UPDATE: The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to demand a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza
“in a strong demonstration of global support for ending the Israel-Hamas war. The vote also showed the growing isolation of the United States and Israel.
“The vote in the 193-member world body was 153 in favor, 10 against and 23 abstentions, and ambassadors and other diplomats burst into applause as the final numbers were displayed. The United States and Israel were joined in opposing the resolution by eight countries — Austria, Czechia, Guatemala, Liberia, Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay.”
Six major humanitarian organizations: “We have seen nothing like the siege of Gaza.”
Doctors Without Borders: “people in south Gaza are falling ill as they pack into crowded shelters or sleep in tents in open areas”
Committee to Protect Journalist: “deeply alarmed by the pattern of journalists in Gaza reporting receiving threats, and subsequently, their family members being killed”
100 historians: “As historians we know this as an attack on a people’s past, present and future”
Israel kills 4 in West Bank; Israeli army says 20 soldiers had been killed by friendly fire, accidents in Gaza
Israel used U.S.-supplied white phosphorus in Lebanon attack
IDF operates a channel with images & videos showing its brutality
Israeli sodldiers
Number of Gazans killed since the Biden administration vetoed UNSC ceasefire resolution: at least 808 (approximately 374 children)
From reports – sources in embedded links
An important new interview with a kibbutz survivor sheds new light on the events of October 7th. The interview was published by Israel’s Channel 12; parts were translated to English by Uncaptured Media, an investigative multi-media platform founded by Dan Cohen. Cohen co-produced the documentary Killing Gaza with Max Blumenthal. Read about the interview here; see the astonishing video here.
Humanitarian update
Palestinians plead for end to ‘hell on earth’: The head of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) says Palestinians in Gaza are pleading for an end to this “hell on earth”. “Back in Gaza, endless deepening tragedy. People are everywhere, live in the street, need everything. They plead for safety & for an end to this hell on earth,” Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X.
Aid update: Limited aid distributions are taking place in Rafah governorate. In the rest of the Gaza Strip, aid distribution has largely stopped over the past few days, due to the intensity of hostilities and restrictions of movement along the main roads, except for limited fuel deliveries to key service providers and a one-off high-risk mission on 9 December to Al Ahli hospital.
On 11 December, as of 22:00, 100 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies entered Gaza from Egypt, the same volume recorded on most days since the resumption of hostilities on 1 December. This is well below the daily average of 500 truckloads (including fuel) that entered every working day prior to 7 October.
‘600 people share a single toilet’: The aid group Doctors Without Borders says people in south Gaza are falling ill as they pack into crowded shelters or sleep in tents in open areas. Nicholas Papachrysostomou, the group’s emergency coordinator in Gaza, says “every other patient” at a clinic in Rafah has a respiratory infection after prolonged exposure to cold and rain.
“In some shelters, 600 people share a single toilet. We are already seeing many cases of diarrhoea. Often children are the worst affected,” he said.
‘We have seen nothing like the siege of Gaza’: US NGOs: Six major humanitarian organizations leaders call the US to stop blocking cease-fire in Gaza in a op-ed for the New York Times.
We are no strangers to human suffering — to conflict, to natural disasters, to some of the world’s largest and gravest catastrophes. We were there when fighting erupted in Khartoum, Sudan. As bombs rained down on Ukraine.
When earthquakes leveled southern Turkey and northern Syria. As the Horn of Africa faced its worst drought in years…But as the leaders of some of the world’s largest global humanitarian organizations, we have seen nothing like the siege of Gaza.
The Biden administration must stop its diplomatic interference at the United Nations, blocking calls for a ceasefire…
The statement was signed by leaders of CARE USA, Mercy Corps, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam America, Refugees International, and Save the Children U.S.
The following are among the deadliest incidents reported in the past 24 hours, involving the striking of residential buildings:
- On 10 December, at about 15:40, a bicycle was reportedly hit, near Jalal Street, in the centre of Khan Yunis, killing 2 Palestinian children who were riding it.
- On 10 December, at about 18:10, 22 people were reportedly killed when a house was hit in Al Maghazi Refugee Camp.
- On 11 December, at about 02:15, ten people were reportedly killed when a residential apartment was hit, west of Rafah.
