March 26, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

By Heather Chen, Sana Noor Haq, Aditi Sangal, Elise Hammond, Maureen Chowdhury and Tori B. Powell, CNN

Updated 5:00 p.m. ET, March 26, 2024

What we covered here

At least 12 people drowned off the coast of Gaza while trying to retrieve aid parcels that had been airdropped into the sea, Palestinian paramedics said. Hamas after the incident called for an end to the airdrops, calling them “offensive, wrong, inappropriate and useless.”
A day after the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza thanks to a US abstention from the vote, Israeli forces struck targets across Gaza. Israel's foreign minister said Monday that the country "will not cease fire."
Diplomatic talks in Qatar between Israel and Hamas do not appear to have been negatively affected by the resolution, a Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson said.
Israel's military said it killed 180 people in its raid on Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital, which is in its second week. An Israeli general vowed to stay until "the last terrorist is in our hands." Witnesses say hundreds of civilians are trapped inside.
Here's how to help humanitarian efforts in Gaza and Israel.

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11:53 p.m. ET, March 25, 2024

Israel says plan to recognize Palestinian statehood would be a "reward for terrorism"

From CNN's Niamh Kennedy in London

Lior Haiat, spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during a news conference in The Hague, Netherlands, on January 11. Peter Boer/Bloomberg/Getty Images/File

Israel has harshly criticized a plan devised by the leaders of Ireland, Spain, Malta and Slovenia to work towards the recognition of Palestinian statehood, questioning the appropriateness of such a move in the wake of the October 7 attacks.

Lior Haiat, a spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the recognition of Palestinian statehood following October 7 would "send a message" to Hamas that "terror attacks on Israelis" would be reciprocated with "political gestures to the Palestinians."

The spokesperson said that such a recognition would serve as a "reward for terrorism," in a post on X.

During a meeting on the sidelines of the European Council summit in Brussels last week, the leaders of the four EU nations discussed their "readiness to recognise Palestine," according to a joint statement.

The leaders pledged to do so "when it can make a positive contribution and the circumstances are right."

11:37 p.m. ET, March 25, 2024

UN Security Council approves draft resolution calling for immediate ceasefire in Gaza, but US abstains

From CNN’s Richard Roth

The United Nations Security Council approved a draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire between Gaza and Israel on Monday.

The vote was 14 in favor. The US abstained.

11:36 p.m. ET, March 25, 2024

Israel agrees to US proposal on prisoner-hostage exchange and is awaiting Hamas’ response, CNN analyst says

From CNN's Abel Alvarado, Ami Kaufman, Mostafa Salem and Becky Anderson

Israel has agreed to a US proposal on a prisoner-hostage exchange that would release around 700 Palestinian prisoners, among them 100 serving life sentences for killing Israeli nationals, in exchange for the release of 40 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, according to CNN analyst Barak Ravid’s reporting on the recent round of talks in Doha, Qatar.

CNN affiliate Channel 11 (Kan News) on Sunday also reported on Israel’s agreement to the US prisoner-hostage exchange proposal. Kan News cited a senior Israeli official, saying that Israel is ready to make “significant compromises in order to return the abductees home.”

Earlier in the weekend, Ravid, citing an unnamed Israeli official, tweeted that Israel agreed to a US “bridging proposal” on the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released for every hostage held by Hamas.

A diplomatic source briefed on the matter confirmed to CNN the accuracy of Ravid’s information Saturday but said outstanding issues remain, including the entry of aid and “Israeli military repositioning” in Gaza.

Here's what we know.