Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 188?

The IDF distributed flyers in the Tel Al Sultan area of ​​Rafah, calling on the local population to pass on information about the abductees, according to Friday reports on Israeli media.

The flyers, which were scattered from the air, displayed photos of the abductees.

The caption attached to the photos read, "Look carefully around you. The hostages may be near you. If you want to protect your families and secure your future, don't hesitate to give us information about the abductees or who holds them."
 

Waterborne diseases are spreading in Gaza due to a lack of clean water and rising temperatures, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Gaza said on Friday.

"It is becoming very hot there," Jamie McGoldrick told reporters via video link from Jerusalem. "People are getting much less water than they need, and as a result, there have been waterborne diseases due to lack of safe and clean water and the disruption of the sanitation systems."

Israel has committed to facilitating the ability of humanitarian organizations to scale up aid in Gaza and has approved the resumption of the operation of the water pipeline in northern Gaza.

The threat of an Iranian attack is viable and credible, the White House said as the American news outlet CBS reported that Iran could attack military sites within Israel with missiles and drones on Friday.

America, France, Russia, and India issued travel warnings. At the same time, Israel’s Home Front Command remained silent even as the war cabinet met and the army was on high alert for an Iranian response to an alleged IDF airstrike in Damascus that killed seven Iranian generals on April 1.

"We are prepared to defend ourselves on the ground and in the air, in close cooperation with our partners, and we will know how to respond,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Friday as he met with the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) Michael Erik Kurilla at the IAF Hatzor airbase.

The IDF announced on Friday that it had discovered a cache of weapons and explosives at a school in central Gaza.

Several units were brought together for the targeted raid to eliminate terrorist forces and infrastructure in the center of the Gaza Strip.

The Nahal Brigade carried out targeted raids on several buildings used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad and located terrorist infrastructure as part of the operation.

The EU and US simultaneously imposed sanctions on Hamas personnel on Friday. The EU filed sanctions for the sexual violence against Israeli citizens on October 7, and the US filed sanctions targeting the group’s drone unit.

The EU sanctions also targeted the Gaza-based Islamist terror organization, Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The European Union on Friday put the Al-Quds Brigades, the Nukhba Force, and the Iz-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, the military arms of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, on the list of sanctions following the sexual violence on October 7.

The EU countries said the Qassam and Al-Quds Brigades and the Nukhba Force were now subject to an asset freeze and a travel ban to the EU. The provision of funds to them, directly or indirectly, is now also prohibited.

Rocket sirens sounded in the North for the first time in 48 hours as worries about escalation between Israel and Iran rise.

The sirens sounded in Misgav Am and Margaliot, towns located near Israel's border with Lebanon. 

Labor Leader Merav Michaeli posted to X on Friday accusing Netanyahu of intentionally sabotaging hostage deals to stay in power.

Michaeli wrote that it had repeatedly been possible to secure the return of the hostages and that it was only due to Netanyahu's machinations that such an achievement had not yet come to pass.

אמש נחשף מה שאני אומרת לכןם כבר חודשים - נתניהו מונע את העסקה להחזרת החטופות והחטופים שלנו.
הןם הולכות ונגמרות, הולכים ונגמרים, ונתניהו ממשיך לטרפד את העסקה כדי להשאר בשלטון.
היה אפשר להחזיר אותן ואותם, הםן היו יכולים להיות בבית, אבל הממשלה הזו שוב ושוב מוכיחה שהיא לא ממשלת ישראל…

— Merav Michaeli מרב מיכאלי (@MeravMichaeli) April 12, 2024

"It is unbearable. This cannot be tolerated. We must and must make them return them home," Michaeli wrote.

The first humanitarian aid trucks carrying food to enter Gaza through the new Northern crossing passed into the Strip from Israel on Thursday, the IDF announced on Friday afternoon.

According to the statement, trucks containing food were brought in as part of efforts to enhance humanitarian aid routes into the Gaza Strip, specifically in Northern Gaza.

When the trucks entered, they underwent security checks and were accompanied by IDF soldiers.

The decision comes following much international pressure

The decision to bring in humanitarian aid through the Northern Crossing comes after Israel was faced with great international pressure to increase aid to the area.

Following the Israeli strike that mistakenly killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, Israel promised to increase aid to Gaza with the opening of a new crossing. 

Human rights lawyers filed a lawsuit against a German government decision to approve the export of 3,000 anti-tank weapons to Israel, the second case of its kind this month filed over Berlin's support of Israel in its war in Gaza.

Last week, Berlin lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to halt exports of war weapons to Israel, citing reasons to believe they were being used in ways that could violate international humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip.

The latest case, brought by five Palestinians from Gaza, was supported by lawyers from the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) in Berlin and Palestinian human rights organizations, ECCHR said in a statement.

ECCHR said the government granted export clearance for 3,000 anti-tank weapons to Israel after the Hamas attack on October 7, but an export permit application for 10,000 rounds of ammunition to Israel had yet to be approved.

The French foreign ministry on Friday advised French citizens against traveling to Iran, Lebanon, Israel, and the Palestinian territories amid Iran's threats against its regional adversary.