2024-03-12 21:26:00
It’s morning in the Middle East. This is what you need to know
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “viability as leader” is “in jeopardy,” according to an unclassified annual threat assessment by the US intelligence community.
“Distrust in Netanyahu’s ability to govern has deepened and widened among the public from its already high levels before the war, and we expect large protests demanding his resignation and new elections,” according to the report published this Monday.
Netanyahu has faced fierce criticism within Israel for his government’s failure to predict or prevent the October 7 Haa’as attack, and public polls suggested many Israelis are questioning whether his crushing military offensive in response is the best. way to recover the hostages.
The report also warns that Israel will have difficulty defeating Hamas militarily.
“Israel will likely face persistent armed resistance from Hamas in the coming years, and the military will struggle to neutralize Hamas’s underground infrastructure, which allows insurgents to hide, regain strength, and surprise Israeli forces,” the report reads.
Here are the latest headlines on the conflict:
Humanitarian issues in Gaza: The number of children dying due to malnutrition and dehydration is increasing, including two newborn girls who died in northern Gaza on Monday, according to a pediatrician at Kamal Adwan Hospital. Northern Gaza is on the brink of famine if the amount of aid it receives does not increase quickly, said the head of the UN World Food Programme.
Aid in northern Gaza: A team from the World Health Organization arrived at Al-Shifa Hospital and delivered food, fuel and medical supplies for 42,000 patients. And the US military airdropped more than “27,600 US food equivalents” and some 25,900 bottles of water in northern Gaza. But the airdropped aid falls short of the volume required for the area, according to the head of the U.N. World Food Program, Cindy McCain, who said 300 trucks of food are needed to enter each day.
Ramadan during war: In Rafah, as people gathered at 3:30 a.m. local time on Monday for the predawn meal during Ramadan, an Israeli airstrike killed at least three people, journalist Ahmad Hijazi told CNN. In Gaza City, Israeli strikes killed at least 21 people and injured dozens, according to the head of the emergency department at the Shifa Medical Complex. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the people they killed in each area were terrorists.
Calls for a ceasefire: The UN chief called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the removal of all obstacles to the delivery of aid, in honor of the month of Ramadan. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also called for a longer ceasefire in the Gaza war “ideally during Ramadan.”
Israel strikes deep into Lebanon: Israeli warplanes struck two Hezbollah compounds in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley in response to airstrikes launched toward the Golan Heights in recent days, the Israeli military said. The valley, considered a Hezbollah stronghold, is located more than 100 kilometers from the border with Israel.
US has not seen Israel’s plan for Rafah: Israel has not presented the United States with a humanitarian or military plan for Rafah, according to the State Department.
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