- On 11 December, at about 11:00, ten people were reportedly killed when a house was hit in Deir Al Balah.
RECOMMENDED READING: Starvation used as a ‘weapon of war’ on civilians in Gaza: Oxfam
Other Gaza news
CPJ raises alarm over threats against Gaza journalists, family members’ killings: The Committee to Protect Journalists says it is “deeply saddened” by the killing of the father of Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif in an Israeli attack in northern Gaza. “CPJ is deeply alarmed by the pattern of journalists in Gaza reporting receiving threats, and subsequently, their family members being killed,” the group’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator Sherif Mansour said in a statement.
Journalists killed: Gaza’s government media office says the number of journalists and media workers who have been killed since October 7 now stands at 86. Ten are females.
MSF says its surgeon shot inside northern Gaza hospital: Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) says the surgeon was hurt earlier today by a shot fired from outside al-Awda Hospital. In a post on X, the group said the hospital has been under “total siege” by Israeli forces since December 5. “Our colleagues report snipers surrounding the hospital, firing on those inside,” MSF said.
Attacks at al-Awda Hospital since October 7 have killed five hospital staff, including two MSF doctors, the group said.
RECOMMENDED READING: Silencing Palestine: a message from Ahmed Abu Artema
Israeli forces raid Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza: After besieging and shelling it for several days, Israeli forces have raided Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, a health ministry spokesman said. There are confirmed reports from a source on the ground that some of the medical staff inside the hospital were shot and killed inside the hospital; in addition, two mothers were killed when the maternity department of the hospital was hit, and sme patients with severe injuries inside the hospital have died due to the constant power outages and a severe shortage of medical supplies.
Loudspeakers are being used to call anyone aged above 15 to come out of the building with their hands in the air. From what we understood from our source, Israeli forces will blindfold them, strip them of their clothes and take them to undisclosed areas for interrogation. This is very similar to what happened in Khalifa school and the other two UNRWA schools in the past few days where all males were blindfolded and taken to undisclosed areas for interrogation.
RECOMMENDED READING: ‘Like we were lesser humans’: Gaza boys, men recall Israeli arrest, torture
West Bank & Jerusalem
Drone strike kills four men during raid on Jenin: An Israeli drone attack on Jenin on Tuesday morning killed four Palestinians and wounded at least five others during a raid on the city in the northern occupied West Bank, the local health ministry said. Dozens of Israeli military vehicles, accompanied by bulldozers, stormed Jenin at dawn, sparking a firefight with Palestinian fighters. Israeli forces tore up the streets and destroyed many buildings, smashing through the fronts of shops, Arab48 reported.
Israeli Soldiers Shoot Palestinian in West Bank, Then Shoot Him Again on the Ground: Israeli soldiers were recorded on Friday shooting a young Palestinian in the al-Farah refugee camp near Nablus in the West Bank, about half a minute after he was shot in the back and fell to the ground.The Palestinian, 25-year-old Rami al-Gandab, was critically wounded and died of his wounds the next day.
Israeli rights group documents settler theft: Video verified by Al Jazeera shows Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank stealing Palestinian-owned olive crops outside the town of Awarta. “After the theft, which was escorted by Israeli soldiers, the settlers proceeded to cut down several trees,” Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din wrote on X.
RECOMMENDED READING: Know their names – stories of some of the hundreds of Palestinians who were killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in 2023
Israel news
Israeli army says 20 soldiers killed by friendly fire, accidents in Gaza: Twenty out of the 105 Israeli soldiers killed in the Gaza Strip during the ground offensive were killed by friendly fire and in shooting accidents, according to new data released by the Israeli army and reported by local media. Thirteen among them were killed by friendly fire – including air strikes, tank fire and gunfire – The Times of Israel reported.
Some were also killed by accidental misfires or by shrapnel from explosives intentionally set off by Israeli forces. Israeli media added that some soldiers were killed after being mistakenly identified as Hamas fighters. Two soldiers were killed in incidents involving armored vehicles running over troops.
The IDF has assessed that there are myriad of reasons that have led to the deadly accidents, including the large number of forces operating in Gaza, communication issues between forces, and soldiers being tired and not paying attention to regulations.
Israeli army posting its atrocities: Ha’aretz: A report in the Israel newspaper Haaretz says the army is operating a channel called “72 Virgins – Uncensored”, which posts graphic pictures of the alleged bodies of Hamas members.
