9:09 a.m.: Israel and Gaza begin 2024 under bombs and rockets
Israel and the Gaza Strip entered the year 2024 without a break in fighting, with the Israeli army continuing its intensive shelling of Palestinian territory, killing at least 24 people overnight, and Hamas firing rockets at Tel Aviv and southern Israel at the exact time of the New Year.
Air warning sirens sounded in several parts of Israel, and AFP journalists in Tel Aviv witnessed the rockets being intercepted by Israeli missile defense systems at precisely midnight. People celebrating the New Year on a festive street ran for cover, while others continued to party.