International
37 people killed in Gaza in Israel’s attacks in the last 24 hours
At least 37 people died and 68 were injured in the Israeli attacks of the last 24 hours in the Gaza Strip, according to the count of the Gaza Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas.
In its daily report on the data collected by the hospitals of the Strip, the ministry reported “four massacres against families” in the Palestinian enclave.
At least nine people from the same family, six of them children, died in one of the attacks that hit a residential building in the Tel Sultan neighborhood, in the west of the southern city of Rafah.
The dead are Abdel Fatah Sobhi, 42 years old; Majla Ahmed, 37; Rawan Sobhi, 26; Sama Ibrahim, 16 years old; Hamza Ibrahim, 7 years old; Alaa Ahmed Hassan and Lin Abdel Fatah, 5 years old each; Amer Abdel Fatah, two years old and Naya Abdel Fatah, one year old.
Their bodies were taken to the morgue of the Abu Yusef al Nayar hospital, where family and friends gave them the last goodbye between moments of anguish and despair, as EFE could see.
Thus, since the war between Israel and Hamas began, on October 7, 34,049 people have died and 76,901 have been injured in the Israeli offensive.
According to the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, in the last morning alone at least ten people lost their lives in Israeli attacks in the south of the enclave: nine in the bombing in the city of Rafah and one in an attack on a house near the cemetery east of the same town.
For its part, the Israeli Army said today that it had destroyed a rocket launch site in the Beit Hanoun area, in northern Gaza, from where attacks on the Israeli town of Sderot had been detected.
Most of the victims were women and children, according to the media, which cites correspondents on the ground.
They also detailed that their troops slated down an alleged militiaman in a confrontation in the center of the enclave.
More than one and a half million people have been forced to leave their homes since the Israeli offensive began, most of whom are in the town of Rafah, on the border with Egypt.
Israel has announced that it plans to invade Rafah to eliminate four Hamas battalions that are allegedly hiding in the area, but a large part of the international community – including the United States, Israel’s main military ally – has warned that a land invasion in the south would cause an even greater humanitarian catastrophe.
Israel has announced that it plans to invade Rafah to eliminate four Hamas battalions that are allegedly hiding in the area, but a large part of the international community – including the United States, Israel’s main military ally – has warned that a land invasion in the south would cause an even greater humanitarian catastrophe.
Likewise, the Israeli Army said that it has killed “ten terrorists” during a raid that began on Thursday night in the Nur Shams refugee camp, in the town of Tulkarem, in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli forces also arrested eight people, destroyed an explosives laboratory and confiscated numerous weapons and military material, according to a military statement.
Eight soldiers and a border police officer were injured during the operation.
The Palestinian president, Mahmud Abbas, on Saturday described the United States’ veto in the UN Security Council to prevent Palestine’s entry into the United Nations as a full member of “flagrant aggression” against the rights of the Palestinian people and “challenge to the will of the international community.”
Abás also stressed that after this blockade he will reconsider bilateral relations with the United States, to ensure the protection of the interests of the Palestinians, their rights and their cause.
“We will reconsider bilateral relations with the United States to ensure the protection of the interests of our people, our cause and our rights,” said the president of the Palestinian National Authority (ANP), in an interview with the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
On Thursday, the US vetoed the resolution, which received the support of 12 members, the abstention of two (United Kingdom and Switzerland) and only Washington’s vote against.
The president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, met this Saturday in Istanbul with the head of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniye, assuring him of his support to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and finally a Palestinian state, the Turkish Presidency said in a statement.
The Turkish president received Haniye in the Dolmabahçe palace on the banks of the Bosphorus, the usual place of work meetings with foreign dignitaries, around 2.30 p.m. local time (11.00 gmt) and the meeting lasted about two and a half hours.
The conversation focused on the Israeli attacks on Gaza, the need to send an uninterrupted amount of humanitarian aid to the Strip and the process to achieve a just and lasting peace, the Turkish statement says.
Erdogan assured his guest that Turkey is making all possible diplomatic efforts to emphasize the need for an urgent ceasefire that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian State, “a condition for a lasting peace in the region,” according to the note.
International
Gustavo Petro increases Colombia’s minimum wage by 9.54%
Colombian President Gustavo Petro signed a decree on Tuesday to increase the minimum wage in the country by 9.54% (following a lack of consensus with business sectors and labor unions), meaning that starting January 1, it will be 1,423,500 Colombian pesos (about US$322).
“This is an improvement in the standard of living for all people who tie their income to the minimum wage,” Petro celebrated as he signed the decree in Zipaquirá, during an event where he participated in the last Novena de Aguinaldo and reconnected with several friends and colleagues in the Bolívar 83 neighborhood, which holds personal significance for the president.
Currently, the minimum wage in Colombia is 1,300,000 pesos (about US$294).
Petro also responded to criticisms from the business sector regarding the minimum wage increase, after the president of the National Association of Entrepreneurs of Colombia (Andi), Bruce Mac Master, warned that it would lead to “a great number of consequences.”
International
Silent Christmas in Bethlehem as Gaza conflict overshadows celebrations
Hundreds of faithful gathered on Tuesday around the Church of the Nativity in the Palestinian town of Bethlehem, which is preparing for another quiet Christmas, with no major celebrations due to the ongoing war in Gaza.
Local authorities decided to suspend large public celebrations for the second consecutive year, and in Manger Square, there are neither decorations nor the traditional giant Christmas tree, reflecting the somber mood of its residents since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out in Gaza. At the Vatican, Pope Francis will inaugurate the Holy Year 2025 on Tuesday, a major international pilgrimage expected to draw over 30 million faithful from around the world to Rome.
On this Christmas Eve, at 7:00 PM (6:00 PM GMT), in the presence of around 30,000 people and with worldwide broadcast, the Argentine Jesuit will open the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, symbolizing the start of this “ordinary” Jubilee.
Afterwards, he will preside over the Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, an occasion in which the pontiff often highlights global conflicts.
Over the weekend, Francis’ remarks calling Israeli airstrikes in Gaza “cruel” sparked criticism from the Israeli government.
International
Pope Francis to open jubilee year in Vatican, calls for global peace amid conflict
Pope Francis will open the Catholic Church’s “Holy Year” 2025 on Tuesday, a major international pilgrimage expected to bring over 30 million faithful from around the world to Rome, under the sign of the Jubilee.
On this Christmas Eve, at 7:00 PM (6:00 PM GMT), in the presence of around 30,000 people and with worldwide broadcast, the Argentine Jesuit will open the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, symbolizing the start of this “ordinary” Jubilee. Throughout the year, pilgrims will be able to pass through this heavy and imposing bronze door, closed during ordinary times, to receive the “plenary indulgence,” the forgiveness of sins according to tradition.
The 88-year-old pope, who faces frequent health issues, will preside over the Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, before delivering his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing (to the city and the world) on Wednesday at noon. It is expected that he will address global conflicts and renew his calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East, three days after condemning the “cruelty” of the attacks in Gaza, comments which provoked protests from Israeli diplomats.
Security around the Vatican has been reinforced following the deadly attack on a Christmas market in Germany. About 700 additional officers have been deployed to Rome, as announced by the Ministry of the Interior.
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