KEY POINTS
- Israel's foreign minister said Guterres' move 'constitutes support' of Hamas
- White House discussed Gaza operations timeline with Israel
- Penn's president issued a statement amid backlash over congress testimony
The Israel-Hamas war has entered its 62nd day, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that the Israeli forces will find Hamas' top leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, as they advance deeper into his hometown, Khan Yunis.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday invoked the UN Charter's Article 99, with an Israeli envoy calling the move a "new moral low."
- Israel allows more fuel to enter the Gaza Strip
- US rep slams Penn's 'pathetic PR clean up attempt'
- Harvard president says congress testimony was misinterpreted
- 'Significant advances' being made in Khan Yunis: IDF spokesperson
- Israeli envoy slams UN chief for alleged 'bias against Israel'
- Rocket sirens sound in northern community of Margaliot: Local media
- Freed hostages demand action from Israeli government for remaining abductees
- Israeli army has a mission to hunt down Sinwar and kill him: Report
- Hamas sought to make Israel complacent as it planned Oct. 7 attacks: Report
- France, Saudi reportedly in talks for deal to end Gaza war
- Saudi asked US to show restraint after Houthis' Red Sea attacks: Report
- Houthi official warns Saudi and UAE not to join anti-Yemen coalition
- 12 rockets fired toward Israeli civilians from Gaza, near UN facility: IDF
- Israelis treated more brutally than others in captivity: Freed Thai hostage
- US DOJ investigating killings, abductions of Americans on Oct. 7
- Fire exchanges with Hezbollah in Lebanon continue: Israeli army
- Palestinian woman says Hamas takes all the humanitarian aid underground
Ground battles are raging between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas militants, especially in Khan Yunis, Gaza's second-largest city, which the Israeli army encircled Wednesday. There is also fierce fighting in the Shuja'iyya district in northern Gaza and the Jabalia refugee camp.
Earlier this week, Qatar said that it would continue to work on getting Israel and Hamas back to the negotiation table for another ceasefire and hostage release deal, but there has been no news about whether the mediators have made progress.
The presidents of Harvard, Penn, and MIT have been under public scrutiny since Tuesday after their testimonies at a Congress hearing that discussed the surge of anti-Semitism in prestigious American universities. U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., has since called out the follow-up statements of Penn and Harvard's leadership.
Longstanding Israel-Palestine tensions erupted on Oct. 7, when Hamas militants launched a surprise invasion of Israel, killing more than a thousand people and abducting over 200 Israelis and foreigners. There are still more than 130 hostages in captivity, the IDF said.
The live update has ended.
Heavy fighting in Jabalia
As Israeli ground forces continue to clash against Hamas militants in Khan Yunis Thursday, there is also fierce fighting in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. In the area, the Israeli army said it located a network of tunnels.
Hamas 'takes everything' underground: Elderly Palestinian woman
An elderly Palestinian woman told Al-Jazeera in an interview translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) and published Thursday that "all the [humanitarian] aid goes to (the tunnels) underground. It does not reach all the people."
Elderly Palestinian Woman to Al-Jazeera Reporter Near a Khan Yunis Hospital: Hamas Takes All the Aid to Their Tunnels and Their Houses; They Can Shoot Me, I Am Not Afraid of Them #Hamas #Gaza #Palestinians pic.twitter.com/QEj9ahUfU8
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) December 7, 2023
The Al-Jazeera reporter told the woman that "a lot of aid is coming" into the Gaza Strip and Hamas said the aid was "being distributed," but the woman reiterated that the terror group's claims aren't true.
"Hamas takes everything to their homes," she insisted, as the reporter interrupted the elderly lady. "It seems the situation is unclear," the reporter said.
Israeli warplanes attack Hezbollah military posts in Lebanon
Israeli fighter jets attacked "a series of targets" belonging to the Iran-backed paramilitary group Hezbollah in Lebanese territory after several launches from Lebanon towards Israel were detected earlier Thursday, the IDF said. Among the assets struck were military posts, terrorist infrastructures and rocket launcher positions.
