March 20, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

US and coalition forces destroyed one drone and one unmanned surface vessel launched by Houthis in Yemen on Wednesday, according to US Central Command.

A coalition aircraft destroyed the drone and US forces destroyed the unmanned surface vessel, CENTCOM said in a statement.

"It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy and merchant vessels," CENTCOM said.

There were no injuries or damage to US or coalition ships, CENTCOM said.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jeddah on Wednesday and discussed the urgent need for a cessation of hostilities in Gaza.

According to Saudi state-run SPA news, MBS and Blinken discussed "developments in the Gaza Strip and its surroundings in addition to efforts to stop military operations." 

They also discussed the security and humanitarian situation in the region, SPA said.

“I think the gaps are narrowing, and I think an agreement is very much possible,” Blinken said in an interview in Jeddah, according to a transcript released by the State Department.

"In fact, they backed away from agreements previously made to the mediators," Hamdan said.

• US says gaps are narrowing in negotiations: Negotiations to secure an immediate ceasefire tied to the release of hostages held by Hamas are “getting closer” to a deal, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. On March 14, Hamas delivered a counterproposal that included the release of Israeli hostages for 700 to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the Hamas proposal “unrealistic.”
• Israeli Supreme Court halts government plan: The high court temporarily halted a government plan to send a group of Palestinian hospital patients and babies back to Gaza following a CNN report. The decision follows a petition by the Israeli non-profit organization Physicians for Human Rights Israel, which decided to take action following the CNN report on the Palestinian hospital patients.
• Netanyahu addresses Senate Republicans: The Israeli prime minister addressed the Senate Republican policy lunch on Wednesday for 15 minutes via video, and then took about 45 minutes of questions, according to Sen. John Kennedy. Netanyahu was sharply critical of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's comments calling for elections to form a new government in Israel, Kennedy said.
• Canada indefinitely suspends arms exports to Israel: The Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs said Canada has “not approved new arms export permits to Israel” since January 8, "and this will continue until we can ensure full compliance with our export regime.” Export permits that were approved before January 8 are still in effect, according to the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. CNN previously reported that Canada had paused exports of non-lethal military goods and technology to Israel in January given the risk that goods could be used in connection with human rights violations. 

Negotiations to secure an immediate ceasefire tied to the release of hostages held by Hamas are “getting closer” to a deal, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

“I think the gaps are narrowing, and I think an agreement is very much possible,” Blinken said in an interview with Al Hadath in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, according to a transcript released by the State Department.
“We worked very hard with Qatar, with Egypt, and with Israel to put a strong proposal on the table. We did that; Hamas wouldn’t accept it. They came back with other requests, other demands. The negotiators are working on that right now,” Blinken explained. 

Blinken did not give details about what gaps were narrowing or what undergirded his confidence that an agreement is possible. He again reiterated that the onus is on Hamas to accept the proposal that is on the table.

“We have to see if Hamas can say yes to the proposal. If it does — if it does — that’s the most immediate way to alleviate the misery of people in Gaza, which is very much what we want,” he said.

Blinken, who will travel to Egypt to meet with Arab leaders Thursday, said that it is important to be ready “for what happens with the governance of Gaza” after the war ends.

“Returning residents to Gaza during a military conflict and a humanitarian crisis is against international law and poses a deliberate risk to innocent lives,” the organization’s spokesperson Ran Yaron said Wednesday. “All the more so when it concerns patients who may face a death sentence due to insanitary conditions and hunger, along with the unlikely availability of medical care.”

Following the group’s appeal, the Israeli Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction to prevent the Israeli government from sending around two dozen Palestinian patients and their companions back to Gaza.

The Israeli military raided Al-Shifa after it claimed “senior Hamas terrorists” were using the facility to “conduct and promote terrorist activity.” It claims to have detained a senior Hamas operative during the operation.

CNN cannot independently verify the IDF’s statements.

Dr. Marwan Abu Saada, head of surgery at Al-Shifa, was not at the hospital when the Israeli raid began on Monday. He said on Tuesday that colleagues who had been permitted to leave the hospital reported Israeli troops breaking into most of the hospital buildings.

He said male medical staff were forced to strip and left “for hours in the cold,” an assertion made by other men who have been released from the area.

“They scanned their faces with a camera and took them one by one for humiliating investigation,” he said in the account, shared with CNN by a colleague.
“Many were arrested and were taken to an unknown place, some were forced to leave the hospital and displaced to the south half naked, and others were ordered to go back to the hospital,” added Abu Saada.
“Soldiers assaulted and violated our medical staff and workers in Al-Shifa Hospital, left them without food or water for two days, taking into consideration that this is the month of Ramadan and they are fasting.”

CNN has asked the IDF for its response to the allegations levied by Saada. The IDF has not so far responded.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud emphasized the importance of continuing regional partnerships in getting humanitarian aid to Gaza and eventually resolving the conflict.

The two leaders “discussed the urgent need to protect all civilians in Gaza" and immediately increase the flow of aid, according to a readout from their Jeddah meeting by State Department spokesperson Matt Miller.

“The Secretary emphasized the United States’ commitment to achieving sustained peace through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel,” the readout said.

US officials have been working to lay the groundwork for such a “sustained peace” for months, with the idea that this facilitates a Saudi-Israel normalization agreement. 

On his recent trips to the region, Blinken has stressed that the Israeli government must make “difficult” decisions and move toward a two-state solution if it wants to achieve that normalization with Saudi Arabia and if it wants the support of its Arab neighbors for security and reconstruction in Gaza. 

The top US diplomat will meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman on Wednesday. 

"Clearly, the prime minister was not happy with Sen. Schumer's speech. Nor was he happy with President (Joe) Biden's praise of Sen. Schumer's speech. But I think the prime minster understands the politics of all of it," Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy said afterward. 

"We made it clear to the prime minister that in our judgment, the American people overwhelmingly support Israel's war," Kennedy said. "And he made clear he intends to prosecute the war against Hamas to the full extent of his power" 

Kennedy said Netanyahu spoke for about 15 minutes via video link to the GOP meeting in the Capitol, and then took about 45 minutes of questions. 

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said Netanyahu was not critical of Biden.

"He said he was grateful of the support he's gotten from President Biden and he hopes that support continues," Cruz said.  

Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, said Netanyahu was "candid" and "thorough" and said the Israeli leader gave a "pretty detailed update" of the war, answering questions about the prosecution of the war and explaining what Israel's needs are from the US.   

Hawley said Netanyahu was "very mindful" of concerns over civilian deaths and "talked about it at some length" and was "alert to the sensitives" over that issue, even talking about the estimated death toll of Palestinians.  

"He wanted to project that the end is in sight," Hawley said. "By far the greatest portion of this war is over."  

Netanyahu told the senators he does not envision US troops getting directly involved in combat. 

“I gave this speech, out of a real love for Israel. And if you read the speech, we called only for there to be an election after the hostilities, declined after Hamas was defeated,” he told CNN’s Manu Raju, when asked about GOP critics saying that his remarks amounted to foreign election interference, and that there shouldn’t be any daylight between the US and an ally when they are at war.