April 15, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war

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

Israel was set to take its first steps toward a ground offensive in Rafah this week, but has delayed those plans as it mulls a response to Iran’s attack, two Israeli sources have told CNN.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long stressed the importance of invading Rafah to dismantle Hamas’s remaining battalions, despite significant international pressure to call off an all-out ground offensive. But, a military response that risks escalating the conflict with Iran further would pull the military’s attention and resources away from Gaza.

Here’s what to know if you’re just joining our coverage:

The post has been updated with details on the war cabinet meeting and the hostage talks.

Two Palestinians were killed Monday south of the West Bank city of Nablus, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials.

The Palestinian official news agency WAFA, citing a local official, said the two were killed by Israeli settlers in Khirbet at-Tawil, which is near the settlement of Gitit. 

According to WAFA, Israeli settlers attacked and killed two farmers who were tending their farmland. 

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah identified the deceased as Abdul Rahman Maher Bani Fadel, 30, and Muhammad Ashraf Bani Jame, 21.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement it received a report Monday “about a Palestinian suspect who attacked a Jewish shepherd” in the Gitit area in the West Bank’s Jordan Valley. “A violent confrontation developed there between Palestinians and Israeli citizens,” the statement said. 

When IDF forces arrived, they “worked to disperse the confrontation,” and “during the incident, two Palestinians were killed,” the statement said. 

A preliminary investigation into the shooting appears that IDF forces did not do it, the statement concluded. 

The IDF and the Israel police are investigating the incident, the IDF spokesperson added.

China said it noted Iran’s statement that the actions against Israel were an “exercise of the right of self-defense” during a phone call between the foreign ministers of the two nations on Monday, and did not condemn the weekend strikes.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian that China condemned the attack on a consulate building in the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus, according to a statement issued by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Chinese foreign minister added the incident “seriously violates international law and is unacceptable.”

“China has noted Iran’s statement that the actions it took were limited and it was an exercise of the right of self-defense in response to the attack on the embassy building,” the statement said.
“The current regional situation is very sensitive, and Iran is willing to exercise restraint and has no intention of further escalating the situation,” the statement added, quoting Amir-Abdollahian.

Separately, China’s Special Envoy on the Middle East, Zhai Jun, met with Irit Ben-Abba Vitale, Israel’s Ambassador to China, on Monday, in which the latter expressed Israel’s position and concerns on the conflict in Gaza.

Zhai said China was “deeply concerned about the current escalation of regional tensions, and conflicts and bloodshed serve the interests of no one.”

“What is pressing now is to achieve an immediate ceasefire and cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip, ensure humanitarian aid, release all detained personnel as soon as possible, and achieve a political settlement of the Palestinian question based on the two-state solution for the peaceful coexistence of Israel and Palestine,” a statement from the foreign ministry said.

Fifteen bodies were recovered Monday from around Al-Shifa Hospital following the withdrawal of the Israeli military from the area two weeks ago, Gaza residents and medical crews told CNN.

Health workers and residents in northern Gaza have been searching for what they believe are mass graves and looking for their loved ones after they said Israeli forces killed hundreds of Palestinians and left their bodies to decompose during their two-week siege of the complex.

Hundreds of bodies have been recovered from areas around the hospital complex since the siege ended April 1, a Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson told CNN last week.

Video filmed by CNN Monday shows medical workers, some wearing UN-marked vests walking around the site over mounds of sand, digging up bodies. White body bags can be seen on the side of the excavation site, some marked with text that read “unidentified body” and some with names of people on them.

“Today I bid farewell to my mother who was inside Al-Shifa Hospital during the invasion and attack by the vicious Israeli occupation on this medical complex that has been turned into a big mass of rubble,” Mohammad Al-Khateeb, a resident of Gaza told CNN. “The Israeli military deprived patients, nurses, doctors and the displaced of water, medicine and food.”

 Al-Khateeb’s mother, Khawala Al-Khateeb, was 75 years old when she was brought to the hospital three days before the Israeli military siege on the complex and surrounding neighborhood of Al-Rimal, and was killed three days after, he said.

CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment on these allegations but has not received a response.

Waleed Abu-Laila told CNN he had been searching for his mother since the Israeli siege on the hospital ended on April 1. On Monday, he said he found her body and was only able to identify her “from the specific markings on her feet and hands” from when she had a toe and finger amputated back in November.

Video shows Abu-Laila opening a white body bag, revealing his mother’s decomposed body.

“The hospital was blocked from all sides and there were bodies were scattered all over, squashed on the streets from the tank rails. When I got a call to come check the unidentified bodies, I opened a bag that was marked ‘unidentified’ and immediately found my mother’s body decomposed,” he said.

Khadr Al-Za’anoun of Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, contributed to this report.

Hamas has slashed the number of hostages it is willing to release during the first phase of a ceasefire deal by more than half, an Israeli source close to the negotiations said.

