23:00 An Israeli team is currently in Doha to address outstanding issues regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages, a knowledgeable source told Reuters.
The talks in the Qatari capital are reportedly focused on narrowing gaps in the proposed agreement for Gaza, initially introduced by US President Joe Biden on 31 May.
The deal, which has been purported to be the basis of negotiations for the past seven months, has presented several sticking points for both parties that keep on reemerging, the key of which is the Israeli demand to keep troops stationed in Gaza after the ceasefire goes into effect.
22:00 The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has strongly denounced the killing of four Palestinian journalists in Gaza over the past week, calling on the international community to hold Israel accountable for its aggression against the media.
“At least 95 journalists and media workers have been killed worldwide in 2024,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg in New York. “Israel is responsible for two-thirds of those deaths and yet continues to act with total impunity. The international community has failed in its obligations to hold Israel accountable.”
CPJ reports that at least 141 journalists have been killed in the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, 133 of whom were Palestinians in Gaza. Journalists in northern Gaza are facing catastrophic conditions, with CPJ documenting ethnic cleansing and a media blackout in the region.
21:20 Ahmed Al-Sharaa, aka Abu Mohamed Al-Jolani, called on the international community to lift sanctions imposed on Syria and remove the terrorism designation from his group, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), in an interview with The New York Times.
Al-Sharaa said, “We urge governments, including the United States, to remove the terrorism classification on HTS.” He emphasized the need to lift "all restrictions" to facilitate reconstruction efforts in the war-torn country.
He argued that the sanctions were imposed on the previous government of Bashar al-Assad, who has now been ousted, and that the priority should be rebuilding the state and creating public institutions to serve all Syrians. “The sanctions targeted the oppressor who is no longer in power,” Al-Sharaa stated.
Ahmed Al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohamed Al-Jolani, takes a selfie during a press conference. AFP
20:29 The Houthi rebels in Yemen have claimed responsibility for a missile attack targeting Israel, following reports from the Israeli military confirming the interception of a missile fired from the Arabian Peninsula.
According to the Houthi statement, the operation was aimed at a "military target of the Israeli enemy" in the occupied area of Yaffa, which references the Tel Aviv region. The rebels further stated that the attack "successfully achieved its objectives."
Israeli authorities have indicated that they are considering retaliatory actions, with Israeli officials stating that they are exploring the possibility of striking targets in Yemen.
20:20 President-elect Donald Trump characterized the rebel ouster of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad by Ankara-backed rebels as an "unfriendly takeover" by US ally Turkey as he addressed the conflict.
"I think Turkey is very smart... Turkey did an unfriendly takeover, without a lot of lives being lost. I can say that Assad was a butcher, what he did to children," Trump told reporters at his residence in Florida.
20:00 American forces carried out air strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria, killing a dozen of its fighters, the US military said.
"The strikes against the ISIS leaders, operatives, and camps were conducted as part of the ongoing mission to disrupt, degrade and defeat ISIS," US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media.
19:50 The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that Israeli forces have intensified their activities in southern Syria, marking a continued escalation near the occupied Golan Heights. Loud explosions were heard in Al-Qunaitrah province, where Israeli forces detonated a minefield on the outskirts of Al-Ba’ath city, located close to the Syrian-Israeli border.
Meanwhile, an Israeli army unit, comprising three vehicles, advanced into the village of Ma’aryah in the Al-Yarmouk Basin area of western Daraa countryside.
Reports indicate that Israeli troops deployed throughout the village, conducting patrols and searching residents.
The incursion was met with resistance as Israeli forces attempted to push into Abdeen village, where locals confronted the soldiers and successfully prevented them from entering, according to the war monitor.
Further tensions were reported in Al-Mo’alaqah village, situated on the administrative boundary between Al-Qunaitrah and Daraa. SOHR noted that Israeli forces entered the area and blocked the road connecting Al-Mo’alaqah to Sayda town.
19:00 Mohammad Al-Hindi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad group, stressed the importance of a tangible stance from the Israeli government regarding the ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Al-Hindi said that the group's main objective is to halt Israeli aggression and secure the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, with flexibility on some of the finer details of the discussions.
