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2 min ago

It's Monday morning in Gaza. Here's what you need to know

From CNN staff

Dark clouds of smoke billowed over the skyline of Khan Younis on Sunday as Israel expanded its operations in southern Gaza, according to a video livestreamed by Reuters.

The video, filmed from the roof of the Nasser Medical Complex, shows heavy smoke on the horizon — with some explosions heard in the distance. CNN has also geolocated a video from social media that captured the sound of heavy gunfire in Khan Younis, where limited communications have made it challenging to obtain accurate information.

Meanwhile, the official Palestinian news agency, WAFA, said the southern city has come under “a series of airstrikes and artillery shelling on a number of areas" Sunday and hospitals in the area are facing increased pressure.

In an update Sunday, Israel's military said it struck more than 250 Hamas targets in the past 24 hours, including what it called Hamas communication sites and tunnels.

It comes after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Saturday issued “an urgent appeal” for civilians to evacuate from much of Khan Younis. It is unclear how many people were aware of the order given the lack of communications availability in much of Gaza. 

Catch up on the latest developments in the war:

• "Unprecedented" disaster: Speaking at the Doha Forum on Sunday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said Gaza is witnessing an “unprecedented humanitarian disaster.” Despite giving a downbeat assessment on both parties’ willingness to agree to another truce, he said efforts were “continuing.” Qatar has been a key player in efforts to mediate deals to free hostages taken by Hamas during its October 7 attacks in Israel.
• Death toll rises: At least 17,700 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza from October 7 through December 9, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah, citing sources from the Hamas-controlled enclave. It said 70% of the fatalities were children, women, and the elderly. Meanwhile, the number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks in the occupied West Bank during the same period rose to 275, the ministry said.
• 30,000 fighters: Israel believes Hamas had about 30,000 fighters in Gaza before the war began on October 7, the IDF told CNN on Sunday. Israel’s national security advisor estimated Saturday that at least 7,000 of the people killed in Gaza since October 7 were “Hamas terrorists.”
• Israeli goals challenged: Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said Israel's stated goal of destroying Hamas is "not going to happen." Israel vowed to eradicate the militant group following the October 7 attacks but Shtayyeh, who represents the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, said Hamas was "an integral part of the Palestinian political mosaic."

• Israeli soldier killed: The IDF announced the death of another soldier Sunday, bringing the total number of Israeli troops reported killed in Gaza since the conflict began to 97. About 600 IDF members have been wounded since the ground invasion began on October 27, the IDF said Sunday.
• Ceasefire calls: UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he “will not give up” calling for a ceasefire in Gaza — after the Security Council failed to pass a resolution demanding an immediate truce. Speaking at Sunday’s Doha Forum, he warned that public order would “completely break down soon.”
• WHO alarm: World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the impact of the conflict on the health care system in Gaza "catastrophic." According to Tedros, only 14 of the 36 hospitals in Gaza are partially functional.
• Hostages latest: The number of people Israel considers to be held hostage in Gaza remains at 137 — of whom 20 are believed to be dead, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office told CNN Sunday.
• Blinken on protecting civilians: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said more needs to be done to protect civilians and provide humanitarian aid to people in the enclave. “The intent is there, but the results are not always manifesting themselves," Blinken told CNN Sunday. He also condemned sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas during the October 7 attack and blasted those who have not condemned it or were slow to do so.

8 min ago

UN humanitarian official says it's "as if we have learned nothing in the past 75 years"

From CNN's Andrew Carey

A top United Nations humanitarian official on Sunday offered a grim assessment of Israel's war against Hamas as the world marked International Human Rights Day.

In a statement, the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Lynn Hastings condemned Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel but said Israel's ongoing response in Gaza was disproportionate.

“Today could have been a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, born from the atrocities of two world wars," Hastings said. "Instead, human rights are assaulted in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The violations perpetrated on both populations will bring neither peace nor security to either of these nations.”

Non-state armed actors like Hamas had obligations under international law, Hastings said, adding that the perpetrators of the October 7 attacks in which more than 1,400 Israelis were killed and more than 240 others taken hostage must be held accountable.

“The killings, sexual violence and kidnappings … traumatized an entire nation. Elderly, disabled, and children have not been spared,” she said.

Since October 7, Israeli forces have turned much of Gaza into a wasteland. Airstrikes have reduced entire neighborhoods to rubble and nearly 2 million people — the vast majority of Gaza’s population — have been forced to flee their homes, according to the UN.

At least 17,700 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah, citing sources from the Hamas-controlled enclave.

Israel’s response "cannot be justified" Hastings said.

