Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 158?

A number of small landing craft ships departed the US this week for the long, slow trip across the Atlantic to eventually reach their destination off the coast of Gaza. According to USNI, “four Army watercraft left the pier at Fort Eustis, Va., sailing down the James River, to the Chesapeake Bay and the open Atlantic.”

The ships that are on the way now include the USAV James A. Loux, the USAV Montorrey, the USAV Matamoros, and the USAV Wilson Wharf. “On Sunday, USAV General Frank S. Besson Jr. (LSV-1) left the pier at Fort Eustis, and more Army vessels are set to join the five that departed this week,” USNI reported. These ships are part of the US Army’s 7th Transportation Brigade of the 18th Airborne Corps. Hundreds of soldiers will accompany them. US Army Brig. Gen. Brad Hinson, the assistant commanding general for support of the 18th Airborne Corps, spoke to reports about the mission this week.

Ships to make slow journey to Gaza

The ships departed on March 12 and will make a slow 11 knots across the ocean, taking weeks to cross the Atlantic and then cross the Mediterranean. One of the ships, the Wilson Wharf, had its name changed last year. According to the US Army, the name changes reflect a decision by Congress to remove names linked to the Confederacy. Wilson’s Wharf had been called the USAV Chickahominy. This battle, also known as Gaines' Mill, occurred in 1862 and was part of the Seven Days Battles of the Civil War.

The IDF fired warning shots at two individuals suspected of being Hamas terrorists on Wednesday, Army Radio and Channel 13 reported.

The two suspects were approaching Zikim Beach off the northern shores of the Gaza Strip. The incident is currently under investigation.

This is a developing story.

Israel's Knesset approved on Wednesday a controversial update of the national 2024 budget after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that it would be delayed in the Knesset plenum after a number of coalition members threatened not to vote in favor of the budget if last-minute changes were not implemented.

כעת בשידור חי: דיונים מוועדות ומליאת הכנסת https://t.co/ZbSIMUOkgl

— ערוץ כנסת (@KnessetT) March 12, 2024

Israel's Knesset votes on the national budget, March 13, 2024 (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)

Putting together IDF statements, an analysis of the think tank ALMA, and other reports, it appears that the IDF recently struck a Hezbollah drone base and a base where it held long-range rockets, both around 100 kilometers away near Baalbeck.

Indications from the IDF were that it traced back multiple drones that attacked Israel on Monday to the drone base in question.

But how did Israel track these drones to that location?

Although the IDF virtually never wants to reveal its most classified tricks, chances are the special radar of the IDF 611th Battalion of the 282nd Firepower Brigade was involved.

The Jerusalem Post recently had the opportunity to visit the radar near the northern border, in a location that cannot be disclosed.

US officials are preparing for a pause on funding the main UN agency for Palestinians to become permanent due to opposition in Congress, even as the Biden administration insists the aid group's humanitarian work is indispensable.

The United States, along with more than a dozen countries, suspended its funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in January after Israel accused 12 of the agency's 13,000 employees in Gaza of participating in the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

The UN has launched an investigation into the allegations, and UNRWA fired some staff after Israel provided the agency with information on the allegations.

The United States—UNRWA's largest donor, providing $300-$400 million annually—said it wants to see the results of that inquiry and corrective measures taken before it will consider resuming funding.

Even if the pause is lifted, only about $300,000 - what is left of already appropriated funds - would be released to UNRWA. Anything further would require congressional approval.

Soldiers from the Egoz Unit eliminated terrorists fortified in a Khan Yunis building as the Nahal Brigade operated in the central Gaza Strip, the IDF reported on Tuesday.

The IDF's 98th Division continued fighting in the Hemed, Absanim, and Al Qarara neighborhoods in Khan Yunis, where they killed terrorists as soldiers extended operations in the area.

Throughout Tuesday, the Egoz Unit, a Commando Brigade unit, exchanged fire with a squad of seven terrorists who had barricaded themselves in a building in the Hemed neighborhood in Khan Yunis. In a coordinated attack with aircraft and using a "pressure cooker" model in the building, the soldiers eliminated several terrorists.

Immediately after, IDF troops directed an aircraft that attacked and eliminated the rest of the terror squad.

The IDF has confirmed a stabbing at a tunnel checkpoint at the entrance to Jerusalem in Gush Etzion early on Wednesday.

A 25-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman were lightly injured. 

According to the Magen David Adom (MDA) Spokesperson, a report was received at around 8:16 to MDA's 101 emergency call center in the Jerusalem Region of two wounded in a stabbing attack near the tunnels checkpoint exiting Jerusalem. 

Medical first responders on the scene

Shortly after the attack, MDA EMTs and paramedics were at the scene treating and evacuating the injured, who were in mild and moderate condition to Shaare Tzedek Hospital. 

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the Iran-aligned Houthis fired on Tuesday one close-range ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon in the Red Sea, but it did not hit the vessel, and there were no injuries or damage reported.

