March 30, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war

Our live coverage of Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza has moved here.

The Israel Police said 16 people were arrested in Tel Aviv during large protests calling for the release of hostages held in Gaza and the removal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The demonstrators were arrested “for disruption of traffic and road blockages,” the police said in a statement released Saturday.

“There were large amounts of protestors who disrupted public order by igniting fires, toppling police barriers, obstructing roads, and scuffling with law enforcement: 16 disorderly individuals were arrested and 9 citations of 1000 shekels ($270) were written for disruption of traffic and road blockages,” according to the statement.

Video shows police using a water cannon to disperse protesters on the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv and arresting at least one person, who was taken into a police vehicle.

The footage shows a number of protesters standing in front of the water cannon, chanting: “We will not give up until things get better.”

Israel Police encouraged protesters in Tel Aviv to obey the law and avoid violent protests in a separate statement released on Saturday and posted on X.

Nearly 400 tons of food aid are expected to arrive in Gaza by ship in the coming days, according to a nongovernmental organization arranging the deliveries. A ship facilitating the delivery has left port in Cyprus and embarked on its second mission to the enclave.

In March, Israeli authorities denied 30% of humanitarian aid missions to northern Gaza and 10% of missions into southern Gaza, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Friday. 

Here are other headlines you should know:

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Caesarea, Raanana and Herzliya on Saturday, demanding the release of all hostages held in Gaza and for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be removed from office.

Demonstrations held at Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv also called for a general election to be held immediately. A video from the rally shows police officers attempting to push protesters at the Begin Gate, one of the entry gates to the Kirya military headquarters in the city.

“No one leaves! We will march to Jerusalem and remain there, until the government disbands,” one banner read.

In a separate rally held at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, survivors of Hamas captivity urged Israeli authorities to immediately bring home all the hostages still held in Gaza.

Freed hostage Aviva Siegel, whose husband Keith Siegel remains in Gaza, called on Israeli authorities to “take responsibility” and put more effort into releasing her spouse and other hostages held by Hamas and other militant groups in the strip. 

“I ask you — the chief of staff, the prime minister, the defense minister — I’m dying here; do you understand that? We are dying inside here!” Siegel said during her speech at the rally.

Many hostage rally supporters continue to march through the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday night.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement Saturday that the gathering will be relocated next week to Jerusalem in front of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.

In the coastal city of Caesarea, protesters walked around police barricades to march toward Netanyahu’s residence, chanting: “There is no forgiveness for the angel of destruction” and “there is no forgiveness for failures and abandonment.”

This post has been updated with additional information about scenes from the protests.

Negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume in Cairo on Sunday, Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera News reported on Saturday, citing a security source.

“Egypt and the UAE continue their joint efforts to achieve progress in the negotiations between the two sides,” the security source added, according to Al-Qahera News. 

CNN is reaching out to the Israeli government as well as Hamas.

Remember: Earlier this month, talks over the release of hostages and a humanitarian pause were held in Qatar. On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized an Israeli negotiating delegation to travel to Qatar and Egypt in the coming days.

Nearly 400 tons of food aid are expected to arrive in Gaza by ship in the coming days, according to the non-governmental organization arranging the deliveries.

The aid will be provided to people in the northern part of the strip, said Juan Camilo, a community outreach manager with World Central Kitchen.

The Open Arms, a salvage vessel that delivered aid to Gaza earlier this month, is towing a barge, while a cargo vessel, the Jennifer, is also carrying aid, Camilo said.

World Central Kitchen said the vessels were also carrying machinery to speed up the process of offloading the ships, and that it was delivering dates provided by the United Arab Emirates for Palestinians observing Ramadan.

A ship facilitating a food aid delivery to Gaza has left port in Cyprus and embarked on its second mission to the enclave.

The Open Arms, a Spanish-flagged salvage vessel, set sail from the Cypriot port of Larnaca on Saturday, according to Oscar Camps, the founder of a charitable organization that owns the vessel.

