June 9, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

Our live coverage has ended for the day. Read the latest on Benny Gantz’s resignation here.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Ramat Gan, Israel, on June 8.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called on Benny Gantz to change his mind and return to the emergency cabinet. 

“Citizens of Israel, we will continue until victory and all the goals of the war have been achieved, most importantly, the release of all our hostages and the elimination of Hamas,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu said his door remained open to any political party that is ready to share in the burden of fighting the war against Hamas, and will “help bring victory over our enemies and ensure the security of our citizens.”

Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz leaves after announcing his resignation in Ramat Gan, Israel, on June 9.

Israeli minister Benny Gantz has quit the country’s war cabinet, criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an obstacle to victory in Gaza. He had threatened to leave the emergency government if Netanyahu did not present a new plan for defeating Hamas, freeing hostages and the post-war governance of Gaza by this weekend.

Gantz, who is Netanyahu’s primary political rival and leads him in public opinion polls, called for the prime minister to hold an election in the coming months.

Gantz’s resignation comes shortly after a surprise Israeli operation that freed four hostages from Nuseirat, in central Gaza. The raid also led to the deadliest day of Israel’s war in Gaza in six months, with at least 274 people killed in the Nuseirat operation alone, Gazan health officials said. CNN cannot independently verify the toll.

Here’s what else to know if you’re just joining us today:

Outgoing Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold an election in the coming months as he announced his resignation from the country’s emergency government, eight months after the October 7 Hamas attacks.

Gantz said he was quitting the war cabinet because “the situation in the country and in the decision-making room has changed.”

Gantz said Netanyahu was putting his own personal political considerations ahead of a post-war strategy for the Gaza Strip.

Some context: Gantz is viewed as Netanyahu’s primary political rival, and Israeli opinion polls suggest that he would win an election against the prime minister if one were held now.

Gone from the war cabinet. Gone from the government. Benny Gantz is back where he was at the start of the war Hamas launched on October 7: an ex-defense minister, ex-chief of staff, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief political rival.

You can’t say he didn’t warn us. On May 18, he announced that if Netanyahu didn’t come up with a coherent plan to bring the hostages home and for the governance of post-war Gaza (among other things), then he’d leave the war cabinet by June 8. In light of Saturday’s rescue of four Israeli hostages, he delayed making good on his threat — by a day. 

“Leaving the government is a complex and painful decision,” Gantz said in a news conference on Sunday evening in Israel. But, “Netanyahu prevents us from moving forward to a real victory (in Gaza).”

So what now? The three most pressing areas of interest where Gantz’s resignation may be felt — at least for Israelis, the Palestinians in Gaza, and the outside world — are the Israeli government, the running of the war with Hamas, and Gantz’s own political prospects. 

Perhaps the most important impact of Gantz’s departure is the one it won’t have: it won’t cause the government to collapse.

That’s because Netanyahu and his coalition partners still have 64 of the Knesset’s 120 seats. So unless President Biden’s — sorry, Israel’s — hostage deal gets done, and Netanyahu’s far-right ministers make good on their threats to leave the government, Netanyahu could safely stay in office until elections are due in October 2026 (opinion polls suggest that if they were held now, Gantz would win).

It remains to be seen what a Gantz-free government means for the Palestinians in Gaza. Gantz is no dove, and his “moderating” hand was unlikely to have resulted in Israel going any “easier” on Hamas, or causing fewer civilian casualties.

But both Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have no qualms about disagreeing publicly with Netanyahu, and they may have been able to call him out if the prime minister were to block a potential hostage deal for personal political reasons. With Gantz gone, that seems less likely — as does the likelihood of a hostage deal being consummated any time soon.

Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz speaks to the media in Ramat Gan, Israel, on June 9.

Key Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz quit Israel’s emergency government on Sunday, criticizing Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he announced his resignation.

“That is why we are leaving the emergency government today — with a heavy heart, but with a whole heart,” the former Israeli defense minister said.

Some background: Gantz, who is viewed as Netanyahu’s primary political rival, was originally expected to resign Saturday, which marked his self-imposed deadline to leave the government if Netanyahu did not lay out a new plan for the war in Gaza and the future of the enclave. He postponed a scheduled news conference as reports emerged of the Israeli operation to rescue four hostages in central Gaza.

Gantz’s departure deals a blow to Netanyahu, who faces mounting international pressure to end the conflict in Gaza, daily mass protests in Israel, and growing domestic political pressure.

What this means for Israel’s government: Gantz’s withdrawal from the government will not collapse Netanyahu’s majority in the country’s legislature, because Gantz is not part of the governing coalition. But it does risk further isolation for the embattled premier on an international stage.

