March 31, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war

Protesters gathered in Israel again Sunday to call for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's resignation, as the Israeli leader held a news conference and prepared for a medical procedure.

Netanyahu's office earlier announced that he was diagnosed with a hernia on Saturday evening and would be undergoing surgery under full anesthesia tonight. Yariv Levin, who serves as the country's deputy prime minister and justice minister, will step up as prime minister during the procedure.

Netanyahu addressed media before heading in for the surgery Sunday evening local time.

What Netanyahu said: During the news conference, the prime minister said Israeli forces have killed more than 200 people he described as militants in Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital. The Israeli military has made similar claims about its ongoing raid at the medical facility. He also reiterated his commitment to invading the southern city of Rafah, saying it was necessary to defeat Hamas.

Netanyahu vowed to return to work "very quickly" after his procedure.

Ongoing protests: As the prime minister spoke, another major protest was underway outside the Knesset, Israel's parliament, calling for the release of hostages held in Gaza and the resignation of Netanyahu. Sunday's protests mark the second day of mass anti-government protest this weekend. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Caesarea, Raanana and Herzliya on Saturday. At least 16 people were arrested, according to Israeli police.

In anticipation of Sunday’s protests, a police spokesperson said hundreds of officers and border guard members would be deployed.

This post has been updated with comments from Netanyahu's news conference.

An Israeli drone strike on tents surrounding the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza killed at least two people and wounded more than a dozen others Sunday, a hospital spokesperson told CNN.

Thousands of displaced people are sheltering on the hospital grounds, along with several journalist teams working from tents in the area. Al-Aqsa is the only remaining functional medical facility in the central city of Deir al-Balah.

Videos of the aftermath, shared by journalists, show panic as people ran for cover under flying debris, while others rushed toward the smoldering tents to aid the injured and put out small fires.

IDF statement: The Israeli military claimed in a statement that one of its aircraft struck an "operational Islamic Jihad command center and terrorists that operated from the courtyard" of the hospital. The Israel Defense Forces and Israeli Security Agency did not provide evidence to support this claim.

The IDF said the operation was planned for "minimizing harm to uninvolved civilians" and to avoid damaging the main hospital building.

Firsthand accounts: Journalist Usama Al-Kahlout told CNN the strike was "direct targeting of the journalists’ tents," which are surrounded by the tents of displaced people at the hospital’s emergency entrance.

Video shot by a CNN stringer shows the destruction to some of the journalists' tents and equipment. In the footage, people are seen inspecting the damaged tarp tents and going through the blood-stained wreckage to salvage what’s left of their belongings.

The Jordanian Armed Forces made 10 airdrops of humanitarian relief into northern Gaza on Sunday, according to a statement.

The airdrops were carried out in cooperation with the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, according to a statement from the military Sunday. 

"This step comes within the framework of Jordan's keenness to provide more aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip to help them overcome the difficult conditions during the holy month of Ramadan," the statement said. 

Jordan said it has carried out 65 aid airdrops on Gaza since November 6 and 119 airdrops in cooperation with other countries. 

Remember: While Jordan, the US and other countries making airdrops into Gaza are hoping to provide a lifeline to Palestinians there, the United Nations and aid agencies have questioned how effective they will be at alleviating the situation.

Airdrops are more expensive and have more limited capacity than ground deliveries. They can also lead to chaos on the ground as desperate people try to reach supplies.

As long as Israel maintains its severe restrictions on aid entering via ground entries, humanitarian groups fear Gaza could be pushed into famine.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in cities across the world over the weekend, including in London, Paris, New York, Tunis and Amman, to demonstrate solidarity with the people of Gaza and show their support for a ceasefire in the strip.

Here's where people have demonstrated so far:

Amman, Jordan: Police can be seen in a video published by AFP pushing back against a massive crowd of demonstrators who gathered Saturday – also known as "Land Day" – chanting, holding signs and waving Palestinian flags.

Tunis, Tunisia: In the capital, demonstrator Mona Elsayed told AFP on Saturday, "This march is the least we can do for the Palestinian people. A people who have been suffering for years. Today is 'Land Day' and it's an opportunity to remind people that oppression exists. As Arabs and Muslims, we must stand by our brothers."

