Fourteen countries, including Italy, condemn new settlements in the West Bank

On 24 December, an explosive device detonated in Gaza injuring an Israeli soldier: according to the IDF, the explosive detonated under a military vehicle while soldiers were dismantling militant infrastructure in Rafah, in the south of the Strip. The soldier, slightly injured, is transported to hospital. Netanyahu calls the incident a ceasefire violation and warns that Israel "will respond accordingly".

In the same hours, the Saudi al Hadath agency reported thatIsraeli fighter jets launched several attacks at dawn in eastern Gaza City and Rafah. The raids, according to the same source, hit areas beyond the 'Yellow Line', the area of the Strip still under Israeli control. Witnesses quoted speak of five locations targeted in the Rafah governorate during operations to search for Hamas fighters still barricaded in the tunnels. Since the truce came into effect, the IDF claims to have killed dozens of "terrorist operatives" and other "suspects" who allegedly crossed the Yellow Line and approached the troops, with almost daily incidents. Three Israeli soldiers have reportedly been killed since the beginning of the ceasefire.

On the civilian front, the Palestinian WAFA agency reports that theIsraeli forces targeted a school used as a shelter in Gaza while a wedding was in progress, killing six Palestinians and injuring several others. The attack reportedly hit the second floor of the facility in the Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City. The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service claims that most of the victims were children. One resident, Hazim Hamad, tells Haaretz that the explosion "shook the entire neighbourhood", while another witness describes a party turned into chaos in a matter of seconds: "The moment we try to create happy moments for ourselves, another massacre happens".

The knot of aid remains central to the dispute. Hamas tells Fidan that what is entering Gaza is insufficient and that specific essentials are needed - medicines, housing equipment, fuel - to withstand the winter and life in extreme conditions. On the other hand, the Cogat states that 4,200 aid trucks enter Gaza weekly and that 'food shipments are coordinated according to priorities set by humanitarian agencies'.

The ceasefire, in place since 10 October, remains exposed to constant shocks. All but one of the 251 hostages taken during the 7 October 2023 attack have been released, dead or alive, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Hamas, however, has not yet returned the body of one hostage, Staff Sergeant Ran Gvili. Israel, in turn, is accused of not opening the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza in both directions, only agreeing to allow exit from the Strip. Hamas also claims that Tel Aviv is violating the truce by not letting in sufficient aid and continuing to target civilians. According to Palestinian health authorities quoted, over 370 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the truce. The same sequence also recalls a precedent: on 19 October, Israel claimed that two soldiers were killed by Hamas fire and responded with a series of attacks that, according to local health officials, resulted in the death of over 40 Palestinians.

Inside the crisis, Save the Children is calling on the government of Israel to urgently reconsider the new registration rules for international NGOs because they could jeopardise the provision of life-saving humanitarian assistance to children and their families in Gaza. The organisation says it is among those denied renewal of its registration to continue providing aid from 1 January 2026: without it, neither international technical personnel (health, water and sanitation) nor essential goods would be allowed to enter through Israeli-controlled borders into Gaza or the West Bank. Save the Children says it will continue to operate with 300 Palestinian workers and local partners, being registered with the Palestinian Authority, and that by 2025 it reached 1.9 million people with programmes supported by UN agencies and nearly 30 donors.

The note speaks of an 'unprecedented' emergency: for more than two years, 1.1 million children in Gaza have been living in a humanitarian catastrophe; more than 20,000 children have reportedly been killed and thousands are missing. Nearly two million people are reportedly displaced in makeshift shelters and tents, with winter aggravating everything: torrential rains and flooding have destroyed tents and forced families to stand in sewage-contaminated water, increasing the risk of disease; cases of children and infants dying of hypothermia in recent weeks are also cited. Save the Children emphasises that NGOs contribute a total of about USD 1 billion in aid each year and that they run or support a large number of field hospitals, primary health care, emergency shelter, water and sanitation, nutrition centres and ordnance clearance. Ahmad Alhendawi, regional director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, warns that the new regulations would have a serious impact, especially in winter, and reiterates that the organisation will continue to serve Palestinian children. Save the Children also reports operational figures: since 2023, it has supported 1.6 million people in Gaza (812,000 children) and 118,000 in the West Bank (62,000 children); between October and December, it delivered 23,287 life-saving kits, including 960 baby kits, 4,100 hygiene kits and 6,000 feminine hygiene kits, as well as six pallets of medical supplies, and says it also purchases goods locally in Gaza. The organisation says it has taken legal action against the denial and calls on the international community to intervene.

Netanyahu announces that Israel will spend 350 billion shekels - $110 billion - over ten years to build"an independent arms industry". The premier speaks at a ceremony at an air base in the south of the country and claims the will to reduce dependence 'even on our friends'. The context is that of wars on several fronts over the past two years and a country that, despite being the main recipient of US military aid and also supplying Europe, faces restrictions from partners on arms supplies due to the devastating war in Gaza.

In the Strip, Father Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest of the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza, describes to the Vatican media a Christmas "as difficult as it has ever been", which is reminiscent of that of two thousand years ago. He recounts that "you can still hear the explosions, the earth is shaking", although he perceives "more serenity in the people" and speaks of the anxiety of a population without electricity, living with generators "burning everything" and with few solar panels. He says that "most people, more than two million", live in tents and that Gaza City is "full of rubbish everywhere". He also recalls a written message from Leo XIV: always pray for them and thank them for what they do.

In Bethlehem, thousands of people pour into Manger Square with families, music and decorations: after two years of gloomy celebrations marked by war, the big Christmas tree is back and hundreds of scouts parade with bagpipes. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa leads the traditional procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and invokes "a Christmas full of light": "After two years of darkness, we need light". Arriving in the square, he brings the greetings of the small Christian community of Gaza, where he had celebrated a pre-Christmas Mass, and says that amidst the devastation, he also saw a desire for life and reconstruction. But the local economy remains crushed: according to the local government, some 80% of residents depend on tourism, and Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati indicates thatunemployment has risen from 14% to 65% during the war; some 4,000 people have reportedly left the city in search of work. The majority of those present are residents, with few foreigners, and there is still fear of travelling.

Tensions also remain high in the West Bank.The Israeli army continues with frequent incursions in what it calls a crackdown on militants, while colonial attacks against Palestinians reach - according to the cited reference - the highest level since the UN humanitarian office began collecting data in 2006. The war and the lack of tourism weigh on Bethlehem, aggravated by the revocation of work permits for Palestinians in the West Bank during the conflict. Symbolically, the square also hosts a nativity scene with baby Jesus surrounded by rubble and barbed wire, a tribute to the situation in Gaza. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to attend midnight mass for the first time in two years. And the numbers, on the other hand, tell the story of the distance from normality: the Israeli Ministry of Tourism estimates 130,000 tourists in Israel by the end of December, of which 40,000 will be Christians. In 2019, a record pre-pandemic year, the same ministry indicated 150,000 Christian tourists in Bethlehem during Christmas week alone.