Hamas slams Israel for “spreading chaos” after an Israeli airstrike killed two local police officers in charge of securing and delivering food to north Gaza. In the West Bank, Israeli forces and settlers kill two Palestinians.
Casualties
- 31,923 + killed* and at least 74,096 wounded in the Gaza Strip.
- 435+ Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.**
- Israel revises its estimated October 7 death toll down from 1,400 to 1,147.
- 594 Israeli soldiers killed since October 7, and at least 3,221 injured.***
*Gaza’s Ministry of Health confirmed this figure on Telegram channel. Some rights groups put the death toll number at more than 40,000 when accounting for those presumed dead.
** The death toll in West Bank and Jerusalem is not updated regularly. According to PA’s Ministry of Health on March 17, this is the latest figure.
*** This figure is released by the Israeli military, showing the soldiers whose names “were allowed to be published.”
Key Developments
- Israel bombs members of Palestinian clans and officers of Gaza’s emergency committee who handled aid supplies and delivery in north Gaza.
- Among people Israel killed on Tuesday evening is Amjad Hathat, director of Gaza’s emergency committee. On Monday, Israel assassinated Faiq Mabhouh, head of police operations in Gaza, who handled delivery of food in north Gaza.
- Hamas accuses Israel of spreading chaos in north Gaza in bid to create “administrative vacuum” by targeting members of emergency committee.
- In north Gaza, every 25 individuals share one kilogram of flour, or 20 loaves of bread, over one or two days. However, thousands of others cannot get a single loaf.
- Doctor who visited Gaza tells UN that “infections are getting worse and worse,” with whole families suffering from explosive injuries and burns.
- Israeli airstrikes on houses in Nuseirat refugee camp kill at least 27 Palestinians from the Habbash family.
- Israel’s Finance Minister says expanding settlements is “holistic Zionist response to [EU] declaration” of planned sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
- Israeli forces and settlers kill two Palestinians in the West Bank in separate incidents.
- Canada to halt arms sales to Israel after non-binding vote in parliament.
- Agreement made between White House and U.S. Congress bars U.S. funds to UNRWA until March 2025, according to a Reuters report.
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says, “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.”
Israel bombs north Gaza’s Kuwait roundabout, targeting authorities tasked with aid delivery.
Israeli forces bombed a gathering point of dozens of Palestinians near the Kuwait roundabout in Gaza City, killing at least 23 people and injuring dozens on Tuesday evening.
Most of them were members of Palestinian clans and officers of Gaza’s emergency committee who handled aid supplies and deliveries to starving people in north Gaza.
Since Saturday, they had successfully ensured the arrival of 35 aid trucks at the Kuwait and Nabulsi roundabouts, unloading the deliveries in shelters and centers of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza’s Al-Tuffah neighborhood and Jabalia refugee camp.
Israel’s Genocide War in Gaza Continues
Israel and Hamas are locked in Gaza truce talks with goals that seem impossible to reconcile.
Israel wants the release of dozens of hostages taken on Oct. 7 and the freedom to resume a military campaign to crush Hamas after any cease-fireends, said mediators at the talks in Qatar. On the other side, Hamas is essentially negotiating for its survival, pushing for a lasting truce and ways to remain influential in postwar Gaza, if no longer its ruler. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he would travel to the Middle East this week in the hope of making a concerted push for a cease-fire deal amid signs that both sides hardened their positions at the beginning of talks.
Israel Submits Official Proposal to Hamas in Doha Talks
Israel formally offered a counterproposal to Hamas on Monday, signaling a potential advance in the ongoing cease fire and hostage release negotiations in Qatar, led on the Israeli side by Mossad Chief David Barnea. The Israeli offer includes discussions on the repatriation of residents to Northern Gaza and the release of prisoners. The focus of the Doha talks, as reported by “Kaan” and officials familiar with the negotiations, is primarily on exchanging Palestinian security detainees for 40 Israeli hostages. Observers expect that discussions may extend over several weeks and rounds of negotiations.
