Closing summary
Talks aimed at brokering a truce between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip resumed in Cairo today, but Hamas, the militant Palestinian group, were reportedly not present as it waited to hear from mediators on whether a new Israeli offer was on the table. Egypt, Qatar and the US have mediated previous rounds of negotiations, but a workable agreement has remained elusive.
Thousands of people across Israel joined families of hostages to protest against the government and called for the removal of Benjamin Netanyahu, as the Israeli prime minister grappled with one of the most serious threats yet to his coalition. The protesters in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Be’er Sheva, Caesarea and other cities on Saturday demanded the release of those still held captive in Gaza and labelled the PM as an “obstacle to the deal”, vowing to persist until he leaves power. A statement from his office on Sunday said the Israeli prime minister would undergo surgery for a hernia during a routine examination. Deputy prime minister and justice minister Yariv Levin will serve as acting prime minister while he is sedated.
At least 32,782 Palestinians have been killed and 75,298 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement. In the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, Israeli forces continued to blockade the two main hospitals, and tanks reportedly shelled areas in the middle and eastern areas of the territory.
Israel’s military said it had carried out an airstrike against a command centre operated by the armed Islamic Jihad group in the courtyard of al-Aqsa hospital in the Gaza Strip. “The command centre and terrorists were struck precisely, intended on minimising harm to uninvolved civilians in the area of the hospital,” the military said. “The Al-Aqsa hospital building was not damaged and its functioning was not affected.”
A bomb exploded in a shopping area in a northern Syrian city held by pro-Turkish forces on Sunday morning, killing eight people and injuring more than 20 others, a war monitor said. At least “eight people were killed and 23 others wounded” when “a car bomb exploded in the middle of a popular market” in Aleppo province’s Azaz, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. It is unclear who carried out the attack in the town which is run by pro-Turkish militias fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Rather than provide humanitarian aid in Gaza, the US should ensure it is subjected to atomic bombing the way that “Nagasaki and Hiroshima” were at the end of the second world war, Tim Walberg, a Republican congressman, said in shocking remarks that by all indications were recorded recently at a gathering with a relatively small group of his constituents.
We are closing this blog now, but you can stay up to date on the Guardian’s Middle East coverage here.
Updated
The Israeli military said it killed a senior Islamic Jihad militant in a strike on a command centre in the courtyard of the al-Aqsa hospital in central Gaza. It did not mention his name or rank. These claims have not yet been independently verified.
Updated
An Israeli airstrike hit a tent camp in the courtyard of a crowded hospital in central Gaza on Sunday, reportedly killing two Palestinians and injuring another 15, including journalists working nearby.
An Associated Press reporter filmed the strike and aftermath at the al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, where thousands of people have sheltered after fleeing their homes elsewhere in the enclave.
The Israeli military said it struck a command centre of the Islamic Jihad militant group and claimed the hospital’s functioning was not affected (see earlier post at 13.19).
Benjamin Netanyahu to undergo surgery on Sunday for a hernia
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, will undergo surgery on Sunday for a hernia his doctors have discovered, a statement from his office said.
The prime minister will be fully sedated after his doctors discovered the hernia “during a routine examination”.
“During this time, deputy prime minister and justice minister Yariv Levin will serve as acting prime minister,” the statement said.
It comes after thousands of people across Israel joined families of hostages to protest against the government and call for the removal of Netanyahu, who has been accused of deliberately sabotaging efforts to secure the release of hostages.
Last year, Netanyahu, 74, underwent surgery to have a pacemaker implanted.
Updated
Hamas not present at ceasefire talks in Egypt - report
As we reported earlier, Egypt is hosting an Israeli delegation for a new round of talks in a bid to secure a truce with Gaza’s Hamas rulers.
An official told Reuters on Sunday, however, that Hamas, the militant Palestinian group, would not be present at the talks in Cairo as it waited to hear from mediators on whether a new Israeli offer was on the table.
