An investigation by the Israeli military has found that the actions of their forces on the ground likely influenced the killing of six hostages in Gaza in August by Hamas. It said the "ground activities in the area,

Hassan Nasrallah meanwhile was the leader of the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah - he was assassinated in Beirut in September as Israel dramatically escalated its military campaign against Hezbollah, with which it had been trading near daily cross-border fire since the day after the 7 October attacks.

Rebel forces in Syria are building a transitional government after toppling the regime of President Bashar Assad in a lightning-quick advance across the country.

Palestinians pray over the bodies of the victims of an Israeli strike on a home late Saturday before the funeral outside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. At least eight people were killed according to the hospital which received the bodies. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

An investigation into the August incident found that the victims were murdered just before troops reached them.

A series of meetings in Cairo and Doha have led to renewed optimism about the prospect of a deal between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian Islamists in Gaza, ending the war there after over 14 months.

The Health Ministry said 45,028 people have been killed and 106,962 have been wounded since the start of the war in October 2023.

The Israeli official threatened to take similar action against the leadership of the Houthi rebel group in Yemen.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed and wounded in Russia's Kursk region and warned that Pyongyang could send more personnel and equipment for Moscow's army.

Israel assassinated Hamas' top leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran last summer, Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed. The comments by Katz appeared to mark the first time that Israel has acknowledged killing Haniyeh, who died in an explosion in Tehran in July.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wished Christians worldwide a Merry Christmas and thanked the Christian community for its support.