KEY POINTS
- Canada will halt future arms sales to Israel after House of Commons vote
- Israel's Yoav Gallant to meet Pentagon's Lloyd Austin next week
- South Africa says Israel 'entirely ignored' International Court of Justice's provisional measures
The war in Gaza has entered its 166th day as tensions across the Middle East reach a fever pitch – U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reportedly carried out airstrikes in eastern Syria Wednesday, killing a Hezbollah commander and several other key figures in pro-Iranian militias.
In the Middle East's surrounding waters, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received a report of a "suspicious approach" incident southeast of Oman.
- Hamas leaders should be kicked out of Gaza: UK's Cameron
- US, Jordan carry out combined airdrop operation for northern Gaza residents
- Hezbollah stores dangerous chemical substances within civilian areas: IDF
- 'Implausible' Israeli hostages were killed by Israeli strikes: Researchers
- 5 senior Hamas officials were killed in Israeli strikes in Rafah Monday: IDF
Back in war-torn Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its troops eliminated "dozens" of terrorists and questioned around 300 suspects from its raid of the Al-Shifa Hospital, the Strip's largest health and medical complex.
Britain's foreign secretary David Cameron on Wednesday urged Israel and Hamas to reach an "immediate pause" in their fighting, adding that aid for Gaza civilians was "being held up."
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due for another Middle Eastern visit as he seeks to push for a truce agreement. He is also expected to emphasize the importance of allowing more aid to enter the Gaza Strip, amid warnings from relief and food insecurity groups about impending famine in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Washington and Israel continue to push back against the other over Rafah, an overcrowded city in Gaza that has become the temporary home of some 1.5 million civilians from different parts of the territory.
Driven by the violent history of the Israel-Palestine conflict, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the IDF will push through with a ground incursion of Rafah, drawing the ire of global leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden.
Israel eliminates 5 senior Hamas officials in Rafah: IDF
Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes in Rafah Monday that killed five senior Hamas officials, the IDF announced Wednesday. The Israeli army said the senior Hamas members were key figures of the Palestinian terror group's "emergency committees in the Rafah area, who helped the terrorist organization's military arm (al-Qassam Brigades) to establish continued control and activity in the area," as per a Google translation.
The following are the names of the assassinated senior Hamas members:
- Sayid Katab Alkhashash (leader in Hamas' Emergency Bureau)
- Osama Hamd Zaher (leader in Hamas' Emergency Bureau)
- "Muhamed" (leader in Hamas' Emergency Bureau)
- Aud Almelalakhi (leader in Hamas' Emergency Bureau)
- Hadi Abu Alrus Kasin (Hamas operations officer)
בהכוונה מודיעינית של אמ"ן ושב״כ, מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו שלשום בכירים בוועדות החירום של חמאס במרחב רפיח, שסייעו לזרוע הצבאית של ארגון הטרור לבסס המשך שליטה ופעילות בשטח>> pic.twitter.com/gBLQ791wb2
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 20, 2024
Israeli airstrikes killing hostages are 'implausible': Researchers
A group of Israeli researchers found in a recent statistical study that Hamas' claims of hostages being killed in Israeli airstrikes were doubtful. "Israeli airstrikes as the cause of death of Israeli hostages are implausible unless they were specifically exposed to these strikes more than Palestinian citizens," the group said in a study published this month at the Israel Medical Association Journal (IMAJ).
This comes after Hamas claimed that Kfir Bibas, the youngest known hostage in Hamas captivity, his toddler brother, Ariel, and his mother, Shiri, were killed in Israeli bombardment.
Israeli authorities have not confirmed the claim but the IDF said last month that they were "concerned for the welfare" of the Shiri, who was spotted on a street surveillance camera in Khan Yunis, being surrounded by seven armed men.
Hezbollah stores dangerous chemicals within civilian areas: IDF
Iranian-backed Hezbollah has been stocking up on explosives and "dangerous" chemicals within civilian communities, the Israeli army said Wednesday. It said documentation of Israeli attacks on known Hezbollah weapons storehouses and posts indicate chemical storage.
"As can be seen in the documentation, the size of the attacks, the number of secondary explosions and the duration of the fire at the property constitute further proof of Hezbollah's method of operation in which it stores explosives and dangerous chemical substances in civilian villages," the IDF said in an operational update Wednesday, as per a Google translation.
תיעוד מתקיפות צה״ל: בלב שכונה אזרחית בעומק לבנון חיזבאללה מאחסן חומרים מסוכנים ואמצעי לחימה.
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 20, 2024
לכל הפרטים: https://t.co/ekkhyN7HFX pic.twitter.com/ASlJWOCtmf
US, Jordan conduct joint airdrop operation for northern Gaza
Forces of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Royal Jordanian Air Force on Wednesday conducted a joint humanitarian aid airdrop into northern Gaza, the U.S. army said.
A total of 6,000 pounds of food that included rice, flour, pasta, milk and canned goods were dropped into the devastated area that was the focus of IDF operations during the first months of the Israel-Hamas war.
