More Than 40 Dead in Strikes on Gaza City, Civil Defense Says, The Washington Post
Israel pummeled Gaza City with more than 15 strikes Thursday, killing more than 40 people and injuring 120 others, the besieged enclave’s civil defense agency said, calling the tempo and number of strikes high compared with recent days.
Israeli Delegation Expected To Arrive in Qatar To Resume Gaza Deal Talks, CNN
Professional-level representatives from the Israel Security Agency (ISA), the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, known as Mossad, will travel to the Qatari capital of Doha for the talks, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Thursday.
Israeli Army Pushing Gazans Southward, Prohibiting Them From Taking Belongings, Haaretz
They are being forced to leave behind clothing, though humanitarian organizations say there is a shortage of warm clothing in the enclave. In the past week, it was reported that six babies and one adult died of hypothermia.
Israeli Lawmakers Call on Military to Destroy Food, Water and Power Sources in Gaza, Haaretz
Eight members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee called on the defense minister to order the destruction of all sources of water, food and energy in northern Gaza to ensure Hamas’ defeat, amid international criticism of Israel’s continued offense in the Gaza Strip.
Israel Struggles To Deter Escalating Attacks From Yemen’s Houthi Rebels As Other Fronts Calm, AP
The Iran-backed Houthis are stepping up their missile attacks, sending hundreds of thousands of Israelis scrambling for shelter in the middle of the night, scaring away foreign airlines and keeping up what could be the last major front in the Middle East wars.
Frozen and Flooded, Children in Gaza Face Dire — and Deadly — Winter Amid Israel’s Offensive, NBC News
“It is so cold now in winter that … there have been three newborn deaths just in the last week because of the tents and the lack of foods available for them unfortunately,” Dr. Mimi Sayed, an American emergency physician volunteering at the Al-Aqsa hospital, told NBC News’ crew on the ground in an interview Tuesday.
UNRWA Said Preparing To Shutter Gaza, West Bank Offices After Israel Votes To Limit Its Operations, The Times of Israel
In October, the Knesset voted 92 to 10 to approve a law barring UNRWA from operating in Israeli territory, and another measure curtailing its activities in the Palestinian territories by banning state authorities from having any contact with the agency passed 87 to 9. The changes are set to come into effect at the end of January, 90 days after the legislation was approved.
Gazans Disappear in Israeli Military Custody. The Army Claims It Doesn’t Know Where They Are, Haaretz
Hagar Shezaf writes, “In recent months, Palestinians and human rights organizations have filed 27 petitions to find out what happened to the missing people. Though most were rejected, some of the petitions pushed the army to conduct further investigations. They revealed that some people, on whom IDF previously claimed to have no data, are either held in Israeli detention facilities or have died.”
A Palestinian Who Holds Many Truths, Foreign Policy
Amy Mackinnon shares her profile of Palestinian peace advocate Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib. “He recognizes something that a lot of policymakers don’t recognize,” said Jasmine El-Gamal, a former official at the U.S. Defense Department who now runs a consulting firm focused on empathy in foreign policy. “You won’t have that genuine sustainable peace if people on both sides don’t see the other as human. You’re just not going to have it.”
As Biden’s Term Ends, Gaza Truce Efforts Proceed Cautiously, The New York Times
Adam Rasgon and Aaron Boxerman write, “But it was far from clear whether Israel and Hamas were ready to move ahead in the coming days. Numerous rounds of negotiations have seen hopes rise only to be dashed amid gaps in the two sides’ demands. Airstrikes in Gaza continued on Thursday, with an Israeli attack killing Mahmoud Salah, the head of Gaza’s police force, and Hussam Shahwan, a top aide, in an airstrike in southern Gaza, according to the Hamas-run government media office.”
How Widening Israel’s War Saved Benjamin Netanyahu, The New Yorker
Isaac Chotiner interviews Dahlia Scheindlin about a recent uptick in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s popularity. “Despite the recovery of his ratings, he still does not have majority support. That is partly because he’s so out of step with where the clear majority of the public is with relation to the hostages.”