Israel’s war on Gaza updates: Israel says Hamas chief killed on March 10
Announcement that Hamas number three Marwan Issa was killed March 10 comes just a day after UN’s Gaza ceasefire call.
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.
- Israel says Hamas number three Marwan Issa was killed on March 10 amid pressure to wrap up the military campaign. The news comes just one day after world leaders welcomed a UN Security Council call for a Gaza ceasefire.
- The Israeli army has bombed a tent housing displaced Palestinians in al-Mawasi, killing 12, the Gaza Health Ministry says.
- Israel has dismissed Hamas’s ceasefire demands as “delusional” after the group said it was sticking to its original proposal calling for Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire.
- More than 81 people have been killed and 93 wounded in Gaza in 24 hours, according to the enclave’s health ministry.
- At least 32,414 Palestinians have been killed and 74,787 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attack stands at 1,139, with dozens still held captive.
That’s a wrap from us
Thank you for joining us for updates on everything related to Israel’s war on Gaza. This live page is now closed.
Read more about Israel’s claim that senior Hamas commander Marwan Issa was killed in an Israeli strike earlier this month, here, and what US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant about the civilian death toll, 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:
- A report by the UN’s special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, says there are “reasonable grounds” to believe Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. Released yesterday, the report received widespread citation in global calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
- Hamas’s deputy military commander Marwan Issa was killed in an Israeli air strike earlier this month, Israel’s military spokesperson says. The group’s senior official Osama Hamdan says the political bureau hasn’t seen evidence of Issa’s death.
- At least 12 Palestinians including children were killed in an air raid that hit a tent full of displaced people in al-Mawasi, near Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the Health Ministry says.
- The Palestine Red Crescent Society says the al-Amal Hospital in Deir el-Balah is now closed after the Israeli army forced its evacuation.
- Israeli warplanes targeted the vicinity of Baalbek city in Lebanon, footage captured by local media shows, some 100km (62 miles) from the border with Israel.
Two young Palestinian men seriously injured in West Bank raid
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reports that the two men were shot by Israeli forces in the limbs and abdomen during an Israeli raid on the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin.
Fighting between locals and Israeli soldiers broke out during the raid, during which the young men sustained their wounds, described by the PRCS as “serious”.
Israeli forces raid Jenin: Report
The Israeli army has raided several homes in the occupied West Bank city, the Wafa news agency is reporting.
Citing security sources, Wafa said a contingent of Israeli soldiers conducted raids on residences in Jenin’s Jabriyat, Jabal Abu Dhahir, Al-Sikka and Khallet al-Souha neighbourhoods.
Israel tanks surround Gaza’s Nasser Hospital
Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles surrounded a hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis.
Witnesses at Nasser Hospital, where thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge from the fighting, said shots were fired at the sprawling complex but no raid had taken place.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said Israeli troops were shooting and firing “shells and [conducting] violent raids in its surroundings in preparation for its storming”.
“Thousands of displaced people are still inside the hospital,” the ministry said. “They do not have sufficient quantities of drinking water, food and infant formula, and their lives are in danger.”
The Palestinian Red Crescent said the al-Amal Hospital, near Nasser in Khan Younis, was “out of service” after Israeli forces evacuated it and blocked the entrance.
“The international community failed to provide the necessary protection” for staff, patients and displaced Gazans sheltering at al-Amal, it said.
Israeli air strikes kill 3 Hezbollah fighters in northeast Lebanon
Three Hezbollah fighters were killed in Israeli air strikes near two towns in northeast Lebanon – the furthest bombardment yet from the border where Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged fire.
Israel confirmed the strikes near Ras Baabelk and Hermel and said its aircraft attacked several military sites used by Hezbollah in response to a rocket attack on one of its bases near the Lebanese border.
Incoming rocket alerts sounded in northern Israel. Hezbollah later said it hit an Israeli military barracks in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, immediately to the east of northern Israel, with 50 Katyusha rockets in response to Israel’s strikes on the Bekaa Valley.
Hezbollah and the Israeli army have been trading fire since October in the worst cross-border violence since they fought a month-long war in 2006.
Hamas chides Israel over failing to achieve ‘any military objectives’ in Gaza
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, on a visit to Iran, says Israel is experiencing “unprecedented political isolation”, a day after the UN Security Council called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“Although this resolution came late and there may be some gaps that need to be filled, the resolution itself indicates the Israeli occupation is experiencing unprecedented political isolation,” Haniyeh told a news conference in Tehran after a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.
Israel is “losing political cover and protection even in the Security Council”, and “the US is unable to impose its will on the international community”.
“The Zionist entity” has “not succeeded in achieving any of its military or strategic objectives” after more than five months of war, Haniyeh added.
