Feb. 29: US backs probe into deadly aid stampede in Gaza; IDF denies firing at convoy

An undated photo of Uria Hartum, 16, who was killed on February 29, 2024 in a terror attack outside the settlement of Eli. (Courtesy)

The second victim who was killed earlier today in the deadly shooting attack near Eli was named as Uria Hartum, a 16-year-old high school student from the West Bank settlement of Dolev.

He is survived by his parents and five brothers, according to a statement by the Binyamin Regional Council.

Hartum had been hitching a ride with Yitzhak Zeiger, 57, who was also killed in the terror attack.

Zeiger, a volunteer with paramedic and rescue services organizations, was filling the car with gasoline when he was shot and killed, though he attempted to return fire, according to local authorities.

Hartum was killed as he sat inside the car.

9:45 pm

IDF releases footage of strikes on Hezbollah sites deep inside Lebanon earlier this week

The IDF releases footage of its airstrikes against Hezbollah sites deep in Lebanon, near the northeastern city of Baalbek, earlier this week.

The IDF said at the time that it hit a site belonging to Hezbollah’s air defense unit, in response to the Iran-backed Lebanese terror group shooting down a military drone over southern Lebanon.

The strikes near Baalbek, some 100 kilometers from the border, marked the deepest publicly confirmed Israeli strikes in Lebanon in years.

9:35 pm

IDF spokesman: Troops fired warning shots to disperse mob rushing aid convoy, did not carry out strikes

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, speaking in English in an evening press conference, says troops fired warning shots in an attempt to disperse a mob of Palestinians rushing an aid convoy in northern Gaza early this morning, as dozens were killed amid a crowd crush.

“This morning, the IDF coordinated a convoy of 38 trucks to provide additional humanitarian assistance to the residents of northern Gaza. This humanitarian aid came from Egypt, went through a security screening at the Kerem Shalom humanitarian crossing in Israel, and then entered Gaza, for distribution by private contractors,” Hagari says.

“As these vital humanitarian supplies made their way toward Gazans in need, thousands of Gazans [rushed] the trucks, some began violently pushing and trampling other Gazans to death, looting the humanitarian supplies,” he says.

Hagari says “the unfortunate incident resulted in dozens of Gazans killed and injured.”

“Here are the facts: At 4:40 a.m., the first aid truck in the humanitarian convoy started making its way through the humanitarian corridor that we were securing. Yes, the IDF was securing the humanitarian corridor so that the aid convoy could reach its destination in northern Gaza,” he says.

“Our tanks were there to secure the humanitarian corridor for the aid convoy. Our UAVs were there in the air to give our forces a clear picture from above,” Hagari continues.

“At 4:45 a.m., a mob ambushed the aid trucks, bringing the convoy to a halt,” he says, showing a new video of the incident.

“In this video, the tanks that were there to secure the convoy saw the Gazans being trampled and cautiously tried to disperse the mob with a few warning shots,” he says.

“When the hundreds became thousands and things got out of hand, the tank commander decided to retreat to avoid harm to the thousands of Gazans that were there,” Hagari says.

“You can see how cautious they were when they were backing up. They were backing up securely, risking their own lives, not shooting at the mob,” he continues.

“The Israel Defense Forces operates according to the rules of engagement and international law. No IDF strike was conducted toward the aid convoy,” Hagari says, amid claims by Hamas that 104 people were killed and hundreds more were wounded.

“On the contrary, the IDF was there carrying out a humanitarian aid operation, to secure the humanitarian corridor, and allow the aid convoy to reach its distribution point, so that the humanitarian aid could reach Gazan civilians in the north who are in need,” he says.

Hagari says the IDF has been conducting operations of this kind “for the last four nights without any problem, this is the first night we have had any kind of event.”

“This humanitarian aid was coordinated by Israel, for the people of Gaza. We want the aid to reach the people of Gaza. We are working around the clock to make this happen. Israel puts no limits on the amount of aid that can go into Gaza,” he says.

“We are working together with humanitarian organizations and the international community to help them solve the issue of aid distribution inside Gaza, it is a problem,” Hagari says.

“We recognize the suffering of the innocent people of Gaza. This is why we are seeking ways to expand our humanitarian efforts, this is why we are conducting humanitarian operations,” he continues.

“Our war is against Hamas, not against the people of Gaza,” Hagari adds.

9:31 pm

Hagari says security forces have killed over 13,000 terrorists since start of war

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says that in the past 10 days, troops have killed more than 450 Hamas operatives in Gaza.

“In total, since the beginning of the war, we have eliminated more than 13,000 terrorists,” he says in an evening press conference.

9:09 pm

One of two Israelis killed in Eli terror shooting named as Yitzhak Zeiger, 57

An undated photo of Yitzhak Zeiger, 57, who was killed on February 29, 2024 in a terror attack outside the settlement of Eli. (Courtesy)

One of the two people killed earlier today in a terror shooting outside the West Bank settlement of Eli has been named as Yitzhak Zeiger, 57, a father of three and a resident of Shavei Shomron in the West Bank.

Zeiger stopped at the gas station outside Eli to gas up his vehicle when a Palestinian gunman, later identified as a member of the PA security forces, opened fire at the car, killing the passenger, a man in his 20s who has not yet been named. Zeiger reached for his weapon but was killed before he could discharge it, according to a statement by the Binyamin Regional Council.

The statement says Zeiger volunteered for years with paramedic and rescue services organizations.

9:07 pm

Netanyahu: ‘I can’t promise a hostage deal; Hamas is not even trying to move close to an area of agreement’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a televised evening address on February 29, 2024. (Screenshot)

Taking questions at his press conference, Netanyahu is asked whether Defense Minister Yoav Gallant consulted with him before declaring yesterday that he would not advance any legislation on the IDF draft that does not resolve the issue of Haredi service to the satisfaction of all coalition parties. Netanyahu is reminded that the last time Gallant spoke out without consulting him — a year ago, when the defense minister warned that national divisions over the judicial overhaul had entered the IDF and constituted a tangible threat to Israeli security — he fired him.

Netanyahu dodges the question, and repeats that “the worst thing that could happen to us is a general election in mid-war,” which would spell “defeat in the war.”

“I am sure that the defense minister is aware of the implications of general elections and the grave danger to the State of Israel” if the war goals are not achieved. “So I’m sure we’ll find a solution.”

He says the IDF has a clear plan for fighting in Rafah, including for evacuating civilians, and that it will be presented to the full cabinet.

Asked about US President Joe Biden reportedly calling him an asshole and saying he is running the war with political considerations in mind, Netanyahu says the White House denied this. “Whether there were such denigrations, or briefings about them,” he adds, “doesn’t influence me in the slightest.”

Asked about National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s efforts to impose restrictions on prayer for Arab Israelis at the Al-Aqsa compound on the Temple Mount during Ramadan, Netanyahu says “There was a preparatory discussion” at which Ben Gvir spoke his mind, and that “we will have an additional discussion at the start of next week.”

“Ultimately, we ensure freedom of worship, in accordance with security conditions. We have no intention of stopping Muslim freedom of worship,” he says. If Israel were not sovereign on Temple Mount, he adds, there would not be freedom of worship for the three faiths.

He says he has discussed his plans for boosting Haredi service with several Haredi MKs, and there are additional contacts. “There is a change [in their mindset] and an understanding that we have to shift to a different phase.” What’s needed is “a framework that will be abided by… I’m optimistic that we can reach an agreement.”

Regarding terrorism in the West Bank, he says that almost 400 terrorists in the West Bank have been eliminated since the start of the war.

Asked about the concern that he has hardened his position on terms for a hostage deal for political reasons, Netanyahu denies this. “We are making every effort to bring about the release of our hostages,” he says.

But, he adds: “We are running into a brick wall of delusional, unrealistic Hamas demands.” Hamas “knows its demands are delusional and is not even trying to move close to an area of agreement. That’s the situation,” he says. “That’s really the situation.”

“We are all hopeful, but I’m giving you the current assessment… We continue to act, continue to hope, but I can’t make a promise at this moment” that a deal will be done, he says, because such a promise would “have no cover.”

He says he greatly admires the head of the Mossad, David Barnea, for his efforts regarding the hostages and generally for Israeli security.

As for complaints against him, Netanyahu says, “If I say ‘Good morning,’ they’ll say I’ve insulted the evening.”

As he has done before, he cites what he says are the “tens of billions” being spent on a vast advertising campaign against him.

He says he is “happy that we are beginning to return residents of the south [to their homes], with school starting in Sderot on Sunday.”

He says he hopes security in the north will be achieved diplomatically, but that it will be achieved by military force if necessary.

Finally, asked again about talk of elections, he says: “If we continue the war, it will come to an end. That’s my goal. First, we have to achieve victory.” But if by contrast, Israel holds elections, “everything will be paralyzed.”

He says “our enemies are only praying” that Israelis will start to fight each other rather than fight them.

“If there is anybody with political goals or considerations it is those people who want to drag the state, in the midst of a war, on the brink of victory, to elections which will deprive us of this victory and bring defeat upon us. That is a political consideration that I will not accept.”

Netanyahu is not asked about today’s incident in northern Gaza involving hundreds of civilian casualties surrounding a convoy of aid trucks.

8:31 pm

Biden discusses ‘tragic and alarming incident’ in Gaza with Egyptian, Qatari leaders

By Reuters and ToI Staff

US President Joe Biden discussed the “tragic and alarming incident” in northern Gaza on Thursday with the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, as well as ways to secure the release of Hamas hostages and a six-week ceasefire, the White House says.

Hamas’s health authorities claimed more than 100 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces as they waited for a food aid delivery, but Israel disputed the death toll and said many of the victims had been run over by aid trucks and an ensuing crush.

The Israel Defense Forces published a drone video showing thousands of people swarming around the aid trucks as they reached the area in northern Gaza. In some cases, the vehicles continued to try and push past the crowds.

According to an initial IDF probe of the crush, the vast majority of the casualties were a result of trampling and being struck by the aid trucks.

8:28 pm

Surveillance footage shows confrontation with Palestinian terrorist who killed 2 near Eli

Aviad Gazbar, the owner of Hummus Eliyahu who killed the Palestinian terrorist at the scene of a deadly shooting attack near the settlement of Eli in the West Bank, February 29, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Surveillance camera footage shows the moment the owner of a hummus restaurant shot dead a Palestinian terrorist who killed two Israelis at a gas station near the West Bank settlement of Eli.

Aviad Gazbar, who says he had recently returned from fighting in the Gaza Strip, tells media at the scene: “I heard shots, I was inside the hummus [restaurant], I fired a bullet so that the terrorist would know I was here. I saw that he saw me, and he started charging towards me, I took him down and continued scanning.”

“The same terrorists in Gaza are the same ones who are here,” he said. “In every place, they try to kill us. We have to keep our heads high,” he said.

8:21 pm

Netanyahu: I’ll boost Haredi numbers in IDF ‘by consensus’; implies ministers seeking elections would be helping the enemy

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to reporters at an evening press conference, February 29, 2024. (Lazar Berman/Times of Israel)

Continuing his prepared remarks at a press conference, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will seek a consensual arrangement under which more Haredim will carry out military service.

He says opposes dramatically raising the number of days reservists can be asked to serve.

He says, first, that he is preparing legislation to provide more benefits for soldiers on completion of their IDF service, including allocating land at reduced prices in the Galilee and Negev for them to build homes. In some cases, the reductions will be of 90-95 percent — so the land “will be almost free of charge.”

He says he respects the Haredim who study Torah and those who volunteer for emergency rescue services, but that one “cannot ignore what the public widely sees as the discrepancy in the division of the burden” by which almost all ultra-Orthodox youngsters do not serve.

“The Haredi public recognizes this today,” he says, “and is ready to change the situation.”

Taking aim at Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, without naming him, Netanyahu says: “We will set out goals” for an agreement “by consensus” to raise the number of Haredi recruits.

“Anyone who wants absolute agreement won’t get any agreement,” he says, a day after Gallant said he would only support an IDF draft law that is backed by all coalition parties.

He hints that Gallant and the leaders of the National Unity Party, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, who are also pushing a proposal for the Haredim to be drafted and who he also does not name, could be using the issue as a means to try to bring down the government. Were any element in the coalition to push “extreme demands” regarding Haredi conscription, that could be enough to trigger its collapse and new elections.

“General elections would mean the end of the war, [and] the defeat of Israel,” he says.

Israel would be paralyzed for 6-8 months, the government’s hands would be tied in the battles against Hamas in Rafah and against Hezbollah, and for the hostages, and there would be divisions within the ranks of IDF fighters, he claims.

Holding general elections mid-war would constitute “devastating gunfire within our national armored personnel carrier,” he says. “General elections during war would spell defeat for Israel,” he repeats.

This, he claims, “is precisely the dream of [Hamas leader] Yahya Sinwar, precisely the dream of Hezbollah and precisely the dream of Iran… They’re just waiting for it.”

“All the cabinet members know this,” he adds, implying that ministers seeking elections would thus be acting in the interests of the enemy.

8:21 pm

UN chief condemns deadly Gaza aid delivery incident

By ToI Staff and Agencies

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemns the deadly aid delivery incident in northern Gaza, in which the Hamas terror group says over 100 people were killed, his spokesperson says. Israel disputes the events and says its forces did not fire at people seeking aid.

