Israel-Hamas War Day 180: What is going on in Gaza, Lebanon?

IDF soldiers continued fighting in the al-Karara and Absanim areas of the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis, the Israeli military said on Wednesday. 

Aided by aircraft, the forces killed terrorists using tank and sniper fire and unearthed underground terror infrastructures.

During raids on terror infrastructure, troops found and confiscated weapons, among which were cartridges and ammunition, mortar bombs, explosives, and military equipment, along with a manual explaining how to operate weapons.

In addition, the military stated that the forces had found documents of significant intelligence value.

Hamas is sticking to its original ceasefire and hostage negotiations demands that Israel must halt all military operations in the Gaza Strip, Hamas leader abroad, Ismail Haniyeh, said in a Wednesday speech, according to Arab media sources.

Speaking on International Quds Day, Haniyeh said, "We are adhering to our demands for a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and the return of the displaced."

This is a developing story.

A group of Israelis demanding their government do more to free hostages held by Hamas in Gaza protested in parliament on Wednesday with some smearing paint on the partition between the visitors' gallery and the plenum.

"Now! Now!" they chanted at lawmakers below, leaving the glass streaked with yellow - the color of their campaign - as ushers bundled them out.

The protest followed three days of anti-government demonstrations in Jerusalem when thousands took to the streets calling for more action to free the hostages and new elections to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Of 253 people seized by Hamas during its cross-border rampage on October 7 that triggered the Gaza war, 134 remain in captivity and incommunicado in the Palestinian enclave.

Russia's Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday it had deployed additional forces in the Syrian-controlled areas of the Golan Heights, where Israel had allegedly struck at an increasing rate over the last few months.

The forces, from Russia's military police, were tasked with de-escalating tensions in the Syrian provinces of Quneitra and Daraa, as well as monitoring the longstanding ceasefire issued as part of the Syrian Civil War.

According to Russia, military posts belonging to the Syrian military are located below the Russian observation posts, set up to monitor "possible provocations."

Russia condemned alleged Israeli strike in Syria

Russia's decision to make their presence in the Golan Heights comes after Moscow condemned a strike, blamed on Israel, targeting the Iranian consulate in Syria.

Moscow called on the Jewish state to cease such "completely unacceptable" actions and has requested a meeting with the UN Security Council regarding the strike.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said such attacks violated all the foundations of international law.

The United Nations' peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon said on Wednesday that an incident at the weekend in which three UN observers and their translator were wounded was not caused by "direct or indirect fire."

The four members of the UN's technical observation mission in southern Lebanon were wounded as they were carrying out a foot patrol in south Lebanon, where armed group Hezbollah has been trading fire with the Israeli military across the border.

Two security sources had earlier told Reuters the observers were wounded in an Israeli strike outside the border town of Rmeish. The Israeli military denied involvement in the incident.

Preliminary investigation

Andrea Tenenti, spokesperson for the UN peacekeeping mission UNIFIL, said its "preliminary investigation showed that the incident was not caused by direct or indirect fire onto the group of UNTSO observers and their translator."

"The investigation to determine the exact cause of the blast is ongoing," he told Reuters.

The Palestinian Authority (PA), the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people, has taken the first steps in requesting an official vote of approval on its United Nations membership status, a letter from the body’s UN representative revealed on Tuesday.  

Based on documents seen by wire service AFP, the PA’s UN liaison, Riyad Mansour, penned a letter to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on behalf of his government requesting that the Palestinian application for full membership be examined and voted on by the Security Council.  

The Palestinians' bid for full recognition was formally started in 2011 and ended with the PA still gaining official observer status a year later - but not outright voting membership.  

Red alert sirens sounded for warning of the infiltration of a hostile aircraft in the upper Galilee, according to the Home Front Command. 

Following the tumultuous protests Tuesday night outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence on Aza Street in Jerusalem, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar arrived at the scene overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday and conducted a tour with security officials.

Bar, at the end of the situation assessment, said, "The violent discourse on social media and some of the scenes witnessed last night in Jerusalem depart from accepted norms of protest, undermine the ability to maintain public order, and may lead to violent clashes with security forces, which can hinder them from fulfilling their duties, and even pose a threat to securing individuals. There is a clear line between legitimate protest and violent and illegal protest. This troubling trend could take us to a dangerous path that must be avoided." 

During the protest, clashes erupted between the demonstrators and the police after they marched from the Knesset area to the President's residence before continuing onto the Prime Minister's residence. One protester reportedly threw a torch toward a police officer. 

Several protesters were detained for questioning. Security forces at the scene did not expect such a large number of protesters, who allegedly attempted to breach the barriers to the Prime Minister's residence.

In response to government officials' statements, an organization that participated in the protest, The Change Generation, stated that they "oppose violence in any form" and that "the incident of throwing the torch towards the police is reprehensible and does not represent the protest." They added, "The attempt to portray the regrettable incident as representative of the protests is unacceptable and stems from an attempt to delegitimize the protest."  

Protesters demonstrating for the return of the hostages in Jerusalem, April 3, 2024. (credit: LIAM FORBERG)

The organization also expressed sympathy for the families of the hostages "in light of the violence they suffered last night from Jerusalem district police officers." They said they will continue protesting "without violence" for the return of the hostages and "for the replacement of the failed government of October 7, and its leader, who is unfit  to bring back the hostages or manage the war."

Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said on Wednesday her country would consider recognizing Palestine as a sovereign state "when the moment comes," according to a Reuters report.

An attack that killed aid workers, including a Polish national, in Gaza and the reaction of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have caused 'understandable anger' and are straining relations with Warsaw, Poland's prime minister said on Wednesday.

"Mr. Prime Minister Netanyahu, Mr. Ambassador Livne, the vast majority of Poles showed full solidarity with Israel after the Hamas attack," Donald Tusk wrote on social media platform X. "Today you are putting this solidarity to a really hard test. The tragic attack on volunteers and your reaction arouse understandable anger."