Headlines:
| · BREAKING: U.N. approves Gaza cease-fire resolution |
| The United Nations Security Council approved a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, while also calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. The United States abstained from the vote. |
· ‘Horrific’ eyewitness accounts continue to emerge from Israel’s siege on Gaza’s hospitals.
- Democrats Warn Biden: Biden admin carefully ramps up criticism of Israel , Israel Not in Compliance With U.S. Law as Recipients of Military Aid
· Israel’s War Against Palestine, Day 171:
· ‘Horrific’ eyewitness accounts continue to emerge from Israel’s siege on Gaza’s hospitals.
- Democrats Warn Biden: Biden admin carefully ramps up criticism of Israel , Israel Not in Compliance With U.S. Law as Recipients of Military Aid.
· Seventeen Senate Democrats say Israel is violating arms sales conditions policy
· US Says Major Israel Attack on Rafah Would Be ‘Huge Mistake’
· Kamala Harris Warns Israel Against Invading Rafah—Macron Follows, Warning Of Possible ‘War Crime’
· Kamala Harris warns Israel not to cross US ‘red line’ and invade Rafah: ‘Huge mistake’
- Is the U.S. Changing Its Approach to Israel, Which Continues to Ignore Its Warnings
· Biden Failure to coerce Israel to change its war strategy.
· Biden’s domestic policy toward the war in Gaza
· Opinion: Despite the Biden administration’s strong initial support of Israel following October 7, it seems to change its tune the longer the war continues and the closer the elections approach
· Israeli delegations visit Washington amid U.S. misgivings over Gaza war
· The U.S. and Israel have a ‘major credibility problem’.
Israel’s Genocide War in Gaza Continues
Eyewitness accounts continue to emerge from Gaza’s hospitals, including rape, torture, mass executions, and soldiers crushing Palestinian bodies with tanks. Hamas says Israel’s systematic attack on hospitals is central to its “war of extermination.”
Casualties
- 32,333 + killed* and at least 74,694 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 its Telegram channel. Some rights groups estimate the death toll to be much higher when accounting for those presumed dead.
** The death toll in the West Bank and Jerusalem is not updated regularly. According to the 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
- UNRWA: Israel says no more UNRWA food convoys to north Gaza.
- UNRWA chief: Israeli decision to deny all UNRWA food convoys to northern Gaza is “obstruct[ing] lifesaving assistance during a man-made famine.”
- Doctors Without Borders “deeply concerned” after medical staff arrested at al-Shifa Hospital amid “heavy air strikes by Israeli forces and fierce fighting” nearby.
- Tanks crushed bodies, ambulances at al-Shifa Hospital, reports AP News, citing witnesses.
- Footage emerges of Israeli soldiers assaulting Palestinian boy
- Casualties in Israeli attack on aid distributors at Kuwaiti roundabout in Gaza City, reports Al Jazeera.
- Israeli forces raid Al Aqsa mosque during nightly prayers, assault and expel worshipers, reports Al Jazeera journalist.
- WHO Chief: Israel must reverse decision on blocking north Gaza aid.
- Israeli war cabinet minister threatens to quit if bill exempting ultra-Orthodox Jews from conscription passes
- UNRWA: U.S. funding cut will ‘compromise access to food’ in Gaza.
- UN special rapporteurs decry underreporting of sexual violence against Palestinians.
- Israel blocks access to Jerusalem for West Bank Christians on Palm Sunday, reports Wafa.
- PRCS says it has lost radio contact with staff at al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis.
- Euro-Med: Israel’s attacks on academics in line with Gaza ‘genocide’
- WAFA correspondent killed along with son Israeli airstrike on Gaza
- MAP report: Doctor says conditions inside European Gaza Hospital ‘unimaginable’
Gaza: Three Hospitals under military siege
The Israeli military has imposed ongoing sieges on at least three medical facilities in the besieged enclave, terrorizing, injuring, and killing thousands of civilians in the process.
Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza has entered its seventh day under siege, and the civilians able to flee are reporting ruthless massacres in and around the medical complex.
Israeli forces have surrounded two more hospitals in Gaza, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said yesterday. The organization said that the Al-Amal Hospital and Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza were both encircled, adding, “All our teams are in extreme danger at the moment and are unable to move at all.” Meanwhile, the Israeli military is still operating at Al-Shifa Hospital after raiding it last week. In an update yesterday, the military said its troops had “apprehended approximately 480 terrorists affiliated with the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations, and have located weapons and terrorist infrastructure in the hospital.” Lauren Izso, Abeer Salman, and Tim Lister report for CNN.
Two of Israel’s three war cabinet members expressed their opposition to government proposals on the recruitment of ultra-Orthodox men into the military, setting up a potential collapse of Israel’s government coalition. The Israeli Supreme Court had given the government until the end of this month to justify the lack of legislation regarding the conscription of the ultra-Orthodox, known is Hebrew as “Haredim,” and explain why the government continues to fund Haredi religious schools while exempting young Haredi men from military service. Mick Krever and Lauren Izso report for CNN.
The head of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) yesterday said that Israel had informed the U.N. it will no longer approve UNRWA food convoys to northern Gaza. “This is outrageous and makes it intentional to obstruct lifesaving assistance during a man-made famine. These restrictions must be lifted,” Philippe Lazzarini said on X. Both the UNRWA and Egypt said last week that Lazzarini, who was visiting Cairo, was denied entry to Gaza by Israeli authorities. “By preventing UNRWA to fulfill its mandate in Gaza, the clock will tick faster towards famine & many more will die of hunger, dehydration + lack of shelter,” Lazzarini added. Reuters reports.
