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Jerusalem, a town that is seeing the atrocities of Israel's aerial bombing campaign and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip. Bethlehem fell silent on Monday, with no Christmas tree, no caroling, as the ongoing attack by Israel in West Bank left hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops deserted. Bethlehem, considered the birthplace of Jesus, is now in the middle of a war zone.

By Nidal al-Mughrabi, Bassam Masoud and Dan Williams

no joy" this Christmas as Israel bombed the besieged Palestinian territory on Monday, with no end in sight to the war that Hamas says has claimed more than 20,000 lives. Festivities were effectively scrapped in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, revered as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, with few worshippers or tourists on the usually packed streets.

Pope Francis has kicked off global Christmas celebrations with a call for peace, as Israel's war on Hamas and Russia's invasion of Ukraine cast a shadow over one of the world's favourite holidays. Having said earlier in the day that he was thinking of people «who are suffering from war — we are thinking of Palestine, of Israel, of Ukraine», the pope struck a sombre tone during his Christmas Eve mass.

By Steven Scheer

ruler of Judea when Jesus of Nazareth was born, King Herod attempts to find and kill the baby after hearing that the ‘King of the Jews’ has just been born. Tricked by the Magi, the wise men whom he had sent to determine where the infant was, a raging Herod decreed that all children two and under who live near Bethlehem are to be killed. The Gospel of Matthew contains the famous account of this “slaughter of the innocents” and of Mary, Joseph and Jesus’s flight to Egypt. Interestingly, King Herod’s storyline is not found in any other biblical texts nor in Roman records. So, who was the real King Herod?

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Emily Rose

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Emily Rose

JERUSALEM — Fashion designer and Netflix reality star Julia Haart toured Israeli communities this week, joining a growing roster of celebrities who have visited to show their support in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. Haart, star of the Netflix series «My Unorthodox Life», said it was important to offer a clear sign of solidarity with Israel as its war with Hamas continues into its third month and incidents of antisemitism have risen across the world. A succession of celebrities, both Jewish and non-Jewish, including comedian Jerry Seinfeld and actors Michael Rapaport and Debra Messing, have been visiting Israel to show their backing following the most deadly attack on the country in its 75-year history. «I had to physically be here to show my support,» Haart told Reuters, following a visit to Kibbutz Be'eri, one of the communities worst hit by the Hamas assault, in which some 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 taken hostage. Since the attack, Israel has unleashed a relentless bombardment of Gaza to crush Hamas, with around 20,000 people killed and two thirds of the blockaded enclave's 2.3 million population forced to flee their homes. Amid growing international pressure to call a halt to the fighting, Haart said the plight of more than 100 hostages who remained in Gaza following a week-long truce and exchange last month remained paramount. «No one has seen them.

By Nidal al-Mughrabi, Ibrahim Abu Mustafa and Dan Williams

central Jerusalem on Friday, AFP journalists reported. Staff saw two explosions and heard three blasts, as sirens warning of incoming fire blared in the city for the first time since October 30, according to the Israeli military. Paramedics rushed to the scene after the alarm was raised in Jerusalem and nearby Beit Shemesh, the Magen David Adom emergency medical services said. «No reports of injured as of now,» it added. The Israeli military told AFP there were «six launches toward Jerusalem» and three of them were intercepted. The other three were not above populated areas, it said. Israel's assault on Gaza raged on Friday despite mounting international calls for restraint. The war began after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7 and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials. The Israeli army launched a massive retaliatory offensive that has left much of the besieged territory in ruins.

By Sinan Abu Mayzer and Lucy Marks

JERUSALEM (Reuters) — The Israeli military, responding on Friday to a Reuters investigation that determined its forces killed a Reuters journalist in southern Lebanon on Oct. 13, said the incident took place in an active combat zone and was under review.

Cyclone Michaung which made landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast near Bapatla on Tuesday afternoon, accompanied by intense rain and wind speeds up to 100 kmph, caused widespread devastation and affecting more than two crore people. The storm also claimed over a dozen lives. Thousands of ground-floor homes and vehicles remained submerged.

By Steven Scheer

By Steven Scheer

Red Cross in Gaza City, Israel said on Thursday, and more hostages were expected to be released, following a last-minute deal struck by Israel and Hamas. Israel named the women as 21-year-old Mia Schem, who was seized at a dance party along with many of the other hostages abducted into Gaza, and 40-year-old Amit Sosana. Schem also holds French nationality. The warring sides agreed to extend their ceasefire for a seventh day, while mediators pressed on with talks to extend the truce further to free more hostages and let aid reach Gaza. The truce has halted bombing and allowed some humanitarian aid into Gaza. Also on Thursday, the armed wing of Hamas claimed responsibility for a deadly shooting in Jerusalem which killed three people.

State Antony Blinken on Thursday said that a temporary truce between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas had produced results and that the United States hoped that it continued. Sitting beside Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Blinken said Washington was focused on helping to secure freedom for hostages taken to Gaza during an Oct. 7 attack during which Israel says Hamas killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 240.

United Nations on Wednesday called for the international community to move towards a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, saying Jerusalem should serve as the capital of both states. «It is long past time to move in a determined, irreversible way towards a two-state solution, on the basis of United Nations resolutions and international law,» said Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the U.N. office in Geneva, delivering a speech authored by U.N.

Elon Musk has visited Israel, where he toured a kibbutz attacked by Hamas militants

By Dan Williams and Howard Goller