KEY POINTS
- Netanyahu rebukes ICRC stance on Israel's self-defense and Hamas atrocities
- IDF to discipline soldiers who violated army's COC in activity near Jenin mosque
- US asks Israel to tone down offensive in the Gaza Strip amid rising death toll
On the 70th day of the Israel-Hamas war, the Israeli army said it has completed seizing the headquarters of Hamas' Shuja'iyya Battalion, marking a significant turnaround in fierce battles between the warring sides following the Israeli army's loss of nine soldiers in a Shuja'iyya ambush earlier this week.
Israeli special forces retrieved the bodies of three hostages in Gaza -- one civilian and two soldiers -- as the families of remaining hostages pressure the Israeli government to get back to negotiations with Hamas for the safe release of their loved ones.
The U.S. expressed confidence that the days of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' highest-ranking official in Gaza, are "numbered," considering how he has American "blood on his hands."
- Offer Hamas with expulsion of its leadership in exchange for hostages: CIS proposal
- Another incident reported around Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea: UKMTO
- Israel's flooding test on Hamas tunnels successful: Report
- France expresses 'immense sorrow' over French-Israeli hostage's death in captivity
- US warns Houthis of consequences amid Red Sea attacks: Report
- Israeli army brings home bodies of 1 civilian, 2 soldiers who died in Hamas captivity
- Projectile from Yemen hits Liberian-flagged cargo ship, causing fire onboard
- Mossad's Barnea, Sullivan discuss Iran's 'triple-layered threat'
- Court clears Dutch exports of F-35 warplane parts to Israel
- 20 of 132 remaining hostages in Gaza believed dead
Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the Thursday attack on a Hong Kong-flagged container ship, the latest in attacks targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea. The rebel army said the vessel was headed to Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has reportedly promised $400,000 for information about Sinwar's whereabouts as the Israeli army continues to operate in Khan Yunis, the senior Hamas official's hometown.
Palestinian telecoms providers said Thursday night that communications were down due to continuous Israeli strikes. The latest blackout marks at least the sixth "near-total" collapse in connectivity in the Gaza Strip since the war started.
Iran-backed Hezbollah continues to launch rockets toward Israel. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has been responding to the launches while also targeting Hamas military infrastructure across Gaza.
Hamas' massacre of more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals on Oct. 7 marks a significant escalation in the Israel-Palestine conflict history that dates back to the early 1900s.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Mirjana Spoljaric to discuss the inhumane conditions more than 130 remaining hostages in Gaza are suffering in Hamas captivity.
The live update has ended.
Israeli aircraft attacks Hezbollah target in Lebanon
Israeli air forces attacked and destroyed a Hezbollah target in Lebanon Friday, the IDF said. The attack was carried out after an IAF aircraft was struck by a launch from Lebanese territory.
כלי טיס של חיל האוויר תקף והשמיד מטרת טרור של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בשטח לבנון. בנוסף, לפני זמן קצר כלי טיס של חיל האוויר תקף מחבל שפעל בשטח לבנון סמוך למרחב זרעית.
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) December 15, 2023
כמו כן, במהלך הבוקר כוחות צה"ל תקפו שני מחבלים חמושים שפעלו בשטח לבנון, סמוך למרחב יארון pic.twitter.com/fG5B39KIEQ
