CTV National News | Dec. 26, 2023: Israel predicts months of war despite death toll

Tonight, a new battle zone in central Gaza. Israeli forces bombard urban refugee camps. The growing mass graves for Palestinian bodies in a war far from over. There's pressure on both sides to resolve this and to take care of the enormous humanitarian disaster. The vow to crush Hamas as international pressure grows for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. A Russian warship... bombed by Ukraine. And a train station filled with civilians hit by Russia. Plus, a martial artist masters mind over matter. I said, no, I'm not going to let this define me. I'm not going to let this be who I am. Facing the fight of his life against Parkinson's disease. CTV National News with Omar Sachedina reporting tonight, Mirella Fernandez. Good evening. First, it was the north, then the south. Now, the Israeli military is targeting central Gaza, striking refugee camps in an intense bombing campaign. Fire! Israel says there is a Hamas training camp in the area. The region has been home to about 60,000 Palestinians already displaced from the north. And today, Israel returned the bodies of 80 unidentified Palestinians to Gaza. The remains being buried in a mass grave in Rafah. They add to a death toll now nearing 21,000 as Israel responds to the murder of about 1,200 of its citizens by Hamas in October. CTV's Sarah Plowman starts us off tonight. Smoke fills Gaza's skyline as Israel expands its ground operations into central Gaza. Prompting evacuations for thousands of people. We were displaced, this woman says, bombed by aircraft as they fled a camp in central Gaza. Despite growing pressure for a ceasefire, Israel says the war will go on for many months. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued another warning to Hamas. We see you and we will get you, he says. While in Beirut, a senior Hamas official accused the U.S. of hypocrisy in its support of Israel. He also said several countries have reached out to broker a ceasefire and an exchange of hostages. Meanwhile, in Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp, Palestinians struggle to find clean water. Some add chlorine. It's the only option, this man says. As the humanitarian crisis worsens, Israel is no longer granting automatic visas to United Nations employees. In failing to condemn Hamas for hijacking aid and failing to condemn it for waging war out of hospitals, they have been complicit partners in Hamas' human shield strategy. Egypt has put forward a ceasefire plan Egypt has put forward a ceasefire plan. This former Canadian forces commander notes the U.S. is key. The United States is the sole nation that can put sufficient pressure on Israel to let up a bit. A top Israeli official is in Washington today meeting with senior U.S. officials. A U.S. spokesperson says the talks will focus on matters related to the conflict in Gaza and the return of hostages held by Hamas. Morella. CTV's Sarah Plowman. So with the Middle East, the U.S. launched airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia groups in Iraq. At least one militant was killed and 18 others were injured. The airstrikes ordered by the U.S. President Joe Biden in retaliation for an attack Christmas Day at Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq. U.S. officials say the Iranian-linked militants used an attack drone injuring three U.S. troops. One was in critical but is now in stable condition and has been transferred to a hospital in Germany. This is very prevalent amongst the Iranians. It's how they conduct business, and it's very messy because they're using forces that sometimes don't actually take direct orders, but ultimately it's to push back against the influence of the United States. In a statement, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said he and U.S. President Biden will not hesitate to take necessary action to defend the U.S., its troops, and its interests. There is no higher priority. The Globe and Mail is reporting Ottawa is ready to offer the two Michaels millions of dollars in compensation for their time spent in prison in China. Citing confidential sources, the Globe says Michaels Spavor and Michael Kovrig have been offered about $3 million each. The men were arrested in 2018, shortly after Canada detained Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver. The Michaels were held for more than a thousand days. Their detention seen as retaliation by Beijing. Compensation still has to be worked out for Quebec's public sector workers. Negotiations picked up again today after a break for Christmas. There are some tentative agreements in place, but without a deal on pay, Quebec could start 2024 facing a general public sector strike by hundreds of thousands of workers. CTV's Kelly Gregg reports. The picket lines in Quebec have been