A look at the best news photos from around the world.
December 22, 2023
![A Fire and Rescue helicopter water bombs a line of wildfire above the residential neighborhood of Glencairn, near Simon's Town, South Africa.](https://gdb.voanews.com/01000000-0a00-0242-62fb-08dc0312aa3f_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A Fire and Rescue helicopter water bombs a line of wildfire above the residential neighborhood of Glencairn, near Simon's Town, South Africa.
![A Palestinian boy collects small pieces of debris following Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.](https://gdb.voanews.com/01000000-0aff-0242-fbbd-08dc03128d39_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A Palestinian boy collects small pieces of debris following Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
![Family and friends of Israeli soldier Lt. Yaacov Elian mourn over his grave during his funeral at Kiryat Shaul cemetery in Tel Aviv, Israel.](https://gdb.voanews.com/01000000-0aff-0242-e8fb-08dc0312bc63_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Family and friends of Israeli soldier Lt. Yaacov Elian mourn over his grave during his funeral at Kiryat Shaul cemetery in Tel Aviv, Israel.
![People wearing Santa Claus outfits pose for pictures before their event to hand out gifts and clean up the street to celebrate the Christmas season, in Tokyo, Japan.](https://gdb.voanews.com/01000000-0a00-0242-2575-08dc0312b400_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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People wearing Santa Claus outfits pose for pictures before their event to hand out gifts and clean up the street to celebrate the Christmas season, in Tokyo, Japan.