The operation to transport aid to Gaza by sea is led by World Central Kitchen, a non-governmental organization that already launched an aid shipment from Cyprus earlier this month.

The Open Arms’ second voyage to Gaza will see “hundreds of tons of food” transported to the strip, according to Camps. The ship is normally a search and rescue vessel used by the NGO Open Arms.

Earlier this month, World Central Kitchen said almost 200 tons of aid were delivered by ship in an operation conducted with the Emirati government and Open Arms, with support from Cyprus.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has admitted killing two Palestinian men and burying their bodies with a bulldozer after Al Jazeera published a video purportedly showing the incident Wednesday. 

The men approached its “operational area” in central Gaza “in a suspicious manner” and didn’t respond to a warning shot, the IDF said in a statement to CNN. The Israelis killed them and bulldozed their bodies fearing they carried explosives, it said.

What the video shows: In the video, which is filmed from a distance and has been heavily edited, two men are seen walking along a beach in Gaza, apart from one another; both appear to be waving white flags, to symbolize surrender, as they cautiously approach a group of Israeli soldiers. The video shows one man walking toward the soldiers with his hands in the air. He passes out of view behind some sand and concrete. It’s not clear what happens to him next. The second man turns away from the soldiers. As he hurriedly walks away from the camera, he is seen being followed by an Israeli armored vehicle. Suddenly, he falls to the sand, apparently shot. 

The video then cuts to another angle, a location that CNN has been unable to geolocate, where an Israeli military bulldozer is seen unceremoniously burying two bodies in sand and debris. It’s not clear whether the bodies shown in the second half of the film are the two men who were filmed at the start of the sequence. Al Jazeera claims the bodies are the same men.

Al Jazeera said in its commentary that the “giant bulldozer shovels the two bodies and buries them in sand and litter. The Israeli soldiers attempt to conceal the executions.”

CNN has asked Al Jazeera for an unedited copy of the footage. Al Jazeera said the incident happened near Al Rasheed Street in central Gaza. CNN geolocated the video and confirmed it showed the incident at the beach. Additional visual evidence – satellite imagery and videos – shows Israeli military engineering vehicles such as bulldozers were deployed there.

What Israel said: The edited video “represents two different incidents,” the IDF said.

“The first incident occurred in the southern part of the corridor. After the suspect did not respond to a warning shot, the (force) fired to his direction and he was shot and slightly wounded,” the IDF said, adding he was released after receiving medical treatment and questioning. 

The second incident occurred in the northern part of the corridor and the two suspects were fired at after approaching Israeli forces “in a suspicious manner,” the IDF said.

“Two suspects with bags on their backs observed our forces and approached them, in a suspicious manner. After not responding to a warning shot, the forces conducted live fire towards them as a result of which they were killed. The bodies were moved from the area using the documented tool out of fear of [there] being explosives on the suspects and risk to the forces,” the IDF said.

Israeli police says 16 people have been arrested on suspicion of “incitement and identification with terrorism and terrorists” in Jerusalem’s Old City following Friday prayers.

The incident took place at the holy site known as the Temple Mount by Jews and as the Haram ash-Shairf complex by Muslims. It is home to the Western Wall and the al-Aqsa mosque, important places of worship for Jews and Muslims, respectively. The site has long been a flashpoint in tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.

Police said that after the conclusion of the evening and dawn prayers on Friday and Saturday “some individuals took advantage of this situation to engage in incitement and express support for terrorism.” 

“Following various investigation operations, suspects were located, including 16 who have already been arrested, and additional suspects who will be arrested,” the statement read.

The police alleged “that among the incitement calls, which lasted for a relatively short period of time, there were also expressions of support for the Hamas terrorist organization and its leaders, calls to harm Jews, and encouragement for the Hezbollah terrorist organization to fire at Tel Aviv.”

While calls to support Hamas and hurt Jews are illegal in Israel, there has seemingly been less tolerance for criticism of the Israeli military since October 7. Dozens of Palestinian residents and citizens of Israel have been arrested in Israel for expressing solidarity with Gaza and its civilian population. 

