March 22: As Israeli team heads to Doha, official says ‘no real progress’ in hostage talks

Moscow governor says fire at concert hall ‘mostly eliminated’ after deadly attack

A firefighting helicopter drops water on the burning Crocus City Hall concert hall following the shooting incident in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, on March 22, 2024. (Olga Maltseva/AFP)

MOSCOW — A fire at a Moscow concert hall following a gun attack that killed more than 60 people has been “mostly eliminated,” the Russian capital’s governor says.

“There are still some pockets of fire, but the fire has been mostly eliminated. Rescuers were able to enter the auditorium,” Moscow Governor Andrey Vorobyov says on Telegram.

Russian investigators say over 60 killed in Moscow attack

Russia’s Investigative Committee says that more than 60 people have been killed in an attack on a concert near Moscow.

Houthis rail at ‘reckless’ US-British strikes in Yemen

The Houthi’s supreme revolutionary committee says there are “reckless” American-British attacks on Yemen.

US official says fighter jets struck underground Houthi storage sites in Yemen

US fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier struck three underground storage facilities in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen late Friday, according to a US official. The official, who speaks on condition of anonymity to discuss a military operation not yet made public, says the ship is in the Red Sea.

Strikes and explosions were seen and heard in the capital Sanaa, according to witnesses and videos, some circulating on social media. Footage shows explosions and smoke rising over the city.

There is no official confirmation of the injured or the origin of the explosions. Yemeni TV station Al-Masirah, which is linked to the Houthis, reports strikes hitting the city.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels, which are allied with Iran and control much of the country’s north and west, have launched a campaign of drone and missile attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, which the rebels describe as an effort to pressure Israel to end its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Houthis have kept up their campaign of attacks despite two months of US-led airstrikes.

UN Security Council denounces ‘heinous and cowardly terrorist attack’ at Moscow concert hall

The United Nations Security Council condemns what it calls the “heinous and cowardly terrorist attack” at a concert hall in Moscow that killed at least 40 people and wounded 145.

US has intel confirming Islamic State responsibility for Moscow attack — official

A Russian Rosguardia (National Guard) servicemen secures an area as a massive blaze seen over the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, March 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

The United States has intelligence confirming Islamic State’s claim of responsibility for a deadly shooting at a concert near Moscow, a US official says.

The official says the United States had warned Russia in recent weeks about the possibility of an attack.

“We did warn the Russians appropriately,” says the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, without providing any additional details.

FM Katz: ‘Saddened by tonight’s tragic events in Moscow’

Foreign Minister Israel Katz tours the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem, February 19, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Foreign Minister Israel Katz issues a statement in the wake of the deadly terror attack in Moscow in which at least 40 people were killed and over 100 wounded.

“Saddened by tonight’s tragic events in Moscow. Our hearts go out to the families of the victims and to all those affected,” Katz tweets. “Such moments remind us of the fragility of life and the shared humanity that binds us all.”

Islamic State claims responsibility for Moscow concert hall attack in which at least 40 were killed

A massive blaze is seen over the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, March 22, 2024. (Sergei Vedyashkin/Moscow News Agency via AP)

The Islamic State terror group claims responsibility for a deadly gun attack on a Moscow concert hall, which Russian authorities said killed at least 40 people.

IS fighters “attacked a large gathering… on the outskirts of the Russian capital Moscow,” the group says in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.

Children were among those killed, Russian media outlet Fontanka reports, citing Nina Ostanina, a lawmaker in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament.

IDF says 2 suspects, one armed with assault rifle, detained near West Bank settlement Fatsa’el

The IDF says two suspects, one of whom was armed with an assault rifle, were detained by security officers near the West Bank settlement of Fatsa’el a short while ago.

“The suspects were arrested without resistance,” the IDF says, adding that the pair were taken for further interrogation.

UN chief Guterres to visit Egypt-Gaza border on Saturday

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at the Rafah border crossing, Egypt, Oct. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Mohammed Asad)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will visit the Egypt-Gaza border city of Rafah on Saturday to reiterate his call for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, his spokesman says.

Guterres, who is currently in Brussels, will arrive in Egypt on Friday evening for “his annual Ramadan solidarity trip which comes this year in turbulent times, with the conflict in Gaza,” spokesman Farhan Haq says.

While there, the secretary-general will meet aid workers on the Egyptian side of Rafah, which is split over the border with the Gaza Strip and has been a key gateway for humanitarian supplies reaching the territory.

Guterres will also visit a hospital in El-Arish, an Egyptian city that sits close to the Gaza border.

Israel has threatened to launch an offensive on the Palestinian side of Rafah, which US Secretary State Antony Blinken has warned would be a “mistake” that “risks further isolating Israel around the world” and could jeopardize Israel’s security.

Over one million people are sheltering in Rafah amid a worsening humanitarian crisis after heeding Israeli directives to flee areas to the north.

Israel has said Rafah, where four Hamas battalions are deployed, remains the terror group’s last major stronghold in the Strip after the IDF operated in the north and center of the Palestinian enclave. It has said an offensive there is necessary to achieve the war’s goals, and is not a question of “if” but “when.” At least some of the 134 hostages remaining in Gaza are thought to be in the city. Hamas leadership is also believed to be sheltering there.

During his visit, Guterres — who last visited Rafah in October — will “reiterate his calls for a humanitarian ceasefire and silencing the guns, particularly in Gaza and Sudan,” Haq says.

In Cairo, he is expected to have iftar — an evening meal marking the end of Ramadan’s daily fast — with refugees who fled Sudan because of the ongoing conflict there.

Guterres will then travel to Amman in Jordan to visit UNRWA facilities. UNRWA, the UN agency that supports Palestinian refugees, has been hit by controversy recently over Israeli allegations that 12 of its 30,000 employees were involved in the October 7 Hamas onslaught.

Pennsylvania counties relocate polling stations from synagogues amid Passover primary deadlock

Voters walk past a sign pointing them to the polling location for in-person voting, Nov. 8, 2022, in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

Some of Pennsylvania’s most populous counties are relocating polling places out of synagogues and other Jewish buildings because the Legislature deadlocked last year over proposals to move next month’s primary election so it would not fall on the first day of Passover.

In Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh, election officials relocated 16 polling places from six locations — synagogues, as well as a Jewish community center. The primary election is April 23.

The number of polling locations moving as a result of the holiday is a fraction of the total, says Allegheny County spokesperson Abigail Gardner, and all are expected to revert to their former spots in November.

“It is typical that we have to find new polling places every year — with more than 1,300 precincts, it is a natural occurrence that any number of them are changing ownership, closing, not available due to a special event, etc.,” Gardner says. Voters in affected precincts will get letters and signs will be posted at the former locations with directions to the new sites.

Polling locations were also shifted in the Philadelphia area. A 2019 study found the city and its four “collar” counties together had nearly 200,000 Jewish households that comprised about 450,000 people.

