Live blog: Gaza hospital hit in intense Israeli raid for second day

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

1744 GMT — Explosions and shootings have shaken Gaza's biggest hospital and surrounding neighbourhoods as Israeli forces storm through the facility for a second day.

The raid was a new blow to the Al Shifa medical complex, which had only partially resumed operations after a destructive Israeli raid in November.

Thousands of Palestinian patients, medical staff and displaced people were trapped inside the sprawling complex, as heavy fighting raged in nearby districts.

Details were scarce, with communications from inside the hospital nearly impossible.

"It's very hard right now. There's heavy bombardment in the area of Shifa, and buildings are being hit. The sound of tank and artillery fire is continuous," Emy Shaheen, who lives near the hospital, said in a voice message with repeated booms of shelling audible in the background.

She said a large fire had been raging for hours near the hospital.

More updates 👇

1759 GMT — Israeli raid on Gaza hospital 'war crime': Hamas

Palestinian resistance group Hamas denounced an Israeli raid on the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City as a "war crime."

The Israeli army raided the facility, which houses thousands of ill and wounded patients, as well as displaced people. The military said that Israeli forces had killed 50 Palestinians and detained 180 others during the hospital raid.

"This savage bombardment on the hospital and surrounding homes … amount to a war crime and genocide,'' Hamas leader Izzat al Rishq said in a statement. He said the hospital attack "reflects a state of confusion" in the Israeli government and army.

1732 GMT — US says Israel needs to prioritize protection of Palestinian civilians

The US urged Israel to refrain from a military offensive in Rafah without a plan to ensure the safety of Palestinian civilians.

"We've been clear about the need to prioritise the protection of civilians," US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said at a news conference at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

"A military operation should not proceed without a clear and implementable plan to evacuate those civilians out of the battle-space, and also care for them once you evacuate them," he said.

1724 GMT — 'There is barely any food available in Gaza,' Red Cross chief warns

The head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has expressed concern about food security in Gaza.

"The hunger in Gaza serves as a stark reminder of the immense hardships civilians are enduring," Jagan Chapagain wrote on X, saying, "desperate times call for urgent action."

Stressing that the hunger serves as a stark reminder of the "immense hardships civilians are enduring," he said the food crisis in the besieged enclave demands immediate attention and decisive measures.

"An increased, rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian aid is needed to reach those in need - now," he noted. "There is barely any food available," and children are suffering from malnutrition.

1631 GMT — White House: US-Israel meeting on Rafah likely early next week

US and Israeli officials will likely meet early next week in Washington to discuss Israel's military offensive in Rafah, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre has said.

Jean-Pierre said US President Joe Biden had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to send a senior team of military, intelligence and humanitarian officials to Washington for meetings in coming days for comprehensive discussions.

Details were still being worked out, but the meeting would probably occur early next week, she said, adding the White House urged Israel to do more to allow humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza.

1614 GMT — Brazil urges Israel to halt its violations against Lebanon

Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieria has urged Israel to halt its contempt for international decisions, including attacks on southern Lebanon.

Vieira made the remarks in a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut when he also met other officials, including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

Later, in a news conference with Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, Vieira underlined Brazil's support for the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ensures border security between Lebanon and Israel.

1612 GMT — Israeli attacks kill 14,000 Palestinian children since October 7

At least 14,000 children are among the at least 31,810 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since last October, the media office in the Palestinian enclave has said.

Israeli forces have committed 2,807 massacres in Gaza since October 7, 2023, the media office said in a new report.

It said the victims also included at least 9,220 women, while 7,000 remained under the rubble or were missing.

The report said 72 percent of the victims were women and children, while 27 people also died of malnutrition as Israel prevents the entry of much-needed humanitarian aid into the blockaded territory.

1548 GMT — 40 Palestinian journalists in Israeli custody in occupied West Bank

At least 40 Palestinian journalists have been taken into Israeli custody in the occupied West Bank since last October, prisoners’ affairs groups said.

“Israeli forces detained 61 journalists since October 7, 2023, of which 21 were released,” the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

Three women journalists are among the detainees, while 23 reporters are being held without trial or charge under Israel’s notorious policy of administrative detention, the statement said.

1532 GMT — Several Palestinians killed, injured as Israeli jets strike houses in Gaza’s Rafah

Several Palestinians have been killed and injured in Israeli airstrikes on Rafah city in southern Gaza despite international warnings against a planned onslaught on the city, according to the Palestinian Civil Defence Agency.

"Our teams retrieved several bodies from under the rubble of several destroyed homes in Rafah,” the agency said in a statement.

According to an Anadolu Agency reporter, the airstrikes targeted a number of houses where hundreds of displaced people have sheltered.

