Israeli soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in this handout picture released on Dec. 18, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS)
Published December 18, 2023
The U.N. Security Council could vote Monday on a resolution calling for a humanitarian cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, while U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Israel to discuss protecting civilians and Israel’s planning for the next phase of its war against Hamas.
Austin said on X, formerly known as Twitter, after his arrival in Israel that he would also use his talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to “reiterate America’s ironclad commitment to Israel” and enable the flow of aid into Gaza.
The draft Security Council resolution, seen by multiple news agencies, calls for “an urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access.”
Truckloads of aid have been reaching Gaza, and Israel last week opened another crossing for deliveries to enter, but the U.N. humanitarian agency said the 121 trucks that entered Saturday were far below the 500 per day that were carrying aid to Gaza before the war.
A Security Council resolution earlier this month calling for a humanitarian cease-fire failed as the United States used its veto to halt the measure. The U.S. and Israel have argued that a cease-fire would benefit Hamas.
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SOURCE: www.voanews.com
RELATED: Freed Hamas hostages warn of ‘colossal danger’ in Gaza tunnels as they push for cease-fire
The former captives warned about the amount of movement in Hamas’ underground tunnels, where some corridors are large enough to let vehicles pass.IDF
Published December 17, 2023
Former Hamas hostages have warned the Israeli army of the “colossal danger” hidden in Gaza’s 300-mile-long tunnel system — as they called for a new cease-fire deal to free the remaining captives.
Several of the more than 100 hostages who were freed last month met with Israeli officials Saturday night to discuss what they went through in Gaza, the Times of Israel reports.
One former hostage, who was not publicly named, told Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and fellow war cabinet Minister Benny Gantz that their weeks in captivity were spent in fear that they could die any day.
“There’s no time. Every passing day is terrifying,” the freed Israeli said. “You have no idea what kind of monsters we are dealing with.”
The former hostage claimed that Hamas told them that the Israel Defense Forces would employ the infamous “Hannibal Directive” on civilians, a revoked protocol that once allegedly called on troops to prioritize taking out terrorists even if it meant killing a kidnapped soldier.
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SOURCE: www.nypost.com
RELATED: Largest Hamas tunnel so far uncovered near Gaza border, Israeli army says
The Israeli army said on Sunday it had uncovered the biggest Hamas tunnel in the Gaza Strip so far, just a few hundred metres from the heavily fortified Erez border crossing. The discovery raises new questions about how Israeli surveillance missed preparations by Hamas for the militants’ deadly October 7 assault. Read our blog to see how the day’s events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).
Soldiers stand at the entrance of a tunnel reportedly dug by Hamas not far from the Erez crossing in this picture taken during a media tour organised by the Israeli military on December 15, 2023. © Jack Guez, AFP
Published December 17, 2023
- The Israeli military said Sunday it had discovered a large tunnel shaft in Gaza just a few hundred meters (yards) from the heavily fortified Erez crossing and a nearby Israeli military base. The army said Sunday that the tunnel facilitated the transit of vehicles, militants, and supplies in preparation for the October 7 attack.
- At least 12 people were killed in Israeli strikes on the central city of Deir al-Balah on Sunday, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. Witnesses also reported Israeli air and artillery strikes on the southern municipality of Bani Suhaila east of Khan Yunis, the Gaza Strip‘s second city.
- The Kerem Shalom border crossing between Israel and Gaza opened on Sunday for the first time for aid trucks since the outbreak of the war, a spokesperson from the prime minister’s office said.
- A more precise picture of Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel has emerged from social security data, confirming the unprecedented scale of the violence but also challenging some initial testimonies. The final death toll from the attack is now thought to be 695 Israeli civilians, including 36 children, as well as 373 security forces and 71 foreigners, giving a total of 1,139. This excludes five people, among them four Israelis, still listed as missing by the prime minister’s office.
- At least 18,800 people have been killed in Israel‘s ensuing assault on the Gaza Strip and at least 51,000 people injured, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. At least 7,600 people are missing, according to the Hamas media office.
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SOURCE: www.francs24.com
