Israel kills over 1,000 Palestinians in resumption of Gaza war

This live blog is now closed. You can follow more updates about the latest Gaza developments on our home page here. 

We will resume the live coverage tomorrow morning from 9 am. 

Yahya Saree, the military spokesman of the Houthi rebels, has said in a statement that air defences shot down a US MQ-9 drone over Yemen’s central province of Marib.

The spokesman said the group continues to "prevent Israeli navigation in the Red and Arabian Seas".

This comes as the Israeli army issued on Monday new 'evacuation' orders for all areas of Rafah, a city that shelters more than 50,000 people.

"All residents of al-Nasr, al-Shawka, al-Salam, al-Manara, and Qizan al-Najjar must evacuate immediately and head to al-Mawasi," Avichai Adraee, an Israeli army Arabic-language spokesman, announced in a statement posted to social media. 

Read the full story here 

Iran would have no alternative but to acquire a nuclear weapon if attacked by the United States or its allies, an adviser to the country's supreme leader warned on Monday, following a threat by Donald Trump.

The comments came hours after the supreme leader himself, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had promised to hit back if the US president made good on his threat to bomb the Islamic republic if it did not agree to a deal to curb its nuclear programme.

"We are not moving towards (nuclear) weapons, but if you do something wrong in the Iranian nuclear issue, you will force Iran to move towards that because it has to defend itself," Khamenei's adviser Ali Larijani said in an interview with state TV.

Israel has killed at least 322 children have been killed and 609 wounded in Gaza since Israel resumed its assault on March 18, UNICEF said.  

"Most of these children were already displaced, seeking refuge in makeshift tents or damaged homes," the agency said, adding that some were receiving treatment at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza when Israel attacked the facility on March 23.  

UNICEF warned that relentless bombardments and a complete blockade on aid for over three weeks have severely strained humanitarian efforts, placing Gaza’s one million children at grave risk.  

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has resigned from his post, submitting a formal letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A spokesperson for Smotrich said his resignation was a protest against demands from his former far-right ally, Jewish Power party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has sought additional ministerial positions as he prepares to rejoin the government.

Despite Smotrich’s departure, Netanyahu’s coalition is expected to remain stable, having passed the 2025 budget last week.

Ben-Gvir, who previously served as national security minister, quit the government in January over a ceasefire in Gaza but announced his return after Israel resumed its military offensive.

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has condemned Israel’s latest forced displacement orders in Gaza, as military operations intensify.

"People are treated like pinballs with constant military orders playing with their fate and lives," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X.
 

As if death, diseases, destruction and hunger were not enough for the Palestinians in #Gaza

People are treated like pinballs with constant military orders playing with their fate & lives.
The Israeli Authorities issued today more forced displacement orders in #Rafah impacting…

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) March 31, 2025

The European Union on Monday said it was ready to cooperate with a new government in Syria that replaced caretaker authorities in power since the ouster of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad.

"The European Union welcomes the formation of the new transitional government in Syria. The EU is ready to engage with the new government in order to help tackle the immense challenges ahead," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a statement.

Houthi media said strikes on Monday hit the Yemeni island of Kamaran, off the coast of Hodeida, blaming the United States for the attacks.

Moments earlier, US President Donald Trump had warned that the Houthi rebels and their Iranian backers would face "real pain" from fresh strikes should they keep threatening shipping.

The rebels' Al-Masirah TV reported "US aggression on Kamaran Island with two strikes", citing its correspondent in Hodeida.

Houthi-held parts of Yemen have witnessed near-daily attacks since Washington launched a campaign against the rebels on March 15 to force them to stop threatening vessels in key maritime routes.

US President Donald Trump has warned Yemen’s Houthi rebels to halt their attacks on shipping or face intensified airstrikes, vowing that both they and their Iranian backers will suffer "real pain".

"We hit them every day and night – harder and harder. Their capabilities that threaten shipping and the region are rapidly being destroyed," Trump wrote in a social media post. "Our attacks will continue until they are no longer a threat to freedom of navigation."

He added: "Stop shooting at US ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come—for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran."

A senior Hamas official has called on supporters worldwide to take up arms in response to plans to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza.

The prospect of expelling Gazans to neighbouring countries such as Egypt and Jordan was first raised by former US President Donald Trump and has since been embraced by right-wing Israeli politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who vowed on Sunday to push ahead with the plan.

"In the face of this sinister scheme – one that combines massacres with starvation – anyone capable of bearing arms, anywhere in the world, must act," Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement on Monday.

"Do not withhold an explosive, a bullet, a knife, or a stone. Let everyone break their silence," he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that he had testified in a probe involving alleged payments from Qatar to one of his aides, slamming the investigation as politically motivated and denouncing the arrest of two of his aides.

