Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 159?

A general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the commander of the Quds Force Esmail Qaani has expressed beliefs that Israel is "terrified" of the West Bank during Ramadan, Iranian state media reported on Tuesday.

"The Zionist regime has always been afraid of operations carried out by young Palestinian forces in the West Bank during Ramadan, but its panic has reached a pinnacle this year," Qaani claimed.

The Iranian general supported Hamas in his statements, complimenting Palestinian terrorists on their "high morale" and how they are "managing the battlefield with specific qualities."

Iran has come out in support of Hamas's massacre of southern Israel on October 7 and the ongoing Hezbollah rocket barrages in northern Israel. Tehran has engaged in the Israel-Hamas war through its terror proxies, namely Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

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

Right-wing Israeli politicians blasted on Thursday the fresh sanctions announced by the US administration on two farms and three individuals in the West Bank.

MK Tzvi Sukkot (Religious Zionist Party) wrote on X The sanctions are "baseless' and are a "delusional, disgraceful, and ugly" act.

Otzma Yehudit Party MK Limor Son-Harmelech said in a statement, "As I warned, the campaign against violent settlers is beginning to show its consequences. The reality that was revealed this week in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee (FADC), that the ones who are causing disturbances are the left-wing anarchists, does not matter. The sanctions will broaden as long as we continue to play their games."

"Today it is the pioneers on the hilltops, and tomorrow it will be soldiers serving in the IDF. The Israeli government must become involved before it spins out of control," Son-Harmelech said.

Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech attends a discussion at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on November 22, 2022. (credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)

Condemning further US sanctions on Israeli citizens

MK Dan Illouz said to the Jerusalem Post, "I unequivocally condemn the US government's decision to impose more sanctions on Israeli citizens. This move undermines the integrity of Israel's robust legal system and disregards our status as a freedom-loving democracy. It looks like a desperate attempt to find the middle ground between Israel, a freedom-loving country, and the terrorism of Hamas.

"These sanctions not only misrepresent the truth but also jeopardize the principles of justice and sovereignty. Israel's judiciary is more than capable of addressing internal matters without foreign intervention. We demand respect for our legal processes and call for an immediate reassessment of these unjust sanctions."

A majority of Israelis support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "day after" plan for the Gaza Strip, and want to see Saudi and Emirati involvement in managing Gaza post-war, according to a new survey by the Image of Victory nonprofit.

The survey, conducted among both Jewish and Arab Israelis in March 2024, focused on a number of topics related to the ongoing Hamas-Israel war. 

However, the results also showed concerns about Israel actually managing to achieve all the objectives of the plan, as well as the definition of "absolute victory" that Netanyahu said he wanted to achieve in Gaza.

Supporting Netanyahu's "day after" plan and Saudi UAE involvement

Netanyahu's "day after" plan, presented earlier this year, consisted of several objectives.

These included:

 - Continued Israeli security control over Gaza
 - Establishing a security barrier in the South to stop any smuggling from Egypt
 - Transferring control of Gaza to Palestinian civilians and technocrats
 - Rehabilitation of Gaza by a foreign power agreed upon by Jerusalem

Egyptian poll workers count votes in referendum 370 (R) (credit: Reuters / Stringer)

Overall, 62% of Israelis supported Netanyahu's plan, with just 16% having any actual opposition.

Support for the plan was strongest among older Israelis, with 43.5% of those aged 65 and up fully backing it and 30.4% partially backing it. 

In terms of who would help manage Gaza, most (58%) Israelis supported having Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates take responsibility for Gaza's civilians. This point actually saw widespread bipartisan support, with most right-wing and left-wing voters backing the idea.

This included 55% of Likud and Yisrael Beytenu voters, 50% of Shas, United Torah Judaism, Labor, and Meretz voters, 61% of National Unity voters, and 67% of Yesh Atid voters.

Other countries and entities that were proposed included the US, Egypt, Jordan, Russia, the European Union, the Palestinian Authority, and none of the above. Of these, the United States saw the strongest support among respondents, especially among Israelis in the 65 and up and the 15-24 age brackets (52.2% and 52.5% respectively). Saudi Arabia and the UAE saw the next highest levels of support.

However, while there is considerable agreement in backing Netanyahu's plan, the problem is whether that plan is seen as possible.

Only around a quarter (23%) of respondents actually thought that Netanyahu's plan could be fully realized. 

Of the plan's different objectives, the security goals were seen as the most feasible, according to a plurality (41%) of respondents. However, the other objectives were seen as far less likely to be achievable. 

Disagreement over "absolute victory" in Gaza

There was significantly less agreement regarding the goal of "absolute victory" in Gaza, as espoused by Netanyahu when the war started.

A large number of Israelis recognize that it has a point, serving the objective of the conflict. But this is not the case across the board, especially among voters in older demographics. In fact, over a third (38%) of Israelis think that "absolute victory" may not even be possible, given Israel's current capabilities.

Interestingly, older demographics (aged 55 and up) were more pessimistic in this regard, while the strongest showing of support came from Israelis in the 25-34 age bracket. But even then, only 26.5% of those respondents showed strong confidence.

There is also disagreement over how "absolute victory" would be achieved. A quarter of respondents (25%) focused on the social aspects, advocating for the de-radicalization of Gaza's educational, health, religious, and welfare institutions. A slightly larger segment of respondents (26%) supported having Israelis resettle Gaza. Still, others supported having Gaza rehabilitated by another country.