March 20 USCENTCOM Conducts Humanitarian Airdrops into Gaza
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 20, 2024
U.S. Central Command and the Royal Jordanian Air Force conducted a combined humanitarian assistance airdrop into Northern Gaza on March 20, 2024, at 12:15 p.m. (Gaza time) to provide essential relief to civilians in… pic.twitter.com/hBIG9FawOc
Hamas leaders should be thrown out of Gaza: Cameron
British top diplomat Cameron said during a visit to a Thai air force base Wednesday that a permanent sustainable ceasefire was possible "if a whole lot of conditions are fulfilled," including the expulsion of Hamas leaders from the Gaza Strip.
"We've got to get Hamas leaders out of Gaza. We have to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure," he said as per Reuters.
His comments came amid increasing calls for a halt in the fighting. Both Israel and Hamas have been refusing to reach a compromise even as some 130 hostages are still being held in Gaza more than five months since Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.
South Africa accuses Israel of ignoring ICJ orders
South African foreign minister Naledi Pandor has accused Israel of defying an interim ruling by the ICJ that the country should take appropriate measures to prevent acts of genocide in the war-torn Gaza Strip.
"The provisional measures have been entirely ignored by Israel ... we're seeing mass starvation now and famine before our very eyes," she said at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Tuesday. She added that Israel lack of action was undermining the World Court's ruling.
Read the full story here.
Pentagon chief to host Israel's defense minister next week
Austin is set to host Gallant next week in Washington, D.C. during high-level talks to discuss developments of the war in Gaza, specifically the looming ground raid into Rafah, multiple outlets reported Wednesday.
Gallant's U.S. trip comes at a crucial time in Washington-Israel ties as the Biden administration has been pressuring its Middle Eastern ally to refrain from raiding Rafah without a clear plan focused on protecting civilians.
Canada to halt arms sales to Israel: FM
Canada will halt future arms sales to Israel after the House of Commons held a non-binding vote, Canadian foreign affairs minister Melanie Joly told the Toronto Star in a report published late Tuesday.
The vote was held after the New Democratic Party (NDP) introduced a parliamentary motion to halt future exports of arms to Israel and included a call to work "towards the establishment of the state of Palestine."
Blinken heads to Middle East in latest US push for truce
The top U.S. diplomat is on his way to the Middle East as the White House pushes for a ceasefire in Gaza amid the looming threat of famine. He is expected to discuss the provisions of a potential new truce that could free the remaining hostages in Gaza.
With his first stop being Saudi Arabia, he is also expected to push for more aid to enter the Gaza Strip as the latest data on the enclave's food insecurity raised alarms worldwide.
Read the full story here.
'Too much' Gaza aid being 'held up': UK's Cameron
The British foreign secretary on Tuesday called for "urgent action" to avoid a famine in Gaza. In a series of posts on X, he said the United Kingdom was doing everything in its power to get as much food as possible into the enclave.
"But the fact remains that too much aid is being held up. This must change. We need for crossing to open and for longer, and healthcare, water and sanitation restored. An immediate pause in fighting is the best way to make sure that happens," he said.
The findings from @theIPCinfo’s report on famine risk in Gaza are of grave concern and I will carefully review their analysis.
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) March 18, 2024
It’s clear the status quo is unsustainable.
We need urgent action now to avoid a famine. https://t.co/Y7xgcGIiwN
90 terrorists eliminated in Shifa Hospital operations: IDF
Around 90 terrorists were eliminated during the Israeli army's operations at the Al-Shifa Hospital, the IDF said Wednesday. Some 300 "suspects" were detained and 160 of them were transferred for questioning, the Israeli army said.
Al-Shifa is Gaza's largest medical complex. The IDF launched a raid in the area on Monday. A key Hamas official was eliminated on the first day of the raid.
24hr operational update:
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 20, 2024
📍Shifa Hospital
IDF and ISA forces eliminated approx. 90 terrorists, questioned 300 suspects and transferred 160 for questioning.
Forces located weapons and operated while preventing harm to patients, staff and equipment.
📍Northern Gaza
An IAF…
Dozens of terrorists have been eliminated and approx. 300 suspects were apprehended during IDF activity at the Shifa Hospital.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 19, 2024
The forces apprehended dozens of prominent Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists at the Shifa Hospital, involved in directing terrorist activities in Judea… pic.twitter.com/qAktyh09vN
'Suspicious approach' reported off Oman
A merchant vessel reported an incident of a "suspicious approach" off of Salalah, Oman on Wednesday, the UKMTO sad. A small craft that carried seven crew members and "a visible ladder" followed the ship for around 20 minutes.
The vessel's armed security team fired a warning shot amid the "shadowing," and the small craft left the area, the UKMTO said.
UKMTO ADVISORY
— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) March 20, 2024
INCIDENT 055 - SUSPICIOUS APPROACHhttps://t.co/2o2wOFtpKd… #MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/3VKt6QlnBw
5 pro-Iranian militia leaders killed in Syria airstrikes: Arab media
Five pro-Iranian militia leaders were killed Wednesday following airstrikes in the Deir Ezzor area in eastern Syria that's believed to have been carried out by the SDF, a U.S.-backed coalition of rebel groups and ethnic militias in the country, Sky News in Arabic reported. Syrian reports indicated that among the assassinated leaders was a Hezbollah commander, as per local i24 News.
The SDF has yet to deny or confirm the reports.
This comes amid rising tensions in the Middle East, as triggered by the Israel-Hamas war. Iran-backed militias, including Lebanon-based Hezbollah, have been attacking Israel and U.S. military assets across the region since the war started.
