Day 65 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Sunday, Dec. 10

Fighting intensified over the weekend as the humanitarian situation continued to worsen and the nephew of former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot was killed in Gaza.

Rina Bassist, Ezgi Akin, Beatrice Farhat, Elizabeth Hagedorn, Adam Lucente, Jack Dutton, Jared Szuba and Al-Monitor’s contributors on the ground in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel contributed to this blog.

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Live updates (all times EDT):

Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023

8:27 pm: 11 killed in Israeli bombardment of Rafah, Nuseirat

At least six Palestinians, mostly children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit a house in the neighborhood of al-Sultan in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, according to the WAFA news agency. In the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, Israeli airstrikes left five people dead, including three children. The Israeli army is pressing on with its offensive across the Gaza Strip despite pleas by UN and rights organizations to end the fighting and allow much-needed humanitarian aid into the enclave.

4:56 pm: Syrian army says Israeli missiles intercepted near Damascus

The Syrian army said its air defenses shot down several Israeli missiles fired from the Golan Heights in the vicinity of the capital, Damascus. The army did not specify the targets, but said some missiles caused material damage. For its part, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a vast network of sources on the ground, said suspected Israeli missiles struck sites in the areas of Sayyeda Zeinab and Damascus airport, where Lebanese Hezbollah and Iranian militias are believed to be located.

11:00 am: Cyprus arrests two Iranians suspected of plotting against Israelis

Cypriot authorities arrested last month two Iranians suspected of plotting to target Israelis, said a statement issued on Sunday by the Israeli prime minister’s office. The statement added that the plot was uncovered and thwarted by Cypriot security agencies in cooperation with the Israeli Mossad. Israeli Channel 12 reported that the target of the alleged plot was an Israeli businessman who lives on the island.

9:50 am: 6 Israeli soldiers wounded by Hezbollah drone attack in western Galilee

Six Israeli soldiers were wounded by shrapnel and smoke inhalation in a Hezbollah drone attack on an Israeli military base in the western Galilee region, said IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari. He also said that two of the drones launched from Lebanon were shot down by Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack.

7:00 am: Netanyahu, Putin discuss Gaza war

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war against Hamas and the situation in the region, according to Netanyahu's office. It also said that the Israeli premier "expressed his dissatisfaction with the positions expressed against Israel by Russian representatives at the UN and in other forums," adding that Netanyahu "expressed sharp criticism of the dangerous cooperation between Russia and Iran." Still, the statement added that Netanyahu thanked Putin for his efforts to release an Israeli-Russian dual national held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

4:20 am: French warship intercepts drones fired from Yemen

A French warship shot down two drones launched from Houthi-held territory in Yemen over the Red Sea. The French Defense Ministry said the multipurpose frigate Languedoc intercepted the drones on Saturday. The Iran-backed Houthis had threatened on Saturday to attack any ship linked to or doing business with Israel in the Red Sea if no humanitarian aid is allowed into the Gaza Strip, where Israel is pressing on with its offensive.

3:15 am: Israeli bombing 'narrowing window' on hostages, Qatari PM says

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said there is “still an opening” to secure the release of the more than 130 hostages who remain in Gaza.

However, Israel’s bombardment of the Palestinian enclave is “narrowing the window,” Al Thani said at the Doha Forum. “The only way forward for this to end is through the negotiation table.”

2:30 am: War has 'irreversible' consequences for Palestinians, Guterres warns

Speaking at the Doha Forum, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the “fast-deteriorating humanitarian catastrophe” has “irreversible implications for the Palestinians” and the region as a whole.

Guterres spoke two days after the United States exercised its veto on the UN Security Council to block an Emirati-drafted resolution calling for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“Regrettably, the Security Council failed,” Guterres said, adding, “I can promise I will not give up.”

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