Our live coverage of Israel's war in Gaza has moved here.
March 14, 2024 Israel-Hamas war
By Chris Lau, Kathleen Magramo, Antoinette Radford, Maureen Chowdhury, Aditi Sangal, Tori B. Powell and Elise Hammond, CNN
Updated 10:22 a.m. ET, March 15, 2024
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Australia says it will resume funding for UN agency in Gaza
From CNN's Hilary Whiteman in Brisbane, Teele Rebane and Sophie Jeong in Hong Kong
The Australian government announced on Friday that it would resume funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) following steps to strengthen the integrity of the organization's operations.
UNRWA supports the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees.
In resuming funding, the Australian government said it is "responding to a humanitarian situation in Gaza which is dire," according to a statement.
It said its decision was in line with steps taken by Canada, Sweden and the EU."
"It is expected that more countries that have paused will take a similar approach," the Australian government said.
"In disbursing the $6 million ($3.9 million USD) to UNRWA’s flash appeal, Australia is finalising an updated funding agreement that will include stringent conditions such as guarantees of staff neutrality, and confidence in supply chains."
Australia paused funding to the UNRWA in January following allegations from Israel that a number of the agency's staff were directly involved in Hamas' October 7 attacks.
"The Australian Government will work with UNRWA on an ongoing basis to ensure its integrity and neutrality are beyond reproach," Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in statement.
Australia will also deliver 140 parachutes for use in humanitarian airdrops by Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, the Australian government said.
Australia will also provide $4 million AUD ($2.6 million USD) to UNICEF and $2 million AUD ($1.3 million USD) to a new mechanism of the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, to facilitate expanded humanitarian access into the enclave.
US forces destroy 9 anti-ship missiles and 2 drones in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, central command says
US forces destroyed nine anti-ship missiles and two drones in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on Thursday, according to US Central Command.
“It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, Iranian-backed Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Gulf of Aden and two more missiles toward the Red Sea, CENTCOM said.
No one was injured and no ships reported any damage.
White House welcomes appointment of new Palestinian Authority prime minister
From CNN's Samantha Waldenberg
The White House on Thursday welcomed the appointment of the new prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, Dr. Mohammed Mustafa.
“We urge the formation of a reform cabinet as soon as possible,” National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. “A reformed Palestinian Authority is essential to delivering results for the Palestinian people and establishing the conditions for stability in both the West Bank and Gaza.”
Mustafa replaces former Prime Minister Mohammed Shttayah, who resigned in February along with his government.
Israel's military denies attacking people waiting for food aid in Gaza City
From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denied attacking dozens of people waiting for food aid near the Kuwait roundabout in Gaza City.
"The reports that the IDF attacked dozens of Gazans at an aid distribution point are false," the military said in a statement shared with CNN early Friday.
The military added it was assessing "the incident with the thoroughness that it deserves."
The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza reported Thursday that Israeli shelling killed at least 20 people and wounded 155 others while people waited for food aid.
Gazans have reported several such attacks by Israeli soldiers on crowds lining up for aid in recent weeks.
At least 20 killed and 155 hurt by Israeli shelling as they waited for aid in Gaza City, health ministry says
From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq, Kareem Khadder and Abeer Salman
At least 20 people have been killed and 155 others wounded by Israeli shelling as civilians waited for food aid in Gaza City, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza.
The health ministry accused Israeli forces of "targeting a gathering of citizens waiting for humanitarian aid to satisfy their thirst at the Kuwaiti roundabout in Gaza." The roundabout is known as an area where aid trucks commonly distribute food, attracting crowds of people desperate for supplies.
The health ministry said nearby hospitals didn't have the staff or supplies to deal with the volume and severity of injuries.
Videos showed dozens of bodies at the scene covered in rubble. Eyewitnesses said the area was struck by what sounded like tank or artillery fire.
Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal also accused Israel of being behind the attack in a statement late Thursday.
CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment.
Earlier violence at the site: At least seven Palestinians were killed and dozens were wounded Wednesday when Israeli forces opened fire on civilians gathered to receive aid at the roundabout, an eyewitness and a doctor at Al-Shifa Hospital told CNN earlier Thursday.
Gazans have reported several such attacks by Israeli soldiers on crowds lining up for aid in recent weeks.
CNN cannot independently verify casualty figures due to the lack of international media access to the enclave. The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately return a request for comment on Wednesday's alleged shooting.
The post has been updated with details about the shelling and about the Wednesday attack at the roundabout.
Hamas delivers latest response in ongoing talks for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release
From CNN's Alex Marquardt and Kylie Atwood
Hamas submitted a new response to Egyptian and Qatari mediators in the ongoing talks for a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza, according to a diplomat familiar with the negotiations and a Qatari official.
It is unclear how Hamas may have countered in order to bridge the significant gaps between the two sides.
CNN previously reported that the first phase of a deal had been expected to include a six-week humanitarian pause, the release of around 40 Israeli hostages, and a large number of Palestinian prisoners. The hostages would be the remaining Israeli women — including Israel Defense Forces soldiers, the elderly, sick and wounded.
There had been sticking points — among them, Hamas had refused to send Israel a list of all the hostages believed to be alive or dead. Hamas has been asking for a large number of Palestinian prisoners to be exchanged, additional aid into the strip, and the IDF to withdraw from Gaza in a second phase.
A US official tells CNN the administration currently feels “cautiously optimistic” about the direction that the talks are going. But they declined to share any further details.
CNN's MJ Lee and Becky Anderson contributed reporting.
It will take years to clear the millions of tons of debris in Gaza, UN chief says
From CNN’s Sahar Akbarzai
It will take years to clear nearly 23 million metric tons of debris in Gaza from the destruction of the Israel-Hamas war, according to the United Nations.
Much of the debris is from residential units and other properties across the enclave following Israeli bombardment, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, citing UN humanitarian partners.
It will also take years to “clear up unexploded ordnances,” said Dujarric, to give a scope of the “rebuilding efforts that will be necessary once this conflict ends,” he added.
Thousands protest in Tel Aviv over exemption of ultra-Orthodox Israelis from mandatory military service
From CNN's Lauren Izso and Mohammed Tawfeeq
Thousands of people took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Thursday to protest the exemption of ultra-Orthodox from mandatory military service.
Ultra-Orthodox Israelis have long held a privileged position in that society. Their religious schools, or yeshivas, receive generous government subsidies. Yet young men of the Haredim, as they are known in Hebrew, are, in all practical terms, exempt from mandatory military service.
In 1998, Israel's Supreme Court ripped up the longstanding exemption, telling the government that allowing Haredim to get out of conscription violated equal protection principles. In the decades since, successive governments and parliaments have tried to solve the issue, only to be told repeatedly by the court that their efforts were illegal.
Now, those piecemeal attempts to maintain the Haredi exemption may be running out. The latest government attempt to paper over the problem, in place since 2018, expires at the end of March.
"There is no unity without equality!" protesters were heard chanting while holding Israeli flags.
Israeli opposition leader and former prime minister Yair Lapid has long criticized the exemption, saying in a post on X in March: "It is not possible for 66,000 ultra-Orthodox young men of conscription age to receive a blanket exemption while the working and paying public continues to bear the entire burden."
CNN's Mick Krever contributed reporting to this post.
