Israeli officials are discussing other proposals to persuade Hamas to negotiate a new hostage exchange, although the Islamic faction has called for an end to “aggression” in Gaza as an unavoidable condition.
Meanwhile, the United Nations postponed the Security Council vote on the Gaza resolution for the fourth time. At the end of the day of negotiations, the American ambassador said a text had been defined that the US could accept either by voting in favor or by abstaining if presented in its current form.
The vote is expected to take place today unless others object because the resolution has been watered down too much. The call is no longer for a cessation or pause in hostilities, but for steps to enable the delivery of assistance; Instead of giving the UN the exclusive task of inspecting the trucks, let the Secretary General appoint a relief and reconstruction coordinator
1:26 p.m
Israel rams a car in Rafah: three dead, including two minors
Three dead (including two minors) and at least six injured: This is the number of victims of the explosion of a Hyundai jeep that occurred today in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip. This was reported by Yussef al-Najar Hospital in Rafah. Witnesses at the scene add that the vehicle was attacked by the Israeli Air Force and it may have been a “targeted execution.” Israel has not yet issued a statement on this episode. Rafah is the southern city where tens of thousands of people from northern Gaza and other places in the south have sought refuge after the end of the ceasefire that expired earlier this month, after being attacked by the IDF.
1:01 p.m
Moscow: “Putin-Abu Mazen phone call on the conflict in Gaza”
The Russian President Wladimir Putin and the Palestinian president Abu Mazen In a telephone conversation they discussed the conflict in the Middle East. The Kremlin made this known, Tass reports, emphasizing that Putin expressed support for the PNA's efforts, spoke of de-escalation initiatives and promised to continue sending humanitarian aid to Gaza. The Russian President also confirmed the invitation to Abu Mazen to visit Russia at a date to be agreed
(afp) 12.45
Idf: “Gadi Haggai, hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz kidnapped, killed”
Kibbutz Nir Oz near the Strip announced the “killing” of Gadi Haggai, 73 years old, hostage in Gaza. According to the same source, his body is being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Among those still kidnapped in the Palestinian enclave is Haggai's wife, Judith Weinstein (70 years old), injured in the attack on October 7th. Haggai was the father of four children and grandfather of seven grandchildren. The news was confirmed by the IDF
According to the IDF, 73-year-old Gadi Haggai, who was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, was murdered. The terrorist group is still holding her body in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/dGfAKsiZ3Q
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) December 22, 2023
12:10 p.m
TV: “Israel proposes two-week ceasefire for hostages”
Israeli officials are discussing other proposals to persuade Hamas to negotiate a new hostage exchange, although the Islamic faction has called for an end to “aggression” in Gaza as an unavoidable condition. Kan TV reported this, citing sources familiar with the dossier. One of the options currently being explored – and which Hamas is reportedly considering – is a roughly two-week ceasefire in exchange for dozens of hostages. The Islamic faction previously rejected a proposal for a week-long ceasefire in exchange for 40 kidnapped people
11:55 a.m
NYT: “Israel bombs places where it had forced civilians to seek refuge”
Israel bombed areas into which it had pushed civilians in the Gaza Strip to escape the devastation caused by the ground operation launched from Tel Aviv in the Gaza Strip. This is evidenced by visual evidence collected by The New York Times, which analyzed Israel's use of 2,000-pound bombs, about 900 kilograms, in the southern Gaza Strip. They are among the most destructive bombs in Western military arsenals
09:59
CNN: “900-pound bombs in Gaza, not seen since Vietnam”
Israel dropped hundreds of giant bombs in Gaza in the first month of its war, according to an analysis by CNN and artificial intelligence company Synthetaic. Marc Garlasco, a former U.S. defense intelligence analyst and former United Nations war crimes investigator, said the intensity of Israel's bombing of Gaza in the first month was “not seen since Vietnam.” In fact, satellite images from the early days of the war show more than 500 impact craters over 12 meters in diameter, consistent with those left by the 2,000-pound bombs, about 900 kilograms. They are four times heavier than the largest bombs the US dropped on ISIS in Mosul, Iraq
09:34
Israel orders the evacuation of the el-Bureij camp
Israeli military spokesman today issued the order for the immediate evacuation of the el-Bureij refugee camp and five other nearby districts Avichay Adareewho instructed their residents to reach the nearby town for their own safety Dir el-Balah. These instructions mean that the Israeli army will now begin maneuvers in the central part of the Gaza Strip, immediately south of Wadi Gaza. Adraee stated that in the range of Khan Yunis (in the southern part of the Gaza Strip) there is heavy fighting. As a result, traffic on the Sallah e-Din Highway remains blocked. To transport civilians between Dir el-Balah and Rafah (at the southern end of the strip), civilians – Adraee added – can use the coastal road
09:25
Communications and internet services resume in Gaza
Telephone communications and internet services are gradually resuming in Gaza, but not yet in all parts of the Strip. Local sources announced this after the power outage in recent days
09:02
UN: “Half a million people are at risk of dying of hunger in Gaza”
According to a report by various UN organizations and NGOs, more than half a million people in Gaza – a quarter of the population – are at risk of starvation. According to the report's data, the population's difficulty in obtaining food is greater than last year Afghanistan and Yemen in recent years. The report, cited by the Guardian, warns that the threat of famine is “increasing by the day” and blames the famine on inadequate aid to Gaza. The report, published by 23 UN and non-governmental organizations, concluded that Gaza's entire population is in a food crisis and 576,600 people are suffering from “catastrophic” hunger
08:46
Red Crescent: “Members of our staff were beaten and tortured”
“The Israeli occupation authorities have released some members of our teams who were detained at the ambulance center Jabaliah, in the north of the Gaza Strip. Some were beaten and tortured, eight remain in custody.” This is what the Palestinian Red Crescent said on social media. “According to the released team members,” he adds, “residents were asked to contact the rescue station as an emergency doctor.” Point of postponement. The Israeli army then ordered the men taken out for questioning, which was followed by a similar call for the women, who were taken to an unknown location.