"We do not care about media optimism about a deal, what matters to us is the stance of the Israeli government," Al-Hindi said.
He also highlighted the group's ongoing talks with the Egyptian delegation, which is mediating the discussions with Israel. "We have had long meetings with the Egyptian delegation dealing with the issue of the deal with Israel," Al-Hindi added.
Regarding the ongoing Israeli violence in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, Al-Hindi condemned the Israeli attacks, saying, "There is no justification for the assault on the people of Jenin, who are defending their camp against the Zionist enemy."
He urged for reasoned dialogue to resolve the situation, stating, "The intruders from outside the camp should withdraw, and then discussions can begin."
Al-Hindi further emphasized the need to stop the fabricated conflicts within the Palestinian community, stressing that the goal is to preserve Palestinian unity and end the bloodshed. "We are committed to resolving this issue in a way that respects all Palestinian lives."
18:46 Israeli army vehicles have stormed Bani Naim, east of Hebron, in the southern occupied West Bank. Sources told Al Jazeera Arabic that Israeli forces also raided the village of Burqa, east of Ramallah.
In Beit Furik, a town located 9 km (5.6 miles) southeast of Nablus, Israeli forces reportedly arrested a Palestinian child.
Additionally, Al Jazeera's sources reported violent clashes between Palestinian Authority security forces and Palestinian resistance fighters in and around the Jenin camp.
18:37 At least 4 Palestinians were killed and 15 others injured in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a group of civilians in the Al-Shati (Beach) refugee camp, west of Gaza City, WAFA news agency reports in an updated toll.
Meanwhile, medical sources told Al Jazeera that at least 17 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza since the early hours of the day, highlighting the ongoing intensity of the conflict.
Medical sources confirmed that a young girl died from injuries she sustained in an Israeli airstrike last night, which targeted the Abu Hajar family home in Al-Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
17:56 The Israeli occupation army has escalated its attacks on the Al-Mawasi area near Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, an area it has designated as a so-called “humanitarian zone.”
Since 9 November, at least eight attacks have been confirmed, compared to five attacks recorded between May and early November, according to Haaretz.
Al Jazeera reported footage from the Shati refugee camp northwest of Gaza City, showing a drone strike targeting a group of people.
Four Palestinians were killed on the spot, their bodies torn apart by the drones.
The Israeli occupation army reportedly uses drones packed with small metal fragments that travel at extremely high speeds, causing severe bleeding and cutting through flesh upon impact.
In Beit Lahiya, two people were killed while attempting to move from one shelter to another during an attack.
The area around Kamal Adwan Hospital has become notorious for ongoing Israeli attacks, including tank shelling, quadcopters, and drone missiles.
17:44 Ireland’s position on the war in Gaza “should not be seen as a hostile act”, the Irish deputy prime minister, Micheál Martin, said after Israel decided to close its embassy in Dublin.
Israel ordered the closure on Sunday, citing Ireland’s decision last week to support a petition at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide. The Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, said the move was prompted by what he claims is the Irish government’s anti-Israeli policies.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Martin renewed Irish criticism of the scale of Israel’s war on Gaza and defended his country’s decision to support the ICJ petition.
Any action the Irish government took had “not been motivated by anything other than respect for international humanitarian law,” said Martin, Ireland’s foreign minister. “The utilisation of the international courts by Ireland … where there can be international accountability for war crimes in any part of the world, including in Gaza, should not be seen as a hostile act.
“Ireland stands by the approach it has taken, which has been motivated, as I have said, towards full accountability for what is happening in Gaza.”
Martin, who is expected to be made prime minister in January, said there was “huge anger” at the “level of killing of innocent men, women and children in Gaza” and that what was happening in the north of the Palestinian territory “defies explanation”.
17:15 Lebanon’s Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, instructed the reopening of the Lebanese embassy in Damascus following its closure during recent events.
The decision was announced during a meeting between Mikati and Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib, according to a statement posted by the Lebanese Prime Minister's Office on its official page on X.
