The “just war” that Israel is waging in the Gaza Strip “to eliminate” Hamas will continue, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Saturday.
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Israel continued its bombings on the Gaza Strip on Saturday, December 9, after the United States vetoed a UN resolution which called for a ceasefire in the face of the humanitarian situation. “nightmarish” in the Palestinian territory. Fierce street fighting also took place between the Israeli army and fighters from the Islamist movement Hamas, notably in the towns of Gaza and Jabaliya, in the north of the enclave, or in Khan Younes, the main city in the south. Here are the main facts of this day.
The Palestinian Authority deplores the American veto at the UN
Following the blocking by the United States of the Security Council resolution calling for a “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”, this veto was condemned by several countries, NGOs and even Hamas. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said he held the United States responsible for “responsible for the bloodshed” in Gaza. Iran warned against “the possibility” of“an uncontrollable explosion” in the Middle East, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the UN Security Council a “Israel Protection Council”.
In Gaza, residents of a Rafah neighborhood where buildings were destroyed by an Israeli strike expressed their anger: “What resolution has the Security Council ever approved and implemented for our cause and the Palestinian people?”, launched one of them, Mohammed Al-Khatib. The Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eli Cohen, estimated that a ceasefire “would prevent the collapse of the terrorist organization Hamas”.
Israel says it wants to “step up” its offensive
Saluting “the appropriate position adopted by the United States in the UN Security Council”Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the conflict would continue. “Other countries must understand that we cannot on the one hand support the elimination of Hamas and on the other call for an end to the war, which would prevent the elimination of Hamas”did he declare.
“Israel will continue its just war to eliminate Hamas.”
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister
As the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip progresses, “We see more and more terrorists killed, more and more terrorists injured, and in recent days we see terrorists surrendering. It’s a sign that their network is collapsing, a sign that We need to step up the pressure.”declared the head of the Israeli army, General Herzi Halevi, during a ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
Hamas reports nearly 18,000 dead in Gaza
According to the Hamas Ministry of Health, more than 17,700 Palestinians have died in the Gaza Strip, most of them women and children, since the start of the war. In the past 24 hours, the bodies of at least 133 people killed were transferred to hospitals, according to the local government, which took power in Gaza in 2007. The toll could not be independently verified. .
Relatives of a 25-year-old Israeli hostage have confirmed his death, after Hamas claimed a hostage was killed during the army’s attempt to free the hostages. Around 240 people were taken hostage and taken to Gaza, where 137 are still being held, according to Israeli authorities. The unprecedented attack perpetrated on October 7 by Hamas commandos left 1,200 dead, mostly civilians, according to the same source. This assessment could not be independently confirmed either.