April 18, 2024 - Iran targeted in aerial attack: Live updates | CNN (2024)

The attack on Iran early Friday was likely intended as both a retaliatory measure and a cautionary message, a retired US Army Major General told CNN.

For days, Israel has been weighing its response to unprecedented weekend strikes from Iran, which were launched in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria earlier this month.

A US official told CNN that Friday’s attack was an Israeli strike. Israel has declined to comment on it.

“Israel must maintain its vigilance” in case Iran decides to respond with another show of force, retired Major General Mark MacCarley said.

By targeting the Iranian province of Isfahan — the site of significant nuclear facilities —Israel was likely warning that it could easily overwhelm Iran’s defenses, MacCarley said.

“I think that there was a very deliberate thought process on the part of the Israeli war cabinet,” he said.

“Israelis had to retaliate, but at the same time, within that retaliation was a message, and that is, ‘Yes, we can get through. Don’t do it again. If you do it again, then all heck will break out.’”

A loud blast heard near the Iranian city of Isfahan was caused by “air defense firing at a suspicious object,” an Iranian senior military commander said, according to Iran’s state-aligned Tasnim news agency.

There was no “damage or incident,” said senior military commander Second Brigadier General Mihandoust in Isfahan Province, according to Tasnim.

A US official told CNN that Israel had carried out a strike inside Iran. The Israeli military has not commented.

Iranian state media are reporting that all facilities in the area are secure, including significant nuclear facilities.

Threeexplosions were heard early Friday near the military base where fighter jets are located in the Isfahan province, Iran’s semi-official FARS news agency reported.

Iran’s National Cyberspace Center spokesman, Hossein Dalirian, said air defenses shot down three drones and “there are no reports of a missile attack for now.”

Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran, a US official told CNN on Friday, in a move that threatens to further escalate conflict in the Middle East.

Iran’s air defense systems were activated in several locations after explosions were heard close to the airport and an army base in the province of Isfahan, state media reported early Friday morning.

Israel has not taken responsibility for the attack.

Here’s what we know:

• What Iranian reports say: Threeblasts were heard near a military base where fighter jets are locatedin northwest Isfahan, Iran’s semi-official FARS newsagency reported. Following the strike, Iranian media reported that all facilities around Isfahan are secure, including significant nuclear facilities in the area. Iran’s National Cyberspace Center spokesman, Hossein Dalirian, said air defenses shot down three drones and “there are no reports of a missile attack for now.”
• What was the target? That remains unclear, but the US official told CNN the strike’s target was not nuclear. According to FARS, a military radar was a possible target. Ghahjaworstan, where an explosion was heard, is located near Isfahan Airport and “the eighth hunting base of the Army Air Force,” FARS reported.
• How did we get here? Tensions remain acute across the Middle East as Israel wages war in Gaza against Palestinian militant group Hamas, an Iranian ally. Meanwhile, a decades-longshadow conflict between Israel and Iran erupted into the open on the weekend when Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel that Tehran said was retaliation for a deadly suspected Israeli airstrike on Iran’s consulate in Syria.

• What Israel says: The Israeli military said Friday they “don’t have a comment at this time” when asked by CNN about reports of explosions in Iran. Israel’s war cabinet has met periodically this week without announcing any definitive action following the Iranian strikes on Israel last weekend.
• What the US says: Israel’s allies, including the United States, have called for restraint from Israel in a bid to preventa regional war. The US “didn’t green light” an Israeli response, another senior US official told CNN. Prior to Friday’s strike, the US expectation was that Israel would not target civilian or nuclear facilities, the second official said.
• What happens next? That also remains unclear. Reports of the explosions came hours after Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahiantold CNNthat ifIsraeltakes any further military action against Iran, its response would be “immediate and at a maximum level.” He added: “If the Israeli regime commits the grave error once again our response will be decisive, definitive and regretful for them.”

Iran has lifted flight suspensions put in place after reports of explosions near a military base in Isfahan province, according to the spokesperson of the Civil Aviation Organization.

“We inform you that the operational restrictions imposed on the airports have been removed and the airlines are allowed to carry out scheduled flights,” the spokesperson said.

Flights have resumed at Mehrabad Airport and Imam Khomeini International Airport, the two major airports in Iran’s capital, Tehran, after being suspended earlier today.

Iran had earlier temporarily suspended all flights heading to the cities of “Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz, the airports of the West, North West and South West,” state-run Mehr TV reported.

Outgoing flights were also briefly canceled.

Following a strike in Iran’s Isfahan province, Iranian state media are reporting that all facilities in the area are secure, including significant nuclear facilities, CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson reports.

Though a US official told CNN Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran, Israel has not taken responsibility for the attack.

“The overall impression that’s being related by the Iranian government and other media outlets in Iran is that whatever events have happened — and they do leave it rather ambiguous — it has not damaged significantly any important facilities near Isfahan,” Robertson said.

State media is also reporting that they have not had any enemy aircraft come into Iranian airspace, he added.

A flight from Dubai to Tehran was diverted back to the United Arab Emirates on Friday morningafter Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport closed.

A Flydubai spokesperson told CNN that flights from Dubai to Iran had been canceled.

“Flydubai flight FZ 1929 from Dubai to Tehran on 19 April has returned to Dubai due to the closure of Tehran Airport (IKA). In line with the issued NOTAM, our flights to Iran today have been canceled. The safety of our passengers and crew is our priority,” the spokesperson said.

The flight left for Dubai at 4:10 a.m. (8:10 p.m. ET) and arrived back in Dubai at 5:51 a.m. (9:51 a.m. ET).

Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant (L) and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant earlier Thursday about “regional threats and Iran’s destabilizing actions in the Middle East,” according to a Pentagon readout.

The call happened before Israel carried out a strike inside Iran. The Pentagon readout does not mention any discussion of Israel’s plans to attack.

Austin also discussed “the importance of increasing and sustaining the flow of humanitarian aid to Gazan civilians, including via the new route from Ashdod Port in Israel,” the readout said.

CNN reported Thursday night that Israel had told the US that it would be retaliating against Iran in the coming days, according to a senior US official.

