east to west travel trailer reviews

East to West Alta Travel Trailer Review: 4 Floorplans for Your Family

By legacyrvcenter

Inside the East to West Alta travel trailers for sale at Legacy RV Center , you’ll find layouts that will help you and your family make the most of your trips.  See four of our favorite floorplans and get the details about the features and amenities you’ll love below!  Don’t miss this East to West Alta travel trailer review.

East to West Alta 2100MBH

This East to West Alta 2100MBH travel trailer is on sale for just $26,999!  Inside, you’ll find all of the space you need to keep your family comfortable while you’re at the campground.  The Murphy bed is ideal for you and your significant other, while the bunks in the rear provide plenty of sleeping space for up to four adults.

Additional Features:

• Pull-Out Grill
• Plenty of Storage
• Stainless Steel Refrigerator

East to West Alta 2350KRK

If you need more kitchen space and less sleeping space for kids and guests, this East to West Alta 2350KRK travel trailer may be just what you need.  The rear kitchen design gives you a large countertop with a farmhouse sink and a three-burner stove. Additionally, this unit is ideal for anyone who likes to bring along their furry friends and offer a hide-away pet dish for convenient feeding.

• Walk-Through Bath
• Pass-Through Storage

East to West Alta 2800KBH

If you need a trailer with plenty of storage for everyone’s things, this  East to West Alta 2800KBH travel trailer  is the RV for you! Inside, you’ll find sleeping for eight with storage throughout the interior and exterior of the trailer. Under the bunk beds, you’ll have a bike storage area that will make transporting everyone’s bikes to the campground easy! You can enjoy hidden storage under the dinette and a wardrobe/pantry in the entryway in the main living area. 

• Double-Sized Bunks
• Outside Kitchen
• Tri-Fold Sofa

East to West Alta 3150KBH

Lastly, the  East to West Alta 3150KBH travel trailer  offers a private bunkhouse and front bedroom for the family that needs a little extra elbow room. The living space features a large slide-out so that you won’t feel crowded while you enjoy your stay at the campground. You’ll have easy access to the large bathroom, thanks to the dual entry doors. 

• Walk-In Pantry
• King-Size Bed

Are you ready to order your dream RV?   Contact us  today!

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2020 East To West Travel Trailer RV's

Travel trailers range in size from 18-24 foot compact models to full-sized equivalents to Class A motorhomes. Travel trailers are designed to be pulled behind tow vehicles with load distributing hitches. Depending on its size, a travel trailer can be pulled by full-sized sedans and SUVs to vans and pickup trucks. Because they are towed, travel trailers provide the option of parking the RV and using the towing vehicle for short trips and errands.

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EAST TO WEST Blackthorn Fifth Wheel

The all-new Blackthorn mid-profile fifth wheels by EAST TO WEST are quality built and luxury packed to bring you unforgettable camping experiences with those you love! Since there is a MORryde CRE 3000 suspension on each model, you will find towing easier than ever, and the Blackthorn 4 Seasons Package means you can plan to camp all year long!

Some of the outstanding features you'll enjoy within the Blackthorn Luxury Package include solid surface kitchen countertops and kitchen island countertop extensions, a universal all-in-one docking station, and a 60,000 BTU on-demand tankless water heater. There is Alphaply TPO roofing, along with Azdel laminated sidewalls and a Crane Max gel coated fiberglass exterior for a strong and durable fifth wheel made to last. These models also include a 50" LED TV and an HDMI/AM/FM Bluetooth entertainment system to ensure you'll never go bored, and the Winegard Air 360+ TV antenna with Wi-Fi prep will be a good addition to add if you need to get work done on the road!

Choose a Blackthorn mid-profile fifth wheel by EAST TO WEST and experience camping as it should be, in luxury!

Fifth Wheel

• Length: 35 ft 4 in
• Weight: 10584 lbs

59 Available Now!

• Weight: 11239 lbs

9 Available Now!

• Length: 37 ft 7 in
• Weight: 11219 lbs

40 Available Now!

• Length: 40 ft 0 in
• Weight: 12584 lbs

11 Available Now!

• Length: 41 ft 3 in
• Weight: 12984 lbs

13 Available Now!

• Weight: 13179 lbs

35 Available Now!

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Blackthorn Features:

Standard Features (2024)

Blackthorn Luxury Package

• 4 Point Electric Automatic Leveling System (3100RL, 3101RL-OK, 3300RD)
• 6 Point Electric Automatic Leveling System (3700BH-OK, 3800MB, 3801MB-OK)
• MORryde StepAbove® Entry Steps
• MORryde 54" Entry Door Telescoping Grab Handle
• Solid Surface Kitchen Countertops & Kitchen Island Countertop Extensions
• Seamless Fiberglass Shower w/ Industry First Locking Travel Latch for Glass Shower Doors
• 50” LED Television w/ Swing Arm
• HDMI/AM/FM Bluetooth Entertainment System w/ Sound Bar Speakers
• 30” Over-The-Range Microwave
• Metal Slam Latch Cargo, LP & Outside Kitchen Doors
• Water Shutoff Valves on All Plumbing Fixtures
• Camp Side Hot/Cold Exterior Spray Port
• Universal All-In-One Docking Station
• *Outside Shower w/ Quick Connect Hose and Spray Nozzle
• *Waste Tank Flush
• *PowerFill Fresh Water Tank for Dry Camping
• *Exterior Water Pump Switch
• *Siphon Fill or Sanitize Fresh Water Tank From
• Vessel Using Water Pump
• *EZ Winterization Valve
• *Battery Kill Switch
• 60,000 BTU On-Demand Tankless Water Heater

Blackthorn 4 Seasons Package

• Azdel® Laminated Sidewalls, Slide-out End Walls, Slide-out Roofs & Rear Wall w/ 2 lb. Block Foam Insulation
• Ductless Flooring w/ 5/8” Tongue & Groove Plywood Floor Decking (No OSB)
• 15,000 BTU Main A/C
• Wired & Framed for 2nd A/C
• 35,000 BTU Furnace
• Thermaflex® No Kink No Tear Heat Ducts
• 48” Wide 5,100 BTU Electric Fireplace
• 12v Heat Pads on Holding Tanks
• Heated, Insulated & Enclosed Underbelly & Dump Valves w/ Circulating Heat
• Radiant Technology Composites™ Insulation in Roof, Front Cap & Underbelly
• Formaldehyde Free Fiberglass Insulation in Roof, Front Cap & Main Floor
• Dual Attic Vents

