February 13, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

At least 12 members of the same family, including two toddlers and five women, were killed in an attack on a residential building in central Gaza early Monday, according to Al-Aqsa Hospital. Another 40 people were injured. 

CNN video from the aftermath of the strike in Deir Al Balah shows young children with tears in their eyes as relatives cry over the dead bodies. Rows of men and boys stand by them, performing the Janazah, Islamic funeral prayers.  

He said he had left the house to buy some bread and returned home to find all his relatives had been killed in an airstrike moments earlier.

The Israel Defense Forces have not commented on the strike but have repeatedly said they’re trying to prevent civilian casualties.

Two displaced Palestinians told Reuters they are fleeing Rafah ahead of an anticipated Israeli ground offensive and heading to the cities of Khan Younis in southern Gaza and Al-Maghazi in the central strip.

Over 1.3 million people — more than half of Gaza’s population — are believed to be in Rafah, with most displaced from other parts of the besieged enclave crammed into the city close to the Egyptian border.

Displaced Palestinian Nahla Jarwan told Reuters on Tuesday that she had originally fled Al-Maghazi to Rafah, but now she is returning to Al-Maghazi.

“Last night in Rafah was very tough. We're going back to Al-Maghazi out of fear; we're displaced from one area to another,” she said, adding that "wherever we go, there is no safety."

Another displaced Palestinian, Mo’men Shbair, told Reuters Tuesday that he prays the world pressures Israel to end the war.

“We’re lost. We don’t know where to go. … We're tired. We've been walking around without knowing where to go,” he said.

Shbair said he was in Khan Younis until he was told to head to Rafah for safety. Now, he is returning to Khan Younis.

Israel is facing growing international pressure over its anticipated ground assault of Rafah and the impacts it would have on the civilian population in the southern Gaza city.

Officials from the United Nations and International Criminal Court — as well as the US, UK, European Union, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and others — say they are wary about the impacts of a Rafah offensive.

Here's what other countries have said today:

Germany: German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says she is "especially concerned" about the Israeli government preparing a large military offensive in Rafah, where more than 1.3 million people are believed to be sheltering. She also added that it was clear that Hamas operatives were living in Rafah and said Israel has a right to defend itself.

China: China has asked Israel to stop its military operations and do "everything possible" to avoid civilian casualties. China has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, urging Israel to stop what it has called "collective punishment" on the enclave's residents. 

Italy: Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that Israel's response to Hamas was "disproportionate" and that "there are too many dead Palestinian civilians who are not Hamas militiamen." In an interview with RAI Radio 1, Tajani strongly condemned the October 7 attacks by Hamas and defended Israel's right to defend itself, but he also stressed that "not all Palestinians are Hamas."

The South African government has made an “urgent request” to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to decide if Israel's military actions in Rafah require the court to “use its power to prevent further imminent breach of the rights of Palestinians in Gaza.” 

In a statement issued by the country’s presidency on Tuesday, the South African government called the southern Gaza city of Rafah “the last refuge for surviving people in Gaza.” 

In its request to the ICJ, which was submitted on Monday, the government said it was “gravely concerned” that Israeli military action in Rafah “has already led to and will result in further large scale killing, harm and destruction.” 

South Africa suggested that Israel’s offensive in Rafah "would be in serious and irreparable breach both of the Genocide Convention" and the ICJ’s January court order that Israel must take “all measures” to prevent genocide in Gaza.

Some context: On Monday, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israel carried out a "wave of strikes" on Rafah to rescue two hostages held captive since the October 7 attack, "and to hit Hamas terrorists in the area".

More than 100 people were killed in the strikes, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said Monday.

CNN's Abeer Salman, Mike Schwarz and Alex Stambaugh contributed to this report.

Hamas is ready to return to Cairo if current talks progress further, an official from the militant group told CNN. 

A meeting to discuss an agreement over Gaza is taking place on Tuesday between the head of Israel’s Mossad David Barnea, CIA chief Bill Burns, Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani and Egyptian officials. 

The Hamas official said if developments occur following that quartet meeting, it could send a delegation headed by Khalil Al-Hayya, who was in Cairo last week for talks with Egyptian officials over a deal that would see hostages released from Gaza in exchange for a pause in fighting and humanitarian aid.

