Live: Major clashes break out near Bethlehem after Israeli raid

Child rights group Defense for Children International–Palestine (DCIP) has shared details of the killing of a 17-year-old Palestinian by Israeli forces over the weekend, saying that the army confiscated his body.

Israeli forces allege that Ahmad Khalil Rajabi attempted to run over a soldier on Sunday, but his father refuted the accusation, saying that Ahmad was driving the family car to visit a friend at Alia Governmental Hospital in the city centre.

DCIP said in a statement that the soldiers yelled at Ahmad to stop when he was beside them in the second lane. The vehicle moved past the soldiers for several metres before Ahmad halted and backed up no more than five metres, when the soldiers immediately began shooting at the car.

“There is no rule of law for Palestinian children,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability programme director at DCIP.

“Palestinian families are left to piece together how their child was killed, and in many cases are denied even the basic dignity of burying them, as Israel continues to withhold children's bodies in violation of international law.”

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces and settlers have killed 53 Palestinian children so far this year, according to DCIP. The seizure of Ahmad’s body brings to 55 the number of Palestinian children whose remains Israel has withheld from their families since 2016.

Israeli forces killed 17-year-old Ahmad Khalil Ahmad Rajabi in Hebron and then confiscated his body. Ahmad was driving to visit a friend when soldiers opened fire on his car. Israel has killed 53 Palestinian children in the West Bank this year. Read more: https://t.co/Dv3AaPwpPk pic.twitter.com/eczI0XUtnO

— Defense for Children (@DCIPalestine) December 10, 2025

We earlier reported that one Palestinian was arrested in Nablus.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office is reporting that at least three people have been arrested during the latest Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank.

In Hebron, a man and his son were arrested in Khirbet Qalqas after their home was attacked by Israeli soldiers.

#متابعة | قوات الاحتلال تعتقل شابا عقب مداهمة منزله في حي كروم عاشور في نابلس شمال الضفة الغربية. pic.twitter.com/ucMhGPunPM

— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) December 11, 2025

An eight-month-old baby girl died on Thursday from exposure to severe cold in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, Wafa news agency reported.

Medical workers said the infant, Rahaf Abu Jazar, died after prolonged exposure to low temperatures.

Residents of Gaza are facing severe shortages of shelter, medical care and adequate heating as cold, stormy winter conditions batter the Strip.

The Israeli military has shot dead a Palestinian and injured others in al-Mawasi, near Rafah in southern Gaza, Wafa news agency reported.

The report said the Israeli forces opened fire near the Flag Roundabout in al-Mawasi on Wednesday night.

Israel has violated the ceasefire more than 700 times since it started on 10 October 10, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.

Israeli forces detained a young man on Thursday after surrounding a house in the Old City of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, Wafa news agency reported. 

The report said that the Israeli forces detained Ibrahim Habash after Israeli special forces infiltrated the al-Qaysariya neighbourhood.

Good morning Middle East Eye readers,

Here are the latest updates:

• Iceland will not take part in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, the country's public broadcaster RUV said on Wednesday, after organiser the European Broadcasting Union last week cleared Israel's participation.

• A top Hamas leader told Qatari news channel Al Jazeera on Wednesday that the militant group is open to a weapons "freeze", but rejects the demand for disarmament put forward in the US-sponsored peace plan for Gaza.

• Spain's prime minister on Thursday called on the international community to "raise its voice" to prevent the plight of Palestinians from being forgotten, during a meeting with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas.

• Trump administration officials have held advanced discussions on hitting the UN Palestinian refugee agency (Unrwa) with terrorism-related sanctions, said two sources with direct knowledge of the matter, prompting serious legal and humanitarian concerns inside the State Department.

Good evening Middle East Eye readers,

At least two Palestinians were killed on Wednesday by Israeli fire in Rafah in southern Gaza, Al Jazeera Arabic reported. Meanwhile, dozens of tents for displaced persons were flooded on Wednesday in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Meanwhile, US officials discussed imposing "terror" related sanctions on the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees, according to a report published by Reuters on Wednesday. 

Here is what else you need to know: 

• Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem said the international community is “abandoning the people of Gaza” as Israel continues to attack the enclave despite a two-month-old ceasefire there
• The Israeli military said it "eliminated" one armed person crossing the so-called yellow line dividing the Gaza Strip
• An Israeli tank fired in the direction of United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, the UN force operating in the country said 

US officials discussed imposing "terror" related sanctions on the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees, according to a report published by Reuters on Wednesday. 

