Live blog: About 8,000 children among 18,800 killed by Israel in Gaza

Friday, December 15, 2023

1955 GMT — The number of Palestinians killed in the ongoing Israeli onslaught on Gaza has reached 18,800, local authorities have said.

According to a statement by the Palestinian Government Media Office in Gaza, 51,000 Palestinians have been wounded by the Israeli army in the besieged enclave since October 7.

The statement also said 8,000 children and 6,200 women were among those killed by Israel.

It noted that the Israeli army has caused "an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe" and immense destruction in Gaza.

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2126 GMT — Pentagon orders US aircraft carrier to remain in Mediterranean near Israel

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and one other warship to remain in the Mediterranean Sea for several more weeks to maintain a two-carrier presence near Israel as its war on besieged Gaza continues, US officials said.

Multiple US officials confirmed the longer deployments approved this week for the Ford and the USS Normandy cruiser on condition of anonymity because they have not yet been made public.

Other ships in the Ford's strike group had already had their deployments extended.

The decision to keep the Ford — the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier — in the region comes as Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, said Thursday it will take months to destroy Hamas, predicting a drawn-out war.

Officials said the plan is to keep the Ford there for several more weeks.

2047 GMT — Israeli killing of captives a 'tragic mistake'

The White House has said the killings of three Israeli captives in besieged Gaza by the Israeli military was a "tragic mistake."

"We don't have perfect visibility on exactly how this operation unfolded and how this tragic mistake was made," spokesperson John Kirby said.

1952 GMT — Palestinian Americans sue Biden admin over relatives stuck in Gaza

Two Palestinian American families have sued the Biden administration, claiming the government has not done as much to evacuate their US relatives stuck in besieged Gaza as it did for Israeli dual nationals.

The State Department says it has helped around 1,300 US Palestinians leave Gaza and escape Israel's retaliatory bombardment - in part by coordinating their exit to neighbouring Egypt with Israeli and Egyptian authorities.

But the United States has not taken steps to organise dedicated flights or otherwise help secure the exit of an estimated 900 US citizens, residents and family members who remain trapped in Gaza, the American families suing the government say.

They say this violates their constitutional rights. "There is more that the US government can do, and they are choosing not to do it for Palestinians," Yasmeen Elagha, who has family stuck in besieged Gaza and helped organise the lawsuit, said in an interview.

The lawsuit accuses the federal government of failing to protect US citizens in an active war zone and denying equal protection to Palestinian Americans, a right under the US Constitution.

The suit seeks to force the government to begin evacuation efforts and secure the safety of its citizens "on equal terms to other noncombatants in the same war zone."

1830 GMT — Israel troops kill 3 hostages mistaking them for 'threat'

The Israeli army has said its troops shot and killed three hostages after "mistakenly" identifying them as a threat.

"During combat in Shejaiya, the IDF (army) mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat. As a result, the troops fired toward them and they were killed," the army said in a statement, expressing "deep remorse over the tragic incident".

Meanwhile, family members of Israeli captives in Gaza rallied near the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv after the announcement of the killings.

Army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israeli soldiers "mistakenly" killed three hostages during fighting in Gaza. He described it as "tragic" and said the army "bears responsibility.”

The Hamas group has yet to comment on the announcement.

1827 GMT — Al Jazeera cameraman killed in Gaza, network confirms

A cameraman for Al Jazeera was killed in southern Gaza, a spokesperson for the Arabic broadcaster has said.

Cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa was injured along with a colleague while covering the bombing of a school, Al Jazeera said in an earlier statement. Rescuers were unable to reach Abu Daqqa to take him for treatment.

“The rescuers just managed to retrieve the cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa’s body,” the spokesperson said.

Al Jazeera said the journalists were hit by a missile fired from a drone in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

1748 GMT — Hezbollah targets Israeli military sites along border areas

Lebanese group Hezbollah has announced the targeting of several sites and gatherings of Israeli soldiers along the southern borders of Lebanon.

The group said in a statement that it “targeted the Israeli military point of the al Jardah off the Lebanese border with Volcano missiles, and it was directly hit.”

In another statement, it pointed out that its members “targeted an Israeli force as it entered the headquarters of the Intelligence Battalion in Metat with appropriate weapons, resulting in casualties among its members, between killed and wounded.”

In a third statement, its fighters “targeted the Israeli site of Blida with appropriate weapons, and it was directly hit.”

1715 GMT — UN refugee chief: Gaza refugee crisis must be prevented

The UN refugee chief has said that a new refugee crisis from Gaza must be prevented, referring to the possibility that hundreds of thousands of people already uprooted by Israel's war on Gaza could flee into Egypt.

"Many more (people) have been displaced into an already impoverished corner of an already tiny sliver of land. That violence must stop," Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said in closing remarks at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva.

"I want to be clear: what is already a massive displacement crisis within Gaza must not turn into yet another refugee crisis," he said.

1647 GMT — Türkiye strongly condemns Israeli attack on Anadolu photojournalist in occupied East Jerusalem

Turkish Communications Director Fahrettin Altun has said that Türkiye strongly condemns Israel’s attacks on journalists in Gaza.

“Israel’s violence against journalists is clearly part of their campaign to silence the international media,” said Altun in a statement.

Altun recalled that “Israel’s merciless attacks” on civilians have resulted in the fatalities of over 60 journalists, with numerous others sustaining severe injuries and some reported missing.

He added that Israeli forces are unwilling to take even the most basic steps to ensure the safety of journalists.

1643 GMT — Multiple rockets intercepted over central Jerusalem

Multiple rockets were intercepted over central Jerusalem, AFP journalists have reported.

Staff saw two explosions and heard three blasts, as sirens warning of incoming fire blared in the city for the first time since October 30, according to the Israeli military.

Hamas's armed wing, Qassam Brigades, said it had fired rockets towards Jerusalem "as a response to the Zionist massacres of civilians".

Paramedics rushed to the scene after the alarm was raised in Jerusalem and nearby Beit Shemesh, the Magen David Adom emergency medical services said.

"No reports of injured as of now," it added.

1633 GMT — Israeli forces arrest 7 Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem

Israeli forces have arrested seven Palestinians from the Wadi al Joz neighbourhood in the occupied East Jerusalem.

The Israeli police said in a statement a joint force of Israeli police and the border police arrested seven Palestinians from Wadi al Joz for allegedly throwing rocks at Israeli forces.

Eyewitnesses, however, told Anadolu that the Israeli police assaulted dozens of Palestinians who performed the Friday prayers in the streets of Jerusalem after being denied entry into the Al Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli police.

1623 GMT — Israel says allows 'temporary' entry of aid into Gaza through new border

Israel approved the "temporary" delivery of aid into Gaza via its Kerem Shalom border crossing, the prime minister's office has said, opening a new route for supplies after weeks of pressure.

Gaza is facing dire humanitarian conditions after more than two months of war, but before Friday's decision, all aid entering the territory had to pass through the Rafah crossing on its border with Egypt.

Israel's cabinet "approved today a temporary measure of unloading the trucks on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing" in order to increase the amount of aid getting into the territory, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

1441 GMT — Denmark repeats call for humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza

Denmark has reiterated its call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza in view of the escalating catastrophic situation there.

Foreign Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen said on X that he is meeting his counterparts in Oslo to discuss the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, adding that there is a need to deliver quick and unhindered humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.

Meanwhile, foreign ministers from the Middle East, the Nordic region and Benelux countries are in Oslo for a high-level meeting on Gaza.

1402 GMT — Gaza 'integral part' of Palestinian state: Abbas

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas has said Gaza is an "integral part" of the Palestinian state during a meeting in Ramallah with a top US official, according to his office.

Abbas told visiting US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan that "Gaza is an integral part of the State of Palestine", his office said, adding that "the president underscored that separation or any attempt to isolate any part of it is unacceptable".

He also said that Israel's attacks on the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza, must stop.

The United States must "intervene to force Israel to stop its aggression against our people in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem," he said.

1400 GMT — Global journalists’ body condemns Israeli attack on Anadolu photojournalist

The head of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the "violent and aggressive" attack on Anadolu photojournalist Mustafa Alkharouf by Israeli forces.


"It's a nightmare. It's a catastrophic situation. So, it's difficult to say more except that we condemn," Anthony Bel langer told Anadolu.

"I watched the video and Mustafa in particular was only doing his job and nothing else, and when I watched the video it was really violent and aggressive," Bellanger said.

1321 GMT — Two Al Jazeera journalists wounded in Gaza missile strike: reporter

Two Al Jazeera journalists, Wael Al Dahdouh and Samer Abu Daqqa, were wounded by a missile fired from a drone in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, their colleague has said.

Dahdouh was injured in his hand and was being treated while Abu Daqqa's whereabouts were unknown, Heba Akila, who was also reporting live from elsewhere in Khan Younis, told the channel's live feed.

1246 GMT — Top US official says not 'right' for Israel to occupy Gaza long term

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said it is not appropriate for Israel to occupy Gaza in the long term, as speculation mounts over the post-war future of the territory.

"We do not believe that it makes sense for Israel, or is right for Israel, to occupy Gaza, reoccupy Gaza over the long term," Sullivan told journalists in Tel Aviv.

"Ultimately the control of Gaza, the administration of Gaza and the security of Gaza has to transition to the Palestinians," he said following meetings with senior Israeli officials.

1155 GMT — Israel heading into world isolation: Erdogan

Israel is now heading towards international isolation, a trend which will only grow in the coming days, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

Speaking to reporters after performing prayers in Istanbul, Erdogan said that during a phone call Thursday with his US counterpart Biden, they extensively discussed developments in Gaza, with Erdogan telling Biden that now is the time for the US to step in.

During the phone call, Erdogan told Biden that Türkiye will not stand idly by in the face of crimes against humanity being committed in Gaza.

1149 GMT — Israeli army has detained 4,420 Palestinians in West Bank, Jerusalem since Oct. 7

The Israeli army has detained 4,420 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since October 7, Palestinian prisoners' affairs groups have said.

In a joint statement, the Palestinian Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority, and the Palestinian Prisoners Society said that the Israeli authorities “arrested 16 citizens at dawn on Friday, which brings the number of detainees in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, to about 4,420 Palestinians since October 7.”

This tally does not include arrests in Gaza, according to the same source.

1109 GMT — Israel heavily injures Anadolu journalist, sending him to hospital

The Israeli army violently attacked Anadolu photojournalist Mustafa Haruf, who was on duty in occupied East Jerusalem, sending him to the hospital.

The incident occurred as a group of Palestinians gathered in the Wadi al Joz neighbourhood near the flashpoint Al Aqsa Mosque to pray, amid restrictions imposed by the Israeli army on Friday prayers at the mosque, restrictions seen for the past 10 weeks.

Israeli police, who set up barricades in the area, first pulled their weapons at Haruf, who was covering the news, and then threw him to the ground, beating and kicking him while he was on the ground.

Haruf suffered severe blows resulting in injuries to his face and body and was transported by ambulance to the Makassed Hospital in occupied East Jerusalem.

Israeli police also attacked cameraman Faiz Abu Ramila, who was with Haruf.

1054 GMT — Britain, partners call on Israel to tackle settler violence

Britain and more than a dozen partner countries including Australia, Canada and France, called on Israel to take immediate and concrete steps to tackle settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

"This rise in extremist settler violence committed against Palestinians is unacceptable," the countries said in a joint statement published by the British government on Friday.

"Proactive steps must now be taken to ensure the effective and immediate protection of Palestinian communities."

1030 GMT — UK's maritime body investigates incident in Bab Al Mandab

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency has said it was investigating a report of an incident in the vicinity of the Bab Al Mandab 30 nautical miles south west of the Yemeni port of Mokha.

The agency had earlier reported two other incidents, one south west of the Yemeni port of Hudaida and the other north of Mokha.

Vessels were advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity.

0945 GMT — Dutch court clears export of F-35 parts to Israel

The Netherlands can continue to deliver parts for F-35 fighter jets being used by Israel in Gaza, after a Dutch court threw out a case brought by a group of human rights organisations.

The district court in The Hague said that supplying the parts was primarily a political decision that judges should not interfere with.

"The considerations that the minister make are to a large extent of a political and policy nature and judges should leave the minister a large amount of freedom," the court ruled.

The organisations, including the local branch of Amnesty International, had argued that supplying the parts contributed to alleged violations of international law by Israel in its war on Gaza.

The US-owned F-35 parts are stored at a warehouse in the Netherlands and then shipped to several partners, including Israel, via existing export agreements.

These parts "make it possible for real bombs to be dropped on real houses and on real families", said Michiel Servaes, director of Oxfam Novib, one of the plaintiffs.

0837 GMT — Yemeni rebels strike cargo ship in Red Sea: US official

A projectile fired from rebel-controlled Yemen hit a cargo ship in the Red Sea, a US official and an intelligence firm have said, in the latest in a series of attacks.

"We are aware that something launched from a Houthi-controlled region of Yemen struck this vessel which was damaged, and there was a report of a fire," the US defence official told AFP.

0645 GMT — Israel hits school in Gaza, causing numerous casualties

At least 12 civilians were killed when the Israeli military targeted a school where displaced Palestinians had sought refuge in southern Gaza.

According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, Israeli forces shelled the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza overnight.

The attack on the school, serving as a shelter for displaced Palestinians, resulted in the death of at least 12 individuals, with 25 more reported injured.

The violence escalated as the night unfolded, with the home of the Palestinian "Abu Nasr" family in western Khan Younis being struck by Israeli forces, claiming the lives of four.

Additionally, reports indicated that Israeli warplanes bombed a civilian residential area near Kuwait Hospital in Rafah, southern Gaza, resulting in a significant number of casualties.

0139 GMT — Israeli leaflets incite Gaza residents to spy on Hamas leaders

The Israeli army has dropped leaflets over besieged Gaza, inciting displaced Palestinians to spy on their leaders and offering financial rewards for information leading to the capture of top figures of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Palestinian activists circulated images online of the leaflets, in which the army incited residents to provide information about Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, and his brother Muhammed Sinwar, a prominent military leader in Hamas’s armed wing Al Qassam Brigades, in addition to Mohammed Deif, the general commander of Al Qassam Brigades, and Rafaa Salameh, who commands the Khan Younis Battalion.

The leaflets, bearing the name and emblem of the Israeli army, said: "People of Gaza, Hamas has lost its strength. The end of Hamas is near."

"For your future, provide information that enables us to apprehend those who have brought destruction to the Strip."

"Those who provide information will receive a financial reward as follows: Yahya Sinwar, $400,000; Muhammed Sinwar, $300,000; Rafaa Salameh, $200,000; Mohammed Deif, $100,000."

The army included contact information and the name of a Telegram account on the leaflets.

0130 GMT — Casualties as Israeli tanks and planes bombard besieged Gaza

Invading Israeli tanks and planes have intensified bombardment of the northern Gaza neighbourhoods of Shejaia, Zeitoun and Daraj as well as Khan Younis in the south of the enclave, residents said.

Four Palestinians, including two children, were killed and several others wounded in an Israeli air strike on a house in Khan Younis in southern Gaza early on Friday, Palestinian health officials said.

Israel has been pounding the 40-kilometre length of Gaza with no sign of a pause in hostilities or a ceasefire that would enable delivery of more desperately needed basic supplies for civilians to survive as their homes have been destroyed.

Israeli forces have besieged the coastal strip and laid much of it to waste, with nearly 19,000 people confirmed dead, according to Palestinian health officials, and thousands more feared buried under the rubble.

2330 GMT — UN urges Israel to allow more access to Gaza as many face starvation

A top official for the UN food agency has urged Israel to allow more access to Gaza and ensure security to deliver desperately needed aid, pointing to a survey during the recent seven-day pause in war that found half the territory's population starving.

Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the World Food Program, told a UN press conference that commercial trucks should also start to return to Gaza where supermarkets and other stores are empty.

This would enable WFP to resume its pre-war cash voucher system which enabled Palestinians in Gaza to buy food and other essentials, he said.

Skau, who visited Gaza over the weekend, said the situation is "increasingly desperate and chaotic," with the UN unable to deliver food to the central or northern parts of Gaza where Israel is conducting military invasion. "The grim reality is also that nine out of 10 people are not eating enough or not eating every day and don't know where the next meal is going to come from," he said.

People are desperate, frustrated and angry, and in Rafah in the south when there are aid deliveries, they try to grab as much as possible, "and this is becoming an increasing problem — that there is a breakdown in law and order," Skau said.

He echoed UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths' warning that the humanitarian operation in Gaza is on the brink of collapse.

2300 GMT — Netanyahu says Red Cross should pressure Hamas into allowing officials to check on captives

Israeli far-right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has argued with the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross during a meeting to discuss the fate of over 100 Israeli captives believed to be in Hamas detention.

Netanyahu called on Mirjana Spoljaric to put more public pressure on Hamas, which has refused to allow the Red Cross to visit the captives or deliver medicines to them.

Spoljaric has publicly called on Hamas to allow visits to the hostages and to release them immediately. She is in Israel meeting the country's leaders and relatives of the captive Israelis.

"You have every avenue, every right and every expectation to place public pressure… on Hamas," Netanyahu said in a video of the meeting released by his office.

"It’s not going to work," Spoljaric replied, saying public pressure would only harden Hamas' positions.

Earlier, Israel's foreign minister, Eli Cohen, said: "If the Red Cross does not carry out its mission of providing life support and giving medicines to the kidnapped, it has no right to exist, and this is our demand from the Red Cross."

2218 GMT — Sullivan discussed shift to low-intensity Gaza war: US official

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has discussed moves to shift Israel's invasion and bombardment on besieged Gaza to lower-intensity attacks focused on high-value targets during his visit to Israel, but it would be "irresponsible" to give specific time frames for such a change, a senior administration official told reporters.

The official said Sullivan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had very detailed discussions about efforts to get remaining captives out of besieged Gaza, and there was broad agreement that the future of Gaza should be Palestine-led.

"There was never an anticipation that there would be major ground clearance operations going on indefinitely," the official said.

Sullivan will sit down with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for talks in Ramallah, according to a senior Biden administration official.

2214 GMT — US Secretary of Defence to head to Middle East on Saturday

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin will travel to the Middle East on Saturday to meet with some of his counterparts, including Israel's defence minister.

"Secretary Austin will travel to the Middle East region on December 16 to meet with leaders in Bahrain, Qatar and Israel," Pentagon spokesman told reporters, adding he is also expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

While meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Ryder said Austin will "underscore the US's enduring support for Israel's right to defend itself from terrorism and reinforce the importance of taking civilian safety into account during operations and the critical need to increase delivery of humanitarian assistance."

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown Jr. will join Austin in Israel for meetings with senior Israeli officials, he said, adding "this will be General Brown's first trip to the Middle East as chairman."

The US continues to expect that Israel will conduct its operations "in accordance with the law" of armed conflict, Ryder stressed. He said the US has seen Israel "taking steps" in terms of notifying civilians about pending attacks and about taking civilians into account in its invasion.

2200 GMT — US Jewish group protests in eight cities for Gaza ceasefire

An anti-Zionism Jewish group demanding a ceasefire in Israel's war in Gaza held protests in eight US cities on the eighth night of Hanukkah, blocking rush hour traffic on busy streets and bridges in Washington and Philadelphia.

In Washington, the group Jewish Voice for Peace said about 90 protesters blocked the overpass to New York Avenue in the northwestern part of the US capital. Police said the demonstration closed the intersection of New York Avenue and North Capitol Street and urged people to use alternate routes.

"On the 8th night of Hanukkah, 8 cities, 8 bridges," Jewish Voice for Peace said on X, formerly called Twitter. "We are here, gathering across the country in massive, growing numbers, to say no more."

Demonstrations also occurred in Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle and Portland, Oregon.

In Philadelphia, about 200 protesters briefly blocked the I-76 highway, and more than 30 arrests were made, a Reuters witness said. Protesters held signs and banners that read: "Let Gaza Live" and "Not in our name."

For our live updates from Thursday, December 14, click here.