June 13, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

Our live coverage for the day has ended. Follow the latest Israel-Hamas war news or read through the updates below.

The fate of the 120 remaining hostages in Gaza is crucial to any deal to end the protracted and bloody conflict between Israel and Hamas.

But a senior Hamas official has told CNN that “no one has an idea” how many of them are alive, and that any deal to release them must include guarantees of a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

In an interview with CNN, Hamas spokesperson and political bureau member Osama Hamdan offered an insight into the militant group’s position on the stalled ceasefire talks, a view on whether Hamas regrets its decision to attack Israel given the mounting Palestinian death toll, and a commentary on the leak earlier this week of messages from its chief in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, the man believed to be the ultimate decision-maker on any peace deal.

Speaking to CNN in the Lebanese capital Beirut, Hamdan said the latest proposal – an Israeli plan that was first publicly announced by US President Joe Biden late last month – did not meet the group’s demands for an end to the war.

Hamdan told CNN that Hamas needed “a clear position from Israel to accept the ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from Gaza, and let the Palestinians to determine their future by themselves, the reconstruction, the (lifting) of the siege … and we are ready to talk about a fair deal about the prisoners exchange.”

Negotiations over the US-backed proposal have intensified recently but appeared to grind to a halt Wednesday after Hamas presented its response to the document, 12 days after first receiving it.

Read more.

The US rejected Houthi claims that allege detained local US mission staff in Yemen are part of an “American-Israeli spy network.”

In October 2021, the Houthis detained a number of Yemeni locally employed staff who worked at the US Embassy in Sana’a, many of whom remain detained nearly three years later. The US Embassy in Sana’a suspended operations in 2015. 

This past month, Yemen’s Houthi rebels detained additional United Nations personnel and others, accusing them of espionage, according to US, UN and Houthi officials. 

The Houthi-controlled Intelligence and Security Service alleges the detained US mission staff worked in Yemen for decades as part of a spy network, recruited by the CIA, “to target Yemen internally in military, economic, social, agricultural, religious, educational, and other fields,” according to a report from the Houthi-run news network Al-Masirah.

Videos of alleged confessions by these personnel were uploaded to Al-Masirah TV. CNN cannot verify these videos and if any of them spoke under duress. 

Miller condemned the videos, calling them “efforts to spread disinformation regarding the role of detained current and former US mission local staff through televised forced and fake ‘confessions.’” 

At least one woman died after a strike from a “hostile war plane” in southern Lebanon targeted a house, according to a representative at the Jabal Amal hospital in Tyre and Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).

The strike took place about 12 miles north of Lebanon’s border with Israel. The woman was part of a group of at least 10 people who were injured, but later succumbed to her injuries.

Ambulances transported the wounded civilians to hospitals in Tyre, NNA reported Thursday. There is heavy air presence of “enemy” aircraft, NNA said.

The exchanges between Israeli forces and Hezbollah have intensified since Tuesday night when Israel struck a building in Jwaya in south Lebanon that killed four Hezbollah militants, including Talib Abdalla, a senior field commander.

Wednesday and Thursday saw some of the most strikes and counterstrikes since hostilities began between Hezbollah and Lebanon on October 8, the day after the war began in Gaza.

CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment.

Iran-backed Houthi militants launched two anti-ship cruise missiles into the Gulf of Aden on Thursday and hit a cargo ship, severely injuring a mariner on board who was then medically evacuated by aircraft from a nearby US warship, according to US Central Command.  

The cargo vessel, the M/V Verbena, is a Palauan-flagged, Ukrainian-owned, Polish-operated bulk cargo carrier, according to the CENTCOM statement, and it reported damage and fires on board that the crew is continuing to fight to put out. 

The Houthis have launched dozens of missiles and drones at ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since October, including one attack in March that killed three crew members on the M/V True Confidence, a Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier.

The US and UK have carried out several rounds of strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, including as recently as last week, to try to degrade their weapons supplies. But the Houthis have shown no signs of halting their attacks, which they say are in solidarity with Palestinians killed in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war. 

Joe Biden speaks during a press conference with Volodymyr Zelensky at the Masseria San Domenico in Savelletri, Italy on June 13.

