WORLD BRIEFING: December 10, 2023
Israel - Hamas War
Dozens of Hamas terrorists lost contact with the terror group's leadership, leaving them with no option but to lay down their weapons and surrender to Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, Army Radio reported on Sunday morning. After images of stripped terrorists in Jabalya and Khan Yunis circulated on social media, reports emerged that the IDF is "identifying changes in Hamas leadership's conduct." A security source told Army Radio that Hamas's senior leaders, thought to have fled to Khan Yunis in Gaza's south, "prefer their personal survival over the survival of Hamas's command and control operations” - Jerusalem Post
Israel has ordered civilians to flee the centre of Khan Younis - with an official saying he doesn't want civilians caught up in the "difficult fighting" there. A witness has spoken of “terror and fear” in the heart of Gaza's southern city, amid constant shelling and fierce battles. The Israeli military chief earlier told his soldiers to "press harder" in their fight against Hamas, saying there were signs Israel's enemy was disintegrating. Footage has appeared to show people surrendering to Israeli soldiers in northern Gaza - but two versions of the same scene have raised questions over its authenticity - BBC
The US has blocked a United Arab Emirates resolution at a UN Security Council meeting demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all hostages.
Hamas officials in Gaza say Israel has killed more than 17,700 people in its retaliatory campaign, including more than 7,000 children. The UN boss and Qatar - which has been acting as a mediator - have today vowed to keep up efforts to pressurise both sides into a lasting ceasefire
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Western countries of a two-faced attitude to Hamas - his enemy in Gaza. “You cannot on the one hand support the elimination of Hamas and on other pressure us to end the war, which would prevent the elimination of Hamas," he said while briefing his cabinet today. Netanyahu told his colleagues that he said as much to the leaders of France, Germany and "other leaders". His comments came two days after 13 members of UN Security Council supported a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. The US vetoed the move, while the UK abstained on its vote - BBC
Ukraine War
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has made a stopover visit to Cape Verde on his way to Argentina, where he is due to attend the inauguration of new Argentinian President Javier Milei, his first trip to Latin America and his latest bid to shore up support in the Global South for Kyiv in its 21-month-old war against Russia. Zelensky met on December 9 with Cape Verde Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva in what he later called in a social-media post the "first meeting of leaders in the history of our bilateral relations." - RFE/RL
Russian forces have made gains in eastern Ukraine as part of its offensives on multiple fronts, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), whose maps show the current situation in the war. The Washington D.C.-based think tank said in a December 9 report that Russian troops had "likely committed to" offensive operations in an effort to seize and control the initiative ahead of the Russian presidential elections in March 2024 - Newsweek
Ukrainian media speculated this week that Zelenskiy could meet with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in a bid to resolve differences over Ukraine's bid for European Union membership. Earlier this week it was reported that Orban had written European Council President Charles Michel to demand that Ukraine's membership be taken off the agenda at an EU summit next week. That summit in Brussels will decide on whether to start talks with Ukraine and neighboring Moldova -- as recommended by the EU Executive Commission -- on their bids to join the 27-member bloc. EU leaders will also decide on the release of 50 billion euros ($55 billion) in aid for Ukraine. Orban is considered one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest allies in Europe, and his nationalist government has argued against EU sanctions on Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine - RFE/RL
Hungarian freight carriers starting on Dec. 11 will begin an official demonstration and block the Zahony-Chop checkpoint on the border with Ukraine, local media reported citing the Association of Hungarian Road Carriers. Truckers from Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia argue they are being unfairly treated by existing EU policies because their Ukrainian counterparts do not have to purchase expensive permits. Prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian drivers had to apply for permits to enter EU countries. But Brussels suspended transport permits last year until June 2024 as part of the Solidarity Lanes Initiative to help Ukraine’s struggling export industry after Russia blocked Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. The protesters are demanding the EU reinstate permits for Ukrainian drivers. Recent protests by Polish farmers earlier this year forced Brussels to impose a temporary ban on the import of Ukrainian agricultural goods - Kyiv Independent
Elsewhere
The Philippines and China traded accusations on Sunday over a collision of their vessels near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea as tensions over claims in the vital waterway escalate. The Philippine coast guard accused China of firing water cannons and ramming resupply vessels and a coast guard ship, causing "serious engine damage" to one, while China's coast guard said the Philippine vessel intentionally rammed its ship - Reuters
Three Hong Kong pro-democracy activists were arrested on Sunday, just before voting began in a "patriots only" district election that has marginalised formerly popular opposition figures in the city amid a national security clampdown. The pro-China government has been seeking to boost turnout, as some observers see large numbers spurning the polls, in contrast to the last council elections in 2019, during Hong Kong's mass pro-democracy protests, which drew a record 71% turnout and a landslide victory for the democratic camp - Reuters
The University of Pennsylvania’s president has resigned amid pressure from donors and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing where she was unable to say under repeated questioning that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy. The chairman of the Ivy League school’s board of trustees, Scott Bok, also resigned immediately during a trustees meeting Saturday evening, just hours after Bok announced Liz Magill’s departure as president in just her second year - AP