the, the, you're watching the news coming to live from berlin, as well as prime ministers as a warren goss. i won't be over any time soon. benjamin netanyahu visits troops and gaza and says, is really military operations. there will only intensify in the coming days. also coming up on the show, germany's president deliverance has traditional christmas address. frank sponsor stein meyer appeals to germans not to turn their backs on democracy and not to give up on peace kremlin critic, i'll explain. a volume is located more than 2 weeks after associates lost track of

them. and of all these folks person says he's currently in a penal colony in northern russia, the. and for the 1st time ukraine is celebrating christmas on december 25th. instead of a traditional date in january, part of efforts to distance itself from russian culture, the hello, i'm clear, richardson, thank you so much for joining us. there. last run. health ministry in dollars us has always 70 people have been killed in an error stripe on a refugee camp is rarely army size. it is reviewing the incidents, the health ministries and thousands more people were killed in strikes across the gaza strip. a warning that are nice report contains disturbing images. the christmas has bought no response to the suffering of god.

paramedics rushed to refuse the injured after yet another is really a strong this time on the oh my god, the refugee camp central gaza. they also recovered dozens of bodies. many palestinians had been seeking shelter from israel's attacks elsewhere for the, you know, they're targeting all civilians. we roll targets there is no safe place to displace from gaza. they told us go to a safe place and guys, a center. we came with it we will monitor is rail denies that it is targeting civilians even as hum us run. health officials report more than 20000 people killed as rails millet traces it is focused on eliminating the group which

is considered a terrorist organization by the us and the e. u. the you released this voltage of what it sees is hello, underground headquarters and gases north. it also see that because the bodies of 5 hostages from the tunnels a scroll down the disorders which is located thousands of meters under ground. certainly female we found weapons, usually infrastructure for the production of what the ship by laboratories were weapons were produced to the emergency room, where the commander of the headquarters here said ron doran, who would like to play thing on october 7th, against the state of israel, maybe not the fun part for an end to the blood. she'd with the focus of christmas eve mass and bethlehem in the occupied with bank just 50 kilometers away in a sort of life. so to send that to me. so you need to,

so the pace to understand and trustworthy. the mass was one of the few living, smacking the holiday in the biblical this place of jesus. the usual crowds and christmas tree, absent with little to celebrate this year. meanwhile, prime minister benjamin netanyahu says israel will intensify its attacks against a moss over the coming days. and y'all who made the announcement after visiting troops fighting in northern gaza, he assured them that as well would continue its ground offensive until homos had been completely eliminated. and netanyahu waiter told, as well as parliaments that military pressure, it was necessary to secure the release of more hostages or family members of those still being held, had called the prime minister. when he said more time was needed to bring them home . israel says 129 hostages are still in gaza.

let's get more from journalist. sammy salt will joining us from jerusalem semi good to see you again. how was netanyahu's special address the parliament received after he had vowed to intensify fighting? still this suspicion the session was called upon by the opposition, is left bead. who is the head of the opposition? he said the uh is read, should prioritize the release of the hostages in the gaza strip. under the same time, the family members of those why has hostage were shouting they were say, yeah, now meaning release the bomb or now. and this is the response in to the government that has put the question of the hostages as one of the various different objectives of this military campaign. and as look, put it as the 1st and foremost, the target. somebody want to ask you,

us officials have repeatedly said they want israel to move to a lower intensity phase of the war and gaza. is netanyahu ignoring warnings from israel, strongest ally? well, it is really the talking about and doing a new phase that will take uh, maybe sometime at the end. ready the january, in any case, the phase that we are now in phase 2, which is the, the most expensive phase, which includes both the air campaign. and at the same time, a ground for say, a campaign in the gaza. and in the new this area, we should expect to continue and as nothing else that should intensify, especially in the area of how doing this and where they see the, the,

or the expect to find the military leadership of the mouse. and so just to be, to be clear, you think as well we'll have full us support for this phase, or when the president biden did not say that he called the a ceasefire. and also when the secretary defense secretary austin was here in the philippines. he also said that he would not tell is really how to wage the war against the mice and the same time they are continuing with the sending of the munitions. they said that they would give some advice as to a, especially in terms of bringing in the aid into the gaza strip. that is something that they said that is really should do more and they should avoid the coming of the

