Live updates | Israel forges ahead with its offensive in Gaza despite US criticism

Israel is forging ahead with its air and ground offensive in Gaza, drawing international outrage and rare criticism from the United States over the killing of thousands of civilians

Israel forged ahead with its air and ground offensive Wednesday in Gaza, drawing international outrage and rare criticism from the United States over the killing of thousands of civilians.

The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to demand a humanitarian cease-fire in a strong demonstration of global support for ending the Israel-Hamas war. General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, but the assembly’s messages are important barometers of world opinion.

Just hours before the vote, U.S. President Joe Biden warned that Israel was losing international support because of its “indiscriminate bombing” of Gaza.

The Israel-Hamas war has resulted in the deaths of over 18,400 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory, which does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths. Israel says 113 of its soldiers have died in its ground offensive after Hamas raided southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 240 hostages.

Currently:

— With packed hospitals, treacherous roads and limited supplies, newborns in Gaza face steeper odds of survival.

— U.N. General Assembly votes overwhelmingly to demand a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza.

— Biden takes a tougher stance on Israel’s bombing of Gaza.

— Israel and the U.S. show sharp divisions over mounting casualties and the future of the war against Hamas.

— Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.

Here’s what’s happening in the war:

2 MISSILES FIRED FROM HOUTHI-HELD TERRITORY MISS A SHIP NEAR YEMEN, A US OFFICIAL SAYS

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Two missiles fired from territory held by Yemen’s Houthi rebels missed a commercial tanker near the key Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Wednesday, a U.S. official said.

An American warship also shot down a suspected Houthi drone flying in its direction during the incident, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters. No one was hurt in the attack, the official said.

The ship that was targeted, the oil and chemical tanker Marshall Islands-flagged Ardmore Encounter, was traveling north toward the Suez Canal in the Red Sea, satellite tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed. The vessel had been coming from India and had an armed security crew aboard it, according to data transmitted by the ship.

The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge the attack.

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Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell contributed to this report.