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This live blog has now wrapped up. ������ will be back at 9am with live coverage of events in Gaza. 

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has once again weighed in on discussions about a potential Gaza ceasefire, stating that there “should have been no negotiations with Hamas,” especially with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump preparing to take office.

The comments, reported by Israeli media, were made on Wednesday.

Smotrich, known for his anti-Palestinian stance and support for prolonging Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, argued that Israel should leverage what he expects to be a more pro-Israeli U.S. administration to escalate military pressure on Gaza and seize territory.

“We need to stop being afraid of the word ‘occupation,’” Smotrich is quoted as saying. “We need to remain in Gaza for a very long time."

According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, at least 50 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn, including 33 casualties in the northern part of the enclave, citing medical sources.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini has warned that Israel’s proposed ban on the agency would have “a disastrous impact on the people we support.”

He stressed that such a ban would severely disrupt the delivery of humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip and essential services in the occupied West Bank.

Lazzarini also cautioned that other UN agencies have stated they cannot step in to provide direct education and healthcare services to Palestinians.

“In the absence of UNRWA or functioning Palestinian institutions, the State of Israel—as an occupying power—will be responsible for providing assistance and services to the population across the occupied Palestinian territory, including Gaza,” he said.

“We are 3 weeks away from the deadline of the Knesset ban on UNRWA.

If implemented, the decision will have a disastrous impact on the people we support.

This includes the delivery of humanitarian aid to people in + basic services in the occupied ���Գ����ܻ徱�Բ�…

— UNRWA (@UNRWA)

��������ԴDz�’s National News Agency has reported that explosions from Israeli military operations in the village of Kfar Kila were heard throughout southern Lebanon.

Israeli forces have been demolishing civilian homes and conducting daily attacks in southern Lebanon, violating the ceasefire agreement reached with Hezbollah in November.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has voiced optimism about the chances of securing a ceasefire agreement in Gaza that would include the release of Israeli hostages.

“We’re very close to a ceasefire and hostage agreement,” Blinken said.

“I’m hopeful we can finalize it within the time we have left. However, if we’re unable to do so, the ceasefire and hostage deal proposed by President Biden will be passed on to the incoming administration."

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has warned that “time is running out” for Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

“Our kidnapped men and women are in immediate danger. We must do everything possible to ensure the urgent return of our 99 sisters and brothers,” Herzog stated in a post on X.

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, announced in a post on social media platform X that he met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Riyadh to discuss the potential consequences of Israeli actions aimed at banning the agency.

During the meeting, they addressed the potential effects that the proposed Israeli legislation could have on Palestinians, particularly if implemented without a feasible alternative.

Today in , I discussed with Foreign Minister Prince Faisal the Kingdom’s support to in the occupied Palestinian territory including in .

We also exchanged on the impact the Knesset bills aimed at dismantling UNRWA on the lives of Palestinians if implemented…

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini)

 A US sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria is welcome, but "much more significant work ... will inevitably be necessary," the UN special envoy on Syria, Geir Pedersen, told the Security Council on Wednesday.

"I welcome the recent issuance of a new temporary General License by the United States government. But much more significant work in fully addressing sanctions and designations will inevitably be necessary," Pedersen told the council.

The US on Monday issued a sanctions exemption, known as a general license, for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance and allow some energy transactions.

"The United States welcomes positive messages from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, but will ultimately look for progress in actions, not words," deputy US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Camille Shea told the Security Council.

The foreign ministry in Damascus on Wednesday welcomed the US move and called for a full lifting of restrictions to support Syria's recovery.

Syrians returned on Wednesday to the national museum in Damascus, reopened for the first time since Islamist-led forces seized the capital and ousted president Bashar al-Assad.

The antiquities museum closed its doors on December 7, a day before Damascus was taken by rebel forces, over fears of looting.

"We firmly shut the museum's iron doors after we saw the situation was unstable," said Mohamed Nair Awad, head of the national antiquities authority.

In the early hours of December 8, after Assad had fled and as rebels approached the capital, many soldiers and police officers from the forces of the deposed president's government quit their posts.

With checkpoints unmanned and no security personnel outside public institutions, looters were able to enter the central bank, several government ministries and other buildings.

Awad said his team immediately reached out to the new authorities, led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

"They sent us a group of fighters to protect the museum," and it survived unscathed, he said.

The United States is working to address Turkey's concerns in Syria to dissuade the NATO ally from escalating an offensive against Kurdish fighters, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

"That's a process that's going to take some time, and in the meantime, what is profoundly not in the interest of everything positive we see happening in Syria would be a conflict, and we'll work very hard to make sure that that doesn't happen," Blinken told reporters in Paris.

The Israeli military clarified on Wednesday that its troops had recovered the body of only one hostage, not two as previously announced by Defence Minister Israel Katz.

In a statement, the military said: "The troops located and recovered the body of hostage Youssef al-Zayadna from an underground tunnel in the Rafah area of the Gaza Strip and returned his body to Israel". Katz earlier said that the remains of Zayadna's son, Hamza, had also been found.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that a Gaza ceasefire remained close, but reiterated that it may not happen before President Joe Biden hands over to Donald Trump.

"In the Middle East, we're very close to a ceasefire and hostage deal," Blinken told reporters in Paris.

"I hope that we can get it over the line in the time that we have," said Blinken, who leaves office with Trump's inauguration on January 20.

But if not, he said, "I believe that when we get that deal -- and we'll get it -- it'll be on the basis of the plan that President Biden put before the world back in May."

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that his organisation, along with partners, helped evacuate 10 patients from Gaza.

Four patients and five companions were sent to Jordan, while six child patients and five companions were taken to the US for treatment.

Tedros stated that over 12,000 others still require evacuation for medical care abroad. He called on Israel to increase approval rates for medical evacuations, expedite the approval process, and allow access to all possible corridors and border crossings for safe evacuations. 

Today, and partners supported medical evacuation of four patients and five companions to , and six children patients and five companions to the where they will receive specialised health care.

Over 12,000 people in still need medical evacuations. We…

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros)

Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that Israeli troops have found the bodies of two captives in Gaza and brought them back to Israel.

The bodies of Palestinian Bedouin, Youssef al-Zayadna, 53, and his son Hamza, 22, were "found... and retrieved in a heroic operation by our brave fighters," Katz said on X.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced hope Wednesday for lasting peace in Lebanon after the United States reported an Israeli pullout.

"We've seen as recently as yesterday now the withdrawal of about more than a third of Israeli forces in Lebanon. I think the ceasefire can be a bridge to a durable peace," Blinken told a news conference in Paris.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) announced that Israeli forces have returned the bodies of three Palestinians, including two children, killed in an Israeli drone strike in the occupied West Bank city of Tammun.

The victims, identified as 9-year-old Reda Basharat, 10-year-old Hamza Basharat, and 23-year-old Adam Basharat, were transferred to Tubas Turkish Hospital.

Tammun’s mayor, Najeh Bani Odeh, confirmed that the funerals for the victims will take place this evening, according to Wafa.

Israel is reportedly obstructing a United Nations investigation into alleged sexual crimes committed by Hamas during its 7 October attack, fearing it would require granting access to probe claims of sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention, according to Israeli news outlet Haaretz.

UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, had sought permission to investigate accusations against Hamas. However, she reportedly insisted that her team must also be allowed access to Israeli detention facilities to examine allegations of sexual violence by Israeli forces, the report stated.

Israel has refused to grant such access, Haaretz claims.

Representatives of the Israel Women’s Network, who met with Patten’s team in New York last month, reportedly said her office warned that Israel’s refusal to cooperate could backfire. It may result in Israel being listed by the UN among entities responsible for sexual violence in conflicts, while Hamas could avoid inclusion on this list.

A separate source familiar with the discussions confirmed these concerns to Haaretz.

Medical sources reported to Al Jazeera Arabic that 46 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes across various parts of the Gaza Strip since dawn today, with 31 casualties recorded in the northern region.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has denounced Israel for an airstrike on the town of Tammun in the occupied West Bank that killed three Palestinians, including two children, nine-year-old Rida Bisharat and 10-year-old Hamza Bisharat.

The Israeli military claimed the strike targeted three Palestinian fighters.

"This continues the occupation’s crimes, as seen in the storming of Balata camp using an ambulance and targeting civilians, exposing the falsity of Israeli narratives and deliberate targeting of Palestinian civilians," the ministry said.

The ministry further accused Israel of replicating its Gaza policies in the West Bank, describing the airstrike as a violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions.

The Red Cross called Wednesday for safe and unhindered access to Gaza to bring desperately needed aid into the war-torn Palestinian territory wracked by hunger and where babies are freezing to death.

Heavy rain and flooding have ravaged the makeshift shelters in Gaza, leaving thousands with up to 30 centimetres (one foot) of water inside their damaged tents, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said.

