Israeli airstrike kills 11 in Syria as attack on Gaza hospital kills 7

Eleven people have been killed near Damascus by an Israeli strike targeting military infrastructure, while Israel's attacks on al-Wafaa Hospital killed 7.
16 min read
29 December, 2024

An Israeli airstrike in the outskirts of Damascus on Sunday killed 11 people, according to a war monitor, as Israel continues to target Syrian weapons and military infrastructure even after the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the airstrike targeted a weapons depot that belonged to Assad's forces near the industrial town of Adra, northeast of the capital. The observatory said at least 11 people, mostly civilians, were killed.

While in Gaza, Gaza's civil defence agency said an air strike hit a hospital Sunday, killing at least seven people, while Israel claims it had targeted militants at the no longer functioning facility.

The strike on Al-Wafaa Hospital came a day after the military ended a raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, an assault the World Health Organization reported left the facility empty of patients and staff.

12:01 AM

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Halevi warns war on Gaza will be 'a long war'
12:01 AM
The New Arab Staff

Israel’s military chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, said the war in Gaza is set to be a "long war", speaking at a ceremony for wounded soldiers at Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv. 

“This is a long war, and I cannot say we see it ending,” Halevi said.

 

Carter had 'significant role in' peace between Egypt, Israel
11:30 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday hailed former US president Jimmy Carter as "a symbol of humanitarian efforts" for his role in brokering the historic 1978 Camp David Accords, which established peace between Egypt and its most serious adversary at the time, Israel.

"His significant role in achieving the peace agreement between Egypt and Israel will remain etched in the annals of history, and his humanitarian work exemplifies a lofty standard of love, peace, and brotherhood," the Egyptian leader said in a post on social media platform X.

Israeli shelling of Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp kills 9
11:00 PM
The New Arab Staff

Nine Palestinians were killed, and 15 others were wounded after Israeli shelling at Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.

Wafa reports the army also ordered civilians to evacuate in preparation for further attacks.

GHM: Israeli army arrests four medical patients
10:30 PM
The New Arab Staff

The Israeli army arrested four of the 10 patients being transferred from the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahiya, north Gaza, to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City - the Gaza Health Ministry revealed in a statement on Telegram.

The transfer was facilitated by the World Health Organisation.

GHM demands release of all health workers detained by Israel
10:00 PM
The New Arab Staff

Gaza's Health Ministry is demanding all health workers detained by Israeli forces be released, along with denouncing the detention and abuse of the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Dr Hussam Abu Safiyya, by the Israeli occupation forces on Saturday.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Ministry said the arrests were another human rights violation and the rights of health workers. It appealed for all health workers to be protected so they can carry out their professional duties in a safe and secure environment.

MENA
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Israel PM Netanyahu is in good condition after surgery
9:31 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the ICC in connection to alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israel in Gaza, is in good condition and fully conscious after his prostate surgery ended "successfully," his office said on Sunday.

"The Prime Minister has now been transferred to a protected underground recovery unit. He is expected to remain in the hospital for observation in the next few days," his office said.

(Reuters)

MENA
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Al-Sharaa says Kurdish-led forces should be integrated
9:00 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, said local Kurdish-led forces, which Turkey opposes, should be integrated into the national army in an interview with Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television on Sunday.

"Weapons must be in the hands of the state alone. Whoever is armed and qualified to join the defence ministry, we will welcome them," he said, adding that based on these criteria "we will open a negotiations dialogue with the SDF... to perhaps find an appropriate solution," referring to the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria's north and northeast.

Syria leader hopes Trump gov will lift US sanctions
8:31 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday expressed hope that the administration of US president-elect Donald Trump would lift sanctions on his country after Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

"The sanctions on Syria were issued based on the crimes that the regime committed", Sharaa said in an interview with Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television, adding that since his Islamist group and allied rebels had ousted Assad, "these sanctions should be removed automatically".

