Our live coverage of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza has moved here.
March 15, 2024 Israel-Hamas war
By Kathleen Magramo, Sophie Tanno, Adrienne Vogt, Leinz Vales, Aditi Sangal, Tori B. Powell and Elise Hammond, CNN
Updated 0443 GMT (1243 HKT) March 16, 2024
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Houthis fire 3 missiles toward the Red Sea on Friday, US military command says
Iranian-backed Houthis fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Red Sea on Friday, according to the US Central Command.
There were no injuries or reported damage to any ships, CENTCOM said.
At least 95 journalists have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, journalism advocacy group says
From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq
At least 95 journalists have been killed in Gaza, Israel and Lebanon since the latest conflict between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
As of March 15, CPJ's preliminary investigations documented 90 Palestinians, two Israelis, and three Lebanese journalists died during the Israel-Hamas war.
"The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told Reuters and Agence France Press news agencies in October that it could not guarantee the safety of their journalists operating in the Gaza Strip, after they had sought assurances that their journalists would not be targeted by Israeli strikes, according to a Reuters report," the CPJ report said.
"Journalists in Gaza face particularly high risks as they try to cover the conflict during the Israeli ground assault, including devastating Israeli airstrikes, disrupted communications, supply shortages, and extensive power outages," it added.
Senior Hamas member says hostage deal must include Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Catch up on the latest
From CNN staff
Basem Naim, a senior member of Hamas’ political bureau, told CNN that he cannot provide any assurances about the wellbeing of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, “because all these war prisoners are facing the same bombardment and starvation our people (are) facing on the ground.”
He also denied the allegations that the hostages were sexually abused.
As for the ongoing ceasefire negotiations, Naim said Hamas demands still include the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and allowing the return of residents to their homes.
Israel said the latest Hamas demands, which include calls for a large number of Palestinian prisoners to be released, were ridiculous” and “absurd” but said it will send a negotiating team to Qatar in the coming days to continue negotiations.
Here are some other developments:
- Prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque: An estimated 80,000 Muslim worshippers attended the first Friday prayers of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, according to the Islamic endowment department in Jerusalem. It concluded without incident amid a raging debate in Israel over whether to reduce the number of worshippers at the mosque, which holds profound religious significance for Muslims as the third holiest site in Islam.
- Australia to resume funding UNRWA: The Australian government said it would resume funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) following steps to strengthen the integrity of the organization's operations. The government said it is "responding to a humanitarian situation in Gaza which is dire." It said its decision was "in line with steps taken by Canada, Sweden and the EU."
- Attack in the Red Sea: A merchant ship in the Red Sea was “struck by a missile,” resulting in damage to the vessel, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said in a warning note, adding that the incident happened 76 nautical miles west of Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah. It did not specify the nationality or flag of the vessel. The crew was reported safe and the vessel was proceeding to its next port of call.
- A new US resolution at UNSC: The United States has drafted a resolution to put to the UN Security Council that expresses concern about any Israeli ground offensive in Rafah, and suggests that the US is underlining its insistence that a temporary halt in hostilities is linked to efforts to reach a long-term ceasefire. The draft is subject to further changes and amendments and is not yet scheduled for a vote.
- Israel denies responsibility for violence in Kuwait Square: The Israel Defense Forces claimed that a preliminary review found that Israeli forces “did not open fire at the at the aid convoy in Kuwait Square” in northern Gaza on Thursday when more than 20 people waiting for food aid were reported killed. On Friday, the IDF released video it claimed showed Palestinian gunmen "opening fire in the midst of Gazan civilians." CNN cannot independently verify the content of the video, the location or the time.
Israel's military claims video shows "Palestinian gunmen" opening fire in the midst of Gazans waiting for food
From CNN's Amir Tal and Mohammed Tawfeeq
The Israeli military released a video Friday that it claimed shows "Palestinian gunmen opening fire in the midst of Gazan civilians" as they waited for desperately needed food in Gaza City on Thursday.
The Israel Defense Forces' aerial video does not show clear details on whether the people in the video were carrying guns or opening fire on civilians around them. CNN can not independently verify the content of the video, the location or the time.
The Israel Defense Forces said the events in the video happened "about an hour before the humanitarian aid convoy entered the area" of the Kuwait roundabout in Gaza City on Thursday. The roundabout is an area where aid trucks are known to pass out food and where crowds of people frequently gather.
What Gazans have said: While the IDF denies opening fire on civilians Thursday, the video does not disprove claims made by the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza and eyewitness accounts that CNN previously reported.
The health ministry said at least 20 people were killed and 155 were wounded by Israeli shelling as they sought humanitarian aid at the roundabout. Eyewitnesses said the area was struck by what sounded like tank or artillery fire.
