Israeli raid and airstrikes in West Bank kill at least 8 Palestinians
Tel Aviv, Dec 25: At least eight people were killed by Israeli military operations in the northern West Bank around the city of Tulkarem on Tuesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, including three people it said were killed by Israeli airstrikes.
The Israeli military said it opened fire after Hamas members attacked soldiers, and it was aware of some uninvolved civilians who were harmed in the raid.
Elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian city of Bethlehem was marking a second somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of the war in Gaza, with most festivities cancelled and crowds of tourists absent.
Israel's bombardment and ground invasion in Gaza has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count.
Winter is hitting the Gaza Strip and many of the nearly 2 million Palestinians displaced by the devastating 15-month war with Israel are struggling to protect themselves from the wind, cold and rain.
The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas's attack on southern Israel in October 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage by Palestinian Hamas group. Around 100 hostages are still being held in Gaza, although only two thirds are believed to still be alive.
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Crucial meeting between Telangana govt, Telugu film reps to ease 'soured' ties amid high stakes
Hyderabad (PTI): A crucial meeting between the Telangana government and Telugu film industry representatives is expected to be held on Thursday to thaw the speculated strained ties between the ruling dispensation and the tinseltown following the arrest of top actor Allu Arjun.
The 42 year-old star was arrested recently in connection with the stampede at a theatre here screening his latest movie "Pushpa: The Rule" that resulted in the death of a woman on December 4.
Telangana State Film Development Corporation (FDC) chairman and leading producer Dil Raju on Wednesday said a delegation of film personalities would call on state Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy today to foster "healthy relations" between the government and the industry.
The meeting assumes significance amid Cinematography minister Komatireddi Venkat Reddy's statement that the state government, in future, may consider ticket price hike only for certain categories such as films made on history, freedom struggle or anti-drugs or message oriented.
The state government's stand came in the wake of the death of a 35-year-old woman at Sandhya Theatre here due to suffocation where 'Pushpa 2' movie was screened on December 4.
The minister’s statement, if really implemented, will have a huge impact on the high budget films such as Ram Charan’s "Game Changer", Nandamuri Balakrishna's "Daaku Maharaj" and Venkatesh’s "Sankranthiki Vasthunnam" which are slated for release during Sankranti next year.
Directed by popular Director S Shankar, Game Changer was produced by Dil Raju. The film is reportedly made with a budget of nearly Rs 400 crore.
Though the Telangana State Film Chamber of Commerce welcomed the government's decision that it will not allow benefit shows of movies in the state and also enhanced ticket prices will be done on a case-to-case basis, the move may not go down well with the production houses as they usually look to reap the benefits during the early day of the film release.
The meeting is being organised on behalf of the FDC, Dil Raju had said, adding, he would act as a bridge between the government and the film fraternity.
Some ruling Congress leaders have found fault with Allu Arjun's comments last week, describing the stampede incident as purely accidental and denying the allegations made by CM Revanth Reddy on the "roadshow" before the film screening.
Hours after Reddy slammed the actor for holding a roadshow and waving to the crowds at the theatre, without referring to anyone, the 'Pushpa' star refuted the allegations, saying it was not a procession or a roadshow.
Allu Arjun was arrested by the city police in connection with the death of the woman on December 13.
The Telangana High Court granted him a four-week interim bail on the same day and he was released from a prison here on December 14 morning.