Syria shares 'deep strategic interests' with Russia
8:00 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Syria's leader Ahmed al-Sharaa told Al Arabiya TV on Sunday his country and Russia shared "deep strategic interests", expressing his desire to rebuild ties with the close ally of deposed leader Bashar al-Assad.

"Russia is an important country and is considered the second most powerful country in the world," Sharaa said in an interview with Saudi-owned Al Arabiya, noting the "deep strategic interests between Russia and Syria" and adding: "all Syria's arms are of Russian origin, and many power plants are managed by Russian experts... We do not want Russia to leave Syria in the way that some wish."

Syria leader says Iran ties must be based on 'respect'
7:30 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Syria's leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said Sunday that his country needed ties with Iran, a major ally of deposed leader Bashar al-Assad, but said relations had to be based on mutual "respect" for sovereignty.

"Syria cannot continue without relations with an important regional country like Iran, but they must be based on respect for the sovereignty of both countries and non-interference in the affairs of both countries," Sharaa said in an interview with Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television.

Syria's new leader says elections could take four years
7:00 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Syria's leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said new elections could take four years and that drafting a new constitution could take three, in an interview with Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television on Sunday.

"The election process could take four years," Sharaa said, three weeks after his Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied rebels ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, adding: "We need to rewrite the constitution" which could take "two or three years."

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Israeli airstrike near the Syrian capital kills 11
6:30 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

An Israeli airstrike in the outskirts of Damascus on Sunday killed 11 people, according to a war monitor, as Israel continues to target Syrian weapons and military infrastructure even after the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the airstrike targeted a weapons depot that belonged to Assad's forces near the industrial town of Adra, northeast of the capital. The observatory said at least 11 people, mostly civilians, were killed.

The Israeli military did not comment on the airstrike Sunday.

Nine killed in Israeli strike on Nuseirat refugee camp: Wafa
5:54 PM
The New Arab Staff

The Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that nine Palestinians were killed and at least 15 others, including women and children, were wounded in an Israeli shelling of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

More updates will follow as information becomes available.

Syria’s new women’s affairs head sparks uproar
5:21 PM
The New Arab Staff

Recent comments by Aisha al-Debs, Syria's women’s affairs chief in the transitional government, have caused outrage on social media.

Dibs, the only woman in the government since rebels ousted Bashar al-Assad, stated feminist groups would be welcome only if they aligned with her "model for society."

She urged Syrian women to unite but emphasised adhering to "God-given roles" and prioritising family education.

Critics slammed her remarks as regressive, with one Facebook user rejecting the imposition of "thinking that keeps women at home," while others decried the curtailing of freedoms.

PIJ, Hamas claim attacks on Israeli forces in Jabalia
4:48 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Hamas’s Qassam Brigades and the PIJ’s Quds Brigades have claimed responsibility for attacks on Israeli military positions in the Jabalia refugee camp, in northern Gaza.

  • The Qassam Brigades said they worked with the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades to destroy a fortified building containing Israeli soldiers in the camp's east.
  • The PIJ reported targeting a Merkava tank with explosives and an Israeli rescue force with a Yasin-105 rocket.

 

Neither group has reported casualties among Israeli soldiers.

Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.

Israeli airstrike near the Syrian capital kills 11: monitor
4:21 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

An Israeli airstrike in the outskirts of Damascus on Sunday killed 11 people, according to a war monitor, as Israel continues to target Syrian weapons and military infrastructure even after the ouster of former President Bashar Assad.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the airstrike targeted a weapons depot that belonged to Assad’s forces near the industrial town of Adra, northeast of the capital.

The observatory said at least 11 people, mostly civilians, were killed.

Beirut-based pan-Arab Al-Mayadeen TV also reported the airstrike but put the death toll at six. The Israeli military did not comment on the airstrike Sunday.

Israel, which has launched hundreds of airstrikes over Syria since the country's uprising turned-civil war broke out in 2011, rarely acknowledges them.

