DEFIANT NETANYAHU DECLARES: 'WE'RE NOT STOPPING'

Israel declared an escalation in its military operations against Hamas in Gaza, further worsening the dire conditions for civilians after 12 weeks of relentless strikes. The heightened conflict has reverberated across the Middle East, with Iran, a supporter of Hamas, accusing Israel of killing a senior Revolutionary Guards general in Syria and vowing revenge.

Pope Francis addressed the "desperate humanitarian situation" in Gaza during his traditional Christmas message, urging an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages. In Bethlehem, festivities were subdued in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, with limited worshippers and tourists on the usually vibrant streets.

The Israeli military carried out four major strikes since Sunday, resulting in the deaths of over 100 people, according to the Palestinian ministry. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after visiting Gaza, asserted, "We're not stopping." He announced an intensification of the fighting in the coming days.

Throughout the day, Palestinian militants launched rockets towards Israel, most of which were intercepted by Israeli air defenses. Israel criticized the United Nations for its response to the conflict, with Foreign Minister Eli Cohen accusing the organization of "hypocrisy" and claiming that UN chief Antonio Guterres "legitimized war crimes." Cohen announced a cessation of cooperation with individuals supporting Hamas propaganda within the UN and revealed plans to deny entry to certain individuals associated with the organization.

US STRIKES IRAN-BACKED FORCES IN IRAQ IN RESPONSE TO ATTACKS

In response to an earlier attack that injured three American personnel, the United States conducted strikes on three sites used by Iran-backed forces in Iraq. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin characterized the strikes as "necessary" and "proportionate," emphasizing that they were a direct response to a series of attacks on US personnel by Iranian-sponsored militias. The attacks included one on Erbil Air Base by the Iran-affiliated Kataib Hezbollah and associated groups.

Austin, speaking on behalf of President Biden, emphasized the administration's commitment to defending the United States and its interests. He made it clear that necessary action would be taken to ensure the safety of US troops and facilities. While expressing the administration's reluctance to escalate conflict in the region, Austin underscored their readiness to take further measures if required.

‘HAMAS, ISLAMIC JIHAD REJECT GIVING UP POWER IN GAZA FOR CEASEFIRE’

Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad have rejected an Egyptian proposal that they relinquish power in the Gaza Strip in return for a permanent ceasefire, two Egyptian security sources said on Monday. Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, later denied in a statement what the sources said about the talks, adding: “There can be no negotiations without a complete stop to the aggression.” “The Hamas leadership is aiming for a complete, not temporary, end to the aggression and massacres of our people,” he said. The Egyptian sources said that both Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which have been holding separate talks with Egyptian mediators in Cairo, had rejected offering any concessions.

NETANYAHU HECKLED BY HOSTAGE FAMILIES DURING HOUSE ADDRESS

Families of hostages taken by Gaza militants booed Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday as he addressed parliament, vowing to bring the captives home but saying “more time” was needed. “Now! Now!” the families chanted from the gallery when the PM said Israeli forces first needed to increase military pressure on Gaza’s Hamas rulers. “We wouldn’t be able to secure the release of hostages without military pressure,” he said. Netanyahu said he spoke to Israeli field commanders who said they needed “more time” to finish the mission. “We won’t stop until victory,” Netanyahu said over the cries of protesters. The PM’s address came after his Likud party reported that he visited the Gaza Strip on Monday.

RUSSIAN FORCES GAIN CONTROL OF MARYINKA IN EAST UKRAINE: DEF MIN

Moscow : Russian forces have gained full control of Maryinka, a town in eastern Ukraine, Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu told President VladimirPutin. Most accounts of Maryinka, southwest of the Russian-held regional centre of Donetsk, describe it as a ghost town. Putin said control of the town, which was once home to 10,000 people, will allow the Russian forces to move enemy combat units away from Donetsk. “Our troops (now) have the opportunity to reach a wider operational area,” he said in a video of the exchange between him and Shoigu posted online by a Kremlin journalist.

Russia’s last major success on the battlefield was the capture in May of Bakhmut, theatre of some of the bloodiest fighting. Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in June aimed at retaking land in the country’s south and east, including Bakhmut.

Kyiv’s forces have made little progress in the counteroffensive in the face of entrenched Russian resistance. Russian troops have also intensified land and air-based attacks on the nearby town of Avdiivka since mid-October as the focal point of their slow moving push through eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region in the 22-month-old conflict. There have been no comments so far from Ukraine on the latest developments.

