Israeli forces have reportedly conducted extrajudicial executions in front of families in Gaza as international leaders continue to discuss Israel’s conduct with little to no action, while negotiations between Israel and Hamas waver as war rages on.
Casualties
- 19,650+ killed* and at least 53,000 wounded in the Gaza Strip.
- 303 Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem
- Israel revises its estimated October 7 death toll down from 1,400 to 1,147.
- 469 Israeli soldiers killed since October 7, and at least 1,831 injured.
*This figure was confirmed by Gaza’s Ministry of Health. Due to breakdowns in communication networks within the Gaza Strip, the Ministry of Health in Gaza has not been able to regularly and accurately update its tolls since mid-November. Some rights groups put the death toll number closer to 26,000.
Key Developments
- UNOCHA: Israeli forces allegedly executed at least 11 unarmed Palestinian men in front of family members in Gaza’s Remal neighborhood
- Palestinian Ministry of Health: Hundreds of wounded die as a result of the lack of health services in Al-Shifa Hospital.
- Israeli forces kill 16-year-old boy near Bethlehem in occupied West Bank.
- OCHA: Over 360,000 cases of infectious diseases recorded in UNRWA shelters
- WHO: About 14 healthcare workers of al-Ahli Arab Hospital arrested by Israeli forces and held in unknown locations.
- Al-Haq: Israeli forces deliberately destroyed access to health services in Gaza since October 7 through patterns of intimidation, direct targeting, siege, and occupation, “resulting in a humanitarian disaster.”
- WFP: first aid convoy from Jordan, including 46 trucks, reaches Gaza on Wednesday.
- Human Rights Watch: Meta systematically censoring content about Palestine on Instagram and Facebook.
- Israeli media: Muhammad Deif, leader of Hamas’s Qassam Brigades who survived seven assassination attempts by Israel, alive and in better condition than previously believed.
- Australian Defence Minister: Australia to send “up to six additional” troops, but no warships, to support U.S.-led Red Sea operation.
- Lebanese Civil Defense: civilian woman killed by Israeli shelling in Lebanese border village of Maroun al-Ras.
- A new poll by “Midgam” for podcast found a significant shift in attitude among Jews in Israel towards Joe Biden & Donald Trump. More than 40 % would rther have Biden as President & only 26% want Trump. In 2020: 70%wanted Trump as president & and only 16% wanted Biden. @NadavPerry
“So far, the results of Israel’s campaign have been mixed: Israel has hit Hamas hard, but it is falling short in many areas, inflicting a devastating toll on civilians in Gaza and paying a heavy price in terms of international support,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Daniel Byman writes for Foreign Affairs. “Israel’s leaders are often trying to have it all. Instead, they need to make hard choices about which goals to prioritize and which to downplay.”
“Riyadh is leading a diplomatic effort designed to generate an international narrative that questions the legality of Israeli military aggression, and the U.S. diplomatic cover it is utilizing,” Lancaster University’s Aziz Alghashian writes for Foreign Policy.“Given the nature and complexity of this conflict, there is no single leader who can take charge but rather a few leaders who can influence the situation by using their respective leverage in a harmonized, coordinated process.”
Read the full suite of Foreign Affairsand CFR.org resources on Israel and the current conflict.
ISRAEL’S genocide Against Gaza Continues
The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday delayed a vote calling for a halt to hostilities in the Hamas-Israel war and an increase in humanitarian aid, the third such postponement this week. Sticking points reportedly included U.S. reluctance to agree to language calling for a “cessation of hostilities” and a Gaza Strip monitoring mechanism under the authority of the U.N. Secretary General, although President Joe Biden maintained that the United States still supported a resolution in principle. Becky Anderson, Michael Williams, Kevin Liptak and Jennifer Deaton report for CNN.
The U.N. Security Council scheduled a new vote today on the resolution“calling for enhanced humanitarian aid into Gaza and a cessation of hostilities,” reports Leila Sackur for NBC News.
Hamas’s top political leader arrived in Egypt to hold talks about a possible ceasefire with Israel, while diplomats at the U.N. Security Council separately sought to reach agreement on a new version of the draft ceasefire resolution. In Egypt, mediators from Egypt and Qatar sought to broker a Hamas-Israel deal that might involve a temporary ceasefire in exchange for release of hostages taken on Oct. 7. Meanwhile, diplomats at the U.N. Security Council worked separately on a revised draft resolution that they hoped would pass muster with the United States. Another key sticking point was a proposed U.N.-led mechanism for inspecting aid deliveries, which Israel opposed because it left them with no role in searching incoming cargo. Farnaz Fassihi, Patrick Kingsley, Aaron Boxerman and Michael Levenson report for the New York Times.
The number of people killed in Gaza has surpassed 20,000, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry and its government media office. More than 52,600 have been wounded. ABC News reports. “On average, nearly 300 people have been killed each day since the start of the conflict, excluding the seven-day ceasefire,” BBC Verify’s Merlyn Thomas reports, citing data from the Gaza health ministry that WHO officials have said has been generally reliable.
The United Nations and organizations such as Human Rights Watch issued new warnings “saying that almost every household” in Gaza “was facing a severe lack of food and water” because of the near-total blockade of humanitarian aid. Israel accused Hamas of stealing food and water. Liam Stack reports for the New York Times.
UNICEF issued a dire warning today about the lack of safe drinking water in Gaza. The agency gave as an example that recently displaced children in southern Rafah have only 1.5 to 2 liters of water on a daily basis, and that water services were “at the point of collapse.” “For survival alone, the estimated minimum is three liters per day,” the UN agency said in a statement.
Israeli military officials said the Israel Defense Forces had uncovered Hamas facilities in Gaza City, including an underground network used for military purposes. The claims came against the backdrop of ongoing ceasefire negotiations and public statements that Israel intended to continue its military offensive. Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy, and Josef Federman report for the Associated Press.
REGIONAL RESPONSE
A leader of the Yemen-based Houthi rebels warned that they would retaliate against U.S. warships if the United States continued to interfere with Houthi militias. The United States and allies are conducting joint patrols in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in response to Houthi attacks on commercial vessels, in what the militant group claims is a response to Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Anna Skinner reports for Newsweek.
- The United States said “very serious” negotiations were taking place on a new Gaza ceasefire and release of more Israeli hostages, but prospects for a deal remained uncertain as Hamas insisted it would not discuss anything less than a complete end to Israel’s offensive in the Palestinian enclave.
- How are Gazans counting their dead? Correspondent Maggie Fick talks to the Reuters World News podcast about morgue volunteers working despite water and food shortages – and the challenges of an accurate death toll.
- Exporters are scrambling to find alternative air, land and ocean routes as disarray ripples through freight supply chains around the world during a wave of attacks in the Red Sea. Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen have stepped up attacks on vessels since Nov. 19 to show support for Hamas.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels vowed to continue targeting ships in the Red Sea despite a US move to assemble an international naval task force to protect maritime trade in one of the world’s most important waterways. The Iran-backed group also warned Washington it’s willing to retaliate if the US attacks Houthi bases.
Internal Rifts within Israel and Hamas Leadership. As the Israel-Hamas war persists, emerging internal divisions within both Hamas and the Israeli government cast doubts on their ability to effectively steer the conflict towards peace. Within Hamas, The Wall Street Journal highlights a growing rift between political leaders based in Qatar and the military wing in Gaza. The political bureau, engaged in negotiations with Fatah, faces opposition from Yahya Sinwar and his military faction in Gaza, who are not yet ready to concede control or end the war. This discord suggests a lack of unified vision in Hamas’s approach to post-war governance and relations with Israel. Compounding these difficulties is the position of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas has shown willingness to reform the PA for governing Gaza post-conflict, aligning with the broader objective of a two-state solution. However, substantial hurdles remain, including Israel’s opposition to PA governance in Gaza and skepticism regarding the PA’s effectiveness.
Simultaneously, the Israeli government is grappling with its internal conflicts, as evidenced in a recent session where IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy clashed with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over the handling of an incident in Jenin. This dispute underscores deeper tensions regarding Israel’s military strategies and ethical conduct. The divergent views on long-term objectives in Gaza, mirrored in discussions likening the campaign against Hamas to the prolonged hunt for Osama Bin Laden, further illustrate the complexities and internal challenges the Israeli government faces.
These internal rifts within both Hamas and Palestinian and the Israeli leaderships not only hinder coherent decision-making but also raise questions about their effectiveness in leading their respective sides towards a sustainable resolution, potentially impeding the path to peace.