Dec 18 Watch 4:30 U.S. military leaders urge Israel to scale back Gaza assault as civilian death toll mounts By Geoff Bennett, Alexis Cox, Teresa Cebrián Aranda America's two top defense officials are in Israel with a dual message: the U.S. supports the right to self-defense, but Israel must stop killing so many Gaza civilians and focus its operations. The war continues at a brutal pace with… Continue watching
Dec 18 Watch 7:30 Surgeon describes experience treating patients during Israeli bombardment of Gaza By Amna Nawaz, Zeba Warsi The health system in Gaza has collapsed with 75 percent of the hospitals there not operational. Those that are open lack crucial medical supplies and are overcrowded and understaffed. Amna Nawaz spoke with Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah, a British Palestinian surgeon… Continue watching
Dec 18 Pentagon announces new international mission to counter attacks on commercial vessels in Red Sea By Tara Copp, Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press The seriousness of the attacks, several of which have damaged vessels, has led multiple shipping companies to order their ships to hold in place and not enter the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the situation can be addressed. Continue reading
Dec 18 France urges Lebanese leaders to work on easing tensions along the border with Israel By Bassem Mroue, Associated Press Earlier Monday, Lebanon’s state news agency said an Israeli drone fired a missile at a building close to where the funeral of a Hezbollah fighter was being held in a southern border village, without inflicting any casualties. Continue reading
Dec 18 El-Sissi wins Egypt’s presidential election with 89.6 percent of the vote, secures third term in office By Associated Press The vote was overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza on Egypt's eastern border, which has threatened to expand into wider regional turmoil. Continue reading
Dec 18 UN Security Council to vote on resolution urging cessation of hostilities in Gaza to deliver aid By Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press Human Rights Watch accused Israel earlier Monday of deliberately starving Gaza’s population by blocking the delivery of water, food and fuel, a method of warfare that it described as a war crime. Continue reading
Dec 18 Live updates: Israel’s allies call for winding down of assault in Gaza By Associated Press The U.N. Security Council has scheduled a vote Monday on an Arab-sponsored resolution calling for an urgent cessation of hostilities in Gaza and the release of all Israeli hostages held by Palestinian militants. Continue reading
Dec 18 Defense Secretary Austin expected to press Israel to wind down major combat operations in Gaza By Tara Copp, Melanie Lidman, Samy Magdy, Associated Press France, the U.K. and Germany joined global calls for a cease-fire over the weekend, and Israeli protesters have demanded the government relaunch talks with Hamas on releasing more hostages after three were mistakenly killed by Israeli troops. Continue reading
Dec 17 Discovery of major Hamas tunnel in Gaza renews scrutiny of Israeli intelligence failures By Ariel Schalit, Julia Frankel, Associated Press The Israeli military said Sunday it has discovered a large tunnel shaft in Gaza close to what was once a busy crossing into Israel, raising new questions about how Israeli surveillance missed such conspicuous preparations by Hamas for the militants' deadly Oct. Continue reading
Dec 17 Watch 3:01 News Wrap: Israeli military finds large Hamas tunnel near northern Gaza border In our news wrap Sunday, Israel re-opened a border crossing in southern Gaza and released footage of a newly discovered Hamas tunnel at the Erez crossing in the north, Trump’s anti-immigrant remarks at a campaign event drew criticism, a storm… Continue watching