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

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has demanded sweeping military operations in the occupied West Bank, vowing to crush what he called "terrorist nests" in the aftermath of a deadly attack that killed three Israelis in the occupied territory.

Smotrich took to X to announce a high-level cabinet meeting, saying it would focus on eliminating "terrorism" in the area he provocatively referred to as "Judea and Samaria," in reference to the West Bank.

“In Judea and Samaria, as in other arenas, we must move from defence to offence,” he said. “It’s time to launch full-scale operations to wipe out terrorists and seize their weapons once and for all.”

Hamas has denounced the Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces for shooting at a vehicle carrying three resistance fighters in Attil, north of Tulkarm.

The attack left all three injured, with one in critical condition, Al Jazeera Arabic reported.

The movement described the incident as a dangerous escalation, accusing PA forces of abandoning patriotic values. “This reflects the unpatriotic path of the PA security forces,” Hamas stated.

The condemnation comes amid growing tensions between Hamas and the PA. There have been repeated accusations of PA collaboration with Israeli security operations against resistance groups.

The Hind Rajab Foundation has lodged a fresh complaint in Argentina against an Israeli soldier accused of committing war crimes in Gaza.

The case, lodged under the principle of universal jurisdiction by the rights group, accuses Yuval Vagdani of participating in acts that violate international law during Israel’s military operations in Gaza.

There are growing efforts to hold Israeli soldiers accountable on the international stage, as evidence mounts over the high civilian casualties and war crimes stemming from the Israel's ongoing war in Gaza.

Tahrir Husni al-Arian, nine-months pregnant, could see pieces of her flesh falling to the ground as an Israeli combat dog savaged her thigh.

The Palestinian mother of three was at home with her husband and children in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip when the Israeli military invaded al-Manara, their neighbourhood. It was 24 October 2024.  

The dog attack, which lasted about 10 minutes, left Arian in unbearable pain and caused complications that would last for months, ultimately leading to the loss of her newborn.  

Since then, the 34-year-old has been unable to return to her own home, grappling with deep trauma.  

In Khan Younis, she shared her harrowing account with Middle East Eye.  

Read more: An Israeli army dog mauled a pregnant Palestinian woman. Then she lost the baby

Hamas has approved an Israeli list of captives that need to be freed as part of the first stage of a Gaza ceasefire deal, a source close to negotiations told Middle East Eye on Monday.

The source said that two children, 10 women - five of them soldiers - and 11 people over the age of 50 were among the 34 captives that the Palestinian group would release if a ceasefire deal were reached.

The others were male captives whose release Israel considers urgent, the source added.

Among those on the list, which was shared with MEE, are Kfir Bibas, a toddler, and his brother Ariel, aged five, both of whom Hamas said were killed in Israeli air strikes shortly after the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel.

Also included in the list is 19-year-old soldier Liri Albag, who appeared in a video posted by Hamas at the weekend.

Read more: Hamas approves Israeli list of captives to be freed as part of Gaza ceasefire deal

Since the onset of Israel's military onslaught on Gaza in October 2023, at least 45,885 Palestinians have been killed and 109,196 wounded, the Palestinian health ministry reported on Tuesday.

Israeli air strikes in Gaza since dawn have have killed at least eleven Palestinians, with the majority, eight in total, killed in the northern part of the strip, Al Jazeera Arabic reported.

Israeli forces have killed four Palestinians in the Shati refugee camp, northern Gaza City, after targeting a house belonging to the Sahweil family, Wafa reported. 

Earlier reports confirmed that two Palestinians were killed in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

Meanwhile, a bombing by Israeli forces struck a tent belonging to the Ismail family, who had been displaced, near the Maghazi camp, leaving several others wounded.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) asked the United States to approve a four-year $680m plan to boost the training of its special forces and bolster its supply of ammunition and armoured vehicles, an American source and a source close to PA revealed to Middle East Eye.

The request was made in mid-December at a meeting with US security officials at the PA's Ministry of Interior in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

At the meeting, PA security officials expressed frustration over what they believed was the US’s failure to fulfil its commitments to the authority by replenishing arms supplies and training special forces.

"Authority officials requested in the meeting that their needs for armoured vehicles and ammunition be met urgently in light of the difficulty of the clashes and their inability to resolve the situation in the Jenin camp," a source told MEE.

