December 24, 2023 Israel-Hamas war

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said ten soldiers were killed in battles in Gaza on Saturday, making it one of the deadliest days for Israeli troops since the conflict began.

Among the ten soldiers killed on Saturday, five were killed in southern Gaza, another four died in central Gaza, and one was killed in northern Gaza, according to statements from the IDF. 

According to a CNN count, this brings the total number of IDF soldiers killed in the Gaza ground offensive to 153.

Israel has expanded the ground operation of its forces in the southern and northern Gaza Strip and engaged in fierce battles over the weekend, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Saturday. 

On Friday, Israel Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that the goals of Israel’s operation in northern Gaza were being “gradually” completed and that the focus of military operations would be shifting south in the future.

Since launching a ground offensive, the Israeli toll has been mounting. Earlier this month, nine Israeli soldiers were killed in a single attack in northern Gaza.

At least 20,258 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, with another 53,688 people wounded, according to a statement from the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza on Saturday.

The Los Angeles Police Department blocked hundreds of protesters from entering a busy shopping center, the department said Saturday evening.

CNN witnessed several hundred pro-Palestinian protesters marching in the streets toward the popular Beverly Center mall late Saturday, with dozens of LAPD vehicles and motorcycle units staged in the streets and in nearby business parking lots as the group progressed through the roadway towards the shopping center.

“The group was given a dispersal order and peacefully complied,” LAPD said, noting the department would facilitate First Amendment activity, but “unlawful activity will not be tolerated.” 

While the large pro-Palestine protest witnessed by CNN resulted in traffic disruptions, the gathering was peaceful, and also included a small contingent of pro-Israel counter-demonstrators marching opposite the street.

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone on Saturday, as Israel's military says it has expanded its ground operation against Hamas in the southern and northern Gaza Strip.

In the enclave, at least 18 people were killed in fresh Israeli strikes in central Gaza on Saturday, hospital officials said.

Catch up here:

Expanding ground operation: Israel's troops have expanded their ground operation in the southern and northern Gaza Strip and engaged in fierce battles over the weekend, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a news conference Saturday. Hagari said ground forces have destroyed and seized weapons and underground infrastructure from Hamas. The director of affairs for the main United Nations agency in Gaza has criticized the IDF's call for further evacuations in the enclave, saying tens of thousands of residents in central and southern Gaza — many of whom have already been displaced — have "nowhere to go."

US and Israeli leaders discuss "phasing" of war: Biden and Netanyahu discussed “objectives and phasing” of the Israel-Hamas war during their call, according to the White House. Biden told reporters on Saturday that he had a long conversation with Netanyahu, and he did not press for a ceasefire. Netanyahu said he expressed his appreciation for the US position at the United Nations Security Council.

Israel claims to kill Hamas official: The Israel Defense Forces and Israel's security agency, Shin Bet, claim they killed Hamas official Hassan Atrash on Friday in southern Gaza. Atrash was in charge of trade, manufacturing and supply of weapons for Hamas, according to a post on X, formerly Twitter, from the IDF. 

Aid into Gaza: On the heels of a United Nations Security Council resolution that calls for humanitarian pauses between Israel and Hamas and increased aid to Gaza, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said 93 aid trucks entered the besieged enclave on Saturday. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Friday that measuring the success of the aid operation to Gaza through the number of trucks entering the enclave is a mistake because of the "massive obstacles" presented by Israel's ground offensive to distributing the aid once it reaches Gaza.

Criticism of UN resolution: The Security Council's call for pauses will be "nearly meaningless" to the lives of civilians in Gaza, Doctors Without Borders said in a statement slamming the compromise resolution. Meanwhile, a senior adviser to the Israeli prime minister criticized Guterres for calling for a ceasefire, saying in an interview with CNN Saturday that Guterres was “offering a lifeline to Hamas.”

The Indian coast guard said on Saturday that no casualties were reported on board a merchant ship that was attacked by a drone in the Indian Ocean.

There are 20 Indian and one Vietnamese crew on board the merchant ship MV Chem Pluto, the coast guard said, adding a fire on board had been extinguished.

The coast guard said it established communication with the vessel and dispatched its patrol vessel and its maritime surveillance aircraft to assist MV Chem Pluto.

After conducting damage assessment and repairs on its power generation systems, MV Chem Pluto started making its way toward Mumbai while being escorted by the coast guard’s patrol vessel.

The coast guard said MV Chem Pluto had left Saudi Arabia on December 19 and was expected to arrive in India’s southwestern port city of Mangalore on December 25.

It follows a series of attacks on shipping interests in the Red Sea by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels operating in Yemen, which have taken place since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

A chemical tanker operating in the Indian Ocean Saturday was struck by an Iranian attack drone, a US defense official says. 

“The motor vessel CHEM PLUTO, a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned, and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker was struck at approximately 10 a.m. local time (6 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time) today in the Indian Ocean, 200 nautical miles from the coast of India, by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran,” the official said in a statement. 

A one-way drone is designed to impact its target rather than return to its origin.

“No US Navy vessels were in the vicinity,” the official said, adding that Naval Forces Central Command is communicating with the struck vessel which is making its way toward India.

The Indian Coast Guard posted on social media that there are 21 crew members on board and that “the vessel has started making (its) way toward Mumbai.” 

Context: The strike comes after a series of attacks on shipping interests in the Red Sea by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels operating in Yemen, which have occurred since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

On Saturday, US Central Command reported more such incidents in a statement on social media. A crude oil tanker was hit by “a one-way attack drone” Saturday. There were no injuries, Central Command said. A separate chemical tanker operating in the southern Red Sea reported a “near miss” Saturday from a one-way drone, the command said.

Two “anti-ship ballistic missiles” were also fired into the southern Red Sea from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen but did not hit any vessels, according to the statement. 

It also said the USS Laboon, a Navy destroyer, shot down four aerial drones that were heading toward it. 

While the incidents originating from Yemen have been regular, Saturday’s strike in the Indian Ocean may mark a new escalation in tensions. 

Natalie Sanandaji collapsed under a tree on October 7, too exhausted to keep running 4 hours after fleeing Hamas militants at the Nova music festival.

A pickup truck approached her, and Sanandaji said she was ready to accept her fate.

But the man in the truck was from a nearby village, and he drove her to safety — making a total of 10 trips to the site to rescue over 100 others.

Sanandaji never got his name, but the native New Yorker tracked him down and returned to thank him.

Moshe Sati, a father of four, and Sanandaji had a long embrace when they finally met, and he fought back tears.

Isael's troops have expanded their ground operation in the southern and northern Gaza Strip and engaged in fierce battles over the weekend, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a news conference Saturday.

Hagari said ground forces have destroyed and seized weapons and underground infrastructure from Hamas, including thousands of explosive devices, anti-tank missiles and rockets.

The IDF is basing its operations in part on information gained by detaining and interrogating many Hamas "terrorists," Hagari said.

He said returning the remaining hostages held in Gaza remains a key objective of the ground offensive.

"We are doing everything we can with great determination to bring back the hostages," Hagari told reporters.

Some background: Multiple top Israeli officials have indicated that the IDF will expand its operations on the ground in Gaza, and Israel has called on residents in new areas of the enclave to evacuate.

The director of affairs for the main United Nations agency in Gaza has criticized the IDF's call, saying tens of thousands of residents in central and southern Gaza — many of whom have already been displaced — have "nowhere to go."

US President Joe Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Saturday to discuss the latest developments in Israel and Gaza, according to the White House.

Biden and Netanyahu discussed “objectives and phasing” of the Israel-Hamas war during their call, according to a White House readout. 

The two world leaders also discussed the hostages that remain in Hamas captivity and the “importance” of securing their release.

Biden told reporters that he did not push for a ceasefire during the phone call.

“I did not ask for a ceasefire,” Biden said while leaving the White House Saturday afternoon. “I had a long talk with Netanyahu today, and it’s a private conversation.”

Biden, who was walking toward Marine One for a flight to Camp David, did not provide more details.

Netanyahu expressed his appreciation for the US position at the United Nations Security Council, according to a statement from the Israeli leader on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This was the 17th conversation between the two leaders since October 7.

Some background: The United Nations Security Council on Friday approved a resolution that calls for humanitarian pauses between Israel and Hamas, increased aid to Gaza and the creation of conditions that will allow for a sustainable end to fighting, ending days of closed-door negotiations.

The US abstained from the vote. US Amb. Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced late Thursday that the US would support the measure after previously voting four times to delay a vote on the resolution.

Diplomats had been working behind closed doors to finalize the resolution drafted by the United Arab Emirates. A US official familiar with the discussions said the draft had started with calling for an “urgent cessation” of hostilities. Neither the United States nor Israel currently supports a ceasefire, so the US countered with “a more passive formulation,” the official said, describing the language that ended up in the resolution.

The US has vetoed previous measures at the UN Security Council and voted against a call for a ceasefire in the larger UN General Assembly.

Thousands of people gathered at a rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday, organized by the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum, calling for the release of hostages held in Gaza.

Orin Gantz, the mother of Eden Zecharya, whose body was recovered in Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces, said:

Former Israeli Navy Commander Maj. Gen. Eli Marom also addressed the crowd, urging the immediate release of all hostages.

There are 129 hostages still in Gaza, according to the prime minister’s office. Of those, 22 are known to be dead, and their bodies remain in Gaza along with the 107 living hostages.