The discussion also focused on ongoing efforts to halt Israeli's continued aggression on Lebanon and the ongoing violations of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon and addressed the situation in Syria.
16:40 The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned of an acute shortage of baby milk supplies in the Gaza Strip, endangering the lives of more than 8,500 infants.
In a post on X, the agency reported that only six boxes of baby milk remain in stock, while thousands of infants depend on this supply for their nutrition.
UNRWA emphasized that the crisis extends beyond infants, with over 200,000 people in Gaza relying on the agency’s services now at heightened risk.
Compounding the crisis, UNRWA revealed that approximately 19,000 children in Gaza were hospitalized for severe malnutrition in the past four months, a figure that has doubled since the start of the year.
16:00 Citing military sources, Israeli Army Radio reported intensive preparations for strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. Further details on the timing and scope of these operations remain undisclosed.
15:30 The former Syrian Presidency Telegram channel and Facebook page published a statement on 16 December, purportedly issued by Bashar al-Assad from Moscow. The statement recounts events leading up to his departure from Syria and his movements during the final days in Damascus.
According to the statement, Assad remained in the Syrian capital until the morning of 8 December and had no initial plans to leave the country. He emphasizes that contrary to rumours, he did not leave the country abruptly or during the final hours of fighting.
He described the escalation of violence in Damascus on the evening of 7 December, noting how questions arose about his whereabouts amid widespread speculation and "false narratives."
As terrorist groups intensified their operations in Damascus, Assad coordinated with Russian allies to relocate to Latakia, a coastal city, to oversee ongoing military efforts, the text added.
Upon arriving at Hmeimim Airbase, he learned of the complete collapse of Syrian Army positions, the fall of key military sites, and the escalation of attacks on the Russian military base itself.
Assad detailed how, under mounting pressure and the impossibility of safe evacuation from the base, Russian authorities facilitated his urgent transfer to Moscow on the evening of 8 December. He emphasized that neither asylum nor resignation was ever discussed during this time.
When the state falls into the hands of terrorism, and when there is no longer the ability to offer anything meaningful, the position becomes empty and meaningless. However, this does not, under any circumstances, signify abandoning genuine national belonging to Syria and its people, the text says.
It further highlighted Assad’s loyalty to his allies in Palestine and Lebanon, emphasizing that he had always supported their resistance. The statement declared: “Such a person could never abandon his people, to whom he belongs, nor could he betray them or their army.”
15:00 Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Katz said that Israel is ready for a military operation against Iran, pointing to the weak prospects for a diplomatic resolution.
"All of our systems are preparing for an operation against Iran due to the weak likelihood of a diplomatic solution," Katz said.
Regarding Gaza, Katz said that Israel is closer than ever to reaching a captive-prisoner exchange deal.
"The hostages are the primary target of the war, and we support reaching an exchange deal, even if it is partial," Israeli media cited Katz as saying.
He also noted that the Philadelphi and Netzarim Corridors will not hinder reaching a deal in Gaza.
He added that there are discussions with multiple parties about the day after the war in Gaza, but on the condition that Hamas does not rule the Strip.
14:30 Foreign ministers from the United States, UK, France, Germany, and Italy will discuss developments in Syria on Tuesday, Italy's Antonio Tajani said.
"We hope that the first positive signals will transform into concrete positive signals," Foreign Minister Tajani said at a conference of diplomats at the Italian foreign ministry.
Italy, which holds the presidency of the G7 in 2024, was named an ambassador to Damascus earlier this year for the first time in over a decade.
13:45 The fate of Russian military bases in Syria following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad was still unclear, the Kremlin said.
The Tartus Naval Base and Hmeimim Air Base are Russia's only military outposts outside the former Soviet Union and have been key to the Kremlin's activities in Africa and the Middle East.
"There are no final decisions on this," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.
"We are in contact with representatives of the forces that now control the situation in the country," he added.
Russia said Sunday it had evacuated some of its diplomatic staff from the country.
