What has the Gaza truce achieved?
Welcome to Friday’s Early Edition from i.
A break in the war between Israel and Hamas has been more than welcome, but the stories emerging in what was an extended gap have been no less harrowing. While pictures of prisoners and hostages being reunited with their families have brought relief and hope, many of their stories have revealed painful details. The temporary ceasefire has been a chance to take stock too, of the staggering loss of life in Gaza and the horrors its citizens are still enduring. Despite negotiations continuing through the night, it was inevitable that at some point soon, conflict would resume. Israel has been clear: The war is not over. Now its military has declared the ceasefire over, blaming Hamas for violating the terms of the truce. Before the pause came into effect, Oxfam warned it was no more than “a band-aid that will be ripped off a bleeding wound after four days”. “There are no pauses long enough, or corridors wide enough, or other options to deliver aid creative enough, to alleviate the suffering of two million people,” the charity said. How much aid has been delivered, and could things be different in this second phase of the conflict? We’ll take a look, after the headlines.
Today’s news, and why it matters
A private jet flight from London to COP28 pollutes 10 times more carbon emissions per passenger than a commercial flight, according to experts, as the Government comes under fire for laying on separate planes for Rishi Sunak, David Cameron, and the King. Researchers at University College London found that the polluting effects of private jet travel to the summit in Dubai is “disproportionately high” – with each passenger’s emissions almost equal to the average Briton’s entire annual carbon footprint.
Labour supporters are overwhelmingly pro-EU and want to see Sir Keir Starmer become more positive about Europe if he becomes Prime Minister, Britain’s top polling expert has warned. Sir John Curtice claimed it was a “myth” that voters are not interested in a future referendum on whether to reverse Brexit.
Piers Morgan could have left himself open to a defamation lawsuit after naming the two senior members of the Royal Family who allegedly questioned Prince Archie’s skin colour, a lawyer has told i. The presenter’s controversial remarks came after the Dutch translation of the book royal author Omid Scobie’s book Endgame named two royals said to have been behind racist comments, before the book was removed from book shelves in the Netherlands on Tuesday evening.
Matt Hancock returned to the Covid inquiry on Thursday to defend his decisions as health secretary at the outbreak of the pandemic. He denied claims made by senior officials to the inquiry over the past few weeks that decision-making during the crisis was thwarted by his repeated lying. Here’s five things we learned.
The Government has dealt a blow to an Abu Dhabi-backed bid to buy the Telegraph after the Culture Secretary announced she would intervene to scrutinise the sale. Lucy Frazer, said she has triggered a Public Interest Intervention Notice (PIIN) following concerns over the Telegraph and The Spectator magazine being purchased by what is essentially a foreign power.
The co-authors of the 2019 Tory manifesto said the state pension triple lock should be scrapped – but warned both Labour and the Conservatives are too concerned about the electoral damage to do so. Rachel Wolf and Robert Colvile, who helped to write Boris Johnson’s landslide-winning manifesto, said the Tories should not maintain the triple lock pension pledge into the next election.
Three questions on the Gaza truce:
How much aid has entered Gaza? Roughly 150 trucks of humanitarian aid have entered the enclave a day since the truce began, according to reports from inside. Al Jazeera reported on Tuesday that 750 trucks had crossed the Rafah border since last Friday. On Wednesday, another 200 humanitarian aid trucks were allowed into the Gaza Strip, and an additional eight containers of fuel. UN agency OCHA said there were life-saving medicines and surgical supplies delivered to two hospitals in Gaza City, Al Ahli and Al Sahaba, which would meet the urgent health needs of 100 patients at each. More fuel and 56 trucks of humanitarian supplies entered Gaza yesterday. But the UN has warned the level of aid and fuel being transported in is not enough. This week Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council said: “The level of aid to Palestinians in Gaza remains completely inadequate to meet the huge needs of more than 2 million people. And although the total volume of fuel allowed into Gaza has also increased, it remains utterly insufficient to sustain basic operations.” OCHA also added despite the pause “there has been almost no improvement in access to water for residents in the north”. The World Health Organization has warned disease could eventually kill more people than bombs, with diarrhoea and respiratory infections widespread among children in overcrowded UN facilities. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) told Al Jazeera that the region would require 200 trucks of aid daily over a period of two months to meet the population’s basic needs.
