Live blog: Hamas says it hit 19 Israeli military vehicles across Gaza

Friday, December 8, 2023

1848 GMT — Hamas's armed wing has said that its fighters had targeted a total of 19 Israeli military vehicles across Gaza.

The Al Qassam Brigades said in separate statements on Telegram that they targeted nine Israeli military vehicles in the Shejaiya neighborhood, the eastern Gaza City, with anti-tank shells and other explosive devices.

An earlier statement said the Al Qassam fighters targeted three Israeli military vehicles with its locally produced propelled grenades in the eastern Khan Younis city, and attacked a gathering of Israeli soldiers with an anti-personnel bomb.

It added that it also targeted an Israeli military jeep in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, in northern Gaza, with a tandem propelled grenade, and other six military vehicles with its locally produced propelled grenades.

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1824 GMT — Macron urges Netanyahu to open Gaza crossing

French President Emmanuel Macron urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to open a major crossing to deliver much-needed aid into Gaza.

In a telephone conversation between the two leaders, Macron also spoke of "the need to protect civilians in Gaza and stressed the importance of achieving a lasting ceasefire," the French president's Elysee office said.

Macron further said that "Israel must take the necessary measures to put an end to the violence committed by settlers against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank."

1746 GMT — Hezbollah carries out 8 military attacks against Israeli military sites

In separate statements, the group said the attacks were carried out "in support of the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in Gaza and in solidarity with their courageous and honorable resistance."

In one statement, the Hezbollah said it attacked the Israeli Masgav Am site "with the appropriate weapons."

In another statement, the group reported targeting the Al Raheb site and inflicting a direct hit against it. In a third statement, Hezbollah said it attacked the Ruweisat Al Alam site in the occupied Lebanese Shabaa Farms area with appropriate weapons and achieved direct hits.

1723 GMT — Turkish FM pushes for two-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict

"What we are trying to promote is a permanent two-state solution," Fidan told reporters in Washington.

Fidan, along with his counterparts assigned by a joint Arab-Islamic extraordinary summit last month, is visiting the US to press for a ceasefire in Gaza, which has been under relentless Israeli attacks for over two months.

"The problem is now bigger than the Israelis and the Palestinians themselves. Therefore, we think the regional governments should solve the problem and should act responsibly," said Fidan, underlining the need for a two-state solution to be achieved after a ceasefire in Gaza to avoid another war in the region.

1644 GMT — Israeli army besieges Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza

The Health Ministry in Gaza said the Israeli army is besieging the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza and opening fire towards the hospital.

In a statement, the ministry said the Israeli army snipers are taking positions in the surrounding buildings of the hospital and shooting towards patients' rooms.

"The medical staff and injured people are with no food, water and medical treatment," the statement further read.

1631 GMT — Israel's war on Gaza 'part of the assault to end the Palestinian people as a nation,' says envoy

Israel's war on Gaza is "part of the assault to end the Palestinian people as a nation," Palestine's UN envoy warned amid Tel Aviv's expanding military offensive.

Riyad Mansour dismissed the notion that there is any doubt about Israel's war aims, saying, "Are we supposed to pretend we don't k now the objective is the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, the dispossession, forcible displacement of the Palestinian people when so many Israeli representatives could not refrain from admitting it?"

1558 GMT — Israeli premier rules out Palestinian Authority's rule in Gaza after war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said allowing the Palestinian Authority to rule Gaza after the war is not a solution to the crisis.

Netanyahu said on his X account that Hamas would be eliminated, also rejecting the proposal for the Palestinian Authority to rule Gaza.

1543 GMT — Erdogan urges collective action to hold Israel accountable for 'war crimes'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his call for the international community to act collectively to hold Israel accountable for war crimes.

"The international community should act together to hold Israel accountable for its war crimes," Erdogan said in the meeting with his Kosovar counterpart President Vjosa Osmani in Istanbul.

1526 GMT — Destruction in Gaza 'comparable, if not higher,' to WWII Germany: EU foreign policy chief

The head of EU foreign policy compared widespread destruction caused by Israeli war on Gaza to the devastation of German cities during World War II, saying it could be even "higher."

Josep Borrell said the bombing campaign in the Palestinian enclave was already "one of the most intense in history" and denounced the level of destruction of its cities as "comparable, if not higher, to levels of destruction of German cities during the Second World War."