About 9,000 patients stuck in Gaza require urgent evacuation abroad, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Saturday.

With health care infrastructure all but collapsed in Gaza, thousands need treatment for cancer and kidney dialysis, as well as for injuries sustained during the conflict, Tedros said on X.

The WHO chief said more than 3,400 have already been evacuated, but many more are awaiting Israeli approval to leave.

“We urge Israel to speed up approvals for evacuations, so that critical patients can be treated,” he said. “Every moment matters.”

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Friday that Gaza’s partially functional hospitals can only provide “limited services” and are overwhelmed with patients. They are also facing “critical shortages of fuel, medicines, medical supplies, and health personnel.” 

It added that more than 400 attacks on health care infrastructure in the Gaza Strip had been documented by WHO as of March 12, affecting some 100 ambulances and nearly 100 health facilities.

Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of hiding behind civilians in Gaza’s hospitals and other medical facilities, allegations the militant group denies.

The Israel Defense Forces told CNN that a review is underway into the circumstances of the killing of a 13-year old boy in a town in the occupied West Bank.

The IDF told CNN that “during joint IDF and Israel Border Police activity in the town of Qabatiya, a number of terrorists opened fire at forces operating in the area, who responded with live fire toward the terrorists. Hits were identified.”

“After the counterterrorism activity, a report was received regarding a Palestinian minor who was pronounced dead. The circumstances of the incident are under review,” the IDF said.

Four peacekeepers affiliated with the United Nations’ peacekeeping mission in Lebanon were injured in an explosion on Saturday morning.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) told CNN that three military observers and a local language assistant had been hurt in a blast while they were on a foot patrol near the Blue Line, the demarcation of the border between Israel and Lebanon.

The four injured people were evacuated for medical treatment, UNIFIL said.

UNIFIL said it was “investigating the origin of the explosion.”

Lebanese media reported that a UN vehicle in southern Lebanon was hit by an Israeli drone strike on Saturday, a claim which the Israeli military promptly denied. 

Thousands of people gathered near the Israeli embassy in the Jordanian capital of Amman Friday night for a sixth night of protest against Israel’s incursion into Gaza.

Dozens of anti-riot police pushed back some protestors as they advanced towards the Israeli Embassy, calling on Jordan to close the embassy and cancel its peace treaty.

“Revolutionary violence is the answer,” chanted a group of people gathered at the Al Kalouti square, a few hundred meters away from the embassy.

Some expressed support for Palestinian groups, chanting slogans in support of Hamas the group’s key figures, including Yahya Sinwar – the man Israel accused of masterminding the October 7 terror attack that killed about 1,200 people.

Since October 7, Jordan has seen some of the Middle East’s largest outpourings of public anger at the violence in Gaza. Many Jordanians are of Palestinian origin.

Jordanian authorities have said peaceful protests are permitted but that they would not tolerate any efforts to create disorder.

Heavy security is always present at these demonstrations, to curb the number of protestors. In some cases, anti-riot police have fired tear gas and beat protestors with batons to stop them from storming the Israeli embassy.

The area around the Israeli embassy in Amman has historically been used for demonstrations whenever violence between Palestinians and Israel escalates.

At least 82 people have died over the past 24 hours in Gaza, bringing the total number of those killed since October 7 to 32,705, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said Saturday.

Another 75,190 people have been wounded, the ministry said in a statement.

CNN cannot independently verify figures provided by the ministry, due to the lack of international media access to the strip.

A United Nations vehicle was hit in southern Lebanon by a drone strike on Saturday morning, according to Lebanese state media.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) quickly denied reports in Lebanese media that it was behind the attack.

“Contrary to the reports, the IDF did not strike a UNIFIL vehicle in the area of Rmeish this morning,” the IDF said in a statement.

The National News Agency of Lebanon (NNA) reported that a drone had struck a military vehicle belonging to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) near the town of Rmeish. NNA reported that “a number” of UNIFIL soldiers and a Lebanese national were wounded.

CNN has reached out to UNIFIL for comment. 

