Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 160?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved a military operation for Rafah in Southern Gaza, that will also include the evacuation of civilians, his office said on Friday after the war cabinet met in the early afternoon.

The Rafah operation has been one of the levers Israel has used to pressure Hamas to make a deal for the return of the remaining 134 captives held in the enclave.

The international community has opposed the move fearing for the fate of the over 1.3 million Palestinians in the area of Rafah, many of whom fled there to escape bombing in northern Gaza.

The US has insisted that Israel must present a credible and realistic plan to protect civilians in Rafah, with US National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby saying on Thursday that the Biden administration has yet to see such a plan.

Hostage talks in Qatar

At the same time as the war cabinet appeared to advance the possibility of a Rafah operation the Prime Minister’s Office said that an Israeli delegation is also expected to leave for Doha for hostage talks after the security cabinet discusses the government’s position on the issue.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian meets with Palestinian group Hamas' top leader, Ismail Haniyeh in Doha, Qatar December 20, 2023. (credit: Iran's Foreign Ministry/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS)

It underscored that Hamas’s stance about the talks is still far-fetched.

Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, all of whom had hoped to broker a deal by last Sunday or Monday continued to push forward with their efforts, as they appeared to have past a hurdle on Friday as noon prayers on the Temple Mount passed relatively smoothly.

An outbreak of violence on the Temple Mount, known to Muslims as al-Haram, al-Sharif could have impacted the possibility of a deal. 

Egyptian President Fattah al-Sisi said he hoped there could be a deal within a few days as visited a police academy on Friday.

"We wish within a few days at most to reach a ceasefire and not to have a negative development that could affect the situation," Sisi said in comments recorded during his visit.

"We are talking about reaching a ceasefire in Gaza, meaning a truce,” Sisi said, adding that the deal would allow for an increased distribution of humanitarian assistance and enable Palestinians who sought shelter in the south to return home.

The US has persistently said that the deal on the table involved a six-week pause to the war and the release of 40 hostages, primarily the female, informed, and elderly captives. Israel would also be asked to release Palestinian security prisons and terrorists it has held in jail.

The US has not been briefed on the plans Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved on Friday for the invasion of Rafah White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby told reporters, saying the Biden administration would "welcome the opportunity to see it."

For weeks, the White House has maintained it would not support an Israeli invasion of Rafah without a credible evacuation plan for the more than 1.3 million Palestinians who have been seeking refuge in the Southern Gazan city. 

"What we've seen today is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office saying they have a plan that accounts for the operational aspect, the military aspect, and the evacuation aspect," Kirby said, repeating several times that the White House "welcomes" an opportunity to see the plan. 

Accommodating a million and a half people in a confined environment with not a log of geography is "very tall order" for any military to do, Kirby said. 

Over the weekend, President Joe Biden indicated an invasion of Rafah would be a "red line," a phrase which Kirby refused to answer questions about on Friday. 

As tensions between Biden and Netanyahu have reached a boiling point in the past few days, marred by Sen. Chuck Schumer's comments on Thursday calling for elections to oust the prime minister, it's uncertain what communication Jerusalem will have with Washington as the invasion plans are solidified and put into action. 

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) holds a press conference after the Senate passed a continuing resolution to avoid a shutdown of the federal government, in Washington, U.S., November 15, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/ELIZABETH FRANTZ)

Aid to Gaza

Kirby recognized Friday's delivery of humanitarian aid from the private aid ship "Open Arms"  and said the administration would like to see more aid get into Gaza from a variety of places. Kirby did not provide any update on the US ships en route to the Gaza coast to set up temporary piers to distribute aid.

Kirby noted President Biden's comments from Friday morning in the Oval Office in which he responded to a question about Sen. Chuck Schumer's call for elections in Israel.

Kirby said elections are going to be up to the Israeli people to decide.

"Biden spoke about the passion with which leader Schumer made that speech,and the President said that he knows that those remarks, they resonate with many Americans out there," Kirby said. "For our part, we're going to keep supporting Israel and their fight against Hamas. We're going to keep urging them to reduce civilian casualties and we're going to keep working together to put a temporary ceasefire in place so we can get the hostages back home with their families and more additional aid into the people of Gaza."

The White House wouldn't say if Biden has spoken to Schumer since his comments Thursday. 

Hostage deal

Kirby expressed "cautious optimism" about the latest hostage deal on the table, calling the proposal "within the bounds" of the deal the White House and partners have been working on for months.

"The fact that there's another delegation now heading to Doha, the fact that there's proposals out there that there are conversations about it, that's all good," Kirby said. 

Though Kirby said the "devils in the details" and "nothing's negotiated until everything is negotiated."

The US will not be sending a delegation to Doha.

Yemen’s Houthi terrorist group has obtained a new hypersonic missile and upgraded its current arsenal with warheads, Russian state media RIA reported on Thursday.

Citing an unnamed Houthi official, the terrorist group told RIA that they had tested a hypersonic missile “with high lethality” and are planning to add it to their arsenal.

“The group’s missile forces have successfully tested a missile that is capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 8,” the official said, adding that the weapon runs on solid fuel; Yemen intends to begin manufacturing it for use during attacks in Krasnoye. Arabian Seas and the Gulf of Aden, as well as against targets in Israel.”