“The desperate civilians in Gaza need urgent help, including those in the besieged north where the United Nations has not been able to deliver aid in more than a week,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric says in a statement, adding that Guterres was “appalled by the tragic human toll of the conflict.”

Hamas blamed the IDF for the deaths. The military said most of the casualties were caused by a stampede and being run over by the supply vehicles. Gunmen also opened fire in the area as they looted the supplies.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said the death toll reached 104, with hundreds more injured. The figures could not be independently confirmed.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas earlier called the incident an “ugly massacre” of “people who waited for aid trucks.”

Saudi Arabia also condemned “the harm to civilians in the northern Gaza Strip, which resulted in the death of dozens and the injury of hundreds,” according to a statement by its Foreign Ministry cited by Hebrew media reports.

8:03 pm

Netanyahu: ‘Too early’ to know if hostage deal will happen; IDF will tackle Hamas in Rafah

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a televised evening press conference on February 29, 2024. (Screenshot)

In a televised press conference, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has secured “freedom of operation” for the IDF in Gaza, despite pressure from world leaders and world media, that is “unprecedented” in the history of the state, and that the campaign will continue until “total victory.”

He opens by sending condolence for the victims of this afternoon’s terror attack near the settlement of Eli in the West Bank.

He says the pressure to halt the war against Hamas is growing, but that he will resist it. He compares his resistance to international pressure to that of prime ministers David Ben-Gurion declaring independence, Levi Eshkol helming the Six Day War and Menachem Begin hitting Iraq’s nuclear reactor at Osiraq. He also cites his own ongoing battle against Iran’s nuclear program, his fight against efforts to impose a “Palestinian terror state,” and his “doubling of settlements” despite pressure “to strangle” the settlement enterprise altogether.

Thanks to his efforts, he says, and despite international pressure to end the war before its aims are achieved, a Harvard-Harris poll this week found 82 percent support for Israel among the US public. “More than four in five American citizens support us and not Hamas,” he says, and that broad support “gives us the strength to continue the campaign until Hamas is destroyed.”

Along with Khan Younis, where the IDF is focused now, he says the campaign will deal with tackling Hamas in central Gaza and Rafah. Non-combatants will be evacuated, humanitarian needs addressed and international law honored, he says. “Victory over Hamas requires the destruction of all the remaining Hamas battalions — in the center of Gaza and in Rafah.”

Netanyahu says Israel is making relentless efforts to get its hostages back — “a sacred goal,” he says. “I’m demanding to know in advance the names” of all the hostages Israel is supposed to see released within the current proposed framework, he says, adding that it is “too early” to know if the planned deal will come to fruition in the coming days.

In any case, “we won’t capitulate to Hamas’s delusional demands,” he says. “If we capitulate, we simply won’t be here,” he says.

“We are determined” to return all the hostages, “with or without a framework,” he says.

He also hails the recent Knesset vote against unilateral Palestinian statehood, backed by 99 MKs.

7:53 pm

Radical activists ‘violently’ breach IDF checkpoint near Erez, enter Gaza before being stopped

Radical activists participating in a protest by the Erez Crossing between northern Gaza and Israel “violently break through an IDF checkpoint” and cross into Gazan territory, the IDF says.

The activists made it some 500 meters inside Gaza before being stopped by IDF soldiers. They were eventually turned back by IDF soldiers and taken back to Israel, the IDF said.

In unclear circumstances, some settler activists also set up makeshift buildings apparently on the Gazan side of the Erez crossing but still on Israeli territory, the IDF says.

A group of settler activists violently breached a military checkpoint near the Erez border crossing and entered the Gaza Strip earlier today, the IDF says.

The IDF says troops worked to bring the protesters back into Israeli territory and hand them over to police.

Some of the… pic.twitter.com/kIXdkFoHoE

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) February 29, 2024

The Nachala settlement organization, which held a major conference at the end of January to rally support and momentum for its plans to re-settle Gaza, sent out images of the activists erecting a building and affixing a mezuzah to it in a short religious ceremony.

Nachala said the “settlement” had been called New Nisanit after the Nisanit settlement in the northern Gaza Strip that was part of the Gush Katif block of settlements evacuated in 2005 under the Disengagement plan.

7:36 pm

In evening address, Netanyahu to focus on Israeli determination to achieve ‘total victory’ in Gaza

By Lazar Berman

In his statement tonight, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will focus on Israel’s determination to achieve “total victory,” an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

7:34 pm

UN Security Council to meet on deadly Gaza aid distribution incident

By AFP and ToI Staff

The UN Security Council will hold a closed-door meeting this afternoon, an updated schedule showed, following the chaotic incident during a Gaza food aid delivery, which Hamas says resulted in over 100 deaths.

Israel has disputed the claims made by the terror group. The military said most of the casualties were caused by a stampede and being run over by the supply vehicles. Gunmen also opened fire in the area as they looted the supplies.

The emergency meeting at UN headquarters in New York, which will be held at 4:15 PM (2115 GMT), was requested by Algeria, a diplomatic source says.

7:23 pm

Israeli jets hit Hezbollah target in south Lebanon village, IDF says

The IDF says fighter jets carried out a strike on a building used by Hezbollah, where an operative was spotted, in the south Lebanon village of Blida a short while ago.

Strikes were also carried out in Mays al-Jabal to “remove a threat,” the IDF adds.

Rockets were fired earlier from Lebanon at the northern community of Goren, causing no injuries. The IDF says it is also shelling the launch sites with artillery.

לפני זמן קצר מטוסי קרב תקפו מבנה צבאי של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב בליידא, בו זוהה פעיל טרור.
בנוסף, כוחות צה"ל תקפו להסרת איום במרחב מיס אל ג'בל.

זוהו שיגורים למרחב גורן, אין נפגעים. כוחות צה"ל תקפו את מקור הירי pic.twitter.com/yZTJpn4TLb

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) February 29, 2024

7:04 pm

Defense Minister Gallant: IDF ‘closing in’ on Hamas, ready to act in Rafah

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tours the northern Gaza Strip, February 29, 2024. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant toured northern Gaza earlier today, saying that the military is readying its actions in Rafah and in areas of the central part of the Strip where the IDF has not yet operated on the ground.

“We are closing in on Hamas. We are preparing to act in Rafah, as well as in the central camps, in order to reach the next stage [which] we will decide according to our priorities,” Gallant says.

“We use the information we captured from the Hamas archives. There are huge amounts of information that we brought from the places we reached, computers, hard drives, servers and other things. All this information is decoded, it is used in order to destroy the tunnels and the nerve centers of Hamas,” he says.

