Live blog: WHO chief says 'carnage must stop' in Gaza

Thursday, December 21, 2023

1924 GMT — The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said "carnage must stop," in Gaza, where the Palestinian death toll has climbed to 20,000.

"I have lost count of the number of times when I thought the crisis in Gaza could not get more horrific. But it has happened again," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.

"The horrors are endless for those trapped in what has become a Hell on earth," the WHO chief said, adding that on average around 300 people are being killed daily in the besieged enclave.

"The carnage must stop. We need a #CeasefireNOW," Tedros said.

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1807 GMT — Hamas says Israel's goal of eliminating it 'doomed to fail'

Hamas's military wing has said Israel's objective to eliminate the resistance group in Gaza was "doomed to fail", more than two months into war.

Abu Obeida, spokesperson for Qassam Brigades, also said in an audio recording that any further release of hostages held in Gaza depended on a "cessation of hostilities".

Neither Israel's continued offensive nor "direct military operations" would bring the hostages home, he said. "It is not possible to release enemy prisoners alive except by entering into negotiations."

1736 GMT — Israeli army claims to establish 'operational control' over Hamas stronghold in Gaza City

The Israeli army has claimed its forces established full "operational control" over the Shejaiya neighbourhood, a Hamas stronghold, in eastern Gaza City.

The army said its forces had completed dismantling the group's "core capabilities" in the area.

1724 GMT — Netanyahu vows to continue war on Gaza until all Israeli goals achieved

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated his government position that the Israeli war on Gaza will not stop until the Israeli goals are achieved.

"I will do everything in my power to ensure that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel, neither Hamastan nor Fatahstan," Netanyahu said in a televised speech, cited by the Haaretz daily.

1631 GMT — Entire Gaza population facing hunger crisis, famine risk: UN

The entire 2.3 million population of Gaza is facing crisis levels of hunger and the risk of famine is increasing each day, a UN-backed body has said in a report.

The proportion of households in Gaza affected by high levels of acute food insecurity is the largest ever recorded globally, according to a report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).

Trucks bringing aid from Egypt have delivered some food, water and medicine, but the United Nations says the quantity of food is just 10 percent of what's needed for the territory's inhabitants, most of whom have been displaced.

1620 GMT — Five rockets struck Israeli military site: Israeli media

Five rockets were launched at an Israeli army site, triggering sirens in northern settlements near the Lebanon border, an Israeli broadcaster has reported.

Channel 12 said that "5 rockets were observed launching at an Israeli army site," without specifying its name or location.

In addition, the Israeli army announced that “several more rockets were fired from Lebanon at Arab al Aramshe but failed to cross the border.” It added that “an aircraft struck the cell behind the launches.”

1619 GMT — Israeli actions in Gaza risk "catastrophic repercussions": Jordan

Jordan's King Abdullah has told French President Emmanuel Macron that Israel's "continued aggression" against Gaza would have "catastrophic repercussions" on the region, the palace said in a statement.

King Abdullah also said the world should pressure Israel to end its military campaign in Gaza and lift obstacles to much-needed aid to around two million Palestinians in the enclave, where hunger and disease were spreading fast.

1614 GMT — UAE FM meets PLO official to discuss humanitarian crisis in Gaza

The foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed met a senior Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) official in Abu Dhabi to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza due to the escalating conflict, state news agency WAM has reported.

The meeting with Hussein Al Sheikh, Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the PLO, focused on international efforts aimed at reaching an immediate ceasefire.

1547 GMT — Türkiye in favour of Gaza ceasefire, two-state solution to conflict: FM

Türkiye favours and works for a ceasefire in Gaza, and a two-state solution to the Palestine-Israel conflict, the country's foreign minister has reiterated.

"Firstly, we are making efforts to ensure a ceasefire, to deliver humanitarian aid, and to prevent the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza," Hakan Fidan said at the Turkish parliament.

He stressed that lasting peace and security can only be established with a two-state solution, adding: "The problem cannot be solved before the Israeli occupation ends. A sovereign and independent Palestinian state must be established as soon as possible."

1525 GMT — West tries to 'drown' topic of establishment on Palestinian state in 'dubious initiatives': Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Western countries and specifically the US are trying to "drown" the topic of an independent Palestinian state in "dubious initiatives."

