Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 154?

Following several rockets fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip on Thursday night, the IDF instantly countered the attack by directly hitting the sources of the fire, which included a weapons storage facility, a military compound, and a tunnel shaft, the IDF stated on Friday.

The rockets that were fired into Israel were directed at the southern city of Sderot and communities near the Gaza Strip.

The military added that the IDF counter-response was taken within minutes of the launches.

The IDF apprehends terrorists

Additionally, in the Hamad area of Kahn Yunis, IDF troops have engaged in intensive combat, locating various weapons and apprehending several terrorists. 

The terrorists apprehended by the IDF were highly armed. Two of them carried an AK-47 rifle, while others held concealed terror operatives such as an explosive grenade.

Those armed terrorists who exited the weapons storage facility were all eliminated by the IDF troops. 

IDF troops operate in the Hamad neighborhood of Khan Yunis. March 8, 2024. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

IDF has also targeted the tunnels, locating numerous tunnel shafts in the area of al-Qarara. In one incident, the troops identified an armed terrorist cell that was preparing to attack the forces. An aircraft subsequently eliminated the cell before the attack took place, the IDF noted.

In the past day, IDF troops from the Nahal Brigade have killed approximately 15 terrorists in the central Gaza Strip.

The IDF submitted its findings on Friday regarding the humanitarian aid convoy catastrophe late last month wherein dozens of Palestinians were killed in a giant crush while attempting to get aid.

The Commanding Officer of the Southern Command, MG Yaron Finkelman, presented the findings of the command review regarding the sequence of events to the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, on Tuesday.

The command review found that IDF troops did not fire at the humanitarian convoy but did fire at a number of suspects who approached the nearby forces and posed a threat to them.

The command review reveals that while the trucks were traveling toward the distribution centers, a crowd of about 12,000 Gazans gathered around them and looted the equipment they were transporting. 

IDF launched warning shots against looters

Amidst looting, dozens of Gazans also advanced toward IDF troops posing threats to forces standing by, leading to cautionary fire for deterrence purposes.

Palestinians carry bags of flour they grabbed from an aid truck near an Israeli checkpoint, as Gaza residents face crisis levels of hunger, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, February 19, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/Kosay Al Nemer/File Photo)

The investigation is expected to be continued by an independent examination body, the Fact Finding and Assessment Mechanism (FFAM). FFAM is expected to independently come to conclusions on the incident.

Joanie Margulies and Keshet Neev contributed to this report.

The IDF struck Hezbollah military buildings in the Zabkin area and intercepted an explosive drone belonging to Hezbollah fighter jets, the IDF stated on Friday.

This comes following a previous IDF strike on Thursday, where the IDF intercepted an explosive drone belonging to Hezbollah.

Additionally, on Friday, an unmanned aircraft belonging to Hezbollah crossed over from Lebanese territory and fell in the Hermon area. 

According to the IDF, no causalities were reported from the fall of the aircraft. However, a number of further launches from Lebanon into Israeli territory have been detected in recent hours. 

At the request of Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, the United States, Britain, and France have submitted an official request to conduct a UN Security Council emergency meeting on Friday morning.

The meeting being requested is to examine the crimes that emerged from the UN report on Hamas's sexual violence on October 7 and the hostage situation in Gaza.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) attacked five Houthi targets on Friday morning, according to a CENTCOM report.

The targets hit included four mobile anti-cruise missiles and one Houthi unmanned aerial vehicle in areas of Yemen that are under Houthi jurisdiction.

March 7 Red Sea Update

Between the hours of 3:35 p.m. and 4:55 p.m. (Sanaa time), United States Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted self-defense strikes against four mobile Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM) and one Houthi unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Houthi-controlled… pic.twitter.com/WBrJ0kmiTJ

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 8, 2024

Congresswoman Nikema Williams, a Democrat from Georgia, posted a photo on X calling for the release of Israeli hostages on Thursday night.

