June 5, 2024 Israel-Hamas war | CNN (2024)

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Ruby Chen, father of Itay Chen, and Orna Neutra, the mother of Omer Neutra, appear on CNN on Wednesday, June 5.

The parents of two dual Israeli-Americans taken hostage on October 7 said the United States government had so far shown more attention and compassion to hostage families than the Israeli government, describing the difference in support as startling.

Omer Neutra

Orna Neutra, the mother of Israeli-American hostage Omer Neutra, told CNN’s Jake Tapper that as a dual citizen of both countries, “the compassion and the attention and the seriousness with which we’ve been addressed over here [in the United States], the difference is startling towards the hostage families.It’s been pretty awful.”

She went on to say that she believed that apart from some fringe members of the Israeli government, most feel it is time to bring the hostages out “right now.”

Itay Chen

Ruby Chen, the father of Israeli-American hostage Itay Chen, who was killed on October 7, said that he echoed Neutra’s comments, adding that he never received a condolence call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after his son’s death was confirmed.

Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant said Wednesday the country’s military offensive in Gaza would not be halted for any resumption of ceasefire and hostage release talks with Hamas.

Egyptian, Qatari and American officials were expected to meet in Doha from Wednesday to revive Gaza truce negotiations, according to US and Egyptian officials.

The meetings come after US President Joe Biden on Friday laid out a three-phase proposal— a plan characterized as an Israeli plan — that would pair a release of hostages with a “full and complete ceasefire” in Gaza.

Here are other headlines you should know:

Shooting at the US embassy in Lebanon:

The latest from Lebanon:

Controversial march:

IDF investigation:

AnIsraeli soldier carries an injured comrade after projectiles were fired fromLebanontowardsIsrael, in Hurfeish,Israel, on Wednesday, June 5.

The Israeli military says Hezbollah militants in Lebanon launched at least two explosive UAVs in an attack on Hurfeish, a Druze Arab village, in northern Israel on Wednesday evening.

Nine people were treated for shrapnel injuries sustained in the drone strikes, according to the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, including a woman suffering abdominal and chest injuries, whose condition was described as moderate to serious.

The Israeli army has not commented on the identity of the injured, but the Reuters news agency says soldiers were among those wounded. Video obtained by the agency showed an ambulance moving several injured soldiers from the scene.

In one clip, a paramedic can be seen carrying a uniformed Israeli soldier on his back toward an ambulance. The soldier is conscious with his head raised and does not appear to be badly injured.

An eyewitness told Israel’s Channel 11 that the second self-detonating drone exploded as emergency responders arrived on the scene to treat patients injured in the first drone strike.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack which comes amid an escalation of tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border.

According to the Israeli military, Wednesday saw approximately 30 rockets and drones launched from Lebanon towards Israel. Israeli fighter jets also targeted Hezbollah positions, the military said.

“The [Israeli] strikes included terrorist infrastructure in Naqoura and Matmoura, Hezbollah military structures in Ayta ash Shab, and a Hezbollah observation post in Khiam,” the military added.

Tamar Michaelis contributed reporting to this post.

Emergency personnel respond near Hurfeish, Israel, after a reported Hezbollah attack from Lebanon on Wednesday, June 5.

At least 10 people were injured in northern Israel on Wednesday following a drone assault from the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to Israeli authorities.

One person was severely injured, one moderately and eight lightly, Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service said. An MDA ambulance driver was also injured by shrapnel when he arrived at the scene of the attack.

Several launches identified from Lebanon fell in Hurfeish, a town in northern Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which said, “No sirens were sounded, the incident isunderreview.”

An Israeli military source told CNN their initial assessment was that Hezbollah militants launched at least one explosive unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the assault.

Tensions ramp up: The Iranian-backed-Hezbollah has increased attacks on Israel’s border in recent months, saying they are in protest at Israel’s war in Gaza. Just this week, cross-border attacks from Lebanon led to large fires blazing through Israel’s northern region, burning through patches of land and triggering evacuations.

Smoke billows following Israeli bombardment in Khiam, Lebanon, on June 5.

The United States remains “incredibly concerned” about the risk of escalation on the Israel-Lebanon border, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Wednesday.

Tensions on the borderhave been rising. Cross-border attacks from Lebanon led to large fires blazing through Israel’s northern region this week, and the Israeli military warned it was prepared to launch a large-scale attack in the north to deter the Iran-backed Islamist group Hezbollah.