It also leaves the war cabinet, set up four days after Hamas’ October 7 attack, without representation from any political party other than Netanyahu’s Likud.

Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz attends a press conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, in October 2023.

Former Israeli defense minister and key war cabinet member Benny Gantz is speaking to reporters as uncertainty surrounds his continued membership in the country’s wartime emergency government.

The war cabinet — which includes Gantz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant — met just before Gantz started speaking, an Israeli official told CNN.

How we got here: Gantz was originally expected to resign Saturday, which marked his self-imposed deadline to leave the government if Netanyahu did not lay out a new plan for the war in Gaza and the future of the enclave.

Gantz, who is viewed as Netanyahu’s primary political rival, postponed a scheduled news conference yesterday as reports emerged of the Israeli operation to rescue four hostages in central Gaza. Gantz later released a statement that did not address whether he would still leave the government. He celebrated the rescue but also noted Israel’s remaining challenges, including freeing the other 120 hostages still held in Gaza.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, called late Saturday for Gantz to stay in the emergency government, saying it is a time for the country to show unity.

More context: Gantz’s withdrawal from the government would not collapse Netanyahu’s majority in the country’s legislature, because Gantz is not part of the governing coalition. But it would risk further isolation for the embattled premier on an international stage.

This comes at a time of daily mass protests in Israel, with many demonstrators calling for immediate elections and the hostages’ release, and some wanting an end to further humanitarian aid being allowed into Gaza. Netanyahu also faces growing domestic political pressure from the country’s far-right, while the US and some Israelis urge him to accept a ceasefire deal with Hamas.

This post has been updated to reflect the war cabinet meeting and Gantz speaking.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during a briefing in Washington, DC, on May 22.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said an “enduring ceasefire” deal between Israel and Hamas is “the only credible path forward” after an Israeli hostage rescue mission that Gazan officials say killed at least 274 people.

US President Joe Biden unveiled the three-phase proposal late last month, saying Israel had submitted the plan, though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments since have left some doubt over his level of support for the proposal as laid out by Biden.

Civilians in harm’s way: Sullivan acknowledged the civilian toll of Israel’s military operation Saturday while saying Hamas, which took the hostages during its deadly October 7 attacks on Israel, was putting Palestinians in harm’s way.

Pressed by Bash on whether the US was comfortable with how the mission was carried out, Sullivan called for a diplomatic solution “where there’s no need for military operations to get every last hostage out.”

US Sen. Tom Cotton also laid blame on Hamas for keeping hostages in civilian areas Sunday. “You shouldn’t take hostages in the first place. You should release them once you have, and you certainly shouldn’t hide them in civilian areas,” Cotton told Fox News.

The Arkansas Republican said the operation, which has drawn condemnation from regional leaders, was “heroic” and “well-executed.”

CNN’s Ebony Davis contributed reporting to this post.

Israel’s deadly operation to free four hostages from central Gaza on Saturday has received condemnation from some global leaders after 274 Palestinians were killed in the raid, according to figures from the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

The Israel Defense Forces disputes those numbers, saying it estimates the casualties were “under 100.” CNN cannot independently verify death tolls from the enclave due to the lack of international media access. Video and eyewitness accounts detailed scenes of horror during the operation at the Nuseirat refugee camp.

Here’s what we’ve heard from leaders who condemned Israel’s attack:

People gather outside Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on June 8.

Survivors risked their lives to help take wounded people to hospitals in central Gaza on Saturday as a major Israeli military operation brought the deadliest day for the enclave in six months, according to the Gaza health ministry.

Israel unleashed heavy shelling and artillery fire on the Nuseirat refugee camp and surrounding areas during its operation to rescue four hostages Saturday.

Palestinians hurt in the attack on Nuseirat were rushed to nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. One man who was injured in the strike, speaking with bloodstained hands and his arm in what looks like a sling, said he and his friend helped transport people to the hospital despite his injuries, as he said no aid organizations were able to enter.

CNN video from the hospital showed many people carrying wounded children in their arms, covered in blood. More kids crowded the floor of the emergency room. People screamed and cried as they said goodbye to loved ones at the morgue.

Nidal Abdo says he was shopping in Nuseirat when a “crazy bombardment” hit. “They wiped out Nuseirat. It is hell on earth,” he said after the attack Saturday.

Another local, Abu Abdallah, said the strikes hit while people were sleeping. “Dogs were eating people’s remains,” he said.

Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on June 8.

Saturday was Gaza’s deadliest single day since mid-December, with 283 people killed, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported Sunday. That brings the ministry’s total death toll during the current war in Gaza to 37,084.