President Joe Biden said that the success of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is being hindered by Hamas’ refusal to sign onto the potential deal.

“The bottom line is that we’ve made an agreement, I’ve laid out an approach that has been endorsed by the UN Security Council, by the G7, by the Israelis,” Biden said at a press conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the G7 summit in Italy.

“And the biggest hang up so far is Hamas refusing to sign on, even though they have submitted something similar. Whether or not it comes fruition remains to be seen. We’re going to continue to push,” he added.

The US military is considering temporarily dismantling the humanitarian pier off the coast of Gaza and moving it back to Israel on Friday amid concerns that heavy seas could once again break it just days after it resumed aid delivery operations, multiple US officials said.

It would be the second time in a matter of weeks that the fragile pier and causeway system, known as Joint Logistics over the Shore or JLOTS, has had to be moved back to the Israeli port of Ashdod. 

A final decision is not expected to be made until Friday, officials said. 

Earlier this month, the pier broke apart and sustained damage in heavy seas and had to be towed to Ashdod for repairs that took over a week. It was moved back to Gaza last week and resumed operations on Saturday, but had to pause again due to heavy seas on Monday and Tuesday. 

To date, the pier has been used to move thousands of tons of aid into Gaza, officials have said. But its ability to operate effectively is heavily dependent on favorable sea conditions and officials said on Thursday that forecasts indicate that the waters will be rough on Friday and into the weekend.

Officials have told CNN that sea conditions in the eastern Mediterranean will only worsen as fall and winter approach, raising questions about the pier’s realistic lifespan. 

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme’s aid distribution operations at the pier have been suspended for days and aid has been piling up in the staging area on the beach in Gaza, officials said this week.

Israeli soldiers on the border with Lebanon have used a catapult rarely used by military forces since the 16th century.

The trebuchet, a rotating arm with a sling attached to launch a projectile, was used to launch a fireball from Israel toward Lebanese territory.

Kan added that the trebuchet was likely used to burn shrubbery to make it easier for Israeli forces to identify militants attempting to reach the border. The IDF did not comment on these claims. CNN has independently reached out to the IDF for comment.

Footage of the catapult in action was first posted on social media Wednesday. CNN could not verify when the footage was filmed but geolocated it to the Israeli-Lebanese border.

While there have been reports of catapults being used by Ukrainian protestors in 2014 and Syrian rebels in 2013, they began to lose military relevance “after the emergence of modern gunpowder artillery in the 15th century,” according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.

An Israeli court has upheld an order to extend the ban on Al Jazeera broadcasts within Israel for an additional 45 days. The Israeli government requested the extension, and the Israeli High Court approved it on Thursday. 

According to the Tel Aviv District Court, the decision follows “a thorough review of both written and oral arguments presented by the involved parties.”

CNN has contacted the Al-Jazeera Network for comment. 

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), Israel’s oldest and largest human rights organization, said the court’s decision to approve the orders against Al Jazeera “violates freedom of expression and freedom of the press,” and the group is considering an appeal to the Supreme Court.

Some background: In early May, the Israeli cabinet forced the Arabic news channel to close its operations in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the time: “Al Jazeera reporters harmed Israel’s security and incited IDF soldiers. It is time to expel the mouthpiece of Hamas from our country.”

Israeli Minister Benny Gantz speaks in Ramat Gan, Israel, on June 9.

Benny Gantz, who quit Israel’s war cabinet last week, said that Israel knows how many hostages in Gaza are still alive. 

“We know [a] very close number,” he said when asked about whether Israel knows.

In his first interview since resigning, Gantz also said the government knew the fate of the Bibas family, who were among those taken hostage on October 7. He said the public would find out “in due time.”

Remember: The Israeli military released a video purporting to show the family alive inside Gaza on October 7. Hamas said they had been killed in an Israeli air strike in November.

Gantz also spoke about being on the war cabinet.

As for the future governance of Gaza, Gantz said it “cannot be Hamas and it cannot be Israel.” He added that Israel will continue its military hold on some territories in Gaza “but it will not govern Gaza.”

People walk among debris after Israeli strikes in Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza, on June 9.

