Gaza updates: Israel launches new 'limited' ground operation

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said her government rejects "any permanent occupation" of Lebanese territory by Israel, after meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Beirut on Wednesday.

A truce between Israel and Hezbollah in November brought about a significant reduction in violence after the conflict between the two escalated in September, with Israel intensifying an air and ground campaign in southern Lebanon.

But Israel and Hezbollah have each accused the other of failing to fully implement the ceasefire agreement.

Israel says  Hezbollah still has infrastructure in the south, while Lebanon and Hezbollah say Israel is occupying Lebanese soil by not withdrawing from five hilltop positions.

Hezbollah's military wing is considered a terrorist organization by the European Union.      

US President Donald Trump warned Iran not to supply arms to Houthis in Yemen.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that "Iran must stop the sending of these Supplies IMMEDIATELY. Let the Houthis fight it out themselves. Either way they lose, but this way they lose quickly.

"Tremendous damage has been inflicted upon the Houthi barbarians, and watch how it will get progressively worse — It's not even a fair fight, and never will be. They will be completely annihilated!" he added.  

The Trump administration has begun carrying out large-scale attacks against Houthi rebels, and US officials say the campaign is set to be carried out for weeks going forward.

The US is hoping to reopen the Red Sea shipping lane that has been effectively closed to international trade following the Houthis' attack on commercial ships there. 

The Houthis say its attacks are intended to pressure Israel to halt the war in Gaza.

At the same time, Trump is also seeking a deal with Iran to prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a "full" investigation into the death of a UN worker in Gaza earlier this morning, according to a statement by his spokesperson.

The statement said Guterres was deeply saddened and shocked by the news and asked for all parties in the conflict to abide by international law.

The statement also said that two UN guesthouses in the Deir al Balah area of central Gaza came under fire earlier this morning when Israel launched new strikes.

At least five other UN personnel were seriously injured in the strikes.

The Israeli military denied it struck a UN compound in a statement earlier this morning.

So far, a total of 280 people who worked for the UNhave been killed since the war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, triggered by Hamas' attack on Israel. 

The Israeli military has launched a "limited ground operation" to retake part of a key Gaza corridor.

The Israel Defense Forces posted to X that forces "took control and re-extended their control to the center of the Netzarim corridor."

Israeli troops had withdrawn from the corridor, a military zone that divides Gaza into northern and southern halves, as part of the ceasefire agreement in January.

Troops had earlier patrolled the corridor, partly to prevent evacuated Palestinians from returning to the north of the territory.

Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin, from the International Communities Organization, spoke to DW about the renewed fighting and the sentiment of many Israelis who have taken to the streets to protest.

On the topic of the latest strikes being part of Israeli military strategy or addressing domestic political concerns of the Netanyahu administration, Baskin said: "Its obviously a combination of the two, but I think its mostly led by the political needs of Prime Minister Netanyahu to stay in power. There is no military strategy which brings about the total victory that Netanyahu has talked about."

Baskin said the return to "active warfare endangers the lives of the hostages."

"The only way of eliminating Hamas as a force that controls Gaza, both a political force and a military force, is by providing a political alternative to Hamas," which was something Baskin said the Netanyahu government had refused to do.

Considering how things stand currently with resumed hostilities, Baskin said: "What's happening in Israel on the streets today is an indication of what the Israeli public is feeling."

Over 100,000 people took to the streets of Israel on Wednesday to protest against Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Baskin said the demonstrations were "increasing in their intensivity and in their anger of the Israeli public, who don't want this war to be renewed, who want the hostages home."

Watch the entire interview with Gershon Baskin:

Jorge Moreira da Silva, head of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), said at least one UN staff member has been killed after a UN site was attacked earlier this morning.

Citing da Silva, DW's Rosie Birchard reported from Brussels that five others were "severely injured" with some having lost eyes and legs.

"In my opinion, this was not an accident," Birchard quoted da Silva as saying.

"What’s happening in Gaza is unconscionable. I am shocked and devastated by this tragic news," da Silva said.

UNOPS said in a statement that explosive ordnance was dropped or fired at the infrastructure and detonated inside the building.

The agency also said it couldn't confirm the nature of the incident but said the location where the attack took place was isolated.

The attack came a day after Israel carried out a wave of strikes that killed over 400 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the territory's Hamas-run Health Ministry.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was "deeply concerned" about new Israeli strikes on Gaza.

