Israel snatches Netzarim Corridor as Katz threatens Gaza displacement

The live blog has now ended and will be back tomorrow at 9am GMT. You can read more of The New Arab's coverage of Israel's war on Gaza here.

Yemen's Houthis, undeterred by waves of US strikes since Saturday, fired a ballistic missile toward Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, the group's military spokesperson said in a televised statement.

The group has recently vowed to escalate their attacks, including those targeting Israel, in response to the US campaign.

(Reuters)

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes early Thursday morning killed at least 10 people, as intense military operations resume in the Palestinian territory.

"At least 10 civilians were killed and dozens more injured in Israeli air strikes that targeted six homes east of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip," the agency's spokesman Mahmud Bassal said.

Israel's military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen early on Thursday as hostilities with Iran-backed Houthi militants intensified.

Sirens sounded in several areas in Israel after the projectile was fired, the military said. The Israeli police said sirens were heard in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Israel's ambulance service said no serious injuries were reported.

"A missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF prior to crossing into Israeli territory. Sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol," the Israeli military said in a statement, referring to its air force.

(Reuters)

Sirens sounded in several areas in Israel early on Thursday after a projectile was launched from Yemen, the Israeli military said.

"The details are under review," the military added

(Reuters)

The US has conducted further raids on Yemen, with the Houthi-run news channel Al Masirah TV reporting that the US carried out five raids on the province of Hodeidah, striking a cotton processing plant in Zabid. 

The Gaza civil defence agency said an Israeli strike on Wednesday killed 14 members of the same family in the northern town of Beit Lahia.

Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that "at least 14 martyrs and several wounded from one family" were transferred to a hospital "after the (Israeli) occupation carried out an air strike targeting a house where a mourning tent was held", adding several people were feared buried under the rubble.

The UN's Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (OCHA), issued a statement condemning the bombing of a UN compound in Gaza that killed one and injured five, calling it "infuriating." 

Tom Fletcher said that "we grieve with the family of our colleague. And, on their behalf and for those who continue the work, we demand answers." 

"International law is clear. Civilians - including UN staff and humanitarian workers - must not be targeted."

"The blockade of lifesaving aid must be lifted. The hostages must be released. Civilians must be protected. The ceasefire must be renewed," he added.

The chief of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has called for the "immediate resumption of the ceasefire" in Gaza, adding that Israel's bombardment "puts millions of lives at risk".

Following the killing of a UN staffer in the enclave, Ghebreyesus also said "This incident follows strikes that have killed hundreds of people, including children." 

"We call for the immediate resumption of the ceasefire, for the release of all hostages, and for the protection of humanitarian workers and civilians."

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday he spoke with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and that the two leaders condemned the resumption of Israeli strikes on Gaza.

Macron said they will co-chair a conference on a two-state solution, aimed at "helping revive a political perspective for both Israelis and Palestinians."

Macron also said he welcomed the crown prince's Jeddah initiative, which enabled the start of peace negotiations in Ukraine.

(Reuters)

The UK's Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said he is "appalled" that a UN compound was hit in Gaza, killing one Bulgarian staff member.

"This incident must be investigated transparently and those responsible held to account," he said, adding that "the UN and humanitarian workers must be protected." 

The Gaza civil defence agency on Wednesday said that at least 470 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since Israel resumed large-scale air strikes overnight from Monday to Tuesday.

In the "second day of the resumption of the war against Gaza... the death toll since March 18 is more than 470," the agency's spokesman Mahmud Bassal said in a statement.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday discussed the latest situation in Gaza in a phone call with an official from Palestinian militant group Hamas, Khalil al-Hayya, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.

The source provided no further details on the call. 

(Reuters)

Both the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli President Isaac Herzog have issued statements over Israel's judiciary on Wednesday.

Netanyahu, who is currently seeking to fire the head of Israel's domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet, a move that has been caught in the crosshairs of the country' attorney general, issued a statement on X saying: "In American and in Israel, when a strong right wing leader wins an election, the leftist Deep State weaponizes the justice system to thwart the people's will."

"They won't win in either place!", he said, adding "we stand strong together".

The post had initially appeared on the official X account of the office of the prime minister, but was taken down shortly after its posting. 

Following the post, the office for President Herzog issued a post on X saying: "Israel's strong and independent judicial system is an asset to our democracy, and the President of Israel is very proud of it." 

Israel said it was investigating the death of a Bulgarian UN worker in the Gaza Strip Wednesday, after a UN agency reported one of its employees was killed in an explosion that the Israeli army has denied responsibility for.

"We express sorrow over the death of the Bulgarian citizen, a UN worker, today in the Gaza Strip," Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein wrote on X. "The circumstances of the incident are being investigated. We emphasize that the initial examination found no connection to IDF activity whatsoever."

The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday there was still "a bridge proposal on the table that would extend the ceasefire" in Gaza but the opportunity for it was "closing fast."

"Right now, we still have a bridge proposal on the table that would extend the ceasefire and see the release of five live hostages, including American Edan Alexander. It would also see the release of a substantial number of Palestinians held in Israeli jails," a State Department spokesperson said, blaming Palestinian Hamas militants.

"The opportunity is still there, but it's closing fast."

(Reuters)

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran must immediately stop sending military supplies to the Houthis and let the Yemeni group "fight it out themselves."

In a post on Truth Social, Trump added that US strikes on the Houthis "will get progressively worse," and that "they will be completely annihilated!"

Meanwhile, Axios reported on Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump's letter to Iran's supreme leader earlier in March included a two-month deadline for reaching a new nuclear deal.

(Reuters)

 The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned on Wednesday that medics were struggling to manage a sharp increase in casualties over the last 36 hours due to the resumption of ground operations by Israel in the Gaza Strip.

"Due to the recent suspension of humanitarian aid into Gaza, stocks of medical supplies have dropped significantly and on top of this, hospital staff are struggling to manage the sharp increase of casualties," said the ICRC in a statement.

(Reuters)

The United Nations' Secretary-General condemned on Wednesday attacks on UN personnel and added in a statement from his spokesperson that all parties in Israel's attack on Gaza knew where the UN's premises were based.

"The Secretary-General was deeply saddened and shocked to learn of the death of a United Nations Office for Project Services staff member, when two UN guesthouses in Deir al Balah were hit in strikes," a spokesperson for secretary-general Antonio Guterres wrote.

"The locations of all UN premises are known to the parties to the conflict, who are bound by international law to protect them and maintain their absolute inviolability," the statement continued.

"The Secretary-General sends his deepest condolences to the family of the staff member killed," he said, adding that at least 280 UN staff had been killed in Gaza since 7 October, 2023.

(Reuters)

Hamas said Israel's ground operation in the central and southern Gaza Strip and its incursion into the Netzarim corridor was a "new and dangerous violation" to the ceasefire deal, according to a statement by the Palestinian group.

(Reuters)

Houthi media reported multiple US strikes on Wednesday in rebel-held areas around Yemen, including the capital Sanaa.

According to the Iran-backed movement's Al-Masirah TV, "an American attack targeted the capital Sanaa... and the area of the town of Saada" in the north, later adding strikes had also hit the district of Al-Sawadiya, southeast of Sanaa.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday dismissed as "fake news" media reports about one of his aides allegedly receiving payments from Qatar.

Israeli media have said the accusations against some of Netanyahu's aides, dubbed "Qatargate", were being investigated by the Shin Bet internal security agency, though a gag order bars the publication of any details of the probe.

Public broadcaster Kan on Tuesday aired a recording of an Israeli businessman in which he said he had transferred money from the Qataris to Netanyahu adviser Eli Feldstein -- who was arrested in November in an unrelated case.

"This new fake news is a desperate attempt to fabricate evidence of a non-existent crime," said a statement from Netanyahu's office.

Feldstein's lawyers said their client was unaware that the money paid by the businessman had come from Qatar.

A Bulgarian national working for the United Nations died on Wednesday in the Gaza Strip, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, citing preliminary information.

The ministry said further information will be made public after Bulgaria had been informed about the outcome of an investigation being carried out by the competent authorities into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

A 2-and-a-half-year-old Palestinian toddler, Omar Qassem Talab Abu Sharqiyya, was killed in an Israeli drone airstrike in Asdaa City, Gaza.

According to Wafa news agency, the strike wounded the child in the head, and he was later pronounced dead at Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah.

This incident follows Israel's resumption of airstrikes in Gaza, which have resulted in the deaths of hundreds, including over 100 children.

