Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Israeli attacks killed at least 12 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, officials said Wednesday, as the almost 15-month conflict ground on in the new year.
One strike hit a house in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza, the most isolated and heavily destroyed part of the area, where Israel has had a major operation since the beginning of October. The Hamas-led Gaza health ministry said seven people were killed, including a woman and four children, and at least a dozen other people were wounded.
Another overnight strike in the built-up Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza killed a woman and a child, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies.
“Are you celebrating? Enjoying when we die. For a year and a half we have been dying,” said a man carrying the body of a child in the flashing lights of emergency vehicles.
Israel’s military said militants fired rockets at Israel from the Bureij area overnight and that its forces responded with a strike targeting a militant. The army also issued evacuation orders for the area.
A third strike in the southern city of Khan Younis killed three people, according to Nasser Hospital and the European Hospital, which received the bodies.
The war began when militants led by Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping about 250. About 100 hostages are still being held in Gaza, at least a third believed to be dead.
Israel’s air and ground offensive has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in Gaza led by Hamas. It says women and children make up more than half of the dead, but does not say how many of those killed were militants.
The Israeli army says it is only targeting militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because its fighters operate in dense residential areas. The army says it has killed 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
Get breaking national news
For news that affects Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you as they happen.
The conflict has caused widespread destruction and displaced about 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, many of them multiple times.
Hundreds of thousands live in tents on the coast as winter brings frequent rain showers and temperatures drop below 10 degrees Celsius (50 F) at night. At least six infants and another person have died of hypothermia, according to the Ministry of Health.
Many displaced Palestinians in central Gaza rely on charity kitchens as their only food provider amid restrictions on aid and skyrocketing prices. AP footage showed a long line of children waiting for rice, the only item served at the kitchen in Deir al-Balah on Wednesday.
“Some of those kitchens close because they don’t get help, and others distribute small amounts of food and it’s not enough,” said Umm Adham Shaheen, displaced from Gaza City.
American and Arab mediators have spent nearly a year trying to broker a ceasefire and hostage release, but those efforts have been stalled. Hamas has demanded a lasting ceasefire, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu has vowed to fight until “total victory”.
Israel sees net departure of citizens for a second year
More than 82,000 Israelis moved abroad in 2024 and 33,000 people immigrated to the country, Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics said. Another 23,000 Israelis returned after long periods abroad.
It was the second consecutive year of net departures, a rare event in the history of the country that actively encourages Jewish immigration. Many Israelis, seeking a break from the war, have moved abroad, leading to concerns about whether it will drive a “brain drain” in sectors such as medicine and technology.
Last year, 15,000 fewer people immigrated to Israel than in 2023.
Military blames ‘weakening of discipline’ in archaeologist’s death
In a separate development, Israel’s military blamed “operational burnout” and a “weakening of discipline and security” in the killing of a 70-year-old archaeologist in southern Lebanon in November along with a soldier while trying to a combat zone.
According to Israeli media reports, Zeev Erlich was not on active duty, but was wearing a military uniform and had a weapon. The military said he was a reservist and identified him as a “fallen soldier” when it announced his death.
Erlich was a well-known West Bank settler and researcher of Jewish history. Media reports have said he entered Lebanon to explore an archaeological site.
The army launched an investigation after the two were killed in a Hezbollah ambush. A separate sock is looking for who allowed Erlich in. The family of the soldier who died with him expressed anger at the circumstances.
The military said the entry of civilians who are not military contractors or journalists into combat zones is not widespread. Still, there have been multiple reports of Israeli citizens who support a permanent Israeli presence in Gaza or Lebanon entering those areas.
& copy 2025 The Canadian Press
