April 24, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war

A Palestinian excavation operation has uncovered approximately 20 additional remains at a mass grave discovered at the Nasser Medical Complex, the director of Civil Defense in Khan Younis told CNN Wednesday.

The 20 recovered remains are in addition to the 324 already recovered by the Palestinian civil defense, as previously reported by CNN. The total number of recovered remains now stands approximately at 344. 

The mass grave was discovered at the hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis by the Civil Defense workers after Israeli troops withdrew from the area.

In response to a CNN inquiry about the mass graves at Nasser Medical Complex, the Israeli military said the "claim that the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) buried Palestinian bodies is baseless and unfounded."

The United Nations in a statement on Tuesday called for an "independent, effective, and transparent investigation" into the discovery of mass graves in two Gaza hospitals after they were besieged and raided by Israeli troops earlier this year.  

Huge crowds gathered in Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening to mark 200 days of hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. 

Videos shared with CNN showed demonstrators covering their mouths with masking tape inscribed with the number "200."

Demonstrators marched through central Tel Aviv along Dizengoff Street, and visited the United States embassy along the coastline. 

Family members of hostages addressed a large crowd gathered in Hostages Square, where successive protests have been held since the October 7 attacks. 

Yamit Ashkenazi, whose sister Doron Steinbrecher is still being held in Gaza, shared her sense of guilt, saying: "I fear that when my little sister returns, right before she hugs me and breaks down, she will ask me, 'Where were you?'"

Talks between Israel and Hamas to secure the release of further hostages have so far yielded no result. During a call on Tuesday with the Israeli President Isaac Herzog, US Vice President Kamala Harris reiterated the US' commitment to secure the "release of all hostages."

A Palestinian woman has been shot dead by Israeli troops at a checkpoint in Hebron in the occupied West Bank after she allegedly tried to stab an Israeli soldier. 

The 20-year-old woman, named Maimunah Abdel Al-Hamid Harahsha, was killed by "occupation gunfire north of Hebron," the Palestinian General Authority for Civil Affairs said Wednesday.

The Israel Defense Forces said "an attempted stabbing attack was thwarted against IDF soldiers at an IDF post in the area of the Okfim Junction."

"The terrorist was armed with a knife and ran toward the soldiers, who responded with fire and eliminated the terrorist. No injuries were reported," the IDF statement added. 

The UN has called for an “independent, effective and transparent investigation” into the discovery of mass graves at two Gaza hospital complexes after they were besieged and raided by Israeli troops earlier this year.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said he was “horrified” by the scenes reported at the Nasser and Al-Shifa complexes.

“Given the prevailing climate of impunity, this should include international investigators,” Turk said Tuesday.

A mass grave with 324 bodies was uncovered this week at the Nasser Medical Complex in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis by Gaza Civil Defense workers following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area. 

Earlier in April, health workers exhumed corpses from mass graves at Al-Shifa after they said Israeli forces killed hundreds of Palestinians and left their bodies to decompose during their two-week siege of the complex in northern Gaza.

At least 381 bodies were recovered from Al-Shifa after Israeli forces withdrew on April 1, according to the Gaza Civil Defense.

The US State Department on Tuesday expressed concern over the “troubling” discovery of mass graves.

The "reports are incredibly troubling. And we’re inquiring on this with the Government of Israel,” US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said.

Read the full story here.

Germany will resume cooperation with the UN's relief agency for Palestinians in Gaza (UNRWA) after the organization accepted the recommendations of an independent review of its neutrality.

The German foreign office said it was pleased that UNRWA said it would heed the recommendations of the review headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and implement them "swiftly and in full."

Some context: The review was launched after Israel alleged that a dozen of UNRWA’s 13,000 Gaza staffers were involved in Hamas’ October 7 attack.

It was not tasked with addressing the allegations but had a broader mandate to "assess whether UNRWA is doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality." Israel's allegations are still under investigation by the UN.

UNRWA fired several employees after the allegations and launched an investigation, promising that anyone involved in the October 7 attacks would be held accountable.

The allegations led the US and at least 13 of its allies to pull funding for the UN agency, which provides aid and services to Palestinian refugees. Several countries have since resumed funding.

Israeli politicians have thanked the US for passing a $95 billion funding package that includes $26 billion in aid for Israel.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid and Foreign Affairs Minister Israel Katz joined President Isaac Herzog in expressing their gratitude on Wednesday.

Lapid thanked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell "for leading a huge bipartisan majority in support of security assistance for Israel." 

Katz said "Israel and the United States stand together in the fight against terrorism, defending democracy and our shared values."

The package will also send funding to Ukraine and Taiwan.

Read more about the package.

Dozens more bodies have been recovered from a mass grave at a hospital in Khan Younis, according to the Gaza General Directorate of Civil Defense.

The Civil Defense said 324 bodies had now been recovered at the Nasser Medical Complex following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area earlier this month.

In the latest recovery efforts, the bodies of 51 people of "various categories and ages" had been recovered. Of them, 30 bodies were identified.

Col. Yamen Abu Suleiman, Director of Civil Defense in Khan Younis, previously told CNN that some of the bodies had been found with hands and feet tied, and there were signs of field executions.

The Civil Defense said Wednesday that crews would continue search and recovery operations in the coming days. 

Read the full story.

Israel's President Isaac Herzog has thanked the US Senate for passing a funding package that includes $26 billion in aid to Israel.

The package will provide $26.4 billion to aid Israel, including $4 billion for the Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defense systems and $1.2 billion for the Iron Beam defense system, which counters short-range rockets and mortar threats.

The long-delayed $95 billion package will also send funding to Ukraine and Taiwan.

Read more about the package.

The US Senate has passed a $95 billion package that includes money for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.

The new legislation includes sanctions on Iran, the seizure of frozen Russian sovereign assets and a measure that could lead to a nationwide ban of TikTok.

The bill next goes to President Joe Biden, who said he would sign it into law on Wednesday.

“This critical legislation will make our nation and world more secure as we support our friends who are defending themselves against terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like Putin,” Biden said.

Here are the latest developments in the region: