Gaza

The Vatican cited the cold temperatures outside and the pope’s strenuous week ahead.

Protestors held pictures of young children killed in Gaza and sang ‘not in our name’ outside the Northern Ireland Office headquarters.

The pontiff used his annual Christmas greetings to admonish the backstabbing among his closest collaborators.

The attack comes less than two days after a series of Israeli air strikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebel-held capital Sanaa and port city of Hodeida.

The strike hit an apartment in the Jaffa residential tower in the Nuseirat refugee camp.

The eight children, along with carers and family members, landed on Thursday, with an expected more than 20 to follow

Taoiseach Simon Harris made the comments after Israel’s government accused Ireland of being antisemitic.

It comes as Israel and the militant group Hamas appeared to inch closer to a ceasefire in the 14-month war.

Michael D Higgins made the remarks as a Palestinian ambassador was formally appointed at Aras an Uachtarain.

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.