April 21, 2024 - News on the Middle East conflicts (2024)

12:03 a.m. ET, April 22, 2024

Our live coverage of Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza has movedhere.

6:13 p.m. ET, April 21, 2024

Israeli troops kill 14 during two-day raid in the occupied West Bank, health ministry says. Here's the latest

From CNN staff

April 21, 2024 - News on the Middle East conflicts (1)

Israeli troops have concluded a two-day operation in the Nur al-Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces told CNN on Sunday.

Images fromthe raid — one of the IDF's largest in the West Bank since October 7 — show concrete slabs and rubble strewn across the area. At least 14 people, includinga child and a teen, were killed in the raid, the Palestinian Ministry of Health and official news agency Wafa said Saturday. Israel says it killed 10 "terrorists" and arrested wanted suspects.

Violence by Israeli settlers and IDF troops in the West Bank has surged during Israel's campaign in Gaza. Settlers killed an ambulance driver trying to transport injured Palestinians on Saturday, the Palestine Red Crescent said.

According to the health ministry, 483 Palestinians have been killed by settlers or Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since October 7.

Here's what else to know if you're just joining us:

  • Gaza death toll: At least 34,097 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, the Palestinian health ministry reported Sunday. At least 76,980 people have also been injured. More than 70% of those killed have been women and children, according to the ministry. CNN cannot independently confirm the numbers due to the lack of international media access to Gaza.
  • West Bank labor strike: A West Bank-wide labor strike took place on Sunday, a working day, over the Palestinian deaths in the occupied territory and in Gaza, Palestinian political faction Fatah said on Saturday, according to Wafa.
  • Hamas condemns US aid: Hamas has condemned the United States House of Representatives' approval of a more than$26 billion foreign aid packagefor Israel, calling it a violation ofhumanitarian norms and a "green light" for further decimation of Palestinians and their communities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the package showed bipartisan support for Israel in the US and "defends Western civilization."
  • Turkish and Hamas leaders meet: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed efforts to get humanitarian aid into Gaza and the “urgent need” for a ceasefire during a meeting with Hamas' top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in the capital Istanbul on Saturday, his office said. It's their first meeting since October 7.
  • War cabinet meeting: Israel's war cabinet met late on Sunday local time to discuss efforts to free the remaining hostages in Gaza, an Israeli official confirmed. Talks on a ceasefire and hostage dealhave been facilitated by international mediators for weeks, but have yielded no apparent breakthroughs of late.
  • Iran tensions: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has called on the country’s armed forces to continue their fight against Israel by pursuing military innovation and learning "the enemy's tactics." In a statement on Khamenei’s official website Sunday, he thanked Iran's military for its operation against Israel on April 13. Strikes between Israel and Iran this monthspiked fears of a widening regional conflictin the Middle East, but the two sidesappear to be stepping back for now.
6:08 p.m. ET, April 21, 2024

Israeli war cabinet met Sunday to discuss hostage situation in Gaza, official says

From CNN’s Eugenia Yosef and Larry Register

The Israeli war cabinet met late Sunday local time to discuss efforts to free the remaining hostages held in Gaza, according to an Israeli official.

The war cabinet is made up of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and Benny Gantz, who is chairman of the National Unity Party.

In a video statement, released by the Government Press Office to mark Passover on Sunday, Netanyahu said, "This night, 133 of our dear brothers and sisters do not sit at the Seder table and are still imprisoned in the hell of Hamas."

Netanyahu accused Hamas of rejecting proposals for a hostage deal "outright," and said Israel will soon land "additional and painful blows" and will increase "military and political pressure" on Hamas to free the hostages.

State of the negotiations: Talks on a ceasefire and hostage deal have been facilitated by international mediators for weeks, but have yielded no apparent breakthroughs of late.

The framework laid out by negotiators, according to sources familiar with the talks, would see a six-week pause in fighting, during which Hamas would release 40 of the remaining hostages, including all the women, as well as sick and elderly men. In exchange, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners would be released from Israeli prisons.

Hamas has told the mediators — which include Qatar and Egypt — it does not have 40 living hostages who match the criteria for release. CNN’s record of the conditions of the hostages also suggests there are fewer than 40 living hostages who meet the proposed criteria.

This post has been updated to reflect the meeting took place.

9:08 a.m. ET, April 21, 2024

Israeli military concludes deadly raid on refugee camp in the occupied West Bank

From CNN's Benjamin Brown

April 21, 2024 - News on the Middle East conflicts (2)

Israeli troops have concluded a two-day operation in the Nur al-Shams refugee camp near Tulkarm, in the occupied West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces told CNN on Sunday.

Images from the offensive on the camp, which appears to be one of the largest in the West Bank since October 7, show concrete slabs and rubble strewn across the area.

At least 14 people, including one child, were killed in the raid, the Palestinian Ministry of Health and official news agency Wafa said Saturday.

The IDF claimed security forces killed 10 "terrorists" and arrested “eight wanted suspects” during its “extensive counterterrorism” operation, which started on Thursday.

Attacks on Palestinians: Violence in the occupied West Bank has only increased during Israel's offensive in Gaza.

An ambulance driver from the Palestine Red Crescent Society was killed while transporting Palestinians injured in an attack by settlers in the West Bank on Saturday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.

Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians in the occupied territory increased in 2023 to theirhighest levelsince the UN began recording data in 2006, the Human Rights Watch reported Wednesday.

At least 483 Palestinians have been killed by settlers or IDF soldiers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since October 7, according to the health ministry.

The spike in violence by extremist settlers has led to more sanctions by the US and EU.

This post has been updated with additional data on violence in the West Bank.

9:04 a.m. ET, April 21, 2024

Hamas condemns new US military aid to Israel as a "green light" for Gaza "aggression"

From CNN’s Ibrahim Dahman and Eve Brennan

April 21, 2024 - News on the Middle East conflicts (3)

Hamas has condemned the United States House of Representatives' approval of a more than $26 billion foreign aid package for Israel, calling it a violation of"all international laws and humanitarian norms."

The Palestinian militant group views the funding as confirming US complicity in an Israeli campaign that has "claimed the lives of tens of thousands of innocent martyrs, in addition to the systematic destruction of cities and residential neighborhoods and all civil facilities and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip," it said in a statement Sunday.

The US administration and President Joe Biden, Hamas said,bear personal "political, legal, and moral" responsibility for what it described as war crimes in Gaza. The bill provides a “green light” for Israel to continue its "brutal aggression" in the strip, Hamas said.

The US House passed the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act on Saturday with a vote of 366-58.

8:23 a.m. ET, April 21, 2024

Erdogan discusses need for ceasefire in meeting with Hamas leader in Turkey

From CNN’s Zahid Mahmood in London

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed efforts to get humanitarian aid into Gaza and the “urgent need” for a ceasefire during a meeting with Hamas' top political leader Ismail Haniyeh in the capital Istanbul on Saturday, his office said.

It was the first meeting between Erdogan and Haniyeh since October 7, when Israel began its military invasion into Gaza following Hamas' attack. Earlier this week, the Hamas leader held talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Doha.

"During the meeting, President Erdoğan said that Turkey continued its diplomatic efforts to draw the attention of the international community to the persecution of the Palestinians and emphasized at every opportunity the need for an end to the atrocities and the urgent need for a permanent ceasefire,” a statement from the Turkish presidency said.

Erdogan said Turkey had provided Gaza with more than 45,000 tons of humanitarian aid in order to “alleviate some of the suffering” and would continue to do so.

6:49 a.m. ET, April 21, 2024

Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed 34,097 Palestinians, health officials say

From CNN's Ibrahim Dahman

April 21, 2024 - News on the Middle East conflicts (4)

Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip have killed 48 Palestinians in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry in Gaza reported on Sunday, raising the total death toll to 34,097 people killed.

At least 76,980 people have been injured since October 7, the ministry said. A number of Palestinians are trapped under the rubble and destroyed roads, the ministry added, but ambulance and civil defense crews are unable to reach them.

The vast majority of those killed in Gaza are women and children, according to Palestinian health officials. As of April 20, the ministry reported:

  • At least 72% of those killed are women and children
  • More than 9,100 women have been killed
  • More than 14,000 children have been killed

CNN cannot independently confirm the numbers due to the lack of international media access to Gaza.

5:03 a.m. ET, April 21, 2024

Israeli military strikes four locations in Lebanon overnight, Lebanese state-run news agency reports

From CNN’s Charbel Mallo, Benjamin Brown, and Irene Nasser

Israeli strikes hit four sites in southern Lebanon overnight, Lebanese state-owned National News Agency reported, as regional tensions intensify over Israel's military campaign in Gaza. The strikes hit the villages of Khiam, Tayr Harfa, Kfarkella near Odaisseh, and in an area between Ramieh and Beit Leif.

The Israeli military confirmed bombardment on three of the four locations, hitting what it said were Hezbollah targets. Hezbollah is an Iran-backed, Lebanese militant group with one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the Middle East.

In Tayr Harfa, Israeli forces said "a terrorist was identified operating inside a Hezbollah military structure" which fighter jets struck. Elsewhere, Israeli troops hit "an observation post" in Odaisseh and "two military structures" in Khiam.

Israel-Lebanon relations: Israeli and Hezbollah forces have engaged in cross-border fire and tit-for-tat exchanges since October 7, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage.

Hezbollah’s political stance has unambiguously supported the Palestinian militants. It has roundly condemned Israel’s relentless airstrikes on Gaza, which have killed more than 34,000 Palestinians and injured more than 76,900, according to the Ministry of Health there.

CNN's Tamara Qiblawi and Abeer Salman contributed reporting.

1:08 a.m. ET, April 21, 2024

West Bank prepares for labor strike in protest of Palestinian deaths: official media

From CNN's Irene Nasser and Mia Alberti

April 21, 2024 - News on the Middle East conflicts (5)

A West Bank-wide labor strike has been called for Sunday, a working day, over Palestinian deaths in Tulkarem in the West Bank and Gaza, Palestinian political faction Fatah said on Saturday, according to official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

The strike calls on people "to unite in support of our people," Fatah said, according to WAFA.

The Palestinian Teachers Union said that a general strike will be adhered to at all schools, educational facilities, and the ministry, WAFA reported, adding that the General Union of Transport Workers also said it is committed to adhering to the strike.

Some context: The call for a general strike was announced after 14 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli military operation in Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarem, in the West Bank,according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

April 21, 2024 - News on the Middle East conflicts (2024)

FAQs

April 21, 2024 - News on the Middle East conflicts? ›

Death toll rises to 14 in Israeli raid on refugee camp in the West Bank, Palestinian health ministry says. At least 14 people have been killed during the ongoing Israel Defense Forces operation at the Nur al-Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

How many Palestinians died in April 2024? ›

Between 7 October 2023 and the afternoon of 30 April 2024, at least 34 568 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 77 765 Palestinians were injured, according to MoH in Gaza. Since 7 October, 474 Palestinians including 116 children, have been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and about 5 000 were injured.

What is the current conflict in the Middle East? ›

List of conflicts
DateConflictLocation
20172017 Iraqi–Kurdish conflictIraq
2017–Iraqi insurgency (2017–present)Iraq
2023–Israel–Hamas warIsrael West Bank Gaza Strip
2023–Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present)Israel Lebanon
98 more rows

What's going on in Palestine? ›

Airstrikes and fighting will continue to have devastating impacts on civilians. Israel's offensive has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians. An estimated 8,000 of the identified fatalities are children and tens of thousands are unaccompanied or separated from their families.