Israeli authorities denied 30% of humanitarian aid missions to northern Gaza and 10% of missions into southern Gaza in March, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Friday. 

Israel Defense Forces soldiers “too often delay or deny convoys from crossing checkpoints, with rejected requests for safe passage, searches, detentions and sometimes violence against aid convoys and awaiting crowds,” OCHA said.

The aid missions included food distributions, fuel deliveries, emergency medical teams movement, delivery of supplies to hospitals, and support for water, sanitation and hygiene activities, according to the UN agency.

Since March 1, 29 out of 60 aid missions to northern Gaza were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, with 18 denied, and 13 postponed or withdrawn, OCHA said.  

CNN is reaching out to the relevant Israeli authorities for comment.

Some context: The UN and other agencies have consistently said not enough aid is reaching Gaza, prompting warnings of a looming famine.

Israel has said there is “no limit” to the amount of aid that can be brought into Gaza, but land entry points are limited and inspections are strict. CNN has documented the ways in which Israel throttles aid to the enclave.

Some international powers have sought other means of bringing in vital aid to Gaza, opening maritime routes or carrying out air drops. But both are seen as not enough to meet the needs of those living in Gaza.

Israel’s military is continuing operations across Gaza, saying one soldier was killed and several others were seriously injured during a battle in the south of the territory.

The soldier killed has been named as 21-year-old Alon Kudriashov, 21. His death brought the number of troops killed in Israel’s ground offensive against Hamas to 254. 

The Israel Defense Forces added that six fighters from the unit were “seriously injured,” while 10 fighters were hurt “various way.”

Hamas published a video Friday purporting to show the incident, in which a rocket was fired at an apartment building. CNN was able to identify that the video was shot near the Nasser Hospital, where there has been persistent fighting.

The IDF said operations continue in two areas of Khan Younis, Al Amal and Al Qarara, “where the troops are continuing to eliminate terrorists and conduct targeted raids on terrorist infrastructure.”

The Ministry of Health in Gaza says at least 32,623 people have been killed in the territory since the October 7 attacks and more than 75,000 wounded.

Al-Shifa raid: Israeli forces last week launched another military operation on Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, bringing the sprawling medical facility in the north of the enclave back into the spotlight.

The IDF said Saturday that operations are ongoing around the complex, where it says its forces “continued to eliminate terrorists.”

Israel has for years claimed that Hamas fighters are sheltering in mosques, hospitals and other civilian places to avoid Israeli attacks. Hamas has repeatedly denied the claims.

Patients are trapped inside Al-Shifa during the raid. A doctor who cared for some of the people there told CNN about two severely malnourished siblings who he fears will not survive.

A 13-year-old Palestinian boy was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers during a military raid near the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, Palestinian official news agency WAFA said.

The boy, Moatasem Abu Abed, was one of three Palestinians shot by Israeli forces in the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, WAFA said. One young man was seriously injured.

Israeli forces deployed military vehicles around neighborhoods in the town and stationed snipers on the rooftops of several buildings and shops, WAFA said. 

A video obtained by CNN show Abu Abed’s bleeding body being dragged in the street.

WAFA also reported that Israeli forces prevented ambulances from transferring the wounded to hospital.

CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment.

High-level talks between US and Israeli officials over potential military operations in Rafah could take place in Washington, DC, as soon as Monday, US officials tell CNN. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly called off talks scheduled for this week after the United States refused to block a UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of captives held by Hamas. 

The Israeli delegation proposed to reschedule the talks for Monday, officials said, acknowledging the timing is complicated by a March 31 deadline facing the Israeli government to design a new law governing conscription for ultra-Orthodox Jews, long exempted from mandatory military service. 

Netanyahu has requested that Israeli’s top court defer the deadline to draft a new plan, and it remains unclear whether the delegation would be authorized to travel to the United States if those plans are in flux. 

US officials have said no date is finalized. 

The White House has said it supports the rescheduling of the talks and is working with its counterparts to do so in a timely manner. 

“We’re now working with them to find a convenient date that’s obviously going to work for both sides,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday.