March 6, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war

Our live coverage of Israel’s war with Hamas has moved here.

The United States conducted strikes on two drones in Yemen on Wednesday, according to a statement from US Central Command.

Some background: Earlier on Wednesday, US Central Command said three crew members were killed and at least four more were injured in a Houthi attack on a commercial ship near Yemen. It marked a significant escalation of the Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, which began in October in response to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Children gather to receive food at a donation point in Deir al-Balah, Gaza on March 6.

A displaced health worker in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, warned that thousands of babies could die of starvation if Israel’s severe restrictions on food, fuel, water and medication entering the enclave persist.

At least 20 people have died due to malnutrition and dehydration since the war began in Gaza, including a 15-year-old boy who was declared dead at the Al-Shifa medical complex on Wednesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said. 

United Nations experts have accused Israel of “intentionally starving” Palestinians in the strip. Gazans told CNN that their children are starving to death and mothers cannot breastfeed their babies.

Here are the latest headlines:

This 2022 photo shows the bulk carrier vessel True Confidence in Ravenna, Italy.

US Central Command said that three crew members were killed, and at least four more were injured in the Houthi attack on a commercial ship near Yemen.

CENTCOM said that this is the fifth anti-ship ballistic missile fired by Houthis in the last two days.

The strike marks a significant escalation of the Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, which began in October in response to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

South Africa submitted an urgent request to the International Court of Justice on Wednesday to ask for additional emergency measures against Israel, according to a document released by the ICJ. 

The statement also requests the ICJ to “indicate provisional measures and/or to modify the provisional measures” that were issued in January. 

More background: South Africa bought proceedings against Israel to the ICJ in early January on claims that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The ICJ then announced later in the month that it would impose some provisional measures against Israel over its military operation in Gaza. 

At least three civilians – a mother, a husband, and their son – were killed in Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, according to Lebanon’s state-run NNA news.

However, Hezbollah released pictures hours after the strike showing the deceased father and the son in military uniforms, saying both were fighters with “the Islamic Resistance,” the group’s military wing. 

NNA said the deceased were farmers.

Children carry empty bowls during a march demanding an end to the war and an end to the famine that citizens are suffering from in Rafah, Gaza on March 6.

At least 20 people have died due to malnutrition and dehydration since the war began in Gaza, including a 15-year-old boy who was declared dead at the Al-Shifa medical complex on Wednesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said. 

The youngest child to die of starvation and lack of medical attention was one day old, according to Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital. Several other children who died were less than a year old. 

United Nations experts have accused Israel of “intentionally starving” Palestinians in the strip. Gazans told CNN that their children are starving to death and mothers cannot breastfeed their babies.

Death toll: The warning comes as the number of people killed by the Israeli military in Gaza rose to at least 30,717, with over 72,000 injured since October 7. 

CNN cannot independently confirm the deaths of the children or their causes due to the lack of international media access to Gaza, but there have been increasingly urgent warnings about hunger in the strip from international agencies who get in.

A displaced health worker in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, warned that thousands of babies could die of starvation if Israel’s severe restrictions on food, fuel, water and medication entering the enclave persist.

“In Rafah, the nutrients that can keep us alive can (be) provided, but with difficulty … and high costs,” Mohammed Hamouda, a father of three, said on a voice message on Wednesday. 

At least 20 people – including newborn babies – have starved to death in northern Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials. The actual number could be even higher, as limited access to the region has hindered the ability of aid agencies to fully assess the situation there.

“Many babies … have starvation and many of them are dying because there is no food and no milk,” Hamouda said, adding that mothers are unable to breastfeed since they cannot feed themselves.

He told CNN that his friend, a doctor at Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza, is unable to treat wounded patients because he is exhausted from hunger.

A Houthi ballistic missile attack on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden resulted in at least two fatalities among the crew members, two US officials told CNN, marking the first time that the Iran-backed militant group has killed anyone as part of their ongoing attacks on ships transiting the Red Sea.

The attack struck the M/V True Confidence, a Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier, the officials said. The ship has since been abandoned and coalition warships are now in the area assessing the situation, the officials said. At least six other crew members were injured, one of the officials said.

The attack happened around 11:30 a.m. local time, or around 3:30 a.m. ET, one of the officials said. The strike marks a significant escalation of the Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, which began in October in response to Israel’s war in Gaza.

Keep reading about the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

Almost 40% of aid missions coordinated by the United Nations were denied or impeded by Israel last month, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Wednesday.

In February, 86 of the 222 missions — or 39% of them — in areas that needed coordination were denied or impeded by Israel, OCHA said.

There was a 48% increase in the overall number of coordinated humanitarian missions facilitated by Israeli authorities across Gaza in February compared to January, OCHA said — but their effectiveness “was undermined by a cessation in operations to the north, and an overall decline in the security of civilians, including humanitarian aid workers.”

