Israel-Hamas war: What happened on day 141?

The IDF announced the death of Major Eyal Shuminov, who fell in combat in the northern part of the Gaza Strip on Saturday.

Maj. Shuminov was 24 years old, from the city of Karmiel, and a company commander in the Shaked Battalion of the Givati Brigade.

Potential headway in reaching a deal for the release of hostages has been made after Hamas dropped some of its more harsh demands and outlined possibilities for a hostage deal that they could work with, according to Israeli media reports on Saturday.

According to reports, Hamas officials have told Arab media sources that they are willing to be flexible on the following three parameters: The length of a ceasefire, how many Palestinian prisoners will be released, and the condition of a complete IDF withdrawal from the Gaza strip.

The reports state that Hamas gave up on its original demands of 1,500 Palestinian prisoners for 40 hostages. Hamas also allegedly gave up on a full withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip but still insisted on a withdrawal from central cities and the removal of military barriers so displaced Gazans could return to their homes.

Different Israeli media sources have claimed different numbers of hostages agreed upon in an alleged agreement with Channel 13, citing 35-40 Israeli hostages in exchange for 200-300 Palestinian terrorists in Israeli prisons and six weeks of a temporary ceasefire.

A similar outline was reported at the end of January by the London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq-Al Awsat, but nothing new has been reported since.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes a security cabinet meeting on April 6, 2023 (credit: AMOS BEN-GERSHOM/GPO)

One thing that remained consistent between multiple Israeli media reports was Israeli sources close to the negotiation process reaffirming that Hamas is willing to be more flexible on terms for an outline.

Israel's cabinet is set to digitally convene to approve the new outline for a hostage and ceasefire deal in Gaza in a vote held over telephone at 9:00 p.m. local time.

Israel can "work with" the new outline, an Israeli source told Walla on Saturday evening after reports broke of an agreement reached in negotiation held in Paris the night prior.

A new and updated outline for a deal to release the 134 remaining Gaza hostages was reportedly reached in a meeting in Paris between the representatives of the United States, Israel, Egypt, and Qatar.

Families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas protest calling for the government to find a solution to have the hostages released, outside Hakirya Base in Tel Aviv, February 22, 2024. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)

Netanyahu's 'firm stance' crucial to Hamas dropping demands - source

"Progress was made in Paris, but further steps are to be taken before a deal can be reached," the source added.

Another senior source said that, while "we are still far from a deal, Hamas has given up some of its demands following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's firm stance."

Israel's cabinet is set to digitally convene to approve the new outline for a hostage and ceasefire deal in Gaza in a vote held over telephone at 9:00 p.m. local time.

Israel can "work with" the new Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal outline, an Israeli source told Walla on Saturday evening after reports broke of an agreement reached in negotiation held in Paris the night prior.

"Progress was made in Paris, but further steps are to be taken before a deal can be reached," the source added.

Another senior source said that, while "we are still far from a deal, Hamas has given up some of its demands following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's firm stance."

Israel can "work with" the new Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal outline, an Israeli source told Walla on Saturday evening after reports broke of an agreement reached in negotiation held in Paris the night prior.

"Progress was made in Paris, but further steps are to be taken before a deal can be reached," the source added.

The IDF struck southern Lebanese sites from which rockets were fired on northern Israeli cities and towns throughout Saturday, the Israeli military said.

Sirens sounded in Arab el Aramsha, Hanita, Har Dov, and the northern city of Kiryat Shmona on Saturday afternoon in another day of Hezbollah rocket fire threatening Israel's North.

On Saturday, an IDF drone identified a terror cell entering a military compound controlled by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, leading to a strike carried out by an Israeli Air Force fighter jet on the compound.

More military sites were struck across the areas of Rab El Thalathine, Ayta ash Shab, and Blida, the IDF said.

IDF strikes Hezbollah positions overnight

Israeli aircraft struck Hezbollah launch positions and infrastructure in the Jabal Blat area of southern Lebanon, the IDF stated earlier on Saturday. The strikes on the Hezbollah positions took place overnight on Friday.

Also, the IDF attacked the Hanine area and the Marwahin area with artillery to remove a threat.

Subsequently, rocket sirens were heard in northern Israel on Saturday morning.

IDF identified and killed a Hamas terrorist attempting to hide from Israeli forces on the roof of a building in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis, the Israeli military announced.

A drone directed tank fire, as well as aerial strikes, killing the terrorists in a video made available to watch by the IDF.

