Massive Fire Engulfs Royal Plastic Factory

A massive fire broke out in the Royal Plastic Factory in the city of Hebron, Palestine, and the flames rose frighteningly high to the extent that the fire was seen from Jordan.

The Royal factory is located in the Bir Haram Ramallah area, north of the city of Hebron, and it is considered a cornerstone of the Palestinian economy, employing nearly a thousand workers.

However, local sources confirmed that ambulances were present in the area searching for any possible damages.

The Civil Defense announced the dispatch of teams and vehicles from the Hebron Civil Defense, Bethlehem, and additional teams from the outskirts of Jerusalem, Jericho, and the Central Support to the site of the fire.

As a dire humanitarian crisis unfolds in the war-battered Gaza Strip, the United Nations humanitarian agency OCHA and the United States separately called to ensure aid reaches the many Palestinians in need.

In the protracted bid to broker a ceasefire nearly five months into the devastating war, Egyptian, Qatari and US mediators have been putting proposals to the parties.

Negotiators are seeking a six-week halt to the fighting and the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel sparked the war.

Several hundred Palestinian detainees held by Israel may also be released under the deal, media reports suggest.

Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani -- whose country hosts Hamas's political leadership and helped broker a one-week truce in November -- met in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron.

There has been huge international pressure for Israel to hold off on sending troops into Rafah, where nearly 1.5 million Palestinian civilians have sought refuge.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stressed that any truce would delay, not prevent, a ground invasion of Rafah in Gaza far south.