Multiple UN agencies are backing calls for a ceasefire. The WHO chief warned of the “toxic mix of disease, hunger and lack of hygiene and sanitation,” in Gaza, while UN Secretary-General António Guterres said intense fighting is impeding efforts to provide life-saving aid.
Israel said it is close to defeating Hamas in its final strongholds in northern Gaza. Israeli strikes on the Jabalya refugee camp in the north killed dozens of people, a Hamas-run ministry said.
Israel’s military released videos it says show a “substantial, elaborate” network of tunnels in Gaza City. The army said it uncovered the network after securing control over a plaza in the city center.
Gaza residents face "toxic" combination of disease, hunger and lack of hygiene, WHO chief warns
From CNN’s Akanksha Sharma
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a press briefing at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva on December 15.
Lian Yi/Xinhua/Getty Images
The head of the United Nations’ health agency on Thursday warned of the “toxic mix of disease, hunger and lack of hygiene and sanitation” faced by people in Gaza as he called for an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas.
“Gaza is already experiencing soaring rates of infectious disease outbreaks. Diarrhoea cases among children aged under 5 are 25 times what they were before the conflict,” he said. “Such illnesses can be lethal for malnourished children, more so in the absence of functioning health services. We need a ceasefire now.”
Tedros’ comments come amid multiple calls from UN agencies for a pause in fighting to help relief efforts in Gaza.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned Thursday that intense fighting is impeding efforts to assist people in Gaza. He called for “conditions to allow for large-scale humanitarian operations” to be “reestablished immediately.”
On Wednesday, the World Food Programme said half of Gaza’s population is starving and residents are often going entire days without eating. Meanwhile, UNICEF warned Tuesday that children and families “are not safe in hospitals” in Gaza as the enclave’s wider health care system teeters on the edge of collapse.
Last week, the wider UN General Assembly voted to demand an immediate ceasefire, in a rebuke to the US, which has repeatedly blocked ceasefire calls in the Security Council.
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Blinken calls out countries that have not demanded Hamas surrender and "stop hiding behind civilians"
From CNN's Jack Forrest
Blinken speaks during a news conference on Wednesday, December 20, at the State Department in Washington, DC.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called out countries on Wednesday for not demanding that Hamas surrender its arms.
The secretary of state noted that “understandably, everyone would like to see this conflict end as quickly as possible,” but, he observed, “if it ends with Hamas remaining in place and having the capacity and the stated intent to repeat October 7th again and again and again, that’s not in the interests of Israel, it’s not in the interests of the region, it’s not in the interests of the world.”
Asked about the growing death toll in Gaza, Blinken reiterated calls for the fighting to “move to a lower-intensity phase.”
“We expect to see and want to see a shift to more targeted operations with a smaller number of forces that’s really focused in on dealing with the leadership of Hamas, the tunnel network, and a few other critical things,” he said. “And as that happens, I think you’ll see, as well, the harm done to civilians also decrease significantly.”
Blinken’s comments come as the UN Security Council continues to negotiate a resolution calling for a suspension in fighting and encouraging more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, and as the United States’ support for the motion remains unresolved.
CNN’s Becky Anderson, Michael Williams, Kevin Liptak and Jennifer Deaton contributed to this report.
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UN secretary-general warns "intense fighting" is impeding life-saving aid to Gaza
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned Thursday that intense fighting is impeding efforts to assist people in Gaza.
Guterres called for “conditions to allow for large-scale humanitarian operations” to be “reestablished immediately.”
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Israel says it uncovered "substantial, elaborate" network of tunnels used by Hamas in Gaza City
From CNN staff
The Israeli military released videos it says show a network of tunnels in the center of Gaza City.
The army said it uncovered the network after securing operational control over Palestine Square, a plaza in the city’s center. The videos purport to show a series of tunnel shafts and access points leading underground.
In one video, a camera descends a long ladder before proceeding along a narrow, arched hallway to reach a blast door.
In a different video, a camera descends a long spiral staircase into another tunnel. In one clip, a passageway to the tunnel network, hidden behind an electricity box, is identified.
Several of the tunnel shafts appear to have been demolished, which the Israeli military said had been done by Hamas fighters.
In a briefing with journalists, Israeli army spokesperson Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said the tunnels were a “substantial, elaborate network of interconnected command control positions.”
Within the tunnels, Israeli forces found food, water, electric infrastructure, and communications capabilities, Lerner said.
It is not possible for CNN to immediately verify all the Israeli military’s claims.
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Father of hostage mistakenly killed by Israeli forces in Gaza accuses Netanyahu of cowardice
From Tamar Michaelis and CNN's Andrew Carey
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a Cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv on December 17.
Menahem Kahana/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
The father of one of the hostages killed by Israeli troops inside Gaza has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of cowardice for failing to call him or visit him to express condolences.
Avi Shimriz, the father of 26-year-old Alon, who was captured by militants from Kfar Aza on October 7, was speaking to Israel’s Channel 13 News following the disclosure of new details about how his son, and two other men, were killed.
Netanyahu did visit Wednesday with the mother of another of the slain hostages, Iris Haim, who lost her son Yotam in the same incident.
Shimriz expressed deep frustration over learning that Israeli soldiers had managed to kill the Hamas fighters holding the three hostages and get so close to gathering intelligence that could have saved them.
He said commanders had failed to tell soldiers there could be hostages in the area and said that photographs of the hostages should have been circulated so soldiers might recognize them.
But he acknowledged that troops in the field faced difficult circumstances.
“I cannot complain to our troops because they have encountered different situations where [Hamas] tried to ambush them and they suffered losses. I don’t want another such incident on my conscience,” he said.
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US weighs backing UN resolution on Gaza as Israel proposes a deal to pause fighting. Here's the latest news
Biden, who was asked by a reporter Wednesday when Israel should move to a less intensive phase of its conflict with Hamas, pointed to the negotiations at the UN as a reason not to give a firm answer.
Biden’s comments suggest US support is still an unresolved matter inside the White House.
On the ground: Videos published Wednesday show heavy air strikes in the Jabalya area of northern Gaza, and the Hamas-controlled health ministry said at least 46 people were killed in the area. Also, several videos from the Rafah area of southern Gaza show a series of powerful explosions, including several close to the Kuwaiti hospital. Journalists in the area say the explosions were caused by Israeli airstrikes and that several people were killed. The videos, which have been geolocated by CNN, show extensive damage to what appears to be a residential building.
US pushes for lower intensity in conflict: The conflict between Israel and Hamas “needs to move to a lower intensity phase,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. Blinken’s comments echo what Biden administration officials have told Israel privately, CNN previously reported, which is that the US wants Israel to shift to a lower-intensity phase of the war in the next several weeks.
Israel-Lebanon border conflict: There were fresh exchanges between the Israeli military and Hezbollah across the Lebanon-Israel border. Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli military helicopters with surface-to-air missiles and also launched attacks on several other locations along the border, including Margaliot, near the town of Kiryat Shmona. The Israeli military said artillery and tanks struck several locations in Lebanon in response to incoming fire.
Israel opposes new budget for UN relief agency: Israel will oppose bringing forward the annual budget for the UN agency that carries out humanitarian work in Gaza, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said bringing forward the budget from 2025 to 2024 would be precedent-setting and dangerous, “especially in light of the evidence of Hamas using the organization’s facilities as terrorist infrastructure.”
Humanitarian aid: At least 165 humanitarian aid trucks crossed into Gaza on Tuesday, Israeli authorities say. The trucks were previously inspected at Israeli crossing points, the government said. The UN’s World Food Programme said Wednesday it had been able to organize a convoy of aid from Jordan to cross into Gaza via Israeli territory — the first time an aid convoy has reached the besieged strip via that route since October 7.
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Israel and Cyprus close to deal on maritime corridor to get goods to Gaza, Israeli foreign ministry says
From CNN's Caitlin Danaher and Tamar Michaelis
Israel and Cyprus have come a step closer to agreeing on the creation of a maritime corridor that would allow goods to bypass Israel on the way to Gaza, the Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
The maritime corridor would allow “the direct transfer of humanitarian aid and goods to the Gaza Strip,” the statement said.
If the corridor goes ahead as planned, it would be the first time Israel has eased its sea blockade on Gaza since it was imposed in 2007 when Hamas took control.
On a diplomatic trip to Cyprus, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen along with Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos visited the port of Larnaca, which is situated around 370 km (230 miles) northwest of Gaza. It is expected to be the starting point of the corridor, according to the statement.
Cohen said the goods will be subject to a security inspection at Larnaca that will be carried out “in coordination with Israel.”
The corridor could be used as an axis for the transfer of humanitarian aid in the coming weeks, Cohen added.
The minister stressed that the creation of the maritime corridor to Gaza will “help Israel’s economic disengagement from the Strip.”
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Effectively fighting terrorism does not mean "flattening Gaza," French president says
From CNN’s Joseph Ataman in Paris
French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that combatting “terrorist groups“ cannot mean “hitting civilian populations.”
He was speaking in an end-of-year interview with French broadcaster France 5.
The fight against Hamas and other “terrorist groups” in the Middle East concerned countries beyond Israel, Macron said. But the security response to terrorism should not include massive destruction, “including civilian infrastructure and hitting civilian populations.”
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Israel and Hezbollah report fresh exchange of attacks along border
From Tamar Michaelis and CNN's Charbel Mallo and Maija Ehlinger
There were fresh exchanges between the Israeli military and Hezbollah across the Lebanon-Israel border on Wednesday.
Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli military helicopters with surface-to-air missiles and also launched attacks on several other locations along the border, including Margaliot, near the town of Kiryat Shmona.
The Israeli military said artillery and tanks struck several locations in Lebanon in response to incoming fire. One man was killed when Israeli forces opened fire on the Lebanese border town of Kafr Kila, Lebanon’s National News Agency said.
The remark is an indication that Israel remains focused on its perceived need to rebuild deterrence in the north of the country as well as in the south.
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Biden says US is still working through whether it can support UN resolution on Gaza
From CNN’s Kevin Liptak
US President Joe Biden speaks at an economic event at the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on December 20.
Jamie Kelter Davis/Bloomberg/Getty Images
President Joe Biden says the United States is still working through whether to support a United Nations Security Council resolution that calls for a halt in Gaza hostilities to allow humanitarian aid.
Biden, who was asked by a reporter when Israel should move to a less intensive phase of its conflict with Hamas, pointed to the negotiations at the UN as a reason not to give a firm answer.
Biden’s comments suggest US support for the resolution is still an unresolved matter inside the White House.
Earlier, a vote on the matter was pushed to Thursday.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters there were still “active discussions” on the resolution but said the US needed to see specific condemnation of Hamas as part of the resolution.
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Voices of hostages killed in Gaza by Israeli troops captured on IDF dog camera, spokesperson says
From Tamar Michaelis in Tel Aviv and CNN's Sugam Pokharel
The voices of the three hostages who were accidentally killed by Israeli troops were captured on a GoPro camera mounted on an Israeli military dog five days before they were shot, a military spokesperson said.
The video, located by Israeli forces on Tuesday, shows the recording took place during an exchange between Israeli forces and Hamas militants at a site where the three hostages were being held, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said at his daily press briefing. The dog was killed in the exchange.
