Israel has “basically accepted” a six-week ceasefire proposal in Gaza, according to a senior US official, but Hamas has not yet agreed to specific terms around the release of hostages. More talks are planned in Cairo, sources say, as negotiators try to reach an agreement by Ramadan, which startsin just over a week.
At least 11 people, including two medical workers, were killed Saturday in an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp next to a maternity hospital in Rafah, the health ministry in Gaza said.
The UN says many of those injured in the carnage at a Gaza aid convoy this week suffered gunshot wounds.Eyewitnesses said Israeli troops fired into a crowd of civilians, triggering panic, but Israel denied that account of events.
Our live coverage of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has moved here.
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A cargo ship has sunk in the Red Sea days after being attacked by Houthi rebels
From CNN's Philip Wang
US Central Command
A cargo ship struck last month by a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels has sunk in the Red Sea, the US Central Command said Saturday.
The sinking of the Rubymar, which was carrying 21,000 metric tons of fertilizer, presents an environmental risk in the Red Sea, according to US Central Command.
The M/V Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned bulk carrier, had been slowly taking on water since February 18, when it was struck by one of two ballistic missiles fired from Houthi territory in Yemen.
The damage sustained by the Rubymar is potentially the most significant to a vessel caused by an attack launched by the Iran-backed Houthis, who have been targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea for months.
The attacks on one of the world’s most important shipping routes have upended global trade and stoked fears of a wider regional conflict months into the Israel-Hamas war.
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Meeting between Canada's Trudeau and Italy's Meloni canceled due to pro-Palestinian protests
From CNN's Paula Newton
A reception in Toronto where Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was scheduled to host his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni was canceled on Saturday after hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters blocked entrances to the event.
“Trudeau was scheduled to host the event for Giorgia Meloni, but doors were locked when hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters arrived and called for an end to what they called the ‘siege in Palestine,’” according to a Canadian press gallery pool report.
Meloni is visiting Canada in Italy’s role as the rotating president of the Group of Seven nations after visiting Washington on Friday.
Earlier in the day, Meloni and Trudeau agreed to enhance cooperation in priority areas, including energy security and the shift to a sustainable energy future, as well as artificial intelligence.
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UN Security Council expresses 'deep concern' over deadly Gaza aid convoy incident
From CNN’s Richard Roth and Manveena Suri
People at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City mourn over the body of a Palestinian killed in an incident when Israeli forces opened fire on crowds rushing at an aid distribution point on February 29.
AFP/Getty Images
The United Nations Security Council has expressed “deep concern” over a devastating incident that killed more than 100 Palestinians seeking aid on Thursday in northern Gaza, while acknowledging that an Israeli investigation is underway.
“The council members take note that an Israeli investigation is underway,” it added.
On Thursday, the day of the incident, Security Council members were unable to agree on a statement because of US objections.
The statement released Saturday said members of the Security Council “reiterate their demand for parties to the conflict to allow, facilitate, and enable the immediate, rapid, safe, sustained and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale to the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip.”
The carnage: At least 118 people were killed and 760 injured Thursday when Israeli troops open fired on Palestinian civilians who were gathering around food aid trucks, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.
CNN is unable to independently confirm these numbers.
Israel’s military has denied that account, saying it fired warning shots to disperse a crowd.
On Friday, a spokesperson for the UN Secretary General, citing a UN team that visited the hospital where survivors were taken, said many of the injured civilians had suffered gunshot wounds.
“From what they saw, in terms of the patients alive and getting treatment is that there is a large number of gunshot wounds,” Stéphane Dujarric said.
Following the incident, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said an effective independent investigation was required.
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US says more aid drops are coming to Gaza as ceasefire-hostage negotiations continue. Catch up here
From CNN staff
After the first successful US airdrop of aid into Gaza on Saturday, the Defense Department is planning on conducting additional drops in the days ahead, according to a White House official.
At the same time, a senior official in US President Joe Biden’s administration said Israel has “basically accepted” a six-week ceasefire proposal in Gaza, and it is now waiting on Hamas.
Find out more about today’s biggest headlines:
US airdrops aid into Gaza: After the US airdropped aid into Gaza — in a joint operation with Jordan — White House officials said they have seen Palestinian civilians distribute the tens of thousands of meals among themselves. Biden said Saturday the amount of aid flowing into Gaza is not enough. Meanwhile, aid agencies have criticized US airdrop plans as ineffective, as the United Nations warns hundreds of thousands in the enclave are on the brink of famine and US ally Israel continues to obstruct aid deliveries.
