Live blog: Israeli army burying people alive in Gaza hospital — officials

Saturday, December 16, 2023

1739 GMT — Israeli bulldozers have buried alive dozens of displaced, sick, and wounded people in the vicinity of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, a Hamas official has claimed.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Health Minister has swiftly responded to the reports, calling for an immediate investigation into the actions of the Israeli army in the hospital.

“There needs to be an urgent probe into these reports,” Dr Mai al Kaila said in a statement.

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1943 GMT — Al Jazeera to refer killing of cameraman in Gaza to International Criminal Court

Al Jazeera has decided to refer the case of what it called "the assassination" of one of its cameramen in Gaza to the International Criminal Court, the Qatari-based network said in a statement.

The cameraman, Samer Abu Daqqa, was killed by a drone strike on Friday while reporting on the earlier bombing of a school used as a shelter for displaced people in southern Gaza, according to Al Jazeera.

The broadcaster said Israeli drones fired missiles at the school.

1940 GMT — Netanyahu hints new negotiations under way to recover Gaza hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appeared to hint that new negotiations were under way to recover hostages held by Hamas, after his Mossad chief met the prime minister of Qatar, a country mediating with Hamas.

Netanyahu claimed Israel's offensive in Gaza helped clinch a partial hostage-release deal in November.

"The instruction I am giving the negotiating team is predicated on this pressure, without which we have nothing," he said.

1840 GMT — Israel soldier killed by 'hostile aircraft' on Lebanon border: army

The Israeli army has said that a soldier was killed and two others wounded on the Lebanese border, with a spokesperson confirming the casualties were caused by a "hostile aircraft".

"Sergeant Major (reservist) Yehezkel Azaria, from Petah Tikva... fell during an operational activity in the Margaliot area, aged 53 at the time of his death," the army said in a statement.

A military spokesperson confirmed that two soldiers were also wounded in the attack, which was the result of an incursion by an unspecified "hostile aircraft".

1813 GMT — Israeli sniper killed two people inside a church in Gaza

Israeli sniper has killed mother and daughter inside Gaza's only Catholic church, church officials have said.

No other details were provided.

1734 GMT — Yemeni Houthis in Oman-mediated talks over 'operations' in Red Sea: Houthi spokesman

A spokesman for Yemen's Houthi rebels has said the group is engaging in Oman-mediated talks with "international parties" over its ongoing "operations" in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.

Mohamed Abdel Salam, the spokesman, reiterated that the Houthis will continue to target Israeli vessels or ships heading to Israel until the "aggression and siege" on Gaza end.

1720 GMT — Two Palestinians killed by Israeli gunfire in occupied West Bank: health ministry

Two Palestinian men have been killed by Israeli gunfire in two separate incidents in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

A 20-year-old died of his wounds after being shot in the abdomen by Israeli forces in the town of Beit Ummar, and a 25-year-old was killed in the city of Tulkarm, the Ministry said in a statement.

That brought the total number of Palestinian fatalities reported in the occupied West Bank to 290 since October 7.

1513 GMT — EU 'firmly condemns' physical attacks on journalists

The European Union has firmly condemned physical attacks on journalists while exercising their profession, following the violent attack that targeted an Anadolu Agency photojournalist in occupied East Jerusalem.

Israeli forces on Friday violently attacked Mustafa Alkharouf, who was on duty in occupied East Jerusalem before he was hospitalised.

"The European Union deplores the deaths of journalists, as well as of other innocent civilians, in Gaza Strip," chief foreign affairs spokesperson Peter Stano said in a statement.

He stressed that the EU urges "all parties to the conflict to ensure the protection of civilians, including journalists, at all times."

1416 GMT — Israel probes accidental killing of Gaza hostages amid outrage

The Israeli army has been investigating the killing of three hostages which it said had been "mistakenly identified" as a threat by soldiers, an incident that sparked protests in Tel Aviv.

The military said Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz and Samer el Talalqa — all in their 20s — were shot during operations in Gaza City.