He did not provide details about what the hostages were saying.
The militants who held the three hostages were killed during the fighting which appears to have allowed the hostages to flee, Hagari said, citing an initial Israel Defense Forces analysis of the GoPro video.
Israel is reeling from the IDF’s admission that it shot and killed three hostages in Gaza on Friday. They had been taken hostage by Hamas during the group’s October 7 terror attack.
On Saturday, an IDF official said they emerged from a building tens of meters away from a group of Israeli troops. They were shirtless and were waving a white flag, according to the official, who spoke to journalists on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about an ongoing investigation.
At least one soldier felt threatened and opened fire, killing two of the men immediately. The third was wounded and ran back inside the building. The Israeli unit overheard a cry for help in Hebrew, at which time the brigade commander ordered his troops to stop shooting. However, there was another burst of gunfire. The third hostage died later.
CNN’s Richard Allen Greene and Joshua Berlinger contributed reporting to this post.
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UN Security Council again delays vote on Gaza resolution
From CNN's Becky Anderson, Kevin Liptak, Mike Callahan and Jen Deaton
The Security Council Chamber at UN headquarters in New York on December 20.
Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images
The United Nations Security Council is again delaying a vote on the Gaza resolution, a staffer at the office of the United Nations secretary-general’s office confirmed to CNN.
The vote is now slated for Thursday, a staffer said.
The vote on this resolution, which is drafted by the United Arab Emirates, had already been delayed multiple times amid disagreement on text that could gain a “yes” vote from the United States, or at least an abstention, which would allow the measure to pass.
A diplomatic source tells CNN that key issues with the draft that remain in negotiation are the “cessation of hostilities” language and the call for the UN to “establish a monitoring mechanism in the Gaza Strip with the necessary personnel and equipment, under the authority of the United Nations Secretary-General.”
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Israel will oppose new budget for UN relief agency working in Gaza, foreign ministry says
From Tamar Michaelis and Tim Lister
Israel will oppose bringing forward the annual budget for the United Nations agency that carries out humanitarian work in Gaza, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
The Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has instructed the Israeli delegation to the UN “to oppose bringing forward the annual budget of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees,” according to the foreign ministry.
Cohen said bringing forward the budget from 2025 to 2024 would be precedent-setting and dangerous, “especially in light of the evidence of Hamas using the organization’s facilities as terrorist infrastructure.”
Cohen said that “UNRWA is part of the problem, not part of the solution. The countries of the world must put an end to UNRWA’s perpetuation of the conflict, and (its) turning a blind eye for years to incitement to terrorism and Hamas’ cynical use of agency facilities and Gaza residents as human shields.”
Cohen instructed the Israeli delegation to the UN to oppose any move that would advance the agency’s annual budget, claiming that transferring a budget to UNRWA “without substantially changing its objectives and functioning would send the wrong message of a return to the routine of before the October 7th.”
CNN is reaching out to UNRWA for a response to Cohen’s remarks.
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165 humanitarian aid trucks crossed into Gaza Tuesday, Israel says
From Tamar Michaelis
A truck carrying humanitarian aid provided by the International Medical Corps moves at the Israeli side of the Kerem Shalom border crossing with the southern Gaza Strip on December 19.
Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images
At least 165 humanitarian aid trucks crossed into Gaza on Tuesday, Israeli authorities say. The trucks were previously inspected at Israeli crossing points, the government said.
Israel’s office for Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said 75 trucks were inspected at the Kerem Shalom crossing and passed directly into Gaza.
Another 90 trucks were inspected at the Nitzana crossing and transferred into Gaza through the Rafah crossing from Egypt.
COGAT said seven ambulances were also inspected and transferred to Gaza.
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Biden says US pushing for Israel-Hamas deal on hostages and pause in fighting, but tempers expectations
From CNN’s Betsy Klein
President Joe Biden speaks to the media upon arrival in Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that the US is pushing for Israel and Hamas to reach a deal that would include a pause in fighting and the release of hostages.
Earlier, CNN reported that a general framework had emerged in talks that would entail hostages being released in phases in exchange for a cessation in fighting.
Sources stressed, however, that a deal was not imminent.
“These are very serious discussions and negotiations, and we hope they’ll lead somewhere,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Kirby said he didn’t have anything specific to announce Wednesday.
Biden was also asked to respond to reports from the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Ministry of Health that the death toll in Gaza since October 7 will likely surpass 20,000 later Wednesday, the president told reporters traveling with him in Milwaukee, “It’s tragic,” before boarding his motorcade.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.
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Conflict between Israel and Hamas "needs to move to a lower intensity phase," top US diplomat says
From CNN's Natasha Bertrand
The conflict between Israel and Hamas “needs to move to a lower intensity phase,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.
Blinken’s comments echo what Biden administration officials have told Israel privately, CNN previously reported, which is that the US wants Israel to shift to a lower-intensity phase of the war in the next several weeks.
Earlier this week, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav said the military will gradually transition to the next phase of the war and expects displaced Palestinians from northern Gaza to return to their homes before those from the south.
“Soon we will be able to distinguish between different areas in Gaza. … In every area where we achieve our mission, we will be able to transition gradually to the next phase and start working on bringing back the local population. This can be achieved maybe sooner in the north rather than in the south,” the minister said.
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Mother of hostage killed by IDF tells unit involved it's "completely not your fault"
From Tamar Michaelis
Yotam Haim.
Hostages and Missing Families Forum
The mother of one of the Israeli hostages killed accidentally by the IDF last week in Gaza has sent a message to the unit involved in the shooting, saying “everything that happened is completely not your fault.”