1527 GMT — WHO says newborns in Gaza dying because 'too low birth weight'

The World Health Organization has said the effects of starvation in Gaza are getting heavier each day as doctors and medical staff are seeing "newborn babies simply dying because they're too low birth weight."

"They're seeing the pregnant women who are coming in also underweight and suffering, the complications that occur if you are trying to carry a pregnancy and you are you lack the nutrition," WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris told a UN press briefing in Geneva.

"Increasingly, we're seeing children that are at the point brink of death through starvation that need refeeding and our work now is setting up malnutrition stabilization centers," Harris said.

1503 GMT — Italy opposed to Israeli ground operation in Rafah

Italy is opposed to a ground incursion by Israeli forces into Gaza's southern city of Rafah, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said.

"We will reiterate our opposition to military action on the ground by Israel in Rafah that could have even more catastrophic consequences for the civilians crowded in that area," Meloni told lawmakers in Senate.

She added that the opening of new land routes and a maritime corridor from Greek-administered Southern Cyprus to Gaza, to ensure the safe delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave, was a priority.

1455 GMT — Children executed by Israeli forces in raid on Gaza hospital

More than 250 Palestinians have been killed and injured in an ongoing Israeli raid on al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the government media office said.

The Israeli army raided the facility on Monday, which houses thousands of ill and wounded patients, as well as displaced people.

“Israeli forces heavily opened fire as they stormed the hospital , killing and injuring more than 250 civilians,” the media office said in a statement.

The office said several children were executed by Israeli forces at the hospital, without providing any further details.

The Israeli army said early Tuesday that its forces had killed 50 Palestinians and detained 180 others during its raid on the hospital.

“This is a clear war crime and a brazen violation of international law,” the media office said.

1453 GMT — Netanyahu accuses Israeli officials of cooperating with US to prevent ground attack on Gaza’s Rafah

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Israeli officials of cooperating with the US administration to prevent a ground attack in Rafah city in southern Gaza.

"Some in Israel are cooperating with the Americans to prevent entry into Rafah,” Netanyahu told a meeting of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Netanyahu, however, did not name any official. The accusation came one day after the Israeli premier spoke with US President Joe Biden over the phone on Monday, the first in a month.

1414 GMT — Second aid barge expected to leave soon for Gaza

A second shipment of food aid is due to depart the Greek Administration of Southern Cyprus for Gaza in the coming days, its authorities said Tuesday, as the first delivery was being distributed in the war-ravaged territory.

"Within the next few days, the second ship is expected to depart for Gaza," government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis told reporters.

Its departure had been delayed due to stormy weather.

"The cargo has already been loaded onto the second ship, necessary checks have been carried out," the spokesman added.

1154 GMT — Qatar 'cautiously optimistic' as Gaza truce talks progress

Negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release are progressing in Doha and a counter-proposal could soon be presented to Hamas, Qatar said.

"We are at the point now where we are expecting that the counter-proposal would be presented to Hamas, but this is not the final step in the process," foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al Ansari Ansari said.

"I don't think we are at a moment were we can say we are close to a deal. We are cautiously optimistic because talks have resumed, but it's too early to announce any successes."

1150 GMT — Chinese envoy meets Hamas leader Haniya

In a first such meeting since the October 7, 2023 cross-border Hamas blitz and consequent Israeli war on Gaza, a Chinese Foreign Ministry envoy called on Hamas leader Ismail Haniya in Qatar, Beijing said.

In a brief statement, the Foreign Ministry said Ambassador Wang Kejian met the head of Hamas's political bureau in Doha.

The two "exchanged views on the Gaza conflict and other issues," the statement concluded.

1116 GMT — Israeli airstrike leaves several dead in Gaza City

Several Palestinians were reported killed when an Israeli warplane struck a house in Gaza City, according to eyewitnesses.

The targeted house was located near Al Shifa Hospital, which was raided by the Israeli army on Monday, the eyewitnesses said.

"Medics are unable to reach the scene of the attack as Israeli forces open fire on any moving object there," one of them told Anadolu.

The enclave's Health Ministry has yet to confirm the fatalities.

The Israeli army on Monday stormed Al Shifa Hospital, which houses thousands of ill and wounded patients, as well as displaced people. According to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, around 80 Palestinians were detained from the facility.

1040 GMT — Israel may be using starvation as 'weapon of war', a 'war crime': UN

The UN has warned that Israel's severe restrictions on aid into war-ravaged Gaza and its ongoing hostilities could mean it is using starvation as a "weapon of war".

