December 7, 2023 Israel-Hamas war

US President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday to discuss the latest developments in the war between Israel and Hamas.

During the conversation, Biden reiterated the need for Israel to protect civilians, according to a readout of the call from the White House.

Biden also told Netanyahu that more aid was "urgently required across the board," according to the statement.

The president additionally relayed “deep concern” for hostages still being held in Gaza, telling Netanyahu that Hamas’ refusal to release young women civilian hostages is to blame for the breakdown in the humanitarian pause last week.

Israeli and US officials believe Hamas continues to hold hostage a number of women between the approximate ages of 20 to 30 – many of them kidnapped from the Nova music festival – CNN previously reported. Hamas insisted that some of the remaining women they were holding hostage were considered part of the Israel Defense Forces, which Israel denied. 

More on the leaders' calls: Per CNN’s count, it’s the 16th call between the two leaders since October 7, and the first since November 26.

On Wednesday, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby was asked in the White House news briefing why the two had not spoken since November, Kirby said he “wouldn’t read anything into that.” 

“I just wouldn't read anything into the fact that there hasn't been a conversation in recent days. There absolutely will be additional conversations between the two. I have no doubt about that,” Kirby told reporters.

The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday released a satellite image and video it said showed Hamas rocket launches next to a “humanitarian zone” and United Nations facility in southern Gaza.

Because the IDF satellite image of the rocket location is cropped, and the video is cropped and low resolution, it is not possible for CNN to corroborate its location.

“Hamas is the enemy of humanity and makes itself a threat to the entire world,” the IDF said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Some context: Along with the allegation, the IDF released a map showing the “Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone,” encompassing a large swath of southwestern Gaza. But in a post on X with the same allegation, the IDF posted a map showing a far smaller humanitarian zone, encompassing just a small neighborhood near the UN facility. And in a post on X earlier this week, the IDF’s Arabic language spokesperson referenced the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone without any map indicating its boundaries.

The Palestinian Authority should be granted the ability to govern both Gaza and the West Bank — but it is still too early to discuss any details, Egypt's foreign minister said Thursday.

Sameh Shoukry said that it is "a matter that should be addressed by the Palestinian people," and Egypt believes the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization are the "legitimate representatives of the Palestinian people."

Shoukry, speaking at an event in Washington, DC, hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that it is still early and premature to decide what will happen in Gaza since the conflict between Israel and Hamas is still ongoing.

His comments come ahead of a Friday meeting between top diplomats from Arab states and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington, DC.  

The foreign minister's comments echo remarks by US President Joe Biden, who said last month that the Palestinian Authority should govern the Gaza Strip and the West Bank following the war. 

In stark contrast, on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Palestinian Authority assuming power in Gaza won't happen for as long as he is prime minister. 

“Whoever educates their children for terror, funds terror and supports families of terrorists, could not control Gaza after we eradicate Hamas,” Netanyahu wrote on social media.  

Some background: The Palestinian Authority is a government body with limited self-rule in the West Bank. It was established in the 1993 Oslo Accords, a peace pact between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization that saw the PLO give up armed resistance against Israel in return for promises of an independent Palestinian state. It has recognized Israel and engaged in multiple failed peace initiatives with it. Hamas controls Gaza and presents itself as an alternative to the PA.

CNN's Catherine Nicholls and journalist Tamar Michaelis contributed reporting to this post.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it is striking targets in Syria and Lebanon after missiles were reportedly launched toward Israel from those countries on Thursday evening.

Two missiles launched from Syria landed in an open area in the town of Buq'ata in northern Israel, according to the IDF.

The IDF also said it identified "a number of launches" from Lebanon toward the areas of Shtula, Malkia and Zar'it also in the northern part of the country. The launches led to sirens sounding in Golan Heights and Zar'it.

The IDF said it is striking the sources of the launches.

Earlier on Thursday, the IDF said that Israel Air Force fighter jets struck an "operational command and control center" in Lebanon belonging to Hezbollah after launches were detected coming from the vicinity. 

 The World Health Organization (WHO) managed to deliver supplies to two hospitals in southern Gaza that have not received any deliveries since November 29, according to the organization's director general. 

"Today WHO delivered trauma and emergency care supplies to European Gaza Hospital and Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza to cover the needs of 4500 patients," WHO director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on social media platform X. 

The WHO chief highlighted the detrimental impact of the "intense fighting" in southern Gaza, saying the fighting has made it "increasingly difficult to run any health operations" there.  

Since Tuesday, the Israel Defence Forces have been engaged in "intense battles" with Hamas fighters in Khan Younis city in southern Gaza.

Video obtained by news agency Reuters on Thursday showed a slew of injured Palestinians rushing into the Nasser Hospital in the city following a barrage of Israeli strikes. 

Ghebreyesus reiterated that his organization remains "extremely concerned" about the thousands of "patients, and health and care workers" in Gaza, stressing that the only way to protect them is by immediately implementing a ceasefire. 

An overnight Israeli airstrike killed 18 family members of Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, director-general of the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza, the ministry said Thursday.

Several of the bodies arrived at the Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza as Al-Bursh was on shift there Thursday morning, according to the health ministry.

Al-Bursh told CNN his 1-week granddaughter was among those killed. 

Video from the hospital shows Al-Bursh kneeling on the ground before bodies wrapped in sheets. At least five covered bodies can be seen in the video.

Al-Bursh uncovers the face of one of the deceased, an adult male, and touches his face, the video shows.

He said the man is his nephew, a university professor with a law degree, days shy of obtaining a doctorate in international law, who "everyone knows for his kindness." 

He said his father is the Undersecretary of the Hamas-run Ministry of Justice in Gaza.

At least 634 people crossed into Egypt on Thursday through the Rafah border crossing, officials said, including more than 400 dual nationals.

This is a breakdown of who exited Gaza into Egypt on Thursday, according to the Rafah Crossing Authority:

It added that a total of 70 aid trucks have entered Gaza, including a load of 79,000 liters (nearly 21,000 gallons) of fuel.

There are "promising signs" that the Kerem Shalom crossing linking Israel to Gaza may be opened for humanitarian deliveries, according to UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths.

"We're still negotiating," he said, adding that the crossing has been a "feature of discussion these many weeks."

"There are some promising signs now that that may be able to open soon," he added.

What is Kerem Shalom: Before the war that started in early October, Israel had two crossings with Gaza: Erez, which is for the movement of people, and Kerem Shalom, for goods. Both were heavily restricted and have been shut since the war began. During the brief truce between Israel and Hamas, the Kerem Shalom crossing was used to transfer Israeli hostages from Gaza to Israel.

During the two-month conflict, the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt has been the strip's only entry point to the outside world. Aid to Gaza has trickled through this crossing. It is the only Gazan border crossing that isn’t controlled by Israel.

Take a look at where the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings are located:

Israeli forces in recent days have arrested and questioned hundreds of suspects in Gaza allegedly involved in terror activities, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said on Thursday.  

He also said that Israeli forces are “advancing the fighting” in Hamas strongholds in the southern and northern Gaza Strip.  

On the Israel-Lebanon border: Following the death of an Israeli civilian in northern Israel from an anti-tank missile from Lebanon, Israeli fighter jets struck “a series of terror targets” of Hezbollah on Thursday — in which several operatives of the militant group were killed, he claimed.  

Israeli military is on a “high alert” in the country’s border with Lebanon and “will severely respond to any terrorists act against Israel,” Hagari said.