Mach 8 is the equivalent of 9878.4 per hour. The US-based Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance categorizes a hypersonic missile as a missile that can “travel faster than Mach 5 [3800mph] and have the capability to maneuver during the entire flight.”

The unnamed official also reportedly claimed that the group had been upgrading their northern-based stock of missiles and drones, modifying them to have explosive warheads. 

A boy holds a rifle as he takes part in a pro-Palestinian protest by Houthi supporters in Sanaa, Yemen February 18, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)

The Houthis did not provide evidence to back their claims, according to the Associated Press.

Houthi leader expands area of threat

Last week, Houthi leader Abdel Malik al-Houthi reportedly said, "Our enemies, friends, and our people will see a level of achievement of strategic importance that will put our country in the ranks of few countries in its capabilities in this world," according to RIA. 

Al-Houthi went on to threaten that the group would extend their attacks to ships heading toward the Cape of Good Hope in Africa's southern tip, according to the Associated Press. This would indicate the Houthis are eyeing a greater range of attacks, as the group has focused on ships traveling into the Red Sea. 

Disrupting the global supply chain

The Houthis, whose official slogan translates to "God Is the Greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, A Curse Upon the Jews, Victory to Islam," claimed to have begun their maritime attacks in response to Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

The group has attacked, sunk, and stolen a number of ships in their protest against the ongoing war. However, the US State Department warned that the attacks had prevented humanitarian aid from reaching civilians in Gaza and Yemen.

A ship carrying humanitarian aid from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) organization, led by the United Arab Emirates, arrived at Gaza's maritime humanitarian port from Cyprus, the IDF announced on Friday. 

According to the announcement, the ship contained 130 pallets of humanitarian equipment and 115 tons of food and water, which were transferred to 12 trucks belonging to the WCK organization, which will distribute them to the northern area of ​​the Gaza Strip. 

This delivery was done in coordination with the Unit for Coordination of Government Operations in the Territories, in accordance with the guidance of state officials on the subject. IDF troops on land and at sea have been deployed in place to secure the space. 

Humanitarian aid from Cyprus arrives in Gaza. March 15, 2024. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

This operation was part of the overall humanitarian effort led by the United Arab Emirates to the Gaza Strip in coordination with Israel.  

IDF assures that the entrance of aid does not undermine Israel's security

The IDF stated that the vessel and the aid itself underwent a comprehensive security check.

"We emphasize that the entrance of humanitarian aid does not affect the efficacy of the maritime security blockade," the IDF added. 

The wartime cabinet failed to reach an official decision regarding the demands presented by Hamas due to the meeting being scheduled too close to the beginning of Shabbat, Israeli media sources reported on Friday.

The meeting was meant to establish an official position regarding Hamas's demands, which were presented to Israeli officials via Qatari mediators on Thursday.

Hamas has revealed its proposed terms for a hostage deal that was passed along to Israeli officials, including releasing 50 prisoners for every female soldier, and a permanent ceasefire, according to a report on Friday by Qatari stated-owned news source Al-Jazeera.

According to the report, Hamas wants its terms for a hostage deal to be carried in three stages, with each stage lasting 42 days.

Allegedly, the group demanded that during the first stage the IDF must withdraw from Rashid street and Salah al-Din street in Gaza, so that displaced civilians can return to their homes.

During the second stage, a complete and permanent ceasefire must be announced, and only then will Hamas begin to release Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

The report specified that for every female soldier released by Hamas, Israel must release 50 Palestinian prisoners. it also mentioned that 30 of the prisoners that Hamas demanded to be released are serving life sentences in Israeli prison.

Israelis are seen protesting for the return of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. (credit: DYLAN MARTINEZ/REUTERS)

Finally, the report stated that the third phase would include the "comprehensive reconstruction" of Gaza, but didn't specify what this meant.

Israel has yet to confirm the demands presented by Hamas

Israeli officials received these alleged demands from Hamas via Qatari mediators on Thursday and are currently discussing them.

While Israeli officials have yet to publicly state what the demands from Hamas were, some officials have stated that Hamas's stance is still far-fetched.

Until this point, the US has persistently said that the deal on the table involved a six-week pause to the war and the release of 40 hostages, primarily the female and elderly captives. The alleged proposal by Hamas would take three times as long to implement as any other ceasefire plan discussed by any of the other parties involved.

Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.

The terrorist group Hamas on Friday criticized the "unilateral" designation by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of an ally and leading business figure as prime minister with a mandate to help reform the Palestinian Authority (PA) and rebuild Gaza.

Mohammad Mustafa's appointment comes after mounting pressure to overhaul the governing body of the Palestinian territories and improve governance in the West Bank where it is based.

Hamas said the decision was taken without consulting it despite recently taking part in a meeting in Moscow also attended by Abbas's Fatah movement to end long-time divisions weakening Palestinian political aspirations.

"We express our rejection of continuing this approach that has inflicted and continues to inflict harm on our people and our national cause," Hamas said in a statement.