Philadelphia has moved four synagogue polling places — all had hosted voting for at least the past six years. Bucks County, a Philadelphia suburb, is expected to consider on Monday whether to relocate a synagogue polling place.

And in Montgomery County, the most populous suburb of Philadelphia, eight of the 17 polling places that were moved on Thursday had been located inside synagogues.

Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija, a Democrat who heads its elections board, says it is “unfortunate and disrespectful” that state lawmakers were not able to find a suitable alternative to April 23.

“It’s like putting Election Day on Easter Sunday or Christmas. People are either with family or they’re worshiping. And sure, there are going to be people who vote no matter what,” says Makhija, a Hindu man whose wife is Jewish. “But there will also be people who won’t.”

Pennsylvania law sets most primaries in May, but in presidential election years such as 2024, they are held on the fourth Tuesday in April. Proposals to change this year’s primary date, in part to avoid the Passover conflict, but also to become more relevant to the presidential contest, were debated last summer and fall.

The Senate voted overwhelmingly in September to move the primary to March 19, but that proposal ran into opposition in the Democratic-controlled House. The House voted with all Republicans opposed in October to hold an April 2 primary, but that proposal died without Senate action.

By that point, county officials who run elections argued time had become too short to make a change, given the implications for petition circulation, as well as the need to secure voting locations and poll workers for a different date.

Lebanon to file complaint with UN over Israel’s disruption of its navigation systems

Lebanon will file an urgent complaint with the United Nations Security Council over what it called Israel’s violation of its sovereignty by disrupting its navigation systems, the Lebanese foreign ministry says.

In a statement, the foreign ministry says Israel’s action is affecting the safety of civil aviation in the airspace of Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport.

“Lebanon also holds Israel internationally responsible for the consequences of any accident or disaster caused by Israel’s deliberate policy of jamming air and ground navigation systems, and deliberately disrupting signal receiving and transmitting devices,” the statement reads.

Lebanon did not provide specific details regarding the nature of Israel’s actions disrupting its navigation systems. Israel has no immediate comment.

The Israel Defense Forces has been blocking some global positioning system (GPS) signals amid the ongoing war with the Palestinian terror group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and clashes with Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

Since the early days of the war, Israeli motorists using navigation apps like Waze and Google Maps would often see their locations show up completely wrong — users in Tel Aviv would be marked in Cairo, while people in Haifa would show up as in Beirut.

The jamming also seems to have befuddled dating apps.

Nearly 600 relatives of 81 hostages sign letter to Biden asking him to press Netanyahu for a deal

Israelis call for a deal to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, outside a meeting of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv on March 22, 2024. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Nearly 600 relatives of 81 hostages in Gaza have signed a letter to US President Joe Biden expressing their frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the hostage negotiations, urging him to press the Israeli premier and all other parties to reach an agreement.

“We are reaching out to you because we are increasingly frustrated and worried about the lack of ongoing communication and commitment from the Israeli Prime Minister and the War Cabinet to the hostage release cause,” the hostage families state in the letter, which is the first time a large group of hostage families have sent a letter to Biden.

“We encourage you to use the means available to you, to press and convince all parties, including the Israeli prime minister, to agree to the deal that you assess is reasonable,” the letter adds.

“We stand ready to work closely with your administration to mobilize the Israeli people and to articulate to the American people and their elected officials the need to support the current deal. We believe that the hostage families could play an important role in garnering public support to make the deal possible.”

At least 40 killed, 100 injured in shooting at concert venue near Moscow – Russian media

A massive blaze is seen over the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, March 22, 2024. (Sergei Vedyashkin/Moscow News Agency via AP)

Forty people were killed in a shooting at the Crocus City Hall concert center near Moscow, state news agency TASS reports, citing information from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).

More than 100 people had been injured in the same incident, TASS reports.

The attack took place as crowds gathered for a concert of Picnic, a famed Russian rock band, at the hall that can accommodate over 6,000 people.

Russia’s foreign ministry calls the incident a “terrorist attack” that has to be condemned.

Automatic gunfire was used on the audience, an RIA Novosti journalist reports.

“People who were in the hall were led on the ground to protect themselves from the shooting for 15 or 20 minutes,” the journalist is quoted as saying.

People started crawling out when it was safe, the journalist reports, adding that security forces were at the scene.

About 100 people escaped through the theater basement, while others were sheltering on the roof, the emergency services ministry says on its Telegram channel.

Thousands of regular service soldiers get orders for 4 more months amid IDF manpower shortage – report

Amid a shortage of troops, thousands of soldiers who were set to be released from their mandatory service have received orders that they will serve for a further four months, Channel 12 news reports.

The military is suffering manpower shortages caused by the war against Hamas in Gaza and hostilities on the northern border.

The army called up some 287,000 reservists in the immediate wake of the October 7 onslaught, marking the largest-ever mobilization in Israel’s history.

The issue of conscription is a hot-button topic, as the ultra-Orthodox have long enjoyed exemptions from military service, protesting or refusing draft orders and seeking to enshrine the exemption in law. Many in the Haredi world view army service and wider integration with the secular world to be a threat to their religious identity and the continuity of insular community traditions.

Ultra-Orthodox lawmakers have long pushed for legislation formally codifying their constituents’ exemption from military service, which has been among the most contentious issues in society over the last two decades.

War cabinet pressured PM to expand Doha team’s mandate, Shin Bet chief threatened not to go – report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset on March 13, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was pressured by war cabinet members and senior defense establishment officials to expand the mandate of the team that has traveled to Doha for talks on a hostage deal and truce, Channel 12 reports.

The outlet describes the meeting – held before the team departed – as “dramatic.”

According to the broadcaster, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar threatened not to go to Qatar unless there was room for maneuver in the discussions.

The team has flown to Qatar to meet CIA director William Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Egypt’s intelligence head Abbas Kamel.

Following some reported pressure on Hamas by Qatar and Egypt to soften its demands, Israel agreed to send a delegation to negotiate an agreement on the table for a six-week truce in Gaza — based on a framework reached in Paris last month — and the release of some 40 children, women, elderly and sick hostages in the first phase, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and an increase of humanitarian aid to the Strip.

Hamas had said during earlier negotiations that it was seeking a permanent ceasefire, a condition Israel has rejected outright, vowing to stick to its goal of destroying the terror group.

IDF says it struck a number of Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon

The IDF says it struck buildings used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon’s Khiam, Ayta ash-Shab and Taybeh a short while ago.

מטוסי קרב תקפו לפני זמן קצר מבנים צבאיים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב אלחיאם ובמרחב עייתא א-שעב.