State of ceasefire-hostage deal negotiations: A senior Biden administration official said there is a “framework deal” that Israel has “more or less accepted.” The sticking point, the official says, is that Hamas has not yet agreed to releasing a “defined category of vulnerable hostages.” CNN reported Friday that officials believed ongoing talks to reach an agreement in time for Ramadan, which starts in just over a week, were still on track — even after more than 100 Palestinians were killed Thursday as they tried to access food in Gaza City. More talks are planned in Cairo, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The exact timing of the talks is unclear, but they will be held at the expert level; recent talks in Paris have included the director level.
Harris to meet with Israeli minister: As negotiators try to hammer out a deal, US Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz on Monday, according to a White House official. Gantz — who last month warned that Israel would expand military operations in the southernmost city of Rafah if hostages held by Hamas are not returned by the start of Ramadan — is also expected to meet with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
PIJ encourages attacks: Al-Quds Brigades, the militant wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, has called upon residents of the West Bank and Jerusalem to attack checkpoints and roads used by Israeli settlers during Ramadan, according to the group’s spokesperson. The Islamist organization is considered the second-largest militant group in the Gaza Strip after Hamas. While Hamas holds the majority of the hostages, videos from PIJ suggest that the group is also detaining some of them in Gaza.
Rafah strike: At least 11 people — including two health workers — were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp next to a maternity hospital in Rafah, the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said Saturday. The Israel Defense Forces claimed it targeted the PIJ in Rafah and that the hospital in the area was not damaged.
Protest at rally: Pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted US first lady Jill Biden at least four times during a campaign speech on Saturday in Arizona. It’s just the most recent example of the tense political climate at play in the Democratic Party. In January, President Biden was interrupted more than a dozen times by people protesting the war in Gaza.
Cargo ship sinks: A cargo vessel that was hit by a Houthi missile nearly two weeks ago has now sunk, according to Yemeni officials. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a prominent Yemeni Houthi figure, claimed that the British government could “salvage” the UK-registered vessel by permitting the entry of aid convoys into Gaza.
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Days spent playing or going to school have been replaced by forced displacement and trauma for Gaza's kids
From CNN's Sana Noor Haq, Rachel Wilson, Rosa Rahimi and Ibrahim Dahman
The Hamouda siblings, Kareem, 2, Ella, 6, and Sila, 4, at a pre-school graduation celebration June 15, 2023.
Mohammed Hamouda
Before the war, Mohammed Hamouda and his wife, Dina, would stroll along beaches in northern Gaza, where their three young children loved to swim, eat ice cream, and ride camels on the shoreline.
On other days, the family of five sat with relatives on the balcony overlooking a green garden at their home in Beit Lahia.
Now, the sound of laughter has been replaced by that of Israeli strikes raining down on the enclave.
But the family has no home to go back to. They recently learned that their house in Beit Lahia was destroyed. Hamouda’s youngest child, Kareem, 2, is too young to understand, but his eldest children, Ella, 6, and Sila, 4, were devastated by the loss and would not stop crying. “I couldn’t find any words to console her (Ella),” he said.
What to know about the humanitarian airdrops into Gaza
From CNN's Thom Poole
Aid airdropped by the US military falls over Gaza City on March 2.
Kosay Al Nemer/Reuters
The United States has, for the first time, airdropped aid into Gaza in an effort to alleviate a spiraling humanitarian crisis.
The aid drop included 38,000 meals: It was dropped from three US C-130 aircraft in 66 bundles along the Gaza coastline, according to US Central Command, in a joint effort with Jordan’s military. The White House said more drops will follow. A senior administration official said the US has seen civilians approach and distribute some of the aid.
The US is the latest among several nations to drop aid: Previously, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the United Kingdom and France have also delivered humanitarian supplies via this method. Jordanian aircraft made two more aid drops as part of the US mission Saturday, the country’s military said.
Coordination with Israel is critical: Israel controls the airspace over Gaza, so any aid-dropping efforts require coordination with Israeli authorities.
Airdrops can be imprecise compared to land routes: Earlier this week, a Jordanian plane appeared to miss its target, sending pallets of food into the sea. Video showed Palestinians swimming out to try to secure some rations.