Borrell also said he hopes Europe will take measures to "stop the violence against Palestinians in the occupied areas," referring to the occupied West Bank and the occupied East Jerusalem. He warned that the recent surge in violence in those areas has allowed an expansion of the Israeli occupation, now "four times greater than it was 30 years ago when the Oslo Accords were signed."

1524 GMT — Humanitarian aid in Gaza at 'high risk' of total collapse: UN

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said humanitarian aid network in Gaza at 'high risk' of total collapse, warning of complete breakdown of public order and pressure for mass displacement to Egypt.

He urged UN Security Council push for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, protection of civilians, urgent delivery of lifesaving aid.

UNRWA's ability to assist, protect people in Gaza "reducing fast" as agency "barely" operates, says Guterres, asking UN General Assembly to take "immediate action."

UN chief underlined that that Hamas attack could never justify "collective punishment" of Palestinians as Israel presses its war on Gaza.

Guterres added that there was no effective protection of civilians in Gaza and that nowhere in Gaza was safe, hours before the UN Security Council was set to vote on a demand for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel's war on Gaza.

1514 GMT — UN vote delayed on demand for Gaza humanitarian ceasefire

A UN Security Council vote on a demand for a humanitarian ceasefire was delayed by several hours until after a planned meeting between Arab ministers and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The 15-member council had been due to vote on a brief draft resolution on Friday morning, but it was delayed at the request of the United Arab Emirates, which put forward the text with the support of Arab and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation states.

To be adopted, a resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the five permanent members — the United States, Russia, China, France or Britain. The US has said it does not support any further action by the council at this time.

1507 GMT — Germany calls on Israel to respect international humanitarian law in Gaza

"It's important that Israel abides by international humanitarian law, and we make that very clear in our discussions with our Israeli partners," German Foreign Ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer told a news conference in Berlin.

Fischer pointed out that southern Gaza has become one of the most densely populated areas, as Israeli authorities earlier ordered Palestinians to move to the south.

"This of course increases the risk of civilian casualties during the military operations. We therefore believe it is particularly important that Israel takes this into account, and avoids civilian suffering," he said.

1459 GMT — Hamas: Israel destroyed historic Gaza mosque

Hamas said on Friday that Israel had bombed Gaza's medieval Omari Mosque causing widespread destruction to the building and calling it a "heinous, barbaric crime."

Photographs carried by local media in Gaza showed massive damage to the mosque, with fallen walls and roofs and a huge crack at the bottom of the stone minaret.

1445 GMT — Hamas condemns Israel over images showing detained Palestinians in underwear

A senior Hamas official accused Israeli forces of carrying out a "heinous crime against innocent civilians" after images of detained Palestinian men stripped to their underwear in Gaza circulated on social media.

Izzat El Reshiq, who is in exile abroad, urged international human rights organisations to intervene to show what happened to the men and help secure their release.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was concerned by the images and that all detainees must be treated with humanity and dignity in accordance with international humanitarian law.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, also criticised Israel, accusing it of "barbarity in the treatment of innocent captives and citizens".

1440 GMT — Gaza death toll surges to 17,487: health ministry

The number of Palestinians killed by Israel's onslaught in Gaza has risen to 17,487, with over 46,480 injured, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said.

Announcing the new figure, ministry spokesman Ashraf Al Qudra said: "Every day we are losing dozens of wounded due to a lack of care and delay in getting them out of Gaza."

Al Qudra said that 70% of victims from the Israeli ground and air attacks were women and children, while the Israeli army still holds 36 detained medical staff, including Mohammad Abu Salmiya, director general of Al Shifa, the largest hospital in Gaza, who was arrested on November 23.

1247 GMT — Six killed in the Israeli military's latest West Bank raid: health officials

Israeli forces stormed into a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank to arrest suspected Palestinians, unleashing fighting with local gunmen in which six Palestinians were killed, health officials said.

Among the dead were a 14-year-old boy and a local commander of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, an offshoot of the nationalist Fatah party, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. Thousands of men poured into the streets for their funeral, chanting with the bodies held aloft.

