Day 58-63

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Day 58-63
NIAS-Conflict Weekly Special Alert | The War in Gaza: Eigth Week

  IPRI Team

Israel-Hamas War: Day 58
Rosemary Kurian, Nuha Aamina, Rishita Verma and Gananthula Uma Maheshwari

WAR ON THE GROUND
On 3 December, BBC reported that on the third day of renewed fighting, the Israeli military was refocusing its offensive on the southern part of Gaza. Following the breakdown of the ceasefire with Hamas on 1 December, the Israeli military claimed that it was targeting Hamas command centers, weapons storage facilities, and naval forces. While reiterating Israel’s right to self-defence, the US Defence Secretary emphasised that Israel also had a “moral responsibility” to protect civilians. According to Kamala Harris, the Vice President of the US, there had been an excessive number of Palestinian deaths and “devastating” levels of suffering. 

Regional response 
On 3 December, an anti-tank missile was fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory. It landed near Beit Hillel, injuring four soldiers. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) retaliated by attacking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.   

On 3 December, the IDF spokesperson stated that a projectile launched from Syria. The projectile reached in an open area on the crossing from Syria to Israel.  The launch instigated an alert in the Keshet community in the Golan Heights which later led Israeli forces to counter attack from the fire emerged. 

Global responses 
On 3 December, according to Al Jazeera, the UK’s military would start sending “unarmed and unmanned” surveillance aircrafts to locate hostages in Gaza. The British Ministry of Defence confirmed that it would be joining the US in its efforts to aid Israel in the war against Hamas.
 
On 3 December, Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), concluded his visit to Israel and the occupied West Bank. However, he did not visit refugee camps in Gaza, stating favor towards Israel’s accusations. Palestinian human rights groups boycotted his visit. According to Reuters, he was due to meet officials representing Palestine in Ramallah.

On 3 December, quoted BBC James Elder, a representative of UNICEF, who stated that the bombing in a hospital in southern Gaza had been “relentless”. He said that “big bombs" were "consistently” being dropped in southern Gaza. 

On 3 December, Kamala Harris, the Vice President of the US, called for Israel to limit its strikes in southern Gaza to protect civilian lives. On the sidelines of the COP28 meetings with Jordan, Harris stated that “too many innocent Palestinians have been killed”. King Abdullah II of Jordan asked for the US to push for a two-state solution to reach peace, and called for an immediate ceasefire in the war to protect civilian lives.


About the Authors

Rosemary Kurian and Nuha Aamina are undergraduate scholars from St Joseph's University, Bangalore. Rishita Verma and Gananthula Uma Maheshwari are postgraduate scholars from Pondicherry University.

Curated by Dhriti Mukherjee and Shamini, Research Assistants at NIAS.


Israel- Hamas War: Day 59 
Rosemary Kurian, Nuha Aamina, Rishita Verma and Gananthula Uma Maheshwari

WAR ON THE GROUND 
On 4 December, the Israeli military announced that it was extending its ground operation into “all areas” of the Gaza Strip. It issued a new order on social media, asking people to leave roughly 20 areas within the Palestinian enclave. In response to humanitarian organizations’ concerns that Gazans were running out of places to escape, its forces have been moving further south. Prior to this, US officials reaffirmed their belief that Israel had the right to self-defence, but they also stated that their soldiers had a duty to protect civilians. A spokesperson for Israel’s prime minister informed the BBC that his nation was putting forth “maximum effort” to prevent civilian casualties.
 
REGIONAL RESPONSE 
On 4 December, the IDF Spokesperson’s unit stated that mortar shells were launched from Lebanon towards an Israeli military post in Shtula, injuring three IDF soldiers. 

GLOBAL RESPONSE 
On 4 December, a Dutch court opened a case in which human rights groups accused the Netherlands of complicity to Israeli war crimes. Amnesty International and Oxfam accused the state of war crimes due to its supply of parts for F-35 fighter jets to Israel, which were used in the Gaza bombing. They argued that “the Netherlands is contributing to wide scale and serious violations of humanitarian law by Israel in Gaza.” The Netherlands holds a warehouse for the F-35 fighter jet parts that are US-owned, and which is supplied to partner countries.

On 4 December, the Thai Foreign Ministry reported that a second group of Thai hostages who released by Hamas had returned to Thailand. According to the Labour Ministry of Thailand, one of them had sustained injuries in the abdomen while being held by Hamas. 

On 4 December, Reuters reported that Nikos Christodoulides, the President of Cyprus, will visit Egypt and Jordan on 5 December to establish a humanitarian aid corridor to Gaza. The agenda of the meeting is to send deliver humanitarian relief to the coast of the Gaza Strip rather than sending it through the Rafah border.


About the Authors

Rosemary Kurian and Nuha Aamina are undergraduate scholars from St Joseph's University, Bangalore. Rishita Verma and Gananthula Uma Maheshwari are postgraduate scholars from Pondicherry University.

Curated by Dhriti Mukherjee and Shamini, Research Assistants at NIAS.


Israel -Hamas war: Day 60 
Rosemary Kurian, Nuha Aamina, Rishita Verma and Gananthula Uma Maheshwari

WAR ON THE GROUND
On 5 December, the BBC reported that Israel claimed to have surrounded Gaza’s largest refugee camp, Jabalia. According to the Israeli military, the camp in northern Gaza was being used as a base by Hamas. Israel was still bombarding the southern Gaza Strip in the meantime, affecting Khan Younis, which has been partially evacuated. According to an Israeli military official, more than 800 Hamas tunnel shafts have been found so far, with 500 of them being demolished. There were “no safe zones” in Gaza, according to UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that things were getting “worse by the hour.” 

On 5 December, according to Al Jazeera, Israel increased its bombardment of Khan Younis, the second-largest city in Gaza. With much of the north destroyed, Israel was expanding its offensive into southern Gaza under pressure from the US to avoid more mass casualties.

REGIONAL RESPONSE 
On 5 December, that six nations of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) condemned the violation of humanitarian law by Israel in Gaza. They expressed their discontent with Israeli aggression and reiterated their demand to end for it to end, at the 44th session of GCC. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey said, “Netanyahu is committing war crimes against humanity in Gaza.” Further, during the opening remarks of the session, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, accused Israel of committing a “genocide” in Gaza, and the international community of “turning their back” to Israel’s attacks. While questioning their double standards, he called for a permanent ceasefire.

On 5 December, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thanisaid that Qatar was constantly working to rebuild the truce between Hamas and Israel. However, while addressing the Gulf leaders in Doha, he also added that “ truces are not an alternative to a comprehensive ceasefire.” Additionally, he called on the UN to pressurise Israel to come to the negotiating table.

GLOBAL RESPONSE 
On 5 December, the World Health Organisation (WHO) stated that “the situation in Gaza is worse by the hour,” as bombing intensified in southern Gaza. Richard Peeperkorn, the WHO representative in Gaza, stated that the intense bombing had affected Khan Younis and Rafah. He further noted that the aid in southern Gaza was “way too little,” as the health system continued to fail in the region. 

On 5 December, France imposed asset freezes on Yahya Sinwar, a Hamas chief in Gaza, adding him to the other individuals on its national sanctions list. French diplomats stated that they were working to impose sanctions on Hamas individuals at the level of the European Union (EU), also targeting their financing networks.

On 5 December, Times of Israel reported that Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, would visit the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on 6 December. Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman of the Kremlin, said that the talks would focus on bilateral relations, global issues and the Israel- Hamas conflict. He further stated that Putin would host Ibrahim Raisi, President of Iran.


About the Authors

Rosemary Kurian and Nuha Aamina are undergraduate scholars from St Joseph's University, Bangalore. Rishita Verma and Gananthula Uma Maheshwari are postgraduate scholars from Pondicherry University.

