66 Days At War: Israel Focuses On Khan Younis In South
US vetoes UN resolution demanding immediate cease-fire in Gaza
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Via: zdnet.com
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🗞 WHERE THINGS STAND AFTER WEEKS OF FIGHTING
Via: WSJ
FIGHTING MOVES SOUTH
It’s now been more than two months since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th and Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday called for Hamas fighters to surrender, declaring it the “beginning of the end” for the terrorist group.
KHAN YOUNIS
The biggest city in southern Gaza is now the epicenter of fighting.
The city, which is the second biggest in the Gaza Strip, is believed to hold Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and Mohammed Deif the commander of Hamas' military wing — both were apart of a small group who planned the Oct. 7 attacks.
Residents said tanks had reached the middle of Khan Younis after intense combat.
In the north, Israel has said its forces had largely completed their mission: the annihilation of Hamas. But, they are still fighting there too.
THE HUNT FOR ONE MAN
Yahya Sinwar is said to have fled from northern Gaza by hiding in humanitarian convoy heading south. And Israeli intelligence says he’s in tunnels underneath Khan Younis.
🚨 Israeli officials believe that eliminating Sinwar and his close associates would accelerate Hamas' military collapse and an end to the war.
Last Wednesday, Netanyahu said the military surrounded Sinwar's house in Khan Younis, but he wasn't there.
Dead or alive, a senior Israeli defense official said the goal of the operation in Khan Younis is to capture Sinwar.
Sinwar has been in control of Hamas' operations — including its recent hostage negotiations — from tunnels in Gaza.
Palestinian men surrender to Israeli troops in northern Gaza on 12/10/23. Via: Times of Israel
CRITICISM OVER WAR TACTICS
Images of Palestinian men stripped to their underwear, surrendering to Israeli soldiers in northern Gaza, has sparked concerns about military practices and questions of possible rights violations.
Israel’s national security adviser said suspects need to be searched to ensure they are not carrying weapons or explosives.
He noted pictures of them in their underwear “serve nobody.”
Soldiers may be operating under a guideline of arrest first and question later.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officials claimed some of the men were Hamas militants, while others were civilians.
THE MAPS: Israel has been using maps sectioned off into different zones to warn civilians in Gaza of Israeli airstrikes. But those maps have caused confusion and problems.
The evacuation map, made a half-century ago, divides Gaza into hundreds of zones: people have to locate their neighborhood on a numbered grid, memorize its zone number, then track and follow IDF instructions.
It’s proven difficult to navigate on computers and cellphones.
Access to internet and phone has been sporadic as Israel’s bombardment intensified.
U.N. representatives raise their hands in favor of a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza on 12/8/23. The U.S. vetoed it. Via: NPR
U.S. VETO AT U.N.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, for his first time, invoked Article 99 of the U.N. Charter. It allows a U.N. chief to inform the council of matters he believes threaten international peace and security. Guterres warned of an “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza and urged the council to demand a humanitarian ceasefire.
Of the 15 members comprising the U.N. Security Council, the U.S. voted alone, with the United Kingdom abstaining, to block a ceasefire resolution.
U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood called the resolution “imbalanced,” rushed, and ignored U.S. diplomatic efforts to get more aid into Gaza and free hostages taken by Hamas.
“Hamas has no desire to see a durable peace, to see a two-state solution,” Wood said before the vote. After, he criticized the council for its failure to condemn Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
It signals a growing divide between the U.S. and some of its closest allies — France and Japan support a ceasefire.
The resolution, demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to save Palestinian lives, garnered nearly 100 co-sponsors in less than 24 hours.
Via: BBC
85% DISPLACED IN GAZA
With nowhere to hide, about 85% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, U.N. agencies say.
Gaza's Hamas-run health authorities say about 18,000 people have been confirmed killed and 49,500 injured in Israeli strikes, with thousands more missing and presumed dead under rubble.
Israel says one-third of those are Hamas fighters. They estimate Hamas has about 30,000 armed fighters.
That leaves about 12,000 civilians killed.
The U.N. says over 60% of Gaza’s housing has been destroyed or damaged.
Nearly one million children have been displaced in Gaza.
There is also not enough food, clean water, and medicine.
⏳ SPEED READ
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🗓 ON THIS DAY: DECEMBER 11
1936: Edward VIII, failing to win acceptance for his desire to marry American divorcée Wallis Warfield Simpson, became the only British sovereign to voluntarily resign the crown. His abdication was formally approved on this day.
1967: The acclaimed American film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, a lesson in racial tolerance and etiquette, premiered in New York City; it starred Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy (in his last movie), and Sidney Poitier.
1970: John Lennon released his debut solo album, “John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.”
1998: The U.S. House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee recommended three articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton, to which would be added a fourth article the following day, for actions taken in connection with his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.