Why are Israel and Iran at war? ›

Israel sees Iran as an existential threat, and accuses its regime of harboring genocidal intentions. Consequently, Israel has sought sanctions and military action against Iran to stop it from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Is Gaza in Israel or Palestine? ›

The Gaza Strip and the West Bank are two Palestinian territories that were part of Mandate Palestine and were captured by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. There are over 5 million Palestinians combined living in the two territories.

How many dead are in Gaza now? ›

US President Biden says the new proposal for a Gaza truce is “a roadmap to an enduring ceasefire and the release of all hostages”, adding that “it's time to end this war.” At least 36,379 Palestinians have been killed and 82,407 wounded in Israel's war on Gaza since October 7.

Is the US going to war in the Middle East? ›

The United States does not seek conflict with Iran or in the broader Middle East. But as President Biden has made clear, we will not hesitate to defend our people and hold responsible all those who harm Americans, at a time and a place of our choosing.

Is Syria still at war? ›

As of 2023, the civil war had largely subsided, mainly achieving a stalemate. One source stated: The war whose brutality once dominated headlines has settled into an uncomfortable stalemate.

Who is helping Palestine right now? ›

PRCS is the Palestinian affiliate of the Red Crescent movement, providing healthcare services, emergency medical response, and humanitarian assistance to those affected by the conflict in Palestine.

Why is Gaza being attacked? ›

Hamas said its attack was in response to the continued Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, the blockade of the Gaza Strip, the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, as well as alleged threats to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the plight of Palestinian refugees and prisoners.

Was Palestine a country before Israel? ›

While the State of Israel was established on 15 May 1948 and admitted to the United Nations, a Palestinian State was not established. The remaining territories of pre-1948 Palestine, the West Bank - including East Jerusalem- and Gaza Strip, were administered from 1948 till 1967 by Jordan and Egypt, respectively.

Do Israel and Iran have nuclear weapons? ›

Israel is the only nuclear-armed power in the Middle East — an open secret even if not acknowledged by the country nor governed by international agreements. Iran, meanwhile, does not possess nuclear weapons.

Who are Iran's allies? ›

Syria. Syria and Iran are strategic allies. Syria is often called Iran's "closest ally", the Arab nationalism ideology of Syria's ruling Baath party notwithstanding.

How far is Iran to Israel by plane? ›

The shortest distance (air line) between Iran and Israel is 1,071.54 mi (1,724.48 km). The shortest route between Iran and Israel is 1,337.64 mi (2,152.72 km) according to the route planner.

What is the population of Gaza in 2024? ›

Gaza's 2024 population is now estimated at 800,636. In 1950, the population of Gaza was 63,444.

How many were killed in Rafah? ›

At least 66 people including children killed in four days of attacks on “safe zones” in Rafah.

How many people have died in Israel vs Palestine since 2000? ›

As per B'Tselem, an Israeli human-rights organisation, 10,712 Palestinians and 1,330 Israelis had been killed since 2000 till this year, before the start of the current violence. The first Intifada in 1987 led to major bloodshed in Palestine, which eventually led to the Oslo peace accords.

How many Palestinians are left? ›

Based on population estimates prepared by PCBS, there are about 14.3 million Palestinians in the world in mid-2022, of whom about 5.35 million in the State of Palestine; 2.72 million males and 2.63 million females.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Stevie Stamm

Last Updated:

Views: 6610

Rating: 5 / 5 (60 voted)

Reviews: 91% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Stevie Stamm

Birthday: 1996-06-22

Address: Apt. 419 4200 Sipes Estate, East Delmerview, WY 05617

Phone: +342332224300

Job: Future Advertising Analyst

Hobby: Leather crafting, Puzzles, Leather crafting, scrapbook, Urban exploration, Cabaret, Skateboarding

Introduction: My name is Stevie Stamm, I am a colorful, sparkling, splendid, vast, open, hilarious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.