The UN Security Council adopted a resolution proposed by the United States for a permanent ceasefire and release of the hostages in Gaza. The motion was adopted with 14 votes in favor and one abstention by Russia. Hamas said it welcomed the resolution and is ready to engage with mediators in negotiations to implement the measures.
In Jerusalem, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and told the Israeli leader that the US and other world leaders would stand behind the ceasefire proposal, according to the US State Department.
More details emerged of the Israeli operation Saturday that rescued four hostages held by Hamas but left many Palestinians dead. Gaza’s health ministry said at least 274 people were killed in the operation, a number CNN cannot verify.
Israel "will not engage in meaningless" negotiations, top diplomat says following Security Council vote
From CNN's Mariya Knight in Atlanta
Israel's representative to the UN, senior diplomat Reut Shapir Ben-Naftaly, speaks at a United Nations Security Council meeting focused on ending the conflict on Monday, June 10.
UNTV
Israel’s representative to the United Nations said Monday that her country will continue its operation in Gaza and won’t engage in “meaningless and endless negotiations” that she said would be exploited by Hamas.
Reut Shapir Ben-Naftaly’s comments at a UN Security Council meeting focused on ending the conflict in Gaza followed a vote to adopt a resolution proposed by the United States for a permanent ceasefire and release of the hostages.
It was adopted with 14 votes in favor and one abstention, by Russia. Israel is not currently a member of the UNSC, and so did not vote.
Ben-Naftaly emphasized that Israel wants to “ensure that Gaza doesn’t pose a threat to Israel in the future” and the importance for Israel to meet its goals in Gaza, such as “bringing hostages back home” and “dismantling Hamas’ capabilities.” Once these goals are met, “the war will end,” she said.
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Here's how Israel conducted its operation to rescue 4 hostages while reportedly killing over 270 Palestinians
From CNN's Benjamin Brown, Allegra Goodwin and Gianluca Mezzofiore
People walk among debris, aftermath of Israeli strikes at the area, where Israeli hostages were rescued on Saturday, in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, on Sunday, June ..
Abed Khaled/Reuters
Two days after an Israeli military operation rescued four hostages being held by Hamas in Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza, killing more than 270 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, new details are emerging about what was one of the most dramatic and deadly events since the war started.
The daytime rescue operation, which took weeks of planning, caught militants holding hostages in two different buildings in a densely packed civilian area off guard. It appeared to have been carried out by Israeli forces using non-military vehicles, including a white Mercedes van, according to eyewitnesses, whose accounts tallied with videos analyzed by CNN. Eyewitnesses also said that they saw Israeli forces in disguise – dressed as Hamas fighters or civilians.
“They were dressed in military uniforms like resistance fighters, carrying helmets and wearing signs of the [Hamas] resistance, giving the impression to people that they were resistance fighters, but in reality, they were an Israeli special forces unit,” Khalil Al Tirawi, a local resident, told CNN.
The Israeli military denied using civilian vehicles, but declined to say whether the officers conducting the rescue were disguised as militants or dressed as Palestinian civilians. The Israeli military had previously used civilian clothing as a tactic in its operations.
The resolution is a “step in the right direction” and welcomed by “all Palestinians,” Mansour said.
The UN resolution says Israel has accepted the proposal.
Regarding the possibility of Hamas accepting or rejecting the deal, the Palestinian official said he “did not hear any Palestinian[say]anything but to welcome this resolution.”
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Catch up: Blinken is in Jerusalem for Israel-Hamas deal diplomacy after the release of 4 Israeli hostages
From CNN staff
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, on Monday, June 10.
Jack Guez/Reuters
Top US diplomat Antony Blinken arrived in Israel Monday — his eighth trip to the region since October 7 — to speak to key players and call on partners in the Middle East to “press Hamas to say yes” to a proposal outlining a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and release of hostages taken by Hamas. He met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and is expected to meet Benny Gantz, a former war cabinet minister who resigned over the weekend.
