Israel SitRep: April 3, 2024

Today’s Issue: IDF Chief of Staff: Deaths of Gaza Aid Workers a Mistake, Incident Is Being Investigated | IDF Makes 20 Arrests in Overnight West Bank Operations | IDF Continues Operations in Al-Amal in Khan Younis | Four Police Officers Wounded in Car-Ramming Attack by Israeli Arab | Latest FDD Analysis

IDF Chief of Staff: Deaths of Gaza Aid Workers a Mistake, Incident Is Being Investigated: On Tuesday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi gave an English-language briefing on the deaths of the World Central Kitchen aid workers killed on Monday in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, south of Deir al-Balah. According to Halevi, “The strike was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers. It was a mistake that followed a misidentification — at night, during a war, in a very complex condition.” He added: “It shouldn’t have happened.” The chief of staff stated that an “independent body” will conduct a thorough investigation of the incident and complete it in the next few days. The army had been working closely with the World Central Kitchen on aid distribution in Gaza. Following the October 7 attacks, the organization also helped Israelis and, according to IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari, was “one of the first NGOs here.” On Tuesday, the IDF established a humanitarian command center to improve aid distribution in Gaza.

IDF Makes 20 Arrests in Overnight West Bank Operations: In overnight operations in the West Bank, IDF troops arrested 20 wanted persons. In the village of Funduk, troops seized a Carlo submachine gun and destroyed three IEDs. In Qibya, five wanted men were arrested, and troops confiscated terrorist funds worth tens of thousands of shekels. In Al-Fara, during an operation to uncover explosive devices buried under roads, terrorists shot at troops and threw explosive devices at them, and the soldiers returned fire. In Al-Bireh, two wanted individuals were arrested and tens of thousands of shekels in terrorist funds were confiscated. Troops arrested two wanted men in Nablus and destroyed 10 explosive devices that were ready for use. Another two wanted persons were arrested in Al-Eizariya, and a Carlo submachine gun was seized. Some 3,700 wanted persons have been arrested since the start of the war, about 1,600 of whom are Hamas members.

IDF Continues Operations in Al-Amal in Khan Younis: The IDF’s 98th Division is continuing operations in Khan Younis in the Al-Amal neighborhood and in Abasan. In Al-Amal, the Commando Brigade’s combat team arrested and killed several terrorists, and an Israeli Air Force aircraft struck and killed a terrorist. Soldiers raiding a terrorist infrastructure in the neighborhood found a large quantity of weapons, including explosive devices and grenades. In addition, Givati Brigade soldiers eliminated a terrorist squad in close combat with short-range fire and tank fire. Soldiers from the 202nd Battalion are conducting searches in Al-Amal and raiding terrorist infrastructure, finding weapons, including AK-47s, cartridges, and grenades as well as computers and communications devices belonging to Hamas.

Four Police Officers Wounded in Car-Ramming Attack by Israeli Arab: Four police officers were wounded in an overnight terrorist attack at a checkpoint near the Kochav Ya’ir junction in central Israel by an Israeli Arab driver. The driver, Wahhab Shbita, 26, a resident of the Israeli Arab town of Tira, hit the four officers and then continued on to the Eliyahu crossing between Israel and the West Bank, where he attempted to stab a security guard, who shot and killed him. Police say that he was acting alone. The police later released a photo of a man, face pixelated, holding a knife, and stated that they were doing so “in order to set the record straight” and to avoid “misleading the public.” The statement, referring to “false claims by the terrorist’s family,” noted that “the family called the police after the attack, with no other warning.”

Latest FDD Analysis:

Today at 8:30am (ET): “FDD Morning Brief,” featuring Jonathan Schanzer and Jason Brodsky, FDD Event

“Hamas in Turkey,” Joe Truzman, Bill Roggio, Sinan Ciddi, and Melissa Sacks, Generation Jihad (by FDD’s Long War Journal)

“EU Would Aid Tehran’s Repression by Lifting Sanctions on Iranian Tech Firm,” Janatan Sayeh, Behnam Ben Taleblu, and Saeed Ghasseminejad, FDD Policy Brief

“Hezbollah Brigades threatens to train 12,000 Jordanians to battle Israel,” Joe Truzman and Bill Roggio, FDD’s Long War Journal

“Israel to Set Up Coordination Room for Gaza Aid,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Iran’s Supreme Leader Threatens to Punish Israel After Syria Airstrike,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Iraqi Militia Threatens to Arm Jordanians for Attacks Against Israel,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief