March 20, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

As Israel says it is continuing a raid at the Al-Shifa Hospital for a third day, a Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson told CNN that civilians sheltering inside the hospital are running out of water and basic necessities.

Spokesperson Mahmoud Basal claimed people inside the hospital said they had been subject to interrogations, torture and killing. He also alleged that the Israeli army was removing wounded people from inside the hospital, “even when they cannot walk or move.” The injured individuals then attempt to get to the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital 3 kilometers (nearly 2 miles) away “in a very difficult condition,” he said.

He said people there were afraid to speak with journalists, also alleging that a journalist there – Mahmoud Aliwa – had been arrested by Israeli troops. CNN has asked the Israel Defense Forces about the reported arrest of Aliwa and the movement of wounded people to Al-Ahli hospital. 

Ismail Al-Nono, a displaced man currently in the southern city of Rafah, told CNN the IDF had targeted a group of buildings close to Al-Shifa that belonged to his cousin. But around 5 a.m. local time, Al-Nono said, contact was cut off.

Elsewhere in Gaza, the IDF said its snipers and aircraft had killed several militants in central Gaza and Jabalya. It also said troops were continuing their operations in Khan Younis.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to Israel Friday, an Israeli official told CNN.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Wednesday that Blinken will discuss ongoing negotiations to secure the release of all hostages, Israel's planned Rafah offensive and the need to "dramatically increase and sustain the delivery of humanitarian aid" into Gaza.

Blinken's visit to Israel comes at a critical time, as US and Israeli officials are likely to discuss alternatives to a ground offensive of Gaza's southern city of Rafah next week, the White House said.

On Monday, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Biden had asked Netanyahu to send a team to Washington “to hear U.S. concerns about Israel’s current Rafah planning and to lay out an alternative approach that would target key Hamas elements in Rafah and secure the Egypt-Gaza border without a major ground invasion.”

But the Israeli statement Tuesday said that Netanyahu “is determined to act in Rafah in order to finally eliminate the remaining Hamas battalions, while providing humanitarian solutions to the civilian population.” 

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will also host Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant at the Pentagon next week, according to a defense official.

The official added the meeting comes after Austin extended an invitation for an official visit and is separate from the meeting announced after the call between Biden and Netanyahu.

CNN's Kevin Liptak, Kylie Atwood and Alex Marquardt contributed reporting to this post.

When President Joe Biden asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to dispatch a team of top Israeli officials to Washington, his hope was to preempt a large-scale ground invasion of Rafah, which the Biden administration believes would amount to a humanitarian catastrophe.

Whether the meeting, now likely to occur early next week, can accomplish that objective remains an open question. But, there are indications that despite Biden's warnings, the Israeli leader remains intent on entering the southern Gaza city.

That leaves Biden in a now-familiar, if uncomfortable, position: Having staked out a clear position on the invasion, it appears Netanyahu is poised to reject it out of hand.

“Out of respect for the president, we agreed on a way in which they can present us with their ideas, especially on the humanitarian side,” Netanyahu said Tuesday during a speech to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the Knesset.

The invitation to Israeli officials for talks in Washington comes with certain risks for Biden, depending how Israel decides to proceed.

Read more about those political risks here.

The UK's largest aid delivery to Gaza has entered the enclave, the British Foreign Office said Wednesday.

More than 2,000 tonnes of food aid that entered Gaza via the Jordanian land corridor were being distributed by the World Food Programme and will feed "more than 275,000 people," the office said.

The delivery includes fortified wheat flour for use in bakeries, hot meals, and Ready To Eat (RTE) food parcels.

The delivery adds to a previous batch of 150 tonnes of UK-funded relief items, including blankets and tents, which arrived last Wednesday and will be distributed by UNICEF, the Foreign Office said.

"A full UK field hospital run by UK-Med has also arrived in Gaza and is now operational and providing life-saving care", the office said.

Imminent famine: The aid comes amid warnings of imminent famine among Palestinians. Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the UK continues "to push Israel to allow more crossings to be open and for longer, and for healthcare, water, and sanitation to be restored."

Cameron also urged Israel to open a "land crossing in the north" and allow the entry of more UN staff to facilitate the delivery of aid in Gaza to tackle "the devastating and growing humanitarian crisis."

An Israeli military raid launched on Monday is ongoing at Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, where thousands of people are sheltering in dire conditions.

Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal told CNN the hospital is "besieged" by Israeli forces. The Israeli military said the site was being used by "senior Hamas terrorists."

Inside the hospital, people have reported being detained and “severely beaten,” and being fearful of moving between rooms. Others have called for "urgent intervention before the hospital turns into a mass grave."

Here are the latest developments in the war:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to address Senate Republicans during their closed-door conference lunch today via video, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Netanyahu’s appearance today comes as Senate Republicans have rallied around him after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called Netanyahu an obstacle to peace last week.

Netanyahu was invited by Sen. John Barrasso last week to address Senate Republicans during their annual retreat but he couldn’t make it.

One of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest confidants, Ron Dermer, and Israel's national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi will be heading to Washington, DC, to meet with US officials, according to a statement from Netanyahu's office obtained by CNN.

The statement did not say which US officials the Israeli delegation will meet with or when the visit will happen. The White House said it expects the visit to happen early next week. 

Dermer is currently a member of Israel’s war cabinet and a former ambassador to the United States.

The US has been calling on Israel to explain how it intends to keep safe over 1 million Palestinians who are seeking refuge in southern Gaza, as Israel warns that it will soon launch a military offensive into Rafah. So far, US President Joe Biden's administration says a plan has not been presented.

US wants Rafah alternatives: On Monday, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Biden had asked Netanyahu to send a team to Washington “to hear U.S. concerns about Israel’s current Rafah planning and to lay out an alternative approach that would target key Hamas elements in Rafah and secure the Egypt-Gaza border without a major ground invasion.”

But the Israeli statement Tuesday said that Netanyahu “is determined to act in Rafah in order to finally eliminate the remaining Hamas battalions, while providing humanitarian solutions to the civilian population.” 

The Israeli delegation will be accompanied by a representative — who was not named — for Israel’s Coordination of Government Actions in the Territories, the statement said.

The World Health Organization issued another stark warning about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and a spokesperson on Tuesday said a growing number of infants there are on the “brink of death” from acute hunger.

While young children and infants are among the least able to cope with chronic hunger, the WHO says there is a rising number of dangerously underweight pregnant women, as well.

"This is entirely man-made, everything we're seeing medically; this was a territory where the health system functioned well," Harris said.

The WHO was aiming to build emergency malnutrition stabilization centers in Gaza, but progress had been hampered by a lack of security.

One center had been established in southern Gaza, and the WHO is attempting to establish one in northern Gaza, “but we can’t bring them in at the scale and to the people without the access and the safety. So there is no answer until there’s a ceasefire,” Harris said.

A meeting in Washington between US and Israeli officials to discuss alternatives to a ground invasion of Gaza's southern city of Rafah is likely to occur next week, the White House said.

US President Joe Biden asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call Monday to dispatch a delegation of military, intelligence and humanitarian officials to Washington to discuss the Rafah plans.

The timing of the meeting was unclear Monday, but press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday it was likely to happen early next week. She didn't have additional details on who would participate in the talks.

On Monday, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the meeting was intended to bring officials together in the same room at a critical moment in the conflict.