Israel claims 73-year-old ‘hostage’ was killed on October 7
A 73-year-old Israeli-American man thought to have been kidnapped by Hamas was killed in the October 7 massacre and his body taken to Gaza, Israel has claimed.
Gadi Haggai was presumed to have been kidnapped on the day Hamas launched its attacks on Israel after he disappeared from Kibbutz Nir Oz where he lived with his wife Judith.
However, the Kibbutz has now said that he was in fact killed before his body was taken to Gaza, where it reportedly remains. His wife Judith remains captive and is believed to have been wounded during the attacks.
The new information sheds light on just how little is known about the fate of some of those who went missing on the morning of October 7.
Earlier this week NBC reported that 26-year-old Noa Argamani was abducted by a civilian mob, not by Hamas as previously thought.
04:02 PM GMT
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Our Israel live blog is now closed. Thanks for following, and we will be back tomorrow with another. Here are today’s main stories:
A 73-year-old Israeli-American man thought to have been kidnapped by Hamas was killed in the October 7 massacre and his body taken to Gaza, Israel has claimed.
The Israeli army said they found a “subterranean terrorist city” in Gaza where they believe the October 7 attacks were planned
The Israeli army has told residents of Gaza’s central Bureij town to evacuate south as it expands its ground offensive
Lebanon fired a salvo of missiles at Israel on Friday morning, with initial reports indicating around 20 may have been fired
The Israel-Hamas war is pushing Gaza towards famine, the United Nations warned ahead of an expected Security Council vote Friday on a resolution to boost aid to the Palestinian territory but not call for a ceasefire.
03:57 PM GMT
Pictured: Israeli soldiers carry out attacks in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza
03:50 PM GMT
Gaza heading towards famine, says UN
The Israel-Hamas war is pushing Gaza towards famine, the United Nations warned ahead of an expected Security Council vote on Friday on a resolution to boost aid to the Palestinian territory.
With aid workers running out of words to describe conditions in Gaza, the UN Security Council has been locked all week in negotiations over how to phrase a resolution about the war.
The latest draft seen by AFP calls for “urgent steps to immediately allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access, and also for creating the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities.”
03:38 PM GMT
Pictured: Smoke billows after an Israeli raid over Lebanon's southern village of Aita al-Shaab
03:22 PM GMT
Jerusalem’s only accredited Santa Claus vows to keep entertaining children despite war
There is little festive cheer in the Old City, but Issa Kassissieh is determined to keep his grotto open and promote a message of peace, writes Nataliya Vasilyeva.
The Middle East’s only accredited Father Christmas rose from his armchair to see if there were any visitors outside his grotto, copper-coloured bells jingling from his boots as he stood.
Usually, there would be crowds of young families waiting in line to meet him at Santa’s House in Jerusalem, but these days, with war raging in Gaza, there is little sign of festive cheer in the Old City.
This year, for the first time in recent memory barring the height of the Covid pandemic, the normally bustling streets stand eerily empty with shops and cafes dormant behind shutters.
The tourism-dependent city is struggling with a shortfall in visitors, and grieving for the loss of life in Gaza.
03:02 PM GMT
The war so far in numbers
The Associated press has published numbers that tell of the scale of the war so far and losses on both sides, using figures from the Gaza Health Ministry, the Israeli military, UN and various other state and humanitarian agencies.
Here are some of them:
20,057 - The number of Palestinians killed in Gaza.
301 - The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank.
Around 1,200 - The number of people killed in Israel on Oct. 7.
139 - The number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of the Gaza ground offensive
53,320 - The number of Palestinians injured in Gaza.
6,184 - The number of Israelis injured.
250,000 - The number of Israelis displaced from the Gaza and Lebanon borders.
More than 1.9 million - The number of Palestinians displaced in Gaza, out of a population of 2.3 million
129 - The number of soldiers and civilians who are still being held hostage in Gaza
110 - The number of hostages released or rescued
02:45 PM GMT
Shipping firms impose surcharges as Red Sea attacks hit global trade
Maersk and CMA CGM, two of the world’s largest shipping firms, will impose extra charges after deciding to re-route ships following attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, as worries about the disruption to global trade grow.
