March 21, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

Our live coverage of Israel's war in Gaza has moved here.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the "gaps are narrowing" between Israel and Hamas to get a temporary ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages, but conceded that "there’s still real challenges."

"We’ve been working, as you know, with Egypt, with Qatar and with Israel to put a strong proposal on the table. Hamas responded to that," Blinken said during news conference in Cairo, Egypt, with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

Blinken said he still believes a deal is possible, despite "difficult work to get there."

Here are other headlines you should know:

• Resolution vote: The US-proposed United Nations Security Council resolution on Gaza will be brought to a vote on Friday morning, US Mission to the UN spokesperson Nate Evans told CNN on Thursday.
• Al-Shifa Hospital updates: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency (ISA) announced Thursday that their troops have arrested more than 600 people so far in the operation at Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital. More than 140 people have been killed in the operation, the agencies said in a joint statement. The Israeli military launched the operation Monday in Al-Shifa, Gaza’s largest hospital facility, where thousands of people were sheltering.

• Israel decides not to send patients back to Gaza: The Israeli government will not send about two dozen Palestinian patients in East Jerusalem and Tel Aviv hospitals back to Gaza until Israel's Supreme Court rules on the merits of the case, according to a letter filed with the Supreme Court by the Israeli State Attorney’s Office. A collective of human rights groups petitioned Israel’s highest court following a CNN report about some of the patients, including mothers and their 6-month-old babies.
• European Council summit in Brussels: EU leaders fell short of calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza when they met for the European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday. As the summit wrapped for its first day, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told journalists that leaders had reached a consensus regarding the need for an "immediate humanitarian pause" in Gaza but fell short of calling for an immediate ceasefire, in a move that is sure to dismay leaders of member states such as Ireland and Spain who have advocated for an immediate ceasefire in advance of the summit. 

Coalition forces destroyed one unmanned surface vessel and two anti-ship ballistic missiles launched by Houthis from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on Thursday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

There were no reported injuries or damage to US or coalition vessels, it said.

Who are coalition forces: Following attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, several countries, including the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, came together under Operation Prosperity Guardian, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced in December.

The goal was to ensure freedom of navigation for all countries and to bolster regional security and prosperity, he said.

The US military conducted another airdrop of humanitarian assistance into northern Gaza on Thursday, US Central Command said in a statement.

Air Force aircraft – two C-17’s – and Army soldiers “dropped over 50,600 U.S. meal equivalents into Northern Gaza, an area of great need, allowing for civilian access to the critical aid,” CENTCOM said. 

CENTCOM said parachutes on five of the 80 bundles of food delivered failed to deploy out.

“These five bundles landed in a non populated area and caused no damage,” CENTCOM said. 

Remember: The US and other countries have been air-dropping humanitarian aid into Gaza amid warnings from the United Nations that hundreds of thousands in the besieged enclave are on the brink of famine.

Aid agencies have criticized the deployment of aid airdrops as ineffective given the scale of the need in Gaza. Earlier this month airdropped aid packages killed at least five people and injured 10 others when the packages fell on them in the Al Shati camp west of Gaza City, according to a journalist on the scene.

EU leaders fell short of calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza when they met for the European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday. 

As the summit wrapped for its first day, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told journalists that leaders had reached a consensus regarding the need for an "immediate humanitarian pause" in Gaza but fell short of calling for an immediate ceasefire, in a move that is sure to dismay leaders of member states such as Ireland and Spain who have advocated for an immediate ceasefire in advance of the summit. 

Despite the bloc now endeavoring to get aid supplies into Gaza via its newly approved maritime corridor from Cyprus, von der Leyen said that "full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access into Gaza" from all routes including land crossings remains "essential." 

Israel has significantly tightened controls on aid entering Gaza via land crossings in recent months but has repeatedly rejected accusations that it has been preventing aid from entering the enclave, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telling CNN last week that its policy "is to not have famine, but to be the entry of humanitarian support as needed, and as much as is needed." 

Von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel called on the Israeli government not to launch a ground operation in Rafah, with Michel saying the bloc can easily "imagine the consequences if such an operation would be launched." 

The Israeli government will not send about two dozen Palestinian patients in East Jerusalem and Tel Aviv hospitals back to Gaza until Israel's Supreme Court rules on the merits of the case, according to a letter filed with the Supreme Court by the Israeli State Attorney’s Office.

The state attorney’s office has asked the court for 30 days to submit its response to a complaint filed by a group of Israeli human rights groups on behalf of some of the patients seeking to bar the Israeli government from deporting the patients during that time. The Israeli Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a temporary injunction to prevent that transfer until the government responded. 

The government said it has agreed not to send any of the patients back to Gaza “except for any of them who request in writing through their attorney to allow him to return to the Gaza Strip.”

The human rights groups petitioned Israel’s highest court following a CNN report about some of the patients, including mothers and their 6-month-old babies.

The US United Nations Security Council resolution on Gaza will be brought to a vote on Friday morning, US Mission to the UN spokesperson Nate Evans told CNN on Thursday.

"The United States has been working in earnest with Council members over the last several weeks on a Resolution that will unequivocally support ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at securing an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as part of a hostage deal, which would get hostages released and help enable a surge in humanitarian aid," Evans said. "After many rounds of consultations with the Security Council, we will be bringing this Resolution for a vote on Friday morning," he said. 

Some background: The US resolution comes after the US vetoed multiple prior UNSC resolutions calling for immediate ceasefires. US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after vetoing an Algerian resolution in late February that it “would put sensitive negotiations in jeopardy.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the "gaps are narrowing" between Israel and Hamas to get a temporary ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages, but conceded that "there’s still real challenges."

"We’ve been working, as you know, with Egypt, with Qatar and with Israel to put a strong proposal on the table. Hamas responded to that," Blinken said during news conference in Cairo, Egypt, with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

Blinken said he still believes a deal is possible, despite "difficult work to get there."

"The teams are working every single day on this,” he said. “There’s still real challenges. We’ve closed the gaps but there are still gaps."

As Israel prepares for a possible operation in the Rafah region of Gaza, Blinken said the US believes Hamas "can be effectively dealt with without a major ground operation in Rafah.” He said a ground operation would “be a mistake," and officials will outline alternative plans when an Israeli delegation goes to Washington, DC, next week.

Meanwhile, Shoukry said he and Blinken agreed to plan "concrete steps" to increase humanitarian aid in Gaza.

The minister stated that the US and Egypt are aligned in their "total rejection of military operations in Rafah."

The minister added that Egypt would do "whatever is possible, whatever is required to facilitate a cessation of hostilities and an end to the military activity." 

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency (ISA) announced on Thursday that their troops have arrested more than 600 people so far in the operation at Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital.

More than 140 have been killed in the operation, the agencies said in a joint statement.

Israeli forces recovered several weapons and intelligence documents and arrested people that include senior officials with Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization, the Israeli agencies claimed. CNN cannot verify the claims of the IDF and ISA.

The Israeli military launched the operation in Al-Shifa on Monday when it alleged that “senior Hamas terrorists” were using the facility to “conduct and promote terrorist activity.”

Hamas has repeatedly denied using hospitals as bases for its activity, including Al-Shifa. The Ministry of Health in Gaza said that thousands of Palestinians had been seeking refuge in Al-Shifa before the operation began.

In a statement, Hamas decried the operation at the hospital and accused Israel of “destroying many of the hospital’s capabilities, blowing up and burning the surrounding residential buildings, detaining and abusing the displaced, medical staff and patients.”