April 15, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war

The Israeli government agency that coordinates the delivery of aid into Gaza says that a new crossing in the north has again been used to deliver food aid.

COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories) said Monday that “just last night 102 food aid trucks coordinated to northern Gaza. A food aid convoy entered northern Gaza via the new northern crossing. We will continue expanding our efforts to facilitate humanitarian aid into and across of Gaza.”

Earlier, the organization said on Sunday 316 aid trucks had been inspected and transferred to Gaza, of which 65 food aid trucks were coordinated to northern Gaza.

The Israeli government approved earlier this month the temporary opening of the Erez crossing into northern Gaza for the delivery of humanitarian aid. However, the Israel Defense Forces has not specified the exact location of the new northern crossing. 

Israel's war cabinet will meet today at 2:00 p.m. local time (7 a.m. ET) to discuss its response to Iran's unprecedented attack on Saturday night, an Israeli official has told CNN.

An hours-long war cabinet meeting ended Sunday night without a decision on how to respond.

The cabinet is determined to act – but has yet to decide on the timing and scope. 

Some background: Israel war cabinet minister Benny Gantz previously said that Israel will “exact a price from Iran in a way and time that suits us.”

But Israeli President Isaac Herzog told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that the country is not seeking war after Iran's attack and "balance is needed in this situation."

An Israeli official told the US that it's not looking to significantly escalate the showdown with Iran, a senior Biden administration official told reporters.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has warned Tehran against further escalation in the Middle East after Iran's attack on Israel. 

Scholz said the attack "is a serious escalation of the situation and is in no way acceptable, understandable or tolerable.” 

Four soldiers were wounded during overnight operations near Israel's northern border, its military said.

One of the soldiers was severely wounded, according to the military.

Two soldiers had moderate injuries, and another soldier was lightly wounded as a result of an explosion from an unknown source, it said.

Several African countries have expressed concern after Iran’s attack on Israel.

South Africa emphasized that all parties must "avoid any act that would escalate tensions in a particularly fragile region" and urged the world not to forget the war in Gaza.

Nigeria called on Iran and Israel “to exercise restraint” and “avoid a wider conflict in the Middle East,” its Foreign Ministry said.

Kenya's President William Ruto said the attack "only serves to aggravate an already delicate situation in the Middle East.”

Ruto said Iran's attack "should be condemned by all peace loving countries” and that Kenya “urges Israel to show utmost restraint.”

Somalia urged all parties “to immediately halt further escalation and exercise maximum restraint,” Somalia’s foreign ministry said.

The ministry said rising hostilities threaten regional stability and global security, and emphasized the need for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Iran’s attack on Israel was a “legitimate” and “responsible” reaction, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani reiterated on Monday.

Speaking to reporters in Tehran, Kanaani said “military action was the last resource which exhausted all the diplomatic channels.”

Kanaani said Iran is not looking at “intensifying tension” in the region but will take “proportionate action” to defend itself.

Tehran has said the strikes over the weekend were a retaliation for the bombing of an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus on April 1.

The strikes were the first time the Islamic Republic had launched a direct assault on Israel from its soil, escalating tensions in the Middle East stoked over the war in Gaza.

China has voiced “deep concern” over escalating tensions in the Middle East after Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel.

The attack raised the prospect of a wider conflagration in a region where Beijing has pledged to play peacemaker and promote its own security vision.

Iran's attack has pushed the shadow war between the two regional foes into the open. Western allies are urging Israel to de-escalate as fears grow of an all-out regional war – a scenario Washington has sought to enlist Beijing’s help to avoid.

The latest flare-up of tensions has again raised questions over how much leverage China wields over Iran – and whether Beijing is willing to turn its political capital into influence.

China has been Iran’s biggest trading partner for the past decade and buys 90% of Iran’s oil exports, providing a lifeline to Tehran against US sanctions. Chinese companies also provide Iran with security and surveillance equipment.

But it is difficult for China to pull these levers to influence Iran’s behavior, Figueroa said.

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Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said that Amman does not want a spillover conflict in the Middle East after Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel.

He stressed that all parties to the conflict should focus on the rights of Palestinians in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Iran's ambassador in Amman was summoned on Sunday after Jordan intercepted Iranian drones over its airspace.

Safadi said its response would be the same whether the threat had originated from Iran, Israel or any other country.

When asked whether Iran warned Jordan before the attack, Safadi said "it was no secret to everybody" that the Iranian retaliation was "imminent."

Iran's attack has heightened regional tensions, with Safadi noting that the continuation of the conflict in Gaza and the West Bank could lead to further destabilization.

Safadi said that when the war in Gaza ends, parties can "work on a two-state solution that would fulfil the legitimate rights of the Palestinians to freedom and statehood."

Iran's attack on Israel proves that modern air defense systems save lives, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said late Sunday following Tehran's large-scale drone and missile attack on Israel.

According to the Israeli military, the vast majority of more than 300 projectiles — including around 170 drones and 120 ballistic missiles — fired toward Israel by Iran and its proxies were intercepted by aerial defense systems and Israeli allies.

Some background: Zelensky said last week that Ukraine “will lose the war” on its soil if the United States Congress does not approve military aid to help it defend Russia’s invasion.

Zelensky’s warning comes as Congress has for months stalled on a package of aid for Ukraine, leaving Kyiv to battle ammunition shortages while Russia pounds Ukrainian cities with missiles.

The US Senate passed a $95.3 billion foreign aid bill with assistance for Ukraine and Israel in February, but House Speaker Mike Johnson has so far refused to hold a vote on passing the package for Ukraine.

The delay in Congress had boosted Russian confidence, Zelensky said Sunday.