Decrease in security: The decline in effectiveness was mainly due to the “diminished presence of local police, following a spate of attacks by Israeli forces that led to police casualties,” OCHA said, adding the breakdown of law and order causes major limits to move aid. The Israeli army’s stance viewing Palestinian police forces as combatants “further complicates the efforts to restore law and order,” OCHA said. The lack of order has caused an increase in violence targeting humanitarian workers, it added.

Border crossings: Frequent and prolonged closures and blockages at Kerem Shalom and Nitzana crossings have also hampered the cross-border movement of humanitarian cargo, OCHA said. This includes 16 different times where crossing was inaccessible through Kerem Shalom and 10 at Nitzana because of protests and security issues, it added. Some Israelis have been blocking trucks at the crossings, saying no aid should get into Gaza while hostages are being held there. 

Anwar Abdul Nabi, a young mother whose 7-year-old daughter, Mila, had died of malnutrition minutes earlier.

Anwar Abdul Nabi perches on the edge of a bed at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. Her eyes are sunken with grief.

The young mother tenderly holds the fingers of her daughter, Mila. Just minutes ago, the 7-year-old girl died of starvation.

As Israel’s severe restrictions on aid entering the Gaza Strip drain essential supplies, displaced Palestinians told CNN they are struggling to feed their children. Starving mothers are unable to produce enough milk to breastfeed their babies, doctors say. Parents arrive at overwhelmed health facilities begging for infant formula. In northern Gaza, people rush to grab aid from infrequent humanitarian drops. Health workers say they cannot offer life-saving treatment to malnourished Gazans because Israel’s bombardment and siege has crushed the medical system.

One-year-old Watin, in northern Gaza, has grown tired and weak from dehydration. Instead of drinking baby formula, she is surviving on one to two dates a day.

Read more about the grim conditions facing families in Gaza.

Laborers work at a construction site in the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the occupied West Bank, on February 29.

Israel will advance over 3,400 new housing units in three West Bank settlements to final approval stages, including in Ma’ale Adumim, close to the site of a recent shooting attack that killed an Israeli.

In addition to Ma’ale Adumim near Jerusalem, new units in Efrat and Keidar will also advance to final approval, according to a decision posted on the website of Israel’s Civil Administration, the body responsible for Israeli settlements in Area C of the West Bank.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich celebrated the decision on X, formerly Twitter, writing: “We continue to build the country! 18,515 approvals this year in Judea and Samaria,” which are the Biblical names for the West Bank. Smotrich is also a minister in the defense ministry responsible for West Bank settlements and heads the committee responsible for approving new units.

Following the shooting attack in February that killed one Israeli and wounded eight during rush hour traffic on a highway outside of Jerusalem, Smotrich called for Israel to respond by building more settlements.

The Palestinian Authority’s foreign ministry strongly condemned of Israel advancing settlement units, calling it a “continuation of the cycle of violence,” in a statement on Wednesday. The ministry also called it “invalid, illegitimate and illegal in accordance with international law and international legitimacy resolutions.”

Remember: Settler violence in the occupied West Bank has jumped sharply since the war began, with settlers burning cars, destroying infrastructure and assaulting and killing Palestinians. Last month, the US State Department announced the first round of sanctions targeting Israeli settlers accused of perpetrating violence in the West Bank. The sanctions block their financial assets and bar them from entering the US. The sanctions mark one of the more significant moves US President Joe Biden has taken to critique Israel since the Israel-Hamas war started on October 7.

This post has been updated with the statement from the Palestinian Authority’s foreign ministry.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission speaks to the media at CDU headquarters on February 19, in Berlin, Germany.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set to travel to Cyprus later this week to discuss plans to create a maritime aid corridor to Gaza. 

She will meet with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia and visit the port of Larnaca during her two-day trip starting Thursday, her spokesperson told journalists in Brussels on Wednesday.

Von der Leyen had previously thrown the European Commission’s support behind the sea corridor on Monday, applauding Cyprus for proposing the idea. 

The Cypriot proposal has won the support of several European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron who has strongly endorsed the idea. The EU also responded positively in November with European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarči calling it a possibility the bloc “would support.” 

Lenarči did however highlight one key logistical issue being “the fact that there is no […] landing and offloading facility [along Gaza’s coastline].” 

Israel has faced multiple calls to allow aid to be transported to Gaza from one of its key cargo ports, the Port of Ashdod. 

Previously, a US-funded shipment of flour remained stuck at the port for several weeks, an Israeli official told CNN in February. 

Relatives, loved ones and colleagues of Al-Aqsa TV anchor and journalist Mohammed Salamah attend his funeral ceremony held in front of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al Balah, Gaza, on March 6.

At least 94 journalists have been killed in Gaza, Israel, and Lebanon since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported on Wednesday.

As of March 6, CPJ’s preliminary investigations showed 89 Palestinian, 2 Israeli, and 3 Lebanese journalists were among the list who died during the Israel Hamas war.

The latest journalist who lost his life in the conflict was Mohammad Salama, a journalist for Al-Aqsa satellite channel who was killed by an airstrike overnight in Deir Al-Balah, according to the Palestinian Media Office.