Update on freed hostages: Two of the four hostages freed on Saturday have now left the hospital, the Hostages Families Forum in Israel said, adding that Shlomi Ziv and Andrey Kozlov would be staying in a hotel for the next few nights. The Israeli police and the Israeli Security Agency have released video recorded on a helmet camera of the moment the three male hostages were rescued in Gaza on Saturday.
Update on Palestinian casualties: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders said in statement Monday it “treated hundreds of severely injured patients, many of whom were children” after the Israeli operation at the Nuseirat camp killed at least 270 Palestinians and left about 700 wounded, according to Gaza health authorities.
Aid operation were paused on US floating pier: The World Food Programme paused its operations at the US military’s floating temporary pier in Gaza pending the outcome of a comprehensive United Nations security assessment of aid worker safety, a spokesperson told CNN Monday. The pause went into effect after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) rescued four hostages and left hundreds of Palestinians dead. The Pentagon acknowledged there was some Israeli military activity near the staging area for the pier, but denied the pier was used in the operation.
Middle East tensions: An Israeli drone operating over southern Lebanon was shot down by a surface-to-air missile on Monday, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Lebanon’s Iran-backed Islamist group Hezbollah said it carried out the attack against the Israeli drone “in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.”
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"Fighting could stop today," US ambassador to the UN says while urging Hamas to accept ceasefire deal
From CNN's Mia Alberti in Beirut and Richard Roth
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks before a U.N. Security Council vote on a U.S.-drafted resolution backing a proposal outlined by US President Joe Biden for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas at U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday, June 10.
The American representative, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said Israel has agreed to the deal and “the fighting could stop today if Hamas would do the same. I repeat: the fighting could stop today.”
The Security Council adopted the US-drafted resolution with 14 votes in favor, zero against and one abstention by Russia.
The US ambassador outlined the framework of the deal that is divided into three phases and initially includes a ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners. Ultimately the deal would also implement a permanent end to hostilities and full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the effective distribution of aid as well as a major multiyear reconstruction in the strip.
Thomas-Greenfield said the US will guarantee Israel follows through with its obligations while Egypt and Qatar will do the same with Hamas. The ambassador also said the deal “rejects any geographical changes” in Gaza and reiterates the commitment to a two-state solution.
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"We did not have time to bury the dead" in Nuseirat on Saturday, MSF doctor says
From CNN's Tim Lister, Kareem Khadder and Vasco Cotovio
Palestinians inspect a house hit in an Israeli strike in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, on June 8, 2024.
Ramadan Abed/Reuters
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, “treated hundreds of severely injured patients, many of whom were children,” it said in a statement on Monday after an Israeli operation at the Nuseirat camp killed at least 270 Palestinians and left about 700 wounded, according to Gaza health authorities.
The doctor spoke of several friends and acquaintances who had been killed. “The list is too long … and I will never see any of them again.”
The international non-governmental organization said it worked along with medical staff at Al-Aqsa and Nasser hospitals in Gaza.
The MSF doctor, who has lived in the Nuseirat camp since 2013, described living through “three hours of real terror and fear.” He said had gone to Al-Awda clinic in Deir al-Balah where he saw “dozens and dozens of people lying on the ground. Some of them were dead, others injured.”
“There were sounds of missiles and explosions everywhere. We didn’t know what was happening. Everyone was screaming and running away in every direction. We could hear the sirens from the ambulances. It felt as if it was the end of the world,” the doctor added.
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1,000 truckloads of aid for Gaza stranded at Kerem Shalom crossing, Israel says
From CNN's Tim Lister and Tamar Michaelis
The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) shared this image on X saying, "Currently, the content of 1,000 trucks is waiting on the Gazan side of Kerem Shalom to be picked up by @UN aid agencies."
From COGAT
The Israeli agency responsible for approving humanitarian aid destined for Gaza says that, as of Monday, the equivalent of 1,000 truckloads of aid remain on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing.
The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said in a post on X that 197 aid trucks were transferred to Gaza on Monday.
That is 100 trucks more than on Sunday, according to COGAT.
United Nations agencies have frequently said that Israeli military operations in Gaza as well as the need to get approval for convoys inside the Strip have complicated their ability to distribute aid in much of Gaza.