In its latest counterproposal, Hamas offered to release fewer than 20 hostages in exchange for a six-week ceasefire, more than halving the number of 40 hostages that has been the basis of negotiations for months now, representing a significant step backward in the talks.

A senior Biden administration official confirmed that Hamas is focused on those 20 for the first phase of a potential ceasefire deal. The official also confirmed Hamas is telling mediators that it only has around 20 remaining hostages who are women or sick, wounded and elderly men.

Hamas also called for the release of more Palestinian prisoners in exchange for fewer hostages, the source said, as well as a higher number of prisoners serving life sentences.

The Israeli source said the latest Hamas counterproposal signals that Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza, does not want a deal, seeking to exploit fissures between the US and Israel over Israeli military operations in Gaza and domestic pressure on the Israeli government.

Basem Naim, a Hamas spokesperson, said Hamas had proposed “releasing (three) captured Israelis each week,” but said “no one is talking about final numbers.”

Beyond the ratio of Palestinian prisoners, Hamas is continuing to demand assurances about a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and unrestricted access for Palestinians to return to northern Gaza.

“I think part of this is Hamas thinks they’re winning. Because their definition of success is survival and they’ve survived so far,” the Biden official said. “The longer the conflict has gone on the more recalcitrant Hamas has become rather than the other way around.”

This post has been updated with remarks from a Biden official.

It’s imperative the international community “stand united in resisting this Iranian aggression, which threatens world peace,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a Monday statement from his office on X.

Netanyahu added:

“Directly and through its terror proxies Hamas and others, Iran is conducting a full-scale campaign of aggression that threatens not only Israel but the entire Middle East.”

Netanyahu’s comments follow an Iranian strike against Israel over the weekend in which more than 300 missiles and drones were launched.

Tehran said the attack was in retaliation for a deadly Israeli attack against a consulate building in the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus.

The Golden Gate Bridge has reopened after demonstrators protesting the war in Gaza shut down the busy roadway Monday morning, California Highway Patrol Officer Andrew Barclay told CNN. 

Traffic is beginning to flow again as both sides of the bridge reopened, Barclay added. 

Earlier in the day, protestors also blocked Interstate 880 in Oakland and the roadway remains impacted, Barclay said. The northbound side of the interstate is almost completely clear, while the southbound side remains closed, the officer detailed. Protests continue on the interstate, aerial and ground video from CNN affiliate KGO showed.

“Arrests have been made, and are continuing to be made,” Barclay said in an email early Monday. 

Before the law enforcement response, protesters held signs, including one that read “Stop the world for Gaza.”

I-880 reopened traffic later Monday, California Highway Patrol Officer Art Montiel told CNN. Protesters are still demonstrating on city streets near the interstate, the officer added. 

Montiel was not able to say how many people were arrested in the incident.

Additional US military assets that had been moved into the Middle East before Iran’s attack on Israel remain in place, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Monday.

Ryder’s comments come as Israel debates possible retaliation to Iran’s attack. 

“As (Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin) has said, both publicly and privately, we don’t want to see escalation, but we obviously will take necessary measures to protect our forces in the region and as was demonstrated over the weekend, we’ll take necessary measures to defend Israel,” Ryder said.

Iran will not show restraint when its red lines are crossed, the top advisor to the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commander, Iraj Masjedi, said on Monday, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA. 

“The Islamic Republic does not seek war but will not show restraint in the face of enemy aggression against its red lines either,” Masjedi said.

Masjedi said while the United States urged Iran to exercise restraint, “at the same time, it supported the Israeli regime’s actions.” 

Iran will not hesitate to give a “stormy and unified response” to any acts of aggression, Iranian Army Chief Commander Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi said during a Monday message commemorating National Army Day in Iran.  

Iran’s retaliatory attacks against Israel this past weekend, dubbed Operation True Promise, were conducted in cooperation with the IRGC’s Aerospace Division, the Army, and the Defense Ministry, Mousavi said. Iran has recently conducted many joint military drills to enhance its national security, he said. 

“The recent strike showed that (Israel’s) air defense systems and the Iron Dome are by no means a deterrent against Iranian missiles,” Masjedi said.

Some context: Almost all the ballistic missiles and drones Iran launched at Israel in an unprecedented attack late Saturday were intercepted and failed to meet their mark, according to Israeli and American officials, highlighting the formidable, and multi-layered missile defense deployed by the two allied partners.

Most of the more than 300 Iranian munitions, the majority of which are believed to have been launched from inside of Iran’s territory during a five-hour attack, were intercepted before they got to Israel, more than 1,100 miles (1,770 kilometers) from their launch points.

The White House reiterated on Monday that President Joe Biden “will not accept a standalone” funding bill for aid to Israel.

Some House Republicans have suggested that lawmakers seek to pass additional funding in the wake of Iran’s attacks.

“What we want to see is that bipartisan national security supplemental that passed overwhelmingly, 70-29 in the Senate, and we believe if the (House Speaker Mike Johnson) were to put that on the floor, it would pass overwhelmingly. And so that’s what we want to see,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told CNN.

The House has so far declined to take a vote on the Senate-passed legislation — which includes funding for Israel as well as Ukraine and Taiwan — with many House conservatives opposed to sending additional aid to Ukraine and wanting stricter US southern border policies included in any aid package. 

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said on Monday that Iran’s attack on Israel “will be met with a response.”

“Iran wanted to harm the strategic capabilities of the State of Israel, this is something that did not happen in the past,” Halevi said while addressing troops at Nevatim airbase, which was hit in the strike.
“We were prepared in the ‘Iron Shield’ operation, this preparation brought Iran to also meet air superiority, which you expressed (manifested) very well,” he said.

Halevi said that Israel had intelligence of Iran’s strike since last Monday, adding that Israel is “very strong and knows how to deal with it on its own.” 

IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari doubled down on the chief of staff’s message during a media briefing. 

Responding to a question regarding a possible Israeli response, Hagari stressed that the Israeli military will have to do “all that is necessary” to defend Israel. 

“And we will do that at the time we choose,” he added.

Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel over the weekend has ratcheted up tensions in the oil-rich Middle East yet again, threatening to send fuel prices skyward if the conflict escalates and disrupts global supplies.

Tehran launched scores of missiles toward Israel late Saturday in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic complex in Syria on April 1. Israel’s military said that “99%” of the more than 300 projectiles were intercepted.

Oil prices spiked Friday to levels not seen since October in anticipation of just such an escalation but on Monday were subdued. Brent, the global benchmark, was trading down 0.9%; West Texas Intermediate futures, the US benchmark, were down 0.8% by 9.25 am ET as markets wait to see how Israel will respond.

Members of Israel’s war cabinet were locked in heated debate over the nature of its response, with military and diplomatic options both being considered, two Israeli officials familiar with the deliberations told CNN.

The deepening conflict raises “the risk of increased volatility in oil markets and (provides) a fresh reminder of the importance of oil security,” the Paris-based International Energy Agency, which monitors oil markets on behalf of developed economies, said in a note Monday.

Read more about the risk to international oil prices

An entire block of residential buildings in central Gaza’s Al-Maghazi refugee camp was destroyed following a strike around 2:00 a.m. local time on Monday, according to eyewitnesses and footage filmed for CNN. 

Residents said some of them received a call from the Israeli military — warning them to evacuate only a few minutes before the airstrike hit.

Video of the aftermath shot by a CNN stringer shows the entire block destroyed with debris and rubble strewn along the ground. Pieces of furniture and people’s belongings can be seen underneath the buildings. Dozens of people, including men, women and children are seen sitting on sofas covered in dust, and others walking on top of the rubble, trying to retrieve whatever is left of their belongings.  

One resident named Khalil Shishniyeh told CNN his neighbor banged on his door at 1:30 a.m. local time on Monday to tell him to evacuate because an Israeli airstrike was going to target his house. Eight displaced families were living in that building, he said.

Another young man said he evacuated his house in five minutes and didn’t get very far before the house was struck.

“We didn’t take anything with us. My grandmother was on a wheelchair, I don’t know how we managed to get her out on the street,” he said.

An elderly woman said she was sleeping with her children when her neighbor came “knocking on the door like a madman.”

“He told us the Israeli forces said they were going to strike our house. We ran out like mad people, and we took nothing with us … if it had just been 10 minutes later, I swear our house would’ve fallen on top of us, and you’d have to remove us in body parts,” she said.

CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment.

A top US national security official on Monday wouldn’t say if President Joe Biden urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to exercise restraint in Israel’s response to Iran’s attack over the weekend.

 “All I’ll say is that the president, from the beginning of this conflict on October 7th, has been steadfast and consistent,” National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said. “We don’t want to see a war with Iran, we don’t want to see a broader regional conflict, we will do what we have to do to defend Israel.” 

CNN reported over the weekend that Biden urged Netanyahu in a call to consider Saturday a win because the US assessed Iran’s attacks had been largely unsuccessful and demonstrated Israel’s superior military capability, while also making clear that the United States will not participate in any offensive operations against Iran in response, according to a senior administration official.

Kirby wouldn’t say if the president has plans to speak again with Netanyahu soon, saying they have spoken frequently over the past six months and would likely speak again.

Israel has yet to agree on how to respond to the Iranian attack over the weekend that saw more than 300 projectiles fired at its territory in the first direct military confrontation between the Islamic Republic and the Jewish state.

Israel must balance international pressure to show restraint on the one hand while searching for an appropriate response to an unprecedented attack. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now has to weigh his right-wing coalition’s call for a strong reaction against the risk of further international isolation for Israel by widening the war without international support.

Israel’s war cabinet on Monday remained determined to respond to Iran’s attack for what Iran says was retaliation to a suspected Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus on April 1. Despite pressure from allies not to escalate, the cabinet is now debating the timing and scope of the response, two Israeli officials familiar with the deliberations told CNN.