"United States Central Command and a coalition vessel successfully engaged and destroyed two unmanned aerial systems (UAS) launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen," CENTCOM added in a statement early on Wednesday.

Fifty percent of right-wing Israelis believe early elections should be called, with 40% of Israelis who specifically voted for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party saying the same, according to a poll published by N12 on Tuesday.

According to the poll, 30% of all Israelis believe that elections should be declared now, while 34% believe a date for elections should be set for after the war, and 29% said elections should be held at the end of the current Knesset's term in 2026.

Respondents were also asked if Benny Gantz's National Unity Party should remain in the coalition, with 30% saying the party should leave the coalition and 48% saying it should stay.

Among respondents who voted for the bloc led by Netanyahu, 54% said Gantz should remain in the coalition, while 48% of voters opposed to Netanyahu felt the same.

A 94-year-old woman casts her ballot in the Israeli general elections, at a voting station in Jerusalem, on November 1, 2022. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

Should a state commission of inquiry be formed into October 7?

The poll also found strong support for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry to examine the failures which occurred on October 7. According to the poll, 49% of Israelis believe such a commission should already be set up now, while 43% think it should wait until the end of the war. Only 2% of respondents said there should not be a state commission of inquiry.

Among respondents who voted for the bloc led by Netanyahu, 93% said a state commission of inquiry should be established, while among those who voted for opponents of Netanyahu, 97% said the same.

Biden or Trump?

Respondents were also asked by N12 if they'd prefer to see former president Donald Trump or US President Joe Biden, with 44% saying they prefer Trump, 30% saying they prefer Biden, and 26% saying they were unsure.

Among respondents who voted for the bloc led by Netanyahu, 72% said they prefer Trump and only 8% said they prefer Biden, while among those who voted for opponents of Netanyahu, 55% said they prefer Biden and 23% said they prefer Trump.

Gantz still leading in polls

The poll also examined what the Knesset would look like if elections were held today.

According to the poll, the National Unity Party would lead with 35 seats, while the Likud Party would earn 19 seats, Yesh Atid would earn 14 seats, and Shas would earn 11 seats.

Meanwhile, Yisrael Beytenu would earn 10 seats, Otzma Yehudit would earn nine seats, United Torah Judaism would earn seven seats, and Hadash-Ta'al, Ra'am, and Meretz would earn five seats each. The Religious Zionist Party and Labor would not pass the electoral threshold.

The poll would leave the current coalition (excluding Gantz) with 46 seats, while the opposition would earn 69 seats (excluding Hadash-Ta'al as they traditionally do not join governments.)

Respondents were also asked who they think would be a better prime minister: Netanyahu or Gantz, with 41% saying they prefer Gantz, 29% saying they prefer Netanyahu, and 23% saying neither is good for the role. When asked the same question about Netanyahu and Lapid, 32% said they preferred Netanyahu, while 27% said they preferred Lapid, and 36% said neither is good for the role.

The Biden administration is attempting to overthrow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, a senior Israeli political official said on Tuesday night.

“We expect our friends to act to overthrow the terror regime of Hamas and not the elected government in Israel,” the official said, in reaction to the annual Threat Assessment report which warned that Netanyahu’s coalition could be replaced by a more moderate one.

“Netanyahu’s viability as [a] leader as well as his governing collation of far-right and ultra-orthodox parties that pursue hardline policies on Palestinian and security issues may be in doubt,” the US said in the report.

“Distrust of Netanyahu’s ability to rule has deepened and broadened across the public from its already high levels before the war,” it stated.

“We expect large protests demanding his resignation and new elections. A different, more moderate government is a possibility,” the report stated.

AT A PROTEST in Tel Aviv last month, a demonstrator holds a sign that reads: ‘Set a date now!’ a reference to the call for an early Knesset election. (credit: ITAI RON/FLASH90)

The senior official retorted that “Israeli citizens, and not anyone else, elect the prime minister. Israel is not a protectorate of the US but an independent and democratic country whose citizens are the ones who choose the government.”

Rift between Netanyahu, Biden grows

The 41-page report was compiled in February and published only on March 11, as a diplomatic feud has grown between Netanyahu and Biden over Netanyahu's Gaza policies.

It began in earnest on Thursday when Biden was overheard saying that there needs to be a “come to Jesus meeting” with Netanyahu. It was followed by his comments to MSNBC on Sunday in which he stated that Netanyahu’s policies were harming Israel.

The comments, which fell in line with those in the report, come as Biden’s reelection campaign is heating up, with voters in the left flank of the Democratic Party accusing the President of supporting genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Attacks against Netanyahu, allow Biden to cater to voters opposed to the war while allowing him to maintain his strong support for Israel and its people.

In a virtual address to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Netanyahu said on Tuesday, “I deeply appreciate, the support we've received from President Biden and the administration and I hope it will continue.”