KEY POINTS
- Lebanon's PM Najib Mikati says Israeli strikes "devastated" country's agricultural areas
- Iran pays homage to top Islamic Revolutionary Guards officials killed in embassy strike
- US looking at report Israel has been using AI with little human oversight to identify Gaza targets
It's Day 182 of the raging Israel-Hamas war – the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Friday adopted a resolution that called for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes it committed in the Gaza Strip.
Israel's top western ally, the United States, was among six that voted against the resolution. A total of 28 countries voted in favor, and 13 chose to abstain.
Amid mounting international pressure over the deaths of seven food aid workers in Gaza earlier this week, Israel has allowed for the reopening of the Erez border crossing into the enclave and the use of Ashdod port to allow more humanitarian aid into the Strip.
- IDF releases findings of probe on operation that killed 7 World Central Kitchen workers
- WCK demands independent commission to probe IDF airstrike on food aid convoy
- Israeli fighter jets strike multiple Hezbollah posts in southern Lebanon
- Controversial Israeli minister slams IDF chief for dismissal of commanders in relation to food convoy strike
- Israeli army reveals an Oct. 7 hostage was killed by IDF helicopter's fire
- 'Crowds of millions' rally in Yemen to support Gaza: Houthi spokesperson
- Hezbollah chief says assassination of Iranian general a 'turning point'
- UN's Guterres calls for 'unconditional' release of hostages in Gaza
U.S. President Joe Biden previously threatened to change Washington's policy regarding Israel if the country fails to protect civilians in the war-torn Gaza Strip. The warning is Biden's first in terms of U.S. policy over support for Israel.
In the Houthi-disrupted Red Sea, forces with the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) continue to act in self-defense against the Iranian-backed Yemeni rebel militia's attacks targeting commercial ships and coalition warships.
Israel is on the brink of another full-blown war, this time in its northern border with Lebanon as Iran-backed Hezbollah continues to target Israeli communities and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) posts near the tension-packed border.
Fighting in Gaza that stems from the longstanding Israel-Palestine conflict has rippled across the Middle East. Nearly six months since Hamas operatives invaded Israel, murdering over 1,000 people and abducting more than 250 hostages, civilians in Gaza have suffered the brunt of the never-ending conflict that many global leaders believe could end through a two-state solution.
The live update has ended.
UN chief calls for release of all hostages nearly 6 months since Hamas' massacre
United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres on Friday called for "the unconditional release of all hostages still held by Hamas & other groups." He revealed that he has spoken with the families of hostages still in captivity, as well as freed abductees.
"I carry their anguish, uncertainty & deep pain with me every day," he wrote on X.
I renew my call for the unconditional release of all hostages still held by Hamas & other groups.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) April 5, 2024
I have met with many of the family members of those being held captive & even former hostages themselves.
I carry their anguish, uncertainty & deep pain with me every day. https://t.co/qgKlHucP22
On Sunday, Israelis will mark six months since Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre. It will also mark 184 days that some 130 hostages remain in the Gaza Strip, of which over 30 are believed dead.
Hezbollah warns of 'turning point' after top Iranian general's killing
Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, on Friday delivered a speech wherein he paid tribute Brig. Gen. Zahedi, who was among seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards members assassinated in a strike targeting the Iranian embassy in Syria earlier this week.
He said Zahedi played a "significant role in the resistance in Lebanon for many years." He went on to warn that the assassination of Revolutionary Guards leaders "is a turning point," further noting that Hezbollah will "never negotiate regional issues with the Americans."
Iran has blamed Israel for the airstrike that struck a building adjacent to the Iranian embassy.
'Millions' rally in support for Gaza: Houthi spox
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sare'e on Friday afternoon published footage that showed what he said was a demonstration of "crowds of millions" of Yemenis at the Al-Sabeen Square in Sana'a.
Sare'e said the rally at the Yemeni capital was a display of the Yemeni people's "firm position alongside the oppression of the Palestinian people and their just cause."
Iranian-backed Houthis have been attacking commercial ships across the Red and Arabian Seas and the Gulf of Aden since November in what they said was a show of solidarity with Gaza.
IDF reveals an Oct. 7 hostage was killed by friendly fire
Efrat Katz, one of the hostages abducted by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, was killed by friendly fire, an Israeli inquiry concluded, as per an IDF statement released Friday.
"From the findings of the inspection, it appears that during the battles and the airstrikes, one of the combat helicopters that took part in the fighting, fired at a vehicle that had terrorists in it, and which, in retrospect, according to the evidence, it turned out that there were also hostages in it. As a result of the shooting, most of the terrorists manning the vehicles were killed, and apparently the late Efrat Katz," the statement reads, as per a Google translation.
The findings come at a critical time for the Israeli army as it is under intense scrutiny following the killing of seven WCK food aid workers in Gaza earlier this week in a "misidentification" by the IDF.
⚡ The Israeli army admits the killing of Efrat Katz from Nir Oz by Israeli helicopter gunfire on October 7
— War Watch (@WarWatchs) April 5, 2024
From the findings of the inspection, it appears that during the battles and airstrikes, one of the combat helicopters that took part in the fighting fired at a vehicle… pic.twitter.com/2qXkyc6sQV
Israel's national security minister blasts IDF chief for commanders' dismissal
Controversial national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Friday criticized the Israeli army chief for his decision to dismiss senior officers in the IDF over mistakes that led to the killing of seven WCK workers in an IDF airstrike Monday.
The notorious minister, known for his inflammatory remarks about Palestinians, said the decision was an "abandonment of the soldiers in the middle of a war and a grave mistake that conveys weakness."
Israeli warplanes attack Hezbollah sites in Lebanon
Israeli fighter jets on Friday struck several paramilitary infrastructure belonging to Iranian-backed Hezbollah. One of the structures was in the Ayta ash Shab village in southern Lebanon, "where terrorists were staying," the IDF said.
The operation came after Hezbollah claimed an attack in the Metula area in northern Israel earlier in the day.
מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו תשתית טרור של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב זבקין לצד מבנה צבאי של הארגון במרחב יארין ומבנה צבאי נוסף במרחב עייתא א- שעב, בהם שהו מחבלים.
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) April 5, 2024
מוקדם יותר היום כוחות צה"ל תקפו עמדת תצפית של הארגון במרחב שבעא.
בנוסף, אמש הותקף אתר צבאי של הארגון במרחב כפר חמאם pic.twitter.com/HO6r4Xx4pk
WCK calls for independent probe into convoy strike
The U.S.-based food charity on Friday, shortly after the IDF released its findings on the airstrike that killed seven WCK personnel Monday, called for "the creation of an independent commission to investigate the killings of our WCK colleagues."
"The IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza," the food charity noted.
WCK CEO Erin Gore called out the Israeli government and army for the "cold comfort" in apologizing over the "outrageous killing" of the aid group's staff. "Israel needs to take concrete steps to assure the safety of humanitarian aid workers," she added.
The group's operations in the Gaza Strip remain suspended following the incident.
Israeli army publishes findings on airstrike that killed food aid workers
The Israeli army on Friday published the results of an investigation that it conducted over the airstrike that killed seven staffers of a U.S.-based food charity providing much-needed aid in Gaza.
"The investigation found that the forces identified a gunman on one of the aid trucks, following which they identified an additional gunman. After the vehicles left the warehouse where the aid had been unloaded, one of the commanders mistakenly assumed that the gunmen were located inside the accompanying vehicles and that these were Hamas terrorists," the IDF said in a statement.
"The strikes on the three vehicles were carried out in serious violation of the commands and the IDF Standard Operating Procedures."
Following the findings' presentation to the IDF chief, several high-ranking officials have been dismissed from office, including the brigade's chief of staff. Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi will also "formally reprimand the commander of the Southern Command for his overall responsibility for the incident."
The conclusion of the investigation regarding the incident in which @WCKitchen employees were mistakingly targeted by IDF forces was presented to IDF Chief of the General Staff LTG Herzi Halevi yesterday.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 5, 2024
Measures taken following the tragic incident include: the dismissal of the… pic.twitter.com/mw4U8gjA71
US reviewing report IDF had been using AI in identifying Gaza targets
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told CNN Thursday that the U.S. was looking into a report by +972 Magazine and Local Call regarding the Israeli army's supposed use of artificial intelligence in helping identify airstrike targets in the Gaza Strip.
