Dozens of bodies are still being recovered from the rubble of a destroyed and burnt al-Shifa Hospital, following a two-week Israeli raid and siege on the hospital.
Casualties
- 32,623 + killed* and at least 75,092 wounded in the Gaza Strip.
- 450+ Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.**
- Israel revises its estimated October 7 death toll down from 1,400 to 1,139.
- 600 Israeli soldiers have been killed since October 7, and at least 6,800 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
- Israel has killed 140 Palestinians and wounded 202 in the Gaza Strip since Saturday morning, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
- Israeli army withdraws from al-Shifa Hospital complex after two-week siege, leaving total destruction in its wake and dozens of dead. Israeli military sources say al-Shifa “will not come back to operation” after withdrawal.
- Gaza’s interior ministry announces the arrest of 10 intelligence officers from the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, claiming that they entered Gaza in coordination with Israel to “destabilize the internal front.” Ramallah officially denies the claims.
- Gaza’s health ministry calls upon the international community to intervene to reopen Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, which was put out of service by Israeli forces after sustained attacks in recent weeks.
- Israel announces killing of Hezbollah military commander in strike on southern Lebanon. Israeli strikes hit the Lebanese towns of al-Khyam and Markaba, while Hezbollah fires rockets on Israeli settlements and military bases in the Galilee.
- Israeli forces raid Jenin in the occupied West Bank amid arrest wave.
- Palestinians in Israel and West Bank march in commemoration of Palestinian Land Day protesting Gaza genocide.
- Israeli Channel 12: Over 6,800 Israeli soldiers wounded since October 7th.
Israel’s Genocide War in Gaza Continues
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said today its troops have completed their operation at Al-Shifa Hospital and withdrawn from the complex, following a nearly two-week raid. Emergency workers who arrived this morning to recover bodies found that the hospital was burned and shelled by artillery, according to a spokesman for Gaza’s Civil Defense. World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement yesterday that 21 patients died during the siege. More than 100 patients remain in the complex without adequate medical support or supplies, he added, calling on Israel to give the WHO and its partners access to the hospital. Niha Masih reports for the Washington Post.
At least two people were killed yesterday by an Israeli drone strike on tents outside the Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, according to a hospital spokesperson. Thousands of displaced people are currently sheltering in the complex. The Israeli military claimed in a statement that one of its aircraft struck an “operational Islamic Jihad command center and terrorists that operated from the courtyard” of the hospital, without providing evidence. CNN reports.
Thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Jerusalem yesterday to call for early elections in one of the biggest protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since the start of the war. It followed a separate anti-government protest the day before in Tel Aviv, where demonstrators included families of hostages still held in Gaza, citizens objecting to Netanyahu’s attempt to bypass an Israeli Supreme Court decision requiring ultra-Orthodox men to serve in the military, and members of the anti-Netanyahu protest movement that predates the war. The protests could indicate a turning point for the Israeli public. Adam Rasgon and Aaron Boxerman report for the New York Times.
Netanyahu rejected protesters’ calls yesterday for early elections. “The calls to hold elections now, in the height of the war, a step away from victory, will paralyze Israel for at least six months — I assess, eight months,” Netanyahu said at a news conference in Jerusalem. He also claimed the elections would derail ongoing hostage negotiations. CNN reports.
Netanyahu underwent successful surgery yesterday for a hernia diagnosed the previous day. The operation required full anesthesia, and Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin served as acting PM during the procedure. Tamar Michaelis, Benjamin Brown and Jessie Gretener report for CNN.
Negotiations for a ceasefire and another round of hostage releases resumed in Cairo yesterday, according to two Israeli officials. The Egyptian state-owned channel TV, Al Qaher News, had reported on Saturday that the talks would resume on Sunday, citing an Egyptian security official. A spokesman for Hamas confirmed that the group did not send a delegation to Cairo for the in-person talks. Adam Rasgon, Aaron Boxerman and Vivian Yee report for the New York Times.
A new Palestinian government has been sworn in. The cabinet, led by Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, was officially sworn in yesterday before President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA. CNN reports.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant raised the possibility of establishing a regional security force in Gaza during his visit to Washington this week. The proposal is for an Arab force to stay in Gaza for a limited period to secure the temporary pier the U.S. will build off the coast and escort humanitarian convoys into the territory, two senior Israeli officials told Axios.
Israel has given the U.N. a proposal to dismantle the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). The proposal was presented last week by the Israeli Chief of the General Staff to U.N. officials in Israel, who transmitted it to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday. Under the proposal, 300 to 400 staff would be transferred to another U.N. agency or to a new organization specifically created to distribute food aid in Gaza, and suggests later transfers of other employees and assets. Julian Borger and Ruth Michaelson report for the Guardian.
U.S. RESPONSE
The United States and Israel are set to hold a virtual meeting on Rafah on Monday. U.S. and Israeli officials are expected to discuss the Biden administration’s alternative proposals to a military invasion of Rafah, four Israeli and U.S. officials told Axios.
The Biden administration’s plan to install a floating pier off the Gaza coast to help increase aid to the enclave will put U.S. troops at risk, experts warn. According to military experts, the effort will endanger U.S. service members who must build, operate, and defend the structure, a risk with major political consequences for Biden should an attack occur. While the Pentagon maintains that no U.S. troops will deploy to Gaza, it has disclosed few details about how long the operation could last and how it will ensure the safety of those involved. Dan Lamothe reports for the Washington Post.