A firefighter puts out flames after rockets launched from Lebanon landed on the outskirts of Kiryat Shmona, Israel, on June 4.

Miller reiterated Wednesday that “it is an untenable situation for Israel right now” as tens of thousands of Israelis cannot return to their homes in the north due to “constant Hezbollah shelling and drone attacks.”

Miller claimed that the Israeli government has privately maintained to the US that “their preferred solution to this conflict is a diplomatic one.”

He added that “one of the reasons we think a ceasefire in Gaza is so important is because that ceasefire would unlock the potential for us to actually achieve lasting calm in the north.”

The US Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, on June 5.

The gunman who allegedly targeted the US Embassy in Beirut on Wednesday morning was wearing “what appeared to be ISIS insignia,” according to a State Department spokesperson.

Miller said that one member of the embassy’s local guard force was “seriously injured” in the incident.

“We achieved full accountability of all official US citizens and locally employed staff, and the embassy closed today following the incident but plans to be open for business-as-usual tomorrow,” said Miller.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese army said its forces had arrested five suspects in connection with the shooting.

The arrests came after raids on several houses in Majdal Anjar and Swairi in eastern Lebanon near the Syrian border, the army said.

The five suspects are a Lebanese national, a Syrian national, and three family members of attacker.

Israelis enter through the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, on June 5.

Large crowds of young Israeli nationalists pushed their way through the narrow streets of Jerusalem’s Old City intimidating, and in some cases attacking, Palestinian shopkeepers and journalists, as they marked Jerusalem Day in what has become the traditional fashion.

The annual event marks the capture of the eastern part of Jerusalem by Israeli forces during the Six Day War in 1967. In recent years it has taken the form of a rally of right-wing religious Israelis, with anti-Palestinian songs and chants becoming standard.

After gathering at the Damascus Gate entrance to the Old City, the mostly young men, many in religious clothing, many others carrying Israeli flags, passed through the gateway and made their way through what is known as the Islamic quarter towards the Western Wall, the most religious place Jews are allowed to pray.

Videos either shot or obtained by CNN showed groups of young men intimidating shopkeepers. Other videos showed them shouting, “Death to Arabs” and “Burn Down the Villages,” a reference to Palestinian homes. Another video showed a group of young men singing and dancing on the Aqsa Mosque compound, where Jews are allowed to visit but not pray.

A CNN crew outside the Damascus Gate witnessed bottles and sticks being thrown at TV crews. An Israeli journalist working for Haaretz newspaper said he was among a group of about ten people thrown to the floor by the nationalists and given a kicking. Police intervened, he said, and pulled him and others to safety.

Eighteen people had been arrested on suspicion of violent offenses, assault, threats, and disorderly conduct, police said.

The two political figureheads of Israel’s far-right, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, both made an appearance at the rally, which comes as Israel’s war in Gaza approaches its ninth month.

Further underlining the unique status of Jerusalem as a trigger in the wider, decades-long, conflict, a statement from Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh said the nationalists’ actions showed that “Jerusalem is the core of the conflict, and our people will not rest until the occupation departs and the independent Palestinian state is established with its capital in Jerusalem.”

On the same Jerusalem Day occasion three years ago, after weeks of building tensions in the city, Hamas triggered an 11-day war with Israel when it launched six rockets towards Jerusalem sending air raid sirens blaring for the first time in years.

The Israeli military has launched investigations into the deaths of Palestinians who died in Israeli military custody during its offensive in Gaza, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson has told CNN.

At least 36 detainees have died in Israeli detention facilities since October, according to the IDF statement on Wednesday, including those with previous illnesses or injuries sustained as a result of the fighting.

The Chief of the General Staff Herzi Haleviordered an advisory committee to investigate the conditions at the Sde Teiman, Anatot and Ofer detention facilities amid allegations of detainee mistreatment.

Timeline: Thousands of Palestinians from Gaza have been detained since the war, the IDF said. The committee will assess detention conditions, the treatment of detainees, the management of facilities, and overall compliance with Israeli and international law, added the IDF. It will start investigating immediately and will submit its recommendations to the Chief of the General Staff within three weeks, the spokesperson said.

CNN investigation: Earlier on Wednesday, astate attorney toldIsrael’s Supreme Court that hundreds of Palestinian detainees would be transferred out of the Sde Teiman facility. The move comes shortly after aCNN investigationinto extreme abuse at that facility.

Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant said Wednesday the country’s military offensive in Gaza would not be halted for any resumption of ceasefire and hostage release talks with Hamas.