Decision to deny UNRWA convoys in northern Gaza ‘unacceptable’: Norway
Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide says more “life-saving humanitarian assistance is crucial and urgent”.
“Israel must ensure increased access of vital food supplies and aid into and within Gaza,” a statement said.
The UN has accused Israel of restricting aid into the Strip, which Israeli officials have denied doing.
Israel’s decision to deny UNRWA food convoys access to northern Gaza is unacceptable. Famine is imminent.
More life-saving humanitarian assistance is crucial & urgent. Israel must ensure increased access of vital food supplies and aid into, and within, Gaza – @EspenBarthEide
— Norway MFA (@NorwayMFA) March 26, 2024
Senior Hamas official doesn’t confirm or deny killing of commander
Hamas senior official Osama Hamdan says the political bureau hasn’t seen evidence of commander Marwan Issa’s death in an Israeli air strike earlier this month.
“Everyone knows since day one, the Israelis have been saying they want to target Qassam Brigades and other commanders. However, in the absence of an official statement confirming the martyrdom, one cannot confirm such information,” Hamdan told Al Jazeera from Beirut, Lebanon.
“This information is not usually shared inside the movement. The safety and whereabouts of the commanders is not something exchanged internally. The information published by the enemy is not deemed confirmed. It could very well be part of the psychological war being waged by the occupation against the Palestinian people.”
Biden interrupted in North Carolina during health care speech
The president was speaking at a healthcare-focused campaign event in North Carolina when he was interrupted by demonstrators who asked “What about the healthcare in Gaza?”
“Hospitals in Gaza are being bombed,” one protester yelled. Another accused Biden of being “complicit”.
The president said the pro-Palestinian protesters “have a point”.
“Be patient with them,” Biden said, apparently speaking to staff at the event in Raleigh. “They have a point. We need to get a lot more care into Gaza,” the president said as the crowd applauded.
According to the UN, 155 health facilities in the Gaza Strip have been damaged since the war began.
Happening Now: President Biden and the Vice President deliver remarks in Raleigh, North Carolina on lowering health care costs and strengthening the ACA, Medicaid, and Medicare. https://t.co/9Nn656MnhY
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 26, 2024
Children in Gaza dying of malnutrition, dehydration: UNICEF
The UN’s children agency says famine in Gaza is imminent, adding that lives are “hanging in the balance”.
“Aid organisations must have full and safe access to reach children and families in need everywhere in Gaza,” it said in a post on X.
Famine is imminent in north Gaza.
The lives and well-being of children are hanging in the balance. pic.twitter.com/QmSpoJU6JW
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) March 26, 2024
WATCH: What are the implications of the UNSC’s Gaza ceasefire vote?
Israel reacts with fury as the United Nations Security Council votes for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The United States abstained and didn’t use its veto. What does the resolution mean for the Palestinians, Israel and its allies?
Israeli captive in Gaza is dead, family groups say
Uriel Baruch, 35, who was taken on October 7, has been killed, two groups representing families of captives say.
The Israeli army told his family his body is being held in Gaza, the Tikva Forum captives group said in a statement.
Another organisation, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, also said Baruch had been killed.
Video shows Israeli attack on Rafah home
Palestinian journalist Mohammed al-Saifi has documented the moment Israeli army bombardment hit the home of the al-Fra family in Gaza’s southernmost city.
Casualty numbers from this attack are still unclear, but we will keep you updated as we get more information.
Translation: Targeting a house for al-Fra family in downtown Rafah.
Israeli bombardment in Rafah ongoing
Despite the UN Security Council resolution – calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during Ramadan – the situation on the ground is still very dire.
Israeli bombardment has not stopped, and there has been no let up in the fighting. In the past hour, we witnessed more strikes in Rafah, where residential neighbourhoods have been completely destroyed with no casualties being reported.
As we reported, we heard a loud explosion. It is still unknown what the target was.
Ambulances here from Kuwait Hospital, where we are reporting from, have started to head to the location to search for victims and survivors in order to bring them here to receive medical treatment.
Gaza health ministry says Israeli raid on tent kills 12
At least 12 Palestinians including children were killed in an air raid that hit a tent full of displaced people in southern Gaza, the health ministry says.
A statement reported “12 martyrs” killed in the attack on the coastal al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis city.
Israel’s war has killed at least 32,414 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the health ministry.
More on Hamas commander allegedly killed in Gaza attack
The Israeli military previously said it targeted Marwan Issa in an air raid on an underground compound in central Gaza on March 9.
The claim comes after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and amid growing calls for Israel to halt its nearly six-month assault on the besieged enclave, which Palestinian health officials say has so far killed more than 32,000 people.
