UN to hold more emergency talks on Gaza as Israel claims advances against Hamas. Here's the latest
From CNN staff
The United Nations General Assembly will on Tuesday resume its emergency session on the situation in Gaza, days after the United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire.
UN staff in Gaza feel abandoned after the US veto, a top official said. They "cannot understand" why a ceasefire has not been agreed upon after thousands have been killed and displaced, the UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini told CNN.
The number of people killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7 has risen to 18,205, the Hamas-controlled health ministry in the enclave said Monday.
Catch up on the latest developments in the war here:
On the ground: Israeli troops are encircling Hamas' final two strongholds in northern Gaza, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed Monday. Hamas battalions in the Jabalya and Shejaiya areas were "on the verge of dismantling," he said, adding that surrendering militants had admitted they were short of weapons and food. Meanwhile, the head of the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza described heavy fighting and a significant Israeli military presence around the Jabalya refugee camp, while a doctor said the Kamal Adwan hospital in Gaza City was surrounded by Israeli forces.
Doctor shot: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said one of its surgeons was injured in a shooting at the Al Awda hospital in northern Gaza. “Our colleagues report snipers surrounding the hospital, firing on those inside,” MSF said. The NGO, also known as Doctors Without Borders, also said two of its medics were among five health workers killed at the hospital since October 7. CNN has asked the Israeli military for a response to the MSF allegation.
Biden warning: US President Joe Biden on Monday night touted his unshakeable support for “the safety of the Jewish people and the security of Israel and its right to exist” in the wake of the Hamas terror attacks of October 7. But he cautioned: "The whole world’s public opinion can shift overnight, we can’t let that happen.”
EU moves: The European Union will work on introducing sanctions against Jewish settlers who commit acts of violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the bloc's foreign policy chief said Monday. Meanwhile, the leaders of Ireland, Spain, Belgium and Malta wrote to European Council President Charles Michel calling for a discussion at an upcoming EU summit on the need for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Aid screening: Two crossings into Gaza will be used to help screen aid destined for the strip, Israeli authorities said Monday, as they face mounting international pressure to ease the humanitarian crisis there. Israeli officials said the move would speed up deliveries and help increase the volume of aid to Gaza following warnings from the UN and other aid agencies that not enough food, water or medical supplies were reaching displaced residents.
"Disturbing" photos:Recent images of men detained and stripped down in Gaza were "deeply disturbing," US State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Monday. Asked by CNN about the photos, Miller reiterated that the US is seeking more information from the Israeli government.
Qatari funding: Since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the Gulf state of Qatar has come under fire by Israeli officials, US politicians and media outlets for sending hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Gaza, which is governed by the Palestinian militant group. But all that happened with Israel’s blessing. In interviewswith key Israeli players conducted in collaboration with Israeli investigative journalism organization Shomrim, CNN was told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued the cash flow to Hamas, despite concerns raised from within his own government.
1 min ago
Biden pledges unshakeable US support for Israel, but warns that world opinion could shift
From CNN's Donald Judd
Joe Biden gives remarks in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 8. Travis P Ball/Sipa/AP
US President Joe Biden on Monday night touted his unshakeable support for “the safety of the Jewish people and the security of Israel and its right to exist” in the wake of the Hamas terror attacks of October 7.
The president pointed to his support for Israel, while acknowledging daylight on issues between himself and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, joking that he had once told the Israeli leader: “I love you, but I don’t agree with a damn thing you have to say.” He added: “It’s about the same today.”
“We’ll continue to provide military assistance to Israel until they get rid of Hamas, but we have to be careful — they have to be careful,” Biden said. “The whole world’s public opinion can shift overnight, we can’t let that happen.”
The president also hailed the work his administration has done to secure the release of hostages still held in Gaza and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the region.
“We're working relentlessly for the safe return of the hostages. I personally spent countless hours — and I mean it, probably up to 20 hours with the Qataris and Egyptians, the Israelis — to secure the freedom of hostages, to get the trucks in, to get the humanitarian aid flowing, to convince them to open the gate, to have [Egyptian President Abdel Fattah] El-Sisi — make sure he opened the gate into Egypt,” Biden said.