US Justice Department investigating 'heinous crimes' against Americans on Oct. 7
The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a probe into the deaths and abductions of Americans during the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, Attorney General Merrick Garland said. "We are investigating those heinous crimes and we will hold those people accountable," he said.
Israeli hostages singled out for brutal treatment: Freed Thai hostage
Freed Thai hostage Anucha Angkaew told Reuters in an interview published Thursday that Hamas treated Israeli abductees more brutally than the others. Anucha said he was also beaten and thought he would die in captivity.
Anucha and five of his Thai colleagues who worked at a farm in Israel were accosted by 10 Hamas operatives on Oct. 7. "We shouted 'Thailand, Thailand,' but they didn't care," he said. Two of his co-workers were killed by the militants, whom he recognized as Hamas by the flags on their sleeves.
There are still eight Thai captives in Gaza, along with more than 120 other Israelis and foreigners who have been held in the enclave since the Oct. 7 carnage.
12 rockets fired into Israel from launch site near UN facility: IDF
A total of 12 rockets were fired Wednesday toward Israeli civilians in the Be'er Sheva area from a launch site near a UN facility in the southern Gaza Strip, the IDF said Thursday. The launch base was also "near the tents of Gazan citizens."
.@UN, hear a loud noise yesterday?
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 7, 2023
That was the sound of 12 Hamas rockets launched toward Israeli civilians in southern Israel.
Hamas is the enemy of humanity and makes itself a threat to the entire world. pic.twitter.com/0RDeUfH5j7
צה״ל חשף בתקשורת הזרה: חמאס משגר רקטות מתוך אזורים הומניטריים לעבר ישראל
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) December 7, 2023
אתמול, בשעה 15:59, שיגרו מחבלי חמאס 12 רקטות לעבר באר-שבע. הרקטות שוגרו בסמוך לאוהלים של אזרחים עזתים שפונו לדרום הרצועה לשם הגנתם וסמוך למתקני האו"ם.
תיעוד מאתר השיגור, ליד אוהלים של אזרחים: pic.twitter.com/DeTKZDdNFj
Sirens sound in Gaza border communities
Sirens sounded in Israeli communities near the southern border with Gaza, local media reported Thursday. Rockets were fired at Sderot, which is located less than a mile from the Gaza Strip.
🚨 Rocket sirens sound in Gaza border communities
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) December 7, 2023
Live update: Rockets fired at Sderot, Gaza border communities https://t.co/VXnpU6E8Zj . Click to read ⬇️
— TOI ALERTS (@TOIAlerts) December 7, 2023
Houthi official warns Saudi, UAE against joining anti-Yemen coalition
Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, a Houthi official, warned Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against joining a coalition against Yemen in an interview published by nonprofit MEMRI Thursday.
Yemeni-Houthi Official Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti: If Saudi Arabia or the UAE Join a Coalition against Yemen, We Will Target Their Oil and Gas Fields, Tankers – "Winter Is Coming in Europe and America" #Houthis #Yemen #KSA #UAE @M_N_Albukhaiti pic.twitter.com/ZhnzxLtyNK
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) December 7, 2023
"If Saudi Arabia and the UAE become part of any coalition of aggression and escalation against Yemen, then I am saying this with all honesty: we will not leave any oilfield or gasfield (intact) in Saudi Arabia and the UAE," Al-Bukhaiti said, as per a MEMRI translation.
He added that Yemen's Houthi rebels will target "all the oil tankers." His comments come after the Iran-backed group recently attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea and hijacked an Israeli-linked cargo ship last month.
Saudi urges US to practice restraint after Houthis' Red Sea attacks
Saudi Arabia asked the U.S. to show restraint in responses to the multiple attacks Yemen's Houthi rebels carried out against commercial vessels in the Red Sea, Reuters reported, citing two sources familiar with the kingdom's thinking.
