► Hamas says 'new conditions' from Israel 'push back' deal
The Palestinian movement Hamas affirmed on Wednesday December 25 that “new conditions” of Israel had “postponed the conclusion of an agreement” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, but that negotiations were continuing after more than a year of war in the Palestinian territory.
“The (Israeli) occupation imposed new conditions, regarding the withdrawal (of Israeli troops), the ceasefire, the prisoners and the return of the displaced, which postponed the conclusion of an agreement”Hamas said in a statement.
► The Pope's appeal for Gaza
Pope Francis denounced the “extremely serious humanitarian situation” in Gaza and renewed its calls for the release of Israeli hostages in the hands of Hamas, during its traditional blessing “The City and the World” on Christmas Day.
“With my eyes fixed on the cradle of Bethlehem, my thoughts go to the Christian communities in Palestine and Israel, in particular to the dear community of Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is extremely serious. May the fire stop, the hostages be freed and the population exhausted by hunger and war be helped”he said.
► Airstrike in Lebanon despite the truce
An airstrike targeted the Baalbek region in eastern Lebanon at dawn, « violation » of the fragile truce observed by the Israeli army and Hezbollah, reported the Lebanese national news agency ANI.
The ceasefire between Israel and the armed pro-Iranian Islamist movement came into force on November 27, after two months of open war against a backdrop of regional tensions in the Middle East, fueled by the conflict in Gaza. The truce generally holds despite mutual accusations of repeated violations.
Wednesday's raid, on a building near the town of Tarya, “did not cause any casualties”specifies ANI, describing the incident as “first violation of the ceasefire agreement” at Baalbek.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a local security source said the strike targeted “warehouses which allegedly belong to Hezbollah”.
► New missile launch by the Houthis
Yemeni Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a new missile attack towards Israel on Wednesday, where the armed forces announced the interception of a projectile of the same type fired from Yemen.
And “Palestine 2 hypersonic ballistic missile successfully hit its target”declared the military spokesperson of the Houthis, specifying that the rebels had targeted “a military objective” in Jaffa, south of Tel Aviv (center).
The Israeli army, for its part, indicated earlier on Telegram that it had intercepted “a missile (…) launched from Yemen” before this one “enters Israeli territory”.
The day before, the Houthis, supported by Iran, had also claimed responsibility for “Palestine 2 hypersonic ballistic missile” against a military target in central Israel.
