Israel strikes Gaza, demolishes homes as Pope decries Palestinians' conditions

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Israeli security forces announced on Thursday the arrest of five Israeli settlers over their alleged involvement in an attack on a Palestinian home that injured a baby girl in the occupied West Bank.

The eight-month-old infant suffered "moderate injuries to the face and head" in the late Wednesday attack, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

It blamed the attack on "a group of armed settlers", accusing them of "throwing stones at homes and property" in the town of Sair, north of Hebron.

Israeli security forces had received reports of "stones being thrown by Israeli civilians toward a Palestinian home", adding a Palestinian girl was injured.

"The preliminary investigation determined the involvement of several suspects who came from a nearby outpost," the statement said, referring to Israeli settlements not officially recognised by Israeli authorities.

The Civil Defence in Gaza said it recovered the bodies of 25 people from beneath the rubble of two homes in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday.

The remains were pulled out of the rubble in Khan Younis. The bodies of journalist Hiba al-Abadila, who was killed in January 2024, and her mother were among those found.

An American special envoy is set to visit Baghdad in early January, carrying messages from the U.S. administration to Iraqi political leaders about the future of political and security relations between the two countries.

Mark Savaya is expected to meet with leaders of Iraq’s ruling Coordination Framework to discuss key bilateral issues, including efforts to bring armed factions under state control.

Washington has repeatedly emphasised its concern over the influence of Iran-aligned factions within Iraq and is urging the government to take concrete steps toward disarming or regulating armed groups outside state authority.

The Israeli military said on Thursday that its forces killed a member of Iran's Quds Force in northeast Lebanon near the Syrian border.

The military identified the man as Hussein Mahmoud Marshad al-Jawhari, calling him a key operative in the force's unit 840 who had been involved in planning attacks from Syria and Lebanon.

He was assassinated in the area of Al-Nasiriyeh, the military added in a statement with footage of the supposed strike that killed him, without giving any further details of his death.

Al-Jawhari "operated under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and was involved in terror activities, directed by Iran, against the State of Israel and its security forces," the statement said.

Syria’s Interior Ministry announced on Thursday the killing of a senior Islamic State group leader, hours after announcing the arrest of another official.

In a statement, the ministry said that specialised units in the Rif Damascus governorate carried out a precise security operation in the town of Al-Buwayda in cooperation with the General Intelligence Service and the US-led coalition forces.

It said the operation resulted in the killing of Mohammed Shahada, known as Abu Omar Shaddad, one of the prominent leaders of IS in Syria, who held the position of "Wali of Hauran," or the so-called governor of the Hauran region.

The ministry added that the operation came as part of continued security efforts in the city of Muadamiyat al-Sham to pursue remnants of IS.

A man wounded in an Israeli strike last week in Lebanon has died of his injuries, the state-run National News Agency reported Thursday.

It identified him as a member of Lebanon's General Security agency and said "he happened to be passing at the time of the strike as he returned from service" in Beirut.

That strike targeted a vehicle on the Jadra-Siblin road, in Mount Lebanon's Chouf district, around 30 kilometres (19 miles) south of the capital, killing one person and wounding five others.

An Israeli airstrike hit a vehicle in south Lebanon on Thursday, as the Israeli military said it targeted another Hezbollah member.

The strike destroyed a car between the villages of Al-Jmaijmeh, Majdal Selm, and Safad al-Battikh. 

مراسلة الجديد: استهداف سيارة بين بلدتي مجدل سلم وصفد البطيخ في قضاء بنت جبيل pic.twitter.com/BqnWCpzfaf

— Al Jadeed News (@ALJADEEDNEWS) December 25, 2025

A Hamas delegation concluded a visit to Baghdad, during which it discussed with Iraqi leaders and officials the mechanisms for implementing the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and developments across the Palestinian territories.

"A senior delegation from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) concluded a visit to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad," the movement said in a statement, without specifying the duration of the visit.

