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Live Updates: UK, German Foreign Ministers Call For Sustainable, Not Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza

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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Israeli-Palestinian aggravation has led to the deaths of some 1,200 people in Israel and more than 18,700, mostly children and women, in... 17.12.2023, Sputnik Africa

2023-12-17T08:40+0100

2023-12-17T18:38+0100

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Live Updates: UK, German Foreign Ministers Call For Sustainable, Not Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza

08:40 17.12.2023 (Updated: 18:38 17.12.2023)

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Israeli-Palestinian aggravation has led to the deaths of some 1,200 people in Israel and more than 18,700, mostly children and women, in Gaza. Millions more Gazans have been displaced.

An employee of the French foreign ministry was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a residential building in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, the ministry said on Saturday

"It is with great sadness that the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has learned of the death of one of its employees, who died from injuries received as a result of the Israeli bombing of Rafah," the ministry said in a statement, adding that the diplomat took refuge in the house of colleagues from the French Consulate General.

The statement added that the airstrike also killed about ten people.

The ministry condemned the bombing and demanded that the Israeli authorities explain the circumstances of this strike as soon as possible.

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15:53 17.12.2023

Rubble and debris: the Kamal Adwan hospital in Gaza after the Israel's raid

10:20 17.12.2023

UK, German Foreign Ministers Call For Sustainable, Not Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza

UK Foreign Minister David Cameron and his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, called for a sustainable ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, however, stressing that an immediate end to hostilities is not the most optimal solution.

"Our goal cannot simply be an end to fighting today. It must be peace lasting for days, years, generations. We therefore support a ceasefire, but only if it is sustainable," Cameron and Baerbock said in an article for the Sunday Times.

The foreign ministers also said that a lasting truce must be achieved between Israel and Palestine, adding that if Israel is forced to immediately cease all military actions, this could lead to increased violence and hinder the achievement of long-term peace.

They questioned whether Hamas would "lay down its arms" and stop firing rockets and holding hostages, if a ceasefire was introduced immediately.

"We do not believe that calling right now for a general and immediate ceasefire, hoping it somehow becomes permanent, is the way forward. It ignores why Israel is forced to defend itself: Hamas barbarically attacked Israel and still fires rockets to kill Israeli citizens every day," the UK and German top diplomats said.

To achieve a lasting peace in the future, the foreign ministers consider necessary to urge Israel not to violate international humanitarian law and make efforts to minimize civilian casualties.

08:44 17.12.2023

Pentagon Considering Possibility of Striking Houthi Military Targets, Reports Say

The Pentagon is considering the possibility of striking military targets of the rebel Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, in response to increased attacks on ships in the Red Sea, the Semafor news portal reported on Saturday, citing officials from the administration of US President Joe Biden.

US administration officials are increasingly concerned that the Houthis and their sponsors in Tehran are trying to disrupt global maritime trade, the report said. At the same time, Washington understands that such a strike could lead to the start of a broader war against Iran and its proxies, the report added.

On Friday, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that Iran should take action to end the threat to shipping posed by the Houthis in the Red Sea.

The Houthis have earlier said that they would continue to prevent the passage in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea of ships linked to Israeli companies or bound for Israel until Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip ends.

08:42 17.12.2023

UN Delivers Medical Supplies to Shifa Hospital in Gaza, WHO Says

A team led by the World Health Organization (WHO) delivered medical aid to the Gaza Strip's largest hospital, Shifa, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Sunday.

"A WHO-led team of UN experts reached Al-Shifa today to deliver essential medical supplies and assess priority health needs," Ghebreyesus said on X.

He added that the hospital is trying to resume its activities, but the situation remains "unbelievably challenging and chaotic."

"Gaza’s largest hospital is at the moment able to provide limited trauma stabilization and some dialysis support. Surgery is not yet possible; the hospital has no blood for transfusion, and hardly any staff to care for the constant flow of patients," Ghebreyesus said.

Ghebreyesus noted that at the moment, only 8 hospitals out of 36 are partially operating in the Gaza Strip.

08:41 17.12.2023

Hamas Says Will Not Negotiate Release of Hostages Until Israel’s Operation Ends

Hamas said on Saturday that it would not negotiate a hostage exchange until Israel ended its military operation in the Gaza Strip.

"The Hamas movement reiterates its position not to conduct any negotiations on the exchange of prisoners until the military operation against our people finally ends," the movement said in a statement.

08:40 17.12.2023

Head of US Central Command Visits Israel, IDF Says

The commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), Gen. Michael Kurilla, has paid an official visit to Israel, where he met with Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the IDF said on Saturday.

"Yesterday (Friday), the Commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael Kurilla, visited Israel as the official guest of the IDF Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi," the IDF said on Telegram, adding that this was Kurilla’s third visit to Israel since October 7.

During the visit, Kurilla, Halevi and other officials discussed security and strategic issues, as well as humanitarian assistance, the statement added.

On Friday, CENTCOM said that Kurilla traveled to Iraq and Syria on December 13-14 and discussed "current regional and local security concerns, with a particular emphasis on the attacks against US forces."

08:39 17.12.2023

Al Jazeera Says Decided to Refer Case of Killing of Its Cameraman in Gaza to ICC

The Al Jazeera Media Network said on Saturday that it had decided to bring the case of the death of its cameraman Samer AbuDaqa in the Gaza Strip to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

On Friday, the broadcaster reported that AbuDaqa was killed in an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) air strike on a school in the city of Khan Yunis in the south of the Gaza Strip.

"Al Jazeera Media Network has instructed its legal team to urgently refer the case of the assassination of its cameraman in Gaza, Samer AbuDaqa, to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. On Saturday, December 16, 2023, the Network established a joint working group, which comprises its international legal team and international legal experts who will collaboratively initiate the process of compiling a comprehensive file for submission to the court's prosecutor," a statement said.

08:35 17.12.2023

IDF Intercepts Missile Fired Toward Israeli Drone in Lebanese Territory, IDF Says

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday it intercepted a surface-to-air missile that had been launched toward the Israeli military's unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Lebanese territory, adding that the missile did not cross into Israeli territory.

"A short while ago, the IDF successfully intercepted a surface-to-air missile that was launched toward an IDF UAV in Lebanese territory … The missile did not cross into Israeli territory," the IDF said on Telegram.

The Israeli military also said that the drone had not been hit and "continued its mission."

Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah has been exchanging airstrikes with Israel since October, as the situation in the region deteriorated dramatically after Israel announced a military operation against Palestinian movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

08:33 17.12.2023

Russia's Deputy FM, Egyptian, Jordanian Ambassadors Discuss Israel-Hamas Conflict, Russian FM Says

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov has discussed with Egyptian Ambassador to Russia Nazih el Nagari and Jordanian Ambassador to Russia Khaled Shawabkeh the conflict between Israel and Palestinian movement Hamas and the issue of an early ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

"During the conversation, the sides discussed the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone and focused on the necessity to continue consolidated efforts in the interests of an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the provision of humanitarian assistance to its population, as well as the situation in the West Bank," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The meeting's agenda also included the issues of strengthening Russian-Arab coordination on key topics of international and regional agenda, including within the framework of the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum, the statement read.

08:31 17.12.2023

Three Israeli Hostages in Gaza Mistakenly Killed by Israeli Troops, IDF Spokesperson Says