Gallant made the comments after conducting a flight in an Israeli air force F-15 fighter jet over Gaza and Israel’s northern border with Lebanon to “observe all the combat theaters of the IDF.”

Egyptian, Qatari and American officials were expected to meet in Doha from Wednesday to revive Gaza truce negotiations, according to US and Egyptian officials.

The meetings come after US President Joe Biden on Friday laid out a three-phase proposal— a plan characterized as an Israeli plan — that would pair a release of hostages with a “full and complete ceasefire” in Gaza.

Israeli police said they have detained five suspects for throwing objects towards journalists during an annual parade held by nationalist Israelis in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

The flag-flying parade marks Jerusalem Day, commemorating when Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war, which placed the entire city under its control.

During the march, crowds waving Israeli flags walked through a route that sets off from Damascus Gate – the main entry to the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, where most residents are Palestinian. The marchers were seen dancing and chanting nationalist slogans.

Thousands of Israeli police officers are deployed to the area, according to the police statement.

Israelis hold flags as they make their way towards Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, on June 5.

A controversial annual flag-flying march held bynationalistIsraelis through Muslim areas of Jerusalem’s Old City took place on Wednesday.

Crowds waving Israeli flags set off from Damascus Gate – the main entry to the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City – and walked on a route through the area.

The parade commemorates the anniversary ofIsrael capturing East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war.

The event is a controversial one and viewed by Palestinians as a provocation meant to undermine their ties to the city, which they hope can one day serve as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.

The march is mostly attended by nationalist Jewish groups, and has previously triggered clashes between Israelis and Palestinians.

In 2021, it prompted themilitant groupHamas to fire rockets toward Israel, helping to trigger an 11-day conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza.

People march in Jerusalem, on June 5.

A former Italian lawmaker displayed a Palestinian flag on the facade of Milan’s main cathedral on Wednesday, demanding an end to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, videos showed.

By unfurling the green, white, black and red flag, Apuzzo intended to highlight demands for the Italian government “not to send any more weapons” to Israel, according to an Instagram post.

He also urged the Italian government to recognize Palestinian statehood. Last month, Apuzzo hung Palestinian flags at the lower house of the Italian legislature, the Chamber of Deputies. Green Milan city councilor, Carlo Monguzzi, said on social media that the flag appeared “among the applause of the people.”

Momentum in Europe: It comes after Slovenia on Tuesday became the latest European country to formally recognize Palestinian statehood. The decision followed those of Spain, Ireland and Norway, who formally recognized Palestinian statehood in late May. The trend in Europe is likely to strengthen the Palestinian cause, but could weaken ties with Israel.

Jewish crowds marched through al-Aqsa compound on Wednesday, said the Jordan-appointed body that manages the area, stoking tensions as Israeli nationalists held an annual flag-flying parade in East Jerusalem.

Under the so-called Status Quo agreement dating back to Ottoman rule of Jerusalem, only Muslims are allowed to pray inside the Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

Israel and other states agreed to maintain Status Quo access to these holy sites after Israel captured them in the 1967 war.

Non-Muslim visitors are allowed visits at certain times and only to certain areas of the complex.

Heckles and pepper spray: In a video obtained by CNN Wednesday, the crowds were seen dancing in the compound,and a man can also be heard shouting a warning that pepper spray had been triggered, as some canbe seen protectively covering their faces. A group of male Israeli teenagers were also seen crowding and heckling an Al-Arabi TV crew at Damascus gate, as witnessed by a CNN crew.

Security forces in Lebanon have detained the sibling of a gunman who opened fire at the US embassy in Lebanon on Wednesday, according to local media.

“The State Security Directorate, in collaboration with the Directorate of the Army Intelligence, detained the brother of the shooter who had earlier attacked the US Embassy in a swift operation in Majdal Anjar on Wednesday,” said Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).

Lebanese authorities are questioning the detainee, added NNA, after he was arrested in Majdal Anjar, a small town in eastern Lebanon near the Syrian border.

Attempted attack: The gunman opened fire in Awkar, northeast of Beirut, on Wednesday morning, according to a Lebanese security source. The gunman seemed to be acting alone and is undergoing surgery at the hospital, they added.

A general view shows part of the US Embassy compound in Awkar, northeast of Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday, June 5.

Senior officials have shut down the US embassy in Lebanon to the public, after a gunman tried to target the building on Wednesday. A source at the embassy in Lebanon previously told CNN they could not divulge information about the gunman’s motivations.