The dire weather conditions were "exacerbating the unbearable conditions" in Gaza, it said, pointing out that many families were left "clinging on to survival in makeshift camps, without even the most basic necessities, such as blankets".

Citing the United Nations, the IFRC highlighted the deaths of eight newborn babies who had been living in tents without warmth or protection from the rain and falling temperatures.

Those deaths "underscore the critical severity of the humanitarian crisis there", IFRC Secretary-General Jagan Chapagain said in a statement.

"I urgently reiterate my call to grant safe and unhindered access to humanitarians to let them provide life-saving assistance," he said.

"Without safe access -- children will freeze to death. Without safe access -- families will starve. Without safe access -- humanitarian workers can't save lives."

According to a UN count, more than 330 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023.

An Israeli air strike targeted a group of Palestine Telecommunications Company workers who were working on towers in the Shujaiya neighbourhood of northern Gaza City.

Videos shared by Palestinian media showed that some of the employees had sustained injuries in the attack.

🌐عاجل| مصادر صحفية: إصابات جراء قصف استهدف موظفي اتصالات في شارع بغداد بحي الشجاعية شرقي مدينة غزة.

— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr)

Lebanon's parliament will try to elect a president on Thursday, with officials seeing better chances of success in a political landscape shaken by Israel's war with Hezbollah and the toppling of the group's ally Bashar al-Assad in neighbouring Syria.

The post, reserved for a Maronite Christian in the country's sectarian power-sharing system, has been vacant since Michel Aoun's term ended in October, 2023. None of the political groups in the 128-seat parliament have enough seats to impose their choice, and they have so far been unable to agree on a consensus candidate.

The vote marks the first test of Lebanon's power balance since the Iran-backed Shi'ite group Hezbollah - which propelled its then Christian ally Aoun to the presidency in 2016 - emerged badly pummelled from the war with Israel.

It takes place against a backdrop of historic change in the wider Middle East, where the Assad-led Syrian state exercised sway over Lebanon for decades, both directly and through allies such as Hezbollah.

Candidates in focus include army commander General Joseph Aoun - said by Lebanese politicians to enjoy US approval - Jihad Azour, a senior International Monetary Fund official who formerly served as finance minister, and Major-General Elias al-Baysari - head of General Security, a state security agency.

The US Central Command says it conducted several precision strikes against the Houthi rebels' underground weapons storages in Yemen.

"The Houthis used these facilities to conduct attacks against US Navy warships and merchant vessels in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden," it said.

"The strikes are part of CENTCOM’s effort to degrade Iranian-backed Houthi attempts to threaten regional partners and military and merchant vessels in the region," it added.

Quentin Müller, a reporter for French magazine Marianne, reported that his colleague Sylvain Mercadier was arrested today by the Israeli army in the occupied Golan Heights, along with Syrian lawyer Mohammad Fayad.

Müller stated on X that neither Mercadier nor Fayad have affiliations with any groups, such as Hamas, Hezbollah, or HTS, and called for their immediate release, given Israel's claims of being a "democratic" country.

Mercadier, a freelance journalist based in Iraq, specialises in Middle Eastern affairs. Details of the arrests remain unclear.

Notre reporter pigiste a été arrêté ajd par l'armée israélienne dans le Golan occupé ainsi que l'avocat syrien Mohammad Fayad. Ils ne sont ni des membres du Hamas, ni du Hezbollah, ni du HTS. Israël étant un pays dit "démocratique", ils doivent être libérés vite.

— Quentin M. (@MllerQuentin)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday called for the withdrawal of Israel from Syrian territory following the fall of long-time Tehran ally Bashar al-Assad.

His remarks came during a visit to Tehran by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani where discussions covered topics such as trade, cooperation, and recent developments in Syria.

"The need for the Zionist regime to withdraw from the territories it occupied and the importance of respecting religious sentiments (in Syria), particularly regarding Shiite holy places and shrines, were among the concerns," said Pezeshkian in a briefing alongside Sudani.

The Iranian president also warned of the "reactivation of terrorist cells" in Syria.

During the visit, Sudani affirmed Iraq's respect for "the will of the Syrian people and support for any political or constitutional system they choose themselves without external interference."

He also noted Iraq's "readiness to cooperate with all parties ... to achieve a smooth peaceful transition to a system that reflects the will of the Syrian people."

An Israeli drone strike in the occupied West Bank town of Tamun on Wednesday killed three Palestinians, including two children under ten.

