EXPLANER
New statements from Hamas and Netanyahu amid increased pressure on Gaza hospitals – here are the main updates.
Here’s how things go on Wednesday, December 6, 2023:
Latest developments
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a press conference on Tuesday that Gaza must be demilitarized after the war.
- On Tuesday, a senior Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, said the group was “well prepared” to fight, no matter how long the war lasts.
- Germany’s harsh treatment of pro-Palestinian groups and climate activists has caused it to fall in global civil liberties rankings, Civicus, an organization that monitors civil society around the world, reported Wednesday.
- The Qatari-Saudi Coordination Council issued a statement on Tuesday expressing “deep concern over the humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza. They called for respect for international law and to “intensify efforts” towards a two-state solution.
- On Tuesday, the presidents of several U.S. college campuses, including Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania, testified before Congress about anti-Semitism on their campuses.
Human impact and fighting
- An Israeli attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza left at least six people dead, injured several others and destroyed buildings, Tel Aviv Tribune correspondents there reported on Wednesday.
- The Israeli army claimed on Wednesday to have “eliminated” several Hamas commanders during airstrikes. He also announced that two of his soldiers had been killed in clashes with fighters in Gaza.
- For the third day in a row, Rafah was the only Gaza governorate where some aid distribution took place.
- Fuel and medical supplies at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza are at very low levels and could prevent staff from carrying out life-saving treatments, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said on Tuesday. .
- The World Health Organization’s representative in Gaza, Richard Peeperkorn, said Tuesday that the situation in the enclave is “close to being the darkest in human history.”
- During an hour-long raid on Jenin in the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces arrested at least 18 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency. Military vehicles also blocked ambulance rescue efforts.
Diplomacy
- On Tuesday, leaders of six Gulf countries and Turkey met in Qatar to discuss the war between Israel and Gaza. The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, has called for a permanent ceasefire and accused the international community of “turning its back” on the Palestinian people.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia today where talks will focus on bilateral relations and the war between Israel and Gaza, a Kremlin spokesperson said on Tuesday.
- The Biden administration is moving to impose visa restrictions on Israeli settlers suspected of helping to undermine peace, security or stability in the occupied West Bank, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Tuesday.
- The State of Palestine’s mission to the United Nations wrote to the president of the UN Security Council on Tuesday, urging him to act on Israel’s “non-compliance” with international law.
- The new British Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, is on his way to the United States, where one of the topics on the agenda is the war between Israel and Gaza.
- Jeremy Corbyn, a member of the British Parliament, wrote a letter to Cameron on Tuesday seeking clarification on whether British soldiers were deployed to Gaza for Israel’s war. He also reiterated his demand for a permanent ceasefire.
- Nicaragua’s foreign minister arrived in the West Bank on Tuesday as the country also expressed “fraternal and militant” solidarity with Palestine.
- In a press statement on Tuesday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his country was preparing to recognize the State of Palestine “even if it does not receive sufficient support” within the European Union.