March 10, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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:

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.

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.

There are “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. 

“There is nothing new,” Hossam Badran told CNN, saying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to respond to fair Palestinian demands regarding Gaza’s basic needs.

He listed “stopping the killing, withdrawal, providing relief and the return of the displaced people without conditions” as factors to be considered.

A Hamas delegation left Cairo on March 7 following days of talks without an obvious breakthrough.

Negotiators had hoped to have a draft agreement this week after the days of meetings in Cairo, “but it won’t happen,” said one diplomat familiar with the discussions who described the last few days of talks as “very hectic.”

Egypt state-run Al Qahera news, citing a senior source, said the delegation had left to consult on the proposals, adding negotiations would resume this week.

Israel has warned that if the Israeli hostages being held in Gaza aren’t home by Ramadan they will launch a military offensive into Rafah in southern Gaza where around 1.5 million Palestinians are trying to seek safety from the fighting.

Gaza municipality renewed its appeal for humanitarian aid ahead of the start of Ramadan on Sunday evening. 

“As Ramadan approaches, Gaza faces a grave humanitarian crisis due to relentless Israeli aggression,” a statement issued Sunday said, adding that essential services like water, sanitation and waste management have been “severely affected.”

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.”

Gaza is grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis with a growing number of people dying from starvation and dehydration, aid agencies have warned.

At least 25 people have died so far from malnutrition and dehydration in the Gaza Strip, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said Saturday. 

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.

Christodoulides told journalists on Saturday that the first ship was expected to leave within a day.

“The ship will depart Larnaca in the next 24 hours. I can’t say the exact time for security reasons. We are in constant contact, on the one hand, with the states that supported this initiative,” Christodoulides said on Saturday. 

Christodoulides stated that additional countries are also expressing their interest in participating in the initiative, outlining on Saturday that “we are receiving phone calls from heads of state or government or from foreign ministers, expressing us their desire to participate in the initiative.”

It comes amid a flurry of actions by the international community to alleviate the crisis in Gaza. More than two million people are in need of food and the medical system has all but collapsed.

Israel put Gaza under siege following the October 7 attacks but insists it is working to meet the needs of those on the ground.

The US earlier said it is sending the first equipment needed to establish a temporary pier near Gaza.

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. 

“We stress the need to ensure that such assistance is delivered through the Gaza Strip’s outlets and delivered safely to all citizens trapped in order to avoid further casualties,” the civil defense’s spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said.

The civil defense said on Friday at least five people died after an airdrop fell on people and homes of citizens northwest of Gaza City. It is not clear who was delivering the aid.

Footage obtained by CNN last week shows dozens of parachutes carrying parcels descending from a plane conducting an air drop.

Some background: The US recently followed other countries in airdropping aid, to help alleviate a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. But aid agencies say airdrops are an ineffective way of delivering help while the US has been accused of not doing more to pressure its ally Israel to open up land routes.

The death toll from Israeli airstrikes on buildings in central Gaza on Saturday afternoon has risen to at least 13, health officials at Al Aqsa Hospital told CNN.

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

A video obtained by CNN from Al-Aqsa Hospital shows at least four bodies being brought from the area to the facility, including two children who were found dead after being pulled out from under the rubble. 

CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment on the alleged airstrike.

The IDF has repeatedly said they were “operating to dismantle Hamas military and administrative capabilities.”

The first equipment for a temporary pier in Gaza is en route – one of the US’ extraordinary measures as Israel continues to severely restrict the distribution of aid within the besieged enclave, and as the harrowing humanitarian crisis continues.

The US and other nations including Jordan are also airdropping aid into the strip, with packages of water, food and other supplies – but the United Nations and aid agencies have questioned the effectiveness of these airdrops.

Meanwhile, water, hygiene and sanitation services “remain severely constrained” in the war-torn strip, the UN said. Four out of every five households in Gaza are without safe water, the UN warned Saturday. 

Here are other headlines you should know:

The first equipment needed to establish a temporary pier in Gaza is on its way, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Saturday.

On Thursday, US President Joe Biden announced that the US military would begin establishing a port in the territory that could receive large shipments of critically needed food and medical supplies, with Gaza in the grips of a harrowing humanitarian crisis.

