Blinken says 'unnecessary' Rafah invasion would be a 'mistake': Day 167 of the Gaza war

That's it for today's live coverage of the war on Gaza, and the repercussions in Lebanon and the region. Thanks for joining us and we'll be back tomorrow with more news updates and analysis.

Speaking to reporters today, French ambassador to the United Nations Security Council pressed his 14 fellow members to take action on passing a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza before the weekend, The Guardian reports.

“Now it’s time to save lives,” Nicolas de Rivière said, as the number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli offensive in Gaza reaches 31,988.

“The [Palestinian] death toll … needs to stop now. This is why I will encourage the Security Council to take action … before the weekend. We cannot procrastinate again and again.”

“The first bridge to cross is to have this Ramadan cease-fire now,” he said.

Controversy followed the publication by al-Akhbar newspaper of an alleged decision by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to financially compensate families in southern Lebanon affected by Israeli attacks ongoing since Oct.8, when Hezbollah and Israel began their exchange of fire.

Contacted by L'Orient Today yesterday, the prime minister's office said it had "no comment" to make on the information reported by al-Akhbar and that they would officially announce any plans.

Mikati's commitment, as reported by al-Akhbar, outlines a compensation plan of "$20,000 for each family who lost a member" and "$40,000 for every completely destroyed residential unit."

👉 Read the full report here.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, after a joint press conference, during his visit to Cairo, Egypt March 21, 2024. (Credit: Evelyn Hockstein/Pool/Reuters)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that a major Israeli operation on Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, would be "a mistake" at a time when a truce agreement between Israel and Hamas is "possible," AFP reports.

"The gap is narrowing" in the Gaza truce talks held in Doha, where Israel's intelligence chief David Barnea will meet the CIA boss tomorrow, and "while it's difficult to reach [an agreement], it's still possible," said Blinken, during a joint press conference with Egpyt's foreign minister in Cairo.

"There are better ways of dealing with the Hamas threat," he added, saying deeming "unnecessary" a ground invasion of Rafah, on the Egyptian border, where nearly 1.5 million Palestinians are crowded, having fled Israeli bombardment in the rest of the Strip.

We received more details on the Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Hula, in Marjayoun district, earlier today.

Residents told our correspondent in the South that some houses in the northern neighborhood of the village were completely destroyed, including the house of a journalist.

A Palestinian woman fleeing al-Shifa Hospital following an Israeli raid, carries her triplet children as she moves southward, in the central Gaza Strip, on March 21, 2024. (Credit: Ramadan Abed/Reuters)

Hezbollah announced that it carried out four attacks in response to Israeli "attacks on southern [Lebanese] villages and ... homes."

• The party hit two buildings where Israeli soldiers "are stationed" in the village of Avivim at 5:38 p.m and a third building in the village of Netua that was also being used by Israeli soldiers, at 7 p.m.

• Its fighters hit a building that was being used by Israeli soldiers in the village of Zarit at 7:40 p.m.

• Hezbollah also targeted the village of Shlomi with missile weapons at 7:20 p.m.

A Palestinian mourns relatives, killed in an overnight Israeli strike on the al-Maghazi refugee camp, during a mass funeral at al-Aqsa hospital in Deir Al-Balah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Dec. 25, 2023. (Credit: Mahmud Hams/AFP)

On March 18, Israeli forces once again stormed al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, besieging it, shooting at civilians. This was not the first attack against a healthcare facility by Israel since Oct. 7. It wasn't even the army's first attack on al-Shifa Hospital.

According to the World Health Organization, there have been 410 attacks targeting healthcare in Gaza which have resulted in 685 fatalities, 902 injuries, damage to 99 facilities and affected 104 ambulances.

The Palestinian Red Crescent’s spokesperson in Gaza Raed al-Nems told L’Orient Today that “all 36 of the hospitals in Gaza have been brutally attacked since Oct.7.”

L'Orient Today's Ghadir Hamadi documented, chronologically, the major attacks by the Israeli army against healthcare facilities in Gaza since Oct. 7.

👉 Read full the report here.

David Barnea, chief of Israel’s national intelligence agency, will travel to Qatar tomorrow to meet mediators in an attempt to “secure a Gaza cease-fire that would include a hostage release,” according to a statement issued by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and cited by Reuters.

Barnea will meet with his US counterpart CIA Director Bill Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, the statement said.

An Israeli negotiating team headed by Barnea went to Doha on Monday for talks with the Qatari premier and Egyptian officials. Barnea went back to Israel on Tuesday to debrief the Cabinet, but other members of Israel’s negotiating team remained in Qatar according to the New York Times.

Mourners attend the funeral of three men killed earlier in an Israeli air strike that targeted a car in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on March 20, 2024. (Credit: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP)

Palestinians react as others evacuate the body of a man killed in an Israeli raid at the Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarm in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on March 21, 2024. (Credit: Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP)

Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank today, increasing to nine the number of Palestinians killed in the territory over 24 hours, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, cited by Reuters.

A 19-year-old Palestinian died after being shot by Israeli forces in El Bireh near Ramallah on Thursday morning, the Palestinian health ministry said. WAFA said he was wounded during confrontations with Israeli forces.

South of Bethlehem, Israeli forces shot dead a 63-year-old Palestinian near the settlement of El'azar, WAFA reported. Citing Hebrew-language media, the Times of Israel reported that the 63-year-old man had his hands in the air when he was shot but there was no immediate confirmation from the military.

UN records show that Israeli forces or settlers have killed hundreds of Palestinians in the West Bank since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.

👉 Read the full report here.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock addresses a session at the Bundestag, the German lower house of parliament, in Berlin on March 21, 2024. (Credit: John Macdougall/AFP)

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will visit the Middle East on Sunday, she announced today, cited by AFP.

Germany is one of Israel's key allies and supporters, but has hardened its tone in recent weeks in the face of the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, the result of a relentless Israeli offensive and blockade.

"Since October 7, I have visited the region six times, and I will return on Sunday to see how we can get things moving, however difficult and desperate it may seem," Baerbock said in an address to parliament.

"For Germany, Israel's security is non-negotiable," she declared, repeating her country's position that "Israel, like every country in the world, has the right to defend itself."

Latest updates from the Lebanese-Israeli border:

• Hezbollah announced that it hit a building used by Israeli soldiers in Malikiyah, facing the Lebanese village of Aita al-Shaab, at 5:30 p.m. The party said this attack was carried out in retaliation against Israel's "attacks on southern [Lebanese] villages and ... homes."

• Israeli warplanes raided an area between Marwahine and Yarine, in Sour district, residents told our correspondent in the South.

• Drone debris was found in on a mountain in the area of Khalwat, located on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese village of Hasbaya, residents told our correspondent in the South. There are no further details.

• Israeli artillery shelling targeted the villages of Kfar Kila, in Marjayoun district, and Maroun al-Ras and Yaroun, in Bint Jbeil district, residents told L'Orient Today.

• Rocket sirens were activated in the norther Israeli village of Avivim, according to Haaretz.

The Houthis have told China and Russia that their ships can sail through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden without being attacked, according to a Bloomberg report that cites several people with knowledge of the group’s discussions.

According to the publication, in return for this guarantee of safety, Russia and China “may provide political support” to the Houthis in setting such as the UN Security Council. None of the parties involved have released official statements regarding this deal, which was reportedly reached following talks that took place in Oman between Chinese and Russian diplomats, and one of the Houthi’s top political figures, Mohammed Abdulsalam.

The Houthi’s have been targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea since late November, as a way of pressuring Israel and its allies to end aggression on Gaza. Last week, the group said it would expand its attacks to include shipping routes through the Indian Ocean.

We received more details on the raids that targeted Mais al-Jabal earlier:

A three-story house was destroyed and neighboring houses were damaged, according to a security source relayed by our correspondent in the South, Muntasser Abdallah.

France has announced that it is currently working to prepare a draft UN resolution calling for an "immediate cease-fire" in the Gaza Strip, while the United States has for the first time announced a similar project.

"We believe it is time to take new initiatives in the UN Security Council on the ongoing conflict,” Christophe Lemoine, deputy spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry, said.

He added that the head of French diplomacy, Stephane Sejourne held talks on the subject with his Algerian, Egyptian, Jordanian and Palestinian counterparts.

Here's what's been happening at the Lebanese-Israeli border in the past 45 minutes:

• Israeli warplanes targeted and destroyed a house in the village of Hula, in Marjayoun district, residents told our correspondent in the South.