The report comes after the Iran-backed Houthis attacked three commercial ships in the Red Sea earlier this week and seized a cargo ship linked to an Israeli businessman last month. The Yemeni rebel group has held the crew hostage since.
France, Saudi in talks for deal to end Gaza war: Report
Saudi Arabi is in talks with France to draw up an outline that would end the raging war in Gaza, Israel's national broadcaster reported Thursday, citing the Lebanese Alakhbar newspaper.
The outline topics include disarming the Gaza Strip, appointing a local government to rule the enclave, and the release of about 5,000 security prisoners from Israeli prisons. Also reportedly included is the "normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia."
Hamas sought to 'lull Israel into complacency': Report
Hamas, for more than a year, had been working to make the Israeli government believe that the terror group wanted to cooperate with Israel in terms of civilian issues such as work visas for Gazans, the Washington Post reported Thursday, citing Israeli intelligence officials.
As part of its efforts to build up the misconception of Hamas' true intentions, the militant group provided Israel with intelligence on the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), an unnamed Israeli security official told the outlet.
Miri Eisin, a former senior IDF intelligence officer, told The Post that Hamas wanted "to lull Israel into complacency" before carrying out its Oct. 7 massacre.
Dozens of targets attacked by Israeli Air Force in Khan Yunis
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) attacked "dozens of terrorist targets" in Khan Yunis Wednesday, the Israeli army said Thursday. Israeli soldiers also encountered a "terrorist squad coming out of a tunnel shaft." Two militants were killed in the encounter and the shaft was destroyed, the IDF said.
במסגרת פעילות אוגדה 98 בחאן יונס חוסלו מחבלים והותקפו על ידי חיל האוויר עשרות יעדי טרור.
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) December 7, 2023
כוח של דובדבן מצוות הקרב של עוצבת הקומנדו נתקל בחוליית מחבלים שיצאה מפיר מנהרה, חיסל בהיתקלות שני מחבלים והשמיד את הפיר>> pic.twitter.com/6Kops3fHR0
Sinwar hiding underground: Report
Hamas' most senior official in Gaza is "hiding underground," the Associated Press reported, citing an IDF spokesperson.
The Israeli army has a mission to "find Sinwar and kill him," the report added.
Terrorist, butcher, murderer.
— Israel ישראל 🇮🇱 (@Israel) November 30, 2023
Here’s what you need to know about Yahya Sinwar, the force of evil behind Hamas.
Watch: pic.twitter.com/fKB5zx069V
Freed hostages demand more action from Israeli government
Hostages that Hamas released during the ceasefire faced off with the Israeli War Cabinet Wednesday night wherein they demanded more action from the government to free the remaining hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip.
The freed hostages told Netanyahu and other officials that the men hostages were also vulnerable to the traumas stemming from being held captive, as per a leaked recording of the meeting that NBC News has verified.
"The message that they are trying to drive home to the Israeli government is time is running out for the remaining hostages – many of whom were wounded on Oct. 7th, many of whom are sick," NBC News correspondent in Tel Aviv Raf Sanchez said.
Sirens sound in northern Israeli community
Rocket sirens sounded in Margaliot, a northern community in Israel located near the border with Lebanon, local media reported.
Israel has reinforced its border with Lebanon amid increasing launches from Lebanon territory after Iran-backed Hezbollah warned Israel against continued attacks into Gaza that target Hamas operatives.
3 Israeli soldiers die amid Gaza battles
Three more Israeli soldiers have fallen in the Gaza Strip amid intensified fighting against Hamas, the IDF announced Thursday on its tribute page for fallen fighters since the war started.
- Sgt. Maj. Adi Shani, 39 – fighter in the 6036th Logistical Unit
- Sgt. Amit Bunzel, 22 – platoon sergeant in a paratrooper patrol in the Paratrooper Brigade
- Sgt. Almanau Emanuel Falka, 22 – fighter in the Dovdevan unit of the Commando Brigade
Sgt. Falka died of his wounds after he was injured in a battle against Hamas Tuesday in the southern Gaza Strip.
