Live blog update| Israel-Palestine war
This is an entry from: Israel-Palestine live: Biden urges Egypt, Qatar to press Hamas for hostage deal

Evening update

31 March 2024 23:09 BST

Good evening, Middle East Eye readers.

Our live coverage of Israel's assault on Gaza will shortly be closing for the evening.

Here are the day's key developments.

The Gaza health ministry has updated the death toll in the besieged Strip, stating it has jumped to 32,782. It added that 75,298 people had been injured since the war broke out on 7 October. The toll included 77 people killed and 108 wounded in the past 24 hours.

Israel's military said it carried out an air strike against a command centre operated by the armed Islamic Jihad group in the courtyard of al-Aqsa hospital in the central Gaza Strip. Palestinian health officials said the strike hit several tents used by journalists and displaced Palestinians in the vicinity of al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah, killing four people and wounding several, including five journalists. 

The Israeli military said it killed a Hezbollah commander in an airstrike on a vehicle in Lebanon on Sunday, identifying him as Ismail al-Zin, a significant commander in the anti-tank missile unit of Hezbollah's Radwan Forces.

Two civilians were injured in Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Damascus on Sunday, the Syrian defence ministry said, in the second such attack on the country in a few days.

Other major developments on Sunday included:

  • Palestinian Christians in occupied East Jerusalem observed low-scale Easter celebrations. According to Al Jazeera, the Church of Holy Sepulchre in occupied East Jerusalem was relatively empty, contrary to previous years, when the courtyard would be packed. 
  • Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Jerusalem on Sunday against Benjamin Netanyahu's government and against exemptions granted to ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from military service, in scenes reminiscent of mass street protests last year.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to undergo hernia surgery tonight. His hernia was discovered by doctors "during a routine examination". During the period of surgery, Justice Minister Yariv Levin will serve as acting prime minister.
  • A new Palestinian government led by recently appointed Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa was sworn in on Sunday. 
  • Three ships, carrying 400 tonnes of aid, sailed for Gaza earlier on Sunday, a World Central Kitchen (WCK) representative said on board an accompanying boat. This was the second maritime aid shipment by the WCK to Gaza.