Israel-Hamas War: What happened on Day 67?

The IDF has begun pumping seawater into Hamas' tunnel complex in Gaza, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday citing unnamed US officials, adding that the process would likely take weeks.

Some Biden administration officials have said the process could help destroy the tunnels, where Israel believes the terrorist group is hiding hostages, fighters and munitions, the Journal reported. Other officials have expressed concerns the seawater would endanger Gaza's fresh water supply, the newspaper reported.

The United Nations in New York is set to hold a panel discussion on whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza as the IDF conducts its military campaign to oust Hamas from the enclave.

The event titled “2023 War on Gaza: The responsibility to Prevent Genocide” was organized by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian people.

It will be held concurrent to a UN General Assembly debate calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, in light of the high death toll, which Hamas has set at over 18,000 and the displacement of most of the enclave’s population of 2.3 million people. Israel has said that some 7,000 of those killed are Hamas terrorists.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned of a humanitarian catastrophe.

The UNGA resolution set for debate Tuesday, which is expected to pass, follows one the UNGA approved at the end of October with the support of 120 countries.

Smoke and debris rises after an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, as seen from Israel, December 11, 2023. (credit: AMIR COHEN/REUTERS)

The United States has blocked the security council from issuing such a call, vetoing a vote on the matter earlier this month. The UNSC did approve a call for a pause to the war to the war last month. 

UNGA calls for ceasefire

The UNGA ceasefire call and the one approved last month do not condemn Hamas for its October 7 infiltration of southern Israel and it killing of over 1,200 people and its seizure of some 250 people hostage.

Nor has it condemned Hamas’ statements that it would continue to execute such attacks is possible.

Similarly the panel exploring whether Israel is committing genocide in its war against Hamas, which has placed its weapons and command centers in civilian locations, made no mention in its promotional material of the Hamas attack, as it focused only on the IDF military campaign.

“The panel discussion will examine the legal implications of Israel’s military offensive against the Gaza Strip since 7 October and shed light on the applicability of key legal frameworks including those that define genocide,” the Committee on the Exercise of Inalienable Rights, as it described the event.

A three-member Health Ministry medical committee that has been confidential until now has declared that several Israeli hostages are deceased even without any physical evidence being available. 

The committee, which was established about two weeks into the Gaza War and which has been deliberating for scores of hours, was established to save pained and anxious families from not knowing what happened to their loved ones and to give them some closure. 

Women married to a hostage can now be declared widows by the IDF chief rabbi and Israel’s Chief Rabbinate so they can eventually remarry without being designated as an aguna (“chained woman” whose husband has disappeared or who has left her (and to whom she is still technically married to according to Jewish law).

Prof. Ofer Merin (credit: HERB BISHKO)

It was comprised of the head of the ministry’s general medicine division Dr. Hagar Mizrahi; Prof. Ofer Merin, director-general of Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center (SZMC); and Dr. Chen Kugel, director of the Israel National Center of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir. 

The physicians have been studying videos and other information from the October 7 massacre and kidnapping by Hamas terrorists in southern Israel for signs of lethal injuries among those abducted and cross-referencing the data with the testimony of hostages who have been freed so far. 

“As head of my hospital’s trauma unit for years, commander of the Israel Defense Forces’ field hospital providing urgent medical care in foreign disasters,” the SZMC heart surgeon said, “I have seen thousands of dead bodies in my career. But in these few weeks, I never was involved in such an agonizing situation before. We were exposed to various types of information and had to determine which hostages were deceased without examining or even seeing bodies or body parts. Obviously, if there had been bodies or body parts, we would not have been needed.”

Merin explained that the committee “presented an orderly written protocol according to harm the person suffered, data from witnesses and other sources. Then we reached a conclusion. We didn’t speak to the relatives at all. We understand the two extremes, of life and death. Loss is terrible, but not knowing his or her fate is even worse.”

As an example of the case of a captive whose fate has still not been proven by physical evidence, Merin presents that of Israeli Air Force weapon systems and navigation officer Ron Arad, who in October 1986 was lost on a mission over Lebanon, believed to have been captured by the Shiite terrorist group Amal and later handed over to Hezbollah. 

His wife Tami and their infant daughter Yuval suffered terribly for years due to uncertainty if he was alive and they should wait for his return or if they could go on with their lives. They suffered from “ambiguous loss” – the ongoing suffering of the close family, dealing for years with uncertainty. 