"We have the impression that our Western colleagues are not ready to try hard in the interests of creating a Palestinian state. ... They are trying to drown the topic of the establishment of a Palestinian state in various dubious initiatives to convene one conference, another, based on principles that are at odds with the principles laid down in Security Council resolutions," he said at a news conference in Tunisia.

1439 GMT — UNSC resolution may 'slow down' aid delivery to Gaza, US warns

The United States has said that there are "serious and widespread concerns" that the current draft of a UN Security Council resolution that aims to boost humanitarian aid to Gaza "could actually slow down" deliveries.

"The goal of this resolution is to facilitate and help expand humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza, and we cannot lose sight of that purpose," said Nate Evans, spokesperson for the US mission to the United Nations ahead of a likely vote.

"We must ensure any resolution helps and doesn't hurt the situation on the ground," he said.

1358 GMT — Israel's war on Gaza puts its long-term safety at risk: Trudeau

Israel's close friends are worried its military campaign in Gaza is putting at risk the country's long-term safety, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said in an interview.

His comments mark the latest expression of concern from allies about the spiralling death toll among Palestinians in Gaza, which local health authorities say has hit nearly 20,000. Israeli planes continued to pound the blockaded Palestinian enclave.

1308 GMT — Former Knesset speaker says Premier Netanyahu 'threat' to Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “become a threat to Israel,” the former speaker of the parliament, Knesset, has said.

Netanyahu must step down even without waiting for elections, ex-speaker and member of the Knesset from “There is a Future” opposition party, Mickey Levy, said in an interview with the Israeli newspaper Maariv.

“He is focused solely on himself. All his actions are geared towards preserving his personal interests, far surpassing the interests of Israel,” he added.

1237 GMT — Israeli army arrests 25 more Palestinians in West Bank, bringing tally to 4,655 since Oct. 7

The Israeli forces detained 25 more Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, taking the tally since Oct. 7 to 4,655, according to prisoners’ affairs groups.

The new arrests took place in the cities of Nablus, Tulkarm, Ramallah, and Hebron across the occupied West Bank, the Commission for Detainees and Ex-Prisoners’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

The figure of detainees does not include those arrested by Israeli forces in Gaza, the statement said.

1156 GMT — Sirens sound in Tel Aviv as Hamas fires rockets from Gaza

Sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and reporters witnessed rocket interceptions as Hamas fighters in Gaza have said they launched a salvo at Israel's capital.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service said there had been several impact points in southern Tel Aviv but no immediate word of casualties.

1127 GMT — Hundreds of wounded died at Al Shifa Hospital due to lack of services: Health Ministry

Hundreds of wounded people are losing their lives due to a lack of health care services at the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the Ministry of Health has said.

The ministry spokesperson, Ashraf Al Qudra, said that hospitals in the Gaza City and the northern part of the besieged enclave have ceased operations.

On Tuesday, Israeli forces returned to and targeted the Al Shifa Hospital, as well as a civilian vehicle in front of its gate. It resulted in the killing of 28 Palestinians, with dozens wounded, according to a previous statement from the ministry.

1104 GMT — No talks over prisoner swap except after end to Israeli 'aggression': Hamas

Palestinian factions reject any talks about prisoner swaps until after Israeli "aggression" is ended, a statement published by Hamas has said.

"There is a Palestinian national decision that there should be no talk about prisoners or exchange deals except after a full cessation of aggression", the statement said.

In addition to Hamas, Islamic Jihad, a smaller Palestinian resistance group, is also holding hostages in Gaza.

1029 GMT — Israeli strike kills border crossing chief, three others: official

An Israeli air strike killed a senior border official and three others in Rafah in southern Gaza near the border with Egypt, Hamas and health officials have said, but Israel's military indicated it was not involved.

The Hamas and health officials said Colonel Bassam Ghaben, director of the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing of the Israel-Gaza border, and three other Palestinians were killed in the strike near the gate of Rafah crossing.

Asked for comment, an Israeli military spokesperson said: "We checked this, and it's not an incident that is familiar to us."

0925 GMT — Hamas demands release of top 3 Palestinian leaders

Hamas demands the release of three top Palestinian leaders in any hostage swap deal with Israel, according to Israeli media.

Hamas insists Marwan Barghouti, Ahmed Saadat and Abdullah Barghouti be on the list of prisoners to be released in any new deal, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported.

Barghouti, 64, a prominent member of Fatah’s Central Committee, was arrested by Israel in 2002 and slapped with five life sentences.