File Photo: A satellite image provided by Planet Labs PBC shows the Russian naval base in Tartus, Syria. AFP
13:35 Germany urged Israel to "abandon" a plan to double the population living in the occupied Golan Heights at the southwestern edge of Syria.
A foreign ministry spokesman said, "It is clear under international law that this area controlled by Israel belongs to Syria and that Israel is, therefore, an occupying power".
The spokesman, Christian Wagner, added that Berlin, therefore, called on its ally Israel "to abandon this plan" announced Sunday by the Israeli government.
An Israeli army vehicle drives in the buffer zone, which separates Israeli and Syrian forces in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights. AFP
13:25 Syria’s Latakia port works normally and ships unload cargo, port official Hassan Jablawi told Reuters.
13:15 Al Jazeera reported that Gazan citizen Hajj Khaled Nibhan (Abu Diya), known on social media for the phrase 'Ruh al-Ruh,' was killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted the Al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
Nibhan became famous for the phrase 'Ruh al-Ruh' (Spirit of the Spirit), which he said to his granddaughter Reem when bidding her farewell after the Israeli army killed her in November 2023."
13:00 Clashes have resumed between Palestinian security forces and fighters from Islamic Jihad in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, sources told Al Jazeera.
On Sunday, The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) suspended its services in Jenin due to ongoing intense clashes between the PA forces and Jenin Brigade, part of the Al-Quds Brigades (the military wing of the Islamic Jihad group in Jenin).
At least one person was killed on Saturday as the Palestinian Authority was undertaking an operation to restore law and order to Jenin's historic refugee camp, a stronghold of Palestinian fighters alienated from the PA.
Hamas condemned the PA for the Jenin operation, while the Islamic Jihad accused the PA of seeking to claim control over the camp and called for a day of protests, as reported by Reuters.
12:50 Israeli occupation forces have detained at least 16 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, including former prisoners, WAFA news agency said.
The Palestinian Authority for Prisoners and Released Prisoners and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club stated that the arrests were accompanied by widespread acts of mistreatment, assaults, and threats against the detainees and their families, in addition to extensive destruction and vandalism of citizens' homes.
Israeli forces have detained at least 12,100 citizens from the West Bank, including Jerusalem, since the war on Gaza began on 7 October 2023.
12:45 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began the third day of his testimony in his corruption trial in the Tel Aviv District Court, Israeli media reported.
Case 4000, the most serious against Netanyahu, revolves around accusations that he accepted bribes in the form of positive news coverage from Walla owner Shaul Elovitch and, in return, advanced regulatory decisions that benefited Elovitch to the tune of NIS 1.8 billion.
12:40 Syria's Kurds, who run a semi-autonomous administration in the northeast, called for an end to all fighting in the country and extended a hand to the new authorities in Damascus.
In a statement at a press conference in Raqa, the Kurdish administration called for "a stop to military operations over the entire Syrian territory to begin a constructive, comprehensive national dialogue," more than a week after Islamist-led rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad's government.
12:20 Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis began an official visit to Beirut, described as a “highly symbolic” tour by the first EU leader following the ceasefire agreement reached by Lebanon and Israel.
He is scheduled to hold talks with his Lebanese counterpart Najib Mikati after meeting Nabih Berri, the speaker of the parliament of Lebanon, and the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Antioch, John X.
As the closest EU member state to the region, along with Cyprus, Greece is keen to make its presence felt, with Mitsotakis recently voicing concerns that “southern Lebanon does not become a new Gaza. It would be a humanitarian tragedy that the broader region cannot withstand.” Aides say the visit aims to " send a message of peace” and highlight Greece’s role and presence in the region.
Athens has taken a lead role in coordinating the delivery of aid - part of an EU humanitarian air bridge - to Lebanon. On his visit to Beirut, Mitsotakis will emphasise Greece’s readiness to help provide the assistance needed to implement the shaky ceasefire, including reinforcing Lebanon’s armed forces and other state institutions.
As a frontline EU member state, Greece is also likely to put the issue of refugees at the top of the agenda following the toppling of the Assad regime in Syria.