According to the report, the IDF used AI "with little human oversight" to mark tens of thousands of Gazans as suspects for assassination. The Israeli army has since denied the report.
"The IDF does not use an artificial intelligence system that identifies terrorist operatives or tries to predict whether a person is a terrorist. Information systems are merely tools for analysts in the target identification process," it said in a statement.
Iran buries IRGC officers killed in consulate strike
Thousands of people attended the Friday funeral of seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) members who were killed in an airstrike at the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria that Tehran said Israel was responsible for.
Among the assassinated IRGC leaders was Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a brigadier general and a commander in the Guards' Quds Force (foreign operations arm). Another brigadier general, Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, was also killed in the said strike. Iran has vowed revenge for its IRGC leaders' deaths.
Read the full story here.
Israeli strikes in Lebanon have "devastated" agriculture: Mikati
Lebanon's caretaker prime minister on Friday said the Israeli army's airstrikes toward the country have turned the southern part of Lebanon into a "devastated agricultural area." He said farmers and herders were suffering due to the airstrikes burning tens of thousands of olive trees and torching farmland across the area.
Mikati said the problem regarding southern Lebanon's agriculture sector "will extend to the coming years."
Hezbollah attacks northern Israeli town
Iranian-backed Hezbollah early on Friday said it attacked a "gathering of soldiers" from the IDF in the Metula area, the northernmost town of Israel near the Israeli-Lebanese border.
This comes amid continuing fire exchanges between the Lebanon-based terror group and Israeli forces. Hezbollah has been launching missiles toward northern Israel since the Israel-Hamas war started in October.
US destroys Houthi missile in Yemen
CENTCOM forces on Thursday afternoon engaged and destroyed an anti-ship missile (ASM) "in a Houthi-controlled territory of Yemen," the U.S. army said Friday. The operation was carried out as the missile was deemed to present a threat to coalition forces and merchant ships in the area.
April 4 Red Sea Update
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 5, 2024
At approximately 2:20 p.m. (Sanaa time) on April 4, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces successfully engaged and destroyed one anti-ship missile (ASM) in a Houthi-controlled territory of Yemen. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S.,… pic.twitter.com/tJy7cuBvae
Biden issues stern warning on protecting Gaza civilians
The U.S. president on Thursday warned that Washington's policy on Israel may change if the latter doesn't provide adequate protection for civilians in the Gaza Strip. His comments mark the first time he hinted of a change in U.S. policy, considering how his administration has backed Israel's right to defend itself since Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre.
Cracks in the U.S.-Israel alliance deepened after Netanyahu's government announced plans to launch a military operation in Rafah, an overcrowded city in southern Gaza that became home to more than a million Palestinians sheltering from the fighting.
Things took a grim turn Monday when seven workers of a U.S.-based food charity were killed in an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza. Biden said he was "outraged" and called for an investigation into the strike.
Israel allows reopening of Erez border
The Israeli government has allowed the reopening of a key border crossing in northern Gaza as the world watches closely how it will react to increasing calls from its western allies for a significant change in its military tactics in the enclave. The Ashdod port will also be allowed to facilitate aid deliveries for Gaza civilians.
The Erez border crossing will reopen to allow for more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza as food monitors and humanitarian aid groups warn of impending famine.
Read the full story here.
UNHRC adopts resolution calling on Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes
The UN rights body on Friday adopted a resolution that called for Israel to be held accountable for potential war crimes and possible crimes against humanity committed in the Gaza Strip amid its military campaign in the enclave.
In particular, the resolution emphasized the need "to ensure accountability for all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in order to end impunity."
It also noted there was "grave concern at reports of serious human rights violations and grave breaches of international humanitarian law, including of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory."
#HRC55 | Draft resolution A/HRC/55/L.30 on the Human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice was ADOPTED. pic.twitter.com/URttz9IFjv
— United Nations Human Rights Council | #HRC55 (@UN_HRC) April 5, 2024
While 28 countries voted in favor of the resolution, the following six voted against it: U.S., Bulgaria, Germany, Malawi, Paraguay and Argentina. 13 other nations abstained.
The text's adoption comes amid increasing scrutiny over Israel's military offensive in Gaza that resulted in the killing of seven humanitarian aid workers of the U.S.-based food charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) on Monday in a "misidentification" of the Israeli army.