here for over a month. And now the provincial government is facing the prospect of starting 2024 with more strikes. Legault doesn't want to start a new year with all those problems. At one point, over half a million Quebecers were on strike. Both the province and the unions repeatedly said they wanted a new contract by Christmas, but were prepared to go longer. We're ready if it goes after Christmas. We're ready with a general strike. The premier himself said at the beginning of December it was out of hand. It's unreasonable, unacceptable for our children not to be at school right now. Please, we have to help our children. Then doubled down, saying he expected students to be back in class. That was on December 13th. According to long-time union rep Marc Rangier, the premier's declarations haven't been helping. A few times when he went public, we saw the impact on the bargaining table. Now, with the Christmas deadline passed, many are hoping for deals by the new year. Polls have shown more than half of Quebecers support the teachers' strike, but Rangier doesn't. Leaders of one of the major unions, known as the Common Front, threatened a general unlimited strike if no deal is reached by the new year. If that happens, it means more teachers would be on the picket line and all public schools in Quebec would be closed. Kelly Gregg, CTV News. The ongoing strikes and inflation did not stop shoppers in Quebec from looking for the best deals this Boxing Day. Many Canadians are changing their buying habits because of rising costs. It's not what it used to be, where people were like, oh, I would never buy second-hand as a gift. People are appreciating it more. In the capital, malls and shopping centres were packed with bargain hunters on typically one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Savings has been the mantra, as Canadians take a hard look at their budgets. CTV's Hafsa Arif on how people in Halifax are trying to score deals on everyday essentials. It's a pursuit of budget-friendly grocery options that brings Nova Scotians to Gateway Meat Market. As the cost of living continues to climb, shoppers are feeling the pinch and seeking ways to stretch their dollars. Grocers have gone up so much that there's things I'll just do without instead of getting them in the grocery store. Nancy Shaw lives in Yarmouth. She's visiting Halifax for the holidays. Whenever Shaw comes to the city, she buys in bulk. I stock up on things that, I mean, carrots, 47 cents for two pounds. In the grocery store, you're going to pay at least $3. Gateway buys groceries directly from distributors, which they say helps keep prices low. We have had queues outside, down the street, down the sidewalk, on our busier days for people to get in. They're having to expand their store to make room for more customers. So that's currently up with city council right now to get approval to make a bigger store. The president and CEO of the Atlantic Economic Council believes conditions will stabilize in 2024. I would say stable in terms of interest rates, stable in terms of employment, getting more stability around price increases as well. Cost is ridiculous wherever you go. That's why we come here. Shoppers admit to hopping from store to store, comparing prices for the best bargains. I have to shop around. I go to Walmart, different stores, but I always find Gateway has always got deals on. So this is probably my go-to store here. Some are even taking a closer look at their grocery list and making cuts where they can. We definitely are a lot more careful when we're picking out groceries that we would normally pick out. We try and use coupons where we can, points where we can. A community weathering economic shifts as they navigate expensive costs. Hufsa RFC-TV News, Dartmouth. A family in the U.S. had some scary moments this holiday season. It was 6-year-old Casper's first time flying solo. He was going from Philadelphia to Fort Myers, Florida to meet his grandmother. Maria Ramos was at the airport to meet him, but he never arrived. They told me, no, he's not in this flight. He missed his flight. I said, no, he could not miss his flight because I have the check-in tag. Sometime later, she got a call from Casper. He said, yes, I'm here. I land, I'm in the airport. I said, give me a door. He said, I don't have nobody with me. Turns out he was over 200 kilometers away in Orlando. He was put on the wrong flight. Spirit Airlines apologized and compensated the family for the drive to Orlando. Team Canada got off to a great start in the country's bid for a third straight World Junior Hockey Championship. Picked up by Danielson. Trying to throw it back in front. He does. Alive scores. Canada beat Finland 5-2 in its opening game at the tournament in Sweden. It was obviously really exciting. Definitely some chills going out there. We got a lot of