“Burning their mother … You won’t believe the video we got! You can hear the crunch of their bones. We’ll upload it right away, get ready.”
On October 14, alongside the caption, “Exclusive video of a good night, don’t forget to share and repost,” was a video of an Israeli vehicle repeatedly driving over the body of a terrorist. “Very good, Gershon!!! Run him over run him over!!!! Screw the bastards! Flatten them,” the accompanying post said.
The channel, which was created two days after the October 7 attack, says it posts “exclusive content from the Gaza Strip” and encourages its 5,300 followers to share pictures and videos showing the destruction of the enclave. In one post made on October 14, a video was shared of an Israeli vehicle repeatedly running over a body, titled “Exclusive video of a good night, don’t forget to share and repost”.
The army has denied it operates the channel but an official, who spoke to Haaretz on the condition of anonymity, said the army was responsible for operating it.
Netanyahu accused of avoiding air force troops in fear of criticism: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit the bases of elite air force units on Tuesday, whose soldiers are taking part in the fighting in the Gaza Strip. Former National Security Council Deputy Director Eran Etzion has accused the Israeli prime minister of avoiding meeting air force troops during a scheduled visit, in fear of criticism.
“So what do they do? Evacuate the unit of its personnel. Visit empty hangars. Pose with SUVs and classified vehicles,” Etzion said on X.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that reservists serving in the Shaldag and 669 units were instructed to vacate the premises Netanyahu was expected to visit on Tuesday. The reservists alleged that the directive was intended to silence their criticism of the prime minister, the publication said.
“It would be better if the Prime Minister refrained from these visits and focused on managing the biggest crisis in the nation’s history, which happened on his watch,” Haaretz quoted the letter as saying.
Israel to investigate police conduct in shooting of Jewish civilian in West Jerusalem: Israel’s State Attorney Amit Aisman ordered the Police Internal Investigations Department to conduct the investigation, according to the Times of Israel.
Yuval Castleman was killed by Israeli security forces after he had laid down a gun he had used to kill two Hamas attackers, who had in turn killed three Israelis. Despite raising his hands and falling to his knees, Israeli forces presumed Castleman to be a threat and an officer shot him dead.
There have been numerous past incidents of Israeli forces shooting unarmed Palestinians deemed to be threats but the death of an Israeli Jewish man has put added pressure on the Israeli police to justify their practices.
Latest from US & elsewhere
Biden concerned about dwindling US Arab, Muslim support: Ahmed Bedier, a Florida-based community organizer, says Biden and his Democratic Party “realize that they’re in trouble” ahead of the 2024 US presidential election.
This is especially true in swing states, Bedier told Al Jazeera, “where there are sizable populations of Muslims and Arab Americans who are now saying, ‘We will not vote for Biden no matter what, even if Trump is elected’”. He added that Democratic politicians are “trying to do different types of outreach to Muslims and Arabs and younger voters but it’s not resonating so far”.
Last month, we reported that US officials – including Biden – had arranged meetings with Arab and Muslim advocates to discuss the war in Gaza but that the push was falling flat amid Biden’s staunch support for Israel. (You can read the full report here.)
Biden Attacks the First Amendment: “Were there No Israel, there Wouldn’t Be a Jew in the World that Is Safe”: Sam Husseini writes:
At the White House Hanukkah party, Biden said: “Were there no Israel, there wouldn’t be a Jew in the world that is safe,” as he reaffirmed support for Israel’s assault on the Palestinians in Gaza…
This mantra from Biden is in fact an assault on Constitutional Rights he is sworn to uphold. What keeps Jews and other religious minorities in the US safe is the First Amendment, and the nature of US society, not the existence of a foreign power—particularly one that itself practices apartheid and conducts war crimes.
Read the full article here.
‘We will remember’: Rashida Tlaib slams US ammunition transfer to Israel: The US congresswoman has commented on the Biden administration’s decision to bypass Congress to send $100m worth of tank ammunition to Israel amid the war on Gaza.
“Our district didn’t send President Biden to the White House to have him facilitate the killing of innocent civilians. We didn’t turn out in huge numbers to elect President Biden to have him supply the bombs for a genocide,” Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, said in a statement. “This administration’s refusal to acknowledge the human dignity of Palestinians is disturbing, and actions like this speak loud and clear.”
