Israel-Hamas War Day 165: What is going on in Gaza, Lebanon?

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel on Friday in an expansion of his Middle East trip, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Wednesday.

The visit comes amid tensions over Israeli plans for a military assault in the southern Gaza town of Rafah.

President Herzog has decided to award citations to the families of Yotam Haim, Samer Talalka, and Alon Shamriz, the three hostages who were mistakenly killed by IDF fire last December while attempting to escape from Gaza.

They were close to reaching their goal of escape and moved towards a group of IDF soldiers, holding a white rag and shouting in Hebrew for help with their hands up.

The soldiers who mistook them for terrorists and shot them were among IDF personnel who were trying to rescue them and other civilian and military hostages who were abducted on October 7 by Hamas and taken to Gaza.

The circumstances of the deaths of the three aroused considerable controversy in the media and among the Israeli public. Before the announcement of the incident by the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, there were conflicting versions within the IDF itself of what had happened.

President reaches out

Herzog, in a gesture of comfort to the grieving families of the three who have accepted the official explanation of the IDF, has decided to recognize the trio as heroes who died under extraordinary circumstances and has praised their determination, courage, and heroism.

The citations on behalf of the State of Israel will be awarded at a special ceremony at the President's Residence on a date yet to be announced.

The Finance Ministry released an assessment on Wednesday of the economic cost of the various alternatives for increasing the IDF's manpower.

The study found that higher economic costs stemmed from reserve duty rather than regular service.

Economic cost between men and women

The economic cost of drafting male soldiers for reserve duty is NIS 48,000 per person per month and NIS 27,000 per person per month for those in regular service, according to the report.

The economic cost caused by the extended service for women is NIS 32,000 for women in reserves and NIS 21,000 for women in regular service, the report also said.

The costs are calculated including the direct cost to the economy as well as costs from delaying academic studies, loss of seniority and the impact of service on the spouse of the reservist.

A Saudi-funded humanitarian agency pledged on Wednesday to boost the kingdom's funding to the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) by $40 million, according to a statement.

The donation by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), which is dedicated to Gaza, comes as UNRWA faces a severe funding crunch after the United States and Britain paused support following Israel's accusations that a dozen of its 13,000 staff in Gaza took part in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on the country.

A UN-backed report warned on Monday that northern Gaza faced imminent famine and as global pressure mounts on Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into the enclave of 2.3 million people.

Canada, Australia, and Sweden have recently restored funding to UNRWA, while several Gulf countries, in addition to Saudi Arabia have increased funding.

But that still may not be enough. "The US is our largest, largest donor so no amount of compensation by other donors, as generous as they are, can actually fill the gap that is left by the US," said Tamara al-Rifai, an UNRWA spokesperson.

Saudi Arabia previously announced a $2 million contribution to UNRWA in October, while KSrelief provided $15 million to the agency in November.

Mossad chief David Barnea recently met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and senior Egyptian officials to discuss the Hamas-proposed prisoner exchange deal. Before their meeting, the war cabinet and the security cabinet will convene to determine the policy regarding the continuation of contacts and the boundaries of the mandate of the negotiating team going to Qatar.

IDF Lt.-Col. (res.) Avi Kalo addressed the issue on 103FM with Anat Davidov and Udi Segal.

"It is possible to say that perhaps in the answer to the Hamas proposal, there is some basis for progress in the process, perhaps for narrowing the gaps between the parties or some kind of reconciliation compared to the Paris plan. There are some indicative signs in Hamas's answer, ones that at least lay a foundation for the discussion, and I assume that is where the delegation is also leaving, and that's a good thing for Qatar, already today."

According to Kalo, "There are negotiations, certainly difficult, with components of risk that also include messages that are a form of strategic communication between the parties, and some of them are messages of fortification that do not necessarily entail insistence. These things should be dissected, understood, and, if necessary, analyzed intelligently within the negotiation rooms. Usually, it is also desirable to be intimate, one that will allow the laying of an infrastructure enabling progress. Some currently seem encouraging at first glance, cautiously, such as Hamas's willingness to waive the demand that was already at this stage - for a complete ceasefire. Their demands also seem a bit less complex than in the past but still very difficult, and the fact that, in the end, the process leaves significant room for dialogue between the parties and leaves a small space for optimism.

"I think we are in some balance within the process. On one hand, Hamas is under pressure regarding the military achievements of the IDF and wants to end the fighting. On the other hand, America is indeed managing to bring some effectiveness through Qatar on Hamas. Thus, we see some consolidation and approximation to the ceasefire agreement regarding Hamas. On the other hand, we understand that reality is not always a fortress - the humanitarian situation in Gaza is deteriorating, international pressure for a ceasefire is also present, and Israel is playing its cards in the process. The diplomatic ladder eventually needs to succeed in realizing military achievement and bringing diplomatic achievements, and, of course, allowing for the release of the hostages. In general, it seems we have reached such a space," Kalo added.