מבנה צבאי נוסף של הארגון הותקף במרחב א-טייבה pic.twitter.com/F9CWjoKc8F

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 22, 2024

Britain’s Princess of Wales says she is undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer found after surgery

File: Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales and Britain's Prince George of Wales (L) walk past Britain's King Charles III (R) as they leave after attending the Royal Family's traditional Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham Estate in eastern England, on December 25, 2023. (Adrian Dennis/AFP)

Catherine, Britain’s Princess of Wales, says she is undergoing preventative chemotherapy after tests taken following major abdominal surgery in January revealed cancer had been present.

Catherine, 42, the wife of heir-to-the-throne Prince William, spent two weeks in hospital in January after having what her office said at the time was successful, planned surgery for a non-cancerous but unspecified condition.

However, in a video message, she says subsequent tests had revealed cancer had been found, but she says she is well and getting stronger.

“My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy, and I am now in the early stages of that treatment,” Kate says in the video which was filmed on Wednesday.

“This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.”

King Charles revealed in February that he too was to have treatment for cancer, meaning he has had to postpone his public royal duties.

Her office, Kensington Palace, says it will give no further details about the type of cancer. It says she is on a recovery pathway and the preventative chemotherapy had begun in February.

After her operation, the palace said Catherine would not return to official duties until after Easter, but her absence from public life has provoked intense speculation on social media.

She and William had wanted privacy about the cancer until their children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, began their school holidays which started on Friday.

“It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ok,” she says.

“As I have said to them; I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirits.”

Kate has not appeared at a public event since she joined other members of the royal family for a church service on Christmas Day.

A message from Catherine, The Princess of Wales pic.twitter.com/5LQT1qGarK

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 22, 2024

Gunmen in combat fatigues open fire at Moscow concert hall, blast reported – Russian news agencies

A shooting incident occurred in the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow, Russian news agencies report, citing emergency services.

RIA Novosti says at least three people in combat fatigues fired weapons.

TASS news agency reports a blast and a fire in the building where the shooting took place.

Several other Russian media outlets report the shooting and say that the mall is on fire.

Video posted on Russian messaging app channels shows huge plumes of black smoke rising over the building.

An apparent terrorist attack at a club/shopping center in Moscow before a performance started. Dozens wounded and dead. There was also an explosion and the building is on fire.
Early videos show multiple men (3, per state media) in camo shooting rifles. pic.twitter.com/WCRmznrldq

— Aric Toler (@AricToler) March 22, 2024

Israel’s soccer game against Bosnia-Herzegovina canceled due to ‘current security situation’

Israel players react at the end of the Euro 2024 qualifying play-off soccer match between Israel and Iceland, at Szusza Ferenc Stadium in Budapest, Hungary, March 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Israel’s soccer friendly at Bosnia-Herzegovina next week is canceled.

UEFA cites the “current security situation” as a reason.

The two men’s teams would have played on Tuesday in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo after both were eliminated on Thursday in qualifying playoffs for the European Championship.

Israel lost to Iceland 4-1 in a “home” game it had to play in a neutral country because of security concerns during the country’s war with Hamas. Israel chose to play in Budapest, Hungary.

The makeup game in Bosnia was part of the UEFA-organized match schedule for national teams and a centralized broadcasting contract the European soccer body’s member federations are obliged to fulfill.

UEFA says in a statement the Bosnian and Israeli soccer federations agreed not to play ”in light of the current security situation” and their elimination from Euro 2024.

Bosnian and Israeli national and club teams have no restrictions on being drawn to play each other in UEFA competitions. UEFA does intervene in draws to stop Bosnian teams from being paired with teams from Kosovo for political and security reasons.

Security Council to vote on new draft resolution on Gaza truce leading to permanent ceasefire

The UN Security Council meets on a motion for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal vote at UN headquarters in New York, on March 22, 2024. (Angela Weiss/AFP)

The United Nations Security Council will vote tomorrow on a new draft resolution that seeks an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, diplomats say, but the United States has indicated it may veto it.

The vote will come a day after the US put forward a text on the need for a ceasefire that was vetoed by Russia and China and opposed by Arab states, which said it was not explicit enough in pressuring Israel.

The vote on the resolution, led in part by Algeria, the Arab nation currently on the 15-member Security Council, is expected at 10 a.m. (1400 GMT), three diplomats say.

The draft resolution, seen by AFP, “demands an immediate ceasefire” for the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan that leads “to a permanent sustainable ceasefire” respected by all sides.

It also demands both the “immediate and unconditional” release of hostages seized in the October 7 attack by Hamas and humanitarian access in the Gaza Strip.

Three European nations — Malta, Slovenia and Switzerland — are co-sponsoring the resolution, along with Mozambique, Guyana and Sierra Leone.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Sirens sound in towns close to northern border, warning of suspected drone attack

Sirens sound in a number of communities close to the northern border with Lebanon, warning of a suspected incoming drone attack.

Hezbollah-led forces have been launching daily attacks on Israeli communities and military posts along the border with Lebanon since October 8.

Shipping giant Maersk says too early to resume sailing through Red Sea, despite security operation

A truck driver with his vehicle makes his way past containers with the logo of Danish shipping giant Maersk and Maersk Sealand stacked at a transshipment station in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on January 23, 2024 (Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)

Shipping company Maersk says it is too early to resume sailings through the Red Sea due to a continued elevated risk level, despite an initiative by the European Union to increase safety in the region.

Maersk, one of the world’s biggest container shipping companies, suspended Red Sea traffic on January 5 and has since redirected ships via the Cape of Good Hope.

The EU’s naval mission in the southern Red Sea was launched in February to help protect the key maritime trade route from drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militia, who say they are retaliating against Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza.

Maersk says in a statement on its website that it was aware that other shipping companies had continued sailing through the Red Sea or announced plans to resume sailing.

“We continue with our own assessment that the current situation does not allow us to make a similar decision,” it says.

“We still believe that sailing via the Cape of Good Hope and around Africa is the most reasonable solution at the moment and the one that currently allows the best supply chain stability,” it adds.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Blinken: Rafah offensive risks ‘further isolating Israel, jeopardizing its long-term security’

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to the media, before departing, at Ben Gurion International airport in Tel Aviv, March 22, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterates the Biden administration’s warning against Israel launching a major ground offensive in Rafah, just before boarding a plane to depart after a day of meetings with top government officials in Tel Aviv.

Blinken asserts that the US shares Israel’s goal of defeating Hamas and ensuring its long-term security, but that a Rafah operation “is not the way to do it.”

“It risks killing more civilians. It risks wreaking greater havoc with the delivery of humanitarian assistance. It risks further isolating Israel around the world and jeopardizing its long-term security and standing,” Blinken tells reporters on the Ben Gurion Airport tarmac.

The top US diplomat says Washington will present “a different way” for Jerusalem to achieve its objectives when an Israeli delegation comes to Washington next week.

“It really requires an integrated humanitarian, military and political plan,” Blinken says.