Gallant says Hamas’s tunnel network, used by the terror group to fight Israel and flee, is “little by little turning into a trap.”

“The result is very clear: [Hamas] are getting weaker with each passing day, we are getting stronger. We will go and tighten the rope around the neck of Hamas until we eliminate it,” he says.

Gallant says the war in Gaza will not end until Hamas is dismantled, and that Israel will only make concessions for the release of the hostages the terror group holds.

6:51 pm

2 rockets fired from Gaza at Sderot intercepted; no reports of damage or injuries

Two rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at the southern city of Sderot a short while ago, according to the municipality.

A spokesperson for Sderot says both projectiles were intercepted, adding that there are no reports of damage or injuries.

Sirens had sounded in the city.

6:44 pm

Gunman who killed two in Eli terror shooting a PA security officer from Qalandiya

The Palestinian shooter who killed two people in a terror attack earlier at a gas station near the West Bank settlement of Eli is an officer in the Palestinian Authority security forces and a resident of Qalandiya, outside Jerusalem, according to Israeli media citing Palestinian reports.

The Shin Bet security agency later identified the assailant as Muhammad Manasra, 31, an officer in the Palestinian Authority’s police, from the West Bank’s Qalandiya refugee camp near Jerusalem.

According to the Shin Bet, Manasra was jailed between 2018 and 2019 for weapons offenses.

6:36 pm

Reconciliation talks between Palestinian factions begin in Moscow

By Gianluca Pacchiani

Palestinian factions kick off a three-day meeting in Moscow in a bid to achieve a reconciliation and push for an end to the ongoing war in Gaza.

Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said yesterday that he doesn’t expect “miracles” to happen in the talks, adding that they should be followed by other meetings in the region soon.

The meeting comes days after the Fatah-led PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh in Ramallah submitted his resignation together with his cabinet, a gesture in response to repeated requests by the US and Arab states to reform the Authority and pave the way for a new technocratic government that should rule over the West Bank and Gaza after the end of the hostilities.

Shtayyeh will remain in his position as a caretaker until a new premier is announced.

Maliki assured that Hamas will not be part of the new government so as to avoid a boycott by many in the international community. “We don’t want to be in a situation like that. We want to be accepted and engage fully with the international community,” he said.

Israel has opposed a possible PA return to Gaza after it was booted from the Strip by Hamas in a bloody coup in 2007, and has insisted that the IDF will maintain military control of the enclave after the war is over.

Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, said in an interview with The Guardian this week that the purpose of the Moscow talks is for the PA to conduct consultations with Hamas, which enjoys widespread support among the Palestinian population, before the formation of a technocratic government aided by Qatar and Egypt.

A Hamas official quoted by the Russian news agency Tass comments on the ongoing talks in the Russian capital, saying that the factions “underscore the need for national unity to do away with the occupation and confront the external forces supporting it, especially the United States, and in order to exercise the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to establish their own independent state.”

6:33 pm

Rocket sirens sound in Sderot, surrounding area in southern Israel

Rocket sirens sound in the southern city of Sderot, as well as in Kibbutz Nir Am, near the border with Gaza.

There are no immediate reports of rocket launches, injuries or damage.

6:32 pm

Medic who responded to Eli terror shooting says he heard the gunfire from his home

Avraham Applebaum, a Magen David Adom medic who responded to the terror shooting near Eli earlier, says he heard the gunfire from his home in the West Bank settlement, and set out to the scene right away.

“I heard gunfire from my home. I knew there was an incident,” he tells Channel 12.

He says he “saw a victim inside the car and another laying on the ground,” and he and others started to treat them.

The victims sustained “critical injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene,” he says.

6:06 pm

Biden says Gaza crowd crush, with dozens of reported casualties, will complicate hostage talks

By Reuters and ToI Staff

US President Joe Biden says the United States is checking reports of dozens of Gazans killed earlier in Gaza City as they swarmed aid trucks that entered the city, and that the deadly incident will likely complicate talks on a temporary truce and hostage release deal.

Asked by reporters if he still expects a truce by Monday, Biden says: “Hope springs eternal. I was on the phone with the people in the region… Probably not by Monday, but I’m hopeful.”

Asked about the Gaza incident in which many civilians were killed, he says: “We’re checking that out right now. There’s two competing versions of what happened. I don’t have an answer yet.”

Asked whether this will complicate the hostage negotiations, Biden tells reporters: “I know it will.”

5:54 pm

Houthis promise military ‘surprises’ in Red Sea

By Reuters and ToI Staff

Yemen’s Houthis will introduce “military surprises” in their Red Sea operations, the Iran-aligned group’s leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi says in a televised speech.

The Houthis have repeatedly fired on international commercial ships since mid-November in solidarity with Palestinians over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza triggered by Hamas’s October 7 massacre.

5:35 pm

Two killed in terror shooting near West Bank’s Eli settlement; gunman shot dead by security forces

The scene of a deadly shooting terror attack near the West Bank settlement of Eli, February 29, 2024. Two people were killed in the attack. (MDA)

Two people have been killed in the terror shooting attack near the West Bank settlement of Eli, according to the Magen David Adom ambulance service.

MDA director Eli Bin tells Army Radio that both victims were declared dead at the scene.

The male victims are in their 20s and 40s, respectively, per MDA.

The two were in a car at the gas station outside the settlement when the gunman approached and opened fire, according to reports. Medics scanned the area for potential additional victims.

The IDF says one terrorist involved in the deadly attack was shot dead by security forces.

“The troops are blocking roads and conducting a pursuit after additional suspects in the area,” the IDF adds. No additional suspects were found.

Suspected infiltration alarms sounded in Eli following the terror attack, amid fears of additional gunmen in the area.

The attack took place at a gas station near Eli, the location of a deadly terror assault last summer, in which four Israelis were killed.

5:34 pm

Hostage families on march to Jerusalem make stop in Kibbutz Beit Guvrin

By Jessica Steinberg

At Kibbutz Beit Guvrin on February 29, 2024, during the four-day march for the hostages in Gaza. (Jessica Steinberg/Times of Israel)

In the pastoral setting of Kibbutz Beit Guvrin, hundreds gather for a brief, late afternoon ceremony for those participating in the march to Jerusalem for the hostages, now its second of four days.

As the family members line up with pictures of their loved ones, Haim Rubinstein of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum says that unity and solidarity is what will help bring back the hostages.

Beit Guvrin, which is home to Macabit Mayer, aunt to hostages Ziv and Gali Berman from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, is now schooling children from Kibbutz Nir Oz, after many kibbutz families moved temporarily to Carmei Gat.

“They’re refugees in their own land,” says Mayer.