Iris Haim, the mother of Yotam Haim, addressed the battalion involved in the incident in which her son was killed along with two other Israeli men whom Hamas had kidnapped.
Haim continued: “I ask you to stay safe and always keep in your thoughts that what you’re doing is the best possible thing in the world to help us, as the Jewish people, and we all need you to be safe and sound. Don’t hesitate for a single moment - if you see a terrorist, don’t think that you have deliberately killed a hostage, you need to protect yourselves because that’s the only way you would be able to protect us.”
Iris Haim speaks about her son at a news conference at the Israel Embassy in London on November 20.
Kin Cheung/AP
Haim reiterated her belief that the actions taken by the IDF unit were “likely the right thing to do at that moment,” adding her family is not “judging you or angry with you.”
More on Haim: 28-year-old Haim was a gifted musician and heavy metal fan. He had played the drums for 20 years and was supposed to perform at a Metal Music Festival in Tel Aviv on October 7th with his band, Persephore. He last spoke with his family that morning. He told them his house had burned down before losing contact with them at 10:44 a.m., soon after which he was kidnapped by Hamas, according to the family forum.
CNN’s Richard Allen Greene and Joshua Berlinger contributed reporting to this post.
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Israel security agency investigating at least 2 Gaza hospital directors, source says
From CNN’s Richard Allen Greene in Jerusalem
Israel’s domestic security agency, the Shin Bet, is investigating the directors of at least two hospitals in Gaza, a source told CNN Wednesday.
The source was responding to a question about whether either the Shin Bet or the Israel Defense Forces is holding at least four named doctors whose hospitals have said they were seized by the IDF.
The source said the Shin Bet – formally known as the Israel Security Agency – was investigating Ahmad Al-Kahlot, the head of Kamal Adwan hospital, and Mohammad Abu Salamiya, the head of Al-Shifa hospital.
The source, asking not to be named in discussing the Israeli investigations, did not confirm that the Shin Bet was holding two other doctors CNN asked about: Ahmad Mhana the head of Al-Awda hospital, whose staff said he was detained on Monday; and Nasr Imad Eddin Madhoun from Kamal Adwan hospital, whose colleagues said he was detained on December 12. The source referred CNN to the IDF, which did not respond to questions about any of the four doctors.
The Shin Bet released an edited video Tuesday of the interrogation of Al-Kahlot in which he said the Hamas political leadership used the hospital in the early days of the war because they felt they would not be targeted there. He also said that he, along with some other medical staff, were members of Al Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing.
It is not clear whether Al-Kahlot was speaking under duress, nor whether he has had access to a lawyer at any time since his arrest on December 12.
Abu Salamiya was detained by the IDF in November as he accompanied a medical convoy south from the hospital. The IDF said at the time Salamiya was “apprehended and transferred” for questioning “following evidence showing that the Shifa Hospital, under his direct management, served as a Hamas command and control center.”
Hamas-linked authorities in Gaza say at least 40 medical staff have been detained by the IDF across the enclave.
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Netanyahu vows to fight until Hamas is "eliminated" as UN Security Council is due to vote on Gaza resolution
From CNN's Sugam Pokharel in London, with previous reporting from Kevin Liptak and Arlette Saenz
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a cabinet meeting at the Kirya in Tel Aviv, Israel, on December 17.
Menahem Kahana/Reuters
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Wednesday to continue fighting until Hamas is “eliminated” as the UN Security Council is set to vote on a Gaza resolution that is expected to include a call for a new pause in fighting.
The Council is expected to vote Wednesday on a resolution to spur more humanitarian aid into Gaza. Intensive negotiations were underway for the draft resolution, which was said to have originally included a call for a “cessation of hostilities.” The vote has been delayed as diplomats work on language that would gain a “yes,” or at least an abstention by the United States, which vetoed a previous ceasefire motion.
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Several reportedly killed in series of explosions close to a hospital in southern Gaza
From CNN's Kareem Khadder, Jake Tacchi and Tim Lister
Smoke billows after an Israeli strike over Rafah, Gaza, on December 20.
Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images
Several videos from the Rafah area of southern Gaza show a series of powerful explosions Wednesday, including several close to the Kuwaiti hospital.
Journalists in the area say the explosions were caused by Israeli airstrikes and that several people were killed.
The videos, which have been geolocated by CNN, show extensive damage to what appears to be a residential building.
A mosque close to the Kuwaiti hospital in Rafah was also struck, according to geolocated video and journalists’ testimony.
Reuters video from the scene showed people running from the site of one strike through smoke and dust, and injured children being loaded into ambulances. One woman told Reuters: “We were just cooking…Nobody is in our place except for some people who were displaced from Sharqiya.”
The video also showed men clambering through rubble in an effort to rescue people.
The Qatar-based network Al Jazeera was broadcasting live nearby when missiles were heard overhead. As people ducked and looked up, there followed in quick succession a sequence of powerful explosions close by. CNN has geolocated the location of the broadcast.
CNN has asked the Israeli military what the targets were of any airstrikes in the area. The Rafah area is in the south of Gaza, and it’s crowded with displaced people who were asked to evacuate from different parts of the strip by Israel.
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Dozens killed in Jabalya area of northern Gaza, Hamas-run health ministry says
From CNN's Kareem Khadder, Abeer Salman and Amir Tal
Videos published Wednesday show heavy air strikes in the Jabalya area of northern Gaza on Wednesday, and the Hamas-controlled heath ministry said at least 46 people have been killed in the area.
The videos show thick smoke and widespread destruction, with people trying to escape the latest strikes as they picked through rubble.
The health ministry said 46 bodies and 110 injured had arrived at Jabalya Health Center since Wednesday morning, and estimated that dozens were still under the rubble.
