Thursday, December 14, 2023
19:09 GMT — US wants Gaza war to end soon, Israel says it will last 'months'
The United States wants the Israeli war in Gaza to end "as soon as possible," the White House said, after Israel's defence minister told a top US official it would last several months more.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had also discussed Israel moving to "low-intensity operations" against Gaza "in the near future" during his visit to Tel Aviv, White House spokesman John Kirby said.
"I think we all want it to end as soon as possible," Kirby told reporters at a briefing, adding that it "could end today" if Hamas backed down but "that doesn't look likely right now."
Kirby said that Washington was "not dictating terms" to Israel and that the timeline given by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was "consistent" with what Israeli officials had previously said.
19:30 GMT — Israel's flooding Gaza tunnels with saltwater could have 'severe adverse human rights impacts': UN
The UN Human Rights Office warned about Israel's flooding Gaza tunnels with saltwater and said it could lead to "severe" effects.
"Israel’s flooding of tunnels with saltwater could have severe adverse human rights impacts, some long term," it wrote on X.
"Goods indispensable to civilian survival could also be at risk, as well as widespread, long-term and severe environmental damage," it warned.
19:11 GMT — Israel parliament passes new wartime budget
The Israeli parliament passed an amended 2023 budget with new funds for the war in Gaza, following a bitter debate over money for settlements and ultra-Orthodox communities.
The additional fiscal measures, which total around 30 billion shekels ($8 billion), passed with 59 votes in favour and 44 against in the 120-seat parliament.
Of the additional funds, 17 billion shekels are earmarked for supporting Israel's war effort.
The remaining 13.5 billion shekels will support civilians impacted by the conflict.
17:44 GMT — UN: Desecration of religious sites should not be tolerated
Religious sites need to be respected, said the UN on Thursday after footage on social media showed Israeli soldiers performing Jewish rituals inside a mosque in the West Bank city of Jenin.
"The desecration of religious sites should not be tolerated. And so that is against common decency, to say the least," spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. "Religious sites nee d to be respected and cannot be perverted in one way or another".
17:26 GMT — UK: Israeli ambassador's statement 'disappointing'
The UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said he found the Israeli ambassador's statement ruling out a two-state solution "disappointing."
Tzipi Hotovely, Israel's ambassador to the UK, told Sky News Israel would not accept a two-state solution when the war in Gaza ends.
Questioned for the first time as foreign secretary in front of a Lords committee, Cameron was asked whether he thinks she was speaking under instruction from her government.
17:26 GMT — UN warns of 'breakdown of civil order' in Gaza
Hunger and desperation are driving people to seize humanitarian aid being delivered to Gaza, the United Nations said, warning of a "breakdown of civil order".
"Everywhere you go people are desperate, hungry and are terrified," said Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), at a press conference in Geneva.
"We are teetering on the edge of a possible implosion. We might reach our limit. Why? Because there is more and more a breakdown of civil order."
17:20 GMT — Israeli army hits mosque, homes in southern Lebanon
The Israeli army struck several targets in southern Lebanon, including a mosque and homes in areas across the border.
According to the official Lebanese National News Agency (NNA), the Israeli army artillery struck the mosque of Al Jabain town with phosphorus shells.
It also reported that at least one house was struck by an Israeli drone in Aita al Shaab town and another one in Mays al Jabal town.
17:19 GMT — Telecommunications services completely cut off again across Gaza
"We regret to announce that all telecom services in Gaza have been lost due to the ongoing aggression," PalTel said in a statement.
"Gaza is blacked out again," added PalTel, which is the main provider of telecommunications services to Palestinians in Gaza.
It is the sixth time since Oct. 7 that telecom services across the enclave have been cut.
15:13 GMT — Yemen rebels fire missile at cargo ship in Red Sea: US
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels fired a missile at a cargo ship en route to Saudi Arabia but missed, a US official and a private intelligence firm said.
No one was hurt in the incident involving the Maersk Gibraltar, which was sailing from Salalah, Oman to Jeddah, said the Danish shipping giant.
"The crew and vessel is reported safe," Maersk said in a statement, adding that the company was "still working to establish the facts of the incident".
A US official said "we have indications that a missile was fired at the Maersk Gibraltar from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen, and that it hit the water and missed the ship".
15:11 GMT — War will last 'months', says Israeli defence minister
Israel's defence minister has warned that their war on Gaza would last "more than several months" as he met a top US official amid a rift between the allies over mounting civilian casualties.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan arrived in Tel Aviv and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
In their meeting, Gallant warned that Israel's war "will require a period of time - it will last more than several months, but we will win and we will destroy them".
Ahead of his trip, Sullivan had told a Wall Street Journal event he would discuss a timetable to end the war and urge Israeli leaders "to move to a different phase from the kind of high-intensity operations that we see today".
