His comments come as the death toll in Gaza rose to nearly 21,700 since Israeli military operations began on October 7, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza.
At least 165 people have been killed over the past day, and 250 others wounded, ministry spokesperson Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra said Saturday.
The ministry has confirmed the deaths of at least 21,672 people, and the injury of at least 56,165, since Israel's offensive in the enclave began, according to the spokesperson. About 70% of the war's victims are children and women, Al-Qudra said.
CNN is unable to independently confirm the figures provided by the Gaza ministry, due to restricted access to the region and the difficulty in verifying accurate numbers amid the ongoing conflict.
Here are other headlines you should know:
Humanitarian crisis: The United Nations has expressed alarm at the growing density of internally displaced people in parts of the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli military expands operations into more parts of central and southern Gaza. Palestinians displaced inside Gaza have described cramped living conditions, sky-high prices for food, children going hungry and poor sanitation.
More calls to evacuate southern Gaza: IDF issued what it called “several urgent instructions” to people in Gaza on what it says are safe routes to escape the intensifying fighting near the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Battles persist in the north:Fighting also continues in the north of the territory. On Saturday, the IDF reported fighting in the northern Shejaiya area, where “ground troops located a terrorist cell operating adjacent to the forces, and a terrorist armed with an RPG." An IDF aircraft that struck and eliminated the cell, according to the military.
Historic bathhouse destroyed: The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged Saturday that it destroyed a centuries-old Ottoman-era bathhouse when it targeted a claimed “Hamas terrorist squad” in mid-December. The Hamam al-Samra was said to have been built in the 14th century and was the only public bathhouse in the Gaza Strip. It was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike on December 15, its owner, Salim Al-Wazeer, told CNN.
At the Israel-Lebanon border: The IDF reported "numerous launches" coming from Lebanon toward Israeli territory Saturday. The IDF said its defenses intercepted a "suspicious aerial target that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory." Israeli troops have been battling the powerful, Iran-backed paramilitary group Hezbollah in cross-border skirmishes that have intensified since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, leading to concerns about a widening Middle East conflict.
14 min ago
Israel’s war against Hamas will continue for months, Netanyahu says
From CNN’s Pierre Meilhan and Michael Schwartz
Israel’s war against Hamas is at its “highest level and will continue for months,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday, according to Israel’s Army Radio.
Addressing reporters in Tel Aviv, the prime minister also said the Israeli military is "fighting with force and new systems above and below the ground."
"We have the upper hand, we have killed more than 8,000 terrorists," he claimed, according to Army Radio.
CNN is unable to independently confirm casualty figures provided by the Israel Defense Forces or Hamas, due to restricted access to the region and the difficulty in verifying accurate numbers amid an ongoing conflict.
14 min ago
US warship shot down two ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, US Central Command says
From CNN's Philip Wang
A US Navy warship, the USS Gravely, shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen on Saturday night, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
Earlier on Saturday, a Singapore-flagged and Denmark owned and operated container ship named the Maersk Hangzhou was struck by a missile while transiting the Southern Red Sea, prompting USS Gravely and another vessel, the USS Laboon, to respond, CENTCOM said.
It is the 23rd recorded illegal attack by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on international shipping, CENCOM says, since November 19 when the group began carrying out strikes on ships in the Red Sea, which they say are revenge against Israel for its military campaign in Gaza.
No injuries were reported and the vessel was reportedly able to sail on, CENTCOM said.
Some context: The Houthis are believed to have been armed and trained by Iran, and there are fears that their attacks could escalate Israel’s war against Hamas into a wider regional conflict.
Their attacks have so far forced some of the world’s biggest shipping and oil companies to suspend transit through one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes, which could potentially cause a shock to the global economy.
14 min ago
Gazans displaced to Rafah tell CNN of sky-high food prices and acute overcrowding
From CNN's Kareem Khadder and Tim Lister
Palestinians displaced inside Gaza have described cramped living conditions, sky-high prices for food, children going hungry and poor sanitation.
CNN spoke by phone with several people trying to survive in Rafah, in the south, which tens of thousands have fled to despite it already being the most densely populated part of Gaza.
“The way I am getting by is by begging here and there and taking help from anyone,” said Abu Misbah, a 51-year-old building worker trying to support a family of 10.
Vegetables and fruit were unaffordable, he said. His children asked for oranges, but he was not able to buy them.
