Israeli strikes killed at least 12 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, officials said Wednesday, as the nearly 15-month conflict moved into the new year.
An attack hit a house in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza, the most isolated and destroyed part of the territory, where Israel has carried out a major operation since early October. Gaza's Hamas-led Health Ministry said seven people were killed, including a woman and four children, and at least a dozen others were wounded.
Another overnight attack on the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza killed a woman and a child, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies.
“Are you celebrating? Enjoy while we die. We've been dying for a year and a half,” said a man carrying the body of a child under the flashing lights of emergency vehicles.
Israel's military said militants fired rockets into Israel from the Bureij area overnight and that its forces responded with an attack on a militant. The military also issued evacuation orders for the area.
A third attack in the southern city of Khan Younis killed three people, according to Nasser Hospital and European Hospital, which received the bodies.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping about 250. About 100 hostages remain held in Gaza, and at least a third are believed dead.
Israel's air and ground offensive has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-led Gaza Health Ministry. It says women and children account for more than half of the dead, but does not say how many of those killed were militants.
The Israeli military says it only attacks militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because its fighters operate in dense residential areas. The army claims to have killed 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
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The conflict has caused widespread destruction and displaced around 90% of Gaza's 2.3 million people, many of them multiple times.
Hundreds of thousands of people live in tents on the coast as winter brings frequent storms and temperatures drop below 10 degrees Celsius (50 F) at night. According to the Ministry of Health, at least six babies and another person have died from hypothermia.
Many displaced Palestinians in central Gaza rely on soup kitchens as their sole food provider amid aid restrictions and skyrocketing prices. AP footage showed a long line of children waiting for rice, the only item served in the Deir al-Balah kitchen on Wednesday.
“Some of those kitchens close because they don't receive help, and others distribute small amounts of food and it's not enough,” said Umm Adham Shaheen, a displaced person from Gaza City.
American and Arab mediators have spent nearly a year trying to negotiate a ceasefire and the release of hostages, but those efforts have repeatedly stalled. Hamas has demanded a lasting truce, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu has vowed to keep fighting until “complete victory” is achieved.
Israel sees net departure of citizens for second year
More than 82,000 Israelis moved abroad in 2024 and 33,000 people immigrated to the country, Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics said. Another 23,000 Israelis returned after long periods abroad.
It was the second consecutive year of net departures, a rare occurrence in the history of the country actively encouraging Jewish immigration. Many Israelis, seeking a break from war, have moved abroad, raising concerns about whether this will lead to a “brain drain” in sectors such as medicine and technology.
Last year, 15,000 fewer people immigrated to Israel than in 2023.
Army blames “weakening of discipline” for archaeologist's death
In another development, Israel's military blamed “operational exhaustion” and “weakening discipline and security” for the killing of a 70-year-old archaeologist in southern Lebanon in November along with a soldier while visiting a combat zone. .
According to Israeli media reports, Zeev Erlich was not on active duty but was wearing a military uniform and had a gun. The military said he was a reservist and identified him as a “fallen soldier” when it announced his death.
Erlich was a well-known West Bank settler and researcher of Jewish history. Media reports have said he entered Lebanon to explore an archaeological site.
The military launched an investigation after the two were killed in a Hezbollah ambush. A separate investigation is looking into who allowed Erlich to enter. The family of the soldier who died with him has expressed anger at the circumstances.
The military said the entry of civilians who are not military contractors or journalists into combat zones is not widespread. Still, there have been multiple reports of Israeli civilians supporting a permanent Israeli presence in Gaza or Lebanon entering those areas.
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