Blackthorn Towing Package

• Fully Painted Aerodynamic Fiberglass Front Cap
• Seamless High Visibility LED Front Cap Lights
• MORryde CRE 3000® Suspension
• Dexter 6,000 lb. Axles (3100RL, 3101RL-OK, 3300RD)
• Dexter 7,000 lb. Axles (3700BH-OK, 3800MB, 3801MB-OK)
• Spring Hangers w/ V-Bracket Reinforcement
• Automotive Style Riveted Wheel Skirts
• Under Carriage Spare Tire & Carrier
• LionsHead Specialty Tire & Wheel “1 Year No Excuses Guarantee” Program
• Marine Grade 10” LED Hitch Light
• LED Marker Lights
• LED Taillights w/ Back-Up Lights
• Rear View Camera Prep
• Driver’s Side Automatic Leveling System Control Box
• 2" Towing Receiver Hitch Rated for 300 LB Carrying Capacity and 3,000 LB Towing Capacity
• Alphaply™ TPO Roofing w/ Lifetime Warranty
• Crane Max™ Gel Coated Fiberglass Exterior
• Deep Tint Safety Glass Windows (Every Window Opens)
• 2” Thick Double-Welded Aluminum Framed Sidewalls, Rear Wall, Front Bulkhead Wall & Slide-out Rooms
• Double-Welded & Fully Framed Window, Entry Door, Cargo Door and Slide-out Openings
• 3” x 2” Double-Welded Aluminum Floor Joists (16" On Center)
• 50 AMP Electrical Service
• Detachable 50 AMP Power Cord w/ LED Power Indicator Light
• 60 AMP Converter w/ Charge Wizard Technology & Lithium or Lead Acid Battery Selector Switch
• Oversized 78" Tall x 30" Wide Entrance Door
• Adjustable Power Awning w/ LED Lights
• High-Capacity Water Pump w/ Interior & Exterior Switch
• EZ Access Low Point Drain Valves
• Marine Grade LED Light at Sewer Termination
• Clear Cap on Sewer Termination
• Extended Sewer Hose Carrier
• Dual 30 lb. LP Bottles
• LP Quick-Connect
• Winegard® Air 360+ TV Antenna w/ Wi-Fi Prep
• Exterior Cable/Satellite Hookup in Pass-Through Storage or Outdoor Kitchen Compartments
• LED Motion Sensor Lights in Pass-Through Storage and Outdoor Kitchen Compartments
• Safety Light Kit: Entry Steps & Under Bedroom Slide-out
• Solid Wood Shaker Style Cabinet Doors w/ Hidden Hinges
• Solid Core Cabinet Stiles
• Pre-Drilled & Screwed Cabinetry
• Ball Bearing Full Extension Drawer Guides
• Slow Rise™ Roller Shades
• Wall Hugger Theater Seats
• E-Z Out Hide-A-Bed Sofa
• Wall Mounted Free Standing Dinette w/ Silverware Drawer
• (2) Modern, Fully Upholstered Dinette Chairs & Storage Ottoman/Work Station
• 6’ 4” Tall Main Slide-out Interior Height
• Vinyl Flooring in Living Area, Kitchen, Bathroom & Bedroom (No Carpet)
• 16 Cubic Foot 12v Refrigerator
• 21” Oven & Range w/ Flush Mount Range Cover
• Deep-Seated Stainless Steel Farmhouse Sink
• Roll-Up Stainless Steel Drying Rack
• High-Rise Kitchen Faucet w/ Pull-Down Sprayer
• Pull-Out Trash Can in Kitchen Island
• Kitchen 12v MAXXAIR MAXXFAN®
• Bathroom 12v MAXXAIR MAXXFAN®
• 6’ 6” Tall Main Bathroom Interior Height
• Porcelain Toilet w/ Foot Flush
• Free Standing Toilet Paper Holder w/ Magnetic Travel Keeper
• Pull-Out Trash Can in Bathroom Linen Cabinet
• Large Medicine Cabinet w/ Mirror
• Extra Large Seamless Lav Top w/ Undermounted Sink
• 70” x 80” Serta® King Bed w/ Fitted Bedspread
• Bedside Electrical Outlets & USB/USB-C Charging Stations
• Bedside Nightstands
• Oversized Underbed Storage
• Bedroom Cable/Satellite Hookup
• Washer/Dryer Prep
• LED Interior Lighting
• *Dimmable LED Ceiling Lights in Living Area & Kitchen
• *LED Kitchen Pendant Lights
• *LED Motion Sensor Light in Kitchen Pantry
• *LED Motion Sensor Ceiling Lights in Bathroom Hallway
• *LED Motion Sensor Light at Steps to Bedroom/Bathroom
• *32" Marine Grade LED Shower Light
• *Dimmable LED Ceiling Lights in Bedroom
• *Dual LED Motion Sensor Lights on Bed Base
• *LED Motion Sensor Lights in Front Closet
• 12 Cubic Foot 4 -Door Gas/Electric Refrigerator
• Washer & Dryer
• 60” x 80” Queen Bed w/ Fitted Bedspread
• Booth Dinette
• 2nd Adjustable Power Awning w/ LED Lights
• Ducted 2nd 15,000 BTU A/C
• 200 Watt Solar Package (Mandatory Option)
• Goodyear® Tires (Made in USA) (Mandatory Option)

See us for a complete list of features and available options!

All standard features and specifications are subject to change.

All warranty info is typically reserved for new units and is subject to specific terms and conditions. See us for more details.

Due to the current environment, our features and options are subject to change due to material availability.

Manu-Facts:

Thank you for considering EAST TO WEST! Our company has adopted a corporate philosophy that focuses on people working together to create high-quality, value-added products! We offer a limited number of floor plans compared to competition to guarantee that all of our models are providing our dealers and customers with quality products that offer long-term value. Our team has common goals to continue quality improvement, increase team productivity, reduce production costs, and conserve energy and natural resources.

EAST TO WEST RVs are proudly hand crafted in the USA! We set our company expectations high and encourage team collaboration so that we continue to challenge ourselves to innovate and improve each day. Superior customer service is also the cornerstone of our initiative.  We invite you to join our EAST TO WEST family!

Your privacy is important to us. This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. By using this website, you acknowledge the real-time collection, storage, use, and disclosure of information on your device or provided by you (such as mouse movements and clicks). We may disclose such information about your use of our website with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Visit our Privacy Policy and California Privacy Disclosure for more information on such sharing.

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WELCOME TO EAST TO WEST!

Inspired by the Forest River family legacy, EAST TO WEST was founded in 2017 by Lisa Liegl Rees to build the next generation of RV’s: High quality construction, value added brands at an affordable price. This division’s collaborative and multigenerational team with industry experts helps challenge, innovate, and foster the true investment in giving our customers the best RV experience. We take pride in our craftmanship from concept to completion by offering limited floorplans with standard features. Our ever-growing product line of brands are each artfully designed and named with meaning. We invite you to experience EAST TO WEST!

SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING

An important objective to our strategy and operations is to implement economically sound manufacturing processes to reduce/recycle waste & conserve energy and natural resources.