In Qatar: Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met with Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas' political bureau, during a visit to Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday, Iran state media IRNA reported. Amir-Abdollahian also met with Al Thani in Doha.

Remember: On January 22, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Hamas' demand for an end to the war in exchange for the release of hostages held in Gaza. Netanyahu said Hamas has demanded an end to the war, the release of Palestinian prisoners and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza in exchange for the release of the hostages.

At least eight people were killed when an Israeli strike destroyed a building in the Nuseirat neighborhood of central Gaza Monday into Tuesday, according to the Al-Aqsa Hospital, leaving survivors imploring for a ceasefire. 

“We want the war to stop; it’s enough, we are peaceful people,” said Abu Hans Al Ashqar, who was staying next door.

Images from the scene show survivors sifting through the rubble with their bare hands while their children watch. The victims were taken to Al-Aqsa Hospital, according to doctors there. 

Al Ashqar said he was woken up by the explosion. 

“We were asleep when a heavy hit struck the building beside us. It was damaged and our building was also damaged,” he said. “There were dead and injured.”

Another survivor, Dr. Khalil A Dalu, described a similar scene. 

The Israel Defense Forces have not commented on the strike, but the IDF has repeatedly claimed it is trying to avoid civilian casualties.

An American died in the West Bank on Saturday, the US State Department confirmed Monday, the second death in less than a month of a US citizen in the occupied Palestinian territory.

“We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen civilian in the West Bank on February 10, 2024,” a State Department spokesperson told CNN, adding that department officials “are working to gather more information and have pressed the Government of Israel for further information.”

“We extend our deepest condolences to the family,” the spokesperson said. “Out of respect to the family, we have nothing further to share.”

The spokesperson did not provide the name of the American who died or the circumstances of their death. According to the group “Defense for Children – Palestine,” the American was 17-year-old Mohammad Ahmed Mohammad Khdour. The organization said he was shot in the head by Israeli forces on Saturday while traveling by car in the town of Biddu in the West Bank.

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

Last month, another American, 17-year-old Tawfiq Hafiz Ajjaq, was fatally shot in the head, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA. Israel’s police have opened an investigation into the incident, the IDF and Israeli police told CNN last month.

Two Al Jazeera journalists, Ismail Abu Omar and Ahmad Matar, were injured on Tuesday during an Israeli airstrike north of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera reported. 

Abu Omar, a reporter, and Matar, a cameraman, were "seriously injured" and are being treated at the European Hospital near Khan Younis, Al Jazeera English reported, adding that Abu Omar has had to have his leg amputated.

CNN has reached out to Al Jazeera and the Israel Defense Forces. 

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, as of Tuesday, at least 85 journalists and media workers have been killed in the fighting since October 7. It marks the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992. 

Remember: In December, an Al Jazeera journalist died after an Israeli attack in southern Gaza. Camera operator Samer Abu Daqqa died of wounds sustained in the attack, the Qatar-based network said, adding that he was bleeding for hours before medical personnel could reach him due to heavy shelling in the city.

Four other Al Jazeera journalists have been injured during the war, CPJ says, including three in southern Lebanon, as well as Gaza bureau chief Wael Dahdouh, whose wife, daughter, son and grandson were killed in an attack on Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza in late October.

The US Senate passed a $95.3 billion foreign aid bill, which includes assistance for Ukraine and Israel in a vote early Tuesday morning. But before any countries see the assistance, the bill has to pass in the House, where many Republicans are opposed to further aid to Ukraine.

Here's what's in the bill: The foreign aid package includes billions of dollars to support Ukraine and for security assistance for Israel, as well as humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Ukraine, among other priorities. 

Of the funding passed, $14.1 billion is in security assistance for Israel, $9.2 billion for humanitarian assistance and $4.8 billion to support regional partners in the Indo-Pacific region in addition to other policy provisions, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The bill passed the Senate despite House Speaker Mike Johnson’s criticism of the legislation and former President Donald Trump signaling opposition to the bill by arguing the US should stop providing foreign aid unless it is in the form of a loan.

Read more about the foreign aid bill passed in the US Senate.