Salama was displaced from Gaza City and was killed with a number of his family members when an airstrike hit the house he was sheltering in in central Gaza, the Palestinian Media Office reported.

CPJ’s list did not include Salama as of Wednesday but said in a statement, “CPJ is also investigating numerous unconfirmed reports of other journalists being killed, missing, detained, hurt, or threatened, and of damage to media offices and journalists’ homes.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, left, looks at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he speaks to the media during a joint press conference at the Presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, on March 5.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday discussed means to “stop the brutal Israeli aggression and mass genocidal war” in Gaza and the “urgent need” to allow humanitarian aid into the enclave, Abbas’ office said in a statement.

While on a three-day visit to Turkey, Abbas said he and Erdogan discussed the Palestinian Authority’s efforts to unite Palestinian factions within the Palestinian Liberation Organization, which he described as the “only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.”

Erdogan said Turkey is ready to act as a guarantor on behalf of the Palestinians in a prospective peace process.

Ramadan nears: Erdogan also warned there will be “severe” consequences if Israel blocks Muslim holy sites during the month of Ramadan.

Hamas on Wednesday said it will “continue negotiations” to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, as it accused Israel of evading “the obligations of the agreement” being discussed.

In a statement, the militant group reiterated its demand for a permanent ceasefire, the return of displaced persons, Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza strip, and provision of aid to the people of Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz is set to meet with UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron in London.

Here are the latest developments:

Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Cameron arrives for a Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street on March 6, in London, England.

The British foreign secretary has said he will warn Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz about the urgent need to expand the humanitarian aid into Gaza during their meeting in London on Wednesday afternoon. 

David Cameron told lawmakers in the House of Lords Tuesday that he will issue a “series of warnings” when he meets Gantz on Wednesday, most notably regarding the need to expand “the type of humanitarian assistance that gets in” to Gaza.

During his meeting with Gantz, Cameron said he will call for a humanitarian pause, increased access to land and maritime routes into Gaza, increased capacities inside the enclave, the resumption of stable water and electricity supply throughout the territory as well as the expansion of the aid items being allowed to enter.

Earlier this month, a CNN investigation uncovered a list of items that are being arbitrarily denied entry into the enclave.

An explosion was reported near an American-owned ship off the coast of Yemen Wednesday morning, according to maritime security firm Ambrey.

A nearby vessel reported the explosion near the US-owned and Barbados-flagged bulk carrier, Ambrey said. The US-owned ship was reported to be drifting prior to the suspected attack, according to Ambrey.

Earlier on Wednesday, the ship was “highly likely” contacted by an entity declaring itself to be the Yemeni navy and ordered to alter its course, according to Ambrey. The maritime security firm said that the ship had subsequently changed its course before starting to drift.

Orders to change course have previously been made by the Houthis and preceded hijacking attempts and attacks.

It comes after the UK and US have carried out a series of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, in response to Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden – some of the world’s most critical waterways.

Those attacks – which the Houthis say are in solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza – have caused a massive drop in ships traveling through the Suez Canal.

A Palestinian child, heavily injured in an Israeli attack on Nuseirat refugee camp, is seen receiving treatment at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza on March 5.

Hamas “will continue negotiations” to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, the group said Wednesday, saying it has “shown flexibility” in talks, as it accused Israel of evading “the obligations of the agreement” being discussed.

In a statement, Hamas reiterated its demand for a permanent ceasefire, the return of displaced persons, Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza strip, and provision of aid to the people of Gaza.

It comes after an Israeli delegation, including Mossad director David Barnea, joined talks with CIA director Bill Burns and Egyptian and Qatar negotiators in Paris late last month. Qatar and Egypt serve as intermediaries between Hamas and Israel, which do not talk directly to each other.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan recently told CNN that negotiators have come to an “understanding” on the broad contours of a potential deal to release hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza

Speaking to CBS’s Face the Nation on February 25, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed Israel wants to liberate the remaining hostages in Gaza, saying “we are all working on it. We want it. I want it.”

He said Hamas’ “crazy” demands were holding up the deal.

Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel's national security minister, attends a news conference at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on February 5.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision not to reduce the number of Muslim worshippers allowed to visit the Al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan “endangers” Israelis, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said in a statement citing the October 7 Hamas-led attack in Israel.  

Ben Gvir, leader of the extreme nationalist Jewish Power party, had been advocating to limit the number of Muslim worshippers permitted to visit the compound over the holiday.

Netanyahu’s office announced earlier that the number of Muslim worshippers permitted to visit the compound during the first week of the Muslim holy month will be similar to previous years, and will not be limited because of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. The prime minister’s office said a security assessment would be carried out each week.

The Jerusalem holy site is known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as the Temple Mount. Ramadan is expected to begin on March 10.

Netanyahu said at the beginning of a security establishment meeting on preparations for Ramadan that the government prioritizes freedom of worship for all religions.