Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 159?

Positive developments have been made regarding the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, Israeli media reported on Thursday evening, citing senior Israeli sources.

Channel 13 reported that Hamas had shown "slight flexibility" in its position regarding the release of its terrorists jailed in Israeli prison.

KAN News, citing more Israeli sources, reported that Israel maintains "cautious optimism" over a deal being agreed to.

This is a developing story.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas named Mohammad Mustafa on Tuesday as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA), the state-run Palestinian news agency Wafa said on Thursday.

Mustafa's appointment comes after mounting pressure to reform the governing body of the occupied Palestinian territories and improve its governance in the occupied West Bank, where they are based.

Mustafa replaces former Prime Minister Mohammed Shttayah who, along with his government, resigned in February.

As investigations continue to find evidence of who participated in Hamas's October 7 attack, it was found that women and teens were involved in both the attacks and kidnappings of hostages, according to a Makor Rishon report.

Since the devastating attacks on October 7, there has been much investigation into who was involved. One of the leaders of the investigation in the Israel Police's Unit of International Crime Investigations, Alex Namirovski, related his efforts to collect concrete evidence, hoping that the justice system would be able to use it to indict those who are suspects. 

According to Namirovski, those currently detained are "teenagers, aged 17 or 16. Some adults are also close to the age of sixty."

"There were also women who assisted in the kidnappings, guarded the hostages, and helped the terrorists. Women participated on October 7, although there were not many," Namirovski continued. 

How to indict terrorists who were involved on October 7 

Israel has been faced with the issue of how to prosecute the terrorists who were involved in the attack. For example, there is currently a lack of evidence when it comes to proving sexual assault.

Palestinians take control of an Israeli tank after crossing the border fence with Israel from Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 7, 2023. (credit: ABED RAHIM KHATIB/FLASH90)

"On the issue of sexual assault, we do not have concrete evidence because most of the victims were probably murdered," Namrvoski explained. 

Due to this lack of concrete evidence, Namirovski also mentioned the difficulty of differentiating between which terrorists were involved, as there were many on the scene, and it is difficult to know which terrorist did the act of shooting. 

"There is constant discussion in the Knesset and government [about how to prosecute]. It is possible that the indictments will be filed jointly, and terrorists will be prosecuted in a group indictment. There may also be legislative amendments that will allow as many terrorists as possible to be put on trial."

A Hamas Nukhba terrorist who took part in the October 7 massacre attempted to end his own life in an Israeli prison, Israeli media reported on Thursday afternoon.

The terrorist was reportedly hospitalized at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.

This is a developing story.

Security at Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport was reinforced on Thursday evening amid reports of a "serious security incident" near Lod, Israeli media reported, citing sources at the airport.

"Somebody told me snipers were present," Itay Cohen, a photojournalist at the airport, told Walla. "When I got off the bus, I saw two security guards with drawn weapons.

"We got rushed into the building and could not see a thing," Cohen added.

"This incident is extremely unusual."

Travelers are seen at the departure hall of the Ben Gurion International Airport on April 4, 2023 (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)

Israel's Airports Authority noted that the incident did not interfere with normal airport activity.

This is a developing story.

Qatar is exerting more and more pressure on Hamas to agree to a hostage and ceasefire deal in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told representatives of hostage families on Thursday.

Meeting with the families at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu revealed that "following Israeli work, we are seeing for the first time more pressure on Hamas from Qatar.

"I have been striving and pushing for this for a very long time," Netanyahu added.

The prime minister noted that Hamas has yet to issue an official answer on any of the outlines proposed to the Gazan terror group thus far.

"They are not in a rush to advance; they want to escalate tensions over Ramadan. That is what they are attempting, that is their goal....they are still holding onto unreasonable and unacceptable demands."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets IDF soldiers on March 14, 2024 (credit: PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE)

Earlier on Thursday, Netanyahu rejected international pressure to prevent the IDF from entering Rafah in a statement made while visiting IDF soldiers.

Israel expects US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to "refrain from undermining the Israeli government," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud faction said in a statement on Thursday.

Reacting to Schumer's speech, in which he accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of holding up peace in the Middle East and calling for elections in Israel, the Likud wrote that "Israel is not a banana republic, but a democracy proud of its choice in PM Netanyahu."

As the evening prayer sounded across Gaza's rubble, the Abu Rizek family broke their day's fast with a shared meal in the wreckage of their home, sadly recalling all they had lost in Israel's military campaign since last year's Muslim holy month.

While the family has managed to scrape together enough food for iftar, the sunset breakfast after a day without eating or drinking, many other people are far less fortunate in the stricken Palestinian enclave where famine looms.

"Last Ramadan was great but this year it's not. A lot of things are not there anymore. My sisters, my family. Our house was destroyed. There are still people under the rubble not pulled out," said Um Mahmoud Abu Rizek.

She sat cross-legged between tumbled walls of concrete, cooking over a fire.

"We only eat soup and canned food. A can of beans. We're so tired of canned food and we get sick of it. My son keeps saying his stomach hurts," she said, recalling the plentiful meals of past Ramadans.

Most years, families gather with friends and neighbors to sit up at night, eating, praying and celebrating together.

"This year, there are no neighbors or loved ones. They're not here any more. It's only us and the children left, sitting here. I don't know what will become of us," she said.

While numerous launches have been identified crossing over from Lebanon into the Malkia area of Israel located in Northern Israel, the IDF has also struck Hezbollah military compounds, the IDF said on Thursday.

The Hezbollah military compound struck by the IDF fighter jets was located in the area of Naqoura in Southern Lebanon. IDF artillery also struck in the area of Wadi Hamoul, removing a threat

Additionally, The IDF struck a terrorist infrastructure in the area of Yaroun. 

Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog posted on X his response to statements by US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of holding up peace in the Middle East and calling for elections in Israel.

"Israel is a sovereign democracy. It is unhelpful, all the more so as Israel is at war against the genocidal terror organization Hamas, to comment on the domestic political scene of a democratic ally. It is counterproductive to our common goals," Herzog wrote.

Israel is a sovereign democracy. It is unhelpful, all the more so as Israel is at war against the genocidal terror organization Hamas, to comment on the domestic political scene of a democratic ally. It is counterproductive to our common goals.

— Ambassador Michael Herzog (@AmbHerzog) March 14, 2024

Opposition head MK Yair Lapid wrote that Schumer's speech "is proof that, one by one, Netanyahu is losing the staunchest supporters of Israel.

"What's worse is, he is doing it on purpose," the former prime minister charged. "Netanyahu is causing serious damage to the national effort to win the war and maintain Israel's security.

Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)

Former PM Bennett: Israel not a banana republic

Fellow former prime minister Naftali Bennett also sent a statement on the Senate majority leader's speech, stating that he "strongly opposes external political intervention in Israel's internal affairs.

"We are an independent nation, not a banana republic," Bennett wrote.

Fmr Prime Minister Naftali Bennett:

Regardless of our political opinion, we strongly oppose external political intervention in Israel's internal affairs.

We are an independent nation, not a banana republic.

With the threat of terrorism on its way to the West, it would be best…

— Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט (@naftalibennett) March 14, 2024

"With the threat of terrorism on its way to the West, it would be best if the international community would assist Israel in its just war, thereby also protecting their countries."