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October 7, 2023: Israel begins bombarding Gaza in retaliation to Hamas attacks
Israel resumes massive attacks on March 18, killing over 400 in a day — two months after ceasefire ending 15 months of relentless attacks began
Future governance of Gaza remains unclear as Trump suggests US takeover but Arab countries propose alternative plan, which UK, others back
Hamas and Israel exchange 25 hostages, bodies and 1,700 detainees in seven swaps
Over 50,000 Palestinians, 400 Israeli soldiers dead; nearly all of Gaza displaced
Multi-billion dollar challenges ahead to reconstruct decimated enclave
Al Jazeera reports that the death toll from Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn has now risen to 43.
This updated number includes one person killed in an attack on az-Zawayda and three in an earlier Israeli attack on Jabalia.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said that it was “unacceptable” that Israel had detained two UK lawmakers and denied them entry, AFP reports.
Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed, from the governing Labour Party, flew from London to Israel but were blocked from entering the country and deported, British media reported.
“It is unacceptable, counterproductive, and deeply concerning that two British MPs on a parliamentary delegation to Israel have been detained and refused entry by the Israeli authorities,” Lammy said in a statement.
“I have made clear to my counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British parliamentarians, and we have been in contact with both MPs tonight to offer our support.
“The UK government’s focus remains [on] securing a return to the ceasefire and negotiations to stop the bloodshed, free the hostages and end the conflict in Gaza.”
At least 25 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn as Israeli raids continue, medical sources told Al Jazeera.
Among those killed were 19 people in Khan Younis in southern Gaza and two in the Zaytoon neighbourhood of Gaza City.
Four others were killed, and a number of people were injured, including children and women, after an Israeli airstrike targeted a house in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he had discussed collaboration in making arms with his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban.
As Netanyahu left Budapest after meeting with the nationalist prime minister, he said: “We also discussed cooperating in the production of munitions; we need them in order to continue and achieve total victory in the war on seven fronts.”
The Israeli premier stated: “Hungary is a very great friend of Israel. It defends us in the European Union and the UN, and no less in the corrupt International Criminal Court.”
The United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) has said the situation in Gaza amid Israel’s aid blockade is “becoming desperate”.
“It’s been over a month since the State of Israel banned the entry of aid and commercial supplies into Gaza,” the UNRWA said in a post on X.
The UN agency added: “UNRWA continues to provide assistance with whatever supplies remain. Stocks are getting low and the situation is becoming desperate.
“The siege must end and humanitarian aid must be allowed back in,” it demanded.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has left Budapest to head to the United States to talk tariffs and Iran with US President Donald Trump after wrapping up a multi-day visit to Hungary, AFP reports.
Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban hosted his long-standing Israeli ally in Hungary this week, despite an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza.
Both Orban and Netanyahu slammed the ICC at a joint press conference, with the Israeli premier expressing hope that Hungary “would not be the last state” to exit the “corrupt organisation”.
“I have just concluded a very important visit to Hungary,” Netanyahu said in a statement, adding that cooperation in the production of munitions, among other issues, was discussed.
Two British members of parliament who were denied entry to Israel say they are “astounded” by the decision, Al Jazeera reports.
“We’re astounded at the unprecedented step taken by the Israeli authorities to refuse British MPs entry on our trip to visit the occupied West Bank,” Labour politicians Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang said in a joint statement on X.
“It is vital that parliamentarians are able to witness first-hand the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory.”
They added: “We are two, out of scores of MPs, who have spoken out in parliament in recent months on the Israel-Palestine conflict and the importance of complying with international humanitarian law.
“Parliamentarians should feel free to speak truthfully in the House of Commons, without fear of being targeted.”
The United Kingdom is trying to walk a “tricky line” between maintaining ties with Israel and criticising the country for preventing the entry of British parliamentarians, Al Jazeera’s Sonia Gallego says.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said it was “unacceptable, counterproductive and deeply concerning” that Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang were detained and refused entry to Israel, which accused the members of parliament of supporting boycotts against it.
“It is quite a troublesome situation for the [British] foreign minister and indeed for the British government. What they want to see is a return to ceasefire negotiations and see more attention applied to freeing hostages,” Gallego said, reporting from London.
“[The situation over the lawmakers] just muddies the whole diplomatic process. And because the UK has also vocalised its deep concern over Israel’s expansion of its military operations in Gaza, this could be seen as another tit-for-tat diplomatic war between Israel and the UK.”
Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 26 Palestinians in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll since October 2023 to 50,695, Al Jazeera reports quoting the enclave’s health ministry.
A ministry statement said that at least 113 other people were transferred to hospitals with injuries, taking the number of wounded people in the conflict to 115,338.
