600,000 Internally Displaced People in Gaza Seeking Shelter in 150 UNRWA Facilities

Members of the United Nations and the Red Crescent prepare aid for distribution to the Palestinians at the UNRWA facility in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip (AP)
Members of the United Nations and the Red Crescent prepare aid for distribution to the Palestinians at the UNRWA facility in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip (AP)
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600,000 Internally Displaced People in Gaza Seeking Shelter in 150 UNRWA Facilities

Members of the United Nations and the Red Crescent prepare aid for distribution to the Palestinians at the UNRWA facility in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip (AP)
Members of the United Nations and the Red Crescent prepare aid for distribution to the Palestinians at the UNRWA facility in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip (AP)

Nearly 600,000 internally displaced people are sheltering in 150 facilities of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) in Gaza.

Also, at least 40 UNRWA installations have been impacted, the UN agency added in a post on Wednesday on the social media platform X.

"Our shelters are four times over their capacities - many people are sleeping in the streets as current facilities are overwhelmed," the agency added.

Since Oct.7, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed in West Bank clashes with the Israeli military, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

Israel's military intensified its bombing of southern Gaza overnight after one of the deadliest days for Palestinians since the conflict began as world leaders called for a halt to fighting to allow aid into the besieged enclave.

The United States and Russia are leading international calls for a pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas to allow aid into Gaza where Palestinians are living in harrowing conditions.

A total of 704 Palestinians, including 305 children, were killed on Tuesday, the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said, a toll the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said was the highest reported in a single day since the conflict began nearly three weeks ago.



German Minister Says Israeli Occupation of Golan Heights Breaches International Law

 An Israeli military vehicle rides on the Golan Heights side of the ceasefire line with Syria, as seen from Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, December 18, 2024. (Reuters)
An Israeli military vehicle rides on the Golan Heights side of the ceasefire line with Syria, as seen from Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, December 18, 2024. (Reuters)
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German Minister Says Israeli Occupation of Golan Heights Breaches International Law

 An Israeli military vehicle rides on the Golan Heights side of the ceasefire line with Syria, as seen from Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, December 18, 2024. (Reuters)
An Israeli military vehicle rides on the Golan Heights side of the ceasefire line with Syria, as seen from Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, December 18, 2024. (Reuters)

The occupation of the Golan Heights is a violation of international law, Germany's foreign minister said during a speech in the parliament on Wednesday, after the Israeli government decided at the weekend to double its population on the occupied strategic plateau.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also said she would make clear to Türkiye on a visit on Friday that the rights of Kurds in northern Syria must be protected.

Israel will remain on the strategic Mount Hermon site on the Syrian border until another arrangement is found, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.

Israeli troops occupied Mount Hermon when they moved into a demilitarized zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights following the collapse of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government this month.

Officials have described the move as a limited and temporary measure to ensure the security of Israel's borders but have given no indication of when the troops might be withdrawn and Defense Minister Israel Katz last week ordered troops to prepare to remain on Mount Hermon over the winter.

Israel's move into the buffer zone created following the 1973 Arab-Israeli war has been criticized as a violation of international agreements by a number of countries and the United Nations, which have called for the troops to be withdrawn.