Israel’s military and Hezbollah traded fire, with heavy Israeli attacks killing at least 11 people in southern Lebanon and threatening a ceasefire that went into effect last week.

    Israel’s military also issued new forced displacement orders for Palestinians in parts of southern Khan Younis after killing at least nine people in attacks on central and northern Gaza.

    Israel’s genocide in Gaza has killed at least 44,466 Palestinians and wounded 105,358 since October 7, 2023. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day, and more than 200 were taken captive.

    In Lebanon, at least 3,961 people have been killed and 16,520 wounded in Israeli attacks since the war on Gaza began.

    Macron, MBS discuss Lebanon, Gaza in Saudi Arabia

    The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and the French President have discussed “diplomatic efforts to consolidate the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon”, according to a statement from Macron’s office.

    “The priority of the President of the Republic and the Crown Prince is to establish a ceasefire without further delay in Gaza, in order to free all hostages, protect civilians through the delivery of humanitarian aid and contribute to the search for a political solution based on the two-state solution,” the statement said.

    “They together called for the holding of a presidential election in Lebanon in order to bring the Lebanese together and carry out the reforms necessary for the stability and security of the country,” the statement added.

    Lebanon’s Parliament will meet to elect a new president on January 9, 2025, Speaker Nabih Berri announced last week, more than 12 months after the country’s last attempt to elect a president.

    Some Palestinians in north Gaza have ‘completely run out of food, water’

    A new report by UN agencies in Gaza has laid out the extent of the food crisis in the Palestinian enclave.

    In besieged northern Gaza, it said:

•     Vulnerable people trapped in homes and shelters are reporting completely running out of food and water.
•     There are no functioning bakeries, and Israeli authorities have obstructed or impeded all attempts to deliver food.
•     There’s a strong likelihood that famine is imminent, while the number of people facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity (not having enough to eat) is expected to triple in the coming months.

    In southern Gaza, it said:

•     All bakeries have shut down due to a lack of food.
•     An average of 36 humanitarian trucks per day have been allowed in, although at least 200 are needed daily.
•     Negative coping strategies are emerging, including skipping meals, child labour, early marriage and searching through rubbish for food.

    Israeli forces launch extensive crackdown in West Bank refugee camp

    Israeli soldiers are carrying out a large-scale campaign of arrests in the Aida refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, according to our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic.

    We’ll bring you more on this when we hear more.

    The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society says Israeli forces have arrested more than 11,900 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since October 2023.