KEY POINTS
- Israeli army said Hezbollah fired at Israel from near a mosque in Lebanon
- Gaza is experiencing another communications blackout
- Gaza aid was either stolen by Hamas or stuck in UNRWA facilities, as per IDF's spokesperson
The war in Gaza is on its 82nd day with Yemen's Houthi rebels once again running amok after several days of peace in the Red Sea. The Israel-Hezbollah fire exchange is nearing its climax after nine Israeli soldiers were wounded while attempting to evacuate two civilians following anti-tank missile attacks on a church in northern Israel.
The primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces said Wednesday that the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel by Hamas was one of the operations conducted to avenge the assassination of a senior Iranian army commander in 2020 by U.S. forces, as per multiple local and Arab outlets.
- Palestinian alleged UNRWA workers allowed Hamas to take humanitarian aid: IDF spokesperson
- 3 IDF elite battalion soldiers, including deputy commander, fall in northern Gaza
- Senior Hamas legislative council member killed in Israeli airstrike: Palestinian reports
- Israeli fighter jet intercepts drone in the Red Sea area: IAF
- Hamas had in-depth knowledge of IDF's weak points ahead of Oct. 7 massacre: Report
- Kerem Shalom crossing closed at UN request: Israeli government
- US, Israel discuss steps for IDF to maximize focus on 'high-value' Hamas targets
- IDF confirms operations at 3 central Gaza camps: Local media
- Iran's president to visit Turkey in January for Gaza talks: Report
- IRGC adviser's assassination will be avenged at the 'right time': Iran's defense minister
- Hezbollah fires rocket barrage toward northern Israel kibbutz
- Gaza resident says Hamas controls UNRWA: Phone call recording
Houthis have claimed responsibility for an attack on the MSC United in the Red Sea Tuesday. The rebel army reiterated its previous warnings of targeting Israeli ships and vessels en route to Israel.
Three anti-ship missiles and 12 drones launched from Houthi-held areas in Yemen were shot down by U.S. destroyers in the Red Sea Tuesday, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
Authorities said an explosion occurred near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi on Tuesday. Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the blast.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hamas that Israel has highly technological capabilities that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) use to see Gaza in a "three-dimensional view."
U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday discussed with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani the case of more than a hundred hostages still in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip.
The Oct. 7 massacre of more than 1,200 people by Hamas stems from the complex history of the Israel-Palestine dispute marred by decades of violence and animosity that was sorted out for a short period by the Oslo Accords.
The live update has ended.
Gaza resident says Hamas 'has their hands on UNRWA': Recording
A recording of what the IDF says was a phone call between an IDF officer and a Gaza resident indicates that United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) employees are working with Hamas.
‘Hamas has its hands on UNRWA workers and it manages UNRWA’
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) December 27, 2023
The IDF released a recording of a phone call with a Gazan resident depicting Hamas’s stronghold on the humanitarian organizations in the Strip
Brig. Gen. (Res.) Hanan Gefen discusses with #i24NEWS’ @sarahmartinez_7 pic.twitter.com/QIz9AeDyjA
"Hamas has their hands on UNRWA administration workers, and it manages UNRWA," the Gazan tells the Israeli army officer in the phone call, as per a translation by the IDF.
When pressed for more details by the officer, the resident says Hamas provides for its people first. The officer asked the resident why he did not inform UNRWA workers about Hamas supposedly prioritizing its members' needs before those of the Gazan public. "The administration workers in the agency (UNRWA) are Hamas (operatives)," he said as per the recording.
International Business Times cannot independently verify the accounts in the recording.