They were among about 250 people taken hostage during Hamas's October 7 attacks in Israel, which killed around 1,140 people, according to Israeli figures.

The hostages' deaths have heightened international outrage about how Israel is conducting its ground and air assault in Gaza.

1246 GMT — Number of Palestinians killed in occupied West Bank hits 288

With the overnight killing of a young man by the Israeli army, the Palestinian death toll in the occupied West Bank since the start of the ongoing conflict on October 7 has risen to 288, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

The ministry announced in a brief statement that “Hamza Ibrahim Muhammad Bashkar, 30, was killed by Israeli forces gunfire near the town of Huwara on Friday evening.”

The ministry did not provide further details about the circumstances of Bashkar’s killing.

1241 GMT — Israeli attacks on Gaza hinder humanitarian work: UN agency

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has said that the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza hinder the humanitarian work in the region.

In an interview with the BBC News channel, Juliette Touma, the communications director at the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said: "We cannot access those who need us most and fulfill our duties."

She said that "imposed access restrictions, limited supplies and continued heavy bombardments prevent UNRWA's ability to provide aid in.”

"You can't deliver aid under a sky full of airstrikes," she added.

1236 GMT — Al Jazeera journalist killed by Israeli army in Gaza laid to rest

Al Jazeera television cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa who was killed during an Israeli army bombing on Gaza, has been laid to rest on Saturday.

The funeral was attended by hundreds of Palestinians, as well as Abu Daqqa's colleagues and dozens of journalists, in the garden of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis city, southern Gaza.

Wael al Dahdouh, Al Jazeera's Gaza correspondent, was also injured in the same attack and attended his colleague's funeral.

1123 GMT — Dozens killed, injured in multiple Israeli army attacks on Gaza

Israeli warplanes bombed two houses belonging to the Al Najjar and Hadar families in northern Gaza, killing at least 14 people and injuring many more, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

In another attack, the Israeli army targeted a house in the Jabalia Refugee Camp, killing dozens of Palestinians, including children and women, the news agency said, adding that dozens of people were injured and many others were trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.

The Israeli army also bombed a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Deir al Balah, central Gaza, where people had taken refuge, resulting in many casualties and injuries, including children and women, the news agency reported.

1123 GMT — Multiple neighbourhoods in northern and southern Gaza bombed, attacked

Israeli warplanes also launched a raid targeting a house in the Al Brahma area in Rafah, while the Israeli army continued its bombing of the Shujaiya, Tuffah, and Daraj neighbourhoods in Gaza.

Separately, an Israeli sniper shot dead a Palestinian young man inside his house in the Tel ez Zater region of northern Gaza.

The Israeli army also carried out attacks in the eastern parts of the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. There were no details on the total number of casualties and injuries in the Israeli attacks.

1046 GMT — Israeli army detains 16 more Palestinians, including cancer patient woman in West Bank: NGO

The Israeli army has arrested 16 more people, including a cancer patient woman, bringing the total number of Palestinian detainees in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem to 4,520 since October 7, a Palestinian prisoners' affairs group said.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a statement that Israeli authorities “arrested 16 citizens on Saturday, adding that the figure does not include arrests in Gaza, it said.

1023 GMT — Palestinians ‘left to rot’ as world silent on Gaza massacre: BAFTA award-winning director

British Palestinian director Farah Nabulsi has spoken out against Israel's blockade of Gaza and its ongoing killing of Palestinians at Istanbul's 11th Bosphorus Film Festival.

Palestinians inside Gaza have been “left to rot in stagnation and helplessness, and they threw away the key, and anyone who dared to come out was shot,” she said.

Nabulsi, who blasted Israel’s ongoing aggression against Gaza, became known after she said “Stop the massacre in Gaza” during her speech at the award ceremony of the Red Sea International Film Festival.

1021 GMT — International outcry over Israeli attack on Anadolu photojournalist in Jerusalem

Anadolu photojournalist Mustafa Alkharouf has been wounded by Israeli forces in a violent attack in occupied East Jerusalem, which has garnered widespread condemnation from various international organisations, including the UN, and several governments.