It says its targets are Iran-backed groups that backed Assad.

Israel also wants to remove a threat posed by weapons in Syria, which is now governed by Islamists.

Syrian insurgents who ousted Assad in a lightning ofensive in early December have demanded that Israel cease its airstrikes.

Elsewhere, Turkish-backed Syrian rebels attacked near the strategic northern border town of Kobani, which is under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, following weekslong clashes.

The SDF shared a video of a rocket attack that destroyed what it said was a radar system south of the city of Manbij, which the Turkish-back group captured earlier this month.

The Kurdish-led group is Washington's key ally in Syria, where it is heavily involved in targeting sleeper cells belonging to the extremist Islamic State group.

Israel army says several projectiles fired from north Gaza
3:59 PM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

The Israeli military said approximately "five projectiles" were fired from northern Gaza into Israeli territory on Sunday, amid an ongoing Israeli offensive in the north of the Palestinian territory.

"Following the sirens that sounded at 16:26 (14:26 GMT) in the area of communities near the Gaza Strip, approximately five projectiles were identified crossing from the northern Gaza Strip into Israeli territory," the military said in a statement.

"Two projectiles were intercepted" and the rest likely fell in unpopulated areas, it said.

Justice minister to act as PM during Netanyahu surgery
2:37 PM
The New Arab Staff

Justice Minister Yariv Levin will serve as acting prime minister while Benjamin Netanyahu undergoes prostate surgery.

Defense Minister Israel Katz will lead the cabinet, Israeli news outlet Haaretz reports.

Netanyahu’s office confirmed he would undergo the procedure following last week’s diagnosis of a urinary tract infection linked to benign prostatic enlargement.

Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin [Getty]
Israeli forces shoot, injure Palestinian near Qalqilya
2:09 PM
The New Arab Staff

Israeli forces shot a Palestinian man in the foot with live ammunition near the separation wall south of Qalqilya in the occupied West Bank, Wafa news agency reported on Sunday, citing local sources.

Truce deal at risk due to Israeli inflexibility: report
1:47 PM
The New Arab Staff

Egyptian sources have informed Al-Araby TV that ceasefire negotiations are close to collapsing due to Israeli intransigence.

Despite efforts by Egypt and Qatar to broker a deal, Israeli political leadership is reportedly obstructing progress, jeopardizing the talks.

Pro-Palestine protesters march for Gaza in Kuala Lumpur
1:14 PM
The New Arab Staff

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur on Saturday night, chanting for Palestine’s freedom and urging a boycott of Israel and companies supporting it.

Videos shared by BDS Malaysia on Instagram documented the protest.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by BDS Malaysia (@bds_malaysia)

Israel detains 56 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank
12:45 PM
The New Arab Staff

Israeli authorities have confirmed the issuance of administrative detention orders for 56 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, including both new and renewed orders.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society reports that these orders allow prolonged detention without charge or access to legal representation.

Currently, over 10,300 Palestinians are held in Israeli custody, with hundreds more forcibly disappeared in Gaza.

Fifth child in Gaza dies over extreme cold in a week: report
12:16 PM
The New Arab Staff

The Gaza Ministry of Health announced on Sunday the death of a 20-day-old child named Jumaa Al-Batran, who passed away due to extreme cold and the lack of heating resources in the displacement tents in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.

The ministry added that his twin brother is currently receiving intensive care in the intensive care unit at Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza. This brings the total number of children who have died from the cold to five in just about a week.

According to the ministry, displaced families living in fabric and nylon tents are facing harsh living conditions, with a severe shortage of basic necessities, clothing, bedding, and blankets.

In an earlier interview with The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Dr. Ahmad Al-Farra, head of the maternity and pediatric department at Nasser Medical Complex, predicted that the number of deaths due to the cold would rise unless a solution is found to end Israel's war on Gaza and allow displaced families to return home.

He stressed the need for international organizations to intervene and not wait for further disasters to occur, urging pressure on the occupying forces to allow the entry of electricity, fuel, and heating supplies.