American citizens in the country were urged to avoid travel to the border with Israel and refugee settlements, according to a security alert issued by the embassy.

“In all parts of Lebanon, you should avoid demonstrations and exercise caution if in the vicinity of any large gatherings or protests,” the alert said.

Authorities are in close contact with local law enforcement amid an investigation into the attempted attack, the alert added. The embassy is expected to reopen for general business on Thursday.

Regional flashpoint: Hostilities between the Israeli military and Lebanon-based Hezbollah – one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the Middle East – have intensified in recent months.

As Israel ramped up its military bombardment in Gaza following the Hamas-led October 7 attacks, Hezbollah unambiguously supported the Palestinian group and roundly condemned Israel’s large-scale airstrikes on the enclave.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wears a scarf with both Turkish and Palestinian flags as he addresses a rally organized by the AKP party in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, in Istanbul, Turkey on October 28.

Since the war in Gaza began, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been one of Israel’s harshest andmost vocal critics– routinely branding it a terror state, comparing its prime minister to Hitler and heaping praise on Hamas.

The Palestinian militant group isconsidered a terror groupby most members of NATO, but not Turkey.

Some Western critics might accuse Erdogan of going too far in supporting Hamas, but recent events suggest he has not yet appeased his domestic political base.

After Erdogan’s ruling party was handeda humbling defeatin local elections in March, he promised to think hard about what went wrong. Beyond thesputtering Turkish economy– many pundits blamed the electoral setback on his stance on Israel and its war in Gaza.

Political challengers, like the smaller, ultra-conservative New Welfare party, managed to siphon off votes from the president’s ruling AK Party by taking a tougher stance against Israel and demanding concrete actions beyond the fiery rhetoric Erdogan is known for.

The president may have believed that strong rhetoric against Israel was enough, Seda Demiralp, a political scientist at Isik University, told CNN after the election. “Erdogan really underestimated New Welfare and how much New Welfare could mobilize conservative voters.”

Read the full story here.

Israelis hold flags as they make their way towards Damascus Gate for the annualJerusalemDay march on June 5.

An annual march held bynationalistIsraelis, thisflag-flying parade marksJerusalem Day, commemoratingwhenIsrael captured East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war, which placed the entire city under its control.

During the march, which will take place later on Wednesday, crowds waving Israeli flags walk through a route thatsets off from Damascus Gate– the main entry to the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, where most residents are Palestinian. The marchersusually dance and chant nationalist slogans.

Thousands of Israeli police officers have been deployed to protect marchers in the past, somein riot gear, blocking surrounding streets and clearing the marching route of Palestiniancounter-protesters. Police have used stun grenades, rubber bullets and live fire against Palestiniandemonstratorson Jerusalem Day in the past.

Why is it controversial?The event is seen by Palestinians as a provocation meant to undermine their ties to the city, which they hope can one day serve as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.

East Jerusalem, where the Old City lies, is considered by most of the international community as occupied territory, along with the West Bank and Gaza.

Some of theslogans previously chantedby Israelisduring the Flag March include: “This is our home,” “Jerusalem is ours,” but somehave also chanted “Death to Arabs,” prompting condemnation from theinternational community, including the United States, as well as some Israeli officials.

The march is mostly attended by nationalist Jewish groups, and has previously triggered clashes between Israelis and Palestinians. In 2021, it prompted themilitant groupHamas to fire rockets toward Israel, helping to trigger an 11-day conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza.

This year’s event risks escalating already high tensions in East Jerusalem and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which have witnessed an unprecedented uptick in violence against Palestinians sincetheOctober 7 attacksand Israel’s war in Gaza.

Hamas branded its October 7 operation against Israel “Al Aqsa Flood,” saying it was in response to Israeli provocations in Jerusalem.

Lebanese army forces deploy near the US embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, on June 5.

A gunman who opened fire in Awkar, northeast of Beirut, on Wednesday morning was targeting the US embassy in Lebanon, a Lebanese security source told CNN.

The gunman seemed to be acting alone, and is undergoing surgery at the hospital, the Lebanese official said.

“Small arms” were fired in the vicinity of the embassy entrance around 8:30 a.m. local time, before Lebanese security forces and US embassy security reacted “quickly,” the embassy said in a statement.

The embassy staff are safe and the facility was not damaged, the US embassy added in the statement.

Lebanese army statements did not reveal any details further beyond that a Syrian national was injured and is currently receiving treatment at the hospital.

