A father holds his daughter injured in today's shelling targeting the Zawaida area in the central Gaza Strip (French)
On the 85th day of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, the northern and southern axes of the Gaza Strip witnessed fierce confrontations between the occupation forces and the Palestinian resistance, while the health authorities in the Gaza Strip announced a new death toll since the start of the war.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that the number of victims of the Israeli aggression reached 21,672 martyrs, while the number of injured reached 56,165 injured, adding that the occupation committed 14 massacres during the past 24 hours, which led to the death of 165 and the injury of 250.
On the ground, the Israeli occupation forces intensified their operations in the Gaza Strip, where the north and south axes, especially in Khan Yunis, witnessed fierce confrontations, and Israeli gunboats fired shells heavily at the beaches of Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis.
Israeli fighter jets and artillery forces intensified their bombardment of the central region, especially the camps of al-Bureij, Nuseirat and Khan Yunis, where the population density is high for refugees and displaced Gazans.
Al Jazeera showed new scenes of fierce battles between the Qassam Brigades and the Israeli army in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The footage – obtained by Al Jazeera – showed vehicles from a distance of zero, one of them with a canister of "Shawaz" and the fire in a number of them.
Occupation losses
For its part, the Israeli army announced the death of an officer and a soldier and the serious injury of an officer and 3 soldiers during the fighting in the Gaza Strip. Two officers were also reported killed during the fighting, one a major in the Golani brigade's engineering battalion and the other a team commander in the Givati patrol.
The Israeli military also reported that 431 wounded military personnel were still receiving treatment in hospitals, including 44 in critical condition.
Israel's Channel 12 quoted the 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade as admitting that 41 of its soldiers were killed in the operation launched by the Palestinian resistance on October 7, and that 7 others were killed in the battles in Gaza, including the battalion commander.
Israel announced on the 21st of this month the withdrawal of the Golani Brigade – which is one of the elite brigades in the occupation army – from the Gaza Strip under the pretext of regrouping.
New Deal
In a remarkable development, Al Jazeera correspondent reported that the Israeli War Council will meet on Sunday to discuss a new deal for the exchange of prisoners with the Palestinian resistance.
Earlier, the Israel Broadcasting Corporation announced that Defense Minister Yoav Galant and war council member Benny Gantz had rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's participation in a joint press conference on Saturday.
At the same conference, Netanyahu said the war would last for many more months, adding: "We have achieved big victories and are incurring heavy prices, victory needs more time and the fighting will continue for months."
West Bank
In the occupied West Bank, the Israeli occupation forces opened fire on the driver of a Palestinian vehicle south of Hebron for allegedly attempting to run over soldiers at the military checkpoint.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health also announced the death of a Palestinian by Israeli gunfire at the entrance to Al-Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron in the West Bank.
Israeli Army Radio also announced that a soldier was injured in a vehicular attack on an Israeli military post near the Fawwar refugee camp in Hebron, stressing that the perpetrator of the attack had been neutralized.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that the occupation forces arrested 15 citizens from West Bank towns since dawn on Saturday.
Lebanon Front
On the northern front, the Israeli military said the air force had launched a series of concentrated raids on the southern Lebanese area of Kafr Kila, targeting Lebanese Hezbollah infrastructure.
For its part, Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli soldiers in the Beit Hillel area, east of Kiryat Shmona, announcing confirmed casualties.
Earlier, Hezbollah said it had targeted gatherings of Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of the Ramim barracks with appropriate weapons and hit them directly.
Israel's Channel 12 said a number of rockets fired from Lebanon landed in open areas in the Upper Galilee.
The channel said one person was wounded when an anti-tank missile was fired from Lebanon towards the Galilee.
"H. Zab Allah" says that he attacked the Ramtha site in the occupied Shebaa Farms, and a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the site of Harj Adather, causing deaths and injuries among the soldiers, in addition to attacking the Ramim barracks #News #حرب_غزة pic.twitter.com/TUx6xlmRjU
— Al Jazeera Palestine (@AJA_Palestine) December 30, 2023
Demonstrations and boycotts
To condemn the war, demonstrations took place on Saturday in a number of European cities to demand an end to the Israeli war on Gaza and in solidarity with Palestine.
Dozens also demonstrated in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, to denounce the complicity of governments in light of the continued bombardment and siege of the Gaza Strip, and to demand a ceasefire in the Strip.
The French "Urgent Palestine" movement called for demonstrations on Sunday, coinciding with the New Year's celebrations on the Champs-Elysees in central Paris, to demand an end to the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Malaysian company McDonald's sued a pro-Palestinian group for $1.3 million over its calls to boycott pro-Israel companies.
A mass demonstration in the Turkish city of Trabzon in support of the Palestinians and condemning the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip pic.twitter.com/LUScDhyme9
— Al Jazeera Palestine (@AJA_Palestine) December 30, 2023
Canadian-Jordanian talks
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he discussed with Jordan's King Abdullah II the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the importance of increasing the volume of humanitarian aid in the Strip, stressing his country's support for what he called "the right of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace, dignity and security" and the importance of renewing efforts towards a two-state solution.
Trudeau said on his X account that he discussed with King Abdullah II the current situation in the Middle East and concerns about potential regional impacts, stressing "the importance of working with partners to prevent an escalation of conflict in the region."
Rising number of journalists martyred
Al-Jazeera correspondent reported the death of journalist Jaber Abu Hadros and a number of his family members in an Israeli bombing that targeted his house in Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.
The government media office in Gaza announced that the number of journalists killed in the Strip since October 7 had risen to 106, after the death of Abu Hadros.
Outbreak warnings
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of the increasing risk of infectious diseases in the Gaza Strip, with the people of the Gaza Strip exoding in large numbers towards the south of the Strip, and some families forced to flee more than once, and many took refuge from overcrowded health facilities.
Source : Al Jazeera