Aid groups have been critical of the US plan: Beyond being imprecise, critics like Oxfam’s Scott Paul say airdrops provide a “paltry, symbolic amount of aid” when the US could really make an impact by ceasing the supply of weapons to Israel and demanding that Israel stop blocking wider aid efforts on the ground.
Palestinians are in a desperate situation: The aid that lands in the strip is only a fraction of what is needed, with Israel refusing to open more border crossings, the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza working at a reduced rate, and the Kerem Shalom border crossing in Israel often blocked by protesters demanding the release of hostages in Gaza.
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Israeli strike on refugee camp kills at least 11 Palestinians, including medical staff, health ministry says
From CNN's Abeer Salman and Lauren Izso
At least 11 people have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp next to a maternity hospital in Rafah, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said Saturday.
The strike hit the area where displaced Gazans had been taking shelter in tents outside the gates to the Emirati Maternity Hospital in Tal Al-Sultan in Rafah, the southernmost Gaza city.
The ministry said as many as 50 people, including children, were injured in the strike. A paramedic working at the hospital named Abdel Fattah Abu Marhi, and a nurse are among the dead, according to the ministry.
What the Israel Defense Forces says: The IDF claimed it targeted Islamic Jihad terrorists in Rafah on Saturday and that the hospital in the area was not damaged.
“Earlier today (Saturday), the IDF and ISA targeted Islamic Jihad terrorists and terror infrastructure in the area of Rafah,” according to the statement. “The precision strike was conducted against Islamic Jihad terrorists, and no damage was caused to the hospital in the area.”
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After first US airdrop, Biden says amount of aid flowing into Gaza is not enough
From CNN’s Samantha Waldenberg
US President Joe Biden vowed Saturday to help more aid reach Gaza after the first US humanitarian airdrops into the strip.
The statement echoes comments the president made on Friday, when he said the US will “insist” that Israel allow more trucks and routes to be added so more aid can be delivered to the people of Gaza.
Remember: United Nations agencies this week warned of an imminent risk of famine for half a million people in Gaza, and aid groups have criticized US plans to drop food aid into the enclave as ineffective. Aid workers and government officials say Israel has engaged in a clear pattern of obstructing humanitarian efforts in the enclave.
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Ceasefire talks are expected to resume in Cairo, according to sources
From CNN’s Alex Marquardt
As international efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continue, more talks are planned in Cairo, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The exact timing of the talks is unclear, but they will be held at the expert level. Recent talks in Paris have included the director level.
Negotiators from the US, Israel, Egypt and Hamas are expected to attend, according to a diplomatic source familiar with the discussions. It’s not clear if Qatar will attend.
Discussions between Israel and Hamas would be indirect, in separate rooms.
Israel has asked Hamas for a list of the hostages who are alive and dead. Hamas has still not responded to last Friday’s Paris meeting, which was followed this week by technical meetings in Doha with teams from US, Egypt, Qatar and Israel.
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Israel has "basically accepted" 6-week ceasefire proposal and is waiting on Hamas, US official says
From CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez & Samantha Waldenberg
People walk through destruction in the Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza, on February 29.
Mahmoud Essa/AP
Israel has “basically accepted” a six-week ceasefire proposal in Gaza, a senior official in US President Joe Biden’s administration told reporters Saturday.
A second phase of the proposal would be worked out over those six weeks “to build something more enduring,” the official said.
That same official said there is a “framework deal” that Israel has “more or less accepted.” The sticking point, the official says, is that Hamas has not yet agreed to a “defined category of vulnerable hostages.”
The official added the US has held “a number of meetings” in Israel and a meeting in Paris in the past several weeks. The official also said meetings are “ongoing” Saturday in Doha, Qatar.
Some background: CNN reported Friday that officials believed ongoing talks to reach a Gaza ceasefire agreement in time for Ramadan were still on track — even after more than 100 Palestinians were killed Thursday as they tried to access food in Gaza City. US officials said the carnage injected added urgency to the talks, and US President Joe Biden on Friday afternoon called for an “immediate ceasefire” for at least six weeks as part of a hostage deal.
US officials on Friday said there are no indications that the discussions had been significantly derailed, but much hinges on an expected Hamas response to what has been discussed in Paris and Doha in the past week between the other countries involved: Qatar, Egypt, Israel and the US. On Thursday, a Hamas official warned the negotiations could be impacted.