“We never (been) through this situation before; we were a middle-class family,” he said. “Now, since the war, we are buying dates — which we used to find everywhere for free. We want a solution to our miserable suffering.”
Umm Omar, 50, is also displaced in Rafah, and lives in a tent. During the truce, his family had briefly returned home only to find all the windows and solar panels broken, and the kitchen destroyed.
“We are nine people in a tent of two meters by one meter,” she said. “We have bought this camping tent ourselves; no one helped us or provided it.”
Omar said the group was getting by on canned food, and estimated that most foods were at least four times as expensive as before the war. Medication is also hard to find.
“Life is difficult and humiliating; the word humiliating is not even close to describing it,” she told CNN.
The United Nations has warned that the humanitarian situation in southern Gaza is deteriorating. It warned that the volume of aid entering the enclave “remains woefully inadequate.”
14 min ago
Israel reports more attacks coming from southern Lebanon
From CNN's Amir Tal and Charbel Mallo
The Israel Defense Forces reported "numerous launches" coming from Lebanon toward Israeli territory Saturday.
The IDF said its defenses also intercepted a "suspicious aerial target that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory."
The fresh attacks come after Israel said earlier Saturday that its aircraft had targeted three "terrorist" squads in Lebanon, as well as Hezbollah infrastructure in the neighboring country.
Hezbollah announced that it had carried out three attacks on Israeli forces, including one drone attack. It also acknowledged the deaths of four fighters, without saying where they were killed.
Remember: This fighting is centered on northern Israel and southern Lebanon — separate from Israel's battles with Hamas further south in Gaza.
Israeli military acknowledges destroying Ottoman-era bathhouse while targeting Hamas in Gaza
From CNN’s Ibrahim Dahman and Stephanie Halasz
The Israel Defense Forces struck a centuries-old Ottoman-era bathhouse when it targeted a claimed “Hamas terrorist squad” in mid-December, the IDF confirmed Sunday.
The Hamam al-Samra, in the Al-Zeitoun neighborhood of northern Gaza, was said to have been built in the 14th century and was the only public bathhouse in the Gaza Strip. It was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike on December 15, its owner, Salim Al-Wazeer, told CNN.
“A Hamas terrorist squad was based in the aforementioned structure which had also contained a network of terror tunnels. The IDF struck the terror target using precision munitions and while minimizing damage to uninvolved persons,” the IDF claimed in a statement.
The bathhouse had seen annual renovations during the month of Ramadan since 1999, the owner told CNN, adding that he hopes to one day rebuild the hammam.
Israel’s war against Hamas is at its “highest level and will continue for months” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday. Battles are also underway in the north, where the Israeli military said it destroyed a hideout belonging to Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' leader in Gaza.
South Africa has filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Israel said the case "lacks both a factual and a legal basis."
His comments come as the death toll in Gaza rose to nearly 21,700 since Israeli military operations began on October 7, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza.
At least 165 people have been killed over the past day, and 250 others wounded, ministry spokesperson Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra said Saturday.
The ministry has confirmed the deaths of at least 21,672 people, and the injury of at least 56,165, since Israel's offensive in the enclave began, according to the spokesperson. About 70% of the war's victims are children and women, Al-Qudra said.
CNN is unable to independently confirm the figures provided by the Gaza ministry, due to restricted access to the region and the difficulty in verifying accurate numbers amid the ongoing conflict.
Here are other headlines you should know:
Humanitarian crisis: The United Nations has expressed alarm at the growing density of internally displaced people in parts of the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli military expands operations into more parts of central and southern Gaza. Palestinians displaced inside Gaza have described cramped living conditions, sky-high prices for food, children going hungry and poor sanitation.
More calls to evacuate southern Gaza: IDF issued what it called “several urgent instructions” to people in Gaza on what it says are safe routes to escape the intensifying fighting near the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Battles persist in the north:Fighting also continues in the north of the territory. On Saturday, the IDF reported fighting in the northern Shejaiya area, where “ground troops located a terrorist cell operating adjacent to the forces, and a terrorist armed with an RPG." An IDF aircraft that struck and eliminated the cell, according to the military.
Historic bathhouse destroyed: The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged Saturday that it destroyed a centuries-old Ottoman-era bathhouse when it targeted a claimed “Hamas terrorist squad” in mid-December. The Hamam al-Samra was said to have been built in the 14th century and was the only public bathhouse in the Gaza Strip. It was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike on December 15, its owner, Salim Al-Wazeer, told CNN.