The statement said the delegation held a series of meetings with Iraqi political leaders and officials, and discussions covered "the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, political and field developments, and relevant regional and international developments, and ways to address them."

During the visit, the Hamas delegation presented "an overview of the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the crimes of the [Israeli] occupation in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and the conditions faced by prisoners."

Hamas emphasised "the need to consolidate efforts to end these crimes and the ongoing aggression."

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz reiterated that his military was deep inside Gaza and will "never" leave all of the Palestinian territory, stressing "there will never be such a thing."

He vowed that Israel would build settlements in the northern part of the enclave, which he said will be surrounded by a large security zone.

Katz rejected reports that he had backtracked on Tuesday's statements after US pressure, saying that "there will be de facto sovereignty (in Gaza), just as there is in the West Bank."

On the West Bank, he said: "It is impossible now, given the current circumstances, to declare sovereignty. Practical sovereignty means (displacing) the Palestinians (...) and deploying Israeli army forces, and establishing settlements."

Three Palestinians have been arrested on suspicion of setting fire to a Christmas tree and damaging part of a Nativity scene at a Catholic Church in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Jenin, Palestinian Authority police said.

Police said late Wednesday that the arrests were made after reviewing surveillance footage. Police said they seized tools from the suspects that they believe were used in the attack, and condemned the apparent attempt to incite sectarian and religious tensions in the West Bank.

The Holy Redeemer Church of Jenin posted photos on social media of the arson, showing the skeleton of a synthetic Christmas tree that had been gutted of the green plastic branches, with red and gold ornaments strewn across the courtyard. The church said that the attack occurred around 3 a.m. Monday and also damaged part of the Nativity scene.

The church quickly cleaned the burned tree and erected a new Christmas tree a day later, in time for Christmas Mass. The church held a special ceremony with the presence of local Muslim and Christian leaders and politicians. Rev. Amer Jubran, the local priest at the church, said that the torching was an isolated incident and stressed the city’s unity.

The Christmas tree at the Holy Redeemer Church in Jenin was set on fire and destroyed. pic.twitter.com/9rf6s0ll79

— Khaled Abu Toameh (@KhaledAbuToameh) December 22, 2025

Israeli authorities announced on Thursday the arrest of an Israeli man on suspicion of committing security offences under the direction of Iranian intelligence agents, days after Tehran executed an Iranian accused of spying for Israel.

The suspect, who is in his 40s and lives in the city of Rishon LeZion, was arrested this month in a joint operation by Israeli police and Shin Bet, Israel's domestic intelligence agency.

"The suspect was identified as having conducted photography in the vicinity of the home of former prime minister Naftali Bennett," a joint police and Shin Bet statement said.

"As part of his contact with Iranian handlers, he was instructed to purchase a dash camera in order to carry out the task," it added.

According to the statement, the man transferred photographs taken in his city of residence and other locations in exchange for various sums of money.

Palestinian institutions reported that more than 9,300 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons are facing systematic torture, starvation, and slow‑death conditions, according to a joint statement by the Prisoners' Affairs Authority and the Palestinian Prisoners' Club.

They said inspections of multiple prisons uncovered escalating repression, including beatings, use of dogs, electric shocks, denial of exercise, and deprivation of basic needs such as food, medical care, and clothing.

Female prisoners, including those with chronic illnesses like cancer, are reportedly subjected to harsh treatment, such as beatings, gas exposure, restraint in the cold, and denial of sanitary supplies and medical attention.

In several facilities, including Nafha, Gilboa, and Shatta, authorities are said to be intensifying beatings, gas use, and other punitive measures, which have negatively impacted detainees' health.

The report also highlighted that around 350 child prisoners from Gaza are deprived of visits, medical care, and basic necessities, with widespread disease and deteriorating conditions documented.

Russia is working behind the scenes, with US approval, to mediate between Israel and Syria as part of contacts aimed at reaching a security agreement between the neighbouring states, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) reported on Wednesday.

