December 18, 2023 Israel-Hamas war

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on the vessel MT Swan Atlantic, which, according to its Norwegian owner Inventor Chemical Tankers (ICT), was hit by an “unidentified object” Monday morning.

The vessel was carrying a cargo of biofuel feedstock from France to Reunion Island, ICT said in its press release Monday, adding there were no injuries to any members of the crew and there was limited damage to the vessel. 

In a statement, Yemen's Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, and added that they had targeted another ship. The group claimed that both ships were linked to Israel, and that the ships' crews refused to respond to calls from the Houthis.

The Houthis also said that "no harm will be dealt" to ships heading to ports around the world, "except for Israeli ports."

The Houthis have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea, claiming the attacks as a means of pressuring Israel to send aid to Gaza.

ICT went on to say in Monday's press release there is “no Israeli link in the ownership (Norwegian), technical management (Singapore) of the vessel, nor in any parts of the logistical chain for the cargo transported."

Benjamin Brown contributed to the reporting of this post.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) shared more details about the incident on Friday in which Israeli troops shot and killed three Israelis in Gaza who had been taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7 attacks. 

The three men had tried to use leftover food to create signs calling for help, the IDF said in a statement released late Sunday accompanied by pictures. Earlier on Saturday, an IDF official said the men were killed while waving a white flag, in violation of IDF rules of engagement.

One of the photos shows a white sheet with the words "help" and "three hostages" written on the sheet in Hebrew.

The IDF said it is reviewing the incident and has notified the families of hostages with the additional findings.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Tel Aviv Monday for meetings with senior Israeli military and political leaders. It comes amid an intensifying rift between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over mounting civilian casualties in Gaza.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Austin said he discussed pathways “toward a future for Gaza after Hamas” with Israeli officials and the protection of civilians in Gaza, and the need “to take urgent action to stabilize the West Bank.

CNN reported earlier this month that US officials expected Israel could transition by January to a lower-intensity, hyper-localized strategy that narrowly targets specific Hamas militants and leadership.

Nearly 19,500 people have been killed by Israeli military action in Gaza since October 7, and more than 52,000 recorded wounded, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.

Here are the latest developments:

Oil firm BP said it is suspending all shipping through the Red Sea due to the "deteriorating security situation" after a series of attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels in recent weeks.

In a statement, the firm said it "has decided to temporarily pause all transits through the Red Sea. We will keep this precautionary pause under ongoing review, subject to circumstances as they evolve in the region."

It comes after major shipping firms Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM Group all decided to pause shipping through the Red Sea after Houthi forces targeted commercial ships in the area.

Also on Monday, shipping firm Evergreen said it would suspend its Israel import and export service with immediate effect due to the "rising risk and safety considerations."

Belgian shipping group Euronav also said it will "avoid the area until further notice. We are monitoring the situation very closely. The safety of our crew and our ships is paramount."

Meanwhile, the USS Carney responded Monday morning to a distress call from a commercial vessel after it was attacked by "multiple projectiles" in the southern Red Sea, a US military official said.

The merchant vessel Swan Atlantic was attacked at roughly 9 a.m. Yemen time, the official said.

More information regarding what kind of projectiles were launched and from where was not immediately available, but the attack follows a string of others in recent days by Houthi forces on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

Key background: Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi forces have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea, claiming the attacks as revenge against Israel.

Rebels have repeatedly attacked commercial ships with drones and missiles in recent weeks, and in November seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship, taking its crew hostage. They have also launched missiles toward Israel, one of which was intercepted by a US Navy destroyer in October.

At least 110 people have been killed and dozens more injured during Israeli attacks on Jabalya in northern Gaza over the past 24 hours, the director-general of the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza told CNN Monday.

Munir Al-Bursh, who is in a field clinic in Jabalya, said 110 bodies have already been buried at an old cemetery in Jabalya as of Monday morning, while dozens of people are still believed to be under the rubble.

The old cemetery in Jabalya, which had fallen into disuse, had to be reopened because the dead could not be buried at the nearby Al-Falluja cemetery due to the shelling, he said. 