0853 GMT — Northern Gaza no longer has a functional hospital: WHO

The World Health Organisation has said that northern Gaza has been left without a functional hospital due to a lack of fuel, staff and supplies.

"There are actually no functional hospitals left in the north," Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative in Gaza, told reporters via video link from Jerusalem.

"Al-Ahli (Hospital) was the last one but it is now minimally functional."

0819 GMT — Israeli attacks kill over 50 Palestinians in Gaza in 24 hours

At least 55 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Khan Younis in southern Gaza in the last 24 hours, says Palestine’s official news agency Wafa.

Khan Younis is the largest city in southern Gaza and was home to about 400,000 people before Israel launched its war on the besieged enclave.

Despite ordering Gaza residents to move from northern Gaza to the south, implying that the south was safer, Israel has expanded its air and ground attacks into the south, further displacing a shell-shocked population of millions.

0734 GMT — Israeli strike kills elderly woman in southern Lebanon

An Israeli strike killed an elderly woman and wounded her husband in their home in southern Lebanon, Lebanon's state news agency and a security source has said.

Israel's military said the air force had carried out retaliatory strikes on Hezbollah targets, including a site from which the group launched an attack on Wednesday night, and that Israel had shelled several launch sites in southern Lebanon.

0659 GMT — EU to contribute to US-led security coalition in Red Sea attacks

The European Union will contribute to a maritime coalition led by the US for security in the Red Sea amid ongoing Houthi attacks on commercial vessels.

At the extraordinary Political and Security Committee (PSC) meeting today, member states have agreed to contribute to the US Operation Prosperity Guardian, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on X.

Borrell added that "irresponsible Houthi actions are a threat to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea." The EU will intensify information sharing, and increase its "presence with additional naval assets," he explained.

Separately Greece and Australia announced their contributions to the US-led mission in the region.

0525 GMT — Israel reports more soldier losses in Gaza invasion

Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation has reported three more Israeli soldiers killed and eight others injured seriously in Gaza.

Israeli army confirms casualties, including Corporal Lavi Ghasi, as death toll reaches 469 in Gaza invasion since October 7th.

The Israeli army announced in a written statement that Corporal Lavi Ghasi (19) from the 931st Battalion of the Nahal Brigade was killed in the conflict in northern Gaza.

0119 GMT — Israel issues ultimatum for 20% of Palestinians in Khan Younis

Israel has issued a new ultimatum, ordered the residents of large areas of besieged Gaza's main southern city to flee, the United Nations said.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [OCHA] said Israel had released maps showing new areas covering about 20 percent of the Khan Younis city that had been marked for mass exoduses.

Before fighting broke out, the area was home to more than 110,000 people, OCHA said.

The area also includes 32 shelters that housed more than 140,000 internally displaced persons, the vast majority of whom were previously displaced from the north, it added.

0034 GMT — Hezbollah loses another militant

Lebanon's Hezbollah has said that one of its militant was killed in fighting with the Israeli army along border areas with Israel.

A statement by the Lebanese group identified the militant as Ibrahim Raslan, and it said he was killed "on the road to Jerusalem," in reference to Hezbollah's support to Palestinian resistance against a devastating Israeli onslaught on besieged Gaza.

The group also said it targeted an Israeli military site in Al Abad and fortifications with appropriate weapons, and inflicted "confirmed casualties."

Separately, the Lebanese group, cited by the official Lebanese news agency, NNA, said it targeted "an Israeli infantry force in the vicinity of the Birkat Risha site" and inflicted casualties on Israeli troops.

The death toll of the militants killed by the Israeli forces since October 8 rose to 118, according to previous statements by Hezbollah.

0019 GMT — Almost 60% of Germans believe Israel is 'foreign'

Fifty-nine percent of Germans agree with the phrase, "Israel is foreign to me," according to a poll by the German Forsa Institute on behalf of the Welt newspaper.

Among Germans between 30 and 44 years of age, as much as 70 percent feel Israel is foreign, the newspaper reported.

The survey concluded that 57 percent of Germans think Israel pursues "its interests without regard for other peoples."

Germans are divided on the question of whether "Israel's military action in Gaza is all in all appropriate."

Forty-five percent said "yes," while 43 percent consider it to be "excessive," said Welt, citing the survey.