08:23
USA: “We were ready to vote on the Gaza resolution”
The United States Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas Greenfield, said that after working “hard and diligently” with Egypt and the United Arab Emirates on the Gaza resolution last week, Washington was ready to “support the draft in its written form.” The New York Times reports on it. It is not clear at this point what could have prevented the vote in the United Nations Security Council for the umpteenth time
08:20
Gaza Health Ministry: “390 deaths in the last 48 hours, over 20,000 since October 7”
In the Israeli attacks of the last 48 hours a Gaza 390 Palestinians were killed and 734 injured. This was announced by the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, bringing the number of victims since October 7 to 20,057 and the number of injured to 53,320.
06:06
UN, half a million people in Gaza without food
A United Nations report finds that more than half a million people, a quarter of the population, are starving in Gaza because not enough food has reached the area since the war broke out more than 10 weeks ago. Arif Husain, chief economist at the World Food Program, said: “Virtually everyone in Gaza is hungry.” He warned that the population “could face full-scale famine within the next six months” if the war between Israel and Hamas reaches the same level continues and food supplies are not restored.
03:03
UN postpones vote on Gaza resolution again
The United Nations Security Council has again postponed the vote on the Gaza resolution. The United States now supports the resolution, but other countries are calling for a stricter text and calling for an urgent cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas. The draft resolution was discussed by council members behind closed doors for over an hour. Because there were significant changes, many MPs said they needed to consult their capitals ahead of today's vote.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters that the United States supports the new text and would support it if it were put to a vote.
00:40
The UN Council met behind closed doors on the issue of Gaza
A closed session of the UN Security Council was held this afternoon at the UN Security Council to try to reach agreement on the resolution allowing the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The New York Times reports on it. The US continues to oppose the measure and it is unlikely that the vote, already postponed on Tuesday and Wednesday, will take place in the next few hours.
11:48 p.m
IDF, 2,000 Hamas militants killed since December 1st
Since the end of the ceasefire on December 1, Israeli forces have killed over 2,000 Hamas fighters in raids and fighting. This was announced by IDF spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari, explaining that it brings the number of Hamas militants killed since the start of the conflict to 8,000, in addition to the thousands killed in the October 7 terrorist attacks.
11:48 p.m
In the US, we do not dictate operating hours
The United States does not dictate “terms and schedules” for Israeli operations in Gaza. This was stated by John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council. The Biden administration has continued to resist calls to support a ceasefire in Gaza. However, US officials said Israel needed to reduce casualties in its operations. Kirby told reporters that the United States wants Israel to move to “lower-intensity operations.” But he made clear that the United States would not dictate “terms and timetables” to the Israeli authorities. “They will decide when and how lower intensity is introduced and what that means,” he said.
11:47 p.m
The director of Gaza's Ministry of Health was injured
Gaza Health Ministry Director General Munir Albroosh and members of his family were injured in an Israeli attack on his sister's home in Jabalia. Haaretz reports on this, adding that Albroosh's daughter was killed in the attack.
07:18
Washington Post: “Netanyahu hoped Egypt would accept displaced people from Gaza due to US pressure”
Benjamin Netanyahu He hoped for further pressure from the USA Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that Egypt welcomes Palestinians from Gaza displaced by the conflict in the Gaza Strip and the hostilities between Israel and Hamas sparked by the terrible attack in Israel on October 7th. The Israeli Prime Minister – wrote the Washington Post – called on Joe Biden to put pressure on Cairo to welcome part of the population of the Palestinian enclave to its territory for the duration of hostilities. An option that Egypt does not consider
(afp)