The kibbutz also hosts the Meitarim Lachish mechina gap year program, which hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin attended.

Dr. Hagai Levine of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum tells the crowd that he sees the difficult effect of the 146 days on the hostage families, “on their sleep, their eating, their ability to be happy, to live,” he says. “The way to fix their health is to bring the hostages home now.”

“We will take care of the hostages and their families forever, that’s the little we can do,” says Levine.

He calls for everyone to join the march on Friday, to see how unity and solidarity helps in “our beautiful nation.”

His words are echoed by Lior Simcha, the newly elected secretary general of the kibbutz movement. “There can be no rehabilitation without bringing the hostages home,” said Simcha. “We will be by the sides of the hostages and the families in this struggle.”

5:25 pm

2 critically wounded in suspected terror attack near West Bank settlement of Eli

Two people are critically wounded in a suspected terror shooting attack near the West Bank settlement of Eli, medics say.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says both victims are unconscious.

At least one gunman was shot at the scene by security forces, according to footage and first responders.

The attack takes place at a gas station near Eli, the location of a deadly terror assault last summer, in which four Israelis were killed.

5:13 pm

Judicial Selection Committee appoints 10 new judges to magistrate’s courts

The Judicial Selection Committee appoints 10 new judges to magistrate’s courts in two districts, the second time the panel has filled judicial vacancies in the past few weeks.

All appointments were made unanimously by the nine-member panel, a joint statement issued by Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Acting Supreme Court President Uzi Vogelman says.

Three new judges are appointed to magistrate’s courts in Israel’s northern district, along with a senior registrar, and seven judges appointed to magistrate’s courts along with three senior registrars in the Haifa district.

An effort to reach a consensus on appointments to the Jerusalem District Court were “unsuccessful,” a spokesperson for Levin says, but adds that the committee will revisit those vacancies at the next meeting on March 5.

The committee will also deliberate on more appointments to district and magistrate’s courts in the northern, Haifa, and Jerusalem districts at that meeting.

4:56 pm

White House says Gaza crush a ‘serious incident,’ mourns loss of innocent life, dire situation

Following the deadly crowd crush in north Gaza earlier today, the White House laments the “serious incident” and says the US mourns “the loss of innocent life and recognize the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where innocent Palestinians are just trying to feed their families.”

The incident, says a spokesperson for the US National Security Council in a statement, “underscores the importance of expanding and sustaining the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, including through a potential temporary ceasefire. We continue to work day and night to achieve that outcome.”

4:36 pm

Aid groups appeal to EU to release urgent funds for UNRWA

By AP and ToI Staff

Humanitarian aid groups appeal to the European Union to release tens of millions of euros in funding due to the main UN agency that delivers most aid to people in the Gaza Strip as the organization teeters on the brink of financial collapse.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, was due to disburse 82 million euros ($89 million) to the UNRWA aid agency on February 29.

UNRWA said that it still hadn’t received the payment as of this morning.

“This is a moment of reckoning for the EU as a humanitarian leader and a critical donor for this crisis,” says Niamh Nic Carthaigh, from Plan International’s EU Liaison Office.

“Any further cuts to UNRWA funding would be an effective death sentence for civilians trapped in Gaza and the region who rely on the agency for their survival,” she says in a joint statement from 17 aid groups, including the International Rescue Committee, Save the Children and Oxfam.

UNRWA is reeling from allegations that 12 of its 13,000 Gaza staff members participated in the October 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel when thousands of Palestinian terrorists went on a killing spree, slaughtering 1,200 people and taking 253 hostage.

The agency immediately fired the employees, but more than a dozen countries suspended funding worth about $450 million, almost half its budget for 2024.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has described the payment due from the EU as “absolutely critical.”

The agency has been the main supplier of food, water and shelter during the war in Gaza. Lazzarini has warned that it may be forced to suspend its work soon.

Two UN investigations into Israel’s allegations against the agency are underway, but the European Commission -– the third biggest donor to UNRWA after the United States and Germany -– has demanded a separate audit and wants to appoint experts to carry it out.

A preliminary report is due to be published in the next several weeks.

Israel, which provided the evidence of UNRWA members participating in the attack, has said the mandate for the probes is too vague and won’t prevent terrorists from taking advantage of the organization in the future.

Israel has said Hamas used UNRWA facilities for its own purposes and built parts of its massive underground network of tunnels and military facilities underneath the UN organization’s sites. It recently took multiple media outlets to tour one such operations center under UNRWA’s headquarters in Gaza City.

Asked today how the audit is evolving and when funds might be released, European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said that “work is ongoing.”

“The plight of the Palestinian people is of utmost concern to us. At the same time, we have set out a number of points that need to be agreed with UNRWA before we make our decision on the next payment, which is indeed foreseen for the end of the month,” Mamer says.

4:21 pm

Palestinian Authority receives $114 million from Israel, Norway says

By Reuters and Jacob Magid

The Palestinian Authority has received 407 million shekels ($114 million) from Israel, with more funds on the way in the coming days, following an agreement earlier this month to release frozen tax funds, the Norwegian government says.

Norway on Feb. 18 said it had agreed to assist in the transfer of tax funds earmarked for the Palestinian Authority (PA) that were collected by Israel.

“This money is absolutely necessary to prevent the collapse of the Palestinian Authority, to ensure that the Palestinians receive vital services, and that teachers and health workers are paid,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere says.

Under interim peace accords reached in the 1990s, Israel’s Finance Ministry collects tax revenues on behalf of the PA and makes monthly transfers to Ramallah, but a dispute broke out over the payments in the wake of Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught.

The Israeli cabinet refused to transfer the portion of the funds that Ramallah uses to pay for services and employees in Gaza, arguing that the money could reach Hamas, the terror group that runs the Strip. The roughly $75 million in revenues amounts to about a quarter of the entire monthly transfer.

4:11 pm

After deadly Gaza crowd crush, Ben Gvir says Israeli provision of aid endangers soldiers, must stop

By Sam Sokol

The provision of humanitarian aid to Palestinians endangers Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir declares, after dozens of Palestinians were reported killed swarming aid trucks in Gaza City.

“Today it was proven that the transfer of humanitarian aid to Gaza is not only madness while our hostages are held in the Strip… but also endangers IDF soldiers,” Ben Gvir declares, calling the incident “another clear reason why we must stop transferring this aid.”

According to Hamas, dozens of Palestinians died in the crush, during which a small group of Palestinians began to move toward IDF troops stationed in the area.

The soldiers fired warning shots in the air and shot at the legs of those getting closer to the forces. An IDF probe found that troops hit some 10 Palestinians in the area.

