The US criticizes Israel on the Gaza civilian toll as the UN hears ceasefire demand. Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State of the United States of America, expressed his most severe public condemnation of Israel’s implementation of the war on Hamas in south Gaza. He stated that there was a disparity between the government’s claimed goals to protect civilians and the number of deaths that occurred.

“As we stand here almost a week into this campaign into the south… it remains imperative that Israel put a premium on civilian protection,” Blinken stated during a news conference that took place on Thursday in Washington, DC, just after he had a meeting with David Cameron, the British Foreign Secretary.

“And there does remain a gap between … the intent to protect civilians and the actual results that we’re seeing on the ground,” according to Blinken.

Israel has stated that it is committed to eliminating the Hamas militant group following the attack that it carried out on Israel two months ago. Israel is doing all in its power to make sure that civilians are protected from damage, including issuing warnings of military operations.

On Thursday, Vice President Joe Biden of the United States of America had separate phone conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and King Abdullah of Jordan. Vice President Biden “emphasized the critical need to protect civilians and to separate the civilian population from Hamas, including through corridors that allow people to move safely from defined areas of hostilities,” according to the administration’s statement.

Since Israel began pounding Gaza on October 7 in response to a cross-border assault by Hamas militants who rule the enclave, more than 17,170 Palestinians have been killed and 46,000 have been wounded, according to the Gaza health ministry. This news comes after Israel launched its bombardment of Gaza. According to Israel’s assessment, 1,200 people died as a result of the Hamas attack, including 240 hostages.

Demand for a cessation of fire at the United Nations as the fight against Gaza escalates

According to Ashraf Al-Qidra, a spokesman for the Gaza health ministry, Israel’s military operations against Hamas terrorists in the largest cities of the Gaza Strip resulted in the deaths of 350 Palestinians on Thursday. Israel has reported that its forces have eliminated several militants in Khan Younis, including two individuals who emerged from a tunnel and shot their weapons.

Arab governments have redoubled their efforts to secure an urgent humanitarian truce in Gaza. To achieve this goal, the United Arab Emirates has requested that the United Nations Security Council vote on a draft resolution on Friday morning.

Together with its partner Israel, the United States of America is opposed to a ceasefire because they feel it would only be to Hamas’s advantage. A meeting between Blinken and high-ranking officials from Arab governments, including Egypt, is scheduled for Friday in Washington.

The original version was modified to state that “the Palestinian and Israeli civilian populations must be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law” and to also “demand the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”

For a resolution to be approved, it must have a minimum of nine votes of support. Any of the five permanent members, the United States of America, Russia, China, France, or Britain, must not veto it. Currently, the United States of America does not support any additional action the council took.

THE KEREM SHALOM BORDER WILL BE THE FIRST TO OPEN.

At the request of the United States, Israel agreed to open the Kerem Shalom border crossing for the screening and inspection of trucks and their cargo, according to a statement made by a United States official on Thursday. This is a development that should help make it easier for more humanitarian aid to reach Gazans who are under siege and who are lacking in necessities.

To expedite the inspection procedure, which requires the cars to go to Egypt’s border with Israel before making a loop back to Rafah, the United Nations has been communicating with Israel to accelerate the process. As a result of a ceasefire that lasted from November 24 to December 1, the United Nations reports that the number of trucks that cross the border each day has decreased to less than one hundred.

Additionally, the humanitarian halt made it possible for Hamas to release its hostages in exchange for the release of inmates from Israeli prisons.

Elad Goren, the chief of the civil department of COGAT, the Israeli organization for civilian cooperation with the Palestinians, made the following statement to the media in Israel: “We will open Kerem Shalom just for inspection.” It is going to take place within the next several days.

Before the outbreak of hostilities two months ago, the crossing at Kerem Shalom, located at Gaza’s southern border with Israel and Egypt, was responsible for transporting more than sixty percent of the truckloads that were entering Gaza.

Jon Finer, a top national security advisor at the White House, stated that the United States has not provided Israel with a rigid timetable to halt significant military operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. This is even though there is no discernible end in sight to the conflict.

On the occasion of the Aspen Security Forum in Washington, Finer stated that there are a significant number of “legitimate military targets” that are still present in south Gaza. These objectives include “much, if not most,” of the Hamas leadership.

In the meantime, the hostages that Hamas is still holding in Gaza have been kept incommunicado despite Israel’s requests for the Red Cross to visit them and check on their well-being.

For many people in Israel, the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah was a period of solemnity since it marked the passage of two months since the attack by Hamas.

Idit Ohel expressed her hope for a miracle after Hamas militants kidnapped her son Alon, 22, from an outdoor music festival where 364 people died.

The holiday of Hanukkah is unknown to him. Ohel stated, “I don’t believe he is aware of the days, what is day, and what is night with him.” “But he’s in our hearts all the time.”