The Times of Israel is liveblogging Thursday’s events as they unfold.
IDF says it carried out targeted strike on Islamic Jihad cell in Gaza’s Nuseirat
Following reports by medics with the Hamas-run Gaza health authorities earlier in the night that five people were killed in the vicinity of Nuseirat’s Al-Awda hospital, the IDF says that it carried out a strike on a “vehicle with an Islamic Jihad terrorist cell inside.”
The military says that prior to the strike, it took “numerous steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians.”
Palestinian media had said that the five people killed were journalists, and that the vehicle was marked as a media van and was used by journalists to report from inside the hospital and Nuseirat camp.
“The IDF will continue to operate against Hamas in defense of the citizens of Israel,” the military adds.
‘Capacity for faith is the light of the Jewish people’: Biden marks start of Hanukkah
US President Joe Biden marks the start of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah with a quote from former British Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks in a post on X.
“Rabbi Sacks said: A people that can walk through a valley of shadow of death and still rejoice is a people that cannot be defeated by any force or fear,” he writes.
“That capacity for faith is the light of the Jewish people. As Hanukkah begins, may it shine from menorahs around the world,” he adds.
Rabbi Sacks said: A people that can walk through a valley of shadow of death and still rejoice is a people that cannot be defeated by any force or fear.
That capacity for faith is the light of the Jewish people.
As Hanukkah begins, may it shine from menorahs around the world. pic.twitter.com/fw91jGO6iH
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 25, 2024
Gaza medics say 10 killed, dozens wounded in Israeli strikes
Medics with the Hamas-run Gaza health authorities say at least 10 people were killed and more than a dozen wounded in early morning strikes on the Palestinian enclave.
The medics say that five people were killed and 20 wounded in a strike on a house in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood. They warn that many people remain trapped under the rubble.
In a separate incident, the enclave’s health authorities say five journalists were killed when their vehicle was struck in the vicinity of Al-Awda hospital.
Palestinian media and local reporters say the vehicle was marked as a media van and was used by journalists to report from inside the hospital and Nuseirat camp.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF, which has long said it only targets terrorists and that Hamas hides among civilians.
Anti-Israel activists protest outside Manhattan cathedral on Christmas
Anti-Israel activists protest on Christmas outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.
Footage posted by the activists shows several dozen demonstrators lining the sidewalk as worshipers leave the church.
The activists wave Palestinian flags and hold signs saying “Jesus was Palestinian” marked with an inverted red triangle, a Hamas symbol.
A baby doll wrapped in a keffiyeh is placed on the sidewalk in front of the activists and a speaker addressing the crowd holds a doll covered in a red-splattered sheet.
“Today, if Jesus were born in Bethlehem, he would be born under occupation and quite possibly he would be born under the rubble,” she says, according to video posted by the protesters.
Palestine activists are rallying now outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan during Christmas mass to hold a vigil for Palestinians killed in the ongoing genocide in Gaza and protest against continued US support, demanding Cardinal Dolan take a stand to condemn the genocide. pic.twitter.com/ueeywRxWpv
— Gerard (@GerardDalbon) December 25, 2024
The demonstrators are from Pal-Awda, an anti-Israel activist network.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral is one of the city’s most recognizable Christian institutions, soaring above 5th Ave. in midtown Manhattan. It was also targeted by anti-Israel protesters on Easter.
Anti-Israel activists also claimed Jesus as a Palestinian and protested against Christmas proceedings in the same area of the city last year.
Zelensky lights Hanukkah candles with top Ukrainian rabbis, wishes for ‘victory of light over darkness’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky marks the first night of Hanukkah at a candle-lighting ceremony with several of Ukraine’s leading rabbis.
“Today, we mark both Christmas and the beginning of Hanukkah,” writes Zelensky, who is Jewish, on X. “It is very good that in Ukraine we can celebrate such holidays with respect for each other, communicate, live together and wish different people the same victory—the victory of light over darkness.”
His post is accompanied by a video of the candle-lighting ceremony, in which he uses a menorah he says was gifted to him by Argentina’s President Javier Milei.
“I congratulate the Jewish community on this holiday,” Zelensky adds. “I wish Jewish families peace, joy, and a prosperous future. May the Hanukkiah shine in every home, granting strength, filling hearts with new hopes, and deepening faith in the power of truth and justice.”
Today, we mark both Christmas and the beginning of Hanukkah. It is very good that in Ukraine we can celebrate such holidays with respect for each other, communicate, live together and wish different people the same victory—the victory of light over darkness.
And today, together… pic.twitter.com/GxSQNm7jTr
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 25, 2024