The surcharges, designed to cover longer voyages around Africa compared with routes via the Suez Canal, will add to rising costs for sea transport since Yemen’s Houthi militant group started targeting vessels.
Maersk and CMA CGM are among leading shipping lines to have suspended the passage of vessels through the Red Sea that connects with the key Suez Canal, the quickest sea route between Asia and Europe.
02:23 PM GMT
Watch: Purported footage of Hamas members planting improvised explosives in Gaza streets
The IDF reveals footage obtained from the body camera of a Hamas operative in the Gaza Strip, showing gunmen preparing a roadside bomb to be used against Israeli troops.
The camera was found following a recent battle in northern Gaza, during which troops of the Nahal Infantry… pic.twitter.com/ruUMpw9lYH— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 22, 2023
02:04 PM GMT
EU adopts 118 million euros aid plan for Palestinian Authority
The European Commission said it had adopted a 118 million euros (£102 million) aid package to support the Palestinian Authority.
The commission said the aid would help pay salaries and pensions of civil servants in the West Bank, social allowances for vulnerable families and the payment for medical referrals to East Jerusalem hospitals.
The EU is also ready to continue helping the Palestinian Authority in the longer term, commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
01:26 PM GMT
Israel blows up 'subterranean city' in Gaza where Oct 7 massacre was hatched
Israel has blown up what it says was a “subterranean terror city” underneath a central Gaza City square that was used to plot the Oct 7 massacre, writes Nataliya Vasilyeva.
The Israel Defense Force (IDF) said it discovered “terrorist infrastructure” below Palestine Square in the city centre with lengthy tunnels, hiding places and offices belonging to Hamas’s senior military and political leaders.
Aerial footage released by the IDF late on Thursday night showed a series of explosions, destroying the underground infrastructure.
Israel reported in December that it secured control of what it called Hamas’s “elite quarter” in Gaza City from which Hamas leaders operated.
The complex has been described as a “centre of power for Hamas’s military and political wing”.
12:50 PM GMT
Woke attacks on Israel are an insult to gay Palestinians
The Jewish state is an oasis for gay rights in a region where gay people routinely face discrimination, imprisonment and death, writes Robert Philpot
After a succession of somewhat pitiful entrants, the BBC’s choice of Olly Alexander to fly the flag for Britain in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest appeared pretty inspired. I saw Alexander, frontman of the band Years & Years, five years ago at Brighton Pride. He’s undoubtedly a charismatic and talented performer, while his portrayal of a young gay man during the Aids crisis of the 1980s in the TV drama It’s A Sin was heart-rending.
Sadly, however, Alexander’s knowledge of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians – and gay rights in the Middle East – doesn’t match his abilities as a singer and actor. This was shown when he signed a letter – co-ordinated by Voices4 London, an LGBT “direct action” pressure group – which utterly distorts and misrepresents Israel’s record.
12:27 PM GMT
Here are some photos of Israel's bombing of the Gaza tunnels
12:11 PM GMT
Lebanon ready to apply UN resolution on border if Israel complies, says PM
Lebanon is ready to implement a UN resolution that would help end Hezbollah’s cross-border attacks on Israel if Israel also complies and withdraws from disputed territory, Lebanon’s prime minister said on Friday.
The frontier between Lebanon and Israel has seen escalating exchanges of fire, mainly between the Israeli army and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, raising fears of a broader conflagration.
UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, called for the removal of armed personnel south of Lebanon’s Litani River, except for UN peacekeepers and the Lebanese army and state security forces.
The solution to the current cross-border hostilities “is the implementation of international resolutions”, including Resolution 1701, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said in a statement.
11:50 AM GMT
Putin, Abbas discuss Gaza conflict in phone call
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday to discuss ways to de-escalate the conflict in Gaza as well as humanitarian relief efforts, the Kremlin said.
It said the two men agreed that Abbas would visit Russia at a date to be agreed.
11:25 AM GMT
Israel pieces together 'puzzle' of October 7 sexual violence
More than 10 weeks after the bloody Hamas attack on Israel, accounts of sexual violence are on the rise.
