Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 154?

Israel will provide security for the temporary port being built on Gaza's Mediterranean coast to receive humanitarian aid, US President Joe Biden said on Friday.

Families of Gaza hostages received signs of life from over a dozen of their loved ones taken in Hamas captivity, Channel 12 reported on Friday evening.

Channel 12 said that the IDF censor prevented further details from being published at this stage.

Over 134 hostages remain in Gaza after being taken by Hamas terrorists on October 7. The IDF had previously announced that 33 of the remaining 134 had been killed in captivity.

Israelis are seen protesting for the return of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. (credit: DYLAN MARTINEZ/REUTERS)

Gaza hostage families block Highway 1 in cages, protesting Israeli gov't

Family members of hostages entered cages, blocking Highway 1 connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Friday, intending to remind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the entire public that the hostages have been "rotting in hell" for 154 days.

This is a developing story.

The US military carried out its fourth airdrop of aid into Gaza on Friday, a US official told Reuters, amid an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in the crowded coastal enclave.

The Israeli offensive in Gaza, which is supported by the United States, has displaced most of the enclave's 2.3 million people and led to critical shortages of food, water and medicine.

The US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not offer more details on the airdrop, including its location or number of meals delivered.

US President Joe Biden, who first announced the airdrop campaign last week, announced on Thursday that the US military will also build a temporary port in the coming weeks on Gaza's Mediterranean coast to enable delivery of humanitarian aid by sea.

Families of Gaza hostages received signs of life from over a dozen of their loved ones taken in Hamas captivity, Channel 12 reported on Friday evening.

Channel 12 said that the IDF censor prevented further details from being published at this stage. Over 134 hostages remain in Gaza after being taken by Hamas terrorists on October 7.

The IDF had previously announced that 33 of the remaining 134 had been killed in captivity.

This is a developing story.

The IDF announced its jets had attacked targets in southern Lebanon after launches were detected on Friday.

Among the targets that were attacked were a military building in the Marwahin area, a terrorist infrastructure in the Lavona area, and a military post in the Ayta ash Shab area.

At the end of the attack, secondary explosions were detected, which indicated the presence of an IED stored in the position.

Terrorists in the West Bank carried out an attack on a military outpost near the settlement of Homesh on Friday, wounding seven Israeli soldiers, the IDF said.

The terrorists attempted to flee and were pursued by the IDF. Seven troops were wounded by an explosive device during the pursuit and were evacuated to a nearby hospital, according to Israeli media.

The IDF three soldiers were in moderate condition, with all three evacuated via helicopter to Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Campus. Four more troops were lightly wounded, the Israeli military said.

A UN expert on Friday criticized US efforts to boost humanitarian aid to Gaza, such as plans for a temporary port and recent airdrops, which he said were "absurd" and "cynical" methods so long as military aid to Israel continues.

Amid warnings of looming famine five months into Israel's campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza, the US military has carried out air drops of meals into Gaza and plans a temporary port for aid imports on its Mediterranean coast.

Airdrops in particular "will do very little to alleviate hunger malnutrition, and do nothing to slow down famine," Michael Fakhri, UN special rapporteur on the right to food, told reporters in Geneva.

He warned of chaos as starving people joust for supplies. As for the port, he said no one had asked for it. He called the port and airdrop methods of "last resort."

"The time when countries use airdrops, and these maritime piers, is usually if not always, in situations when you want to deliver humanitarian aid into enemy territory," he said.

The US diplomatic mission in Geneva was not immediately available to respond to the remarks made late on Friday.

Family members of hostages entered cages, blocking Highway 1 connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Friday, intending to remind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the entire public that the hostages have been "rotting in hell" for 154 days.

Families of the hostages protest government inaction in bringing the hostages home, March 8, 2024. (credit: Hostage and Missing Families Forum)

Ayala Metzger, Shahar Mor, Yifat Kalderon, Yael Or and Dan Pelti were reported to be in cages.

Families of the hostages protest government inaction in bringing the hostages home, March 8, 2024. (credit: Hostage and Missing Families Forum)

'You abandoned them to hell'

In a message directed at Netanyahu, they said, "Mr. Prime Minister, you are the head, and it is your responsibility to bring them home. Go to a deal, ignore Ben-Gvir and Smotritch, and bring home those whom you abandoned and have been in hell for 154 days. There is no complete victory without the return of the hostages, and if you cannot bring about a deal now, make way for someone who can."

Families of the hostages protest government inaction in bringing the hostages home by burning tires on Highway 1, March 8, 2024. (credit: Hostage and Missing Families Forum)

Police confirmed they had cleared the road and reopened it for traffic.

Over the last two months several reports have indicated that Gazan clans, basically large families that have influence in certain areas, could play a role in Gaza in areas where Hamas has been defeated and there is a power vacuum.

This is one of the stories that has emerged because of an absence of a civilian authority to control parts of Gaza. Israel has preferred not to have the Palestinian Authority move into areas in Gaza where Hamas is now weak, and it’s not clear whether the PA would agree to work with Israel in this respect anyway.

This leaves few options in Gaza, in terms of controlling civilian areas. The IDF has preferred not to run civilian affairs in Gaza. That means that where there are civilians, they are generally separated from the IDF, and the IDF does not seek to control communities over the long term. So who will control these areas?

In northern Gaza there are around 300,000 Gazans. While Hamas is defeated on the surface, it continues to have elements among the population. Many people fear creating an alternative to Hamas, because they think Hamas will return and enact revenge.

The only powerful groups that might provide a shield against Hamas atrocities in the future are large clans, because even Hamas fears angering large families that have influence and power, and may have weapons as well.

We reported yesterday that the IDF has begun taking steps to test the rule of local Gazan clans in the Gaza Strip after Hamas is destroyed, according to a report by London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq al-Awsat on Saturday. Back in January another report said that Israel was looking into the idea of having clans administer some areas. This dovetails with the idea of having humanitarian pockets or bubbles in Gaza. However, as the stampede near the trucks last Thursday in Gaza illustrated, no such plan has materialized.

Family members of hostages entered cages, blocking Highway 1 connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Friday, intending to remind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the entire public that the hostages have been "rotting in hell" for 154 days.

In a message directed at Netanyahu, they said, "Mr. Prime Minister, you are the head, and it is your responsibility to bring them home. Go to a deal, ignore Ben-Gvir and Smotritch, and bring home those whom you abandoned and have been in hell for 154 days. There is no complete victory without the return of the hostages, and if you cannot bring about a deal now, make way for someone who can."