Press Israel for a cease-fire?/ Biden and Netanyahu deny the allusions

2023-12-24 22:27:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The biblical birthplace of Jesus this year, unlike previous years, looks like a ghost town on Christmas Eve, as the celebrations in Bethlehem have been canceled due to the Israel-Hamas war. While Catholic clergy in the Vatican and Bethlehem have prayed for war-torn countries around the world, Israel's operations against Hamas have continued in full swing, while gunfire has also been reported on the border between Israel and Lebanon. The death toll is rising as the Israeli army has announced an increase in the number of its soldiers who have been killed during the fighting this weekend.

More than ten Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza over the weekend, the Israeli military announced on Sunday. The fighting in recent days has been among the fiercest since the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7.

In total, Israel says it has lost 154 since the start of the military response to Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

According to Hamas data, which has not been independently confirmed, more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed so far in Israel's airstrikes and ground operation.

Plumes of smoke were seen over the Gaza Strip on Sunday as Israel made efforts to take control of the northern part of the territory.

Thick smoke from the fighting covered the sky on the border between Israel and Lebanon on Sunday morning, while explosions could be heard from the Israeli side.

Iran-backed Hezbollah has been striking Israeli targets on the border since October 7, raising the risk of full involvement in the war by Hezbollah and other Iran-linked groups across the Middle East.

Israel says it has lost eight soldiers and four civilians in firefights with Hezbollah.

President Joe Biden and Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu have denied the article of the American newspaper "Wall Street Journal" that the American president has pressured Israel to accept the cease-fire in Gaza and not to attack Hezbollah, since there is a risk that the Lebanese militant group will carry out an attack similar to that of Hamas on October 7 against Israel.

"I had a long conversation with Netanyahu. It was a private conversation, but I didn't ask for a truce," President Biden told reporters as he left the White House for the Camp David presidential resort.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, during the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, also denied that President Biden pressed him for military operations.

"I spoke on Saturday night with President Biden. I have seen false publications claiming that the US is hindering us in field operations; This is not true. Israel is a sovereign state. Our decisions are based on our operational assessments. Our operation is not dictated by external pressures," Mr. Netanyahu said.

The White House has accused Tehran of being "deeply involved" in planning the Yemeni Houthi militant group's operations to join the Israel-Hamas war and supporting groups that attack US bases in the Middle East. But Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian denied Washington's accusations.

"At one point, the Americans asked us to advise Yemen not to act against the Americans and even against the Israeli regime. We told them that Yemen has decided for itself how they want to intervene in the Gaza issue. We have never ordered them to do anything, but we will also never order them to stop their attacks," the top Iranian diplomat said.

The fighting in the Middle East and the increasing number of victims have made Christmas this year without a festive atmosphere in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus.

Christians make up about 2% of the population across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, according to a campaign organized by church leaders in Jerusalem.

"It's a very sad Christmas with no festive atmosphere because we are at war. We are here to pray, not just for a truce. We must stop these hostilities. The message of Christmas is not violence, it is peace," says the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa.

On Sunday at the Vatican, Pope Francis prayed for people suffering from war.

"We stand by our brothers and sisters who suffer from war. We think about Palestine, Israel, Ukraine. We also think about those who suffer from misery, hunger, slavery", said Pope Francis.

Later in the evening, the Pope will celebrate the Christmas Mass in St. Peter's Basilica./ VOA