Most of those killed Saturday died when the Israel Defense Forces mounted a surprise operation to rescue four Israeli hostages in Nuseirat in central Gaza. 

The raid resulted in 274 Palestinians being killed and 698 injured, the Gaza Ministry of Health said Sunday. The IDF has disputed those numbers, saying it estimated the number of casualties from the operation was “under 100.”

The health ministry does not distinguish between casualties among civilians and Hamas fighters. CNN cannot independently verify the ministry’s casualty figures due to the lack of international media access to Gaza.

Palestinian civilians described “hell on earth” in central Gaza during the Israeli operation, and CNN video showed people rushing bloodied children into packed emergency rooms after the attack.

An additional nine people were killed and 116 injured elsewhere in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said.

It marked the deadliest day in Gaza since December 10, when nearly 300 people were killed, according to Ministry of Health records.

US response: The United States administration, which aided with intelligence gathering for the operation, acknowledged Sunday that civilians died in the attack.

In response to Hamas’ claim that other hostages were killed during the mission — which it has not yet provided evidence for — Sullivan said, “We have not seen that verified or confirmed. I believe that the Israelis have said they do not have any information to that effect. But of course, that is always a risk.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at Sheba Hospital in Ramat Gan, Israel, on Saturday, June 8.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the Israeli military’s “heroic operation” to rescue four hostages being held in Gaza, vowing at Sunday’s cabinet meeting that the government will continue “to do everything we can” to recover all those being held in the enclave.

“Our heroic warriors charged as one man into the fire, they eliminated the terrorists and freed the hostages,” Netanyahu told cabinet members, saying he approved the “complex and dangerous operation” on Thursday evening.

Netanyahu did not acknowledge in his remarks the death toll in Gaza as a result of carrying out the operation.

The rescue has brought enormous relief to the families of the four rescued.

Meir thanked the Israeli military and government for rescuing the hostages, but she pointed out that dozens of captives are still in Gaza and urged the government to secure their release.

Hagai Levine of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said military raids alone would not secure all the hostage’s freedom.

A Palestinian inspects the debris to buildings following an operation by the Israeli Special Forces in the Nuseirat camp on June 8.

An Egyptian official has told CNN that Israel’s security operation in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Saturday will have a “negative effect” on negotiations to end the war in Gaza. 

Israel heavily bombarded central Gaza as it carried out the operation to rescue four hostages, killing more than 200 Palestinians and wounding many others, according to Gaza hospital officials.

CNN is not able to independently verify the media office’s numbers, and there is no clarity on the breakdown of civilian and militant casualties.

Egypt, along with Qatar, has been helping to coordinate negotiations between Israel and Hamas. 

Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a flurry of calls with key allies in the Middle East as part of an urgent campaign to push Hamas toward accepting the latest Israeli ceasefire and hostage proposal that would pause the fighting in Gaza.

Blinken is expected to travel to the Middle East this week, visiting Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Qatar to “discuss with partners the need to reach a ceasefire agreement that secures the release of all hostages,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller announced Friday.

Police block the road ahead of demonstrators calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel on June 8.

Thirty-three people were arrested on Saturday in anti-government protests in Tel Aviv, according to police, as demonstrators blocked roads demanding the release of all hostages held in Gaza and calling for a ceasefire deal.

Police said several hundred demonstrators on Kaplan Street, informally known as Democracy Square, violated the public order, blocking traffic, lighting fires and confronting police. 

Authorities arrested the 33 people who were blocking major roads and cleared the demonstrations, police said, adding that all roads have since reopened. 

Video of the protests on Saturday showed police deploying water cannons to clear the crowds, sparking concerns over police violence. 

In separate posts, opposition leader Yair Lapid and Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz expressed concern over reports of police violence and called for investigations into the allegations. 

Political turmoil: The Israeli government is under intense pressure to recover the more than 100 hostages still held in the Gaza Strip, with weekly protests calling for their release. 

Many are also demanding new elections, saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s current government must step down.

This comes as Netanyahu faces growing domestic political tension, including the possible resignation of Gantz, a key member of the country’s emergency wartime government.

After the rescue of four Israeli hostages from Gaza on Saturday, the Israeli prime minister called on Gantz not to leave the wartime emergency government, saying, “We must remain united within ourselves in the face of the great tasks before us.”

Andrey Kozlov was among the four hostages rescued from central Gaza on June 8.

Israel’s operation to rescue four hostages took weeks of preparation and involved hundreds of personnel, its military said. But the mission began with a trail of destruction in central Gaza and ended in carnage, according to local authorities.

