Tut (Sour district), residents of the area tell our correspondent in southern Lebanon.
Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, the UAE’s ambassador to the UN, has voiced hope for a resolution calling for the suspension of hostilities in Gaza to pass at the Security Council, Al Jazeera reports.
“I am optimistic, and if this fails, then we will continue to keep trying because we have to keep trying,” Nusseibeh told reporters, according to Al Jazeera
“There is too much suffering on the ground for the council to continue to fail on this … we have a resolution and we need to build on that,” she added.
⚡ BREAKING: The woman killed by an Israeli strike on south Lebanon this morning was 75 years old, according to local residents, while her husband, who was injured in the attack, is 80. A third person lightly injured in the attack was not hospitalized, the residents say.
A strike targeted the couple's home this morning in the south Lebanon border village of Maroun al-Ras, our correspondent in the area reported, citing a mukhtar (local official) in the village.
According to witnesses, around 50 Israeli shells fell this morning in Maroun al-Ras and surrounding areas.
The Israeli army has announced the deaths of three more soldiers, bringing the number of soldiers who have died since the start of the ground offensive in Gaza on Oct. 27 to 137, according to AFP.
Israel claimed yesterday to have discovered a network of tunnels used by “senior leaders” of Hamas in Gaza City and located “in direct proximity to shops, government buildings, residences and a school.”
According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, the Israeli army also carried out operations in the occupied West Bank yesterday evening, leading to the arrest of several people.
- On the humanitarian level, the World Health Organization is organizing a press briefing today in Geneva devoted to health conditions in Gaza.
- Tough negotiations must also continue at the UN Security Council today, which has repeatedly postponed since the beginning of the week a vote on a resolution intended to accelerate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Stalling the vote is the US's power to veto the proposed resolution. Hamas has denounced this veto power, saying in a press release cited by AFP, “The Biden administration is killing our people twice, once with its bombs, another by depriving them of food and medicine.”
- Diplomatic efforts are continuing on several fronts to try to achieve a new truce and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. Hamas leader Ismaïl Haniyeh traveled to Cairo yesterday to discuss a new “temporary one-week truce in exchange for the release by Hamas of 40 Israeli prisoners — women, children and men,” a source close to Hamas told AFP.
Meanwhile, Israel is maintaining a dialogue with Qatar and the United States to try to reach a truce allowing the release of hostages. The positions of the two camps, however, still remain very far apart, according to AFP.
- Meanwhile, the Israeli army yesterday ordered via social networks the "immediate evacuation" of an area "covering approximately 20 percent" of the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, according to a report from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the UN (OCHA) cited by AFP. “The extent of the displacements resulting from the evacuation order is not clear,” OCHA noted.
Here's what you need to know this morning:
- Overnight, Hezbollah claimed two attacks against Israel: one at 12:15 a.m. against the town of Kiryat Shmona "using Katyusha rockets," and the other at 12:30 a.m. targeting forests at Pranit's position "using incendiary bombs" in response, according to the party, to a similar attack by Israel against forests in the town of Raheb.
⚡ BREAKING: A woman has been killed and her husband and another person were injured when an Israeli bombardment targeted their home this morning in the Lebanese border village of Maroun al-Ras, our correspondent in the south reports, quoting a mukhtar (local official) in the village.
According to witnesses, around 50 Israeli shells fell on Maroun al-Ras and surrounding areas this morning.
Good morning,
We are back with you to cover the 76th day of the war between Israel and Hamas.
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