COGAT says that since the beginning of the year, 88% of all coordination requests have been approved.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest report that while the delivery of some fuel supplies had helped reduce the level of accumulated wastewater in the Sheikh Radwan area, “the lack of a steady flow of fuel creates a continued risk of sewage overflow into neighbouring areas.”
As of June 2, daily water production in the Gaza Strip stood at around 95,000 cubic meters per day, representing only 26% of water produced before October 2023.
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Hamas welcomes UN Security Council resolution on Gaza and says it's ready to cooperate with mediators
Hamas said in a statement soon after the vote that it was ready to engage with mediators in indirect negotiations to implement the measures approved by the UN Security Council such as the “complete withdrawal [of Israeli forces] from the Gaza Strip, prisoner exchange, reconstruction, the return of the displaced to their areas of residence, rejection of any demographic change or reduction in the area of the Gaza Strip, and the introduction of the necessary aid to our people in the Strip.”
The Security Council resolution, put forward by the United States, was approved by 14 votes to none.
Detailed negotiations to implement its provisions are yet to yield agreement on the part of both Israel and Hamas.
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UN food agency pauses operations at temporary US pier in Gaza while security assessment is carried out
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler
A satellite image shows an overview of trident pier on the Gaza shoreline on May 18.
Maxar Technologies/Reuters
The World Food Programme paused its operations at the United States military’s floating temporary pier in Gaza pending the outcome of a comprehensive United Nations security assessment of aid worker safety, a spokesperson told CNN Monday.
The Pentagon acknowledged there was some Israeli military activity near the staging area for the pier, but denied the pier was used in the operation.
A United States Agency for International Development spokesperson confirmed that “WFP has temporarily paused humanitarian maritime corridor operations as the UN conducts a security assessment following security incidents in recent days that have constrained the ability of humanitarian actors to safely operate.”
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UN Security Council approves US proposal for permanent ceasefire in Gaza
From CNN's Mia Alberti
The UN Security Council meets at the UN headquarters on Monday.
Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images
The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution vote on the US proposal for a permanent ceasefire and release of the hostages in Gaza on Monday.
The resolution was adopted with 14 votes in favor, zero against, and one abstention by Russia.
Some background: The draft resolution, obtained by CNN on Monday, stated the Security Council: “Welcomes the new ceasefire proposal announced on May 31, which Israel accepted, calls upon Hamas to also accept it, and urges both parties to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition”
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Israeli police release video of the moment when 3 hostages were rescued in Gaza
From CNN's Tim Lister, Tamar Michaelis and Gianluca Mezzofiore
The Israeli police and the Israeli Security Agency have released video recorded on a helmet camera of the moment the three male hostages were rescued in Gaza on Saturday.
They described the video as being of the operation carried out by Yamam (Police National Counterterrorism Unit) and Shin Bet operatives “rescuing the hostages under heavy fire and eliminating Gaza terrorists.”
In a statement accompanying the video, which lasts some 45 seconds, they said that “Yamam and Shin Bet operatives worked simultaneously at two locations to rescue the four hostages, engaging in fierce combat with the terrorists.”
Part of the video is blurred. It shows Israeli security forces approaching a property through a garden and then entering amid heavy gunfire. CNN has geolocated the garden as at the same property where a Mercedes van purported to have been involved in the operation was located.
The video is edited and some audio is muted. It’s unclear whether it was all shot at one location. It shows the three male hostages rescued cowering in a room.
In the video, a voice says in Hebrew, “Here, they are here.”
“Name, name…,” says someone.
Two of the hostages identify themselves as Almog Meir Jan and Andrey Kozlov.
Based on the clothes they were wearing when rescued, the three hostages then appear to run through the garden of the property as gunfire continues.
Some background: On Saturday, the Israeli military rescued four hostages, three men and a woman, in a special operation in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza – Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv. All four were kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7.
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Blinken stresses to Netanyahu that the world will stand behind the ceasefire and hostage proposal
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood
Antony Blinken disembarks his aircraft as he arrives at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv on Monday
Jack Guez/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “the United States and other world leaders will stand behind” the proposal for a release of the hostages and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Blinken has repeatedly emphasized that Israel has agreed to the proposal on the table, despite comments from Netanyahu suggesting otherwise.
In their meeting, Blinken “underscored the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security, including through ensuring October 7 can never be repeated,” according to a State Department readout of the meeting in Jerusalem.
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Doctor treating rescued Israeli hostages says they were beaten while in captivity
From CNN's Paula Hancocks and Madalena Araujo in Tel Aviv
The doctor in charge of medical treatment for the four Israeli hostages rescued Saturday said they were beaten while in Hamas captivity in Gaza.
“It was a harsh, harsh, experience, with a lot of abuse, almost every day,” Dr. Itai Pessach told CNN’s Paula Hancocks at the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan outside Tel Aviv. “Every hour, both physical, mental, and other types, and that is something that is beyond comprehension.”
Pessach says the eight months spent in captivity “left a significant mark on their health” and despite appearing in good condition initially, they are all malnourished. “They had no protein, so their muscles are extremely wasted, there is damage to some other systems because of that.”
He says the hostages tell him they were moved several times, dealing with a number of different guards. The supply of food and water was unstable.
Dr. Pessach also treated some of the hostages released in a ceasefire deal back in November. He says the psychological damage of these four is more intense due to the length of time they were held.
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Israel's former Ambassador to the United Nations to replace Erdan after leaked transcript
From CNN's Richard Roth and AnneClaire Stapleton
Danny Danon, speaks to the press at the UN Headquarters in New York on November 20, 2019.
Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
Former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon is returning to his previous post at the UN to represent Israel, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office said in a statement Sunday.
Danon served as Israel’s envoy to the UN from 2015 to 2020.
When asked on Monday if Danon’s arrival means relations between the UN and Israel will change, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said, “Hope springs eternal.” He added that Danon and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have a businesslike relationship.
Danon will replace Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan, who last week leaked on social media a video of him speaking to an apparent UN official.
Dujarric condemned the leaked message, saying the UN had never seen such an act in 25 years of service. Secretary-General Antònio Guterres has not spoken with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since the start of the war, he said.
Israeli UN mission spokesperson John Lavine said Erdan was finishing up his duties as announced in early June and was not leaving because of the recorded phone call.
“These are all completely independent events,” he told CNN.
The post was updated with a response from Israel’s UN Mission.
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2 of the hostages freed Saturday have left hospital
From Tamar Michaelis
The Hostages Families Forum in Israel says that two of the four hostages freed on Saturday have now left hospital.
The Forum said Monday that Shlomi Ziv and Andrey Kozlov had been discharged and would be staying in a hotel for the next few nights.
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Israeli drone shot down in south Lebanon amid rising tensions
From CNN's Ben Wedeman in Beirut and Mohammed Tawfeeq in Atlanta
A video taken from southern Lebanon shows the Israeli drone falling from the sky on Monday.
Obtained by CNN
An Israeli drone operating over southern Lebanon was shot down by a surface-to-air missile on Monday, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The IDF confirmed that the aircraft was operating in Lebanese airspace at the time.
Lebanon’s Iran-backed Islamist group Hezbollah put out a statement about the incident, saying they carried out the attack against the Israeli drone “in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.”
The IDF later stated that two other drones had also crossed into northern Israel from Lebanon on Monday. They fell in the north of the Golan Heights region and caused fire in the area of Moshav Sha’al, which has now been extinguished, the IDF said.
Israel and Hezbollah have recently ramped up cross-border attacks after months of low-intensity fighting, prompting the Israeli military to warn last week that it is prepared to launch a large-scale attack along its northern border.
In an earlier statement on Monday, the IDF also outlined that “numerous anti-tank missile launches were identified” toward several areas in northern Israel. They also said IDF artillery was fired to “remove threats” in the areas of Salhani, Ayta ash Shab and Hanine in southern Lebanon.
This post has been updated.
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UNSC to vote on ceasefire proposal at 3 p.m. ET
From CNN's Richard Roth, Jennifer Hansler, AnneClaire Stapleton
The United Nations Security Council meets at the UN headquarters in New York Cit on April 2.
