April 6, 2024 Israel-Gaza news

The family of Israeli hostage Elad Katzir, who the Israeli military says was likely killed in January, said he might be alive today if a ceasefire-hostages deal had been struck.

Katzir's body was rescued overnight from Khan Younis and returned to his family in Israel following identification procedures, according to an earlier joint statement by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA).

He "could have been saved if a deal had happened in time," Carmit Katzir, his sister, said at a small rally held in Tel Aviv on Saturday.

Katzir's body was rescued overnight from Khan Younis and returned to his family in Israel following identification procedures, according to an earlier joint statement by the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Security Agency. He was abducted from kibbutz Nir Oz by Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants on October 7. IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Katzir was likely killed in January, according to Israeli intelligence.

She made similar comments earlier Saturday on Facebook as well.

Katzir's body was recovered overnight from Khan Younis and returned to his family in Israel following identification procedures, according to an earlier joint statement by the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Security Agency. He was abducted from kibbutz Nir Oz by Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants on October 7.

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Saturday that Katzir was likely killed in January, citing Israeli intelligence.

CNN is not able to independently confirm the information provided by Hagari. 

Protesters once again took to the streets of Tel Aviv, Caesarea and Haifa on Saturday, demanding the resignation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and early elections.

Demonstrators also called for the release of all Israeli hostages held in Gaza ahead of the six-month mark of hostilities. 

Many people waved Israeli flags and held up signs with images of hostages, calling on the government to bring them home alive.

In Tel Aviv, protesters were heard chanting:

Other protesters were seen by a CNN team on the ground holding flags and banners, with one reading, "The government that destroyed the country and tore the nation apart."

Another banner called for the "division of religion and state," and one stated that "Netanyahu is dangerous to Israel."

Protesters in Haifa called the government a failure, saying Netanyahu is "guilty, guilty, guilty."

"Elections now!" read one banner held by a protester.

The war in Gaza has been raging for six months and the patience of Israel’s allies is running out. As the death toll in the enclave continues to climb, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Israel has no viable plan for how to end the war or what comes next.

The determination to continue pursuing Hamas in Gaza despite the horrific humanitarian consequences is leaving Israel increasingly isolated on the global stage, with its government facing pressure from all sides.

Multiple international organizations have warned Israel may be committing genocide, and even the country’s closest allies are now openly criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Calls to halt arms shipments to Israel are growing in the United States and the United Kingdom.

At the same time, Netanyahu and his government are under mounting pressure at home, with protesters back on the streets in large numbers calling for his resignation.

Israel launched the war immediately after the deadly October 7 terror attacks by Hamas. At that time, the Israeli government said the operation had two goals: eliminating Hamas and bringing back the hostages taken by the militants to Gaza.

Six months into the conflict, neither goal has been reached.

Read more.

Speaking from a funeral procession Saturday for a slain military officer, Iran's highest-ranking commander vowed that an Israeli strike on its embassy complex in Damascus will not go unanswered.

The remarks come as the US braces for a significant Iranian attack on US or Israeli assets in the Middle East, according to a senior administration official.

The situation once again underlines fears that the war in Gaza could spread into a broader regional conflict.

Here's what to know:

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid will meet with top US government officials in the White House and State Department, as well as senior Democratic and Republican senators, during his visit to Washington.

Lapid will leave for the US tonight, according to a Telegram post from his office on Saturday.

According to the post, Lapid will meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, as well as Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Sen. Ben Cardin, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham.

On Wednesday, Lapid called for Israel's current government to resign, after Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz — also a main political rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — urged for parliamentary elections in September.

The US House of Representatives will vote next week on a pro-Israel resolution opposing calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, as Republicans step up their attacks on President Joe Biden over his posture toward Israel — and as Democrats grow increasingly critical of Israel’s military strategy. 

The symbolic resolution expresses support for Israel’s “right to self-defense” in its bloody war against Hamas and opposes efforts to “place one-sided pressure on Israel with respect to Gaza, including calls for an immediate cease-fire, such as the recent statement by President Biden and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2728, which was adopted due to the Biden administration’s decision not to exercise the United States veto.“

The vote on the resolution — which could jam some Democrats — will come the week after World Central Kitchen aid workers were killed by Israeli airstrikes, prompting outcry and ratcheting up Democratic criticism of the Israeli government. 

In a letter to Biden and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and dozens of other congressional Democrats expressed their "shared concern and outrage" over the strike. They urged the leaders to withhold arms packages to Israel until a full investigation is finished.

The United Nations humanitarian aid chief called the war in Gaza a “betrayal of humanity” as the conflict between Israel and Hamas is reaching its six-month mark.

UN's Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths marked the “terrible milestone” in a statement on X Saturday.

The aid chief said a moment of remembrance and mourning is “not enough,” and instead urged for a “reckoning” as the people of Gaza face “death, devastation and now the immediate prospect of a shameful man-made famine.”

The aid chief also reiterated grave concerns for the “already fragile” aid operation in Gaza, which is continually undermined by bombardments, insecurity and lack of access.

The statement comes after a week that saw the death toll in Gaza surpass 33,000 and an Israeli strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen humanitarian aid workers, an incident the IDF said was a "grave mistake."

“On this day, my heart goes out to the families of those killed, injured or taken hostage, and to those who face the particular suffering of not knowing the plight of their loved ones,” Griffiths said.

A Hamas delegation said it will reiterate its previous demands when it travels to Cairo on Sunday for further negotiations on the release of hostages in return for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The delegation, headed by senior Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya, will "stick to the stance presented on March 14," the group said in a statement published Saturday. 

These demands include, according to the statement:

Hamas turned down Israel’s latest counterproposal from earlier this week, a diplomat familiar with the discussions said Friday.

Israel’s top political and military officials have previously called Hamas’ demands “delusional” and stated that the elimination of the group remains the permanent goal of the Gaza offensive.

It comes as two sources told CNN Friday that the CIA director and the heads of Israel's intelligence agencies will also head to Egypt this weekend for talks. CIA Director Bill Burns, Israel’s Mossad Director David Barnea and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar all attended the previous round of talks with mediators in Doha, Qatar, which failed to yield a significant breakthrough. 

CNN’s Michael Callahan, Eugenia Ugrinovich, Mostafa Salem and Becky Anderson contributed previous reporting to this post.

The top Iranian general attended the funeral procession of military officer Mohammed Reza Zahedi on Saturday, vowing Iran will respond to the strike on its embassy consulate in Damascus that killed killed top figures from its Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iran has pinned the blame for the attack on Israel, and Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri said Saturday that it "won’t remain unanswered” by Iran, according to Iran's semi-official news outlet Tasnim.

Bagheri, who is the country's highest ranking military commander, said it will be up to Iran to decide how and when to respond to attack, according to the Tasnim report. 

He also issued a warning to the US, saying the "main responsibility" for the Damascus attack lies with the US, according to Tasnim.

Bagheri's remarks on Saturday were heard by a huge crowd gathered in the western city of Isfahan for Zahedi's funeral procession. Video from news agencies and state media shows mourners thronging the streets to catch a glimpse of the officer's coffin, which travelled in a highly-decorated open cortege. 

Many mourners could be seen waving Iranian and Palestinian flags.

Some context: Israel has intensified its military campaign against both Iran and its proxy groups in the region since the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, which is backed by Tehran, and the subsequent war in Gaza.

The US is on high alert and actively preparing for a “significant” attack that could come as soon as within the next week by Iran targeting Israeli or American assets in retaliation for the Damascus strike, a senior administration official told CNN on Friday.