civilians. but the might be differences of opinion, this doesn't mean that america will not continue back in use around, even if some of these things cause the cause, the american, some embarrassment. somebody thank you so much for sharing your insights with us. that's what journalists, i me, sagal in jerusalem. meanwhile, po francis has called for an end to the wars in gaza and ukraine. the leader of the roman catholic church used his christmas or b at or the message to appeal for peace. he also slammed the weapons industry, which he said was fuel and conflict around the world. in his christmas address, pope francis lamented on the conflicts of envelope. he called for peace for the people of ukraine, as well as a ceasefire between homos and israel. a. notice he's going to you may there be an end to the feeling of violence and hatred and made the palestinian question be

resolved. that was certainly by listing a says, the pope had already condemned the failed logic of war during his christmas eve mass. calling it contrary to the message of peace at christmas. in this address, he said the poor desperately needed the money being spent on weapons. then he delivered the old be at all the blessing that they have each, they only pretend, but its fee is 50 percent. this investment levels is 9. yes. and it was a passion which appeal for peace on christmas day. and german president frank salter stein meyer has also given his annual, televised christmas address to the nation with a view to the wars in gauze and ukraine. he appealed to the germans not to give up hope for a peaceful world and with consistently high pulling for the far right here in germany. shine are also called on people not to turn their backs on democracy. 2023

was a year when many people wanted to switch off the news. the president stein maya said in his address the crises around the world with many, just too depressing open is totally briefly did the jim and president mentioned russia's war and ukraine, now dragging on through it 2nd winter, as he pointed out all the war in the middle east between israel and thomas jesus, the other ones of this year has left many unresolved issues here in our country to lunch. i know some people are looking skeptically at government and politicians and some are worried about the future. the other we all long for a more peaceful world. i feel the same longing, and it is my belief that we must never abandon it. people won't keep clear on so as to the world's problem stein maya said, and it was right to expect politicians to provide them between the lines. the

president's concern and threats to democracy was unmistakable. perhaps he was thinking of the continuing roys of far right populace, and the pulse munch event is the up some turn away. the others complain about everything and everyone about venice on spring and yet, but in a democracy when the going gets tough, there are better counselors than anger and contempt. better counsellors then those who would pretend that there is always one simple answer to the questions of the future if i can get so starting my thing to those who help their communities and stress the importance of working together. and he said, germans have every reason to be confident about the future. the next, the next year we will be celebrating our democracy, 75th birthday. our basic law is turning $75.00 and for no less than 34 years now.

it has applied to the whole of our united country, and this gives us all cause for celebration of the i'm going to fire. there's no need to hide away from the world. that was the core of the president's christmas message. his listeners may well need that resilience attitude in the months to come . a drawing me now to talk about president shy myers address is our political correspondence. hands brand hands. thank you so much for joining us on. let's pick up on something we heard of it and there the president says, there's no reason to hide from the world. even the state of things. can you really blame germans for wanting to do just that? absolutely. you don't really you comp, land people for saying this is all a bit much and in fact, he's not really blaming people for that. as he's in fact saying these christmas days of days in which you can shut the door on the outside world and try to concentrate on the christmas message on, on enjoying it to together with your family. but as soon as the christmas time is over and the everyday problems will be there again and will be,

will have to be dealt with. so yes, it is extra expressing for understanding of, for this feeling, but is also saying that people have to pick up their coverage and to pick up their confidence that these problems can be sent onto. and there are plenty of those problems aren't. there are the german government facing major crises abroad looking at israel, looking at ukraine. germany still doesn't have a budget for next year, not to mention the climate crisis. how much can president shy and my are actually do in any of these areas? well, he's just the head of state, he's not the government so he can't do anything concretely come to side any policy, but you can put pressure or you kind of appeal. so he's appealing to voters to citizens, to do that parts. he's also appealing here to the government. there is a statement where he says that democrats need to work together to make things a possible. the politicians need to give answers and he's talking there. i think