Analysts say that Israel has few options, and each of those options comes with a price, especially as it is already embroiled in a brutal six-month war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and is confronting various Iran-backed militants in the region.

A direct attack on Iran would set yet another precedent. While Israel is believed to have conducted covert operations in Iran over the years, often targeting individuals or facilities seen as a threat to its security, it has never launched a direct military assault on Iranian territory.

“We are definitely in a new phase, and a very dangerous phase of the Israeli-Iranian confrontation,” said Raz Zimmt, an Iran expert at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv. “Iran has certainly tried to change the rules of the game with Israel… We might expect more rounds of direct attacks in the future.”

Read more about the dilemma facing Israel

Group of Seven leaders are weighing new sanctions on Iran’s missile program, the White House said, following a virtual meeting Sunday to consult on a diplomatic response to the weekend attack on Israel. 

“Much of the world today is standing with Israel,” national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

The G7 is comprised of the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Italy. The European Union also takes part in its consultations.

The United States “did not get notice from Iran” on the specifics of its strikes against Israel, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Monday.

Miller said that Iran said “publicly and privately a number of times … to anyone that they talk to, not just the United States but others, that they were going to do something,” but they did not provide details on the scope and timing of the response.

“There were a number of conversations with foreign interlocutors over the past week. In none of those conversations did we get a notification of attack or a sense of the targets,” Miller said at a briefing.

US President Joe Biden addressed Iran’s attack against Israel over the weekend for the first time publicly, saying he remains focused on Israel’s security and reaching a ceasefire and hostage deal as he works to stem the conflict from spilling into a wider regional war. 

“The United States is committed to Israel’s security. We’re committed to a ceasefire that will bring the hostages home and prevent the conflict from spreading beyond what it already has,” Biden said at the White House. 

The president made the comments while welcoming Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to the Oval Office amid the ongoing tension in the region and concerns for US forces. 

“We’re also committed to the security of our personnel and partners in the region, including Iraq,” Biden said. “The partnership between Iraq and the United States is critical.”

An Israeli military official told CNN on Monday that the soldiers who were wounded during an operation in Lebanese territory were on an operation that took place “dozens of meters deep” in western Lebanon.

The military official said the incident is still under investigation and the explosion’s origins are still unknown. 

Earlier, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said the operation, which severely wounded one solider and left two moderately injured and another lightly injured, resulted during operations on Lebanon’s northern border. 

This post was updated with more information on the incident

Germany, France and Belgium all summoned their Iranian ambassadors Monday as European nations continue to strongly condemn Iran’s attack on Israel over the weekend.

Belgium opted to summon its Iranian ambassador, Seyed Mohammad Ali Robatjazi, according to a statement from the Belgian foreign ministry. Officials used the visit to convey their “strong condemnation of Iran’s attack on Israel” to the ambassador, the statement added.

Iran’s ambassador was summoned to hear France condemn “with the greatest firmness” Tehran’s attack against Israel, the French foreign ministry said in a statement. In the wake of the attack, Iran now “runs the risk of an escalation in which no one has any interest,” France warned, calling on the regime to “cease immediately” its provocations.

Finally, the German government summoned the Iranian ambassador in Berlin, a spokesperson for the Federal Foreign Office told a news conference.

This all comes after the Iranian government summoned the German, British and French ambassadors in Tehran on Sunday, according to Iranian state-affiliated news agency Tasnim. According to the Tasnim report, the three ambassadors were summoned over the “irresponsible stances” they took in response to Iran’s attack on Israel.  

The Israeli war cabinet has reviewed military plans for a potential response against Iran during a nearly three-hour meeting on Monday, an official said.

The war cabinet remains determined to act, but it is not clear at this point if a decision has been made.

There is a sense that Israel must act quickly, the official said.  

The war cabinet also reviewed diplomatic options to further isolate Iran, which could be carried out in addition to a military response.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Monday that he will speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express “solidarity with Israel” in the face of Iran’s attack and discuss how to “prevent further escalation.” 

“We are working urgently with our allies to de-escalate the situation and prevent further bloodshed,” Sunak told the House of Commons on Monday, adding: “We want to see calmer heads prevail and we are directing all our diplomatic efforts to that end.” 

Sunak explained “all sides must show restraint” and noted that G7 leaders will work together to coordinate “diplomatic measures” over the coming days. 

The British prime minister condemned Iran for seeking to “plunge the Middle East into a new crisis” and detailed: “The scale of the attack and the fact that it was targeted directly at Israel are without precedent. It was a reckless and dangerous escalation.” 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday the US has spent the past 36 hours “coordinating a diplomatic response to seek to prevent escalation” following a retaliatory Iranian attack on Israel this weekend.

“Strength and wisdom need to be different sides of the same coin,” Blinken said in a seemingly implicit call for Israel to exercise restraint in its response. Blinken noted he has been in contact with counterparts in the region “and will continue to do so in the hours and days ahead.”