"The extent of Israel's continued restrictions on entry of aid into Gaza, together with the manner in which he continues to conduct hostilities may amount to the use of starvation as a method of war, which is a war crime," UN rights office spokesman Jeremy Laurence told reporters in Geneva, adding that the final determination of whether "starvation is being used as a weapon of war" would be determined by a court of law.

1029 GMT — Israel spy chief leaves Doha but Gaza talks continue: Qatar

Israel's spy chief has left Doha but talks over a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release are continuing in the Qatari capital, a senior Qatari official has said.

Mossad chief David Barnea "has left Doha," foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al Ansari told a regular briefing, adding that "technical teams are meeting as we speak".

1029 GMT — Qatar: Israel's Rafah offensive will result in 'atrocities'

An Israeli offensive in Gaza's southern city of Rafah would result in major destruction and "atrocities" that have not been seen in the conflict, Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al Ansari has said.

Qatar is cautiously optimistic about the Gaza ceasefire talks, he added during a press conference in Doha

0939 GMT — Israel quietly launches Rafah assault to avoid 'reactions'

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has stated that Israel initiated its invasion of Rafah "without announcing, to avoid international reactions and without waiting for permission from anyone".

In a statement, the ministry condemned the escalating bombardment and systematic destruction carried out by the Israeli forces in Rafah, asserting that by conducting these attacks, Israel is deliberately disregarding international warnings about the peril of invading the city.

The population of Rafah has swelled to approximately 1.5 million, encompassing hundreds of thousands of displaced individuals from the central and northern areas of Gaza.

0912 GMT — Death toll in Israel's war on Gaza tops grim 31,819: ministry

The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza has said that at least 31,819 people have been killed in the territory during more than five months of Israel's war on Gaza.

The latest toll includes at least 93 deaths and 142 injuries in the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 73,934 people have been wounded in Gaza since the war began.

0740 GMT — Entire Gaza population at 'severe levels of acute food insecurity': Blinken

The entire population of Gaza is experiencing "severe levels of acute food insecurity," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said, underscoring the urgency for increasing the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory.

"According to the most respected measure of these things, 100 percent of the population in Gaza is at severe levels of acute food insecurity. That's the first time an entire population has been so classified," Blinken told a press conference in the Philippines where he is on an official visit.

Blinken's remarks came on the eve of his return to the Middle East, this time to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, to discuss efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and ramp up aid deliveries.

0430 GMT — Canadian lawmakers pass motion to work toward Palestinian state

Lawmakers voted for a motion that would see Canada and its international partners work toward a “just and lasting peace” that would eventually include a Palestinian state.

The motion, introduced in the House of Commons by the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), originally called for Canada to recognise the “State of Palestine.”

When it was clear that the motion would not fly, the NDP agreed to an amendment that would eventually see a two-state solution, which was Canada’s official position.

The motion did contain other provisions that included a weapons embargo on sales to Israel, an immediate ceasefire and sanctions on Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank.

0419 GMT — We need urgent action now to avoid famine in Gaza' : UK foreign minister

British Foreign Minister David Cameron has expressed "grave concern" over the findings from an Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report on the risk of famine in Gaza.

Stressing the urgency of the situation, Cameron called for immediate action to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.

"The findings from IPC’s report on famine risk in Gaza are of grave concern, and I will carefully review their analysis," he said.

"It’s clear the status quo is unsustainable. We need urgent action now to avoid a famine."

0417 GMT — Israeli airstrikes kill more than a dozen Palestinians in Gaza

Fourteen Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, including women and children.

Israel carried out airstrikes on neighbourhoods in the southern city of Rafah near the Egyptian border, where over 1 million Palestinians have sought shelter, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

0408 GMT — Blinken travels to Saudi Arabia, Egypt for potential Gaza truce

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Saudi Arabia and Egypt this week to discuss efforts to secure a ceasefire in Israel's war on Gaza and increase humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory, a State Department spokesperson has said.

Blinken will hold talks with Saudi leaders in Jeddah on Wednesday before travelling to Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egyptian authorities, spokesman Matthew Miller said in the Philippines.

0308 GMT — Japan 'reviewing' decision to suspend UNRWA funding

Japan is reviewing its decision to suspend funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees [UNRWA], which came following Israeli allegations, the country's foreign minister said.

"You mentioned several countries already starting refunding of UNRWA, and I understand that each country has their own situation and considerations," Yoko Kamikawa told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.

"Japan is also discussing and reviewing our response to the situation with a great sense of urgency," she added.

0220 GMT — Israel's invasion of Gaza's Rafah must not be allowed: MSF

The secretary general of Medecins Sans Frontieres [MSF] or Doctors Without Borders has warned against Israeli plans to carry out a military invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

"A ground invasion of Rafah would be catastrophic and must not be allowed to happen," Christopher Lockyear said on X.