Qatar Warns Rafah Operation Would Derail Hostage Negotiations
Qatar has expressed concerns that a significant Israeli military operation in Rafah could jeopardize ongoing talks in Doha aimed at securing a hostage deal involving Palestinian prisoners. This warning came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to visit the region to promote the agreement. According to Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari, such an operation would constitute a humanitarian catastrophe and severely affect the negotiations. Mossad Director David Barnea, who led the Israeli delegation, has briefed the war cabinet upon his return, with serious discussions continuing in Qatar. The talks aim to facilitate a temporary ceasefire and the release of about 40 hostages in exchange for Palestinian detainees, a process mediated by Qatar and Egypt.
Hamas Says Israel’s Shifa Hospital Operation Disrupts Doha Talks, Seeks Russian and Turkish Guarantees for Gaza Deal
Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’s political bureau, accused Israel of attempting to derail ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Doha by launching a military operation that involved encircling and storming Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City early Monday. The attack on Gaza’s largest medical facility, Haniyeh asserted, demonstrates Israel’s broader assault on the vital infrastructure necessary for life in Gaza, as well as its efforts to sow chaos and bloodshed. Meanwhile, an Israeli channel reported that Hamas is demanding guarantees from Russia and Turkiye in any potential prisoner exchange and ceasefire deal concerning the Gaza Strip. Channel 13 revealed that besides the involvement of Egypt and Qatar, which have been mediating the talks, Hamas introduced new demands over the weekend for Russian and Turkish guarantees. Israel is against this request, according to the report. There has been no confirmation or denial from Hamas, Turkiye, or Russia regarding this claim.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brushed aside disagreement with the Biden administration over a planned invasion of Rafah, saying yesterday that his government would press ahead despite pleas for restraint from the United States and other key allies. Netanyahu insisted that sending troops into Rafah was necessary to eliminate what he said were Hamas battalions in the city, telling Israeli lawmakers he made it “as clear as possible to [president Biden] that we are determined to complete the elimination of these battalions in Rafah, and there is no way to do this without a ground incursion.” He emphasized to the Knesset that Israel has “a debate with the Americans over the need to enter Rafah, not over the need to eliminate Hamas,” adding that “out of respect” for Biden, he had agreed to send a team to Washington so U.S. officials could “present us with their ideas, especially on the humanitarian side.” Cassandra Vinograd reports for the New York Times.
Mossad chief David Barnea has returned from ceasefire talks in Doha, an Israeli official said yesterday, although talks there are continuing amid another intensive diplomatic push to secure a pause in the fighting. A spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry said that “technical teams” seeking to hash out finer details of a potential agreement were continuing to meet in Doha and that while there has not been a breakthrough in the talks, Qatar remains “cautiously optimistic.” Aaron Boxerman reports for the New York Times.
The Israeli military said today it had killed around 90 gunmen and arrested 160 in a raid on Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza. “Over the past day, the troops have eliminated terrorists and located weapons in the hospital area, while preventing harm to civilians, patients, medical teams, and medical equipment,” the military said in a statement. Hamas has denied the claim and said all of those killed had been wounded patients and displaced persons inside the hospital. Reuters reports.
U.S. RESPONSE
U.S. Administration to Propose Alternatives to Israel’s Hamas Pursuit Without Rafah Offensive
The Biden administration will propose alternatives to a major Israeli offensive in Rafah during upcoming discussions with an Israeli delegation in Washington next week. The U.S. team will propose that the IDF should counter Hamas without significant ground operations, focusing instead on preventing weapon smuggling through the Philadelphi Corridor and relying on cooperation with Egypt to secure the Gaza-Egypt border as a more effective approach to dismantle Hamas capabilities. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is dispatching a high-level Israeli security delegation to discuss the U.S. proposals at President Joe Biden’s request. The delegation, led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi will focus on potential actions in Rafah and humanitarian arrangements for the region but will underscore Israel’s determination to dismantle Hamas’s remaining forces in the Rafah area.
Netanyahu is tentatively scheduled to speak virtually to Senate Republicans during their regular lunch meeting today, two Senate sources familiar with the plan told Axios.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken today will make his sixth trip to the Middle East since the Oct. 7 attacks. Blinken will visit Saudi Arabia and Egypt in his latest attempt to foster a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, a plan on how to govern post-war Gaza, and a potential deal for Riyadh to normalize relations with Israel. But in a sign of the increasingly chilly relationship between top U.S. leaders and Netanyahu, this could be the first visit to the region without a stop in Israel — an extraordinary rebuke of Washington’s closest ally in the Middle East. Michael Birnbaum reports for the Washington Post.