CORPORATE & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

We foster a business environment in which we focus on and practice:

• Ethical Labor Practices
• Philanthropy
• Volunteering

CULTURE & VALUES

We are a forward-thinking company committed to fostering a culture of teamwork. By being transparent, we encourage our employees to think outside the box and to make a difference!

QUALITY & CONSTRUCTION

Our team takes pride in each unit we build. Our manufacturing standards and point to point inspections ensure each EAST to WEST brand is built to the same quality specifications every time.

COMMITMENT TO OUR CUSTOMERS

We strive to provide the highest quality products at the best possible price to our customers. We invite you to be a part of the EAST TO WEST family and we look forward to exceeding your expectations!

• “The level of standard equipment, build quality, and functionality, especially at this price point, is excellent.” - Gary H.
• “Thanks for making such a high quality product that most average families can actually afford.” - Erin H.
• “Wow. Thank you so much! I’ve never had a camper company be so helpful. We are part of a large camping club. I will be sure to let them know how wonderful you all have been.” - Laura P.
• “I just want to say our family loves the 312BH, this is our 3rd camper we love it!” - John in MA
• We were utterly and completely flabbergasted with their attentiveness, willingness to accommodate us and most of all their sincere commitment to customer service. - Tom W.

Find Your Local Dealer

East to West has partnered with a network of independent RV dealerships across North America. We encourage our Customers to buy from local dealer to get the best ownership experience possible. Contact your local dealer today!

Contact East to West

Customer Satisfaction is our #1 Priority, so if you have questions or comments you would like to share with us, we would be happy to help. We provide direct contacts to sales and services through e-mail or phone. We look forward to hearing from you.

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We have created a special page for East to West Owners where you can view helpful information specific to your product. If you are still shopping for a new RV, sign up and utilize the Wish List feature to quickly compare floorplans for any Forest River brand.

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We have a collection of videos about our products ranging from Feature Benefit and How-To Videos to Lifestyle and Product Walkthrough videos. You can search and view them all here or view them on the individual product pages.

Posted 2024-04-22 16:01

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2023 East to West Della Terra Camper - Brand New - $41,000 (Butler)

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2023 East to West Della Terra Camper - Brand New - rvs - by owner -...

2023 East to West Della Terra 323QB for sale by owner. This travel trailer is brand new! We bought it brand new from a dealership in May of 2023, and it's been in our driveway ever since. We are...

Taters for the taking: Droves flock to the mound of free potatoes ditched by the Hutterites

A mound of potatoes unloaded from 10 semitrucks by the Hutterite community just west of Airway Heights on Friday has sparked a free-food frenzy, with droves of people bringing trailers and buckets to get their free taters.

Located west of West Sprague Road and North Wood Road near Deep Creek, the potato pile drew hundreds of people throughout the weekend and more showed up Monday afternoon. Some brought trailers and filled them to the brim with spuds. Others climbed the mound with bags and cardboard boxes. Kids covered in dirt ran around with buckets and giggled to their parents.

“It’s like an Easter-egg hunt!” one mother told her son.

Another man yelled to the onlookers, “Have you ever seen this many taters in your life?”

Nearly all those at the potato pile had seen a viral Facebook post made by Denise Bennett, who lives just up the road, telling people to “come get them.” As of Monday, her post had been shared about 1,400 times .

Bennett is a neighbor with those from the Hutterite community, she said. The group practices communal living and does not use social media, but reached out to her to spread the word about the free potatoes and were able to “bless the Spokane community.”

Ed Gross, a livestock manager and Hutterite member, said more than 900 people came throughout the weekend to get their share, making the road “look like a little freeway” – a totally unexpected result of the oversupplied potato industry. They would have stored them, but “you can’t keep them in storage forever,” he said. None of the food processors could take extra, either.

Potato buyers had cut contracts with seed growers this year, Bennett said, which meant they could only sell 60% of their entire crop and have to count the rest as a loss. The Hutterites could have thrown them away, buried them or fed them to cows, but she said it was done “out of the kindness of their hearts.”

“All of Spokane feels that pinch of groceries. So (they) told us to come out. And it’s just been absolutely insane,” Bennett said as she pointed to the people on the potato mound, grabbing as many as they could carry.

Kelly Page was one of the several people taking as many potatoes as he could on Monday afternoon. He backed his pickup in near the pile, took out a shovel, and began scooping potatoes into the back of his truck.

“I saw the post on Facebook,” Page said. “My uncle got a hold of me, too. And he asked, ‘Hey, what are you doing tomorrow?’ And I said, ‘Well, if you’re getting a hold of me, that means I’m getting potatoes.’ ”

Page’s family owns a hog farm near Seven Mile, he said. The farm, where they also butcher their own animals, supplies his family, his uncle’s family, his niece’s family and his cousin’s family with food.

He has six pigs right now, he said, and a truckload full will likely feed them for a week.

“We do farm fresh food. We don’t like to pay the price for store-bought,” Page said. “And, it just tastes better when you do it yourself.”

What’s even better, Bennett said, is there are more trucks coming with even more potatoes. Russet potatoes dominated the mound, but some people were scrounging for the Yukon Gold potatoes.

“You’ll be amazed because there are no eyes. There’s no blight. There’s no sprouting, and there’s no green skin,” Bennett said. “They’re absolutely gorgeous, table ready, seed potatoes.”

If those who take the potatoes start planting them, they will have fresh potatoes by June or July because it’s a fast-growing variety, Gross said Monday. And it’s the gift that keeps on giving – people are already giving the extra potatoes to friends and family and passing them around within their own communities.

“We are happy we can help the people out,” Gross said. “It’s a good thing any time you can do that. It’s a blessing.”

Providence Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital: 20 years of caring

At just four days old, Elliott Naftzger underwent her first open-heart surgery.

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The Latest | UN chief calls for `urgent de-escalation’ in the Middle East

Large crowds of people gathered at a schoolyard in Deir al-Balah on Tuesday to receive food from a charity organization. Food has been scarce in the Gaza Strip with much of the territory on the brink of starvation due to Israel’s offensive.

An Israeli drone strike on a car in southern Lebanon killed a Hezbollah commander, the militant group confirmed in a statement. Ismail Yusuf Baz was killed in a drone strike that targeted his car in Ain Baal, which also injured two others. (AP Video shot by Mohammed Zinaty)

The UN on Tuesday called “on all states with influence” to bring the conflict in Gaza to an end.

