Israel and Hamas have resumed negotiations for a truce through Qatari mediation as attacks on Gaza continue – here are the main updates.
Here’s how things go on Sunday, December 17, 2023:
Latest developments
- Tel Aviv Tribune refers what it calls the “assassination” of its cameraman Samer Abudaqa in Gaza to the International Criminal Court. In a statement on Saturday, the Qatar-based network said it had asked its legal team to “urgently” refer the case to the court.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to confirm that negotiations over the release of the captives had resumed with the mediation of Qatar. Reports had indicated that the talks, which had stalled since the beginning of the month, had resumed after Tel Aviv admitted to having mistakenly killed three captives in Gaza.
- Gaza’s health ministry has called for an investigation into reports that Israeli bulldozers “buried people alive” at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. Significant parts of the hospital were “destroyed” by the Israeli army, according to testimonies.
- Hundreds of people are stuck in Gaza’s only Catholic church, including relatives of British MP Layla Moran. The Church of the Holy Family said Israeli forces killed a mother and her daughter there “in cold blood” on Saturday.
Human impact and fighting
- Israeli air, land and sea attacks on Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza continue to rage as the Israeli army also continues to shell central and northern areas of the enclave, with deadly effects. . The latest air raids on the Jabalia refugee camp killed at least 20 Palestinians on Sunday. More than 19,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7.
- Following news of a Hezbollah drone attack near the Lebanon-Israel border by the Iran-backed group, the Israeli military said a 53-year-old soldier had been killed near Margaliot.
- The French Foreign Ministry demanded answers after one of its officials was among the victims of an Israeli army attack in Rafah.
- Hundreds of Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel participated in a large rally in Haifa to call for a ceasefire agreement to free captives held in Gaza.
- International protests calling for an immediate ceasefire continued, including in Australia, Belgium, Germany, Tunisia, France and Austria. Others are planned soon in the United States and Canada.
Diplomacy
- The Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen has engaged with “international parties” in talks over its attacks on Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea. He said his operations would only stop after Israel stops its “aggression” against Gaza.
- Head of US Central Command Michael Kurilla met with Israeli Chief of Military Staff Herzi Halevi in Israel. The meeting comes as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin left for the Middle East, where he is expected to visit Israel, Bahrain and Qatar.
- French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna arrived in Israel on Sunday, where she is expected to push for an “immediate and lasting” truce with the aim of freeing all captives and providing much-needed humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.