“And there's a whole range of things going on now that are really very, very difficult. We've gotten more than 100 hostages out and we're not going to stop till we get every one of them home.”
Biden was joined by second gentleman Doug Emhoff and a group of White House officials descended from Holocaust survivors who lit the White House menorah.
3 hr 35 min ago
EU working on new sanctions against "extremist settlers" in the West Bank, foreign policy chief says
From CNN's Catherine Nicholls, Sugam Pokharel, Andrew Carey and Jennifer Hansler
The European Union will work on introducing sanctions against Jewish settlers who commit acts of violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the bloc's foreign policy chief said Monday.
Josep Borrell’s comments come amid growing concern that Israel is not doing enough to prevent hardcore settlers from launching attacks on Palestinians.
“We will work on imposing sanctions against extremist settlers in the West Bank,” Borrell told reporters in Brussels, saying he is alarmed by recent violence in the occupied territory.
United Nations data has shown a sharp increase in attacks by settlers against Palestinians since October 7 — though European and US diplomats have expressed concerns for years about such violence and the sense it frequently goes unpunished by Israel.
Borrell's remarks also follow the announcement last week of a new visa policy by the United States targeting the same violent individuals.
The State Department will be able to apply the policy to both Israelis and Palestinians who are responsible for attacks in the West Bank, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week.
According to Reuters, Borrell did not give details of possible EU sanctions, but the news agency said officials believed it would involve travel bans to the bloc.
Another challenge for Borrell will be to convince all EU members to support any new sanctions policy. Several states, among them Hungary and Austria, are among Israel’s strongest international supporters.
What Israel is saying: Israel is reluctant to accept any criticism of its policy toward West Bank settlers, especially as it deals with the aftermath of the October 7 attack by Hamas.
War cabinet member Benny Gantz, seen previously as particularly mindful of the need to get a grip on the sense of lawlessness in some Jewish communities in the West Bank, has recently sought to convince international colleagues not to use the term "settler violence" because, he argues, it unfairly characterizes all Israelis living in the territory.
Borrell also said Monday he would look to introduce a new sanctions package against Hamas, Reuters reported. The EU already considers Hamas a terrorist organization.
4 hr ago
Surgeon injured after being shot inside northern Gaza hospital, medical group says
From CNN's Vasco Cotovio
A surgeon with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, was injured inside Al Awda Hospital in north Gaza by a shot fired from outside the facility on Monday, the organization said.
“Our colleagues report snipers surrounding the hospital, firing on those inside,” MSF said.
Renzo Fricke, MSF's head of mission, added in a statement that "reports coming out of Al-Awda hospital are harrowing and we are gravely worried for safety of patients and staff inside.”
He said Al Awda is a functioning hospital “with medical staff and many patients in vulnerable condition." He called any targeting of medical workers "utterly reprehensible, utterly inhumane.”
MSF said two of its doctors have been among five health workers killed at Al Awda Hospital since October 7.
“The hospital building has also sustained substantial damage in the bombing and fighting, along with many other hospitals in the north of the Strip, and supplies are running low, further compromising the doctors' capacity to treat patients," Fricke said.
CNN has asked the Israel Defense Forces for a response to the MSF allegation.
4 hr 4 min ago
Israel will use 2 crossings to help screen aid for Gaza, authorities say
From journalist Tamar Michaelis and CNN's Tim Lister
Two crossings into Gaza will be used to help screen humanitarian aid destined for the territory, Israeli authorities said Monday.
However, no aid will be allowed directly into Gaza from either crossing in Israel.
"Following a security consultation, a decision was made today (Monday), to conduct integrated security screening at the Nitzana Crossing and the Kerem Shalom Crossing," Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said.
Beginning Tuesday, the Kerem Shalom crossing will open for security checks on aid shipments from El-Arish, the Egyptian town where much of the aid for Gaza is assembled, COGAT spokesperson Shan Sasson said in a video statement on X, formerly Twitter.
“The simultaneous security checks at Kerem Shalom and Nitzana crossings will double the volume of aid delivered through the Rafah crossing and admitted into the Gaza Strip,” Sasson said.
COGAT said the decision was made "to improve and upgrade the capabilities and volume of security screening of the humanitarian aid being admitted into the Gaza Strip via the Rafah Crossing in Egypt."
Authorities said that trucks containing water, food, medical supplies and equipment for shelter will be screened at both crossings "and will be forwarded from there to international aid organizations" in Gaza via the Rafah crossing.
However, COGAT added that "no supplies will be entering the Gaza Strip from Israel and that all the humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip will continue to enter via the Rafah crossing in Egypt."
The Nitzana crossing is nearly 50 kilometers (more than 31 miles) from Rafah.
In recent days, between 60 and 100 trucks have been using the Rafah crossing to enter Gaza — a volume the United Nations and other aid agencies say is far too little to mitigate the territory’s humanitarian crisis.
4 hr 10 min ago
Israeli forces encircling Hamas' last strongholds in northern Gaza, defense minister claims
From journalist Tamar Michaelis and CNN's Tim Lister
Israeli troops are encircling Hamas' last two strongholds in northern Gaza, according to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
He claimed that Hamas battalions in the Jabalya and Shejaiya areas were “on the verge of dismantling. The number of those who surrender that come out of these places shows us what’s happening.”
Gallant also asserted that those Hamas fighters who have surrendered have said they are short of weapons and food.
“We are near a breaking point in the northern Gaza Strip,” Gallant said, calling upon remaining Hamas fighters to surrender. “Anyone who prefers to surrender, as hundreds have done already — we will spare their lives,” he said.
Gallant made similar comments on Friday about the Israeli military’s progress, when he said he saw signs that Hamas is "beginning to break inside Gaza."
In a separate development, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) announced that more than 500 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters had been apprehended over the past month “and transferred for further questioning by the ISA and Unit 504,” referring to an intelligence unit of the Israeli military.
Since the end of the pause in the fighting, just over a week ago, about 140 Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants have been detained in Gaza, the IDF said.
For the first time, the IDF also published photographs of alleged militants who had surrendered.
Unlike a series of videos that emerged last week of men having apparently surrendered to Israeli forces, which showed them stripped to their underwear, the two still photographs published Monday showed men fully clothed.
4 hr 6 min ago
What we know about Qatar's payments to Gaza and Israel's role in facilitating them
From CNN's Nima Elbagir, Barbara Arvanitidis, Alex Platt, Raja Razek and Nadeen Ebrahim, and Shomrim's Uri Blau
Since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the Gulf state of Qatar has come under fire by Israeli officials, American politicians and media outlets for sending hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Gaza, which is governed by the Islamist militant group Hamas
But all that happened with Israel’s blessing.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued the cash flow to Hamas, despite concerns raised from within his own government, CNN was told in a series of interviewswith key Israeli players conducted in collaboration with Israeli investigative journalism organization Shomrim.
Israeli and international media have reported that Netanyahu’s plan to continue allowing aid to reach Gaza through Qatar was in the hope that it might make Hamas an effective counterweight to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.
PA officials said at the time the cash transfers encouraged division between Palestinian factions.
Israeli sources responded by pointing out that successive governments had facilitated the transfer of money to Gaza for humanitarian reasons and that Netanyahu had acted decisively against Hamas after the October 7 attacks.
Maj. Gen. Amos Gilad, a former senior Israeli Defense Ministry official, told CNN the plan was backed by the prime minister, but not by the Israeli intelligence community. There was also some belief that it would “weaken Palestinian sovereignty,” he said. There was also an illusion, he added, that “if you fed them (Hamas) with money, they would be tamed.”
Asked by CNN about the photos, Miller reiterated that the US is seeking more information from the Israeli government.
The United States is seeking answers about the status of the individuals in the photos, the circumstances around the images, and "how ultimately they became public," he said.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), claimed to CNN last week that the men were members or suspected members of Hamas, "without clothes in order to make sure they’re not carrying explosives.”
However, in an interview with CNN on Friday, Hani Almadhoun, director of philanthropy for the US arm of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA USA) said he knew a dozen people pictured in circulating images, including his brother — all of whom were civilians.