The Israeli military has announced its ongoing operation in Gaza aims to create a "partial buffer" zone, following the killings of at least 436 Palestinians.

In a statement on X, the military said it had initiated a focused ground operation in central and southern Gaza to expand the security area.

As part of this effort, Israeli forces have retaken control of the Netzarim Corridor, which they had previously withdrawn from in February under a ceasefire agreement.

"Over the past 24 hours, [Israeli military] forces have begun targeted ground operations in the central and southern Gaza Strip to expand the security perimeter and create a partial buffer between the north and south of the Strip," the army said in a statement.

Thousands gathered in Jerusalem to protest against the government's plans to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and demand a ceasefire following the renewal of Israeli attacks in Gaza.

Tensions escalated as demonstrators tried to break through barricades to reach Prime Minister Netanyahu's residence, with several people detained by police, according to The Times of Israel.

In other parts of the city, groups chanted for the release of hostages in Gaza, the publication added.

Near Netanyahu's official residence, a group of silent protesters blocked Paris Square, pledging to stay until 5 pm.

Anti war activists spray the road with red spray paint as a symbol of drawing the line for further bloodshed @omdimbeyachad #Jerusalem pic.twitter.com/cSCjY1aIak

— אביב נצחי🟣 (@eternalAviv) March 19, 2025

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) condemned the suspected Israeli airstrike on its building in Gaza on Wednesday, which killed one staff member.

While not assigning blame, UNOPS confirmed an explosive device was dropped or fired at the building.

Executive Director Jorge Moreira da Silva described the attack as "unconscionable" and expressed shock and devastation, highlighting the dedication of UN staff in Gaza.

He reiterated that UN workers and premises should never be targeted.

King Abdullah II of Jordan condemned Israeli attacks and the blockade on Gaza as "extreme measures" threatening civilian lives, calling for urgent international action to restore the ceasefire.

Speaking alongside French President Macron in Paris, Abdullah also warned of escalating violence in the West Bank, stressing that continued violations could hinder peace efforts.

He reiterated that a two-state solution is the only path to lasting security for both Palestinians and Israelis.

Gaza's Government Media Office condemned Israel for reportedly targeting a UN site in Deir el-Balah, which led to the death of one foreign worker and injuries to five others.

The office described the attack as part of a broader strategy to hinder UN and humanitarian efforts.

It called for an immediate international investigation and urged the United Nations to take a firm stance against Israel's actions.

UNICEF has confirmed two of its staff were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.

The Palestinian Health Ministry also reported earlier one foreign humanitarian worker killed and five others seriously injured. The Israeli military has denied these claims.

The health ministry in Gaza said a foreign UN worker was killed and five others seriously injured Wednesday by an Israeli strike on their headquarters.

A statement from the health ministry said there was "one death and five severe injuries among foreign staff working for UN institutions... due to the bombing of their headquarters by the occupation in the central governorate a short while ago".

It added they had been taken to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

AFP has not been able to confirm the information with the United Nations.

The health ministry in Gaza on Wednesday published a new death toll from the war with Israel, showing an additional 970 deaths in 48 hours after Israel intensified deadly strikes on the territory.

The death toll from the war in Gaza recorded by the ministry at midday on Monday (1000 GMT) stood at 48,577. By midday on Wednesday, the figure had risen to 49,547, it said. Israel launched a wave of strikes on Gaza overnight between Monday and Tuesday, by far the deadliest since a fragile truce began in January.

Israel's army on Wednesday denied striking a UN building in Gaza, after the territory's health ministry said a foreign UN worker was killed and five others seriously injured by an Israeli strike on their headquarters.

"Contrary to reports, the IDF (army) did not strike a UN compound in Deir el-Balah," the army said in a statement, while an army spokesperson told AFP: "I confirm there was no IDF operational activity there and that the IDF didn't strike the UN compound."

Israel's resumption of strikes on the Gaza Strip is a major step in the wrong direction after its ceasefire with Hamas earlier this year, President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday alongside Jordan's King Abdullah II.

"The resumption of Israeli strikes yesterday, despite the efforts of mediators, represents a dramatic step backwards," Macron said ahead of talks in Paris with Abdullah.