Curated by Dhriti Mukherjee and Shamini, Research Assistants at NIAS.


Israel-Hamas War: Day 61
Rosemary Kurian, Nuha Aamina, Rishita Verma and Gananthula Uma Maheshwari

WAR ON THE GROUND
On 6 December, Al Jazeera reported that tanks from the Israeli army advanced into the heart of Khan Younis, following a night of artillery bombardment and fighting near Gaza. As Gaza hospitals struggle to handle an increase in the number of Palestinians in need of urgent care, a UN special rapporteur declared that the “massacre of civilians must be stopped.”

On 5 December, Israel announced that its troops had entered Gaza’s second-largest city.

REGIONAL RESPONSE
On 6 December, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, rejected Israeli plans to establish a post-war buffer zone in Gaza. He said that even debate on the issue was “disrespectful” to his “Palestinian siblings.” Erdogan added that the future of Gaza after the war should be decided by Palestinians alone.

On 5 December, the Qatari- Saudi Coordination Council expressed their “deep concern about the humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza. They asked the parties to comply with international law, calling  for intensification of efforts towards achieving the two-state solution.

GLOBAL RESPONSE
On 6 December, Fumio Kishida, the Prime Minister of Japan and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, engaged in a telephone conversation. The former urged the latter to “minimise civilian casualties” and observe international law, “especially international humanitarian law.” To this, Netanyahu elaborated the Israeli position on the military operation conducted in Gaza.
On 5 December, the US stated that Israel was failing to allow fuel and aid into Gaza. Mathew Miller, the US State Department spokesperson, stated that “the level of assistance that it’s (Gaza) getting in is not sufficient.” The US asked the Israeli government to increase its efforts in getting aid and fuel to civilians in Gaza.

On 5 December, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution equating anti-Zionism to anti-Semitism. Rights groups in the US responded by stating that the Republican-led bill set a “dangerous” precedent, aiming to distract the public from the war in Gaza and limit free speech. The resolution further condemned the slogan “From the River to the Sea”, which is a call for equality historically in Palestine.

On 5 December, the US announced that it was imposing visa bans against Israeli settlers spreading violence in the West Bank despite continued warnings. Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State of the US, stated that those committing violence as well as “other actions that unduly restrict civilians’ access to essential services and necessities” would be targeted in the new visa restriction policies.


About the Authors

Rosemary Kurian and Nuha Aamina are undergraduate scholars from St Joseph's University, Bangalore. Rishita Verma and Gananthula Uma Maheshwari are postgraduate scholars from Pondicherry University.

Curated by Dhriti Mukherjee and Shamini, Research Assistants at NIAS.


Israel- Hamas War: Day 62 
Rosemary Kurian, Nuha Aamina, Rishita Verma and Gananthula Uma Maheshwari

WAR ON THE GROUND 
On 7 December, BBC reported that Israeli tanks are encircling the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, where there has been intense fighting. About 100,000 people remain in the centre without a working hospital and are at risk of starvation, according to the local authority run by Hamas. Since the humanitarian truce ended at the beginning of December, no aid has reached the north. Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the UN, issued a warning on 6 December, after speculating that public order in Gaza might disintegrate and the humanitarian system could fail.  Eli Cohen, the Foreign Minister of Israel, criticised him for these remarks, referring to Guterres’s position as a “danger to world peace.”

On 7 December, Al Jazeera reported that the Israeli army had increased the intensity of its bombardment of Gaza, targeting locations from Khan Younis in the south to Jabalia in the north. Dozens of Palestinian men were taken into custody from UN-run schools in northern Gaza by Israeli forces. According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, there was no longer any ambulance service available in the northern part of Gaza.