PARIS – Israel’s cabinet is set to discuss a new outline for the liberation of the hostages held in Gaza, following talks held in Paris Friday evening.

 The Israeli delegation – which included – Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, IDF's hostages' affairs coordinator Nitzan Alon, and Head of IDF Strategic Affairs Division Oren Seter returned to Israel from the French capital Saturday morning after a long-hours discussion, apparently with positive results.

Sources involved in the negotiations told the Israeli press that advancement has been made towards a new framework, though several crucial details still need to be agreed upon, such as the number and identity of the Palestinian prisoners to be released from Israeli jails in exchange for hostages liberated. The issue of expanding humanitarian aid is a relatively easy issue to compromise on, but it is unclear whether progress has been made on the demands presented earlier by Hamas for the IDF to withdraw from the north of the Gaza Strip, and the extent of the ceasefire.

Hamas's massacre of Israelis on October 7 is a consequence of Russian President Vladimir Putin's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told Milan-based newspaper Il Giornale in a Saturday interview.

Meloni, asked whether she feared tensions across the globe were leading to World War Three, answered: "What I think is that if Russia had not invaded Ukraine, in all likelihood Hamas would not have launched such an attack against Israel.

According to the Italian prime minister, "It was inevitable that such a serious violation of the international system based on law, moreover at the hands of a permanent member of the UN Security Council, would have cascading consequences on other areas and quadrants of the world....[like] the Middle East.

"If international legality is not re-established in Ukraine, the outbreaks of conflict will continue to multiply," Meloni continued.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands during a news conference after their meeting at Palazzo Chigi, in Rome, Italy, March 10, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/GUGLIELMO MANGIAPANE)

Meloni also discussed the prospects of reaching a deal for a ceasefire and the release of 134 remaining hostages who were captured by Hamas terrorists and taken into the Gaza Strip on October 7.

"Without a prolonged ceasefire and a solution for the hostages, it is not possible to relaunch the political perspective of two peoples and two states," Meloni declared. On Saturday, a new and updated outline for a deal to release the 132 remaining Gaza hostages was reportedly reached in a meeting in Paris between the representatives of the United States, Israel, Egypt, and Qatar.

Hamas issued a warning to Israel on the terror organization’s Telegram channel on Saturday, threatening an ‘explosion’ of rage should Muslim access to al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount be restricted during Ramadan.

“Let our enemy know that souls are boiling… [our] anger is imminent… and an explosion is coming in response to any restrictions on the entry of Muslims to Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan,” Hamas wrote.

Last week, The Jerusalem Post reported that a source had confirmed that visitation rights to the Temple Mount for West Bank Palestinian Muslims would be restricted to individuals over the age of 60 and under the age of 10.

Possible restrictions on Israeli Muslims were still under review. Specifically, KAN subsequently reported that the restriction of access to the Temple Mount for Israeli Arabs below the age of 40 was being examined.

"Escalate the confrontation"

“We call on the people of our Palestinian people in the occupied territories, Jerusalem and the West Bank, to escalate the confrontation of the occupation everywhere,” Hamas wrote in a previous message on Telegram. The Islamist terror organization added that they called upon Palestinians “to mobilize and march to the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, to protect it from the desecration of the usurping settlers, and to thwart all fascist plans targeting the Holy Mosque and the Holy City.”

A Palestinian holds a Hamas flag as he stands next to others atop a walk of the al-Aqsa mosque following clashes with Israeli police at the compound that houses al-Aqsa Mosque, known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City May 10, 2021. (credit: AMMAR AWAD/REUTERS)

The decision to restrict Ramadan access to the Temple Mount was made during an ad-hoc war cabinet meeting that included Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, National Unity ministers Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, Shas chairman MK Aryeh Deri, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, and Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz.

The decision received subsequent criticism from Arab and left-wing politicians. Nevertheless, cabinet members, including Benny Gantz and Israel Katz, asserted that the government was enabling freedom of religion as much as possible and that the restrictions were purely for security reasons.

This isn’t the first time that the Israeli government restricted access to the Temple Mount over Ramadan. Last year, in April,  a few days before “Quds Day,” Netanyahu announced that Jewish access to the holy site would be prohibited for the remaining days of Ramadan.

Then, similarly, Hamas also issued a warning to Israel, advising "against committing any foolish act against al-Aqsa."

Eliav Breuer and Tzvi Joffre contributed to this report.