Israel strikes Gaza, Lebanon; Clashes between Syria army and SDF

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 Israeli military vehicles intensified their presence in the centre of Tulkarem in the West Bank on Monday, marking the 330th day of the ongoing military campaign targeting the city and its two refugee camps.

Israeli forces stormed central Tulkarem with several military vehicles and deployed in the vicinity of Thabet Thabet Square and Jamal Abdel Nasser Square, stopping vehicles, checking Palestinians' IDs, and patrolling the city’s main streets.

The military operations also extended to the Shuweika suburb north of Tulkarem, where Israeli forces deployed along the eastern street amid a heavy presence of soldiers who stopped and searched passing vehicles.

Israeli forces on Monday have carried out a large-scale demolition operation east of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli soldiers reportedly used explosives to blow up several the residential buildings, the Palestinian Wafa agency said.

Since the ceasefire took effect on 10 October, Israeli forces are intensified house demolition campaigns in the Gaza Strip, which is already covered in more than 60 million tonnes of rubble.

Syria's defence ministry and Kurdish-led forces ordered their troops to cease fire on Monday after clashes between the two sides in the northern city of Aleppo killed at least three people.

State news agency SANA cited the defence ministry as saying that the Syrian army's general staff had issued "an order to stop targeting the sources of fire".

The US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces meanwhile said they had "issued directives to our forces to cease responding to attacks".

Israeli authorities have issued demolition orders for six under-construction homes in the town of Tarqumiya, west of Hebron, in the southern West Bank.

The homes are owned several Palestinian residents, who are in possession of official documents proving ownership of these buildings.

The threatened homes are located several kilometers from the Telem and Adora settlements, illegally built on Palestinian land.

Israel's seizing of Palestinian homes and land comes amid a wider attempt to annex the West Bank, already occupied since 1967.

At least two civilians were killed and several wounded in a wave of attacks in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Monday, with government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces trading blame for the deaths.

State news agency SANA, citing Aleppo's health directorate, said the civilians were killed in shelling by the SDF on residential neighbourhoods in the city.

The violence came hours after Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said during a visit to Damascus that the SDF appeared to have no intention of honouring a commitment to integrate into the state's armed forces by an agreed year-end deadline.

Turkey views the US-backed SDF, which controls swathes of northeastern Syria, as a terrorist organisation and has warned of military action if the group does not honour the agreement.

SANA, citing the defence ministry, reported earlier that the SDF had launched a sudden attack on security forces and the army in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah neighbourhoods of Aleppo, resulting in injuries.

The SDF denied this and said the attack was carried out by factions affiliated with the Syrian government, and which resulted in the injury of five civilians.

The defence ministry denied the SDF's statements, saying the army was responding to sources of fire from Kurdish forces.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran's nuclear activities will be discussed with US President Donald Trump during visit.

Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces near Gaza City on Monday afternoon, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA.

The killings occurred near the Shujaiyya court in eastern Gaza City, medical sources said.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has condemned the government's to shutter Army Radio, calling it an "effort to suppress freedom of expression" ahead of next year's election.

"They cannot control reality, so they try to control minds," he wrote on X.

Violent clashes between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) broke out in Aleppo on Monday amid faltering talks about integrating the SDF into the national army.

Syria’s state news agency SANA reported that the SDF attacked Syrian security forces in the northern city, just hours after the Turkish and Syrian foreign minister discussed Kurdish integration in Damascus.

Turkey's intelligence agency has conducted a major operation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, capturing a Turkish national who held a senior role within the Islamic State group, state media reported on Monday.

The suspect was identified as Mehmet Goren, who allegedly served for the Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) province, Anadolu news agency said, citing security sources.

Goren had been tasked with organising suicide attacks targeting civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey and Europe.

The Turkish National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) found that Goren travelled from Turkey to the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, where he operated in IS camps and rose through the ranks to a leadership position, according to the report.

He also allegedly survived airstrikes in Pakistan targeting IS jihadists.

(AFP)

New rules in Israel for registering non-governmental organisations, under which more than a dozen groups have already been rejected, could have a catastrophic impact on aid work in Gaza and the West Bank, relief workers warn.

