Tuesday, 12 December 2023

INTENSE GAZA FIGHTING AS US URGES ISRAEL TO PUT "PREMIUM" ON CIVILIAN LIFE

 Israel has continued its bombardment of Gaza, with the main focus on Khan Younis in the south. There's also been fighting in Rafah near the Egyptian border.

  1. The US is "pressing" the Israeli government to "[put] a premium on civilian life", a state department spokesman says
  2. Nathaniel Tek says clearer instructions are needed to allow people to move away from the conflict - though he says.

  3. Hamas too has a responsibility to protect civilians
  4. In Jenin in the occupied West Bank, at least four people have been killed - witnesses say they were hit by a drone strike
  5. Meanwhile, Iran-backed Houthis have claimed responsibility for an attack on a Norwegian tanker off the coast of Yemen
  6. Hamas broke through Israel's heavily guarded perimeter on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages - some of whom were released during a brief truce
  7. Israel has launched air strikes and ground offensives in the territory. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says Israel has killed about 18,200 people. What's been happening?

    Israel is continuing its bombardment of Gaza, with the main focus on Khan Younis in the south. There's also been fighting in Rafah near the Egyptian border, where thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge.

    Meanwhile in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, four people have been killed in what witnesses describe as a drone strike. The Israeli army is still operating in the town, and the BBC has seen armoured bulldozers on the move.

    International pressure is growing over the humanitarian crisis, and the US has again urged Israel to do more to protect civilians in Gaza.

    Later, the UN General Assembly is expected to vote on a non-binding resolution calling for a ceasefire. 

    The Israeli army is still manoeuvring here in Jenin city.

    We’ve seen armoured bulldozers making their way towards the hospital at the end of the street, and trucks passing in the opposite direction.

    A large group of young men are creeping up the road towards the heart of the operation, one man is carrying a rudimentary homemade pipe bomb, another a walkie talkie.

    Other than that, the streets here are almost completely deserted.

    And in the last few moments, two very loud explosions have echoed over Jenin and now large plumes of white smoke are rising from Al-Jaberiat, on the hillside overlooking the city.

    It's not clear what the target was. Army vehicles are still lined up next to the hospital at the entrance to the camp, and we’ve just seen what looks like an explosive device detonate on the ground in front of them.

  8. Drones, pipe bombs and bulldozers in Jenin city

  9. Drones, pipe bombs and bulldozers in Jenin cityAs we've been reporting, four people have been killed in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, in what witnesses describe as a drone strike this morning.

  10. 'No words can describe the horrors,' says aid worker

  11. Melanie Ward, CEO of Medical Aid for Palestinians

    Melanie Ward, CEO of Medical Aid for Palestinians, tells BBC News "we are in the midst of the worst humanitarian catastophe that any of us that work in Gaza have ever known".

    She says that even when aid gets in to the territory, "it's not possible to distribute it to the people in need because the scale of the Israeli bombardments are so ferocious".

    "Order is breaking down in Gaza, that's very clear... All of the public services - whether that's the civil defence who used to dig people out of the rubble, the police force, the hospitals, the health systems - all of these things are slowly being taken apart by the attacks on them," she says.

    "In all honesty, words are becoming completely inadequate to describe the horrors of the situation on the ground, including for my own staff."

  12. Palestinian official says mediators 'testing water' on possible truce talks

    Rushdi Abualouf

    Reporting from Istanbul

    A senior Palestinian official familiar with the ceasefire negotiations has said that Qatari and Egyptian mediators are exploring "contacts and initiatives... that do not rise to the level of negotiations" but test the water.

    Qatar hosted talks leading to a week-long pause in fighting at the end of November. But negotiations had broken down, with Israel bringing home its negotiation team.

    A senior Hamas official has told the BBC there is no negotiation at this time and they will not release hostages before a "cessation of aggression" by Israel.

    "Contacts with mediators are continuing, but there is no negotiation at this time, but we informed all parties that Hamas is ready to negotiate on the basis of a comprehensive agreement that guarantees the immediate stop of aggression," the official continued.

    "We are certain that Israel will be forced to accept a ceasefire because it cannot liberate the prisoners by force."

    On Sunday, Qatar's prime minister said they were "not going to give up", but were "not seeing the same willingness from both parties".

    Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani speaking at a podium
  13. Israel-Gaza latest news: Israel 'encircles' Hamas strongholds, as fierce fighting continues - BBC News

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