Day 69 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Thursday, Dec. 14

The White House says that US national security advisor Jake Sullivan expressed a “consistent” message of support for Israel’s war on Hamas, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told President Joe Biden the United States has a “historic responsibility” to ensure a cease-fire.

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):

Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023

11:00 pm: Israeli military recovers body of hostage in Gaza 

IDF forces in Gaza have recovered the body of Israeli-French hostage Elia Toledano, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said. Toledano was taken captive by Hamas on Oct. 7 at the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im.

7:01 pm: Maersk says container ship targeted by Houthi missile, not hit

Danish shipping giant Maersk denied a claim by the Yemeni Houthis that the Iran-backed militia had carried out a drone strike on one of its vessels headed toward Israel. 

Earlier in the day, the Houthis had said a drone strike had hit the Maersk Gibraltar, which was traveling from the port of Salahah in Oman to Jeddah.

“The vessel was not hit,” a Maersk spokesperson told Reuters.

2:05 pm: White House says Sullivan delivered message that ‘US will continue to support Israel’

Commenting on US national security adviser Jake Sullivan’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier today, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the White House stressed ongoing US support for Israel’s fight against Hamas.

“His message was consistent: The United States will continue to support Israel and its fight against Hamas,” Kirby told reporters.

Kirby noted that Sullivan had told Netanyahu that Washington supports another pause in fighting to allow more hostages to be released.

9:05 am: Sullivan meets with Netanyahu, Gallant in Israel

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan met in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and later with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Israel’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, and US special envoy Brett McGurk also participated in Sullivan’s meeting with Netanyahu. Ynet cited Gallant as telling Sullivan, "To dismantle an organization that was built for years only for terrorist purposes and to liberate Gaza from Hamas, more than a few months are needed. It will be a long war, which we will win at the end.” Sullivan is also expected to meet with Minister Benny Gantz and the rest of Israel’s war cabinet as well as with President Isaac Herzog.

7:13 am: Israeli parliament approves budget expansion to cover war expenses

The Knesset approved expanding the 2023 state budget (valid through Dec. 31, 2023) by $7 billion to cover the cost of the war in Gaza. The extra funding is earmarked for defense, health care and firefighting systems, salaries of reserve soldiers and compensation for relocated families as well as for the ministry responsible for West Bank settlements. The move passed in a vote of 58-48.

5:30 am: Top White House aide lands in Israel amid widening rift with Washington

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan has landed in Israel, where he is set to meet with top Israeli officials over the next two days, Israel's Army Radio reported. Sullivan is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid a widening rift between Israel and the United States over mounting civilian casualties in Gaza. Sullivan flew in from Saudi Arabia, where he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday. The two discussed efforts to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza and ways to establish a sustainable peace in the region, according to a White House statement.

5:07 am: UK bans entry to violent West Bank settlers

Britain has announced a ban on Israeli settlers behind violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, following a similar plan by the European Union and the United States.

“We are banning those responsible for settler violence from entering the UK to make sure our country cannot be a home for people who commit these intimidating acts,” British Foreign Secretary David Cameron wrote on the X platform.

Cameron further called on Israel to “take stronger action to stop settler violence” that is threatening the security of both Palestinians and Israelis.

There has been an uptick in Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza war erupted Oct. 7, accompanied by almost daily Israeli raids in the territory. According to the United Nations, at least 271 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since Oct. 7.

4:37 am: Hezbollah fighter killed in cross-border fire with Israel

Lebanese Hezbollah said one of its fighters was killed by Israeli shelling of southern Lebanon as cross-border exchanges of fire continue unabated. The Israeli military said it had struck a number of Hezbollah sites in response to a projectile fired from Lebanese territory toward Shumira in the north. The Iran-backed group had earlier claimed an attack against a group of soldiers near the Shumira military barracks. At least 120 people, mostly Hezbollah fighters, have been killed on the Lebanese side of the border since skirmishes erupted Oct. 7. Israel has said that six soldiers and four civilians have been killed in its border area.

3:01 am: Death toll in Jenin raid rises to 11

At least three Palestinians were killed in an Israeli military raid in the West Bank city of Jenin and the refugee camp there, according to the Ramallah-based Ministry of Health. The latest casualties bring the number of Palestinians killed to 11 since the raid began on Tuesday, some of them in drone strikes. The Israeli military says it has detained hundreds of Palestinians involved in terror activities and has seized weapons during the operation in Jenin.

3:00 am: Power outage reported in southern Lebanon after Israeli strikes

Israeli artillery shelling in southern Lebanon damaged an electricity network, resulting in a power outage in the southern town of Taybeh, the official National News Agency said. The Israeli military continues to pound several areas in the south, including in Alma al-Shaab, Naqoura and al-Khiyam. The Israel-Lebanon border has been the site of intense exchanges of fire between the Israeli army and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement since Israel's war with Hamas erupted Oct. 7.

12:10 am: Top Hamas official floats Israel recognition

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor's Elizabeth Hagedorn, senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk suggested the militant group would adhere to the Palestine Liberation Organization's stance on Israel.

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