Patriot missile intercepts drone over Safed; Hamas fires on IDF in Shifa emergency room

The IDF on Thursday said that one of its Patriot missile defense systems successfully shot down a “suspicious aerial target” sent to attack Israel from Lebanon. The suspicious aerial target, usually IDF jargon for a Hezbollah attack drone, exploded deeper into Israel than usual, over the Safed area, leading the IDF to probe the incident even though the threat was shot down.

Rocket sirens went off in several related areas. Besides that incident, rounds of Hezbollah rockets caused property damage near Moshav Goren and Shlomi, with the rocket hitting Moshav Goren, just missing the local regional council head.

IDF conducts operations at Gaza’s Shifa Hospital. March 25, 2024. (credit: SCREENSHOT/IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)

IDF conducts operations at Gaza’s Shifa Hospital. March 25, 2024. (credit: SCREENSHOT/IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)

An estimated 11 rockets were fired, with many being shot down but some getting through. IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi met with a Druze community in the North to show solidarity following the killing of a Druze Israeli earlier in the week.

In Gaza, Hamas terrorists opened fire on IDF soldiers from within the emergency room unit of the al-Shifa Hospital, the IDF announced on Thursday. The firefight occurred amid the ongoing operational activity at Shifa in northern Gaza.

Soldiers from the 401st Brigade, Nahal Brigade, and Navy Seal Unit Shayetet 13 killed the terrorists while working to prevent harm to civilians, patients, medical teams, and medical equipment in the hospital, the IDF said.

Strikes and aid initiatives

Amid the firefights, IDF troops evacuated civilians, patients, and medical teams to alternative medical facilities that the IDF set up in the area to enable what it called proper medical treatment to continue. Approximately 200 terrorists have been eliminated in the area of the hospital over nearly two weeks, and over 500 hundred more have been arrested.

Separately, soldiers from the Commando Brigade struck terrorist infrastructure that contained weapons in the Al-Amal and Al-Qarara areas of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza. The troops also found explosive devices and mortar shells.

Soldiers from the Givati Brigade detected two Hamas terrorists adjacent to their location. In response, an IDF aircraft struck and killed the two terrorists. Afterward, the soldiers scanned the area and discovered multiple additional explosive devices.

Also, on Thursday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich advanced a new initiative to create a fund to provide financial assistance to families of career soldiers who have served in Operation Swords of Iron and need assistance due to the economic hardships caused by the war.