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U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday urged Israel to "be more careful" about civilians in Gaza. It reinforces the message that the White House wants Israel's war in Gaza to "end as soon as possible," as National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed at a conference call with reporters in Washington. Kirby's message contrasts with that of Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who has warned that, despite pressure from Washington, the conflict will not be resolved for weeks. Kirby has tacitly acknowledged this by stating that it is not in the intention of the United States to impose on Israel the timing of its military strategy. Earlier, the commissioner general of the United Nations Agency for the Palestinians (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, appeared in Geneva after his third visit to the Gaza Strip since the start of the war. Lazzarini said people are "so desperate and hungry" that they stop trucks with food supplies.
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El País
The Israeli army recovers the body of a 28-year-old man kidnapped by Hamas on October 7
Israeli army special forces have recovered the body of one of those kidnapped by Hamas on October 7. Elia Toledano, 28, was captured by militants who entered Israeli territory at the open-air music festival that turned into a massacre near the Gaza border.
According to the Israeli army in a series of messages on X, an "identification procedure" has been carried out in which forensic experts and military rabbis have participated. Toledano's body was recovered by soldiers from the 551st Brigade and Unit 504 of the Intelligence Division under the command of the 162nd Division.
According to Israel, 130 hostages remain in Hamas in Gaza, after the release of 105 of them in the week of truce that ended on December 1. (Reuters)
ACT.15 DEC 2023 - 06:51
El País
Erdogan conveys to Biden that it is the "historic responsibility" of the US to ensure the ceasefire
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday in a telephone conversation with his US counterpart, Joe Biden, that it is the "historic responsibility" of the United States to ensure a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Erdogan has stressed that the "human tragedy" in the Palestinian enclave must end and has pointed out that the withdrawal of Washington's "unconditional support" for Israel could "guarantee a ceasefire quickly", although Biden has insisted on Israel's right to defend itself. (EP)
ACT.15 DEC 2023 - 06:18
El País
Biden calls on Israel to 'be more careful' of civilians in Gaza
U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday urged Israel to "be more careful" of civilians in Gaza, after the White House pressured Israel to scale back its offensive against the Palestinian organization Hamas in the near future.
"I want them to focus on how to save civilian lives," Biden told reporters after visiting a medical research center outside Washington. "I don't want them to stop persecuting Hamas, but I do want them to be more careful." (AFP)
ACT.14 DEC 2023 - 22:07
El País
U.S. Wants a "Renewed and Revitalized" Palestinian Authority to Rule Gaza and the West Bank
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday that the governance of the West Bank and Gaza Strip must be connected under a "renewed and revitalized" Palestinian Authority.
Sullivan, in an interview with Israel's Channel 12 television, also said he had spoken with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about how Israel should move from high-intensity military operations in Gaza to a more precise and targeted phase.
The last elections for the Palestinian National Authority's Legislative Council were held in 2006 — those scheduled for 2021 were postponed indefinitely — and, since the split between Fatah and Hamas in 2007, PA President Mahmoud Abbas (elected in 2005) has ruled by decree. Abbas, with whom Sullivan will speak on Friday, turned 88 in November.
Sullivan declined to give details or a timeline, but called the conversation constructive and said there was a "broad degree of convergence" on strategic goals and the steps needed to achieve them. (Reuters)
ACT.14 DEC 2023 - 21:50
El País
A Palestinian wounded by Israeli shelling arrives at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis on Thursday. / Ahmad Hasaballah / Getty Images
What has happened in the last few hours?
This is the latest news on the war in Gaza, at 21:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 14:
Israel warns that the war in Gaza to defeat Hamas will take several months. Netanyahu is trying to iron out differences with the United States, thanking it for the delivery of weapons for the war and the veto of the call for a ceasefire at the UN. Fighting and shelling continue to be intense across the Palestinian Mediterranean enclave as the humanitarian crisis for hundreds of thousands of Gazans worsens.
The U.S. wants Israel's war in Gaza to end "as soon as possible." This was confirmed by John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, in a conference with journalists in Washington. Kirby also made it clear that it is not in the U.S. mood to impose on Israel the timing of its military strategy, although The New York Times attributed to four anonymous official sources the information that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has asked in a meeting held during his visit to Israel that his army reduce the ground war in Gaza before the end of the year.