The NGOs have until 31 December to register under the new framework, which has already seen organisations such as Save the Children - which helps 120,000 children in Gaza - and the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) banned from working in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

They are being given 60 days to withdraw all their international staff from the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank and Israel, and will no longer be able to send humanitarian supplies across the border to Gaza.

The Humanitarian Country Team of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (HCT) warned that dozens of NGOs face deregistration and that, while some had been registered, "these NGOs represent only a fraction of the response in Gaza and are nowhere near the number required just to meet immediate and basic needs".

"The deregistration of NGOs in Gaza will have a catastrophic impact on access to essential and basic services," it said.

(AFP and TNA staff)

Turkey's foreign minister on Monday cast doubt on the willingness of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria to integrate with the country's armed forces by the end of the year.

Turkey views the US-backed SDF, which controls swathes of northeastern Syria, as a terrorist organisation and has warned of military action if the group does not honour the agreement.

Last week, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey hoped to avoid resorting to military action against the SDF, but that its patience was running out.

"We see the SDF has no intention to make too much of an advance [towards integration]," Fidan said on Monday in Damascus after talks between a high-level Turkish delegation and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and others.

"The SDF is running some of its operations in coordination with Israel, [and this] is actually a major obstacle to ongoing negotiations with Damascus," he said.

(Reuters and TNA staff)

Italy said Monday it wants to keep a military presence in Lebanon even after the UN peacekeeping force it belongs to leaves as planned on December 31, 2026.

"Even after (the peacekeeping force) UNIFIL, Italy will continue to do its part, supporting with conviction the international presence and supporting the capacity development of the Lebanese armed forces," Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said during a visit to Lebanon, according to a statement.

Asked by AFP if this meant Italy wanted to maintain a military presence in the country, a ministry spokesman confirmed that this was the case.

Turkey expects the second phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal to begin early in 2026, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday, following talks with US, Qatari and Egyptian officials in Miami over the weekend.

Speaking at a press conference in Damascus, Fidan said the discussions focused on obstacles to advancing the deal to its next phase, adding that the priority was for Gaza's governance to be taken over by a Palestinian-led group.

Israel's cabinet voted on Monday to shut down a popular national radio station, one of a series of measures by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right coalition to crack down on free speech.

Defence Minister Israel Katz had proposed that Army Radio, broadcasting since the early days of the state, will be shut down by 1 March 2026, in what he described as an attempt to preserve the military’s nonpartisan character.

Its original purpose, Katz said in a statement, had been to broadcast for Israel's soldiers but that with time it served as a platform for views that "attack the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) and the IDF soldiers themselves".

Army Radio is among two state-funded news outlets in Israel, the other being public broadcaster KAN that operates a television news channel, several radio stations and a popular digital platform. Both are editorially independent.

(Reuters and TNA staff)

Iranian state media reported missile drills in different Iranian cities on Monday, citing unnamed sources and witnesses.

The Telegram channel of Iran's public broadcaster and semi-official Nour news agency published videos of what appeared to be missile launches, without specifying the whereabouts.

However, the outlets said launches took place in the cites of Tehran, Isfahan and Mashhad.

This comes as Israeli officials threaten to launch a new war against Iran targeting its ballistic missile capabilities.

(Reuters and TNA staff)

Three people were killed in an Israeli drone strike in south Lebanon, which targeted a car near Sidon earlier this afternoon, according to local media.

The Israeli military confirmed the attack, saying it had targeted members of Hezbollah.

The Israeli military said on Monday it struck several Hezbollah militants in the Sidon area in southern Lebanon, without providing further information.

Lebanese media reported that one person was killed in a drone strike near the town of Aaqtanit.

A high-level Turkish delegation is set to meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus Monday, Turkey's foreign ministry announced.

Both countries have developed close ties since the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, and the visit by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Defence Minister Yasar Guler allows for a "general assessment" of relations, a ministry source told AFP.

Talks will also address "progress in implementing the 10 March agreement" between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces on integrating the Kurds' semi-autonomous civil and military institutions into the state by year-end, the source said.

(AFP)

The Israeli military said it was reviewing an incident in the occupied West Bank in which soldiers shot dead a 16-year-old Palestinian.

Palestinian officials said that Rayyan Mohammad Abu Mualla was shot and killed on Saturday in the northern West Bank town of Qabatiya, during a raid by the Israeli military.

