US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently touring the Middle East in an effort to broker a ceasefire in Israel’s conflict with Gaza. As of Thursday, March 21, 2024, the situation is as follows:
Israel’s military claims to have killed 90 gunmen and arrested 160 in a raid on Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital, which Hamas denies. The hospital, now one of the few operational healthcare facilities in the north of the territory, is also sheltering displaced civilians. Israeli authorities have ordered 25 patients in East Jerusalem to return to Gaza, according to the UN office for humanitarian affairs.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu estimated the death toll in Gaza at 28,000 in a call with US senators, although Gaza’s Ministry of Health reports at least 31,923 deaths. International organizations consider the Ministry’s toll accurate.
Efforts to reach a ceasefire are ongoing, with Hamas reporting negative responses to their proposals. Blinken, currently in Saudi Arabia, is hopeful for progress toward a ceasefire. Meanwhile, Netanyahu vows to continue defeating Hamas, and the US military destroys drones and vessels launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.
Protests have erupted in Jerusalem calling for the disbandment of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, while former US officials urge President Biden to take a stronger stance against Israel’s actions.
In the occupied West Bank, two Palestinians were killed in a drone attack, and mourners gathered for the funeral of a man shot by an Israeli settler near Nablus.