The White House is expected to meet with an Israeli delegation early next week to discuss Israel’s plans for an invasion of Rafah. Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, told reporters on Air Force One yesterday that the Biden administration expected the Israeli officials to arrive in Washington “likely” early next week.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, yesterday reiterated the Biden administration’s increasingly deep rift with Netanyahu over his handling of the war. Brown said he has not seen Israel’s blueprint for its offensive in Rafah, while Austin warned that Israel could end up facing “strategic defeat” if it fails to adequately protect civilians. “Israel has a right to defend itself,” Austin said. “But there’s also a need to protect the civilians in the battlespace. And again, the two things aren’t mutually exclusive.” Missy Ryan reports for the Washington Post.
Schumer Doubles Down on Warning About Netanyahu, Says Israel’s Future at Risk Without US Support
Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in the U.S. Senate, expressed concerns to The New York Times about Israel’s future without American support, particularly under Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership. Schumer fears Israel could become globally isolated, including in the U.S. He suggested Netanyahu might delay Israeli elections until 2026. His recent calls for early elections in Israel have sparked controversy and criticism from Netanyahu and others in Israel. Despite increasing international pressure, notably from President Joe Biden, who praised Schumer’s call for elections, Netanyahu has dismissed Schumer’s criticism and emphasized Israel’s sovereignty.
U.S. Congress Extends UNRWA Funding Ban Until 2025
A deal between U.S. Congressional leaders and the White House has extended the prohibition on American funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which assists Palestinian refugees, until March 2025. This decision follows a temporary suspension of new U.S. contributions to UNRWA by the Biden administration, sparked by Israeli evidence that UNRWA employees took part in the October 7 assault on Israel and have ties to Hamas. Discussions on alternative humanitarian assistance methods for Palestinians in Gaza are expected to follow the public release of the bill details.
INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Houthi Missile Struck Near Israel’s Eilat Port, Evading Defense System
For the first time, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged a breach in its missile air defense by a cruise missile launched by the Iran-sponsored Houthi militia. Originating from the direction of the Red Sea, the missile managed to evade interception before landing in an open area north of Eilat. This incident is a significant change, as previous Houthi launches of ballistic missiles were successfully neutralized by Israel’s defense systems, including the Arrow missile defense. The IDF is investigating whether the incident exposed potential vulnerabilities in Israel’s missile defense capabilities. A Houthi spokesman claimed responsibility for targeting Eilat with several cruise missiles and attacking the American ship Madu in the Red Sea with maritime missiles.
Iran-Sponsored Iraqi Militants Claim Drone Attack on Ben Gurion Airport
Iran-backed Iraqi armed factions announced they targeted Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport with drones early Wednesday, March 20, describing the attack as part of their “Islamic resistance” against Israel. This announcement follows their recent drone attack on an Israeli military airbase in the Golan Heights region and a previous strike on Ben Gurion Airport last week. The Iraqi militants have also warned the United States they might escalate armed operations in retaliation for continued U.S. military support to Israel.
Canada Bans Arms Sales to Israel
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced a total ban on arms sales to Israel following the Canadian Parliament’s majority vote in favor of a non-binding proposal to halt such sales after extensive debate. The decision shifts from an initial suspension to a complete prohibition, reflecting Canada’s concerns over military sales to Israel while the conflict is ongoing in Gaza. The move also aligns with Canada’s support for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron said today that a ceasefire was vital for a pause in fighting in Gaza to enable the release of hostages, but that a lot of conditions first needed to be met for a lasting ceasefire. “Crucially what we must try to do is to turn that pause into a permanent sustainable ceasefire. We will only do that if a whole lot of conditions are fulfilled … we’ve got to get Hamas leaders out of Gaza, we have to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure,” he said. Panu Wongcha-um reports for Reuters.
The United Kingdom’s largest aid delivery to Gaza has entered the enclave, the British Foreign Office said today. More than 2,000 tons of food aid that entered Gaza via the Jordanian land corridor were being distributed by the World Food Programme and will feed “more than 275,000 people,” the office added.
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