In first announcing the administration’s firm opposition to a Rafah operation earlier this week, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Israel “smashing into Rafah” would be an extension of an already flailing plan, which has seen Hamas return to areas cleared by the IDF because Jerusalem lacks a viable strategy for replacing the terror group in Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that “total victory” against Hamas is possible, but that it requires Israel going into Rafah in order to dismantle Hamas’s remaining battalions in the southern Gaza city where over one million people are sheltering after heeding Israeli directives to flee areas to the north.

Blinken tells reporters that he met again with the families of the hostages while in Tel Aviv. “It’s hard to describe what they’re going through every single day.”

He reiterates that negotiators have made progress in recent weeks, “closing gaps” between Israel and Hamas, but Blinken acknowledges that the final steps of the talks are always the hardest and a lot more work still needs to be done.

The US secretary of state says he again pressed Israel on getting more humanitarian aid distributed throughout Gaza. “One hundred percent of the population of Gaza is acutely food insecure. One hundred percent is in need of humanitarian assistance,” he reiterates.

“There have been some positive steps taken in recent days to improve the situation, but it’s not enough. We talked about what needs to happen to get much more assistance to many more people more effectively,” Blinken says.

Hamas-run health ministry says Gaza death toll passed 32,000

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the central Gaza Strip, March 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

At least 32,070 Palestinians have been killed and 74,298 have been wounded in Gaza since October 7, the Hamas-run health ministry in the enclave says.

The terror group’s figures are unverified, don’t differentiate between civilians and combatants, and list all the fatalities as caused by Israel — even those believed to have been caused by hundreds of misfired rockets or otherwise by Palestinian fire.

Israel has said it killed some 13,000 Hamas members in Gaza fighting, in addition to some 1,000 killed inside Israel in the aftermath of the terror group’s October 7 invasion and onslaught.

US: Blinken emphasized to Netanyahu the need to protect Gazan civilians, increase aid

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, March 22, 2024. (Screenshot/GPO)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, emphasized the need to protect civilians in Gaza and sustain humanitarian aid through both land and sea routes, the State Department says.

Blinken also discussed efforts to reach an agreement for a ceasefire of at least six weeks that would secure the release of hostages and enable a surge in humanitarian assistance, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller says in a statement.

Blinken meets with families of US-Israeli hostages held in Gaza

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets demonstrators calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas, outside the Kempinski hotel in Tel Aviv, March 22, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum says in a statement that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a private meeting with the families of US-Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

The meeting comes after the top US envoy met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the war cabinet.

“We extend our sincere gratitude to Secretary Blinken and the Biden administration for their continuing support and assistance,” the families say in a statement.

“We urgently call on all parties to apply maximum pressure to secure a deal for the prompt and safe release of our loved ones. Each passing day is an eternity of torment for our families. We implore the international community to leave no stone unturned,” the statement concludes.

Trump’s social media network to go public, a move that could net him $3 billion

Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks after voting in the Florida primary election in Palm Beach, Florida, March 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Shareholders approve a merger to list Donald Trump’s social media venture on the stock market, potentially providing some $3 billion to the ex-US president.

Investors of Digital World Acquisition Corp., an investment vehicle, vote to combine with Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns Trump’s “Truth Social” platform.

The action provides Trump a potential windfall as he faces legal problems, although he may not be able to access the funds for several months.

IDF probes leaked drone footage showing strike on apparently unarmed men near Khan Younis

The IDF is probing leaked drone footage aired by Al Jazeera this week showing recent Israeli strikes on a group of seemingly unarmed Palestinian men in the Khan Younis area, the military says.

In response to a query by The Times of Israel, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit says the footage was from an “active combat zone in Khan Younis, which had been significantly evacuated of the civilian population, and in which the troops experienced many encounters with terrorists who fought and moved [around] in civilian clothing, and disguised weapons in buildings and property that are believed to be civilian.”

The footage has been handed over to the General Staff Fact-Finding Assessment Mechanism, an independent military body responsible for investigating unusual incidents amid the war, for further review, the IDF adds.

Warning: Graphic footage

Graphic scenes: An Israeli army drone pursued four civilian youths who attempted to reach their destroyed homes and killed them with missiles in Khan Younis at the start of last February. pic.twitter.com/6aQv5VLkdK

— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) March 21, 2024

Macron: France, Jordan, UAE will work to convince Russia, China to back UN resolution on Gaza ceasefire

France's President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a press conference on the second and last day of the European Council summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels on March 22, 2024. (Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP)

France will work with Jordan and the United Arab Emirates to convince Russia and China to back a resolution at the United Nations for a ceasefire in Gaza after the two big powers blocked a text by the United States, French President Emmanuel Macron says.

“Following the Russian and Chinese veto a few minutes ago, we are going to resume work on the basis of the French draft resolution in the Security Council and work with our American, European and Arab partners to reach an agreement,” Macron says at the end of a European Union leaders’ summit in Brussels.

France’s foreign ministry said on Thursday it had started drafting a resolution with diplomats, saying they would put a draft forward if the US resolution did not pass.

Earlier, the UN Security Council failed to pass a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as part of a hostage deal, the first time the US has backed such language.

The resolution called for an “immediate and sustained ceasefire” lasting roughly six weeks that would protect civilians and allow for the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

Macron says that the change in tone from Washington meant that he was hopeful a new resolution with Arab states could succeed if they were able to convince Russia and China not to oppose.

“What is important to note is that the US has changed its position and has indicated its desire to now very clearly defend a ceasefire, which is a good thing for us and for the progress of our draft,” Macron says.

Israeli official: ‘No real progress’ in hostage negotiations with Hamas

Activists block a highway as they demand the release of the hostages held by Hamas hostages in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, March 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

As Mossad chief David Barnea heads to Doha for hostage talks with top officials from the US, Egypt and Qatar, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel that “there has been no real progress” in negotiations with Hamas.

“The Americans are dressing it up as progress,” says the source. “The pressure to move forward is coming from them.”

IDF says it struck Hezbollah target in south Lebanon, shelled launch sites of rocket fire

The IDF says it struck a building used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon’s Ayta ash-Shab earlier today.

Following rocket fire against the Metula area today, the IDF says it shelled the launch sites.

The IDF also confirms shooting down a “suspicious aerial target,” apparently a drone, that entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon a short while ago.

The incident set off sirens in the Western Galilee.

Spain, Ireland, Malta, Slovenia agree to work toward recognizing Palestinian state

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives for a press conference at the European Council summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels on March 22, 2024. (Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP)

Spain has agreed with the leaders of Ireland, Malta and Slovenia to take the first steps towards recognizing a Palestinian state, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says following a meeting of the European Council in Brussels.

Speaking for Spain, Sanchez expects the recognition to happen during the current four-year legislature that began last year.

He tells reporters the agreement was reached after meeting with his Irish, Maltese and Slovenian counterparts on the sidelines of the Council gathering on Friday morning.