Tlaib added that the Biden administration’s transfer of about 14,000 tank shells to Israel also leaves it “at serious risk of prosecution by the International Criminal Court”.
RECOMMENDED READING: US poised to give Israel $18 billion in aid this year
Protesters demanding ceasefire arrested in US Congress building: US Capitol Police arrested the demonstrators at the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, the Reuters news agency reported, without specifying how many protesters were detained. The US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), an advocacy group, had said that more than 100 activists gathered in the building.
“MORE FUNDING to Israel = more bombs & weapons to kill Palestinians,” USCPR said in a social media post. “The people CHOOSE LIFE, NOT GENOCIDE!”
HRW says inhumane treatment of Palestinian detainees amounts to ‘war crime’:
“The Israeli army’s publication of shocking photos of detained Palestinian men in Gaza stripped & blindfolded constitutes ‘outrages upon personal dignity’ – a form of inhumane treatment that amounts to a war crime,” Shakir wrote in a social media post, referring to a section of the Geneva Conventions.
“Perpetrators should be held to account.”
Family members of the men shown in the videos have refuted Israeli claims that they are Hamas members.
‘We know what genocide looks like’: Jewish protesters: A group of protesters staged a demonstration outside the White House with 20 women describing themselves as “Jewish elders” chaining their bodies to a fence guarding the White House. Wearing black T-shirts that read “Not In Our Name” the women chanted “Biden, Biden, pick a side! Ceasefire not genocide!”.
“We, as elder Jews, we know what genocide looks like. We know what genocide feels like. It’s in our bodies, in our bones,” said Esther Farmer of Jewish Voice for Peace, which organised the demonstration.
“It’s horrifying, it’s devastating. Sometimes it’s hard to get up in the morning to see this, and it’s being done in the name of Jews. So we are here – as elderly Jews – to say, ‘Not in our name’.”
Organizers said they deliberately picked Monday – the day of the White House’s Hanukkah celebration – to protest. During the Hanukkah menorah-lighting that evening, the president told the crowd, “You don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist.” He said that while he doesn’t always agree with Israel’s leaders and governmental policies, “Were there no Israel, there would not be a Jew in the world who is safe.”
“We continue to provide military assistance until they get rid of Hamas but we have to be careful,” Biden said of U.S. support for the war. He added: “The whole world, public opinion can shift overnight. We can’t let that happen.”
Washington Post: Israel used U.S.-supplied white phosphorus in Lebanon attack: Israel used U.S.-supplied white phosphorus munitions in an October attack in southern Lebanon that injured at least nine civilians in what a rights group says should be investigated as a war crime, according to a Washington Post analysis of shell fragments found in a small village.
A journalist working for The Post found remnants of three 155-millimeter artillery rounds fired into Dheira, near the border of Israel, which incinerated at least four homes, residents said. (Read the complete article here. Learn more about white phosphorus here.)
US ‘concerned’ about reports that Israel used white phosphorus, Kirby says The Biden administration is “concerned” about Israel’s reported use of white phosphorus in Lebanon two months ago, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Monday. “We’ve seen the reports, certainly concerned about that. We’ll be asking questions to try to learn a little bit more,” he told reporters.
Israel’s denial: When asked about a report that Israel used illegal white phosphorus munitions during its military operations, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that his army operates according to international law.
US calls footage of Palestinian men in Israeli custody ‘disturbing’: Matthew Miller, the State Department spokesperson, said the US is seeking clarification from Israel about videos of dozens of Palestinian men detained and stripped to their underwear. Israeli media accounts described the men as Hamas fighters, but journalists and family members of several of the individuals have stressed that they are civilians.
“We found those images deeply disturbing, and we are seeking more information both about the nature of the images and, of course, why they’re public in the first place,” Miller told reporters.
Capitol Hill Interns Accuse Congress Of Suppressing Cease-Fire Demands: Congressional interns and fellows released a letter on Monday accusing Congress of having “suppressed and ignored” a tidal wave of constituent support for a permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Gaza conflict.