Palestinians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings of the Abo al Hanood family after an Israeli airstrike in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Palestinian medics said several residents, including children, were killed in the airstrike. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

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Palestinians search for survivors after an Israeli airstrike on a residential building of the abo al Hanood family in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

A street musician plays music at the old main bazaar in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Israel says it is poised to retaliate against Iran, risking further expanding the shadow war between the two foes into a direct conflict after an Iranian attack over the weekend sent hundreds of munitions into Israeli airspace. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A potential customer inspects nuts at a shop at the old main bazaar in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Israel says it is poised to retaliate against Iran, risking further expanding the shadow war between the two foes into a direct conflict after an Iranian attack over the weekend sent hundreds of munitions into Israeli airspace. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Israeli military spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, display to the media one of the Iranian ballistic missiles Israel intercepted over the weekend, in Julis army base, southern Israel, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Israel says that Iran launched over 300 missiles and attack drones in the weekend attack. It says most of the incoming fire was intercepted, but a handful of missiles landed in Israel, causing minor damage and wounding a young girl. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Israeli military deputy head of the IDF International press department, first lieutenant Masha Michelson, display to the media one of the Iranian ballistic missiles Israel intercepted over the weekend, in Julis army base, southern Israel, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Israel says that Iran launched over 300 missiles and attack drones in the weekend attack. It says most of the incoming fire was intercepted, but a handful of missiles landed in Israel, causing minor damage and wounding a young girl. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Palestinians mourn over a killed family member in the Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al Balah following an Israeli bombardment in the Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Several killed in a strike in Maghazi camp in Central Gaza on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A Palestinian man carries a wounded boy following an Israeli bombardment in the Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Several killed in a strike in Maghazi camp in Central Gaza on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians inspect the rubble of destroyed a residential building of the Abo al Hanood family after an Israeli airstrike in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling for “urgent de-escalation” of hostilities in the Middle East.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday that Guterres made the comments during a phone conversation with Iran’s foreign minister following Tehran’s weekend attack on Israel. Dujarric said Guterres spoke to Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Monday.

During an emergency Security Council meeting on Sunday, Guterres warned that “the Middle East is on the brink” and it’s time to step back.

World leaders have urged Israel not to retaliate after Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles over the weekend in an unprecedented mission that pushed the Middle East closer to a regionwide war. The attack happened less than two weeks after a suspected Israeli strike in Syria killed two Iranian generals in an Iranian consular building.

Tensions in the region have increased since the start of the latest Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, when Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two militant groups backed by Iran, carried out a cross-border attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others. Israel responded with an offensive in Gaza that has caused widespread devastation and killed over 33,800 people, according to local health officials .

— Israel says it will retaliate against Iran, despite the risks

— US Treasury Secretary Yellen says Iran’s actions could cause global ‘economic spillovers’ and warns of more sanctions

— Citing safety, University of Southern California cancels speech by valedictorian who has publicly supported Palestinians

— Artist and curators refuses to open Israeli pavilion at Venice Biennale until cease-fire, hostage deal

— US House speaker pushes toward a vote on aid for Israel , Ukraine and Taiwan

Here is the latest:

IRAQ’S PM SAYS HE URGED CALM AMONG ALL PARTIES IN TALKS WITH BIDEN

WASHINGTON - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani says he pressed President Joe Biden on the need “for all parties to calm down” as conflict threatens to worsen further between Iran and U.S. ally Israel.

Al-Sudani spoke to reporters Tuesday night on a Washington visit that included talks with Biden at the White House on Monday.

Saturday’s drone and missile launches by Iran targeting Israel, including some that overflew Iraqi airspace and others that were launched from Iraq by Iran-backed groups, have underscored the delicate relationship between Washington and Baghdad.

Al-Sudani said Iraq, like some other Arab nations, had tried unsuccessfully to talk Iran out of the strikes on Israel. Iran’s attack was in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike that killed senior Iranian military leaders at Iran’s embassy complex in Syria.

Al-Sudani said the decision on allowing Iraqi airspace or soil to be used in any future attacks between Israel and Iran was Iraq’s to make.

Iraqis “reaffirmed Iraq is an independent and sovereign nation,” he said. “We do not want to be a part in this conflict. We discussed this with Iran and with Biden.”

UN APPEALS FOR $2.8 BILLION TO PROVIDE AID TO 3 MILLION PALESTINIANS

UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations is appealing for $2.8 billion to provide desperately needed aid to 3 million Palestinians, stressing that tackling looming famine in war-torn Gaza doesn’t only require food but sanitation, water and health facilities.

Andrea De Domenico, the head of the U.N. humanitarian office for Gaza and the West Bank, told reporters Tuesday that “massive operations” are required to restore those services and meet minimum standards – and this can’t be done during military operations.

He pointed to the destruction of hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, homes, roads and schools, adding that “there is not a single university that is standing in Gaza.”

De Domenico said there is an initial sign of Israel’s “good intention” to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, but the U.N. keeps pushing because it’s not enough.

Israeli military spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, display to the media one of the Iranian ballistic missiles Israel intercepted over the weekend, in Julis army base, southern Israel, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

He pointed to Israeli denials and delays on U.N. requests for aid convoys to enter Gaza.

The U.N. humanitarian official called for a complete change of focus to recognize that preventing famine goes beyond providing flour for bread or pita and to recognize that “water, sanitation and health are fundamental to curb famine.”

US WILL IMPOSE NEW SANCTIONS ON IRAN, WHITE HOUSE SAYS

WASHINGTON — The U.S. will impose new sanctions on Iran after Tehran launched its first ever direct aerial assault on Israel on Saturday, said National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

Sullivan said in a statement that the sanctions will target Iran’s missile and drone programs, as well as groups backing the country’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and its defense ministry.

The U.S. said that it anticipates other Group of Seven allies adding their own sanctions.

“These new sanctions and other measures will continue a steady drumbeat of pressure to contain and degrade Iran’s military capacity and effectiveness and confront the full range of its problematic behaviors,” Sullivan said.

Israel says Iran launched over 300 missiles and attack drones in the barrage. Iran said the attack was a response to an alleged Israeli airstrike that killed two Iranian generals in Syria on April 1.

GUTERRES CALLS LOOKS TO CALM TENSIONS

UNITED NATIONS – U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “urgent de-escalation” of hostilities in a phone conversation with Iran’s foreign minister following Tehran’s weekend attack on Israel.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday that Guterres also called for “a renewed focus on bringing peace to the Middle East.” Dujarric said Guterres spoke to Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Monday.

Dujarric said the U.N. chief didn’t speak to any senior Israeli officials but that Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan heard his call during an emergency Security Council meeting on Sunday for an immediate cessation of hostilities.

Guterres reiterated his condemnation of the attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria’s capital, Damascus, on April 1, which violated the principle of “inviolability” of diplomatic premises under the Vienna conventions.

Protesters oppose to the war in Gaza block southbound Interstate 880 in Oakland, Calif., Monday, April 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Dujarric told reporters Tuesday that the secretary-general’s call for restraint was clear: “We do not want to see another cycle of an eye for an eye, which is not a policy that will lead to peace.”

