Israel-Hamas war: What happened on day 209?

Israel Air Force jets struck Hezbollah military buildings and terror infrastructure in the Ayta ash Shab and Marwahin areas in southern Lebanon, the military said on Wednesday. 

In addition, in the past day, jets carried out attacks on a Hezbollah terror infrastructure in the Tayr Harfa area in southern Lebanon. 

Furthermore, in response to the launch of two anti-tank missiles into the Shtula area in Israel's north earlier on Wednesday, the IDF said it had fired at the sources of the launch.  

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan signaled on Wednesday in an interview with the Hezbollah-backed Lebanese channel "Al-Manar", that "if the enemy launches an aggressive ground operation in Rafah - the negotiations will be stopped because the resistance does not negotiate under fire," as reported in Israeli media.

Hamdan also referred to the fighting in Gaza and said that "the resistance capabilities [of Hamas] are still high and the resistance is still fine, this while the Zionist elite brigades have collapsed in the Gaza Strip."

He later noted, "The Israeli enemy bet on a decrease in its capabilities, but the resistance was preparing."

Hamdan confirmed that contact with Hamas's two leaders, Muhammad Deif and Yahya Sinwar, is permanent and that constant close monitoring is conducted in the field.

He also added, "There is coordinated action in the field and regular consultation between the resistance axis. How long can this fight last?"

Osama Hamden (credit: screenshot)

Hamdan said, "One of the most important results of this battle is that the resistance axis is increasing in strength and power." He continued, "What happened through the Iranian response to the Zionist entity established a new equation."

He pointed out that "those who manage the sea dock in Gaza are the American government," noting that "every armed soldier on Gaza soil is an enemy of the Palestinian people. The resistance thwarted the project of a new political authority in the Gaza Strip."

On the other hand, Hamdan said: "We welcomed the Chinese mediation and don't care about any compulsory role. The enemy is trying to blackmail everyone in the Battle of Rafah."

A different atmosphere

Sources in Hamas told the Saudi newspaper Asharq on Tuesday, "This time, there is a different atmosphere and circumstances regarding the proposal regarding a ceasefire."

Hamas members returned to Qatar's capital, Doha, for consultations after the meeting with mediators in Cairo.

The movement's delegation listened to the mediators' clarifications regarding some ambiguous points in the latest truce proposal," the sources said.

This is all while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding discussions in Kirya on the contacts for the hostage deal and on whether to send the Israeli negotiating team to Cairo, considering that Hamas's and Yahya Sinwar's answer has not yet arrived.

Israel understands that Hamas' answer to the Egyptian proposal will arrive within a few days—and most likely not in the next 24 hours.

The humanitarian port being built off of Gaza by the US military will be up and running by this weekend, according to US and European officials reported in Politico.

Officials are expected to decide whether to begin operations by Friday, which means aid could begin arriving in the Strip as early as Saturday or Sunday, according to the report.

Officials cautioned that the schedule could be delayed by environmental factors or logistical issues.

A terrorist from Tulkarm, affiliated with Hamas, was killed early Thursday morning after shooting at a Palestinian Authority security patrol, who returned fire, killing the terrorist, according to Israeli media.

Hamas harshly attacked the Palestinian Authority, calling the slain man the "martyr of Tulkarm."

"The pursuit by the PA's security services of [Hamas] resistance fighters in the West Bank is a political shame and a national downfall that only serves the occupation," said a Hamas statement attacking the Palestinian Authority.

"We condemn the attacks by the security services of the Palestinian Authority on our people and our resistance."