Middle East crisis: Medical teams at two hospitals in Gaza pinned down by heavy gunfire, Palestinian Red Crescent says – as it happened

Humanitarian aid falls through the sky towards the Gaza Strip. Photograph: Amir Cohen/Reuters

4.00pm GMT

Summary of the day

Here is a summary of the key developments in the Middle East crisis today:

• Israeli forces besieged two more Gaza hospitals on Sunday, pinning down medical teams under heavy gunfire, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, while Israel said it had captured 480 militants in continued clashes at Gaza’s main Al Shifa hospital.

• Four people were wounded by Israeli air strikes near Lebanon’s eastern city of Baalbek overnight, one of which hit a two-storey building.

• An Israeli strike on a car near the Syrian border killed a man on Sunday, a security source said.

• 32,226 Palestinians have been killed and 74,518 injured since Israel’s military offensive on Gaza began on 7 October, according to the Gaza health ministry’s daily tally.

• Hamas released a video on the death of an Israeli captive who allegedly died due to the lack of food and medicine, though the Guardian could not independently verify the claim.

• The only effective and efficient way to meet Gaza’s humanitarian needs is by road and includes an exponential increase in commercial deliveries, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

• The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said that Israel informed the UN that they will no longer approve UNRWA food convoys to north of Gaza.

I’m closing the blog for the rest of the day, but we’ll be back tomorrow morning to keep you updated. Thanks for following today.

3.33pm GMT

Israel will no longer approve UN food convoys to north of Gaza

The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) says that Israel informed the UN that they will no longer approve UNRWA food convoys to north of Gaza.

UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said on social media platform X:

This is outrageous and makes it intentional to obstruct lifesaving assistance during a man made famine. These restrictions must be lifted.

📍# Gaza: as of today, @UNRWA, the main lifeline for #Palestine Refugees, is denied from providing lifesaving assistance to northern Gaza.

Despite the tragedy unfolding under our watch, the Israeli Authorities informed the UN that they will no longer approve any @UNRWA food… pic.twitter.com/lfp9xRQuh1

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) March 24, 2024

Updated at 3.33pm GMT