ITALY URGES RESTRAINT FROM ISRAEL

ROME — Italy’s defense minister says Iran “crossed a precise red line” with its direct attack on Israel, but is calling on Israel to avoid fueling a spiral of violence in the region.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto spoke by telephone Tuesday with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. He expressed Italy’s continued friendship with Israel, according to a ministry statement.

According to the statement, Crosetto told Gallant “the crossing of a precise red line with the direct attack on Israel, on its territory, is worrying but it is precisely now that we need to be mature and act according to the rules of international law to avoid fuelling the spiral of violence that would see us all defeated.”

The message urging restraint is expected to be delivered this week as Italy, the current president of the Group of Seven countries, hosts G7 foreign ministers for a meeting in Capri starting Wednesday.

Italy has provided significant aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, first with a hospital ship anchored off the territory. Later, three humanitarian flights transported Palestinian children to Italian paediatric hospitals.

ISRAELI MILITARY DISPLAYS IRANIAN MISSILE

JULIS MILITARY BASE, Israel -- The Israeli military has displayed one of the Iranian ballistic missiles that was intercepted over the weekend.

Israel says that 99% of the incoming fire was intercepted, either by Israel’s air defense systems or by an international coalition that included Israel, British, French and Jordanian pilots.

Showing reporters the remnants of one of the missiles at an army base in southern Israel on Tuesday, military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said each warhead carried 500 kilos (over half a ton) of explosives.

Hagari said the coalition sent a powerful “message” to Iran.

He also said Iran would not get off “scot-free” and vowed an Israeli response. “We will respond in our time, in our place, in the way that we will choose,” he said.

SPANISH PRIME MINISTER CALLS FOR RECOGNIZING A PALESTINIAN STATE

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia -- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Tuesday that an independent Palestinian state should be recognized as soon as possible.

Sanchez was visiting Slovenia on a tour aimed at boosting support among European Union nations who favor such a move. He was received by his Slovenian counterpart Robert Golob to discuss the situation in the Middle East, with an emphasis on Gaza.

“Spain will strive for Palestine to become a full member of the U.N.,” Sanchez said.

He is among European leaders and government officials who have said that they could support a two-state solution in the Middle East as international frustration grows with Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territories .

Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia in late March signed a joint statement saying they stand ready to recognize a Palestinian state when the move could “make a positive contribution and the circumstances are right.”

“For Slovenia the key question is when to recognize Palestine,” Golob said Tuesday. “Not if but when.”

ERDOGAN ACCUSES THE WEST OF DOUBLE STANDARD

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Western nations of double standards for speaking out against Iran over its weekend attacks on Israel but not condemning Israel for targeting the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital earlier.

In a televised speech on Tuesday, Erdogan also said his government would continue with diplomatic efforts that he says are aimed at de-escalating tensions in the Middle East.

“Israel’s targeting of the Iranian (mission) in Damascus in violation of international laws and the Vienna convention was the last drop,” Erdogan said.

“Those who remained silent toward Israel’s aggressive attitude immediately raced to condemn Iran’s response,” he later added.

The Turkish leader accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of escalating tensions to “prolong his political life.”

PAKISTAN AND SAUDI ARABIA CALL FOR CEASE-FIRE IN GAZA

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have called for an immediate cease-fire and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, on a visit to Islamabad, said Tuesday that international efforts toward a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas have been “wholly insufficient.”

Without mentioning an Iranian attack on Israel over the weekend, he said: “We are already in an unstable region, and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is already inflaming the region.”

Pakistan’s foreign minister described the killings in Gaza as “genocide” and said that the “world’s conscience must wake up.” Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for closer cooperation with Saudi Arabia to help his cash-strapped nation.

A DRONE STRIKE KILLS 1 IN SOUTHERN LEBANON

BEIRUT — An Israeli drone strike on a car in southern Lebanon killed a commander with the militant Hezbollah group and wounded two others Tuesday while another strike later in a nearby area inflicted casualties, state-run National News Agency reported.

Hezbollah identified the commander killed in the strike near the coastal city of Tyre as Ismail Baz.

The Israeli military said Baz served as a senior and veteran official in several positions of Hezbollah’s military wing. It added that as part of his position, Ismail was involved in the promotion and planning of rocket and anti-tank missile launches toward Israel from the coastal area of Lebanon.

Later Tuesday, another drone strike hit two cars in the village of Chehabiyeh killing and wounding several people, NNA said. It gave no further details.

Shortly before the strike that killed Baz, Hezbollah said it attacked Israel’s Iron Dome air defense units in the area of Beit Hillel and inflicted casualties. It later fired rockets toward the same area, the group said.

The Israeli military said two armed unmanned aerial vehicles crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory and exploded in Beit Hillel. That is under review, it said.

Hezbollah militants and Israeli forces have been exchanging fire since a day after the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7. Nearly 260 Hezbollah members and about 50 civilians have been killed on the Lebanese side of the border since then. The fighting has killed nine civilians and 11 soldiers in Israel.

EASYJET SUSPENDS ISRAEL FLIGHTS UNTIL OCTOBER

LONDON — The U.K.-based budget airline EasyJet said it won’t fly to Israel for the rest of the spring and summer season, after Iran attacked the country with a barrage of drones and missiles last weekend.

The carrier said it wouldn’t resume flights to Tel Aviv before late October.

“As a result of the continued evolving situation in Israel, EasyJet has now taken the decision to suspend its flights to Tel Aviv for the remainder of the summer season until 27 October,’’ the company said. “Customers booked to fly on this route up this date are being offered options including a full refund.”

German airline Lufthansa on Tuesday resumed flights to and from Tel Aviv, Amman and Erbil. Flights to Beirut and Tehran remain suspended until at least Thursday.

AN OFFICIAL SAYS IRAN WILL RESPOND WITHIN SECONDS OF AN ISRAELI COUNTER-STRIKE

TEHRAN, Iran — An Iranian official says his country will respond within “seconds” if Israel seeks to retaliate for its attack over the weekend.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani said late Monday that Israel will face a “resolute and hard response” if it takes further action against Iran.

Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel over the weekend in response to an apparent Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria on April 1 that killed two Iranian generals.

With help from the United States, the United Kingdom, Jordan and other countries, Israel managed to intercept nearly all the projectiles and prevent major casualties or damage. It was the first time Iran has launched a direct military strike on Israel after decades of enmity going back to Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

But Bagheri Kani said “there will not be a 12 or 13-day gap between a Zionist regime move and Iran’s powerful response anymore. The Zionists must now reckon in seconds, not hours.”

Israel’s military chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said Monday that his country will respond to the Iranian attack without saying when or how. The U.S. and other allies of Israel have urged against any further escalation.

GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER HEADS TO ISRAEL

BERLIN — German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said she will fly to Israel on Tuesday to help de-escalate the tense situation after Iran’s weekend attack and express Germany’s support for Israel.

