March 2: IDF targets Hezbollah in Lebanon; heavy airstrikes reported in central, south Gaza

Police to probe video of car driving on Ayalon with protester on hood

A video clip circulating online shows a car driving down the Ayalon Highway this evening with a protester on the hood of the car.

The protester is holding an Israeli flag and appears to be arguing with the driver.

The circumstances behind the incident are not clear. Police say they have opened an investigation.

תיעוד חריג: רכב נוסע בפראות באיילון – עם מפגין על מכסה המנועhttps://t.co/u8t138HJHk pic.twitter.com/PVBmc2xX9a

— ynet עדכוני (@ynetalerts) March 2, 2024

Houthi leader says UK could recover sunken ship if it lets aid trucks into Gaza

A handout picture provided by the Yemeni Al-Joumhouriya TV on February 26, 2024, shows the Rubymar cargo ship sinking off the coast of Yemen. (Al-Joumhouriya TV/AFP)

A senior Houthi leader says he holds British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his government responsible for the sinking of the UK-owned Rubymar.

Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head of Yemen’s Houthi supreme revolutionary committee, also says on X: “Sunak has a chance to recover the Rubymar by allowing aid trucks into Gaza.”

Yemen’s internationally recognized government said earlier today that the Rubymar, which was attacked by Houthi terrorists last month, had sunk in the Red Sea and warned of an “environmental catastrophe” from the ship’s cargo of fertilizer.

It is not immediately clear why the Houthis believe the UK is responsible for the holdup of aid trucks entering the Strip.

Report: IDF carrying out heavy airstrikes in central and southern Gaza

Smoke billows in the sky following Israeli air strikes on Gaza Strip on March 2, 2024. (MOHAMMED ABED / AFP)

A large wave of Israeli airstrikes is being carried out in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah and in Khan Younis in the Strip’s south, according to Palestinian media.

The IDF has not yet issued a comment on the strikes.

#شاهد

جانب من القصف الجنوني الذي نفذه طيران الاحتلال على مناطق في خانيونس ودير البلح، قبل قليل. pic.twitter.com/VRGEBzxvFG

— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) March 2, 2024

Italy says its naval ship shot down a drone in the Red Sea in self-defense

An Italian navy ship shot down a drone flying towards it in the Red Sea today, the defense ministry says.

A ministry statement describes the action as self-defense by the Duilio, which is helping protect trade routes from drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militia.

“The drone, with similar characteristics to those already used in previous attacks, was about 6 km (3.73 miles) from the Italian ship, flying towards it,” the statement says.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto says the Houthi attacks, which are intended to show solidarity with Hamas, are part of a strategy of hybrid warfare against some countries.

“The Houthi terrorist attacks are a serious violation of international law and an attack on the security of the maritime traffic on which our economy depends,” he says.

IDF say Palestinian arrested on suspicion of terror stabbing attack earlier today

The IDF says troops detained a Palestinian suspected of stabbing an Israeli man in the southern West Bank city of ad-Dhahiriya earlier today.

The man, who entered the city in Area A of the West Bank against Israeli law, in order to visit a doctor, was moderately hurt.

The IDF says the motive of the stabbing is terror and that troops detained the alleged assailant shortly after the attack.

Small group of pro-government activists heckle opposing protest in Tel Aviv

A small right-wing protest is taking place on the north side of Begin Road in Tel Aviv while a few dozen anti-government protesters remain on the south side of the street. Police are standing on the boulevard serving as a buffer between the groups.

The protesters, who support the government, chant “leftists are traitors” and “you’re all stupid” at the other side.

The protests appear to for the most part have dispersed for the evening.

IDF says it struck three buildings used by Hezbollah in south Lebanon

Smoke billows from the site of Israeli airstrikes on the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila near the border with Israel on March 2, 2024. (Rabih DAHER / AFP)

The IDF says it carried out airstrikes on two buildings used by Hezbollah in the southern Lebanon village of Labbouneh.

Earlier, the IDF says it struck another building belonging to the terror group in Ramyeh.

The strikes come in response to recent attacks by Hezbollah on northern Israel.

מטוסי קרב תקפו לפני זמן קצר שני מבנים צבאיים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב לבונה שבדרום לבנון

מוקדם יותר היום, הותקף מבנה צבאי נוסף של הארגון במרחב רמיה pic.twitter.com/iOZgrEdTmG

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 2, 2024

Police begin forcibly clearing protesters from Begin thoroughfare in Tel Aviv

Anti-government protesters gather in Tel Aviv on March 2, 2024. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

Police officers are moving to forcibly clear anti-government protesters from the Begin thoroughfare in Tel Aviv.

Most of the protesters are on the sidewalk, but a small group have sat down in the middle of the street and are being removed by police. The protesters are demanding a national election be called now.

Mothers of hostages lead speeches at protest in downtown Jerusalem

Activists take part in a rally calling for the return of the hostages in downtown Jerusalem, March 2, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Thousands of demonstrators are gathered in Jerusalem’s Paris Square, outside Netanyahu’s official residence, to call for a hostage deal.

