Danish shipping company Maersk said on Friday it was suspending all cargo shipments through the Red Sea after one of its ships was attacked by a missile yesterday, a report said.
“Following the near miss with Maersk Gibraltar yesterday and another attack on a container ship today, we have instructed all Maersk vessels in the area scheduled to transit the Bab al-Mandab Strait to suspend their sailing until further notice.” the company told Portal.
Maersk will reportedly send ships on a detour around Africa instead.
Earlier today, a U.S. defense official told the Associated Press that a ballistic missile fired from Yemen hit a Liberian-flagged cargo ship in the Red Sea near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The official identified the ship in this incident as MSC Palatium III.
Posted by Greg Norman
11:32 a.m., December 15, 2023
Israeli military battles over the ruins of the Hamas leader's home in Gaza
The Israeli Defense Forces said on Friday that its troops and Shin Bet intelligence personnel are fighting Hamas in the neighborhood of Khan Younis, where the terrorist group's Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar has lived in recent years.
“In one of the battles, fighters worked on the ruins of one of the houses where he lived in recent years, which was attacked from the air at the beginning of the war,” the IDF said.
“During the fighting, the fighters discovered a terrorist group coming out of a tunnel shaft and aimed an RPG at them, killing them before they could fire on them,” the IDF added.
Posted by Greg Norman
10:11 a.m., December 15, 2023
According to the IDF, sirens are wailing in Jerusalem
The Israel Defense Forces announced Friday that sirens were wailing in Jerusalem to warn of rocket fire.
“After 70 days of continuous rocket fire across the country, sirens wail in Jerusalem as Shabbat begins,” reads a post on X.
Posted by Greg Norman
10:08 a.m., December 15, 2023
The White House announced that Israel is opening the Kerem Shalom border crossing for humanitarian aid to Gaza
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan announced Friday that he had been informed by Israel that it would “open its border crossing at Kerem Shalom for the direct delivery of humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in Gaza.”
The Kerem Shalom border crossing is located at the southern end of the Gaza Strip.
“We welcome this important step. “President Biden has raised this issue in recent phone calls with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and it was a key topic of discussion during my visit to Israel over the past two days,” Sullivan said in a White House statement.
“The United States remains committed to expanding and sustaining the flow of humanitarian assistance to Gaza,” Sullivan added. “We will continue to work closely with Egypt and other partners in the delivery and distribution of humanitarian assistance through the Rafah border crossing and hope that this new opening will ease congestion and help deliver life-saving assistance to those who urgently need it.” in Gaza.”
Posted by Greg Norman
9:57 a.m., December 15, 2023
Israel reports the deaths of three more soldiers in Gaza
The Israel Defense Forces said on Friday that three more of its soldiers had died during the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
It identified the troops as Sgt. First Class Shay Uriel Pizem, 23, Staff-Sgt.-Maj. Tomer Shlomo Myara, 28, and Sgt. Oz Shmuel Aradi, 19, according to The Jerusalem Post.
All three soldiers died in fighting in the southern Gaza Strip, the Jerusalem Post also reported.
Posted by Greg Norman
9:22 a.m., December 15, 2023
IDF releases video of attack on Hamas “smuggling” sites near Gaza-Egypt border
The Israeli Defense Forces released a video on Friday that appears to show airstrikes on Hamas positions along the Gaza-Egypt border, linked to the terrorist group's “smuggling efforts.”
“Air force fighter jets, helicopter gunships and remotely piloted aircraft… this week destroyed military sites, guard posts, observation posts, weapons depots and command and control rooms of Hamas' general security mechanisms in the border area between Hamas and Egypt,” the IDF said.
“The sites attacked in the Rafah area where Hamas terrorists operated supported Hamas' smuggling efforts and included weapons that endanger IDF soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip and citizens of Israel,” it said.
“Damage to these terrorist infrastructures impacts the terrorist organization’s ability to smuggle additional weapons into the Gaza Strip,” the IDF added.
Posted by Greg Norman
8:50 a.m., December 15, 2023
Maersk disputes claims by Yemen's Houthi rebels that a cargo ship was attacked
Danish shipping company Maersk on Friday denied claims by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels that one of its cargo ships was hit by a drone near the entrance to the Red Sea yesterday.