But the scarcity of survivor testimonies and the lack of forensic evidence make it difficult to assess their scale.
“Hamas used rape and sexual violence as weapons of war,” Israeli ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said in early December, as Israel accused international bodies of an inadequate response.
In recent weeks, officials have reiterated allegations that the militants who crossed over from the Gaza Strip on October 7 committed violent gang rape, genital mutilation, and engaged in sexual acts with children and corpses.
Police spokeswoman Mirit Ben Mayor said there have been no forensic reports of sexual violence, while Hamas has rejected the accusations, saying they were intended to “demonise” the group.
11:04 AM GMT
Israel tells Gaza residents to evacuate Bureij town and head south
The Israeli army has told residents of Gaza’s central Bureij town to evacuate south as it expands its ground offensive.
The army said people should head for shelters in the city of Deir al-Balah, with the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman publishing a map of the zones that need to be evacuated, the Times of Israel reported.
Despite Israel’s declaration of safe areas for residents, aid agencies have said nowhere in the strip is safe.
An investigation by Sky news published today says a building in Deir al Balah was hit one day after civilians were told they could flee there.
10:40 AM GMT
Footage of Israel blowing up Hamas's vast tunnel network in Gaza
IDF blew a vast Hamas terror tunnel network in Gaza which connected the homes of senior Hamas terrorists pic.twitter.com/7xpVGBqJJK
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) December 21, 2023
10:23 AM GMT
Hamas leader says hostage deal is ‘all or nothing’
Hamas’s de-facto leader has said he will only agree to a new truce if it guarantees the release of all Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails, Nataliya Vasilyeva writes.
Al Arabi Al Jadidi, a Qatari newspaper, on Thursday quoted an unnamed Egyptian official saying the “leadership of Hamas” had rejected Israel’s offer of a temporary truce in exchange for the release of several dozen Israeli hostages.
Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s leader in Gaza, insisted on a lasting ceasefire and all Palestinian prisoners being released, including several high-profile figures, the newspaper reported.
Sinwar also reportedly demanded that Israel halt its combat operations in Gaza before the deal goes into effect.
Hamas later on Thursday said it would reject any deals to free more hostages until Israel stops bombing Gaza.
09:56 AM GMT
Pictured: Israelis hold pictures of Palestinians killed in the conflict as they call for a ceasefire outside the US consulate in Jerusalem
09:40 AM GMT
UN Security Council aims to vote Friday to boost aid to Gaza
A United Nations Security Council vote on a bid to boost aid to the Gaza Strip was delayed by another day to Friday even though Israel’s ally the United States, which holds veto power, won changes it wanted and said it could now support the proposal.
After nearly two weeks of negotiations and already several days of delays on a vote, an agreement was struck late Thursday with the US that could allow a resolution drafted by United Arab Emirates to be adopted.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters that it was “a resolution that we can support”, but she declined to specify if that meant the US would vote in favour or abstain, which would allow the resolution to be adopted.
09:05 AM GMT
'More than 20,000 Palestinians killed and 53,000 wounded since Oct 7'
The Gaza health ministry said 20,057 Palestinians have been killed and 53,320 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7.
Israel is facing pressure from the White House to engage in precise targeting of Hamas leaders rather than widespread bombing and ground operations.
The former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the Israeli government’s “killing rage” in Gaza will fuel the conflict for another 50 years.
08:44 AM GMT
'Rockets fired towards Western Galilee,' says Israel's Army Radio
Israel’s Army Radio says 24 rockets were launched from Lebanon towards Western Galilee in northwest Israel this morning.
08:28 AM GMT
UN warns of Gaza famine risk as Security Council resolution faces vote
The United Nations warned ahead of an expected Security Council vote on Friday that the Israel-Hamas war was pushing Gaza towards famine.
Separate diplomatic efforts were also under way for a fresh pause in the worst-ever Gaza war, which was triggered by an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel in October.
With conditions deteriorating in the territory, the UN Security Council has been locked in negotiations on a resolution that would boost aid deliveries.