“We don’t seek escalation but will continue to support the defense of Israel and protect our personnel in the region,” Blinken said in his first public comments about the attack this weekend.

As CNN reported, President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US would not participate in offensive moves against Iran.

But, he added that “what this weekend demonstrated is that Israel did not have to and does not have to defend itself alone when it is the victim of aggression, the victim of an attack.”

An Israeli official has confirmed to CNN that the war cabinet meeting is over. 

The official said that at this stage they had no details on what was discussed or decided.

The war cabinet met to deliberate over the timing and scope of a response to Iran’s attack on Israel, the officials said. In addition to a potential military response, the war cabinet is also mulling diplomatic options to further isolate Iran on the world stage.

Israeli gunfire killed one person and critically wounded another in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, on Monday, the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Health said. 

The ministry said the other person had a critical chest injury “due to occupation forces’ gunfire in Nablus.”

For their part, Israeli police say that security forces killed what they described as a “terrorist” in Nablus in the occupied West Bank during an operation to arrest a wanted man. It said border police, together with Israel Defense Forces (IDF) entered Nablus to arrest a wanted person in a statement Monday. As the arrest was made, “violent disturbances against the forces began” and a man who threw an explosive device at the Israeli forces was shot dead.

“In addition to this, another person who disrupted order was shot in the leg after endangering the security of the forces.”

Security forces also opened fire on a “suspicious vehicle” that drove toward the forces at speed and did not respond to their calls, resulting in the injury of the driver of the vehicle.

Israel was set to take its first steps toward a ground offensive in Rafah this week, but has delayed those plans as it mulls a response to Iran’s attack, two Israeli sources tell CNN.

Iran launched 300 missiles and drones toward Israel overnight Sunday, bringing a new phase of tension, uncertainty and confrontation in the Middle East.

The attack has prompted Israel to delay its plans for an offensive in Rafah, where more than a million people are currently sheltering. The Israeli Air Force had planned on dropping leaflets on parts of the city on Monday, the sources said. One Israeli official said Israel remains determined to carry out a ground offensive in the southern city, although the timing of civilian evacuations and the coming ground offensive remains unclear at the moment. The Israeli military declined to comment.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stressed the importance of invading Rafah in order to dismantle Hamas’s remaining battalions, despite significant pressure from the United States to call off an all-out ground offensive. The future of the war in Gaza and a coming ground offensive in Rafah are also factoring into the war cabinet’s debate about a potential response to Iran’s attack.

A military response that risks escalating the conflict with Iran further would pull the military’s attention and resources away from Gaza, where Israel’s government has vowed to hand Hamas a total defeat.

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby reiterated Monday morning that President Joe Biden is focused on preventing Iran’s attack against Israel from spiraling into a wider regional conflict. 

“Just because Iran conducted this unprecedented attack, which we and our Israeli partners and other partners thwarted, doesn’t mean that we should just accept a constant rising escalation in the region. The President is not going to accept that he wants to see things de-escalate,” Kirby told CNN’s Kate Bolduan this morning.

Pressed on whether it’s the White House position that Israel should not retaliate, Kirby said that’s ultimately up to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government but that the US wants to see tensions de-escalate. 

“We respect their sovereign decision-making process. What we want to see is de-escalation of the tensions. We don’t want to see a wider war,” Kirby said.

As chaos ensued after thousands of Palestinians were turned away from returning to their homes in northern Gaza on Sunday, a 5-year-old girl was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers, her mother said.

Video shows a man carrying a 5-year-old girl named Sally Abu Laila, who was bleeding from her head, with people crowding around her in panic trying to cover her wound.

Her mother Sabreen told CNN her daughter was in her arms when Israeli soldiers shot at her. Sabreen, alongside her four children, was trying to cross through the checkpoint, when two young men squeezed in between her and other women waiting in line, prompting Israeli soldiers to fire at them.

“I tried to put my daughter on the ground to walk, but she couldn’t move. I saw my hands covered in blood. I called on her, ‘Sally! Sally! Sally!’, but she didn’t answer” Sabreen said.

Eventually, she said she managed to get to Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital where her daughter is undergoing treatment. She told CNN she is still in intensive care. CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment on reports that its soldiers fired shots at civilians trying to head up north, but has not received a response.

Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said reports that people could return to their homes in northern Gaza were false. “The northern Gaza Strip continues to be an active war zone and return to the area is not currently permitted,” IDF said.

Read more about what happened to thousands of Palestinians as they attempted to return home here.

Israel’s war cabinet has been engaged in a heated debate about how and when to respond to Iran’s weekend attack on their country, two Israeli officials familiar with the deliberations tell CNN.

The war cabinet remains determined to respond to Iran’s attack, but as it convenes Monday afternoon, its members continue to debate the timing and scope of such a response, the officials said. In addition to a potential military response, the war cabinet is also mulling diplomatic options to further isolate Iran on the world stage.

