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U.S. President Joe Biden has conveyed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that it is essential to protect civilians in and around heavy urban fighting in Gaza's largest cities. Messages have been sent from the White House and the State Department calling on the Israeli government to do more to prevent civilian deaths. This comes on the same day that the US vetoed the UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, which has been supported by the rest of the countries and has been abstained by the UK. This morning, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged the Council, along with various international organisations, to "spare no effort for the protection of civilians". "The eyes of the world and the eyes of history are watching. It's time to act," he said ahead of the vote. On the ground, Israeli troops and Hamas militants continue their intense fighting in Gaza's main cities, especially in the south.
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Guterres calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza
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Reuters
Hamas rejects U.S. veto at UN
Hamas rejected the U.S. veto that frustrated a ceasefire resolution in Gaza at the UN despite Guterres' appeal, according to a leader of the Islamist organization. The group calls Washington's decision "unethical and inhumane." "The U.S. obstruction of the issuance of a ceasefire resolution amounts to direct participation in the occupation," the head of Hamas' political bureau said.
ACT.9 DEC 2023 - 01:33
El País
Human Rights Watch Criticizes U.S. Veto on Gaza Ceasefire, Warns It Risks Contributing to Israeli War Crimes
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday criticised the veto introduced by the United States in the UN Security Council in order to prevent a call for a ceasefire in Gaza, and warned that this measure risks contributing to Israel's war crimes.
"By continuing to give Israel weapons and diplomatic cover while committing atrocities, including collective punishment against Palestinian civilians, the United States risks becoming complicit in war crimes," Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch, wrote in X.
The organization, born and based in the United States, has described Washington's attitude as incoherent, because, on the one hand, it is calling on Israel and Palestinian groups to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians, but at the same time preventing the Security Council from translating these calls into texts.
The Palestinian ambassador to the UN, Riyad al-Malki, said that "today is a terrible day for the Security Council" and warned that what happens in the Gaza war and in the corridors of the UN will have a lasting impact "on the understanding and perception of each country. and in the relations between communities and people around the world." (Image: EFE)
ACT.8 DEC 2023 - 23:59
María Antonia Sánchez-VallejoNew York
UN Secretary-General António Guterres (right) and UAE Deputy Representative Mohamed Abushahab at a Security Council meeting. / JUSTIN LANE / EFE
Enlargement | U.S. veto thwarts U.N. ceasefire resolution in Gaza despite Guterres' dramatic call
The UN Security Council met on Friday to discuss a proposed resolution for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza presented by the United Arab Emirates on behalf of the Arab countries of the organisation, and co-sponsored by Spain among a hundred other members. The convening of the UN's highest body came at the behest of Secretary-General António Guterres, who on Wednesday invoked Article 99 of the founding Charter to try to force a humanitarian ceasefire to alleviate the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip and the suffering of the civilian population. Guterres' gesture, rare in the organization's history and unprecedented in his tenure, sounded like a last resort to prevent the definitive collapse of the Strip, but U.S. opposition to any option that smacks of a ceasefire derailed his initiative. The text received 13 votes in favour and one abstention, that of the United Kingdom, in addition to the non-US vote.
Read the full information here.
ACT.8 DEC 2023 - 22:11
El País
UN Security Council rejects call for ceasefire in Gaza over US veto
The United States on Friday exercised its right to veto as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and blocked a resolution, requested by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on humanitarian grounds.
Only the United States voted against. The United Kingdom, another permanent member of the Council, abstained, and the other 13 countries (including the other three permanent members, China, France and Russia) voted in favour.
ACT.8 DEC 2023 - 21:52
El País
White House Asks U.S. Congress to Authorize Sale of 45,000 Tank Rounds to Israel, Reuters Reports
The U.S. government has asked Congress for authorization to sell 45,000 rounds of Merkava tank ammunition for use by Israel in its Gaza offensive, two sources told Reuters.
The request comes amid growing U.S. backlash over the use of U.S. weapons in a conflict that has killed thousands of civilians.
Both yesterday and today, the U.S. government has indicated that Israel is not doing enough to prevent civilian deaths in the conflict. (Reuters).
