Israeli airstrikes across Gaza have killed civilians despite an October ceasefire, following a failed rocket launch. Mounting deaths, aid restrictions, and stalled diplomacy highlight a truce on the brink.
Christmas has returned to Gaza and Bethlehem for the first time in two years, offering fragile hope amid devastation, displacement, and ongoing Israeli military violence across Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
As Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the White House, the stakes are high. Trump pushes his 21-point Gaza peace plan, while Netanyahu, transformed since October 7, balances survival, far-right allies, and a war-weary Israel.
Israel has launched a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza City, striking near hospitals and displacing hundreds of thousands. With the UN declaring Israel’s actions a genocide, global outrage is growing as famine spreads, hospitals collapse, and civilians flee under relentless bombardment.
Japan has decided not to recognise a Palestinian state at the upcoming UN General Assembly, prioritising ties with the United States and avoiding tensions with Israel. The move comes as Britain, France, Canada, and Australia push ahead with recognition efforts, adding pressure on Tokyo’s cautious stance.
Belgium has announced it will recognise Palestine at the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York and impose 12 firm sanctions on Israel. The move follows similar pledges by France, the UK, Canada, and Australia, intensifying pressure on Israel amid the Gaza war.
Israel lifts some Gaza aid restrictions and announces a tactical pause in military operations amid global outrage over starvation. But aid groups say airdrops and flour deliveries won’t end the hunger crisis.
Desperation Turns Deadly as Chaos Erupts at US-Backed Aid Center in Gaza as Starving Civilians Risk Everything for Food. In one of the most harrowing scenes yet of Gaza’s deepening humanitarian crisis, thousands of desperate Palestinians overran a US- and Israeli-backed aid center in Rafah on Tuesday. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), already mired in controversy, attempted to distribute food in a militarized and heavily surveilled setting triggering chaos, stampedes, and reported deaths. Eyewitnesses described heartbreaking scenes of people climbing fences, dodging warning shots, and trampling each other in a frantic race for food. As starvation looms across the enclave, many say they had no choice but to risk their lives.
According to the UN Gaza report Gaza on the Brink of Famine as Israel’s Blockade Starves Millions. The Gaza Strip, home to more than 2.1 million Palestinians, stands at the precipice of famine as Israel’s total blockade of humanitarian aid enters its third month. According to the UN’s Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), nearly half a million people in Gaza one in five are now facing starvation, while the entire population endures acute food insecurity.