In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set fire to a tent in al-Minya for the second day in a row. Israeli settlers also destroy an agricultural structure in Farkha. Israeli forces shoot and injure 4 Palestinians during a raid in Qalqilya. Israeli forces also arrest 10 Palestinians during raids in and around Ramallah, Hebron, and Tulkarm. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Gaza City, Rafah, Dayr al-Balah, Beit Lahiya, Khan Yunis, and al-Bureij refugee camp, killing at least 44 people. Israeli forces also shell the Kamal Adwan Hospital, damaging electricity equipment and oxygen pumps. In Lebanon, 4 Israeli soldiers are killed in an Israeli caused explosion in southern Lebanon. In Syria, Israeli forces further expand their invasion of the Syrian territory in the Golan Heights. Israeli forces also bomb the customs headquarters and other buildings in Damascus. U.S. forces bomb 75 targets, saying they are linked to Islamic State. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/8; AJ, HA, REU 12/9; UNOCHA 12/10; UNOCHA 12/12)
More than 44,708 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 17,500 children and 11,487 women, and around 106,050 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 10,000 people are missing in rubble. 808 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 170 children. More than 6,500 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 381 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 2,463 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. 87% of all housing units in Gaza have been destroyed or severely damaged since 10/7/2023. (AJ, HA, WAFA 12/8)
Syrian president Bashar al-Assad flees Syria to Russia where he is granted amnesty, effectively ending the al-Assad regime's control of the country. Opposition forces, led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani, take control of Damascus after rapidly taking control of Aleppo, Homs, and Hama in the past week. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Israeli-occupied Syria, claiming the fall of al-Assad is a direct result of Israel's war on Hezbollah and that the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria “has collapsed,” prompting him to direct the military on 12/7 to “seize the buffer zone and the commanding positions nearby.” The Israeli military closes parts of the occupied Golan Heights to civilian movement. The PA issues a statement saying it stands by the Syrian people. (AJ, HA 12/7; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, WAFA 12/8; AP, AP 12/9)
Pope Francis unveils the annual nativity scene in the Vatican, this year made by Palestinian artisans from Bethlehem. The Jesus figure in the nativity scene lays on a keffiyeh. (WAFA 12/8)