Alessandra Vellucci, director of the UN Information Service, urged all parties to adhere to international human rights law and ensure the protection of journalists.

She said that media equipment, offices, and studios should not be targeted in attacks or reprisals.

Separately, Anthony Bellanger, head of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), condemned the "violent and aggressive" attack on the Anadolu photojournalist, describing it as a nightmare.

1009 GMT — Senior US official, top German diplomat discuss Gaza situation over phone

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock have spoken by phone about the situation in Gaza, according to an official statement.

Blinken called Baerbock and welcomed German leadership in “supporting Israel's right to ensure Hamas can never repeat the attacks of October 7," US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement, reading out the two leaders' conversation.

"The leaders discussed the urgency of addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza, protecting civilians from harm, and efforts to prevent the further spread of the conflict," the statement said.

0940 GMT — Pakistan army chief meets with UN chief in New York to discuss Gaza

Pakistan Army chief Gen. Asim Munir has met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York and discussed the current situation in Gaza.

During the meeting, Munir reiterated Pakistan's position on the Palestine issue and urged Guterres to mobilise the international community for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza to prevent a human tragedy from unfolding, said a statement issued by the Pakistan Army's media wing in Rawalpindi on Saturday.

He also emphasised that the only long-term solution to the problem is a two-state solution.

0843 GMT — Lebanon's Hezbollah targets Israeli military site with missile

Lebanese group Hezbollah has announced the targeting of an Israeli military site along the southern border of Lebanon.

The group said in a statement that it “targeted the Israeli military site of Birket Rishe off the Lebanese border with a guided missile.”

It added “the target was hit with full accuracy,” claiming that it caused “many casualties and injuries among the Israeli soldiers.”

0724 GMT — Streets in Gaza become open-air gravesites

Families have turned to burying the bodies of their relatives killed in Israeli airstrikes in makeshift mass graves scattered throughout Gaza.

The burials in makeshift graves are due to the difficulty of reaching cemeteries because of the ongoing aggression.

Palestinians interviewed by Anadolu said the graves are intended to be temporary until a humanitarian ceasefire is declared or hostilities cease. At that point, the bodies will be moved to official cemeteries in cities.

The head of the Euro-Mediterranean Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdu, said his teams have documented “more than 120 makeshift mass graves in the governorates of Gaza for burying the victims of the ongoing Israeli war.”

0650 GMT — Two Israeli police officers suspended after beating journalist

Israeli police have taken disciplinary action against two officers involved in the brutal assault on Mustafa Alkharouf, a photojournalist working for the Anadolu Agency.

According to Israeli media Channel 12, the officers have been suspended from "operational activity" following the incident.

The assault occurred as Alkharouf was covering Friday prayers near the Al Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.

Two Israeli Border Police officers attacked him, resulting in a violent altercation. The photojournalist was punched, thrown to the ground, and subjected to severe kicks to his head, leading to his hospitalisation.

In response to the incident, Israeli authorities have initiated the suspension of the officers involved.

0201 GMT — Any hostile move against Yemen will have consequences: Houthis

Any hostile move against Yemen will have dire consequences and great costs, Ali al Qahoum, a member of the Houthi group's Ansarullah politburo, has told Lebanon's Al Mayadeen TV.

"The Houthis will not abandon the Palestinian cause, regardless of any US, Israeli, or Western threats," he said, adding that operations against Israel will continue.

Yemen is ready with all defensive options to respond to any American, Israeli or Western hostile moves, he said.

0001 GMT — Israel raids West Bank, injuring several Palestinians

Israeli forces injured five Palestinians, including a child, in cities across the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian authorities.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said teams intervened when five Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces in Bethlehem, Hebron and Nablus.

It specified that three Palestinians were shot with live ammunition, while two sustained injuries from physical assaults.

Among the wounded is a 14-year-old who was shot in the hip by Israeli forces. No further information was provided on the condition of those injured.

At least 288 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank since October 7, in addition to more than 3,100 injured, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

For our live updates from Friday, December 15, click here.