Live: Major clashes break out near Bethlehem after Israeli raid

Israeli forces arrested four Palestinians in a fresh wave of raids across the occupied West Bank this morning, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office (ASRA) is reporting.

According to the report, Israeli troops detained a young man in Tulkarem in an attempt to force his father to turn himself in.

Soldiers conducted two further arrests in raids on Qalqilya and Jenin.

Meanwhile, Wafa news agency is reporting that Israeli soldiers conducted a dawn raid on the old city of Nablus at dawn. No arrests have been reported.

Gaza's health ministry has reported that three bodies were transferred to hospital in the last 24 hours, boosting the death toll of Palestinians killed by Israel since October 2023 to 70,654 people.

The bodies belonged to two people killed by Israeli fire, while another was recovered by emergency teams from a previous attack.

Gaza's Government Media Office has issued updates detailing the extent of the devastation left by Storm Byron across Gaza.

It confirmed that rescue teams had recovered the bodies of 11 people. They are continuing to search for one missing person who disappeared under the rubble of a collapsed building.

A total of 13 houses collapsed across Gaza, causing casualties, while over 27,000 tents were swept away or submerged in rainfall, with over 53,000 tents damaged.

It further reported that more than 250,000 displaced Palestinians were impacted by the storm, with another 1.5 million people sheltering in tents partially effected.

Meanwhile Gaza's already war-battered infrastructure and roads have been further eroded, impeding access for ambulances and civil defence vehicles. 

The enclave's scarce remaining agricultural areas have been further damaged, including crops and greenhouses.

Israeli forces conducted a series of violent raids across the occupied West Bank, targeting areas including Ramallah and Tubas, Wafa news agency is reporting, citing local sources.

According to the sources, Israeli troops stormed the town of Tammun, in south-east Tubas, raiding homes of former detainees.

Israeli troops also raided the town of Tuqu', south-east of Bethlehem, firing sound bombs and teargas at residents.

In al-Mughayyir, north-east of Ramallah, Israeli soldiers opened fire on residents, although no injuries were reported.

Good morning, Middle East Eye readers. Here are the latest updates:

• At least 14 Palestinians have been killed by severe cold and collapsing structures as Storm Byron swept across Gaza. The figure includes three children who died of hypothermia.
• Oxfam said that the devastation was due to Israel's "systematic obstruction of aid" as it continued to block live-saving shelter materials from entering the territory.
• Médecins Sans Frontières said that wounded children were at particular risk amid the wintry conditions, as rain seeps into tents, risking infection.
• The rainfall has forced the Anera aid organisation to close a health facility and kitchen in Gaza due to flooding. They explained that they lacked the machinery and infrastructure to drain the water.
• Israeli forces shot dead a 29-year-old Palestinian man in northern Gaza's Jabalia.
• Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, Israeli troops conducted a series of violent overnight raids on Friday.

Good evening, Middle East Eye readers,

Israel launched raids across the occupied West Bank on Friday, sending soldiers from Tubas and Bethlehem to Ramallah and Jericho, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa. 

Meanwhile, Israel launched a wave of heavy air strikes against Lebanon, whose state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported strikes in around a dozen locations, including up to around 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the Israeli border. 

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a draft resolution on Friday demanding that Israel allow full humanitarian access into the Gaza Strip. The resolution supports the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) recent advisory opinion outlining Israel's obligations as both an "occupying power" and a UN member state to facilitate aid. It also supports Unrwa's role in the enclave. 

Here is what else you need to know:

• United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres said that 2025 saw the largest growth in settlement plans in the occupied Palestinian territory since UN monitoring began
• Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi does not plan to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Times of Israel reported, despite other Israeli media reporting that Netanyahu wants a meeting
• Israeli settlers opened fire on Palestinians on Friday in Khirbet Ibziq, north of Tubas, in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa

Israel launched raids across the occupied West Bank on Friday, sending soldiers from Tubas and Bethlehem, to Ramallah and Jericho, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa. 

The raids underscore how Israel is increasing its assaults across the occupied territory even as it continues to strike Gaza in defiance of a ceasefire. 

 Israeli soldiers stormed Tammun, southeast of Tubas. They raided the homes of several former Palestinian detainees but no casualties or new detentions were reported. 

