Live: At least 74 children killed in Gaza in first week of 2025

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has confirmed that at least 51 Palestinians were killed and 78 others wounded in Israeli attacks across the enclave in the past 24 hours.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has reported that 45,936 Palestinians have been killed by Israel and 109,274 wounded in the Gaza Strip since Israel's war on the besieged territory began on 7 October 2023.

A popular Korean drama on South Korea’s MBC channel is under fire on social media this week for making “thinly veiled references” to Israel’s war on Gaza. 

Many social media users suggested that the K-drama When the Phone Rings makes insensitive and inflammatory references to Israel and Palestine, which many pro-Palestinian viewers think was a subtle insertion of Zionist narratives by the showrunners. 

Several clips from the show's latest and final episode of the first season, which aired on 4 January, have been shared on social media platforms with references to places called “Paltima” and “Izmael”, which some viewers quickly interpreted as being Palestine and Israel. 

The show, originally aired on Netflix on 22 November 2024, is a political thriller about a rising politician.

In one clip from the episode, which is seemingly from a news report on TV, the reporter says, “The ongoing Paltima air strikes are taking place in Izmael where Korean nationals have been kidnapped by armed militants.” The user who shared the clip described her confusion around it and how it seemed to reference Israel and Palestine. Many social media users on TikTok reacted and commented on the clip, leading the way to a growing controversy around the K-drama. 

Read more: Fans call for boycott of popular K-drama for ‘thinly veiled references’ to Israel’s war on Gaza

Israeli army radio reported that three Palestinians were killed in an air strike on Tamoun, Tubas in the occupied northern West Bank, after allegedly attempting to plant explosive devices, Al Jazeera Arabic reported.

At least four Palestinians were killed and several others wounded in an Israeli air strike targeting a school sheltering displaced families in Jabalia al-Balad, located in the northern Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera Arabic reported.

The Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar has reported, citing Egyptian sources, that Hamas is prepared to hand over a detailed list of captives, including those killed, in exchange for a six or eight-week ceasefire in Gaza.

The potential agreement, reportedly being negotiated in Doha, would allow for increased humanitarian aid to flow into the besieged Strip and the rehabilitation of its healthcare infrastructure.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, lashed out on X, declaring that a six-week ceasefire “in exchange for a list” would amount to “a complete surrender.”

“I really hope this report is incorrect,” Ben Gvir added.

Critics argue that Israel’s relentless blockade and military aggression have left Gaza in desperate need of humanitarian relief, making any agreement a lifeline for civilians.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated on Wednesday that European Union sanctions on Syria, which impede humanitarian aid and recovery efforts, could be lifted quickly, reported Reuters.

Speaking to France Inter, he noted that discussions with EU partners were underway regarding the removal of additional sanctions, conditional on improvements in women’s rights and security within Syria.

Medical sources have told Al Jazeera Arabic that 28 Palestinians were killed in Israeli raids targeting multiple areas across the Gaza Strip since dawn on Wednesday.

Israeli military assaults across the Gaza Strip have left at least 19 Palestinians dead since dawn, with medical sources reporting devastating tolls:

• Bureij refugee camp: Ten members of the same family killed in central Gaza.

• Zeitoun neighbourhood: Five lives lost in northern Gaza City.

• Deir el-Balah: Three members of a single family killed in central Gaza.

• Sheikh Radwan district: One person killed in Gaza City.

Tuesday saw a particularly deadly escalation, with at least 49 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes across the besieged territory. Victims included five children in the southern al-Mawasi “safe zone” and eight more in a strike on the Jabalia refugee camp in the north.

Human rights groups, UN officials and numerous governments have lambasted the unrelenting Israeli bombardment, describing the civilian toll as a grave breach of international law.

Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces have been conducting a weeks-long security operation targeting the Jenin Brigades, a coalition of Palestinian groups in the occupied West Bank who are fighting against the Israeli occupation. The operation is part of the PA's security cooperation with Israel.

Citing sources in the Jenin area, Al Jazeera Arabic now reports that fresh clashes have broken out between PA security forces and armed groups in the Jenin refugee camp over the past few hours.

Palestinian media outlets have reported the tragic death of the mother of Dr Hossam Abu Safia, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital. Her passing, attributed to a heart attack, came shortly after Israeli authorities abducted her son.

Dr Abu Safia’s arrest has drawn widespread condemnation and international calls for his release from one of Israel's most notorious camps, where torture and rape are rampant.

At least 15 Palestinians were killed in two separate Israeli airs trikes on the northern Gaza Strip since dawn today, reported Al Jazeera Arabic.

Good morning, Middle East Eye readers,

Here are some of the latest updates on Israel's war on Gaza:

• A Hamas spokesperson criticised Donald Trump’s assertion that “all hell will break out” unless Israeli captives are released, urging the US president-elect to adopt a more disciplined and diplomatic tone.

• Overnight Israeli air strikes on Gaza claimed the lives of at least nine Palestinians, including a 15-day-old baby, in an attack targeting Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood.

• In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces abducted at least four Palestinians, as Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed retaliation for a gun attack that killed three Israeli settlers on Monday.

• Clashes erupted in Jenin between Israeli-backed Palestinian Authority forces and armed fighters amid an ongoing PA-led security campaign in the area.

• Relief organisation CARE Palestine reported that an Israeli attack on a World Food Programme warehouse killed an aid worker earlier this week. The International Planned Parenthood Federation mourned a neonatal doctor killed in another Israeli raid on Friday.

Good evening Middle East Eye readers. On Tuesday, Israel ramped up its attacks on Gaza, killing at least 50 Palestinians across the Strip.

In one attack on al-Mawasi near Khan Younis, at least five children were killed.

Meanwhile, in the West Bank, Israel has also ramped up its pressure on Palestinians, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich demanding sweeping military operations after an attack killed three Israelis on Monday.

Progress is slowly being made on a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, with US President-elect Donald Trump continuing to warn that both sides need to come to an agreement before he enters office.

Here's what else you need to know about Tuesday's developments in Israel's war on Gaza:

• Israeli forces launched an attack near the Bilal Mosque in Gaza City, killing at least five Palestinians and wounding several others.
• In Jabalia, at least five Palestinians were killed and 20 wounded in an Israeli raid on a residence.
• And in Khan Younis, Israeli forces bombed a vehicle and killed three Palestinians.
• Emirati foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed held talks with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar in the United Arab Emirates, in which they discussed the situation in Gaza.
• Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump's appointee for Middle East envoy, said “a lot of progress” was made in the ongoing talks around reaching a Gaza ceasefire deal.
• Trump meanwhile, reiterated that there will be "hell to pay" if a deal isn't reached by 20 January, the day he is inaugurated into presidential office.
• A popular Korean drama on South Korea’s MBC channel is under fire on social media this week for making “thinly veiled references” to Israel’s war on Gaza. Read more on that here.
• Hamas has denounced the Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces for shooting at a vehicle carrying three resistance fighters in Attil, north of Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank.
• The Hind Rajab Foundation has lodged a fresh complaint in Argentina against Israeli soldier Yuval Vagdani, who is accused of committing war crimes in Gaza.