Gantz Threatens to Quit Government if Law Exempting Haredi from Military Service Passes
Benny Gantz, Israeli Minister-without-Portfolio, has declared that his National Unity Party will exit the government if a controversial haredi conscription law proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu passes. Labeling the law’s passage a “red line,” Gantz emphasized its unacceptability even in normal times, highlighting the societal rift it exacerbates. The proposed legislation, aiming to exempt Haredi men from mandatory military service until age 35, intensifies as the IDF faces increased demands for a larger standing army amidst ongoing conflict. The law’s advancement through the Knesset could take months, with immediate implications for military enlistment practices pending.
Israel Agrees to Prisoner Swap for Hostages, Awaits Hamas Response
In a significant development during truce negotiations in Doha, Israel has consented to release 700 to 800 Palestinian security prisoners, including 100 sentenced to life for the murder of Israelis, in exchange for 40 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. The exchange, part of efforts to secure a six-week ceasefire potentially leading to a permanent truce, reflects mediation efforts by international actors. The proposal, doubling the initially suggested figure in Paris talks, is pending Hamas’s response. Israel’s flexibility comes amid broader negotiations aiming for a decisive resolution to the conflict, including a military strategy and humanitarian considerations.
srael Imposes Permanent Ban on UNRWA Convoys to Northern Gaza
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) disclosed that Israel has formally notified it of a permanent ban on UNRWA food convoys entering Northern Gaza. According to UNRWA’s Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, this decision severely impedes life-saving aid amid a man-made famine situation. Despite repeated efforts, UNRWA has been unable to deliver food to Northern Gaza since January 29, highlighting a deliberate obstruction of humanitarian assistance. This move comes amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations, with Hamas insisting on UNRWA’s role in distributing aid, a stance opposed by Israel due to security concerns.
U.S. RESPONSE
US warns of ‘consequences’ if Israel invades Rafah
When pressed if there would be “consequences” from the US if Israel proceeds with the Rafah invasion despite opposition, US Vice President Kamala Harris said bluntly: “I am ruling out nothing.”
United States Vice President Kamala Harris suggested in an interview with ABC that there could be “consequences” for Israel if it proceeds with a planned invasion of the city of Rafah in Gaza to pursue Hamas fighters. According to the United Nations, many Palestinians have fled to Rafah from elsewhere in Gaza, swelling the city’s population to an estimated 1.4 million people. “We have been clear in multiple conversations and in every way that any major military operation in Rafah would be a huge mistake,” Harris said. “Let me tell you something: I have studied the maps. There’s nowhere for those folks to go.”
Israel would be making “a huge mistake” if it went ahead with a major attack on the city of Rafah in Gaza, US Vice President Kamala Harris said yesterday in comments that went beyond remarks by Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his trip to the region. French President Emmanuel Macron said he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that any forced transfer of people from Rafah would constitute “a war crime.”
Vice President Kamala Harris suggested there could be “consequences” for Israel if it proceeds with a planned invasion of Rafah, where some 1.4 million people are sheltering. “We have been clear in multiple conversations and in every way that any major military operation in Rafah would be a huge mistake,” Harris said yesterday on ABC News, adding, “Let me tell you something: I have studied the maps. There’s nowhere for those folks to go.” When pressed on whether the United States would consider “consequences” if the Rafah plans proceeded, Harris said, “I am ruling out nothing.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant headed to Washington yesterday amid increasingly strained relations with Washington. Gallant is set to meet with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, and other senior officials, the Israeli government said in a statement. Gallant’s visit, which the Israeli government said was at Austin’s invitation, follows Blinken and Israeli leaders confronting one another over the trajectory of the war on Friday. Rachel Pannett, Annabelle Timist, and Sarah Dadouch report for the Washington Post.
REGIONAL RESPONSE
Riot police fired tear gas to push back hundreds of Jordanian demonstrators marching on the Israeli embassy in Amman yesterday to protest Israel’s military operation in and around hospitals in Gaza and the mounting civilian death toll. The Israeli embassy, where protesters gather daily, has long been a flashpoint of anti-Israel protests at times of crisis in Gaza and the Palestinian territories. Suleiman Al-Khalidi reports for The Times of Israel.
Report: Israel Sabotaged Secret Iranian Nuclear Site in 2020
An Iranian dissident media outlet has reported that in 2020, nine individuals, believed to have been recruited by an entity thought to be Israel’s Mossad, initiated a fire at an unremarkable workshop in the Tehran suburb of Shadabad. This location is suspected to be an undeclared nuclear weapons site. The Islamic Republic has allegedly concealed this act of sabotage, revealed by the independent news organization Iran International through documents acquired from hackers.
Israel Seeks Alternative Ammunition Sources Amid Tensions with the US Over Rafah Invasion
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported on Monday that Israel is exploring alternative methods to procure military ammunition, citing concerns that tensions with the United States over the potential invasion of Rafah could impede military support. Despite the US being a primary supplier, Israel is looking for workaround methods to address the shortage of vital ammunition necessary for ongoing combat operations. This exploration for alternatives is in response to increased criticism and the potential impact of US-Israel tensions on military assistance, with some countries already halting weapon supplies to Israel under a “silent boycott” or legal constraints against arming nations in conflict.
Gaza is faced with the prospect of an endless war.
Israeli forces are fighting in a growing number of places in the strip that they previously took and withdrew from. Israel’s war effort in Gaza has been hampered by the lack of a plan for how to stabilize the enclave after suppressing Hamas’s fighters. Without a civil authority to restore order, security and basic services, swaths of Gaza have descended into anarchy. This is impeding the delivery of humanitarian aid, contributing to a growing hunger crisis. With no end to the war in sight, the pattern of repeatedly raiding Gazan hospitals and neighborhoods is turning into an endless ordeal for civilians and a source of growing diplomatic tensions between Israel and its allies.
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