The center was evacuated later, according to the Ministry, due to repeated bombings. A journalist in Jabalya, Abdul Qader Sabbah, confirmed that the center was “completely evacuated due to heavy shelling near and on the center. The last two artillery shells landed at the front door of the medical center before the evacuation, “Sabbah told CNN.
Sabbah said some of the injured at the center had died due to lack of treatment and medication. “The situation is very dire; the shelling from artillery and air strikes didn’t stop since yesterday, [and] Jabalya is completely surrounded from the north east and west,” Sabbah said.
The Israel Defense Forces says it “is continuing to operate against Hamas terrorist infrastructure and operatives in the Gaza Strip.”
The Israeli Air Force said on X (formerly Twitter) that an aircraft attacked a building in the area “where terrorists were hiding. The reserve fighters of the 551st Brigade identified and directed the aircraft to attack the building and eliminate the terrorists. In the area, another building was attacked where an anti-tank position was identified from which it is suspected that shots were fired at IDF vehicles.”
In a further indication of the continuing intensity of battles in Jabalya, the IDF said that over the past day it “conducted a targeted raid in Jabalya and located a truck with long-range rockets installed by the Hamas terrorist organization.”
Here’s a look at a map of the Gaza Strip:
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First convoy of aid from Jordan reaches Gaza via Israel, World Food Programme says
From CNN's Amy Cassidy in London
The UN’s World Food Programme [WFP] said Wednesday it had been able to organize a convoy of aid from Jordan to cross into Gaza via Israeli territory — the first time an aid convoy has reached the besieged strip via that route since October 7.
The joint WFP and Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organization convoy comprised of 46 trucks and delivered 750 metric tons of food assistance Wednesday through the Kerem Shalom crossing, according to the WFP press release.
The WFP has said its operations have been able to reach 800,000 people in Gaza but the amount of aid meets “a fraction of the needs” in the besieged enclave, and half the population is starving.
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Israel back at table for hostage talks as it claims nearing victory in northern Gaza. Here's the latest
From CNN staff
If you are just joining us, hopes are rising that Israel and Hamas could be moving towards another pause in fighting to allow hostages to be freed.
Hamas’ political chief is visiting key mediator Egypt soon after Israel said it had proposed a weeklong truce in fighting in exchange for the release of 40 hostages. But at the same time an Israel official talked down the prospects of a quick deal.
Here are other headlines you should know:
Hamas political chief in Egypt: The head of Hamas’ political bureau Ismail Haniyeh has arrived in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials. His visit comes after Israel said it had proposed a weeklong pause in fighting in exchange for the release of 40 hostages, a similar deal to the one last month that brought a temporary truce. The released hostages would include women, the elderly, and those in need of urgent care.
A note of caution: While Israel and Hamas are negotiating another release of hostages but are not “near a final deal at the moment,” according to an Israeli official. Israel is currently asking for all remaining hostages to be released as part of any deal, while a temporary ceasefire as part of the deal could last for a week or two weeks, the official said. On Tuesday the Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, released a video showing hostages Gadi Moses, 79, and Gadi Katzir, 47, asking the Israeli government to arrange their release.
UN Security Council prepares for vote: The council is expected to vote Wednesday on a resolution to spur more humanitarian aid into Gaza. Intensive negotiations were underway for the draft resolution, which was said to have originally included a call for a “cessation of hostilities.” The vote has been delayed as diplomats work on language that would gain a “yes,” or at least an abstention by the US, which vetoed a previous ceasefire motion.
Israel claims it is close to victory in northern Gaza: Israeli military officials have said they believe they are close to defeating Hamas militants in Jabalya and Gaza City’s Shujaiya neighborhood, Hamas’s last remaining strongholds in northern Gaza. At least 20 people were killed and 25 people injured in Israeli attacks on the Jabalya refugee camp Wednesday morning, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza.
Humanitarian warnings intensify: Half of Gaza’s population is starving and residents are often going entire days without eating under Israel’s bombardment of the enclave of more than 2 million people, according to a UN agency. In addition, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder warned that children and families “are not safe in hospitals” in Gaza as the enclave’s wider health care system teeters on the edge of collapse.
Gaza communications down again: Three Palestinian telecoms firms announced that communications and internet services in the Gaza Strip are down again, one of which cited “continuous aggression” as the reason for the outage. In the past the Israel Defense Forces have declined to comment on whether they are actively disrupting communications in Gaza.
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Israel is back at the table for hostage negotiations
From CNN's MJ Lee and Alex Marquardt
The families of hostages followed by hundreds of supporters march to the IDF headquarters calling for the return of all the remaining hostages on December 16 in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
Israel has begun to put proposals on the table for a cessation in fighting in exchange for hostages that are still held captive in Gaza, a source familiar tells CNN, in what could mark a significant shift since Israel’s military operations resumed in the war and formal hostage negotiations came to a halt.
The general framework that Israel is proposing would once again entail hostages — women included — being released in phases, with the ultimate goal of all hostages in Gaza getting out.
A proposal Israel has made to Hamas via Qatar, the mediator, is that fighting be paused for a week to allow for the release of hostages, another source familiar with the discussions said.
An Israeli official has also told CNN that a temporary ceasefire as part of the deal could last for a week or two weeks, the official said. Axios was the first to report that Israel is offering a weeklong pause in the fighting as part of the negotiations.
But the source stressed that a deal at this moment is not imminent, and that the discussion of proposals marks, at most, the beginning of negotiations. Still, Israel appearing to return to the negotiating table is notable. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government confront tremendous pressure on the hostages front, particularly after the Israel Defense Forces mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages.
Hamas, too, is under significant pressure, and both US and Israeli officials have said they believe the resumption of fighting, and particularly the IDF targeting southern Gaza, would ramp up the pressure on Hamas to accept another temporary ceasefire.