“The air strikes against civilians and civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and UN facilities and the repeated displacement of the civilian population cannot be justified. Nor can the siege, depriving the entire Gaza population of food, water, health care and hygiene,” Hastings said.

“In 2023, I should not have to issue such a statement. It is as if we have learned nothing in the past 75 years.”

Some context: Israel's foreign minister said last week he had revoked Hastings' visa due to the "bias of the UN." The move came as multiple UN officials warned of an "apocalyptic" situation in Gaza for displaced civilians, who face overcrowding and the spread of disease.

3 hr 36 min ago

Khan Younis resident tells CNN he faces lack of safety, food and water amid ongoing Israeli ground operations 

From CNN’s Ibrahim Dahman and Eyad Kourdi

Khan Younis resident Ahmad Naseem on Sunday told CNN he saw a shell hit his neighbors' home, killing five people and injuring multiple others.

As his city in southern Gaza has become a major focus of Israel’s ground operations, the 38-year-old said he has moved his wife and 18-month-old son to a neighbor's ground floor flat to feel a little bit safer.

But finding essential food and drinkable water remains a major challenge, he told CNN on a phone call.

The price of basic items like flour has gone up eight-fold since the start of the conflict, and cooking gas, in particular, is in very short supply, he said.

The couple started using plastic and cardboard to make fire to cook, he said.

As evening set in, the intensity of artillery fire reduced slightly, Naseem added, but the sounds of ground clashes and military vehicles became closer.

About Khan Younis: Thousands of Palestinians fled to the southern city earlier in the war when Israel called for an evacuation of northern Gaza and directed residents southwards. On Saturday, Israel issued another “urgent appeal” for evacuation — this time telling civilians in Khan Younis to move to an area on the coast, which has few facilities. It is unclear how many people were aware of the instruction given the lack of communications networks and internet availability in much of Gaza. 

In a statement Friday, the Israeli military said it continues to fight in Khan Younis, which it said is a “main stronghold” of Hamas.

1 min ago

Dozens killed in Israeli strikes as Gaza hospitals face more pressure, Palestinian news agency says

From CNN’s Kareem Khadder in Jerusalem and Jessie Gretener

Dozens of Palestinian civilians were killed and hundreds of others wounded in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza on Sunday, according to the official Palestinian news agency, WAFA. 

Some 45 civilians were killed in the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza Sunday after Israel launched “violent air raids” that targeted a house, WAFA reported. Several others remain buried under the rubble, it added. 

Nine more civilians were killed in a residential square in Jabalya al-Balad, WAFA said. 

Khan Younis attacks: Meanwhile, in southern Gaza, the city of Khan Younis came under “a series of airstrikes and artillery shelling on a number of areas,” on Sunday, according to WAFA. 

Israel “targeted homes in which residents were sheltering, killing dozens and wounding hundreds” in the northern and eastern parts of the city, WAFA reported.

Hospitals have also faced increased pressure in Khan Younis, with medical sources telling WAFA that wounded people arriving at the Nasser Medical Complex must lay on the ground because there are “no beds, medicines, and medical supplies available for them.”

WAFA said the vicinity of the Gaza European Hospital in Khan Younis has been bombed, with Israeli attacks occurring through Saturday night and Sunday.  

Some context: On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces issued “an urgent appeal” for civilians to evacuate from much of Khan Younis amid fierce fighting in the area, which it says is a “main stronghold” of Hamas. It is unclear how many people were aware of the instruction given the lack of communications networks and internet availability in much of Gaza.

“The general instruction for residents is to move to the Al-Muwasi area, as well as blocks updated in the IDF interactive map published last week,” the IDF told CNN.

Al-Muwasi is a strip of land of some 20 square kilometers on the coast. A statement last month by UN agencies and humanitarian groups such as Care International, Mercy Corps, and the World Health Organization, said the area could not function as a safe zone until all sides pledged not to fight there. Al-Muwasi has few facilities and is largely open land but has already seen an influx of people trying to escape from the fighting.

6 min ago

Video shows smoke over Khan Younis as Israeli forces expand operations in southern Gaza

From CNN's Jessie Gretener, Kareem Khadder, Eyad Kourdi, and Dennis Lapin

Dark clouds of smoke were seen over Khan Younis on Sunday in video offering one of the few visual indications regarding the situation on the ground in southern Gaza as Israel expands its operations there.

The Reuters footage, streamed live from the rooftop of the Nasser Medical Complex in the city, showed heavy smoke on the horizon — with some explosions heard in the distance.  

Car horns are also heard in the distance, with some movement of people seen near the hospital. 

Limited communications have made it challenging to obtain accurate information from Gaza.

