22:45 The Syrian Defence Ministry stated that the Syrian Armed Forces are successfully confronting ongoing terrorist attacks.
In a statement, the ministry said the army is "preparing to launch a counter-attack to liberate all areas from terrorism."
The statement came shortly after media reported that militants had breached Hama, the country's fourth largest city, on Saturday evening.
22:30 Over 40 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting the home of the Al-Araj family, which was sheltering dozens of displaced people in Tel Al-Zaatar in northern Gaza.
Many are trapped under rubble, with rescue efforts hindered by a lack of emergency and medical teams.
21:50 The Syrian presidency stated that Syria was capable, with the help of its allies and friends, of defeating the "terrorists and their backers."
The presidency said that Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani reaffirmed to President Bashar Al-Assad that Baghdad is ready to provide Damascus with support to confront terrorism.
Iraq supports Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity, Al-Sudani told Al-Assad, according to the statement.
21:00 Insurgent factions have breached Hama, the fourth largest city in Syria, on Saturday evening, according to various media reports.
20:30 Hamas is open to discussing "all ideas and proposals," a senior official of the Palestinian militant group told AFP, as representatives arrived in Cairo for talks on a possible ceasefire in Gaza.
The group has "not received any new offer or proposal so far," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic.
But Hamas "is open to discussing all ideas and proposals that lead to the end of the war, Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced, the entry of humanitarian and relief aid, and a serious deal to exchange prisoners," he said.
Immediately after the announcement of the truce deal between Israel and Lebanon on Wednesday, the United States announced a new diplomatic effort with Qatar, Turkey and Egypt to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of captives.
20:00 Roads leading out of Aleppo were jammed with cars earlier today as residents fled the city following an incursion by rebel forces.
The BBC World Service has been reporting on "long lines" of cars clogging the roads leaving the city throughout this afternoon.
BBC radio programme Newshour heard from one resident earlier today who reported that little information is coming through official channels.
18:45 US charity World Central Kitchen says it is "pausing operations in Gaza at this time" after an Israeli airstrike on one of its vehicles killed three of its workers earlier in the day.
The Gaza Civil Defence Agency spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said the bodies of "at least five dead were transported (to hospital), including (those of) the three employees of World Central Kitchen."
"All three [Palestinian] men worked for WCK, and they were hit while driving in a WCK jeep in Khan Younis," Bassal said, adding that the vehicle had been "marked with its logo clearly visible."
In April, an Israeli air strike killed seven WCK staff -- an Australian, three Britons, a North American, a Palestinian and a Pole.
17:45 Former Israeli Defense Minister and Army Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon said Israel is being dragged by its leadership on a path of ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip that will lead to its destruction.
“The path we are being dragged down is occupation, annexation and ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip,” Ya-alon told Democrat TV.
Referring to operations in Jabalia, in northern Gaza, Ya-alon said the army was "essentially cleaning the area of Arabs."
17:30 ِAl-Aqsa TV reporter Mamdouh Qanita was killed by Israeli drone fire while he was in the courtyard of the Al-Ahli Arab in Gaza City.
15:10 Gaza's civil defence agency said three aid workers were killed in an Israeli air strike.
The agency said the aid workers killed were Palestinian employees of World Central Kitchen. The US aid group did not immediately respond to AFP requests for comment.
Civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the bodies of "at least five dead were transported (to hospital), including (those of) the three employees of World Central Kitchen".
"All three men worked for WCK and they were hit while driving in a WCK jeep in Khan Younis," Bassal said, adding that the vehicle had been "marked with its logo clearly visible".
14:48 The official spokesperson for the Palestinian presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, warned against "American silence in the face of the Israeli occupation authorities' acts of genocide, starving civilians, and creating buffer zones aimed at forcing people into forced displacement from their homes and lands in northern Gaza."
In a statement to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, Abu Rudeineh said, "We demand that the US administration take a serious and effective stance to force the occupying state to comply with international legitimacy and international law, and to halt its comprehensive war on our people, our land, and our sanctities."
"The region can no longer bear more of these Israeli aggressive policies, which are leading to increased tension and instability," he added.
Abu Rudeineh also called on "the United Nations Security Council to implement its resolutions related to the Palestinian cause, the latest of which was the resolution calling for a ceasefire, the entry of aid into all of Gaza, Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza, and allowing the State of Palestine to assume full responsibility in Gaza."