support from Canadians, lots of Canadians in the stands. That was pretty cool. We handled some of the nerves and the expectations early on for a young group that's never experienced this. I think we take that positive. And then the other expectation is, you know, when we feel like we're losing our game, we've got to find a way to quickly get back to it. They play their next game against Latvia tomorrow afternoon. Coming up, hit hard. Ukraine delivers a dramatic blow to the Kremlin's Black Sea fleet. Plus, a nerve-wracking robbery gets close to home. Ukrainian warplanes launched a stunning blow to Russia today, blasting one of its ships docked at a base in Crimea. This video captured the moment of impact. Ukraine says the ship, carrying ammunition and possibly drones, was destroyed. Also today, Russia shelled a train station in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, killing a policeman and injuring four others. The city was captured by Russia at the start of the war, but later retaken by Ukraine. The war in Ukraine will be headed into its third year in early 2024. It's a crucial time as U.S. and NATO's pledge to support Kiev as long as it takes is now at serious risk. Now with number seven in our top ten stories of the year, here's CTV's Joy Melvin. With the delivery of new tanks and weapons for Ukraine, the year began with great optimism. But months later, with hopes of driving out the Russians, the front lines have barely budged. Missiles still rain down on homes and villages, intense fighting killing thousands, even as Ukraine claws back territory. And uncertainty over military funding hangs over this slow, grinding, and bloody war. The question is, can the Ukrainians now, having run a counter-offensive, dig in, receive the Russian blow without breaking? The Russians are feeling their oats a bit. They've moved to a full-throated war economy, so they are in this to win it. For Russia's President Vladimir Putin, it's what he's been waiting for. Despite staggering losses of his soldiers on the battlefield, new alliances keep him in the fight. Ammunition from North Korea's Kim Jong-un, weaponized drones from Iran have given Russia an edge. It's a remarkable turnaround for Putin, indicted as a war criminal by the international community for forcibly taking Ukrainian children. And in June, as tanks moved on Moscow, Putin faced down a rebellion many thought would crush his grip on power. The revolt led by longtime ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose private army fought some of Putin's bloodiest battles, using prisoners he recruited, promising them pardons and freedom. But the resistance fizzled in a day. Soon after, Prigozhin's private plane exploded mysteriously in midair. Meanwhile, the West and Europe insist they remain committed to Ukraine and its embattled president, Vladimir Zelensky. Welcomed in Canada, home to many Ukrainians, with a pledge of millions for tanks, weapons and training for fighter pilots. As for America, U.S. President Joe Biden visited the capital, Kiev, declaring unshakable support, bringing Zelensky to the White House three times. It's great to be at your side once again. We're going to stay at your side. But by year's end, the pot of money was running out. Support seemed shaky, especially among Republicans. What is the end goal here? How long does this go? Until the president can articulate the answer to those questions, I don't know why we would write another blank check. With U.S. politics at play, many believe it's unlikely Putin will do anything before the next presidential election. Should Donald Trump, a self-declared Putin admirer, win in 2024, he's boasted, he'll get a peace deal in 24 hours. Many fear that could mean pulling out of NATO and cutting off U.S. aid altogether. I doubt 2024 will see peace. I think both Russia and Ukraine are determined to fight until 2025. Despite the setbacks, Zelensky's soldiers on. Refusing any suggestion Ukraine will give up land to Russia for peace. In Ukraine, we are fighting for our country and freedom and also in Europe, we say for our freedom and yours. Telling the world not to forget about this war ahead of what promises to be another brutal and painful year for Ukraine. Joy Melvin, CTV News, Washington. It's a painful loss for a California couple robbed just steps from their own front door. Their screams for help were heard on camera. Thieves followed the couple home and robbed them in their own driveway. The family says the husband and wife were followed to several locations before the attack. The thieves getting away with thousands of dollars worth of precious family heirlooms. Straight ahead, holiday Barbie boom. Barbie's always been a big part of my personality and a big part of my childhood and into my adulthood. The blockbuster flick fueling passion for an old favorite. The success of