On December 8, Mahmoud Abbas announced that he called on the international community to convene a peace conference to end the conflict in Gaza and stressed the need for a lasting solution to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
At the same time, the draft resolution of the UN Security Council on the Palestinian-Israeli situation was not adopted because of the opposition of the United States.
In terms of the conflict, Israeli forces continued their ground operations in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza, where an exchange of fire broke out with Hamas forces, resulting in the deaths of several militants. On the 8th, the Israeli army also carried out air strikes on central and northern Gaza, killing dozens of people and striking Hamas's infrastructure from the sea.
Hamas-affiliated Qassam brigades said they repelled an Israeli special forces in an attempt to rescue captured soldiers. On the same day, Palestinian armed groups also fired rockets at various parts of Israel, including Tel Aviv hit by six rockets.
As of the evening of the 8th, more than 17,490 people have died and nearly 7,600 are missing in the Gaza Strip since October 7.
In terms of the humanitarian situation, the expansion of Israeli forces in Khan Younis has led to a surge in the number of people and the forced relocation of a large number of residents. Displaced Palestinians are concentrated in Rafah and Mawasi and face severe shortages and poor living conditions. The continued airstrikes in Gaza City have caused panic among the population to go out.
Thomas White, head of Gaza at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Near East Refugees and Works Agency (UNRWA), said that social order in Gaza was collapsing and that aid vehicles and United Nations vehicles had been attacked.
On the international front, the UN Security Council failed to adopt a draft resolution submitted by the UAE, which calls for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. Of the 15 members of the Security Council, 13 voted in favour, with Britain abstaining and the United States opposing. The United States, as a permanent member, has the right of veto, which led to the resolution not being adopted. The European Union announced that it will provide 1. to Palestine in 2024€2.5 billion in humanitarian assistance to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank.