April 7, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war

By Chris Lau, Catherine Nicholls, Antoinette Radford and Maureen Chowdhury, CNN

Updated 0427 GMT (1227 HKT) April 8, 2024

What we covered here

Israel says it has withdrawn its forces from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, but a "significant" force remains elsewhere in the strip. The country's defense minister said troops will regroup and prepare for new missions, including in Rafah.
Sunday marks six months since the October 7 Hamas attacks, which killed about 1,200 people. Israel's ensuing campaign in Gaza has left more than 33,000 dead and triggered a dire humanitarian crisis.
US President Joe Biden pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to act immediately on allowing more aid into Gaza during a pointed phone call Thursday, a source told CNN. But an Israeli official said Sunday that the key step of reopening the Erez land crossing has been delayed while officials sort out logistics.
Officials from Israel and Hamas said they would attend negotiations on a ceasefire and hostage deal in Cairo on Sunday.
Here's how to help humanitarian efforts in Gaza and Israel.

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5:55 a.m. ET, April 7, 2024

It's morning in the Middle East. Here's what you need to know

From CNN staff

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:

The strike killed at least seven Iranian officials in Syria on Monday: Among them were Mohammed Reza Zahedi, a top commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, whose funeral was held today. The airstrike destroyed the Iranian consulate building in the Syrian capital of Damascus and also killed at least six Syrian citizens, according to Iranian state TV. An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson told CNN this week that intelligence showed the building was not a consulate but “a military building of Quds forces disguised as a civilian building.”
The attack dealt a significant blow to Iran's military: Zahedi — a former commander of the IRGC’s ground forces and air force, and the deputy commander of its operations — is the most high-profile Iranian target killed since the US assassination of IRGC Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in 2020. At least one other senior commander was among those killed, according to Iran's foreign ministry.
Tehran has vowed to respond: Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of Iran's military, said Saturday that the Damascus strike "won’t remain unanswered,” according to Iran's semi-official news outlet Tasnim. His remarks follow similar vows by Iran's supreme leader and its president.
The US says it was uninvolved: The US was quick to tell Iran that the Biden administration was not involved and had no advance knowledge of Monday’s strike on the embassy. It has warned Iran against coming after American assets. Nonetheless, Bagheri said Saturday that Washington bears the "main responsibility" for the Damascus attack. He has previously said the US supply of weapons to Israel makes it complicit in its ally's attacks.
Washington is bracing for retaliation: The US is on high alert and actively preparing for a “significant” attack by Iran that could come as soon as the coming week, targeting Israeli or American assets in the region, a senior administration official tells CNN. Senior US officials believe an attack by Iran is “inevitable,” the source said.
How this ties back to the war in Gaza: Israel's ongoing conflicts with Iran and its proxy groups — like the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon — have intensified since the October 7 attacks by Hamas, which is also backed by Tehran. Israel has carried out numerous strikes on Iran-backed targets in Syria, but the targeting of the embassy marks a significant escalation. Iran's response could further escalate the already tumultuous situation in the Middle East.

12:46 a.m. ET, April 7, 2024

UN humanitarian chief calls war in Gaza "betrayal of humanity" as conflict nears 6-month mark

From CNN’s Caitlin Danaher

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.

“Rarely has there been such global outrage at the toll of conflict, with seemingly so little done to end it and instead so much impunity,” he said.

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.”

He 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.

5:50 a.m. ET, April 7, 2024

Analysis: Israel has no exit strategy and no clear plan for the future after 6 months of war in Gaza

Analysis by CNN's Ivana Kottasová

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.

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