"As soon as I was asked to testify, I said that I was free and that I wanted to testify immediately," he said in a video statement. "I understood that it was a political investigation but I didn't realise how political it was, and they are holding Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein hostage... There is no case, there is absolutely nothing, just a political witch hunt, nothing else."

Hamas has denounced Israel’s latest forced displacement orders in Rafah, calling them a "war crime" and a "dangerous escalation" of aggression against Palestinians, as Israeli attacks on the southern Gaza city continue.

In a statement shared on Telegram, the Palestinian group said the displacement of "tens of thousands of innocent people" constitutes a "flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law" and amounts to "a full-fledged crime of forced displacement and ethnic cleansing."

"This new crime aims to deepen the suffering of our defenceless people and exacerbate the catastrophic humanitarian conditions they are experiencing," the statement added.

Tens of thousands of Egyptians took part in a rare pro-Palestine demonstration on Monday as Cairo remains under pressure from US President Donald Trump’s Gaza displacement plan.

The protest commenced from outside Cairo’s Al-Siddiq Mosque, where marchers chanted slogans in support of Palestine and Gaza – where hundreds have been killed since Israel resumed its attacks two weeks ago – and waved Palestinian and Egyptian flags.

They also chanted in support of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his plan to rebuild in Gaza.

Read the full story here

Israel's high court will broadcast the hearing of Shin Bet service chief Ronen Bar on 8 April following a request by Israeli newspaper Haaretz

Amnesty International has called on Hungary to arrest and hand over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the International Criminal Court, following his invite to the country by Prime Minister Victor Orban.

Amnesty's head of Global Research, Advocacy and Policy, Erika Guevara-Rosas, said: "As a member state of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Hungary must arrest him if he travels to the country and hand him over to the Court. Any trip he takes to an ICC member state that does not end in his arrest would embolden Israel to commit further crimes against Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory."

"Netanyahu's reported visit should be seen as a cynical effort to undermine the ICC and its work, and is an insult to the victims of these crimes who are looking to the Court for justice. Hungary's invitation shows contempt for international law and confirms that alleged war criminals wanted by the ICC are welcome on the streets of a European Union member state.

"The ICC was established to ensure accountability for victims of genocide and other crimes under international law, and so that crimes which shock the human conscience would "never again" be accompanied by impunity. In 'bringing power to justice', the ICC is now facing a global backlash from powerful leaders seeking to undermine the international rule of law and stamp out the prospect of accountability for the most powerful," she added.

The World Food Programme has warned that it only has two weeks worth of food to support its Gaza operations. 

"WFP currently supports bakeries to produce bread, kitchens cooking hot meals, and the distribution of food parcels directly to families - each facing record low stocks inside the Strip," the agency said in a statement on X.

The Israeli military has said that it has demolished a kilometer-long tunnel in north Gaza, according to the Times of Israel, adding that the the demolition was conducted by the 252nd Division.

Three children have been killed in an Israeli strike on a home on Yaffa Street in Gaza city, according to Al Jazeera, which also adds that wounded from the strike are arriving at the al-Ahli hospital.

The chief of the UN's agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) has announced the death of two staffers who were killed alongside eight Palestine Red Crescent Society [PRCS] aid workers in Rafah.

"This brings the total of aid workers killed to 408 among them more than 280 UNRWA staff since the war began 1.5 years ago," Philippe Lazzarini said.

"The body of our colleague killed in Rafah was retrieved yesterday, together with the aid workers from [PRCS] - all of them discarded in shallow graves - a profound violation of human dignity."

"Targeting or endangering emergency responders, journalists or humanitarian workers is a flagrant & severe disregard of international law" he added.

#Gaza: devastating to confirm the deaths of two additional @UNRWA colleagues and 8 Palestinian Red Crescent aid workers & first responders.

This brings the death toll of aid workers killed to 408 among them more than 280 UNRWA staff since the war began 1.5 years ago.

The body…

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) March 31, 2025

The health ministry in Gaza said on Monday that 1,001 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since Israel resumed large-scale strikes on 18 March.

According to the ministry's statement, the figure includes 80 people killed in the past 48 hours, taking the overall death toll in Gaza since the war began on 7 October 2023 to 50,357 people.

Former Israeli captive Yarden Bibas, whose wife and children were killed in the enclave, has urged US President Donald Trump to press Israel to end the war to rescue the remaining captives.

In a first interview since being released from the Gaza Strip in February, under a truce deal that has since collapsed, Bibas said Israel's resumption of military operations this month would not help free the dozens of hostages still held in the Palestinian territory.