Two things all respondents agreed on, though, was the need to dismantle Hamas and bring all the hostages back home.

"The survey findings show that there is broad support in Israel for the need for absolute victory in the war," Image of Victory founders Danel Ben Namer and Tal Louria said in a statement. 

"However, the questions regarding the ability to achieve it must raise a red flag among Israeli decision-makers. They must understand that a military decision alone is not enough. Establishing a new civilian administration to replace Hamas is no less important than achieving Israel's military objectives in the war. The consensus among right- and left-wing voters regarding the need for the involvement of countries [such as] Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in managing and rehabilitating the Gaza Strip should guide the Israeli government in the direction of achieving civilian objectives on the way to achieving an absolute victory." 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called out Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opposition to Palestinian sovereignty in remarks from the Senate floor on Thursday, where he spoke of a need for a future two-state solution. 

Schumer identified Netanyahu as one of four main obstacles to achieving lasting peace in the region, the other obstacles being Hamas and their supporters, the radical right-wing government, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. 

Global support for Israel will continue to get worse if the Israeli government continues moving toward a single state entirely under its control, Schumer said. 

Majority Leader of the US Senate Chuck Schumer (left) with President Isaac Herzog. October 15, 2023 (credit: CHAIM TZACH/GPO)

Demilitarized Palestinian state is only real solution, Schumer says

"As the highest ranking Jewish elected official in our government and as a staunch defender of Israel, I rise today to say unequivocally, this is a grave mistake for Israel, for Palestinians, for the region, and for the world," Schumer said. "The only real and sustainable solution to this decades-old conflict is a negotiated two-state solution, a demilitarized Palestinian state, living side by side with Israel in equal measures of peace, security, prosperity, dignity, and mutual recognition."

Both Jews and Palestinians have long, historic claims to this land, Schumer said, contrary to the "unfounded, absurd and offensive claims by some of the Jewish people are colonizers in their ancestral homes." But Palestinians have lived on the land for generations, Schumer said, and in past centuries have formed their own culture, identity, cuisine and literatures. 

The only solution to this predicament is one in which each people can flourish in their own state, side by side, Schumer said. Though for a two state solution to work in the long term, it has to include real and meaningful compromises by both sides, Schumer said. 

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

Netanyahu visited the IDF Ofer base, meeting with commanders and soldiers from the 636th Field Intelligence Unit. There, he expressed his intentions to take the highly controversial military action.

"While the IDF is preparing to continue fighting in Rafah, we are facing international pressure to prevent us from entering the area and completing the job. As the prime minister of Israel, I will repel these pressures," he said,

"We will enter Rafah, and we complete our mission of eliminating Hamas to restore security for the people of Israel and bring complete victory to the country," Netanyahu continued.

Netanyahu's encouragement of continued action in Rafah

In addition to Netayahu's statements regarding the IDF's intention to continue fighting in Rafah, the prime minister also commented on the success of the IDF up until now during Israel's war against Hamas.

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

"We have been successfully fighting for five months already, and this is a record time in the history of Israel's wars," Netanyahu explained.

Recent IDF action in Rafah on Wednesday resulted in the killing of Muhammad Abu Hasna, a commander in Hamas’ Operations Unit. Hasna was killed in an IDF aircraft strike.

Hasna was involved in stealing humanitarian aid entering Gaza that was meant for Palestinian civilians and instead distributed it to other Hamas terrorists.

"I would like to thank you for your important part in this," Netanyahu concluded in his remarks to the soldiers. Thank you very much."

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.

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Thursday that Israel must hold new elections "once the war begins to wind down," and said the country must make "significant course corrections" to achieve lasting peace with the Palestinians.

In a speech on the Senate floor, Democrat Schumer also said it would be a "grave mistake" for Israel to reject a two-state solution, and condemned "bigots who reject the idea of a Palestinian state."

He also said that if Prime Minister Netanyahu's government remains in office after the election, the United States should "use the tools at its disposal" to influence the course of the conflict. 

Reuters contributed to this report.

The Biden administration imposed new sanctions Thursday on two illegal outposts in the West Bank that were used as bases for violent attacks by settlers against Palestinian citizens, according to three senior American officials.

The move comes at a time when the Biden administration is increasing pressure on Netanyahu's government over a range of issues, including settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and the war in the Gaza Strip.

It is the first time the US has imposed sanctions against illegal outposts and not just against settlers.

A new report by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-SE) found the perpetuation of gender-based biases in Palestinian Authority textbooks, including stigmas regarding women’s mental capabilities, leadership skills, and sexual behavior.

The report examined 13 textbooks for the 2023-24 school year, assessing efforts toward gender equality as per the Palestinian Ministry of Education’s announced strategic plan for 2017-2022. According to the report, despite intentions to eliminate discrimination, mixed results are identified in addressing gender issues, including persistent gender biases, especially in Islamic Education materials, which often portray women as inferior and emphasize traditional roles, albeit with some acknowledgment of their role in nationalist efforts.

The report finds that the curriculum presents an uneven picture of gender equality, with an inconsistent approach evident in the contrasting depictions of women, from upholding traditional roles to glorifying their participation in nationalist ‘resistance,’ including the problematic celebration of female terrorists as icons.

This depiction of women and gender roles, the report stresses, starkly diverges from UNESCO standards and international gender equality treaties ratified by the PA itself, exposing a significant gap between PA educational policies and global benchmarks and raising questions about the impact of international support and funding aimed at fostering gender equality in Palestinian education.