The two sides have stepped up negotiations, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, on a six-week suspension of Israel’s war in return for the proposed release of 40 of 130 hostages still held by Hamas militants in Gaza after their 7 October attack on southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed.
Hamas wants an end to the fighting and withdrawal of Israeli forces. Israel has ruled this out, saying it would eventually resume efforts to dismantle the governing and military capabilities of Hamas.
Updated
Here are some of the latest images coming out from the newswires:
The UK’s foreign secretary, David Cameron, is under pressure to publish the legal advice he has received on Israel’s actions in Gaza following claims UK government lawyers believe it has broken humanitarian law.
As revealed by the Observer, the commons foreign affairs committee chair, Alicia Kearns, said she was convinced the government had concluded that Israel was not demonstrating a commitment to international humanitarian law, but had refused to confirm that publicly.
Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy has urged Cameron and prime minister Rishi Sunak to be transparent and disclose the advice they had been given.
Lammy said:
Last week I asked the government whether or not the foreign secretary had received legal advice saying that there is a clear risk that items licensed by the UK might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
I didn’t get a clear answer. This raises serious questions about whether the government is complying with its own law.
David Cameron and Rishi Sunak must now (come) clean and publish the legal advice they have received.
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said:
The UK government is on the wrong side of history. Their failure to call for an immediate ceasefire, and their refusal to end arm sales to Israel, will have future generations looking back in horror.
The prime minister and foreign secretary owe it to the public and to the high offices they currently hold to be honest about whether they have received advice that Israel has breached international humanitarian law.
If reports are to be believed, and the UK Government has continued to supply arms and intelligence to Israel whilst knowing they were in breach of international humanitarian law, then the position of both would be untenable.
Cameron has repeatedly said that Israel, as the “occupying power” in Gaza, has responsibilities under humanitarian law, including ensuring aid is supplied to civilians.
He has stressed that responsibility has “consequences”, including when the UK assesses whether Israel is compliant with international humanitarian law.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We keep advice on Israel’s adherence to international humanitarian law under review and ministers act in accordance with that advice, for example, when considering export licences. The content of the government’s advice is confidential.”
Since the start of the year, more than 200 Syrian soldiers and affiliated fighters have been killed in IS attacks, ambushes and explosions in the Syrian desert, including in Deir Ezzor, Homs and Raqa provinces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said (see earlier post at 09.12 for details of the eight people who were reportedly killed after a bomb exploded in a shopping area in a northern Syrian city on Sunday).
Jihadist attacks have killed at least 37 civilians during the same period, while government forces and affiliated fighters have killed 24 IS members, according to the Observatory.
IS overran large swathes of Syria and Iraq in 2014. It was defeated territorially in Syria in 2019, but its remnants continue to carry out deadly attacks, particularly in the vast Badia desert which runs from the outskirts of Damascus to the Iraqi border, mainly targeting pro-government forces and Kurdish-led fighters.
Updated
Israel’s military said on Sunday it had carried out an airstrike against a command centre operated by the armed Islamic Jihad group in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa hospital in the Gaza Strip, according to a report by Reuters.
“The command centre and terrorists were struck precisely, intended on minimising harm to uninvolved civilians in the area of the hospital,” the military said. “The Al-Aqsa hospital building was not damaged and its functioning was not affected.” The Guardian has not verified these claims.
Israel says hospitals in Gaza are used by Hamas and other militant groups as bases, and has released videos and pictures supporting the claim. Hamas and medical staff deny this.
Thousands of people across Israel have joined families of hostages to protest against the government and call for the removal of Benjamin Netanyahu, as the Israeli prime minister grapples with one of the most serious threats yet to his coalition, reports Lorenzo Tondo in Jerusalem.
The protesters in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Be’er Sheva, Caesarea and other cities on Saturday demanded the release of those still held captive in Gaza and labelled the PM as an “obstacle to the deal”, vowing to persist until he is ousted from office.
The nationwide protests coincided with reports from the Egyptian TV station Al-Qahera, known for its ties to the country’s intelligence services, indicating that negotiations for a truce between Israel and Hamas are scheduled to resume in Cairo on Sunday.