The victims, all cousins, were identified as Reda Ali Ahmed Basharat, 9, Hamza Ammar Ahmed Basharat, 10, and Adam Khair al-Din Ahmed Basharat, 23, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The Israeli military claimed the strike targeted a "terror squad" accused of planting explosives, though the deaths of the young children have sparked widespread condemnation.

An Israeli air strike on Palestinian civilians in Tammoun in the north of the West Bank killed two children Hamzeh Bsharat( 10years old) and Rida Bsharat ( 8 years old) in addition to to Adam Bsharat (23 years old).
Israel is using Air Force and military bombardment against…

— Mustafa Barghouti @Mustafa_Barghouti (@MustafaBarghou1)

The Commission of Prisoners' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner's Society (PPS) have accused Israeli prisons of committing "systematic medical crimes" that led to the death of former Palestinian prisoner Ismail Taqatqa.

Taqatqa passed away in Jordan this morning, five months after his release from Israeli custody, following the discovery of his battle with leukaemia.

According to the prisoners’ groups, Taqatqa's death highlights the ongoing abuse within the Israeli prison system, where prisoners are subjected to systemic torture and denial of adequate medical care.

They described Taqatqa as a new victim of these alleged practices, which have intensified since the escalation of the conflict.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza has issued an urgent appeal to international organizations and health partners to supply fuel for generators, as reserves have been completely depleted.

In a dire statement, the ministry warned that within the next three hours, generators in southern Gaza’s hospitals—including Al-Aqsa Hospital, Gaza European Hospital, and Nasser Medical Complex—will cease functioning.

The ministry further warned that this would endanger the lives of hundreds of patients, including children, newborns, and those in intensive care units.

The ministry emphasised the immediate risk of a humanitarian disaster and called for urgent international intervention to prevent a catastrophic collapse of the healthcare system.

 Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 45,936 Palestinians and wounded 109,274 since October 7, 2023, the Palestinian enclave's health ministry said on Wednesday.

Lebanon's Al Akhbar newspaper, citing Egyptian sources, claims Hamas is willing to provide a comprehensive captives list, including those deceased, in exchange for a six- to eight-week ceasefire in Gaza.

The proposed agreement, reportedly under discussion in Doha, would enable increased humanitarian aid and the rebuilding of Gaza’s crippled healthcare system.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, criticised the reported deal on X, calling it "a complete surrender" and expressing hope the report was false.

Advocates for the ceasefire argue it could offer essential humanitarian relief for Gaza’s civilians, who are enduring severe shortages due to Israel’s blockade and ongoing military offensives.

Iran on Wednesday rejected as "baseless" French President Emmanuel Macron's remarks claiming Tehran was the main strategic and security challenge in the Middle East.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei described the comments as "baseless, contradictory, and speculative," and called for France "to reconsider its non-constructive approaches to peace and stability" in the region.

Qatar has denounced maps released by the Israeli government that claim territories in Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria as part of Israel.

Acting as a mediator for Gaza ceasefire negotiations, Qatar warned that these maps could obstruct regional peace efforts.

“We warn that the publication of the alleged maps would hinder peace opportunities in the region,” Qatar’s Foreign Ministry stated on X, urging the international community to hold Israel accountable to international resolutions.

Jordan also criticised the maps, which were shared on official Israeli social media depicting "historic Israel" and encompassing areas of neighbouring states.

Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sufian Qudah condemned the claims as "inflammatory actions" promoted by extremists within Israel's government, saying they foster violence and instability in the region.

The Israeli military has conducted multiple raids and arrests across the occupied West Bank in recent hours, according to reports.

Palestinian news agency Wafa states that Israeli forces stormed the Qaddoura camp in Ramallah, detaining and interrogating dozens of Palestinians before arresting five men.

Additionally, Israeli forces targeted several neighbourhoods in the nearby city of el-Bireh.

In Tammun, a town south of Tubas, Israeli forces besieged two houses. This follows an Israeli airstrike on Tammun on Tuesday, which killed at least one Palestinian man.

Medical sources reported to Al Jazeera Arabic that Israeli airstrikes on various parts of the Gaza Strip have killed 28 Palestinians since this morning.

More updates to follow.

Some sanctions against Syria "could be lifted quickly" following last month's fall of Bashar al-Assad, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday.

"There are sanctions targeting Bashar al-Assad and the executioners of his regime, there is clearly no intention to lift these sanctions. Then there are others which currently hinder access to humanitarian aid, which prevent the country's recovery and these could be lifted quickly," Barrot told France Inter radio station.