Israel’s war on Gaza updates: Russia, China veto US resolution on Gaza
US resolution ‘an effective green light for Israel to mount a military operation in Rafah’, says Russian envoy.
The live page is now closed. You can continue to follow our coverage of the war in Gaza here.
The live page is now closed. You can continue to follow our coverage of the war in Gaza here.
- Russia and China veto a UN Security Council draft resolution on Gaza proposed by the United States.
- The US draft was “an effective green light for Israel to mount a military operation in Rafah“, says the Russian envoy to the UN.
- In Tel Aviv, US Secretary of State Blinken says Israeli leaders risk losing support worldwide if they order the ground attack on Rafah.
- At least 32,070 Palestinians have been killed and 74,298 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attack stands at 1,139, with dozens taken captive.
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Thank you for joining us for updates on everything related to Israel’s war on Gaza.
Read more about the failed UN Security Council draft proposed by the US on a ceasefire in Gaza here, and on how Prime Minister Netanyahu snubbed Secretary of State Blinken over the Rafah attack here.
And you can find more news, features and videos on the war here.
Here’s what happened today
We will be closing this live page soon. Here is a recap of today’s events:
- Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Gaza proposed by the United States – with Russia’s envoy calling it “an effective green light for Israel to mount a military operation in Rafah.
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on a visit to Israel said the country risks losing support worldwide if it orders the ground invasion of Rafah.
- Israel’s military’s siege of al-Shifa Hospital continued into a fifth day with more than 160 people killed and 600 arrested during the operation, including medical staff.
- The death toll from the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip now stands at 32,070 with more than 74,000 wounded – mostly women and children.
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will visit the Gaza border city of Rafah on Saturday to reiterate his call for a humanitarian ceasefire.
‘Malnutrition was never an issue in Gaza’ before Israel’s war: UNICEF
There are many “paper-thin children” who may not live to see another day in northern Gaza, says UNICEF spokesperson James Elder after visiting Gaza’s Beit Lahiya area.
“Malnutrition was never an issue in Gaza, it just wasn’t. And now one in three children under two in northern Gaza are suffering from acute malnutrition. That is a terrifying number,” he said.
“Mothers and carers are in tears over their children because they know they have done everything they possibly can, first from the bombardment and now from this imminent famine. But I think they realise that the protection of their children is in the hands of others making decisions on things in Gaza.”
United States still not using ‘real leverage’ to pressure Israel
Commenting on Israel’s looming ground invasion of Rafah, analyst Tamer Qarmout says the US does not have the “real will” to stop Israel from carrying out the attack where 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering.
“The US is still holding the stick from the middle. They are buying more time for Israel,” Qarmout, a professor at the Doha Institute of Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera.
“You don’t see the US using its real leverage to stop Israel or correct its behaviours. And that’s why we are at this stage sadly.”
UNRWA chief tells Israel ‘no time to boast’ amid humanitarian disaster
The Israeli government earlier released a chart allegedly showing it is allowing a lot of food and life-saving supplies into Gaza, but the head of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) challenged that claim.
“No time to boast,” Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X, adding aid to Gaza is nowhere near enough.
Six months into the war, Israel is allowing in an average of 150 trucks per day, whereas as many as 700 came into Gaza before the war, he noted.
“This is a man-made catastrophe. It can still be reversed through political will and decisions.”
No time to boast, humanitarian supplies to #Gaza are far from enough.
– For the first 2️⃣ weeks following 7 October massacre, all crossing points into Gaza were sealed off.
Nothing came in including food, medicines and other basics.– When aid eventually came in, it was only a… pic.twitter.com/cDyQwLOEAY
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) March 22, 2024
Israeli captive families ask Biden to pressure Netanyahu for a deal
A letter signed by 587 family members of 81 captives still held in Gaza calls on US President Joe Biden to push for a captive-prisoner exchange agreement.
“We encourage you to use the means available to you, to press and convince all parties, including the Israeli prime minister, to agree to the deal that you assess is reasonable,” they write.
“As Israel’s closest ally, we seek your assistance in steering the Israeli prime minister towards the right course of action.”
The Israeli relatives say they’re contacting Biden directly because they’re frustrated about “the lack of ongoing communication and commitment” from Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet.
