Live Updates: Gaza assault will last 'many more months' - Israel army chief

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

06:00 GMT - Israel warns its attacks on Gaza will continue ''for many more months''

Israel's army chief has warned its aggression in Gaza will last "many more months" as the military stepped up strikes, where nearly 21,000 people have already been reported killed.

But Israel's leaders have repeatedly vowed to keep up their offensive until Palestinian resistance group Hamas is destroyed, and army chief Herzi Halevi signalled there would be no quick end to the war.

"This war's objectives are essential and not simple to achieve," Halevi said on Tuesday night.

05:30 GMT - Jordan, Egypt discuss efforts to reach ceasefire in Gaza

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi met with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry to exchange opinions on efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

Meeting in Egypt's capital Cairo, they exchanged views on the ongoing coordination and consultation process between the two countries to ensure a ceasefire, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said on X.

They also addressed ways to deliver "adequate, urgent and sustainable" aid to Palestinians in Gaza.

04:47 GMT - Israel kills six Palestinians in West Bank incursion

An Israeli military raid in a Palestinian refugee camp in the north of the occupied West Bank has left six Palestinians dead and several others wounded early on Wednesday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

"Six martyrs killed by the occupation [Israel] and some who were seriously wounded were transported to the Thabet Thabet government hospital in Tulkarem," the ministry said in a short statement.

03:26 GMT - US, Israel discuss war in Gaza; Cuba slams 'terrorist' Israel

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer have discussed planning for the day after Israel's brutal war on besieged Gaza, including governance and security, a White House official said.

Sullivan and Dermer also discussed efforts to bring home the remaining captives and a transition to a different phase of the war to maximise focus on high-value Hamas targets when they met, the official said.

Israeli forces have expanded their ground invasion into urban refugee camps in central Gaza after bombarding the crowded Palestinian communities and ordering residents to flee.

02:52 GMT — eSIM cards help war-torn Gaza stay online

Power cuts have become a fact of life in war-torn Gaza. But thanks to embedded SIM cards, Palestinians can still access the internet and maintain a channel of communication with loved ones abroad.

"Without them, we'd be cut off from the world," said Hani al Shaer, a local journalist who depends on eSIM cards to do his live streams.

"And no one would know what was happening in Gaza," he added, just as the besieged territory experienced the latest in a series of telecoms breakdowns since the war began.

02:29 GMT - Cuba condemns 'genocide' in Gaza committed by 'terrorist state of Israel'

Cuba's president has called for an end to Israel's brutal war in besieged Gaza, which has been raging for more than two-and-a-half months.

"The genocide committed by the terrorist state of Israel in Gaza is a humiliation for all humanity. How long will there be impunity? How long will there be a free way to murder? Cuba, which will never be among the indifferent, raises its voice for Palestine again and again," Miguel Diaz-Canel said on X.

The island nation has repeatedly condemned the violence in Palestine, and even the Cuban Parliament declared solidarity with the Palestinian people.

02:13 GMT - Palestinian activist arrested after questions about facebook posts

Supporters of a local Palestinian activist in the occupied West Bank said he has been arrested by Israel on suspicions of incitement.

They said Munther Amira, a social worker and community activist in the Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem, was arrested on December 18 by Israeli troops.

Jonathan Pollak, an Israeli activist assisting Amira, said Munther was questioned about Facebook posts, but denied allegations against him. He said it was unclear which posts drew attention from Israeli authorities.

For our live updates from Tuesday, December 26, click here.