Iranian air defenses shot down three drones Friday, according to a Tehran official, as state media said no large-scale strikes or explosions had been reported following blasts near the central city of Isfahan.

It comes after a US official told CNN Friday that Israel had carried out a strike inside Iran, in a move that threatens to raise regional tensions.

Iran’s air defense systems were activated in several regions as a precaution against potential aerial threats, according to state news agency IRNA.

“Following the activation of air defense in some parts of the country to deal with some possible targets, reports indicate that so far, no large-scale strikes or explosions caused by any air threat has been reported,” IRNA said early Friday local time.

Extensive checks inIsfahan, a critical central province with significant nuclear facilities, indicate that all sensitive military and security installations remain secure, with no incidents reported.

Missile defense systems were not activated, IRNA added.

This post has been updated.

The Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) urged its citizens in Israel to “depart if it’s safe to do so.”

“There’s a high threat of military reprisals & terrorist attacks against Israel & Israeli interests across the region. The security situation could deteriorate quickly. We urge Australians in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories to depart if it’s safe to do so,” according to a post in theSmart Traveller account on X, which posts advice from DFAT.

The department warned that “military attacks may result in airspace closures, flight cancellations & diversions & other travel disruptions.”

It is concerned that Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport “may pause operations due to heightened security concerns at any time, & at short notice.”

The Israeli military said they “don’t have a comment at this time,” when asked by CNN about reports of explosions in Iran.

Israel carried out a strike inside Iran early Friday local time, a US official tells CNN. The target is not nuclear, the official said.

The US also said it had advance warning of Israel’s retaliation against Iran but “didn’t endorse” it, a senior USofficial said.

The strike against Iran early Friday is just the latest in an intensifying and uncertain series of attacks in the Middle East.

Should a tit-for-tat between Israel and Iran develop, the conflict between the nations threatens to get “very grim very quickly,” an international relations expert told CNN.

Iran could choose to target Israel through proxies in Lebanon and Iraq, as well as with the help of Hamas in Gaza and the Houthi militant group in Yemen, Ghosh said.

Friday’s strikes have pitched the conflict into “unknown territory,” he said.

“With this escalation of risk-taking, there’s always a chance that the next step up is going to be the step too far,” Ghosh said.

CNN Global Affairs Analyst Kim Dozier said this “escalation ladder” between the countries could lead to “something really dire — an all-out back and forth between the two.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem, February 18.

Israel had told the US on Thursday it would be retaliating against Iran in the coming days, a senior USofficial said.

“We didn’t endorse the response,” the official said.

Israel had been weighing a response to Iran’s weekend airstrikes targeting the Jewish state, most of which were intercepted.

Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran, a US official tells CNN. The attack came just hours after Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told CNN in an interview that ifIsraeltakes any further military action against it would be “immediate and at a maximum level.”

Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran, a US official tells CNN, in a move that threatens to trigger further deadly conflict throughout the Middle East.

The attack came hours after Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahiantold CNNthat ifIsrael takes any further military action against Iran, its response would be “immediate and at a maximum level.”

The details of a potential “maximum response” have been planned by Iran’s armed forces, he said.

Israel had for days been weighing its response to Iran’s unprecedented weekend strikes, most of which were intercepted.

Iran launchedthe attackin retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria earlier this month.

That airstrikedestroyed the consulate building and killed at least seven officials, including two top commanders.

Iran’s state-aligned Tasnim news says nuclear facilities in Isfahan province are “completely secure,” citing a “reliable source.”

Other Iranian media outlets are reporting the same.

Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran, a US official told CNN Friday. The target of the strike was not nuclear, the official added.

IRGC released a photo that it said showed flashes in the sky of Isfahan,Iranfollowing reports ofexplosions.

Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran, a US official tells CNN, in a move that threatens to push the region deeper into conflict.

The target is not nuclear, the official said.

Prior to the Israeli strike Friday (local time), the US expectation was that they would not target civilian or nuclear facilities, another senior US official told CNN.

CNN has previouslyreportedthat Israel told the US its response would be limited in scope. US intelligence had suggested Israel was weighing a narrow and limited strike inside Iran because they feel like they have to respond with a kinetic action of some kind given the unprecedented scale of the Iranian attack

The range of targets was “never specified in precise terms but nuclear and civilian locations were clearly not in that category,” the second official added.

The US has been urging Israel not to respond to last weekend’s Iranian attack, which President Joe Biden on Thursday called “unprecedented.” The US “didn’t green light” an Israeli response, the second official said.

This post has been updated with the latest developments.

A working oil pumpjack is pictured in Taft, California, on September 21, 2023.

Oil prices surged nearly 4% and US stock futures fell sharply Thursday evening amid reports of explosions in Iran.

In recent trading, US oil prices climbed 3.7% to $85.80 a barrel. Brent crude, the world benchmark, gained 3.4% to $90.13 a barrel.

Energy prices moved sharply higher as Iranian news agencies reported explosions heard near Iran’s Isfahan Airport.

The developments drove US stock futures steadily lower, with Dow futures down 480 points, or 1.3%. Nasdaq futures lost almost 2%.

“The market has been on edge since Iran launched a missile and drone attack on the Jewish state over the weekend,” said analysts from ANZ on Friday.

“Israel’s response could determine whether oil supplies are ultimately under threat.”

Gold futures were up 1% at $2,422.4 per ounce in morning Asian trade with investors piling into safe-haven investments.

But stock markets in Asia sank as appetite for risk weakened, according to analysts.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 slid 3.5%. South Korea’s Kospi lost 3%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 1.5%. China’s Shanghai Composite inched down 0.1%.

This post has been updated with more information.

Iranian semi-official FARS newsis reporting that threeexplosions were heard near the military base where fighter jets are located in the Isfahan province.

“The defense is activated in response to an object that is likely to be a drone,” sources tell FARS news.

It has been said that the army radar was one of the possible targets and the windows of several office buildings were broken in this area, FARS reports.

The cause of the blasts are not yet known.

Reports of the explosion come hours after Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahiantold CNNthat ifIsraeltakes any further military action against Iran, its response would be “immediate and at a maximum level.”

