Our live coverage of Israel's war in Gaza has moved here.
March 10, 2024 Israel-Hamas war
By Jessie Yeung, Antoinette Radford, Sophie Tanno and Amarachi Orie, CNN
Updated 7:45 a.m. ET, March 11, 2024
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Biden says Gaza crisis is "front of mind" in statement marking start of Ramadan
From CNN's Sam Fossum
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is "front of mind" this Ramadan, US President Joe Biden said in a statement Sunday marking the start of the Islamic holy month.
"As Muslims gather around the world over the coming days and weeks to break their fast, the suffering of the Palestinian people will be front of mind for many. It is front of mind for me," Biden said in the statement.
"This year, it comes at a moment of immense pain. The war in Gaza has inflicted terrible suffering on the Palestinian people. More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of them civilians, including thousands of children."
In his statement, Biden pledged that the United States would "continue to lead international efforts to get more humanitarian assistance into Gaza" and is "working non-stop to establish an immediate and sustained ceasefire for at least six weeks as part of a deal that releases hostages."
Remember: A Hamas delegation left Cairo on March 7 following days of talks without an obvious breakthrough. Israel has warned that if hostages held in Gaza aren’t home by Ramadan they will launch a military offensive into Rafah, where more than a million displaced people are sheltering. However, the Biden administration is not anticipating that Israeli forces will imminently expand their military operations into the southern Gaza city, two US officials told CNN.
Netanyahu says Israel will move forward with invasion of Rafah and responds to Biden's criticism
From CNN's Mitchell McCluskey
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his policies in the Gaza Strip after US President Joe Biden said the Israeli leader is "hurting Israel more than helping."
"I don't know exactly what the president meant, but if he meant by that, that I'm pursuing private policies against the wish of the majority of Israelis, and that this is hurting the interests of Israel then he's wrong on both counts," Netanyahu said in an interview with Politico and German media outlet Bild.
Biden made his remarks during an interview with MSNBC that aired Saturday, when he said Netanyahu "must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken" in Gaza.
Netanyahu said he intends to move forward with an invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, despite Biden warning that doing so would be a “red line.”
“We'll go there. We're not going to leave. You know, I have a red line. You know what the red line is? That October 7 doesn't happen again. Never happens again. And to do that, we have to complete the destruction of the Hamas terrorist army,” he said.
Netanyahu said the operation would not last more than two months, but did not provide specifics on the timeline.
The latest on US expectations: The Biden administration is currently not anticipating that Israeli forces will imminently expand their military operations into Rafah, two US officials told CNN on Sunday, as the holy month of Ramadan begins.
As of this weekend, the Biden administration has yet to see any kind of humanitarian or evacuation plan from the Israeli government that seeks to ensure the safety of those civilians in Rafah before launching a military operation there, the two US officials said.
The approach of Ramadan has ratcheted up tensions in the Middle East, given Israel’s repeated warnings that it was preparing a military offensive into the area, where an estimated 1.5 million Palestinians are currently sheltering.
CNN's MJ Lee and Alex Marquardt contributed reporting to this post.
Hamas political chief says group still open to Gaza truce talks after mediation fails before Ramadan
From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq and Jennife Deaton
Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, has said the militant group is still open to continued mediated talks with Israel after the sides failed to reach a truce agreement before Ramadan.
But he also insisted that a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces is the only way forward to an agreement.
"We have established the most important principle for reaching an agreement, which is a comprehensive ceasefire and an end to the war on Gaza, the complete withdrawal of the occupation army from all the territory of the Gaza Strip," Haniyeh said in a televised speech Sunday.
Haniyeh claimed that Israel "has so far evaded giving clear guarantees and commitments, especially on the subject of a ceasefire, that is, stopping the aggressive war on the Gaza Strip." He said hostages in Gaza will not be able to return home "without an agreement."
In February, Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz warned that Israel would expand military operations into Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, if hostages are not returned by Ramadan.
There are currently no obvious signs that an Israeli ground incursion into Rafah is imminent. In recent months, some 1.5 million Palestinians — including many displaced after fleeing the violence in northern and central Gaza — have packed into Rafah.
The UN has warned there is nowhere left for them to go, and that such an operation would likely result in scores of civilian casualties.
Several Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Syria, and Palestinian territories, including Gaza, have announced Monday will be the first day of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
Israeli foreign minister to bring hostage relatives to the United Nations for meeting on sexual crimes report
From CNN's Lauren Izso and Radina Gigova
Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz will lead a special delegation that includes family members of hostages held in Gaza to New York for a discussion at the UN Security Council on Monday about the findings of a UN report on sexual crimes committed by Hamas, according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.
"Foreign Minister [Israel] Katz will take with him dozens of family members of hostages held captive by Hamas, who will participate in the discussion in the Security Council, and will meet with Ms. Pramila Patten, the UN's special representative for sexual violence in conflict zones and the author of the report," reads the statement.
Katz spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday ahead of the trip, discussing "the course of action to be taken in order to advance the UN's official declaration of Hamas as a terrorist organization and the imposition of personal sanctions on Hamas leaders," according to the statement.
Netanyahu wished success to the members of the delegation "in the national effort to free our hostages and to fight for Israel's position and justice."
"The families of the hostages will stand by me to remind the UN Secretary General and the whole world: The people of Israel will not accept what happened, and we will not stop until the UN declares Hamas a terrorist organization," said Katz.
A United Nations team last week released a report that found “clear and convincing” information that hostages in Gaza were sexually abused and there are “reasonable grounds” to believe the sexual violence is ongoing.
Hamas has repeatedly denied allegations that its fighters committed sexual violence during the attack despite the evidence.
The US and Jordan have conducted more humanitarian aid drops into Gaza, US forces say
From CNN’s Casey Gannon
The US conducted a joint operation with the Royal Jordanian Air Force Sunday to airdrop humanitarian assistance into northern Gaza, the US Central Command said in a statement on Sunday.
It said the humanitarian airdrops contributed "to ongoing U.S. and partner-nation government efforts to alleviate human suffering. These airdrops are part of a sustained effort, and we continue to plan follow on aerial deliveries."
The joint operation included "11,500 meal equivalents" that will provide "life-saving humanitarian assistance in Northern Gaza."
Some context: The US has followed other countries in airdropping aid as it attempts to get more supplies into the besieged enclave. But aid agencies say airdrops are an ineffective way of delivering help and have urged the US to do more to pressure its ally Israel to open up land routes.
Gaza's Civil Defense said Sunday that the use of aid drops into Gaza have not "limited the famine crisis" but rather "increased the number of victims" and led to casualties and injuries. They did not specify how many people were killed or injured, nor which countries the aid was delivered from.
Biden warns Netanyahu he risks losing international support due to casualties in Gaza. Catch up here
From CNN Staff
President Joe Biden has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he is "hurting more than helping" Israel by failing to limit civilian casualties, and he risks losing international support if the number of those killed is not reduced.
More than 31,000 people have been killed in the territory since October 7.
Speaking to MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart in an interview Saturday, Biden maintained that Israel had a right to defend itself and fight Hamas, but said:
"He must, he must, he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken."
Here's what else to know:
- Ceasefire talks: There remain “no dates yet” for Hamas negotiators to return to Cairo to resume talks over reaching a ceasefire in exchange for hostage releases, a member of the Hamas political bureau told CNN on Sunday. Hossam Badran told CNN, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to respond to fair Palestinian demands regarding Gaza’s basic needs. Badran listed: “stopping the killing, withdrawal, providing relief and the return of the displaced people without conditions” as factors to be considered.
- US aid to depart Sunday: A ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza is expected to depart from Larnaca, Cyprus, on Sunday, according to Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides. Cyprus, the European Commission, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom are working to establish a maritime corridor to deliver aid assistance directly to Gaza.
- Humanitarian aid: Gaza's municipality has renewed its appeal for humanitarian aid ahead of the start of Ramadan on Sunday evening. Authorities called on international organizations to assist by providing fuel for basic services, electricity generators for water wells, restarting water supplies from Israel's national water company, Mekorot, and providing heavy machinery for "waste management and infrastructure repair."
- Israeli road reaches Mediterranean: A road being built by the Israeli military splitting Gaza in two has reached the Mediterranean coast, a CNN analysis of satellite imagery shows. It’s part of a security plan to control the territory for months and possibly years to come, Israeli officials have said.
- Air drop casualties: Gaza's Civil Defense said Sunday that the use of aid drops into Gaza have not "limited the famine crisis" but rather "increased the number of victims" and led to casualties and injuries. The civil defense did not say how many people had been killed or injured by the recent air drops of aid, or from whom the aid had come.
Biden says Netanyahu is "hurting more than helping" Israel by failing to minimize casualties
From CNN's Sophie Tanno
US President Joe Biden has said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "hurting more than helping" Israel in failing to limit civilian casualties.
Speaking to MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart in an interview Saturday, Biden said: "What's happening is he has a right to defend Israel, a right to continue to pursue Hamas.
"But he must, he must, he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken.
"He's hurting – I – in my view, he's hurting Israel more than helping Israel by making the rest of the world – it's contrary to what Israel stands for. And I think it's a big mistake."
Biden has for months warned that Israel risks losing international support over mounting civilian casualties in Gaza. The total death toll in the Gaza Strip is more than 30,900 since October 7, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
His latest remarks point to the increasingly strained relationship between the two leaders.
Biden said a potential Israeli invasion of the Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering, is “a red line” for him.
However, he said he would not cut off weapons like the Iron Dome missile interceptors which protect the Israeli civilian populace from rocket attacks in the region.
Correction: This post has been updated with the latest death toll from the Gaza Ministry of Health.
Israeli road splitting Gaza in two has reached the Mediterranean coast
From CNN's Celine Alkhaldi, Allegra Goodwin and Richard Allen Greene
A road being built by the Israeli military splitting Gaza in two has reached the Mediterranean coast, a CNN analysis of satellite imagery shows. It’s part of a security plan to control the territory for months and possibly years to come, Israeli officials have said.
A satellite image from March 6 reveals that the east-west road, which has been under construction for weeks, now stretches from the Gaza-Israeli border area across the entire roughly 6.5-kilometer-wide (about 4-mile-wide) strip, dividing northern Gaza, including Gaza City, from the south of the enclave. About 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) includes an existing road, while the rest is new, according to CNN’s analysis.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told CNN they were using the route to “establish (an) operational foothold in the area” and allow “the passage of forces as well as logistical equipment.”
When asked about the route’s completion, the IDF said the road existed before the war and was being “renovated,” due to armored vehicles “damaging it.” It added that there was: “No beginning and ending.”
Read the full story here.