Benny Gantz, a key member of the war cabinet, has pushed for a swifter response to Iran’s attack, two Israeli officials said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far pumped the brakes on making a decision. Gantz believes that the longer Israel delays its response to Iran’s attack, the harder it will be to garner international support for such an attack, one of the sources said. Multiple countries are already cautioning Israel against escalating the situation further with a military response.

Israel’s government is aware that the country is currently enjoying international support and goodwill from its allies and does not want to squander that. At the same time, the government recognizes that it cannot allow Iran’s first attack on Israeli soil to go unanswered.

Among the military options that are being considered, the war cabinet is considering an attack on an Iranian facility that would send a message, but would avoid causing casualties, one Israeli official said. But Israeli officials recognize that will be a difficult needle to thread, hence the ongoing debate. The timing of a decision remains unclear.

Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi told CNN Monday he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is using the fight with Iran to take attention away from the war on Gaza.

“The Israeli Prime Minister has always wanted to invoke some sort of confrontation with Iran. Now, as the international pressure on Israel to stop the aggression on Gaza continues, invoking a fight with Iran is something that, we believe, he thinks could dilute that pressure, and could take attention away from Gaza,” Safadi told CNN’s Becky Anderson. 

“The issue is in Gaza and the West Bank, and our focus needs to continue to be on that because unless we solve that, then the chances for regional escalation will continue,” Safadi said.

More on Iran’s attack: Safadi said Jordan will do whatever is within its means to protect the kingdom, explaining why the country intercepted some of the drones and missiles that entered its airspace Saturday night.

“What we did was consistent with our long-standing policy and any projectiles, drones, whatever that enters our space historically and we’ll continue to deal with it because it poses a threat to Jordan,” Safadi said. “We are in the range of fire and any missiles or projectile that could fall in Jordan would cause harm to Jordan. So we did what we have to do and let me be very clear. We will do the same regardless of where those drones are from. From Israel, from Iran, from anybody else,” he added.

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.

“I think Israel made clear to us they’re not looking for a significant escalation with Iran. That’s not what they’re looking for. They’re looking to protect themselves and defend themselves,” the senior administration official said. 

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.” 

“We strongly condemn the Iranian attack and warn against any further escalation. Iran must not continue down this path. At the same time, it is absolutely clear to us that we stand in solidarity with Israel, which has every right to defend itself after the terrible attack by Hamas on Israeli citizens in October last year,” he said.

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.

“South Africa has continuously stressed that irrespective of whether states believe that their use of force is lawful, it is never wise to resort to war as inevitably, it is ordinary people who bear the brunt of conflict,” its Department for International Relations and Cooperation said.

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

“In this critical period, it behoves the two countries to reflect on the universal commitment to peaceful resolution of conflicts, for the advancement of global peace and security.”

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.

“On paper, China has a great deal of potential leverage over Iran,” said William Figueroa, an assistant professor at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

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.

Read the full story.

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.

“Our longstanding policy, whatever objects that go into our skies, violates our airspace that we believe that pose a danger to Jordan, we will do whatever it means to end that threat,” Safadi told CNN’s Becky Anderson.

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

“We don’t want conflict with Iran. We don’t want conflict and the whole region,” Safadi said.

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.

“Modern air defense systems are capable of protecting lives — this was demonstrated in the Middle East when aviation and air defense shot down Iranian missiles and Shahed drones aimed at Israel,” Zelensky said.  

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.

Israeli authorities have released 150 people previously detained in Gaza, according to the Palestinian General Authority for Crossings and Borders on Monday.

Two of the detainees were ambulance workers for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, PRCS said.

They were held for 50 days after being detained at a military checkpoint while trying to evacuate patients from Al-Amal Hospital in the city of Khan Younis on February 25, according to a PRCS statement.

 “The occupation continues to detain 6 of the association’s crews to this day, and their fate remains unknown,” PRCS said.

Israel’s military has warned Gaza residents that the north of the strip is “a dangerous combat zone” through social media and airdropped leaflets.

The military’s Arabic spokesperson posted an “urgent” message on X directing Gazans “to stay in the humanitarian areas and shelters in the southern part of the Strip and avoid attempting to return to the north of the Strip” to “ensure your safety.”

The warning comes after thousands of Palestinians, including men, women, children and elderly, came under Israeli fire on Sunday when they attempted to return to their homes in northern Gaza.

Videos began circulating online Sunday morning showing people heading to the north for the first time in such large numbers. Some people told CNN they heard the Israeli military was allowing women and children to move back up. Others said their relatives were allowed to cross over.

A young girl was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers, her mother said. She and her daughter had attempted to cross into the north with Sabreen’s husband, but the soldiers turned him back, leaving her and her four children to face the journey alone. She told CNN her daughter is still in intensive care.

The Dutch embassy in Iran’s capital, Tehran, will remain closed to the public, with officials citing precautionary measures due to escalating tensions between Iran and Israel.

The Dutch consulate-general in Erbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq, will also stay closed.