Iranian state media Press TV is reporting outgoing flights from several Iranian airports have been canceled, citing an Iranian official.

All flights going to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz had already been suspended, the director of Iran’s public relations for an airport company announced in an interview with state-run Mehr TV.

All flights heading to the cities of “Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz, the airports of the West, North West and South West have been suspended,” the director of Iran’s public relations for an airport company announced in an interview with state-run Mehr TV.

The suspension is effective immediately, but flights have not been canceled, the director said.

“Passengers should check the flight information before departure,” he added.

An explosion was heardin the Iranian city of Ghahjaworstan, located northwest of the city of Isfahan, according tothe Iranian semi-official FARS news agency, citing local sources.

“The city of Ghahjaworstanis located near Isfahan Airport and the eighth hunting base of the Army Air Force,” FARS news said.

Iranian Press TV also reported an explosion was heard near the central city.

The cause of this explosion is unknown.

The post was updated with a map.

Flight tracking website Flight Radar 24 shows multiple flights diverted over Iranian airspace early Friday.

CNN counted at least eight flights.

S&P Global Ratings cut Israel’s sovereign credit rating on Thursday to A+ from AA- on increased geopolitical risk from the war with Hamas and friction with Iran.

“In our view, the recent increase in confrontation with Iran heightens already elevated geopolitical risks for Israel,” S&P analysts wrote. “We expect a wider regional conflict will be avoided, but the Israel-Hamas war and the confrontation with Hezbollah appear set to continue throughout 2024 – versus our previous assumption of military activity not lasting more than six months.”

Israel’s rating outlook is negative, which means another downgrade could come again at some point.

Credit ratings are used by markets and investors as a guide to how creditworthy they think a borrower is. A lower credit rating means that a lender will generally ask for a higher interest rate in return for money.

Israel’s credit rating is still considered investment grade – a higher tier of ratings than the alternative, commonly referred to as junk ratings – but the S&P move underscores the financial toll on top of the humanitarian effects of the war.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaks during a UN Security Council meeting in New York City on Thursday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned Israel on Thursday against taking any military action against Iran.

“In case the Israeli regime embarks on adventurism again and takes action against the interests of Iran, the next response from us will be immediate and at a maximum level,” Amir-Abdollahian toldCNN’s Erin Burnett in an exclusive live interview.

The foreign minister said Iran sincerely hoped Israel would not repeat “the previous egregiouserror,” referencing the apparent Israeli strike on Iran’s embassy complex in Damascus, Syria.

“Our response will be decisive through the Swiss embassy in Tehran,” he said. “We’ve announced to the White House, sent a message to the White House and Washington DC, the administration in which we’ve reiterated that if the Israeli regime commits the great error once again our response will be decisive, definitive and regretful for them,” Amir-Abdollahian said from the Iranian Permanent Mission to United Nations — one of the only places he is allowed to be the US given the State Department restrictions.

The missiles and drones that Iran fired against Israel on Saturday were carried out in response to the suspected Israeli strikes and “stayedwithin a minimum of frameworks,” he said, adding that the intent was to take “equal action,” and “to let it be known we do have the means to respond.” But he warned that if Israel chooses to retaliate, “the next response from us will be immediate and at a maximum level.”

The post was updated with more of the minister’s remarks to Erin Burnett.

Hamas condemned the US for using its veto power against a draft resolution that would have granted Palestine full membership in the United Nations.

The draft — presented by Algeria, representing the Arab Group — received support from 12 countries but was blocked by the US veto.

In a statement released early Friday local time, Hamas criticized the US stance as opposing the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and statehood, and supporting what it termed the “fascist occupation entity” of Israel.

The statement said the US is isolating itself from international consensus supporting Palestinian rights, and called on the international community to pressure the US to change its position and support Palestinian aspirations for an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

The statement thanked Algeria, the Arab Group, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and non-aligned countries that backed the resolution.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the minister of foreign affairs of the United Arab Emirates, spoke on the phone Thursday with hisIranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian,UAE state news agency WAM reported.

The call focused on addressing the latest “dangerous developments in the region and their repercussions on the regional and international peace and security,”according toWAM.

During the discussion, Sheikh Al Nahyan urged for maximum “self-restraint and working to prevent the expansion of the circle of tension in the Middle East.”

He reiterated that diplomacy and dialogue remain the essential paths to resolving conflicts and securing the region’s stability and safety, according to the UAE state news outlet.

Remember: The conversation comes as Israel mulls its response to unprecedented airstrikes by Iran last weekend, which were themselves a response to a suspected Israeli strike on Iran’s embassy compound in Syria earlier this month.

World leaders are voicing growing concern that the strikes have heightened the risk of a wider war in the Middle East.

The Palestinian presidency sharply criticized the United States on Thursday for using its veto power to block Palestine’s bid for full membership in the United Nations.

In a statement, the presidency described the veto as “unfair, immoral, and unjustified, and defies the will of the international community, which strongly supports the State of Palestine obtaining full membership in the United Nations.”

The statement accused the US of promoting policies that support ongoing Israeli military actions in Palestinian territories and hinder the peace process, “which has continued to use its veto against the rights of our people.”

“This aggressive American veto reveals the contradictions of American policy, which claims, on the one hand, to support the two-state solution, while it prevents the international institution from implementing this solution through its repeated use of the veto in the Security Council against Palestine and its legitimate rights,” the statement added.

The statement said that lasting peace in the region hinges on the end of Israeli occupation and recognition of Palestinian rights, including self-determination and sovereignty over East Jerusalem.

Some background: In September 2011, the Palestinian Authorityfailed to win UNrecognition as an independent member state. A year later, the UN decided that the PA’s “non-member observer entity” status would be changed to“non-member observer state,”similar to the Vatican.

ThePalestinian Authority,which is dominated by the Fatah political party, held administrative control over Gaza until 2007, after Hamas won the 2006 legislative elections and expelled it from the enclave. Since then, Hamas ruled Gaza and the Palestinian Authority governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The US favors a reformed Palestinian Authority leading both the West Bank and Gaza as part of an eventual independent state. But Israel has rejected the prospect of the Palestinian Authority returning to Gaza after the ongoing war, and has dismissed the idea of establishing a Palestinian state in the territories.