At the Israel-Lebanon border: The IDF reported "numerous launches" coming from Lebanon toward Israeli territory Saturday. The IDF said its defenses intercepted a "suspicious aerial target that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory." Israeli troops have been battling the powerful, Iran-backed paramilitary group Hezbollah in cross-border skirmishes that have intensified since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, leading to concerns about a widening Middle East conflict.
Israel’s war against Hamas is at its “highest level and will continue for months,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday, according to Israel’s Army Radio.
Addressing reporters in Tel Aviv, the prime minister also said the Israeli military is "fighting with force and new systems above and below the ground."
"We have the upper hand, we have killed more than 8,000 terrorists," he claimed, according to Army Radio.
CNN is unable to independently confirm casualty figures provided by the Israel Defense Forces or Hamas, due to restricted access to the region and the difficulty in verifying accurate numbers amid an ongoing conflict.
A US Navy warship, the USS Gravely, shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen on Saturday night, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
Earlier on Saturday, a Singapore-flagged and Denmark owned and operated container ship named the Maersk Hangzhou was struck by a missile while transiting the Southern Red Sea, prompting USS Gravely and another vessel, the USS Laboon, to respond, CENTCOM said.
It is the 23rd recorded illegal attack by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on international shipping, CENCOM says, since November 19 when the group began carrying out strikes on ships in the Red Sea, which they say are revenge against Israel for its military campaign in Gaza.
No injuries were reported and the vessel was reportedly able to sail on, CENTCOM said.
Some context: The Houthis are believed to have been armed and trained by Iran, and there are fears that their attacks could escalate Israel’s war against Hamas into a wider regional conflict.
Their attacks have so far forced some of the world’s biggest shipping and oil companies to suspend transit through one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes, which could potentially cause a shock to the global economy.
Palestinians displaced inside Gaza have described cramped living conditions, sky-high prices for food, children going hungry and poor sanitation.
CNN spoke by phone with several people trying to survive in Rafah, in the south, which tens of thousands have fled to despite it already being the most densely populated part of Gaza.
“The way I am getting by is by begging here and there and taking help from anyone,” said Abu Misbah, a 51-year-old building worker trying to support a family of 10.
Vegetables and fruit were unaffordable, he said. His children asked for oranges, but he was not able to buy them.
“We never (been) through this situation before; we were a middle-class family,” he said. “Now, since the war, we are buying dates — which we used to find everywhere for free. We want a solution to our miserable suffering.”
Umm Omar, 50, is also displaced in Rafah, and lives in a tent. During the truce, his family had briefly returned home only to find all the windows and solar panels broken, and the kitchen destroyed.
“We are nine people in a tent of two meters by one meter,” she said. “We have bought this camping tent ourselves; no one helped us or provided it.”
Omar said the group was getting by on canned food, and estimated that most foods were at least four times as expensive as before the war. Medication is also hard to find.
“Life is difficult and humiliating; the word humiliating is not even close to describing it,” she told CNN.
The United Nations has warned that the humanitarian situation in southern Gaza is deteriorating. It warned that the volume of aid entering the enclave “remains woefully inadequate.”
The Israel Defense Forces reported "numerous launches" coming from Lebanon toward Israeli territory Saturday.
The IDF said its defenses also intercepted a "suspicious aerial target that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory."
The fresh attacks come after Israel said earlier Saturday that its aircraft had targeted three "terrorist" squads in Lebanon, as well as Hezbollah infrastructure in the neighboring country.
Hezbollah announced that it had carried out three attacks on Israeli forces, including one drone attack. It also acknowledged the deaths of four fighters, without saying where they were killed.
Remember: This fighting is centered on northern Israel and southern Lebanon — separate from Israel's battles with Hamas further south in Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces struck a centuries-old Ottoman-era bathhouse when it targeted a claimed “Hamas terrorist squad” in mid-December, the IDF confirmed Sunday.
The Hamam al-Samra, in the Al-Zeitoun neighborhood of northern Gaza, was said to have been built in the 14th century and was the only public bathhouse in the Gaza Strip. It was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike on December 15, its owner, Salim Al-Wazeer, told CNN.
“A Hamas terrorist squad was based in the aforementioned structure which had also contained a network of terror tunnels. The IDF struck the terror target using precision munitions and while minimizing damage to uninvolved persons,” the IDF claimed in a statement.
The bathhouse had seen annual renovations during the month of Ramadan since 1999, the owner told CNN, adding that he hopes to one day rebuild the hammam.