“It’s been 176 days that I haven’t turned a blind eye to the thoughts and fear of what my son and the other abductees are going through,” said Shira Albag, the mother of the hostage Liri Albag.
“The people of Israel won’t forget or forgive anyone who prevents a deal that would bring them [the hostages] back to us. After 176 days, 4,224 hours, the excuses have run out,” she added.
Read the full story here:
Palestinian health officials said an Israeli airstrike killed nine people in Bani Suhaila near Khan Younis, while another airstrike killed four people in al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip, Reuters reports.
In Deir Al-Balah, health officials and Hamas media said an Israeli airstrike hit several tents inside Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital, killing four people and injuring several others, including some journalists. These claims have not been independently verified.
Death toll in Gaza reaches 32,782, says health ministry
At least 32,782 Palestinians have been killed and 75,298 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
Most of the casualties have been women and children, the ministry has said, and thousands more bodies are likely to remain uncounted under rubble across Gaza.
At least 75 Palestinians killed overnight by Israeli bombardment - health ministry
At least 75 people were killed overnight in new Israeli bombardment and ground combat, most of them women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Summary of the day so far...
Talks aimed at brokering a truce between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip will reportedly resume in Cairo today, days after Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, gave the green light for fresh negotiations. “An Egyptian security source confirmed to Al-Qahera news the resumption of negotiations on a truce between Israel and Hamas in the Egyptian capital Cairo tomorrow,” an anchor for the channel, which is close to country’s intelligence services, said in a broadcast. Egypt, Qatar and the US have mediated previous rounds of negotiations, but a workable agreement has remained elusive.
The Gaza health ministry said 107 patients remained inside al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, including 30 people with disabilities, and that the Israeli army had stopped attempts to evacuate them. Israeli military operations were also ongoing at two hospitals in the southern city of Khan Yunis – at Nasser hospital, according to the Hamas government press office, and at al-Amal hospital, according to the Red Crescent.
A bomb exploded in a shopping area in a northern Syrian city held by pro-Turkish forces on Sunday morning, killing eight people and injuring more than 20 others, a war monitor said. At least “eight people were killed and 23 others wounded” when “a car bomb exploded in the middle of a popular market” in Aleppo province’s Azaz, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. It is unclear who carried out the attack in the town which is run by pro-Turkish militias fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Rather than provide humanitarian aid in Gaza, the US should ensure it is subjected to atomic bombing the way that “Nagasaki and Hiroshima” were at the end of the second world war, Tim Walberg, a Republican congressman, said in shocking remarks that by all indications were recorded recently at a gathering with a relatively small group of his constituents.
US Congressman rebuked for call to bomb Gaza ‘like Nagasaki and Hiroshima’
Rather than provide humanitarian aid in Gaza, the US should ensure it is subjected to atomic bombing the way that “Nagasaki and Hiroshima” were at the end of the second world war, a Republican congressman said in shocking remarks that by all indications were recorded recently at a gathering with a relatively small group of his constituents.
The comments by US House representative Tim Walberg of Michigan drew condemnation from progressive political quarters, including from some who expressed disbelief that a former Christian pastor would advocate for what they called the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
Entries on Walberg’s congressional calendar – along with videos on social media – establish that he met with members of the public in Dundee, Michigan, on 25 March. As Mediaite recounted Saturday, a clip of the session that was posted on YouTube and other sites, and recorded by an activist, showed Walberg telling his audience that the US should not spend a “dime” on humanitarian aid in Gaza.
You can read the full story by my colleague, Ramon Antonio Vargas, here:
At least 10 Palestinians have reportedly been detained by the Israeli forces across the occupied West Bank overnight.
Israeli raids were reported in the city of Nablus and the Balata refugee camp as well as multiple locations around the city of Jenin, where armed confrontations took place, sources said.
Troops also raided various towns and villages in and around the cities of Qalqilya, Bethlehem and Hebron.
