A new report titled “Gaza death trap” by Doctors Without Borders (known by its French initials MSF) says there are “clear signs of ethnic cleansing” by Israeli forces in the Palestinian territory.

    Israeli attacks on two school shelters in Gaza City killed at least 15 Palestinians who were forcibly displaced by the war.

    Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Gaza says Israel is using water shortages as a “tool of war” after systematically destroying the enclave’s water infrastructure.

    After Israel’s latest bombing of Yemen, a Houthi spokesman said the group’s fighters are ready for a long war with Israel in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

    Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 45,129 Palestinians and wounded 107,338 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.

    Israeli air strike kills 4 Palestinians in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood

    Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic, quoting Gaza’s Civil Defence, have reported that four people have been killed and others injured in an Israeli air strike that targeted a house.

    The attack took place in the Sabra neighbourhood in the south of Gaza City, the rescue agency said.

    Israel has weaponised the Gaza aid system: Senior UN official

    “It looks like the aid system has been weaponised, and as a result of this, what we can provide to people is only a fraction of what they truly need,” said Georgios Petropoulos, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) sub-office in Gaza.

    Speaking during a virtual news conference, the UN official said Israeli authorities “seem unwilling” to open checkpoints, hampering the delivery of vital supplies.

    He also noted that convoys trying to cross into southern Gaza are often looted in areas that are under the control of the Israeli army.

    The result is that aid workers have to make “horrible” choices each day.

    “Should I let people die of starvation or the cold? Do we bring in more food to ease hunger or more plastic sheets for shelter?” said Petropoulos. “Famine is very likely already here.”

    Christmas joy hard to find in Bethlehem

    Christmas decorations and pilgrims have been notably absent for a second wartime festive season in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city with the Church of the Nativity that dominates the main square as empty as the plaza outside.

    “Normally on this day you would find 3,000 or 4,000 people inside the church,” Mohammed Sabeh, a security guard for the church, was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

    “Christians in Ramallah can’t come because there are checkpoints,” Sabeh said, complaining that Israeli soldiers “treat us badly”, leading to long traffic queues for those trying to visit from the city 22km (14 miles) away.

    Anton Salman, Bethlehem’s mayor, told AFP that on top of existing checkpoints, the Israeli army had set up new roadblocks around Bethlehem, creating “an obstacle” for those wanting to visit.

    Souad Handal, a 55-year-old tour guide from Bethlehem told the agency: “Bethlehem is special at Christmas. It is so special in the Holy Land. Jesus was born here.”

    “It is so bad (now) because the economy of Bethlehem, it depends on tourism,” Handal added.