14:31 The 22nd major British demonstration in support of Palestine is currently underway in London, demanding an end to the UK's complicity in Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
Protesters, beating drums, are calling for an end to Israel’s genocidal war. They are holding banners and placards that read "Stop Arming Israel, stop funding the genocide", while some carry models of babies covered in fake blood, symbolizing the children killed by Israel in Gaza.
Protesters hold banners and placards as they participate in a national demonstration for Palestine and Lebanon in central London. AFP
“This war is a war on children. It is a war on their childhood and their future,” said UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, describing as “staggering” the latest Gaza health authority data, which indicates that at least 12,300 youngsters have been killed in Gaza in the last four months—more than the total number of child casualties globally between 2019 and 2022.
The World Health Organization reported that ten children were killed in Gaza every 10 minutes in November. To date, Israel has killed at least 17,400 children in Gaza since October 2023.
The Metropolitan Police have warned that expressing support for Palestinian resistance groups, Hamas and Hezbollah, would be considered a criminal offence, as the UK is accused of being complicit in Israel's crimes.
A new investigation by Al Jazeera has revealed that the US and UK could be playing a pivotal role in Israel’s brutal wars in Gaza and Lebanon, beyond just arms supplies, through airlifts and intelligence support.
Over 6,000 military flights were recorded between October 2023 and this month, including hundreds of transport missions delivering weapons to Israel.
The investigation, conducted by Al Jazeera's monitoring and verification agency Sanad using Open Source flight data, revealed the extent of Washington and London's involvement in Israel's onslaught in the area, which has killed thousands and displaced millions.
Data also shows that the UK accounted for almost half of the reconnaissance flights recorded during this period, while the US was responsible for 33 per cent.
Israel only conducted 20 percent of reconnaissance flights. The UK reportedly used Shadow R1 surveillance aircraft to provide intelligence on ground movements in Gaza.
Israel is now under investigation for genocide by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Since 2015, the UK has supplied £487 million in arms to Israel, including components for F-35 fighter jets currently used in bombing Gaza, making the UK complicit in the massacre.
Protesters participated in a national demonstration for Palestine and Lebanon in central London. AFP
During a national demonstration for Palestine and Lebanon in central London, a protester gives a child a ride. AFP
14:15 At least 13 Palestinians were killed and others injured on Saturday in a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting areas in southern Gaza, near Khan Younis.
Medical sources reported that Israeli warplanes targeted a vehicle and a group of civilians as they were receiving flour in the Qizan al-Najjar area, south of Khan Younis, killing eight people.
Earlier in the day, five Palestinians were killed, including three employees of the World Central Kitchen Organization, when the Israeli occupation forces bombed a civilian vehicle on Salah Al-Din Road, northeast of Khan Younis.
Meanwhile, seven Palestinian civilians were killed and others injured in an Israeli raid that struck a house in the Shuja'iyya neighbourhood east of Gaza City.
The occupation warplanes also bombed a house in the al-Rimal neighbourhood in central Gaza City, killing seven people.
Palestinians and rescuers search the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike on the Shujaiyah neighbourhood in Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip. AFP
14:12 Israel has killed at least 44,382 people in Gaza since it began its genocidal war on the Palestinian territory, according to the most recent toll by the Health Ministry.
The deaths are primarily children and women.
The toll also includes 19 fatalities in the past 24 hours, according to the ministry, which reported that 105,142 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began in October 2023.
A man comforts a child as people mourn the death of members of the Palestinian Akasha family, killed in an Israeli strike on the Sheikh Adwan neighbourhood north of Gaza City. AFP
13:51 The Syrian army battled insurgents inside the country’s largest city, Aleppo, for the first time since 2016, while warplanes targeted rebel supply lines on the city’s edge, state media reported.
Insurgents broke through government defence lines in Aleppo on Friday and entered the Syrian city’s western neighbourhood with little resistance.
They launched their shock offensive in Aleppo and Idlib countryside on Wednesday and wrestled control of dozens of villages and towns along the way, including a strategic town south of Aleppo.
The pro-government Al-Watan newspaper reported airstrikes on the edge of Aleppo city, targeting rebel supply lines.
This photo shows Syrian jihadists in the streets of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. AFP
It posted a video of a missile landing on a gathering of fighters and vehicles in a street lined with trees and buildings.