The military initially claimed that the boy had thrown a brick at Israeli troops, resulting in them opening fire.

CCTV footage later appeared to disprove its claim, showing Abu Mualla neither holding or throwing an object.

Asked about the video, an Israeli military spokesperson said: "A Palestinian suspected of hurling a block at IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) soldiers was shot. The incident is under review."

(Reuters and TNA staff)

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called on Sunday for Jews in Western countries to move to Israel, one week after 15 were shot dead at a Jewish event in Sydney.

"Today I call on Jews in England, Jews in France, Jews in Australia, Jews in Canada, Jews in Belgium: come to the Land of Israel! Come home!" Saar said at the ceremony, held with leaders of Jewish communities and organisations worldwide.

Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, Israeli leaders have tried to link anti-war protests in Western countries to rising antisemitism and demanded their governments crack down on pro-Palestinian activism.

Australian authorities have said the 14 December attack on a Hanukkah event on Sydney's Bondi Beach was inspired by the ideology of the Islamic State jihadist group.

(AFP and TNA staff)

Israeli bulldozers tore through a four-storey residential building in east Jerusalem on Monday, displacing scores of Palestinians in what activists said was the largest such demolition in the area this year.

The building, located in the Silwan neighbourhood near the Old City, comprised a dozen apartments housing approximately 100 people, many of them women, children and elderly residents.

It was the latest in a series of buildings to be torn down as Israeli officials target what they describe as unauthorised structures in annexed east Jerusalem.

"The demolition is a tragedy for all residents," Eid Shawar, who lives in the building, told AFP.

"They broke down the door while we were asleep and told us we could only change our clothes and take essential papers and documents," said the father of five.

With nowhere else to go, Shawar said his seven-member family would have to sleep in his car.

(AFP)

Hospitals in Gaza received the bodies of 12 dead Palestinians over the past 48 hours, the local health ministry said in an update on Monday morning.

Four had been recently killed by Israeli forces while eight were recovered from the rubble.

Israeli forces have killed at least 70,937 Palestinians in Gaza since 7 October 2023, while another 171,192 have been injured.

Since the ceasefire came into effect on 10 October, at least 405 Palestinians have been killed and 1,115 have been wounded.

Hamas says Israel’s continued "violations", including the "daily killing" of Palestinians in Gaza, amount to an ongoing breach of the ceasefire agreement and are worsening the humanitarian situation in the enclave.
 
In a Telegram post today, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qasem said the continued collapse of buildings bombed during the war reflects the "growing dangers" facing Gaza’s civilian population.
 
He said these Israeli "violations" come at a time when various parties are speaking about stabilising the ceasefire and moving towards the second phase of the agreement to end the war on Gaza.
 
"This reflects a clear Israeli desire to continue the aggression against our people in Gaza," he said.

Israel has violated the 10 October ceasefire hundreds of times, killing and injuring more than 1,500 Palestinians over the past 10 weeks.

Six Palestinian detainees released from Israeli detention arrived at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah on Sunday for medical treatment.

The men had been abducted by Israeli forces in Gaza and detained for six months.

The Red Cross facilitated their transfer back to Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing.

Israel freed about 1,700 detainees from Gaza on 13 October following the ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Many showed signs of torture and abuse endured during detention.

The medical conditions of the detainees are not known.

The British government has condemned Israeli plans for 19 new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

"The UK condemns the Israeli government’s approval of 19 new settlements in Palestine," Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer wrote on X, calling them "illegal under international law".

"This risks undermining the 20 Point Plan and prospects for the long-term peace and security that only a two state solution can deliver," he said.

Israel's far right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the new settlements are aimed at blocking the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Israel has approved 69 new settlements in the occupied West Bank over the past three years.

The UN says Israeli settlements are expanding at their fastest rate since at least 2017, when it began monitoring settlement growth.

Israel's military launched a series of raids in Gaza at dawn on Monday, in the latest violation of the ceasefire by Israeli forces.

Attacks were reported in the southern city of Rafah and areas east of Khan Younis, according to Al Araby Al Jadeed, the Arabic-language sister site of The New Arab.

Israeli vehicles were also reported to be operating inside Jabalia refugee camp, north of Gaza City, amid artillery shelling.

Israel has violated the 10 October ceasefire hundreds of times, killing and injuring more than 1,500 Palestinians.