Lebanon has been a wider flashpoint in the Israel-Gaza conflict. Tit-for-tat fire between Israel and Hezbollah has brought fears of all-out conflict.

Bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks are seen outside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital morgue in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on June 5.

At least 65 people, including women and children, were killed in Israeli strikes overnight into Wednesday in Deir El-Balah in Central Gaza, according to local health workers.

On Wednesday morning, officials at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital said 65 of the victims brought to the hospitalhad died.

Umm Shadi says in a video obtained by CNN that her daughter’s building was hit in the early hours of Wednesday morning, killing her and one of her children in their sleep. Her four surviving children are being treated in the hospital’s ICU.Shadi said there had been no warning the area would be targeted by the IDF.

The video shows several dead children and women at the hospital as their relatives grieve.

Women embrace in a corridor at Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir el-Balah on June 4.

On Wednesday, the IDF released a statement saying “troops have started a targeted operational activity in the areas of Bureij and eastern Deir al Balah both above and below ground,” based on “intelligence” indicating the presence of Hamas fighters.

The IDF statement added that troops are continuing operations in Central Gaza and Rafah on Wednesday.

A fire burns near Kiryat Shmona, Israel, on June 3.

IsraeliPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that Israel is prepared for “very intense action” along the northern border with Lebanon, which has seen frequent exchanges of fire with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.

Netanyahu made the comments on Wednesday while visiting Kiryat Shmona, a northern city near the Lebanese border, after large blazes erupted in the area following rocket fire from southern Lebanon earlier this week.

Blazes erupted in northern Israel early Tuesday after Hezbollah launched what it described as a “swarm of drones” at an Israeli military command center in the Galilee. The fires are now under control, authorities said.

The tit-for-tat fire between Israel and Hezbollah following the October 7 attacks has brought fears of all-out conflict. Tens of thousands of Israelis have been evacuated from along the border.

On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Major General Herzi Halevi also toured the area and said the IDF was ready to respond if called on. “We are approaching the point where a decision will have to be made,” he said.

An ambulance is pictured as members of the Lebanese army deploy near the US embassy in Beirut on June 5.

A man has been arrested following an overnight shooting near the US embassy in Lebanon, in Awkar, northeast of Beirut, Lebanese authorities say.

A Syrian national was injured after army members deployed to the area responded with fire, the Lebanese army said Wednesday, adding the male suspect was arrested and transferred to a hospital for treatment.An investigation is underway, the army said.

In a post on X, the US embassy said “small arms fire” was reported in the vicinity of the embassy’s entrance around 8:34am local time (1:34am ET).

Lebanon has been a flashpoint in the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Since the start of war, Lebanon has exchanged regular cross-border fire with Israel. Most recently, blazes erupted in northern Israel early Tuesday after Lebanon-based Islamist group Hezbollah launched what it described as a “swarm of drones” at an Israeli military command center in the Galilee.

The low rumble of tit-for-tat exchanges has sparked fears that Hezbollahcould actively participate in the conflict on behalf of the Palestinians.

In October, the US State Department issued a travel warning for Americans not to visit Lebanon following the outbreak of war. The travel advisory has since been updated advising citizens to “reconsider travel” to Lebanon, and continues to rule out travel to the country’s south, the border with Syria and refugee settlements.

The US House of Representatives voted Tuesday to pass a bill to sanction International Criminal Court officials – House Republicans’ response to the courtseeking an arrest warrantfor Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The ICC’s targeting of Netanyahu has sparked widespread backlash from Republicans and Democrats in Congress. President Joe Biden alsoforcefully denouncedthe ICC move, saying “there is no equivalence” between Israel and Hamas, but the administration has said it does not support the GOP-led effort to sanction the court.

It is unlikely that the Senate will take up the sanctions bill. The House passed the bill in a 247 to 155 vote, with 42 Democrats joining Republicans in support.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour inan exclusive interviewlast month that the court is seeking arrest warrants for the Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, and Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the October 7 attacks on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.

According to the legislative text, the bill would impose sanctions on individuals “engaged in any effort to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies.” The sanctions include prohibiting US property transactions and blocking and revoking visas.

Headquartered at The Hague in the Netherlands, the ICC was established in 2002 and is tasked with prosecuting individuals forcrimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Slovenia has become the latest European country to formally recognize Palestinian statehood, after the country’s parliament approved the move with a majority vote on Tuesday.

The decision follows those ofSpain, Ireland and Norway, who formally recognized Palestinian statehood in late May.

