AP News Digest 7 a.m.

Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EST. Find the AP’s top photos of the day in Today’s Photo Collection. For up-to-the-minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan in AP Newsroom.

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WEEKEND COVERAGE

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For weekend stories, please click here for the Weekend Lookahead digest.

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TOP STORIES

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SOUTH KOREA-PLANE FIRE — South Korean officials say a passenger plane burst into flames after it skidded off a runway at an airport and slammed into a concrete fence. Its front landing gear had apparently failed to deploy. At least 177 people died, making it one of the country’s worst aviation disasters. Two people were rescued after the accident involving a Jeju Air passenger plane carrying 181 people to the town of Muan, about 180 miles south of Seoul. By Hyung-jin Kim and Kim Tom-hyung. SENT: 960 words, photos, videos.

MIDEAST-WARS — A Palestinian woman was shot and killed in her home in the volatile northern West Bank town of Jenin, where the Palestinian Authority is carrying out a rare campaign against militants. The family of the 22-year-old journalism student said she was killed by a sniper with the Palestinian security forces while she was with her mother and two small children. Separately, a fourth infant has died of hypothermia in the Gaza Strip, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by nearly 15 months of war are huddled in tents along the rainy, windswept coast. By Majdi Mohammed and Wafaa Shurafa. SENT: 700 words, photo.

MAGA-TECH-IMMIGRATION — President-elect Donald Trump appears to be siding with Elon Musk and his other backers in the tech industry as a dispute over immigration visas has divided his supporters. Trump, in an interview with the New York Post, praised the use of visas to bring skilled foreign workers to the U.S. The issue has become a flashpoint among his conservative base. By Michelle L. Price. SENT: 340 words, photo, audio.

SEVERE-WEATHER — At least two people were killed and six more injured as several tornadoes touched down in Texas and Mississippi, damaging homes and flipping vehicles as the storm system moved east across Alabama early Sunday. The National Weather Service issued severe thunder storm warnings with the possibility of tornadoes in western Georgia and the northwestern tip of Florida directly above the Gulf of Mexico. SENT: 440 words, photos.

RUSSIA-PUTIN’S YEAR — The year 2024 saw President Vladimir Putin further cement his power as he sought to counter Russia’s isolation over the war in Ukraine. He won a fifth term that will keep him in office until 2030 following an election with only token opposition. He tightened a political crackdown on Russian society, and his top opponent, Alexei Navalny, died in prison under still unknown circumstances. But gunmen massacred scores of people in a Moscow concert hall and a bomb killed a top general in attacks that underscored security flaws. SENT: 1,070 words, photos. With RUSSIA-AZERBAIJAN-PLANE CRASH — Putin apologizes for “tragic incident” but stops short of saying Azerbaijani plane was shot down — SENT.

BOLIVIA-MORALES’-COMEBACK — Bolivia will elect a new president in August and a fight is already looming between two adversaries: the country’s former leader, Evo Morales, and his onetime ally turned rival, President Luis Arce. The fight is over which one of them will lead their long-dominant leftist bloc into the election. The 65-year-old former president faces possible arrest and is still reeling from an alleged assassination attempt. Morales has not set foot beyond his political stronghold in the coca-growing Chapare region, where he has been holed up for months. By Isabel Debre and Juan Karita. SENT: 1,140 words, photos.

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MIDEAST WARS

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SYRIA-JEWS — Syria’s civil war left one of the world’s oldest synagogues partially destroyed. Now Syria’s handful of remaining Jews are making pilgrimages to the synagogue in a Damascus suburb where people from throughout the region once came to pray. SENT: 940 words, photos, video.

ISRAEL-NETANYAHU — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to have his prostate removed, according to his office. The procedure Sunday comes at a turbulent time for the Israeli leader, as he manages the war in Gaza, escalating regional tensions, and his corruption trial. SENT: 870 words, photo.

MIDEAST-WARS-SYRIA — Syria’s embassy in Lebanon has suspended consular services a day after two relatives of deposed Syrian President Bashar Assad were arrested at the Beirut airport with allegedly forged passports. SENT: 650 words, photos.

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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RUSSIA-AZERBAIJAN-PLANE-CRASH — Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a “tragic incident” following the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people. SENT: 730 words, photos, audio.

RUSSIA-MOLDOVA-GAS — Russia’s state-owned energy giant Gazprom says it will halt gas supplies to Moldova starting on Jan. 1, citing alleged unpaid debt by the east European country. SENT: 590 words, photo.

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MORE NEWS

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SNOOP’S-BOWL — Snoop Dogg thrills the football crowd in the bowl that bears his name. SENT: 620 words, photos.

OBIT-DAYLE-HADDON — Trailblazing model Dayle Haddon dies from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning. SENT: 420 words, photos.

MAVERICKS-DONCIC-BURGLARY — Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is the latest pro athlete whose home was burglarized, business manager says. SENT: 260 words, photo.

SPURS-WEMBANYAMA-CHESS — Victor Wembanyama plays one-on-one chess with fans in New York. SENT: 310 words, photos.