“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.
Medical sources have given Al Jazeera a higher death toll for today, saying at least 46 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the previous 24 hours.
The Israeli army has said its troops have begun operating in southern Gaza to establish a new military corridor, Al Jazeera reports.
The so-called Morag Corridor, named after a former illegal settlement that was evacuated in 2005, would split the city of Rafah from the rest of the Strip.
Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said Israeli troops between Rafah and Khan Younis are in the process of isolating Rafah from the rest of Gaza.
“These troops are shooting at anyone who is getting close to the area. The only area open to Palestinians now is the al-Rashid corridor on the coastal road,” she said.
“This means more Palestinians are being squeezed into Khan Younis and Deir el-Balah as Israel tries to take over more land – and Rafah is very important because it’s the main road for the Karem Abu Salem crossing [between Gaza and Israel] – it’s the main window for Palestinians through Rafah.”
Palestinian Civil Defence spokesperson in Gaza Mahmoud Basal has said: “The repercussions on us as a Palestinian population are very dire, namely on the relief workers, paramedics and Civil Defence teams,” Al Jazeera reports.
“Does the international community wish to see health workers stop fulfilling their humanitarian mission? If those culprits go unpunished and this crime and the Israelis continue to act with impunity, they will continue to perpetrate more war crimes and more pogroms across the Palestinian population,” he said.
He added that they fear worse in the future as more paramedics, ambulance and civil defence crews could be targeted and assassinated, saying, “This means the population is doomed, and the relief workers will not be able to perform their duties.”
“We hope the international community, human rights organisations, and other legal organs take firm measures against the Israeli forces and the perpetrators held to account.
“Due protection must be provided to healthcare workers — this vest I’m wearing is supposed to protect me, which is cherished under international humanitarian law and international treaties,” Basal concluded.
At least 11 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since dawn, Al Jazeera Arabic reports citing Palestinian medical sources.
As reported earlier, at least nine people were killed in an attack on Khan Younis as Israeli forces ramp up strikes.
Three Palestinians were wounded in last night’s attack by Israeli forces in the Wadi Abu Hummus area, east of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera reports.
Local sources told the Wafa news agency that Israeli forces fired live ammunition, tear gas, and stun grenades at a group of people who were trying to go to their jobs in Jerusalem.
Due to the attack, a 17-year-old was shot twice in the thigh. Another worker sustained bruises and wounds, while a rubber-coated metal bullet to the mouth injured a third.
Most of the attacks in the past 12 hours have been concentrated in Khan Younis — at least 19 Palestinians were killed in Khan Younis, and of course among them are children and women, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary reports.
“The Israel forces have targeted residential homes and a makeshift tent. According to the Civil Defence, there are still Palestinians trapped under the rubble and they’re trying to retrieve bodies and rescue Palestinians that may still be alive,” the reporter said.
She added that the officials also said the death toll may increase beyond 19 — adding that it’s not only Khan Younis that was attacked overnight but also the Az-Zeitoun neighbourhood in Gaza City, where Israelis also targeted some residential houses and at least two Palestinians were killed.
“There has also been continuous blowing up of houses in Rahah in southern Gaza and in Beit Lahiya,” Khoudary said.
“The situation is getting harder every day — it’s still the morning, but we can see Palestinians searching for any kind of food so they can feed their families. We’re talking about one month where not a single truck has entered Gaza — no food, nothing commercial, no fuel, no cooking gas, not even medicine, and not even shelter or tents,” she added.
“So the situation is suffocating — we’re seeing families line up in queues to fill up one gallon of healthy, drinkable water. We can also see Palestinians lining up at kitchens for hot meals. Those kitchens are supposed to stop in the coming days because they are also out of stock,” she concluded.
Over the past 24 hours, at least 46 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera reports.
Since Israel broke the ceasefire deal on March 18, at least 1,309 people have been killed and 3,184 wounded, adding to the wider Palestinian death toll since the conflict began on October 7, 2023, of more than 50,000.
Starvation was likely the leading cause of death for a Palestinian teenager who died in an Israeli prison, according to a doctor who observed the autopsy, The Associated Press reports.
Walid Ahmad, 17, who had been held for six months without being charged, suffered from extreme malnutrition and showed signs of inflammation of the colon and scabies, said a report by Daniel Solomon, who watched the autopsy, conducted by Israeli experts at the request of the boy’s family.
The AP obtained a copy of Solomon’s report from the family. It did not conclude a cause of death but said Ahmad was in a state of extreme weight loss and muscle wasting. It also noted that Ahmad had complained to the prison of inadequate food since at least December, citing reports from the prison medical clinic.
Ahmad died last month after collapsing in Megiddo Prison and striking his head, Palestinian officials said, citing witness accounts from other prisoners. Israel’s prison service said a team was appointed to investigate the death and its findings would be sent to the authorities.
Ahmad is the youngest Palestinian to die in an Israeli prison since the start of the Gaza invasion, according to Physicians for Human Rights Israel, which has documented Palestinian prisoner deaths. He was taken into custody from his home in the occupied West Bank during a predawn raid in September for allegedly throwing stones at soldiers, his family said.
The autopsy was conducted on March 27 at Israel’s Abu Kabir Forensic Institute, which has not released a report of its findings and did not respond to requests for comment. The Ahmad family’s lawyer, Nadia Daqqa, confirmed Solomon, a surgeon, was granted permission by an Israeli civil court to observe the autopsy.
Several people have been injured after an Israeli drone targeted a house in central Khan Younis, southern Gaza, Al Jazeera correspondents report.
At least nine people were killed during an overnight Israeli attack on Khan Younis, as Israel ramps up its attacks on the enclave since breaking the January ceasefire.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said it was “unacceptable” and deeply concerning that Israel had detained two UK lawmakers and denied them entry, AFP reports.
Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed, from the governing Labour Party, flew from London to Israel but were blocked from entering the country and deported, British media reported.
“It is unacceptable, counterproductive, and deeply concerning that two British MPs on a parliamentary delegation to Israel have been detained and refused entry by the Israeli authorities,” Lammy said in a statement.
“I have made clear to my counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British parliamentarians, and we have been in contact with both MPs tonight to offer our support.
“The UK government’s focus remains securing a return to the ceasefire and negotiations to stop the bloodshed, free the hostages and end the conflict in Gaza.”
Three Israelis who were freed from Hamas captivity in January and February have joined the weekly rallies in Tel Aviv, calling for the return of those who remain in Gaza, Al Jazeera reports.
Liri Albag, Omer Wenkert and Gadi Mozes all criticised the renewed fighting in the Palestinian enclave, expressing fear that the offensive could endanger the lives of the remaining captives, according to the Times of Israel.
Albag said “any return to fighting endangers the hostages” and that whenever the Israeli air force strikes Gaza, the captives are the first to pay the price.
The soldier, who was taken from the Nahal Oz base, went on to recount the moment when the first truce deal collapsed in November 2023.
“I collapsed too,” she said. “I remember that moment. One moment when everything that held us together shattered. We were sure we were leaving home. We were sure this nightmare was over. The doors didn’t open. And the nightmare continued.”
She added, “There is no victory, no victory. Without all 59 hostages at home!”
Wenkert, who was captured from the Nova music festival, said he was starved, humiliated and beaten for 505 days and that out of those, he was held alone for 197 days.
He said he almost lost his mind. “I’m not really here. Only half of me is standing here,” he continued. “Part of us is still captive in Gaza.”
“Prime Minister Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, it’s on you to get them back,” he added. “I turn to you, leaders of the country, and reiterate: don’t look away. Look at us. See the tears in our eyes.”
Palestinians have rallied in the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank to express their support for Gaza, Al Jazeera reports.
Residents carried flags and chanted slogans, condemning Israel’s continued bombing of the Gaza Strip.
Mustafa Barghouti, the head of the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees, spoke at the event, accusing Israel of committing genocide and war crimes.
“Every day the Israeli air strikes kill or mutilate 100 more Palestinian children. Thousands of people have been killed or injured since the activation of this genocide war. We demand immediate stop of this terrible war. People in Gaza are subjected to three war crimes in parallel — the war crime of genocide, the war crime of collective punishment and the war crime of ethnic cleansing,” he said.
“More than 200,000 people have been already evicted. For the 10th time in Gaza. And more than that, nothing is getting to Gaza for 34 days: not a glass of water, not a single piece of bread, not any medication to treat the injured people.”
Al Jazeera Arabic reports that Israeli fighter jets have bombed a mosque in the centre of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
The Quds News Network reports that the victim was killed when Israeli forces bombed the home of the Salakhi family in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City.
Al Jazeera Arabic reports that Islam Maqdad was killed in an Israeli attack on Khan Younis.
The attack targeted the home of the Abdel Hadi family. Several others were killed and wounded.
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that he will hold a trilateral summit on the situation in Gaza with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II, AFP reports.
“In response to the Gaza emergency and during my visit to Egypt at President al-Sisi’s invitation, we will hold a trilateral summit with the Egyptian president and the King of Jordan,” Macron wrote on X ahead of his trip to the north African country on Monday and Tuesday.