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
The United Nations Security Council is expected to hold a vote for the US proposal for a permanent ceasefire and release of the hostages in Gaza at 3pm ET on Monday, according to a US official.
The vote is expected to pass, the same official said.
CNN obtained the latest draft of the US proposal, which states that the Security Council: “Welcomes the new ceasefire proposal announced on May 31, which Israel accepted, calls upon Hamas to also accept it, and urges both parties to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition.”
The United States called for a UNSC resolution backing the proposal on Sunday, with the spokesperson for the US Mission to the United Nations, Nate Evans saying it is in “opportunity to speak with one voice and call on Hamas to do the same.”
US President Biden took the unusual step at the end of last month of publicly outlining what he said were the details of Israel’s latest ceasefire offer to Hamas.
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Blinken arrives in Israel amid diplomatic push
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken greets an Israeli official upon his arrival at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, on June 10.
Jack Guez/Reuters
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel as part of a diplomatic push to get Hamas to accept a ceasefire and hostage proposal that could lead to the end of the war.
The top US diplomat touched down in Tel Aviv on Monday following meetings earlier in the day in Cairo. He is slated to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday.
Blinken arrives in Israel at a tenuous time, following the resignation of Benny Gantz from the Israeli war cabinet on Sunday. Blinken is expected to meet with Gantz on Tuesday.
He also arrives two days after an Israeli raid that rescued four hostages and left hundreds of Palestinians dead.
This is Blinken’s eighth trip to the region since the October 7 Hamas attack.
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Blinken says "the best way" to get American hostages' home is through a ceasefire deal
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to members of the media after meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, at Cairo airport, Egypt, on June 10.
Amr Nabil/Reuters
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stressed that the best way to bring home American hostages held by Hamas is the ceasefire proposal currently on the table.
Speaking to reporters shortly before leaving Cairo, Blinken said the United States was focused on pressing Hamas for a hostage deal, when he was asked about an NBC report that the administration was considering negotiating for American hostages unilaterally.
Blinken noted that despite public rhetoric suggesting otherwise, the Israeli government had not only agreed to the proposal but they “were critical in putting it forward.”
“Let’s see if we get an answer from Hamas,” Blinken added. He said the proposal on the table is similar to what Hamas has agreed to in the past.
US officials have downplayed the idea that they would pursue a hostage release separate from Israel, telling CNN this is not something they plan to pursue at this time.
“We just don’t have any cards to play on this right now,” one of the officials said. As CNN has reported, the families of the hostages have pushed the idea for months with the administration and have brought it up as recently as in the past few weeks.
CNN’s MJ Lee and Kylie Atwood contributed to this report.
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Blinken warns Israeli postwar plan for Gaza is "imperative"
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that an Israeli postwar plan for Gaza is “imperative,” as he continues his Middle East trip pushing for a permanent ceasefire in the strip and the release of hostages taken by Hamas.
The senior diplomat reiterated that his discussions with Israeli and Arab leaders will also prioritize plans for as soon as the war ends in Gaza, where Israel’s military offensive has heavily damaged infrastructure and razed neighborhoods.
“It’s critical that we continue to work on plans for the day after, to make sure that when it comes to security in Gaza, when it comes to governance, when it comes to reconstruction, we have plans in place to move forward. That’s going to be a critical part of my conversations here in the region,” Blinken said.
Asked by CNN’s Kylie Atwood if he is concerned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not have a plan to end the hostilities, Blinken responded:
“In the absence of those plans, then one of three things – either Israel would have to stay, which says it doesn’t want to do and we believe that it must not do, and will be left holding the bag in Gaza and will probably have a major insurgency on its hands for years to come. Or in the absence of a plan, it leaves a loss and Hamas returns. Or we have a total vacuum and you just have chaos, lawlessness, criminality, Jihadist groups, etc. So it’s imperative that there be a plan.”