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US has seen civilians approach and distribute airdropped aid in Gaza, according to official
From CNN’s Samantha Waldenberg
People watch as the US military carries out its first aid drop over Gaza City, on March 2.
Kosay Al Nemer/Reuters
The US is monitoring the location where aid was airdropped into Gaza earlier Saturday, and officials have seen civilians approach the aid, according to a senior official in President Joe Biden’s administration. The official also said the US has seen the civilians distribute the aid among themselves.
Another senior administration official told reporters that the specific site in Gaza was chosen for Saturday’s drops because they believed that people were sheltering nearby and “in need.”
US Central Command said in a statement Saturday that the combined operation by the US and Royal Jordanian Air Force saw US C-130 aircraft dropping 38,000 meals along the Gaza coastline. There were 66 total bundles dropped – 22 from each of the three aircraft — a US official said. There was no water or medical supplies in the bundles.
Another senior administration official said the US and Jordanian forces were not coordinating with any group on the ground.
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Cargo ship sinks 12 days after being hit by Houthi missile as Yemen warns of "environmental disaster"
From CNN's
This satellite image shows the Rubymar in the Red Sea on Friday, March 1.
The Belize-flagged, UK-registered and Lebanese-owned vessel was carrying 41,000 tons of fertilizer when it was struck by one of two ballistic missiles fired from Houthi territory in Yemen. The ship’s crew was forced to evacuate.
The sinking Rubymar created an 18-mile-long oil slick in the Red Sea, two US officials said previously. Satellite images showed the vessel continuously leaking oil. It is unclear what kind of substance caused the slick.
The damage sustained by the Rubymar is potentially the most significant to a vessel caused by an attack launched by the Houthis, who have been targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden for months, in what they say is retaliation for Israel’s war in Gaza.
CNN’s Haley Britzky, Oren Liebermann and Natasha Bertrand contributed reporting to this post.
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US is planning more Gaza airdrops in the coming days after first one was "successful," White House says
From CNN's Camila DeChalus
US service members secure humanitarian aid, bound for airdrop over Gaza, onto a cargo aircraft at an undisclosed location on March 1.
Tech. Sgt. Christopher Hubenthal/U.S. Air Force via Reuters
The official added that the Defense Department is planning on conducting additional airdrops in Gaza in the days ahead. The official said they could not provide any further details at this time about what the additional airdrops would entail.
For context: Aid agencies have criticized US plans to drop food aid into Gaza as ineffective, as the United Nations warns hundreds of thousands in the enclave are on the brink of famine and US ally Israel continues to obstruct the bulk of aid deliveries. Some humanitarian officials have labeled it “a Band-Aid measure” and said the aid drops “mostly serve to relieve the guilty consciences of senior US officials.”
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The US has started dropping aid in Gaza as it faces criticism from humanitarian groups. Here's what to know
From CNN staff
Aid destined for an airdrop over Gaza is loaded aboard a US Air Force plane at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, on March 1.
The combined operation by the US Air Force and the Royal Jordanian Air Force saw three US C-130 transport planes drop 38,000 meals along the Gaza coastline on Saturday, CENTCOM said in a statement. There was no water or medical supplies.
US President Joe Biden announced the move Friday, saying more aid is desperately needed in the enclave, and that Israel must also allow for more trucks and routes for aid in Gaza.
Officials from several aid agencies, including the International Crisis Group and Oxfam, criticized the US plan as ineffective.
“Humanitarian workers always complain that airdrops are good photo opportunities but a lousy way to deliver aid,” the ICG’s United Nations director, Richard Gowan, said on X.
Oxfam’s Scott Paul wrote that the aid drops only “serve to relieve the guilty consciences of senior US officials,” who should instead cut military aid to Israel and push for an immediate ceasefire. CNN has documented how US ally Israel obstructs the bulk of aid deliveries to the enclave.
Here are other headlines you should know:
More deadly Israeli strikes: An Israeli strike on a refugee camp next to a maternity hospital in Rafah killed at least 11 Palestinians, including medical staff, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. More Israeli airstrikes elsewhere on Saturday killed at least 17 civilians and injured dozens of others, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA. The airstrikes targeted three houses in the central city of Deir al-Balah and furthern north in Jabalya, WAFA added.
Other developments on the ground: The Israeli military announced plans Saturday to temporarily suspend “military activities” in parts of Rafah and Deir al-Balah for several hours at a time over the course of several days until March 7 for “humanitarian purposes.”