The United Nations Security Council meets at the UN headquarters in New York City on Thursday.

The United States vetoed a UN Security Council application granting statehood to Palestinians on Thursday.

The vote was 12-1 — the one being the US veto — and two abstentions.

The US, Israel’s chief ally, said it believes statehood should be dependent on negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

The US has “been very clear, consistently, that premature actions in New York, even with the best intentions, will not achievestatehoodfor the Palestinian people,” State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said earlier Thursday.

He also noted there was no unanimity as to whether the applicant met the criteria for membership as a state.

Ziad Abu Amr, special representative of the Palestinians, told the Security Council:

“How could granting and recognizing Palestine, the state of Palestine, how could granting the State of Palestine full membership at the United Nations, similar to other countries around the world, how could this damage the prospect of peace between Palestinians and Israelis?”

Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz commended the US for vetoing what he called a “shameful proposal.”

“The proposal to recognize a Palestinian state, more than6months after the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and after the sexual crimes and other atrocities committed by Hamasterroristswas a reward for terrorism,” Katz wrote on X.
“Terrorism will not be rewarded. Israel will continue to fight until Hamas is destroyed and all 133 hostages in Gaza are released,” Katz added.

This post has been updated with the US veto and comments from representatives for Israel and the Palestinians.

National Security Adviser JakeSullivanconvened a meeting of the US-Israel Strategic Consultative Group “to consult on a series of issues in the wake of Iran’s unprecedented missile and drone attack against Israel.”

The meeting kicked off as a small group “to discuss the Iran attack and the collective efforts to further enhance Israel’s defense through advanced capabilities as well as cooperation with a broad coalition of military partners,” the White House said in a readout, withSullivanlater briefing the Israeli delegation – led by Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi – on today’s sanctions package on Iran.

The meeting then expanded to a larger group to discuss operations in Rafah.

“The two sides agreed on the shared objective to see Hamas defeated in Rafah,” the readout says. “U.S. participants expressed concerns with various courses of action in Rafah, and Israeli participants agreed to take these concerns into account and to have further follow up discussions between experts, overseen by the SCG. Participants will meet again soon.“

CIA Director Bill Burns discussed the difficulties of reaching a ceasefire deal on Thursday and talked about his recent disappointment that Hamas had turned down a proposal put forward in the recent Cairo talks.

“It’s a big rock to push up a steep hill right now,” Burns said in aconversationat The Bush Center. Burns described the proposal that was put forward by the US, Egypt and Qatar as “pretty far-reaching.”

“It was a deep disappointment to get a negative reaction from Hamas through the Qataris and the Egyptians to that proposal,” Burns said. “Right now it’s that negative reaction that really is standing in the way of innocent civilians in Gaza getting humanitarian relief in Gaza that they so desperately need.”

CNN has reported that the proposal included a potential release of some 900 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons for 40 Israeli hostages. Hamas has since told mediators they are only offering 20 women and elderly, sick or wounded male hostages for the first round of a ceasefire.

Burns said that he has met with the families of hostages and that “it breaks your heart because you can see in very human terms what’s at stake here as well.”

Burns concluded, “so we’ll keep working hard at this.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian delivered a stern warning against Israeli military actions targeting Iranian interests during a United Nations Security Council meeting on Thursday.

Addressing the council during discussions on the Middle East situation, Amir-Abdollahian stated Iran’s recent defensive measures were complete and urged the international community to prevent further Israeli military operations against Iran.

“Iran’s legitimate defense and countermeasures have been concluded. Therefore, the Israeli regime must be compelled to stop any further military adventurism against our centers, assets and interests,” Amir-Abdollahian said.

He further cautioned that any illegal use of force by Israel would provoke a decisive Iranian response, aimed at making Israel regret its actions. The Iranian foreign minister described Iran’s stance as a necessary safeguard against continued provocations, emphasizing the need for international diplomatic intervention to de-escalate tensions and ensure regional stability.

Amir-Abdollahian called on the international community — particularly the security council — to compel Israel to cease its military activities against Iran to prevent further escalation in the region.

Palestinian women mourn the death of loved ones following Israeli bombardment in Al-Maghazi, central Gaza, on April 16.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed to CNN that it carried out a strike on Al-Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza on Tuesday — which killed 14 people, including eight children.

The IDF said it is unaware of the number of casualties.

The Israeli military’s response came 48 hours after CNN first reached out for comment, following a CNN report on the strike that showed its deadly aftermath.

“The IDF struck a terror target in Maghazi,” the spokesperson said. “And we’re not aware of the BDA (battle damage assessment) that is claimed to have happened.” The spokesperson declined to provide additional details about the strike or its target, but said the strike is under review.

CNN provided the Israeli military with coordinates of the strike’s location.

Watch the CNN report here:

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02:53 - Source: cnn

Shahed Owdetallah

The family members of Shahed Owdatallah considered her a miracle when she was born from IVF in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp, in central Gaza, on November 4, 2013. Her parents had waited more than 20 years to conceive.

But her life was cut short on Tuesday, family members told CNN, when the 10-year-old Palestinian girl was killed in an airstrike on the camp. At least 14 people were killed in the targeted attack, including eight children, according to officials at the local Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the attack was an airstrike and is under review.

CNN footage filmed at Al-Aqsa hospital in the aftermath of the strike on Tuesday shows fathers cradling the young and lifeless bodies of children, their eyes red and swollen with disbelief. Other kids look on warily. The sound of shrill screams pierces the walls of the hospital.

Injured Palestinian children are brought to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital following an attack at Maghazi refugee camp in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on April 16. CNN has added blur to this image to protect identities.

Parents told CNN their kids had been playing foosball when the camp was struck.

“A drone strike hit them while they were playing,” said Jaber Abu Jayyab, the father of 9-year-old Lujain. “They were all children.” Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed more than 13,900 children, the Ministry of Health there reported on April 18.

In another scene from the hospital, one boy Mohamad AlNouri, 14, cowers over his younger brother’s body – 8-year-old Mahmoud Khalil AlNouri – which is shrouded in white cloth. “He is still alive,” Mohamad wails out. “Don’t leave him here.”