More background: The photos circulating on social media last Thursday showed a mass detention by the Israeli military of men who were made to strip to their underwear, kneel on the street, wear blindfolds, and pack into the cargo bed of a military vehicle.
The exact circumstances and dates of the detentions are unclear, but some of the detainees’ identities were confirmed by colleagues or family members.
CNN's Abeer Salman contributed reporting.
The UN General Assembly will resume its emergency session on Gaza Tuesday, days after the United States vetoed a Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire.
UN staff in Gaza feel abandoned after the US veto, a top official said. They "cannot understand" why a ceasefire has not been agreed upon after thousands have been killed and displaced, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini told CNN.
US President Joe Biden on Monday pledged unshakeable support for Israel's war against Hamas. But he cautioned: "The whole world’s public opinion can shift overnight, we can’t let that happen."
Israeli troops are encircling Hamas' last two strongholds — Jabalya and Shejaiya —in northern Gaza, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed. Separately, a Gaza health official reported heavy fighting and dozens of casualties around the Jabalya refugee camp.
The United Nations General Assembly will on Tuesday resume its emergency session on the situation in Gaza, days after the United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire.
UN staff in Gaza feel abandoned after the US veto, a top official said. They "cannot understand" why a ceasefire has not been agreed upon after thousands have been killed and displaced, the UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini told CNN.
The number of people killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7 has risen to 18,205, the Hamas-controlled health ministry in the enclave said Monday.
Catch up on the latest developments in the war here:
On the ground: Israeli troops are encircling Hamas' final two strongholds in northern Gaza, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed Monday. Hamas battalions in the Jabalya and Shejaiya areas were "on the verge of dismantling," he said, adding that surrendering militants had admitted they were short of weapons and food. Meanwhile, the head of the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza described heavy fighting and a significant Israeli military presence around the Jabalya refugee camp, while a doctor said the Kamal Adwan hospital in Gaza City was surrounded by Israeli forces.
Doctor shot: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said one of its surgeons was injured in a shooting at the Al Awda hospital in northern Gaza. “Our colleagues report snipers surrounding the hospital, firing on those inside,” MSF said. The NGO, also known as Doctors Without Borders, also said two of its medics were among five health workers killed at the hospital since October 7. CNN has asked the Israeli military for a response to the MSF allegation.
Biden warning: US President Joe Biden on Monday night touted his unshakeable support for “the safety of the Jewish people and the security of Israel and its right to exist” in the wake of the Hamas terror attacks of October 7. But he cautioned: "The whole world’s public opinion can shift overnight, we can’t let that happen.”
EU moves: The European Union will work on introducing sanctions against Jewish settlers who commit acts of violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the bloc's foreign policy chief said Monday. Meanwhile, the leaders of Ireland, Spain, Belgium and Malta wrote to European Council President Charles Michel calling for a discussion at an upcoming EU summit on the need for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Aid screening: Two crossings into Gaza will be used to help screen aid destined for the strip, Israeli authorities said Monday, as they face mounting international pressure to ease the humanitarian crisis there. Israeli officials said the move would speed up deliveries and help increase the volume of aid to Gaza following warnings from the UN and other aid agencies that not enough food, water or medical supplies were reaching displaced residents.
"Disturbing" photos:Recent images of men detained and stripped down in Gaza were "deeply disturbing," US State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Monday. Asked by CNN about the photos, Miller reiterated that the US is seeking more information from the Israeli government.
Qatari funding: Since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the Gulf state of Qatar has come under fire by Israeli officials, US politicians and media outlets for sending hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Gaza, which is governed by the Palestinian militant group. But all that happened with Israel’s blessing. In interviewswith key Israeli players conducted in collaboration with Israeli investigative journalism organization Shomrim, CNN was told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued the cash flow to Hamas, despite concerns raised from within his own government.
Joe Biden gives remarks in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 8. Travis P Ball/Sipa/AP
US President Joe Biden on Monday night touted his unshakeable support for “the safety of the Jewish people and the security of Israel and its right to exist” in the wake of the Hamas terror attacks of October 7.
The president pointed to his support for Israel, while acknowledging daylight on issues between himself and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, joking that he had once told the Israeli leader: “I love you, but I don’t agree with a damn thing you have to say.” He added: “It’s about the same today.”