about the government. this is a 3 policy coalition which we've never had in jo, me that has been bickering unlocked over the last 2 years, a fast being and paula, and especially recently that's been really struggling to find common ground. and that's part of the problem. and show me that people are feeling that the government politicians, on not really managing the crises, that they are especially the badge of crisis. no budget for the new year after a ruling by the federal court to the highest court in the, in the country. invalidating parts of the budget, that's a, that's a problem that actually hits everyone that concerns every such has been in this country. so the appeal is the appeal is to take courage and to get into those things. and perhaps that even ties into my next question, i mean shine, why has made defending democracy a priority of his presidency. and yet the far right keeps pushing ahead in the polls, not only in germany here across europe, but what does this tell us? you can say even across the world,

if you look at the situation in the united states, donald trump and the republican party is here in germany. the alternative for germany, the far right party here is the 2nd strongest party in the country off to the conserves and well ahead of the governing the social democrats. so that's a big concern and that's why that is as appeal to turn to democracy, to trust democracy and actually to show coverage of for, for the next few months from the next. yeah, well thank you so much for breaking that down for us. that is, has frontier with me in the studio. we can turn out to some other world news headlines. iranian state media site and is really air strike and syria has killed. one of his senior generals around presidents has vowed revenge for his deaf siad rising. most savvy was reportedly killed in the neighborhood of damascus. he was responsible for coordinating the military alliance between syria and iran. israel has not commented on the reports. the serbs have again taken to the streets of

belgrade to protest the result of the parliamentary elections there. they've been marching on government buildings after staging. sit down, protest outside the foreign ministry, demanding that the december 17th a vote being old. they are to use the governing serbian progressive party of rigging the results international observer site. the vote was painted by irregularities. a plane carrying more than 270 passengers has left france for india. after being grounded for 4 days, french investigators halted the flight from the united arab emirates, headed to nicaragua to check allegations of human trafficking. 25 people on the flight have applied for asylum in france, and russian authorities have moved in jails. kremlin critic, i'll explain. a vall need to a remote penal colony in northern russian that is, according to his spokesperson and of all his team tracked him down after he'd not been seen for more than 2 weeks. his lawyer has visited him in the new prison and

of all the same as the most prominent opponent of president vladimir putin and a serving 19 year sentence for alleged extremism and other charges who was imprisoned now nearly 3 years ago. and here is one of all the spokesperson acura yamma. she had to say as well, we find a look see up to 3 weeks of search in full or region. in the north refresher, in the civil months, cold hop in there been will go and number 3, it will go unable for especially really because it was a, it was thing is different there. i mean i, she will have less phone calls, less meetings with relatives list parcels she can receive was the thing is that even before when she was in this light or version of going, if she didn't have already any phone calls, any meetings in any parcels. so actually, the thing is that there was no law in russia's that is applied to alexi. they

always create issues for human special conditions. and they don't have anything to do with a little now. so we don't have any rooms we know for sure that so is this new calling me now she's conditions would be even worse since they were before they did want to try to isolate alexi and to make it more difficult to assess him there. and also the a just trying to reach his life is unbearable as it possibly can be, because this prison will be much worse than the one that was before. and we also heard from the w as russia analyst, konstantin eggers. he has more on the conditions and of all the faces after he was transferred to that penal calling in northern russia. well, we do know that she is in one of the most remote speedo colonies in russia. it's so the demo peninsula or the, the bank. so the optics, see,

it's permafrost there, and it is very, very badly connected. essentially, there was only one channel of communication. prison lets us and that means that visiting the volume, maintaining contract agreement will be extremely difficult. and that was probably the whole idea behind these trusts. for, and of course there was an additional insult on suffering as a to the family and to the followers of the valley. because of the tweaks. there was no news about him, but in the sense it's a standard procedure for high profile prisoners when they are being transported from one people, calling it to another. it's sometimes done under this cover of secrecy actually to increase suffering because to remind you, the russian bill system remain. well, it will take model is the same as it was on the stalling, and it was designed as a john system of torch. the message is very simple, nobody is going to walk in jail for as long as put in is in power. and that's going

to take quite a bit of time. but he's also, they also demonstrated by these to last week. so hopefully he incommunicado that they can do anything to him, that of nobody's life is completely of the mercy of the kremlin. that was trust again and distress. during the beginning, we'll put in so called eviction campaign preparation for the so called election. i think that the message is very simple. there is only one politician. rush for his name is, wasn't able to put him in any one who stands if his way is going to get an extremely harsh treatment in a rush analyst constantine aggregate. there is a day also marks the 1st time that ukraine is observing christmas as a public holiday on december 25th traditional ukrainians and celebrated christmas on january 7th in line with the russian orthodox church. following the julian

