Israel at war day 530: What's going on in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria?

The IDF struck a military site containing terror infrastructure in the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon, the military announced Thursday.

Additionally, it struck military sites containing rocket launchers in southern Lebanon in which Hezbollah activity had been identified. 

Rocket sirens sounded in Jerusalem and the surrounding area starting at 7:28 p.m. on Thursday following a missile launched from Yemen. 

The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) eliminated Hamas's chief of counterintelligence, Rashid Gachgoach, in an air strike, the military and the agency said in a joint announcement on Thursday. 

Gachgoach was crucial to catching Palestinians cooperating with Israel, a key arena both for strategic and tactical conflicts between the sides.

As such, he was a key member of Hamas's intelligence and terror planning command structure.

Sirens sounded across central Israel following launches from the Gaza Strip on Thursday afternoon.

The sirens were sounded in Tel Aviv, Holon, Rishon LeZion, Ramat Gan, and other locations in the Tel Aviv area.

Hamas has allegedly told mediators that they are willing to accept any proposal to release Israeli hostages if it includes a resumption of a ceasefire, according to UK-based Qatari news organization Al-Araby Al-Jadeed's report on Thursday.

The Hamas sources also claimed that the terror group did not reject US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff's ceasefire-hostage framework but rather accepted it on the condition that it would lead to a resumed ceasefire.

Witkoff, however, reportedly rejected this, surprising Hamas, according to the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Egyptian sources cited by the Qatari-owned news organization indicated that an Israeli delegation visited Cairo for a few hours on Wednesday evening and that a Hamas delegation is likely to arrive later on Thursday in order to discuss developments with Egyptian officials.

The IDF will conduct an exercise in the Golan Heights on Thursday morning, the military announced.

The military added that explosions are expected to be heard during the exercise and that there will be a noticeable movement of vehicles and security personnel in the area.

Egypt has been working intensively to convince Hamas to agree to US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff's framework for an updated hostage-ceasefire proposal, according to a report by KAN News on Thursday morning.

This proposal would see a number of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and other Gazan terror groups released alive in order to stop military escalation, the KAN report added, citing sources familiar with ongoing discussions led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on hostage issues.

These discussions also revealed that Hamas has not changed its position on negotiations with Israel since Tuesday's military escalation, the report added.

מצרים פועלת באינטנסיביות לשכנע את חמאס להסכים להצעת ויטקוף, בה עתידים להשתחרר מספר חטופים חיים כדי לעצור את ההסלמה, כך לפי גורמים המעורים בתוכן הדיון שהתקיים אמש על ידי ראש הממשלה נתניהו בסוגיית החטופים. עוד בדיון עלה כי חמאס לא שינה עמדתו מאז חזרה ישראל לתקיפות@gilicohen10

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 20, 2025

Israeli tanks entered the Netzarim Corridor in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday afternoon, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

This confirmation comes after Palestinian reports in the Gaza Strip of IDF tank sitings.

At this stage, sources have indicated to The Jerusalem Post that a broader invasion has not yet started.

The movement of tanks into Neztarim is considered a limited move into Gaza by the IDF. However, sources would not commit to any idea that later in the day or in the coming days, a broader invasion would take place.

Israeli authorities will resume the "evacuation of civilians from the battle zones [in the Gaza Strip]," Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Wednesday.