Since October, Ben Gvir has repeatedly called for Israel to halt aid shipments to the Palestinians while MK Limor Son Har Melech, a member of his far-right Otzma Yehudit party, has joined protesters attempting to block the aid at the Kerem Shalom crossing.

3:59 pm

Prince William visits London synagogue amid rising UK antisemitism

By Reuters and ToI Staff

Britain's Prince William, the Prince of Wales, right, speaks with Renee Salt, 94, a Holocaust survivor, during a visit to the Western Marble Arch Synagogue in London, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (Toby Melville/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain’s Prince William visited a London synagogue today to hear about a sharp upsurge in antisemitism since Hamas’s October 7 massacre in Israel, as he returned to public duties two days after mysteriously pulling out of a high-profile royal event over what was described as a “personal matter.”

A week after the heir to the throne called for an end to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza in a rare political foray, William met young ambassadors from the Holocaust Educational Trust who are seeking to tackle hatred amid soaring antisemitism in Britain.

Yesterday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced 54 million pounds ($68 million) of new funding to protect Jewish communities after figures showed antisemitic incidents had hit a record high in Britain last year.

During his visit to the Western Marble Arch Synagogue, the prince, who wore a kippah, listened to Jewish students as they recounted how there had been what one described as an “explosion” in antisemitism, including death threats and assaults.

Britain’s Prince William meets with young people affected by antisemitism, together with Holocaust Educational Trust ambassadors, as he visits the Western Marble Arch Synagogue, in London, Britain, Feb. 29, 2024. (Toby Melville/Pool photo via AP)

He also met with 94-year-old Holocaust survivor Renee Salt to hear of her experiences.

Last week’s unusually direct intervention by William that “too many have been killed” in the Gaza conflict and that Hamas must release hostages generated international headlines as royals by convention avoid contentious political matters.

But after becoming the first senior British royal to make an official visit to Israel and Palestinian territory in 2018, he has followed the region closely, his office said.

3:10 pm

Defense Ministry demolishes illegal West Bank outposts of Sde Yonatan, Or Meir

The Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration agency and Border Police officers demolish the illegal West Bank outpost Or Meir, February 29, 2024. (Courtesy)

The illegal West Bank outposts of Sde Yonatan and Or Meir are evacuated and demolished by personnel from the Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration agency and Border Police officers, with several dozen officials dismantling rudimentary homes and sheep pens.

Sde Yonatan, close to the settlement of Michmash, northeast of Jerusalem, was built on private Palestinian land, the Civil Administration says, and has been established and demolished several times in the last two years.

It was most recently demolished on December 26 last year.

Or Meir, situated close to the Ofra settlement not far from Michmash, was also established on private Palestinian land. It too was recently demolished, with Civil Administration forces last removing the outpost on December 25.

The two outposts were inhabited by young settler activists who raised sheep on the surrounding land and were preparing the sites for greater numbers of settlers to take up residence, according to settler activists.

3:08 pm

Israeli gunfire caused 10 of hundreds of reported casualties in northern Gaza crowd crush – IDF probe

Israeli gunfire caused some 10 casualties out of the hundreds of people allegedly hurt and killed during this morning’s crowd crush in the northern Gaza Strip, according to an initial IDF probe.

Following a stampede as Palestinians tried to rush aid trucks, which reportedly caused dozens of casualties, a small group of Palestinians began to move toward IDF troops stationed in the area.

The soldiers fired warning shots in the air and shot at the legs of those getting closer to the forces.

The probe finds that troops hit some 10 Palestinians in the area.

Hamas claimed 104 dead and 760 wounded, blaming Israeli fire.

2:58 pm

Israel appropriates 650 acres of West Bank land, declaring it state land

Israel appropriates some 2,640 dunams or 650 acres of land in the West Bank east of Jerusalem, declaring it state land, meaning it can now be used for development.

The land had previously been determined to be “survey land” where the Civil Administration of the Defense Ministry evaluates whether or not the land is under cultivation or used for pasture and if not, it can be declared state land.

The land in question was previously within the municipal boundaries of the Palestinian towns of Abu Dis and Al-Azariya although it was not registered as private land.

Anyone who seeks to claim ownership of the land now has 45 days to do so in an IDF military court.

Appropriation of the land does not automatically mean that it will be used for settlement construction, although it does make such development a possibility.

The Peace Now organization, which campaigns against the settlements, says that declaring these plots to be state land may be part of plans to advance the highly controversial E1 plan for greatly expanding the Maale Adumim settlement.

2:44 pm

IDF probe: Majority of casualties in northern Gaza crowd crush are result of trampling, being run over

Aerial footage showing crowds rushing aid trucks in northern Gaza, released on February 29, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

According to an initial IDF probe of the crowd crush in northern Gaza this morning, the vast majority of the casualties were a result of trampling and being struck by the aid trucks.

The incident began at around 4 a.m., when some 30 trucks carrying humanitarian aid arrived at the coast of Gaza City, to deliver food to Palestinians in the Rimal neighborhood.

Thousands of Palestinians rushed the trucks after they passed an IDF checkpoint in central Gaza, leading to a stampede in which dozens of Palestinians were wounded and killed, some after being run over by the trucks, according to the probe.

The IDF’s initial investigation finds that some of the trucks managed to continue further north, where armed men reportedly opened fire at the convoy near Rimal and looted it.

Dozens of Palestinians who rushed the last truck in the convoy began to move toward an IDF tank and troops stationed at the military’s checkpoint, the investigation finds.

An officer stationed in the area ordered to fire warning shots in the air as the Palestinians were within a few dozen meters, as well as gunfire at the legs of those who continued to move toward the troops, the probe says.

The IDF has coordinated several aid deliveries to northern Gaza in recent weeks, although this one was larger than usual, and it will now look to finding a solution to prevent such incidents from happening again.

2:20 pm

IDF releases footage of crowds rushing aid trucks in Gaza City; Hamas claims 104 killed

The IDF releases aerial footage showing the crowds of Palestinians rushing humanitarian aid trucks in the northern Gaza Strip this morning, during which dozens of Palestinians were reportedly killed.

Hamas health officials reported 104 killed in the incident, blaming Israeli fire.

The IDF says Palestinians were hurt by “pushing and trampling.” It says that troops also opened fire at a crowd moving toward forces in the area in a manner that had “endangered” them.

2:09 pm

IDF withdraws Paratroopers Brigade from Gaza after 3 months of fighting

Soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade operate in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, in a handout image released January 25, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

After three months of fighting in Khan Younis, the IDF has withdrawn the Paratroopers Brigade from the Gaza Strip, replacing it with other forces in the area.

“Paratroopers Brigade, be proud of the many achievements you have achieved,” says the commander of the 98th Division, Brig. Gen. Dan Goldfus during a ceremony this morning.