U.S. lawmakers are increasingly scrutinizing U.S. intelligence sharing with Israel. The two countries’ long-time intelligence-sharing relationship expanded after the October 7 attacks, and Representative Jason Crow (D-CO) is leading an effort to examine whether the results are consistent with U.S. values amid concerns raised by Congress members and human rights groups that it may be contributing to civilian casualties. Warren P. Strobel and Nancy A. Youssef report for the Wall Street Journal.
INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
In his annual Easter message, Pope Francis called for an “immediate cease-fire” in Gaza. “My thoughts go especially to the victims of the many conflicts worldwide, beginning with those in Israel and Palestine, and in Ukraine,” he said, adding, “I appeal once again that access to humanitarian aid be ensured to Gaza, and call once more for the prompt release of the hostages seized on 7 October last and for an immediate cease-fire in the Strip.” Jason Horowitz reports for the New York Times.
An aid convoy carrying nearly 400 tons of aid departed Cyprus for Gaza on Saturday. It is the second aid shipment to Gaza organized in part by the nonprofit World Central Kitchen. The group said the convoy will deliver enough food to prepare 1 million meals, adding that it also includes a “special shipment” of dates for Ramadan. The Washington Post reports.
A British lawmaker was recorded saying the U.K. government’s own lawyers have advised that Israel is violating international law, contrary to the government’s public assertions. The comments by the chair of the House of Commons’ Select Committee on Foreign Affairs were caught on a recording at a party fundraising event. Foreign Secretary Cameron previously dodged the question in a hearing, and other U.K. ministers have claimed Israel is abiding by international law. Toby Helm reports for the Guardian.
IRAN-BACKED MILITANTS
Israel has claimed the death of a Hezbollah commander in Syria. Ismail Al-Zin reportedly led anti-tank missile operations in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit. Maayan Lubell and Suleiman Al Khalidi report for the Associated Press.
Israel’s Red Sea port city of Eilat came under an aerial attack on Monday that caused no casualties, according to the Israeli military. An Iran-backed armed group in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack. Reuters reports.
The Israeli colonial-settler state has been unmasked for what it is
- Israel’s democracy is no barrier to genocide, just like the historic Anglo-American colonialism in the US, Canada and Australia
The United Nations Human Rights Council last week published a report that found “reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating Israel’s commission of genocide is met” in Gaza. This came as the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire.
“Israel’s executive and military leadership and soldiers have intentionally distorted jus in bello [just conduct in war] principles, subverting their protective functions, in an attempt to legitimise genocidal violence against the Palestinian people,” according to a summary of the Human Rights Council report “Anatomy of a Genocide”.
You know something truly evil is happening when even Israel’s no-limits partner in crime, the United States, abstained to enable the passage of the ceasefire vote tabled by 10 non-permanent member states. But in typical US fashion, it continues to enable the genocide as The Washington Post reported that “new arms packages” for Israel have been authorised and “include more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs.
Read the full text here
Will the Security Council resolution have any impact on the ground in Gaza?
Is the Resolution Binding for Israel?
United Nations Security Council resolutions, particularly those under Chapter VI of the UN Charter, are binding for member states. They require governments to take or abstain from specific actions under the threat of sanctions or even military intervention. However, the binding nature of any resolution largely depends on its wording and the context in which it’s passed. If the resolution explicitly demands an immediate ceasefire from all parties involved, including Israel, it places a legal obligation on Israel to comply. Read the full text here
The Nuclear Explosion That Makes US Aid to Israel Illegal
Israel’s nuclear program has been in violation of international law for decades, rendering it ineligible for American assistance.
Americans are being deliberately lied to by their own government as to Israel’s vast and deadly nuclear stockpile, largely built with nuclear materials stolen from the United States. For those on Capitol Hill and in the White House, the incentive for keeping Israel’s secret—and thus allowing it to avoid US laws—is money and power. Millions in campaign donations from wealthy pro-Israel supporters and PACs, and power from lobbies like AIPAC. In 1979, rather than take any actions against Israel, President Carter, like those in the White House before and after him, did nothing. Carter has acknowledged this in years since, writing that the “reluctance to criticize any policies of the Israeli government is because of the extraordinary lobbying efforts” of AIPAC.
The strength of AIPAC is something CNN’s Wolf Blitzer knows a great deal about. Before his gig with cable news, he was a top propagandist for AIPAC. There is, he noted, “a widely held attitude among Israeli officials that Israel can get away with the most outrageous things. There is a notion among many Israelis that their American counterparts are not too bright, that they can be ‘handled.’”
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders apparently agrees, having repeatedly warned that Israel is violating both international and US laws. “To pretend that Israel is not violating international law or interfering with US humanitarian aid is absurd on its face,” he said this week. “The State Department’s position makes a mockery of US law and assurances provided to Congress.” Nevertheless, he concluded that “relatively few Democrats are prepared to pull the trigger and say, ‘You know what, hey, Mr. Netanyahu. You continue that and you’re not getting another nickel in American aid.’ Why’s that so? I guess it has a lot to do with AIPAC.” Read the full text here
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