IDF may need to adjust rules of engagement following Israeli hostage deaths, White House says
From CNN’s Betsy Klein
As the incident of Israeli forces killing three hostages is being investigated, the White House said it could potentially necessitate adjustments to the Israeli Defense Force’s rules of engagement.
“The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) admitted that they made a mistake very, very soon after. They made a mistake and I have no doubt that they will do the forensics on this to learn what happened and how to avoid it happening again,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said, calling it a “traumatic event.”
The IDF, he said broadly, will need to assess how the situation was handled and whether it will require adjustments to rules of engagement.
“Sometimes an event like this, a tactical event, does require you to take a look at your rules of engagement and maybe make adjustments, sometimes not. Sometimes the issue isn't the rules of engagement, sometimes it's just the way they're enforced or the interpretation by a unit on the ground or by an individual soldier,” Kirby said.
Forensics on this specific incident will determine whether this is the result of a systemic issue, an individual issue or a “misunderstanding, miscalculation, fog of war," he said.
He cautioned the United States should “be careful at this early stage … to point the fingers at the exact rules of engagement.”
12:56 p.m. ET, December 18, 2023
Aid trucks enter Gaza from Israeli territory for second day
From CNN's Tamar Michaelis
More humanitarian aid trucks were inspected and transferred to the Gaza Strip on Monday through a crossing from Israeli territory, Israel said.
Sixty-four trucks were inspected and transferred to Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing, the Israeli office for Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said on X, formerly Twitter.
A further 127 trucks were inspected at the Nitzana crossing but their cargoes were transferred to Gaza via the Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza.
The amount of aid entering Gaza is less than half of pre-war levels, according to the United Nations.
The number of aid trucks "is well below the daily average of 500 truckloads (including fuel and private sector goods) that entered every working day prior to 7 October," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement Sunday.
2:25 p.m. ET, December 18, 2023
US defense secretary will convene a ministerial meeting to address Houthi attacks in Red Sea
From CNN's Haley Britzky
Austin speaks during a joint press conference on December 18. Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will convene a virtual meeting with other defense ministers in the Middle East to discuss the ongoing Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, he said Monday.
“Regarding the Houthis, these attacks are reckless, dangerous, and they violate international law. So we’re taking action to build an international coalition to address this threat,” Austin said. “And I’d remind you this is not just a US issue, this is an international problem, and it deserves an international response.”
Houthi forces in Yemen have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea, claiming its attacks are in revenge for Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis and Hamas are both Islamist groups that receive backing from Iran.
CNN has reported that the US is considering beefing up protections for commercial ships around the vital shipping route, according to military officials, with members of the Combined Maritime Forces – a multi-national naval task force charged with protecting commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The discussions about bolstering the task force reflect growing concern in the region over the Houthis’ interference in the Red Sea through which millions of barrels of oil pass daily. US officials have said publicly that discussions have centered on the possibility of escorting ships operating in the Red Sea and through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait into the Gulf of Aden — the narrow channel that separates Yemen and the Horn of Africa.
11:38 a.m. ET, December 18, 2023
Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of using starvation as a "weapon of war" in Gaza. Israel calls it a lie
From CNN’s Kareem Khadder and Radina Gigova
A Palestinian child reacts while people gather to get their share of charity food offered by volunteers amid food shortages in Rafah, Gaza, on December 2. Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters
Human Rights Watch accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza, calling it a “war crime" in a report released Monday — a charge that an Israeli government spokesperson dismissed as “a lie.”
Human Rights Watch’s Israel and Palestine director, Omar Shakir, told CNN that Israeli authorities "have for months been deliberately depriving Gaza’s population of food and water, willfully impeding humanitarian assistance, intentionally destroying objects indispensable to survival, including bakeries, grain mills and water and sanitation facilities, and apparently razing agricultural areas."
The report is based on interviews with 11 displaced Palestinians in Gaza, public statements by members of the Israeli government and statements by organizations including the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, World Food Programme, Oxfam and the Norwegian Refugee Council.
"Statements from high-level Israeli officials show that this is a deliberate policy to starve civilians as a weapon of war," Shakir said.
The Human Rights Watch report notes that "high-ranking Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and Energy Minister Israel Katz have made public statements expressing their aim to deprive civilians in Gaza of food, water and fuel" and that this "policy" is "being carried out by Israeli forces."
Other Israeli officials have publicly stated that humanitarian aid to Gaza "would be conditioned either on the release of hostages unlawfully held by Hamas or Hamas’ destruction," Human Rights Watch added.
"That is an abhorrent war crime, compounding its collective punishment of Palestinian civilians and blocking of humanitarian aid, which are also war crimes," Shakir told CNN. "World leaders should speak out and take urgent action to prevent further atrocities—the lives of hundreds of thousands hang in the balance.”
What Israel is saying: Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy forcefully dismissed the watchdog's claims on Monday, saying Hamas was to blame for any shortages in Gaza.
"This is a lie,” he said in response to a social media post from Shakir on X. “Israel has excess capacity to inspect more than twice as many aid trucks as are entering Gaza. We’re still pumping water into Gaza through two pipelines and have placed no restrictions on entry of food and water," Levy said. "Direct your anger to Hamas, which hijacks aid.”
Human Rights Watch also referenced a United Nations World Food Programme Gaza food security assessment published on December 6, which found that 9 out of 10 households in northern Gaza and 2 out of 3 households in southern Gaza had spent at least one full day and night without food.
CNN is not able to independently verify those numbers.
According to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, intentionally starving civilians by “depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival, including wilfully impeding relief supplies” is a war crime, Human Rights Watch said in its report.
2:24 p.m. ET, December 18, 2023
US defense secretary and Israeli officials discuss Gaza post-Hamas and the need to stabilize West Bank
From CNN's Haley Britzky
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, left, and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hold a joint press conference at Israel's Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, Israel, on December 18. Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters
In his meeting with Israeli officials, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he discussed pathways “toward a future for Gaza after Hamas,” the protection of civilians in Gaza and the need “to take urgent action to stabilize the West Bank.”
“Attacks by extremist settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank must stop,” Austin said at a joint news conference with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. “And those committing the violence must be held accountable.”
“[I]t would compound this tragedy if all that was waiting for the Israeli people and your Palestinian neighbors at the end of this awful war was more insecurity, fury, and despair,” he added. “As I have said, Israelis and Palestinians have both paid too bitter a price to just go back to October 6.”
Austin traveled to Israel on Monday for meetings with senior Israeli officials alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. The stop in Tel Aviv — Austin’s second since Hamas’ invasion of Israel on October 7 — is part of a trip to the region that also includes stops in Bahrain and Qatar.
11:22 a.m. ET, December 18, 2023
USS Carney responds to distress call following Houthi-claimed attack on commercial ship in Red Sea
From CNN's Haley Britzky
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) transits the Mediterranean Sea on October 23, 2018. Ryan U. Kledzik/U.S. Navy/File
The USS Carney responded Monday 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. local time, the official said. More information regarding what kind of projectiles were launched and from where was not immediately available, though the attack follows a string of others in recent days by Houthi forces, who are funded and trained by Iran, on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack on the Swan Atlantic later Monday. The group claimed it attacked another ship as well and 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 ship’s owner, Inventor Chemical Tankers, said in a 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.”
“We note that information provider Marine Traffic has wrongfully claimed that the vessel is managed by an ‘Israel affiliated company’ on their web site. This is believed to be the reason for her having been targeted now on her southward passage through the Red Sea. This is incorrect,” ICT said.
The attack came as US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is in the region for meetings with senior Israeli officials in Tel Aviv amid ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Houthi forces in Yemen have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea, claiming the attacks as revenge against Israel. Oil giant BP announced Monday that it would pause all shipments through the Red Sea due to the “deteriorating security situation,” marking the latest shipping firm to pause routes through the channel.
CNN has reported that the US is considering beefing up protections for commercial ships around the vital shipping route, according to military officials, with members of the Combined Maritime Forces – a multi-national naval task force charged with protecting commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
Yemen's Houthis claim responsibility for vessel hit in Red Sea
From CNN’s Eve Brennan, Mostafa Salem and Caitlin Danaher
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.
The ship is currently sailing "with all systems operational," the owner said. "The crew and the ship are now assisted by the US navy and will be brought to safety under protection by naval forces."
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."
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.
9:08 a.m. ET, December 18, 2023
3 hostages killed by Israeli military tried to use leftover food to create signs for help, IDF says
From CNN's Richard Allen Greene and Radina Gigova
Family and friends mourn during a funeral for Alon Shamriz on December 17, 2023 in Shefayim, Israel. On Friday, the Israel Defense Forces admitted to accidentally killing Shamriz and two other Israeli hostages who had been held captive by Hamas. Amir Levy/Getty Images
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.
Following their shooting, "searches were conducted in a building adjacent to where the incident took place," the IDF said. "Signs calling for help, apparently using leftover food were located. Based on a field investigation, it appears that the three hostages were in the building where the signs were located, for some period of time."
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.
12:53 p.m. ET, December 18, 2023
Austin talks future of Gaza with top Israeli officials. Here’s what else you need to know
From CNN staff
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:
Jabalya attacks: Munir Al-Bursh, director-general of the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza, told CNN that 110 bodies had been buried at an old cemetery in Jabalya as of Monday morning following Israeli attacks. CNN cannot independently verify the health ministry's numbers. 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.
Austin visit: The US defense secretary met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in Tel Aviv Monday, and will later meet with other government officials. He is seeking a “very clear articulation” of Israel’s assessment of its campaign in Gaza, as the humanitarian crisis in the enclave deepens and global calls for a ceasefire grow louder. Israel has been bombarding targets across the enclave following the October 7 attacks. Nearly 19,000 Palestinians have died in the strikes, Hamas-run authorities said. CNN cannot independently verify the figure.
US pressure: Austin’s visit comes as Biden faces increasing domestic and international pressure to push Netanyahu away from the heavy bombardment of Gaza, which has sparked global calls for a ceasefire. CNN reported earlier this month that US officials believe Israel could by January transition to a lower-intensity, hyper-localized strategy that narrowly targets specific Hamas militants and leadership.
The day after: As well as discussing the current campaign in Gaza, Austin is expected to address Israeli plans for “the day after Hamas,” as the Biden administration attempts to gain clarity about what should happen to Gaza after the war.
Pope plea: An Israeli military sniper shot and killed two women inside the Holy Family Parish in Gaza on Saturday, according to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The mother and daughter were walking to the Sister’s Convent, the patriarchate said, when gunfire erupted, killing one as she tried to carry the other to safety. Pope Francis on Sunday addressed the deaths, lamenting that “unarmed civilians are targets for bombs and gunfire” in Gaza and invoking scripture on war.
Firms suspend Red Sea shipping: 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. Also, shipping firm Evergreen said it is suspending its Israel import and export service with immediate effect due to the "rising risk and safety considerations." Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi forces have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea, claiming the attacks as revenge against Israel.
Tunnel discovery: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday that it had discovered “the biggest Hamas tunnel” in Gaza, spanning a length of 4 kilometers (about 2.5 miles). It said the tunnel, which had been secured “a few weeks ago,” is wide enough to drive a large vehicle through and reaches up to 50 meters (more than 160 feet) underground. CNN could not independently verify the IDF’s claims.