Paris, France: A French-Palestinian lawyer Salah Hamouri told AFP on Saturday that he expects France "to put an end to its complicity in this ongoing genocide (in Gaza), to totally halt the sale of arms to the Israeli occupier, and to impose a military and economic embargo on the occupying force." Left-wing politician Manon Aubry was also among those demonstrating Saturday.

London, UK:  A significant police presence could also be seen in London on Saturday as large swathes of people joined a pro-Palestinian march waving the Palestinian flag in front of a smaller pro-Israeli demonstration. 

New York, US: Protesters marched through the streets chanting and banging drums. 

Pope Francis reiterated his plea for an immediate ceasefire, access to humanitarian aid and the release of hostages in Gaza during his Easter Sunday message.

During his remarks, the Pope also addressed Russia’s war on Ukraine, calling for a "general exchange of all prisoners between Russia and Ukraine: all for the sake of all."

The Pope appealed for the world to stop the "strengthening winds of war to blow on Europe and the Mediterranean," and condemned war as an "absurdity and a defeat."

Francis also said that children caught up in war had "forgotten how to smile."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will undergo a surgery under full anesthesia on Sunday after being diagnosed with a hernia, according to a statement from his office. 

“Last night, during a routine examination, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was discovered to have a hernia. In consultation with his doctors, it was decided that following the end of business today (Sunday, 31 March 2024), Prime Minister Netanyahu would be admitted to hospital for a hernia operation,” the statement outlined on Sunday.

The statement also said the operation will be performed under full anesthesia.

Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, Yariv Levin, will step up as Prime Minister during the time of the surgery. 

Al-Shifa Hospital medical staff say the complex will turn into a graveyard if the Israeli siege, now on its 14th day, continues.

“The situation as reported by many of the staff is horrific and inhumane; no ventilation, cleaning conditions, water, nor minimum medication has been provided leading to septic wounds with white flies out of them,” British-Palestinian doctor Ghassan Abu-Sittah, who conducted surgeries at the hospital for years, wrote on X. He shared a message from Al-Shifa staff he says he received from a colleague in northern Gaza.

Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert, who also worked at the hospital in the past, shared a similar message he says he received from the Gaza deputy health minister Yousef Abu Al-Reech. “Patients' companions are either executed, arrested or displaced to the south by the military which add another burden on the staff,” the message from Al-Reech read.

“The staff representative tried multiple times to convey their needs to the military leadership, however; he was met by violation and mistreatment. Prior to every negotiation attempt, soldiers undress him and leave him half naked for 3 hours at least before meeting the concerned officer,” the message shared by Gilbert continued.

Some 107 patients, including 30 paralyzed patients and 60 medical staff remain at the hospital, the media office of the Hamas run government said on Saturday. At least 400 people were killed and 1,050 houses in the vicinity of the complex were targeted during the ongoing Israeli siege, it added. 

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

The Israeli military says it is continuing its operations in and around Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for a 14th day, while forces continue to conduct operations in the Al Amal area of Khan Younis.

The Israel Defense Forces claimed it was “preventing harm” to civilians, patients and medical teams, and said it killed what it described as “terrorists barricaded in the area in close-quarters combat and located weapons in the area of the hospital.”

However, Gaza’s health ministry on Saturday said 107 patients, including 30 paralyzed patients, and 60 medical staff remain in Al-Shifa Hospital in “inhuman conditions, without water, medicine, food or electricity.”

“The occupation has prevented all attempts to evacuate these patients through international institutions,” the ministry said, adding that the lives of these patients are in grave danger.

Palestinians inside Al-Shifa and around it have reported civilian casualties and arrests, as well as large-scale destruction at the complex.

Negotiations over a ceasefire and a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas resumed in Cairo on Sunday, Egypt’s state-run media Al-Qahera News said on Sunday, citing a security source. 

CNN is reaching out to the Israeli government as well as Hamas.

Earlier this month, talks over the release of hostages and a humanitarian pause were held in Qatar's Doha. On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized an Israeli negotiating delegation to travel to Qatar and Egypt in the coming days.

Some context: CIA Director Bill Burns was also in Doha late last week to meet with Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari counterparts. 

Burns put forward a proposal that was accepted by Israel and sent back to Hamas, according to a source and an Israeli official. On Tuesday morning, Israel was informed that the proposal was rejected by Hamas.