March 31, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war

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

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa takes an oath during the swearing-in ceremony for the newly formed cabinet in Ramallah, West Bank on March 31.

A new Palestinian government has been sworn in amid intense international pressure for the Palestinian Authority to reform. 

The cabinet, led by Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, was officially sworn in on Sunday before President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Mustafa had been appointed earlier this month to replace former Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh, who resigned in February along with his government.

Following the ceremony, Abbas chaired a meeting of the new government, during which he said:

“Work is underway with Arab and international parties to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza,” he said at the meeting, according to WAFA.

“Our political goal is to achieve freedom, independence and liberation from the occupation, and we are working with concerned Arab and international parties to obtain full membership in the United Nations,” Abbas said. 

Abbas emphasized the need for “far-reaching institutional reforms to enhance performance and provide better services to the Palestinian people everywhere.”

He added that the new government will need to focus on humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza and the revitalization of the Palestinian economy, according to WAFA.

The PA faces intense pressure from the US to reform and improve its governance in the West Bank. It has long been seen as corrupt by US politicians and Palestinians themselves.

Some background: The PA held administrative control over Gaza until 2007. Hamas won the 2006 legislative elections in the occupied territories and thereafter expelled the Palestinian Authority from Gaza. Hamas has ruled the enclave since, while the PA governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

A drone view shows protesters calling for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to resign, near the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem on March 31.

Some of the anti-government protesters who took to the streets of Jerusalem on Sunday, calling for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign, were family members of the hostages being held in Gaza.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, the current opposition leader, called on the Israeli government to pay attention to the ongoing demonstrations and the protesters’ demands. 

“Present here in the crowd are families of hostages. They stood outside the Kirya (the Israel Defense Forces headquarters in Tel Aviv), screamed their souls out, and nobody heard. They waved signs and no one saw. The Israeli government is ignoring their existence,” Lapid said while at the rally outside the Knesset in Jerusalem.

Danny Elgarat, brother of one of the hostages, Itzhak Elgarat, also called on Netanyahu to leave his position.

“Bibi, this is the end to the shady deals, the end to corruption,” Elgarat said, using a nickname by which the prime minister is widely known in Israel. “Bibi, this is the end to playing games with us. 177 days! Bibi — this is the end!” 

Thousands more protesters gathered outside the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, carrying flags and banners. 

“Bring everyone home now. Without returning the hostages, Israel doesn’t have a justification to exist,” one of banners reads.

The Israel Police said in a statement that “a number of pyrotechnic items, including smoke flares, were set off near the demonstrators” and that one person was arrested on suspicion of being involved.

Meeting with Netanyahu: Separately, the family of an Israeli female soldier held hostage in Gaza said “no good news” came out of their meeting with Netanyahu on Sunday.

“After six months, we hoped and expected to get some good news as the negotiations progressed,” the father of 19-year-old captured soldier Naama Levy said in an interview with Israel’s Army Radio. “We received no such news. On the contrary, we are disturbed that negotiations are progressing slowly.”

This post has been updated with remarks from the family of another hostage.

At least two people were killed Sunday by an Israeli drone strike on tents outside the Al-Aqsa medical complex in central Gaza, according to a hospital spokesperson.

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 and to aid the injured.

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. It did not provide evidence to support this claim.

Meanwhile, in the north, a raid on Al-Shifa Hospital — Gaza’s largest medical facility — entered its 14th day Sunday. Israel claims it has killed more than 200 militants at the facility, while Palestinians inside Al-Shifa and around it have reported civilian casualties and arrests, as well as large-scale destruction. The health ministry in Gaza says Israel is not allowing patients and medical staff to evacuate, trapping them without basic resources.

Here are more of the day’s latest headlines:

This post has been updated to reflect Netanyahu’s surgery was completed without incident.

People attend Easter Sunday Mass at the Holy Family Church in Gaza City on March 31.

Easter-observing Christians in Gaza participated in Holy Mass at the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City on Sunday with prayers for peace and hopes that those displaced by war will be able to return to their homes.

“This is a very different holiday from before. We are all in the same boat suffering from the war. This holiday was reduced to prayers and rituals,” Sister Nabila Saleh said. About a dozen worshippers from the small community of fewer than 1,000 Christians in Gaza took part in the service Sunday, after holding a vigil in darkness at the church on Saturday night.

“Before, we would have joyous celebrations after prayers. There would be fireworks. We would exchange greetings and distribute chocolate and gifts for the kids. Not this year. We are in completely different circumstances. We live through the same horrors of war,” Saleh added.

The missing loved ones, either killed or displaced, loomed over the traditional Holy Week celebrations.

“This holiday that always had the scent of spring flowers is now mixed with the smell of blood and destruction,” Mousa Ayad, one of the attendees, said.

“This holiday used to be for children to be happy, eat and get new clothes. Now they are crying over their lost lives and security. This is the state of our people during this holiday,” he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on December 10.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected calls for early elections again on Sunday, saying they would only hurt the country’s war effort.

“The calls to hold elections now, in the height of the war, a step away from victory, will paralyze Israel for at least six months — I assess, eight months,” Netanyahu said at a news conference in Jerusalem. 

The prime minister also claimed elections would derail ongoing hostage negotiations.

Some context: On Sunday, protesters gathered outside the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, to call for Netanyahu’s resignation and the release of hostages held by Hamas.

It marks the second day of mass anti-government protest this weekend, and just the latest demonstration in recent weeks. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Caesarea, Raanana and Herzliya on Saturday.

Opposition leader and former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a media appearance Sunday that early elections during wartime were not ideal, but critical. 

“We realized that with this government we won’t fix the budget, we won’t bring the hostages back, and especially won’t win the war — because neither the world nor the Israeli people would back us,” Lapid told Israel’s Channel 12.

