Nearly 300 bodies found in mass grave in Nasser hospital, says Gaza Civil Defense
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April 22, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war

By Kathleen Magramo, Christian Edwards and Aditi Sangal, CNN

Updated 12:35 a.m. ET, April 23, 2024
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7:54 a.m. ET, April 22, 2024

Nearly 300 bodies found in mass grave in Nasser hospital, says Gaza Civil Defense

From Abeer Salman, Ibrahim Dahman, Tim Lister and journalist Tareq Al Hilou in Gaza

Palestinian health workers recover buried bodies from a mass grave at the Nasser Medical Hospital compound in Khan Younis, Gaza, on April 21.
Palestinian health workers recover buried bodies from a mass grave at the Nasser Medical Hospital compound in Khan Younis, Gaza, on April 21. Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg/Getty Images

A mass grave with nearly 300 bodies has been uncovered at the Nasser hospital in southern Gaza by Gaza Civil Defense workers, following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area on April 7.

"We have recovered 283 bodies of martyrs from the mass grave in the courtyard of the Nasser Medical Complex since the withdrawal of the Israeli army,” Colonel Yamen Abu Suleiman, Director of Civil Defense in Khan Younis, told CNN Monday.

The city of Khan Younis has been left in ruins after a months-long Israeli offensive.

Suleiman claimed that some of the bodies had been found with hands and feet tied.

"There were signs of field executions. We do not know if they were buried alive or executed. Most of the bodies are decomposed," he said.

CNN is unable to verify Suleiman’s claims and cannot confirm the causes of death among the bodies being unearthed. CNN has put a number of questions to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) about the discovery of the mass grave.

One man at the scene told CNN that he has yet to find the body of his 21-year-old son, who was killed in January.

“I haven't found him yet. We had buried him over there. But we can't find him. And we wanted to make him a decent grave.”
3:26 p.m. ET, April 22, 2024

Netanyahu critical of reported US plans to sanction IDF unit

From Eugenia Yosef and Tim Lister

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem, on February 18.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem, on February 18. Ronen Zvulun/Reuters/File

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other ministers have sharply criticized the reported plans of the Biden administration to sanction a unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for alleged human rights abuses in the occupied West Bank.

The alleged abuses precede Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 and are said to have involved members of the Netzah Yehuda battalion in the occupied West Bank. 

Netanyahu posted on X at the weekend: “Sanctions must not be imposed on the Israel Defense Forces!”

"At a time when our soldiers are fighting the monsters of terror, the intention to impose a sanction on a unit in the IDF is the height of absurdity and a moral low," Netanyahu said.

He claimed he and his government will "act by all means" against US efforts to sanction Israeli citizens.

Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had made determinations about whether to cut funding to certain Israeli security units for reports of pre-October 7 human rights abuses. He did not name Netzah Yehuda. On Monday, Blinken said "in the days ahead that we will have more to say, so please stay tuned on that."

This post has been updated with the latest comments from Antony Blinken.

5:30 a.m. ET, April 22, 2024

Two arrested in Jerusalem ramming attack

From Irene Nasser and Eugenia Yosef

Israeli police investigate the scene of a suspected ramming attack that wounded three people in Jerusalem, on April 22.
Israeli police investigate the scene of a suspected ramming attack that wounded three people in Jerusalem, on April 22. Ohad Zwigenberg/AP

Israeli police have arrested two suspects after three people were lightly injured in a car ramming attack in Jerusalem on Monday morning.

Police said their forces searched the area after what they described as a "ramming terror attack" on Mordechai Tekhelet Street at 8 a.m. local time (1 a.m. ET).

After the incident, two people -- whom the police called terrorists -- emerged from the car holding weapons and then discarded them as they fled the scene on foot. The police said that they had failed to open fire before running away. 

"Following their arrest, the two were taken for interrogation directed by the Jerusalem District Commander to the district's Central Unit. The interrogation is being conducted in cooperation with the Israel Security Agency (ISA)," the police statement said. 

The Shaare Zedek Medical Center said earlier it had admitted a 21-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy for mild injuries following the attack.

