A bitcoin mine’s nonstop noise is destroying the lives of a rural Texas resident. Hood County residents refer to the 24/7 hum of cooling fans as “torture,” while project managers defend the project as a significant employment and tax boost. Phil Lavelle of Al Jazeera claims that AI data centers could spark even bigger conflicts.
Published On 22 Dec 2025
Despite talks, Cambodia and Thailand continue to fight, with Phnom Penh’s residents experiencing fear and economic anxiety, while Bangkok’s life appears largely unchanged. Assed Baig and Tony Cheng, from Al Jazeera, discuss the divergent realities on both sides of the border.
Published On 22 Dec 2025
According to the country’s National News Agency (NNA), at least three people have been killed in an Israeli attack near Sidon, in a recent Israeli breach of a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.
NNA reported on Monday that the Israeli-led airstrike on a vehicle on Quneitra Road in the southern Sidon district left three people dead.
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Without providing further details, the Israeli military claimed in a statement that it had targeted Hezbollah members in the Sidon region.
One person was killed and two others were hurt in another Israeli attack in southern Lebanon on Sunday, which came the day before. Hezbollah members were killed in that attack, according to the Israeli army.
Israel has carried out nearly daily attacks across Lebanon, particularly in the south, that have drawn widespread condemnation, in addition to repeatedly breaking the November 2024 ceasefire agreement with the Lebanese group.
Almost 1,600 Israeli forces attacked Lebanon between January and late November, according to information from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED).
Since the ceasefire’s implementation, the UN human rights office has urged a “prompt and impartial” investigation into the deaths of at least 127 civilians in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since late last month.
Despite the November 2024 ceasefire agreement, which allows for Hezbollah’s disarmament in some southern Lebanon and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, Israel’s attacks continue.
Nawaf Salam, the prime minister, claimed on Saturday that Lebanon was close to completing Hezbollah’s disarmament of the Litani River region.
The Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers are only permitted to operate in the area between the Litani River and the Israeli border, according to UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
Hezbollah has long refrained from calling for total devastation, arguing that its weapons are required to protect Lebanon from Israeli attacks and occupation.
Naim Qassem, the head of Hezbollah, has stated repeatedly that in accordance with the ceasefire that the organization will cease its military operations south of the Litani River. However, he claims it will keep its weapons elsewhere in Lebanon.
Israeli forces were also required to completely withdraw from southern Lebanon, south of the Litani River, by January in accordance with the ceasefire agreement of 2024. However, Israeli forces only partially retreated, and five Lebanese border outposts remain operational.
While Israeli forces are stationed in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah officials have previously stated that the organization will not fully fulfill its obligations under the ceasefire.
As Israel and the United States increase their pressure on Hezbollah to disarm, a committee overseeing the ceasefire agreement is holding discussions in southern Lebanon.
In closed-door discussions, civil and military delegations from Israel and Lebanon convened on Friday in the southern town of Naqoura.
Simon Karam, the country’s top civilian negotiator, and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with him after the discussions.
Hezbollah has expressed opposition to Karam’s appointment because he previously served as the US ambassador to Lebanon.
Aoun, the president of Lebanon, stated in a statement that the agreement’s “entry point” should be “an entry point for addressing all other details.”
Aoun stated that January 7 is the committee’s scheduled meeting date.
As the right-wing coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tries to stop the establishment of a viable Palestinian state, the Israeli security cabinet has approved 19 new settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank.
As Netanyahu’s government has made the annexation of occupied Palestinian territory a priority, the United Nations has said Israeli settlement expansions in 2025 have reached their highest level since 2017.
According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, “These figures represent a significant increase compared to previous years,” adding that an average of 12 815 new housing units were added every year between 2017 and 2022.
The West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem have seen an increase in settlement and outpost numbers under the current far-right government, which is up by nearly 50% from 141 in 2022 to 210 now. An outpost is built without government authorisation while a settlement is authorised by the Israeli government.
These settlements, which are viewed as illegal under international law, make up nearly 10% of Israel’s 7.7 million Jewish population.
What are the most important facts about the recently approved settlements and what they mean for the future of Palestinian statehood.
More than three million Palestinians live in the West Bank, including Jenin in the north and Hebron in the south, making up the new settlements.