More than 140 interns and fellows signed the letter, and 71 disclosed the number of calls and emails in support of a cease-fire that their offices have recorded. Those 71 offices (out of the total of 535) have received a total of 693,170 messages supporting a cease-fire since Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip began in early October. (Read the full article here.)
UN General Assembly to meet today over war in Gaza: The UN General Assembly is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to discuss an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”. The last time the GA met on this topic was on October 27, when 120 countries voted in favour of a Jordanian resolution calling for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities”.
Egypt and Mauritania invoked Resolution 377A (V) to call for an emergency meeting of the General Assembly today, which states that if the Security Council is unable to issue its primary responsibility of maintaining peace, the GA can step in.
Ahead of the actual vote, the countries will vote on two amendments to the resolution:
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- A resolution put forward by the US calling to add that members “unequivocally reject and condemn the heinous terrorist attacks by Hamas that took place in Israel starting 7 October 2023 and the taking of hostages”.
- Austria’s amendment which wants to add that Hamas and other Palestinian groups are holding the captives in Gaza and ensuring the ceasefire takes place immediately.
RECOMMENDED VIEWING: What’s UN Resolution 377A, can it help in efforts to stop Israel-Gaza war?
Israel attacking Gaza’s ‘past, present and future’: Australian historians: More than 100 Australian historians have signed an open letter decrying Israel’s attacks on Gaza, saying they aim “to destroy Palestinian lives and render it impossible for Palestinians to live in Gaza”.
“As historians we know this as an attack on a people’s past, present and future,” the signatories added, citing Israel’s destruction of universities, schools, cultural institutions, libraries, archives, mosques and churches.
Gaza’s Ministry of Culture last week reported (PDF) that 28 cultural workers have been killed in the enclave since the war began, including musicians, publishers and folk dancers.
“CPJ is deeply alarmed by the pattern of journalists in Gaza reporting receiving threats, and subsequently, their family members being killed,” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour. https://t.co/fmZ32thq9z
— CPJ MENA (@CPJMENA) December 12, 2023
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BREAKING: Hundreds of #JewsForCeasefire are lighting candles outside the White House, as champagne flows inside @POTUS' Chanukah party.
We're here with @JVPDCMetro calling on Biden & American Jewish leaders to support a lasting ceasefire and end the genocide of Gaza in our name. pic.twitter.com/EHvgOUnnSb
— IfNotNow🔥🕎 (@IfNotNowOrg) December 11, 2023
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Statistics as of Dec. 11:
Palestinian death toll: OCHA reports at least 18,013* (~17,734 in Gaza* (6,121 women and 7,870 children), and at least 279 in the West Bank). This does not include an estimated 7,780 more still buried under rubble. Euro-Med Monitor reports 20,360 Palestinian deaths.
*IAK does not yet include 471 Gazans killed in the Al Ahli hospital blast since the source of the projectile is being disputed; although much evidence points to Israel as the culprit, experts are still looking into the incident. Israel is blocking an international investigation. Israel killed more Palestinians in a little over a month after Oct. 7 than in all the previous 22 years combined.
Palestinian injuries: 54,731** (including at least 51,300 in Gaza** and 3,431 in the West Bank). **NOTE: it is impossible to provide an accurate number of injuries in Gaza due to the ongoing bombardment and communication disruption.
It remains unknown how many Americans are among the casualties. in Gaza**. About 1.9 million people have been displaced (about 85% of the population).
Reported Israeli death toll ~1,147 (7 killed in West Bank, 104 in Gaza), including 32 Americans, and 5,431 injured, approximately 36 children).
NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries in Israel may have been caused by Israeli soldiers; additionally, since Israel has a policy of universal conscription, it is unknown how many of those attending the outdoor rave a few miles from Gaza on stolen Palestinian land were Israeli soldiers.
Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here. For more news, go here and here. Live broadcast news from the region is here.
Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org
RELATED READING:
- Remembering Lubna Alyaan, the aspiring violinist killed in Gaza
- Rumors of war: did hundreds of Hamas fighters surrender to Israeli forces?
- Gaza Civilians, Under Israeli Barrage, Are Being Killed at Historic Pace
- Israel has lost control of the narrative – October 7 truths coming out
- Essential facts and stats about the Hamas-Gaza-Israel war
- What media reports fail to tell you about October 7
- More Palestinians killed in past 34 days than in the past 22 years combined