According to Portal, the Houthis said they conducted a military operation on the Maersk ship and registered a direct hit with a drone.
However, a Maersk spokesperson told the news agency that the Maersk Gibraltar “was not hit.”
The company said yesterday that the ship was attacked by a missile near the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the entrance to the Red Sea while en route from Oman to Saudi Arabia.
Posted by Greg Norman
8:34 a.m., December 15, 2023
Sullivan: Israel intends to avoid civilian deaths and 'we want the results to be consistent with that goal'
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday that Israel aims to avoid civilian casualties in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but the U.S. “wants the results to match that.”
Sullivan spoke at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and the country's war cabinet.
Sullivan said: “Israel selects targets and tries to distinguish between targets that would hit Hamas and those that could cost the lives of innocent civilians.”
“Ultimately, we have always said that Israel's intention is to ensure that it makes these distinctions clearly and sustainably, and we want the results to reflect that,” he added.
Sullivan said the topic was a conversation he had with Netanyahu today and yesterday.
Posted by Greg Norman
8:03 a.m., December 15, 2023
IDF foils Hamas ambush that used dolls, children's backpacks and loudspeakers that made crying sounds
The Israel Defense Forces said Friday it had foiled a “Hamas terror ambush” that used dolls, children's backpacks and loudspeakers that played crying sounds in hopes of luring soldiers into a tunnel.
“The ambush attempted to use dolls and children's backpacks with speakers that played crying sounds. “These were intentionally placed near a tunnel shaft connected to a large network of tunnels,” the IDF said in a statement.
“This network extends to other nearby civilian structures, including a school and a medical clinic. It is also connected to a mosque that houses a Hamas command center equipped with cameras that monitor IDF troops,” the IDF continued. “The command center is connected to the clinic’s power supply.”
The IDF added that “Hamas anti-tank and intelligence positions were also stationed in the area, as well as an extensive explosives network to target IDF troops.”
An image released by the IDF appeared to show some of the items recovered in the reported ambush.
Posted by Greg Norman
7:39 a.m., December 15, 2023
The US lays out a possible plan for the post-war Gaza Strip that could govern after Israel eliminates Hamas
The United States is currently debating what a postwar Gaza Strip might look like, including who would govern the territory should Israel succeed in its military goal of eliminating Hamas.
The White House may consider reactivating Palestinian security forces to run the Gaza Strip, according to a senior US official. Palestinian security forces had previously ruled Gaza but were pushed out by Hamas when it came to power and eventually took over the area.
The proposal, one of several put forward, was the first concrete indicator of Washington's vision for who might govern Gaza after the end of the Israel-Hamas war. It is not clear how the U.S. and Israel differ on the timeline, and both sides agree that fighting could continue for several months.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met on Friday to discuss post-war settlements for Gaza.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted by Lawrence Richard
7:08 a.m., December 15, 2023
Missile fired from Yemen hits second cargo ship in Red Sea, US official says
A U.S. defense official told the Associated Press on Friday that a ballistic missile fired from rebel-held areas in Yemen hit a Liberian-flagged cargo ship in the Red Sea near the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, where there have been numerous attacks in recent days incidents occurred.
The official identified the ship as MSC Palatium III and said it remained unclear whether anyone was injured. The rocket appeared to be aimed at the Al Jasrah, which was set on fire by a projectile earlier on Friday, the official said. Another missile fired in the salvo missed both ships.
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who claimed responsibility this week after further attacks on ships, did not immediately acknowledge either attack.
The Al Jasrah is operated by Germany-based shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, which said no crew members were injured in the attack.
“Hapag-Lloyd will take additional measures to ensure the safety of our crews,” the company said, without elaborating.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted by Greg Norman
6:51 a.m., December 15, 2023
IDF recovers bodies of two soldiers hostage in Gaza
The Israeli Defense Forces announced Friday that they have recovered the bodies of two 19-year-old Israeli soldiers captured by Hamas – Cpl. Nik Beizer and Sgt. Ron Sherman.