“We’ll continue to provide military assistance to Israel until they get rid of Hamas, but we have to be careful — they have to be careful,” Biden said. “The whole world’s public opinion can shift overnight, we can’t let that happen.”
The president also hailed the work his administration has done to secure the release of hostages still held in Gaza and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the region.
“We're working relentlessly for the safe return of the hostages. I personally spent countless hours — and I mean it, probably up to 20 hours with the Qataris and Egyptians, the Israelis — to secure the freedom of hostages, to get the trucks in, to get the humanitarian aid flowing, to convince them to open the gate, to have [Egyptian President Abdel Fattah] El-Sisi — make sure he opened the gate into Egypt,” Biden said.
“And there's a whole range of things going on now that are really very, very difficult. We've gotten more than 100 hostages out and we're not going to stop till we get every one of them home.”
Biden was joined by second gentleman Doug Emhoff and a group of White House officials descended from Holocaust survivors who lit the White House menorah.
The European Union will work on introducing sanctions against Jewish settlers who commit acts of violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the bloc's foreign policy chief said Monday.
Josep Borrell’s comments come amid growing concern that Israel is not doing enough to prevent hardcore settlers from launching attacks on Palestinians.
“We will work on imposing sanctions against extremist settlers in the West Bank,” Borrell told reporters in Brussels, saying he is alarmed by recent violence in the occupied territory.
United Nations data has shown a sharp increase in attacks by settlers against Palestinians since October 7 — though European and US diplomats have expressed concerns for years about such violence and the sense it frequently goes unpunished by Israel.
Borrell's remarks also follow the announcement last week of a new visa policy by the United States targeting the same violent individuals.
The State Department will be able to apply the policy to both Israelis and Palestinians who are responsible for attacks in the West Bank, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week.
According to Reuters, Borrell did not give details of possible EU sanctions, but the news agency said officials believed it would involve travel bans to the bloc.
Another challenge for Borrell will be to convince all EU members to support any new sanctions policy. Several states, among them Hungary and Austria, are among Israel’s strongest international supporters.
What Israel is saying: Israel is reluctant to accept any criticism of its policy toward West Bank settlers, especially as it deals with the aftermath of the October 7 attack by Hamas.
War cabinet member Benny Gantz, seen previously as particularly mindful of the need to get a grip on the sense of lawlessness in some Jewish communities in the West Bank, has recently sought to convince international colleagues not to use the term "settler violence" because, he argues, it unfairly characterizes all Israelis living in the territory.
Borrell also said Monday he would look to introduce a new sanctions package against Hamas, Reuters reported. The EU already considers Hamas a terrorist organization.
A surgeon with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, was injured inside Al Awda Hospital in north Gaza by a shot fired from outside the facility on Monday, the organization said.
“Our colleagues report snipers surrounding the hospital, firing on those inside,” MSF said.
Renzo Fricke, MSF's head of mission, added in a statement that "reports coming out of Al-Awda hospital are harrowing and we are gravely worried for safety of patients and staff inside.”
He said Al Awda is a functioning hospital “with medical staff and many patients in vulnerable condition." He called any targeting of medical workers "utterly reprehensible, utterly inhumane.”
MSF said two of its doctors have been among five health workers killed at Al Awda Hospital since October 7.
“The hospital building has also sustained substantial damage in the bombing and fighting, along with many other hospitals in the north of the Strip, and supplies are running low, further compromising the doctors' capacity to treat patients," Fricke said.
CNN has asked the Israel Defense Forces for a response to the MSF allegation.
Two crossings into Gaza will be used to help screen humanitarian aid destined for the territory, Israeli authorities said Monday.
However, no aid will be allowed directly into Gaza from either crossing in Israel.
"Following a security consultation, a decision was made today (Monday), to conduct integrated security screening at the Nitzana Crossing and the Kerem Shalom Crossing," Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said.
Beginning Tuesday, the Kerem Shalom crossing will open for security checks on aid shipments from El-Arish, the Egyptian town where much of the aid for Gaza is assembled, COGAT spokesperson Shan Sasson said in a video statement on X, formerly Twitter.