Israel warns Hamas leaders that they are "not safe" in their tunnel network in Gaza. Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari warned members of the Islamist group Hamas on Thursday that they are "not safe" inside the network of tunnels they have built under much of the inhabited areas of the Gaza Strip. Hagari was referring to videos released earlier by the army showing Hamas militants hiding inside a tunnel killed by explosives thrown by Israeli soldiers. "Our troops have planted explosives and identified the terrorists with cameras," he said.
Israel is offering $400,000 for information on the whereabouts of Yahya Sinwar, believed to be the mastermind of the October 7 attack. The Israeli army has dropped leaflets in Gaza City and Khan Younis offering financial rewards for information on Sinwar and other Hamas commanders, Efe news agency confirmed with residents of both towns.
Suspected Hamas members arrested in Germany with specific plans to attack Jewish targets. The Prosecutor's Office orders the arrest of three men in Berlin and a fourth in the Dutch city of Rotterdam who maintained a weapons warehouse on European soil. The operation coincides with the arrest of three other suspects in Denmark, although Danish intelligence services do not see a "direct connection."
Médecins Sans Frontières accuses Israel of killing a Palestinian teenager in a West Bank hospital. According to the NGO, the young man was unarmed. He was treated by hospital crews, who were unable to save his life. "This morning, Israeli forces stopped ambulances carrying discharged patients to their homes outside the hospital," MSF said in a statement.
At least 18,787 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, according to the Gazan Health Ministry. At least 18,787 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7 due to Israeli attacks, Gazan Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said in a statement. In addition, another 50,897 people have been injured.
Almost half of the bombs used by Israel are unguided munitions. Between 40% and 45% of the 29,000 munitions used by Israel to attack Gaza since October 7 have been unguided bombs, according to a US intelligence report published by CNN.
The Israeli military reports operations against Hamas in northern and southern Gaza. Israel continues its attacks and operations against Hamas both in southern Gaza, in Khan Younis, and in the north, with actions in the Jabalia refugee camp and in the Shujaiyah neighborhood of Gaza City, the largest in the enclave.
ACT.14 DEC 2023 - 21:07
Iker SeisdedosWashington
U.S. Wants Israel's Gaza War to 'End as Soon as Possible'
The White House wants Israel's war in Gaza to "end as soon as possible." This was confirmed by John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, in a conference with journalists in Washington. Kirby also made it clear that it is not in the U.S. mood to impose on Israel the timing of its military strategy, although The New York Times attributed to four anonymous official sources the information that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has asked in a meeting held during his visit to Israel that his army reduce the ground war in Gaza before the end of the year. Reuters, for its part, reported that Sullivan has expressed Washington's desire for the confrontation to "de-escalate."
"How long will that take? I can't predict it," Kirby told reporters in Washington. "It has to take as much time as [the Israeli authorities] think is necessary to be able to eliminate the threat [from Hamas]. But obviously we all want this to end as soon as possible." Kirby also reiterated the Biden Administration's position on the advisability of adopting the two-state solution to overcome the current crisis. "We remain committed to the promise. Nothing has changed in our stance. But we will let the Israelis speak for themselves," he said.
Kirby's words come two days after a clash of positions on the latest conflict in the Middle East between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu first became apparent. The former suggested that Netanyahu would do better to change his coalition government, which includes the far-right, because this coalition is "the most conservative in the history" of the country and "is making it very difficult for him to move." "You can't say no to a Palestinian state. That's going to be the hard part," he added. He also warned that Israel is "beginning to lose support" over its "indiscriminate" bombings, which have killed more than 18,700 people in Gaza.
Kirby himself played down those differences between the two leaders on Wednesday, in another appearance with reporters. "The president was reflecting a concern that we've had for some time, and that we'll continue to have as this military operation moves forward, about the need to reduce harm to civilians and be as precise, careful and deliberate as possible," he said, referring to Biden's reference to "indiscriminate bombing."
ACT.14 DEC 2023 - 20:49