Staff from Israel’s military, the domestic intelligence service, and a police special unit raided two buildings on Saturday, 200 meters (650 feet) apart, in the Nuseirat refugee camp, where intelligence reports said the hostages were being held.

They rescued four hostages – Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv – eight months after they were kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7. An Israeli policeman who was part of the special counter-terrorism unit was killed in the operation.

Israel heavily bombarded central Gaza as it carried out the operation, killing more than 200 Palestinians and wounding many others, according to Gaza hospital officials. CNN has no way of verifying casualty numbers reported by Palestinian officials in Gaza. Medical records in the war-torn enclave do not differentiate between civilians and militants killed.

The special operation was months in the making, and Israeli forces prepared by building models of the apartments the hostages were being held in to train in, Hagari said.

Previous attempts to launch such a raid had been called off at the last minute “more than three or four times,” due to unfavorable conditions.

Read the full story here.

Almog Meir Jan, one of four hostages rescued from the central Gaza Strip on Saturday, in Ramat Gan, Israel, on June 8.

The father of Almog Meir Jan, one of the four hostages rescued from Gaza on Saturday, died in his home that day before finding out that his son had been freed, according to Israel’s emergency services, the Magen David Adom (MDA).

Yossi Meir passed away just hours before his son’s return to Israel, the father’s sister told CNN affiliate Channel 11 (Kan News). 

Authorities found Meir unconscious when they went to notify him of his son’s rescue and he was later declared dead in his home by emergency services, MDA told CNN. 

Almog Meir Jan, along with Noa Argamani, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv, were freed from captivity at two separate locations in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza by an Israeli special military operation, with the help of US intelligence.

At least 236 people were killed in the operation and hundreds more were injured, according to hospital officials in the enclave.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on April 28.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has called for an emergency session of the UN Security Council to discuss what the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called “a gruesome massacre” by Israel as it rescued four hostages.

On Saturday, Israel heavily bombarded central Gaza as it carried out an operation to rescue four hostages from the refugee camp, killing more than 200 Palestinians and wounding hundreds more, according to Gaza hospital officials, who put the latest death toll figure at 236.

CNN has no way of verifying casualty numbers reported by Palestinian officials in Gaza. Medical records in the war-torn enclave do not differentiate between civilians and militants killed.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) received two reports Saturday of ships being struck off Yemen’s port city of Aden.

The first report came from a capital on a vessel of an incident 80 nautical miles southeast of Aden. 

An Antigua and Barbuda-flagged general cargo ship was heading southwest along the Gulf of Aden at a speed of 8.2 knots when the forward station was struck by a missile, according to British security firm Ambrey.

The capital said the strike by an “unknown projectile” led to a small fire which has been extinguished, according to the UKMTO. All crew are safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port call, the UKMTO said.

A second incident was reported late Saturday around 70 nautical miles southwest of Aden of a ship struck by an “unknown projectile,” which resulted in a fire, according to the UKMTO. 

The area has seen frequent attacks on shipping by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who are acting in solidarity with Palestinians over the war in Gaza.

From left, Noa Argamani, Shlomi Ziv, Almog Meir Jan and Andrey Kozlov.

The Israeli military rescued four hostages held in central Gaza on Saturday in a major daytime operation.

The strip’s government media office said at least 236 Palestinians were killed and more than 400 injured as Israel carried out the raid.

Here’s what we know.

A rare rescue: Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv were freed from captivity by the Israeli military, intelligence and special forces in two separate locations in the Nuseirat refugee camp, the Israel Defense Forces said Saturday. All four were kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7. This is only the third such successful operation since the war began.

Over 200 Palestinians dead:

Palestinians mourn their relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on June 8.

How the operation happened: Israeli forces prepared for weeks for Saturday’s special military raid. IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the hostages had been locked in rooms of apartments in multistory civilian buildings. The IDF opted for a daytime operation for the element of surprise, and similar raids had been called off at the last minute several times, he said. Hagari estimated the number of casualties from the operation to be “under 100.” The raid also resulted in the death of an Israeli police officer who served in a special counterterrorism unit, according to Israeli police. 

Families reunited, but still call for action: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with rescued hostages and their families at Sheba Hospital in the city of Ramat Gan. Argamani was transferred to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv so she can be treated there alongside her mother, who has late-stage brain cancer. Family members expressed joy at being reunited with their loved ones but also called for the Israeli government to bring back all the hostages still held in Gaza.

US response: An American cell in Israel supported the rescue efforts, working with Israeli forces on the operation, a US official told CNN — referencing a team that’s been in place supporting Israel since October 7 with information gathering about the hostages. US President Joe Biden said Saturday he welcomed news of the rescue, and the White House said it is “supporting all efforts” to get the remaining hostages released.