Gaza war to last months, Israel says, as fears of conflict spread rise - The Straits Times

CAIRO/GAZA/JERUSALEM - Israel’s war on Hamas will last for months, Israel’s military chief said, as a string of incidents outside the Gaza Strip highlighted the risk of the conflict spreading.

Israel’s Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi told reporters in a televised statement on Dec 26 the Gaza border that the war would go on “for many months”.

“There are no magic solutions, there are no shortcuts in dismantling a terrorist organization, only determined and persistent fighting,” Mr Halevi said. “We will reach Hamas’ leadership too, whether it takes a week or if it takes months.”

Israeli actions intensified around Christmas, particularly in a central area just south of the seasonal waterway that bisects the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army told civilians to leave the area, though many said there was no safe place left to go.

“We are gravely concerned about the continued bombardment of Middle Gaza by Israeli forces, which has claimed more than 100 Palestinian lives since Christmas Eve,” said UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango.

“Israeli forces must take all measures available to protect civilians. Warnings and evacuation orders do not absolve them of the full range of their international humanitarian law obligations.”

Israel is determined to destroy Hamas despite global calls for a ceasefire in the 11-week-old war.

Since Hamas killed 1,200 people and captured 240 hostages on Oct 7 in the deadliest day in Israeli history, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has responded with an assault that has laid much of Hamas-ruled Gaza to waste.

Palestinian health authorities said nearly 21,000 people had been killed in Israeli strikes, with thousands more feared buried under rubble. Nearly all of the enclave’s 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes, many several times.

Gaza authorities buried 80 unidentified Palestinians on Dec 26 whose bodies were handed over by Israel through the Kerem Shalom border crossing, the health ministry said.

According to the Islamic Waqf, or religious affairs ministry, the bodies were collected from the northern part of the Gaza Strip. They were buried in a long ditch at a Rafah cemetery in the south.

“Pictures are being taken to identify them later,” a representative of the Gaza Islamic Waqf said during the burials.

Israel says it is doing what it can to protect civilians, and blames Hamas for putting them in harm’s way by operating among them, which Hamas denies.

But even Israel’s closest ally the United States has said it should do more to reduce civilian deaths from what President Joe Biden has called “indiscriminate bombing”.

Spread threat

There are growing signs the conflict is starting to spread.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia claimed responsibility for a missile attack on Dec 26 on a container ship in the Red Sea and for an attempt to attack Israel with drones.

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2023-12-26 23:41:51Z
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Indonesia presidential candidate Prabowo cements lead in the polls - CNA

JAKARTA: Indonesian defence minister and presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto cemented his lead in the polls after candidates took part in televised debates ahead of the looming Feb 14 election.

A Dec 23 to Dec 24 poll released by Indikator Politik Indonesia on Tuesday showed that Prabowo, who is running with President Joko Widodo's 36-year-old son Gibran Rakabuming Raka, would secure 46.7 per cent of the vote.

Indikator placed former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo as his closest opponent, with 24.5 per cent of the vote, while former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan had the support of 21 per cent of those polled.

A poll by Kompas this month gave Prabowo 39.3 per cent of the vote and placed Anies as his closest opponent with 16.7 per cent, followed by Ganjar at 15.3 per cent.

Indikator's survey was conducted after televised debates between the presidential candidates on Dec 12 and candidates for vice president on Dec 22.

A decision by the country's constitutional court this October paved the way for Gibran to run in the elections, raising widespread concern about the deepening of dynastic politics in the world's third-largest democracy.

During the televised debate Gibran defended his father's economic agenda, especially development of the new capital city.

Three more debates are expected before the election.

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2023-12-26 11:13:00Z
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Philippines is not provoking conflict in South China Sea, its military says - CNA

MANILA: The Philippines is not provoking conflict in the South China Sea, its military spokesperson said on Tuesday (Dec 26), responding to China's accusation that Manila was encroaching on Beijing's territory.

It was the latest salvo amid rising tension as the two have traded accusations in recent months over a series of maritime run-ins, including China allegedly ramming a ship this month carrying the Philippines' military chief.

"The Philippines is not provoking conflict," Medel Aguilar told state broadcaster PTV.

"We follow international law and we are only implementing our domestic law, meaning the limits of our territorial waters and exclusive economic zone, where we have sovereign rights."

The comments came a day after the People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, wrote that the Philippines had relied on US support to continually provoke China.

This "extremely dangerous" behaviour seriously harmed regional peace and stability, it added.

Aguilar said Philippine activities would not put vessels and seafarers in danger, instead accusing China of carrying out dangerous manoeuvres that sometimes result in collisions at sea.

"They are the ones committing all the violations," he added.

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2023-12-26 09:17:49Z
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Netanyahu vows no let-up in war against Hamas; over 100 killed in overnight Israel air strikes - The Straits Times

In Gaza, Hamas and smaller militant ally Islamic Jihad, both sworn to Israel’s destruction, are believed to be holding more than 100 hostages from among 240 they captured during their Oct 7 rampage through Israeli towns, when they killed 1,200 people.

Since then, Israel has laid much of the narrow strip to waste. Nearly 20,700 Gazans have been killed, including 250 in the last 24 hours, according to the authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza.

The vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million population have been driven from their homes, and the United Nations says humanitarian conditions are catastrophic.

The Israeli military said on Monday two of its soldiers had died in the last day, bringing to 158 the number killed since ground operations began on Oct 20.

Separately, three security sources said an Israeli air strike outside the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday killed a senior adviser in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

The sources said the adviser, known as Mr Sayyed Razi Mousavi, was responsible for coordinating the military alliance between Syria and Iran, which supports Hamas in Gaza.

The Revolutionary Guards, in a statement read on Iranian state television, said Israel “will pay for this crime”.

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2023-12-25 22:53:34Z
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Hanging Christmas tree falls on Singaporean tourist's head in Kuala Lumpur mall - The Straits Times

PETALING JAYA - A Singaporean’s Christmas celebration turned awry when he got injured from a hanging decorative Christmas tree that fell on his head from the ceiling of a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur.

Mr Julius Lee, 44, was taking pictures of his wife Aileen Tan and their child in Pavilion KL when the incident happened.

“My husband was standing outside the merry-go-round to take our picture when suddenly, a Christmas tree fell on him.

“It happened so fast. Thankfully, my child was with me. The Christmas tree would’ve hit my child if she was in the stroller,” she said, according to Sinar Harian.

Ms Tan, 39, said her husband, who suffered a bruise on his head, was rushed to the clinic by the mall’s management.

She said they arrived in Malaysia on Dec 20 with their three-year-old daughter to celebrate Christmas.

The fallen Christmas tree was promptly removed, and the area was secured by mall security and management.

In a statement, Pavilion KL expressed regret over the incident.

“Our medical and safety team promptly responded, accompanying the shopper to the nearest clinic for immediate medical attention. The shopper had a minor graze and appreciated the prompt action from the management,” it said.

It added that all decorations will be thoroughly checked. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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2023-12-25 13:10:00Z
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Israeli airstrikes kill 100 in one of war's deadliest nights, Gaza officials say - CNA

CATASTROPHIC CONDITIONS

Hamas and smaller militant ally Islamic Jihad, both sworn to Israel's destruction, are believed to be holding more than 100 hostages from among 240 they captured during their Oct 7 rampage through Israeli towns, when they killed 1,200 people.

Since then, Israel has besieged the narrow Gaza Strip and laid much of it to waste, with more than 20,400 people confirmed killed, according to authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza, and thousands more believed dead under the rubble.

The vast majority of the 2.3 million Gazans have been driven from their homes, and the United Nations says conditions are catastrophic.

Since a week-long truce collapsed at the start of the month, fighting has only intensified on the ground, with war spreading from the north of the Gaza Strip to the full length of the densely populated enclave.

The Israeli military said on Monday that two of its soldiers had died in the past day, bringing to 158 the number killed since ground operations began on Oct 20.

A day earlier Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had acknowledged the "heavy cost" but said there was "no choice" but to continue to fight deeper into Gaza until "total victory" over Hamas.

He said in a video message that troops would fight deeper into Gaza until "total victory" over Hamas.

Israel has been under pressure from its closest ally, the United States, to shift operations to a lower-intensity phase and reduce civilian deaths.

On Saturday, Israel's military chief of staff said his forces had largely achieved operational control in the north of Gaza and would expand operations further in the south.

But residents say fighting has only intensified in northern districts.

Diplomatic efforts, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, on a new truce to free the remaining hostages held in Gaza have yielded little public progress, although Washington described the talks last week as "very serious".

Netanyahu was due to attend a parliamentary discussion of the issue on Monday afternoon and then to convene a session of his war cabinet, Israeli officials told Reuters.

Islamic Jihad said a delegation led by its exiled leader Ziad al-Nakhlala was in Cairo on Sunday. His arrival followed talks attended by Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in recent days.

The militant groups have said they would not discuss any release of hostages unless Israel ends its war in Gaza, while the Israelis say they are willing to discuss only a pause in fighting.

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2023-12-25 02:01:00Z
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On Christmas eve, Pope Francis laments 'futile' war in Holy Land - CNA

He spoke of "the all-too-human thread that runs through history: the quest for worldly power and might, fame and glory, which measures everything in terms of success, results, numbers and figures, a world obsessed with achievement".

Francis said that while many might find it hard to celebrate Christmas in "this world that is so judgmental and unforgiving", they should try to remember what happened on the first Christmas.

"Tonight, love changes history," he said.

Francis has made numerous appeals for a ceasefire in the conflict raging in Gaza and has called for the release of all hostages held by Palestinian militant groups.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad, both sworn to Israel's destruction, are still believed to be holding more than 100 hostages from among 240 they captured during their Oct 7 rampage through Israeli towns, when they killed 1,200 people.

Since then, Israel has besieged the Gaza Strip and laid much of it to waste, with more than 20,400 people confirmed killed, according to Gaza's Hamas-run authorities, and thousands more believed dead under the rubble. The vast majority of the 2.3 million Gazans have been driven from their homes and the United Nations says conditions are catastrophic.

At noon (1100 GMT) on Monday, Francis will deliver his Christmas Day "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) message and blessing.

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2023-12-24 21:07:57Z
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