Israel is ready for a long-term truce with Hamas. Netanyahu’s adviser Dmitry Gendelman told Izvestia that Tel Aviv is ready for a long truce with the militants, but only if all the hostages are released. Negotiations for a new exchange have been ongoing for some time, but so far the parties are far from reaching a consensus.
“Israel was ready to accept a ceasefire for a week in exchange for the release of 40 hostages. But these conditions were rejected by Hamas, so now everything is at a standstill. Apparently the parties will now try to reach a position that, in principle, suits everyone,” Gendelman noted. The main obstacle remains the fact that Hamas demands a cessation of hostilities in Gaza before sitting down at the negotiating table. The IDF does not intend to stop the military operation even under the threat of a breakdown in negotiations and the death of hostages.
Washington spokesman John Kirby confirmed the news according to which Tel Aviv, in talks with the United States, agreed that the intensity of the fighting in Gaza must be reduced. At the same time, Kirby stressed that the United States “does not dictate to Israel the timing and manner of conducting” the operation.
“The Israeli side claims to recognize the need to move to another phase of hostilities. “What I mean is that in every military campaign there is a transition to a new range of objectives and the use of different tactics, this is the standard for conducting military operations,” Kirby said.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stated that: “Netanyahu had to realize that there was no possibility of achieving the goals announced in Gaza. An immediate ceasefire is needed and Netanyahu must be eliminated.”
Russia yesterday, following Iraq, Algeria and other countries, sent, according to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, another 20 tons of humanitarian aid which will be delivered to the residents of Gaza. The Il-76 special flight flew to the city of El-Arish with a humanitarian cargo.
The number of victims in Gaza rises. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza there were 390 deaths and 734 injuries in the Gaza Strip in the last 48 hours, during which communications were interrupted. The toll of the Israeli operation has risen to 20,057 dead and 53,320 wounded since October 7th. The Israeli army spokesman instead reported that 13 Israeli soldiers were injured following the fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor states in a press note: “We have documented the execution of Israeli forces who killed dozens of elderly Palestinians in the Gaza Strip by shooting directly at them.” The number of documented deaths is 1,049 elderly men and women during 76 days of conflict.
The Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza reports that there is a spread of epidemics in the Strip due to weak immunity resulting from the lack of food and medicine. Humanitarian and health conditions are worsening and highlighting the problem of food security in the Strip.
For the day of December 22, Hamas had invited the widest participation in marches in the West Bank and Jerusalem, in response to the appeal for the end of the siege of Al-Aqsa and the victory in Gaza. Responding to the appeal, the Jordanians who celebrated celebrated the great dawn at the University of Jordan mosque in support of “the besieged Al-Aqsa and in support of the Gaza Strip”, say the organizers. There was also a minute of silence.
Palestinians performed dawn prayer on the Lion’s Gate street after Israelis prevented them from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque. A checkpoint was also set up near the Lions Gate and prevented the faithful from reaching the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Israeli police fired gas at Palestinians trying to reach the Al-Aqsa mosque.
Due to Houthi activity in the Red Sea, Eilat port activity has decreased by 85%. The US military located in the Red Sea region is preparing to strike the air defense system of Yemen’s Houthis, a Pentagon spokesperson told The War Zone. “The United States is considering various series of attacks against the Houthis, including targeting assets and radar facilities,” he said. The War Zone notes that more than 100 Houthi attacks using drones and ballistic missiles have been recorded against 12 merchant ships in the Red Sea in recent weeks.
On December 22nd until 3:00 pm the Israeli forces announced that 3 soldiers were seriously injured and wounded during the clashes that took place in the north and south of the Gaza Strip, a fourth soldier, an officer was killed. A soldier also killed in southern Gaza. And again comes the announcement of the withdrawal of the Golani Brigade from the Gaza Strip.
And now a look at the front between Israel and Hamas updated at 3.30pm on December 22nd.
Firefights between Hezbollah and Israeli forces continue in southern Lebanon. There is a major security incident at the border where up to 11 Israeli soldiers may have been killed. The Israeli Channel 14 reports the words of officers and soldiers of the Israeli army on the border with Lebanon: “We feel like ducks on a shooting range, and here the sequence of events is increasing, a war on everything, and the ranks senior members of the Israeli army believe that everything is fine.”
Clashes continue in the three areas of Gaza, north – center and south. In particular, Israeli air raids and artillery fire were recorded in Al-Saftawi, north of the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City. Heavy Israeli artillery shelling and air strikes on Jabalia al-Balad and Jabalia camp and on Blocks 1 and 2 in Jabalia camp. Also hit by artillery fire was the area near the Al-Jalaa roundabout, north of Gaza. In response, Ha,as-Al Quds – Qassan returned fire, generating clashes in the aforementioned areas. In particular, the Al-Quds Brigades state that: “We bombed the military concentrations east of the Qurm roundabout, in northern Gaza, with a barrage of regular 60 caliber mortar shells.”
In the center of Gaza, intense raids by Israeli warplanes registered east of Bureij were followed by Israeli artillery fire.
To the south of Gaza, Israeli air and artillery attacks continue and responses with firefights in the Khan Yunis area. On December 22, further air raids on the city of Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Yunis.
Air raids also in Rafah against the home of the Kurdish family Dhair, north of Rafah, six deaths from the same family.
In the West Bank, Israeli forces stormed the city of Tubas with the aim of making arrests. The city of Qalqilya was attacked, especially the Kafr Saba neighborhood, again with the aim of targeted arrests.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
