Israeli airstrikes kill dozens more Palestinians
The Israeli army has raided and detained staff at two of the last functioning hospitals in Gaza’s north, where the defense minister said Tuesday that troops were working to completely clear out Hamas militants.
Israel bombarded towns across southern Gaza Tuesday with airstrikes, killing at least 45 Palestinians and pressing ahead with its offensive with renewed backing from the United States, despite rising international alarm. The Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant, warned the campaign in Gaza’s south will persist for months.
Mobile phone and internet service was down across most of Gaza again on Wednesday, adding to the difficulties of
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funneling humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave. Israel wants to fast-track aid delivery through a maritime corridor from Cyprus, bolstering stability in the region, the country’s foreign minister said Wednesday.
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Israeli and Cypriot technical teams would spend Wednesday and Thursday hammering out the details of the initiative so that aid shipments from Cyprus’ port of Larnaca, some 240 miles from Gaza, can begin as soon as possible.
“Cyprus and Israel, together with other partners in the region are promoting the initiative for a secure maritime corridor to facilitate the transfer of humanitarian assistance to Gaza in an organized and well inspected manner,” Cohen said after talks with his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos.
UN Gaza resolution vote delayed
The United Nations Security Council again delayed a vote on a resolution urging the delivery of crucial humanitarian aid into Gaza and some form of a halt in fighting as negotiations continued to avoid another veto by the United States.
The resolution called for an “urgent suspension of hostilities,” a step back from Monday’s draft that demanded a “cessation of hostilities.” The resolution would also express the council’s “strong concern for the disproportionate effect” of the war on women and children, and it demanded the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”
The vote was canceled as the U.S. asked for more time and was scheduled to take place Wednesday.
Austin makes unannounced trip to USS Ford
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin flew out to the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier Wednesday to meet with the sailors he has ordered to remain at sea to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spilling over into a deadlier regional conflict.
Austin was in the region to press Israel to shift its bombardment of Gaza to a more limited campaign and more quickly transition to address Palestinian civilians’ dire humanitarian needs. At the same time, the U.S. has been concerned that Israel will launch a similar military operation along its northern border with Lebanon to expel Hezbollah militants there, potentially opening a second front and widening the war.
Using the public address system of the Ford, which is sailing a few hundred miles off the coast of Israel, Austin thanked the sailors and their families for giving up spending the holidays together because of the mission.