Australian foreign minister to visit Middle East to support peace efforts
From CNN’s Lucas Lilieholm and Akanksha Sharma
Penny Wong during Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on November 13, 2023. Alex Ellinghausen/Sydney Morning Herald/Getty Images/File
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong will visit the Middle East this week to "support international diplomatic efforts towards a durable peace," according to a statement on her official webpage.
She will visit Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel, where she will meet with the families of hostages and survivors of Hamas' October 7 attacks.
Wong will call for the release of all remaining hostages, and “convey Australia's support for Israel's security and its right to defend itself in the face of terrorism, while stressing that the way it does so matters,” the statement said.
She will also reiterate Canberra’s support for “Palestinians' right to self-determination and commitment to meeting humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank with officials in the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” it added.
29 min ago
Netanyahu vows "nobody will stop us" as Israel marks 100 days of war. What you need to know
From CNN staff
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "nobody will stop us" from destroying Hamas as the war in Gaza passed the 100-day mark.
His comments suggest Israel would not comply with the International Court of Justice, where it has been accused of genocide and could be ordered to halt its offensive. "Nobody will stop us — not The Hague, not the axis of evil and not anybody else," he said.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant echoed Netanyahu's vows Sunday, saying the Israeli army is "fighting the most just war in our history" and will not stop until it defeats Hamas.
While Israelis remain strongly supportive of the war, international pressure continues to build in favor of a ceasefire, as the death toll from Israeli bombardment in Gaza climbs.
At least 23,843 people have been killed in the enclave since the latest fighting broke out, with more than 60,000 wounded, according to figures released by the Hamas-run Ministry of Health on Saturday. CNN cannot independently verify the casualty figures due to limited access to the area.
Catch up on the latest updates:
Red Sea tensions: US fighter aircraft on Sunday shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired at a US Navy destroyer from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen, the US military said. The missile was fired toward USS Laboon, which was operating in the southern Red Sea, US Central Command posted on X. No injuries or damage were reported.
Humanitarian crisis: The Palestine Red Crescent Society has resumed its ambulance and emergency services in Gaza after a nearly two-month pause, the organization said Sunday. It comes as displaced Gazans spending their days in makeshift tents or huddled around outdoor fires told CNN about the additional hardships winter has brought.
Rocket launch sites: Israel’s military said it is still uncovering launch sites previously used by militants in Gaza to fire rockets at Israel. It has also insisted that increased pressure is needed in the besieged enclave to dismantle Hamas and ensure the return of hostages. It comes as Israel looks to consolidate its control in northern Gaza.
Egypt border: During a news briefing Saturday, Netanyahu said the border between Egypt and Gaza must be closed before Israel's war with Hamas is finished. "We’ll destroy Hamas, we’ll demilitarize Gaza, and military equipment and other deadly weapons will continue to enter this southern opening — so of course we need to close it," Netanyahu said. In response, Egypt said it controls its borders "completely."
Lebanon border fatalities: The Israeli military said soldiers on the northern border with Lebanon shot four people dead who they say crossed into Israeli territory and opened fire on them. The incident took place in the flashpoint Har Dov area, also known as the Shebaa Farms. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has vowed to press on with confrontations with Israeli forces on the border until the end of the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
Namibia statement: Namibia rejected Germany's “shocking” support of Israel against genocide allegations at the International Court of Justice, according to a statement from the president’s office Saturday. The statement decried what it called the “genocidal intent of the racist Israeli state against innocent civilians in Gaza,” and cited Germany’s colonial history in the African nation.
30 min ago
Turkish soccer club suspends Israeli star over message supporting hostages
From CNN's Hande Atay Alam
Sagiv Jehezkel of Antalyaspor in action away to Fenerbahce during a Turkish Super League match on September 17, 2023. Ahmad Mora/DeFodi Images/Getty Images
An Israeli soccer player who displayed a message of support for Gaza hostages during a Turkish Super League game on Sunday has been suspended by his club, officials said.
Sagiv Jehezkel showed the message of "100 days, 7/10" on his bandaged wrist after scoring the equalizer for Antalyaspor in its 1-1 tie with Trabzonspor.
The 28-year-old winger acted against "national values," Antalyaspor said on its official website.
"Our Board of Directors will never allow behavior against the sensitivities of our country, even if it results in a championship or a cup," it said.