“We have faith in your ability to negotiate a deal that prioritises the security and wellbeing of all people affected and wish to help you in mobilising support for that deal.”
Lebanon denounces Israeli attacks on air-traffic control system
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry says it will file an urgent complaint with the UN Security Council over what it called Israel’s “violation of its sovereignty” by disrupting civil aviation navigation systems.
It said Israel’s attacks on navigation systems are affecting the safety of civil aviation in the airspace of Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport.
“Lebanon also holds Israel internationally responsible for the consequences of any accident or disaster caused by Israel’s deliberate policy of jamming air and ground navigation systems, and deliberately disrupting signal receiving and transmitting devices,” a statement said.
An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson, who did not deny Lebanon’s allegations, said Beirut “allows” Hezbollah to attack Israeli civilians from its territory, so it has no right to complain.
“Lebanon is the last country to discuss sovereignty while it is harbouring a terrorist organisation that has displaced tens of thousands of citizens.”
No supplies, patients dying at al-Shifa Hospital: WHO chief
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, described the “utterly inhumane” conditions inside the Israeli-besieged al-Shifa Hospital in central Gaza.
The information was relayed by a physician trapped in the facility.
- 50 health workers and 143 patients have been kept in one building since the second day of the raid with extremely limited food, water and only one non-functional toilet.
- Patients are in critical condition, many lying on the floor. Three patients are in need of intensive care. Two patients on life support died because of a lack of electricity.
- No basic medical supplies, no dressings for wounds, and no medicine is available.
- Health workers, who are concerned about their own safety, have requested urgent patient referrals to other hospitals.
- Fighting is ongoing in the vicinity of the hospital.
Report from a doctor in Al-Shifa hospital in northern #Gaza via a @UN colleague:
– 50 health workers (most of them junior or volunteers) and 143 patients all kept in one building since the second day of the raid, with extremely limited food, water and only one nonfunctional…
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) March 22, 2024
Hezbollah hits Israeli army position near border
Lebanese armed group says it targeted a building where Israeli soldiers were stationed at the Zarit settlement on the Israel-Lebanon border – the latest in a series of attacks.
The armed group has engaged Israel with cross-border attacks since Israel launched its war on Gaza. More than 300 people have been killed in Lebanon, including some 240 members of Hezbollah, while about 20 Israelis have been killed.
The fighting has also forced some 90,000 people to flee southern Lebanon, and tens of thousands to evacuate northern Israel.
Israeli drones circling around Rafah, residents ‘terrified’
The drones have not stopped hovering near the vicinity of the Kuwaiti Hospital in the past few hours, along with other central areas of Rafah.
They have been circling to gather more intelligence information about possible targets expected to be hit within the coming hours.
We have also noticed the large size of these military drones as they fly at very low altitudes.
Residents are completely terrified and intimidated because they believe there is going to be an imminent attack, not knowing when and where it will take place.
Media watchdog ‘gravely concerned’ over detained journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists pressed Israeli authorities to “immediately and unconditionally” release media workers arrested at al-Shifa Hospital this week.
“The [Israeli army] need to be fully transparent about journalists who have been detained and refrain from any attempts to block the work of journalists at al-Shifa Hospital and all of Gaza,” said Carlos Martinez de la Serna, CPJ’s programme director.
“CPJ is gravely concerned by these arrests and calls on the [Israeli army] to immediately release those held and provide an explanation for their arrests.”
It said an unspecified number of journalists including Mahmoud Elewa, a freelance correspondent with Al Jazeera Media Network, and Mohamad Arab, a freelance journalist with Al Araby TV, are among those missing.
Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital and others at ‘breaking point’: UN
The UN’s top aid official in the occupied Palestinian territory, Jamie McGoldrick, described the dire situation after a mission to the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.
“They’re really struggling to provide the services required for the patients coming in, especially children,” he said
“But there’s also a lot of trauma patients coming in. Many coming in from the food distributions where there’s been a lot of injuries,” he added in reference to repeated Israeli attacks on Palestinian aid seekers.
McGoldrick said after the Israeli raids on the al-Shifa Hospital in central Gaza that started earlier this week, many people are also rushing to Kamal Adwan, which is overwhelmed.