The growing momentum in Europe is likely to bolster the global Palestinian cause, but could further strain relations with Israel.

Most of the world already recognizes Palestinian statehood. More than 140 out of 193 member states of the United Nations have made their recognition official. But only some nations in the 27-member European Union are among them.

Read the full story here.

A leaked photograph of an enclosure where detainees in gray tracksuits are seen blindfolded and sitting on paper-thin mattresses. CNN was able to geolocate the hangar in the Sde Teiman facility.

Israel is phasing out the use of the detention camp of Sde Teiman in Israel’s Negev desert, a state attorney told Israel’s Supreme Court on Wednesday during a first-ever hearing about the facility where hundreds of Palestinian detainees from Gaza have allegedly been held under conditions of extreme abuse.

State attorney Aner Helman told the court that 700 inmates had been moved to Ofer military facility in the occupied West Bank, with another 500 were set to be transferred in the weeks to come. Around 200 detainees will remain in Sde Teiman, said Helman, who added that the state would provide an update on their status within three days.

The hearing comes in response to a petition by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and other human rights groups, which drew heavily onCNN reportingabout the makeshift prison to make a case for it to be shut down.

CNN’s investigation, in which Israeli whistleblowers as well as Palestinian former detainees and eyewitnesses described horrific conditions at the facility, including continuous blindfolding and handcuffing, sparked an international outcry.

Read the full story here.

Nine Israeli soldiers have been injured, two seriously, after a stockpile of ammunition exploded at a military base in southern Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

According to the Israeli military, two were seriously injured in the blast while the rest sustained light or moderate injuries. They did not say what caused the explosion or when it happened.

Thesoldierswere evacuated to a hospital to receive medical treatment and their families have been notified, the IDF said in a statement.

The incident is under review, it added.

Palestinians gather to receivefood in Jabalia, northernGaza, on March 19.

A group of independent experts has warned that famine may well be underway in northern Gaza due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

FEWS NET, which is funded by the US Agency for International Development, is a leading provider of early warning and analysis on acute food insecurity around the world.

Under the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system – a five-phase scale used as a common standard for classifying the severity of food insecurity – a famine can only be declared if data shows certain thresholds are met.

Concerns over famine in Gaza have remained high with the UN’s World Food Programme warning last month that northern Gaza was experiencing a “full-blown famine.”

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)meanwhile warned on Wednesday that Israel’s war in Gaza has caused “catastrophic damage” to the natural environment.

It said that restoring the environmental services will take “decades” and cannot start until a ceasefire.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the White House in Washington, DC, on June 4.

President Joe Biden suggested in an interview published Tuesday that his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, may be dragging out the war in Gaza in an attempt to cling to power.

The president made the comments as he was preparingto deliver a speech layingout what he said was an Israeli proposal to end the war and secure the release of hostages.

The speech was intended to apply pressure on Hamas and Israel to end the war, but the effect of his remarks was to put Netanyahu on the spot as the war in Gaza grinds ahead.

So far, Netanyahu hasyet to publicly endorse the plan, despite it being an Israeli proposal, and members of his far-right government have threatened toquit should the plan be adopted.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby downplayed Biden’s comments to Time on Tuesday, telling reporters,“I think the president was very clear in his answer on that, and we’ll let the prime minister speak to his own politics and to what his critics are saying, and the president was referencing what many critics have said.”

Read more here about Biden’s interview

CIA Director Bill Burns is pictured during an event in Washington, DC, on May 21.

Top Biden administration officials are traveling to the Middle East this week to engage in ongoing talks on apossible ceasefire and hostage release dealbetween Israel and Hamas, as well as the dire situation in the Gazan city of Rafah, US officials told CNN.

No timings have been confirmed but Egyptian, Qatari and American officials will be meeting in Doha as early as today, Egyptian state-affiliated Al-Qahera TV reported, citing a high-ranking source.

CIA Director Bill Burns, who has served as the administration’s primary interlocutor in ceasefire negotiations, is expected to travel be traveling to Doha, according to one US official. Qatar is acting as an intermediary in talks between Israel and Hamas.

Middle East Coordinator BrettMcGurkis also headed back to the region this week, a separate official said.

Although both regularly travel to the Middle East, their visits come amid a furious diplomatic push by President Joe Biden and his administration to get Hamas and Israel to accept the latest ceasefire proposal.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has made a flurry of calls since Biden outlined the proposal in a speech last Friday, discussing the ambitious deal with partners and urging them to pressure Hamas to support it.