She called on all sides to prevent the conflict from spreading to other countries in the region and for new sanctions against Iran.

“I will assure our Israeli partners of Germany’s full solidarity,” she said. “And we will discuss how a further escalation with more and more violence can be prevented. Because what matters now is to put a stop to Iran without encouraging further escalation.”

Referring to Iran’s attack, the German minister said that “of course, this further military escalation now also has further consequences.”

Speaking to reporters in Berlin after a meeting with her Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, she said she would push for further European Union sanctions against Iran, specifically pointing out the country’s drone program.

Baerbock also said she would use her Tel Aviv visit to again demand that more humanitarian aid be let into Gaza. She also condemned the latest violence in the West Bank, where a 14-year-old Israeli boy was killed in what authorities say was a militant attack, followed by the deaths of seven Palestinians who were killed Israeli forces or settlers since Friday.

“I condemn the violent death of an Israeli boy in the strongest possible terms. At the same time, this must not be misused as a pretext for further violence. I also strongly condemn the attacks by extremist settlers in the West Bank, in which four or more Palestinians were killed,” she said.

UN HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE CALLS ON ISRAELI FORCES TO STOP SETTLER ATTACKS ON PALESTINIANS

GENEVA — Israeli security forces “must immediately end their active participation in and support for settler attacks on Palestinians,” according to a Tuesday statement from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights after a wave of settler attacks on Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank triggered by the killing of a 14-year-old Israeli boy in what authorities say was a militant attack.

The Palestinian Health Ministry says seven Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers since the attacks began Friday, and another 75 have been wounded.

Israeli authorities have urged people not to resort to vigilante attacks as tensions soar. But rights groups have long accused Israeli forces of routinely ignoring settler attacks or even taking part in them.

The U.N. statement said “Palestinians have been subjected to waves of attacks by hundreds of Israeli settlers, often accompanied or supported by Israeli Security Forces.” It said that in addition to deaths and injuries, the attacks have also included the torching of hundreds of homes and other buildings, as well as cars.

“Israel, as the occupying power, must take all measures in its power to restore, and ensure, as far as possible, public order and safety in the occupied West Bank,” it said.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war and has built scores of settlements there that are now home to over 500,000 Jewish settlers. The Palestinians want the West Bank, which is home to some 3 million Palestinians, to form the main part of their future state.

Violence has surged in the West Bank since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack out of Gaza that triggered the war. The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least 468 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war in Gaza. Most were shot dead by Israeli security forces during arrest raids or violent protests.

DEATH TOLL IN GAZA SURPASSES 33,800, HEALTH MINISTRY SAYS

RAFAH, Gaza Strip — The Gaza Health Ministry says the bodies of 46 people killed by Israeli strikes have been brought to local hospitals over the Past 24 hours. That brings the overall Palestinian death toll from the Israel-Hamas war to at least 33,843, the ministry said Tuesday.

The Health Ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its tallies but has said that women and children make up most of those killed.

Israel blames civilian casualties on Hamas because the militants fight in dense, urban neighborhoods. The military says it has killed over 13,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Israel withdrew more forces from Gaza earlier this month after wrapping up its offensive in the southern city of Khan Younis. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to invade the southernmost city of Rafah, where over half of Gaza’s population has sought refuge from fighting elsewhere.

The war erupted when Hamas launched a wide-ranging attack into southern Israel on Oct. 7. Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people that day and took around 250 hostage. Israel’s offensive has driven some 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million from their homes and pushed the besieged territory to the brink of famine.

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With Nuclear Deal Dead, Containing Iran Grows More Fraught

The U.S., Europe, Russia and China worked together on a 2015 deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program. The arrangement’s unraveling and the spike in superpower tensions make this a dangerous moment.

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By David E. Sanger

David E. Sanger has covered the Middle East and superpower conflict for several decades and reported from Washington.

When Iran agreed to a deal in 2015 that would require it to surrender 97 percent of the uranium it could use to make nuclear bombs, Russia and China worked alongside the United States and Europe to get the pact done.

The Russians even took Iran’s nuclear fuel, for a hefty fee, prompting celebratory declarations that President Vladimir V. Putin could cooperate with the West on critical security issues and help constrain a disruptive regime in a volatile region.

A lot has changed in the subsequent nine years. China and Russia are now more aligned with Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” to an American-led order, along with the likes of North Korea. When President Biden gathered the leaders of six nations for a video call from the White House on Sunday to plot a common strategy for de-escalating the crisis between Israel and Iran , there was no chance of getting anyone from Beijing or Moscow on the screen.

The disappearance of that unified front is one of the many factors that make this moment seem “particularly dangerous,” said Vali Nasr, an Iranian-born professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, “maybe the most dangerous in decades.”

But it is hardly the only one.

President Donald J. Trump’s decision to pull out of the Obama-era nuclear deal triggered a predictable counterreaction from Tehran, and after a long pause, Iran resumed enriching uranium — some to near-bomb-grade quality. Today it is far closer to being able to produce bomb-grade material, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, than it was when the accord was in effect. Iran has consistently denied that it intends to build a weapon but has recently begun hinting at the need to bolster its “deterrent” against nuclear-armed adversaries.

Tehran has surged ahead with its ballistic missile program, and several months before some of those weapons were unleashed on Israel this weekend , all the remaining United Nations prohibitions expired . Iran has not only emerged as Russia’s most dependable foreign supplier of military drones , but it has also improved its own drone fleet by drawing lessons from their use in Russia’s assault on Ukraine.

President Barack Obama’s pursuit of the 2015 nuclear deal was assailed by many Republicans as dangerously irresponsible at the time. Even some Democrats, though supportive of the details of the deal, worried that Mr. Obama was naïve to hope it would bring about fundamental change in Tehran.

With the latest escalation of tensions between Iran and Israel, Mr. Biden’s political opponents are now blaming the administration for having not taken a tougher line in recent years against Iran. They say that has left Israel in particular peril at a moment when it is mired in a war against an Iranian client group, Hamas, in Gaza.

“The White House signaled both obliviousness and weakness by not recognizing that today’s Middle East conflict is not Palestinians or Arabs against Israel, but an Iranian war against ‘the little Satan,’” John R. Bolton, who served as national security adviser to Mr. Trump and was a sharp opponent of the Iran deal, wrote on Sunday .

“The sad truth is that Israeli and U.S. deterrence against Iran failed,” he said. He went on to urge — as he and a small group of Iran hawks have before — that the Israelis seize the moment to “destroy Iran’s air defenses” and perhaps go after the Quds Force, Iran’s most elite units. In other words, take a course of escalation exactly the opposite of what Mr. Biden is urging.

Even among experts more supportive of Mr. Biden’s diplomacy in the region, many are concerned that now there are few levers to influence Iran, especially if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel responds to the attack with a more calibrated retaliatory strike than the one Mr. Bolton is urging.