In a separate report on Thursday, the broadcaster said Saudi Arabia had warned Tel Aviv that intervention in Syria would further distance the normalisation process.

KAN added that, until now, Azerbaijan has led meetings and contacts between Israel and Syria, including visits by senior officials to Baku.

Quoting an informed Israeli security source, the broadcaster said Moscow and Damascus are working to strengthen their relations. This has recently been reflected in Russia’s redeployment of forces and military equipment in the coastal Latakia region, after it had reduced its presence following the collapse of its ally Bashar al-Assad’s regime last year.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Thursday that diplomatic contacts are ongoing to ward off the spectre of another Israeli war on his country, expressing optimism about the negotiations and saying that "matters are heading toward positive conclusions."

Aoun’s remarks came after his meeting with the Maronite patriarch on the occasion of Christmas, according to a statement shared by the Lebanese presidency on X.

Responding to a question about the possibility of a renewed Israeli offensive on Lebanon, Aoun told journalists: "Diplomatic contacts have not stopped in order to keep the spectre of war away from Lebanon. I am optimistic about the negotiations (with Israel), and matters will move in a positive direction, God willing.

"We hope to witness the birth of a new Lebanon next year, to put an end to wars and live in peace," he continued, noting that "there is a bleeding wound in the south of the country."

One Palestinian was killed and others were injured on Thursday in an Israeli drone strike targeting civilians in the northern Gaza Strip.

Palestinian medical sources told Anadolu Agency that Sami Ahmad Abu Darabi was killed and others - whose number was not specified - were wounded when an Israeli drone bombed a gathering of civilians in the Tel al-Dhahab area of the town of Beit Lahia.

Pope Leo decried conditions for Palestinians in Gaza in his Christmas sermon on Thursday, in an unusually direct appeal during what is normally a solemn, spiritual service on the day Christians across the globe celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Leo said the story of Jesus being born in a stable showed that God had "pitched his fragile tent" among the people of the world.

"How, then, can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold?" he asked.

The new pope has lamented the conditions for Palestinians in Gaza several times recently and told journalists last month that the only solution in the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people must include a Palestinian state.

Israel reacted furiously on Thursday to a condemnation by 14 countries including France and Britain of its approval of new settlements in the occupied West Bank, calling the criticism discriminatory against Jews.

"Foreign governments will not restrict the right of Jews to live in the Land of Israel, and any such call is morally wrong and discriminatory against Jews," Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said.

"The cabinet decision to establish 11 new settlements and to formalise eight additional settlements is intended, among other things, to help address the security threats Israel is facing."

On Sunday, Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that authorities had greenlit the settlements, saying the move was aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.

"On the ground, we are blocking the establishment of a Palestinian terror state," said Smotrich, a vocal proponent of settlement expansion and a settler himself.

An Israeli drone strike targeted a vehicle on the Hawsh al-Sayyid Ali road in northeast Lebanon near the Syrian border Thursday morning, killing at least two people.

The victims were transported to hospital in the nearby town of Hermel.

It came after several strikes on south Lebanon on Wednesday the Israeli army claimed targeted Hezbollah.

#عاجل | مسيّرة إسرائيلية استهدفت مركبة على طريق بلدة حوش السيد علي في #البقاع شرق لبنان. pic.twitter.com/yURPELxmaj

— Al Modon - المدن (@almodononline) December 25, 2025

Israeli forces carried out a new incursion in Syria's southwestern Quneitra province on Thursday, deploying troops in one village and obstructing civilian movement.

According to state-run news agency SANA, "Israeli occupation forces infiltrated several villages in the southern countryside of Quneitra early this morning."

It added that "an Israeli occupation force consisting of two Hummer vehicles advanced into a number of villages in the southern Quneitra countryside."

The agency explained that the incursion began "from Tel Ahmar al-Gharbi, proceeding along the road leading to the village of Kudna, reaching the village of Ain Zivan, then heading to the village of Suwaysa, where the forces spread throughout the village, searched passersby, and disrupted movement."