Hamas is asking for “more heavy-duty prisoners than before,” the Israeli official said, a reference to the release of Palestinian women and teenage prisoners from Israeli jails in exchange for hostages in the last deal between the two sides. The majority of Palestinians released were detained and hadn’t been charged, put on trial or given an opportunity to defend themselves. Some say they weren’t even told why they were being detained.
During the first seven-day pause in fighting, each day, Hamas had to release at least 10 Israeli hostages kidnapped on October 7. The truce came to an end when Hamas refused to release the remaining female hostages. Since then, US and Qatari officials have continued to discuss ways to secure the release of additional hostages.
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Children in Gaza have “barely a drop to drink,” UNICEF warns
From CNN’s Kareem El Damanhoury
Palestinian children hold empty water bottles as they queue to collect water in Rafah, Gaza, on December 5.
Mohammed Salem/Reuters
Children in Gaza are getting only about 10% of the water they would normally use, leaving them with “barely a drop to drink,” UNICEF said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Recently displaced children in the southern Gaza Strip are accessing only 1.5 to 2 litres of water each day,” the statement said.
It added that 15 liters are the minimum standard per day for drinking, washing, and cooking, while three liters are the minimum for survival alone.
UNICEF says water and sanitation services in Gaza are “at the point of collapse,” which could have severe repercussions on children.
“The impact of this on children is particularly dramatic because children are also more susceptible to dehydration, diarrhea, disease and malnutrition, all of which can compound to present a threat to their survival,” UNICEF said.
“Concerns of waterborne diseases such as cholera and chronic diarrhea are particularly heightened given the lack of safe water, especially following this week’s rains and flooding,” added the statement.
Last week, the World Health Organization said it had recorded about 165,000 cases of diarrhea amongst children under the age of five, which it described as “much more” than normal.
“Without safe water, many more children will die from deprivation and disease in the coming days” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said.
Israel has previously said it is “facilitating various humanitarian aid initiatives” in Gaza, including “the supply of water directly from Israel.”
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Israeli attacks kill at least 20, Hamas-run ministry says, as Israel says it nears victory in northern Gaza
From CNN's Kareem El Damanhoury
Israeli artillery firing towards Gaza from southern Israel on December 20.
Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images
At least 20 people were killed and 25 people injured in Israeli attacks on the Jabalya refugee camp Wednesday morning, the director-general of Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza, Munir Al-Bursh, said in a statement on X.
Al-Bursh added that dozens remain under the rubble.
CNN cannot independently verify the numbers.
In a statement earlier on Wednesday, the IDF said it continues “to operate against terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip, conducting close-quarters combat with terrorists on the ground and directing aircraft to strike armed terrorist cells and weapons.”
“In joint ground, aerial and naval operations, strikes were carried out on dozens of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure. More than 300 terror targets were struck over the last day,” the statement added, without giving more details on the targeted locations.
Israeli military officials have said they believe they are close to defeating Hamas militants in Jabalya and Gaza City’s Shujaiya neighborhood, Hamas’s last remaining strongholds in northern Gaza.
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Internet and communication networks disrupted again in Gaza
From CNN’s Lucas Lilieholm, Kareem El Damanhoury and Manveena Suri.
Smoke rises over Khan Younis in southern Gaza during Israeli bombardment on December 20.
Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images
Three Palestinian telecoms firms announced Wednesday that communications and internet services in the Gaza Strip are down again, according to statements posted on their social media accounts.
“We regret to announce a complete disruption of all communication and Internet services with the Gaza Strip, due to continuous aggression,” read a statement issued by the Paltel Group on their Facebook page.
Ooredoo and Jawwal posted similar statements on their Facebook pages, with both citing ongoing fighting in Gaza.
Internet and telecommunications services have been repeatedly impacted in Gaza since the start of the conflict.
In the past the Israel Defense Forces have declined to comment on whether they are actively disrupting communications there.
Internet monitoring site NetBlocks posted an update on X on Wednesday, saying network data indicated a new collapse in connectivity in the Gaza Strip.
“The incident affects areas in the south where telecoms had been partially restored over the last few days, while other areas have remained offline since the previous blackout,” read the post.
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Israel and Hamas not near hostage deal at the moment, Israeli official says
From CNN’s Richard Allen Greene in Jerusalem
Israel and Hamas are not “near a final deal at the moment” on a release of hostages in Gaza, an Israeli official told CNN Wednesday.
“For the time being, it’s still negotiations. There is nothing final,” said the official.
Hamas is asking for “more heavy-duty prisoners than before,” the official said, a reference to the release of Palestinian women and teenaged prisoners from Israeli jails in exchange for hostages in the last deal between the two sides.
Israel is currently asking for all remaining hostages to be released as part of any deal, the official said.
The Prime Minister’s office believes 129 hostages from the October 7 terror attack on Israel are being held in Gaza, of whom 108 are alive and 21 are dead.
A temporary ceasefire as part of the deal could last for a week or two weeks, the official said.
The official asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the negotiations.
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Hamas says political chief Ismail Haniyeh is in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials
From CNN's Kareem El Damanhoury
The head of Hamas’ political bureau Ismail Haniyeh has arrived in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials on the latest developments in the Israel-Gaza conflict, Hamas said in a statement on Telegram Wednesday.
Haniyeh lives in Qatar and has previously made frequent visits to Turkey.
Haniyeh was first elected leader of Hamas in May 2017 and won reelection in August 2021.
His visit comes after Israel said it had proposed a weeklong pause in fighting in exchange for the release of 40 hostages, a similar deal to the one last month that brought a temporary truce.
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Analysis: Netanyahu's reelection push emerges as an Israeli war aim
Analysis from CNN's Elliott Gotkine
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a Cabinet meeting at the Kirya, which houses the Israeli Ministry of Defense, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on December 17.
Menahem Kahana/Pool/Reuters
From the United Nations to NGOs and even influencers, critics of the way Israel is waging war against Hamas in Gaza are not in short supply; even US President Joe Biden has decried its “indiscriminate bombing.” But if there’s one area where Israel is arguably beyond reproach, it’s in the consistency of its stated war aims:
• Bring back the remaining hostages held by Hamas.
There are other aims, such as reestablishing deterrence to Israel’s foes, and reassuring Israelis the state can still protect them. But those were the main ones – until last week.
In recent days, a third objective has unashamedly wormed its way into the open: getting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reelected.
It began in earnest about a week ago, when US calls were growing for the Palestinian Authority (PA), which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, to take control of post-war Gaza. Netanyahu’s response: Not on my watch.
Read the full analysis:
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Malaysia bans Israeli shipping citing "cruelty" against Palestinians
From CNN's Heather Chen
Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at a summit in Jakarta on September 6, 2023.
Yasuyoshi Chiba/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Malaysia on Wednesday announced a ban on all Israeli owned and flagged ships, as well as any vessels headed to Israel, from docking at its ports.
The announcement by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s office said the ban would take place with immediate effect and was in response to Israel’s conduct in its conflict with Hamas.
Muslim–majority Malaysia has long championed Palestinian rights and causes. Like nearby Indonesia, Brunei, Bangladesh, Maldives and Pakistan, it does not recognize Israel.
Palestinian children hold pots as they queue to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, amid shortages in food supplies, in Rafah, southern Gaza, on December 14.
Saleh Salem/Reuters
Half of Gaza’s population is starving and residents are often going entire days without eating under Israel’s bombardment of the enclave of more than 2 million people, a United Nations agency said Tuesday.
Just 10% of the food required for Gaza has entered the strip over the past 70 days, Corinne Fleischer, WFP Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, said in an interview with Canada’s CBC News on Sunday.
Two weeks ago, WFP warned that 97% of Palestinian households in the north of the strip and 83% in the south reported inadequate food consumption.
Since then, tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have arrived in Gaza’s southernmost governorate of Rafah in search of safety, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
On Tuesday, WFP delivered food parcels to 2,350 people and hot meals to 1,750 others in Rafah, which has become Gaza’s most densely populated area, OCHA said Wednesday.
Some context: Human Rights Watch released a report Monday accusing Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza, calling it a “war crime.” An Israeli government spokesperson dismissed the charge as “a lie” and blamed Hamas for the shortages.
CNN’s Kareem Khadder and Radina Gigova contributed reporting.
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UN Security Council expected to vote on Gaza as Israel proposes hostage deal. Catch up on the latest
From CNN staff
The UN Security Council is expected to vote Wednesday on a resolution to spur more humanitarian aid into Gaza, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The vote has been delayed since Monday to allow more time for more talks.
According to diplomats, intensive negotiations were underway for the draft resolution, which was said to have originally included a call for a “cessation of hostilities” to allow much-needed aid to enter Gaza. One diplomatic source told CNN the US was still reviewing the text on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Israel has introduced a proposal to Hamas that includes a weeklong pause in fighting in exchange for the release of about 40 hostages, according to Barak Ravid, CNN political and foreign policy analyst, citing two Israeli officials and another source with knowledge of the matter.
First reported by Axios, the proposal looks to release hostages that include women, the elderly and those in need of urgent care. Hamas has made it clear no more hostages will be released until there is a ceasefire.
Here are other headlines you should know:
Rising toll: The death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7 has reached at least 19,667, according to a statement published Tuesday by Dr. Ashraf Al-Qidra, spokesperson for the Hamas-run Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. He added that, as of December 19, the total count of injured individuals had risen to 52,586, with women and children comprising the majority of the wounded. CNN cannot independently verify these numbers. A Palestinian accused of being a prominent Hamas financier was killed in an airstrike in Gaza, the Israeli military claimed Tuesday.
Hospital “barracks” claim: Northern Gaza’s Al-Awda Hospital has been under the control of Israeli forces since Sunday, following a 12-day siege, an international aid agency said Tuesday. The Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza has accused the Israeli military of converting Al-Awda into “military barracks.” Israeli troops have so far detained 240 individuals, including 80 medical staff, 40 patients and 120 displaced people inside the hospital, a spokesperson for the ministry said Tuesday.
UN warning: Elsewhere, Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital — one of the few partially functioning medical facilities in Gaza — has ceased operations, Al-Qidra, the Palestinian Ministry of Health spokesperson, said Tuesday. The developments come as UNICEF spokesperson James Elder warned that children and families “are not safe in hospitals” in Gaza as the enclave’s wider health care system teeters on the edge of collapse.
On the ground: The Israeli military is advancing in southern Gaza, notably in the Khan Younis area, army spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Tuesday. Additionally, the Israeli military claimed it has located around 1,500 tunnel shafts and underground passages in Gaza since its military operation started. The tunnel shafts belonged to Hamas and many of them were located in civilian areas and inside civilian structures, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
Post-war proposition: Israeli officials are exploring the potential construction of a “humanitarian compound” in northern Gaza to house displaced Palestinian civilians, two Israeli officials and an international humanitarian official familiar with the plans told CNN. The establishment of such a compound would allow some Palestinian civilians to move to northern Gaza once the Israeli military completes its current phase of military operations in that part of the enclave, the sources said. The planning for the facility is in its early stages and it was not yet clear how many people it could accommodate.
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Israel proposes 1 week pause in fighting in exchange for about 40 hostages
From CNN’s Shirin Zia Faqiri
Israel has introduced a proposal to Hamas that includes a weeklong pause in fighting in exchange for the release of about 40 hostages, according to Barak Ravid, CNN political and foreign policy analyst, citing two Israeli officials and another source with knowledge of the matter.
First reported by Axios, the proposal looks to release hostages that include women, the elderly and those in need of urgent care.
The deal is being presented to Hamas through Qatari mediators, Ravid said.
Michael Herzog, Israeli Ambassador to the United States, confirmed Israel is willing to put a pause to the fighting if it means releasing as many hostages as possible, but would not confirm if a deal had been reached.
Hamas has made it clear no more hostages will be released until there is a ceasefire.
But as diplomatic efforts continue, the humanitarian crisis in the besieged strip worsens with each day. Nearly 20,000 people have been killed by Israeli military action in Gaza since October 7, and more than 52,000 wounded, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, much of northern Gaza has been decimated by airstrikes and, according to the United Nations, almost 1.9 million people — more than 80% of the enclave’s population — have been displaced.
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Analysis: Why US warships are protecting merchant ships from Houthi drones in the Red Sea
Analysis from CNN's Brad Lendon
The US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney transits the Suez Canal, Egypt, on October 18, 2023.
US Navy/Aaron Lau/Reuters
US warships in the Red Sea have been battling a growing number of weapons fired by Houthi forces in Yemen over the past several weeks, including an incident on Saturday when a US destroyer shot down more than a dozen drones.
And US faceoffs with the Houthis, who say they are targeting commercial ships headed for Israel after its invasion of Gaza, could grow after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Monday a new US-led operation focusing on protecting merchant ships operating in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The US Navy has not said what weapon systems its ships are using against the Houthi attacks, but the experts said a US destroyer has a range of weapons systems at its disposal.
These include surface-to-air missiles, explosive shells from the destroyer’s 5-inch main gun and close-in weapons systems, the experts said. They also said US ships have electronic warfare capabilities that could sever the links between drones and their on-shore controllers.
But in its effort to protect merchant ships, the US is facing drones that can be produced and deployed in large numbers for unit prices under $100,000. This means a prolonged campaign could eventually tax US resources, the experts say.
Houthi forces are funded and trained by Iran, so they have resources for an extended fight, the experts point out. It’s also a question of to what lengths the US wants to go to protect merchant shipping, the experts said.
Why this matters: Iran-backed Houthi forces have launched numerous attacks against US interests in the region, and Israel, since the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel, as fears ripple across the region that the Israel-Hamas war could widen.
The group has said any ship heading to Israel was a “legitimate target” as it puts pressure on Israel to stop its Gaza offensive. They have staged several drone and missile attacks on commercial shipping and even tried landing commandos by helicopter on one vessel to hijack it.
The biggest container shipping companies have paused transit through one of the world’s trade arteries, which experts say could snarl supply chains and drive up freight costs.
Israeli military denies responsibility for killing 2 women at Gaza church complex
From Tamar Michaelis
Israel’s military denied responsibility for killing two women at the Holy Family Parish complex in Gaza on Saturday.
The IDF said will continue to review the incident.
As CNN previously reported, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which oversees Catholic churches across Cyprus, Jordan, Israel, Gaza and the Palestinian territories, reported an Israeli military sniper shot and killed a mother and daughter who were sheltering inside the church.
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Islamic Jihad releases video showing 2 Israeli hostages in captivity
From CNN's Mitchell McCluskey and Hamdi Alkhshali
Gadi Moses, 79, and Gadi Katzir, 47, are seen in images taken prior to their kidnapping and released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
Hostages and Missing Families Forum
The Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, released a video on Tuesday showing two men held hostage.
The footage shows Gadi Moses, 79, and Gadi Katzir, 47, speaking in front of a camera, asking the Israeli government to arrange their release.
It is not clear when or where the clips were filmed.
In the video, Moses asks Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, war cabinet member Benny Gantz and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi to make every effort to return them to their families.
Katzir makes similar remarks, asking the government to make an exchange deal with Islamic Jihad.
Both men speak about the dangers they are facing.
Moses was taken alongside his ex-wife, Margalit Moses, who was released during the truce on November 24.
Katzir’s father, Rami, was killed on October 7, and his mother, Hanna, was abducted and then released as part of the truce.
Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, released a video on Monday showing three Israeli men held in captivity in Gaza.
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Children and families are "not safe in hospitals" in Gaza, UNICEF says
From CNN’s Alex Hardie
Children and families “are not safe in hospitals” in Gaza, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said Tuesday as the enclave’s wider health care system teeters on the edge of collapse.
“Over the past 48 hours, the largest remaining fully functioning hospital was shelled, twice. That hospital – Al Nasser in Khan Younis – not only shelters large numbers of children who had already been badly injured in attacks on their homes, but hundreds of women and children seeking safety,” Elder said in Geneva after a recent visit to Gaza.
It comes after a 13-year-old girl, Dina Abu Mohsen, was killed by a shell that landed in part of the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in the strip.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told CNN on Tuesday that an “initial review” of damage to the complex did not find it possible at this stage to “determine with certainty what was the source of the damage to the hospital.”
Meanwhile, “without water and sanitation, nor shelter, these so-called safe zones have become zones of disease,” Elder said, warning that if this scenario continues, “child deaths due to disease could surpass those killed in bombardments.”
The IDF has previously stated it does not target hospitals, only “Hamas strongholds.” Hamas denies allegations that it uses hospitals in Gaza for its operations.
CNN’s Kareem Khadder and Elizabeth Joseph contributed reporting to this post.
