Live blog: Israeli attacks disable northern Gaza's sole intensive care unit

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

0711 GMT — Israeli military vehicles have advanced toward the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, opening fire and putting its intensive care unit out of service as it caught fire.

Hospital director Hussam Abu Safiya in a video message said the Israeli attack was preceded by "a frightening targeting" of the homes in its vicinity.

"The Israeli vehicles deliberately targeted the intensive care unit and were directly and clearly shooting towards it," Abu Safiya said, adding that the medical teams "miraculously" vacated the patients who were on respirators as fire erupted inside.

He said the facility's intensive care unit is the only specialised care department operating in northern Gaza.

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0645 GMT — Lebanon counts 12 more Israeli violations of ceasefire

The Israeli army has committed at least 12 more violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon that took effect last month, state media reported.

According to the official Lebanese National News Agency (NNA), the violations concentrated in the districts of Tyre, Marjayoun and Hasbaiyya in southern Lebanon, and in the districts of Rachaiya and Western Bekaa in the country's east.

The violations included air strikes, drones and fighter jet flights, destruction of homes, bulldozing streets and artillery shelling.

2342 GMT — Legal experts in Spain call for arms embargo on Israel

A group of legal experts in Spain called on the government to impose an arms embargo on Israel over its carnage in besieged Gaza.

Jurists for Palestine, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) comprising Spanish judges, prosecutors and lawyers, submitted a petition with more than 1,200 signatures to parliament calling for sanctions, including an arms embargo.

Speaking outside parliament, Pilar Barrado, a judge and spokesperson for the NGO, said Israel's genocide in Gaza and violations of international law had reached an intolerable level.

"Human rights are universal. There can't be a world of masters and slaves who are allowed to be massacred," Barrado said.

2145 GMT — US says hoping Gaza ceasefire 'in coming weeks' is reached

The US remains hopeful that a Gaza ceasefire and hostage exchange deal can be reached "in the coming weeks" with ongoing efforts to bridge final differences, the State Department said.

Addressing reporters at the Foreign Press Center, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller underscored the urgency of reaching an agreement, expressing frustration at the repeated setbacks in negotiations.

"We believe that we are at the point where we ought to be able to get to an agreement. The differences between the two parties really have been narrowed such that all remaining differences ought to be bridgeable," Miller said.

However, he acknowledged the challenges, cautioning that previous negotiations had stalled despite appearing to be close to a resolution.

"That said, we have been here before and have not seen the parties come to an agreement," he said.

2022 GMT — Israel strikes northern Gaza, kills 8 Palestinians

Israel has killed eight Palestinians and wounded seven others in its strike on a house sheltering displaced families in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza.

A medical source told Anadolu Agency the victims were brought to the Kamal Adwan Hospital following the strike, which targeted a home belonging to the Battah family near the hospital building.

Israeli warplanes bombed the family's home, which was housing displaced people from the Ashkar and Swaiti families, mostly women and children.

In a separate incident in the same area, Israeli warplanes bombed areas near the Al-Nazlah School west of Jabaliya. Additionally, Israeli military vehicles fired intensively at the Tel al-Zaatar neighbourhood in the Jabaliya refugee camp, witnesses reported.

For our live updates from Tuesday, December 17, 2024, click here.