calendar, as part of a cultural shift away from moscow after last year's invasion, believers turned out in force to celebrate the new christmas day in keith saints, a c, a cathedral. amongst those attending there was widespread support for the new date of the problem. this is the right thing to do, in my opinion. look through the civilized world that you all of your, of does the same. you don't want to be associated with the aggressor country and celebrate the way they do. we're together with europe when these are the civilized world. and god is with us both. i think changing the official date of christmas is very important. the country should distance itself from russia and its holidays. the o. c. use the rest as president held his 2nd christmas eve address. since the rest is full scale invasion. luckily offered words of hope and

his vision to move away from russia and closer to your lead paper on the slide you are, as i've seen today. well, we'll ukrainians altogether. we o celebrates christmas together on the same day as one big family as one nation as one united country. and today i will come and pray. i will be stronger than ever show the people's pray. today. it will you not? millions of voice is more than ever before, and it will resonate, so we bounce a time. difference of 2 weeks. resonates together with you up in the envelope. 0 way street. christmas day in ukraine saw another tradition fall, as many church services were held in ukrainian. instead of russian to and our correspondent, much as to whether or not told us whether support for presidents kalonski is still a strong today. as it was at the beginning of russia's full scale invasion. his

approval levels have been down from super human levels of 90 plus percent to something more human to 60 plus percent. that's uh in the last few days this poll came out, it's the lowest since the beginning of the war. but it's still a majority of people supporting him. there are questions to with him and the military leadership about specific decisions and operations. but the overall majority of people here still values his leadership in this war. but who is even more popular than him is the heads of the army. generals are loosely and the army itself still has the approval ratings of more than 90 percent. so people do rally behind the country leadership, but they start asking questions to individuals. and the president, of course, is not safe from this. now we are seeing the 2nd christmas since the full scale russian invasion of ukraine in early 2022, and with no sign of an ends. the conflict soldiers at the front often don't know

when they will see their families again, or how long they'll be at war. or correspondent and economy went to jeanette screeching, an eastern ukraine to meet musicians and uniform. we're trying to keep spirits up. 1 this because concepts can get here in east and ukraine within a short to the front lines and the bigger the crowd of soldiers could easily attract arrest and strike the bill tonight and eclectic group of musicians, blanket. aw, focus 2 months as well as classical violin. one of them in uniform are among tonight isn't nineties pop, so i don't

underestimate what music can do. have a sing when you're out there. don't worry about looking silly. the music's going to make you feel much better when you're at war. where else can you let it all out? to an hour or 2 distraction for soldiers who have no idea how many years they'll be off to fight. that at least is the idea behind these concepts. they all squares left about his co sign, showing each post on the joint mccraney. it sparks conversation about growing up in ukraine. it's a son of a nigerian father and a russian mother. the man, i've just spent the past 2 weeks facing off against russian troops at his close quarters as it gets. there's the regiments, now they're getting some much needed down time to sleep,

recover and listen to some instruments. they might not have come across before this was sure these guys aren't going to open up to a psychologist, especially someone who hasn't been through what they have. soldiers are a tough audience. they're demanding. they're closed off emotionally trying to create a connection with them is really tough. but if they do up into you, then it's for real quick just so many musicians matters. love tells us, often to have a hard time with these audiences, especially to man. give me utah. i'll give you my gum, the told me that you draft. i'm making sure it's fat has become a hot button issue here in the crane. to use the volunteers outside recruitment offices, the cost replaced by rates on teams and restaurants to track down recruits. this was a forward, so sometimes the soldiers get tired and frustrated, but for the most part they're focused on doing the job. i think most people here have realized that they need to paste themselves. yeah, we've got

a marathon ahead of us. not a sprint. one thing, the soul just doing a search and they'll be spinning this christmas away from their families. most likely in the field. the . nothing is that said at this hour, thank you so much for watching. claire richardson in berlin, a very merry christmas to all those who celebrates the

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