“We are agreed that the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the region is through implementation of a two-state solution, with Israeli and Palestinian States living side-by-side, in peace and security,” reads a joint statement issued by Ireland after the meeting.

Arab states and the European Union agreed at a meeting in Spain in November that a two-state solution was the answer to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Since 1988, 139 out of 193 United Nations member states have recognized Palestinian statehood.

Report: Blinken tells war cabinet that without ‘day after’ plan for Gaza, Israel’s security in danger

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, March 22, 2024. (Screenshot/GPO)

In his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warns Israel that if it does not come up with a plan for the “day after” Hamas, Israel will be stuck in Gaza for years and will see its international standing undermined and national security in danger, according to the Walla news site.

“You don’t understand this,“ Blinken reportedly says, “and when you do, it might be too late.”

He says that if current trends continue, the only possible results are Hamas remaining in power or anarchy in Gaza.

Netanyahu agrees with Blinken, according to the report, and says that if that were to happen, Israel would be stuck in Gaza for decades.

PM says he told Blinken Israel must go into Rafah and will do it without US support if necessary

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a video statement on March 22, 2024. (Screenshot)

After his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubles down on the message he has expressed in recent days — we will happily work with the US on improving the humanitarian situation and evacuating civilians from Rafah, but the IDF will go into the southern Gaza city.

“I told him that I deeply appreciate the fact that for more than five months, we have stood together in the war against Hamas,” says Netanyahu in a video.

“I told him that we recognize the need to evacuate the civilian population for the war zone and of course to take care of humanitarian needs, and we are working on that,” he continues.

“But I also told him that we don’t have a way to defeat Hamas without going into Rafah, and eliminating the remaining battalions there. And I told him that I hope that we will do it with America’s support, but if we need, we will do it alone,” he concludes.

Russia, China veto US resolution at UN Security Council calling for Gaza ceasefire tied to hostage deal

Representatives of member countries vote during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, March. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

The United Nations Security Council fails to pass a resolution calling for an “immediate and sustained ceasefire” in Gaza for around six weeks as part of a hostage deal after Russia and China, who are permanent members, vote against the measure proposed by the United States.

The resolution called for an “immediate and sustained ceasefire” lasting roughly six weeks that would protect civilians and allow for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and condemned the devastating October 7 attack by Hamas.

Moscow accused Washington of a “hypocritical spectacle” that does not pressure Israel.

Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, says it is exceedingly politicized and claims it contains an effective green light for Israel to mount a military operation in Rafah. However, the resolution explicitly warns against Israel launching a ground offensive in the southern Gaza city.

The Russian veto appeared to be at least a partial extension of Moscow’s rivalry with the US, which has peaked since the invasion of Ukraine.

Today’s resolution marked a further toughening of Washington’s stance toward Israel. Earlier in the five-month-long war, the US was averse to the word ceasefire and vetoed measures that included calls for an immediate ceasefire.

IDF releases footage of combat helicopter strike on West Bank terrorist

The IDF releases footage of a combat helicopter strike against a Palestinian terrorist who opened fire on a minibus near the West Bank settlement of Dolev this morning, as well as at troops during a pursuit.

The gunman was killed in the strike, according to the IDF.

The initial attack was carried out at around 5 a.m., with the terrorist being killed only some 5 hours later.

הבוקר מחבל ירה לעבר כלי רכב ישראלי בסמוך לצומת הפרסה שבחטיבת אפרים, לוחמי צה"ל בליווי כלי טיס של חיל האוויר, פתחו במרדף וניהלו חילופי אש מול המחבל.

במהלך המרדף מסוק קרב תקף את המחבל וחיסל אותו בשטח סבוך במרחב הצומת >> pic.twitter.com/QBwswCUDU5

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 22, 2024

After meeting with Netanyahu, Blinken holds one-on-one conversation with Gantz

War cabinet minister Benny Gantz meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv, March 22, 2024. (Courtesy)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a one-on-one meeting with war cabinet minister Benny Gantz after his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a spokesman for the minister says.

Gantz expressed his appreciation for the continued support Israel has received from the US and for its commitment to Israel’s security, the statement says.

The two discussed Israel’s planned operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which the US is opposed to and which Israel has said is necessary in order to dethrone Hamas.

Gantz reassured Blinken that Israel will continue to enable humanitarian solutions to aid civilians in Gaza, his office adds.

Blinken’s meeting with Netanyahu lasted for about 40 minutes, and the talks focused on ensuring that more aid flows into Gaza. The two also discussed the contentious plans for Rafah.

Reuters contributed to this report. 

Police investigating east London house fire as possible antisemitic hate crime

The London Metropolitan Police is examining the possibility that a house fire in east London on Wednesday was an antisemitic hate crime, The Guardian reports.

A man in his 60s was detained near the scene of the Hackney house fire, which was wrestled under control by 60 firefighters, and has been arrested on suspicion of committing arson with an intent to endanger life, the report says.

During the arrest, police said the suspect made “a number of threatening comments, some of which were allegedly antisemitic,” but did not expand further on what had been said.

The police cautioned, however, that “while the investigation will continue to explore the motivation for this offense, we believe at this stage that this was centralized on a local housing-related issue.”

The police added that it has a “robust” plan to protect Hackney’s Jewish community and those in the surrounding area during the Jewish holiday of Purim this weekend, The Guardian adds.

Police have launched an investigation into a house fire in hackney & are examining whether it was an antisemitic hate crime.

The Met Police said a man in his 60s arrested near the scene of the fire made threatening and “allegedly antisemitic” comments when detained.… pic.twitter.com/0TrrJtIgeJ

— London & UK Street News (@CrimeLdn) March 21, 2024

IDF commander rebuked after telling reporters that settling Gaza is the ‘solution’ to defeating Hamas

The commander of the 7th Armored Brigade's 82nd Battalion, Lt. Col. Ofir Caspi, speaks to reporters in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, March 21, 2024. (Lazar Berman/Times of Israel)

The commander of the 7th Armored Brigade’s 82nd Battalion, Lt. Col. Ofir Caspi, has been rebuked by his division commander for political remarks given to reporters in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis yesterday.

Caspi had told reporters that the “solution” to defeating Hamas in Gaza is establishing settlements.

“The IDF should hold the territory, I think that if the settlements return here, we have won. If we kill [Yahya] Sinwar, we will not destroy Hamas, someone else will come. The solution is to return here, like the settlements in Judea and Samaria,” he said.

The IDF says Caspi was summoned for a “clarification” with the division commander, who reprimanded him for his “irregular remarks which are not in line with IDF protocols and what is expected of an IDF commander.”

“The officer took back his words and expressed regret,” the IDF says.

The IDF says the commander is currently fighting in Khan Younis, and the remarks were made amid a long conversation with reporters on the ongoing battles.

