Israel at war day 531: What's going on in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria?

Israeli security forces killed Hamas's military intelligence head, Osama Tabash, in the southern Gaza Strip, the IDF and Shin Bet announced in a joint statement on Friday.

Tabash also served in Hamas's surveillance and targeting unit.

Tabash was a senior Hamas terrorist and had held numerous senior positions in Hamas, including battalion commander in the Khan Yunis Brigade.

Red alert sirens sounded in Ashkelon on Friday. The details are under review by the IDF, the military said in a statement.

This is a developing story.

"If the government decides to lead Israel with open eyes into a constitutional crisis, we will shut down the companies and launch a public struggle together with all the strength of Israeli society," the Israeli High-Tech Headquarters, which includes dozens of the largest high-tech companies and leading venture capital funds, said in a statement Friday afternoon.

"We call on [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to stop a moment before falling into the abyss."

"A violation of a High Court order or any court ruling is a red line from which there is no return. Such a breach would turn Israel into a third-world country, driving away foreign investors," the statement added.

Histadrut Chief Arnon Bar David warned on Friday of "anarchy under government auspices," says refusal to comply with High Court ruling is a "red line," and vows that he will not "sit quietly while the State of Israel is being dismantled."

Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a letter that a legal review will be conducted regarding his ability to be involved in the termination of the Shin Bet head, Ronen Bar, on Friday. 

"The required legal review regarding your ability to be involved in this matter, given concerns about a conflict of interest, will be completed shortly," Baharav Miara said.

She also stressed that the government is prohibited from making any decisions or taking any actions regarding the conclusion of the tenure of the head of the Shin Bet. 

"There will be no civil war!" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on X on Friday, firing back at the former Supreme Court chief justice Aharon Barak. "The State of Israel is a state of law, and according to the law, the Israeli government decides who will be the head of the Shin Bet."

The High Court of Justice on Friday froze the government's Thursday decision to fire Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Ronen Bar until the hearing on the petition against the move. 

The prime minister's decision came amid the Shin Bet investigation into Netanyahu aides who were allegedly involved in Qatargate.  

A majority of Gaza residents would leave if they had the opportunity, according to a Friday survey by Gallup International.

Conducted from March 2 to March 13, 2025, the poll found that 38% of respondents would opt for temporary relocation, 14% would move permanently, and 4% would send family members abroad.

The survey, which included 532 participants from Gaza, also underscored the ongoing deterioration in living conditions since the outbreak of war on October 7, 2023. Most respondents described their current quality of life as either “very bad” or “fairly bad.”

The High Court of Justice on Friday froze the government's Thursday decision to fire Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Ronen Bar until the hearing on the petition against the move. 

The move followed the cabinet's unanimous Thursday vote to end the agency's chief term, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu's decision to put forward such a proposal to the cabinet. 

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded to the court's decision, saying, "The court will not manage the war or choose its commanders. Period."

Gadi Moses's captors lied to him that his partner Efrat was alive and his daughter, Moran, was held hostage while he was in Gaza captivity, the released hostage shared in an interview with Channel 12's Uvda on Thursday.  

Moses was taken captive from outside his home on October 7 when Kibbutz Nir Oz, where he lived, was invaded by Hamas terrorists. 

"At some point, they gave me a page with pictures of all the hostages. I see Efrat, and he also shows her to me on his computer as one of the captives."

Freed Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi visited the Ohel (gravesite) of the Lubavitcher Rebbe before testifying at the UN Security Council on Thursday to express his gratitude for surviving Hamas captivity—exactly a year after his brother visited the memorial tomb to pray for his return. 

Sharabi was held captive for 491 days after being kidnapped during the October 7 Hamas attacks in 2023. He was released during the recent ceasefire-hostage deal between Israel and the terror group and has been open about his experiences of being tortured and struggling to survive in captivity. 

Sharabi's visit to the Rebbe's Ohel held personal significance, as his brother, Sharon, had come to the same spot exactly a year before to pray for his brother's release. 

Senior Deputy Director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza Sam Rose remarked on Friday that the situation in Gaza is gravely concerning, emphasizing that this was largely due to Israel's reductions in the distribution of aid supplies.

"This is the longest period since the start of the conflict in October 2023 that no supplies whatsoever have entered Gaza. The progress we made as an aid system over the last six weeks of the ceasefire is being reversed," Rose told reporters, speaking from central Gaza.