“The diplomatic missions in Tehran and Erbil will continue to carry out their other tasks as far as possible, with staff safety as their highest priority,” the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday.

Earlier on Sunday, the ministry announced the closure of the diplomatic missions hours after Iran launched an attack on Israel.

Reactions to Iran’s strikes on Israel have poured in from world leaders, some openly condemning Tehran, others calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and almost all urging restraint during a moment of huge tension in the Middle East.

Here are the latest responses:

Oman has expressed “profound concern” over the escalation in military activities between Iran and Israel, emphasizing the grave implications of these tensions.

“The Ministry emphasizes the position of the Sultanate of Oman, which calls for adherence to international laws and the necessity for the Security Council to assume its responsibility towards maintaining international peace and security,” the Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Sunday. 

The Philippines expressed “serious concern over the increasing tensions between Israel and Iran.”

“We urge all parties to refrain from escalating the situation and to work towards a peaceful resolution of their conflict,” the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs said Sunday.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters condemned Iran’s “shocking and illegal strikes against Israel” on Sunday. 

“We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could prove disastrous,” Luxon said, urging all parties to de-escalate. 
“These unprecedented strikes on Israel only add to an already unstable global environment,” Peters said.

Malaysia and Indonesia have issued separate statements calling for restraint after Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Israel.

Both Southeast Asian countries, where Islam is the predominant religion, reiterated support for Palestinian rights and causes. Malaysia and Indonesia do not recognize Israel.

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban also condemned Iran’s strikes on Israel, warning they posed a “grave” threat globally.

Gold prices rose while Asian stocks mostly fell on Monday, as rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East spurred demand for safe-haven investments after Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel over the weekend.

Oil prices had settled higher on Friday in anticipation of retaliatory action from Iran, hitting their highest levels since October.

They retreated slightly during Asian trading hours on Monday, as traders curtailed the geopolitical risk premium after the attack caused only minor damage, according to Israeli military officials.

“Heightened tensions in the Middle East amid a worsening geopolitical backdrop kept commodity markets on edge,” analysts from ANZ said in a research report on Monday.

Iran’s attack is likely to raise concerns of a possible disruption to oil supply, they said. “The extent of that risk will likely be determined by the reaction of Israel’s government.”

Before Iran’s attack, US stocks ended Friday sharply lower, as Wall Street worried about escalating tension in the Middle East.

US futures are cautiously higher after US President Joe Biden and his national security team, seeking to contain the risk of a wider regional war, told their counterparts the US will not participate in any counter-strike against Iran.

Read the full story.

Airports in the Iranian capital of Tehran have resumed flights at 6:00 a.m. local time on Monday, according to Iran’s state-aligned Tasnim news agency.

On Sunday both of Tehran’s airports, Imam Khomeini Airport and Mehrabad Airport, suspended flights after Iran’s attack on Israel stoked regional tensions.

Travel disrupted: On Saturday, at least three United Airlines flights headed to or departing from the Middle East were canceled as the conflict unfolded.

Dutch carrier KLM has said it would stop flying over Iran and Israel “as a precaution” but continue to fly to and from Tel Aviv.

Austrian Airlines and Lufthansa — currently the only two Western carriers that operate international flights to Iran — have announced a suspension of flights to and from Tehran through April 18.

Malaysia and Indonesia have issued separate statements calling for restraint after Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Israel.

Both Southeast Asian countries, where Islam is the predominant religion, reiterated support for Palestinian rights and causes. Malaysia and Indonesia do not recognize Israel.

“Malaysia strongly urges all parties in the Middle East region to refrain and exercise great caution and not to escalate the already tense situation,” its Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Sunday.

“Any further form of provocation and/or retain could ignite a devastating region-wide conflict that will not serve the region nor the Palestinian cause,” the statement read, reiterating the objective of ensuring “freedom of the Palestinians and their rights to their lands.” 
“Any distraction from this objective is what Israel wants, which is to deflect the global community’s attention away from their nefarious inhumane and unconscionable acts in Palestine,” it said.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also called on “all parties to exercise restraint” after Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Israel and said that they were “deeply concerned over the escalation of the situation in the Middle East.”

“Indonesia urges the UN Security Council to act immediately to de-escalate tensions and continue working towards lasting peace in the Middle East, including by ending the illegal occupation of Palestine and various violations of international law by Israel.”

India has called on Iran to release 17 Indian crew members on board a container ship seized by Iran on Saturday. 

Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said that he spoke to his Iranian counterpart Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and “took up the release of 17 Indian crew members of MSC Aries.”

Four Filipino seamen were also on board the ship, according to the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers.

The department said it was working with its government, the ship owner, and the operator to release the captured seafarers.

On Saturday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized an Israeli-linked container ship in a helicopter operation near the Strait of Hormuz, state news agency IRNA reported. 

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) said there were 25 crew members on board.

An hours-long Israeli war cabinet meeting ended Sunday without a decision on how Israel will respond to Iran’s unprecedented missile and drone attack, an Israeli official said.