Second Friday prayers of Ramadan end peacefully on Temple Mount with 120,000 in attendance

A Muslim worshipper prays beneath the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for the second Friday prayers on the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Jerusalem's Old City, Friday, March 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

More than 100,000 people attended the second Friday prayers of Ramadan on the Temple Mount, which ended peacefully and without any disturbances, police say.

The Islamic Waqf, which administers the mosque compound, estimated that around 120,000 people took part in the prayers, up from an estimated 80,000 last week.

Hebrew daily Haaretz reports that around 10,000 of the worshippers traveled from the West Bank to attend the prayers.

Seeking billions in aid for Syria, UN official says Gaza war diverted attention from ‘unprecedented’ crisis

A Syrian child walks in a stream of open sewage in the Salaheddine camp in northwestern Syria on September 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

A UN humanitarian official appeals for more than $4 billion in life-saving aid for more than 10 million Syrians, saying that the country’s largely forgotten crisis remains “one of the most deadly to civilians in the world.”

Adam Abdelmoula, resident coordinator in Syria for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, makes the appeal days after Syria marked the 13th anniversary of the conflict that has killed nearly a half million people and left large parts of the country destroyed.

“Today, we are facing an unprecedented situation in Syria — one that we cannot afford to ignore,” Abdelmoula tells reporters in Geneva. “Inaction will be costly for all of us and will inevitably lead to additional suffering.”

About 16.7 million people require some form of humanitarian assistance in Syria, an increase from 15.3 million last year, he says. Over 7 million people are internally displaced and nearly as many are refugees in other countries, including neighboring Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.

The war has left 90 percent of Syria’s population below the poverty line as millions face cuts in food aid because of a funding shortfall. The UN World Food Program ended its main assistance program in the country in January.

“The Syria crisis remains one of the most deadly to civilians in the world. Hostilities continue to plague various parts of Syria and have recently seen a sharp spike, especially in the north,” Abdelmoula says.

He suggests that the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has given cover for more military activity in parts of Syria.

“We saw the world’s attention focusing on Gaza, and that provided some kind of diversion of attention that allowed the significant escalation of hostilities in the northeast without much attention being paid to that situation by the international community,” Abdelmoula says.

FM Katz summons Turkish deputy ambassador after Erdogan vows to ‘send Netanyahu to Allah’

Foreign Minister Israel Katz summons Turkey’s deputy ambassador to Israel for a reprimand after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to “send [Netanyahu] to Allah to take care of him, make him miserable and curse him,” during an election rally yesterday.

The purpose of the summons, Katz writes on X, is to “convey a clear message to Erdogan.”

“You, who support the baby-burners, murderers, rapists and mutilators of Hamas criminals, are the last ones who can speak about God,” Katz continues. “There is no God who will listen to those who support the atrocities and crimes against humanity committed by your barbaric friends from Hamas.”

Netanyahu begins meeting with US Secretary of State Blinken

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, March 22, 2024. (Screenshot/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu begins his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Kirya in Tel Aviv.

The war cabinet will join after the two finish their private meeting.

Blaming ‘human error,’ IDF says not everyone featured in image of captured terror operatives has been caught yet

This photo collage released by the IDF on March 21, 2024 shows what it says is some of 358 confirmed terror operatives captured by troops at Gaza City's Shifa Hospital. The IDF later admitted that due to 'human error' some of those in the picture had not yet been nabbed. (Israel Defense Forces)

After the IDF published a photo collage yesterday showing what it said were captured terror operatives at Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, including senior Hamas commander Raad Saad, the military and Shin Bet say that due to “human error,” some of the men in the pictures have not yet been caught.

The IDF and Shin bet also deny that the graphic was an attempt at “psychological warfare.”

“Due to human error, there are several photos in the graphic of terrorists who have not yet been caught but are, according to the information we have, in the area of ​​the hospital and are holed up there,” a joint statement says.

The IDF says it will provide the identities of all those it has captured once the operation at Shifa is over.

Suspected drone infiltration alarms sound in Western Galilee region

Suspected drone infiltration alarms sound in multiple communities in the Western Galilee.

Rocket sirens also sound in Eilon, Adamit, and Arab al-Aramshe, apparently due to an interceptor missile being launched amid the incident.

Three injured, one seriously, in clashes with Palestinian gunman in West Bank

Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikvah says three people were admitted to the medical center after sustaining injuries in clashes with a Palestinian gunman in the West Bank.

One is listed as being in serious condition, the hospital says. The other two are moderately and lightly hurt, it adds.

Meanwhile, footage aired by Palestinian media shows an Israeli attack helicopter carrying out a strike amid clashes with the gunman, who had earlier opened fire at an Israeli minibus near the settlement of Dolev.

It is unclear whether the terrorist was killed in the strike.

لحظة إطلاق طائرات الاحتلال لصاروخ في موقع الاشتباك المسلح قرب بلدة دير ابزيع قضاء رام الله. pic.twitter.com/ArXdaqXTRX

— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) March 22, 2024

Blinken lands in Israel for sixth time since start of Gaza war

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Israel for the sixth time since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas to press for a temporary truce in Gaza.

His visit comes ahead of a key UN Security Council vote on a US draft resolution calling for an “immediate ceasefire.”

The US had hoped to secure a six-week ceasefire and hostage deal by the start of Ramadan on March 10 but successive rounds of talks have yet to bear fruit, with Washington largely blaming Hamas for the standoff.

Blinken arrives in Israel — final stop of his latest Middle East tour. He is set to meet with PM Netanyahu and members of the Israeli war cabinet. pic.twitter.com/9KAVgcfgFL

— Hümeyra Pamuk (@humeyra_pamuk) March 22, 2024

Finland resumes funding to UNRWA but earmarks portion of money for risk management

People walk past the damaged Gaza City headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on February 15, 2024. (AFP)

Finland will resume funding to the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, its foreign trade and development minister says.

Several countries, including the United States and Britain, paused their funding to the body after accusations by Israel that around a dozen of the agency’s 13,000 staff in Gaza took part in the October 7 Hamas terror onslaught in Israel.

“UNRWA improving its risk management, meaning preventing and initiating close monitoring for misconduct, provides sufficient guarantees for us at this point to continue our support,” Foreign Trade and Development Minister Ville Tavio says.

He tells a press conference some of the Finnish money would be earmarked for risk management.

Countries including Canada, Australia and Sweden have also restored funding to UNRWA, while several Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia have increased funding.

An interim report from a UN independent review into the allegations against UNRWA was submitted to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier this week.

The report found that while the agency has mechanisms in place to ensure its neutrality, it also has deficiencies that must be addressed.

IDF says some 150 gunmen killed during ongoing raid at Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital

IDF troops operate inside the Gaza Strip in this undated handout photo published on March 22, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says troops have killed some 150 gunmen during the ongoing raid against Hamas at Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, now in its fourth day.

