ISRAELI REPORTS
Three sons of Hamas leader Haniyeh killed in Israeli airstrike
Three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh were killed in an IAF airstrike in Gaza on Wednesday, an anonymous senior Israeli diplomatic official said, while at the same time there were widespread denials that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and war cabinet minister Benny Gantz knew about the attack.
It was unclear if the later denial was legitimate or if Netanyahu or some other officials may have known about it, but decided afterward that the cost of the attack to the hostage negotiations or with being rebuked by the US was too high to take credit. In general, the IDF has been careful in such situations, especially with hostage talks ongoing, to clear top level of attacks with the political echelon.
All three sons were part of Hamas’s so-called military wing, Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, and Israel is ready to go after any member of Hamas involved in violence, the official said.
** Gallant: We’ll flood Gaza with far more than 500 trucks of aid per day
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday announced what he called “new major breakthroughs” that would jump the humanitarian aid going into Gaza from around 200 trucks per day last week to well over 500 trucks per day.
The increase in aid would come as part of five new initiatives, Gallant said.
The new initiatives include:
- Implementing last Thursday’s government decision to open up Ashdod Port to increase the entry of goods and streamline security checks.
- Implementing last Thursday’s government decision to open up a new northern crossing (reportedly Erez), which would provide a route to bring aid directly to northern Gaza and reduce pressure on the Kerem Shalom crossing.
- Boosting aid through Jordan with two routes, including cooperation with the Jordanian Air Force, for a total of 150 trucks). This will set the foundation for future hubs.
- Establishing the coordination and deconfliction mechanism, which is part of a wider effort to increase cooperation with international organizations, implement lessons learned, such as the World Central Kitchen incident, and work with new partners.
- Other major projects, including working with the US on the JLOTS artificial island for absorbing and distributing maritime aid, COGAT working on infrastructure projects, such as water lines, and other meetings with new aid organizations.
“These breakthroughs have a direct impact on the flow of aid,” Gallant said. “We plan to flood Gaza with aid, and we are expecting to reach 500 trucks per day” very soon. “It will also streamline security checks and strengthen our work with international partners.”
He also discussed how humanitarian aid has already spiked dramatically since last week.
On Tuesday, “we saw a record number of 467 trucks, and air-dropped 303 packages,” Gallant said. “Last month, the daily average was 213, and before that it was 170.”
“Our policy has evolved to facilitate more and more aid, as we improved work with partners and created the operational conditions to enable such work,” he said.
Although Gallant said he was pushing for many of these new initiatives since his meetings in Washington on March 25-26, he has received much stronger backing from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since US President Joe Biden threatened the prime minister last Thursday.
Future crossings into Gaza
Going forward, there will be four land crossings for aid: Nitzana, Kerem Shalom, Crossing 96, and the “northern crossing,” which is said to be Erez.
Israel has already facilitated the delivery of 407,400 tons of humanitarian aid on over 21,638 trucks, Gallant said.
There have been 62 air-drop missions that delivered 3,608 packages, he said.
There are seven working field hospitals and two in the planning stages (IMC and Red Cross), Gallant said.
Despite these improvements, increasing aid will face challenges “in terms of securing and distributing aid,” he said. “This is the result of Hamas threats and also the issue of planning for the day after Hamas.”
“There are three bad options for the day after: Hamas controlling Gaza, Israel controlling Gaza, and total anarchy,” Gallant said. “We need to create another option: to empower a local alternative. The humanitarian effort is key in empowering a local alternative.”
Defense sources have in the past accused Netanyahu of blocking initiatives to build local alternatives based on forces affiliated with Fatah in Gaza, including having the US train them in Jordan.
There was still no confirmation that Netanyahu has reversed himself on this issue given his general preference to weaken, or at least not strengthen, the Palestinian Authority.
** IDF: The IDF eliminated the Head of Hamas' Emergency Bureau in the Central Camps
on Monday, directed by IDF intelligence, IDF fighter jets struck and eliminated the terrorist Hatem Alramery, Head of Hamas' Emergency Bureau in the Gaza Central Camps.
Alramery was a Hamas military wing operative in the field of projectile launches within the Maghazi Battalion of the Central Camps.
