• It is the 106th day of the war: According to Hamas, 24,762 Palestinians have been killed, including around 10,000 children. In Israel, 1,200 people died in the attack on October 7th.
• Biden-Netanyahu phone call, White House: “The ‘two-state’ solution is not impossible”
• Kirby: New American attack against the Houthis in Yemen.
• American drone shot down by militiamen in Iraq
• Agreement between Pakistan and Iran on de-escalation
• Why Iran is attacking Pakistan, what does it have to do with Hezbollah and Hamas?
• Netanyahu: “I am against a Palestinian state.” The White House: “Biden believes in a two-state solution.”
5:14 a.m. – Israel bombs the southern Gaza Strip overnight, killing 29
On the night of Friday to Saturday, Israeli bombing raids focused on the south of the Gaza Strip, particularly in the Khan Younis area. Palestinian media reported on it. According to the Wafa news agency, there was also heavy fighting in the area around Nasser Hospital, with a total of 29 deaths. Khan Younis has been the epicenter of Israeli ground operations in recent weeks. The fighting has forced thousands of Gazans to flee the area, many of them already displaced from the northern neighborhoods where Israel launched its offensive.
3:50 a.m. – Biden urges Netanyahu for a two-state solution
“A two-state solution is not impossible.” After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu built the wall, the American president again attacked Israel to convince it to support a Palestinian state after the end of the Gaza war . “There are different types of two-state solutions,” he said. And then he raised options that would limit Palestinian sovereignty to make the prospect more palatable for Tel Aviv. Hoping to overcome Netanyahu's resistance, Biden raised the possibility of an unarmed Palestinian nation that would not threaten Israel's security.
There are currently no signs that the Israeli prime minister will be able to ease his opposition, especially at a time when his fragile right-wing coalition, the most conservative in Israel's history, is fracturing on all sides. At the White House, several hours after the call to the Israeli leader, the first in almost a month amid tensions over the war (the last telephone contact was dated December 23), the US leader wanted to return to the White House journalists on the subject. “There are a number of UN member countries that do not have their own armies. A number of states that have restrictions – he said –. And that's why I think there are ways this could work.” For the American president, the creation of a Palestinian state that guarantees Israel's security is the only viable long-term solution to a decades-long conflict.
2:59 a.m. – UN, three times more deaths in Gaza than in last 15 years
The current conflict between Israel and Hamas has claimed almost three times more lives in Gaza than in the last 15 years combined. This comes from a report by United Nations Women, the organization's gender equality body, as reported by CNN. The latest statistics speak of more than 24,620 Palestinians killed since the war with Hamas began on October 7, 2023.
The report particularly addressed the impact of war on women. According to the data, about 70% of those killed were women or children. Furthermore, in the current situation, women do not have adequate water and sanitation services, including for menstrual hygiene, which has a negative impact on mental and physical health, the report said. In addition, communication and power outages significantly limit gender-based violence services.
In total, 1.9 million people (or 85% of the total population) have been displaced in Gaza, including about a million women and girls, UN Women estimates, the agency said. According to the United Nations International Children's Fund, there have been nearly 20,000 births during the current war in Gaza, with many mothers suffering or dying during childbirth due to a lack of resources and facilities.
2:24 a.m. – MON: Family hostages camped outside Netanyahu's home
Dozens of hostage families camped outside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home in Caesarea overnight to demand a deal to save their loved ones' lives and protest government inaction. The Times of Israel reports on it. “The days of mercy when you hesitated are over,” said a statement from the Forum of Hostages’ Families, which urged the prime minister to speak. “We have begged you for 105 days and now ask you to stop the executions of the hostages,” the note said. “Demonstrate your leadership skills and lead a bold move that advances the plan we know is on the table. “It is not about freeing hostages, but about saving human lives,” the statement continued.
Among the protesters is Ela Ben Ami, whose father Ohad remains trapped in Gaza after his abduction on October 7, along with his mother Raz, who was released by Hamas in late November as part of a week-long ceasefire. “We went from pleading for her return to pleading to save her life. “This is a matter of life and death,” he said during the demonstration in Caesarea. The hostages' families are demanding that Netanyahu hold an international conference with Qatar, Egypt, the United States and Israel that would allow everyone to sit at the same table and find a way to bring the abductees home.