In central Gaza, the IDF says it struck a tunnel shaft and a building used by Hamas that were identified after a rocket was launched from the Strip at the southern community of Be’eri yesterday. The rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome.

Fighting also continues in central Gaza, where Nahal Brigade troops killed several Hamas operatives over the past day, according to the IDF.

In the Khan Younis suburb of al-Qarara, the IDF says troops of the 7th Armored Brigade battled Hamas gunmen and struck the terror group’s sites, including two booby-trapped buildings; and the Givati Brigade killed a five-man Hamas cell.

Over the past day, the IDF says some 40 airstrikes were carried out across Gaza, mostly to aid the maneuvering of ground troops.

IDF troops come under fire as hunt continues for terrorist who fired at Israeli vehicle

Head of the IDF's West Bank division, Brig. Gen. Yaki Dolf, is seen at the scene of a shooting attack near the settlement of Dolev, March 22, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Israeli forces are still attempting to kill or capture a Palestinian terrorist who opened fire at a minibus earlier this morning near the West Bank settlement of Dolev.

After the initial attack, which caused no injuries, the assailant fled the scene.

Troops searching after the gunman came under fire again, and there have been exchanges of fire over the past few hours.

The Rescuers Without Borders emergency service says four wounded people have been taken to hospital for treatment as a result of the clashes.

There are no immediate details on the conditions of the wounded.

“The exchanges of fire are still ongoing,” the IDF says.

The IDF says it scrambled an attack helicopter and drone in its search for the terrorist.

Israel appropriates 1,976 acres of land in the Jordan Valley, declaring it state land

File: View of the border between Israel and Jordan on the Route 90 highway in the Jordan Valley, July 6, 2017. (Hadas Parush/Flash90, file)

Israel appropriates some 8,000 dunams or 1,976 acres of land in the Jordan Valley, declaring it state land, meaning it can now be used for development projects.

The declaration of the land as Israeli-owned will allow for hundreds of settlement housing units to be constructed, as well as an area designated for industry and commerce, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

The move was overseen by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also serves as a minister inside the Defense Ministry.

The declaration of the land as state-owned is “an important and strategic issue,” Smotrich says.

“While there are those in Israel and the world who seek to undermine our right to Judea and Samaria and the country in general, we promote the settlement movement with hard work and in a strategic manner across the country,” he adds.

UK, Australia issue joint statement urging ‘immediate cessation’ of Gaza fighting

Britain and Australia issue a joint statement stressing the need for an “immediate cessation of fighting” in Gaza, as diplomatic pressure builds on Israel to ditch a planned ground assault on the southern city of Rafah.

After a meeting of Australian and UK foreign and defense ministers in Adelaide, the allies issue a statement sharing “deep concern at the potentially devastating consequences for the civilian population of an expanded Israeli military operation in Rafah.”

They stress the “urgency of an immediate cessation of fighting in Gaza to allow aid to flow and hostages to be released.”

Israel has said that Rafah is the last major Hamas stronghold in the Palestinian enclave and insists it cannot dismantle the terror group without launching an operation in the southern Gaza city.

The country’s allies have expressed deep reservations about the plans, however, as more than 1.3 million Palestinians are estimated to be sheltering in the Rafah area after the IDF issued evacuation warnings from northern Gaza and other areas in the Strip throughout the last five months of its war with Hamas.

Rocket warning sirens sound in Manara, close to the Lebanon border

Rocket sirens sound in the northern Israel community of Manara, close to the Lebanon border, warning people to seek shelter.

Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.

Rocket Alerts [07:49:20] – 1 Alert:

• Confrontation Line — Manara#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/JagGaHeW4N

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) March 22, 2024

Shots fired at Israeli vehicle in West Bank, troops launch search for suspect – report

Shots were fired at an Israeli vehicle driving near the West Bank settlements of Dolev and Talmon a short while ago, Hebrew media reports.

According to the Kan public broadcaster, a suspect opened fire at an Israeli minibus in the Binyamin region before fleeing the scene. No injuries were reported but the vehicle was said to have been damaged.

IDF troops are searching for the suspect, and the head of the West Bank division Brig. Gen. Yaki Dolf arrived at the scene of the incident, reports add.

COGAT pushes back after UK’s Cameron claims Israel arbitrarily hindering flow of aid to Gaza

COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body governing civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, invites British Foreign Secretary David Cameron to meet with the body and learn about the extent of Israel’s humanitarian operation in Gaza after he accused it of hindering the flow of aid.

In a letter to the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Alicia Kearns — cited by the Guardian, Cameron claimed that aid cannot reach the war-torn Palestinian enclave due to “arbitrary denials by the Govt of Israel and lengthy clearance procedures, including multiple screenings and narrow opening windows in daylight hours.”

In response, COGAT writes on X, formerly Twitter, that Israel does not block aid from entering arbitrarily, and that it is “simply inspecting the aid for security reasons, and it’s done efficiently.”

The defense ministry body adds that it is able to inspect “44 trucks an hour in both Crossings combined.”

Cameron also accused Israel of closing the Kerem Shalom border crossing on Saturday due to it being the Jewish Sabbath, which COGAT denies is the case.

“They are closed on Sabbath by agreement with the UN, to allow the UN to collect the aid transferred during the week that has accumulated due to low logistic capacity,” it explains.

“Coordinate more aid to Gaza. We will facilitate,” it adds.

We suggest, once again, that you meet with COGAT and hear the full scale of Israel’s humanitarian efforts towards the Gaza Strip.
The crossings aren't closed because of the Sabbath. ???? https://t.co/dAEIK9d642 pic.twitter.com/KLvlA2GXuh

— COGAT (@cogatonline) March 21, 2024

Blinken heads to Israel on next leg of regional tour amid truce efforts in Gaza war

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds a joint press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, during his visit to Cairo, Egypt, March 21, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will arrive in Israel later today to press for a temporary truce in Gaza, ahead of a key UN Security Council vote on a US draft resolution calling for an “immediate” ceasefire.

Washington said it would submit for a vote on Friday a draft to the Security Council on the need for an “immediate ceasefire as part of a hostage deal.”

After talks in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Blinken will travel to Israel, his sixth trip to the region since the war began with Hamas’s shock attack on Israel on October 7.

“Negotiators continue to work. The gaps are narrowing, and we’re continuing to push for an agreement in Doha. There’s still difficult work to get there. But I continue to believe it’s possible,” Blinken said on Thursday.

The main sticking point has been that Hamas says it will release hostages only as part of a deal that would end the war, while Israel says it will discuss only a temporary pause.

The US had hoped to secure a six-week ceasefire and hostage deal by the start of Ramadan on March 10 but successive rounds of talks have yet to bear fruit, with Washington largely blaming Hamas for the standoff.

“We worked very hard with Qatar, Egypt and Israel to put a strong proposal on the table… Hamas wouldn’t accept it. They came back with other demands. The negotiators are working on that right now, but I believe it’s very much doable, and it’s very much necessary,” Blinken said.

