Israel-Hamas war updates from Dec 6: UN human rights chief warns against 'atrocity crimes' in Gaza

Yemen's Houthi group launched several ballistic missiles at military posts in the southern Israeli city of Eilat, the group's military spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.

Earlier Wednesday, the US Navy shot down a drone that originated from a part of Yemen controlled by the Houthi group, a US defense official told Reuters.

Israeli authorities have approved the construction of more than 1,700 new homes, a non-governmental organisation said Wednesday, which would constitute the expansion of settlements in annexed east Jerusalem.

"If it weren't for the war (between Israel and Hamas), there would be a lot of noise. It's a highly problematic project for the continuity of a Palestinian state between the southern West Bank and east Jerusalem," said Hagit Ofran from the Israeli NGO Peace Now.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has left UAE a while ago. He is now headed to Saudi Arabia where he will meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Eylon Levy, Israeli government spokesman has listed Israel's top three priorities in Gaza. He has mentioned "total demilitarisation, deradicalisation and sustainable reconstruction. Israeli forces are currently encircling Khan Yunis, the main southern city in the Gaza enclave.

Israeli military said that it has intercepted a missile over Red Sea. The missile was approaching Israel but did not enter the territory, said the military. Houthi rebels in Yemen have on multiple occasions filed missiles towards Israel.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has landed in United Arab Emirates (UAE) to kick-off his visit to Middle East countries. His airplane from Moscow was escorted by four Russian fighter jets. After UAE, he will travel to Saudi Arabia and meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Putin is expected to discuss Israel war, oil, Ukraine conflict with the crown prince.

United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk warned against the heightened risk of "atrocity crimes" in Gaza. 

"Some 1.9 million out of the 2.2 million Palestinians have been displaced and are being pushed into ever diminishing and extremely overcrowded places in southern Gaza in unsanitary and unhealthy conditions," Turk said.

"Humanitarian aid is again virtually cut off as fears of widespread disease and hunger spread."

For the first time in reported human history, a missile was shot down outside the Earth's atmosphere, throwing the debris effectively away from conventional gravitational pull of our planet, currently gripped by dozens of conflicts and two major wars; between Israel and Hamas, and Russia and Ukraine. 

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Israel's military has said that as early as in the last hour it intercepted a surface-to-surface missile launched towards Eilat in southern Israel. Simultaneously, the Israeli forces have retaliated, according to an official readout published on Telegram. 

In messages posted to the Telegram messaging app, the IDF said:

"Following the report regarding sirens that sounded in the city of Eilat, a launch of a surface-to-surface missile toward Israel was identified, and was successfully intercepted in the area of the Red Sea by the “Arrow” aerial defence system. The target did not cross into Israeli territory [and] did not pose a threat to civilians."

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu that civilian casualties be minimised in the ongoing conflict with Hamas. Kishida had a phone call with Netanyahu, earlier in the day, according to Reuters.

Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said there will be serious consequences if Israel went ahead with its decision to attack Hamas officials in Turkish soil. 

“We brought the war crimes committed in Gaza to the court’s agenda and we will be following up on this. Netanyahu will not be able to evade paying the penalty for his actions. Sooner or later, he will be tried and will pay the price for the war crimes he committed.”

Head of Israel’s domestic security agency, Shin Bet, was recently heard saying in an audio recording that his organisation was prepared to destroy Hamas in every place, including inside Turkey. 

the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Wednesday claimed to have found large weapons stockpile near a clinic and school in Northern Gaza. It added that the weapons cache contained "hundreds of missiles and RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) launchers of various types, dozens of anti-tank missiles, dozens of explosive charges and long-range missiles". 

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority presidency, urgently called for international help to stop the widespread Israeli attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza. He described Israel's actions as "organized terrorism" and blamed the United States for the escalation, urging it to pressure Israel to stop the conflict.

He also appealed to the UN Security Council to quickly intervene and prevent further harm to Palestinian lives amid what he called international silence, reported Al jazeera.

As Israel intensifies its military actions in southern Gaza, a group of White House interns in the United States is exerting internal pressure on President Biden, urging him to advocate for a permanent ceasefire.

“We, the undersigned Fall 2023 White House and Executive Office of the President interns, will no longer remain silent on the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people,” the interns wrote in a letter shared with NBC News, addressed to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

“We heed the voices of the American people and call on the Administration to demand a permanent ceasefire,” the letter, which more than 40 interns signed, read.

“We are not the decision makers of today, but we aspire to be the leaders of tomorrow, and we will never forget how the pleas of the American people have been heard and, thus far, ignored.”

The Israeli army (IDF) found a lot of weapons in the northern Gaza Strip, including long-range missiles, portable RPG-type missiles, and other explosives. They say the long-range missiles are the same kind used in attacks on central Israel. Some of the weapons will be checked, and others will be safely destroyed, reported Al Jazeera. 

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees warns that the situation in Gaza is “getting worse each minute”.

The UNRWA said people fleeing Israeli attacks have nowhere safe to turn, as all shelters are already beyond capacity.

“Another wave of displacement is underway in Gaza”, UNRWA said in a post on X, calling the entire Strip “one of the most dangerous places in the world.

“There is nowhere to go as shelters, including [those of] UNRWA, are overflowing.”

Israeli media is reporting that the health of Hanna Katzir, one of the hostages released by Hamas from Gaza last month, has deteriorated.

The Times of Israel reports that on army radio, the daughter of the 77-year-old said “My mother’s condition is serious, her condition has deteriorated following the captivity. She had no heart problems when she was kidnapped, but now she has severe heart problems due to harsh conditions and starvation. She came back both heartbroken and with cardiological problems.”

According to Reuters news agency, Hamas’ armed wing has claimed to have killed or wounded eight Israeli troops and destroyed 24 military vehicles on Tuesday. Separately the IDF has released the names of two soldiers it says were killed on Tuesday – one fighting in Gaza it says, and the other in a car crash in southern Israel.

China and the United States held discussions about the Israel-Hamas conflict, with both agreeing on the importance of de-escalation. 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as per the US State Department, "reiterated the imperative of all parties working to prevent the conflict from spreading".

He also raised concerns about recent attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, describing them as "an unacceptable threat to maritime security and international law that all nations have an obligation to uphold".

On the other hand, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed the "top priority" of achieving a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

"Major countries must adhere to fairness and justice, uphold objectivity and impartiality, demonstrate calm and rationality, and make every effort to cool down the situation and prevent larger-scale humanitarian disasters," he said.

Wang also reiterated China's support for a two-state solution and said that "any arrangement involving the future of Palestine must reflect the will of the Palestinian people".

"China is willing to work with all parties to make efforts to this end," he added.

Israel's military bombarded southern Gaza's main city, Khan Younis, in what it said was the fiercest fighting since it began a ground invasion to eliminate Hamas five weeks ago.

"We are in the most intense day since the beginning of the ground operation," said General Yaron Finkelman, the commander of the Israeli military's Southern Command, in a statement.

As per Israel, backed by war planes, its forces, on Tuesday (Dec 5) reached the heart of Khan Younis in southern Gaza and also surrounded the city. 

Hamas' armed wing, the al Qassam Brigades, reported that its fighters were engaged in violent clashes with Israelis.

This composite photo shows Sgt. First Class (res.) Yehonatan Malka (L) and Lt. Col. (res.) Yochai Gur Hershberg, who the Israel Defense Forces announced were killed on December 6, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)
 

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli troops need to retain control of the encalve for the disarmament of Gaza after the ongoing war with Hamas ends. In the statement, Netanyahu again rejected the idea of an international force been given the responsibility for security in the strip.

"On the day after: Gaza must be disarmed. And in order for Gaza to be disarmed, there’s only one force that can ensure that — and this force is the IDF," said Netanyahu, while addressing a press conference.
 

United States President Joe Biden decried sexual assaults which were committed by Hamas during October 7 terror attack and appealed “all of us” to condemn the acts.