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Blinken asks leaders in the Middle East to "press Hamas to say yes" to ceasefire and hostage proposal
From Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center, speaks to reporters after his meeting with the Egyptian president, at Cairo airport, Egypt, on June 10.
Amr Nabil/AFP/Getty Images
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on partners in the Middle East to “press Hamas to say yes” to a proposal outlining a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and release of hostages taken by Hamas.
The senior diplomat, on his eighth trip to the region since October 7, is speaking to key players in negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
Speaking before departing Cairo on his way to Tel Aviv, Blinken said his Egyptian counterparts “were in communication with Hamas as recently as a few hours ago.” He would not give details on when Hamas, which governs Gaza, might officially respond to the ceasefire proposal, which was transmitted to them more than a week ago.
The Israeli government and international organizations had endorsed the deal, he said, adding that “the only outlier at this moment is Hamas.”
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Mother of rescued hostage wants both Israel and Hamas to accept ceasefire deal
From CNN's Antoinette Radford
The mother of a hostage rescued from Nuseirat in central Gaza on Saturday has called on the Israeli government to accept a ceasefire deal and save the other hostages remaining in the enclave.
Orit Meir, whose son Almog Meir Jan was rescued at the weekend, said her birthday wish was fulfilled when he was returned home. Meir said she wanted the same for the other 120 hostage families.
“We are so grateful to the IDF for the brave rescue that brought Almog home to us. But the remaining hostages need a deal to get home safely,” she told reporters on Monday.
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Mother of hostage says her birthday "wish came true" when her son was returned
From CNN's Antoinette Radford and Stephanie Halasz
Almog Meir Jan, a rescued hostage embraces his mother, Orit Meir in Ramat Gan, Israel, in this handout image dated June 8.
Israeli Army/Reuters
Orit Meir, the mother of Almog Meir Jan, a hostage rescued from Nuseirat on Saturday, has told reporters that her “wish came true” when her son was returned home at the weekend.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Meir took the opportunity to call for the release of other hostages currently held in Gaza.
“My birthday wish is for all the hostages families to feel this way. I’m one of the lucky ones. There are 120 families who are waiting without being able to breathe or sleep without thinking about their loved ones in Gaza,” she said.
“We are so grateful to the IDF for the brave rescue that brought Almog home to us. But the remaining hostages need a deal to get home safely.”
Meir said she was in the pool when she got a call from the police notifying her that her son had been rescued.
“I got the phone call from the officer… I did not understand in the beginning.”
“She said, ‘come to the hospital.’ So that’s what I did. I screamed, I was so happy,” Meir told reporters.
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Here's a brief summary of the news from Gaza this weekend
From CNN Staff
If you’re just joining our coverage, here’s what to know about Israel’s war in Gaza from the weekend.
On Saturday, Israel launched a surprise operation in Nuseirat to rescue four hostages. It retrieved the hostages safely, but 274 Palestinians were killed in the process, according to local authorities — making it the deadliest day of Israel’s war in Gaza in six months.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has disputed those numbers, saying it estimated the number of casualties from the operation was “under 100.” CNN cannot independently verify the figures.
Witnesses described Nuseirat as “hell on Earth” and the operation received international condemnation for the high civilian death toll. A resident of the Nuseirat refugee camp told CNN on Sunday that he saw members of the Israeli military disguised as Hamas fighters and Palestinian civilians during the operation.
Here’s what else to know:
Gantz resigns: Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz resigned on Sunday, criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy in Gaza. The resignation did not come as a surprise, as Gantz gave Netanyahu an ultimatum calling on him to lay out a new plan for the war against Hamas by June 8 a month ago.
Palestinian leader demands UN meeting: Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas called for an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council to discuss what the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called “a gruesome massacre” by Israel as it rescued the four hostages.
Regional condemnation: Leaders from Egypt, Lebanon, Iran and Kuwait have condemned Israel’s strikes on Nuseirat. The leaders of the four countries described them as a breach of international and humanitarian law, and called for Israel to be held accountable.
Dozens arrested in Tel Aviv: 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.
