Kabul, Dec 25: At least 15 people, including women and children, have been killed in Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan, with the death toll expected to rise further, according to local media reports.

The strikes carried out late on Tuesday, targeted multiple areas in the Barmal district of Paktika province, dismantling a Taliban training facility .

Seven villages were bombed, including Laman, where five members of a single family lost their lives, and Murg Bazaar village, which was completely destroyed.

The airstrikes have deepened Afghanistan’s ongoing humanitarian crisis, causing significant destruction and civilian casualties, further straining relations between the two nations.

Afghanistan care-taker government condemned the attack and pledged retaliation.

“The Barmal district of Paktika was bombed by the Pakistan Army yesterday. Most of the victims were civilians, including Waziristani refugees. Several were martyred or injured, including children,” the country’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement.

Calling the incident a “barbaric act,” the MoD added, “This clear aggression is contrary to all international principles. The Pakistani side should understand that such actions will not solve any problems. The Islamic Emirate will defend its territory and consider this its inalienable right.”

Pakistan has yet to officially claim responsibility for the strikes, which have heightened tensions between the two neighbours.

The attacks come amidst deteriorating relations between Islamabad and Kabul over the presence of Pakistani militants in Afghanistan. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has intensified its operations against Pakistani forces in recent months, with Islamabad accusing the Afghan Taliban of sheltering the group.

While Pakistan has repeatedly called on the Afghan Taliban to take action against the TTP, Kabul denies harbouring the militants. The latest escalation adds another layer of complexity to an already fragile relationship.

Gaza, Dec 25: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said that one child gets killed every hour in the Gaza Strip.

“No place for children. Since the beginning of the war, 14,500 children have been reported killed in Gaza according to UNICEF. One child gets killed every hour. These are not numbers. These are lives cut short,” UNRWA said in a press statement.

“Killing children cannot be justified. Those who survive are scarred physically and emotionally. Deprived of learning, boys and girls in Gaza sift through the rubble,” it added.

“The clock is ticking for these children. They are losing their lives, their futures and mostly their hope,” it said.

Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 45,338, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Tuesday.

Earlier on Monday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “there has been progress” in efforts to secure a ceasefire-for-hostages deal with Hamas, but cautioned that the timeline for reaching an agreement remains unclear.

Speaking before the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, Netanyahu said, “I do not know how long it will take,” while vowing to “continue to act in every possible way until we bring everyone home.”

Earlier on Monday, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar outlined parts of the deal during a closed meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, describing it as “a phased, gradual framework.”

Israeli and Palestinian media reported that efforts led by Qatari, Egyptian, and US mediators have shown progress, though a breakthrough remains elusive.

Sanaa, Dec 24: Yemen’s Houthi group said it attacked Israel with two drones, targeting military sites.

In a statement aired on Monday by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the first attack targeted a military target in the Ashkelon area, and the other hit a military target in Tel Aviv.

He claimed that these attacks had achieved “the goals” but did not specify the alleged targets or provide evidence to support his claim.

“These operations will not stop until the Israeli aggression on Gaza stops and the siege is lifted,” he added.

Following the Houthi drone attack, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a warning, saying, “We will strike the Houthis hard, target their strategic infrastructure, and decapitate their leaders.”

The Israeli military said the attack was intercepted by its air defence systems.

The Houthi attacks followed Hamas’ announcement on Saturday that a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip is “closer than ever” if Israel stops setting new conditions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said on Monday that “there has been progress” in efforts to secure a ceasefire-for-hostages deal with Hamas, but cautioned that the timeline for reaching an agreement remains unclear.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have been carrying out rocket and drone attacks on Israeli cities and disrupting “Israeli-linked” shipping in the Red Sea to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas conflict there.

The Houthi group has been controlling much of northern Yemen since late 2014, forcing the internationally recognised Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa.