War Day 179: UK Aid Workers Killed, Missiles Reach Down to Nahariya

War Summary, Day One Hundred and Seventy Nine: The IDF took responsibility for the accident in which seven foreign aid workers from the World Central Kitchen vehicle were killed, Hezbollah fired heavily on Israel’s far north, including a barrage of ten missiles further into Israel towards Nahariya, and eight Palestinians in the Har Chevron area attacked a Jewish shepherd named Yedidya Talia.

By Mrs. Bruria Efune

War Summary, Day One Hundred and Seventy Nine:

134 held captive in Gaza.
112 hostages freed.
11 hostage bodies rescued.
36 hostages confirmed murdered in Gaza.
1,482 Israelis murdered.
256 fallen soldiers in the battle in Gaza.
6 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
4 fallen soldiers in Judea & Samaria.
11,549 injured.
14,430 estimated rockets fired at Israel.
102,100 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Top Headlines:

• The IDF began to operate in the Nasser and Al Amal Hospitals
• The IDF took responsibility for the unfortunate WCK incident
• Hezbollah escalated to Nahariya
• More drone attacks in the Eilat and Arava area

Hostage Updates:

After Israel submitted a new proposal with major concessions in the negotiations for a temporary ceasefire and the release of the hostages, a senior Hamas source told the al-Mayadeen channel: “The new proposal that Israel passed today does not address the main issues that Hamas insists on, so there is no substantial progress in the negotiations.” 

Gaza Front Updates:

Hamas did not successfully launch any rockets at Israeli civilians today.

Thank G-d, the IDF did not announce any fallen heroes today.

The IDF carried out over 25 airstrikes today on terror targets in the Gaza Strip, both to remove threats and destroy weapon depots.

Most combat occurred in Southern Gaza. In Qarara troops continue forward to take over the town from Hamas, and eliminated multiple terror cells today.

Battles occurred across Khan Younis, with dozens of terrorists eliminated, particularly in the al-Amal neighborhood, where the IDF operated in the Nasser and al-Amal hospitals. After surrounding the hospitals a few days ago, and catching a number of terrorists as they tried to escape, IDF troops began thorough searches today. Dozens of terrorists were arrested and brought to Israel for interrogation, some of whom were caught trying to escape the hospitals, and most were hiding inside. IDF troops also found a large amount of weapons inside the hospitals.

According to reports in Gaza, Air Force planes dropped IDF leaflets over Rafah with a message in Arabic: “Hamas and other factions ruined your life and made you suffer a lot. Together we will build a new future in Gaza for the benefit of the Palestinian people.”

The IDF took responsibility for the unfortunate incident in which seven foreign aid workers from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed in an airstrike on the vehicle they were traveling in, south of Deir al-Balah, in Central Gaza. The IDF says that they don’t yet know the circumstances of the incident, but it shouldn’t have happened, and a thorough investigation of the highest level is being carried out, with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi personally involved.

An initial probe into the incident is expected to be released to the public in the coming days, though the Chief-of-Staff commented that it appears to have been a case of misidentification in a war zone late at night. The incident is both very sad for the aid workers who were killed, and unfortunate, as the WCK is one of the few organizations that the IDF fully trusted to distribute aid, and worked closely with. The WCK also helped out with displaced people in Israel during the first week of the war.

Both Israeli Personnel Isaac Herzog and IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari spoke to the founder of WCK to express their condolences over the airstrike.

As expected, international backlash came strong over the incident, with the UK going as far as to dress down the Israeli ambassador, and demand an independent and transparent investigation into the incident. Three UK nationals were amongst the killed aid workers.

Gaza Humanitarian Efforts Updates:

243 humanitarian aid trucks were inspected and transferred to the Gaza Strip yesterday (Apr. 1).
162 trucks were distributed within the Gaza Strip by UN aid agencies. 
216 packages with hundreds and thousands of meals were airdropped over northern Gaza yesterday (Apr. 1). 13 trucks carrying food aid were transferred directly to northern Gaza. So far, 60 food trucks were transferred directly to northern Gaza via a designated delivery route. 
4 tankers of cooking gas and 3 tankers of fuel designated for the operation of essential infrastructure in Gaza entered the Gaza Strip.

Civilians in Gaza report that Hamas’s emergency committee slashed food prices by half in Northern Gaza: a kilo of flour from 30 shekels to 10 shekels, canned goods for five shekels instead of 10, and a pre-cooked meals for 10 shekels.

The Central World Kitchen Organization announced that it is suspending its activities in Gaza following the incident in which four of its employees were killed. AP reports that a ship from Cyprus with some 240 tons of aid from the WCK turned around. After strongly condemning Israel over the incident, the UAE, which had been collaborating with the WCK, suspended its involvement in the maritime corridor to Gaza. Other aid organization have also indicated that they may be suspending activity in Gaza.

The IDF has preparing to launch a new command center with the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) division, aimed at better coordinating the humanitarian activity in the Gaza Strip, and is expected to begin its operations this week.

Northern Front Updates:

Hezbollah fired heavily on Israel’s far north, including a barrage of ten missiles further into Israel towards Nahariya—a city which hasn’t been targeted since November. Two missiles were intercepted, the rest hit open spaces, and no physical injuries were reported.

The IDF spotted and eliminated the terror cell behind the launch at Nahariya, along with airstrikes to dozens of other Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon.

In addition, another suspicious target—either an attack drone or cruise missile—that was heading towards Israel from Syria was shot down before entering Israeli airspace.

Hinting at the strike yesterday which eliminated a top IRGC commander along with his deputy and five other officials in Damascus, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant repeated that Israel will “act everywhere every day to prevent the force build-up of our enemies,” and that Israel is working “to make it clear to everyone who acts against us, all over the Middle East, that there is a heavy price for acting against Israel.” The IDF has not taken credit for the attack, which is the usual in Syria.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi spoke on the phone with Syrian ruler Bashar Assad, and told him that “there is no doubt that Israel and those who support it will be punished.”

Houthi and Other War Front Updates:

Following the attack from Iraqi militia on the Israel Navy in Eilat, a drone of unknown origin struck an open area in Jordan, just 200 meters fro the Israeli border in the area of the Ramon Airport. The IDF has not yet commented on the incident.

Late at night, a second attack drone was successfully downed by the Air Force as it approached an Inn in the Arava area, again coming from over Jordan.

Defense Minister Yoav Galant sailed today aboard the Saar 6 class corvette ship, and watched a joint exercise by the Navy and the Air Force simulating the interception of drones and missiles. He threatened ominously: “We will operate in places where we have operated, we will operate in places that the enemy knows, and also in places that the enemy does not know.”

Judea and Samaria Updates:

Eight Palestinians in the Har Chevron (Mount Hebron) area attacked a Jewish shepherd named Yedidya Talia. The shepherd was taken to the hospital in moderate condition, and the IDF arrested four of the attackers.

Overnight, IDF forces operated across the Judea and Samaria region and arrested 22 terror suspects.

The Palestinian delegation to the UN renewed its request to the organization’s secretary-general to be accepted as an equal member, and demands that it be discussed in the Security Council during the coming month, according to a report by Al Jazeera. A group of Arab, Muslim, and non-aligned countries announced their support for the recognition of “Palestine” as a member of the United Nations.