And here’s the latest:
US air drop: The US military resumed airdrops of aid into Gaza on Sunday after they were suspended due to Israeli operations in the northern area. It comes as aid for Gaza through the US-built pier has been “paused” over safety concerns, the director of the UN’s World Food Programme said.
Blinken and Gantz: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to meet with Israel’s Gantz on Tuesday following his resignation, according to a senior State Department official. Blinken will also meet Netanyahu and defense minister Yoav Gallant.
Israeli military leader resigns: The head of the Israeli military’s Gaza Division resigned from his position and the military on Sunday, saying he “failed” to protect the border area around Gaza and that it led to the October 7 attack by Hamas.
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Blinken set to meet with Gantz following Israeli war cabinet resignation
From CNN's Kylie Atwood
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, arrives at Cairo airport, Egypt, on June 10.
Amr Nabil/AP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to meet with Israel’s Benny Gantz on Tuesday, according to a senior State Department official.
Gantz, a former Israeli defense minister and key war cabinet member, resigned from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government at the weekend after reaching his self-imposed deadline to leave if Netanyahu did not lay out a new plan for the war in Gaza.
Blinken will first meet with Netanyahu and defense minister Yoav Gallant on Monday evening, according to the official.
Blinken is on a multi-country visit to the Middle East, including stops in Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Qatar as part of US efforts to push for a ceasefire agreement.
Gantz is viewed as Netanyahu’s primary political rival. His resignation could risk further isolation for Israel on the world stage.
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Rescued hostage reunited with terminally ill mother
From CNN’s Lauren Izso
Noa Argamani, a rescued hostage embraces her father, Yaakov Argamani, in Ramat Gan, Israel, in this handout image dated June 8.
Israeli Army/Reuters
Noa Argamani, one of the four Israeli hostages freed during Israel’s Nuseirat operation on Saturday, has been reunited with her terminally ill mother.
Liora, who has stage 4 brain cancer, said in December that she wanted to see her daughter before she died.
However, Argamani’s father, Yaakov, said the reunion was “difficult.”
“This was not how I imagined the meeting would go,” Yaakov said, sobbing while speaking to Galatz radio on Sunday.
Yaakov said that, due to the stage of the illness, Liora was barely able to look at Noa. He said his wife understood what was happening but could not express her feelings to Noa.
Asked how Noa reacted, her father said, “The truth is that we prepared Noa, myself, and the family members for this meeting, understanding it would be different from all the meetings before the kidnapping.”
Despite the difficult reunion, her father said he was still grateful they met, fulfilling her mother’s wish.
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US resumes airdrop of aid into Gaza
From CNN's Colin McCullough
The US military resumed airdrops of aid into Gaza on Sunday after they were suspended due to Israeli operations in the northern area.
A US cargo plane dropped “more than 10 metric tons” of meals, “providing life-saving humanitarian assistance in Northern Gaza,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
On Friday, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, deputy commander of US Central Command, told reporters by phone that the airdrops were suspended ‘“due to kinetic operations happening in the north.”
Cooper said the US sees airdrops, as well as the US-built pier off Gaza, as a “temporary solution.”
The airdrop on Sunday happened one day after maritime aid deliveries to Gaza resumed after the US-built pier was repaired following damage in heavy seas, pausing operations for nearly two weeks.
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Gaza resident says he saw Israeli special forces disguised as Hamas fighters in rescue operation
From Mohammad Al Sawalhi in Gaza and Ben Brown in Jerusalem
People walk among debris in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in the area where Israeli hostages were rescued in Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza, on June 9.
Abed Khaled/Reuters
A resident of the Nuseirat refugee camp told CNN on Sunday that he saw members of the Israeli military disguised as Hamas fighters and Palestinian civilians during their security operation to rescue four hostages a day earlier.
CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Speaking to reporters following the operation, IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari declined to say whether the officers were disguised as Palestinian civilians. The Israeli military has previously used disguise as a tactic in its operations. When asked whether Israeli forces in civilian attire had participated, Hagari said: “We are using techniques and ways, details of which I will not give to the enemy.”
Tirawi said he saw the Israeli military arrive by car, “dressed in local military and civilian uniforms,” after which an exchange of gunfire began, and he saw missiles “raining down from all directions.”