They also complained that the US had yet to approve funding for renovation works at prisons in Bethlehem and Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

Read more: Palestinian Authority requests $680m in security assistance from US, sources say

Three resistance fighters were wounded, one critically, after being shot by Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces in Tulkarm, northern West Bank, reported Al Jazeera Arabic.

The PA forces opened fire on a vehicle carrying the fighters in Attil, a town north of Tulkarm.

Amongst the wounded is Yousef Mahna, a freed prisoner and one of the founders of the Tulkarm Battalion, whose condition is reported as critical.

The area has witnessed escalating violence as PA security forces attempt to assert control over regions in the West Bank that have become increasingly restive against the Israeli occupation.

The Israeli army has reportedly expressed satisfaction with a recent operation conducted by PA forces in the Jenin refugee camp, according to the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA).

Over the past month, operations under Israeli military oversight have involved approximately 300 armed PA personnel.

Israel's Central Command has recommended strengthening the PA’s security apparatus and increasing coordination.

Following this advice, the Israeli security cabinet has instructed the army to bolster its collaboration with PA forces.

The United Nations’ relief operations in Gaza are teetering on the brink of collapse, according to Tom Fletcher, head of the UN’s humanitarian agency (Ocha). Fletcher accused Israeli forces of targeting aid workers and obstructing desperately needed assistance in the besieged territory.

He highlighted recent incidents of escalating violence:

• Israeli air strikes injured three people at a food distribution point run by a WFP partner.

• Israeli soldiers fired over 16 bullets at a clearly marked UN convoy attempting to pass through a checkpoint.

• Palestinian looters hijacked six fuel tankers entering Gaza via the Karem Abu Salem crossing, depleting resources critical for aid operations. There has been growing evidence that Israel backs such looters inside Gaza.

“The reality is that despite our determination to deliver food, water and medicine to survivors, our efforts to save lives are at breaking point,” Fletcher said.

He criticised the Israeli military for failing to safeguard relief missions while actively endangering them, alleging that “statements by Israeli authorities vilify our aid workers even as the military attacks them”.

He added that local volunteers assisting aid convoys are being deliberately targeted, leaving humanitarian workers defenceless against looters and aggressors.

With lawlessness spreading across Gaza, Fletcher warned the humanitarian crisis would worsen unless international action is taken to restore safety and access for aid efforts

Israeli news outlet Ynet has published a guide for soldiers on how to avoid being arrested while travelling abroad amid growing pressure on countries to detain Israelis suspected of war crimes.

The guide, entitled "Here's how to act if arrested abroad and what to check before flight", features advice from Nick Kaufman, a defence lawyer at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

He says that "any detained Israeli - whether a civilian or a soldier - is entitled to consular assistance".

"Soldiers who post videos online provide hostile organisations with potential evidence to support suspicions against them," he warns.

Describing videos of Israeli soldiers singing "racist songs" as "seemingly minor content", he advises soldiers to "avoid posting photos or videos from their service, especially content showing destroyed buildings, even if there’s a military justification".

Read more: Israeli media publishes guide for holidaying soldiers on how to avoid arrest

US Senator Bernie Sanders has denounced the Biden administration’s approval of $8bn in arms sales to Israel, describing the move as enabling further violence and devastation.

“The U.S. must not send more bombs to Netanyahu’s extremist government, which has already killed 45,000 people; destroyed Gaza’s housing, healthcare, and educational systems; and caused starvation by blocking humanitarian aid,” Sanders stated on X.

He vowed to do everything in his power to obstruct the weapons deal.

The controversial arms package, awaiting Congressional approval, reportedly includes $6.75bn in precision-guided bombs, $300m in artillery shells, $600m in Hellfire missiles, and $300m in air-to-air missiles, according to The Financial Times.

This deal follows a $20bn approval in August for fighter jets and military equipment, further fuelling criticism of America’s role in supporting what many view as Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza. Critics argue such deals enable war crimes and exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe.

Israeli troops have shot and killed former Palestinian detainee Jaafar Dababseh outside his home in Wadi al-Badhan, a village northeast of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, according to reports from the Palestinian Information Center and Quds News Network.