December 8, 2023 Israel-Hamas war

Friends of the Palestinian writer and poet Refaat Alareer said he was killed by a strike in Gaza Thursday.

Alareer's friend and colleague, Mosab Abu Toha, confirmed his death to CNN. 

Abu Toha wrote on Facebook Thursday:

"Gaza Writes Back" is an anthology of short stories from 15 young writers in Gaza.

Abu Toha added, “I don’t want to believe this. We both loved to pick strawberries together…This is very brutal.”

CNN has attempted to reach members of Alareer’s family.

Alareer, 44, was a professor of comparative literature and co-editor of "Gaza Unsilenced," which was published in 2015. A native of Gaza City, he received his master's degree from University College London and the School of Oriental and African Studies in London between 2006 and 2007. 

Alareer began teaching literature, creative writing, poetry, translation and Shakespeare at the Islamic University of Gaza in 2007. He described himself as a writer and educator.

He was also a co-founder of "We Are Not Numbers" – a nonprofit organization that aims to amplify the voices of Palestinian youth living in Gaza and the refugee camps. 

The group said that “the pain of this loss is immeasurable as we mourn the passing of a true advocate for justice and understanding.”

In an interview shortly before his death, Alareer said the situation in Gaza was very bleak and there was no way out of the enclave. 

“What should we do?” he asked. “Drown? Commit mass suicide? Is this what Israel wants?”

“We have nothing to lose,” he said.

Alareer had also written a poem anticipating that he might be killed, which began:

The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Philippe Lazzarini, has addressed on Friday the deteriorating situation in Gaza, expressing deep concern over the agency's limited ability to fulfill its mandate.

In a letter to the president of the UN General Assembly, Lazzarini highlighted the severe challenges faced by UNRWA, including constant bombardment, insufficient humanitarian supplies, and overcrowded shelters.

“I must inform you that UNRWA's ability to implement its General Assembly mandate in Gaza is today severely limited with immediate and dire consequences for the UN humanitarian response and the lives of civilians in Gaza,” Lazzarini said in his letter.

Lazzarini warned that the UNRWA is on the verge of collapse.

“Today, as a result of Israel's military operation, nearly 1.2 million civilians are sheltering in UNRWA premises. The Agency has become the primary platform for humanitarian assistance to over 2.2 million people in Gaza — a platform on the verge of collapse,” he said.

The commissioner-general revealed the tragic toll on UNRWA staff, with over 130 colleagues killed, many with their families, and 70% of the remaining staff displaced.

Lazzarini called for immediate action from member states, urging the implementation of a humanitarian ceasefire and the enforcement of international law to protect civilians, UN staff, and vital infrastructure.

He said calling for an end to the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza is not a denial of other conflicts but a recognition of the equal rights of all people, emphasizing the historic responsibility of the General Assembly and the entire UN in responding to the crisis.

The Israeli military continues to fight in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, which it says is a “main stronghold” of Hamas, according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released Friday.  

The IDF said soldiers “eliminated dozens of terrorists, conducted searches, destroyed tunnels and directed precise strikes from the ground and air."

"We launched a rapid, powerful, and focused operation, moving from tunnel to tunnel, from house to house,” the IDF added.  

A spokesperson for the military claimed Wednesday that Israeli forces have breached Hamas "defense lines" in the city. 

The IDF said Friday that approximately 450 targets in Gaza were struck over the past day – the highest number reported since the end of the truce a week ago.  

In Khan Younis, Gaza's second biggest city, it said “IDF troops directed IAF aircraft to kill numerous terrorists in a two-hour series of precise strikes.” 

Videos geolocated Thursday showed a series of heavy strikes in the city. Dozens of casualties were admitted to hospitals in the area. 

The Israeli military also said they had "struck compounds" and found "numerous" weapons and underground infrastructure at the Al-Azhar University in Gaza. 

According to the IDF, the "underground tunnel ran from the university's yard and continues to a school one kilometer away." 

In a separate raid, the military said it found 200 radios and "dozens" of cameras at an observation post near Al Shati Hospital. 

