Israel-Hamas war: What happened on day 189?

Iran launched hundreds of drones directly from its territory against Israel on Saturday night, in a radical change from its usual use of proxies, the IDF has confirmed.

Iran has confirmed as well that its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has begun its missile and drone attack against Israel.

The IDF said that it is ready to shoot them down, though air defense is not hermetic.

Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze UAV over Iraq at very low altitude, heading to Israel. pic.twitter.com/HpWeqXMMep

— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 13, 2024

The IDF's shoot-down capabilities include aircraft, Iron Dome, David's Sling, and the Arrow missile system.

New footage of the moment hostage Noa Argamani was blindfolded and taken to Gaza can be seen in a 10-second video released by Daily Mail on Friday.

Hamas took Argamani hostage from the Nova music festival. Photos and footage of her kidnapping have become among the most well-known and well-recognized images of the October 7 massacre.

New footage just released of the abduction of Noa Argamani
She is being held on a motorcycle between two civilian dressed Gazans
They are surrounded by a dozen men (Hamas and civilians)
You can hear her crying 💔 pic.twitter.com/t0cx88afo8

— Hamas Atrocities (@HamasAtrocities) April 12, 2024

US President Joe Biden said on Friday his message to Iran, which has threatened to take military action against Israel, is "don't," underscoring Washington's commitment to defend Israel.

Speaking to reporters, Biden also said: "We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed."

Germany warned its citizens to leave Iran, saying that there was a risk both of a sudden escalation in Tehran's existing tensions with Israel and that Germans might be at risk of arbitrary arrest in the country.

"In the current tensions, especially between Israel and Iran, there is a risk of a sudden escalation," the Foreign Office wrote in a fresh travel warning issued on Friday. "It cannot be excluded that air, land and sea transport routes could be affected," it added.

"German citizens are at concrete risk of being arbitrarily arrested and interrogated and being given long prison sentences. Dual citizens with Iranian and German nationality are especially at risk," the Foreign Office said.

The United States’s plan to construct a humanitarian aid pier in the Gaza Strip may exceed $200 million in cost, ABC News reported on Tuesday.

The cost of the project was leaked to the source by two unnamed officials privy to an unreleased initial estimate by the US Central Command.

The floating dock is expected to be 97 feet wide and 270 feet long. Aid will be screened in Cyprus before being transported by container ships to the floating dock. Ferries would then transport the aid to Gaza’s shores.

The Biden administration asked Israel to update and hold consultations with the United States before any Israeli response to a potential Iranian attack, senior American and Israeli officials said.

The US intends to assist Israel in intercepting Iranian missiles and UAVs but is concerned that a sharp Israeli response will lead to a larger regional flare-up and attacks on American soldiers and bases in the region. As such, the US would like to have the opportunity to express opinions on the matter before any decisions are made, an American senior official said.

The Biden administration reportedly did not like the fact that Israel did not give the US sufficient advance notice before the attack that killed a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force commander in Damascus last week, even though the attack could have ramifications for American soldiers in the region.

German police cut the power and shut down a conference of pro-Palestinian activists on Friday after a banned speaker appeared by video link, organizers said.

The three-day Palestine Congress, promoted by pro-Palestinian groups including former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis's DIEM25 party, said it aimed to raise awareness of what it called Israel's "genocide" in Gaza.

The police banned the final two days of the event, citing concern about the potential for hate speech.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi on Friday as the region braces for a possible Iranian attack on Israel, a statement said. 

Blinken thanked Safadi for Jordan’s leadership in facilitating the humanitarian aid delivered through joint US-Jordanian airdrops. 

The leaders also discussed the ceasefire negotiations.  

The MV Bahijah, a ship carrying approximately 14,000 lambs and calves by exporter Bassem Dabbah, finally docked in Israel last week after a gruelling 74-day voyage that saw extensive rerouting due to Houthi threats. 

The journey, initially from Australia, took a detour due to threats from the Houthis, extending the animals' time at sea. The ship was rerouted around Africa, and upon arrival at Haifa port, efforts to document the unloading process were obstructed by a massive screen, raising concerns among animal rights organizations.

They accused the live shipping industry of cruelty, citing previous incidents of mistreatment during unloading procedures, saying that “The livestock shipping industry has broken another record of cruelty – under the watchful eye of the Agriculture Ministry, which is supposed to be responsible for protecting animals.”