ACT.8 DEC 2023 - 21:28
El País
A girl begs for food at a food distribution post in Rafah, Gaza. / IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA / REUTERS
Carl Skau of the World Food Programme: "Nothing had prepared me for the fear and desperation I have encountered in Gaza"
Confusion in warehouses, distribution points with thousands of desperate and hungry people, supermarkets with empty shelves and shelters overcrowded with bursting toilets. This is the description made by Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) after his visit to the Gaza Strip on Friday.
"Nothing had prepared me for the fear, chaos and despair we have encountered. The people of Gaza are desperate. You can see the fear in the eyes of women and children. Gazans are living in overcrowded shelters or on the streets as winter approaches, they are sick and do not have enough food," said Skau.
The Deputy Executive Director explained that during his visit he met with WFP staff and their families, and asked them what is going to happen and what the agency's plans are for them. "There were no clear or easy answers," he acknowledged.
In his letter, Skau recalled that a survey conducted by the WFP during the pause in hostilities showed that Gazans do not eat. Nine out of ten families in some areas went a whole day and night without eating anything. When asked how often this happened, they told us that up to 10 days in the past month they had not eaten food.
He also recalled that WFP has distributed food to more than one million people despite the challenges. "But this is no longer sustainable. With only a fraction of the necessary food supplies arriving, a fatal lack of fuel, disruptions to communications systems, and no safety for our staff or the people we serve at food distributions, we cannot do our job."
ACT.8 DEC 2023 - 20:47
El País
U.S. Insists on Need to Reduce Civilian Casualties in Gaza
The United States insisted again on Friday that "more can be done to try to reduce civilian casualties" in the Gaza Strip, in the words of White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. Kirby reiterated that Washington shares the international community's concerns about the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave.
Yesterday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that, in his understanding, Israel recognized the need to protect civilians in the Strip, but that "there is a gap between Israeli will and what we are seeing on the ground." (Reuters)
ACT.8 DEC 2023 - 20:28
El País
A Palestinian girl wounded in an Israeli bombardment receives treatment in Khan Younis on Friday. / MOHAMMED DAHMAN/AP
What has happened in the last few hours?
Here are the main afternoon news stories about the war at 20:00 p.m. on Friday, December 8:
Guterres urges the UN Security Council to push for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The eyes of the world—and the eyes of history—are watching. It is time to act," said the secretary general of the organization.
Médecins Sans Frontières also urges the U.N. agency to "end its complicity in the killing" of civilians in the Gaza Strip. The NGO has denounced in a statement that, to date, the "inaction" of the Security Council and "the vetoes of member states, in particular the United States, make them accomplices to the ongoing slaughter".
The United States, which has veto power, will not support the humanitarian ceasefire resolution in Gaza. Washington has announced that it will not support the initiative presented by the UN group of Arab countries. The vote has been delayed until 23:30 p.m. in mainland Spain.
The International Committee of the Red Cross calls for "humanity" in the treatment of detainees in Gaza. It does so after the international shock caused by images of half-naked men kneeling before Israeli soldiers in the streets of the Strip.
The European Commission will provide an initial amount of €125 million in humanitarian aid for the Palestinian population in 2024. The body said the new funds would go to humanitarian organizations in both Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
ACT.8 DEC 2023 - 20:02
El País
Israeli military says two soldiers have been "seriously wounded" in Gaza operation to rescue hostages
El ejército israelí ha informado de que dos soldados han resultado "gravemente heridos" durante una operación de rescate a rehenes en manos de Hamás en la franja de Gaza. "Durante la operación, murieron numerosos terroristas que participaron en el secuestro y la retención de rehenes. No se rescató a ningún rehén en esta actividad", explica el ejército en un mensaje difundido en su canal de Telegram. Según afirma, el ejército continúa operando en "una variedad de métodos operacionales y de inteligencia", junto a organizaciones de seguridad, con el fin de liberar a los rehenes y para recopilar información relevante. El ejército precisa que están en contacto con las familias de los rehenes, y que les informan de las novedades regularmente y "con información verificada" sobre sus seres queridos. En su mensaje, el ejército acusa a Hamás de tratar de "convertir el terrorismo psicológico en un arma".
