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Israel is detaining civilians in Gaza

Palestinians check a house destroyed in the Israeli bombardment on Rafah, Gaza Strip, Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. (Fatima Shbair/AP)
Palestinians check a house destroyed in the Israeli bombardment on Rafah, Gaza Strip, Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. (Fatima Shbair/AP)

Israeli forces are detaining civilians in Gaza, some of whom have gone missing. Photos of detained Palestinians show them bound and nearly naked. The Israeli military says these detainments are necessary to find Hamas militants hiding in Gaza, but provided no evidence that those they’ve detained are fighters. There’s proof some in the photos are civilians or aid workers. Israel’s military says its troops continue to fight Hamas militants across Gaza.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is calling on Israel to do more to protect Palestinian civilians trying to shelter from the violence. Meanwhile, the head of the World Health Organization described Gaza’s health system as “on its knees” as the humanitarian crisis worsens and international aid groups find it difficult to distribute food and necessary aid.

The United Nations General Assembly scheduled an emergency meeting Tuesday to vote on a draft resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza after the U.S. vetoed a similar resolution at the UN Security Council meeting on Friday.

We get the latest from Washington Post reporter Miriam Berger.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.