In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raze farmland in Umm Safa. Israeli forces continue raids in Jenin and Jenin refugee camp for the 59th day in a row, issuing demolition notices for 87 buildings. Israeli forces also continue raids in Tulkarm, Tulkarm refugee camp, and Nur Shams refugee camp for the 53rd day in a row, seizing 3 buildings in Tulkarm for military outposts. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolish retaining walls and raze tracts of farmland in al-Jib. Israeli forces arrest 19 Palestinians during raids in Dura, Husan, and Dheisheh refugee camp. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolish a home and an agricultural structure and issue demolition notices for 5 homes in al-Walaja. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Rafah, Bani Suhaila, and Beit Lahiya, killing at least 110 Palestinians and injuring 133 others. Israeli forces also invade Rafah and Beit Lahiya and say movement from southern to northern Gaza is prohibited. Palestinian militants launch a rocket at Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Jbaa, Zhalta, Snaya, and Janta. In Yemen, the Houthi movement says its forces fired a hypersonic ballistic missile at Ben Gurion Airport; Israel claims that the missile was intercepted before it reached the airport. U.S. forces bomb Hodeidah. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AP, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/20; WAFA, WAFA 3/21; UNOCHA 3/25)
More than 49,617 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 17,881 children and 12,749 women, and around 112,950 have been injured since 10/7/2023. In addition, 14,222 Palestinians who have been missing are presumed dead. 935 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 186 children. More than 6,500 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 408 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 2,579 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. 92% of all housing units in Gaza have been destroyed or severely damaged since 10/7/2023. The Gaza Health Ministry says 591 Palestinians have been killed since 3/18, including 200 children, and 1,042 have been injured. UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini says Israel has killed 5 UNRWA staffers since 3/18, bringing the death toll for UNRWA staffers to 285 since 10/7/2023. (AJ, AP 3/20)
Hamas says it is in talks with mediators to end the Israeli attacks on Gaza. Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty and Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani discuss ceasefire efforts. (AJ, HA 3/20)
The PA says Israel is withholding $1.917 billion in tax revenue that should have been transferred to the PA between 2019 and February 2025. (WAFA 3/20)
Israel approves 500 new settler housing units in the Gush Etzion settlement. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says the Israeli government is “leading a revolution in Judea and Samaria … [to] prevent the danger of the Palestinian state.” (AJ 3/20)
Peace Now and Kerem Navot release a joint report saying Israel has effectively seized 786,000 dunams (194,225 acres) of land, equal to 14% of the West Bank, through settlement outposts where settlers are displacing Palestinians who live nearby. (PCN 3/20)
Human Rights Watch releases a report saying Israel committed war crimes related to attacks on hospitals in Gaza. The organization concludes that Israel’s military caused deaths and unnecessary suffering among Palestinian patients and hospital staff by denying electricity, water, food, and medicine and by attacking and forcibly displacing patients and staff. (AJ 3/20)
The UN Security Council discusses the captive situation in Gaza after Israel and the U.S. requested a meeting on the issue. U.S. ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea claims that Hamas could end the Israeli attacks by releasing all the captives and laying down its arms. (AJ, AP, HA 3/20)
The Israeli cabinet approves Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to fire Shin Bet director Ronen Bar. Bar, who is the first Shin Bet director to be fired, will leave the position on 4/10 unless another director is found before then. Bar criticizes Netanyahu for not allowing him to attend ceasefire negotiations as part of Netanyahu’s plan to negotiate but not reach a deal. (AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU 3/20; AJ, AJ, AX, HA 3/21)
A U.S. district judge bars the deportation of Indian Georgetown University post-doc Badar Khan Suri, who was taken into custody by U.S. immigration authorities on 3/17 on seemingly false claims that he was spreading pro-Hamas propaganda. (AJ 3/21)