“So we have to get more support, more supplies and more fuel in to make sure the hospital keeps running.”
Hospitals in #Gaza are at breaking point.
Doctors at Kamal Adwan, the sole pediatric hospital in the north, are desperately trying to care for not only malnourished children but also those fleeing Al Shifa amid a military operation.
Watch for more first-hand insights. ⬇️
— UN Humanitarian (@UNOCHA) March 22, 2024
The Elders group says national interests put above human lives in UNSC vote
The Elders group of world leaders says the UN Security Council is jeopardising its credibility after “descending into a display of cynical power” at today’s vote on Gaza.
“On every occasion, national self-interest is placed above the responsibility to prevent atrocities,” says Mary Robinson, chair of the group founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007.
“Our common humanity compels us to push for change to save lives and prevent famine. Governments must use all leverage at their disposal to push the parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire,” said a statement from the former president of Ireland and ex-UN high commissioner for human rights.
“Anyone who favours cynical gestures over serious effort will be rightly damned by history.”
Mary Robinson reacts to #UNSC failure to adopt resolution on #Gaza ceasefire:
“The UN Security Council has descended into a display of cynical power politics over action, and its credibility is on the line.
Today’s egregious use of the veto by Russia and China follows serial… https://t.co/HuPwNl55Z8— The Elders (@TheElders) March 22, 2024
UK, US conduct raids in Yemen: News report
Houthi-affiliated TV channel Al Masirah reports the US and British militaries carried out two raids on al-Sabeen district in the capital, Sanaa.
Four air strikes also occurred in al-Wahda district, also in Sanaa, Al Masirah said.
The Iran-aligned Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, have carried out dozens of attacks on vessels with commercial ties to the US, the United Kingdom and Israel in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November.
The group says the attacks are a response to Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
UN Security Council deadlock ‘costing lives’: Amnesty chief
Agnes Callamard, secretary-general of Amnesty International, says the UN Security Council continues to be stuck in a “macabre checkmate” as Palestinians are dying.
“It is costing lives, preventing aid from reaching Palestinians who are being starved, and making the return of civilian hostages held in Gaza more elusive,” she wrote on X, renewing her call for an immediate ceasefire.
Russia, China and Algeria voted against the latest resolution introduced by the US – after Washington vetoed three previous resolutions – as it contained no explicit call for an immediate truce and linked it to a captive exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas.
The macabre checkmate at the UNSC continues: it is costing lives, preventing aid from reaching Palestinians who are being starved and making the return of civilian hostages held in Gaza more elusive. #ceasefirenow https://t.co/rRnXe7BTNk
— Agnes Callamard (@AgnesCallamard) March 22, 2024
Hamas lauds rejection of ‘biased’ US resolution at UNSC
Hamas welcomed the resounding rejection of the US draft resolution at the UN Security Council calling for a Gaza ceasefire.
The group that governs the strip says the resolution would enable Israel to continue its military operations and “gave it cover and legitimacy for the war of extermination” against Palestinians.
“The resolution did not include an explicit demand for an immediate cessation of the Zionist aggression against Gaza,” it said.
Hamas also thanked Russia, China, and Algeria for voting against the “biased” resolution and said the humanitarian situation in Gaza demands an urgent ceasefire.
The group accused the US government of providing military and political backing for Israel’s war, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 32,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
‘Moral failure’: US House approves bill banning UNRWA funding
Washington, DC – The US House of Representatives approved a $1.2 trillion funding bill that would ban funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) amid the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
The measure, which passed in a 286 to 134 vote on Friday, would keep the government fully functioning in advance of a partial shutdown deadline.
Read our full story here.
‘Millions’ pour into Yemeni streets in weekly pro-Palestinian marches
A sea of people took to the streets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in the latest march to oppose Israel’s war on Gaza and express solidarity with Palestinians.
The footage below shows the al-Sabeen Square in the capital Sanaa, which has been the main gathering place for demonstrators since the start of the war – and US and UK attacks on Yemen since January to stop Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
Nasreddin Amer, deputy head of the media authority of the Houthis, says “millions” joined the marches on the second Friday of Ramadan as with previous weeks.
