Tuesday, December 19, 2023
20:20 GMT – At least 50 killed as Israel bombs residential buildings in Gaza
At least 50 Palestinians were killed when Israeli fighter jets struck two residential buildings in Gaza City, according to official news agency Wafa.
Several people remain trapped under the rubble following the attack in the al Rimal neighbourhood, Wafa said, citing local sources.
The Palestinian health ministry has yet to confirm the fatalities.
19:30 GMT – US-formed coalition in Red Sea part of aggression against Palestinians: Yemen's Houthis
The international coalition formed by the US to protect maritime navigation in the Red Sea is part of the aggression against the Palestinian people, the political bureau of Yemen's Houthi group has said in a statement, adding that the coalition contradicts international law.
"Yemen's armed forces don't represent any threat to any country, we only target Israeli ships or ships heading toward Israeli ports", it added.
"We affirm our steadfast position in supporting the Palestinian people until Israel's aggression ends, and siege on the Gaza strip is lifted," the statement reads.
18:45 GMT – US working on UN draft resolution on Gaza aid to resolve outstanding issues
The United States is working with countries on the United Nations Security Council to resolve outstanding issues related to a draft resolution demanding that Israel and Hamas allow aid access to Gaza and set up UN monitoring of the humanitarian assistance delivered, the US State Department has said.
Speaking at a briefing, Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Washington would welcome a resolution that fully supports addressing the humanitarian needs of the people in Gaza, but the details of the text matter.
18:25 GMT – Gaza death toll surpasses 19,600
The Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip mounted to 19,667 since October 7, the health ministry in the enclave said on Tuesday.
Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra added that 52,586 other people were injured in the Israeli onslaught.
"Hospitals in Gaza's south are no longer able to accommodate more injured people," the spokesperson said at a press conference.
17:25 GMT – Israel's Gaza truce to facilitate hostage release – Herzog
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has signalled readiness on the part of the country to enter another foreign-mediated Gaza truce to recover hostages held by Hamas and enable more aid to reach the besieged Palestinian enclave.
"Israel is ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages," Herzog, whose public role is largely ceremonial, told a gathering of ambassadors on Tuesday, according to his office.
"And the responsibility lies fully with (Hamas leader Yahya) Sinwar and (other) Hamas leadership," he said.
05:07 GMT - UN to vote on Gaza aid truce
Israel faced another round of global pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza with a new UN vote and fresh Western diplomatic efforts, although the United States vowed to continue arming its ally.
The UN Security Council was set to convene to weigh a call for a ceasefire in the besieged Palestinian territory, after a previous bid was vetoed by the United States.
UK Foreign Minister David Cameron was also due to meet French and Italian leaders to push for a "sustainable ceasefire" in the conflict, his office said.
04:45 GMT - "My mother was killed by Israeli fire"
An Israeli woman who was freed in a recent prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas said her mother was killed and she was wounded when Israeli forces opened fire on the vehicle in which they were abducted.
In an interview that aired on Israel’s Channel 12, the woman recounted being taken by fighters from the Palestinian group's armed wing the Al Qassam Brigades in a tractor, which came under Israeli fire.
03:35 GMT - Pro-Palestinian rally at New York's Penn Station calls for truce
A pro-Palestinian rally has taken place inside Moynihan Train Hall at New York's Penn Station.
Demonstrators carrying Palestinian flags and banners called for a "Free Palestine" and demanded that the US government support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Police reportedly closed some entrances to the terminal.
Protests have been ongoing since Israel i attacks on Gaza in October, with demonstrators reiterating their calls for the Biden administration to end its support for Tel Aviv.
03:00 GMT - Blinken, in call with Saudi counterpart, condemns Houthis
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has held a call with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in which he condemned attacks by Yemen's Houthi movement on commercial vessels in international waters in the Red Sea, the State Department said.
"The Secretary also condemned continued attacks by the Houthis on commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea and urged cooperation among all partners to uphold maritime security," the State Department said in a statement after the call.
The Houthis have waded into Israel's war on Gaza by attacking vessels in vital shipping lanes and even firing drones and missiles at Israel, more than 1,600 kilometres from their seat of power in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. The Houthi group said it launched a drone attack on two cargo vessels in one of its latest attacks in the region.
02:42 GMT - Raided Gaza hospital not functioning, patients evacuated: WHO
A hospital in northern Gaza that Israeli troops raided is no longer functioning, and patients, including babies, have been evacuated, putting the enclave's collapsing health services in further peril, a World Health Organization official said.
"What we understand is it's not functional anymore," Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative for Gaza, told Reuters news agency.
He said two newborn babies were taken home "to their families and with a description of how to take care of them", while other patients, including infants, were evacuated to Al Ahli and Al Shifa Hospitals.
02:13 GMT - Israel kills girl who lost parents, siblings in previous strike
Israel has killed a girl who lost her parents, all siblings and a leg in a previous air strike, authorities in besieged Gaza said.
The Nasser Medical Complex in the city of Khan Younis in the southern of besieged Gaza was subjected to Israeli artillery shelling overnight, which resulted in the killing of 13-year-old Donia Abu Mohsen, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced.
The ministry said in a brief statement on Telegram that the teenager "was martyred and joined all her family members after the maternity building in Nasser Medical Complex was targeted," it said.
For our live updates from Monday, December 18, click here.