• Israeli warplanes targeted a house in Tayr Harfa, Sour district, according to residents.

• Residents told L'Orient Today that Israeli artillery shelling targeted Tal al-Nhas and the northern outskirts of Kfar Kila, Marjayoun district, as well as the outskirts of Rashaya.

• Rocket sirens sounded in areas of northern Israel, notably the city of Kiryat Shmona and the town of Metula, according to Haaretz.

A burning object was thrown at the Israeli embassy in the Hague, Netherlands, this morning, Dutch police said, adding that they have arrested a suspect, according to a Reuters report.

Neither the police nor embassy officials gave any further description of the object. No-one was wounded during the incident which is being investigated, the police said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) without giving more details.

"This proves the dangerous consequences of the worrying trend of increasing hatred and incitement," the post added. The Netherlands had added extra security at the Israeli embassy in The Hague following threats.

Latest updates from the Lebanese-Israeli border:

• Hezbollah said that its fighters hit the “Malikiyah” Israeli site, facing the Lebanese village of Aita al-Shaab, with artillery shells at 2:50 p.m.

• According to a security source relayed by our correspondent in the South, Israeli warplanes fired two missiles on the village of Markaba, in Marjayoun district.

• According to the same source, Israeli warplanes fired two missiles on a house in the eastern neighborhood of Mais al-Jabal, Marjayoun district, and targeted a second house located west of the same village.

• Two Israeli artillery shells targeted the village of Odaisseh, Marjayoun district, residents told our correspondent in the South.

Here is an update on the situation in southern Lebanon:

- Israeli artillery shelling targeted the outskirts of Khiam (Nabatieh) with three shells. Earlier, Israeli artillery targeted Hamams Hill, south of the Lebanese town of Khiam, local residents told L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south.

- An Israeli drone fired a missile toward a herd of goats in the farm of al-Majidiyah (Hasbaya) according to local residents.

- Israeli shelling targeted the outskirts of Kounin and Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil)

- ⁠Israeli jets bombed Aita al-Shaab, launching two consecutive missiles, and targeted the town of Yaroun (Bint Jbeil) a security source told L'Orient Today.

- Hezbollah said that it targeted at 2:25 p.m. a "military intelligence position" in the Israeli town of Metula, facing the Lebanese town of Khiam. According to Haaretz, four anti-tank missiles were fired at Metula in northern Israel; and no casualties were reported.

Ministers from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Palestine are meeting in Cairo to discuss a possible cease-fire in Gaza, reports the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, quoted by Reuters.

Our teams, both in the field and in our newsroom, are covering the ongoing war in real-time. You can follow us here or join the L'Orient Today WhatsApp group to stay up-to-date.

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A Palestinian child plays inside a damaged car in the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, on March 21, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Credit: Mohammed Abed/AFP)

The situation in southern Lebanon over the last few hours:

- An Israeli fighter jet fired missiles at a building on the outskirts of Adaisseh, according to a security source. The Civil Defense of the Islamic Mission Scouts (the "al-Rissala" Scouts, affiliated to the Amal movement), said in a statement that it had mobilized to clear the area and open the road after the strike.

- Israeli artillery fire targeted a forest near Yaroun (Bint Jbeil). 

Representatives from 36 countries and UN agencies met in Cyprus to discuss ways of speeding up the delivery of aid to Palestinians under siege in the Gaza Strip via the sea route set up last week.

The meeting was attended by Sigrid Kaag, UN Senior Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance and Reconstruction in Gaza, and Curtis Ried, Chief of Staff of the US National Security Council.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi discussed negotiations around a proposal for an "immediate cease-fire for at least six weeks with the release of all hostages" held by Hamas, reports the State Department quoted by Reuters.

(Credit: NNA)

"The Israeli enemy is threatening Lebanon and trembling because it has feared the strength of the resistance and its surprises," said Nabil Qaouq, a member of Hezbollah's Central Council, quoted by the state-run National News Agency (NNA). "Every aggression will have its response ... Every escalation will be followed by escalation, every extension [of the conflict] will be followed by extension", he insisted.

"The eye of the resistance is riveted on terrain and fronts, not on negotiations," he said, welcoming the fact that Hezbollah "has improved its military capabilities, both in quantity and quality" following the almost daily clashes it has been waging against Israel since Oct. 8.