He then emphasized that "Ultimately, we are dealing with human lives and souls. We are indeed talking about negotiations with the terrorist organization. The instrumental discourse we are conducting is heavy on the soul and is part of the professional reality, but certainly, the time that has passed requires quick action. This back and forth of 'let's take another month, another two months' ultimately has the Israeli people, families, and the hostages suffering with each passing day. Therefore, in my opinion, the order of the hour is to expedite this process and try to convene in reasonable terms for a deal in the near future."

Hadash-Ta'al MK and faction leader Ayman Odeh was taken out of the Knesset plenum after he made remarks opposing IDF's war on Hamas in Gaza on Wednesday.

"I appeal to you to be a real opposition against this government and its crimes in Gaza," he told the Knesset plenum.

"מה שהצבא עושה שם זה רצח, זה טבח - הרעבה של ילדים" - ח"כ איימן עודה הוצא מהמליאה בעקבות אמירותיו נגד צה"ל והביקורת על המצב ההומניטרי בעזה@AyOdeh@GermanYael1@hanochmilwidsky pic.twitter.com/k5uRwELAeo

— ערוץ כנסת (@KnessetT) March 20, 2024

"What the army is a crime, it's killing, it's murder, it's a massacre," he added. 

2024 will be a year of war, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned in a Defense Ministry conference on Wednesday.

"We will need to recruit from all sections of Israeli society - to ensure our qualitative and numerical advantage."

ברקע סערת חוק הגיוס, שר הביטחון יואב גלנט בכנס תוכנית העבודה השנתי של משרד הביטחון: "שנת 2024 תהיה שנת מלחמה. נידרש לגיוס של כל חלקי העם והחברה - כדי להבטיח את יתרוננו האיכותי והמספרי"@ItayBlumental
צילום: אלעד מלכה pic.twitter.com/LQwCJeNkyr

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 20, 2024

IDF Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi intends to announce his resignation from his position between Septemeber and December and, until that time, finish internal investigations regarding the war and present them to the relevant government officials, Walla reported on Wednesday, citing defense officials.

According to reports, he also intends to lead a massive resignation of officials in high-up positions who were part of the security failure that led to October 7.

Additionally, officials estimate that other high-ranking officers will finish their roles as intended and resign without waiting for removal. They also clarified that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant fully supports Chief of Staff Halevi, believes in his professionalism, and believes that he will lead the IDF to achieve its goals for the war.

Halevi insisted multiple times and succeeded in delaying internal investigations for at least five months, only approving them in the last two weeks. 

Additionally, despite the harsh criticism, he also expedited the promotions and placements of several high-ranking officers, which ensured sufficient replacements for when these officials in high-up positions allegedly resigned.

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)

The chief of staff prevented the suspension of IDF officials in high-up positions until now despite the attack on October 7, which led to the murder of more than 1200 civilians and over 240 hostages being taken into the Gaza Strip.

IDF fighter jets eliminated five senior Hamas officials in Rafah on Monday, the IDF announced on Wednesday.

The jets operated in accordance with intelligence provided by the IDF and Shin Bet.

The operatives killed were Sayid Katab Alkhashash, Osama Hamd Zaher, Muhamed, and Aud Almelalakhi, who were heads of Hamas's Emergency Bureau in northern and eastern Rafah. Hadi Abu Alrus Kasin, an operations officer, was also killed.

As part of their operations, they managed Hamas activity in humanitarian zones and were responsible for coordination with Hamas operatives in the field.

Hundreds of activists protested outside of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) offices in Jerusalem on Wednesday to call for the return of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

Activists from the Tzav 9 protest movement have repeatedly demonstrated and called for the return of the Gaza hostages.

The protest movement has been involved in blocking humanitarian aid trucks at Gaza border crossings. In recent hours, they arrived at UNRWA offices at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem and blocked the entrances to the organization's offices.

In a statement, Tzav 9 noted that "UNRWA knows where the hostages are and refuses to say. We came here to disrupt the organization's activities and demand: bring the hostages home."

The protesters carried signs and rallied around the offices, even replacing UNRWA's sign at the entrance by placing a display written in red that stated "blood on your hands."

This comes amid the ongoing Gaza war and struggles to strike a ceasefire and deal that would see the return of the Gaza hostages. It also comes in the context of Israeli public distrust of UNRWA, an organization that has been investigated, with several members found guilty of having participated in the October 7 massacre in southern Israel, along with ties to Hamas.