“We have not yet finished the war and our duties, we continue to dismantle Hamas, destroy its systems above and below ground, strike it and defeat it,” he adds.

The Bislamach Brigade — the IDF’s School for Infantry Corps Professions and Squad Commanders — will replace the Paratroopers Brigade in Khan Younis.

The IDF will decide in the coming days where the Paratroopers Brigade will be sent next.

חטיבת הצנחנים יצאה היום מהרצועה אחרי 3 חודשים בחאן יונס pic.twitter.com/jGFbRY1vXH

— רועי שרון Roy Sharon (@roysharon11) February 29, 2024

2:07 pm

ADL poll finds 24% of Americans hold antisemitic beliefs, up from 20% in 2022

Jonathan Greenblatt, head of the Anti-Defamation League, speaks at the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, August 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Twenty-seven percent of Americans would find it at least somewhat acceptable for a close family member to support Hamas, a new poll by the Anti-Defamation League Center for Antisemitism Research finds.

The poll, published today, was conducted with a representative sample of more than 4,000 US adults, who were asked the extent to which they agreed with 11 statements about anti-Jewish tropes used to measure antisemitic attitudes since 1964, as well as statements about Israel, the ADL says.

In total, the results of the research indicate that 24% of Americans hold antisemitic beliefs today, up from 20% in 2022.

“After decades of antisemitism mostly keeping to the fringes of society, it is shocking to see the number of Americans who openly hold antisemitic beliefs increase so significantly in recent years,” says ADL CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt.

“The sharp reversal, from older generations to younger generations being more likely to hold antisemitic beliefs, is a terrifying concern for our future. The need for better solutions is more urgent than ever – before this dangerous momentum keeps growing.”

1:18 pm

Hamas says 70 killed waiting for aid, blames Israel; IDF denies this; source says troops in danger fired in subsequent incident

Palestinians wait for humanitarian aid on a beachfront in Gaza City, February 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Essa)

This morning, Hamas health officials claimed more than 70 Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza City were killed by Israeli forces.

The IDF says that as humanitarian aid was being delivered to the northern Gaza Strip, a “violent gathering” erupted surrounding the trucks, during which Palestinians looted the supplies.

“During the incident, dozens of Gazans were injured as a result of pushing and trampling,” the IDF says, adding that the incident is under review.

A military source says that following the incident, some of the crowd began to move toward Israeli forces in the area — who were tasked with coordinating the entry of the aid trucks to northern Gaza — in a way that “endangered” the troops.

The source says troops opened fire, and that the second incident is also being investigated.

* This item was updated after more details of the incident emerged.

1:17 pm

Far-left MK Ofer Cassif indicted for aggravated assault of a police officer in 2022

Then-Joint List Knesset member Ofer Cassif appears to hit a police officer in the West Bank on May 13, 2022. (Screenshot)

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara indicts MK Ofer Cassif for aggravated assault against a police officer after rejecting arguments he made against an indictment during a formal hearing.

The attorney general filed the indictment against Cassif, a member of the far-left Arab-majority Hadash party, in January pending the in-person hearing. The MK is charged with aggravated assault against a police officer resulting from an altercation in the West Bank, in May 2022.

Cassif was trying to get to a demonstration against the evacuation of Palestinians from their homes in Masafer Yatta in the West Bank’s South Hebron Hills by car, but was blocked from doing so by the police, resulting in a scuffle in which Cassif allegedly slapped a police officer.

Cassif has described the indictment as “political persecution” and has said he will fight the charges in court.

1:16 pm

Netanyahu to hold press conference in Tel Aviv at 7:30 p.m.

By Lazar Berman

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a press conference at the Kirya in Tel Aviv this evening at 7:30 p.m. Israel time.

This is his first press conference in 12 days.

12:48 pm

Gaza aid airdropped by Jordan accidentally landed in Israeli territory – IDF

A handout picture provided by the Jordanian army on February 26, 2024, shows a Jordanian military aircraft dropping humanitarian aid over the southern Gaza Strip. (Jordanian army/AFP)

The IDF says airdropped humanitarian aid to northern Gaza accidentally landed in Israeli territory.

The aid was airdropped by the Jordanian military.

“Due to the winds, some of the aid packages landed in Israeli territory,” the IDF says, adding that there is no fear of a security incident.

12:33 pm

IDF: Sirens near Haifa caused by interceptor missile fired at ‘suspicious aerial target’

Sirens sounded near Haifa due to an interceptor missile being fired at a “suspicious aerial target,” and not a rocket attack from Lebanon.

The IDF says the target appears to have been successfully downed.

There are no reports of damage or injuries.

12:30 pm

Putin: Western threats against Russia have created ‘real risk’ of nuclear war

By AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his State of Nation address in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, February 29, 2024. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

President Vladimir Putin warns Western countries that Russia has weapons that could strike within their territory and that their threats created a “real” risk of nuclear war.

“They should eventually realize that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory,” he says at his annual State of Nation address.

“Everything that the West comes up with creates the real threat of a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons, and thus the destruction of civilization.”

12:18 pm

Rocket sirens sound in communities near Haifa, IDF investigating cause

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the northern communities of Kfar Hasidim and Ibtin, on the outskirts of Haifa.

The IDF is looking into the cause of the alarms.

Most rocket attacks from Lebanon in recent months have been limited to towns closer to the border.

Residents of the Haifa area report seeing an interception and hearing a blast. Photos circulating on social media show a trail of smoke from an interceptor missile.

Interception reported over the Haifa area. pic.twitter.com/HDK8gdKhcc

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) February 29, 2024

12:17 pm

Syrian media reports one killed in alleged drone strike in village close to Lebanon border

Syria’s pro-government Sham FM radio reports that one person was killed in an alleged drone strike in a village close to the border with Lebanon.

The strike reportedly took place in al-Nahariya, on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Qusayr.

Sham FM says the person killed was a “civilian.”

The IDF allegedly struck a truck in the area on Sunday, killing two members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group.

12:16 pm

IDF: Troops uncovered Hamas explosives and rocket manufacturing plant in Gaza City

A weapons production plant in Gaza City's Zeitoun neighborhood, in a handout image published February 29, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says troops of the Nahal Brigade uncovered a Hamas explosives and rocket manufacturing plant in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood.

At the weapons production site, the IDF says troops located and destroyed tunnel shafts, a weapons depot, firearms, and other military equipment belonging to Hamas.

11:57 am

IDF says it struck Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon, Syria reports vehicle hit in alleged drone strike

The IDF says fighter jets carried out strikes on Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon, including rocket launchers.

The targets in Jabal Blat included a complex where members of the terror group were gathered and several rocket launchers, the IDF says.