The protest, which takes place on a weekly basis, is significantly larger tonight due to thousands of marchers who arrived in the city a few hours ago.

The mothers of hostages Avinatan Or and Romi Gonen, whom Hamas kidnapped from the Supernova music festival, are giving joint speeches onstage.

The two mothers come from starkly different backgrounds but say that despite their religious and political differences, they are united in their desire to bring their children back home.

“Everyone here is the most precise, unique creation of God… and God can take a look at us, every one of us is his mirror which together create an amazing harmony,” says Ditza Or, alluding to Chabad philosophy in her speech on unity.

“Ditza and I may not agree on strategy, what’s more right to do, but we always agree on the strength we have united, on the fact that every one of us is a dot of light,” says Meirav Gonen.

Organizers are now leading protesters in counting to 148, the number of days that have passed with Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity.

IDF says it struck group of Islamic Jihad operatives in Rafah earlier today

A tent camp housing Palestinians displaced by the Israeli offensive is seen in Rafah, Gaza Strip, February 27, 2024. (Hatem Ali/AP)

The IDF says it carried out a strike against a group of Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives who were gathered at a Hamas site in southern Gaza’s Rafah earlier today.

“The attack was carried out in a targeted manner against the PIJ terrorists,” the IDF says, adding that no damage was caused to a hospital close to the targeted site.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says 11 people were killed and dozens wounded in the strike. The ministry claims that a paramedic was among those killed.

Yemen’s Houthis blame UK and US action for ‘glitch’ in Red Sea undersea cables

A crew member does maintenance work on the deck of the USS aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower, in the south Red Sea, February 13, 2024. (Bernat Armangue/AP)

The Houthi Transport Ministry in Yemen blames hostile actions conducted by US and British naval vessels against Yemen for a “glitch” in undersea cables in the Red Sea.

The actions “endangered the security and safety of the international communications and the flow of information,” the ministry says in a statement, reported by the Houthi-run Saba news agency, without giving details.

“Any glitch in these cables as a result of the militarization of the Red Sea by US and British naval vessels represents a serious threat to the information security and economic and social stability for all countries of the world,” the statement reads.

The Houthis have been firing exploding drones and missiles at commercial vessels in the Red Sea since Nov. 19, calling their actions a protest against Israel’s war on Hamas.

Bereaved family members briefly block main Tel Aviv thoroughfare

The parents of the slain Tamar Kedem Siman Tov block a bus on the Begin thoroughfare in Tel Aviv during a protest on March 2, 2024. (Iddo Schejter/Times of Israel)

Bereaved family members of Tamar Kedem Siman Tov, who was murdered along with her husband and three children in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, briefly block the Begin thoroughfare in Tel Aviv during an anti-government protest.

The family and other protesters chant slogans to free the hostages.

The road is only briefly blocked as police soon move to reopen it, allowing traffic through while some protesters remain on the road.

IDF spokesman says claim troops intentionally harmed civilians in Gaza aid chaos is ‘baseless’

This image grab from a handout video released by the Israeli army on February 29, 2024, shows Gazans surrounding aid trucks in Gaza City. (IDF via AFP)

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says Israel will present its findings from Thursday’s deadly incident in the Gaza Strip, during which more than 100 Palestinians were reported killed and hundreds more wounded while swarming aid trucks in Gaza City.

Hamas accused Israeli troops of shooting at the crowd of thousands, while the IDF says many of the casualties were trampled in a chaotic crush for the food aid, and that its troops only fired at a few individuals who rushed toward them in a threatening manner.

“We are investigating this incident, we have all the footage we need to complete an exhaustive investigation and find out the truth of the facts of this incident, and we will present the findings,” Hagari says in an evening press conference.

“This was a humanitarian operation we conducted, and the claim that we intentionally struck the convoy and intentionally harmed people is baseless,” he adds.

At least seven arrested as protesters attempt to block roads in Tel Aviv

Protesters gather next to police barricades near the Kirya in Tel Aviv on March 2, 2024. (Iddo Schejter/Times of Israel)

Seven people have been arrested at an anti-government protest in Tel Aviv for trying to block roads, according to the police.

Protesters have succeeded in shutting down the Begin thoroughfare heading south, and appear to be heading to the Ayalon Highway in an attempt to shut that down as well.

An anti-government demonstrator is detained during a protest in Tel Aviv, on March 2, 2024. (JACK GUEZ / AFP)

There are no mounted police on patrol this week after protesters were knocked down last week.

Police instead have brought about a dozen 4×4 vehicles that are parked together at the center of Democracy Square, and are also patrolling on Segways.

Three IDF soldiers killed, 6 seriously hurt during fighting in southern Gaza on Friday

L-R: Sgt. Dolev Malka, Sgt. Afik Tery and Sgt. Inon Yitzhak, killed in the southern Gaza Strip on March 1, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF announces the deaths of three soldiers killed during fighting in the southern Gaza Strip on Friday, raising the toll of slain troops in the ground offensive against Hamas to 245.

They are named as:

Sgt. Dolev Malka, 19, of the Bislamach Brigade’s 450th Battalion, from Shlomi

Sgt. Afik Tery, 19, of the Bislamach Brigade’s 450th Battalion, from Rehovot

Sgt. Inon Yitzhak, 19, Bislamach Brigade’s 450th Battalion, from Mitzpe Ramon

Malka, Tery and Yitzhak were killed and 14 other troops were wounded, six of them seriously, as a result of a blast in a booby-trapped building in the Khan Younis area.

The troops had raided a two-story structure, which was booby-trapped with explosive devices both inside and outside the building, according to an initial IDF probe.

The force that entered the building were hit by two explosive devices, leading to two soldiers being trapped inside. The Air Force’s search and rescue Unit 669 was then dispatched to the scene.

According to the IDF’s probe, several Hamas operatives were killed by troops in the area during the incident.

The 98th Division is investigating the way the troops scanned the building, the way in which the explosives were planted and other circumstances surrounding the deadly incident.

The Bislamach Brigade — the IDF’s School for Infantry Corps Professions and Squad Commanders in wartime — entered Gaza on Thursday to replace the Paratroopers Brigade, which had been withdrawn after three straight months of fighting in Khan Younis.

The three slain soldiers, formerly of the Kfir Brigade’s Nahshon Battalion, were in a squad commander’s course.

IDF says four long-range rockets fired from Gaza toward Beersheba; no injuries reported

Rockets are fired toward Israel from the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, December 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

At least four long-range rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at the Hatzerim area near Beersheba, according to the IDF.

The rockets all apparently struck open areas.

There are no reports of injuries.

Ex-IDF general Yair Golan says government only looking out for its ‘political survival’

Ex-IDF deputy chief Yair Golan speaks at an anti-government protest in Tel Aviv on March 2, 2024. (Iddo Schejter/ Times of Israel)

Yair Golan, former deputy IDF chief and ex-deputy economy minister, also addresses the anti-government protest outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv.

“When I arrived at the site of the Supernova festival on October 7 and saw the bodies of our friends, a new feeling arose in me,” Golan begins. “That feeling is called rage.”

“This government can’t set diplomatic goals, can’t bring the hostages home, and can’t save two areas of Israel that have been abandoned,” he continues. “The only thing they can do is look out for their political survival.”

Golan, a former Meretz lawmaker, announced this week his candidacy for leadership of the Labor Party.

Chants of “One bloc! Together we will win!” begin as Golan exits the stage.

Following the lineup of speakers, protest organizers ask the crowd to remain on the sidewalk and obey police orders. Last week’s protest devolved into clashes and arrests as well as the deployment of water cannons.

Gantz to meet with US VP Kamala Harris in DC this week

Defense Minister Benny Gantz meets with US Vice President Kamala Harris during the Munich Security Conference, on February 19, 2022. (Courtesy/Defense Ministry)

War cabinet minister Benny Gantz will meet this week in Washington with US Vice President Kamala Harris, according to his office.

Gantz, who is departing for DC tonight, is also scheduled to meet with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, as well as senior congressional leaders in both parties.

He is then slated to head to the UK for “high-level meetings” there, his office adds.

US official says airdrops of aid can’t replace trucks entering Gaza on the ground

A US Air Force cargo plane heads for an airdrop of aid over Gaza, March 2, 2024. (US Central Command photo)

US airdrops of aid to Gaza does not eliminate the need for as much humanitarian relief as possible to move by land into the Palestinian territory, a senior US official says.

“None of these — maritime corridors, airdrops — are an alternative to the fundamental need to move assistance through as many land crossings as possible. That’s the most efficient way to get aid in at scale,” the official tells reporters on condition of anonymity.

Protesters chant ‘elections now’ outside Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv

Hadas Eylon Carmi, an October 7 survivor whose brother was killed, speaks at an anti-government protest in Tel Aviv on March 2, 2024. (Iddo Schejter/Times of Israel)

The anti-government demonstration in Tel Aviv begins with a moment of silence for the victims of October 7 and the war followed by the national anthem.

Chants of “elections now” and “you’re at the head, you’re to blame” begin throughout the protest.

Hadas Eilon Carmi, a survivor of the October 7 massacre from Kfar Aza whose brother, Tal Eilon, was killed while fighting against Hamas terrorists, is the first speaker at the demonstration.

“I blame you, Bibi [Netanyahu] for destroying every value upon which we raised our children,” Eilon Carmi begins her speech. “I blame you, Bibi, for making a whole country bereaved,” she says. “In the place where you planted hate, brotherhood has sprouted.”

Sirens sound near Beersheba following rocket fire from Gaza

Trails of rockets fired towards Israel from the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, January 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Sirens are sounding in Kibbutz Hatzerim, close to the southern city of Beersheba, following apparent long-range rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.

Sirens also sound in the Gaza border community of Be’eri.

Hatzerim is adjacent to an Israeli Air Force base of the same name.

Several distant explosions are heard from Beersheba.

There are no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Report: Top Biden aide slated to arrive in Israel this week

US special envoy Amos Hochstein, center, arrives for a meeting with Lebanon's parliament speaker in Beirut on November 7, 2023. (AFP)

Amos Hochstein, a top diplomat and senior adviser in the Biden administration, is slated to arrive in Israel on Monday, according to Hebrew media reports.

Hochstein, who previously helped broker an indirect deal between Lebanon and Israel over a disputed maritime border, is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Mossad chief David Barnea and other senior officials during his visit, according to Ynet.

Senior US official says Israel has agreed to six-week ceasefire deal, waiting on Hamas

People block a street during a protest calling for a deal to release the hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, in Tel Aviv, Feb. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

The framework for a deal that would establish a six-week ceasefire in Gaza is in place, with Israel’s agreement, and depends on Hamas agreeing to release hostages, a senior US administration official says.

“The hostages have to be released,” the official tells reporters on a conference call. “The deal is basically there. But I don’t want to create expectations one way or the other.”

Police on high alert as anti-government demonstrators gather in Tel Aviv

Anti-government demonstrators gather outside the Kirya in Tel Aviv on March 2, 2024. (Iddo Schejter/ Times of Israel)

Demonstrators opposing the government are gathering outside the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

The protesters are calling for elections to be held immediately and for the release of hostages held by Hamas.

Following last week’s protest, which saw the police use a notable amount of force via water cannons and arrests, there is a noticeably larger police presence tonight.

Police have blocked off about 100 meters of Kaplan Street to prevent demonstrators from reaching and blocking the Ayalon Freeway.

Next to the exit to the Ayalon, police are ordering pedestrians through megaphones to make their way to the approved protest site outside the Kirya.

“Please make your way to the approved area,” one cop says into a megaphone. “Those who refuse to make their way, we will provide assistance.”

Netanyahu to miss cabinet meeting due to flu symptoms

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a press conference at the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv on February 29, 2024. (Nimrod Klikman/Pool via Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will miss tomorrow’s weekly cabinet meeting due to a “light flu,” his office says in a statement.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin will chair the meeting in his place, says the PMO.

Netanyahu, 74, had a pacemaker installed last year after suffering a transient heart block.

Thousands marching for hostage deal arrive in Jerusalem

Demonstrators calling for the return of the hostages in Gaza reach Jerusalem after four-day march to the city on March 2, 2024. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)

Thousands of marchers led by relatives of Hamas-held hostages are now entering Jerusalem to participate in a weekly demonstration near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official residence.

The march to Jerusalem began at Kibbutz Re’im on Wednesday and will reach its climax at the weekly Saturday night protest, in which demonstrators will demand the government reach a hostage deal.

As the rally stops for a moment at the city entrance under Chords Bridge, organizers list the names of the captives still in Gaza.

The march has shrunk from its peak of 15,000 people earlier today, however, thousands remain to see the journey to its conclusion.

The hostages and their supporters are holding a rally in Paris Square this evening, which can be watched here:

Hamas envoys expected to travel to Cairo Saturday for truce talks

A Hamas delegation is expected to fly to Cairo Saturday for talks on a truce in Gaza, a source close to the group tells AFP, as mediators scrambled to secure a deal.

Egyptian, Qatari and US go-betweens have been shuttling between Israeli and Hamas negotiators, trying to secure a pause in fighting before the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, which begins on March 10 or 11, depending on the lunar calendar.

The Hamas delegation will “meet with Egyptians overseeing the ceasefire negotiations, to follow up on the negotiation developments that aim to stop the offensive and the war, and to reach a hostage exchange deal,” says the source close to Hamas, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

The source says the delegation would submit Hamas’s “official answer” to a proposal thrashed out with Israeli negotiators in Paris late last month.

A Hamas source tells AFP earlier this week that under the proposal, a truce would last for six weeks, with Hamas releasing 42 hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

In addition to halting Israel’s offensive, Hamas wants new truce terms to ensure immediate humanitarian relief for Gazans, an Israeli withdrawal and the return of Gazans displaced from the north, the source close to the group says.

‘Unity march’ swells to 15,000 people as it approaches Jerusalem

Daniel Neutra (center), brother of kidnapped lone soldier Omer Neutra, speaking at the front of the hostage families' march to Jerusalem, on March 2, 2024. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)

The “unity march” for the return of hostages has grown to some 15,000 people as it nears its final destination of Jerusalem, according to organizers.

The hostage families leading the procession are speaking to the massive crowd through loudspeakers hooked up to a van at the rally’s fore.

Each relative is choosing a song to dedicate to their missing loved one, providing a wistful soundtrack for the thousands of demonstrators along the highway to Jerusalem.

Daniel, the brother of kidnapped American lone soldier Omer Neutra, requests Etta James’ song “At Last,” symbolizing for him the “day when everyone has returned home.”

“It feels normal to not see him for so long, with me living in New York and him living here. Each time he returned home, I received him with happiness,” says Neutra.

“You sent these soldiers, you are responsible for returning them,” says a friend of Omer’s to the Israeli government. “You have the ability, you need to come to a comprehensive agreement which will include all the hostages.”