"Please stop this war, and help bring all the hostages back", Bibas said, addressing Trump in an interview with CBS News "60 Minutes" aired late Sunday.

"I know he can help," said Bibas.

"I'm here because of Trump, I'm here only because of him, I think he's the only one who can stop this war again".

Yarden Bibas, asked if he thought the resumed fighting in Gaza could encourage Hamas to release hostages, replied: "No."

Bibas told CBS News that while he was held in Gaza, Israeli bombardment was "scary, you don't know when it's going to happen, and when it happens, you're afraid for your life".

Opposition politicians in Israel have slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's pick for the new head of the country's domestic intelligence service Shin Bet.

Netanyahu appointed former Navy commander Eli Sharvit, although the decision comes before the High Court rules on petitions against current head Ronen Bar's dismissal.

Benny Gantz, leader of the National Unity Party, was quoted by Haaretz as saying: " the prime minister has decided this morning to continue his campaign against the judicial system and lead Israel into a dangerous constitutional crisis."

Likewise Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman said of Sharvit that "despite being an excellent commander, he has no intelligence background no training, no relevant knowledge", adding "therefore, the considerations that led to his appointment - after so many years outside the military framework - raises many questions." 

The EU wants a resumption of negotiations between Israel and Hamas as it is the only way forward, a EU spokesperson said on Monday.

"A return to the ceasefire is essential, leading to the release of all hostages and a permanent end to hostilities," the spokesperson said.

"Humanitarian aid access and distribution, as well as the supply of electricity to Gaza, must be resumed immediately," they said, adding that "Palestinians and Israelis have suffered immensely in the last year and a half. It is time to break the cycle of violence". 

Two aides of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been arrested by police, according to Times of Israel, over the what Israeli media is calling the Qatargate scandal.

Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein were named by Israeli press as being the two arrested, with police saying that the arrests were made into unlawful ties between them and Qatar, the outlet reported.

No other details were reported following a gag-order on the case imposed by a court order.

An Israeli raid on the Jabalia refugee camp has killed three, according to Al-Jazeera, which earlier reported that two had been killed.

A senior Hamas leader on Monday called on supporters worldwide to pick up weapons and fight US President Donald Trump's plan to relocate more than two million Gazans to neighbouring countries such as Eygpt and Jordan.

"In the face of this sinister plan - one that combines massacres with starvation - anyone who can bear arms, anywhere in the world, must take action," Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement. "Do not withhold an explosive, a bullet, a knife, or a stone. Let everyone break their silence."

The bodies of eight Palestine Red Crescent medics who came under fire in Gaza just over a week ago have been recovered, though a ninth worker is still unaccounted for, the Red Cross said.

In a statement late on Sunday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said it was "appalled" at the deaths.

"Their bodies were identified today and have been recovered for dignified burial. These staff and volunteers were risking their own lives to provide support to others," it said.

The Palestine Red Crescent said it also recovered the bodies of six civil defence members and one UN employee from the same area. It said Israeli forces had targeted the workers. Red Cross statements did not apportion blame for the attacks.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said one worker from the nine-strong Red Crescent group was still unaccounted for. The group went missing on 23 March.

Israeli forces have continued to conduct raids on the occupied West Bank, including in Nablus and towns of Tammun, Qabatiya, and Husan, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa, which reported that five were arrested in Tammun

The agency also reported that raids on Jenin were continuing for the 70th consecutive day.

The Israeli military has issued sweeping evacuation orders covering most of the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.

The orders issued Monday come after Israel ended a ceasefire and renewed its air and ground war in the enclave.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu picked former navy commander Eli Sharvit to be the next head of the domestic security agency, his office said Monday, despite the supreme court freezing the dismissal of the incumbent.

"After conducting in-depth interviews with seven worthy candidates, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to appoint former Israel navy commander, Vice-Admiral Eli Sharvit as the next director of the ISA (Shin Bet)," his office said in a statement.

It remains unclear how and when Sharvit will formally assume leadership of the agency.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday the US would receive a strong blow if it acts on President Donald Trump's threat to bomb if Tehran does not reach a new nuclear deal with Washington.

Trump reiterated his threat on Sunday that Iran would be bombed if it does not accept his offer for talks outlined in a letter sent to Iran's leadership in early March, giving Tehran a two-month window to make a decision.

"The enmity from the US and Israel has always been there. They threaten to attack us, which we don’t think is very probable, but if they commit any mischief they will surely receive a strong reciprocal blow," Khamenei said.

"And if they are thinking of causing sedition inside the country as in past years, the Iranian people themselves will deal with them," he added.

(Reuters)