Israeli ambassador says Guterres reached 'a new moral low'
Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said the UN chief has "reached a new moral low" after he invoked the UN Charter's Article 99. "This is more proof of the Secretary-General's moral distortion and his bias against Israel," Erdan said, adding that Guterres activate the "rare clause only when it allows him to put pressure on Israel."
Today, the Secretary-General has reached a new moral low. He writes that he is activating, for the first time, Article 99 of the UN Charter in relation to the Israel-Hamas war, an article that can only be invoked in a situation where international peace and security are… pic.twitter.com/rQm18aT1vq
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) December 6, 2023
The Israeli ambassador added that instead of clearly pointing out the terror group's atrocities, Guterres has chosen "to continue playing into Hamas' hands."
Israeli army making 'significant advances' in Khan Yunis: IDF spox
Israeli ground forces are making "significant advances in what is the hometown of Yahya Sinwar," IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said Wednesday.
He revealed that Israeli soldiers have not worked "in earnest" in terms of attacking Hamas infrastructure across the southern Gaza Strip as the IDF has been focused on operating in Khan Yunis in recent days.
Experts said Khan Yunis has "long been linked" to Sinwar, Hamas' most senior official in Gaza, as well as with Mohammed Deif, the mastermind of Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre. The two leaders grew up in the southern Gaza city's refugee camp.
Harvard president says congress testimony misinterpreted
Harvard president Claudine Gay released a statement Wednesday amid mounting backlash for her answers to U.S. Rep. Stefanik's question during Tuesday's congress hearing over the skyrocketing reports of anti-Semitism in American universities.
Statement from President Gay: There are some who have confused a right to free expression with the idea that Harvard will condone calls for violence against Jewish students. Let me be clear: Calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community, or any religious or ethnic…
— Harvard University (@Harvard) December 6, 2023
"There are some who have confused a right to free expression with the idea that Harvard will condone calls for violence against Jewish students," Gay said as per a statement posted by the university on X.
She said calling for the genocide of Jews has "no place at Harvard" and "those who threaten our Jewish students will be held to account."
Stefanik has since commented on Gay's statement, saying "no one is confused about this desperate attempt at cleaning up your pathetic anti-Semitic answers yesterday."
US representative calls out Penn after president issues statement amid backlash
U.S. Rep. Stefanik, who was visibly shocked by the answers the presidents of Penn, Harvard and MIT provided under oath Tuesday when she asked whether "calling for the genocide of Jews" violated the universities' code of conduct on bullying on harassment, called out Penn's explanation for president Liz Magill's testimony.
This pathetic PR clean up attempt by @Penn shockingly took over 24 hours to try to fix the moral depravity of the answers under oath yesterday. And there was not even an apology. By the way, the questions were asked over and over and over again. No statement will fix what the… https://t.co/eETggoBWsl
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) December 7, 2023
"This pathetic PR clean up attempt by Penn shockingly took over 24 hours to try to fix," she said, pointing out that "there was not even an apology."
"No statement will fix what the world saw and heard yesterday," the New York congresswoman said, adding that the university should be held accountable and "bring in new leadership immediately."
Penn's president says 'not focused' on 'evil' of calling for Jews' genocide during congress hearing
Penn's president late on Wednesday issued a statement regarding her answers to the question of Rep. Stefanik on whether "calling for the genocide of Jews" violates the university's code of conduct on bullying and harassment.
A Video Message from President Liz Magill pic.twitter.com/GlPE3QZU4P
— Penn (@Penn) December 6, 2023
"I was not focused on – but I should've been – the irrefutable fact that a call for the genocide of Jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence human beings can perpetrate," she said. "It's evil, plain and simple," she added.
She went on to say that Penn "must initiate a serious and careful look" at the university's policies. "We can, and we will get this right," she said.