CNN cannot independently verify the claims, but the IDF provided photos of what it said were the weapons and the entrance to the tunnel shaft. 

In an address to the Security Council Friday, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned of an impending crisis in Gaza, emphasizing a high risk of the collapse of the humanitarian support system that could lead to devastating consequences.

Guterres expressed concern that the ongoing situation could result in a complete breakdown of public order and escalate pressure for mass displacement into Egypt, potentially causing a spillover effect throughout the entire region.

Calling for urgent action, Guterres appealed for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, describing the current situation as a threat to international peace and security.

He highlighted the unprecedented threat to the safety of United Nations staff, noting that more than 130 personnel had died during the conflict so far, marking the largest loss of life in the organization's history.

The United Nations Security Council has convened to address the situation in Gaza as the Israel-Hamas war continues.

The discussion is centered around a proposed resolution urging an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the region. A vote on the resolution was delayed to 5:30 p.m. ET.

The initiative came after UN Secretary-General António Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter on Wednesday, allowing him to bring issues that could escalate existing threats to international peace and security to the Security Council's attention. 

In a letter to the 15-member council, Guterres employed the rarely used diplomatic tool, urging collective action to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and calling for a comprehensive humanitarian ceasefire.

This post has been updated with details on the timing of today's vote.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to speak about efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas.

Qatar was a key broker in the agreement that saw the release of an initial group of hostages, but that deal broke down last week.

In his meeting with Al Thani, Blinken "expressed appreciation for Qatar’s critical efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas and the recent humanitarian pause in Gaza," according to a statement from State Department spokesperson Matt Miller.

The two discussed the need to prevent the conflict from spreading and continuing humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, it added.

Their meeting took place ahead of Blinken's meeting later Friday with a delegation of Arab ministers.

Israel’s relations with the United Nations have sunk to a historic low after a spat between the two escalated this week.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday invoked a rarely used but powerful tool in his determined push for a ceasefire in Gaza, causing outrage among Israeli diplomats.

Article 99 of the UN charter allows the UN chief to raise to the Security Council’s attention “any issue that may aggravate existing threats to the maintenance of international peace and security.” Guterres, in a letter to the 15-member council, used that diplomatic tool and urged for the body to “press to avert a humanitarian catastrophe” and unite in a call for a full humanitarian ceasefire.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen lashed out at the secretary-general for his letter, saying the UN chief’s tenure was “a danger to world peace” and that his call for a ceasefire in Gaza amounted to supporting Hamas and the October 7 attack.

Guterres’ letter was the seventh time in the UN’s 78-year history in which Article 99 had been invoked, and the first time it was used since 1989, when then Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar urged the council to call for a ceasefire during the Lebanese civil war, according to Daniel Forti, a senior UN analyst at the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think tank.

The Security Council is expected to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis at 10 a.m. local time Friday in New York. The UAE on Thursday submitted a draft resolution to the Security Council calling for an urgent humanitarian ceasefire, saying it has the support of Arab and Islamic nations.

Gabriela Shalev, who served as Israel’s ambassador to the UN from 2008 to 2010, said Israel-UN relations are at a historic low now, noting that ties had become strained soon after Israel was established following a UN General Assembly resolution in 1947.

Read more about the diplomatic tension.

The Israeli prime minister's office confirmed Friday the death of an Israeli man, who was presumed to be held hostage in Gaza.

The exact circumstances, location and time of his death are currently unclear.

The Bat Yam municipality named the man as 53-year-old resident Eitan Levy, a taxi driver who "was driving his client from the center of the country to Kibbutz Be’eri," when the October 7 Hamas attack occurred.

The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum separately described Levy on Friday as a "warm, loving family man who always cared for others over himself," saying in a statement that his family has been informed of the news.

"Eitan was a responsible and dedicated man in all his endeavors. He has an only son, Shachar, and together they loved hiking and dining at fine steakhouses. Eitan loved animals, dogs in particular," the forum added.

Sirens went off a few minutes ago in Tel Aviv, and at least three loud bangs — likely Iron Dome interceptions — were heard, according to CNN teams on the ground in the city.