At least 45,514 Palestinians killed in Gaza: health ministry
11:23 AM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

At least 45,514 Palestinians have been killed and 108,189 wounded in Israel's military offensive in Gaza since October 7, 2023, Gaza's health ministry said on Sunday. 

The health ministry also said that 30 people had been killed in the Palestinian territory in the past 24 hours.

 

Israeli forces order new evacuation at n. Gaza's Beit Hanoun
11:06 AM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Israeli forces carrying out a weeks-long offensive in northern Gaza ordered any residents remaining in Beit Hanoun to quit the town on Sunday, residents said.

The instruction to residents to leave caused a new wave of displacement, although it was not immediately clear how many people were affected, the residents said.

The Israeli military announced its new push into the Beit Hanoun area on Saturday.

The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service said it had lost communication with people still trapped in the town, and it was unable to send teams into the area because of the raid.

300 arrested in Syria crackdown on Assad loyalists: monitor
10:56 AM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Syria's new authorities have arrested nearly 300 people, including informants, pro-regime fighters and former soldiers, in a crackdown on loyalists to ousted former president Bashar al-Assad, a monitor said Sunday.

Since rebels led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group toppled Assad three weeks ago, ending more than five decades of family rule, the new authorities in Syria have intensified efforts to consolidate control.

The security forces of the new administration launched a large-scale operation on Thursday against Assad's militias.

"In less than a week, nearly 300 people have been detained in Damascus and its suburbs, as well as in Homs, Hama, Tartus, Latakia and even Deir Ezzor," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.

The official Syrian news agency SANA, also reported arrests this week targeting "Assad militia members" in Hama and Latakia provinces, where weapons and ammunition were seized. It did not provide any figures.

Among those arrested, according to the Observatory, were former regime informants, pro-Iranian fighters and lower-ranking military officers accused of killings and torture, Abdel Rahman said.

Abdel Rahman said that "the campaign is ongoing, but no prominent figures have been arrested" except for General Mohammed Kanjo Hassan, the former head of military justice under Assad, who reportedly oversaw thousands of death sentences following summary trials at Saydnaya prison.

Referring to social media videos showing armed men abusing detainees and even carrying out summary executions, Abdel Rahman said: "Some individuals, including informants, were immediately executed after being detained".

Netanyahu is getting his prostate removed as he faces crises
10:44 AM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is having his prostate removed on Sunday, his office said, a procedure that comes as he manages multiple crises at once, including the ongoing war in Gaza and his own trial for alleged corruption .

Netanyahu, 75, is among a cohort of older world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, 82 , and President-elect Donald Trump, 78 , whose health and physical fitness are under deep scrutiny both at home and abroad because of their advanced age and the effect that could have on their leadership.

The procedure has already had a fallout: Netanyahu’s lawyer Amit Hadad said in a letter to the court the Israeli prime minister would be fully sedated for the procedure and would be hospitalized for “a number of days," asking that his three days of testimony this week be canceled.

The court agreed.

An acting prime minister will take over for Netanyahu while he is undergoing the procedure, according to an official familiar with the arrangements, although it wasn’t immediately clear who will step in.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the details behind the procedure with the media.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [Getty]
7 killed in Israel strike on hospital in Gaza: civil defence
10:22 AM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Seven people were killed and others seriously wounded in an Israeli strike on the upper floor of Al-Wafaa hospital in the centre of Gaza city on Sunday, the Palestinian civil defence said. 

Palestinian woman shot dead in Jenin camp: family
9:39 AM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

A Palestinian woman was shot dead overnight at the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, with her family on Sunday accusing the Palestinian Authority's security forces of killing her.

Shatha al-Sabbagh, a journalism student in her early 20s, was killed by a bullet to the head, which her family said was fired by a security forces sniper while there was no fighting going on.

The security forces of the PA, however, blamed Palestinian militants, saying she was shot during night-time clashes at the camp.