The bodies “were recovered from Gaza during operational activities and returned to Israeli territory,” the IDF wrote in a post on missing and returning all hostages home.
Beizer began his military service on April 30 and was working at a base near a Gaza border crossing on October 7 as part of a unit that helps coordinate the flow of goods into the Palestinian enclave, The Times of Israel reports.
“That’s the irony,” his mother, Katy Beizer, previously said, according to The Times of Israel. “Everyone at this base cares about the Palestinians and is committed to ensuring that the people of Gaza can live their lives.”
Sherman's aunt said he wrote to his mother that he “loved her” when his base was attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7, the newspaper also reported.
The announcement of the recovery came after the IDF said on Friday that the body of Elia Toledano, another Israeli hostage, had been recovered by its special forces and also returned to Israel.
Posted by Greg Norman
6:29 a.m., December 15, 2023
UN, human rights and media groups rely on Hamas death toll in 'systematic deception': expert
Media, humanitarian organizations and the United Nations continue to report and rely heavily on death toll data shared by Hamas-run ministries in Gaza, even as they recognize that the numbers are no longer reliable and only represent an “estimate.” , as the Israeli military offensive to destroy the Islamist terrorist group following its October 7 massacre is creating a chaotic and worsening humanitarian crisis in the area.
However, international bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the official Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, as well as many mainstream news outlets around the world, continue to claim that the sensitive and inflammatory data – which is easily a could be another element of Hamas’ war propaganda – can and should be viewed as reliable.
“Western leaders should, of course, be concerned about civilian casualties, but they fail to adequately explain that Hamas is manipulating the numbers and using its people as human shields,” said David Adesnik, senior fellow and research director at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD ), said Fox News Digital.
Posted by Ruth Marks Eglash
6:17 a.m., December 15, 2023
Nikki Haley says Biden's foreign policy is making 'the world less safe'
Former U.N. Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley joined “Hannity” Thursday night to discuss President Biden's foreign policy decisions as the war between Israel and Hamas rages on.
The 2024 presidential candidate said Iran is the reason terrorist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis exist and encouraged the Biden administration to cut all funding to the country.
“This is about preventing war, and Biden is failing miserably at his job and making the world less safe,” Haley said.
Posted by Elizabeth Pritchett
6:16 a.m., December 15, 2023
Senator Cruz Calls Out Vice President Kamala Harris Over Alleged Palestinian Sympathy Efforts: 'Undermining Israel'
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for allegedly pushing President Biden and other administration officials to be more compassionate toward Palestinians.
His comments come after Politico reported Thursday that Harris recently urged members of the Biden administration, including Biden himself, to be more compassionate toward Palestinians and more concerned about the damage in Gaza.
A person close to the vice president's office told the media that the US should start taking “tougher action” against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a statement to Fox News, Cruz said: “Since day one, Biden administration officials have been pathologically obsessed with undermining Israel. Regrettably and annoyingly, this obsession continues after the Hamas atrocities on October 7th. The cost to American and Israeli national security is “catastrophic.”
The source reportedly said that Harris has been “more forceful in seeking long-term peace and a two-state solution.”
Kirsten Allen, Harris's press secretary, told the media: “There is no heart-to-heart between the president and the vice president, and that has never happened.” She added that the vice president and Biden “have made it clear: Israel has the right and responsibility to defend oneself; humanitarian.” Aid supplies must be allowed to flow to Gaza; innocent civilians must be protected; and the United States remains committed to a two-state solution.”
Posted by Fox News
6:11 a.m., December 15, 2023
Body of Israeli man taken hostage by Hamas recovered during Gaza operation: IDF
The body of 28-year-old hostage Elia Toledano was recovered in Gaza and returned to Israel, the Israel Defense Forces said on Friday morning.
Toledano was in attendance at the Nova music festival and was one of many taken hostage by Hamas terrorists during the group's unprecedented attack in Israel on October 7. His body was found by IDF special forces.
Police said they extended “sincere condolences” to Toledano’s family.
“Our national mission is to locate the hostages and return them all home. We are working with security agencies and with all intelligence and operational means to return all hostages home,” the IDF wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Posted by Elizabeth Pritchett