Between those in favor and against, Israel’s political and military line remains the same: it will continue until Hamas is defeated. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said: “We are at war and we are all going from one funeral to another. It is impossible to understand the level of detachment and cynicism of a Prime Minister running a damaging political campaign at a time like this.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee that the army is preparing for the possibility of fighting Palestinian Authority security personnel if they help Hamas. On the table is the scenario of “the overturning of the dens in the event of collaboration between the Authority and Hamas in Judea and Samaria”.
Benny Gantz plans to move to a house in the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Strip will be under Israeli military control after the war. Netanyahu said that “we will establish a civil administration in the Gaza Strip after the war and it will be rehabilitated under the leadership of the Palestinian Authority.”
Hamas in response to Netanyahu’s words said: “The willingness of the occupation army to attack the Palestinian Authority confirms the occupation’s intentions to target our people.” “We call on the Palestinian Authority and its security services to circumvent the Oslo Accords and stop any form of security coordination with the occupation.”
According to the social sphere, Israel intends to transform this war into a low intensity war that will last many more months in which Israeli forces will remain in the newly occupied territories in Gaza. The Israeli army intends to govern these new territories with a military government.
Urgent Egyptian sources tell Sky News that Israel is asking for mediation from Egypt and Qatar to conclude a new agreement on the exchange of prisoners as part of a humanitarian truce in Gaza, but Hamas refuses. Meanwhile, Israel continues arrests in the West Bank and Israel arrested at least 100 on December 12th. The Director of Al-Najjar hospital in the southern Gaza Strip reports that smallpox is spreading among children and every day “we receive around 1,500 cases of intestinal diseases”. Due to food shortages. Diarrhea and flu spread among the displaced in Rafah and the situation has become disastrous.
The death toll since the start of the attack has risen to 18,412. The news was announced on 12 December by the Gaza Ministry of Health, according to which the death toll has risen to 18,412 dead and 50,100 injured since 7 October. However, 100 Hezbollah fighters would have died.
The IDF reported that since the start of the ground operation, 105 soldiers were killed, 15 were killed in direct friendly fire (5 by aerial fire, 4 by tank fire, 4 by gunfire, 2 bullets expelled); 2 were crushed to death by Israeli vehicles. 3 deaths in indirect friendly fire (2 splinters, 1 stray bullet): this represents 20% of deaths due to friendly fire: still a considerable percentage. Furthermore, the IDF, in its advance, destroyed the UNRWA headquarters.
“The United States will supply weapons to Israel until Hamas is completely destroyed,” US President Joe Biden said.
As of 01:03 Italian time the British Department of Maritime Commercial Operations raised the alarm for “a fire on board a vessel near Bab al-Mandab. We advise ships to exercise caution.”
This is the Norwegian-flagged petrochemical ship Strinda, which was hit in the Red Sea by at least one surface-to-surface cruise missile coming from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen. The American destroyer DDG 87 Mason responded to the rescue. The crew is safe. The Ansarullah movement in Yemen announced that it had attacked a Norwegian ship carrying fuel for Israel after it refused to turn back despite numerous warnings.
Yemen is imposing a blockade on all ships attempting to use the Red Sea to reach Israel as long as the war in Gaza continues. Italy’s ENI reported that the vessel was carrying material for Italian biorefineries.
The military spokesperson of the Yemeni Armed Forces said: “The naval forces carried out a military operation against the Norwegian ship Stranda. We targeted a Norwegian ship bound for “Israel” with a naval missile. Over the past two days we have prevented the passage of ships that responded to our warnings without being targeted. We didn’t targeted the Norwegian ship until its crew refused to heed the warnings. We will not hesitate to target any vessel that violates our warnings.”
On the afternoon of December 12, the Israeli Army moves the Sa’ar 6 missile ship towards the Red Sea to protect Israeli ships and as a threatening message to Yemen.
And now a look at the front line in the aggravation between Israel and Hamas.
Intense clashes on December 12th in Gaza, in Jenin: around 200 Israeli military vehicles are involved in the operation. IDF continues to besiege Ibn Sina, and Al-Razi hospitals in Jenin. There have also been attacks with UAVs and numerous Israeli aerial bombings: 5 people are wanted and the target of the operation.
Haaretz military analyst Amos Harel said: “There are no signs of an imminent collapse or defeat of the Hamas movement, and it is difficult for the army to achieve its war objectives, despite the heavy losses it has suffered.”
Sirens sounded in Ashkelon and the Gaza Strip. According to the Al Jazeera Correspondent, there are clashes between Hamas and the Israeli army in the eastern neighborhoods of Gaza City: “The IDF continued to advance towards the center of Khan Yunis, linking their two advances. Israel also carried out a new crossing along the border of the Egyptian border (…) In the north, Israel continues to gradually push deeper towards Gaza City and Jabalia.”
Clashes reported between Hamas and IDF in the Al-Katiba area in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip; clashes also in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, and in Al-Shujaiyah, to the south and east of the Gaza Strip.
Heavy fighting is ongoing near Kamal Edwan Hospital on Beit Lahia’s eastern flank, with the medical facility currently surrounded by the IDF. Tension remains high in the Sheikh Radwan and Al-Judaidah areas, where both sides often carry out raids on each other’s positions.
Hamas fired a barrage of bullets at Mount Gerizim in Israel.
On the night of the 12th calm prevailed in the entire city of Nablus. Then it flared up at first light in the morning with clashes in the Askar camp, east of Nablus. After a series of arrests, Israeli forces withdrew from the Askar camp to the Beit Furik checkpoint. The Israeli Defense Minister said that it is extremely important that the West Bank remains calm so that we can complete our mission in the Gaza Strip.
On 12 December, in addition to recording new launches from Lebanon, the damage was counted: in Metula, it is estimated that between three and five anti-tank missiles were launched from Lebanon yesterday towards the settlement and, according to estimates, around 15 houses were damaged, including one completely destroyed.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