"Making individual decisions and engaging in superficial and empty steps such as forming a new government without national consensus only reinforces a policy of unilateralism and deepens division.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends a meeting with Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (not pictured), in Ramallah, 23 November 2023. (credit: ALAA BADARNEH/POOL VIA REUTERS)

“These steps indicate the depth of the crisis within the leadership of the Authority, its detachment from reality, and the significant gap between it and our people, their concerns, and aspirations, as confirmed by the opinions of the vast majority of our people who have expressed a loss of confidence in these policies and orientations.”

At a time of war with Israel, Palestinians needed a unified leadership preparing for free democratic elections involving all components of their society, it added. 

“The utmost national priority now is to confront the barbaric Zionist aggression and the war of extermination and starvation waged by the occupation against our people in the Gaza Strip, and to confront the crimes of its settlers in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the grave dangers facing our national cause, foremost among them the ongoing threat of displacement,” Hamas affirmed in the statement.

The war began with an attack by Hamas terrorists from Gaza who killed 1,200 people and seized 253 hostages in Israel on Oct. 7.

“It is our people's right to question the usefulness of replacing one government with another, and one prime minister with another, from the same political and party environment,” the group wrote.

Hamas expelled the Palestinian Authority from the Gaza Strip in 2007 after a failed coalition and the terror group has ruled the enclave since.  

“Given the Palestinian Authority's insistence on continuing its policy of unilateralism and disregarding all national efforts to reunify the Palestinian ranks and unify in confronting aggression against our people, we express our rejection of the continuation of this approach, which has harmed and continues to harm our people and our national cause,” the statement insisted. “We call on our people and their active forces to raise their voices loudly and confront this absurdity with the present and future of our cause, our people's interests, and their national rights. We also call on all national forces and factions, especially our brothers in Fatah movement, to take serious and effective action to reach consensus on managing this historical and pivotal stage, in a manner that serves our national cause and fulfills the aspirations of our people to reclaim their legitimate rights, liberate their land and sanctities, and establish their independent state with full sovereignty and its capital in Jerusalem.” 

Foreign demands

As president, Abbas remains by far the most powerful figure in the Palestinian Authority, but the appointment of a new government showed willingness to meet international demands for change in the administration.

Mustafa, who helped organize the reconstruction of Gaza following a previous conflict, was assigned to lead the relief and rebuilding of the area, which has been shattered by more than five months of war, and reform Palestinian Authority institutions, according to the designation letter.

He replaces former Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh who, along with his government, resigned in February.

Arab and international efforts have so far failed to reconcile Hamas and Fatah, which makes the backbone of the PA, since the Hamas 2007 take over of Gaza, a move that reduced Abbas's authority to the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Palestinians want both territories as the core of a future independent state.

Hamas said any attempt to exclude it from the political scene after the war was "delusional."

In a recent warning, a security official told a Hamas-linked news website that attempts by clans or community leaders to cooperate with Israel's plans to administer Gaza would be seen as "treason" and met with an "iron fist."

But the group denied media reports it killed some local clan leaders in recent days for meddling with aid distribution.

The IDF uncovered munitions and terror infrastructure in the Hamad area of Khan Yunis, including a 200-meter-long tunnel under a pepper field in an agricultural area, the IDF announced on Friday.
 
According to the IDF, the discovery was part of continued operations by the 7th Armored Brigade's combat team, which has been operating in the Hamad area, eliminating terrorists and locating and destroying tunnel shafts and enemy compounds.

During searches in an agricultural pepper field in the area, soldiers located an underground terror tunnel approximately 200 meters long, which was used by Hamas and had weapons stored inside of it. 

Entrance of the 200 meter-long tunnel shaft in an agricultural area in the Gaza Strip, March 15, 2024. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

The tunnel was thoroughly inspected before being destroyed

Combat Engineering soldiers inspected the tunnel for traps before destroying it.

Additionally, the soldiers located additional weapons in the area, including grenades, RPG missiles, explosives, rocket launchers, vests, and cameras.

IDF artillery struck launchers used by Hezbollah following a series of identified launches from Lebanon into the areas of Margaliot, Malkia, and Shtula in northern Israel, the IDF stated on Friday afternoon.

Additionally, the IDF attacked a Hezbollah observation post in the area of Ayta ash Shab, a military structure in the area of Aalma El Chaeb, and terrorist infrastructure in the area of Labbouneh. 

The IDF also reported that an additional Hezbollah military structure was struck in the area of Labbouneh, and IDF artillery struck an "imminent threat" in the Wadi Hamoul and Houla areas overnight.

Troops of the 98th Division collaborated with the air force, closed in on terrorists in Khan Yunis and found weapons on Thursday, the IDF announced on Friday. 

Forces of the 7th Brigade, along with the Givati Brigade, killed terrorists using both tank and sniper fire. Troops also destroyed infrastructures in which Hamas terrorists were located. 

In a separate operation, troops identified a number of terrorists who were loading explosives onto a vehicle. They were subsequently attacked and killed by an aircraft. 

In addition, terrorists were detected while they were attempting to bury explosive devices in the area. However, before they could carry out their plan, they too were killed by an aircraft, the military stated.