“Over the past few weeks, survivors and witnesses of the attacks have shared the horrific accounts of unimaginable cruelty. Reports of women raped — repeatedly raped — and their bodies being mutilated while still alive — of women corpses being desecrated, Hamas terrorists inflicting as much pain and suffering on women and girls as possible and then murdering them. It is appaling,” said Biden, while addressing a fundraising event in Boston.

He said that the world “can’t just look away at what’s going on. It’s on all of us … to forcibly condemn the sexual violence of Hamas terrorists without equivocation.”

As per the Hamas government in the enclave, nearlt 61 per cent of homes and residential units have been destroyed in Gaza since October 7.

Amomg the 305,000 affected units, the attacks have completely destroyed 52,000 homes and 253,000 are partially damaged, as per an official from the Hamas government media office.

IDF said two another Israeli soldiers were killed, one fighting in Gaza and the other died in a car crash. As per the IDF, Sgt. First Class (res.) Yehonatan Malka, 23, from Beersheba, a soldier in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 82nd Battalion was killed fighting in Gaza.

Lt. Col. (res.) Yochai Gur Hershberg, 52, from Havat Philip, a commander of a unit in the 98th Division was given the taks of locating missing persons and died in a car crash.

The United Nations said that the Israel Defence Forces spokesperson's comment of evaluating civilian deaths in Gaza in “ratios” as “tasteless".

IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus, while speaking to CNN, said that a ratio of two Palestinian civilians who are getting killed in Gaza for all Hamas militant is a “tremendously positive ratio”, considering the challenges of urban combat.

“We're not in the business of establishing those kinds of ratios, which I think are tasteless, to say the least," stated Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

At least two Palestinians have been killed and three others were injured after overnight clashes with Israeli forces during raids in al-Fara'a refugee camp and the town of Tammoun, said Palestinian Authority's Wafa news agency.

The Palestinian news agency identified two teens killed as 18-year-old Moaz Ibrahim Zahran, from al-Fara’a, and 16-year-old Abdul Rahman Imad Bani Odeh from Tammoun.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in a statement on X said they have killed five commanders of Hamas in northern Gaza who were supposedly hiding in a tunnel located near the Indonesian Hospital. 

"IDF forces eliminated several Hamas commanders and operatives of the Northern Gaza Strip Brigade—the second largest brigade of Hamas—who were hiding in a tunnel located near the Indonesian Hospital during the strike," said the Israeli army in a statement. 

It added, "Four battalion commanders were eliminated in the Gaza Brigade—the largest brigade in the Hamas terrorist organization." 

It also called Gaza a "prominent example of military posts, weapons manufacturing and storage facilities embedded in the heart of civilian areas" and reiterated its claims of the Palestinian militant group using civilian population as "human shields."

The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron who is heading to Washington will discuss getting humanitarian aid to those hit by the conflict in Gaza.

The British official will also, according to a brief of the trip shared by his office, talk about a long-term two-state solution with his American counterparts. 

This comes as UK recently announced that it was beginning surveillance flights over Gaza.

The United States has pledged an additional $21 million in humanitarian assistance for Gaza to help establish a field hospital. The aid was announced Tuesday by Samantha Power, who heads the U.S. Agency for International Development, during a visit to the Egyptian city of el-Arish. The city is some 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Gaza’s western border and has become the drop-off point for international aid before it’s packed in trucks and transported to the besieged enclave. The war between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers has forced many of the territory’s hospitals to close.

Israeli police said last month it was investigating possible sexual crimes by some of the few hundred Gaza militants they arrested after the devastating Oct. 7 Hamas attack. Their goal is to try every suspect they have in custody, they said. Several weeks later police published video footage of eyewitness accounts, one of them of an unnamed witness of the Nova festival attack. In it, she said she saw gunmen gang rape one woman and cut off the breast of another and throw it on the street. Later, police added, she saw a gunman shoot the woman in the head while raping her. Police declined to name the witness or make her available to Reuters.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday (December 5) said that he had heard stories of sexual abuse at a meeting with hostages returned by Hamas during a recent pause in the fighting in Gaza, and called on the women's and human rights' organisations to act on it, stating that he did not hear their outrage. Netanyahu said that the ground operation had expanded to the south of the Gaza strip, and that "There is no place beyond our reach," he said. In the briefing, and when asked about settler violence in the West Bank, the Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant condemned violence, saying in a state of law, only the police and the military had the right to use force.