Most of them are close to the densely populated Palestinian villages of Duma, Jalud, Qusra and al-Lubban Asharqiya in the Nablus governorate and Sinjil in the Ramallah and el-Bireh governorate, according to Peace Now, an antisettlement watchdog group based in Israel. The watchdog’s recommendations for the new settlement areas include those in the Salfit governorate, the northwestern West Bank, close to the Palestinian towns of Sa’ir and Beit Sahour, and in the Jericho governorate, among others.
Palestinians are being forced out of their homes by Israel’s construction boom, which is entangling the occupation. Settlements dot the West Bank and are often connected by Israeli-only highways while Palestinians face roadblocks and security checks, making their daily commutes harrowing experiences.
Additionally, Israel has constructed a Separation Barrier through the West Bank, which will restrict Palestinians’ movement for more than 700 kilometers (435 miles). Israel claims that the wall is meant to protect people.
Under a dual legal system, Palestinians are tried in Israel’s military courts while crimes committed by settlers are referred to a civilian court.
Ganim and Kadim, two of the four West Bank settlements east of Jenin, were also approved by Israel’s most recent approval, which was a unilateral withdrawal by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
According to a statement from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s office, five of the 19 settlements already exist but had not previously been granted legal status under Israeli law.
Israel controls most of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territory Palestinians want to be part of a future state along with Gaza. In a 1967 conflict, Israel occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. East Jerusalem, which Palestinians view as their future capital, was later annexed.
Israeli settlements and outposts are Jewish-only communities built on Palestinian land and they can range in size from a single dwelling to a collection of high-rises. According to Peace Now, there are about 700,000 settlers in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The most recent approval comes as Israel and other Arab allies have been working together to restart the Gaza ceasefire. After a meeting on Friday of top officials from the US, Egypt, Turkiye and Qatar in the US city of Miami, Florida, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Israel of committing repeated violations of the ceasefire that began in October.
After more than 70 000 Palestinians were killed in a genocidal war for more than two years, Israel still controls nearly half of Gaza’s territory.
According to a statement from Smotrich’s office, who is a vocal supporter of settlement expansion and a settler himself, the total number approved over the past three years has reached 69.
The West Bank’s largest expansion in a decade was approved by Israel in May by 22 new settlements, the largest increase in a decade.
The UN chief has condemned what he described as Israel’s “relentless” expansion of settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. According to Guterres, it “continues to exacerbate tensions, impedes Palestinians’ access to their land, and threatens the viability of a fully independent, democratic, contiguous, and sovereign Palestinian state.”
Since Israel’s war against Gaza began, Palestinians have also been in increased need of settler violence.
According to data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), settlers have attacked Palestinians nearly 3, 000 times over the past two years.
The olive harvest, which is crucial for many Palestinian families because it is a crucial time of year and provides a major source of income, is frequently the time of year for settler attacks to increase.
Israeli soldiers frequently accompany or protect settlers, and they are frequently armed. In addition to destroying Palestinian property, they have carried out arson attacks and killed Palestinian residents.
According to OCHA data, every governorate in the West Bank has been the target of settler attacks for the past two years.
No. Israeli settlements are viewed by the UN, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the International Committee of Red Cross as violating the Fourth Geneva Convention, which forbids settler activity.
The UN’s top court, the ICJ, determined that Israel’s occupation, settlement activity, and annexation measures are against international law in a landmark ruling in July 2024. In its nonbinding advisory opinion, the ICJ ruled that Israel’s continued presence in occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful and should come to an end “as rapidly as possible”.
The judges cited a number of policies, including the establishment of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the use of the region’s natural resources, the granting of permanent lands, and discriminatory measures against Palestinians, all of which the judges alleged were against international law.
A resolution was passed two months later by the UN General Assembly, inviting Israel to end its year-long occupation of Palestinian territory.
But Israel has defied the resolution by the global body backed by its ally – the United States. Israel is being protected by Washington’s diplomatic immunity from numerous UN resolutions.
Since returning to power in January, US President Donald Trump has adopted a permissive stance towards Israeli settlement activity, breaking with longstanding US policy.
He claimed that international law did not make Israeli settlements in the West Bank inherently illegal. Additionally, Trump lifted the sanctions placed on several settlers and organizations that are accused of abusing Palestinians in the West Bank by his predecessor, President Joe Biden.
US sanctions on settlers under Biden came under Washington’s long-held policy that settlements are the biggest impediments to the two-state solution to the conflict.
Trump and his associates have, however, stated on numerous occasions that Israel is unable to annex the West Bank. Trump stated in October that he “given my word to the Arab countries,” saying that it wouldn’t happen. “Israel would lose all of its support from the United States if that happened”.
The growing settlements – together with other projects undertaken by Netanyahu’s government like the E1 settlement plan that will split the West Bank – are further squeezing Palestinians in occupied territory.
The expansion of settlements has drawn criticism from the international community, including Israel’s allies in Europe, who claim that they impair the chances of a two-state solution.
However, Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, two members of Netanyahu’s far-right cabinet, have rebuffed their opposition to a Palestinian state.
“On the ground, we are blocking the establishment of a Palestinian terror state”, Smotrich said in his statement on Sunday.
Smotrich and Ben-Gvir were subject to sanctions in June from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway for inciting violence.
In a push for the two-state solution, several European countries, including the UK and France, as well as Australia, recognized Palestinian statehood in September.
Israel condemned the move, and Netanyahu said he won’t allow a Palestinian state. He has previously bragged about how he helped encourage the expansion of settlements in occupied territory by abusing the Oslo peace agreements of 1993 and 1995.
As a deadline is approaching for plans to integrate the Syrian army into Syria’s state institutions, injuries have been reported following clashes between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo.
The SDF launched attacks on Syrian security forces positions close to the Sheihan and Lairmoun roundabouts in Aleppo, according to a report from Syria’s state-run SANA news agency on Monday.
According to the news agency, SDF is pursuing the Gaziantep-Aleppo road from the Lairmoun and Sheihan roundabouts.
Two of the Syrian Civil Defense’s rescuers were hurt when the SDF fired on the vehicle they were traveling in, according to the Syrian Civil Defense, and two children also suffered “various injuries” as a result of SDF gunfire at the Sheihan roundabout.
In a statement shared by SANA, the Syrian Interior Ministry also reported that two security personnel were hurt in a SDF-held “treacherous” attack.
The ministry claimed that SDF forces stationed in Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods committed a treacherous offense against the Internal Security Forces at joint checkpoints this evening.
In advance of a looming deadline, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan traveled to Syria’s capital Damascus to meet with Syrian officials about the integration of the SDF into the nation’s new army.
After Bashar al-Assad was removed in December of last year, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa established a partnership with the SDF to integrate the organization into the nation’s state institutions.
However, the integration process’s specifics were vague, and the implementation of the agreement has been stalled.
Ayman Oghanna, a journalist from Damascus, claimed that the high-level meeting between Syrian and Turkish officials “catalysed” the clashes on Monday. He claimed that “hear reports of heavy gunfire and even shelling.”
“Damascus had previously suggested combining the 50, 000 SDF fighters under the control of a limited number of Syrian divisions.” The Turks reportedly wanted to destroy the SDF’s current command structure, Oghanna explained.
Since 2015, the US-backed SDF has seized a sizable portion of northeastern Syria.
The most flammable factor in Syria right now is probably the integration of SDF into the government forces. It poses a serious threat to Syria’s national unity because of its extreme hotspot.
There are many reasons why the agreement hasn’t been implemented, according to Samy Akil, a non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.
According to Akil, “The SDF is under a lot of pressure to start implementing this agreement and basically give up in the Syrian armed forces’ territories,” Akil told Al Jazeera.
He added that the Syrian government is under “a significant pressure from [Turkiye] to find a diplomatic solution at the same time.”
“These clashes happened under a lot of pressure on both sides, and I believe the intention was to destabilize the discussions or put more pressure on the Turkish side.”
A major issue was whether the SDF would remain a coherent unit within the new Syrian army or if it was to be disbanded and its members formally absorbed into the new military.
The SDF joining as a single unit has been opposed by Turkiye, which views it as a “terrorist” group due to its ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
It is unclear how close the parties are to finalizing the preliminary agreement, which has been reached by Kurdish officials.
The end of the year was the original deadline for the March agreement’s implementation, and there were concerns about a military conflict if progress is not made by that point.
Asaad al-Shibani, the SDF’s foreign minister, told Fidan on Monday that the government had not seen “an initiative or a serious will” to implement the integration agreement.
According to al-Shibani, “there has been systematic procrastination.”
Sifts of United Kingdom healthcare professionals have warned that six prisoners who are currently awaiting remand and are connected to the banned organization Palestine Action are now on a hunger strike.
The prisoners are accused of involvement in break-ins at a Royal Air Force base in Oxfordshire last year and a UK factory run by Israel’s largest weapons producer, Elbit, near Bristol, where two military aircraft were spray-painted.
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The charges, which involve criminal damage and unauthorised entry, are all brought against each of the six people. Some people are awaiting trial and have been detained for more than a year.
