Israel-Gaza War Day 72: ‘Israel is as committed as ever to war,’ says Benjamin Netanyahu. 10 updates
On the 72nd day of the Israel-Gaza war, Israeli military officials stated on Saturday that three Israeli hostages, mistakenly shot by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip, were killed despite waving a white flag and being shirtless, as reported by AP.
It is to be further noted that this marks Israel’s first acknowledgement of causing harm to hostages in its conflict with Hamas. Here are the top ten updates about the Israel-Gaza war:
1. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a nationwide address that the killings “broke my heart, broke the entire nation’s heart,” but he indicated no change in Israel’s intensive military campaign. “We are as committed as ever to continue until the end, until we dismantle Hamas, until we return all our hostages,” he said.
2. The heightened displeasure resulting from the accidental killings is likely to intensify the pressure on the Israeli government to resume Qatar-mediated talks with Hamas. The discussions would center around exchanging more of the remaining 129 captives for Palestinians currently held in Israeli prisons.
3. Israeli soldiers conducted multiple days of raids on a hospital in northern Gaza this week, as depicted in video footage that reveals a path of destruction with rubble and upturned earth on the hospital grounds and around the damaged entrance, Reuters reported.
4. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemed to confirm on Saturday that fresh negotiations were in progress to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas, after sources told Reuters that Israel’s intelligence chief had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Qatar, a country actively mediating in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Also Read: Israeli attack kills Al Jazeera journalist in southern Gaza: Report
5. Canadian authorities in Ottawa have filed “terrorism” charges against a youth, as said by the police on Saturday. The charges are related to the alleged targeting of the Jewish community, and this development comes amid growing concerns about increased antisemitism stemming from the conflict in the Middle East.
6. The suspect was charged with “facilitation of a terrorist activity by communicating instructional material related to an explosive substance” and “knowingly instructing, directly or indirectly, a person to carry out a terrorist activity against Jewish persons,” officials said in a statement on Saturday.
7. The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday said that it is involved in a collaborative United Nations mission. The mission aimed to deliver health supplies and evaluate the conditions at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
8. The team delivered medicines and surgical supplies, orthopaedic surgery equipment, and anaesthesia materials and drugs to the hospital which was “currently minimally functional,” the WHO said.
Also Read: US heralds new phase of Israel-Hamas war, says not ‘right’ to occupy Gaza long-term
9. Israeli troops conducted multiple-day raids on a hospital in northern Gaza this week, as depicted in video footage revealing a path of destruction with rubble and upturned earth on the hospital grounds and around the damaged entrance. Conflicting reports surround the events.
10. An Israeli soldier on Saturday, allegedly shot a Christian mother and her daughter within the premises of a Catholic church in Gaza City, as reported by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, AFP reported. “Around noon (1000 GMT) today… a sniper of the IDF (Israeli army) murdered two Christian women inside the Holy Family Parish in Gaza,” where Christian families have been sheltering since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, the patriarchate said in a statement.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Published: 17 Dec 2023, 07:07 AM IST
