what to remember from Tuesday, December 12

The UN estimates that 18% of buildings in the Gaza Strip have been damaged since the start of the war.

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The destruction following the Israeli bombing of Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, on December 12, 2023. (MOHAMMED ABED / AFP)

The war between Israel and Hamas entered its 67th day on Tuesday, December 12. In the evening, the UN General Assembly called for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza. Earlier today, the Israeli army announced that it had recovered the bodies of two Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, which has been constantly bombarded. Here is what to remember from this new day of war.

The UN calls for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza

The UN General Assembly demanded on Tuesday, by an overwhelming majority, “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza. There resolution was adopted by 153 votes for, 10 against (including Israel and the United States), and 23 abstentions from 193 member states, while an American amendment wanting to add a condemnation of “Hamas’ abominable terrorist attacks” of October 7 was rejected.

The Gaza Strip turns into a field of ruins

Some 18% of all structures in the Gaza Strip have been damaged since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, the UN said, based on high-resolution satellite images. “Additionally, there has been a staggering 49% increase in the total number of affected structures since the last assessment on November 7, 2023”says the United Nations Satellite Center (UNOSAT) from an image collected on November 26, 2023 with the very high resolution WorldView-3 satellite.

Israeli government ‘does not (want) a two-state solution’

The Israeli government “does not (want) a two-state solution” said Joe Biden. “This is the most conservative government in the history of Israel”said the American president, calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “strengthen and change” the Israeli executive. This is the first time since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 that the President of the United States has directly stated his differences with the Israeli executive.

Bodies of two Israeli hostages recovered in the Gaza Strip

The Israeli army announced Tuesday that it had recovered the bodies of two hostages in the Gaza Strip during a military operation. “During an operation in Gaza, the bodies of hostages Eden Zakaria and (soldier) Ziv Dado were discovered and brought back to Israel”states an IDF press release, without immediately specifying when this operation took place.


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