12:00 Turkey denounced the Israeli plan to double the population living in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights as a bid to "expand its borders."
"This decision is a new stage in Israel's goal of expanding its borders through occupation," the foreign ministry said in a statement condemning the move.
Israel's government on Sunday approved a plan to double the population of the occupied Golan Heights, just days after its troops seized a UN-monitored buffer zone bordering Syria as rebel forces moved on Damascus.
"This step by Israel is a source of grave concern, taken together with Israel's entry into the area of separation in violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, its advance into adjacent areas and airstrikes in Syria," it said, warning the move would "seriously undermine" efforts to bring stability to Syria after Bashar al-Assad's ouster.
11:30 The health ministry said that Israel killed at least 45,028 people during more than 14 months of genocidal war on Gaza.
The toll includes 52 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 106,962 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began in October 2023.
11:00 An Israeli official said that a ceasefire deal for Gaza could be completed by 25 December, the Times of Israel reported.
However, according to Israeli Channel 13, the talks are facing a stumbling block regarding the number of captives to be released, as Hamas wants to free fewer Israeli detainees than Israel demands.
10:30 The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Israeli airstrikes pounded missile warehouses and other former Syrian army sites along Syria’s coast in the “most violent strikes in the Syrian coast region since the beginning of the Israeli strikes in 2012."
The observatory said “violent explosions” were heard in the coastal city of Tartous “as a result of the successive strikes and the flying of ground-to-ground missiles from the warehouses.”
10:15 A senior Israeli military official told reporters last week that the Israeli Air Force is preparing for what he described as the next “major mission,” without specifying its nature, Israeli Haaretz newspaper revealed.
The military official said the upcoming mission might receive backing from the new administration of US President-elect Donald Trump, particularly as it targets Iran, according to Haaretz.
On Sunday, Israeli media addressed the possibility of attacking Iran, citing what it called a "historic opportunity" for the Israeli military.
Channel 13 noted that attention is shifting eastward again after intensive operations in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, emphasizing that the Israeli army now sees an opportunity to strike Iran's nuclear facilities.
10:00 The Norwegian Refugee Council said that around one million Palestinians are facing winter without shelters in the Gaza Strip.
It mentioned that the suffering of displaced individuals is worsening in tents that cannot protect them from rain and freezing cold.
09:45 Five Palestinians were killed and others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a house in the Beit Lahia Project area in the northern Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera reported.
Additionally, a Palestinian youth was shot and killed by Israeli forces' gunfire east of Rafah City, southern Gaza, WAFA news agency reported.
Israeli artillery also shelled the towns of Khuza'a and Al-Fukhari, east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, as well as an area west of the new camp in Al-Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
A wounded Palestinian man receives treatment at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, also known as the Baptist Hospital, in Gaza City. AFP
9:33 EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc's envoy to Syria was going to Damascus to talk to the new rulers.
"Our top diplomat in Syria will go to Damascus today. We'll have the contacts there," Kallas told journalists ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Kallas said EU foreign ministers in Brussels would discuss "how we engage with the new leadership of Syria, and on what level we engage."
"We can't leave a vacuum," Kallas, who took over as the EU's top diplomat in December, said.
"For us, it's not only the words, but we want to see the deeds going in the right direction. So not only what they are saying, but also what they are doing," Kallas added.
People stand across from destroyed buildings in the Syrian town of Jobar in Eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus. AFP
9:15 The Russian ambassador remains in Damascus and continues his duties, Russia's TASS news agency reported, citing diplomatic sources, following Russia's evacuation of some of its diplomats from Syria.
9:00 The US State Department urged American citizens to leave Syria.
"The security situation in Syria continues to be volatile and unpredictable with armed conflict and terrorism throughout the country. US citizens should depart Syria if possible," the department said in a statement.
People hold placards bearing the images of Syrian detainees and missing persons during a protest outside the Hijaz train station in Syria's capital, Damascus, demanding accountability for the perpetrators of crimes in Syria, an end to arbitrary detention, and the closure of prisons. AFP
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