"It's dramatic for the Palestinians of Gaza, who are again plunged into the terror of bombardment, and dramatic for the (Israeli) hostages and their families who live in the nightmare of uncertainty."

Macron slammed Hamas, saying the "axis of resistance is today an illusion", but also warned Israel that there could be "no Israeli military solution in Gaza".

Abdullah called the strikes "an extremely dangerous step that adds further devastation to an already dire humanitarian situation".

"The international community must act immediately and collectively push for restoring the ceasefire and the implementation of its phases.

"Israel's attacks and its blockade of aid, water and electricity to Gaza are escalatory measures that risk the lives of a severely vulnerable population.

"The ceasefire must be restored and the flow of aid must resume immediately," he said.

A foreign national was killed and four other people were wounded in an Israeli airstrike on the site of a United Nations headquarters in central Gaza City on Wednesday, Gaza's health ministry said.

Israeli strikes killed at least five Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, health officials in the enclave said, and the Israeli army, which resumed attacks against the territory, said it targeted an alleged Hamas military site in the north.

Three people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in the Sabra suburb in Gaza City, while another airstrike left two men dead and wounded six others in Beit Hanoun town in the north, the Gaza health officials said.

The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas site in northern Gaza, where they claimed that they detected preparations for firing into Israeli territory.

Israel resumed airstrikes a day earlier as both sides traded blame over breaking a ceasefire and shattering nearly two months of relative calm.

Israeli naval vessels attacked several boats it said were intended to carry out "terrorist" acts by Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups.

Palestinians said an Israeli drone fired at several fishing boats onshore of Gaza City, setting several of them ablaze.

Hamas has not shut the door on negotiations, an official from the Palestinian group said Wednesday, after Israel launched its most intense bombardment of Gaza since a January 19 ceasefire.

"Hamas has not closed the door on negotiations but we insist there is no need for new agreements," Taher al-Nunu told AFP on the phone from Cairo, also calling for Israel to be forced to implement the ceasefire.

"There is no need for new agreements in light of the existing agreement signed by all parties," he added.

"We have no conditions, but we demand that the occupation be compelled to immediately halt its aggression and war of extermination, and begin the second phase of negotiations," Nunu said.

He called on the international community to "take urgent action" to end the war, while accusing Israel of "violating the ceasefire agreement it signed".

Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Wednesday that Israel's raids on Gaza "are shattering the tangible hopes of so many Israelis and Palestinians of an end to suffering on all sides".

Speaking before starting a trip to Lebanon, she called on "all sides" in the conflict to "show restraint, respect humanitarian law and return to talks" after hundreds were killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Wednesday that she told Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar that the situation in Gaza is "unacceptable".

"Yesterday I also talked to Foreign Minister Saar ...what is happening, why are you doing this. And I mean, also conveying the message that this is unacceptable," she told reporters in Brussels.

The Israeli government has approved the return of firebrand politician Itamar Ben-Gvir as national security minister, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Wednesday.

A statement said the government had "unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal to reappoint" Ben Gvir, who resigned on January 19 to protest a Gaza ceasefire agreement reached with Hamas.

Yair Lapid, the leader of Israel's opposition, has urged the public to organise protests against Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government, accusing it of lacking "any red lines" following the resumption of the conflict in Gaza.

The former prime minister emphasised that the nation must unite and declare: "Enough!" in a post on X.

He continued, "I’m calling on all of you – this is our moment, this is our future, this is our country. Take to the streets!"

Earlier, Lapid had called for Netanyahu’s resignation, asserting that Israel had "lost confidence in him."

Hamas on Tuesday called on "friendly countries" to pressure the US government into halting its ally Israel's renewed air strikes on Gaza that have killed over 400 people.

"We call on friendly countries to pressure the US administration to halt this aggression and genocidal war against defenceless civilians", the Palestinian movement, which has not yet responded militarily to the strikes, said in a statement.

The Israeli army on Wednesday urged Gazans to evacuate what it called "combat areas" in the north and south of the Palestinian territory, after it resumed air strikes following a ceasefire breakdown.

In a post on X, military spokesman Avichay Adraee warned people in Beit Hanun, Khirbet Khuza'a and Abasan al-Jadida that "these areas are dangerous combat zones" and they should move to shelters in western Gaza City and Khan Yunis for their own safety.