The Israeli military said it killed a “significant” commander, responsible for “dozens of anti-tank missile attacks against Israeli civilians, communities and security forces” in a Hezbollah anti-tank unit in an airstrike in Lebanon Sunday.

The Israel Defense Forces said Ismail Al-Zin was killed in a strike on a vehicle near the town of Kounine in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah acknowledged Al-Zin’s death in a statement Sunday, without giving his title or saying how he died.

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported a drone strike Sunday on a car near Kounine. An Israeli drone had launched a guided missile at the car, NNA said.

Sunday’s announcement came after “numerous” rockets were launched toward Israel from southern Lebanon, according to the IDF. The Israeli military said it had intercepted several of the launches. The IDF said it later struck Hezbollah’s military infrastructure and launch posts.

Remember: Hezbollah is a powerful Iran-backed paramilitary group that has been exchanging fire with the IDF across the border between southern Lebanon and northern Israel at an increased rate since the October 7 attacks.

People take part in a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, and call for the release of hostages held in Gaza, outside the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem on March 31.

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.

Palestinians and journalists check the damage after an Israeli strike at a makeshift camp for displaced people in front of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on March 31.

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.

“We were sitting here safely. Suddenly, dust filled the air. I looked around and I saw that our neighbor’s tent was hit. Those displaced people have nothing to do with anyone — one is a teacher and the other is a doctor that are not related to anything,” Hamza al-Kurd, who is sheltering in the area with his family, told CNN.

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 gather to call for a ceasefire in Gaza on March 30, in London.

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 celebrates Easter Mass at the Vatican, on Sunday, March 31.

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.”

“Let us not allow the current hostilities to continue to have grave repercussions on the civil population, by now at the limit of its endurance, and above all on the children,” the pontiff said.

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

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and Justice Minister Yariv Levin attend a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, in February 2023.

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.

Smoke rises above buildings during an Israeli strike in the vicinity of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, on March 28.

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.

Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages held in Gaza hold signs during a demonstration in Tel Aviv, Israel, on March 26.

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. 

“An Egyptian security source confirmed that there is resumption of negotiations on the truce between Israel and Hamas in Cairo today. The Egyptian source has pointed out that joint Egyptian-Qatari efforts are being exerted to achieve progress in the forthcoming talks between Israel and Hamas,” Al-Qahera News reported.

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.

Ireland has become the latest nation to say it will intervene in the genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, in a reflection of the country’s long-standing position of solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

Ireland announced this week it would file its intervention, adding to growing international pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to dial back its devastating assault on Gaza and end severe restrictions on food aid pushing Palestinians toward famine.

Its position on the Israel-Hamas conflict has made it an outlier among European governments. Zoë Lawlor, who leads the Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC), said there was “deep empathy and sympathy in Ireland with Palestinian people.”

That solidarity is largely born out of a shared experience of subjugation by an occupying state. The island nation was under English and then British rule for more than 800 years, after Anglo-Norman invaders seized huge stretches of land from the native Irish in the 12th Century.

“Ireland was Britain’s oldest colony,” said Jane Ohlmeyer, a history professor at Trinity College Dublin, pointing out that Ireland was unlike other Western European states, many of which were themselves imperial powers.
“But like Palestine, (Ireland) had direct and sustained experience of imperialism,” she said. That “shared colonial experience” between the Irish and Palestinians “has undoubtedly shaped how people from Ireland engage with post-colonial conflicts.”

Read more:

Two people, including an Israel Defense Forces officer, were “lightly injured” in a stabbing attack in the southern Israeli city of Be’er Sheva on Sunday, according to Israeli security and emergency services.

The incident took place at Be’er Sheva’s central bus station. Police said the attacker was shot and killed by security forces during the assault.

The two injured individuals were transported to the nearby Soroka Medical Center, a police statement said. 

Correction: This post has been updated to reflect that the stabbing took place on Sunday.

Protestors are seen in Tel Aviv on Saturday.

The Israel Police said 16 people were arrested in Tel Aviv during large protests calling for the release of hostages held in Gaza and the removal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The demonstrators were arrested “for disruption of traffic and road blockages,” the police said in a statement released Saturday.

“There were large amounts of protestors who disrupted public order by igniting fires, toppling police barriers, obstructing roads, and scuffling with law enforcement: 16 disorderly individuals were arrested and 9 citations of 1000 shekels ($270) were written for disruption of traffic and road blockages,” according to the statement.

Video shows police using a water cannon to disperse protesters on the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv and arresting at least one person, who was taken into a police vehicle.

The footage shows a number of protesters standing in front of the water cannon, chanting: “We will not give up until things get better.”

Israel Police encouraged protesters in Tel Aviv to obey the law and avoid violent protests in a separate statement released on Saturday and posted on X.

Palestinians inspect the damage to a residential building after an Israeli airstrike in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza Strip on March 29.

Negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume in Cairo on Sunday, Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera News reported on Saturday, citing a security source.

“Egypt and the UAE continue their joint efforts to achieve progress in the negotiations between the two sides,” the security source added, according to Al-Qahera News. 

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

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

Nearly 400 tons of food aid are expected to arrive in Gaza by ship in the coming days, according to the non-governmental organization arranging the deliveries.

The aid will be provided to people in the northern part of the strip, said Juan Camilo, a community outreach manager with World Central Kitchen.

The Open Arms, a salvage vessel that delivered aid to Gaza earlier this month, is towing a barge, while a cargo vessel, the Jennifer, is also carrying aid, Camilo said.

World Central Kitchen said the vessels were also carrying machinery to speed up the process of offloading the ships, and that it was delivering dates provided by the United Arab Emirates for Palestinians observing Ramadan.