CENTCOM said that the US Army Vessel General Frank S. Besson, a logistics support boat, had departed Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia and was en route to the eastern Mediterranean.

Besson is carrying the first equipment to establish the temporary pier, according to CENTCOM.

But relief could be a long way off. The pier and causeway are expected to take at least one month, possibly two, to build and become fully operational, the Pentagon said Friday – and will likely require up to 1,000 personnel to complete.

The extraordinary measure is among a flurry of actions by the international community to alleviate the crisis in Gaza caused by Israel’s refusal to open additional land crossings or surge more aid by land as it continues to fight Hamas.

In the besieged strip, more than two million people are in need of food and the medical system has all but collapsed.

The Jordanian Armed Forces made 10 airdrops of humanitarian relief into northern Gaza on Saturday.

The airdrops were carried out in cooperation with the United States, France, Egypt and Belgium, the military said in a statement.

“Jordan continues its endeavors and efforts to send more medical, relief and food aid to people in the Gaza Strip with the aim of compensating for the acute shortage of food and medicine as a result of the continuing Israeli war on the Strip,” the statement added.

Jordan said it has carried out 35 aid airdrops on Gaza since November 6. 

A video obtained by CNN on Saturday shows several military transport aircraft dropping humanitarian aid in areas in Gaza.

Some context: While airdrops are a speedy way of getting supplies into a conflict zone, 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. 

“Humanitarian workers always complain that airdrops are good photo opportunities but a lousy way to deliver aid,” Richard Gowan, the International Crisis Group’s United Nations director, told CNN.

Aid workers are urging the US to pressure its ally Israel to lift the tight siege it holds on the enclave, which has left Palestinians on the brink of famine.

At least five people were killed and 9 others injured in Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday, according to the Lebanese state-run National News Agency (NNA).

NNA reported that fighter jets fired two air-to-surface missiles at a house in the Al-Ain area of Kharbet Selim, killing a man, his pregnant wife, their two children and another individual.

Emergency and relief teams were dispatched to recover the bodies and transport them to the government hospital in Tebnine, NNA reported.

“The raid caused the complete destruction of the house and caused heavy losses to dozens of surrounding homes,” according to NNA.

Hezbollah on Saturday released a statement that three of the Iran-backed Islamist movement’s fighters were killed on Saturday, providing no further details.

CNN has contacted the Israel Defense Forces for comment, which said it is looking into the airstrike reports.

There has been daily cross-border fire between Israel and Lebanon since the war in Gaza began, and the IDF has repeatedly said it is targeting “Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in the areas in southern Lebanon.” Hezbollah has voiced support for Hamas and Palestinians, and is among several Iranian proxy groups at the center of inflamed regional tensions during the 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.

“I’m never going to leave Israel. The defense of Israel is still critical. So there’s no red line (where) I’m going to cut off all weapons so they don’t have the Iron Dome to protect them,” Biden said, referring to Israel’s missile defense system.
“But there’s red lines that if he crosses … (we) cannot have 30,000 more Palestinians dead as a consequence of going after (Hamas),” Biden continued, but didn’t say exactly what those red lines entailed.

“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!”

“No to a government of terrorists!” one sign read.
“You are the leader; you are the guilty one!” other protesters chanted.

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. 

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.

“Humanitarian workers always complain that airdrops are good photo opportunities but a lousy way to deliver aid,” according to Richard Gowan, the International Crisis Group’s UN director.

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.

At least two more people died in Gaza on Saturday due to severe malnutrition and dehydration, according to Dr. Ashraf Al-Qidra, the spokesperson for the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.

A two-month-old infant passed away at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, and a 20-year-old woman also died due to starvation at the Al-Shifa medical complex in Gaza City, Al-Qidra said in a statement, bringing the total number to 25.

More context: As Israel’s severe restrictions on aid entering the Gaza Strip drain essential supplies, displaced Palestinians told CNN they are struggling to feed their children. Starving mothers are unable to produce enough milk to breastfeed their babies, doctors say. Parents arrive at overwhelmed health facilities begging for infant formula. Civilians have lost on average tens of kilograms of weight, according to relief workers. In northern Gaza, people rush to grab aid from infrequent humanitarian drops. Health workers say they cannot offer life-saving treatment to malnourished Gazans because Israel’s bombardment and siege has crushed the medical system.