Israel-Palestine conflict: 136 UN staff killed in Gaza, says Guterres

Guterres decries death toll of the Gaza conflict for UN staff

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has paid tribute to staff of the United Nations who have been killed in Gaza since October 7.

"136 of our colleagues in Gaza have been killed in 75 days —  something we have never seen in UN history," Guterres wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday, 23 November. "Most of our staff have been forced from their homes."

"I pay tribute to them & the thousands of aid workers risking their lives as they support civilians in Gaza," Guterres added.

"The way Israel is conducting this offensive is creating massive obstacles to the distribution of humanitarian aid inside Gaza," he wrote in another post.

"An effective aid operation in Gaza requires security; staff who can work in safety; logistical capacity; and the resumption of commercial activity," Guterres added.

The UN chief's comments came hours after the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding more aid for about 2 million people in Gaza.

Biden, Netanyahu discuss Israeli 'campaign' in Gaza, plight of civilians

US president Joe Biden and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu discussed "Israel's military campaign in Gaza, including its objectives and phasing," the White House said in a statement on Saturday.

Biden "emphasized the critical need to protect the civilian population including those supporting the humanitarian aid operation, and the importance of allowing civilians to move safely away from areas of ongoing fighting," the White House
statement continued. "The leaders discussed the importance of securing the release of all remaining hostages."

Biden told reporters in Washington that he had a "long talk" with Netanyahu and that it was a private conversation. "I did not ask for a cease-fire," he said, in response to a reporter's question.

Netanyahu thanked Biden for the United States' stand on the Security Council resolution that was approved Friday, the Israeli prime minister's office said.

The US negotiated for days to amend the language of the resolution and won the removal of a previous tougher call for an "urgent suspension of hostilities" between Israel and Hamas, an organization classified as one of terror by Israel, the US, Germany and the EU.

Netanyahu also "made clear that Israel will pursue the war until all of its objectives are fully met."

Top Iranian officer warns other sea routes could be blocked over Gaza

A senior Iranian officer has warned that international sea routes other than the Red Sea could be blocked in response to the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

A spokesperson for Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, speaking on behalf of the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said that "with the continuity of the crimes in the Gaza Strip," the United States and its allies should also expect the emergence of further resistance groups.

"They shall soon await the closure of the Mediterranean Sea, (the Strait of) Gibraltar and other waterways," the spokesman added.

Iran has no direct access to the Mediterranean itself, and it was not clear how the Guards could attempt to close it off.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have, over the past month, attacked merchant vessels sailing through the Red Sea in retaliation for Israel's assault on Gaza.

The attacks prompted many of the world's largest shipping lines to avoid the area and instead sail around the entire African continent.

Iran has denied US accusations of involvement in attacks by the Houthis.

On Friday, 22 December, US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson told CNN that newly declassified intelligence suggested Iran had been "deeply involved in planning the operations against commercial vessels in the Red Sea."

Death toll in Gaza rises to 20,258 — Hamas-led Health Ministry

The Health Ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip reports that at least 20,258 people have been killed since the start of the conflict with Israel.

According to the ministry, there had been at least 201 fatalities over the past 24 hours as of late Saturday, 23 December.

Gaza's Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilian and combatant casualties, though officials report that at least 70% of the people killed have been women and children. Israel sometimes questions the trustworthiness of the figures, given Hamas' influence over Gaza's Health Ministry, but, according to the United Nations and other observers, the figures have proved generally reliable.

Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the US, EU, Israel and other governments.

Hamas says contact lost with group in charge of 5 Israeli hostages

Hamas says it has lost contact with a group holding five Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip.

A spokesman for the armed wing of the Hamas said communications were interrupted following an Israeli airstrike on Gaza. He said Hamas believed that the hostages were killed during the attack.

It was initially impossible to independently verify the claim.

Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups in Gaza launched attacks on southern Israel on October 7. Israeli authorities say nearly 1,200 people, most of them civilians, were killed in the attacks and about 240 people were taken into Gaza as hostages.

During a temporary pause in fighting, 105 hostages were freed in exchange for about 240 Palestinians held by Israel.