Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-12-12 at 23:07 cover art

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-12-12 at 23:07

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-12-12 at 23:07

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 HEADLINESGvili burial leads to ceasefire progressUS debates intelligence sharing in Gaza stabilizationAden hosts Saudi-Emirati bid to defuse tensionsThe time is now 6:00 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.Good evening. This is the six o’clock update with a focus on security, diplomacy, and human stories shaping the region, and with attention to how American policy lines intersect with Israeli security concerns and regional diplomacy.Israel has told mediators that Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives with direct knowledge of the burial site of Ran Gvili may be able to shed light on his location. Reports indicate that names and detailed maps tied to potential burial areas were shared with the mediators, in an effort to advance the return of the body of the police officer who was killed in Gaza during the Hamas‑led attack in 2023. Israeli officials have warned that any progress toward the next phase of the ceasefire depends on securing reliable leads to locate Gvili, and they have signaled that discussions with mediators will continue until such a breakthrough is achieved. The exchange underscores the central position of hostages and missing persons in the current ceasefire talks and in the broader security arrangements for Gaza.In Washington, officials remained unusually candid about the tools and limits of intelligence sharing with Israel during the Gaza war. In late 2024, the United States briefly paused a live drone feed from Gaza that had been shared with Israeli forces, amid concerns over potential international law violations. Though the pause was later described as limited, it highlighted enduring disagreements within the alliance about how intelligence is used in operations and legal commitments in Gaza. US officials have since urged that the sharing be wound back to a stable baseline, while acknowledging the ongoing need for tactical information to support hostage retrieval efforts and civilian protection.Beyond intelligence debates, the United States is quietly signaling plans for phase two in Gaza. US officials have discussed the possible deployment of an international stabilization force in Gaza as early as next month, focusing on areas under Israeli control. The aim, according to sources familiar with the discussions, is to help stabilize the security situation, facilitate humanitarian access, and support the political transition in Gaza while avoiding a renewed clash with Hamas. American officials have stressed that any effort to stabilize the enclave would be conducted in concert with regional partners and with strict mandates intended to prevent a resurgence of violence, including disarmament and demilitarization provisions that would need to be addressed in the broader ceasefire framework.In southern Yemen, a joint Saudi‑Emirati delegation arrived in Aden to defuse tensions after the Southern Transitional Council asserted broad control across much of the south, including Hadhramaut and Mahra. The delegation’s discussions, centered in Aden, are aimed at rectifying unilateral actions and ensuring a clear path back to a unified government structure. The talks come against a backdrop of longstanding frictions between the UAE‑backed STC and other factions in Yemen, and they are part of broader regional efforts to stabilize the south and reduce external pressure on the internationally recognized government seated in Riyadh. Officials say the discussions will address the withdrawal of foreign forces from areas outside the agreed eastern provinces and seek to prevent any relapse into open conflict that could derail diplomacy and humanitarian relief.From Beirut, Lebanese officials underscored the ongoing concern about Israel’s potential actions against Hezbollah. Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji warned that Israel has received signals of a possible wide‑scale operation against the Iran‑backed group, and he urged diplomacy to avert escalation and to press for Hezbollah’s disarmament. He described Iran’s regional behavior as destabilizing and called for a resumption of an armistice framework with Israel that would avoid renewed fighting. The Lebanese government says it remains open to dialogue with Iran as long as Tehran halts funding and interference in Lebanon, and it continues to seek a path that would prevent a return to wide‑scale conflict along the border. The ceasefire terms, including disarmament and deployment of security forces, have not yet been fully realized, and the topic remains a central point of regional diplomacy.Turning to human rights and human stories, Iran announced the release of Goli Kouhkan, a woman who had faced a death sentence linked to a killing believed to have occurred in the context of domestic violence and forced marriage. Rights groups welcomed the ruling that reduced the punishment after the payment of blood money, though they noted the broader pattern of violence against women in Iran and the ...
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