The Times of Israel is liveblogging Friday’s events as they happen.
US: Ben Gvir call to bomb Gaza food warehouses ‘completely contradicts’ our effort to get aid into Strip
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce appears to criticize National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s call for the IDF to bomb food storage facilities in Gaza in order to pressure Hamas to release Israeli hostages.
Asked during a press briefing whether the Trump administration backs the idea, which Ben Gvir said is supported by senior Republicans he met at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort this week, Bruce initially says that she won’t comment on the matter as the far-right Israeli leader’s claim is unconfirmed.
But then she says that the proposal is “in complete contradiction to the nature of our commitment to getting food aid and assistance” into Gaza.
“My goodness, the work over these 100 days to get that first ceasefire to get that aid into that area, it’s difficult,” she adds.
It was unclear whether the rare public criticism of an Israeli official by the Trump administration was intentional, as Bruce subsequently stressed that she would not further comment on Ben Gvir’s remarks.
“What I will do is reiterate, certainly, our commitment to Israel, our commitment to creating a better framework in Gaza, stopping the slaughter, getting aid and food in — that has been a north star for this administration,” Bruce continues.
Asked whether that means the US is adopting the Israeli position that aid will only be allowed to resume if a new hostage release and ceasefire deal is reached, Bruce declines to answer.
She then reads what appears to be a prepared and vetted statement from the administration.
“The United States supports the flow of humanitarian aid with safeguards to ensure assistance is not diverted, looted or misused by terrorist groups such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” Bruce states.
The talking point notably avoids directly criticizing Israel on the matter.
Lebanese media say 8 wounded as Syria responds to artillery fire blamed on Hezbollah
Lebanese official media says eight people were wounded in a drone attack in a border village, as Syria said it responded to artillery fire from Lebanon.
Eight Syrian refugees were wounded and taken to the hospital in the northeast area of Hermel after an “explosives-laden drone blew up” in the border village of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali, Lebanon’s National News Agency says.
The Lebanese army sent reinforcements “after gunfire was heard,” the report adds.
Syrian state news agency SANA, carrying a statement from an unnamed defense ministry source, says Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group had launched artillery shells at Syrian army positions in the Qusayr area of Homs province, near the Lebanese border.
“Our forces immediately targeted the sources of the fire,” the statement says.
“We are in contact with the Lebanese army to evaluate the incident and stopped targeting the sources of fire” at the Lebanese army’s request, the statement adds.
Lebanon and Syria’s defense ministers signed an agreement last month to address border security threats after clashes left 10 dead.
Earlier in March, Syria’s new authorities accused Hezbollah of abducting three soldiers into Lebanese territory and killing them.
The Iran-backed terror group, which fought alongside the forces of toppled Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, denied involvement, but the ensuing cross-border clashes left seven Lebanese dead.
Lebanon and Syria share a porous 205-mile (330-kilometer) frontier that is notorious for the smuggling of goods, people and weapons.
IDF soldier killed, three wounded in fighting in northern Gaza
An Israeli soldier was killed and three others were wounded during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip earlier today, the military announces.
The IDF says the name of the soldier, who served as a tank driver in the 14th Reserve Armored Brigade’s 79th Battalion, will be released for publication later. His family was notified.
In the same incident, a reservist in the 79th Battalion and an officer in the elite Yahalom combat engineering were seriously wounded. Another reservist, in the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade’s 8239th Battalion, was moderately hurt.
According to an initial IDF probe, the slain soldier was hit by sniper fire in the Beit Hanoun area, close to one of the military’s posts in the Israeli-held buffer zone.
The other troops were hit by anti-tank fire, according to the initial investigation.
The cell behind the attack apparently managed to flee.
The deadly incident took place not far from an attack on Saturday, in which Hamas operatives opened fire on an unarmored army vehicle, seriously wounding three soldiers, before planting a bomb in the area, which killed a soldier and seriously injured another.