Prosecutors have launched an investigation into the player for allegedly "inciting the public to hatred and hostility," Turkey's Justice Minister said on X.
Sunday marked a grueling milestone for the hostages who have been held for 100 days in Gaza following the deadly attack by Hamas in Israel on October 7.
Turkey has repeatedly criticized Israel's military campaign in Gaza, which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described as "oppression, atrocity, massacre and barbaric."
34 min ago
US military shoots down missile in Red Sea fired from Houthi-controlled area of Yemen
From CNN’s Philip Wang
US Navy destroyer USS Laboon (DDG 58) in the Atlantic Ocean on March 12, 2012. Billy Ho/US Navy/Reuters/File
US fighter aircraft on Sunday shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired at a US Navy destroyer from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen, the US military said.
The missile was fired toward USS Laboon, which was operating in the southern Red Sea, US Central Command posted on X. No injuries or damage were reported.
Strikes by the US and UK against Houthi targets in Yemen last week marked a significant response after the Biden administration and its allies warned the Iran-backed militant group it would bear the consequences of its attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The situation in Yemen is a key focal point in fears that the Israel-Hamas war will expand further through the Middle East, involving Iranian proxy groups like the Houthis and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
32 min ago
"The rain seemed to follow us": Displaced Gazans describe hardships as winter bites
From Abeer Salman and CNN's Andrew Carey
Displaced Palestinians gather outside makeshift shelters in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on Sunday. Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/AP
Displaced Gazans spending their days in makeshift tents or huddled around outdoor fires have told CNN about the additional hardships winter has brought.
Temperatures have dropped close to zero in the eastern Mediterranean in recent days, and there have been several winter storms passing through, bringing heavy rainfall to the region.
Ayman Jamal, who moved his family to Deir al-Balah in central Gaza from Shujaiya in the north, showed CNN inside his tent. Its walls consist of thin nylon sheeting attached to a rudimentary wooden structure; there are gaps between the sheeting where the rain can get in. There is no groundsheet to offer protection from the damp ground — just compacted, sandy earth.
"It was extremely cold last night. We couldn't sleep, moving from one place to another inside the tent. The rain seemed to follow us wherever we went,” Jamal told CNN. “My children were freezing.”
In another corner, 10 children, all under age 10, gathered around a pot filled with water being heated by a simple charcoal fire. They were barefoot, and raised their hands to the steam to keep warm.
“All of us are sick and no one cares. We don’t have any medicine,” one of them said. “We are so dirty. We haven't taken a bath in a long time. Please stop this for a little while.”
The United Nations estimates almost 90% of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million people have been displaced by the war.
4 hr 5 min ago
Negotiators strike deal to deliver medication to hostages held by Hamas
From CNN’s Alex Marquardt
Negotiators have struck a deal that will allow medicine to be delivered to more than 40 hostages held in Gaza, an official familiar with the discussions said.
Some logistical issues still need to be resolved, but the expectation is that Qatar will soon make a shipment to Egypt, which will then hand it over to the Ministry of Health in Gaza via Rafah crossing. The ministry will then figure out how to get it to the hostages through Hamas.
There have been some delays to providing the medication to the hostages, including that Doha is waiting for medicine to arrive from another unnamed country before it can ship it into Gaza, according to the official.
Hamas only agreed to the deal if more medicine was sent for hospitals and Palestinians in Gaza, the official said.
Originally, the request asked Hamas to allow the Red Cross to visit the more than 40 hostages Israel believes are in need of medical treatment or medicine. But Hamas refused to let the Red Cross visit the hostages, according to the official.
31 min ago
Palestine Red Crescent says its ambulance and emergency services are back in Gaza
From CNN's Abeer Salman in Jerusalem
Palestinians pass by a Red Crescent ambulance in Gaza on November 26. Mohammed Talatene/dpa/picture alliance/AP
The Palestine Red Crescent Society has resumed its ambulance and emergency services in Gaza after a nearly two-month pause, the organization said Sunday.
The humanitarian group said it was forced to halt emergency operations due to Israeli military action and what it described as the "siege" on its Gaza ambulance center and Al-Quds Hospital.
The Red Crescent also said it has added more ambulances to its services in northern Gaza, after its ambulance center in Jabalya came under attack about three weeks ago.