“The simultaneous security checks at Kerem Shalom and Nitzana crossings will double the volume of aid delivered through the Rafah crossing and admitted into the Gaza Strip,” Sasson said.
COGAT said the decision was made "to improve and upgrade the capabilities and volume of security screening of the humanitarian aid being admitted into the Gaza Strip via the Rafah Crossing in Egypt."
Authorities said that trucks containing water, food, medical supplies and equipment for shelter will be screened at both crossings "and will be forwarded from there to international aid organizations" in Gaza via the Rafah crossing.
However, COGAT added that "no supplies will be entering the Gaza Strip from Israel and that all the humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip will continue to enter via the Rafah crossing in Egypt."
The Nitzana crossing is nearly 50 kilometers (more than 31 miles) from Rafah.
In recent days, between 60 and 100 trucks have been using the Rafah crossing to enter Gaza — a volume the United Nations and other aid agencies say is far too little to mitigate the territory’s humanitarian crisis.
Israeli troops are encircling Hamas' last two strongholds in northern Gaza, according to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
He claimed that Hamas battalions in the Jabalya and Shejaiya areas were “on the verge of dismantling. The number of those who surrender that come out of these places shows us what’s happening.”
Gallant also asserted that those Hamas fighters who have surrendered have said they are short of weapons and food.
“We are near a breaking point in the northern Gaza Strip,” Gallant said, calling upon remaining Hamas fighters to surrender. “Anyone who prefers to surrender, as hundreds have done already — we will spare their lives,” he said.
Gallant made similar comments on Friday about the Israeli military’s progress, when he said he saw signs that Hamas is "beginning to break inside Gaza."
In a separate development, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) announced that more than 500 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters had been apprehended over the past month “and transferred for further questioning by the ISA and Unit 504,” referring to an intelligence unit of the Israeli military.
Since the end of the pause in the fighting, just over a week ago, about 140 Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants have been detained in Gaza, the IDF said.
For the first time, the IDF also published photographs of alleged militants who had surrendered.
Unlike a series of videos that emerged last week of men having apparently surrendered to Israeli forces, which showed them stripped to their underwear, the two still photographs published Monday showed men fully clothed.
Since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the Gulf state of Qatar has come under fire by Israeli officials, American politicians and media outlets for sending hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Gaza, which is governed by the Islamist militant group Hamas
But all that happened with Israel’s blessing.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued the cash flow to Hamas, despite concerns raised from within his own government, CNN was told in a series of interviewswith key Israeli players conducted in collaboration with Israeli investigative journalism organization Shomrim.
Israeli and international media have reported that Netanyahu’s plan to continue allowing aid to reach Gaza through Qatar was in the hope that it might make Hamas an effective counterweight to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.
PA officials said at the time the cash transfers encouraged division between Palestinian factions.
Israeli sources responded by pointing out that successive governments had facilitated the transfer of money to Gaza for humanitarian reasons and that Netanyahu had acted decisively against Hamas after the October 7 attacks.
Maj. Gen. Amos Gilad, a former senior Israeli Defense Ministry official, told CNN the plan was backed by the prime minister, but not by the Israeli intelligence community. There was also some belief that it would “weaken Palestinian sovereignty,” he said. There was also an illusion, he added, that “if you fed them (Hamas) with money, they would be tamed.”
Asked by CNN about the photos, Miller reiterated that the US is seeking more information from the Israeli government.
The United States is seeking answers about the status of the individuals in the photos, the circumstances around the images, and "how ultimately they became public," he said.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), claimed to CNN last week that the men were members or suspected members of Hamas, "without clothes in order to make sure they’re not carrying explosives.”
However, in an interview with CNN on Friday, Hani Almadhoun, director of philanthropy for the US arm of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA USA) said he knew a dozen people pictured in circulating images, including his brother — all of whom were civilians.
More background: The photos circulating on social media last Thursday showed a mass detention by the Israeli military of men who were made to strip to their underwear, kneel on the street, wear blindfolds, and pack into the cargo bed of a military vehicle.
The exact circumstances and dates of the detentions are unclear, but some of the detainees’ identities were confirmed by colleagues or family members.