“If Hamas cares at all about the people it purports to represent, then it would reach an agreement because that would have the immediate effect of a ceasefire, alleviating the tremendous suffering of people, bringing more humanitarian assistance in and then giving us the possibility of having something more lasting,” he added.

UK’s Cameron says Israel hindering flow of aid into Gaza

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron accused Israel of hindering the flow of aid into Gaza amid a reported row with English-language government spokesman Eylon Levy, who is said to have since been suspended.

In a letter to the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Alicia Kearns — cited by the Guardian — Cameron wrote that not enough humanitarian assistance was getting into Gaza due to “arbitrary denials by the government of Israel and lengthy clearance procedures, including multiple screenings and narrow opening windows in daylight hours.”

Cameron wrote that Israel closes the Kerem Shalom crossing on Saturdays due to the Sabbath, and rejected an Israeli assertion that the UN requested Israel do so to allow workers to process the aid.

Grateful to @David_Cameron for such clarity in his response to my letter. He confirms, contrary to some claims:

– The UN has NOT requested the Kerem Shalom crossing be closed on Saturdays. Israel closes it due to the Sabbath.

– Aid not getting into Gaza due to “arbitrary… https://t.co/DTP0Vl5Ohz pic.twitter.com/cvrmdwRhOi

— Alicia Kearns MP (@aliciakearns) March 21, 2024

In his letter, he wrote that there were “claims that international donors should send as much aid as they wish and Israel will facilitate its entry. I wish that were the case. It is of enormous frustration that UK aid into Gaza has been routinely held up waiting for Israeli permissions. For instance, I am aware of some UK-funded aid being stuck at the border just under three weeks waiting for approval.”

Levy’s suspension followed a complaint from the UK Foreign Office about his response to a post by Cameron on March 8, in which Britain’s top diplomat urged Israel “to allow more trucks into Gaza as the fastest way to get aid to those who need it,” Channel 12 news reported this week.

“I hope you are also aware there are NO limits on the entry of food, water, medicine, or shelter equipment into Gaza, and in fact the crossings have EXCESS capacity,” Levy wrote to Cameron in since-deleted comments on X.

“Test us. Send another 100 trucks a day to Kerem Shalom and we’ll get them in,” Levy added, referring to the crossing on Israel’s border with Gaza.

Levy, who was born and raised in England, had also issued a more biting response to a post from Cameron a day earlier, saying “it is factually incorrect that the flow of aid has not increased” and “if the UK wants more aid to enter Gaza, it should send it and we’ll make sure it gets in.”

Following the March 8 post, Kearns, the Conservative chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee said she shared it with Cameron and asked him to look into Levy’s statement that 100 more trucks can enter Gaza each day.

The Channel 12 report, which did not cite a source, said the Foreign Office sent an official missive to the Foreign Ministry saying British diplomats “were surprised” by Levy’s post, and asked to clarify whether his remarks “effectively attack Foreign Minister Cameron’s position and if they reflect the Israeli government’s official position.”

Levy has not commented on the reported suspension.

Blinken told Qatar to threaten Hamas with expulsion as hostage talks faltered — report

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered a message to Qatar earlier this month that it must pressure Hamas to accept a temporary ceasefire and hostage release deal or risk being asked to leave by its Doha hosts, CNN reports.

The Times of Israel reported last week that Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani proposed expelling Hamas’s leaders from Doha during a meeting with Blinken days after the terror group’s October 7 onslaught. Blinken at the time signaled that it would be better for Qatar to use its contacts with Hamas — through the office it allowed the terror group to establish in Doha in 2012 at Washington’s behest — to mediate for a hostage deal.

As talks stalled earlier this month, two US officials told CNN that the message from Blinken to Qatari leaders urging them to increase the pressure on Hamas with the threat of getting booted was delivered on March 5.

According to the report, Doha received the message without much pushback but it was unclear whether the threat was relayed.

Blinken is in the region this week and is expected in Israel on Friday to confer with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet.

Mossad chief David Barnea will fly to Qatar on Friday amid the ongoing discussions for a potential truce and hostage release deal.

Gallant to present ‘long list’ of US weapons requests on DC trip next week – report

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will reportedly present a wish list of US weapons in a meeting next week in Washington with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, Axios reports.

According to the report, Gallant will arrive in DC with a “long list” of US weapons Israel would like to receive in the short term.

In addition to Austin, Gallant is also expected to meet with White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and other senior administration officials on his first visit to Washington as defense minister since he took office last year.

The delivery of US weapons has come under the spotlight as some in the Democratic party want to see more conditions on such sales.

Israeli and US officials told Axios that in a call this week ahead of the trip, Gallant made clear to Austin that he would be coming with a list of specific requests for weapon systems and would like to see them expedited.

Israel has reportedly complained of a slowdown in US weapons deliveries, amid a growing US-Israel rift over the war. Washington has said there was no deliberate delay in shipments.

A senior Israeli official says Gallant’s requests include short-term needs for the war in Gaza and longer-term asks like the option to purchase more F-35 and F-15 jets, according to Axios.

Gallant told Austin he would be making the trip with retired Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the director-general of the Defense Ministry, who is in charge of weapons purchases.

US military says it destroyed ballistic missiles launched by Houthis

The US military says it has destroyed two anti-ship ballistic missiles and an unmanned surface vessel launched by Houthis from Yemen.

“It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to coalition and merchant vessels in the region,” US Central Command writes on social media site X.

Israel ousted from Euro 2024 playoffs 4-1 against Iceland

Iceland's Arnor Sigurdsson, left, is tackled by Israel's Roy Revivo during the Euro 2024 qualifying play-off soccer match between Israel and Iceland, at Szusza Ferenc Stadium in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, March 21, 2024. (AP/Darko Vojinovic)

AP — Israel crashed out of the European Championship qualifying playoffs against Iceland, as Ukraine found two late goals for a stunning win at Bosnia-Herzegovina.

A missed penalty in the 80th minute by Israel’s record scorer Eran Zahavi that would have leveled the score led to a late collapse in a 4-1 rout for Iceland. Israel had led when Zahavi scored a first-half penalty.

Ukraine’s new star forward Artem Dovbyk rose in the 88th to head the decisive goal in a 2-1 win just three minutes after Roman Yaremchuk had canceled Bosnia’s lead taken in the 56th.

Ukraine will now face Iceland — the surprise quarterfinalist at Euro 2016 — on Tuesday with a place at Euro 2024 in Germany at stake.

Ukraine must host international games in neutral countries and has not played on its own territory since the Russian military invasion started in February 2022.

Though Israel was seeded as the home team, it hosted Iceland in neutral Budapest, Hungary, for security reasons during the conflict in Gaza.

Euro 2024 is being played in 10 German cities from June 14 to July 14.