"I'm deeply concerned about the resumption of Israeli military action in Gaza. The images of parents carrying their children, young children to hospitals... are truly shocking," Starmer told parliament.

Jordan's King Abdullah has called for the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza to be restored and for aid deliveries to continue,

"Israel's resumption of attacks on Gaza is an extremely dangerous step that adds further devastation to an already dire humanitarian situation," he said, standing next to French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

Macron said negotiations between Israel and Hamas had to resume.

"There is no military solution in Gaza," said Macron during a joint press conference.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she told Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar that the fresh strikes on Gaza were "unacceptable."

Kallas said she asked Saar: "Why are you doing this?" during a conversation on Tuesday.

Kallas conveyed "the message that this is unacceptable," referring specifically to "the loss of civilian lives."

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the strikes were "only the beginning" and that negotiations with Hamas going forward "will take place only under fire."

Israel has promised to continue fighting until all hostages taken during the October 7 terror attack are returned.

Thousands of Israelis took part in anti-government protests in Tel Aviv after the Israeli military resumed attacks on the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the airstrikes were "only the beginning." DW has more.

Local media in Yemen have reported multiple US airstrikes overnight on targets in Saada province and the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported there had been over 10 strikes in various locations including the Al-Safra district, where Yemeni sources say Houthi militants have important and heavily fortified military strongholds.

Earlier, the Houthis' military spokesperson said cruise missiles and drones targeted the USS Harry S. Truman carrier group in an attack that was "the fourth within 72 hours."

Shortly before that, the US Central Command confirmed its "continuous operations against Iran-back Houthi terrorists."

The Iran-aligned Houthis warned on March 12 they would resume attacks on Israeli vessels in response to Israel's closure of Gaza's crossings.

The group has targeted cargo ships in the Red Sea since Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza, following the Hamas-led terror attacks on October 7, 2023.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said resumed fighting in Gaza is threatening peace efforts mediated by Arab states.

"The resumption of fighting ... jeopardises the positive efforts of the Arab states, which together want to pursue a peaceful path for Gaza, free from Hamas," Baerbock said in a statement ahead of her trip to Lebanon.

"Now all sides are called upon to exercise the greatest restraint, to respect international humanitarian law, and to return to talks for a lasting solution to the conflict," Baerbock said.

After nearly two months of relative calm, Israel launched strikes on Gaza on Tuesday, killing over 400 people according to Palestinian health authorities.

The Israeli military urged Gazans to evacuate what it called "combat areas" in the north and south of Gaza.

In a post on X, Israel's Arabic-language military spokesperson Avichay Adraee specifically told those in Beit Hanoun, Khirbet Khuza'a, Abasan al-Kabira, and al-Jadidah to move.

He urged them to move to western Gaza City and Khan Yunis.

"Continuing to remain in the designated areas puts your life and the lives of your family members at risk," he said.

On Tuesday, the UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory said the Israeli evacuation orders amount to "forced displacement" and said it "must stop immediately."

The Israeli government had "unanimously approved" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal to reappoint far-right politician Itamar Ben Gvir as national security minister, Netanyahu's office said. 

Ben Gvir and his Israeli Otzma Yehudit party left Netanyahu's government in January after Israel agreed to a ceasefire with Hamas.

With the ceasefire now broken, the party announced its intention to return to the Knesset.

"Likud [Netanyahu's right-wing party] and Otzma Yehudit have agreed that the Otzma Yehudit faction will return to the Israeli government today, and the ministers of Otzma Yehudit will resume their positions," the parties said in a joint statement.

Netanyahu is dependent on Ben Gvir's support to pass a budget through the Knesset and avoid fresh parliamentary elections.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out more strikes on northern Gaza overnight. 

Gaza's civil defense agency said the strikes "resulted in the deaths of 13 people and wounded dozens, including women and children."

Speaking to the French AFP news agency, spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the airstrikes hit Khan Yunis and Gaza City.

The IDF said on social media that it was targeting a Hamas military site in northern Gaza. 

They added that several ships were also struck by the navy, noting that the vessels targeted "were intended to be used for terrorist activities by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned Israel's strikes.

In a statement on X, he called for a reinstatement of the ceasefire and resumption of humanitarian aid to the territory.

His statement follows similar condemnations from other United Nations officials.

Yesterday, the Humanitarian Coordinator in the region decried the "unconscionable" acts.

UNRWA's commissioner followed suit, saying a ceasefire "is a must."