During the congress hearing Tuesday that discussed the uptick in anti-Semitism across American universities, Magill said "if the speech turns into conduct, that can be harassment."
🚨🚨🚨Presidents of @Harvard @MIT and @Penn REFUSE to say whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” is bullying and harassment according to their codes of conduct. Even going so far to say it needs to turn to “action” first. As in committing genocide.
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) December 5, 2023
THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND… pic.twitter.com/hUY3SgoOOi
When pressed further by Stefanik to answer her question with a "yes" or no", Magill said "it is a context-dependent decision." The appalled Republican congresswoman said the Penn president's answers were "unacceptable." Stefanik has since called on the resignation of Magill and the presidents of MIT and Harvard, who also testified Tuesday.
Israel approves allowing 'minimal' entry of more fuel into Gaza
The Israeli Security Cabinet has approved, as recommended by the War Cabinet, "to allow a minimal supplement of fuel" into the Gaza Strip that should help "prevent a humanitarian collapse and the outbreak of epidemics," Netanyahu's office announced early Thursday.
The Security Cabinet, this evening, approved the recommendation of the War Cabinet to allow a minimal supplement of fuel – necessary to prevent a humanitarian collapse and the outbreak of epidemics – into the southern Gaza Strip.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) December 6, 2023
Fuel amounts to be allowed entry into Gaza "will be determined from time to time" by the War Cabinet, which comprises Netanyahu, minister without portfolio Benny Gantz and defense minister Yoav Gallant.
The move comes amid increasing pressure from the international community to allow more humanitarian aid to flow into the enclave as the Israel-Hamas battle rages.
White House discussed Gaza operations timeline with Israel
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told Reuters Wednesday that the U.S. has spoken with Israel about the "timetables" of its military operations in the Gaza Strip.
"We've talked through with them what they're thinking in terms of the duration and how this falls into a longer-term strategy for addressing this issue that goes beyond just military means," Sullivan said.
Sullivan's comments came a day after multiple senior Biden administration officials told CNN that U.S. officials are expecting the current phase of the Israeli's ground operations in Gaza to last through January before a "lower-intensity, hyper-localized strategy" is adopted.
Israeli FM says Guterres' UN leadership 'a danger to world peace'
Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen late on Wednesday said Guterres' tenure as UN chief "is a danger to world peace," adding that the secretary-general's move of invoking Article 99 and his appeal for a ceasefire "constitutes support of" Hamas and is "an endorsement" of the terror group's atrocities.
Guterres’ tenure is a danger to world peace.
— אלי כהן | Eli Cohen (@elicoh1) December 6, 2023
His request to activate Article 99 and the call for a cease fire in Gaza constitutes support of the Hamas terrorist organization and an endorsement of the murder of the elderly, the abduction of babies and the rape of women.
Anyone who…
Guterres invokes UN Charter's Article 99
The UN chief on Wednesday invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter for the first time since he became the UN's secretary-general. The invocation means Guterres "may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security."
"I think it's arguably the most important invocation ... in my opinion the most powerful tool that he [Guterres] has," UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at the UN Headquarters.
Guterres urged the UN Security Council to help appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, as the enclave's humanitarian system is facing "a severe risk of collapse."
Israeli army surrounding house of Hamas' Gaza leader: Netanyahu
The Israeli prime minister said late Wednesday that Israeli troops were "currently surrounding [Yahya] Sinwar's house." Netanyahu added that even if Gaza's most senior leader in Gaza fled, "it is only a matter of time until we find him."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) December 6, 2023
" Two short updates:
Last night I said that our forces could go anywhere in the Gaza Strip. They are currently surrounding Sinwar's house. His home is not his castle, and he can flee, but it is only a matter of time until we find him.
Netanyahu's statements came after the Israeli army said it had completed encircling Khan Yunis, Gaza's second-largest city and the main city in the strip's southern region.