REGIONAL RESPONSE 
On 7 December, Sameh Shoukry, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, praised Gutteres for the way he was handling the war in Gaza. The officials spoke on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. Shoukry expressed Egypt’s readiness to coordinate efforts for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

GLOBAL RESPONSE 
On 7 December Austria’s Foreign Ministry claimed that there was  “no indication that Austrian development projects funded by the ADA (Austrian Development Agency) were misused to fund or promote terrorism or to spread anti-Semitic content.” Austria announced that it would end the “suspension of aid to Palestinians,” having earlier suspended aid to Palestine on 9 October. 
On 7 December, Amnesty International stated that Israel’s attacks on 13 October in south Lebanon, which killed a journalist and injured six others, must be investigated as a “war crime.” The group described the attack as “an apparently deliberate attack on civilians and thus a war crime." 

On 6 December, Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, which allowed him to bring the attention of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to any matter that “may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.” The move, which looked for a permanent ceasefire in the war, was considered a rare action that came at a time when the UNSC was yet to adopt a resolution towards a ceasefire in the war in Gaza. Guterres further stated that the situation in Gaza “may aggravate existing threats to the maintenance of international peace and security.”


About the Authors

Rosemary Kurian and Nuha Aamina are undergraduate scholars from St Joseph's University, Bangalore. Rishita Verma and Gananthula Uma Maheshwari are postgraduate scholars from Pondicherry University.

Curated by Dhriti Mukherjee and Shamini, Research Assistants at NIAS.


Israel-Hamas War: Day 63
Rosemary Kurian, Nuha Aamina, Rishita Verma and Gananthula Uma Maheshwari

WAR ON THE GROUND 
On 8 December, Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas said that one Israeli soldier who had been taken hostage was killed early on the same day, in a fight between the militants and an Israeli special forces unit that was carrying out a rescue operation. Without citing the number, the wing claimed that its fighters had learned of the rescue effort and had confronted the unit, resulting in the deaths and injuries of several Israeli forces involved in the operation. 

On 8 December, BBC reported that a resolution proposed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) demanding an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza" would be put to a vote by the UN Security Council (UNSC). This comes two days after Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the UN, used a seldom-used authority to refer "any matter which...may threaten the maintenance of international peace" to the council. The US is anticipated to vote against the resolution because it has continuously rejected calls for a ceasefire from around the world. However, Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, called on Israel to take further steps to safeguard civilians, citing a "gap" between its declarations and the actual situation. 

REGIONAL RESPONSE 
On 8 December, The Jerusalem Post reported that the UAE asked the UNSC for a draft resolution demanding for humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. The renewed attempt for a ceasefire was made by Arab states after Guterres warned of the global threat from the Gaza war. 

GLOBAL RESPONSE
On 8 December, according to Al Jazeera, US officials raised criticism against Israel’s conduct in its war against Hamas ahead of the UNSC meeting over a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. While the US has been criticising Israel over humanitarian aid and civilian toll in Gaza, Al Jazeera noted that it is unlikely to back a resolution proposing a permanent ceasefire. 

On 8 December,  Blinken urged Israel to complete its investigation of the artillery strikes that killed a journalist and injured six others in Lebanon. After human rights groups raised concern over possible “war crimes” committed by Israel, Blinken stated that it was “important and appropriate” that Israel conclude and present its findings of the investigation. 

On 8 December, Bloomberg reported that the Palestinian Authority was engaged in talks with the US, to prepare a plan to run Palestine after the war ends. Mohammad Shtayyeh, the Prime Minister of Palestine, stated that a plan to run the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem under Palestine by a reformed Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) with Hamas as a junior partner was in the works, provided “Hamas is ready to agree.” 

On 7 December, Joe Biden, the President of the US, stated on a call with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, that the need to protect civilians in Gaza was “critical.” Biden further urged Israel to allow more aid into the war-battered enclave.


About the Authors

Rosemary Kurian and Nuha Aamina are undergraduate scholars from St Joseph's University, Bangalore. Rishita Verma and Gananthula Uma Maheshwari are postgraduate scholars from Pondicherry University.

Curated by Dhriti Mukherjee and Shamini, Research Assistants at NIAS.

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