After the latest attempt, which failed due to the veto imposed by the United States, today, Monday 18 December, the United Nations Security Council is meeting again in an attempt to pass a resolution imposing an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in the Gaza Strip. The text calls for an end to hostilities "in an urgent and lasting manner". This in order to ensure "unimpeded access to humanitarian aid".

All eyes on Washington's position at the Security Council

The situation of the Palestinian civilian population is, indeed, increasingly dire. The humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières is now speaking of a collapsed healthcare system. The death toll has now reached 18,800 fatalities, the majority of them civilians, including more than five thousand minors, according to figures released by Gaza's Health Ministry. Three Israeli hostages were also killed "by mistake" by the Tel Aviv military.

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It is difficult to say, however, what Washington's position at the United Nations will be. It is known that American diplomacy has partially distanced itself from its staunch Israeli ally. President Joe Biden issued a warning to Tel Aviv in recent days, explaining that the response to Hamas's 7 October attacks is so brutal that Israel risks losing the support of the international community.

"Domicide" in Gaza: collateral damage or deliberate strategy?

The Jewish state has also been accused of having planned a very specific strategy, referred to by the term "domicide": the deliberate destruction of a large part of the buildings in a territory. Precisely what Tel Aviv has done in the Gaza Strip. And the question being asked is whether this amounts to "merely" collateral damage, or whether the choice reflects a deliberate tactic: making uninhabitable the strip of land that separates Jordan from the sea. According to an analysis by the Guardian, however, international law does not yet regard "domicide" as a crime against humanity.

Meanwhile, the Israeli ground invasion continues. The army announced on Sunday 17 December that it had discovered what it described as "the largest Hamas tunnel", stretching four kilometres in length, including various branches. According to an estimate made by the American Institute Modern War, there could be approximately 1,300 tunnels in the Strip, extending for 500 kilometres. These are, however, hypotheses that cannot for now be verified on the ground.

New airstrikes on hospitals, "collapsed healthcare system"

The bombardments, meanwhile, continue unrelentingly. On Sunday, 110 Palestinians were killed near Jabalya, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian sources. The situation in hospitals is simply catastrophic: at the al-Shifa facility, the largest in Gaza City, the World Health Organisation reports "a bloodbath", with hundreds of wounded patients arriving "every minute". The WHO itself expressed its "dismay" following the destruction of Kamal Adwan hospital, which also caused the deaths of eight patients. Casualties were also recorded in the city of Deir al-Balah, in the centre of the Strip.

A raid also killed an officer from the French Foreign Ministry, who was present near the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt. Paris called for "light to be shed" on the incident "as quickly as possible".

Pope Francis condemns an Israeli attack on a parish

In the face of this situation, Pope Francis reiterated the need to find the path to peace as soon as possible. The pontiff condemned the attack carried out by Israeli snipers on a Catholic church in Gaza, in which two women were killed. "In the parish of the Holy Family there are no terrorists, but families, children, sick people, people with disabilities and religious", Bergoglio denounced.