Ceasefire deal: Ongoing talks to reach a ceasefire agreement to halt the fighting between Hamas and Israel in Gaza by Ramadan appear to still be on track. US officials on Friday said there are no indications that the discussions had been significantly derailed but much hinges on an expected Hamas response to what has been discussed in Paris and Doha in the past week between the other countries involved: Qatar, Egypt, Israel and the US. On Thursday, a Hamas official warned the negotiations could be impacted.
Gaza food aid tragedy: Many of the Palestinian civilians injured during the carnage at a food aid convoy on Thursday suffered gunshot wounds, according to a UN team that visited the hospital where survivors were taken. At least 118 people were killed and 760 injured when Israel Defense Forces troops opened fire on starving Palestinian civilians who were gathering around food aid trucks, according to eyewitnesses and the health ministry in Gaza. The IDF has denied that account, saying it fired warning shots to disperse a crowd. The UN has said an independent investigation is required to establish the facts, and nations such as France have backed that appeal.
Humanitarian crisis: UN Women, a United Nations organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, called the war in Gaza “also a war on women” in a statement Friday. The organization estimates 9,000 women have been killed in Gaza since the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. And at least 10 Palestinian children have starved to death in Gaza, the UN reported on Friday, after a senior United Nations official warned Israel’s severe restrictions on aid entering the strip are creating a “man-made famine.”
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"A temporary Band-Aid": Aid agencies criticize US airdrop plans in Gaza
From CNN's Sophie Tanno
Children wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen in Rafah, Gaza, on February 13.
Here’s what some humanitarian officials said after the plan was announced:
Richard Gowan, the International Crisis Group’s UN director, said:
Oxfam’s Scott Paul wrote on X that the aid drops “mostly serve to relieve the guilty consciences of senior US officials whose policies are contributing to the ongoing atrocities and risk of famine in Gaza.
“While Palestinians in Gaza have been pushed to the absolute brink, dropping a paltry, symbolic amount of aid into Gaza with no plan for its safe distribution would not help and be deeply degrading to Palestinians.”
Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group, said on X:
“If the U.S. government disavows the use of any meaningful leverage to bring the Gaza conflict to a close, it is left with desperate and inadequate measures like this to try to address the resulting humanitarian catastrophe around the margins.”
This post has been updated to reflect the first US airdrop was made Saturday.
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JUST IN: US airdrops of aid into Gaza have begun
From CNN's Oren Liebermann
US military carries out its first aid drop in Gaza City on March 2.
Kosay Al Nemer/Reuters
The US has begun airdropping humanitarian aid into Gaza, according to two US officials.
President Joe Biden on Friday had announced the US would begin the airdrops soon after saying, “Aid flowing to Gaza is nowhere nearly enough.”
Three US C-130 transport planes dropped humanitarian supplies over Gaza on Saturday, according to a US official.
There were 66 total bundles dropped — 22 from each aircraft, the official said.
The bundles were meals dropped for the population of Gaza. There was no water or medical supplies.
Criticism of the US plan: Several aid agencies have previously criticized the US plans to drop food aid into Gaza as ineffective.
Richard Gowan, the International Crisis Group’s United Nations director, said on social media: “Humanitarian workers always complain that airdrops are good photo opportunities but a lousy way to deliver aid.”
Oxfam’s Scott Paul wrote on X that the aid drops “mostly serve to relieve the guilty consciences of senior US officials whose policies are contributing to the ongoing atrocities and risk of famine in Gaza.”
This post has been updated with additional details on the drops and global reception of the plan.
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Talks on an Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal appear on track despite killings at Gaza aid site, officials say
From CNN's Alex Marquardt, MJ Lee and Mostafa Salem
Ongoing talks to reach a ceasefire agreement to halt the fighting between Hamas and Israel in Gaza by Ramadan appear to still be on track, even after more than 100 Palestinians were killed on Thursday as they tried to access food in Gaza City, according to officials familiar with the discussions.
US officials on Friday said there are no indications that the discussions had been significantly derailed but much hinges on an expected Hamas response to what has been discussed in Paris and Doha in the past week between the other countries involved: Qatar, Egypt, Israel and the US. On Thursday, a Hamas official warned the negotiations could be impacted.
CNN has reached out to several Hamas officials about the potential deal but has not gotten a response.