“Dear God. What did they all do?” one man cries. “What did they all do?”

CNN’s Jennifer Hauser and Ibrahim Dahman contributed reporting.

At least 71 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since Wednesday, the Ministry of Health there reported, raising the total death toll to nearly 34,000 people.

As of April 18, at least 33,970 Palestinians have been killed and another 76,770 people injured, the ministry said.

CNN cannot independently verify these figures. The ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its daily release.

Here are the latest headlines:

• Deadly airstrike in Rafah: At least 10 family members, including five children aged between 3 and 16, were killed in an overnight airstrike on a neighborhood in Rafah, in southern Gaza, the local hospital reported. The United Nations’ senior humanitarian envoy for Gaza told CNN that Palestinians in the southern city ofRafahare anxiously anticipating Israel’s next offensive. Some civilians have already started moving north to other parts of Gaza, fearing an imminent Israeli incursion into Rafah, the senior official said.
• Gaza refugee camp badly damaged: Israeli forces have withdrawn from the area of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza after several days of deadly military operations, according to the Civil Defense Directorate in the besieged enclave and geolocated videos show extensive destruction in the area.
• In occupied West Bank: The Israeli military has failed to protect Palestinians from violence by settlers in the occupied West Bank and on some occasions participated in these attacks, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.
• UK sanctions Iran: The UK announced new sanctions on a number of Iranian military figures and bodies following Iran’s attack against Israel on Saturday.
• US to vote “no” for Palestinian statehood: The United States will vote “no” on a UN Security Council resolution for Palestinianstatehoodin the UN, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said.
• Pro-Palestinian protests in US: The New York Police Department entered Columbia University on Thursday to disperse a pro-Palestine protest on campus. The protest began Wednesday as university president Nemat “Minouche” Shafik testified to a House committee over the school’s response to antisemitism.

The Arab nation of Qatar’s declaration this week that it isreconsidering its roleas the key mediator between Israel and Hamas amounted to a public declaration of frustrationat criticism of its ties to the Palestinian militant group.

Qatar’s mediation efforts are being misused for “narrow political interests” by some involved in the conflict, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Wednesday, “which required the State of Qatar to conduct a comprehensive evaluation” of its mediation role.

“There are limits to this role, and limits to our ability to constructively participate in these negotiations,” Al Thani told a news conference in Doha, adding that his country is forced to do this despite hostage-ceasefire talks being at a “sensitive and delicate stage.”

But analysts say the Gulf state is unlikely to completely pull back from the talks.

A close ally of the United States, Qatar has been coordinating with Washington and Egypt to secure the release of the more than Israeli 100 hostages in Gaza, as well as end Israel’s war in the territory.

Read the full analysis.

The exterior of the headquarters of the Bank of Israel in Jerusalem on August 23, 2022.

The Israeli Defense Ministry has handed over nearly $8 million of alleged “terrorist funds” confiscated in Gaza to Israel’s central bank.

The funds, totaling around 29 million shekels ($7.6 million), were recovered in “Hamas strongholds and in the homes of wanted persons” in other locations, the ministry said Thursday.

A specialized military unit had located and confiscated the funds during fighting in the Gaza Strip.

CNN cannot independently verify the claims made by the Israeli defense ministry that the confiscated money is “terrorist funds.”

Some 12 million shekels ($3.2 million) were deposited with the Bank of Israel Wednesday. An additional 17 million shekels ($4.5 million) were handed to the bank last week. The money was counted at a military base in central Israel, which took several hours, the ministry said.

The United Nation’s senior humanitarian envoy for Gaza told CNN that Palestinians in the southern city of Rafah are anxiously anticipating Israel’s next offensive.

“It’s of course, a looming Sword of Damocles hanging over the civilians of Gaza, particularly those displaced to Rafah not knowing if it will happen, when it will happen, and where to go,” Sigrid Kaag told CNN’s Becky Anderson Thursday.

Some civilians have already started moving north to other parts of Gaza, fearing an imminent Israeli incursion into Rafah, she said. Israeli sources told CNN that Israel has delayed its expected incursion into Rafah after Iran’s weekend attack on their country.

Aid problems: Kaag said the UN is struggling to distribute aid without UNRWA, its main agency for Palestinian refugees, and because of the destruction of roads and lack of fuel needed for trucks to move aid around the Strip. She also said she feared Gaza would be damaged for decades to come.

“There’s a generation in Gaza that has seen war after war after war - in order to provide for prospects and to provide for equity and equality we need to think differently and work the reconstruction agenda differently,” Kaag said.

The United Kingdom has announced new sanctions on a number of Iranian military figures and bodies following Iran’s attack against Israel on Saturday.

Six Iranian military entities were targeted, including the General Staff of Iran’s armed forces, the naval wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters (KACHQ), an economic arm of the IRGC, according to a statement from the UK government on Thursday.

Seven Iranian military figures were also sanctioned, including Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, Iran’s defense minister, and Major General Gholamali Rashid, commander of KACHQ.

“Today we have sanctioned the ringleaders of the Iranian military and forces responsible for the weekend’s attack. These sanctions – announced with the US – show we unequivocally condemn this behaviour, and they will further limit Iran’s ability to destabilise the region,” UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the sanctions “demonstrate our unequivocal condemnation of Iran’s attack on a sovereign state.”

The sanctions were coordinated with the US, which earlier Thursday sanctioned 16 people and two groups associated with Iran’s drone program.

At least 10 members of the Ayyad family, including five children aged between three and 16, were killed in an overnight airstrike on a neighborhood in Rafah, in southern Gaza, the local hospital reported.

It came as the total number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza rose to 33,970 people, according to the Ministry of Health. Another 76,770 people have been injured, the ministry reported on April 18. CNN cannot independently verify these figures.