14:42 GMT — Top US official arrives in Israel amid public rift over Gaza
Top White House official Jake Sullivan arrived in Israel amid a public rift over civilian casualties in Gaza more than two months into the Israeli aggression on Gaza.
President Joe Biden's National Security Advisor was greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of talks expected to focus on Israel's military offensive in the Palestinian territory.
A photo shared by the Israeli prime minister's office showed Sullivan and Netanyahu shaking hands in Tel Aviv.
It said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that "an expanded meeting with the members of the war cabinet will be held later".
13:10 GMT — Food trucks being stopped as hunger grows in Gaza — UN
The head of the UN Palestinian Refugee Agency said that hungry people were stopping its aid trucks in Gaza and that it was getting harder to provide aid to people in its shelters because of crowding outside them.
"People are stopping aid trucks, taking the food and eating it straight away," Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA commissioner-general, told journalists at a refugee event in Geneva.
"Hunger has now emerged over the last few weeks and we meet more and more people who haven't eaten for one, two or three days."
13:10 GMT — 179 Palestinians killed in past 24 hours
Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza says 179 Palestinians killed in past 24 hours, bringing total death toll in Gaza since October 7 to 18,787.
The ministry said 50,897 people have also been wounded in the conflict.
12:44 GMT — Israel rejects UN resolution calling for ceasefire in Gaza
Israel has said Tel Aviv would not allow a ceasefire in Gaza at this time, claiming that it will only benefit the Palestinian group Hamas.
A ceasefire can only be reached after Hamas is defeated, said OfIr Gendelman, a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at a press conference, while rejecting a UN resolution that asked Tel Aviv for a ceasefire.
12:43GMT — Only US stands between massacre and ceasefire in Gaza: Turkish FM
Türkiye’s foreign minister blasted the US for blocking UN resolutions for a ceasefire in Gaza.
"It should no longer block any UN ceasefire resolutions," he added, referring to the widely criticized US vetoes of two UN Security Council ceasefire resolutions in October and earlier this month.
The top diplomat also criticized other Western countries for "being complicit" in Israel's attacks. "The way Western countries, which brag about their morals, are complicit in the Gaza massacre points towards the collapse of the current global system," he said.
12:18 GMT — Israeli army orders evacuation of Gaza hospital in 4 hours: Health official
The Israeli army ordered the evacuation of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza in four hours, according to a Palestinian health official.
The hospital in Beit Lahia city is the only remaining health facility in the northern Gaza.
“The [Israeli] occupation has given us four hours to evacuate the hospital on claims that the facility is being used by Hamas for military purposes,” Munir Al Bursh, Director-General of Gaza’s Health Ministry, said in a statement.
12:18 GMT — Israel’s Ben-Gvir shares video of soldiers performing Jewish rituals inside mosque in Jenin
“A prayer performed by our heroic soldiers in a mosque in Jenin,” Ben-Gvir wrote on his Telegram account.
The video shows an Israeli soldier reciting the Shema Yisrael prayer throughout the mosque’s loudspeaker. Another soldier is heard saying that the soldiers are inside a mosque in Jenin.
11:57 GMT - Palestinians killed at Jenin refugee camps
Three Palestinians have been killed in an ongoing Israeli attack on the occupied West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp, the Palestinian health ministry has said.
A young man died from his wounds as a result of the ongoing Israeli "aggression", which raises the death toll to 11 since the operation began on Tuesday, the ministry said in a statement. Two other Palestinians were killed overnight, it added.
The Israeli military has said its troops were operating "to expose explosive devices planted under roads to attack the security forces".
10:06 GMT - Death toll in Israel's army rises amid its Gaza invasion
Another Israeli soldier was killed in clashes with Palestinian resistance fighters in southern Gaza, the army said on Thursday.
A military statement said a soldier from the 179th Reserve Armored Brigade’s 8104th Battalion was killed when an anti-tank missile hit his tank on Wednesday.
Ten Israeli soldiers were killed in clashes with Palestinian resistance fighters in northern Gaza on Wednesday, according to the army.
08:40 GMT - US asks Australia to send warship to Red Sea against Houthi attacks
The US has asked Australia to join a Washington-led maritime task force in the Red Sea to repel the Houthi group's targeting of Israeli vessels, according to local media.
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said Canberra is considering the request by Washington but that the focus is on naval efforts closer to home, local ABC News reported.
"I want to emphasise the focus of our efforts is on our immediate region and the regional presence deployments that we have been engaged in over the last few months," the broadcaster quoted Marles as saying.
07:40 GMT - Qatar commits $50M in Gaza humanitarian aid
Qatar said it pledged $50 million as an initial humanitarian aid package for refugees, displaced persons, the wounded, orphans, and those affected by Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Doha also pledged during its participation in the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva to provide 100 scholarships to Palestinian youths, through the Al Fakhoora program of the Education Above All Foundation.