Tirawi said his house was struck by missiles, along with five other homes, including his two neighbors’ and brother’s houses.
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Analysis: What the departure of Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz means
From CNN's Elliott Gotkine
Israeli Minister Benny Gantz addresses the media in Ramat Gan, Israel, on June 9.
Nir Elias/Reuters
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 (Bibi) 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 the governance of a 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 televised statement on Sunday evening in Israel.
“Netanyahu prevents us from moving forward to a real victory [in Gaza]. That is why we are leaving the emergency government today with a heavy heart, but with a whole heart.”
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.
Israeli military releases video showing rescue of hostages from Gaza
From CNN's Alex Stambaugh
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released video footage on Sunday showing what it said was from the security operation to rescue four hostages from Gaza.
In a caption alongside the video, the IDF said, “The Paratrooper Reconnaissance Unit Combat Team led the rescue of the hostages and the Yamam and ISA forces from the vehicles while under fire, while continuing to eliminate terrorists,” referring to Israel’s National Counterterrorism forces (Yamam) and the Israel Security Agency.
Some of the video it said was from a helmet-camera from a member of the “Shayetet 13” Special Forces Unit of the Israeli Navy “from the moments of the rescue of the hostages to vehicles under fire.”
The video, which is edited and has some blurring, appeared to then show Israeli forces escorting rescued hostages Shlomi Ziv, Almog Meir Jan and Andrey Kozlov near a beach towards military helicopters.
CNN cannot independently confirm the location or date the footage was filmed.
IDF Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a briefing on Saturday that the hostages had been locked in two separate apartments in civilian multi-story buildings about 200 meters (650 feet) apart, with Argamani held in a different building to the three men.
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Head of Israeli military's Gaza Division resigns saying he "failed" to protect border area around Gaza
From CNN staff
Israeli soldiers remove the bodies of civilians, who were killed days earlier in an attack by Palestinian militants in Kfar Aza, Israel, on October 10.
Amir Levy/Getty Images
The head of the Israeli military’s Gaza Division resigned from his position and the military on Sunday, saying he “failed” to protect the border area around Gaza and that it led to the October 7 attack by Hamas.
Rosenfeld said that for many hours the military was unable to protect the towns, thousands of residents, and people at the Nova music festival.
He said he will stay until his replacement takes office and will partake in investigations to prevent another attack from occurring.
Some context: Israeli authorities and military officials were intensely questioned over why its border apparatus along Gaza failed, enabling Hamas fighters to breach into towns and kibbutzim.
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World Food Programme pauses delivery of Gaza aid through US-built pier
From CNN's Alex Stambaugh
Aid for Gaza through the US-built pier has been “paused” over safety concerns amid the latest Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, said the director of the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP).
She said two of the WFP’s warehouses had come under rocket fire on Saturday and one person was injured. She did not say when its operations using the US-pier might resume.
The US military’s temporary pier off the coast of Gaza was repaired and reattached to the beach on Friday morning, after breaking apart and sustaining damage in heavy seas, pausing operations for nearly two weeks.
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Saturday marked Gaza's deadliest day in 6 months, Palestinian health ministry says
From Ibrahim Dahman, Abeer Salman and CNN's Sam Simpson
Mourners react during the funeral of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza, on June 8.
Doaa Rouqa/Reuters
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.
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.
“Innocent people were tragically killed in this operation,” US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” Sunday, adding that it is “heartbreaking” and the “exact number we don’t know.”
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.”
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US national security adviser calls for ceasefire deal after Israeli hostage rescue mission
“The best way to get all of the hostages home and to protect Palestinian civilians is to end this war. And the best way to end this war is for Hamas to say ‘yes’ to the deal President Biden announced and that Israel has accepted, which lays out a roadmap to an enduring ceasefire and the return of all hostages,” Sullivan told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”
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.
“The president himself has said in recent days that the Palestinian people are going through sheer hell in this conflict because Hamas is operating in a way that puts them in the crossfire, that holds hostages right in the heart of crowded civilian areas,” he added.
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.
