In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque and write racist graffiti on walls and the ground during a raid in Marda. Israeli settlers also set up a new outpost near Arab al-Milehat. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers throw stones at a Palestinian vehicle near Kardala, causing damage. Israeli forces shoot and injure a Palestinian child during a raid in Beit Furik. Israeli forces also shoot and injure a Palestinian man during a raid in Wadi Qana. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently disperse Palestinian protesters in Husan. PA forces continue raiding Jenin, clashing with the resistance. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Beit Hanun, Beit Lahiya, Gaza City, Dayr al-Balah, Nuseirat refugee camp, Jabalia refugee camp, and Rafah, killing at least 77 people. Israeli forces also bomb the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya. A Palestinian infant dies due to exposure to cold weather while sheltering in a tent with her family in al-Mawasi. In Lebanon, Israeli forces blow up several homes in Yaroun. In Syria, Israeli forces shoot and injure a Syrian protester during a demonstration against the Israeli invasion in Maariyah. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/20; AJ, AJ 12/21; UNOCHA 12/24; UNOCHA 12/26)
More than 45,206 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 17,500 children and 11,487 women, and around 107,512 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 11,000 people are missing in rubble. 823 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, 386 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 2,485 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 12/20)
Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and PFLP delegations meet in Cairo, discussing ceasefire talks and plans for post-war Gaza. (AJ, HA 12/21)
Sweden announces that it will no longer help fund UNRWA and instead will fund other organizations that provide aid in Gaza. UNRWA commissioner-general Phillippe Lazzarini says Sweden’s move “comes at the worst time” for Palestinian refugees. Morgan Johansson, Foreign policy spokesperson for the leading Swedish opposition party the Social Democrats, calls the decision “catastrophic” while Green Party spokesperson Amanda Lind says the Swedish government is playing “Israel’s game.” (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU 12/20; WAFA 12/22)
Israel’s Channel 12 reports that U.S. Middle East aid envoy Lisa Grande demanded in a call with Israeli COGAT head Ghassan Alian that Israel publicly declare that it is not deliberately starving Palestinians in Gaza and that Israel cancel all evacuation orders in Gaza. (AJ 12/20)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells the Wall Street Journal that he will not agree to a deal that ends Israel’s war on Gaza before “we remove Hamas.” (HA 12/21)
The UN Security Council extends the peacekeeping mission between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria for 6 months, expressing concern that current Israeli military activity in the area could escalate tensions. The resolution extending the mission also demands that both parties abide by the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement which Israel says is voided by the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP, HA, REU 12/20)
A U.S. judge finds that the NSO Group is liable for its spyware Pegasus being used to target 1,400 people. The lawsuit was brought by WhatsApp, whose servers were used to install the spyware on the victims’ devices. (AJ, HA, HA 12/21)
The Polish newspaper Rzecpospolita reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu will not attend a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland on 1/27/2025 due to fears that he could be arrested. (HA 12/20)