The United Kingdom puts pressure on the Israeli army. “What we are asking of Israel is to recognize that it must minimize civilian casualties [et] respect international humanitarian law at all times”, declared British Foreign Minister David Cameron following a meeting with his Italian counterpart in Rome on Tuesday, December 19. UK foreign minister calls on Israel “a more surgical, clinical and targeted approach” in its fight against Hamas. Follow our live stream.
Gaza is the “most dangerous place in the world” for a child, estimates UNICEF. The spokesperson for the UN agency, James Elder, said “furious that those in power shrug their shoulders at the humanitarian nightmares inflicted on a million children” during a press briefing in Geneva, upon his return from Palestinian territory. He added that Gaza’s largest hospital is functioning “was bombed twice” while it houses “a large number of children (…), but also hundreds of women and children seeking shelter.”
The Security Council decides on a truce in Gaza. A vote is expected Tuesday in New York on a resolution. Initially scheduled for Monday, it was postponed to allow negotiations to continue and avoid a new impasse, ten days after an American veto. A week earlier, theThe UN General Assembly adopted this same resolution, but in a non-binding manner.
Washington will continue to deliver weapons to Israel. Visiting Tel Aviv on Monday, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin announced that the United States would continue to provide “equipment” military necessary for the Israeli army and which Washington does not want “impose a timetable” to its historic ally. At the same time, the American Minister of Defense insisted on the need to “reduce harm to civilians” and of “providing increased humanitarian assistance to the nearly two million people displaced in Gaza.”
The United States announces a coalition in the Red Sea. This coalition, which notably includes France and the United Kingdom, must respond to the attacks by Houthi rebels on international maritime traffic in the Red Sea. On Monday, the Houthis announced that they had again targeted two ships they considered “linked to Israel”.