Israeli forces said among the detained was a Palestinian accused of shooting and wounding three Israelis on Thursday.
The suspect reportedly turned himself in near al-Auja in the north of Jericho.
Key event
Cuba’s president has called on the international community to take action to end Israel’s war in Gaza.
“As long as Palestinian land continues to be martyred, bled, destroyed to its foundations by the hatred of the Israeli occupier, we cannot tire of denouncing the crime and calling on the international community,” Miguel Diaz-Canel wrote on X.
Mientras la tierra #Palestina siga siendo martirizada, desangrada, destruida hasta en sus cimientos por el odio del ocupante israelí, no podemos cansarnos de denunciar el crimen y convocar a la "comunidad internacional". #Cuba demanda que cese el genocidio ya. pic.twitter.com/0ikCqbZaSv
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) March 30, 2024
Cuba has been a strong backer of the Palestinian cause for decades and has trained hundreds of Palestinian doctors.
Updated
Israeli police say man was killed after stabbing an Israeli soldier at bus station in Beersheva
Israeli police said a man was shot dead on Sunday after he allegedly stabbed an Israeli soldier at bus station in the southern city of Beersheva, AFP reports.
Another soldier was injured in the attack, police said, and the Israeli army said one of its troops then “neutralised the terrorist”.
The Israeli military said an “IDF officer was lightly injured as a result of a stabbing attack”.
Israeli media said the attacker was a young Israeli citizen whose Bedouin clan hails from the Negev desert region of which Beersheva is the largest city.
Police said that “we know his identity and are working to understand the motives”.
“He had a long criminal record, and he was supposed to start serving a community service sentence in about two weeks following drug and property crimes,” police said.
Updated
At least eight people killed in car bomb at northern Syrian market - war monitor
A bomb exploded in a shopping area in a northern Syrian city held by pro-Turkish forces on Sunday morning, killing eight people and injuring more than 20 others, a war monitor said.
At least “eight people were killed and 23 others wounded” when “a car bomb exploded in the middle of a popular market” in Aleppo province’s Azaz, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The UK-based observatory, which has a network of sources inside Syria, said the blast caused “significant damage” and sparked a fire.
Turkey has launched successive military offensives in Syria, most of them targeting Kurdish militants that Ankara links to the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.
Turkish troops and their Syrian proxies hold swathes of the border, including several major cities and towns such as Azaz.
Updated
The Gaza health ministry said 107 patients remained inside al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, including 30 people with disabilities, and that the Israeli army had stopped attempts to evacuate them.
The Israel Defense Forces claim to have killed about 200 gunmen in the area of al-Shifa hospital since the start of the operation there more than a week ago, “while preventing harm to civilians, patients, medical teams, and medical equipment”.
Gaza’s health ministry, however, has said wounded people and patients have been held inside an administration building in al-Shifa that was not equipped to provide them with healthcare.
Israeli military operations were also ongoing at two hospitals in the southern city of Khan Yunis – at Nasser hospital, according to the Hamas government press office, and at al-Amal hospital, according to the Red Crescent.
The UN World Health Organization warned that Gaza now has just 10 “minimally functioning” hospitals, down from 36 before the war.
Its chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said 9,000 patients need to leave Gaza for “lifesaving health services, including treatment for cancer, injuries from bombardments, kidney dialysis and other chronic conditions”.
The families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza called for a mass rally in front of Jerusalem’s parliament building next week as thousands gathered to support them in Tel Aviv on Saturday, AFP reports.
Shira Elbag, whose 19-year-old daughter Liri was abducted by Hamas militants during the 7 October attack on Israel, made an emotional plea urging Israelis to pile the pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The time has come to go out and fight against indifference and for life,” she said. “I now ask you to come out with us into the streets and let us sound one united and clear voice: bring them home now!”
The weekly demonstration on the Tel Aviv plaza renamed by campaigners Hostages Square came as anti-government protesters also gathered nearby outside the Ministry of Defence.
