The United States is considering terrorism-related sanctions against UNRWA, Trump said. US officials claim it is linked to Hamas, Reuters reports. Career State Department staff warn that such sanctions could be illegal and would cripple humanitarian aid to Gaza and the region. Among the options being discussed is labeling UNRWA a foreign terrorist organization, something never done for a UN agency, although no decision has yet been made.
The Trump administration plans to appoint a US two-star general to head the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza, overseeing security and reconstruction, Axios reports. Trump will lead a new “Gaza Board of Peace,” with UN authorization for both. No US contingents will enter Gaza. The United States is finalizing plans for the ISF and governance, proposing Bulgarian Nickolay Mladenov as the Peace Board representative in Gaza and inviting allies such as Germany and Italy to join.
According to a European diplomat – sourced from Axios – regarding the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza: “The message is: If you’re not ready to go to Gaza, don’t complain that the IDF is staying.”
Some countries once willing to send troops, such as Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Egypt, may reconsider due to uncertainty over Hamas’s disarmament and unclear rules of engagement.
US envoy Tom Bradley reports: “The United States still sees a role for the Turkish military on the ground in Gaza. Turkish ground forces are numerous and experienced, and their ties with various parties can help calm the situation in Gaza. The Middle East is at a crossroads, and tribal realities render theories of large-state creation ineffective.”
The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement that talks between Minister Abd El-Aati and Guterres focused on ways to consolidate the Gaza agreement and calm the situation in the West Bank.
In Israel, however, some believe this is still too little, and that what the US is doing is ineffective for Israel. Channel 14 reported an interview with Reserve Colonel Oren Solomon, who stated: “US President Trump lives in a parallel world when he thinks there is peace, but we must remember that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu belongs to Israel and must do his best to change Trump’s mindset and allow Israel and its military to remove the threat and destroy Hamas.”
Echoing these words were those of Itzhak Krozer, a member of the Knesset, also on Channel 14: “Prisons are no longer summer camps, but have returned to being prisons that discourage organizations and perpetrators of operations. The member quoted a senior Shabak official as saying that Palestinian prisoners beg to come to Shabak and Israeli army prisons just to avoid falling into the hands of the madman Ben Gvir.”
A diplomatic incident between China and Israel followed a visit by Taiwanese Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu, who, according to several sources, “secretly” visited Israel, as Taipei seeks closer defense cooperation, according to Reuters. It is unknown who he met with or whether the discussions concerned Taiwan’s new T-Dome multilayered air defense system, partly modeled on Israel’s defenses.
In any case, the spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Tel Aviv said: “We condemn the visit of a Taiwanese official to Israel. The Taiwan issue concerns China’s sovereignty and territory and is a red line that cannot be crossed. We once again urge the Israeli side to strictly adhere to this principle and correct its wrongdoing.”
Amnesty International must speak out in favor of the journalists killed in southern Lebanon. “Our investigations confirm that Israel targeted journalists in southern Lebanon. Israel’s attack on journalists in southern Lebanon should be considered a war crime, and those responsible should be held accountable.”
The electricity crisis continues in Lebanon. Meanwhile, President Berri is convening a joint session of parliamentary committees at 11:00 a.m. next Monday. And at a press conference, he stressed: “No one can threaten the Lebanese, and it is unthinkable to speak to them in this language, especially by diplomats. What Ambassador Braq said about Lebanon’s annexation to Syria is a “grave mistake” that is totally unacceptable.
“There are some constants: we will negotiate through the “mechanism” committee. “We are negotiating the Israeli withdrawal, the deployment of the Lebanese army, and the army’s exclusive right to arms south of the Litani. It is regrettable that no one has asked where, when, and how Israel implemented or committed to a single point of the ceasefire agreement?”
US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack maintains that the Syrian government knows its future depends on reaching a security and border agreement with Israel.
And now a look at the scenarios opened by Israel, updated at 4:00 PM on December 11. Following a warning from the Saudi authorities to the Southern Transitional Council and the overflight of Saudi Army Apache helicopters over the northern desert of Hadhramaut province, southern fighters withdrew from the al-Abr-Khasha road and the al-Khasha area, handing these positions over to al-Dara’ al-Watan forces. In addition to this withdrawal, the Southern Transitional Council issued directives to prepare the exit from the Hadhramaut Valley and transfer control of the area to al-Dara’ al-Watan forces, supported by Saudi Arabia.
As expected, the Saudi warnings prompted southern forces to withdraw from their recent advances in Hadhramaut and cede control of the valley to Saudi-aligned factions. However, the withdrawal process is still in its early stages, and it is unclear how far the retreat will go, nor how tensions will develop between the Emirati-backed and Saudi-backed groups. It appears that southern forces, through cautious and calculated maneuvers, are seeking to secure a greater share of Hadhramaut’s oil wealth and intend to continue in this direction for as long as possible.
On the morning of December 11, following Saudi coalition attacks in the border areas of Shada district, Saada province, two civilians were killed and another wounded. The escalation of tensions along Yemen’s northern border is attributed to the actions of Saudi forces. This development threatens negotiations aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict between Ansar Allah and Saudi Arabia.
Overnight, an IDF unit infiltrated the village of Mis al-Jabal, near the southern Lebanese town of Houla, and blew up a building apparently belonging to Hezbollah. UNIFIL reports that an IDF tank opened fire on a UNIFIL patrol near Sarda, southern Lebanon. The IDF had previously been informed of the UNIFIL patrol’s route and schedule.
Settlers add mobile homes (caravans) to the settlement built on Mount Sabih, in the town of Beita, south of Nablus. The IDF stormed the village of Beitin, northeast of Ramallah.
A medic was wounded by a live bullet near the Al-Namar gas station in Jenin, following random IDF fire from the Jenin camp.
Severe weather is affecting civilians in Gaza, who are submerged in floodwaters. On December 11, IDF tanks opened fire with machine guns south of the city of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip. According to Al-Mayadeen, “IDF vehicles opened fire intensively in the areas of Ma’an and Al-Shikh Nasser, south of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.”
More than 30 coalition ministers and Knesset members approached Defense Minister Katz, requesting permission to raise the Israeli flag in the Gaza settlement of Nisanit. They stated: “Victory will only be achieved through the conquest of the land; Gaza is part of the Land of Israel.”
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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