“We appear to be headed to an eventual Israel-Iran confrontation,” Mr. Nasr said.

“Iran and Israel are now the main protagonists in the Middle East,” he added. “They view each other as their most serious national security threats. There are no red lines or rules in place to contain their rivalry. The shadow war is now breaking into the open, and without some rules, they are on an escalatory path."

This was not the world Mr. Biden hoped for as he designed a strategy for his administration that focused on containing Russia’s disruptions in Ukraine and beyond, and competing vigorously with China. And in the first three years of Mr. Biden’s presidency, the Middle East seemed relatively calm, until the Oct. 7 terror attack by Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis, upended his priorities and plunged the White House back into a familiar cauldron.

While Mr. Biden used intermediaries to help assure that Iran’s retaliatory strikes over the weekend did not spin out of control — and Iran appeared intent on keeping indirect lines open — there is no direct communication between Washington and Tehran, a major change from even a decade ago. During the Iran negotiations, Secretary of State John F. Kerry spoke regularly, and directly, to his Iranian opposite number, Mohammad Javad Zarif, who had attended college and graduate school in the United States before the Iranian revolution.

As they haggled over the number of centrifuges Iran could build, they also defused potential crises. When a small American naval vessel accidentally crossed into Iranian waters and its crew was seized, calls between the two men got them released in hours, averting another hostage crisis.

But that era is over. When the Biden administration came in, and sought in its first 18 months to revive some part of the 2015 deal , Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared that there would be no direct talks with the administration. Notes and offers were passed through European interlocutors. The two sides seemed at the cusp of a deal in the summer of 2022; the Iranian negotiators took it back to Tehran, where new demands were added and the entire process fell apart.

Now the fear of a general escalation has a new, lurking nuclear dimension.

The Iranians have not, from all available evidence, been racing for a bomb; their progress in uranium enrichment has been steady and deliberate. But as part of the pressure campaign on the West, they have largely blinded inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the world’s nuclear watchdog.

Inspectors have been barred from some sites. Some inspectors, from countries the Iranians have deemed unfriendly, have been denied entry. Surveillance cameras at some crucial sites have been removed. Questions about past activity at specific military locations have gone unanswered.

“The result is that I cannot offer assurances” that nuclear material has not been diverted to other facilities or weapons programs, Rafael M. Grossi, the Argentine diplomat who serves as director general of the United Nations agency, said in an interview before the outbreak of the missile barrage over the weekend.

Nuclear experts say one of their biggest concerns today is that Iran has every incentive to proceed with its nuclear program, both to taunt the West and to build what it always calls its “deterrent” against Israel, the undeclared nuclear weapons state in the region.

“That’s my concern — they have every motivation to accelerate,” James R. Clapper Jr., the director of national intelligence under Mr. Obama, said on Sunday.

Other experts note that Israel’s success — with American help — in shooting down almost all of the drones and ballistic missiles fired from Iran overnight on Saturday could well lead Iranian military officials to conclude they need more powerful weapons, stationed closer to Israeli territory. And they may conclude that their logical next step is to move — overtly or covertly — toward a nuclear weapon.

For now, Mr. Biden is doing everything he can to persuade Mr. Netanyahu, with whom his relationship is fraught, to “take the win,” as he put it to him Saturday night, and not retaliate.

For their part, the Iranians have signaled that in their mind, the incident is over. They have avenged the deaths from an Israeli strike of seven commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. But “over” could simply refer to an end to the missile barrage, not other forms of escalation.

The best scenario would be that Iran recognizes the danger as well, as it did on Saturday when it carefully telegraphed its intentions , which made it far easier for the Israelis, the Americans and nearby Arab forces to intercept the incoming drones and missiles. That was a sign that Iran wanted to make a point, but may not be ready to go to the brink of war.

David E. Sanger covers the Biden administration and national security. He has been a Times journalist for more than four decades and has written several books on challenges to American national security. More about David E. Sanger

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Israel-Hamas war

April 22, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war

By Kathleen Magramo, Christian Edwards and Aditi Sangal, CNN

Our live coverage of Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza has moved  here .

It's midnight in Gaza. Catch up on the latest

From CNN staff

An independent review of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has said the agency's neutrality must be strengthened .

Despite UNRWA adopting a "robust framework" in 2017 to address issues of neutrality, the issues persist, the review said. However, the report did note that "Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence" for their allegations that "a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organizations."

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Oren Marmorstein criticized the report, saying this is not what a “genuine and thorough review looks like. This is what an effort to avoid the problem and not address it head on looks like.” Israel has  longstanding issues with UNRWA , accusing it of aiding Hamas and calling for it to be entirely dismantled.

Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres accepted recommendations made by the review, which is a “very important step,” the head of the review, Catherine Colonna, said. It is now up to UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini "to take this forward and to provide a clear plan on how the agency will follow up on these recommendations,” Colonna said, adding that “UNRWA plays an indispensable and irreplaceable role in the region.” Lazzarini welcomed the findings and recommendations of the review.

Here's what else to know:

• French and Egyptian presidents talk: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi held a phone call on Monday with French President Emmanuel Macron. They "reviewed the latest efforts to achieve an immediate, urgent and lasting ceasefire, exchange detainees and hostages and provide access for humanitarian aid," according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.
• UK consulate "alarmed" by West Bank violence: The British Consulate in Jerusalem said on X Monday that they are "alarmed by escalating violence and destruction in the West Bank and the number of casualties, notably in  Nour Shams refugee camp  in #Tulkarem over the weekend. De-escalation is urgently needed. West Bank stability is essential to keep alive prospects of peace."
• British sanctions on Iranian military figures: The UK announced new sanctions on six Iranian military entities whose assets were frozen for being “involved in hostile activity,” a statement from the British government said. Meanwhile, the European Union’s foreign ministers agreed to expand existing sanctions on Iran’s drone and missile program , the bloc’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said Monday.
• Rockets launched from Lebanon: In continuation of months-long fire exchanges, Hezbollah fired rockets from Lebanon into Israel .

This post has been corrected to reflect that rockets were fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon 

About 35 rockets launched from Lebanon into northern Israel, IDF says

From CNN's Ruba Alhenawi, Larry Register and Charbel Mallo and Eugenia Yosef

About 35 rockets fired from southern Lebanon into the area of Ein Zeitim in northern Israel were detected Monday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

IDF forces "attacked the source of the shooting," it said, adding that there were no casualties from the rockets fired from Lebanon. 

The IDF also said it "attacked terrorist targets in southern Lebanon."

Hezbollah said in a statement it "bombarded the command headquarters of the Third Infantry Brigade of the 91st Division in the Ein Zeitim base with tens of Katyusha rockets."