US carries out first airdrop of aid to Gaza, carrying 35,000 meals

US humanitarian aid airdropped by parachutes into Gaza, March 2, 2024. (Screenshot/X; Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

WASHINGTON — The US military on Saturday carried out its first airdrop of humanitarian aid into Gaza, two US officials say.

The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, say the airdrop was carried out using three C-130 planes.

One of the officials says more than 35,000 meals were airdropped.

לראשונה מתחילת המלחמה: ארה"ב הצניחה סיוע הומניטרי לרצועה pic.twitter.com/ZjYi8sy4oU

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) March 2, 2024

NYT poll finds Biden would lose to Trump by 5 points if elections were held today

File: This combo image shows US President Joe Biden, left, January 5, 2024, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, right, January 19, 2024. (AP Photo)

A New York Times poll finds US President Joe Biden trailing behind Donald Trump by five points, eight months before the presidential election.

A survey of registered voters finds 43 percent would vote for the Democratic incumbent if elections were held today, while 48% would vote for the former president and Republican frontrunner — a slight jump from the last poll conducted by The Times in December.

The poll also finds negative views of the Biden presidency, with 47% disapproving of his handling of the job — the highest result of his time in office.

Two times as many voters think the Democrats’ policies have harmed them than benefited them.

Only a quarter of respondents think the US is on a good path, while a majority of voters believe the economy is in a bad state.

The poll was conducted in late February with Siena College, a private college in New York.

Lapid to hostages’ families: If we were doing enough, hostages would already be coming home

Opposition leader Yair Lapid at the 'unity march' from Re'im to Jerusalem on March 2, 2024. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)

Opposition leader Yair Lapid is currently marching alongside families of the hostages and thousands of other Israelis to Jerusalem in a “unity march” for the return of the 134 Hamas-held captives in Gaza.

“You ask us whether we are doing enough to return the hostages, and the answer is no,” he says. “If we were doing enough, then they would already be returning home.”

“I am with you here, and we are here together, because this country cannot live with the idea that they will not return. There is no other possibility. If we must march, we will march, if we must shout, we will shout… until the hostages return home,” he continues.

Hostage families kick-off last day of ‘unity march’ to Jerusalem

Hostage families kick off last day of 'unity march' from Re'im to Jerusalem on March 2, 2024. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)

Family members of those held captive by Hamas are on their final day of leading a “unity march for the return of the hostages,” which began on Wednesday in Kibbutz Re’im and will conclude in Jerusalem’s Paris Square.

Outside a mall in Mevaseret Zion, 6,000 people are gathered to hear remarks from the town mayor, Yoram Shimon, as well as former Knesset speaker and Yesh Atid MK Mickey Levy, a town resident.

“I am ashamed that we haven’t found an aim, that we still haven’t found an answer,” says Levy. “Israeli society will never forgive itself if the hostages don’t return home.”

Mickey Levy speaks to marchers from stage outside Mevaseret Zion mall on last day of hostage families’ unity march to Jerusalem on March 2, 2024. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)

Sixty-three-year-old Nir Yitzhak resident Clara Merman, who was freed from Hamas captivity, along with other freed hostages Fernando Merman, Luis Herr and Gabriella Leimberg, are on stage to give the relatives of hostages the “courage to continue.”

“We were there and the danger in captivity is imminent… The body and the mind still hurt, we will continue to march together with all the people until all [the hostages] return,” Merman says.

Man moderately hurt in West Bank stabbing; motive unclear

An Israeli man is moderately injured after being stabbed in the West Bank town of Dahariya, medics say.

The motive of the attack is unclear.

The 57-year-old was driven by another Israeli to the Meitar crossing near Hebron, where medics treated him for multiple stab wounds, the Magen David Adom ambulance service says in a statement.

He was then taken to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, where he is in a stable but moderate condition, the statement reads.

UK says vessel attacked west of Houthi-controlled port, crew evacuated

CAIRO, Egypt — The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency says it received a report of an attack 15 nautical miles west of Yemen’s port of Mokha, where the Houthis that control much of Yemen have been attacking shipping lanes.

“The crew took the vessel to anchor and were evacuated by military authorities,” UKMTO adds in an advisory note.

Commandos raid compound used by Sinwar amid battles in Khan Younis

Troops of the Commando Brigade operate in Khan Younis, in a handout image published by the IDF on March 2, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF releases new footage of the Commando Brigade operating in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.

The brigade is battling Hamas in the western part of the city, killing dozens of operatives and raiding the terror group’s sites, the IDF says.

The IDF says the Egoz commando unit raided a compound used by Hamas’s Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar, where they found an assault rifle. At another site, troops found a cache of Hamas military equipment.

Troops of the Commando Brigade’s training base have also joined the fighting in Khan Younis in recent weeks, killing dozens of operatives during raids on the terror group’s sites, the IDF adds.

Cargo ship abandoned after Houthi strike on Feb. 18 sinks in Red Sea

The Rubymar cargo ship sinking off the coast of Yemen after being hit in a Houthi missile attack, February 27, 2024. (AFP)

The Cargo ship Rubymar, which was abandoned in the southern Red Sea after being targeted by Yemen’s Houthis on February 18, has sunk, a statement by the internationally recognized Yemeni government says.