Here are the latest developments:

• Aid entering Gaza: At least 342 trucks were inspected and transferred into the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, according to Israeli authorities. Before the war, about 500 trucks of supplies reached Gaza every day. Israel insists there is “no limit” on the amount of aid that can enter the strip, but its inspection regime has severely drained supplies, condemning Palestinians there to deadly hunger.
• Ten relatives killed in Rafah strike: The mother of the Ayyad family is still missing, according to a CNN stringer at Abu Youssef Al-Najjar hospital. CNN footage showed relatives weeping over the bodies of the deceased wrapped in white shrouds. Many of the children were found with their remains scattered and missing, relatives told CNN.
• Violence in occupied West Bank: There were more than 700 Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians in the occupied territory between October 7 and April 3, Human Rights Watch reported on Wednesday, citing UN data. The Israeli military failed to protect Palestinians and in some cases participated in these attacks, HRW added.
• ‘Huge scale of destruction’: Israeli forces left a “huge scale of destruction” after withdrawing from the area of the Nuseirat refugee camp, in central Gaza, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal. He estimated that about 500 people hadbeen killed, wounded, detained or gone missing in the attacks. CNN cannot verify the estimate and has contacted the Israeli military.

Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank increased to their highest level since the UN began recording data in 2006, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

There were more than 700 Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians in the occupied territory between October 7 and April 3, HRW reported on Wednesday, citing UN data. Israeli soldiers in uniform were present in almost half of those assaults.

Intensified violence by Israeli troops or settlers in the West Bank since October 7 has displaced more than 1,200 people, including 600 children, from rural herding communities, HRW said. At least 17 Palestinians have been killed and 400 wounded, while Palestinians have killed seven settlers in the West Bank since October 7, the UN said.

In one of the villages – Wadi al-Seeq near Ramallah – attacks involving armed settlers in civilian clothes and an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) unit on October 12 displaced about 180 people alone, including 90 children, residents and human rights groups told HRW.

Allegations of harassment by Israeli solders: HRW said it had spoken to 27 witnesses of the attacks and viewed videos that residents filmed, showing harassment by men in Israeli military uniforms carrying M16 assault rifles. HRW said that the IDF had not responded to its questions about the attacks.

The “forcible transfer or deportation and the extensive destruction and appropriation of property in occupied territory are war crimes,” according to HRW.

The Israeli military has failed to protect Palestinians from violence by settlers in the occupied West Bank and on some occasions participated in these attacks, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says.

Increased violence by Israeli troops or settlers in the West Bank since October 7 has displaced Palestinians from 20 communities and entirely uprooted at least seven communities, HRW reported on Wednesday.

“Israeli settlers have assaulted, tortured and committed sexual violence against Palestinians, stolen their belongings and livestock, threatened to kill them if they did not leave permanently, and destroyed their homes and schools under the cover of the ongoing hostilities in Gaza.”

The reported added that “the military has not assured displaced residents that it will protect their security or allow them to return, forcing them to live in precarious conditions elsewhere.”

HRW says it investigated several attacks, including those that forcibly displaced all residents of villages near Hebron and Ramallah in October and November last year, none of whom “have been able to return.” The Israeli military either rebuffed or refused to answer requests to allow residents to return, the report added. CNN has requested a response from the Israel Defense Forces to the HRW report.

At least 342 aid trucks were inspected and transferred to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, according to Israeli authorities, as human rights groups raise urgent calls for more relief to reach Palestinians facing severe hunger and dehydration across the enclave.

Within Gaza, 153 aid trucks were distributed, 97 of which contained food, said COGAT, the Israeli agency overseeing aid into the strip. The agency said that 104 pallets containing tens of thousands of packages of aid were airdropped into northern Gaza.

A total of 90 trucks reached northern Gaza, COGAT added, where food shortages are reportedly worst after Israeli forces concentrated their offensive in the area in the early days of the war.

Barely trickling in: Before the war, about 500 trucks of supplies reached Gaza every day. Israel insists there is “no limit” on the amount of aid that can enter the strip, but its inspection regime means aid is barely trickling in.

Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch accused Israel of enacting “imposed starvation” on Palestinian children, which is a war crime, the agency said. Israel denies the accusation, despite widespread evidence of malnutrition in Gaza.

Relatives of Palestinian victims who lost their life after an Israeli airstrike take their bodies from morgue of El-Najar Hospital for burial in Rafah, Gaza, on April 18.

At least 71 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza over the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health there reported, raising the total death toll to nearly 34,000 people.

As of April 18, at least 33,970 Palestinians have been killed and another 76,770 people injured, the ministry said.

CNN cannot independently verify these figures. The ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its daily release.

‘Indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks’: Human Rights Watch and Oxfam last month accused Israel of carrying out “indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks in violation of international law” and imposing collective punishments on the civilian population.

CNN’s Sana Noor Haq contributed reporting.

At least 10 family members, including five children aged between three and 16, were killed in an overnight airstrike on a neighborhood in Rafah, in southern Gaza, the local hospital reported.

The mother of the Ayyad family is still missing, according to a CNN stringer at Abu Youssef Al-Najjar hospital, were CNN footage showed relatives weeping over the bodies of the deceased wrapped in white shrouds.

Those killed had been displaced multiple times from Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, in Gaza City, in northern Gaza, an uncle told CNN. In the aftermath of the attack, many of the children were found with their remains scattered and missing, relatives added.

Hatem Abu Jamous says his nieces and nephews were quietly sleeping next to each other, when the area was struck. “We can’t identify them, they are all body parts,” he told CNN. “I can’t speak anymore.”

“They were displaced from one place to another,” Suzan Abu Touha, who says her sister was among the dead, told CNN. “They were terrified and scared and running from one place to another and they didn’t find a place – and this is the place they found. Where are they supposed to go?”

Palestinians gather around residential buildings destroyed during an Israeli raid in Nuseirat, Gaza, on April 18.

Israeli forces have withdrawn from the area of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza after several days of deadly military operations, according to the Civil Defense Directorate in the besieged enclave.

Geolocated videos show extensive destruction in the area, with several apartment blocks destroyed or heavily damaged.

The Directorate said that its crews had been able to recover several bodies from under the rubble, but the removal of others would require heavy excavation equipment.

Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal told CNN the situation was “tragic.”

“There is a huge scale of destruction, including residential buildings and infrastructure.”

Basal estimated that about 500 people had been killed, wounded, detained or gone missing in the military operation. CNN cannot verify the estimate and has contacted the Israeli military about the scope and purpose of its operations in Nuseirat.