In the immediate aftermath of the deaths of dozens of Palestinian civilians in Gaza on Thursday, US officials said the chaotic scenes injected added urgency into the hostage and ceasefire talks.
Large number of gunshot wounds among those injured at Gaza food aid site carnage, UN says
From CNN’s Xiaofei Xu
The United Nations say many of the Palestinian civilians injured during the carnage at a food aid convoy on Thursday suffered gunshot wounds, citing a UN team that visited the hospital where survivors were taken.
UN Secretary General’s spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told a news conference on Friday “from what they saw, in terms of the patients alive and getting treatment is that there is a large number of gunshot wounds,” Dujarric said.
At least 115 people were killed and 760 injured in an incident where Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops used live fire as hungry and desperate Palestinian civilians were gathering around food aid trucks, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said.
Dujarric added that the UN envoy, made up of members from OCHA, WHO and UNICEF, which visited Al-Shifa, didn’t examine any of the dead bodies so cannot say if the same is true for those killed.
Al-Shifa took in more than 700 injured patients following the food aid site tragedy and about 200 of those remain hospitalized, Dujarric said.
Conflicting accounts: There are mounting international calls for an independent investigation into the incident, with the circumstances disputed.
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Israeli tanks fired warning shots to “cautiously” disperse a crowd gathering around an aid convoy, after seeing that people in the crowd were being trampled.
But eyewitness accounts suggest the Israeli military opened fire on people near the trucks, causing drivers to pull away in panic.
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At least 17 killed and dozens injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza, Palestinian news agency says
From CNN’s Ibrahim Hazboun
Israeli airstrike targeted Al-Bukhari Mosque in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on March 2.
Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/Getty Images
At least 17 civilians were killed, and dozens injured in Gaza following airstrikes from Israeli military on Saturday, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA.
The airstrikes targeted three houses in Deir al-Balah and Jabalia in Gaza, WAFA report added.
CNN is unable to independently verify the casualty numbers or claims made by WAFA in its reporting.
Fifteen of those killed were in two unidentified houses east of Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, WAFA reported quoting medical official. These houses were targeted by two Israeli “warplanes,” the report added.
Two others were killed in the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza, WAFA report said, adding, “Israeli fighter jets struck a house,” resulting in their deaths.
CNN has reached out to IDF for comment on the alleged airstrikes.
Mounting toll: The Gaza Ministry of Health said Saturday that the death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 30,320, and the total number of injuries has also risen to 71,533. There has been a huge impact on children, with about half of Gaza’s population under 18.
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IDF announces daily suspension of military activities in Rafah and Deir Al-Balah until March 7
From CNN’s Ibrahim Dahman
A Palestinian boy walks amidst the rubble at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, in Rafah, Gaza, on February 23.
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters
The Israeli military announced on Saturday a daily suspension of “military activities” in Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, and Deir Al-Balah, until March 7 for “humanitarian purposes,” IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee said.
The Rafah crossing from Egypt, where most aid had been delivered into Gaza, is now working at a reduced rate, and the alternate Kerem Shalom crossing in Israel is being blocked by demonstrators calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas.
In coordination with Israel, several countries have opted to airdrop aid into Gaza to substitute the falling number of aid entering on land through trucks. US President Joe Biden said Friday the US will begin air dropping food aid to the people of Gaza, which will begin “very soon.”
Adraee posted the suspension schedule on Saturday on X.
Rafah plans: This week, the Israeli military submitted a plan to the war cabinet for “evacuating the population” of Gaza from areas of fighting, amid warnings that an offensive in Rafah will take place soon.
The majority of Gaza’s population – more than 1.5 million people – are now crammed into a sprawling tent city in Rafah, the only nominally safe space for Palestinians fleeing the north and center of Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to press on with a campaign despite dire international warnings.
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More countries call for investigation into Gaza food site tragedy. Here’s where things stand
From CNN staff
An injured Palestinian receives medical treatment in Al-Shifa Hospital after Israeli forces open fire on Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid trucks at Al-Rashid Street in Gaza City, Gaza on February 29.
Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu/Getty Images
At least 115 people were killed and at least 760 were injured after Israeli forces opened fire as Palestinian civilians waited for food on Thursday, according to Dr. Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesperson for the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza.
There are now growing calls for an independent inquiry into the incident. The United Nations has said an independent investigation is required to establish the facts, and nations such as France have backed that appeal.