4 hr 22 min ago
US expects retaliation from Houthis after strikes on key infrastructure in Yemen last week
From CNN’s Sam Fossum and Camila DeChalus
US President Joe Biden's administration expects the Iran-backed Houthis, who have been harassing shipping in the Red Sea, will likely respond to strikes by the US and UK last week, National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby said.
While the US is still assessing the damage, officials believe the strikes had “good effect” against Houthi infrastructure in Yemen that has been used to attack shipping in the region, Kirby said.
The US government is now watching "very, very closely" for any potential retaliatory strike by the Houthis, Kirby said on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday. He said the administration hopes the Houthis will rethink their aggressive activity in the region.
“Nobody wants conflict with the Houthis. We're not looking for a conflict with Yemen here. We're trying to get these attacks to stop,” he said.
Some context: The US and UK militaries' strikes against Houthi targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on Thursday and Friday marked a significant response after the Biden administration and its allies warned the Iran-backed militant group it would bear the consequences of its attacks in the Red Sea.
The situation in Yemen is a key focal point in fears that the Israel-Hamas war will expand further through the Middle East, involving Iranian proxy groups like the Houthis and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
4 hr 43 min ago
No end to fighting on Lebanon front before Gaza ceasefire, says Hezbollah chief
From CNN’s Tamara Qiblawi in Beirut
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has vowed to press on with confrontations with Israeli forces on the Lebanon border until the end of the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
Nasrallah delivered a televised address to mark a week since the death of a top Hezbollah commander in an Israeli attack in southern Lebanon.
He said, “only a ceasefire in Gaza” would open the possibility of an end to the crossfire on the Lebanon-Israel border. “We’ll see what happens after that,” he added.
The Iran-backed leader also lambasted Washington for US and UK strikes in Yemen this week aimed at halting the Houthi rebels' attacks on a major commercial shipping route in the Red Sea. Nasrallah, who is a major ally of the Houthis, said the strikes would turn the Red Sea “into a battlefield.”
Commenting on recent threats from Israel’s war cabinet to expand the war to Lebanon, Nasrallah struck a defiant tone.
“It is the Israelis who should be afraid of war … we will not stand by idly as Israel strikes Lebanon,” the Hezbollah leader said, adding that the powerful paramilitary group does not fear conflict.
Some context: Fear is growing that the tit-for-tat strikes exchanged between Israel and Hezbollah forces since the latest Israeli war with Hamas could spiral further, widening the conflict in the Middle East.
Nasrallah's speech followed fresh violence on Israel's border with Lebanon this weekend, with two Israelis killed when an anti-tank missile was fired from Lebanon.
US fighter aircraft shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired at a Navy destroyer in the Red Sea from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen on Sunday. No injuries or damage were reported.
Israel is meanwhile pressing on with its ground offensive in Gaza, saying it uncovered missile launch sites in the north.
A key UN agency says it is extremely difficult to deliver aid while the military operation is ongoing, and has issued increasingly dire warnings that Gaza is approaching famine.
Penny Wong during Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on November 13, 2023. Alex Ellinghausen/Sydney Morning Herald/Getty Images/File
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong will visit the Middle East this week to "support international diplomatic efforts towards a durable peace," according to a statement on her official webpage.
She will visit Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel, where she will meet with the families of hostages and survivors of Hamas' October 7 attacks.
Wong will call for the release of all remaining hostages, and “convey Australia's support for Israel's security and its right to defend itself in the face of terrorism, while stressing that the way it does so matters,” the statement said.
She will also reiterate Canberra’s support for “Palestinians' right to self-determination and commitment to meeting humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank with officials in the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” it added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "nobody will stop us" from destroying Hamas as the war in Gaza passed the 100-day mark.
His comments suggest Israel would not comply with the International Court of Justice, where it has been accused of genocide and could be ordered to halt its offensive. "Nobody will stop us — not The Hague, not the axis of evil and not anybody else," he said.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant echoed Netanyahu's vows Sunday, saying the Israeli army is "fighting the most just war in our history" and will not stop until it defeats Hamas.
While Israelis remain strongly supportive of the war, international pressure continues to build in favor of a ceasefire, as the death toll from Israeli bombardment in Gaza climbs.
At least 23,843 people have been killed in the enclave since the latest fighting broke out, with more than 60,000 wounded, according to figures released by the Hamas-run Ministry of Health on Saturday. CNN cannot independently verify the casualty figures due to limited access to the area.
Catch up on the latest updates:
Red Sea tensions: US fighter aircraft on Sunday shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired at a US Navy destroyer from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen, the US military said. The missile was fired toward USS Laboon, which was operating in the southern Red Sea, US Central Command posted on X. No injuries or damage were reported.
Humanitarian crisis: The Palestine Red Crescent Society has resumed its ambulance and emergency services in Gaza after a nearly two-month pause, the organization said Sunday. It comes as displaced Gazans spending their days in makeshift tents or huddled around outdoor fires told CNN about the additional hardships winter has brought.
Rocket launch sites: Israel’s military said it is still uncovering launch sites previously used by militants in Gaza to fire rockets at Israel. It has also insisted that increased pressure is needed in the besieged enclave to dismantle Hamas and ensure the return of hostages. It comes as Israel looks to consolidate its control in northern Gaza.
Egypt border: During a news briefing Saturday, Netanyahu said the border between Egypt and Gaza must be closed before Israel's war with Hamas is finished. "We’ll destroy Hamas, we’ll demilitarize Gaza, and military equipment and other deadly weapons will continue to enter this southern opening — so of course we need to close it," Netanyahu said. In response, Egypt said it controls its borders "completely."
Lebanon border fatalities: The Israeli military said soldiers on the northern border with Lebanon shot four people dead who they say crossed into Israeli territory and opened fire on them. The incident took place in the flashpoint Har Dov area, also known as the Shebaa Farms. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has vowed to press on with confrontations with Israeli forces on the border until the end of the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
Namibia statement: Namibia rejected Germany's “shocking” support of Israel against genocide allegations at the International Court of Justice, according to a statement from the president’s office Saturday. The statement decried what it called the “genocidal intent of the racist Israeli state against innocent civilians in Gaza,” and cited Germany’s colonial history in the African nation.
Sagiv Jehezkel of Antalyaspor in action away to Fenerbahce during a Turkish Super League match on September 17, 2023. Ahmad Mora/DeFodi Images/Getty Images
An Israeli soccer player who displayed a message of support for Gaza hostages during a Turkish Super League game on Sunday has been suspended by his club, officials said.
Sagiv Jehezkel showed the message of "100 days, 7/10" on his bandaged wrist after scoring the equalizer for Antalyaspor in its 1-1 tie with Trabzonspor.
The 28-year-old winger acted against "national values," Antalyaspor said on its official website.
"Our Board of Directors will never allow behavior against the sensitivities of our country, even if it results in a championship or a cup," it said.
Prosecutors have launched an investigation into the player for allegedly "inciting the public to hatred and hostility," Turkey's Justice Minister said on X.
Sunday marked a grueling milestone for the hostages who have been held for 100 days in Gaza following the deadly attack by Hamas in Israel on October 7.
Turkey has repeatedly criticized Israel's military campaign in Gaza, which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described as "oppression, atrocity, massacre and barbaric."
US Navy destroyer USS Laboon (DDG 58) in the Atlantic Ocean on March 12, 2012. Billy Ho/US Navy/Reuters/File
US fighter aircraft on Sunday shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired at a US Navy destroyer from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen, the US military said.
The missile was fired toward USS Laboon, which was operating in the southern Red Sea, US Central Command posted on X. No injuries or damage were reported.
Strikes by the US and UK against Houthi targets in Yemen last week marked a significant response after the Biden administration and its allies warned the Iran-backed militant group it would bear the consequences of its attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The situation in Yemen is a key focal point in fears that the Israel-Hamas war will expand further through the Middle East, involving Iranian proxy groups like the Houthis and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Displaced Palestinians gather outside makeshift shelters in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on Sunday. Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/AP
Displaced Gazans spending their days in makeshift tents or huddled around outdoor fires have told CNN about the additional hardships winter has brought.
Temperatures have dropped close to zero in the eastern Mediterranean in recent days, and there have been several winter storms passing through, bringing heavy rainfall to the region.
Ayman Jamal, who moved his family to Deir al-Balah in central Gaza from Shujaiya in the north, showed CNN inside his tent. Its walls consist of thin nylon sheeting attached to a rudimentary wooden structure; there are gaps between the sheeting where the rain can get in. There is no groundsheet to offer protection from the damp ground — just compacted, sandy earth.