The Iran-backed Houthis, who control much of war-torn Yemen, have been harassing the vital shipping lane since November in a campaign they say is in solidarity with Palestinians, during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, sparked by the terror group’s devastating October 7 attack.

IDF confirms attack on Hezbollah-linked Iranian militia members in Lebanon

The IDF confirms striking a vehicle in southern Lebanon’s Naqoura this morning, targeting operatives belonging to the Imam Hossein Division, an Iranian militia that operates alongside Hezbollah.

According to the IDF, the operatives were involved in rocket fire on northern Israel recently.

Arab media reports, citing Lebanese sources, said three people were killed in the strike. One of the men was a weapons technician, a security source in Lebanon told Reuters.

The IDF also says fighter jets carried out strikes on Hezbollah positions in Labbouneh a short while ago, and two more buildings belonging to the terror group in Blida last night.

It publishes footage showing the strike on the vehicle and the Hezbollah compounds.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Security official says Israeli delegation will only head to Cairo when Hamas responds to hostage deal outline

A security official tells the Ynet news site that an Israeli delegation will not head to Cairo until Hamas responds to a proposed deal for a temporary truce and hostage deal.

The official denies reports that envoys were meant to fly out to Egypt for talks tomorrow.

Egyptian security sources tell Reuters that the parties agree on the duration of the Gaza truce and hostage and prisoner releases, adding that the completion of the deal still requires an agreement on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from northern Gaza and a return of its residents.

Freed hostages call on Israelis to join march to Jerusalem

Louis Har, who was rescued by security forces from captivity in Gaza last month, says he is on his way to join hostages’ families on a march to Jerusalem to urge for a deal to free the captives.

In a video together with his partner Clara Merman, Har says they are joining the march “because we share the goal so that everyone will return to us soon!”

“We hope to see everyone,” he adds.

Gabriela Leimberg, who was freed in a temporary ceasefire deal in November, and Fernando Merman, who was rescued along with Har, say they saw the march before the previous agreement while in captivity, which “gave us so much strength and hope.”

“We saw the people of Israel crying out for the return of all the hostages,” they say, according to a statement from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

“We need you to be with us. Together, all the people of Israel will bring the 134 hostages home,” they say.

The hostages’ families and friends set off on a four-day march from Kibbutz Re’im to Jerusalem on Wednesday morning, under the banner of “United to free the hostages,” and are expected to enter the capital later today.

שורדי השבי לואיס הר וקלרה מרמן מזמינים את כולנו להתאחד עם משפחות החטופים ולצעוד אתם: ״אנחנו יוצאים לדרך למבשרת, כדי להזניק את הצעדה כי אנחנו שותפים וכדי שכולם יחזרו אלינו במהרה!״.
בואו לצעוד אתם. pic.twitter.com/cp1P179N1o

— almog boker (@bokeralmog) March 2, 2024

Hamas-run health ministry says Gaza death toll at 30,320

At least 30,320 Palestinians have been killed and 71,533 have been wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says.

The terror group’s figures are unverified, don’t differentiate between civilians and combatants, and list all the fatalities as caused by Israel — even those believed to have been caused by hundreds of misfired rockets or otherwise by Palestinian fire.

Israel has said it killed some 13,000 Hamas members in Gaza fighting, in addition to some 1,000 killed in Israel in the aftermath of the terror group’s October 7 invasion and onslaught.

Hezbollah announces deaths of 5 members killed in Israeli strikes

Smoke rises after an Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, February 29, 2024. (Ayal Margolin/Flash90)

Since early this morning, the Hezbollah terror group has announced the deaths of five members killed “on the road to Jerusalem,” its term for operatives slain in Israeli strikes.

Their deaths bring the terror group’s toll since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip to 227.

The announcement comes following several IDF strikes on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon yesterday, in response to attacks on northern Israel.

The deaths are not believed to be related to an alleged Israeli drone strike this morning in Naqoura, which reportedly killed three people.

Israeli delegation heading to Cairo to discuss hostage deal — report

An Israeli delegation is expected to land in Cairo today to advance talks for a temporary truce and hostage release, Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar news outlet reports.

Citing unnamed Egyptian sources, the report from the Hezbollah-linked outlet says the delegation is carrying a list of Palestinian security prisoners Israel refuses to release as part of a potential agreement.

The report says the Israeli team will demand to see a list of the hostages that will be freed in a deal that will also include a temporary ceasefire.

IDF strikes northern Gaza after rockets fired last night; battles ongoing in Khan Younis, center of Strip

IDF soldiers operate inside the Gaza Strip in an undated photo released March 2, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says it struck an area in northern Gaza from which rockets were fired toward southern Israel last night, within minutes of the attack.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the rocket fire, which set off sirens in Zikim and Ashkelon’s southern industrial zone.

There were no injuries. Several more targets in the area, including rocket launchers and Hamas infrastructure, were also struck, the IDF says.

Meanwhile, in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, the IDF says the 7th Armored Brigade killed several Hamas operatives and captured weapons over the past day.