Here’s where things stand:
What happened: A convoy of at least 18 food trucks arrived in northern Gaza on Thursday morning, sent by several countries in the region. Palestinian civilians gathered around the newly arrived aid trucks in the hope of getting food, and Israeli forcessoon started shooting, witnesses said. The aid trucks tried to exit the area, accidentally ramming others and causing further deaths and injuries, the eyewitnesses told CNN. The Israeli military has given a different account of the circumstances. In an update on Thursday, the Israeli military said that Israeli tanks had fired warning shots to disperse the crowd around the aid convoy, after seeing that people were being trampled.
Global calls for investigation: On Friday, the White House said that the US asked Israel to look into the tragedy. Germany also called on Israel to “fully investigate” the deaths. France said it would support the United Nations’ call for an independent inquiry, with the French foreign affairs minister calling the events on the ground “indefensible.”
What it could mean for the war: The deaths come at a critical time for the conflict, with negotiations between Israel and Hamas on a deal to pause fighting and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza reaching a potentially pivotal moment. Hamas senior member Izzat Al-Risheq warned that the killing of people collecting aid from trucks in Gaza could lead to the failure of ongoing talks. US officials on Friday said there are no indications that discussions had been significantly derailed — but much hinges on an expected Hamas response to what has been discussed in Paris and Doha in the past week between the other countries involved: Qatar, Egypt, Israel and the US.
Against the backdrop of a dire humanitarian situation: More than half a million people in Gaza are on the brink of famine, United Nations agencies warned earlier this week, as the war stretches toward the five-month mark. Aid has been so sparse that, when available, it has often prompted panic. The UN reported Friday that at least 10 Palestinian children have starved to death in Gaza and that number can be expected to rise.
The flow of aid has slowed: The Rafah crossing, where most aid had been delivered into Gaza, is now working at a reduced rate, and the alternate Kerem Shalom crossing in Israel is being blocked by demonstrators calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas. The Jordanian military made three airdrops of aid into parts of Gaza City on Friday and US President Joe Biden announced the US will also be making its own airdrops of supplies in the coming days.
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Biden says US airdrops into Gaza will begin "very soon" and his hope for a Monday ceasefire appears unlikely
From CNN's Samantha Waldenberg and Kevin Liptak
US President Joe Biden stops to talk to reporters as he departs the White House on March 1.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
US airdrops of humanitarian assistance into Gaza will begin “very soon,” US President Joe Biden said Friday.
His comments come after he announced earlier Friday in the Oval Office that the US will begin air-dropping food aid to the people of Gaza. Biden also said earlier that the US would be “pulling out every stop” to get additional supplies into Gaza.
Additionally, Biden offered a mixed assessment of hostage talks between Israel and Hamas reaching a deal by Monday, saying that he was both hopeful a deal could be achieved by Ramadan but also that an agreement “may not get there.”
“It looks like we’re still — it’s not there yet. I think we’ll get there but it’s not there yet. And it may not get there now,” Biden said.
Biden said he’s “still hoping for” a ceasefire, when asked whether he thinks a ceasefire may never be negotiated.
His comments were a starkly realistic view into the state of the talks, which have been advancing for weeks between the US, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and Hamas. The remarks laid bare the difficulties in brokering an agreement between Israel and Hamas that would result in the release hostages and a six-week pause in fighting.
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Israeli spokesperson responds to CNN investigation into indiscriminate fire that killed half a Gaza family
From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq
Siblings Al-Zain, 10, and Ali, 13, were among those killed.
Courtesy of Abu Jibba Family
Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy responded to CNN’s detailed investigation into Israel’s use of indiscriminate fire that killed half of an entire Palestinian family during a deadly January attack. He acknowledged there were civilian casualties, but blamed Hamas.
Several members of the Abu Jibba family were killed by the shockwave of what was likely a 2,000-pound bomb dropped by the Israeli military. Such a large bomb is, by its nature, indiscriminate when civilians are present.
The Israel Defense Forces has alleged they were responding to fire by militants from an area near where the civilians were sheltering. Survivors of the attack told CNN there were no militants at their location.
The survivors of the attack have said they were not warned in advance. The IDF previously told CNN that they told civilians to begin evacuating days ahead of the bombing. When asked for evidence supporting that claim, the IDF did not provide any.
“If soldiers are coming under attack, clearly there is no time to give a warning for people to evacuate, having already said that the militants terrorists were operating in the area,” Levy said.
