December 18, 2023 Israel-Hamas war

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Monday announced a new US-led operation focusing on the “security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden” following recent attacks by Houthi forces on commercial marine traffic in the region.

Austin, who was in the region for meetings with senior Israeli officials to discuss the Israel-Hamas war, said countries “must come together to tackle the challenge posed by this non-state actor launching ballistic missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) at merchant vessels from many nations lawfully transiting international waters.” The multinational operation includes the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.

“The recent escalation in reckless Houthi attacks originating from Yemen threatens the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent mariners, and violates international law,” Austin said. “The Red Sea is a critical waterway that has been essential to freedom of navigation and a major commercial corridor that facilitates international trade.”

The announcement came after 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 Houthis later claimed responsibility for the attack on the vessel. The group claimed it attacked another ship as well and that both ships were linked to Israel. The Houthis also said that “no harm will be dealt” to ships heading to ports around the world, “except for Israeli ports.”

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.

Read more about the security challenges in the region.

 Family members of two of the hostages who appeared in a video released by Hamas on Monday have been giving their reactions to Israeli media.

Rani Metzger, Yoram Metzger’s son, told Channel 11: “It’s hard to see him now, it’s about time to bring them back home.”

Rani Metzger said his father looked very old and unkempt and that he and the other kibbutz members who appeared in the video, Chaim Peri and Amiram Cooper, “do not look in good shape.”

“I think it should be understood that we don’t have a lot of time left. Everything should be done in order to return them,” Metzger said.

Mai Albini, Peri’s grandson, told N12 that he had not watched the video but was aware that his grandfather was “in a very bad shape and seems to be withering in captivity.”

The United Nations humanitarian coordinator has left the occupied Palestinian territory after Israel did not renew her visa, a UN spokesperson said Monday.

Lynn Hastings worked as the deputy special coordinator for the Middle East peace process and the UN resident coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory. Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said in a press briefing on Monday that she left on Saturday.

Israel did not renew her visa due to the "bias of the UN," Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen said earlier this month.

Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, will act as the interim resident and humanitarian coordinator for the UN, Dujarric said.

Dujarric said the UN will provide updates on the appointment and deployment of a permanent replacement for Hastings.

“The secretary-general thanks Ms. Hastings for her dedication and professionalism and the independence and impartiality she consistently demonstrated in her role,” Dujarric said.

Gaza has become the most dangerous place in the world for journalists and their families, according to the United Nations.

Since the October 7 attacks, at least 57 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). In total, at least 64 journalists have been killed since October 7, which include four Israeli and three Lebanese journalists, the organization said.

Journalists “have kept the world informed in real-time of the horrors that civilians in Gaza are enduring. Their dedication deserves tribute. But one by one, these eyes on the ground are going dark,” the UN said in a statement from the UN Human Rights Office in Occupied Palestinian Territory. 

The UN organization said it is also concerned about widely reported claims that journalists and media workers received threatening and intimidating phone calls from Israeli security personnel, according to the statement.

The killing and forced displacement of journalists have hindered their ability to report on the ground in Gaza, it said.

Israel's government said more than 80,000 Israeli citizens living in areas near the country’s northern border with Lebanon have been displaced since October 7 amid cross-border fire exchanges with Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Israel and Hezbollah — an Iran-backed armed group that dominates southern Lebanon — have been engaged in daily cross-border exchanges of fire along the Lebanon-Israel border after Hamas' on October 7 attack — raising fears that the fighting could escalate into a regional war. 

Since October 7, Hezbollah has carried out “hundreds” of attacks on Israel, including rocket, anti-tank missile and drone attacks on communities and military positions in northern Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement Monday.  

Five Israeli civilians have so far been killed in such attacks, according to the IDF.  

The US has been working with Lebanon to try to quell the violence between Israel and Hezbollah and quiet the northern border.

Israel wants Hezbollah to retreat north of the Litani River, which is about 18 miles away from the border, Gallant has previously said. 

Israeli leaders have given a stark warning to Hezbollah in recent days.  

Hezbollah's leadership has expressed support for Palestinians and condemned Israel's offensive in Gaza but has yet to directly intervene on Hamas' behalf. 

Hamas' military wing, the Qassam Brigades, released a video on Monday showing three Israeli male hostages in captivity in Gaza.  

One of them is 79-year-old Chaim Peri. The other two men in the video were identified as Yoram Metzger, 80, and Amiram Cooper, 84.

In a brief message, Peri urged their unconditional release. He spoke of their tremendous suffering and their fear of the air strikes in Gaza.

The video displays a caption that reads, “Do not discard me in my old age.” 

It is not clear when or where the video was filmed.  

A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reacted to the footage, calling it a “criminal terror video.” 

Hagari said the release of the video "reflects Hamas’s cruelty against elderly and innocent civilians, in need for medical treatment." 

"The world must act to transfer medical equipment and ensure the condition of hostages," he added. 

Kibbutz Nir Oz, where the three men lived before being kidnapped, said it appreciates "any sign of life from the hostages, but time is running out."

The release of the video comes at a highly sensitive moment. United States, Qatari and Israeli officials have been meeting in Europe to discuss the possibility of a new truce in Gaza in exchange for the release of more hostages.

The video also follows the accidental shooting of three hostages by the Israeli military last Friday, which prompted fresh demonstrations by the families of hostages demanding their immediate release.

Hamas has said no more hostages will be released until there is a ceasefire.

Israel’s military on Monday appeared to deny responsibility for the deaths of two women killed at the Holy Family Parish complex in Gaza on Saturday.

As CNN previously reported, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which oversees Catholic churches across Cyprus, Jordan, Israel, Gaza and the Palestinian territories, reported an Israeli sniper shot and killed a mother and daughter who were sheltering inside the church. 

In a carefully worded statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) appeared to suggest that while there had been a conversation between itself and the church on Saturday morning about blasts in the area, the church had not reported fatalities.

CNN has been unable to reach the Latin Patriarchate for clarity over this apparent discrepancy. 

When pressed for more information, the IDF on Monday evening told CNN it had nothing more to add beyond its original statement.

The IDF’s original statement also said it was conducting a review of a separate incident that took place Saturday afternoon near a second church in northern Gaza.

“When reviewing incidents that may have taken place in the vicinity of churches in Gaza, it was found that an incident took place during yesterday afternoon (Saturday) in another area in Gaza, near the Latin Church in the Shejayia area,” it said.

“An initial review suggests that IDF troops, who were operating against Hamas terrorists in the area, operated against a threat that they identified in the area of the church. The IDF is conducting a thorough review of the incident," the statement said.

Israel will gradually transition to the next phase of the war and expects displaced Palestinians from northern Gaza to return to their homes before those from the south, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Monday.   

His comments come as the United States continues to put pressure on Israel to transition to a more targeted campaign in Gaza to reduce civilian casualties. 

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled from northern Gaza to the south during the war.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reported earlier this month that almost 1.9 million people, more than 80% of the enclave's total population, have been displaced since the beginning of the war. 

While much of northern Gaza has already been decimated from the fighting and airstrikes, Israel has made clear it is determined to finish its military operations there. 

At a joint news conference with his US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Tel Aviv, Gallant also said that post-war Gaza governance plans were discussed.  

Austin said he discussed with Israeli officials 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.” 

He did not mention the Palestinian Authority (PA) by name. 

Israel has continued to state that the PA will not assume power in Gaza, with Benjamin Netanyahu saying it would not happen as long as he is prime minister.  

The PA was effectively driven out of Gaza by Hamas in 2007 but US President Joe Biden’s administration has made increasingly clear it believes the PA should resume governance of the enclave when the war is over. 

CNN's Haley Britzky contributed to this report.

The US raised concerns with Israel after an Israeli military sniper shot and killed two women inside the Holy Family Parish in Gaza on Saturday, according to the White House.

He said the US raised its concerns about the specific incident with the Israeli government, and about the broader need for injured and wounded civilians to be able to be evacuated and receive appropriate medical care. 

Over the weekend, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said a mother and daughter were walking to the Sister’s Convent when gunfire erupted. 

Most of Gaza’s Christian families have taken refuge in the complex since the start of the war, according to the patriarchate, which oversees Catholic Churches across Cyprus, Jordan, Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.

Kirby said President Joe Biden and other senior US officials have raised the need for deconfliction channels with Israel as it conducts its military operations against Hamas.

He said such channels were important for reducing miscalculation and misunderstanding during conflicts.

“We’re going to continue to urge them to do more in that vein, in the deconfliction vein,” he said.

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

“I continue receiving very serious and sad news about Gaza. Unarmed civilians are targets for bombs and gunfire. And this has happened even within the parish complex of the Holy Family, where there are no terrorists, but families, children, people who are sick and have disabilities, sisters,” he said during a weekly prayer.