PARTY BACKED BY HAFIZ SAEED FIELDS CANDIDATES IN PAK POLLS

Lahore : A new political front organisation of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed has fielded candidates for most of the national and provincial assembly constituencies across Pakistan for the February 8 general elections, saying it wants to make the country an Islamic welfare state.

Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has been in jail since 2019 after being convicted for several years in multiple terror finance cases along with some other leaders of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa(JuD).

The Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) party — set up by Saeed — says it is a political party. The electoral symbol for the PMML is ‘chair’. In a video message, PMML President Khalid Masood Sindhu said that his party is contesting on most of the national and provinci al assembly seats.

“We want to come to power not for corruption but to serve the people and make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state,” he said. Sindhu is a candidate for NA-130 Lahore, from which Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo and former PM Nawaz Sharif is also contesting. Saeed’s son Talha Saeed is contesting from Lahore’s NA-127.

When contacted, Sindhu denied his party’s link with Saeed’s outfit. “The PMML has no backing of Hafiz Saeed,” he claimed on Monday. In 2018, the Milli Muslim League (MML) was the political face of JuD. It had fielded candidates on most seats, especially in Punjab province but failed to win a single seat. For the 2024 polls, the PMML has been formed because of a ban on the MML. The US has placed a $10 million bounty on Saeed, a UN-designated terrorist.

SERBIANS TAKE TO THE STREETS OVER POLL FRAUD AS RUSSIA CLAIMS WESTERN HAND IN PROTESTS

Protesters on Monday launched the first of several announced road blocks in Belgrade over alleged electoral fraud in Serbia’s recent parliamentary and local elections.

The protesters, mainly students organised under the “Borba” (Fight) movement, were supporting the outcry from the Opposition that started on December 18th, a day after the elections. They were calling for a revision of the electoral list, claiming that it was the source of the alleged electoral fraud.

The allegations led to continuous protests in front of Serbia’s electoral commission building lasting several days.

President Aleksandar Vucic meanwhile denounced the violence in the capital the previous evening and claimed there was evidence it had been planned in advance.

On Sunday evening, Serbian Opposition demonstrators broke windows as they tried to storm into the Belgrade city hall. Mr. Vucic described the incidents as an attempted “forcible takeover of state institutions”.

Early on Monday, Mr. Vucic met Russian Ambassador in Belgrade Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko and briefed him on the Sunday’s incidents.

“The attempts of the collective West to destabilise the situation in the country are obvious,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

PAKISTANI POLICE FREE 290 BALOCH ACTIVISTS ARRESTED DURING PROTESTS

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani police freed 290 Baloch activists arrested for holding a protest against forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the militancy-ravaged southwest in Islamabad. The police use of force against the protesters had sparked anger among Baluchistan residents and drew condemnation from human rights activists.

NAVALNY IS TRACKED DOWN TO ‘POLAR WOLF’ PRISON IN ARCTIC

Moscow : Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny has been tracked down to a penal colony north of the Arctic Circle, his spokeswoman said on Monday, after supporters lost touch with him for more than two weeks.

Navalny was tracked down to the IK-3 penal colony in Kharp in the Yamal-Nenets region, about 1,900 km (1200 miles) north east of Moscow, spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said. Navalny’s lawyer managed to see him on Monday, Yarmysh said.

“Alexei is alright,” said Yarmysh. Navalny’s alliessaid he has not been seen by his lawyers since Dec 6 and raised the alarm about hisfate.“Many thanks to our supporters, activists, journalists and the media who are concerned about Alexei’s fate and who do not get tired of writing about the situation,” Navalny lawyer IvanZhdanov said. Navalny’s new home, known as “the Polar Wolf ” colony, is considered to be one of the toughest prisons in Russia.

About 60 km (40 miles) north of the Arctic Circle, the prison was founded in the 1960s as part of what was once the GULAG system of forced Soviet labour camps, according to Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper. “The conditions there are harsh, with a special regime in the permafrost,” said Leonid Volkov, an aide to Navalny. He said it was difficult to communicate with prisoners held at the remotesite. Lawyer Zhdanov said supporters of Navalny suggested that Russian authorities wanted to isolate Navalny ahead of the presidential election. Navalny says he has been imprisoned because he is viewed as a threat by the Russian political elite. As a prisoner, he is unable to run in the election.

AT LEAST 113 PEOPLE KILLED IN SERIES OF ATTACKS ON VILLAGES IN NIGERIA

BOKKOS: More than a hundred people have been killed in central Nigeria in a series of attacks on villages, local government officials said. Military gangs, locally called bandits, launched well-coordinated attacks in no fewer than 20 different communities. “We found more than 300 wounded people,” the officials said.