The mayor of Nuseirat, Iyad Maghari, said that a week of Israeli assaults in the area had “deprived residents of the most basic human services, such as water, sanitation and waste collection.”

Maghari said about 25,000 square meters of roadways, water wells and generators that pumped water had been destroyed.

He said that about 20,000 tons of waste had accumulated in the streets and around shelters due to the lack of fuel and the destruction of municipal vehicles, leading to a problem with vermin.

The sewage system had been extensively damaged, he said, with more than 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) of pipes destroyed.

“The municipality of Nuseirat suffers from a significant scarcity of diesel needed to operate water wells … in addition to operating sewage treatment plants,” Maghari said.

UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini speaks during a UN Security Council meeting on UNRWA at UN headquarters in New York on April 17.

The head of the UN’s main relief agency in Gaza (UNRWA) has said that an “insidious campaign” is underway to end its operations, warning of “serious implications for international peace and security.”

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that the agency was being “denied permission to deliver this aid and save lives.”

UNRWA has been under fire since Israel alleged that some of its employees were involved in the October 7 Hamas attack. Israel has long campaigned for UNRWA, the main distributor of aid in Gaza, to be disbanded. Israel has also banned UNRWA from operating in Gaza’s north.

More than a dozen countries pulled funding for UNRWA after the allegations, some of which have resumed donations.

“Dismantling UNRWA will have lasting repercussions. In the short-term, it will deepen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and accelerate the onset of famine,” Lazzarini said.
“In the longer-term, it will jeopardize the transition from ceasefire to ‘day after’ by depriving a traumatized population of essential services.”

Lazzarini said children were “bearing the brunt of this war,” with more than 17,000 separated from their families and “left to face the horror of Gaza alone.”

He also warned that “a man-made famine is tightening its grip” across Gaza.

An Israeli airstrike killed eight people from one family in Rafah on Wednesday night, according to a journalist working for CNN, citing hospital officials.

The airstrike occurred in the Al-Salam neighborhood the the southern part of Rafah.

The bodies of the victims – all belonging to the Ayyad family, who were displaced from Gaza City in the northern part of the enclave – were brought to the Abu Yousuf Najjar hospital.

The eight killed included five children, according to a list provided by a hospital official.

CNN has asked the Israeli military for comment.

A general view over the Erez crossing point near the border with the Gaza on April 7 in Southern Israel.

Food supplies have entered northern Gaza for the first time through the Erez crossing, which Israel agreed to open earlier this month, according to the World Food Programme.

The UN food agency said three convoys crossed via Erez on April 14, 15, and 16, with 25 trucks carrying around 404 metric tonnes of food parcels and wheat flour.

“This is the first time for food supplies to cross into north Gaza through the Erez crossing,” WFP said.

UN agencies have said that getting aid to northern Gaza has been incredibly challenging because of Israeli restrictions, ongoing combat, and debris blocking roads.

Israel earlier this month approved the reopening of the Erez crossing for the first time since the October 7 Hamas attacks, as well as the use of the Ashdod Port for aid. The announcement came hours after US President Joe Biden pushed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow more aid into Gaza.

The first aid shipment to Gaza via the Ashdod Port was transferred on Wednesday.

Gaza is facing a worsening hunger crisis as tonnes of aid have been held up at various land crossings. Humanitarian workers and government officials havepreviously told CNN that there’s a pattern of Israeli obstruction of aid into Gaza.

EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell speaks with journalists during the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting at Capri, Italy, on April 18.

The EU’s top diplomat warned Thursday that the Middle East is on the brink of a regional war, and that European leaders must ask Israel for a “restrained answer” to Iran’s weekend airstrikes.

Iran launchedthe attackinretaliationfor a suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Syria earlier this month.

“We cannot escalate. We cannot go step by step answering every time higher (until we reach) a regional war,” Josep Borrell said as he arrived in Italy for a meeting with G7 foreign ministers.
“We are on the edge of a regional war with the Middle East that will be sending shockwaves to the rest of the world, but particularly to Europe.”

Borrell said that “humanitarian support has increased very little” for Gaza and that the aid reaching the enclave was “very insufficient.”

His comments come a day after British Foreign Minister David Cameron urged the world’s largest economies to coordinate sanctions against Iran, to show a “united front.”

The EU has announced it would widen sanctions against Iran following the Islamic Republic’s attack

“We have decided to put in place sanctions against Iran, it is a clear signal that we want to send,” European Council President Charles Michel said Wednesday at an EU summit.

The US also plans to impose new sanctions targeting Iran following its attack.

A Palestinian child plays near a building destroyed by earlier Israeli bombardment in Gaza City on April 8.

More than 13,800 children have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war on October 7, according to UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

And “one child is injured or dies every 10 minutes” in Gaza, the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women said in a statement.

More than 10,000 women have been killed in Gaza since the war began, 6,000 of whom left 19,000 orphaned children behind, the statement said.

CNN cannot independently verify these numbers due to a lack of media access to Gaza.

Here are the latest developments in the region:

• Response to Iran’s attack: Israel’s war cabinet has yet to decide on a response to Iran’s weekend attack. Iran launchedthe attackin retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria earlier this month. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will make its “own decisions” when responding. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is not in the war cabinet, said Israel’s response should inflict a “disproportionate toll” and “rock Tehran.” The US expects the reaction to be limited in scope,sources told CNN.
• Mediation concerns: Qatar says it will re-evaluate its role in international mediation efforts led by the country on an Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal. Qatar’s prime minister criticized the misuse of its efforts for “narrow political” gains. While he did not mention anyone by name, the comments followed a statement by US Rep. Steny Hoyer on Monday that if Qatar fails to apply pressure on Hamas to reach a deal, “the United States must reevaluate its relationship with Qatar.”
• Fatal IDF raid: Residents in Beit Hanoun in northeastern Gaza said the Israeli military on Monday fired shots and rounds of artillery shelling beforesurrounding three schoolsearly Tuesday morning, including one where hundreds of people were sheltering, and detained dozens. The Israeli military said it killed militants in the area, and raided a complex that included two schools after receiving “intelligence that terrorists from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists organizations were located in the building and using civilians present there as human shields.”
• Refugee camp death toll rises: The death toll from an Israeli airstrike on the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza has risen to 14, including eight children, according to hospital officials.
• Aid to Gaza: The first aid shipment to Gaza to be delivered into Ashdod Port was transferred, according to the Israeli military.The IDF said eight World Food Programme trucks carrying flour entered via the Kerem Shalom Crossing after being inspected at Ashdod.
• Hezbollah targets: Israeli fighter jets struck alleged Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon after 18Israelis were woundedwhen the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group attacked a village in northern Israel. The IDF said three civilians were among the 18 people wounded, the rest being soldiers.