Attached is the profile of Hatem Alramery, Head of Hamas' Emergency Bureau in the Gaza Central Camps: https://IDFANC.activetrail.biz/anc09042024685464545
** IDF: Overnight, two launches from Lebanon toward the area of Misgav Am in northern Israel which fell in open areas were identified. No injuries were reported.
On Monday, one launch from Syria toward the area of Yonatan in the Golan Heights was identified. No injuries were reported. IDF artillery struck the sources of the fire.
Overnight on Tuesday, IDF fighter jets struck terrorist infrastructure belonging to the Syrian army in the area of Mhajjah. In addition, IDF artillery struck a Syrian military post in southern Syria last night.
** IDF: Terrorists eliminated and terrorist infrastructure destroyed; A terrorist who participated in the October 7th massacre was eliminated
On Monday, several launches from the Gaza Strip were fired toward the area of Re'im in southern Israel. Shortly after, IDF fighter jets struck a launch position, military compound, and underground tunnel shafts in the area from which the launch attack was carried out.
Throughout the past day, the IAF also struck and destroyed military compounds, launch posts, and numerous terrorist infrastructure sites throughout the Gaza Strip.
Furthermore, an IAF aircraft eliminated a terrorist in Khan Yunis who participated in the October 7th massacre.
IDF troops are continuing to operate in the central Gaza Strip. Over the past day, the troops eliminated a number of terrorists in close-quarter combat. Several additional terrorists who posed a threat to the troops were eliminated by aircraft strikes and precise sniper fire.
Attached are photos of IDF operational activity in the Gaza Strip: https://IDFANC.activetrail.biz/anc090420246854154162531
Attached is a video of IDF strikes in the Gaza Strip: https://bit.ly/3JdGr3s
** IDF: First operational interception by the "C-Dome" Defense System from a Sa'ar 6-class corvette
Overnight, for the first time ever, an IDF Sa'ar 6-class corvette missile ship successfully intercepted a UAV that had approached from the east and had crossed into the area of the Gulf of Eilat.
IDF troops in the area operated in cooperation with the IAF Aerial Control Unit and the Sa'ar 6-class corvette.
In accordance with the situational assessment since the beginning of the war, IDF missile boats including Sa'ar 6-class corvettes were positioned in the Red Sea.
The Israeli Navy is deployed in the area of the Red Sea and has both the defensive and offensive capabilities to engage with regional threats.
Attached is a video of the interception: https://bit.ly/4aO0NMc
Attached is IDF archive footage of the "C-Dome" Defense System: https://bit.ly/4aP9BBp
HAMAS’ REPORTS
Family sources: Hazem, Amir, and Muhammad Haniyeh, sons of the head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, were martyred, along with a number of their children, in a bombing carried out by the occupation aircraft on the Beach camp, west of Gaza.
** A statement issued by the Yemeni Armed Forces
In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful
God Almighty said: {And God will surely help whoever helps him. Indeed, God is Powerful, Mighty} God Almighty has spoken the truth.
A victory for the oppression of the Palestinian people and a response to the American-British aggression against our country
With the help of God Almighty, the naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out four military operations this morning, as follows:
Targeting two Israeli ships, the first a ship (MSC Darwin) and the other, a ship (MSC GINA), which was targeted again in the Gulf of Aden.
Targeting the American ship MAERSK YORKTOWN in the Gulf of Aden.
Targeting an American warship in the Gulf of Aden with a number of drones.
The ships were targeted with a number of suitable naval missiles and drones.
The Yemeni armed forces continue to perform their religious, moral and humanitarian duty towards the oppressed Palestinian people and in defense of dear Yemen, and their operations in the Red and Arab Bahrain and in the Indian Ocean will continue until the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted.
God is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs, the best protector, and the best helper
Long live Yemen, free, dear and independent
Victory belongs to Yemen and to all the free people of the nation
Sanaa, Shawwal 1, 1445 AH
Corresponding to April 10, 2024 AD
Issued by the Yemeni Armed Forces
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The Jerusalem Post/Israel Defense Forces/Hamas Brigade al-Qassam