US President Joe Biden said Thursday he is not confident that a ceasefire deal will be reached in Gaza soon, but added that he hasn’t lost hope. This comes as the US-backed Israeli proposal appeared to be in limbo Thursday, with neither side yet publicly committing to the plan. 

Here’s what you need to know about the ongoing negotiations and other developments in Israel’s war in Gaza:

US President Joe Biden speaks in Savelletri, Italy, on June 13.

US President Joe Biden says he is not confident a ceasefire deal will be reached in Gaza soon. 

“No,” Biden said when asked if he was confident in a deal soon, which he said he discussed with world leaders at the G7 summit in Italy.

More on the ceasefire proposal: The US-backed Israeli proposal for a ceasefire and hostage deal appeared to be in limbo Thursday, with neither side yet publicly committing to the plan. 

Hamas has said it has shown “necessary positivity” after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken questioned whether the militant group was proceeding in good faith.

Biden on Thursday called on Hamas to step up, saying, “Hamas has to move.”

Amid continuing differences on the implementation of a deal to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza, CNN analyst Barak Ravid reports that the Israeli government has decided not to send a delegation for further talks.

Citing a senior Israeli official, Ravid posted on X: “The U.S., Qatar and Egypt are putting heavy pressure on Hamas so that it agrees to the proposal presented by President Biden without changes. In its response, Hamas presented demands for dozens of changes in the Israeli proposal.”

CNN reached out to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office for confirmation but an official said they had no information to share.

Israeli delegations have previously attended ceasefire talks in both Cairo and Doha, Qatar. An Egyptian official told CNN that as of 7 p.m. local time Thursday the negotiations were stuck because of the gaps between the Israeli and Hamas’ positions. The source spoke on condition of anonymity as he is not authorized to speak to the press.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Hamas had proposed a number of changes “which go beyond positions they had previously taken” and questioned whether the group is negotiating “in good faith.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday visited the base of the unit that carried out the rescue of four hostages in Gaza at the weekend.

Netanyahu visited the base of the National Anti-Terrorist Unit – the Yamam — accompanied by the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir. He told personnel at the base that the “same bravery, the same determination, the same devotion to the mission will allow us to overcome our enemy both in the south and in the north and return residents safely to their homes.”

While there, he spoke about his decision to proceed with the mission. 

“I think about the whole chain, but in the end I come to you. I look at you (commander of the Yamam) and I see if you are ready — or not ready. If you have doubt, if you have hesitation. If there had been even a hint of hesitation, this operation would not have been carried out.”

Gvir said that the Yamam fighters had “sent a clear message to our enemies that we can rescue our abductees anywhere, anytime.” Both paid tribute to Arnon Zmora, the commander of the operation fatally wounded in a firefight.  

Palestinian health authorities said that at least 270 civilians were killed by the Israeli military in an operation to extricate the hostages and their rescuers in Nuseirat Saturday. The Israel Defense Forces has contended that the death toll was far fewer. 

A man carries a cooking gas cylinder on his shoulder as he walks with other displaced people fleeing from the eastern parts of Deir el-Balah towards central Gaza on June 8.

Almost a million people — half of Gaza’s population — have been displaced in the past month following Israel’s expanded military operations in Rafah, the Norwegian Refugee Council outlined in a report on Thursday.

The report stated that it is becoming increasingly difficult for displaced people in Gaza to relocate, facing issues such as clogged streets, overcrowding, fuel shortages, and a sixfold surge in transport costs. It also warned of a rise in Hepatitis A cases, with the accumulation of solid waste becoming a “critical problem.”

The NRC’s head of operations in Gaza who recently left Gaza, Suze van Meegen said the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is becoming “dangerously normalised.”

The aid official said the capacity for humanitarian organizations to deliver “even the paltriest assistance is now completely diminished.” 

Israeli firefighters work following rocket attacks from Lebanon near the border on its Israeli side, on June 13.

The Israeli military said forty rockets were fired at northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights on Thursday, causing at least ten fires that teams are working to extinguish.