The Palestinian security forces said in a statement that the "heinous crime was committed by outlaws inside the Jenin camp".

But her family insisted that the Palestinian security forces were responsible.

She was killed by "a sniper's bullet from the security forces of the Palestinian Authority in a heinous crime," the family said in a statement released on Sunday.

"As the family of martyr Shatha al-Sabbagh, we hold the Palestinian Authority and its security forces directly responsible for this crime."

Describing the incident, the family said she was with her mother when she was shot in a neighbourhood that was "fully lit.. and there were no clashes" at the time.

"Despite this, the snipers of the security forces shot her directly," the statement said.

Palestinian militant group Hamas also accused the PA forces of killing her.

"The cold-blooded and deliberate killing of journalist Shatha ... is a criminal act that adds to the dark record of these security apparatuses, which have committed crimes of killing, arresting and mistreating our people," Hamas said in a statement.

The Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate called for an Independent investigation to uncover the circumstances of her death.

Shatha al-Sabbagh [Al-Araby al-Jadeed]
Israeli settlers film themselves dancing at Al-Aqsa
9:15 AM
The New Arab Staff

A group of settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, singing, dancing, and performing Talmudic rituals as Hanukkah celebrations continue, as seen in video clips that have circulated online.

Several settlers recorded themselves entering the courtyards and engaging in these activities.

This incident follows Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s decision to increase military presence around the site two days earlier, enabling his entry to the compound under armed guard to perform prayers.

The prime minister’s office later stated that the compound’s status quo remains unchanged despite Ben-Gvir's controversial visit.

Israel to tell UN freed Gaza hostages faced abuse
8:46 AM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

An Israeli government report set to be submitted to the UN this week says that hostages, including children, freed last year from Gaza endured physical and sexual abuse during their captivity.

The report from the Israeli health ministry, which it said was based on testimonies from released captives, details incidents of individuals being burned, beaten and deliberately starved by their Hamas captors.

The findings will be presented this week to Alice Jill Edwards, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, the ministry said in a statement.

The report said that some of the hostages, including children, had been "sexually assaulted or forced to undress, including at gunpoint".

Women hostages described being "tied to beds while their captors stared at them," while men also reported severe abuse, the report said.

Israel has previously presented reports and released testimonies from hostages detailing sexual abuses in captivity, which Hamas has consistently denied.

The latest report from the health ministry also said that male captives "endured severe physical abuse, including continuous starvation, beatings, burns with galvanised iron... and being denied access to the bathroom, which forced them to defecate on themselves".

Jailed PKK leader urges Turk-Kurd unity as 'historic' duty
8:30 AM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan told a rare visiting delegation from Turkey's pro-Kurdish party that bolstering Turkish-Kurdish ties is vital and that he is ready to contribute to the process.

"Re-strengthening the Turkish-Kurdish brotherhood is not only a historical responsibility but also... an urgency for all peoples," Ocalan said according to a statement from the DEM party Sunday.

The statement came one day after two of the party's visited Ocalan on his prison island near Istanbul.

On Friday, Erdogan's government approved DEM's request to visit Ocalan, who founded the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is designated a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies.

The move comes two months after the head of Turkey's nationalist MHP party, Devlet Bahceli, extended Ocalan a shock olive branch, inviting him to parliament to renounce terror and disband his group, a move backed by Erdogan.

"I have the competence and determination to make a positive contribution to the new paradigm started by Mr Bahceli and Mr Erdogan," Ocalan said, according to the DEM statement.

Ocalan said the visiting delegation would share his approach with both the state and political circles.

"In light of this, I am ready to take the necessary positive steps and make the call."

Demonstration for releasing Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan in Cologne [Getty]
Al Sharaa: Holding elections can take up to four years
8:11 AM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Holding elections in Syria can take up to four years, Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa told Saudi state-owned broadcaster Al Arabiya in an interview on Sunday.