5:22 a.m. ET, April 22, 2024

European foreign leaders call for sanctions against Iran and West Bank Israeli settlers

From CNN’s Louis Mian, James Frater and Stephanie Halasz

Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson, left, and Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom speak to the media at the start of a European Foreign Affairs Council, in Luxembourg, on April 22.
Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson, left, and Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom speak to the media at the start of a European Foreign Affairs Council, in Luxembourg, on April 22. Olivier Hoslet/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

European foreign leaders called for sanctions against Iran as well as Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on Monday, ahead of an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting. 

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said ministers would discuss sanctions on Iran, explaining he hopes “all of them will agree” to “a great package of sanctions.” 

The US has already widened sanctions on Iran after it launched more than 300 missiles and drones toward Israel in a retaliatory attack for a deadly suspected Israeli airstrike on its consulate in Damascus.

Borrell said sanctions against “violent settlers” in the West Bank should also be considered. 

Violence by Israeli settlers and troops in the West Bank has surged during Israel's war in Gaza, prompting more sanctions by the US and EU.

Belgian Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib said the ministers would preview new sanctions against Iran and that sanctions against West Bank settlers should be considered “in order not to suffer from double standards.” 

“I think it is not enough to sanction violent settlers, we also have to sanction those who arm and defend the violent settlers,” she said. “It is impossible to let the Palestinians be displaced, be chased out of their homes without possibility to defend themselves.”

Swedish foreign minister Tobias Billstrom said the meeting provides “an opportunity to show our support for Israel, because of the Iranian attack against Israel, which we condemn.” 

“The important thing right now is to see to it that the proliferation of drones manufactured in Iran can be curtailed,” Billstrom said, adding that Iranian proxies “should be included in” the sanctions.  
5:08 a.m. ET, April 22, 2024

Suspect detained in connection with killing of 14-year-old Israeli boy in West Bank

From CNN's Eugenia Yosef

A man has been arrested in connection with the killing of a 14-year-old Israeli boy in the occupied West Bank, Israeli police said Monday

Hundreds of Israeli settlers surrounded Palestinian villages and attacked residents across the occupied West Bank after Binyamin Achimair, who had gone missing from a settlement on April 12, was found dead. The Israeli military said he was killed in a “terrorist attack.”

“In the last day there was a significant development in the investigation, and during the night the forces raided the village of Duma and led to the arrest of the suspect,” police said.

In a joint operation by the Shin Bet, the Israel Police and the Israel Defense Forces, 21-year-old Ahmed Duavsha was arrested.

4:43 a.m. ET, April 22, 2024

Israeli military's intelligence chief resigns over October 7 Hamas attacks

From CNN’s Eugenia Yosef and Sophie Jeong in Hong Kong

Commander of the IDF Military Intelligence Aharon Haliva
Commander of the IDF Military Intelligence Aharon Haliva IDF

The head of the Israeli military's intelligence branch has resigned over his unit's failures during the October 7 Hamas attacks.

“It was decided that MG Aharon Haliva will end his position and retire from the IDF, once his successor is appointed in an orderly and professional process,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on Monday.

Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, who has served in the IDF for 38 years, is the first senior military figure to resign over the October 7 attacks, when Hamas fighters stormed the border into Israel.

The attack was widely seen as a major Israeli intelligence failure, with several top defense and security officials coming forward in October to take responsibility to some extent for missteps that led to the attacks.

Following the attack that caught Israel off-guard, Haliva admitted to an “intelligence failure” by his unit in not detecting Hamas' plans.

“We didn’t fulfil our most important task, and as the head of the Intelligence Directorate, I take full responsibility for this failure,” he said at the time.
2:56 a.m. ET, April 22, 2024

Jerusalem car-ramming attack wounds three people, Israeli police say

From CNN's Irene Nasser and Eugenia Yosef

Israeli police investigate the scene of a suspected ramming attack that wounded three people on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Passover, in Jerusalem, on April 22.
Israeli police investigate the scene of a suspected ramming attack that wounded three people on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Passover, in Jerusalem, on April 22. Ohad Zwigenberg/AP

Three people were mildly wounded in Jerusalem on Monday morning after a vehicle rammed into them on a street, Israeli police say. 