ACT.8 DIC 2023 - 19:35
El País
Médicos Sin Fronteras pide al Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU que ponga fin "a su complicidad en la matanza"
Médicos Sin Fronteras (MSF) ha urgido al Consejo de Seguridad a "poner fin a su complicidad en la matanza" en Gaza. Así encabeza un comunicado en el que considera que este órgano de la ONU debe "exigir un alto el fuego inmediato y sostenido, para levantar el asedio y garantizar la ayuda sin restricciones a toda la Franja". Según se añade en el mismo comunicado, hasta la fecha, la "inacción" del Consejo de Seguridad y "los vetos de los Estados miembros, en particular de Estados Unidos, los hacen cómplices de la matanza en curso" y "esta inacción ha dado licencia a la carnicería masiva de hombres, mujeres y niños".
"Desde que se rompió la tregua de siete días, hemos sido testigos de la reanudación de las matanzas indiscriminadas y de los desplazamientos forzosos a una escala e intensidad sobrecogedoras. Solo en el hospital Al Aqsa se recibieron 1.149 pacientes en urgencias entre el 1 y el 7 de diciembre, 350 de los cuales llegaron ya muertos. El 6 de diciembre, el hospital recibió más pacientes fallecidos que heridos", añade la organización en el comunicado. "El personal médico de MSF en la franja de Gaza ha sido testigo y ha tratado las consecuencias médicas de las atrocidades continuas y sistemáticas de las últimas ocho semanas. La campaña israelí de matanzas indiscriminadas, la denegación de alimentos y del acceso a la asistencia sanitaria y los repetidos desplazamientos forzosos han hecho insoportables las condiciones de vida para más de dos millones de personas. La gente está en la calle, bajo la lluvia, apenas hay saneamiento. Los equipos de MSF asisten a aumentos significativos de enfermedades infecciosas, como diarrea, infecciones respiratorias agudas, cutáneas y brotes" de enfermedades la hepatitis. "Debe permitirse inmediatamente la entrada a gran escala de ayuda humanitaria vital en la franja de Gaza", reclama la ONG.
"Nowadays the provision of aid is simulated: it is nothing compared to the needs. Our brothers and sisters feel helpless when they hear children tell them that they would rather die than continue suffering. People are desperate to eat because of the cruel siege that has been imposed on them. There has to be some chance of survival; Our doctors can't do anything for the dead. Not to act now, not to declare a full ceasefire and thus end the siege would be unforgivable," said Christopher Lockyear, MSF's international secretary. "We despair of intransigence
The statement concludes: "Today, the United Nations Security Council must demand an immediate and sustained ceasefire, and lift the siege. This responsibility rests with each of its members: history will judge the delay in putting an end to this slaughter; Basic humanity demands action."
ACT.8 DEC 2023 - 19:30
El País
Hamas says Israeli bombardment has killed several hostages in Gaza
The Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamist group Hamas, said this afternoon that several Israeli hostages held captive in Gaza have been killed or wounded by the recent bombardments.
"We announce the death and wounding of several enemy prisoners in the barbaric bombardment of several areas of Gaza City," al-Qassam said in a statement on Telegram.
On 7 October, Palestinian militias took more than 240 people captive to Gaza. More than 24 of them were released in the previous two months and between November 30 and <>, as part of the truce agreement between Israel and Hamas that lasted for seven days.
Officially, however, there are still 138 captives in Gaza, of which Israel estimates about <> are dead. It has not been specified whether the dead whose existence Hamas claims are included in this latest figure.
In recent days, families of Israeli hostages have pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to find ways to free their relatives, as their anger with the government grows over the lack of prospects for the release of the captives, as the heavy military offensive on the Palestinian enclave continues. (Image: EFE)
ACT.8 DEC 2023 - 19:25
El País
Clashes continue on Israel-Lebanon border
Artillery clashes continue on the Israeli-Lebanese border. The Israeli military has reported that throughout the day its aircraft have attacked several "Hezbollah terror targets, including terrorist infrastructure." As he specified in a message broadcast through his Telegram channel, this afternoon they have identified launches from Lebanon into Israeli territory and the army's artillery has "reached" the origin of these attacks.