Some held placards putting the blame for the hostages’ fate on Netanyahu, with pictures of his face next to the text: “UR the boss, UR to blame.”
Police accused the anti-government protesters of being “rioters” and said the demonstration was illegal.
According to Israel, 253 Israelis and foreigners were kidnapped by Hamas on 7 October. Of those taken, about 130 remain unaccounted for.
Updated
Gaza ceasefire talks to resume in Cairo – reports
Talks aimed at brokering a truce between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip will resume in Cairo on Sunday, Egyptian outlet Al-Qahera reported, days after Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, gave the green light for fresh negotiations.
“An Egyptian security source confirmed to Al-Qahera news the resumption of negotiations on a truce between Israel and Hamas in the Egyptian capital Cairo tomorrow,” an anchor for the channel, which is close to country’s intelligence services, said in a broadcast on Saturday.
Egypt, Qatar and the US have mediated previous rounds of negotiations, but a workable agreement has remained elusive.
The mediators had hoped to secure a ceasefire before the start of Ramadan, but progress stalled and the Muslim holy month is more than half over.
On Friday, Netanyahu approved a new round of ceasefire negotiations to take place in Doha and Cairo.
Reports of the new talks in Cairo came as protesters in Israel’s biggest city blocked a major road Saturday after demonstrations calling for the release of hostages held in Gaza and criticising the government’s handling of the war.
Opening summary
Welcome to our continuing live coverage of Israel’s war in Gaza and the wider Middle East crisis.
Truce talks between Israel and Hamas will resume on Sunday in Cairo in the latest attempt to bring about a pause after nearly six months of war in the Gaza Strip, according Egypt’s Al Qahera News TV.
More details shortly, in other key developments:
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has condemned an explosion that left three UN military observers and a Lebanese interpreter injured when a shell exploded near them while they were patrolling the southern Lebanese border. The blast came as clashes between the Israeli military and Hezbollah militants have escalated in recent weeks.
The British government has received advice from its own lawyers stating that Israel has breached international humanitarian law in Gaza but has failed to make it public, according to a leaked recording obtained by the Observer. The comments, made by the Conservative chair of the House of Commons select committee on foreign affairs, Alicia Kearns, at a Tory fundraising event on 13 March, are at odds with repeated ministerial denials and evasion on the issue.
More than 200,000 people took part in a demonstration in central London on Saturday to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, according to estimates by organisers. The demonstration, organised by Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, heard speeches from former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and The Crown actor Khalid Abdalla, among others.
A three-ship convoy left a port in Cyprus on Saturday to deliver 400 tonnes of food and other supplies to Gaza. An international charity, World Central Kitchen, said the vessels and a barge are carrying enough to prepare more than 1 million meals. It also has a shipment of dates provided by the United Arab Emirates.
On Saturday Israel’s military said it was continuing operations around Gaza’s largest hospital al-Shifa in Gaza City for a 13th day and that troops continued to operate in the al-Amal area of Khan Younis. Hamas said that in addition to the ongoing al-Shifa operation, Israeli troops continued “aggression” against Nasser hospital and “besiege” al-Amal hospital in the same city. Most of the Palestinian territory’s hospitals are not functioning and its health system is “barely surviving,” the UN humanitarian agency (OCHA) said.
The US in recent days authorised the transfer of billions of dollars worth of bombs and fighter jets to Israel, two sources familiar with the effort said on Friday, even as Washington publicly expresses concerns about an anticipated Israeli military offensive in Rafah. The new arms packages include more than 1,800 MK-84 2,000lb bombs and 500 MK-82 500lb bombs, said the sources, who confirmed a report in the Washington Post.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said five people were killed and dozens injured by gunfire and a stampede during an aid delivery on Saturday in Gaza. The PRCS said three of the five killed on Saturday morning had been shot. The humanitarian organisation said it happened after thousands of people gathered for the arrival of about 15 trucks of flour and other food, which was supposed to be handed out at Gaza City’s Kuwait roundabout, in the territory’s north.
