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Israel said it was prepared to fight for months or longer to defeat Gaza’s Hamas rulers, as its ground offensive intensified with more airstrikes and artillery fire.
Qatar, which has played a key mediating role, says efforts to stop the fighting and secure the release of all hostages will continue, but willingness to discuss a ceasefire is waning.
Israel is facing an international outcry after its military offensive in Gaza killed more than 17,700 Palestinians, about two-thirds of whom are women and children, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry. About 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced into the besieged area, where UN agencies say There’s no safe place to run,
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Here’s what’s happening in the war:
United Nations General Assembly will vote on ceasefire resolution
United Nations – The UN General Assembly has scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday to vote on a draft resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
Assembly President Dennis Francis sent a letter to the 193 UN member states on Sunday, saying the meeting was requested by the 22-member Arab Group and the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour told The Associated Press that the draft resolution to be voted on Tuesday afternoon is similar to a Security Council resolution that was vetoed by the United States on Friday.
Mansour said the resolution was sponsored by 103 countries and he is expecting more sponsors and higher votes for the General Assembly resolution when it is put up for a vote.
The General Assembly has no veto, but unlike the Security Council its resolutions are not legally binding. Yet they remain important as barometers of global opinion.
Blinken defends sale of tank shells to Israel without congressional approval
Washington – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has defended emergency sale Also called for prompt congressional approval of approximately 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition and more to Israel $100 billion aid For Israel, Ukraine, and other national security priorities.
Blinken explained the needs of Israel’s military operation in Gaza Justify the rare decision of bypassing Congress. “Israel is at war with Hamas right now,” he said during a television interview on Sunday. “And we want to make sure that Israel has everything it needs to defend itself against Hamas.”
Blinken said tank ammunition and related support are only a small part of military sales to Israel and the rest is subject to congressional review. He said, “It is very important that the voice of Congress is heard in this.”
Holocaust survivors hold a virtual ceremony to mark Hanukkah
Survivors can join an online menorah lighting ceremony on Monday to pay tribute to the 6 million European Jews killed by the Nazis in the Holocaust.
Several dozen survivors were expected to gather in person for the menorah lighting at Jerusalem’s Western Wall – the holiest site where Jews can pray.
The New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany is organizing the event to commemorate International Holocaust Survivors Night.
Biden to host Hanukkah celebration at White House as anti-Semitism rises
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden is hosting a reception at the White House on Monday to mark Hanukkah, the Jewish holiday, as he condemned rising anti-Semitism in the U.S. and abroad during the ongoing campaign. Has continued to do. Israel-Hamas war,
Hanukkah continues through Friday.
The Biden administration first announced this in May National Strategy to Combat Anti-Semitism, It outlined more than 100 actions, including a series of steps to increase awareness and understanding of antisemitism and the threat it poses in America.
UN agency chief says Israel is trying to clear Palestinians from Gaza
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said that Israel appeared to be trying to clear the Palestinian population from Gaza through its military offensive and evacuation orders.
“The developments we are seeing point to efforts to relocate Palestinians to Egypt, whether they remain there or settle elsewhere,” he wrote in the Los Angeles Times.
On Sunday, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi also accused Israel of being “determined” to expel Palestinians from Gaza.
“We are seeing a systematic effort that looks like it will empty Gaza of its people,” he told a conference in Doha, Qatar.
Israeli government spokesman Ilon Levy described the allegations as “outrageous and false”.
Pope says causes of wars must be addressed
VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has called for continued prayer for populations suffering from war.
“We are getting closer to Christmas. “Will we be able to take concrete steps for peace with God’s help?” The pontiff asked the masses gathered in St. Peter’s Square to attend his weekly window on Sunday. “It is not easy, we know, some conflicts have very deep historical roots.”
“But we also have witness to men and women who have worked with wisdom and patience for peaceful coexistence,” he said.
He called for “every possible effort to confront and eliminate the causes of conflicts.” Calling for human rights, Francis also urged that civilians, hospitals and houses of worship be protected and that hostages be freed and humanitarian aid be guaranteed.
French warship targeted by drone
PARIS – France says one of its warships in the Red Sea was targeted and shot down by a drone coming from Yemen.
A brief statement from the Army Ministry on Sunday did not say who fired two drones at the French Navy warship Languedoc on Saturday night.
It said that they came directly to the ship, two hours away from the direction of Yemen. The ministry said the warship intercepted and destroyed both of them about 110 kilometers (70 miles) off the Red Sea port of Al Hudaydah on the Yemeni coast.
It did not say what weapons Languedoc used to bring down the drone. The warship is on a mission for the French Navy in the Red Sea.
Men and boys in Gaza say they were beaten by Israeli soldiers
Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip – Several men and a teenage boy released from five days of detention and interrogation by Israeli soldiers on Saturday said they were beaten, given only minimal water and often prevented from using the toilet. Was stopped.
He spoke to The Associated Press at a hospital in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah. Many people had bruises on their bodies or deep wounds from zip ties.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment when asked about the alleged abuses.
The detainees shed more light on what appears to be an increasingly widespread military practice of rounding up teenage boys and men as soldiers move through neighborhoods. Earlier this week, photos emerged of soldiers guarding dozens of men who were kneeling or wearing underwear in the streets, with their hands tied behind their backs.
A government spokesman said on Friday that those detained were being interrogated to determine whether they had links to Hamas militants.
The detainees freed on Saturday said they had been evacuated from a building in the Shujaiyah area of Gaza City, which has seen intense fighting in recent days.
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