December 26, 2023 Israel-Hamas war

Our live coverage of Israel's war against Hamas has moved here.

An hours-long meeting between senior Biden administration officials and a close confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the next phase of the Israel-Hamas conflict wrapped on Tuesday evening. 

Ron Dermer, a member of Israel’s war cabinet and a former ambassador to the United States, departed the White House after more than four hours following a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

A White House official told CNN the discussions included:

US officials have looked for Israel to move away from the high intensity war it has waged for nearly three months in Gaza that has resulted in more than 20,000 people killed.

The White House told reporters last week that Israel had assured the US it would transition to operations of lower intensity, although the administration would not put a specific timeline on the move.

Some context: A senior Israeli official told CNN on Tuesday that while there are differences between the US and Israel over Israel's war with Hamas, both countries want to see the end of the militant group.

“We can have different discussions on this tactical issue or that tactical issue. We listen very attentively to whatever Washington says, and I believe they listen very carefully to whatever we say to them,” said Mark Regev, a senior adviser to Netanyahu. “But ultimately, we’re on the same side of this. We want to see Hamas destroyed.” 

The United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons said Israel is “working to expel” the civilian population of Gaza. 

“Israel is seeking to permanently alter the composition of Gaza’s population with ever-expanding evacuation orders and widespread and systematic attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructures” in southern Gaza, Paula Gaviria Betancur said Friday, according to a news release from the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR).  

Betancur said Israel reneged on its promises of safety in southern Gaza through its evacuation orders urging Palestinians to evacuate from northern to southern part of the enclave, according to the release. 

People now have been forcibly displaced again along with the population of southern Gaza, Betancur stated. Since October 7 when the conflict began, 85% percent of Gaza’s population has been internally displaced, the release said. 

Israeli government spokesperson, Eylon Levy, responded to the UN report on his official X platform, asserting that Israel had designated the Al-Muwasi area as a humanitarian zone prior to the ground offensive, urging Gazan civilians to temporarily evacuate there for their safety. 

He criticized the UN's failure to condemn Hamas for launching rockets at Israeli communities from within the humanitarian zone, emphasizing the imperative to protect civilians from Hamas. Levy added that those promoting the mass displacement of Gazans were individuals falsely labeling them as "refugees" and supporting violent struggle over peaceful coexistence with Israel.

According to the OHCHR, the special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons is an independent human rights expert appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Israel’s defense minister Yoav Gallant said the country is in a “multi-arena war,” with it being attacked from multiple different sectors. He warned of a long fight ahead, while also saying that anyone who acts against Israel is "a potential target."

Gallant's comments in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the Israeli parliament follow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks Monday that the war is far from over, after the Israeli leader visited Gaza for the second time since October 7.

Meanwhile on the diplomatic front, a close confidant of Netanyahu is meeting with US Secretary of State Tony Blinken and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan Tuesday as the White House has looked for Israel to move away from the high intensity war it has waged in Gaza. A senior Israeli official told CNN that while there are differences between the US and Israel over the war, both countries want to see the end of Hamas.

Here are other key developments you should know:

The terminally ill mother of a kidnapped Israeli woman wrote a letter to US President Joe Biden on Sunday pleading for his help to secure the release of her daughter. 

In the letter, Liora Argamani said that, before she dies of brain cancer, she wants to see her daughter, Noa Argamani — who was abducted at the Nova music festival on October 7. 

“I am terminally ill with Stage 4 brain cancer. All that’s running through my mind before I part ways with my family forever is the chance to hug my daughter, my only child, one last time,” Argamani wrote.

Argamani said that she was “devastated” by her daughter’s situation. 

Argamani wrote that Biden has been “instrumental” in bringing some of Israeli hostages home to their families. 

“It’s Christmas now, and I would like to request from you, Mr. President, as a present, to see my daughter again before I leave this world,” Argamani said, noting that she is aware “how important family is” for Biden personally, and what an “incredible bond” he has with his children. 

“My daughter Noa is a contagiously happy and resilient young woman. She loves to dance, loves music, loves being with her friends and family. She deserves to be back where she belongs, pursuing her dreams, surrounded by love and care. She deserves to see her mother alive one last time,” Argamani said. 

The Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, engaged in discussions with US President Joe Biden in a phone call Tuesday to assess the ongoing developments in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories, Qatari state news agency QNA reported.

According to the statement, the leaders emphasized the significance of joint mediation efforts “to calm the situation and reach a permanent ceasefire.”

The White House noted in a readout of the call that the leaders spoke about efforts to “secure the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas."

“The two leaders discussed the urgent effort to secure the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, including American citizens. The leaders also discussed the ongoing efforts to facilitate increased and sustained flows of life-saving access to humanitarian aid into Gaza,” the readout said.

This post has been updated with the White House readout on the call.

Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad rejected a plan proposed by Egypt to end the war in the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported on Monday, citing two Egyptian security sources.

Two officials from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad denied the information the Egyptian sources provided, Reuters reported. 

Egypt’s proposal would see the release of all Israeli hostages and Palestinians prisoners and, ultimately, the relinquishment of Hamas’ power and "the establishment of a technocratic government in Gaza," CNN political and foreign policy analyst Barak Ravid reported. 

CNN has not independently obtained a copy of the plan.

Reuters reported that Egyptian sources said that Hamas and Islamic Jihad "rejected offering any concessions beyond the possible release of more hostages seized on Oct. 7."

Izzat Al-Rishq, member of Hamas political bureau, said in a statement that Hamas did not have information about the Reuters report. 

"Hamas leadership seeks a permanent cessation to the aggression and massacres against our people. Our people want to see this aggression completely halted, and do not want to wait for a temporary or partial truce for a short period, after which the aggression and terrorism might fatally continue," Al-Rishq’s statement continued. 

CNN has reached out to Egyptian officials for comment on the reported plan.

Netherlands Deputy Prime Minister Sigrid Kaag will resign from her post to become the United Nations’ new special humanitarian coordinator for Gaza, Kaag said in a statement on X.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced earlier on Tuesday Kaag's appointment as senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, according to a statement.

The appointment comes after the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2720 last Friday on the ongoing crisis in Gaza, with 13 voting in favor and the US and Russia abstaining following days of marathon talks.

The resolution among other things calls for immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale directly to Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip.

The resolution also created Kaag’s new role, calling for the appointment of a senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator responsible for “facilitating, coordinating, monitoring, and verifying” humanitarian relief in Gaza.

It also calls for the creation of a UN mechanism to accelerate the movement of aid, which so far has been far from sufficient for the enclave’s population of over two million. 

Kaag will be responsible for establishing this mechanism with the support of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), according to the UN statement.

Kaag is due to begin her assignment on January 8, 2024.

More on the official: Kaag has held multiple high-level governmental and international roles. She served as Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands, as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and was also the first female Minister of Finance in the Dutch government among other roles, the UN statement says.

Communications and internet services in the Gaza Strip are fully down, three Palestinian internet providers announced on Tuesday in statements posted on their social media accounts.

Internet monitoring site Netblocks told CNN on Wednesday that the network data indicated a new collapse in connectivity in the Gaza Strip.

"Our telemetry confirms a new disruption in connectivity in the Gaza Strip — today's incident is consistent with previous internet and telecoms blackouts and, as in past incidents, is likely to leave most residents offline. Even when there's some connectivity, service remains significantly below pre-conflict levels," Netblocks told CNN in a written statement.