March 9, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

US President Joe Biden said in an interview Saturday that a Gaza ceasefire deal before the start of Ramadan on Monday is still “possible,” mentioning that CIA Director Bill Burns is in the region to aid the negotiations “right at this minute.”

"I never give up on that," Biden told MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart when asked if a ceasefire could be reached before the Muslim holy month begins.

CNN has previously reported that a ceasefire deal in Gaza — which would see Israeli hostages freed and the first break in fighting in more than three months — is unlikely to happen by the start of Ramadan, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

On addressing Israeli lawmakers: Biden also said he would like to return to Israel and address the country’s parliament, the Knesset, but declined to discuss it in more detail when pressed by the MSNBC anchor.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria last week that Biden should go over current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's head and address the parliament directly.

US President Joe Biden pledged continued support for Israel but indicated there are "red lines" that Israel could cross in its war against Hamas in Gaza.

In an interview on MSNBC Saturday, Biden was asked if he has any "red line" with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Biden said the US wouldn’t cut off all weapons shipments to Israel.

"There's other ways to deal ... with the trauma caused by Hamas," he added.

Biden has been increasingly vocal in his calls for Israel to more deliberately protect civilian life in Gaza over the last few weeks. 

“Israel has had the overwhelming support of the vast majority of nations,” Biden told comedian Seth Meyers in an interview last week. “If it keeps this up with this incredibly conservative government they have … they’re going to lose support from around the world.”

On Saturday, Biden told MSNBC he cautioned Israel’s war cabinet to not "make the mistake America made," referencing his visit to Israel in October of last year, where he cautioned Israelis not to be "consumed" by rage like America was after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“America made a mistake. We went after (Osama) Bin Laden until we got him. But we shouldn't have gone into Ukraine,” Biden said, before correcting himself. “I mean, we shouldn't, we shouldn't have gone into the whole thing in Iraq and Afghanistan. It wasn't necessary, wasn't necessary.” 

At least eight people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on buildings in central Gaza on Saturday afternoon local time, according to health officials at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital and witnesses on the ground.

Several witnesses told CNN on Saturday that the airstrike hit residential buildings in Nuseirat in central Gaza.

A video obtained by CNN from the hospital shows at least four of the dead being brought from the area to the facility — including two children, who were found dead after being pulled out from under rubble.

CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment on the alleged airstrike. The IDF has repeatedly said they are "operating to dismantle Hamas military and administrative capabilities."

Thousands of protesters gathered again on Saturday in Israeli cities — including Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the coastal town of Caesarea — to demand a general election and the removal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from government.

In Tel Aviv's Democracy Square, protesters chanted: "We will not stop until Bibi (Netanyahu) is arrested!"

As the night progressed, clashes erupted between Israeli police and some demonstrators. 

The Israeli police arrested 16 people, saying a group breached orders by "crossing fences," "throwing smoke grenade" toward an intersection and "firing a gas grenade" at both protesters and police.

Photos from the scene showed police on horseback and on foot attempting to disperse people, with some using water cannons on the protesters. 

Yousef Hammash, a Gaza resident and advocacy officer for the Norwegian Refugee Council, said the efforts on airdrops and plans for a port in Gaza would be better put toward getting aid trucks directly into the strip.

He said the US plan to build a temporary port off the coast — which the Pentagon says could take up to two months to complete — is also "kind of unrealistic, to be honest."

His comments echo those made by United Nations and aid agency officials.

Hammash said the international community — especially the US — should instead focus on using its influence to get aid trucks into Gaza as hunger threatens the enclave. Israel has maintained severe restrictions on that access, allowing aid via ground routes only in a trickle.

Hammash called for a permanent ceasefire to the war. "We don't want to find ourselves in that circle of violence again and again," he said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a phone call with Benny Gantz — a key figure in the Israeli war cabinet — on Friday to discuss Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.

The two leaders called for the immediate release of all remaining hostages held in Gaza and urged the international community to keep working toward their release, the Canadian prime minister's office said in a statement Saturday.

Trudeau, however, expressed his concern about "Israel's planned offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and the severe humanitarian implications for all civilians taking refuge in the area," according to the statement.

Remember: Gantz has previously said Israel will expand military operations in Rafah — where displaced Palestinians are now sheltering by the thousands in desperate conditions — if a deal is not reached by the start of Ramadan early next week. That has caused panic in the southern city. Gazans say they have nowhere left to flee, and the United Nations aid chief has warned of a potential "slaughter" if Israeli troops move in.

The US conducted another humanitarian assistance airdrop into northern Gaza on Saturday, according to US Central Command. The airdrop included supplies equal to more than 41,400 meals and 23,000 bottles of water, CENTCOM said in a statement.

But the United Nations and aid agencies have questioned the effectiveness of ongoing airdrops from several countries. The risks were shown starkly on Friday when malfunctioning parachutes caused aid pallets to hurtle from the sky at breakneck speed, killing five unsuspecting people.

While Israel continues to severely restrict the distribution of aid within the enclave, some critics have said the American effort should instead be focused on halting Israel's military campaign and pressuring the US ally to allow critical humanitarian access.

Here are other headlines you should know:

The United States and coalition forces downed at least 28 unmanned aircraft flown by the Houthi rebel group in the Red Sea area Saturday, according to US Central Command. 

In a statement, CENTCOM wrote the "defeat" of the Houthi attack came "following further engagements through the morning." No US vessels or commercial ships were damaged in the attack, according to the statement.

CNN reported earlier that US forces shot down over a dozen drones launched by the Iranian-backed Houthis over the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Saturday morning local time, according to CENTCOM, after the Houthis conducted a “large-scale” drone attack.

For context: The wave of drones comes in spite of continued US and coalition airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.

The first fatal attack by the Iran-backed militant group occurred this week, when at least three crew members were killed and four others injured in the assault Wednesday on the M/V True Confidence, a Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier.

The Houthis have been targeting shipping in the Red Sea since shortly after the war between Israel and Hamas began, with the group tying the attacks to its effort to pressure Israel and its allies to stop the war in Gaza. They are among several Iranian proxy groups at the center of global concerns the war could spill further through the Mideast.

The US has joined several other countries in airdropping aid into Gaza, which is grappling with a humanitarian crisis.

Aid deliveries on land are severely restricted by Israel and falling far short of the numbers needed to ward off famine in the enclave, so it is hoped these airdrops will provide a lifeline to civilians.

But the United Nations and aid agencies have questioned how effective they will be at alleviating the situation, and their risks were shown starkly on Friday when malfunctioning parachutes caused aid pallets to hurtle from the sky at breakneck speed, killing five unsuspecting people.

Photo ops and pitfalls: Airdrops evade the often rigorous examinations carried out at land checkpoints, so are undoubtedly a speedy way of getting supplies into a conflict zone. But despite this advantage, aid agencies say their drawbacks overwhelmingly outweigh their benefits.

For starters, they are more expensive. Airdrops cost up to seven times as much as land deliveries, the World Food Programme says. They also have much more limited delivery capacity. For example, one truck is capable of delivering nearly 10 times the amount one aircraft could deliver — roughly 20 to 30 metric tonnes, according to the UN.

Experts have also questioned whether countries have plans in place for the aid once it reaches the ground. The UN special rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, says airdrops usually culminate in chaos.

Read more about the history of airdrops and why they are being carried out now in Gaza.