Social media video: CNN has also geolocated a video from social media that captured the sound of heavy gunfire in Khan Younis. The video shows an empty street, with smoke on the horizon and the sound of gunfire in the near distance.

A woman and child are then seen riding donkey pulling a cart with two unconscious bodies lying on it.

CNN cannot verify when this video was shot. 

Hamas claim: Abu Obaida, spokesperson for Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, said Sunday that his fighters had killed and wounded 15 Israeli soldiers in Khan Younis after detonating a “large barrel anti-personnel device.”

CNN has asked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment.

In a statement Friday, the Israeli military said it continues to fight in Khan Younis, which it said is a “main stronghold” of Hamas. The IDF also issued what it calls “an urgent appeal” for civilians to leave much of the area.

Northern Gaza: Meanwhile, in the north, the Qassam Brigades said Sunday their fighters were “waging fierce battles” with Israeli forces to the west of the Jabalya refugee camp, where the IDF has been closing in.

On Friday, Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, director-general of the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, told CNN Israeli forces had taken over half of the Jabalya camp.

4 hr 37 min ago

Attack from southern Lebanon wounds several Israeli soldiers, IDF says

From CNN's Amir Tal and Mohammed Tawfeeq

Several Israeli soldiers were wounded in northern Israel by fire from Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday.

"Following the sirens that sounded in the western Galilee area in northern Israel, suspicious aerial targets that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory were identified and two targets were successfully intercepted by the IDF Aerial Defense Array," the IDF said in a statement.
"Two IDF soldiers were moderately injured, and a number of additional soldiers were lightly injured from shrapnel and smoke inhalation. The soldiers were evacuated to the hospital to receive medical treatment, and their families have been notified."

Early Sunday, Iran-backed Islamist group Hezbollah, which has its main base on the Israel-Lebanon border, claimed on social media to target an Israeli "command headquarters" in western Galilee from south Lebanon with drones, saying the attack was "in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip."

Thousands of Israelis were evacuated from communities close to the Lebanese border last month, with crossfire and clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters intensifying across the border.

Dark clouds of smoke billowed over the skyline of Khan Younis on Sunday as Israel expanded its operations in southern Gaza, according to a video livestreamed by Reuters.

The video, filmed from the roof of the Nasser Medical Complex, shows heavy smoke on the horizon — with some explosions heard in the distance. CNN has also geolocated a video from social media that captured the sound of heavy gunfire in Khan Younis, where limited communications have made it challenging to obtain accurate information.

Meanwhile, the official Palestinian news agency, WAFA, said the southern city has come under “a series of airstrikes and artillery shelling on a number of areas" Sunday and hospitals in the area are facing increased pressure.

In an update Sunday, Israel's military said it struck more than 250 Hamas targets in the past 24 hours, including what it called Hamas communication sites and tunnels.

It comes after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Saturday issued “an urgent appeal” for civilians to evacuate from much of Khan Younis. It is unclear how many people were aware of the order given the lack of communications availability in much of Gaza. 

Catch up on the latest developments in the war:

A top United Nations humanitarian official on Sunday offered a grim assessment of Israel's war against Hamas as the world marked International Human Rights Day.

In a statement, the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Lynn Hastings condemned Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel but said Israel's ongoing response in Gaza was disproportionate.

Non-state armed actors like Hamas had obligations under international law, Hastings said, adding that the perpetrators of the October 7 attacks in which more than 1,400 Israelis were killed and more than 240 others taken hostage must be held accountable.

“The killings, sexual violence and kidnappings … traumatized an entire nation. Elderly, disabled, and children have not been spared,” she said.

Since October 7, Israeli forces have turned much of Gaza into a wasteland. Airstrikes have reduced entire neighborhoods to rubble and nearly 2 million people — the vast majority of Gaza’s population — have been forced to flee their homes, according to the UN.

At least 17,700 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah, citing sources from the Hamas-controlled enclave.

Israel’s response "cannot be justified" Hastings said.

“The air strikes against civilians and civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and UN facilities and the repeated displacement of the civilian population cannot be justified. Nor can the siege, depriving the entire Gaza population of food, water, health care and hygiene,” Hastings said.

Some context: Israel's foreign minister said last week he had revoked Hastings' visa due to the "bias of the UN." The move came as multiple UN officials warned of an "apocalyptic" situation in Gaza for displaced civilians, who face overcrowding and the spread of disease.

Khan Younis resident Ahmad Naseem on Sunday told CNN he saw a shell hit his neighbors' home, killing five people and injuring multiple others.

As his city in southern Gaza has become a major focus of Israel’s ground operations, the 38-year-old said he has moved his wife and 18-month-old son to a neighbor's ground floor flat to feel a little bit safer.