How many hostages and prisoners? Since the truce began last Friday, 105 hostages and 240 Palestinian prisoners have been released. There are believed to be 143 hostages remaining in Gaza, including 132 Israelis and 11 foreign nationals. Of those, it’s unclear how many are men – the truce deal prioritised women and children – and how many serve in the IDF, which Hamas are unlikely to want to release. Among the hostages released last night were six women aged 21 to 40 including one Mexican-Israeli dual national and 21-year-old Mia Schem, who holds both French and Israeli citizenship. A number of dual nationals and young children have been among those released. Emily Hand, an Irish-Israeli girl who turned nine while in captivity was freed early on in the truce. Many of the Palestinian prisoners released are women and teenage boys. Among those released so far have been Marwat al-Azza, a freelance journalist who had previously worked with NBC and a 14-year-old boy who had been arrested on charges of throwing stones in East Jerusalem. Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi, who made global headlines in 2017 for slapping an Israeli soldier, was also freed.
Has it gone anywhere to achieving longer lasting peace? As talks at extending the truce continued into the early hours of Friday morning, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israel – where he is visiting – to urge “more effective steps” to protect civilian life in Gaza. Blinken, who also agreed aid into Gaza was insufficient, said he told Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel cannot repeat in south Gaza the massive civilian casualties and displacement of residents it inflicted in the north. “We discussed the details of Israel’s ongoing planning and I underscored the imperative for the United States that the massive loss of civilian life and displacement of the scale that we saw in northern Gaza not be repeated in the south,” Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv. “And the Israeli Government agreed with that approach,” he said. This would include concrete measures to avoid damaging critical infrastructure such as hospitals and water facilities and clearly designating safe zones, he said. Today it will be seen whether Israel sticks to that approach, and it’s still unclear whether broader moves for a longer deal have been scrapped completely. However, earlier this week, Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant said the “strength will be greater” when the IDF resumes operations “throughout the entire strip”. “We will use the same amount of power and more,” he said. Yaakov Amidror, a former IDF general and national security adviser to Mr Netanyahu, told i: “The sentiment in Israel is very clear and strong to resume the war and to extend it. There will be more forces in more areas.” Read that story here. And regardless of what develops this week, people in Gaza could be at risk of “death and injury” from landmines for decades after the conflict ends, experts have warned. The Mines Advisory Group warned that demining the area would require “almost unprecedented” efforts and cost tens of millions of pounds. Read that story, here.
Around the world
Project 2025: The disturbing plans for a Trump second term. A new vision for the next Republican government gives hints of what we can expect from Trump 2.0 – and it is frightening, writes Michael Day.
Japan has asked the US military to ground its Osprey hybrid planes after Wednesday’s deadly crash. One crew member has been confirmed dead from the crash off Yakushima island. The search for six others continues.
Amsterdam is set to ramp up its attempt to drive away tourists, especially those from Britain. New advertising rolled out early next year will attempt to repel tourists seeking “sensation and vulgar entertainment” in the city’s cannabis cafés or red light district, after it was deemed that the current “stay away” campaign has largely failed to keep loutish Brits out.
A Paraguayan government official has been replaced after it was revealed that he signed an agreement with a fictional country. Arnaldo Chamorro signed a “proclamation” with representatives of the United States of Kailasa, led by a self-styled Indian guru, who is also a fugitive.
Watch out for…
a ‘call to arms’ over climate change, as King Charles delivers an address to the COP28 summit.
Thoughts for the day
Matt Hancock’s hopes of restoring his reputation lie in tatters. Asked at the Covid Inquiry why so many witnesses had called him a liar, the best Hancock could manage was that nobody had said that to him at the time, writes Henry Hill.
Why climate deniers are wrong about the snow. Let me take a moment to remind everyone – weather is not climate, explains James Dyke.
I’m A Celebrity needs to be taken off air. After first Grace Dent and now Jamie Lynn Spears left the show on ‘medical grounds’, it is time the cruel, unethical ITV reality show was banished for good, argues Nick Duerden.
Culture Break
RIP Shane MacGowan, a poet, a genius and a feral force. The former Pogues frontman and creator of Britain’s favourite Christmas song was fractious, funny, generous, rude, curious, charming, erudite… and always very, very drunk, writes Helen Brown.
The Big Read
Meet the Rolex hunters thwarting violent thieves who snatch £150k watches. London, along with other European capitals and tourist hotspots, is experiencing an epidemic of watch theft.
Sport
Owen Farrell may never play for England again – and who can blame him? Farrell is not immune to criticism but has every right to put his family first, writes Hugh Godwin.
Something to brighten your day
How to actually have a stress-free December. If you feel as though the festive season is one mad juggling act, here are 32 ways to simplify your life right now.