In Tuqu’, southeast of Bethlehem, Israeli soldiers fired sound bombs and tear gas canisters. No injuries were reported.

Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition in Al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah, Wafa reported. 

Several towns and villages near Ramallah were also raided.

Israeli forces also attacked Aqabat Jaber camp and several neighborhoods in the city of Jericho.

Israel launched a wave of heavy air strikes against Lebanon on Friday. 

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported strikes in around a dozen locations, including up to around 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the Israeli border, citing at times "heavy raids".

The Israeli strikes hit south and east Lebanon, state media reported, as Israel's army said it was targeting Hezbollah sites.

The attack comes after Lebanon's foreign minister warned on Al Jazeera Arabic that Beirut was informed Israel planned major strikes across the country. 

Israel has regularly violated a ceasefire it signed last year as it presses Hezbollah to disarm. 

The head of the United Nations Agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, welcomed on Friday the UN General Assembly's vote demanding Israel allow the unhindered flow of aid to Gaza and respect UN institutions. 

"The UN General Assembly has given a strong endorsement to the ruling by the International Court of Justice that claims about Unrwa being infiltrated by Hamas are not substantiated, nor are allegations that Unrwa is not a neutral organisation," Lazzarini wrote on X. 

The General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in support of an International Court of Justice advisory opinion that Israel allow aid into Gaza. 

"This vote is an important sign of support for UNRWA from the overwhelming majority of the international community," Lazzarini wrote. 

"[The] ICJ stressed, Unrwa is the key humanitarian actor in the occupied Palestinian territory, & everything must be done to facilitate our work, not hinder or prevent it," he added. 

United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres said that 2025 saw the largest growth in settlement plans in the occupied Palestinian territory since UN monitoring began.

“All settlements are illegal and invalid, representing a clear violation of international law,” Guterres said. 

The pace of Israeli settlement plan expansion in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank broke all records since the UN began its monitoring, Guterres added. 

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a draft resolution on Friday demanding that Israel allow full humanitarian access into the Gaza Strip.

The draft resolution also calls on Israel to respect UN premises, following a raid on the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees' office in occupied East Jerusalem. 

The resolution responds to the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) recent advisory opinion outlining Israel's obligations as both an "occupying power" and a UN member state.

The resolution, submitted by Norway and more than 12 other states, received support from 139 countries, with 12 voting against and 19 abstaining.

"Civilians are paying the highest price. Respect for humanitarian principles is eroding. The most fundamental tenets of humanitarian law are under pressure," Norway's Permanent Representative Ambassador Merete Fjeld Brattested said. 

She added that the resolution reaffirms the International Court of Justice's recent advisory opinion that outlines Israel's obligations to provide aid as an "occupying power" and a UN member state.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji told Al Jazeera on Friday that the country has been warned that Israel is preparing to launch a large attack in Lebanon.

Rajji said that Beirut is trying to negotiate with Hezbollah to convince the group to disarm. Beirut is also trying to use diplomatic outreach to prevent a large attack. 

Israel has regularly struck Lebanon since Hezbollah was resigned to sign a lopsided ceasefire last year. The group has not responded to Israeli attacks that have killed senior commanders and hit weapons sites. 

Storm Byron has made landfall in Gaza, bringing heavy rain that puts nearly 795,000 displaced Palestinians at heightened risk of flooding, the United Nations International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Friday. 

“Heavy rain has begun falling across hundreds of displacement sites, overwhelming areas where even moderate rainfall can quickly become dangerous," the organisation said.

"Despite the ceasefire, displaced Palestinians continue to live in overcrowded areas with little protection against rising water levels," the statement added. 

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi does not plan to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Times of Israel reported, despite other Israeli media reporting that Netanyahu wants a meeting. 

Previous media reports suggested that Sisi may visit Florida over the Christmas holidays when Netanyahu is visiting. The Israeli leader reportedly was pushing for a meeting. 

Such a meeting would have made Sisi the first Arab leader to meet with Netanyahu since Israel's genocide in Gaza started after the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel.

Israeli settlers opened fire on Palestinians on Friday in Khirbet Ibziq, north of Tubas, in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa. 

The head of the Ibziq Village Council, Abdul Majeed Khdeirat, said that a group of settlers chased Palestinian youths and fired live ammunition at them, Wafa reported.

No casualties were reported.