What we're covering
- The first maritime humanitarian aid shipment to Gaza since the war began is on its way to the enclave from Cyprus, according to the nonprofit World Central Kitchen.
- As fears of famine grow in northern Gaza, the World Food Programme said one of its food convoys reached Gaza City for the first time since February 20.
- Dual US-Israeli citizen Itay Chen was killed on October 7, the Israeli military announced on Tuesday. Five other dual US-Israeli citizens are still thought to be held alive in Gaza.
- Israel and Hamas are "nowhere near a deal" for a ceasefire, but negotiators are still in discussions, a spokesperson for Qatar's foreign ministry told CNN. The CIA director said a deal is still possible, but it's a "very tough process."
- Here's how to help humanitarian efforts in Gaza and Israel.
IDF troops kill 2 Palestinians and wound 3 others north of Jerusalem, Palestinian Ministry of Health says
Israeli troops fatally shot two Palestinians and moderately wounded three others at Al-Jib checkpoint in the northern outskirts of Jerusalem, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported Tuesday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they fired at the Palestinians after they threw Molotov cocktails over a security barrier fence onto Route 436, which runs from the Ramot neighborhood in occupied east Jerusalem to the Israeli settlement Givat Ze'ev. The IDF claimed these actions were "endangering the lives of civilians and road users."
After opening fire, the IDF said they apprehended them and transferred them for medical treatment. The health ministry reported they were transported to the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah.
The two people who died were identified as Zaid Ward Shukri Khalifa, 23, and Abdullah Mamoun Hassan Assaf, 16, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.
The Palestinian death toll since October 7 has risen to 430 people after the latest shooting, according to the ministry.
The IDF said there were no further casualties among their forces and other civilians.
IDF says UN aid convoy entered northern Gaza via new route
From CNN's Lauren Izso
Six humanitarian trucks containing aid from the United Nation's World Food Programme entered the northern Gaza Strip using a new route, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
The IDF tried out a pilot program by bringing in aid trucks to Gaza through the "96th" gate on the security fence Tuesday.
"This was done as part of a pilot in order to prevent the Hamas terrorist organization from taking over the aid," the IDF said in a statement, adding that Israeli security officials carried out a security check on the trucks at the Kerem Shalom Crossing first.
Government officials will assess the pilot's results.
Israeli border police kills 12-year-old Palestinian child at refugee camp in Jerusalem, Israeli police say
From CNN’s Abeer Salman, Kareem Khadder, Jeremy Diamond and Mitchell McCluskey
An Israeli border police officer fatally shot a 12-year-old Palestinian boy in Shuafat refugee camp located in occupied east Jerusalem, according to hospital officials and an Israeli police spokesperson.
In a video obtained by CNN, the boy – Rami Al Halhouli – can be seen holding a lit firework above his head before the crackling sound of a single gunshot is heard. The boy falls to the ground just as the firework launches from his hand into the sky.
Rami arrived at Hadassah Mount Scopus hospital's trauma unit in critical condition and was pronounced dead soon after, hospital officials told CNN.
No security forces are visible in the video of Rami holding the firework, but the boy appears to be standing in front of the West Bank separation barrier.
The Israeli police spokesperson said police forces responded to a “violent disturbance” at the refugee camp and a border police officer fired “towards a suspect who endangered the forces while firing aerial fireworks in their direction.”
The police spokesperson also claimed individuals on Tuesday night threw Molotov cocktails and fired fireworks directly at security forces. Israeli police said it was the second night in a row that Palestinians in Shuafat aimed Molotov cocktails and fireworks at police forces.
CNN has asked police for further evidence of the alleged disturbances they say took place in the refugee camp Tuesday.
In a Telegram post, Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir applauded the soldier who fatally shot the boy.
"I salute the soldier who killed the terrorist who tried to shoot fireworks at him and the troops — this is exactly how you should act against terrorists — with determination and precision," Ben-Gvir said.
The shooting came on the third night of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, which has been a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in previous years.
Israel claims it struck "Hezbollah military infrastructures" in Syria
From CNN’s Lauren Izso and Eve Brennan
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it struck “two Hezbollah military infrastructures on the Syrian front” on Tuesday, adding in a Telegram post that the strike was “conducted based on precise intelligence which incriminated the infrastructure.”
“The IDF holds the Syrian regime accountable for all activities which take place within its territory and will not allow for any attempted actions which could lead to the entrenchment of Hezbollah on the Syrian front,” the statement said.
The IDF also posted a video alleging to show the strike on “Syrian Army infrastructures” used by Hezbollah. The video appears to have been taken from a drone overlooking a compound and shows an explosion in the compound, followed by black plumes of smoke.
Hezbollah and the Syrian government have not yet publicly commented on the IDF's claim.
Aid ship headed to Gaza and dual US-Israeli citizen reported killed on October 7. Catch up here
From CNN staff
A ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza departed from Cyprus on Tuesday, according to World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit that said it was the first maritime shipment of humanitarian aid to the enclave.
The departure comes after announcements that Cyprus, the European Union, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom were working to establish a maritime corridor to deliver aid to Gaza.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces announced that dual US-Israeli citizen Itay Chen was killed during the October 7 attacks on Israel. Chen was one of six US citizens thought to have been held alive in Gaza. He is at least the fourth dual US citizen whose body is being held in Gaza.
Here's what to know:
- Getting food to Gazans: World Central Kitchen says it plans to distribute 200 tons of food — which equates to roughly 500,000 meals — once the vessel reaches Gaza. The provisions include rice, flour, beans, lentils, and canned meats, according to the organization. The United Nations said it welcomed the news of the aid ship, but stressed that it was “not a substitute” for overland assistance to Gazans on the verge of famine. The UN World Food Programme said a food convoy reached Gaza City on Tuesday, making it the first to successfully get to northern Gaza since February 20.
The number of trucks entering Gaza daily is about 20% of what it was before October 7
More than 14,770 trucks have entered Gaza since October 2023 — 93% of which carried humanitarian aid, while the remaining 7% were private sector cargo. The average number of trucks carrying food each day is just about 40% of what it was prior to the conflict.
Daily average number of trucks entering Gaza
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