He was finally classified officially by Israel as missing in action. Seventeen years after his capture, an organization seeking information about him offered a prize of $10 million to anyone supplying information on him, but to no avail. Today, if he were alive, Arad would have been 65 years old. (if you want to mention here the issue of ambiguous loss- the ongoing suffering of the wife, dealing for years with uncertainty) 

“We dealt with data we received on some of the captives in Gaza. About half remain there and are still alive or deceased. People who provided us with information did a very important duty that also has military importance,” Merin added.  

After the Health Ministry informs families of the committee’s ruling, they decide whether they sit shiva (the seven-day Jewish mourning period).

The ministry decided a few days ago that the committee’s confidentiality would be lifted; the SZMC director-general thought it would be better unpublicized because he “feared that people wouldn’t have understood the great complexity of our work. We are ready to investigate more cases if needed,” he concluded. 

Out of the 105 soldiers that were killed since the start of the ground operations in the Israel-Hamas War, 20 of the soldiers were killed in accidents, the IDF announced on Tuesday.

What were the casualties?

Of the 20 that were killed, 13 were killed as a result of friendly fire after being misidentified as being the enemy by IDF soldiers, five of those soldiers were hit by an airstrike from the Israeli Air Force.

Four people were hit by tank fire and four others by infantry fire. Two others were killed after being run over and killed by an armored vehicle, tank or armored personnel carrier.

Israeli tanks seen near the Israeli-Syrian border in the northern Golan Heights, on July 22, 2022. (credit: MICHAEL GILADI/FLASH90)

One was hit by a stray bullet and two were killed after being hit by shrapnel.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday said he was concerned about the prolonged checks of health convoys in the Gaza Strip and the detention of health workers there.

In a post on the X social media platform, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a WHO-led mission to Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza on Saturday was stopped twice at a checkpoint on the way to north Gaza and on the way back, and that some staff of the Palestine Red Crescent Society were detained on both occasions.

"We are deeply concerned about prolonged checks and detention of health workers that put lives of already fragile patients at risk," Tedros said.

Four Palestinians were killed on Tuesday in a drone strike during an Israeli raid on the West Bank city of Jenin, the Palestinian health ministry and the Palestinian official news agency WAFA said.

One other person was injured in the attack on Al-Sibat neighborhood in the city of Jenin, WAFA reported.

Jenin hospital director told the agency the Palestinians were directly targeted.

Israeli security forces operate in the West Bank. December 5, 2023. (credit: IDF)

Israeli forces are encircling three hospitals in the area, WAFA added.

Prior to this attack, the health ministry reported that 275 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists.

Qatar and Israel are holding secret talks in one of the European capitals regarding a potential hostage exchange, as reported on Monday on the Saudi Arabian website Elaph.

A senior diplomatic source revealed that the deal is expected to include children, women, and men, including three senior IDF officers who were captured by Hamas. 

The Saudi report states that Israel has committed to release around 300 Palestinian prisoners in exchange, in addition to ten veteran prisoners serving long sentences, including Marwan Barghouti, the leader of the Fatah movement.

The source mentioned that the Israeli delegation consists of Mossad officers, Shin Bet officers, members of the National Security Council, and a representative from the military intelligence branch.

Negotiations in Europe with Qatar

An artist sprays a graffiti for the release of Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, in the Jezreel Valley, on October 30, 2023 (credit: Anat Hermony/Flash90)

The Israeli delegation also includes a psychologist and a negotiation expert. Elaph reported that among the delegation members are former Mossad agents who were specially recruited for this mission, with expertise in the field and strong ties to Qatar, including those who maintain commercial relationships with Qatar through foreign companies.

It should be noted that the meetings are taking place in a European capital because previous meetings in Qatar and the recurring visits of the Israeli intelligence chief to Doha have led to significant public criticism in Israel and the government.

The report indicated that the agreement has been reached to keep this negotiation channel open and secret, with the two delegations meeting in different locations each time to obscure and keep the matter away from the spotlight.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Tuesday they carried out a military operation against the Norwegian commercial tanker STRINDA.

The group targeted the tanker with a rocket after the crew refused to respond to all warnings, Houthi military spokesperson Yehia Sareea said in a televised statement.

