DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip –
Israeli strikes killed at least 12 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, officials said Wednesday, as the nearly 15-month war moves into the new year with no end in sight.
One attack hit a house in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza, the most isolated and destroyed part of the territory, where Israel has been carrying out a major operation since early October. Gaza’s Health Ministry said seven people were killed, including a woman and four children, and at least a dozen others were wounded.
Another overnight attack on the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza killed a woman and a child, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies. The army ordered people to evacuate an area near Bureij overnight, saying it would attack there in response to recent rocket fire by Palestinian militants.
A third attack early Wednesday in the southern city of Khan Younis killed three people, according to the nearby Nasser Hospital and the European Hospital, which received the bodies.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping about 250. About 100 hostages remain held in Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Israel’s air and ground offensive has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It says women and children account for more than half of the deaths, but does not say how many of those killed were militants.
The Israeli military says it only attacks militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because its fighters operate in dense residential areas. The army claims to have killed 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
The war has caused widespread destruction and displaced around 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, many of them multiple times.
Hundreds of thousands of people live in tents on the coast as winter brings frequent storms and temperatures drop below 10 degrees Celsius (50 F) at night. According to the Ministry of Health, at least six babies and another person have died from hypothermia.
American and Arab mediators have spent nearly a year trying to negotiate a ceasefire and the release of hostages, but those efforts have repeatedly stalled. Hamas has demanded a lasting truce, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu has vowed to keep fighting until achieving “complete victory” over the militants.
Israel sees net departure of citizens for second year
More than 82,000 Israelis moved abroad in 2024 and only 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 occurrence in the history of the country, which was founded by immigrants from Europe and actively encourages Jewish immigration. Many Israelis, seeking a break from war, have moved abroad, raising concerns about whether this will lead to a “brain drain” in sectors such as medicine and technology.
Last year, 15,000 fewer people immigrated to Israel than in 2023. The Bureau of Statistics changed its reporting methods in mid-2022 to better track the number of Israelis who moved abroad.
Army blames “weakening of discipline” for archaeologist’s death
Separately, the Israeli military attributed the death of a 70-year-old archaeologist who died in southern Lebanon in November along with a soldier while visiting a combat zone to “operational exhaustion” and “weakening discipline and security.” “. .
According to Israeli media reports, Zeev Erlich was not on active duty when he was shot, but was wearing a military uniform and had a gun. The military said he was a reservist with the rank of major 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 at the time of his death said he entered Lebanon to explore an archaeological site. The family of the soldier who was killed with him have expressed anger at the circumstances of his death.
The military launched an investigation after the two were killed in a Hezbollah ambush. A separate investigation is looking into who allowed Erlich to enter.
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 civilians supporting a permanent Israeli presence in Gaza or Lebanon entering those areas.
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Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press journalists Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Tia Goldenberg in Jerusalem contributed.
