2023-12-27 06:15:00
Israel says it is in a “multi-front war” and warns of a long fight ahead. This is what you should know
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the country is in a “war on multiple fronts,” being attacked from several different sectors. He warned of a long fight ahead, while saying that anyone who acts against Israel is “a potential target.”
Gallant’s comments to the Israeli parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee follow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks on Monday that the war is far from over, after the Israeli leader visited Gaza for the second time since 7 October.
Meanwhile, on the diplomatic front, a confidant close to Netanyahu met with US Secretary of State Tony Blinken and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, as the White House hopes Israel move away from the high-intensity war it has waged in Gaza. A senior Israeli official told CNN that while there are differences between the United States and Israel over the war, both countries want to see an end to the militant group.
An Israeli army convoy advances near the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel on December 25. (Leo Correa/AP)
Here are other key developments you should know about:
Conditions in Gaza: At least 250 people were killed and another 500 wounded in 24 hours in central Gaza, the Hamas-controlled strip’s Health Ministry said Monday. According to the ministry, more than 20,000 people have been killed since the conflict began in early October. Communications and internet services in the Gaza Strip are completely down, three Palestinian internet providers announced Tuesday in statements posted on their social media accounts. Internet monitoring site Netblocks told CNN on Wednesday that network data indicated a new collapse in connectivity in Gaza.
WHO Comments: World Health Organization officials on Monday visited Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, where dozens of people are being treated, including many of the victims of the reported airstrikes on the Al-Maghazi refugee camp. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed that the hospital is over capacity and warned that “many will not survive the wait.” Tedros also, in an opinion editorial published on Tuesday, again called for a ceasefire in Gaza. He said: “Without peace there is no health, and without health there can be no peace.”
Events on the ground: The Israel Defense Forces are using their military’s ground, air and naval operations to attack what it says are “terrorist targets” in Gaza, according to an army statement Tuesday. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad rejected a plan proposed by Egypt to end the war in Gaza, Archyde.com reported on Monday, citing two Egyptian security sources. Additionally, the U.S. Navy on Tuesday intercepted a barrage of drones and missiles fired by the Houthis over the Red Sea from Yemen over a 10-hour period, according to U.S. Central Command. A spokesman for the Houthi forces said in X that the launches were in “continued support and solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
Other diplomatic efforts: Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands Sigrid Kaag will resign from her position to become the new United Nations special humanitarian coordinator for Gaza, Kaag said in a statement on Day X. Additionally, the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani engaged in talks with US President Joe Biden in a phone call on Tuesday to assess ongoing developments in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories, Qatar’s state news agency QNA reported. According to the statement, the leaders emphasized the importance of joint mediation efforts “to calm the situation” and reach a permanent ceasefire.”
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