Israeli airstrikes killed at least 78 people in Gaza

Dennis Milanzi

27/12/2023

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 78 people in Gaza, Palestinian health officials said, in one of the besieged enclave’s deadliest nights of the 11-week-old battle with Hamas. Strikes that began hours before midnight persisted into Monday. Residents and Palestinian media said Israel stepped up air and ground shelling against al-Bureij in central Gaza.

Pope Francis, speaking on Christmas Eve, lamented that Jesus’ message of peace was being drowned out by the “futile logic of war” in the very land where he was born. At least 70 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting Maghazi in central Gaza, health ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qidra said, adding that many were women and children.

Local residents of central Gaza refugee camps said they had lived one of their worst nights since the war began. Israeli planes and tanks carried out dozens of air strikes on houses and roads in al-Bureij and nearby al-Nusseirat and al-Maghazi. Several residents made pleas on social media for people to afford them shelter as they have become homeless after leaving their homes in Bureij.

Source: News365

In other news – The Ranaka sisters reunite this holiday season after a year of not speaking to one another

Every holiday season is family time for the Ranakas, a time to rest and bond. The family gets together with extended family members, aunts, uncles, and cousins. This year, however, they are keeping the celebrations small, with their parents; Nonceba and Kgotlaesele Ranaka, siblings, Manaka, Dineo, Mpumi, Ziggy, Ranaka, Mzingisi, and the grandchildren.

“We didn’t plan too much this year. “We never really plan or know until the last minute. But before we even had kids, there used to be this routine of us meeting at a rakgadi’s sbani bani’s house or our house. Everybody would bring food and drinks and we would share. When we had kids, we continued for a bit. But now that we are older and extremely busy with kids, we would rather just keep it to immediate family,” Manaka said. Read more