The rockets were fired from northern Lebanon, with Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah claiming responsibility for their launch. The group said it targeted six Israeli military barracks using Katyusha and Falaq rockets and used three drones to target bases. Hezbollah claimed it struck the bases with the drones.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it could not confirm whether military bases had been struck, but said “numerous launches” had been successfully intercepted and a number of rockets impacted. Two people are being treated for mild injuries caused by shrapnel, Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service said.

Hezbollah’s massive rocket barrage: Thursday’s launches came after more than 200 rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel Wednesday, according to the IDF. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for some of the rocket launches on Wednesday, saying they were in response to an assassination carried out by the IDF in southern Lebanon. The group on Tuesday confirmed the death of Talib Sami Abdullah, known as Abu Talib, and three other fighters. According to Lebanese and Israeli media, Talib was a prominent leader in the group.

The IDF on Wednesday said it had killed the Hezbollah member in an airstrike on Tuesday. In a statement, the IDF describes Talib Sami Abdullah as “one of Hezbollah’s most senior commanders in southern Lebanon”, who they say was responsible for multiple attacks against Israeli civilians over several years. 

Andrey Kozlov disembarks from a helicopter after his rescue from Hamas captivity, in Ramat Gan, Israel, on June 8.

The family of one of the hostages rescued in an Israeli operation over the weekend has said that he experienced psychological abuse over the hands of his Hamas captors during the eight months that he was held in Gaza.

Andrey Kozlov, 27, was rescued alongside Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan and Shlomi Ziv during a raid on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Saturday. The operation was only the third Israeli rescue of hostages held in Gaza and has been celebrated in Israel. But it left a trail of devastation, with authorities in Gaza saying at least 274 Palestinians were killed in the raid and the ensuing firefight with Hamas militants.

Kozlov and the others were held in two civilian buildings in the densely packed territory. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said that the raid was carried out in the two buildings simultaneously for fear the captors would kill some of the hostages if they knew an operation was unfolding.

A Russian citizen, Kozlov moved to Israel almost two years ago. He was working as a security guard at the Nova music festival on October 7 when he was kidnapped and taken into Gaza.

In an interview with CNN, Kozlov’s family revealed some details of their son’s ordeal, including that he initially believed the Israeli forces who saved him had been sent to kill him.

Read the full story here

Palestinians who take refuge and live in tents due to ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza, also face the risk of epidemics due to uncollected garbage and accumulated sewage water in Rafah, Gaza on April 26.

More than 330,000 tons of waste have accumulated in or near populated areas across Gaza as of Sunday, the United Nations’ relief agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Thursday.

The UN agency also reiterated its call for a ceasefire, saying it is “crucial to restore humane living conditions” in the Palestinian enclave.

Some context: UNRWA’s statement comes a day after the UN’s relief chief warned that more than a million Palestinians could face starvation by next month due to the war in Gaza and as a ceasefire proposal stutters, with nether Israel or Hamas yet publicly committing to the plan.

Palestinians inspect destroyed tents after an Israeli air strike in the Al-Mawasi area in Rafah, Gaza, on May 27.

New details are emerging about the conditions some Israeli hostages have been held in, after four were freed by the military in a raid over the weekend.

The family of Andrey Kozlov, a Russian-Israeli hostage, told CNN he experienced psychological abuse at the hands of his Hamas captors during the eight months he was held in Gaza before he was freed this weekend. Meanwhile, a group representing families of hostages urged Israeli mediators taking part in the new ceasefire proposal “to intensively continue negotiations” to bring them home safely.

Here’s what else you should know:

Displaced Palestinians travel on a cart in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on May 7.

The devastating war in Gaza contributed to an 8% rise in forcibly displaced people across the world last year, the United Nations’ refugee agency says in a new report.

Around 117.3 million people globally were forcibly displaced in 2023 due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and events causing serious public order — up by 8.8 million from 2022, according to the UNHCR’s Global Trends report published Thursday.

Some 68.3 million of those displaced are internally displaced, while 6.9 million people are classified as asylum seekers, UNHCR said.

Conflicts in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine and violence in Haiti are some of the factors behind the rise in the numbers, the report added.

Some context: As of January, 1.9 million civilians — or 85% of Gaza’s population — had been forcibly displaced amid Israel’s military operations, according to the UN’s emergency relief coordinator.