Hezbollah and Israeli troops traded fire over the border. Israeli airstrikes killed two people in a village in south Lebanon, while power company Israeli Electric said one of its employees was killed by Hezbollah anti-tank fire. 

Israel’s forces pressed on with the offensive against Hamas, designated a terrorist organisation by the US and European Union. It conducted raids in northern Gaza on the outskirts of the Shati refugee camp. Heavy gunfire also continued in the vicinity of the Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City.

Israel has targeted infrastructure it says is located in the midst of the civilian population, including schools, universities and mosques. 

Latest developments

• US strikes Iran-linked targets in Syria, casualties likely
• Israel orders resumption of gas production at Chevron’s field
• War budget leaves Netanyahu caught between markets and politics
• Israel fears war on the horizon against Hezbollah in the north

Israel hits reconstruction centre in Gaza City, says Qatar

Qatar said Israeli forces struck the headquarters of the Qatari Committee for Gaza Reconstruction in Gaza City, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

The Gulf state, which has been meditating hostage releases between Israel and Hamas, said the attack was “an extension of Israel’s behaviour of targeting civilians.”

Jordan rejects Israeli reoccupation of Gaza, buffer zones 

Jordan reaffirmed its rejection of “any scenario of reoccupying parts of Gaza or establishing buffer zones” as it would exacerbate the crisis, King Abdullah II said in a meeting with senior Jordanian politicians.

Military and security solutions “cannot succeed”, the royal court said in a social-media post, adding that a serious political process focused on a two-state solution should start.

Two reportedly killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon 

Israeli airstrikes killed two people in Aainata, a village in the south of Lebanon, state-run National News Agency reported.

Earlier, Israeli forces said they identified two mortar launches which fell in an open area near the border with Lebanon and fired back. Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli infantry with missiles near the border. It wasn’t immediately clear if the deaths were caused by retaliatory strikes.

Israeli electric company loses employee in Hezbollah attack  

Israel Electric Corporation said an employee was killed by Hezbollah anti-tank fire on Sunday while fixing an electricity line that was hit in an earlier attack. 

Humanitarian operation in Gaza to ‘grind to a halt’ in 48 hours – UN  

The humanitarian operation in Gaza would “grind to a halt” in 48 hours due to the lack of fuel, according to the UN agency working in the area.

“This morning two of our main water distribution contractors ceased working — they simply ran out of fuel — which will deny 200,000 people potable water,” said Thomas White, the director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza, the main UN agency handling humanitarian operations in the area.

Chevron restarts Israel’s Tamar gas field 

Chevron resumed natural gas output from Israel’s Tamar field following a 9 November government order, the company said in a statement. Production was shut down last month due to safety concerns following Hamas’ attack on Israel. A gas pipeline that runs from Ashkelon, just north of the Gaza Strip, to Egypt was also likely to restart this week, according to three people familiar with the plan.

Heavy gunfire around Al-Quds Hospital  

Heavy gunfire was continuing near Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City, according to the Palestine Red Crescent.

The organisation said in a post on X that shelling and violent explosions were heard in the area and that a convoy of vehicles arriving from southern Gaza to secure the hospital’s evacuation was stopped.

“The convoy is still waiting for the situation to settle down in the surrounding area of the hospital to be able to reach it to start the evacuation process,” according to the post, which didn’t give details on who blocked the convoy.

EU’s top diplomat to travel to Israel, Palestine for talks  

Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign affairs chief, will travel to the Middle East, including Israel and Palestine, to discuss humanitarian access and political issues with regional leaders this week. 

“We need a political horizon looking towards the two-state solution. This can only be achieved through dialogue,” Borrell said in a post on X.

Hezbollah claims attacks on Israeli infantry near Lebanon border 

Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli infantry with missiles near the border, according to a report from its Al Manar TV channel. Israel said it identified two mortar launches, which fell in open areas in the Netu’a area, and caused no injuries. Israeli forces fired back.  

Guesthouse in Gaza hit by Israeli navy, says UN agency

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency said one of its guesthouses in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, sustained significant damage from Israeli naval strikes on Sunday.

“This recent attack is yet another indication that nowhere in Gaza is safe. Not the north, not the middle areas and not the south,” said the agency’s Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini. There were no reports of casualties.

Israeli gas flows to Egypt up by 60% 

Israel’s natural gas flows to Egypt had increased by as much as 60% this month, according to a person familiar with Egyptian imports, as safety concerns from the war with Hamas eased.

Supplies rose to 350-400 million cubic feet a day from about 250 million earlier in November, the person said, asking not to be named because the information is not public. Still, that’s almost half the normal flows from before the war.

Israel approves local shutdown of Al Mayadeen TV 

Israel’s security Cabinet said it was shutting down broadcasts by Al Mayadeen, a Beirut-based television station whose agenda is closely aligned with that of Iran.

“To prevent a foreign broadcasting organisation from harming the nation’s security, the security Cabinet has authorised the Communications Minister to issue instructions against Al Mayadeen,” the Defense Ministry and the Communications Ministry said in a joint statement.

Iran says end to Israeli attacks is only way to contain war 

“Only an immediate end to Israel’s attacks and siege will prevent the war from spreading or other resistance groups from engaging in the war,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a press conference.

The spread of the conflict to other parts of the region depended on the conduct of the US and Israel, he added. DM