Lockyear's remarks came after he passed through the Rafah crossing to visit the MSF teams in Gaza.

"The sea of humanity as you enter is overwhelming, people are everywhere," he said.

0129 GMT — Israel bombs homes in Gaza, kills 20 besieged Palestinians

Twenty Palestinians have been killed in the early hours of Tuesday in Israeli air strikes on Rafah and central parts of Gaza, Gaza health officials said.

In the southern Gaza city of Rafah near the Egyptian border, where over 1 million Palestinians have sought shelter, 14 people were killed and dozens others wounded in Israeli strikes that hit several houses and apartments, Gaza medical officials said.

Six more people died in another air strike on a house in Al-Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, they added.

In Deir al Balah, a town in central Gaza about 14 km south of Gaza City, the sounds of explosions mixed with thunder, and rain added to the miseries of displaced families in tent camps.

"We are no longer able to distinguish between the sounds of thunder and bombings,” Shaban Abdel-Raouf, a father of five, said via a chat application.

"We used to await the rain and pray to God if it was late. Today we pray it doesn't rain. The displaced people have enough miseries," he added.

0050 GMT — US says Israel killed high-ranking Hamas official Marwan Issa

A senior US official says an Israeli strike killed Marwan Issa, the deputy leader of Hamas’ armed wing Qassam Brigades in Gaza who helped plan the October 7 attack.

Israel and Hamas have not confirmed Issa’s death, and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan did not say how US intelligence had concluded he was killed.

But if the reports are confirmed, Issa would be the highest-ranking Hamas leader to have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war.

Israel has killed several top leaders of Hamas over the years, only to see them quickly replaced with little apparent impact on the group’s operations.

Sullivan told reporters in Washington on Monday that Issa “was killed in an Israeli operation last week.”

2237 GMT — Israel denies responsibility for hunger, massacres in Gaza in filing to ICJ

Israel has vehemently denied allegations of genocide and responsibility for hunger and massacres in besieged Gaza in a legal filing to the International Court of Justice [ICJ].

Its response came after South Africa asked the ICJ to issue emergency orders for Israel to step up humanitarian aid to Gaza to address looming starvation.

Rejecting South Africa's claims that Israel was responsible for the starvation and massacres in Gaza, Israel labelled them as "completely unfounded in fact and law" and accused South Africa of distorting facts and abusing the authority of the Genocide Convention and the ICJ.

Israel also refuted claims that it deliberately created a hostile environment for aid agencies and used humanitarian aid as a bargaining chip, asserting that it actively collaborated with the UN and other countries to address the food problem in Gaza.

It demanded the rejection of South Africa's request for additional measures, arguing that the court's decision on January 26 already encompassed the issues raised by South Africa. It also accused South Africa of seeking political attention.

2216 GMT — Israel was formed to serve interests of Western powers: Palestine's envoy

Israel is "a state formed through a regional project, serving the interests of Western powers, and the Palestinian people became its victims," the Ambassador of Palestine to Türkiye, Faed Mustafa, said.

Mustafa was speaking at the opening of a panel discussion titled "The Israel-Palestine Conflict and the Middle East Impasse" organised by the Center for Asian Studies Practice and Research [ASYAM] of Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University [AHBV].

He pointed out that the process initiated by the Balfour Declaration was not random, noting that these projects were "meticulously" prepared and studied.

Mustafa highlighted that the forces targeting the Ottoman Empire in the past also targeted Palestine, a "trend" that persisted for centuries.

He added that other powers believed that the establishment of a foreign entity like Israel would disrupt the "unity and solidarity" in the region.

He also noted that the "imperialist state" continued to support Israel after October 7, 2023, perceiving it as their major project in the region.

Highlighting that Palestinians have openly resisted and fought for their rights since 1917, Mustafa said, "The Zionist occupation extends beyond Palestine. As written at the entrance of the Israeli parliament, their goal is from the Euphrates [in Iraq] to the Nile [in Egypt]."

2200 GMT — Trudeau expresses concerns to Gantz over Rafah invasion plan

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has expressed concern about Israel's planned invasion in the southern Gaza city of Rafah in a call with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz, Trudeau's office said in a statement.

"The Prime Minister shared his concern around Israel's planned offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and the severe humanitarian implications for all civilians taking refuge in the area," Trudeau's office said in a statement.

"He underscored the need to increase the volume of life-saving humanitarian aid for civilians and to ensure aid reaches all those in need, safely and without delay."

For our live updates from Monday, March 18, click here.