Gaza's health ministry said that 31,988 people have been killed in Gaza, 65 in the last 24 hours, since Oct. 7.

It added that 74,188 have been wounded since the war began.

An Al-Jazeera correspondent in Gaza, Hani Mahmoud, reported that the Israeli army had called on displaced persons in al-Shifa Hospital to evacuate the premises immediately.

"Judging by the pattern of shelling on the hospital and surrounding areas, it looks like the whole complex is going to be destroyed," he added.

The Israeli military claimed that, in the four days since it restarted operations in and around al-Shifa Hospital, it had killed 140 militants, AFP reports.

"Since the start of the operation, over 140 terrorists have been eliminated in the area of the hospital," the army stated.

Gaza's health ministry said that around 70 people had been killed just last night in the fighting around the medical complex.

The death toll from the Israeli attack on Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank has risen to four, the Palestinian Red Crescent announced, quoted by AFP.

"Palestinian Red Crescent paramedics have just transported an 18-year-old man who was killed by Israeli occupation forces in the Nour Shams camp in Tulkarem. This brings the total death toll to four," the organization said in a message on X.

In the occupied West Bank, tensions have risen again since yesterday.

Early this morning, the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Health announced that two Palestinians, suspected by the Israeli army of "threatening" its soldiers, were killed in an airstrike near Tulkarem. The Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Health, based in the occupied West Bank, also confirmed that two Palestinians had been killed by Israeli fire in the Nour Shams camp, and their remains transferred to a Tulkarem hospital.

Yesterday, three Palestinians, including an Islamic Jihad commander, were killed in an Israeli strike on a car in Jenin, a stronghold of Palestinian armed factions in the northern West Bank.

Read the full story here.

Here is an update on Hezbollah’s attacks on northern Israel last night:

- Hezbollah said it targeted at 10:05 p.m. the Israeli town of Metula, facing the Lebanese southern town of Khiam.

- Hezbollah said it targeted at 10:30 p.m. a building housing Israeli soldiers in Avivim, near the Lebanese border and facing the village of Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil).

- Hezbollah targeted at 11:35 p.m. “an armored Israeli force as it entered the Baghdadi site [which faces the southern Lebanese town of Aita al-Shaab] with rockets.”

Here is an update on the situation in southern Lebanon last night and early morning:

- Last night between 9 and 9:30 p.m., Israeli artillery shelling targeted the outskirts of Wazzani, Khiam, Adaisseh, and Kfar Kila (all located in the Marjayoun district), local residents reported.

- Israeli jets targeted a house in the town of Marwahin (Sour).

- After 9:30 p.m., Israeli jets bombed a house in the town of Dhaira (Sour). An elderly woman who was still in the town was evacuated after the bombing, local residents told L’Orient Today’s correspondent in the south.

- Israeli artillery shelling on the town of Houla (Marjayoun) last night.

- At 1 a.m. Israeli artillery shelling targeted the outskirts of the southern town of Shebaa (Hasbaya).

Early this morning, the Gaza Ministry of Health in Gaza announced the deaths of 70 people in Israeli fire and clashes in the Gaza Strip, where witnesses reported overnight airstrikes in the center of the territory and heavy fighting around Gaza City's al-Shifa Hospital.

The United States has submitted to members of the UN Security Council a draft resolution calling for an "immediate cease-fire linked to the release of hostages" in Gaza, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken, expected in Egypt on Thursday to push forward truce talks between Israel and Hamas, reports AFP.

"We have, in fact, submitted a resolution which is now before the Security Council calling for an immediate cease-fire linked to the release of the hostages, and we very much hope that countries will support it," he told Saudi media outlet Al Hadath on Wednesday evening, on the sidelines of a visit to the kingdom devoted to the conflict in Gaza. Since the start of the war, the United States has vetoed several UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and lasting cease-fires.

Such a resolution would send a "strong signal," added Blinken, who stressed, during a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the American "commitment" to a "lasting solution to the crisis" and to the creation of a "future Palestinian state" offering security guarantees to Israel, according to the State Department.

Make sure that you read the Morning Brief so that you are caught up with what has been happening.

Morning Brief

Amal fighter killed, Lebanon second unhappiest country, Gaza cease-fire talks: Everything you need to know to start your Thursday

Good morning!

Thank you for joining us for our live coverage of the ongoing war in Gaza and its regional and global impact.