Police said that three pedestrians were hit by a moving vehicle in a "ramming terror attack" on Mordechai Tekhelet Street at 8 a.m. local time. 

After the incident, two people emerged from the car holding weapons and then discarded them as they fled the scene on foot. The police said that they had failed to open fire before running away. 

The Shaarey Zedek Medical Center said it admitted a 21-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy for mild injuries following the attack. 

12:22 a.m. ET, April 22, 2024

It's morning in the Middle East. Here's what you need to know

From CNN staff

The Israeli military has ended one of its largest offensives in the occupied West Bank since October 7, saying it killed 10 "terrorists" in the Nur al-Shams refugee camp.

At least 14 people, including a child, were killed in the raid, the Palestinian Health Ministry and Wafa news agency said.

Images from the raid — one of the IDF's largest in the West Bank since October 7 — show concrete slabs and rubble strewn across the area.

Elsewhere in the West Bank, Israeli soldiers shot and killed two Palestinians near Hebron on Sunday, in what the military says was an attempted attack on soldiers.

Meanwhile, an ambulance driver was killed in the West Bank on Saturday when his vehicle was hit by gunfire while transporting Palestinians wounded in an attack by Israeli settlers.

Violence by Israeli settlers and troops in the West Bank has surged during Israel's war in Gaza. The spike has prompted more sanctions by the US and EU.

Here are the latest developments in the region:

  • US funding for Israel: The US House of Representatives has approved $26.4 billion in aid to Israel as part of a wider foreign aid package that still needs to pass the Senate. A spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority president strongly condemned the move.
  • Netanyahu vows to press on: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said Israel would soon land "additional and painful blows" and would increase "military and political pressure" on Hamas to free Israeli hostages held in Gaza, according to a video statement. His vow comes despite pressure from the US and others to limit civilian casualties and increase aid to the Palestinian enclave.
  • War cabinet meeting: Israel's war cabinet met late on Sunday to discuss efforts to free the hostages, an Israeli official confirmed. Talks on a ceasefire and hostage deal have been facilitated by international mediators for weeks, but have yielded no apparent breakthroughs of late. In his video message, Netanyahu said Hamas had rejected proposals for a hostage deal "outright."

  • Blinken speaks with Gallant: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday. They discussed efforts to protect Israel’s security, enable hostage negotiations, and increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, a White House readout said.
  • Aid drops: The US military conducted another round of aid airdrops in northern Gaza on Sunday, bringing the total amount of aid delivered by air in Gaza to nearly 1,001 tons since March 2. The UN and aid agencies have questioned the effectiveness of airdrops from several countries.
  • Israel strikes Lebanon: Israeli strikes hit four sites in southern Lebanon over the weekend, Lebanese state-owned National News Agency reported. The Israeli military confirmed three of the four attacks, hitting what it said were Hezbollah targets. Israeli and Hezbollah forces have engaged in cross-border fire and tit-for-tat exchanges since October 7.
  • Iran tensions: Iran’s supreme leader has called on the country’s armed forces to continue their fight against Israel by pursuing military innovation and learning "the enemy's tactics." Strikes between Israel and Iran this month spiked fears of a widening regional conflict in the Middle East, but the two sides appear to be stepping back for now.
11:45 p.m. ET, April 21, 2024

Nearly 1,001 tons of aid airdropped in Gaza since March 2, US military says

From CNN's Philip Wang

Containers of humanitarian aid are airdropped to Palestinians in Gaza from a US C-17 Air Force plane on March 29.
Containers of humanitarian aid are airdropped to Palestinians in Gaza from a US C-17 Air Force plane on March 29. Hussein Malla/AP

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted another round of aid airdrops in northern Gaza on Sunday,

CENTCOM said the operation brings the total amount of aid delivered by air in Gaza to nearly 1,001 tons since March 2.

The latest operation, which included four US Air Force C-13 aircraft, airdropped 50,688 meals.

One bundle landed in the sea during the operation.

Some context: The United Nations and aid agencies have questioned the effectiveness of airdrops from several countries, saying that land crossings are the best means of aid delivery to the enclave.