A man identifying himself as Ibrahim Al-Najar, who went to Al-Shifa Hospital after the reported attack, said: "We were sitting there, and there was nothing. Suddenly, they bombarded us with shells."
Israel's military denied these accounts Thursday.
Violence at aid distributions: Gazans have reported several other attacks by Israeli soldiers on crowds lining up for aid in recent weeks, including Wednesday at the same site as Thursday's incident.
Hamas continues to demand complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza in ceasefire talks
From CNN's Abeer Salman
Hamas demands still include the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and allowing the return of residents in Gaza to their homes, a senior Hamas official told CNN on Friday, in regard to ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
"We will not accept anything less than an end to the aggression on Gaza, the return of the displaced, the withdrawal of the occupation and the entry of humanitarian aid," Basem Naim, a senior member of the Hamas political bureau said.
"We do not engage in negotiations from a position of weakness, while (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu is in a predicament and seeks to sabotage the negotiations for personal goals," Naim added.
Naim also warned Netanyahu and his government against invading the southernmost city of Rafah, where an estimated 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering, as the Israel Defense Forces gears up for a planned offensive.
US is "cautiously optimistic" ahead of ceasefire talks in Doha, White House official says
From CNN's Betsy Klein
The US expressed cautious optimism about the latest round of ceasefire talks in Doha, Qatar, and a proposed deal from Hamas, despite the Israeli prime minister’s office calling it “unrealistic.”
The most recent proposal from Hamas is “certainly within the bounds of – in broad brushstrokes – within the bounds of the deal that we've been working on now for several months. I don't want to go into more detail than that,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.
The US, he noted, is not participating in next week’s in-person meetings in Doha, but has been involved in the conversations and will “stay engaged.”
“The fact that we're physically not going to have a delegation there should not be taken as any kind of signal that this isn't a serious, positive move forward. We think it could be,” he told CNN.
While he was optimistic, he acknowledged the agonizing process for the families of hostages as they watch the process take its course: “It’s just another set of agonizing days to wait, and we understand that, too. … We're cautiously optimistic that things are moving in a good direction, but that that doesn't mean that it's done, and we're going to have to stay at this to the very, very end.”
Senior Hamas official tells CNN he "cannot reassure anyone" that hostages in Gaza are safe
From CNN's Jeremy Diamond and Abeer Salman
A senior Hamas official told CNN that he cannot provide any assurances about the wellbeing of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, but rejected a United Nations special representative’s finding that there is “clear and convincing information” that some of them have been sexually abused.
“I cannot now reassure you, anyone, because all these war prisoners are facing the same bombardment and starvation our people (are) facing on the ground,” said Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, even as he “absolutely” denied the allegations of sexual abuse.
In a wide-ranging and sometimes contentious Zoom interview from his office in Istanbul, Turkey, Naim spoke to CNN on Wednesday about the state of ceasefire negotiations with Israel, the fate of 130 Israeli hostages still held by Hamas, and Hamas’ share of responsibility for the widespread devastation unleashed by the Israeli military in Gaza in response to the October 7 terrorist attacks that killed more than 1,200 people.
During the interview, Naim rejected defining Hamas’ attacks as terrorism, falsely claiming that his organization does not target civilians. Instead, he blamed Israel for carrying out what he claimed is “state terrorism” in Gaza and reiterated Hamas’ calls for Palestinians to join in “armed resistance” against Israel during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began Sunday night.
Israel has denied targeting civilians and accuses Hamas of hiding behind civilian infrastructure. More than 31,000 people, a majority of whom are women and children, have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli military campaign began, according to the health ministry in the enclave.
Palestinian father in southern Gaza says his sick and starving child "has become like a skeleton"
From CNN’s Ibrahim Dahman and Sana Noor Haq
Muhammad Hassan Abu Watfa, 30, prays that his little son, Hassan, will live through the war in Gaza. But as a parent, he is helpless.
The father and son, displaced in the European Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, have survived Israeli air strikes, besiegement and forced displacement from Gaza City in northern Gaza.
Drug shortages mean Hassan has been unable to access critical medication to treat his immunodeficiency disease for more than five months. “Since the beginning of the war, my son has not taken this injection, and his condition is very difficult. His body is thin, and his health is declining for the worse,” Watfa told CNN.
Israel’s military campaign since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks has crushed the Gazan medical system and drastically diminished critical supplies, exposing the entire population of more than 2.2 million people to severe malnutrition, dehydration and disease.
At least 27 Palestinians have starved to death in Gaza, including newborn babies, pediatric doctors told CNN.
“He has become like a skeleton. His health condition is very bad. I do not know what to do,” added Watfa. “Please, help my son get out of Gaza for treatment. I don’t care about my own injuries. My son should be the priority to receive treatment. I do not want to lose him.”