Twenty fighters were killed in the airstrikes that targeted rebel reinforcements, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the country’s unresolved civil war. Aleppo residents reported clashes and gunfire, and some were fleeing the fighting.
13:17 US President-elect Donald Trump is pushing to secure a ceasefire and captive release deal in Gaza before his inauguration on January 20, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told US news outlet Axios.
Speaking in an interview, Graham emphasized that Trump is determined to resolve the war on Gaza, particularly regarding the release of Israelis detained in Gaza, including seven dual American-Israeli citizens.
Graham spoke to Axios this month after his second visit to the Middle East. The US news outlet reported that he met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The push comes as President Joe Biden's administration, in its final months, continues to focus on resolving the Israeli war on Gaza, though with little progress on a straightforward deal. Israeli officials suggest that Trump may adopt a different approach to Gaza, particularly regarding plans for the “day after” the war.
Graham, who frequently consults with Trump on Middle Eastern foreign policy, confirmed that Trump is eager to broker a deal to end the war and free the captives as soon as possible.
"Trump is more determined than ever to release the hostages and supports a ceasefire that includes a hostage deal. He wants to see it happening now," Graham said. “He wants the killing to stop and the fighting to end."
13:14 Oslo Cathedral hosted the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, commemorated on 29 November each year. King Harald V of Norway, Crown Prince Haakon, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, and a large gathering of ambassadors, members of the Norwegian Parliament, members of the Palestinian community, and their supporters attended, WAFA reported.
Prime Minister Støre delivered a speech reaffirming Norway's commitment to achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, emphasizing the importance of respecting human rights and international law.
"Norway stands with the Palestinian people in their aspirations for freedom and dignity," he said, adding, "We will continue our support for solutions that foster sustainable peace between peoples, and for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital."
Palestinian Ambassador to Norway Marie Antoinette Sedin expressed the Palestinian people's deep appreciation for Norway's solidarity. "The presence of the King and Norwegian state leaders reflects a strong message that justice, peace, and dignity are universal values that must be supported by all," she said.
"This solidarity is a voice for ending the occupation, supporting our people's right to self-determination, and the establishment of an independent state."
King of Norway joins International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinians at Oslo Cathedral, WAFA
13:03 Lebanon's health ministry said an Israeli strike on a vehicle in south Lebanon on Saturday wounded three people, including a child.
"An Israeli enemy strike on a car in Majdal Zoun wounded three people including a seven-year-old child," the health ministry said in a statement.
13:00 A Palestinian child was killed, and several others were injured in an Israeli air raid that targeted a house in the Shujayea neighbourhood of eastern Gaza City.
Since dawn, at least 23 people have been killed across the Gaza Strip by Israeli military strikes, including 17 in Gaza City, one in Jabalia, and five in Khan Younis.
11:59 The Israeli occupation forces detained at least 16 Palestinians overnight in the occupied West Bank, including former prisoners, continuing a wave of detentions and military raids across the Palestinian territories.
The detentions occurred in northern and southern West Bank towns, including Qalqilya, Nablus, Hebron, Tulkarm, and Jerusalem. Many of the detainees are former prisoners previously incarcerated by Israeli authorities.
According to a joint statement from the Palestinian Prisoners' Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners' Society, the detained individuals were subjected to violent raids and threats, with Israeli forces causing significant damage to their homes during the operations.
Since the start of the ongoing Israeli war in October 2023, over 11,900 Palestinians from the West Bank, including Jerusalem, have been detained by the occupation forces.
11:43 Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof suggested that there could be ways for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit the Netherlands without facing arrest, despite an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
This was in contrast to earlier comments by Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, who had emphasized the country's obligation to cooperate with the ICC, including enforcing arrest warrants for individuals on Dutch soil.
Schoof mentioned that Netanyahu could potentially visit the Netherlands for an event related to an international organization, such as the OPCW, without the risk of arrest, Reuters reported.
He did not elaborate on the circumstances under which Netanyahu could come, though. Last week, he said it might be possible for Netanyahu to visit an international organization in the Netherlands, such as the U.N. watchdog for chemical weapons OPCW, without being arrested. The Netherlands is also the host nation to the ICC, located in The Hague.
The ICC recently issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defence chief, Yoav Gallant, in connection with war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
11:04 Despite the ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces continue to bombard villages in Lebanon.
"We just heard minutes ago of a drone strike on a car in the southern Lebanese village of Majdal Zoun," an Al Jazeera correspondent reported.
On Friday, in the town of Khiam, during a funeral, Israeli forces opened fire on mourners and even confiscated the body of the deceased. In the past three days, four people were abducted in Tayr Harfa. Additionally, drones have been hovering above Tyre and other areas in the south.
From the Israeli side, it appears that breaches of the ceasefire are ongoing, with efforts to achieve objectives that were not met during the ground operation. For instance, AL Jazeera added that Israeli forces are advancing towards villages they had not previously taken.
The ceasefire is essentially holding on the Lebanese side. The Lebanese army is restricting access to border villages to prevent further escalation.
10:43 The Israeli army claimed to have intercepted a drone approaching the country from the east, meaning from Iraq.
"A short while ago, an Israeli Navy missile boat intercepted a UAV that was approaching Israeli territory from the east," it said in a statement.
10:02 A Hamas delegation is expected to arrive in Cairo on Saturday for talks on a potential ceasefire in Gaza, a representative from the Palestinian resistance group told AFP on Friday.
"The delegation will meet with Egyptian officials to discuss proposals for a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange agreement in the Gaza Strip," the official said, speaking anonymously due to the matter's sensitivity.
There has been no confirmation from Cairo as of yet.
09:50 Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, Badr Abdelatty, spoke on Friday evening with his counterpart, Bassam Sabbagh, Syria's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.
According to a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the discussion focused on the escalating situation in northern Syria, particularly in Idlib and Aleppo.
Sabbagh briefed Abdel Ati on the latest developments. Expressing concern over the direction of these events, Abdel Ati reiterated Cairo's unwavering support for Syria, its national institutions, and its vital role in fostering regional stability, combating terrorism, and safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian state.
09:48 A monitor of Syria's war reported on Saturday that rebel forces now control a majority of Aleppo city, noting that Russian airstrikes targeted parts of Syria's second-largest city for the first time since 2016.
"Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions... took control of most of the city and government centers and prisons," said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, adding that overnight, Russian "warplanes launched raids on areas of Aleppo city for the first time since 2016."
Syrian authorities closed Aleppo airport and major roads leading into the city on Saturday, as rebel forces opposed to President Bashar al-Assad claimed to have breached the city after launching a large-scale assault on government-held towns.
Violent clashes continued between government forces and the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) along with its allied factions, the Observatory reported. The fighting had killed 277 people, including 28 civilians.
The rebels regained control of the city in a surprise attack after being driven out by government forces in 2016, backed by President Assad's allies, including Russia.
According to Syrian Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman, the rebels captured half of Aleppo without facing significant resistance.
"There was no fighting, not a single shot was fired, as regime forces withdrew," he told AFP on Saturday.
Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham stated that the offensive was launched in response to a recent intensification of airstrikes by Russian and Syrian forces against civilians in Idlib, in Syria's northwest.
HTS, a militant alliance led by Al-Qaeda's former Syria branch, controls swathes of the Idlib region, as well as parts of neighbouring Aleppo, Hama and Latakia provinces.
This aerial view shows the landmark citadel of Aleppo and its surroundings damaged by the civil war after jihadists and their allies entered the northern Syrian city. AFP
09:00 The ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, now in its 421st day, has killed and injured dozens of civilians, including women and children, since dawn on Saturday.
An Israeli airstrike targeted a house in the Al-Rimal neighbourhood of central Gaza City, killing seven people and injuring others, while six others remain missing under the debris, WAFA news agency reported.
On Friday night, an Israeli fighter jet bombed a house in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City, killing 10 Palestinians and injuring others.
In Jabalia Al-Nazla, north of the Gaza Strip, an Israeli drone killed another person.
Additionally, five more civilians were killed, including three employees of World Central Kitchen, and others were injured when Israeli occupation forces struck a civilian vehicle on Salah Al-Din Road northeast of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has called for an immediate halt to Israeli attacks on Gaza's hospitals following the death of a 3-week-old baby from pneumonia.
UNICEF said that the baby's mother, Hala, did not name her child for fear of losing him and that the continued Israeli attacks on Gaza's hospitals "are robbing vulnerable newborns of the neonatal intensive care they need."
"The violence must stop. Ceasefire now," UNICEF said.
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