The report said advanced discussions have been held on slapping the UN agency with sanctions, alarming some in the US government. 

Some State Department officials have discussed declaring Unrwa a "foreign terrorist organization" or FTO, the report said. 

The move could throw aid to Gaza into havoc. Unrwa provides aid to Palestinians in Lebanon, the occupied West Bank, Gaza and Jordan. 

Trump's own 20-point plan for Gaza says that the entry and distribution of aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference through the UN and its agencies.

Although it does not specifically name Unrwa, the agency is the main one distributing aid. 

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the so-called Gaza "Board of Peace" will not be announced until early 2026. 

“We’ll do it early next year,” Trump said at the White House. 

Trump's comments come after several media reports said the board's members would be announced before Christmas. 

At least two Palestinians were killed on Wednesday by Israeli fire in Rafah, Al Jazeera Arabic reported. 

Israeli soldiers occupy roughly 58 percent of Gaza, including Rafah. 

The report said that Israeli soldiers opened fire on the outskirts of the Gaza border city, killing at least two Palestinians. 

Dozens of tents for displaced persons were flooded on Wednesday in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to Arabic media reports.

The Palestinian Civil Defence in Rafah said that it was receiving calls from distressed and displaced people in southern Gaza. The Civil Defence said that families have been trapped inside their tents by heavy rains. 

Nearly all of Gaza's population has been displaced by Israel's genocide in the enclave. Reconstruction is expected to cost roughly $70bn.

Despite a two-month-old ceasefire, there has been no construction of more durable temporary housing for Palestinians. 

Middle East Eye unpacked the provision's in the the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), which is making its way through Congress before vote, potentially on Wednesday. 

This year's NDAA is packed with substantial US taxpayer funding for Israel, MEE reports.

The US is set to provide around $200m in funding for Israel's air defence systems including; the Iron Dome, David's Sling, and Arrow systems. 

The Department of War is set to continue the US-Israel Anti-Tunnel Cooperation Program at a cost of $80m. 

Another $70m will go towards helping Israel counter drone attacks and other aerial "emerging threats".

For $35m, the US is establishing a new emerging-technology cooperative programme with Israel and G7 allies such as Canada, the UK Australia, and Japan to develop and test cutting-edge technologies, including AI, quantum, cybersecurity, robotics, and automation. 

The US also plans to fill any "gaps" left by countries like Spain and Canada curbing direct weapons sales to Israel because of its genocide in Gaza. The US will carry out an assessment of the arms embargoes, and ensure there are no "vulnerabilities in Israel’s security posture," according to one provision in the NDAA. 

Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem said the international community is “abandoning the people of Gaza” as Israel continues to attack the enclave despite a two-month-old ceasefire there. 

“World leaders and the international community continue to abdicate their responsibility, abandoning the people of Gaza and enabling Israel to continue its destructive campaign unabated behind the smokescreen of a ‘ceasefire'," the group said in a post on X.

B’Tselem said that most Palestinians are living without adequate shelter or access to critical supplies, such as food, water and medicine, adding that Israel continues to prevent "medical teams, humanitarian workers and foreign journalists from entering Gaza" despite the ceasefire.

"This limits the availability of vital care, conceals reality on the ground and prevents documentation of harm to the population,” the statement added.

A prominent genocide prevention group has termed Hillary Clinton’s recent remarks on Israel’s war on Gaza as “outright genocide denial”, in a statement released on Tuesday.

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security said Clinton had misdiagnosed Israel’s battered reputation among Americans during her talk at the Israel Hayom Summit on 2 December.

In her talk, the former US first lady and secretary of state said Israel “has the worst PR of any group”, blaming TikTok, in particular, for presenting what she called “pure propaganda”, referring to Israeli violence against Palestinians during its genocide in Gaza.

“Secretary Clinton’s framing is not at all an accurate reflection of why Americans are growing more critical of Israel,” the institute said. 

The Israeli military said it "eliminated" one armed person crossing the so-called yellow line dividing the Gaza Strip. 

The Israeli military said that "armed individuals" were crossing the yellow-line. 

Gaza is divided in two with Israeli soldiers occupying around 58 percent of the territory.