The brigade also directed several airstrikes, which the IDF says killed at least eight operatives.

In central Gaza, the IDF says the Nahal Brigade killed some 20 gunmen over the past day, including by calling in airstrikes, and the Ghost Unit killed several more operatives using “innovative means.”

Nearby, in Gaza City’s Rimal Neighbourhood, the IDF says the 215th Artillery Regiment directed an airstrike against a three-man Hamas cell, and infrastructure used to launch rockets at Sderot on Thursday.

3 Hezbollah members killed as car targeted in alleged Israeli airstrike in south Lebanon — reports

A car was hit in an airstrike in southern Lebanon, Lebanese media reports.

The Ynet news site, citing a Saudi report, says a “senior Hezbollah member” was among the three killed in the strike.

Lebanese reports cited by Walla say that the car was hit by a drone near Naqoura.

Hezbollah-led forces began launching daily attacks on Israeli communities and military posts along the border on October 8.

The Iran-backed terror group says it is doing so to support Gaza amid Israel’s war with Hamas, triggered by the terror group’s October 7 massacre.

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi warned this week that Hezbollah would “pay a very high price” for its continued attacks on northern Israel.

Parents of surveillance soldier killed Oct. 7: ‘All the girls said Hamas was planning something big’

Roni Eshel, an IDF soldier who was stationed at a military base near the Gaza border when Hamas attacked on October 7, 2023. She was murdered in the onslaught. (Courtesy of Eyal Eshel via AP)

The parents of Sgt. Roni Eshel, 19, an observation soldier who was killed during the Hamas onslaught on southern Israel on October 7, repeat their statement that the troops had tried to raise the alarm ahead of the attack, but were ignored.

The parents also claim the officers “ran away” and left the unarmed female soldiers alone

“All the girls told their parents that after Sukkot, Hamas is planning something big,” Sharon Eshel tells Channel 12.

“If an observer in the IDF was aware that something would happen after the holiday, that’s really explosive,” she says. The onslaught took place on the final day of the holiday.

“In the end, the ones who managed to escape the Emergency Operation Center were officers who left the girls behind. Since when do officers run away first? These are female soldiers without combat training and without weapons, and they ran away first and abandoned them. They were burned to death and it needs to be said.”

It is unclear if the officers did in fact run away, or left to try and defend the base.

Eshel, 19, had been in the army for a year and two months, working as one of the communication lookouts at an army base near Kibbutz Nahal Oz — part of the team of soldiers who watch the feeds from the cameras placed on the high-tech barrier that was breached by Hamas terrorists.

She was considered missing for more than a month, as her parents begged publicly and desperately for information, until on November 9 the IDF finally confirmed that she had been killed during the initial attack.

Her family has stated in many interviews that Roni had told the family that Hamas was studying the border.

According to reports, senior commanders refused to heed the warnings of the young female surveillance soldiers, and the soldiers believe sexism was a factor in their being ignored.

Gantz set to travel to US on trip not coordinated with Netanyahu who is said to be fuming — report

War cabinet minister Benny Gantz, head of the National Unity party, is set to travel to Washington on Sunday on a trip that was not previously coordinated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ynet reported tonight.

The upcoming trip has created tensions between Gantz and Netanyahu, whose associates were cited by Hebrew media as saying that the premier has “made it clear to Minister Gantz that the State of Israel only has one prime minister.”

They said the trip was organized without the prime minister’s approval and contrary to government regulations that require “every minister to clear travel in advance with the prime minister, including approval of the travel plan.”

Gantz is expected to travel to London from Washington, Ynet reported.

His visit comes as the Biden administration has grown increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu and his government.

Biden said earlier this week that Israel was going to lose international support if it maintains its “incredibly conservative government.”

The US says it is determined to reach a deal that would temporarily halt the fighting in Gaza and release the hostages taken by terrorists on October 7.

US military says it conducted strike against Houthi missile from Yemen

US military commanders say they conducted a strike against an Iranian-backed Houthi surface-to-air missile that was preparing to launch from Yemen.

US Central Command says on X that earlier on Friday the Houthis launched an anti-ship ballistic missile into the Red Sea from Yemen.

US officials say truce talks appear on track after Gaza aid incident — report

US officials “familiar” with ongoing talks to secure a temporary truce and a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas tell CNN that discussions appear to be on track following the deadly Gaza aid stampede incident yesterday.

The unnamed officials say there are no immediate indications the delicate talks have been derailed, even as they appear to be at an impasse amid toughened Hamas positions that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called “delusional.”

The US has been pressing hard for an agreement with US President Joe Biden saying earlier that he was “hoping” a del would by in place by Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month that begins March 10.

UN: ‘A large number of gunshot wounds’ among injured in Gaza aid debacle

A UN team visiting a Gaza hospital has reported “a large number of gunshot wounds” among dozens of Palestinians being treated for injuries sustained on Thursday during what Israel says was a crowd crush during an aid delivery in Gaza City.

UN staff, the first to visit Gaza’s north in more than a week, spent just over two hours at Al-Shifa hospital, where they delivered medication and fuel.