A video that Al-Bursh shot and sent to CNN appears to show nine dead children laying on the ground. Four of them are wrapped in white cloth with their names written on the cloth. Al-Bursh said the children are from three families in Jabalya, including his own immediate relatives.

CNN cannot independently verify the health ministry's numbers.

Ministry of Health announcements do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but Al-Bursh said the majority of the dead and wounded are women and children.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it could comment on specific allegations of strikes without geographic coordinates, but told CNN it adheres to international law. It accused Hamas of "deliberately and systematically" placing military targets within the civilian population.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Tel Aviv on Monday, where he is due to meet with Israeli government officials.

His visit comes amid an intensifying rift between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over mounting civilian casualties in Gaza.

Austin was greeted at the airport on Monday by Israel's director of the policy bureau Dror Shalom, charge d’affaires Stephanie Hallet and Gen. C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

He is expected to meet with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant later Monday. A senior defense official said Sunday that Austin wants to hear "a very clear articulation" of Israel's security establishment's assessment of the campaign in Gaza.

Delicate diplomacy: Austin's visit comes after rifts between the US and Israel spilled into public view last week. Biden has warned his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel is losing international support for its campaign against Hamas, while Netanyahu has publicly rejected American plans for post-war Gaza.

Speaking to Democratic donors in Washington last week, Biden suggested Netanyahu needed to alter his approach.

Biden also said the Israeli government "doesn't want a two-state solution" after the current military campaign winds down.

Speaking ahead of Biden’s comments at the fundraiser, Netanyahu admitted Tuesday that he and the US president disagree on what should happen to Gaza after the war.

Britain's minister for the Middle East on Sunday condemned a deadly shooting at a Gaza church allegedly carried out by an Israeli military sniper.

The sniper shot and killed a mother and daughter and injured seven others inside the Holy Family Parish in Gaza on Saturday, according to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, in an incident also condemned by Pope Francis.

Pope Francis on Sunday addressed the deaths at the Holy Family Parish, lamenting that “unarmed civilians are targets for bombs and gunfire” in Gaza.

CNN has repeatedly reached out to the IDF for comment.

Read more about the shooting.

CNN's Christopher Lamb contributed reporting.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is visiting Israel on Monday to get a clearer assessment from Israeli officials on their military operations, marking the latest administration official to visit the country amid an intensifying rift between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over mounting civilian casualties in Gaza.

Biden is under increasing pressure, domestically and internationally, to push Netanyahu away from the heavy bombardment of Gaza, which has sparked global outcry and calls for a sustained ceasefire.

CNN reported earlier this month that US officials expected Israel could transition by January to a lower-intensity, hyper-localized strategy that narrowly targets specific Hamas militants and leadership. A senior defense official said Sunday that Israel’s security establishment is assessing the conditions necessary to move to that next phase of the conflict “on an hourly if not daily basis” and that Austin wants to hear “a very clear articulation of their self-assessment” on Monday.

Austin will receive updates on how the Israel Defense Forces, the War Cabinet and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are assessing the current phase of the campaign in Gaza, while also getting a sense of what metrics they’re using to transition to the next phase, the official said.

Gen. CQ Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will also be in Israel, joining Austin for “meetings with senior Israeli officials,” Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said last week.

Austin’s visit comes on the heels of a visit to Tel Aviv by national security adviser Jake Sullivan, and just days after blunt remarks by Biden calling on Israel to do more to protect civilians in Gaza.

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An employee of the French consulate in Gaza has died from his injuries following an Israeli airstrike, France's Foreign Ministry said Saturday .     

The employee, who was not named by the ministry, had been working at the consulate since 2002. He had taken refuge at a colleague's home in Rafah with co-workers and their family members when it was hit in the deadly strike, according to the ministry.

CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for a response.

On Sunday, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said she was in Tel Aviv to stress the importance of a "new humanitarian truce," while also expressing France's solidarity with Israel after the October 7 attacks.

France is concerned about the deepening “catastrophic and tragic situation on the ground in Gaza,” and Israel must engage in a ceasefire to facilitate the release of hostages and the aid distribution, she said.