SASQUATCH-SEARCH-DEATHS — Two Oregon men died from exposure in a forest after they went out to look for Sasquatch. SENT: 170 words.

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WASHINGTON/ POLITICS

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NON-CITIZEN-VOTING-KANSAS — Republicans made voting by noncitizens a centerpiece of their 2024 campaign messaging and plan to push legislation in the new Congress for voters to require proof of U.S. citizenship. Yet there’s one place with a GOP-supermajority where linking voting to citizenship appears to be a non-starter: Kansas. The state imposed a proof-of-citizenship requirement over a decade ago that grew into one of the biggest political fiascos in the state in recent memory. UPCOMING: 1,260 words, photos by 9 a.m.

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NATIONAL

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TRAIN-FIRE-TRUCK-COLLISION — Three firefighters and a dozen passengers have been injured in Florida after a fire truck drove around the crossing arms into the path of a high-speed passenger train after waiting for a freight train to pass. SENT: 610 words, photos, video, audio.

NOROVIRUS-INFECTIONS-THINGS-TO-KNOW — The latest government data shows that cases of a fast-spreading stomach bug are surging in parts of the United States. The most recent numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show there were 91 outbreaks of norovirus reported during the week of Dec. 5. SENT: 470 words, photo.

OBIT-CHARLES-DOLAN — Charles F. Dolan, who founded some of the most prominent U.S. media companies including Home Box Office Inc. and Cablevision Systems Corp., has died at age 98. SENT: 350 words, photo.

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INTERNATIONAL

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GEORGIA-POLITICS — Former soccer player Mikheil Kavelashvili was formally inaugurated as president of Georgia, cementing the ruling party’s grip in what the opposition calls a blow to the country’s EU aspirations and a victory for former imperial ruler Russia. SENT: 270 words, photos.

MIGRATION-FRANCE — At least three migrants have died while attempting to cross the English Channel to Britain from northern France, authorities said. Rescuers aided 45 people stranded in the water and on the beach during the chaotic crossing near Sangatte, with four hospitalized. SENT: 200 words.

CROATIA-PRESIDENTIAL-ELECTION — Croatia’s left-leaning president, an outspoken critic of Western military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, is running for reelection in the Adriatic Sea state, but is unlikely to get an outright majority in the first round of voting on Sunday. SENT: 390 words, photos.

CHAD-ELECTION — Chadians voted Sunday in a parliamentary and regional election that will end a three-year transitional period from military rule but which the main opposition is boycotting after accusing authorities of not overseeing a credible electoral process. SENT: 440 words.

NORTH KOREA-US — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says he will implement the “toughest” anti-U.S. policy, less than a month before Donald Trump takes office as U.S. president. SENT: 480 words, photo.

BELGIUM-ELECTRONIC-CIGARETTES — Belgium will ban the sale of disposable electronic cigarettes as of Jan. 1 on health and environmental grounds in a groundbreaking move for European Union nations. SENT: 360 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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T25-COLORADO-GOODBYE — On the scoreboard, Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders went out with a whimper at Colorado. But their lasting impact in Boulder, both on the field and off, was probably immeasurable. Hunter and Shedeur Sanders are both expected to be picked high in the NFL draft next spring. SENT: 840 words, photos.

INDEPENDENCE-BOWL — Bryson Daily broke the FBS record for touchdowns by a quarterback in a season with 32, running for three scores in No. 19 Army’s 27-6 victory over Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl. SENT: 310 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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India's Jasprit Bumrah celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of Australia's Travis Head during play on the day four of the fourth cricket test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Metal roofing sheets are seen on trees after strong thunderstorms pass through the Greater Houston region, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Porter Heights. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Ethiopian Orthodox Christians pray during celebrations marking St. Gabriel's annual feast, in the West Bank city of Jericho, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Syria's de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, oreground left, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, meets with Walid Ellafi, right, Libyan minister of state for communication and political affairs, in the presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Israelis protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Imam Islam Abu Suaied prays over the bodies of two babies before their burial at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. One baby died at birth, while the other, 20-day-old Jomaa al-Batran, succumbed to hypothermia. According to local health officials, at least three other babies in Gaza have died from the cold in recent weeks.(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Firefighters and rescue team members work near the wreckage of a passenger plane at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Firefighters and rescue team members work at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Cho Nam-soo/Yonhap via AP)

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes killed at least 12 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, officials said Wednesday, as the nearly 15-month war ground on into the new year.

One strike hit a home in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza, the most isolated and heavily destroyed part of the territory, where Israel has waged a major operation since early October. Gaza’s Health Ministry said seven people were killed, including a woman and four children, and at least a dozen other people were wounded.

Another strike overnight in the built-up Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza killed a woman and a child, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies.

“Are you celebrating? Enjoy as we die. For a year and a half, we have been dying,” said a man carrying the body of a child in the flashing lights of emergency vehicles.

Israel's military said militants fired rockets at Israel from the Bureij area overnight and that its forces responded with a strike targeting a militant. The military also issued evacuation orders for the area.

