Using bulldozers and controlled demolitions, Israel has destroyed some 1,100 buildings in the zone so far | Israeli forces are destroying farmland and demolishing hundreds of homes as well as schools in Gaza to create an 800-meter buffer zone alongside the border with Israel, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on 16 March. ● Palestinians would be barred from the zone, which Israeli officials claim is needed to allow Israelis to return to settlements surrounding Gaza, which were evacuated after the Hamas-led Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on 7 October. ● Some 1,200 Israeli soldiers and civilians were killed during the Hamas attack, including many by Israeli forces themselves using helicopters, drones, and tanks. Israeli forces wished to prevent Hamas from taking captives back to Gaza. ● The WSJ adds that plans for creating the buffer zone began in the first days of the war and would allow Israeli troops to see and stop anyone approaching the border.

■ 'Israel' eyes private military contractors for bizarre US pier in Gaza (Al Mayadeen)

Israel continues its bombardment of besieged Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in the enclave, as ceasefire talks are expected to continue in Qatar.

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— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 17, 2024

"Beyond catastrophic" is the term many officials and staffers, be they medical or political, are using to describe the situation in Gaza. | The Israeli occupation committed 9 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, killing 92 and injuring 130 in 24 hours only, the Ministry of Health in Gaza announced. ● This brings the total number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 7 to 31,645, in addition to 73,676 injuries, it added. ● It is noteworthy that the numbers only account for martyrs officially registered with the Ministry, and there may be a significant number of martyrs whose bodies have not yet been accounted for or have not reached hospitals, especially since many victims remain under the rubble, presumed dead, as the IOF deliberately prevent ambulances and civil defense crews from reaching them.

■ Situation in Gaza ‘catastrophic,’ says Doctors Without Borders nurse (Anadolu)
■ 63 Palestinians killed in Gaza in last 24 hours, death toll climbs to 31,553 (Anadolu)
■ Gaza a 'nightmare' for mothers with no 'normal-sized babies' — UN official (TRT World)
■ Belgian PM slams Israeli starvation tactics in Gaza as 'inadmissible' (Al Mayadeen)

4,268,291 ballots were issued to voters in 28 Russian regions, who had applied for voting online | Online voter turnout in Russia’s presidential election on the federal platform has reached 90%, according to the portal on online vote monitoring. ● As of 9:27 p.m. Moscow time (6:27 p.m. GMT), as many as 4,268,291 ballots were issued to voters in 28 Russian regions, who had applied for voting online. Thus, voter turnout on the federal platform of electronic voting was 90%. ● Residents of Moscow can vote on Moscow’s own platform and were not required to apply for remote voting beforehand. ● The Federation Council, the upper house of Russia’s parliament, officially designated March 17, 2024 as the day of the presidential election. The Central Election Commission (CEC) then announced that voting would take place over three days on March 15-17. ● Four candidates are vying for the top office, namely New People party nominee Vladislav Davankov; self-nominated candidate and incumbent President Vladimir Putin; Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) nominee Leonid Slutsky; and Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) nominee Nikolay Kharitonov.

■ ‘This time the campaign has had a referendum-like nature’: Your guide to Russia’s 2024 Presidential Election
■ Putin to tighten grip on Russia as opponents pose election day challenge (aNews)
■ Protest call as Russian vote to confirm Putin wraps up (aNews)
■ LIVE UPDATES: Day Three of Russian Presidential Election (Sputnik News)
■ В России началось голосование на выборах президента. Как это будет (RG.ru)(03/15/24)

Several Ukrainian UAVs have been shot down outside the Russian capital, Sergey Sobyanin has said | At least four Ukrainian drones were downed while heading to Moscow in the early hours of Sunday, according to Mayor Sergey Sobyanin.The Defense Ministry said some 35 UAVs were intercepted overnight, as Kiev’s forces continue to target Russian infrastructure and border towns. ● “The Russian Defense Ministry’s air defenses in the Domodedovo district have repelled a drone attack on Moscow,” Mayor Sergey Sobyanin confirmed on Telegram around 4:40am Sunday morning, noting that two hostile targets were downed in the area. Two more UAVs weve intercepted in the Ramensky and Stupino districts, Sobyanin added an hour later. ● No damage was inflicted and no one was hurt in the areas where the debris fell, the official said, adding that the emergency services were responding to the incidents. Moscow’s Domodedovo airport, located to the south of the capital, also reported no irregularities in its operations. ● Around the same time, several Ukrainian drones attempted to strike an oil refinery in the town of Slavyansk in Russia’s Krasnodar Region, causing a fire that was quickly contained, according to local authorities. While there were no direct casualties in the strike, one person died in a suspected heart attack during the incident, emergency services said.

■ Russia thwarts Ukrainian incursion attempt (DISTURBING VIDEO) (RT.com)
■ Live blog: Drone strike on Russian refinery, one dead: regional authorities (TRT World)