🔴 Live: Israel says it will continue Gaza war 'with or without international support'

Israeli soldiers prepare to go to the Gaza Strip on December 13, 2023 amid ongoing battles with the Palestinian militant group Hamas. © Jack Guez, AFP

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said on Wednesday that Israel’s war on Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip would continue "with or without international support". His announcement came after US President Joe Biden criticised Israel’s bombing campaign in response to the October 7 attacks as "indiscriminate" and said it was costing the country in support. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments in the Israel-Hamas war. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).

Summary:

• Israel came under pressure Wednesday from its allies over its war in Gaza, with key backer the United States criticising its bombing in response to the October 7 attacks as "indiscriminate".

• The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a non-binding resolution on Tuesday demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, piling pressure on Israel and Washington. 

• Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said on Wednesday that the war in the Gaza Strip would continue "with or without international support".

• Biden met with families of Americans taken hostage by Hamas on Wednesday at the White House.

• Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking some 240 hostages, according to the Israeli government. Since then, 18,608 people have been killed in Israel's ensuing assault on the Gaza Strip and at least 50,594 people injured, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. At least 7,600 people are missing, according to the Hamas media office.

Key developments from yesterday:

• The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to demand a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

• US President Joe Biden took a tougher stance on Israel’s "indiscriminate bombing" of Gaza.

• The Israeli army announced that they had retrieved the bodies of two hostages from Gaza in an operation that killed two Israeli soldiers.

• The World Bank on announced that it would provide $20 million in new emergency relief for the people of Gaza as part of an overall $35 million package of support.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)

About casualty figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry:

Gaza’s health ministry collects data from the enclave’s hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent.

The health ministry does not report how Palestinians were killed, whether from Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages or errant Palestinian rocket fire. It describes all casualties as victims of “Israeli aggression”. The ministry also does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. 

Throughout four wars and numerous skirmishes between Israel and Hamas, UN agencies have cited the Hamas-run health ministry’s death tolls in regular reports. The International Committee of the Red Cross and Palestinian Red Crescent also use the numbers.

In the aftermath of war, the UN humanitarian office has published final death tolls based on its own research into medical records. The UN's counts have largely been consistent with the Gaza health ministry’s, with small discrepancies. 

For more on the Gaza health ministry’s tolls, click here.

(FRANCE 24 with AP)