A third strike in the southern city of Khan Younis killed three people, according to Nasser Hospital and the European Hospital, which received the bodies.

The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and abducting around 250. About 100 hostages are still held in Gaza, at least a third believed to be dead.

Israel’s air and ground offensive has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It says women and children make up more than half the dead but does not say how many of those killed were militants.

The Israeli military says it only targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because its fighters operate in dense residential areas. The army says it has killed 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

The war has caused widespread destruction and displaced some 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, many of them multiple times.

Hundreds of thousands live in tents on the coast as winter brings frequent rainstorms and temperatures drop below 10 degrees Celsius (50 F) at night. At least six infants and another person have died of hypothermia, according to the Health Ministry.

Many displaced Palestinians in central Gaza rely on charity kitchens as their sole food provider amid restrictions on aid and skyrocketing prices. AP footage showed a long line of children waiting for rice, the only item served at the kitchen in Deir al-Balah on Wednesday.

“Some of those kitchens close because they don’t receive aid, and others distribute little amounts of food and its not enough,” said Umm Adham Shaheen, displaced from Gaza City.

American and Arab mediators have spent nearly a year trying to broker a ceasefire and hostage release, but those efforts have repeatedly stalled. Hamas has demanded a lasting truce, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu has vowed to keep fighting until “total victory."

More than 82,000 Israelis moved abroad in 2024 and 33,000 people immigrated to the country, Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics said. Another 23,000 Israelis returned after long periods abroad.

It was the second straight year of net departures, a rare occurrence in the history of the country that actively encourages Jewish immigration. Many Israelis, looking for a break from the war, have moved abroad, leading to concern about whether it will drive a “brain drain” in sectors like medicine and technology.

Last year, 15,000 fewer people immigrated to Israel than in 2023.

In a separate development, Israel's military blamed “operational burnout” and a “weakening of discipline and safety” in the killing of a 70-year-old archaeologist in southern Lebanon in November along with a soldier while visiting a combat zone.

According to Israeli media reports, Zeev Erlich was not on active duty but was wearing a military uniform and had a weapon. The army said he was a reservist and identified him as a “fallen soldier” when it announced his death.

Erlich was a well-known West Bank settler and researcher of Jewish history. Media reports have said he entered Lebanon to explore an archaeological site.

The military launched an investigation after the two were killed in a Hezbollah ambush. A separate probe is looking into who allowed Erlich to enter. The family of the soldier who was killed with him has expressed anger over the circumstances.

The military said the entry of civilians who are not military contractors or journalists into combat zones is not widespread. Still, there have been multiple reports of Israeli civilians who support a permanent Israeli presence in Gaza or Lebanon entering those areas.

Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Tia Goldenberg in Jerusalem contributed.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

An israeli army vehicle is seen near the Israeli-Gaza border, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Smoke rises following an explosion in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025.(AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

An israeli army vehicle near the Israeli-Gaza border, drives beside a banner reading " Bring them home now" call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Smoke rises following an explosion in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

The uncle of 8-year-old Adam Farajallah grieves over his body after it was brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital following an airstrike on a house in the Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip town of Deir al-Balah Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The body of 8-year-old Adam Farajallah is brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital following an airstrike on a house in the Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip town of Deir al-Balah, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A man reacts in grief as the body of 8-year-old Adam Farajallah is brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital following an airstrike on a house in the Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip town of Deir al-Balah Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The body of a victim of an Israeli army strike on a house in the Bureij refugee camp is carried for the funeral at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza Strip town of Deir al-Balah Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A man warms himself by a small fire inside a makeshift tent following overnight rainfall at the refugee tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinian children carry buckets of water after overnight rainfall at the refugee tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Manal Lubbad, a 49-year-old mother of eight and a displaced woman from Gaza City, tries to clean her flooded tent after heavy overnight rainfall at the refugee tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Nabil Lubbad tries to clean his family's flooded tent after heavy overnight rainfall at the refugee tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A young girl walks barefoot, carrying empty jerrycans to collect water, after overnight rainfall at the refugee tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip,, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

People walk along the beach next to a tent refugee camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Dec .30, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Israeli soldiers board an armored vehicle to enter the Gaza Strip at the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

An Israeli soldier adjusts his night vision goggles as his unit prepares to enter the Gaza Strip at the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

An Israeli soldier walks through a staging area as his unit prepares to enter the Gaza Strip at the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Israeli soldiers prepare to be deployed to the Gaza Strip near the Israeli-Gaza border in southern Israel, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Israeli soldiers light a candle on the seventh night of Hanukkah before being deployed to the Gaza Strip near the Israeli-Gaza border in southern Israel, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Brothers Belal, 5, and Mohammed Hamad, 7, collect water from their flooded family tent after overnight rainfall at the refugee tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A boy walks barefoot through the mud after overnight rainfall at the refugee tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Manal Lubbad, a 49-year-old mother of eight and a displaced woman from Gaza City, tries to clean her flooded tent after heavy overnight rainfall at the refugee tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)