تلبيةً لنداء القائد وأكثر من مليوني مسلم في قطاع غزة… حشود مليونية في ميدان السبعين بالعاصمة صنعاء في مسيرة "عملياتنا مستمرة.. أوقفوا عدوانكم" pic.twitter.com/kFTIYqAknq
— نصر الدين عامر (@Nasr_Amer1) March 22, 2024
Translation: Millions gathered in al-Sabeen Square in the capital, Sanaa, in a march called, “Our operations continue… Stop your aggression.”
LISTEN: Will Blinken’s Middle East visit impact the war on Gaza?
The US secretary of state is on his sixth visit to the Middle East since Israel started its war on Gaza last October.
So what has Antony Blinken got to offer this time? And can Washington pressure Israel’s government to change disastrous direction?
US must suspend arms transfers to Israel ‘to stop genocide’
Democratic politician Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez told the US House of Representatives the American government must temporarily stop giving weapons to Israel in light of its “genocidal acts” in Gaza.
“If you want to know what an unfolding genocide looks like, open your eyes,” she said in a speech.
“It looks like the forced famine of 1.1 million innocents. It looks like thousands of children eating grass as their bodies consume themselves while trucks of food are slowed and halted just miles away. It looks like good and decent people who do nothing, or too little, too late.
“The time is now to force compliance with US law and the standards of humanity, and fulfill our obligations to the American people to suspend the transfer of US weapons to the Israeli government in order to stop and prevent further atrocities.”
There is no world in which the forced famine of 1.1 million people cannot be considered genocide. And that is exactly what we are watching unfold in Gaza now.
We must enforce U.S. laws and halt weapons transfers to the Israeli government to stop an atrocity in the making. pic.twitter.com/N40Jk3yKc7
— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@RepAOC) March 22, 2024
White House to discuss ‘alternatives’ to ground operation in Rafah
“There’s a million and a half people there,” White House spokesperson John Kirby told a regular news briefing. “We believe a major ground offensive is a mistake.”
Calling the threatened Rafah invasion “a disaster”, Kirby said US officials would share possible options with the Israelis when they visit Washington next week.
More details on the visit will be released in the coming days, he added.
WATCH: How Israeli settlers expand illegal outposts during Gaza war
An investigation by Al Jazeera shows how Israeli settlers have expanded their illegal land grabs in the occupied West Bank at an unprecedented rate since Israel’s war on Gaza began.
Watch the video below:
Israel’s Rafah operation a ‘red line’; must be in UN resolution: France
France’s ambassador to the UN, Nicolas de Riviere, says the language on the US draft resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza was “not strong enough”.
“If you make the ceasefire dependent on the release of hostages, you take the risk of having thousands and thousands of more killings in the Gaza Strip in the weeks and months to come,” de Riviere told Al Jazeera.
“So you need the immediate and unconditional release of hostages – but you need a ceasefire right now. It has to stop. What’s happening right now is totally contrary to the Geneva Conventions.”
The French envoy said the draft’s language on Israel’s plan to attack Rafah was “weak as well”.
“You have to explain to Israel an operation on Rafah is off limits. It’s a red line and this has been said by many leaders as well. This should be in the resolution.”
‘Famine is imminent’: UN says aid mission to northern Gaza thwarted
About 7,500 people in northern Gaza were supposed to get food assistance but the mission was unsuccessful because “access denied”.
“Famine, particularly in the north, is imminent,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a post on X.
7,500 people in northern #Gaza were supposed to get food assistance today but the mission resulted in #AccessDenied.#Famine, particularly in the north, is imminent. This human-made disaster can be averted if unfettered, humanitarian access, food & lifesaving aid are allowed. pic.twitter.com/sTzgbjXqa2
— OCHA oPt (Palestine) (@ochaopt) March 22, 2024
Israeli military attacks Hezbollah buildings with air raids
The Israeli military released aerial footage it says shows massive air raids on structures used by Hezbollah.
The attacks targeted buildings in southern Lebanon’s Khiam, Aita al-Shaab, and Taybeh, it said.
Deadly skirmishes on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon have raised the prospect of a broader conflict in the Middle East after Israel attacked the Gaza Strip last October.