Families of the hunger strikers complained about the government’s unwillingness to take action and the prison conditions.
Why are the six prisoners currently on a hunger strike?
The hunger strikers want immediate bail, the right to a fair trial (which they claim will include the release of information about “the ongoing witch-hunt of activists and campaigners,” ending censorship of their communications, “de-proscribing” Palestine Action, a group considered a “terrorist,” and the closure of Elbit Systems, an Israeli-based defense company with several UK factories.
The protesters have also alleged that the prison’s censorship is over, accusing the authorities of withholding mail, calls, and books.
The six prisoners are anticipated to be detained for more than a year before their trial dates, which is well beyond the UK’s six-month pre-trial detention cap.
Qesser Zuhrah, Amu Gib, Heba Muraisi, Teuta Hoxha, and Kamran Ahmed are the prisoners who are on a hunger strike between the ages of 20 and 31. Due to his diabetes, Lewie Chiaramello is on a partial strike, refusing to eat every other day.
For their alleged involvement in break-ins at a Royal Air Force base in Oxfordshire and at the UK subsidiary of Elbit Systems in Filton near Bristol, where equipment was allegedly damaged, were held in five prisons.
The prisoners deny the charges brought against them, including violent disorder and burglary.
In July, Palestine Action received the label “terrorist,” a designation that applies to organizations like ISIL (ISIS). In the three months following the introduction of the ban, more than 1,600 people were arrested in connection with Palestine Action. The court has ruled against the ban.
The pro-Palestinian group holds that the UK government is a toxic perpetrator of Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
Numerous human rights organizations claim that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute a genocide. Israel’s occupation of Gaza was described as a genocide, according to a UN investigation released in September.
The prisoners claim that the Israeli occupation of Gaza has deeply affected them, and that Western governments have morally wronged them with the death toll of more than 70 000. At least 400 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in more than 700 attacks on the besieged enclave, despite a ceasefire reached in October.
They have criticized the Palestinian people in show of support for them because they think world governments have abandoned them.
Amu Gib, who has lost more than 10 kg (22 lbs.) is below the typical range for most health indicators, lamented “a society that imprisons its conscience” in a voice recording from prison.
Low blood pressure, headaches, chest tightness, and shortness of breath are all symptoms of Teuta Hoxha’s strike, which is occurring on its 40th day. Rahma, Teuta’s 17-year-old sister, claims she is “weak” and nauseous and is about to pass away.
Supporters claim that the two detainees who have been holding up food have been refusing food for 45 days, a claim that hasn’t been refuted by authorities.
To protect defendants who have not yet been found guilty, strict custody time limits are established under UK law to prevent them from being held in pre-trial detention for an excessive amount. According to the rules, prosecutions must start proceedings right away.
Pre-trial detention is typically for six months in Britain. Over the statutory maximum, several of the six Palestine Action prisoners have been detained for more than a year without being tried.
More than 50 members of parliament (MPs) have urged Lammy to meet the hunger strikers’ lawyers in addition to the more than 20 000 signatures of the campaign group Avaaz’s petition calling for Justice Secretary David Lammy to step in.
Labour MP John McDonnell told Al Jazeera: “There is a real worry about what the hell is happening right now.” Why don’t we intervene as a government? Why don’t we resolve this issue? There is growing concern that the current circumstance is extremely risky.
More than 800 doctors wrote to the justice secretary on December 18 to say that “without resolution, there is the real and increasingly likely chance that young British citizens will die in prison, having never even been found guilty of an offence.”
The healthcare professionals stated in their letter that 24-hour medical coverage, daily blood tests, and twice-daily assessments were required.
Teuta Hoxha is currently being held at HMP Peterborough prison, where a spokesperson for the prison said all prisoners are treated according to government guidelines and procedures.
We encourage any prisoner to report a specific complaint to the prison, as there are numerous ways to address such concerns, they continued.
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) launched a hunger strike in Northern Ireland in 1981 to demand the reinstatement of their political status, which the British government had ended in 1976.
The prisoners, who were detained at the time, claimed that their actions were politically motivated by a larger conflict known as the Troubles, a violent conflict between republicans seeking unification and unionists who wanted to remain British.
The hunger strike, led by Bobby Sands, who was elected an MP from prison and passed away after 66 days, boosted nationalist support and served as a turning point in the conflict. 12 republican hunger strikers died overall.
Today, some former Irish republican hunger strikers are expressing their support for Palestine Action prisoners.