"I wore blue with my colleagues to stand in solidarity with the Israeli hostages. All hostages must be released!" Williams wrote accompanying the photo, showing nine politicians including the Georgia representative.

I wore blue with my colleagues to stand in solidarity with the Israeli hostages. All hostages must be released! pic.twitter.com/ReZhNAHLPs

— Congresswoman Nikema Williams (@RepNikema) March 7, 2024

President Joe Biden formally announced the US military would establish a temporary pier off the Gaza coast during his State of the Union address on Thursday night, sending strong messages to both Israel and Democrats who have taken to the streets and ballot boxes demanding a ceasefire and crucial aid for Palestinians. 

"This crisis began on October 7 with the massacre of 2,000 people, girls, men, and boys, slaughtered after enduring sexual violence. The deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust," Biden said. "And 250 hostages taken."

Biden acknowledged the 17 family members of American hostages who were invited to attend the address. 

"I pledge to all the families that will not rest until we bring every one of your loved ones home," he said. 

Biden also said he's been working "nonstop" to establish a six-week ceasefire, which would allow for the release of all of the hostages and get more aid into Gaza. 

US President Joe Biden delivers his third State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, 07 March 2024. (credit: SHAWN THEW/POOL VIA REUTERS)

The war could end if Hamas laid down its arms, released the hostages, and surrendered those responsible for October 7, Biden said. 

"But Israel has the added burden as Hamas hides and operates among a civilian population like cowards, under hospitals, daycare centers, and the like," Biden said. "There's also a fundamental responsibility, though, to protect innocent civilians in Gaza."

Support for Israel

Biden touted his career-long support of Israel, noting he's the only US president to ever visit Israel during wartime. But his point to Jerusalem was firm: humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip, he said, protecting and saving innocent lives has to be priority. 

"Israel must allow more aid into Gaza where humanitarian workers are caught in the crossfire," Biden said. 

Biden cited more than 30,000 Palestinians who have been killed and thousands more orphaned and displaced. Food and water is running out, Biden said. 

The temporary US military pier off of Gaza will provide water, medicine, and temporary shelter to Palestinians. 

No US boots will be on the ground in Gaza. 

Biden reiterated his administration's support for a two-state solution as the future of peace and security in the region. 

"There's no other path that guarantees peace between Israel and all of its neighbors, including Saudi Arabia, with whom I'm talking," Biden said. 

Turkey's Red Crescent, Kizilay, is planning to embark on its most significant humanitarian mission to Gaza yet, sending a colossal aid shipment through Egypt to the beleaguered enclave.

Amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza—which has escalated following an attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel on October 7—Turkey has vocally criticized Israel's military actions and has called for the international community to hold Israel accountable at the World Court for genocide.

As the situation in Gaza worsens, particularly in the north, where aid access is severely restricted, Turkey's efforts, in collaboration with the Egyptian Red Crescent, aim to bring much-needed relief to the residents.

The shipment, setting sail for the Egyptian port of Al-Arish, comprises approximately 3,000 tons of food, medicine, and other essential supplies.

Trucks carrying aid line up near the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Rafah, Egypt, February 1, 2024. (credit: MOHAMED ABD EL GHANY/REUTERS)

Ramadan aid to Gaza

"This aid, which will be delivered to Gaza with the support and cooperation of the Egyptian Red Crescent, will keep the hopes of Palestinians alive on the eve of Ramadan," stated Turkey's ambassador to Cairo, Salih Mutlu Sen.

Kizilay's head, Fatma Meric Yilmaz, detailed the logistics of the mission to broadcaster CNN Turk, noting that the aid would require two voyages to Egypt and then transportation via some 200 trucks to Rafah in Gaza.

The contents of the aid packages include flour, hygiene products, ready-to-eat meals, ambulances, and portable kitchens, aimed at addressing both the immediate and longer-term needs of the over one million people seeking refuge in Gaza.

The initiative is part of Turkey's broader effort to support the Palestinian people, differing from the stance of its Western allies and some Gulf nations by not designating Hamas as a terrorist organization.

