Gaza: Trump’s Peace Plan & Aid Concerns – Live Updates

A one-month-old infant died in the Gaza Strip due to exposure to the cold, according to the Hamas Health Ministry in its daily briefing. The infant, identified as Saeed Abdeen, died at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, which announced his death this morning, stating his family resides in the nearby Mawasi refugee camp. The ministry reports at least four children have died from exposure to the cold this winter, and at least nine people have been killed by the collapse of buildings damaged by recent heavy rains.

Three months after Fiji opened its embassy in Jerusalem, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced that Israel will open its own embassy in the island nation’s capital, Suva, in 2026. The *Times of Israel* reported the announcement. In a post on X, Sa’ar stated he informed Fiji’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, of the decision, adding the new embassy “will strengthen relations between the two countries and contribute to cultivating our long-standing friendship and strengthening our cooperation in the areas of development, economy, security and more.” Sa’ar also praised Fiji’s support for Israel at the United Nations, noting that “the Israeli embassy in Fiji will strengthen Israel’s presence throughout the Pacific region, which is friendly to Israel, and deepen our ties with the other Pacific island nations.” Fiji was one of twelve countries to abstain from a United Nations vote in September approving the creation of a Palestinian state, which Israel firmly opposes. Israel previously had an embassy in Fiji, but it was closed in the 1990s due to budget cuts.

The Caltagirone municipal council, in the Catania province, approved a motion from the center-right coalition with 10 votes in favor and 6 against, revoking a previous motion that provided for the recognition of honorary citizenship and support for Francesca Albanese’s Nobel Peace Prize nomination. The center-right document highlights “the divisive aspects assumed in recent months” by the UN rapporteur, who, “due to the content and tone of her statements, cannot today represent the entire Caltagirone community in a balanced and respectful manner.” Therefore, the motion also provides “not to proceed in any way to propose and/or carry out events, symbolic gestures or various ceremonies that would exclusively divide a community that, on the contrary, on these issues must find unity and overall harmony.” The center-left supported “beyond some unfortunate recent statements, Albanese’s great merits as a UN rapporteur and, therefore, the positivity and effectiveness of the action she has taken against genocide in Gaza.” The motion passed with a majority vote.

Amid a growing humanitarian catastrophe in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, still without running water and electricity, significant uncertainty now looms over international organizations as a December 31st deadline approaches for all to learn their fate. The decision to ban 14 NGOs comes at a time when incoming aid to Gaza remains woefully insufficient. While the October 10th ceasefire agreement stipulated the entry of 600 trucks per day, only 100 to 300 trucks are actually delivering humanitarian aid, according to NGOs and the United Nations, with the remainder consisting mainly of commercial goods inaccessible to the vast majority of Gaza residents. The departure of some international NGOs will obviously have a considerable impact on the territory. Doctors Without Borders, for example, currently manages about a third of the 2,300 hospital beds in Gaza. Among the unauthorized NGOs are Save the Children, one of the most well-known and established in Gaza, providing aid to 120,000 children, and the American Friends Service Committee (Afsc), according to an initial official list published recently. They have 60 days to withdraw all their international staff from the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank, and Israel, and will no longer be able to provide any assistance there, not to mention the difficulties of accessing the Israeli banking system on which they depend to pay rent and salaries. Save the Children stated it is “exploring all possible avenues to obtain a review of this decision,” including legal action, and “remains fully committed to providing vital aid to children and families in the occupied Palestinian territories.” All express concern about what will happen at the beginning of 2026 and the risk that NGOs lacking the capacity and expertise of organizations with a long-standing presence in the Palestinian territories will be selected.

Israel is tightening its control over humanitarian assistance to Gaza, which is suffering a worsening humanitarian crisis as well as bad weather. Fourteen NGOs have been banned by Israeli authorities, which rejected their registration applications as being considered “hostile” or involved in “terrorism” or “antisemitism.” A ban on operating and accessing the Palestinian enclave that also affects NGOs accused of “delegitimizing the State of Israel.” Several humanitarian officials have denounced the decision as an attempt to “politically control” their operations. The explanation for this ban provided by Israeli authorities, however, goes in the opposite direction. Of the approximately 100 registration applications submitted in recent months, “only 14 have been rejected” by the end of November, according to a statement from the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, which oversees this new mandatory procedure since last March. “The others have been approved or are under review,” the same source added, stressing that “Israel encourages humanitarian action, but will not allow any hostile actor or any support for terrorism to operate under the guise of humanitarian aid.” The authorities “do not provide any evidence to support their claims, so it is very difficult for NGOs to respond to these accusations,” commented Israeli lawyer Yotam Ben-Hillel, who is assisting several of these organizations in their efforts and has already filed an appeal with the High Court of Justice.

Israel launched several attacks in southern and eastern Lebanon on Thursday, according to Lebanese state media, while the Israeli army said it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure, including a military complex. Despite a November 2024 ceasefire intended to end over a year of hostilities between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah, Israel has continued to launch attacks in Lebanon and has also maintained troops in five southern areas it considers strategic.