Remember: There have been months of cross-border fire by both Israel and Hezbollah that have displaced tens of thousands of Lebanese and Israeli residents from their homes. Israel has fired artillery and launched jets and drones to strike targets while Hezbollah has used some of its vast arsenal of rockets and missiles.

State Department's annual human rights report cites allegations of "war crimes" in Gaza conflict 

From CNN's Jennifer Hansler

The US State Department’s annual report on human rights raises sharp concerns about the war between the Hamas and Israel in Gaza, citing allegations of war crimes.

The report, which covers the year 2023, noted that “human rights groups reported extensive and in many cases unprecedented conflict-related abuses and alleged the commission of war crimes by Israel, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and other Palestinian militant groups.”

Those abuses include the killings, torture, abductions and sexual violence carried out by Hamas, PIJ and others on October 7, according to the report.

They also include “reports of systemic torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment of Palestinian detainees in prison facilities after October 7,” and the forced disappearance of thousands Palestinians from Gaza.

While the report does not represent the US government’s own conclusions, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in remarks Monday that “we have processes within the department that are looking at that incidents that have been raised.”

“Those processes are ongoing,” he said. “It's important that we take the time to do our best to get the facts, to get the information, to do the analysis. It's very challenging to do this in real time.”

"Everybody's terrified": Palestinians in Rafah fear bloody ground offensive, says relief group worker

From CNN’s Sana Noor Haq 

Children desperately looking for food hold empty plates and saucepans in the streets and raw sewage spills in between rows of tents.

These are among the memories Melanie Ward has of Rafah, in southern Gaza, where more than 1 million people have been forced to flee Israel’s bombardment, according to the United Nations.

"Every morning you wake up to the sound of gunfire from battleships off the coast,” Ward, the CEO for the relief group Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), told CNN by phone on Wednesday. “You literally never know if something is about to hit you.” 

Displaced Palestinians who have been uprooted from their homes and packed into the tiny area of land fear they will have nowhere to escape to ahead of an anticipated bloody Israeli ground offensive, said Ward, who visited Rafah earlier this month. 

“Where over a million people are supposed to go from Rafah, I do not know. It’s impossible to see.”  

A UN expert warned on Monday that the psychological terror of Israel’s offensive in Gaza could manifest years from now in the form of increased mental health illnesses among Palestinians there.

Ward told CNN that Gazans are “completely exhausted” by more than six months of persistent bombardment, displacement and siege.  

"You can see in people's faces... They're staring into the distance. They can't focus properly on conversations. They are really depressed,” she added. "The people of Gaza are being destroyed.” 

Hospital workers forced to re-use orthopedic devices from dead patients, says relief group CEO

Melanie Ward still remembers the terrified mother in Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital , in Deir al-Balah, who begged her to expose the plight of Palestinians trying to survive Israel’s bombardment in Gaza.  

"How do you tell a mother of a child in hospital that the problem isn't that the world doesn't know what's being done to them? It's that the world has no will to stop it,” Ward, the CEO for the relief group Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), told CNN by phone on Wednesday.  

Scores of displaced patients and their relatives covered the grounds of Al-Aqsa hospital, said Ward, who visited the medical facility in central Gaza earlier this month.

Ward described scenes of injured children screaming in pain and overwhelmed doctors struggling to prevent infections among wounded patients.

Israel’s severe aid restrictions have drained water and medical supplies, Ward added.  

"Sometimes there's no running water on the wards... They're having to remove them (external fixators; pins and rods needed for orthopedic surgery) from limbs of dead people and try to clean them and then re-use them.” 

Local staff displaced by Israel’s military offensive are facing the grief of relatives killed by bombardment, while others shelter in homes that have been partially destroyed by Israeli missiles, Ward told CNN.

Those in the north are struggling to find food, she said.    

"Everybody is traumatized and terrified,” Ward added. “Palestinian colleagues are just trying to survive like everybody else... They’re terrified about the future for their children. How do you recover from this?”  

EU to expand sanctions on Iran's drone program, top diplomat says

From CNN's Louis Mian in London

The European Union’s foreign ministers have agreed to expand existing sanctions on Iran’s drone and missile program, the bloc’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said Monday.

Borrell said the new sanctions enlarge "the geographical area of this framework to cover drone and missile deliveries not only to Russia,” but also Iran's proxies in the region.

The sanctions will broaden the list of components blocked from being exported from the EU that are used in the production of drones and missiles.

The EU’s decision comes after Iran’s recent unprecedented attack on Israel, which came after a suspected Israeli attack on an Iranian diplomatic complex in Syria earlier this month.

The US last week announced new sanctions on 16 people and two entities associated with Iran’s drone program.

UNRWA neutrality must be strengthened, independent review finds

From CNN's Tim Lister

An independent review of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has said the agency's neutrality must be strengthened.

Earlier this year, Israel accused at least 12 UNRWA staffers of being involved in Hamas' October 7 terror attacks and has alleged that about 12% of the agency's 13,000 staffers are members of Hamas or other Palestinian militant groups.

The review, which was led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and published Monday, was not tasked with addressing Israel's allegations, but had a broader mandate to "assess whether UNRWA is doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality."

"They include instances of staff publicly expressing political views, host-country textbooks with problematic content being used in some UNRWA schools, and politicized staff unions making threats against UNRWA management and causing operational disruptions,” it said.

The review also found that “UNRWA's facilities have sometimes been misused for political or military gains, undermining its neutrality.”

Israel's response: “The Colonna report ignores the severity of the problem, and offers cosmetic solutions that do not deal with the enormous scope of Hamas' infiltration of UNRWA,” Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Oren Marmorstein alleged in a statement, adding this is not what a “genuine and thorough review looks like. This is what an effort to avoid the problem and not address it head on looks like.” Israel has longstanding issues with UNRWA , accusing it of aiding Hamas and calling for it to be entirely dismantled.

This post has been updated with additional statements from the independent review.

Aid missions to hospitals in northern Gaza hampered by checkpoint delays, WHO says

From CNN's Ibrahim Dahman

Efforts to reach two hospitals in northern Gaza over the weekend were only partly successful because of delays at checkpoints and ongoing fighting, according to Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization.

"On 20 April, WHO and partners could only partially complete their mission to Kamal Adwan and Al-Awda hospitals due to severe delays at checkpoints and ongoing hostilities," Tedros wrote Monday on X.

As a result, he said "fuel and medical supplies did not reach Kamal Adwan , for the second time in the last 7 days, and partners were also unable to assess needs at Al-Awda to support restoration of services. This is further increasing the health risks of critical patients being treated there.”

The mission was nonetheless able to evacuate four critically sick patients from Kamal Adwan, along with their caretakers, including one at possible risk of having a leg amputated, he said.

“We again call for compliance with international humanitarian law, including access to health care and humanitarian aid for civilians in desperate need of help. Once again, we call for a ceasefire!” Tedros wrote.

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