the movie has dramatically grown the Barbie brand, but one Saskatchewan woman is no fly-by fan, she's always adored the doll and her holiday is built around Barbie. CTV's Alison Bamford reports. Every doll has a memory, every ornament has a memory. Ashley Dorland was living in a Barbie world long before the Barbie-verse blew up the big screen. Barbie's always been a big part of my personality and a big part of my childhood and into my adulthood. For Dorland, the doll is synonymous with Christmas and every year since the 90s, she's collected the holiday Barbie and matching ornament for her tree. You know how every Christmas there's an It toy? Well, every Christmas there's also an It Barbie. This Christmas, she's not the only one going pink. This year we went with the big theme of the Barbie. This library in southern Ontario incorporated the doll in its annual Christmas tree decorations. We really love it and it's worth it to see people come in and just want to wander around and look at the trees. The Barbie bandwagon is fueled by the blockbuster hit that became the highest-grossing film of the year. The maker of the Barbie doll, Mattel, saw toy sales boom in the third quarter of 2023, surpassing Wall Street estimates. Barbie in the real world, that's impossible. The fanfare may die off when moviegoers cling to the next big hit that makes its way to theatres but for Dorland, it's a Christmas tradition that will stand the test of time. I think it's really, really important to hang on to those childhood traditions. I will have Barbie up until I'm 80. This will be something I do every year. Alison Bamford, CTV News, Regina. After the break, rolling with the punches. I said, no, I'm not going to let this define me. I'm not going to let this be who I am. A martial artist fighting to win the battle against Parkinson's. A 54-year-old Montreal man stunned competitors by winning two medals at a World Karate Commission tournament in Florida. Neither the crowd nor the judges knew he had a secret, one that should have hindered his effort but ended up helping him do his best. Here's CTV's Rob Lurie. Just another day at the office. For martial artist and real-life action hero, Haskell Garmaze. We train in a Japanese mentality, which is disciplined and strict and rigid. And I like that. He's been doing this for 40 years and now gets a lot of satisfaction passing on his kung fu wisdom to his students. His story is the ultimate triumph of mind over matter. It all started three years ago. Haskell wasn't feeling well. I got up from my kitchen table and I fell down. And I got up a second time and I fell down and I said to my wife, I said, something's wrong, something's not right. He went to the doctor who would later confirm it was Parkinson's disease. He was devastated. Everything I do is physical, from martial arts to weightlifting to training people in gymnastics movements or bodyweight movements to martial arts training to combat training to self-defense to fitness. That's how I've defined my entire life. It was killer. And the first five days were absolutely disastrous. And I get emotional thinking about it. It was three years ago. Haskell thought of one thing he repeatedly tells his students. Get up, don't stay on the mat. I said, no, I'm not going to let this define me. I'm not going to let this be who I am. I live with Parkinson's. But I'm not going to be a victim of Parkinson's. There have been challenges. His muscles get stiff and his fine motor skills are diminished. He needed his wife's help to fix our microphone wire. But interestingly, when he practices martial arts, the symptoms pretty much vanish. Because I built these neural pathways at a young age, I'm able to do these gross motor skills with jumping kicks and throwing guys around. Needing to be challenged, Haskell decided to compete in traditional forms at martial arts tournaments. In February, he won two gold medals at the Provincials. Then at the Nationals in Ottawa, he won four medals. And then at the World Championships in Orlando, he won two bronze against competitors from 16 countries. Nobody in the tournament knew I had Parkinson's. I didn't tell anybody. So the judging with me was not a sympathetic judging, it was impartial. He says he did it to prove to himself, his students, and his daughter that no matter what life throws at you, you can win by not giving up. The biggest fight you're ever going to have, it doesn't matter if it's on the street with an opponent or multiple opponents in the ring, is always going to be yourself. It's always going to be how you face the situation. And he's facing his situation like he always has, head on. Rob Lurie, CTV News. That's a wrap on the day. For Omar and all of us here at CTV National News, thanks for sharing your time with us. Happy Kwanzaa to all those celebrating. Good night, I'll see you tomorrow.