The IDF also says it shelled rocket launch sites following attacks this morning on the northern Israeli communities of Adamit and Shlomi.

There were no injuries in the rocket attacks.

Meanwhile, Syria’s pro-government Sham FM radio reports an alleged drone strike on a vehicle in the village of al-Nahariya, on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Qusayr, near the Lebanon border.

No further details are immediately available on the reported strike.

11:53 am

Visiting Beirut, Austria’s foreign minister urges de-escalation between Israel and Hezbollah

By AP

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, left, speaks to journalists during a joint press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bouhabib in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, February 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Austria’s foreign minister urges Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon against escalating the conflict along the volatile Israel-Lebanon border and expresses hope for a pause in the fighting in between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in time for the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in March.

The Middle East has witnessed enough devastation and cruelty, says Alexander Schallenberg, speaking after meeting his Lebanese counterpart in Beirut.

“Everybody is asked not to escalate and it always takes two sides,” he says.

Schallenberg says he came to Lebanon after visiting Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the West Bank.

11:29 am

Rocket fired from Gaza lands in open field in southern Israel, IDF says

One rocket launched from the Gaza Strip struck an open field in southern Israel a short while ago, the IDF says.

The launch set off sirens in the border communities of Sa’ad and Kfar Aza.

Earlier, one rocket was fired from Lebanon, setting off sirens in the northern kibbutz Adamit. According to the IDF, that projectile also hit an open area.

11:19 am

IDF looking into reports of dozens killed in strike while waiting for aid in Gaza City

By Agencies and ToI Staff

Palestinians wait for humanitarian aid on a beachfront in Gaza City, February 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Essa)

The IDF says it is looking into reports of an apparent Israeli strike on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza City.

According to officials in Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, dozens of people were killed or wounded in the incident.

Dr. Jadallah Shafai, the head of the nursing department at Shifa Hospital, says that around 50 people were killed and 250 wounded, but did not provide a precise toll, and the figures cannot be independently verified.

11:14 am

After a night in Kiryat Gat, hostage families set out on second leg of march to Jerusalem

An aerial view shows relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attacks by Hamas terrorist, marching as they start a four-day march to Jerusalem calling for their release, in Reim in southern Israel, on February 28, 2024. Hebrew banner on leading vehicle reads 'Release them from Hell.' (Jack GUEZ / AFP)

The families of hostages held in the Gaza Strip have set off on the second leg of their four-day march from Kibbutz Re’im to Jerusalem.

The marchers set out yesterday from the site of the Supernova festival massacre and, after stopping for a ceremony at the Sderot police station, spent the night in Kiryat Gat.

Today, the procession will proceed to Beit Gvurin before continuing to Beit Shemesh, where they will hold a ceremony before settling in for the night.

At the outset of the second day of marching, Rubi Chen, the father of abducted soldier Itai Chen, briefly addresses the crowd about the importance of unity in the face of the tragedy of October 7.

“We know that the soldiers are the consensus of the State of Israel. Among the soldiers and the hostages, there are Jews, there are Bedouins, there are Haredim, religious and secular Jews, there people from the north and from the south,” he says.

10:39 am

Despite heavy war losses, Sinwar brags to Hamas officials in Qatar that he ‘has the Israelis right where we want them’ – WSJ

Yahya Sinwar (C), Hamas's Gaza Strip chief, waves to supporters in Gaza City, on April 14, 2023. (MOHAMMED ABED / AFP)

Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar believes that Hamas is winning the war it started against Israel on October 7, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Despite the successes enjoyed by Israeli troops in the Palestinian enclave where it says it has killed some 12,000 Hamas operatives since the start of the war, the WSJ reports that Sinwar recently informed the senior Hamas officials in Qatar that his ruling terror group “has the Israelis right where we want them.”

According to the report, Sinwar also told the Hamas officials that the terror group is prepared for Israel’s expected operation in Rafah, the Gaza Strip’s southernmost city, and is relying on the high civilian death toll reported by the Hamas-run health ministry to cause enough global outcry that Israel is forced to withdraw.

10:27 am

El Al posts higher-than-expected Q4 profits after competitors canceled flights due to Gaza war

By Reuters

El Al Airlines' Boeing 737s are pictured on the tarmac at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, March 10, 2020. (Jack Guez/AFP)

El Al Israel Airlines ELAL.TA posts higher fourth-quarter profit, boosted by the Gaza war which saw the flag carrier mobilize to bring back military reservists while rivals canceled flights to Tel Aviv.

El AL earned $39.7 million in the October to December period versus $8.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2022, it says. Revenue rose to $678.8 million from $570.7 million.

9:57 am

Gallant, US defense chief discuss need to establish new aid routes for northern Gaza

In his call with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant overnight, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stressed the urgent need for more humanitarian assistance to reach Gazan civilians, his office says in a readout of the conversation.

In particular, the two discussed the need to facilitate new routes for aid to reach northern Gaza, his office says.

9:40 am

Defense Minister Gallant briefs US counterpart on developments in Gaza and northern Israel

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke to his US counterpart, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, overnight, his office says.

During the call, Gallant briefed Austin on the IDF’s recent achievements in the war against Hamas, including “the destruction of dozens of kilometers of Hamas terror tunnels in Gaza,” his office says, and reiterated Israel’s determination to continue operating in the Palestinian enclave until all the goals of the war are met.

The two also discussed developments along the Lebanese border, where Hezbollah operatives have been launching drones, missiles and rockets at northern Israel daily.

Gallant stressed to Austin that Israel will not “tolerate threats against its citizens and violations of its sovereignty, and will take the measures required to ensure their security,” his office says.

9:33 am

Two men arrested for planning terror attack with help of Hamas operative in Gaza

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of planning to carry out a terror attack inside Israel with the assistance of a Hamas operative in Gaza, the Shin Bet and Israel Police say in a statement at the end of a joint investigation.

The two suspects, a 17-year-old from Jerusalem and his 29-year-old cousin from Nablus, first made contact with the Gaza terror operative last year, prior to the October 7 terror assault and war in Gaza, and asked for assistance in creating an explosive device.

According to the investigation, the younger of the two suspects was the first to reach out to the Hamas operative, speaking to him via the Telegram messaging app. The police also discovered that he had searched the internet for information on making an explosive device.

After initially making contact with the Hamas operative, the 17-year-old revealed his plan to his cousin, who agreed to help him plan the attack and became the main point of contact for the Hamas operative helping the pair.

After the outbreak of war in Gaza, the Hamas operative cut off contact with the two men, the statement adds.

An indictment is expected to be filed against the pair later today.

9:21 am

In Gaza City, IDF troops battle Hamas operatives, find tunnel shafts and rocket launchers