CNN’s Mick Krever contributed reporting to this post.
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UN Women calls war in Gaza "a war on women"
From CNN's Richard Roth and Mohammed Tawfeeq
Palestinian women and children walk past buildings destroyed during Israeli strikes in Beit Lahia, Gaza, on February 26.
AFP/Getty Images
UN Women, a United Nations organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, called the war in Gaza “also a war on women.”
In a statement Friday, the organization estimated 9,000 women have been killed in Gaza since the October 7 attack.
UN Women reported an average of 63 women are killed every day in Gaza, with an approximate 37 mothers who are killed daily, “leaving their families devastated and their children with diminished protection.”
“More than 4 out of 5 women (84 per cent) report that their family eats half or less of the food they used to before the war began, with mothers and adult women being those tasked with sourcing food, yet eating last, less, and least than everyone else,” the statement added.
Displaced Palestinian women prepare bread inside a tent in Rafah, Gaza, on December 27.
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UN Women also pointed out that 87% of women in Gaza find it harder to access food than men.
They called for immediate humanitarian aid to reach Gaza and an end to “the killing, bombing, and destruction of essential infrastructure in Gaza.”
“Unless there is an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, many more will die in the coming days and weeks,” UN Woman said.
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At least 10 Gazan children have starved to death, UN says, as Israeli siege threatens a "man-made famine"
From CNN's Sana Noor Haq
At least 10 Palestinian children have starved to death in Gaza, the United Nations reported on Friday, after a senior United Nations official warned Israel’s severe restrictions on aid entering the strip are creating a “man-made famine.”
The number of Gazan children that have died from starvation “can unfortunately be expected to be higher,” UN health agency spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said in a statement on Friday.
Around 1.17 million Palestinians face “emergency” levels of food insecurity, and the plight for another 500,000 is “catastrophic,” according to OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke.
Risk of famine: Earlier this week, the commissioner-general of the UN’s agency for Palestine refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that lengthy aid inspections, difficulties in distributing relief across the rubble-filled strip, and the scarcity of aid have produced a “chaotic situation.”
CNN previously reported on Palestinians eating grass and drinking polluted water to try to survive in northern Gaza, where Israel concentrated its military offensive in the early days of the war.
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Hamas and rival faction Fatah agree on continued meetings after talks in Moscow
From CNN’s Matog Saleh and Eyad Kourdi
The main Palestinian political factions, Fatah and Hamas, met in Moscow and agreed to continue meetings going forward, according to statements by both groups on Friday.
Hamas released a statement, signed by “Factions that met in Moscow,” saying the intra-Palestinian talks had been constructive.
Fatah, through spokesperson Hussein Hamayel, also welcomed the outcomes of the Moscow meeting, emphasizing the need for unity beyond partisan agendas, especially in response to challenges following the war in Gaza and the enclave’s reconstruction.
Key context: Fatah controls the Palestinian Authority based in the West Bank, which held administrative control over Gaza until 2007. Hamas won the 2006 legislative elections in the occupied territories and expelled the faction from the enclave.
The objective of the two-day talks in Moscow was to unite the groups under the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), a coalition of parties that signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1993.
It comes at a time that the Palestinian Authority has grown deeply unpopular among Palestinians — seen as corrupt and unable to provide security in the face of regular Israeli military incursions. It is also under intense pressure from the United States to reform.
Hamas, meanwhile, is not currently part of the PLO and does not recognize Israel.
CNN’s Abbas Al Lawati contributed to this post.
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US announces plans to airdrop humanitarian aid into Gaza
From CNN's Kevin Liptak and Oren Liebermann
Palestinians gather to collect aid food in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on February 26.
AFP/Getty Images/File
US President Joe Biden announced Friday that the United States will airdrop humanitarian aid and supplies into Gaza. The US military is working to carry out these airdrops to Palestinians in the coming days, a US official previously said.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Biden said the US would be “pulling out every stop” to get additional assistance into Gaza, which has been under heavy bombardment by Israel since the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks.
Biden said aid was not flowing into Gaza quickly enough and that he was working to broker an immediate ceasefire deal that would allow additional assistance into the enclave.
Some background: US officials have been calling on Israel to open additional crossings for aid to enter into Gaza and have also been exploring possible airdrops of aid into the enclave. US Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power met on Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a US official told CNN.