Qatar has provided nearly 1,500 tons of medical aid, food supplies, and essential necessities, including a field hospital to Gaza, according to the latest figures published by the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
06:22 GMT - US shoots down aerial vehicle launched from Houthi-controlled areas
The United States shot down an aerial vehicle launched from a Houthi-controlled area in response to a call from a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker in the southern Red Sea on Wednesday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said early on Thursday.
The US Navy destroyer Mason shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle launched from Houthi-controlled areas after the group attacked the commercial vessel Ardmore Encounter in skiffs, CENTCOM said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
A pair of missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen that missed the ship, and the Ardmore Encounter was able to proceed without further incident, CENTCOM added.
There were no reported injuries or damage to the vessel and personnel, CENTCOM said.
04:52 GMT - Israel targets Gaza houses, kills dozens of Palestinians
Tragedy unfolds in Gaza as Israeli occupation aircraft unleash a deadly dawn bombing, killing at least 27 Palestinians and leaving a trail of destruction in the city of Rafah.
Local sources reported that Israeli strikes extend to northern and southern Gaza, with casualties reported in Khan Younis.
Homes belonging to the Ashour and Abu Dabaa families become targets — where at least 27 Palestinians were killed — amplifying the toll on civilian lives.
03:48 GMT - UK envoy rules out two-state solution
Israel's ambassador to the UK has ruled out the possibility of a two-state solution to the conflict arising from decades-old Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands, in an interview with Sky News.
"I think it's about time for the world to realise the Oslo paradigm failed on October 7 and we need to build a new one," Tzipi Hotovely said, referring to the day the Palestinian resistance group Hamas launched a cross-fence blitz against Israel.
"Israel knows today and the world should know now that the reason the Oslo accords failed was because the Palestinians never wanted to have a state next to Israel, they want to have a state from the river to the sea," she added. Hotovely asked the interviewer, Mark Austin, why he was "obsessed" with the two-state solution after he asked her whether it was dead.
03:20 GMT - Meeting legitimate aspirations of Palestinians panacea for peace - US
The US has said there can be no lasting peace and security in the Gaza region without meeting the legitimate aspirations of Palestinians, even as US President Biden's administration continues to arm Israel.
"We believe that is not just in the interest of the Palestinian people but in the long-term security interests of the Israeli people," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
The remarks came in response to a question by Anadolu Agency about disagreements between the Biden administration and the Netanyahu regime on post-war Gaza.
02:47 GMT - Jordanian hackers target Israeli military website
Jordanian hackers took over the English page of the official website of the Israeli military, publishing a message in solidarity with the people of Gaza. Access to the website was disrupted following the cyberattack.
''Your arrogance and oppression against our people in Gaza will bring you nothing but fear, death and war—be it in the air, on the ground, or in cyberspace," the message said.
Referring to the hacking of the site, it said ''this is a response to your killing of our innocent people in Gaza, your ugly barbarism, and your dirty actions.''
02:30 GMT - Egypt to increase fuel supply to Gaza
Egypt announced Wednesday that it will increase the volume of fuel sent daily to the Gaza Strip from 129,000 liters to 189,000 liters in accordance with an agreement with Israel.
Egypt is continuing intensive efforts to ensure the entry of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, Diaa Rashwan, the head of Egypt’s State Information Service, said in a statement.
Since Tuesday, relief aid trucks began crossing the Rafah border terminal to the Karem Abu Salem crossing in implementation of an agreement with the Israeli side, he added.
02:12 GMT - Gaza war hits neighbouring Arab economies, could cut GDP 2.3%
The economic cost of Israel's war in besieged Gaza on Arab neighbours Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan could rise to at least $10 billion this year and push more than 230,000 people into poverty, according to a UN study.
Israel's relentless attacks have come as the three Arab countries face a struggle with fiscal pressures, slow growth and steep unemployment, and it has deterred much-needed investment as well as hitting consumption and trade.
The study, commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme, said the cost of the war for the three states in terms of loss of GDP might amount to $10.3 billion or 2.3 percent, and could double if it lasts another six months.
02:00 GMT -Colonel among 10 Israeli soldiers killed in Hamas ambush in Gaza
Israeli media have said that 10 soldiers were killed in an ambush in Gaza City.
The dead include Colonel Itzhak Ben Basat, 44, the most senior officer to have been killed since the ground invasion in Gaza began in late October, and Lieutenant Colonel Tomer Grinberg, commander of the Golani Brigade's 13th Battalion.
Army Radio said troops who were searching a cluster of buildings lost communication with four soldiers who had come under fire, sparking fears of a possible abduction by Hamas fighters.
For our live updates from Wednesday, December 13, click here.
