April 1, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war

Protesters gathered in Israel for a second day on Sunday to call for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's resignation.

What Netanyahu said: At a news conference ahead of a medical procedure on Sunday night, the prime minister said Israeli forces 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.

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 protests 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.

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 with the aim of "minimizing harm to uninvolved civilians" and avoiding 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 of 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 Israeli military said Sunday it was continuing its operations in and around Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for a 14th day.

The Israel Defense Forces said 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.” 

But 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. 

CNNlier this month, talks over the release of hostages and a humanitarian pause were held in Qatar's Dohcapital a. 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.

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.

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.

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. 

High-level talks between US and Israeli officials over planned military operations in Rafah could take place in Washington, DC, as soon as today, US officials told CNN last week. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly called off previously scheduled talks after the United States did not block a UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of captives held by Hamas. 

The Israeli delegation had proposed to reschedule the talks for Monday, officials said. 

US officials had said no date is finalized. 

The White House previously said it supports the rescheduling of the talks and is working with its counterparts to do so in a timely manner.