"It was extremely cold last night. We couldn't sleep, moving from one place to another inside the tent. The rain seemed to follow us wherever we went,” Jamal told CNN. “My children were freezing.”
In another corner, 10 children, all under age 10, gathered around a pot filled with water being heated by a simple charcoal fire. They were barefoot, and raised their hands to the steam to keep warm.
“All of us are sick and no one cares. We don’t have any medicine,” one of them said. “We are so dirty. We haven't taken a bath in a long time. Please stop this for a little while.”
The United Nations estimates almost 90% of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million people have been displaced by the war.
Negotiators have struck a deal that will allow medicine to be delivered to more than 40 hostages held in Gaza, an official familiar with the discussions said.
Some logistical issues still need to be resolved, but the expectation is that Qatar will soon make a shipment to Egypt, which will then hand it over to the Ministry of Health in Gaza via Rafah crossing. The ministry will then figure out how to get it to the hostages through Hamas.
There have been some delays to providing the medication to the hostages, including that Doha is waiting for medicine to arrive from another unnamed country before it can ship it into Gaza, according to the official.
Hamas only agreed to the deal if more medicine was sent for hospitals and Palestinians in Gaza, the official said.
Originally, the request asked Hamas to allow the Red Cross to visit the more than 40 hostages Israel believes are in need of medical treatment or medicine. But Hamas refused to let the Red Cross visit the hostages, according to the official.
Palestinians pass by a Red Crescent ambulance in Gaza on November 26. Mohammed Talatene/dpa/picture alliance/AP
The Palestine Red Crescent Society has resumed its ambulance and emergency services in Gaza after a nearly two-month pause, the organization said Sunday.
The humanitarian group said it was forced to halt emergency operations due to Israeli military action and what it described as the "siege" on its Gaza ambulance center and Al-Quds Hospital.
The Red Crescent also said it has added more ambulances to its services in northern Gaza, after its ambulance center in Jabalya came under attack about three weeks ago.
US President Joe Biden's administration expects the Iran-backed Houthis, who have been harassing shipping in the Red Sea, will likely respond to strikes by the US and UK last week, National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby said.
While the US is still assessing the damage, officials believe the strikes had “good effect” against Houthi infrastructure in Yemen that has been used to attack shipping in the region, Kirby said.
The US government is now watching "very, very closely" for any potential retaliatory strike by the Houthis, Kirby said on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday. He said the administration hopes the Houthis will rethink their aggressive activity in the region.
“Nobody wants conflict with the Houthis. We're not looking for a conflict with Yemen here. We're trying to get these attacks to stop,” he said.
Some context: The US and UK militaries' strikes against Houthi targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on Thursday and Friday marked a significant response after the Biden administration and its allies warned the Iran-backed militant group it would bear the consequences of its attacks in the Red Sea.
The situation in Yemen is a key focal point in fears that the Israel-Hamas war will expand further through the Middle East, involving Iranian proxy groups like the Houthis and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has vowed to press on with confrontations with Israeli forces on the Lebanon border until the end of the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
Nasrallah delivered a televised address to mark a week since the death of a top Hezbollah commander in an Israeli attack in southern Lebanon.
He said, “only a ceasefire in Gaza” would open the possibility of an end to the crossfire on the Lebanon-Israel border. “We’ll see what happens after that,” he added.
The Iran-backed leader also lambasted Washington for US and UK strikes in Yemen this week aimed at halting the Houthi rebels' attacks on a major commercial shipping route in the Red Sea. Nasrallah, who is a major ally of the Houthis, said the strikes would turn the Red Sea “into a battlefield.”
Commenting on recent threats from Israel’s war cabinet to expand the war to Lebanon, Nasrallah struck a defiant tone.
“It is the Israelis who should be afraid of war … we will not stand by idly as Israel strikes Lebanon,” the Hezbollah leader said, adding that the powerful paramilitary group does not fear conflict.
Some context: Fear is growing that the tit-for-tat strikes exchanged between Israel and Hezbollah forces since the latest Israeli war with Hamas could spiral further, widening the conflict in the Middle East.
Nasrallah's speech followed fresh violence on Israel's border with Lebanon this weekend, with two Israelis killed when an anti-tank missile was fired from Lebanon.
