Israeli strikes kill 17 in Gaza as the war drags on into the new year without resolution.
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Israeli strikes – Israel kills 17 in Gaza
Israeli airstrikes have resulted in the deaths of at least nine Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, predominantly women and children, as reported by officials on Wednesday. The ongoing conflict, which has persisted for nearly 15 months, shows no signs of resolution as it enters the new year.
One of the strikes targeted a residence in the Jabaliya region of northern Gaza, an area that has been severely affected and isolated, where Israel has been conducting extensive military operations since early October. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, seven individuals were killed in this incident, including one woman and four children, with at least a dozen others sustaining injuries.
Additionally, another strike occurred overnight into Wednesday in the densely populated Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, resulting in the deaths of a woman and a child, as confirmed by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the deceased.
The conflict commenced following an attack by Hamas-led militants on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities and the abduction of around 250 individuals. Currently, about 100 hostages remain in Gaza, with at least a third presumed dead.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israel’s air and ground operations have claimed the lives of over 45,000 Palestinians, with women and children constituting more than half of the casualties, although the ministry does not specify how many of the deceased were combatants.
The Israeli military asserts that its operations are aimed solely at combatants and attributes civilian casualties to Hamas, which it claims operates within densely populated residential areas. The military reports that it has eliminated 17,000 fighters, although it has not provided supporting evidence for this claim.
The ongoing conflict has led to extensive destruction and has displaced approximately 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, many of whom have been displaced multiple times. Hundreds of thousands are currently residing in tents along the coast, facing harsh winter conditions, including frequent rain and nighttime temperatures dropping below 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit). Tragically, at least four infants have succumbed to hypothermia.
Efforts by American and Arab mediators to negotiate a ceasefire and secure the release of hostages have been ongoing for nearly a year, but these initiatives have repeatedly stalled. Hamas is demanding a lasting ceasefire, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to continue military operations until achieving “total victory” over Hamas.
Israeli forces raided the occupied West Bank while intensifying the bombardment of Gaza on New Year’s Day, killing at least 17 Palestinians in northern Jabalia and the central Bureij refugee camp.
Heavy rainfall has flooded hundreds of makeshift shelters across Gaza, worsening conditions for displaced Palestinians as Israel continues to block humanitarian aid.
The UN reports that Israeli attacks on Gaza’s hospitals have brought the healthcare system to the brink of collapse, dismissing Israeli claims of militant use of these facilities as “vague, broad,” and inconsistent with publicly available evidence.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s war on Gaza has resulted in at least 45,541 Palestinian deaths and 108,338 injuries. In the same period, Hamas-led attacks killed 1,139 people in Israel, with over 200 taken captive.
Turkiye begins new year with demonstration in solidarity with Gaza.
Istanbul welcomed the new year with a mass protest in solidarity with Gaza, organized by the Humanity Alliance forum in Turkiye.
Tens of thousands gathered, chanting slogans like, “We call for the world to wake up.”
The coalition, comprising over 300 civil organizations, urged people to assemble on the historic Galata Bridge to condemn Israel’s ongoing and devastating war on Gaza.
Houthis claim to have shot down a US military Reaper drone over Yemen.
Yemen’s Houthi fighters claim to have shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over central Marib governorate using a locally made surface-to-air missile.
Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree stated it was the 14th aircraft brought down by their air defenses since fighting escalated with a US-led coalition and Israel following the start of Israel’s war on Gaza.
Earlier, US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported conducting multiple airstrikes on Houthi targets in Sanaa and coastal areas but made no mention of losing a Reaper drone, emphasizing no injuries to US personnel or equipment damage.
In September, Houthi forces claimed to have downed their eighth MQ-9 drone since the Gaza conflict began.