IRGC Quds Force Commander Esmail Qaani threatened Israel on March 7. It is the latest threat by the Iranian regime and follows messaging from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad that threaten to try to inflame tensions in the region in the next weeks.

Qaani directed his threats at Israel and other countries linked to Israel, a reference to the US apparently.

The IRGC Quds Force commander “stressed that the resistance front has yet to exhibit the maximum of its capabilities in terms of military and deterrent power,” Iranian pre-government Fars News media said.

Qaani also openly bragged that this is already a regional war in which the “regional resistance” is threatening Israel as a “front.” Iran has operationalized numerous fronts, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. He spoke about an “integrated set that has a lot of capabilities and capacities”.

This is vague, but it clearly refers to the goal of Iran to unite the “arenas” against Israel. This refers to Gaza, the West Bank, Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and other places. Qaani hinted at “surprises.” This appears timed to coincide with the Ramadan holiday.

BRIGADIER-GENERAL Esmail Qaani, the head of the Revolutionary Guards Quds Force. The Iranian connection should be front and center in Israeli statements, says the writer (credit: WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY/REUTERS)

Ramadan ceasefire

While Western countries want a ceasefire for Ramadan, Iran and its proxies are preparing for a possible regional offensive during the holiday. Iran’s Fars News said that “in early October, Hamas launched a multi-pronged surprise operation via land, sea and air.” The report noted that Iran killed 1,200 people.

The Iranian media said that “resistance groups across the region, from across Iraq and Lebanon to Yemen, have posed a serious challenge to the regime by striking the occupied territories as well as Israeli-linked vessels with hundreds of rockets, missiles and drones.” The word “resistance” is used by Iran to speak about attacks across the region.

For instance, Hezbollah in Lebanon recently killed an agricultural worker in an attack. The Houthis attacked a ship and killed two crew. These are murderous attacks targeting the innocent but Iran calls it “resistance.” Pro-Hamas activists in the West also call it “resistance.” Qaani’s threats are worth taking seriously as Iran has proven time and again that it carries out its threats.

Sports broadcaster, business owner and vocal Israel supporter Emily Austin will be attending the State of the Union address Thursday night as the guest of Florida Republican congressman Cory Mills. 

Austin's 2.1 million social media followers are acquainted with her popular basketball podcast, her beauty company, and viral news segments where she defends Israel and advocates for the release of the hostages kidnapped on the October 7 massacre and held in Hamas captivity. 

The 22-year-old New Yorker told The Post that she's always been outspoken and proud of her Jewish identity. When her career and social media platform took off when she was 18, this identity didn't conflict with her work. 

However, since October 7, Austin lost followers, her brand deal with Puma, and position as a judge for the Miss Universe pageant. 

Austin has been a frequent guest on Israeli and American news. She appeared on the cover of Makor Rishon magazine. A clip of her segment trying to engage in conversation with a Hamas supporter on Piers Morgan went viral. She posts videos to her social media accounts wearing a "Bring them Home Now!" t-shirt and dog tags associated with the movement advocating for the release of the hostages.

Steadfast support for Israel

Though her support is public, Austin said she does a lot of work behind the scenes engaging with her local community as well as other creators on social media. 

A television crew member applies gaff tape to protect cables, outside the House Chamber ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden’s State of The Union Address on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 7, 2024. (credit: TOM BRENNER/REUTERS)

"It's become super political. Human rights, women's rights are not political," Austin said. "Disagreeing with someone doesn't mean you don't hear their opinion."

Austin wants to engage with people who disagree with her the most, she said. At the State of the Union, she's hoping to have conversations with elected officials who disagree with her. 

She'll be wearing a black dress with large, yellow ribbons on the front and back, a symbol that has come to represent the hostages.  

The importance of speaking out

"Most people my age aren't given a voice," Austin said. "If you have it and don't use it, how dare you."

Also at the State of the Union will be 17 relatives of Americans taken hostage, The Post previously reported.

The Post reached out to Rep. Mills' office for comment.