If the claim is accurate, Issa would be the highest-ranking Hamas leader to have been killed in Gaza since the start of the assault in October.
Hamas deputy military commander killed in Gaza air raid: Israel
Hamas deputy military commander Marwan Issa was killed in an Israeli air strike this month, Israel’s military spokesperson says.
“We have checked all the intelligence,” Rear-Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement. “Marwan Issa was eliminated in the strike we carried out around two weeks ago.”
Issa was at the top of Israel’s most-wanted list together with Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas’s military wing, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, and Hamas’ leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar.
There was no immediate comment from Hamas. The White House said on March 18 that Issa had been killed, but Israel had not confirmed his death until now.
Amidst Gaza war, Palestinian labour income losses climb to $21m
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), the war on Gaza and the restrictive measures placed on the occupied West Bank by Israeli authorities continue to have significant adverse effects on the economy, with severely damaging implications for the labour market.
An estimated “507,000 jobs have been lost across the [occupied Palestinian territories] as a result of the hostilities. This comprises 201,000 jobs lost in the Gaza Strip and 306,000 jobs lost in the West Bank,” the ILO says in a report.
If the war continues until the end of March, the organisation estimates that the annual unemployment rate in 2024 will rise to 42.7 percent.
‘Put an end to this savagery’: Muslim-American rights group backs UN report
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) praised the investigation released by the United Nations’ Francesca Albanese.
“The latest report by the UN’s special rapporteur validates what has been obvious to anyone who has witnessed what Israel has been doing in Gaza for the past five months: that the Israeli government is clearly committing a genocide against the Palestinian people,” said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.
“The [US] Biden administration can no longer aid and abet the far-right Israeli government as it carries out its genocide, ethnic cleansing, and forced starvation. Our government – and the international community – can and must put an end to this savagery.”
‘Ruthless push for a final solution’: Pakistan back’s UN rapporteur
Earlier, we reported Francesca Albanese said Israel was characterising the entire Gaza population as “targetable, killable and destroyable”, and had ostentatiously laid bare its “genocidal intent” to “rid Palestine of Palestinians”.
Speaking for the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Pakistan backed her demand for sanctions and an arms embargo against Israel.
“We commend your courage in documenting the … acts amounting to genocide in Gaza,” Islamabad’s IOC representative said.
“The occupation force’s dangerous and ruthless push for a final solution to the Palestinian question is plain for all to see, as its forces encircle Rafah like vultures and its ravenous land grab continues unabated in the West Bank.”
France denies supplying arms for Israel for Gaza war
Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu denied allegations from investigative journalists that France supplied components for ammunition used by the Israeli army in its war on Gaza.
Marseille-based firm Eurolinks sold Israel M27 links, metal pieces used to join rifle cartridges into ammunition belts for machine guns, investigative websites Disclose and Marsactu wrote.
Such ammunition “could have been used against civilians in the Gaza Strip,” they said, according to a report by the AFP news agency.
The investigative outlets’ reporting was supported by photos of the links, which they said were taken on October 23.
US will continue aid drops into Gaza: White House
The United States will continue supplying humanitarian relief from the air into the Gaza Strip, the White House has said, despite Palestinians dying – by drowning, stampedes and falling aid boxes – while trying to reach the aid.
“Airdrops are one of the many ways that we are helping to provide desperately needed aid to Palestinians in Gaza, and we will continue to do so,” a spokesperson for the National Security Council told reporters, after 18 Palestinians died, 12 of them by drowning, while trying to recover dropped food supplies.
Rafah invasion would ‘hurt’ Israel’s national security: US
State department spokesperson Matt Miller says the operation would also cause harm to Palestinian civilians and the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, most of which is coming in through Rafah.
“We believe that kind of operation would hurt Israel’s national security … it will leave Israel more isolated in the world,” he told reporters.
“It will separate Israel from countries that have been longtime partners … We have been making clear this kind of operation is not in Israel’s interest – let alone in the interest of the Palestinian people.”
Israelis demonstrate in Tel Aviv for release of captives
Protesters are calling for a deal to release captives held in Gaza since October 7, blaming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the breakdown of US-brokered prisoner-swap talks in Qatar.
Israel recalled its negotiators from Doha after deeming mediated talks on a Gaza truce “at a dead end” because of demands by Hamas, an unnamed senior Israeli official told the Reuters news agency.
The official accused Hamas’s Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar of sabotaging diplomacy “as part of a wider effort to inflame this war over Ramadan”.
Hamas has accused Israel of stalling at the talks while it carries out its military offensive.
Now in Tel Aviv: protest calling for a hostage deal. The protesters are chanting “the time is running, go back to Qatar” pic.twitter.com/DFizyP9UAk
— Oren Ziv (@OrenZiv_) March 26, 2024