The death toll from an Israeli airstrike that targeted the Al-Maghazi refugee camp has risen to 14, including eight children, according to Al-Aqsa hospital officials.

The airstrike hit the refugee camp in central Gaza on Tuesday, with initial reports saying 13 people — including seven children — were among those killed.

The Israeli military said the incident is under review.

Footage of the strike: Graphic video, obtained exclusively by CNN from eyewitness Nihad Owdetallah,showed several casualties scattered on the floor, including children, with blood streaming around the area.

In the video, dozens of people appear to be running around in panic, screaming and trying to count and carry the dead bodies. A foosball table covered in dust is seen among the dead bodies.

Footage shot for CNN from inside Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital showed a continuous flow of casualties and wounded people being ushered in, as the emergency room is crowded with patients, including several wounded children, crying out on the floor. Family members were seen crowding over their loved ones’ dead bodies, kissing them, holding onto them, and sobbing.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani listens to a question during a press briefing in Tehran, Iran, on January 29, 2023.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani expressed concerns Wednesday over the state of international mediation efforts led by Qatar to help reach a hostage and a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Al Thani, who is also Qatar’s foreign minister, criticized the misuse of Qatar’s efforts for “narrow political” gains by some involved, undermining the broader goal of peace and humanitarian relief, “which required the State of Qatar to conduct a comprehensive evaluation.”

He emphasized the sensitivity of the ongoing talks and highlighted the challenges faced in bridging gaps between conflicting parties. He also pointed out the inconsistency between private assurances and public statements by involved parties, describing such actions as counterproductive.

While he did not mention anyone by name, the comments followed a statement by US Rep. Steny Hoyer on Monday that said if Qatar fails to apply pressure on Hamas to reach an agreement on a deal to release hostages and establish a temporary ceasefire, “the United States must reevaluate its relationship with Qatar.”

On Tuesday Qatar’s Embassy to the US in Washington issued a statement saying it was surprised by Hoyer’s remarks, adding that while the country shares the congressman’s frustrations, it does not control Israel or Hamas.

Mourners carry the bodies of children, who were killed in a strike in Rafah, during their funeral on February 9.

More than 13,800 children have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Catherine Russell.

“Thousands have been injured and thousands more are on the brink of famine,” she said during a news conference in New York.

In a separate statement, the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Womensaid that “one child is injured or dies every 10 minutes” in Gaza. And that more than 10,000 women have been killed in Gaza since the war began, and 6,000 of them left 19,000 orphaned children behind.

UNICEF communication specialist Tess Ingram, who recently visited Gaza, said in Genevaon Tuesday that what struck her was the number of wounded children she saw.

“Not just in the hospitals, but on the streets, in their makeshift shelters, going about their now permanently altered lives,” she said.

CNN cannot independently verify death numbers due to a lack of media access to Gaza.

The Israeli military said it killed and arrested several militants during an operation in the civilian area of Beit Hanoun in the northeastern Gaza Strip.

The Israel Defense Forces said it had raided a building complex that included two schools after receiving “intelligence that terrorists from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists organizations were located in the building and using civilians present there as human shields.”

CNN is not able to independently confirm the claims made by the IDF.

The IDF said it told civilians to leave the building before entering during its joint operation with the Israel Security Agency, Israel’s domestic security agency, also known as Shin Bet or Shabak.

What Gazans told CNN: People living in the area said Israeli military vehicles began an operation there on Monday afternoon, firing shots and rounds of artillery shelling.

Residents said that Israeli forces had surrounded three schools early Tuesday morning, including one where hundreds of people had been sheltering.

They ordered people to leave the schools and detained dozens of men, including some elderly people and teenagers over the age of 15, according to residents. An elderly woman who had been sheltering in one of the schools said Israeli soldiers came in the middle of the night and arrested several men and women.

The first shipment of aid to Gaza to be delivered into Ashdod Port was transferred Wednesday, according to the Israeli military.

The Israel Defense Forces said eight World Food Programme (WFP) trucks carrying flour entered via the Kerem Shalom Crossing after being inspected at Ashdod.

Israel earlier this month announced its decision to facilitate aid deliveries via the port.

At the time, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the development but said the “real test” would be to see whether aid was “effectively reaching people who it needed throughout Gaza.”

CNN has reached out to the WFP for comment.

Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks to the press on February 5, 2024, in Jerusalem.

Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said that Israel’s response to Iran’s attack should inflict a “disproportionate toll” and “rock Tehran” to deter Iran from future strikes.

Smotrich said Israel’s response to Iran’s missile and drone attack should make Tehran “regret the moment they even thought about firing” and be “fierce, severe and inflict a disproportionate toll.”

Smotrich, who is technically also a minister in Israel’s defense ministry due to a deal struck in coalition agreements, told Israel’s Army Radio(GLZ)that the nature of Israel’s response would “shape [Israel’s] position in the Middle East.”

The response, he said, “should rock Tehran, so everyone there will realize they shouldn’t mess with us,” he said, adding that “this is the language spoken in the Middle East.”

The minister, who is head of the far-right Religious Zionism party, also said that Israel should maintain its strategic ties with the United States and other partners but must prevent itself from finding itself in a “bear-hug, which will limit and make us incapable.”

Key context: Smotrich is not a member of Israel’s war cabinet, which the security cabinet has authorized to decide on how to respond to the Iranian attack.

As tensions in the region intensify, many world leaders have urged restraint as Israel weighs the size and scope of its response to Iran.