2024-03-18 16:05:00
It’s morning in Gaza. This is what you need to know
The head of the World Health Organization said he is “gravely concerned” following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved plans for a military ground offensive in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city.
Netanyahu’s office said the military is preparing to evacuate the estimated 1.4 million people stranded there, many of them having been displaced from other parts of the enclave. Aid agencies warn that civilians have nowhere to go.
The operation will last “several weeks,” Netanyahu said this Sunday.
“I reiterate: we will operate in Rafah. This will take several weeks and it will happen,” Netanyahu said before an interview on CNN’s State of the Union program.
The White House said it has not yet seen a “credible” plan from the Israeli government for how it would protect civilians. CNN previously reported on Gazans who heeded evacuation warnings and were killed by Israeli strikes in areas considered safe by the Israel Defense Forces.
Here are the latest headlines:
Reaction to Schumer’s speech: US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s warning that Israel risks becoming a “pariah” for its war in Gaza, and his call for new elections in the country, sent shockwaves from Washington to Jerusalem . Netanyahu called the speech “totally inappropriate” in his interview with CNN. Republican critics echoed this claim, while prominent Democrats defended Schumer.
Hostage and ceasefire negotiations: Netanyahu told CNN that Israel will continue trying to secure a deal that would see the release of hostages in exchange for a six-week pause in fighting, despite what he called “extravagant” demands from Hamas. A Hamas official said the group’s latest proposal for a ceasefire was “logical.” Mossad director David Barnea is expected to travel to Doha for new ceasefire talks with mediators starting Monday, according to a diplomat familiar with the talks.
Protests in Israel: Thousands of protesters filled the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Saturday night, calling for the return of the hostages in Gaza and the resignation of the Israeli government. Some called elections near one of Netanyahu’s homes.
Humanitarian aid in Gaza: The first aid ship to Gaza carrying 200 tonnes of much-needed food has been unloaded in new efforts to alleviate a serious humanitarian crisis. A second ship is being prepared with regarding 240 tons of food aid, according to the nonprofit organization World Central Kitchen. But the shipments and airstrikes, which the United States carried out once more on Sunday, cannot stop what aid agencies warn is an imminent famine in Gaza. Israel’s siege has prevented ground shipments from reaching hungry Gazans.
Arrests in the West Bank: Israeli forces arrested at least 25 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank between Saturday followingnoon and Sunday morning, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Society. The IDF denied the group’s claims that prisoners were beaten and otherwise mistreated and said only six people were arrested.
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