The cabinet is determined to take action — but has yet to decide on the timing and scope, the official said.

CNN analyst Barak Ravid said Israeli ministers Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot advocated for swift action, but US President Joe Biden’s phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led to a decision to delay the response. 

Israel is not seeking war after Iran’s attack and “balance is needed in this situation,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Sunday.

Biden and senior members of his national security team told their counterparts the US will not participate in any offensive action against Iran, according to US officials familiar with the matter.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said any “new aggression against the interests of the Iranian nation will be met with a heavier and regrettable response,” according to state media. 

Here are some other key developments:

And here’s the latest on the war in Gaza:

Israel and Iran’s United Nations ambassadors condemned each other’s actions during Sunday’s UN Security Council emergency session called to address Iran’s attack on Israel.

Israel’s UN ambassador Gilad Erdan said Iran “must be stopped before it drives the world to a point of no return, to a regional war that can escalate to a world war.”

Erdan accused Iran of seeking world domination and that its attack proved that Tehran “cares nothing, nothing for Islam or Muslims” before pulling out a tablet to show a video of Israel intercepting Iranian drones above Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Erdan called on the Security Council to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terror organization.

“Action must be taken now, not for Israel’s sake, not for the region’s sake, but for the world’s sake. Stop Iran today.”

Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said his country’s operation was “entirely in the exercise of Iran’s inherent right to self-defense, as outlined in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations and recognized by international law.”

Iravani said:

“Iran is never seeking to contribute to the spillover of the conflict in the region, nor does it to escalate or spread the tension to the entire region,” he said.

Tehran’s attack had been anticipated since a suspected Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic complex in Syria earlier this month.

Iravani added Iran has “no intention of engaging in conflict with the US in the region” but warned Iran will use its “inherent right to respond proportionately” should the US initiate a military operation against “Iran, its citizens or its security.”

A senior US military official said the United States assessed there was “no significant damage within Israel itself” after Iran’s missile and drone barrage.

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari appeared to echo the assessment on Sunday, saying that out of hundreds of rockets launched from Iran, only a few penetrated Israel, causing minor damage to the infrastructure at Nevatim airbase near the runway and to a road in the Hermon region.

Nevatim remained fully functional, and planes continued take-off and landing to fulfil their missions.

US President Joe Biden told the Israeli prime minister in his phone call Sunday that he should consider Saturday a win because Iran’s attacks had been largely unsuccessful and demonstrated Israel’s superior military capability, a senior administration official said.

John Kirby, the White House national security spokesman, said Sunday the ability to prevent widespread damage was a demonstration of Israel’s “military superiority” and proof that Iran was not the “military power that they claim to be.”

“This was an incredible success, really proving Israel’s military superiority and just as critically, their diplomatic superiority, that they have friends in the region, that they have around the world that are willing to help them,” Kirby told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”

Read more about what US officials said.

An hours-long Israeli war cabinet meeting ended Sunday night without a decision on how Israel will respond to Iran’s attack, an Israeli official said.

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

The official said the Israeli military has been tasked with coming up with additional options for a response.

Separately, a senior Biden administration official told reporters that an Israeli official told the United States that it’s not looking to significantly escalate the showdown with Iran.

“I think Israel made clear to us they’re not looking for a significant escalation with Iran. That’s not what they’re looking for. They’re looking to protect themselves and defend themselves,” the senior administration official said. 

Israel war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said earlier Sunday that Israel will “exact a price from Iran in a way and time that suits us.”

CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez contributed to this report.

The US Department of Homeland Security has not identified any “specific or credible threats” to the US since Iran’s attack on Israel and is working with partners to evaluate the threat environment, a US official told CNN.

Earlier this month, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters that there’s been a heightened threat environment amid the conflict in the Middle East.

“I will say what we are dealing with, with respect to the conflict in the Middle East, is expressions of hate and threats and violence connected there to on both sides of the debate. And we have a heightened threat environment that we continue to be in as a result of that conflict,” he said.

A Homeland Security spokesperson said Sunday that the federal agency is continuing to monitor the situation and urging the public to remain vigilant.

As thousands of Palestinians were turned away from returning to their homes in northern Gaza, a young girl was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers, her mother said.

Video showed a man carrying Sally Abu Laila, 5, who was bleeding from her head, with people crowding around her in panic trying to cover her wound.

Before the shooting, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said reports that people could return to their homes in northern Gaza were false.

“The northern Gaza Strip continues to be an active war zone and return to the area is not currently permitted,” IDF said.

Read the full story.

Israel is not seeking war after Iran’s attack and “balance is needed in this situation,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Sunday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is speaking with many world leaders and there is “intimate dialogue with allies” in response to Iran’s actions, he said.

“We’re considering it all. We’re acting cool-headedly and lucidly,” Herzog said. “I think we’re operating in a very focused way and very responsible way and I’m sure there will be a decision accordingly that will make sure that we protect and defend the people of Israel.”