0003 GMT — Israel holds 300 Palestinians from Gaza in harsh conditions

Israeli media have reported that the army is holding hundreds of Palestinians from besieged Gaza, accused of being Hamas' armed wing elite forces members, in harsh conditions.

Israeli Channel 12 alleged that 300 members of the Qassam Brigades elite forces, known as Nukhba Forces, are currently being held in Israel.

It said the Palestinians are being classified at the highest level — dangerous.

It noted that they were arrested in Israeli towns and areas around Gaza on October 7, and are accused of being involved in the Hamas surprise blitz.

The channel added that they are handcuffed all day in dark cells, and are allowed to exit their cells once to take a shower.

It said Israel currently does not intend to indict them, for fear of harming Israeli captives in Gaza.

The channel noted that the Palestinians are held in a facility under the supervision of the Israeli Prison Authority, and are separated from other detainees in Israeli jails.

2400 GMT — Blinken underscores US commitment to 'independent Palestinian state'

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has underscored Washington's commitment to "an independent Palestinian state" in a telephone conversation with his French, German and UK counterparts.

Blinken "stressed the importance of urgently addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza, the imperative of minimising civilian casualties, and the need to prevent the conflict’s further escalation," in the call with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, according to spokesperson Matthew Miller.

"The Secretary also condemned attacks by the Houthis on commercial vessels operating in the Red Sea and urged cooperation among all partners to uphold maritime security," he added.

2240 GMT — 'Over 4,000' French mercenaries engaged in Israel's war on Gaza

A French lawmaker has urged the government to investigate more than 4,000 citizens fighting alongside the invading Israeli army for "war crimes" in Palestinian territories.

Thomas Portes from the La France Insoumise [LFI] party wrote on X that he sent a letter to Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti, requesting an investigation into the 4,185 French-origin soldiers fighting alongside Israeli army in Gaza.

It comes as French President Emmanuel Macron urged Israel not "to flatten Gaza" or "attack civilian populations indiscriminately."

Underlining that French justice should hold the soldiers accountable if they are found to have committed war crimes, Portes said he would appeal to the Public Prosecutor's Office. Portes said the involvement of French citizens in the crimes is "unacceptable," considering the war crimes by the Israeli army in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

2231 GMT — Sanctions requested against pro-Israel lawmaker in France

Tensions have reached a boiling point in a heated French parliamentary session as sanctions were sought against lawmaker Meyer Habib, who holds French and Israeli citizenship.

Accusations stemmed from alleged "war crime propaganda" following a debate on recent Israeli attacks on Gaza. Eric Coquerel, a member of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) took the floor to mourn a Foreign Ministry official killed in Gaza by Israel.

Coquerel's attempt to observe a one-minute tribute for the official was met with rejection, prompting him to voice concerns about casualties in Gaza.

"I think about the prisoners killed by the Israeli army, including our citizen Elia Toledano; 16,608 Palestinian civilians, 70 percent of whom are women and children, shared the same fate," Coquerel said during the session. Israeli-supporting Habib accused Coquerel of lying and interrupted him, stating: "[Israel's work in Gaza] is not over."

Coquerel questioned the true intentions of the Benjamin Netanyahu government in Gaza, asking the French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna: "Who can doubt the real objectives of the Netanyahu government, which struck the south of the Gaza Strip after the north? Yet, he had asked Palestinians to seek refuge there [to the south]."

The exchange took a tumultuous turn as Habib continued to interrupt, leading MP Stephane Peu to condemn the interruptions as shameful. Peu accused Habib of inciting murder, calling on parliamentary authorities to take action against him. MPs Marie-Charlotte Garin and Francesca Pasquini joined the call for sanctions against Habib, accusing him of engaging in "war crime propaganda."

2123 GMT — 8,000 Palestinian children killed by Israel remembered in Netherlands

A commemorative event was organised in Rotterdam for more than 8,000 Palestinian children killed in Israel's attacks on Gaza.

The event was organised by the Olive Tree Planting Foundation at Binnenrotte Square, which was transformed into a somber sea of remembrance as approximately 8,000 pairs of children's shoes were laid out to symbolize the tragic toll of the conflict.

Every 10 minutes, pairs of shoes were added to the display, symbolising the alarming frequency with which children are killed in the region. Volunteers tirelessly worked to distribute informational brochures to passersby, shedding light on the dire situation in Gaza.

For our live updates from Wednesday, December 20, click here.