The visit comes in the wake of Thursday’s incident. Hamas blamed the IDF for the deaths and claimed troops opened fire.

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 army said it did not fire at the crowd rushing the main aid convoy. It acknowledged that troops opened fire on several Gazans who moved toward soldiers and a tank at an IDF checkpoint, endangering soldiers, after they had rushed the last truck in the convoy further south

“Al-Shifa hospital has reportedly admitted more than 700 people who were injured yesterday, about 200 of whom are still being hospitalized,” says Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general.

They also received the bodies of more than 70 people killed in the incident, hospital staff told the team which was comprised of representatives from the UN Humanitarian Office (OCHA), WHO and UNICEF.

Among the injured, the team reported “there was a large number of gunshot wounds,” Dujarric says, although he adds that he did not know whether the representatives were able to examine the bodies of those killed.

According to the area’s Hamas-run health ministry, the death toll stood at 115, with some 760 injured.

Israel said the casualties were in the dozens.

Biden ‘hoping’ for Israel-Hamas deal on truce, hostage release by Ramadan

US President Joe Biden says he hoped there would be a deal between Israel and terror group Hamas on a temporary truce and the release of hostages by the time of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which starts on March 10.

“I’m hoping so, we’re still working real hard on it. We’re not there yet,” he tells reporters, as he left the White House.

Peace efforts can be advanced, even if parties not currently interested — EU envoy

Sven Koopmans (Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal / Wikipedia)

Through the Preparatory Peace Conference, Brussels aims to build off the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative — which offered Israel full normalization with its Arab neighbors if it agreed to a two-state solution on the pre-1967 lines — and the Abraham Accords normalization deals — which saw the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco establish diplomatic ties with Israel.

The EU’s Middle East peace envoy Sven Koopmans tells The Times of Israel in an interview that the conference would also be an extension of the “Peace Day Effort” that the EU co-hosted with Saudi Arabia and the Arab League on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September.

“That doesn’t on its own give you the Israeli and Palestinian peace agreement, but it gets us a lot closer by showing what regional peace can look like in practice,” Koopmans says.

The EU official acknowledges that a ceasefire in Gaza and a release of the hostages being held by Hamas is all but necessary for the conference to take place, but he insists that the current Israeli government’s opposition to a two-state solution need not be the final word on the matter.

Palestinians walk through the destruction from the Israeli offensive in Jabaliya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Essa)

“It’s a very normal — albeit old-fashioned — approach to say peace isn’t possible because there is no partner, and then to do nothing,” Koopmans says.

“Maybe Mr. Netanyahu does not want it and surely Hamas doesn’t want it, but that doesn’t mean that the rest of the world does not want it or that the rest of the world cannot do anything to bring it about,” he asserts.

“Of course, we cannot ultimately have peace without Israeli and Palestinian leaders signing up for it, but we can effectively prepare the ground,” Koopmans continues, noting that Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught and the Gaza war that followed have complicated peace efforts.

But he argues that now is the time to pursue such efforts with global attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at a peak.

The European diplomat acknowledges that any plan would not be immediately implementable, but he rejects multi-year efforts aimed at achieving a resolution to the conflict.

“The EU is not interested — I am not mandated to be interested — in a roadmap that leads us to five years down the line, when we know that this roadmap is never going to be completed,” Koopmans says.

EU envoy details plans for ‘preparatory’ conference to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, and EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell at an event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly aimed at reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process on September 18, 2023. (Egypt Foreign Ministry/ Twitter)

A top European Union official offers new details regarding Brussels’ effort to host a “Preparatory Peace Conference” with regional stakeholders in order to advance a two-state solution.

The initiative is part of EU Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell’s 10-point roadmap for Israeli-Palestinian peace, which was leaked to the press in January.

In an interview with The Times of Israel, the EU Middle East peace envoy Sven Koopmans indicates that the confab envisioned by his boss will fall short of the international peace conference long sought by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

“A big conference where everybody is expected to be present at the same time is currently unlikely to succeed. But what you can work on is a Preparatory Peace Conference where you bring together everyone — perhaps some in separate rooms and at variable times,” the EU envoy says.

Screen capture from video of European Union’s Middle East peace envoy Sven Koopmans, August 2022. (YouTube. Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law))

The two conflict parties would be invited to the preparatory conference, but it need not be considered a failure if they refuse to show because foreign ministers from Europe, the Middle East and other countries interested in offering incentives for the parties to reach a two-state solution will be attending as well, says Koopmans.

“At the conference, you adopt a working plan to develop all the components of a comprehensive regional peace. This is different from the old-fashioned model — the Camp David model — where you have the Israeli leader and the Palestinian leader brought together by the American President,” Koopmans maintained.

Conference attendees will begin work on regional cooperation projects in a variety of fields that can be adopted on the day that a peace deal is reached between Israel and the Palestinians.

Koopmans points to the package of political, economic and security incentives that Brussels unveiled in 2013 to help support the peace negotiations being led by then-US secretary of state John Kerry. “I now have the mandate to build on that package and to explore what is possible also with Jordan, Lebanon and other main regional actors.”