The Israel-Hamas war has killed at least 16,248 people in the Gaza Strip, the Hamas government media office said Tuesday, revising up an earlier toll provided by the health ministry.

In nearly two months of fighting sparked by Hamas's October 7 attacks on Israel, more than 7,000 children and nearly 5,000 women have been killed in Gaza, the media office said in a statement.

Israeli forces said they have tightened the noose around southern Gaza's main city of Khan Younis on Tuesday (December 5) in what they called the most intense day of combat in five weeks of ground operations against Hamas militants. In what appeared to be the biggest ground assault in Gaza since a truce with Hamas unravelled last week, Israel said its troops - who were backed by warplanes - had reached the heart of Khan Younis and were also surrounding the city. "Sixty days after the war began, our forces are now encircling the Khan Younis area," said Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, chief of Israel's General Staff said.

The U.S. State Department will impose visa bans against individuals involved in undermining peace, security or stability in the occupied West Bank, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Tuesday (December 5) announcing a new visa restriction policy. The restrictions will target those who have committed acts of violence or taken other actions that restrict civilians' access to essential services and basic necessities and may also apply to those individuals' family members, Blinken said. The first bans under the new policy would be imposed on Tuesday and more designations will be made in the coming days, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters, adding it would ultimately impact dozens of people. Any Israeli with an existing U.S. visa who was targeted would be notified that their visa was revoked, Miller said.

Israel is not doing enough to allow more fuel and aid into Gaza and should step up efforts, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday (December 5), adding Washington is engaging with Israel to allow more trucks in. "There is not enough being done right now. The level of assistance that's getting in is not sufficient. It needs to go up and we've made that clear to the government of Israel. The level of fuel that is going in is not sufficient. It needs to go up," Miller told reporters.

US President Joe Biden called Tuesday for the condemnation of "sexual violence" committed by Hamas, after allegations of rape and other acts during the October 7 attacks on Israel, which the Palestinian militants deny.

"The world can't just look away at what's going on. It's on all of us... to forcibly condemn the sexual violence of Hamas terrorists without equivocation," Biden said at a campaign event in Boston. 

At least 25 people were killed Tuesday in a strike that hit a southern Gaza school sheltering Palestinians displaced by war, the Hamas-run health ministry said. Witnesses said dozens of injured people, as well as bodies recovered from under the rubble of Ma'an school in Khan Yunis had been taken to the city's Nasser hospital. Khan Yunis, Gaza's second-largest city, has been targeted for several days by intense bombing by the Israeli army, which has now also sent ground troops to the area in its war on Hamas, sparked by the group's deadly October 7 attacks on Israel. 

Hamas representative Osama Hamdan said, "We assure here again that there will be no negotiations or exchange (of detainees) until the aggression against our people and the steadfast Gaza strip stops. We hold (Israeli Prime Minister) Netanyahu fully responsible for the lives of the Zionist (Israeli) hostages and for obstructing the completion of the exchange deal by resuming the aggression against Gaza."

"It is clear that (Israeli Prime Minister) Netanyahu does not care about the (Israeli) detainees (in Gaza), nor about their families nor about their lives."

More than 15,900 Palestinians, including 250 health workers, have been killed in Gaza since the outbreak of war on Oct 7, the Palestinian health minister said on Tuesday.

The number of dead is steadily rising despite international calls for Israeli forces to limit civilian harm in the new phase of its military offensive in Gaza that began on Dec. 1 when a truce with Hamas collapsed, Health Minister Mai al-Kaila told a news conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Video posted on social media by the Palestinian Civil Defence on Tuesday (December 5) showed rescue workers in Gaza using their hands and working under torchlight to search through the rubble of a collapsed building.

In the social media post, the Palestinian Civil Defence said rescuers were using basic tools to search for survivors and retrieve bodies from the ruins of homes destroyed by Israeli strikes.