WORLD BRIEFING: December 1, 2023
Israel - Hamas War
Israel resumed fighting in Gaza minutes after a temporary ceasefire deal ended, and accused Hamas of having violated the truce. Hamas blames Israel, saying it declined offers to free more hostages. Mediator Qatar said Friday that efforts are ongoing to renew an Israel-Hamas ceasefire and expressed “deep regret” over the resumption of Israeli bombardments. More than 100 hostages were freed during the seven-day truce, most of whom appear physically well but shaken. Israel says around 125 men are still held hostage. The 240 Palestinians released under the ceasefire were mostly teenagers accused of throwing stones and firebombs during confrontations with Israeli forces. The deal that began Nov. 24 ended after a week and multiple extensions, despite international pressure for the truce to continue as long as possible. Weeks of Israeli bombardment and a ground campaign have left more than three-quarters of Gaza's 2.3 million residents uprooted, leading to a humanitarian crisis - AP
Ukraine War
Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets confirmed media reports revealing that a Russian lawmaker's family had illegally adopted a Ukrainian child abducted from a children's home in Kherson and changed her identity - Kyiv Independent
Ukrainian and Polish government officials met on December 1 in Warsaw to try to find ways to end a weekslong protest by Polish truckers who want the European Union to reintroduce entry permits for their Ukrainian competitors heading for EU countries - RFE/RL
Elsewhere
The United Nations’ top court has warned Venezuela to stop any action that would alter Guyana’s control over a disputed territory, days ahead of a planned referendum over the territory. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday told the Latin American country to “refrain from taking any action which would modify that situation that currently prevails” in the Essequibo region that makes up some two-thirds of Guyana. The court did not specifically ban Venezuela from holding the referendum over the oil-rich territory, as Guyana had requested.