Israel’s war on Gaza: List of key events, day 74

EXPLAINER

A new security force in the Red Sea is announced amid new round of ceasefire voting at the UNSC – here are major updates.

Here’s how things stand on Tuesday, December 19, 2023:

The latest developments

On Monday, United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a “multinational security initiative” to protect trade in the Red Sea after a series of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels forced several shipping companies to suspend operations. The US, United Kingdom and Bahrain are some of the countries in the 10-nation force.
Hamas posted a video to its Telegram channel on Monday of three captives pleading to Israel for their immediate release.
Iran claimed on Monday that the Israel-linked group Predatory Sparrow was behind a cyberattack that disrupted services at more than 70 percent of Iran’s petrol stations.
Israel’s chief rabbi David Lau has announced a special court to help women streamline divorce proceedings if they lost their husbands in the Gaza war, the Jerusalem Post reported on Tuesday.

At least 29 people have been killed after Israeli forces targeted residential buildings in Rafah in southern Gaza, previously declared a safe zone.
Following Israeli attacks on Nasser hospital in southern Gaza, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that the hospital’s “ability to function has deteriorated drastically since WHO’s last visit on 7 December”.
US Central Command reported two attacks on Red Sea vessels from Houthi-controlled areas on Monday. Swan Atlantic, a Cayman Islands-flagged tanker and M/V Clara, a cargo ship, were targeted.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces carried out an intense overnight raid in Nablus, firing stun grenades and tear gas, arresting two men from the town, and blowing up a multi-storey structure, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency and videos verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking unit, Sanad.

The United Nations Security Council member countries are expected to vote on Tuesday on a ceasefire draft resolution introduced by the United Arab Emirates.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the continuing Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in a call with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Monday, according to a White House readout. Saudi Arabia has fought the Houthis since 2015 on behalf of the Yemeni government.
The Israel-Gaza war will be on the agenda as UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron heads to France and Italy for meetings on Tuesday. A statement from his office said Cameron would reiterate his call for a “sustainable ceasefire” in Gaza, which has been ravaged by more than two months of Israeli bombardment. Nearly 19,000 people have been killed in the bombardment.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani criticised Israeli forces on Monday for allegedly shooting and killing people in a Christian compound in the Gaza Strip, reported Reuters.