Israeli undercover forces sneaked into the Faraa camp near the northern town of Tubas on Friday morning and set up sniper positions on top of buildings, residents said. They described Israeli soldiers trading staccato gunfire with Palestinian fighters and young boys throwing stones at armoured vehicles and setting tires on fire in the streets.

1225 GMT — Gaza cannot afford to lose another hospital bed – WHO

Gaza's health system is on its knees and cannot afford to lose another ambulance or a single hospital bed more, the World Health Organization warned.

"The situation is getting more and more horrible by the day... beyond belief, literally," WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told a press briefing in Geneva.

"The health system is on its knees. Gaza cannot afford to lose any more health facilities, another single ambulance, any more hospitals... or even a single hospital bed more."

Lindmeier said children and people are "begging and crying for water."

"We're at that level, where the most normal and basic supplies are not available any more," he said. "Right now the calculation for Gaza is one to two litres of fresh water a day – that's water for everything, not only for drinking. Civilisation is about to break down."

1203 GMT — Four injured as Israeli army fires at mosque in northern Jerusalem

At least four Palestinians were injured by Israeli army gunfire targeting a mosque in northern Jerusalem, according to medical sources.

In a statement, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said that its crews dealt with four injuries from Israeli gunfire in the town of Hizma.

"The Israeli army opened fire at a mosque in the town of Hizma, northern Jerusalem," the official Palestine TV reported, indicating the outbreak of confrontations between dozens of Palestinians and the Israeli army.

1133 GMT — Rockets fired from Gaza fall off Tel Aviv coast: Israeli media

Rockets launched from Gaza fell into the sea off the coast of Tel Aviv, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reported. Warning sirens did not sound before the incident, it added.

"Two missiles were launched from Gaza and fell into the sea, off the coast of Tel Aviv," the Israeli Channel 12 said. "There were no reports of injuries or damage," the channel quoted the Israeli ambulance service as saying.

The Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, confirmed that it fired a missile salvo in response to the “Zionist massacres against civilians.”

0821 GMT — Israel storms refugee camp, kills several Palestinians in West Bank

At least six Palestinians were killed by Israeli army gunfire in the Al-Far'a refugee camp in the northeast of the occupied West Bank.

In a statement, the Palestinian Health Ministry said that “six Palestinians were killed and many others were wounded in the Al-Far’a refugee camp near Tubas.”

With this latest violent incident, the number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli army in the West Bank since Oct. 7 has risen to 271, while 3,250 others were injured, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society also said its crews are dealing with some injuries in the Al-Far’a refugee camp, including a “serious case.” The Israeli army is blocking Red Crescent crews from giving medical aid in the camp, it added.

0737 GMT — Hamas’ armed wing says Israeli soldier held in Gaza killed

An Israeli soldier held in Gaza has been killed in a clash with the Israeli military when it tried to set him free, the armed wing of Hamas said.

The Israeli army’s attempt to reach the captured soldier led to his death and the killing and wounding of several Israeli soldiers, the Al Qassam Brigades said in a statement.

“A special Israeli force was found trying to advance to set free an enemy prisoner,” it said, adding: “Clashes with the Israeli forces led to the killing of the captured soldier Sa'ar Baruch, 25, carrying ID number 207775032.”

“Israeli warplanes intervened and bombed the place with a series of raids to cover their withdrawal,” it added.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on the development.

0702 GMT — Scores of people killed, injured in Israeli bombing of Gaza City

Scores of people have been killed and injured in an Israeli bombing that targeted the Shujaiya neighbourhood of Gaza City, according to the Palestinian media.

The Israeli bombing of several areas in Gaza continued, official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

Israeli attacks are mostly carried out in the eastern areas of Khan Younis and on the beaches of Rafah in southern Gaza, while Israeli warplanes targeted the central areas of Gaza, the agency said.

Israel resumed its military offensive against Gaza on December 1 after the end of a weeklong truce with the Palestinian group, Hamas.

At least 17,177 Palestinians have been killed and more than 46,000 others injured in relentless air and ground attacks on the enclave since October 7 following a cross-border attack by Hamas.

0640 GMT — Two more Israeli soldiers killed in ongoing battles in Gaza

At least two more Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza, bringing the death toll of Israeli soldiers since October 7 to 418, local media reported.

The two soldiers are First Sergeant Kobi Dvash, 41, a reserve soldier in the Armored Corps from Tiberias, and First Sergeant Eyal Meir Berkovitch, 28, from the 699th Battalion of the 551st Brigade from Jerusalem, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation quoted the Israeli army as saying.

0400 GMT — Palestinian Authority works with US on Gaza's postwar plan

The Palestinian Authority is working with US officials on a plan to run besieged Gaza after the war is over, Bloomberg News reported, citing Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh.

The preferred outcome of the conflict would be for Hamas which controls Gaza to become a junior partner under the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), helping to build a new independent state that includes the occupied West Bank, besieged Gaza and East Jerusalem, Ramallah-based Shtayyeh said in an interview to Bloomberg News.

"If they (Hamas) are ready to come to an agreement and accept the political platform of the PLO, then there will be room for talk. Palestinians should not be divided," Shtayyeh said, adding that Israel's aim to fully defeat Hamas is unrealistic.

0032 GMT — Journalists' rights group counts alarming rate of journalists killed in Gaza

A leading organisation representing journalists worldwide has expressed deep concern at the number of media professionals killed around the globe doing their jobs in 2023, with Israel’s war on Gaza claiming more journalists than any conflict in over 30 years.

In its annual count of media worker deaths, the International Federation of Journalists said 94 journalists had been killed so far this year and almost 400 others had been imprisoned.

The group said 68 journalists had been killed covering the war on Gaza since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 — more than one a day and 72 percent of all media deaths worldwide. It said the overwhelming majority of them were Palestinian journalists in Gaza, where Israeli forces continue their air and ground assault.

2315 GMT — Efforts to provide UN aid to millions in Gaza 'in tatters'

The United Nations humanitarian chief has said that efforts to provide food, water and other supplies to millions in Gaza are in tatters.

Martin Griffiths said no place in the territory is safe because the pace of the Israeli military onslaught in southern Gaza is similar to the assault in the north.

"What's happening in Gaza is forcing the people of Gaza to choose where to be and to choose on the basis of violence — and pressure," Griffiths said.

He said trucks with aid are still coming into Gaza through the Rafah crossing from Egypt, but that the UN and its partners are trying to find roads that haven't been mined or destroyed.

Griffiths said the UN has been negotiating for weeks to open the Karem Abu Salem crossing from Israel to allow trucks to go directly to northern Gaza as well as through Rafah and into the south.

"There are some promising signs now that that may be able to open soon," he said.

2300 GMT — US says Israel needs to do more to protect Palestinian civilians

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said there is “a gap” between what Israel pledged to do to protect Palestinian civilians and the results so far since it began intensive bombardment and land invasion of Gaza.

Blinken said that it remains "imperative" that Israel do more to ensure civilians are not killed or wounded. He recalled that Israeli officials had assured him on a visit to Israel last week that "they would take extra precautions to protect civilian life." He said he raised the issue again on Thursday.

"As we stand here almost a week into this campaign in the south and after the end of the humanitarian pause, it is imperative, it remains imperative, that Israel put a premium on civilian protection," Blinken told reporters at a joint news conference in Washington with visiting British Foreign Secretary David Cameron.

"And there does remain a gap between exactly what I said when I was there between the intent to protect civilians and the actual results that we're seeing on the ground," he said.

2256 GMT — Israel agrees to open Karem Abu Salem fence crossing with Gaza

Israel has agreed, at US request, to open Karem Abu Salem fence crossing for only screening and inspection of humanitarian aid delivered into Gaza via Rafah crossing, a senior US official said.

Washington has been discussing with the Israelis for weeks the possible opening of the crossing to speed up the inspection process of the aid trucks. The US official did not give a timeframe on when the crossing would open.

2226 GMT — UAE asks UNSC to vote on Friday on demand for ceasefire

The United Arab Emirates has asked for the UN Security Council to vote on Friday morning on a draft resolution that demands an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Israel's relentless bombardment on Gaza, diplomats said.

To be adopted, a resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the five permanent members — the United States, Russia, China, France or Britain.

The US has said it does not support any further action by the council at this time.

The renewed push for a ceasefire was made by Arab states after UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres made a rare move to formally warn the 15-member Security Council of a global threat from the Gaza war.

For our live updates from Thursday (December 7), click here.