But finding essential food and drinkable water remains a major challenge, he told CNN on a phone call.

The price of basic items like flour has gone up eight-fold since the start of the conflict, and cooking gas, in particular, is in very short supply, he said.

The couple started using plastic and cardboard to make fire to cook, he said.

As evening set in, the intensity of artillery fire reduced slightly, Naseem added, but the sounds of ground clashes and military vehicles became closer.

About Khan Younis: Thousands of Palestinians fled to the southern city earlier in the war when Israel called for an evacuation of northern Gaza and directed residents southwards. On Saturday, Israel issued another “urgent appeal” for evacuation — this time telling civilians in Khan Younis to move to an area on the coast, which has few facilities. It is unclear how many people were aware of the instruction given the lack of communications networks and internet availability in much of Gaza. 

In a statement Friday, the Israeli military said it continues to fight in Khan Younis, which it said is a “main stronghold” of Hamas.

Dozens of Palestinian civilians were killed and hundreds of others wounded in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza on Sunday, according to the official Palestinian news agency, WAFA. 

Some 45 civilians were killed in the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza Sunday after Israel launched “violent air raids” that targeted a house, WAFA reported. Several others remain buried under the rubble, it added. 

Nine more civilians were killed in a residential square in Jabalya al-Balad, WAFA said. 

Khan Younis attacks: Meanwhile, in southern Gaza, the city of Khan Younis came under “a series of airstrikes and artillery shelling on a number of areas,” on Sunday, according to WAFA. 

Israel “targeted homes in which residents were sheltering, killing dozens and wounding hundreds” in the northern and eastern parts of the city, WAFA reported.

Hospitals have also faced increased pressure in Khan Younis, with medical sources telling WAFA that wounded people arriving at the Nasser Medical Complex must lay on the ground because there are “no beds, medicines, and medical supplies available for them.”

WAFA said the vicinity of the Gaza European Hospital in Khan Younis has been bombed, with Israeli attacks occurring through Saturday night and Sunday.  

Some context: On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces issued “an urgent appeal” for civilians to evacuate from much of Khan Younis amid fierce fighting in the area, which it says is a “main stronghold” of Hamas. It is unclear how many people were aware of the instruction given the lack of communications networks and internet availability in much of Gaza.

“The general instruction for residents is to move to the Al-Muwasi area, as well as blocks updated in the IDF interactive map published last week,” the IDF told CNN.

Al-Muwasi is a strip of land of some 20 square kilometers on the coast. A statement last month by UN agencies and humanitarian groups such as Care International, Mercy Corps, and the World Health Organization, said the area could not function as a safe zone until all sides pledged not to fight there. Al-Muwasi has few facilities and is largely open land but has already seen an influx of people trying to escape from the fighting.

Dark clouds of smoke were seen over Khan Younis on Sunday in video offering one of the few visual indications regarding the situation on the ground in southern Gaza as Israel expands its operations there.

The Reuters footage, streamed live from the rooftop of the Nasser Medical Complex in the city, showed heavy smoke on the horizon — with some explosions heard in the distance.  

Car horns are also heard in the distance, with some movement of people seen near the hospital. 

Limited communications have made it challenging to obtain accurate information from Gaza.

Social media video: CNN has also geolocated a video from social media that captured the sound of heavy gunfire in Khan Younis. The video shows an empty street, with smoke on the horizon and the sound of gunfire in the near distance.

A woman and child are then seen riding donkey pulling a cart with two unconscious bodies lying on it.

CNN cannot verify when this video was shot. 

Hamas claim: Abu Obaida, spokesperson for Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, said Sunday that his fighters had killed and wounded 15 Israeli soldiers in Khan Younis after detonating a “large barrel anti-personnel device.”

CNN has asked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment.

In a statement Friday, the Israeli military said it continues to fight in Khan Younis, which it said is a “main stronghold” of Hamas. The IDF also issued what it calls “an urgent appeal” for civilians to leave much of the area.

Northern Gaza: Meanwhile, in the north, the Qassam Brigades said Sunday their fighters were “waging fierce battles” with Israeli forces to the west of the Jabalya refugee camp, where the IDF has been closing in.

On Friday, Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, director-general of the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, told CNN Israeli forces had taken over half of the Jabalya camp.

Several Israeli soldiers were wounded in northern Israel by fire from Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday.

Early Sunday, Iran-backed Islamist group Hezbollah, which has its main base on the Israel-Lebanon border, claimed on social media to target an Israeli "command headquarters" in western Galilee from south Lebanon with drones, saying the attack was "in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip."

Thousands of Israelis were evacuated from communities close to the Lebanese border last month, with crossfire and clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters intensifying across the border.