He added that the group had managed to obstruct the passage of several ships in recent days, acting in support of the Palestinians.

He vowed that the Houthis would continue blocking all ships heading to Israeli ports until Israel allows the entry of food and medical aid into the Gaza Strip - more than 1,000 miles from the Houthi seat of power in Sanaa.

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) originally reported through Monday night that there had been an attack in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. UKMTO is a public service operated by the Royal Navy to provide information for security services and merchant vessels.

UKMTO WARNING 004/DEC/2023-Update 001

ATTACK

Warnings-2023 (https://t.co/5An1YH0JyE)#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/Sxbsp8WV2Y

— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) December 11, 2023

They reported that there was a fire onboard the vessel and that all crew were safe, it is not clear if the ship is connected to Israel or was headed to an Israeli port.

US defense officials claimed that a land-based cruise missile fired from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen was responsible for the damage, as well as confirming that a US Navy ship had arrived to render support.

UKMTO later reported that an organization claiming to be "the Yemeni Navy" ordered a vessel to change course and dock in Yemen.

People dance on the deck of the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Houthis last month, off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen December 5, 2023 (credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)

The attack on the tanker STRINDA took place about 60 nautical miles (111km) north of the Bab al-Mandab Strait connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at about 2100 GMT, a US official told Reuters. A second US official said the STRINDA was able to move under its own power in the hours after the attack.

"There were no US ships in the vicinity at the time of the attack, but the (U.S. Navy destroyer) USS MASON responded to the M/T STRINDA's mayday call and is currently rendering assistance," the U.S. military's Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East, said in a statement posted on social media platform X.

The chemical tanker is Norway-flagged, and its Norwegian owner, Mowinckel Chemical Tankers, and manager Hansa Tankers could not be immediately reached for comment outside office hours.

These reports come as attacks on shipping in the Red Sea have ramped up, with attacks reported on a near-weekly basis and becoming increasingly frequent. 

Both France and the United States have been involved in interceptions in the Red Sea recently. The United States increased its presence in the Red Sea after the Houthis fired missiles toward Israel last month. 

After several successful interceptions of Houthi missiles, the Houthis changed tack and began seizing ships, they claim are associated with Israel, often they are carrying Israeli products or are partly owned by an Israeli. 

The Houthis announced on December 9 that all ships sailing to Israel are banned from the Red and Arabian Sea.

White House National Security Adviser Jon Finer directly accused Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of providing weaponry and intelligence to the Houthis.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian essentially confirmed Iran's involvement in the Red Sea attacks, saying that at any moment there could be a "big explosion in the region," while pointing to the various attacks on US bases and Red Sea shipping.

Explosions heard inland

Local sources report explosions heard inland near Houthi camp in Al-Hawban in the Taiz Governate, as well as the sound of aircraft.

🚨عاجـــــــــــــل
شهود عيان من الحوبان سماع دوي إنفجار قوي داخل معسكر للحوثيين في الحوبان محافظة تعز وسماع أصوات طيران حربي في الأجواء
🚨Urgent:
Eyewitnesses from Al-Hawban heard a strong explosion inside a Houthi camp in Al-Hawban, Taiz Governorate, and heard the sounds of…

— راشد معروف (@RashidMaarouf) December 11, 2023

Israel was reported to have struck Houthi targets in Yemen on December 1, by the the Saudi al-Hadath TV, however, senior Houthi officials denied this saying it was caused by the detonation of old munitions.

Al-Hadath reported soon after the explosion was heard in Al-Hawban, that the Joint forces were coordinating with Saudi Arabia to "protect and secure the sea corridor in the Red Sea."

They also reported that a Saudi Military delegation had been met in Mokha by a member of the Presidential Leadership Council with the purpose of increasing Yemen's maritime security.

A spokesperson for the internationally recognized Yemeni government said that the Houthis were merely using the Israel-Hamas war as a pretext to spread more chaos at the expense of the people of Yemen.

Reuters contributed to this report. 

Some 1,645 IDF soldiers have been injured since the start of the Israel-Hamas War, it was announced on Tuesday morning.

Israeli forces have been attempting to oust the terror group from Gaza since Hamas terrorists broke through the border and massacred 1,200 people on October 7.

Some 434 soldiers have also been killed since the start of hostilities.