ACT.8 DEC 2023 - 19:10
Luis de VegaJerusalem
In a photo obtained by Reuters, Palestinians are detained in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. /REUTERS
Red Cross calls for humane treatment after images of half-naked men detained in Gaza are released
The images, photos and videos of dozens of half-naked men on the streets of Gaza detained by Israeli soldiers have caused a huge impact since they began to come to light on Thursday. A senior Hamas official in Egypt on Friday accused Israel of committing a "heinous crime against innocent civilians." The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), for its part, reacted by calling for respect for humanitarian law. "We stress the importance of treating all detainees humanely and with dignity, in accordance with humanitarian standards," spokeswoman Jessica Moussan said in a statement.
Al Araby sources confirmed that among them was reporter Diaa Al Kahlout, who works for its associated daily Al Araby Al Jadeed. The reporter was detained along with brothers and cousins, according to his family to the Qatar-based Arabic-language network. The Committee to Protect Journalists (which warned of his arrest on Wednesday in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza) has called for his release in a statement. Other people have warned of relatives who appear in the images who do not belong to Hamas or Palestinian armed groups, reports Reuters.
The Israeli authorities, for their part, justified the operation by referring to people who were in areas of northern Gaza that they had ordered evacuated weeks ago, such as the Jabalia refugee camp or the Shujayia neighborhood, considered by Israel to be "Hamas strongholds and centers of gravity," according to spokesman Eylon Levy.
In previous days, Palestinian detainees, also handcuffed and blindfolded, had already been seen being transported through Israeli territory aboard military vehicles, according to photos by Agence France Presse. On Wednesday, a group of journalists was able to see one of these groups in the vicinity of Kibbutz Nir Oz, less than five kilometers from Khan Younis, where intense fighting is taking place these days between the Israeli army and Hamas militants.
ACT.8 DEC 2023 - 18:52
María Antonia Sánchez-VallejoNew York
U.S. Will Not Support Gaza Humanitarian Ceasefire Resolution
The United States, which has veto power in the Security Council, has declared that for the moment it does not support new measures by the UN executive body on the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and, in particular, on the draft resolution to force a humanitarian ceasefire that is being debated and voted on Friday. Last month, the council called for a pause in the fighting to allow access to aid, and the resolution, after four failed attempts, went ahead thanks to the U.S. abstention. In today's vote on the initiative presented by the UN group of Arab countries and co-sponsored by Spain, Washington has already announced that it will not support the text. The adoption of a resolution requires at least nine votes in favour out of a total of 15 (the number of members of the Council) and no vetoes.
The vote has been delayed until mid-afternoon local time in New York (midnight in mainland Spain) by a last-minute meeting in Washington of foreign ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Authority and Turkey with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
"While the United States strongly supports a lasting peace, in which both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security, we do not support calls for an immediate ceasefire," U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood told the council on Friday. Israel and the U.S. believe a ceasefire would benefit Hamas by giving it time and space to rebuild after two months of Israel's offensive on Gaza. "This [a humanitarian ceasefire such as the one called for in the motion for a resolution] would only sow the seeds of the next war, because Hamas does not want a lasting peace," the U.S. diplomat said.
ACT.8 DEC 2023 - 18:38
El País
Macron calls on Netanyahu to stop Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in West Bank
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "take the necessary measures" to end violent attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The Elysée said in a statement that in the phone call between the two, Macron reiterated France's solidarity with Israel in its fight against terrorism. At the same time, he has reaffirmed the need to protect the civilian population of Gaza, with measures such as the reopening of the border between the Strip and Israel for the entry of humanitarian aid. Still according to Paris, the French president has reiterated to Netanyahu the importance of reaching a lasting ceasefire agreement.
While Macron reiterated France's solidarity with Israel in its fight against terrorism, he told Netanyahu to "take the necessary measures" to end settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank. (Reuters/AFP)
ACT.8 DEC 2023 - 18:37