What happened on day 549 of the war?

The High Court of Justice will hear petitions on Tuesday morning against the government’s dismissal of Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, in a case that has the potential to plunge the country into a constitutional crisis. 

The Knesset Constitution Committee met on Tuesday for an oversight meeting over the interrogation of journalists last week in connection to the “Qatargate” case.

“Qatargate” is an investigation into suspected Qatari influence on figures close to the prime minister, involving the Gulf state’s alleged efforts to improve its image among the Israeli public.

An Israeli businessman, Gil Berger, admitted in a recording published by KAN last month that during 2024 he had funneled payments to Eli Feldstein from Jay Footlik, an American working as a lobbyist on behalf of Qatar, while Feldstein was working as the prime minister’s spokesperson on military affairs.

The IDF was due to publish a major formal update on its war crimes probes relating to the current war sometime in February, but the report has been significantly delayed now for months, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

It is still unclear what factor or factors delayed the update, but some possibilities could be the fact that IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir replaced Herzi Halevi, the increase in Israeli confidence handling legitimacy issues given the backing it has received for the war from the Trump administration, and the return to an ongoing war in Gaza.

On January 30, sources with knowledge had told The Jerusalem Post that a major new update was only weeks away.  

“Read my lips: Not a single grain of wheat will enter Gaza if it is to end up in Hamas’ hands,” said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Monday.

He was joined by the IDF spokesperson, who stated: “Israel does not, and will not, transfer any aid to Hamas.”

In light of these unequivocal statements, Maariv asked Eyal Ofer, an expert on Hamas’s economy, whether Israel plans to maintain the blockade on Gaza until Hamas surrenders and the hostages are returned.

"From the official 'no' we won't allow aid in, you can understand the unofficial 'yes'," Ofer replied.

In order to dethrone Hamas in Gaza, a temporary period of chaos may be required, former national security council chief Meir Ben Shabbat said late Monday at the Kohelet Policy Forum conference.

Ben Shabbat, who currently heads the Misgav Institute for National Security & Zionist Strategy, explained that any other alternative to some temporary period of chaos and of Israeli control of Gaza would leave Hamas in charge for all practical purposes.

He said this would be true regardless of who might be officially in control, with various plans suggesting the Palestinian Authority or a mix of moderate Arab allies like Egypt and the UAE, because Hamas would use the Hezbollah tactic of using its arms to rule from behind the scenes.

Following his meeting with US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Iran "must not have nuclear weapons."

Netanyahu added that this could be achieved by two routes: either through an agreement or militarily.

He added that the deal would only be acceptable if it were similar to the one with Libya: "We go in, blow up the facilities, dismantle all the equipment, under American supervision and execution. That’s the ideal scenario."

In the darkened corridors of power that define the Islamic Republic of Iran, there is one institution that looms larger than any other: The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). What began in 1979 as an ideologically driven force to protect the Islamic revolution has since evolved into the country’s most powerful military, economic, and political entity. Today, the IRGC’s fingerprints are on everything that emanates from Iran, from nuclear enrichment to regional proxy wars. However, it is the organization’s reach into Iran’s oil industry that has proven the most lucrative.

This is not just a case of military overreach. It is a systematic conversion of a national resource into a war chest for militarism and repression - part of the kleptocracy that controls Iran. The IRGC has transformed itself into a parallel state, with its own economy, ideology, and global ambitions, all supported by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and fueled by oil that rightly belongs to the Iranian people but is used to help finance their subjugation.

Details of Iran’s new budget bill, which came into effect on March 21 after Nowruz (the Persian New Year) was released by the Iranian government last week, and underscores both the disproportionate allocation of oil revenues and national budget to Iran’s military and security apparatus, as well as the transfer of state-owned assets into their control.

The IDF confirmed on Tuesday that it dismissed several commanders and soldiers who vandalized Palestinian property during an anti-terror operation in Dheisheh, in the West Bank, earlier in April.

The IDF said that forces sprayed graffiti on buildings and damaged Palestinian property during an operation near Bethlehem in violation of operational procedures. Following an investigation, several commanders and soldiers were dismissed, and the platoon involved was disbanded for breaching IDF ethical standards.

The IDF confirmed an attempted stabbing attack at the Gitti Avishar intersection near Ariel in the West Bank, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.

The female terrorist threw stones and attempted to stab IDF soldiers before being neutralized, with no injuries reported, the IDF said.

The dramatic High Court hearing on Tuesday on the government’s decision to fire Shin Bet head Ronen Bar could not be removed from all the tragedy that has plagued the country since October 7. 

Bereaved father Itzik Bonzel yelled, “Who are you defending? A man who failed on October 7?” His son, St. Sgt. Amit Bonzel, was killed in the fighting in the Gaza Strip in December 2023.  

Audience members against the court shouted, “Shame!” and “You don't have the authority!”