Battle | Hamas has called on supporters to “march on Jerusalem”.

9 people are said to have died in an Israeli airstrike. Relatives of the hostages were arrested in Tel Aviv. More information on the news blog.

12:10 am: In their Easter message, church leaders in Jerusalem called for an “immediate and lasting ceasefire” in the Gaza war. The message released on Wednesday spoke of the “severe suffering that surrounds us in the Holy Land”. It condemned “all acts of violence in the current devastating war, especially those directed against innocent civilians”.

9:49 PM: At least nine people were killed in two Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon on Wednesday evening, according to Lebanese sources. The Israeli military said warplanes struck a military facility run by Lebanese Shia militia Hezbollah in Tajir Harfa. Another terrorist was shot near Nakura.

Lebanese state agency NNA said three people were killed in a hotel in Nakura and another six in the village of Tajir Harfa. According to Lebanese security sources, the commander of the Shiite Amal movement, which has close links to Hezbollah, was among those killed in Nakura. A Hezbollah member was killed in Tajir Harfa.

7 people were killed in an Israeli attack in Lebanon on Wednesday night. The Israeli military spoke about the terrorists, including the leader of “Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiyya”, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the Egyptian and US governments. Medical personnel were discussed from the Lebanese side.

9:42 PM: The military wing of the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas released an audio recording on Wednesday calling on Muslims around the world to liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. You may hear that the leader is Mohammed Taif, but all you see is a shadow. The authenticity or exact date of the post posted on the Al-Aqsa Brigades Telegram channel was not initially clarified. It called on Muslims in various Arab countries to “march to Palestine now, not tomorrow”. It said in the 35-second recording that borders, state structures and restrictions should not be allowed to prevent them from “participating in the liberation of Al-Aqsa”.

Taif, along with Hamas leader Jihia al-Sinwar in the Gaza Strip, is believed to have masterminded the unprecedented massacre in Israel on October 7. In a rare message that day, Taif announced a “military operation” against Israel.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is located on the Temple Mount (al-Haram al-Sharif) in Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam. The complex was also sacred to Jews, as two Jewish temples were located there. Tens of thousands of Muslims pray there during the fasting month of Ramadan. There were fears that the Gaza war would lead to new violence. Hamas had called for protests. However, so far the prayers have been largely silent.

7:39 PM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu justified the cancellation of a high-level Israeli delegation's visit to the United States by saying he wanted to send a message to Hamas.

Netanyahu said the Islamic organization firmly believes international pressure will prevent Israel from releasing hostages and destroying Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to a recent UN Security Council resolution. He wanted to tell Muslims not to believe this pressure. It won't work. “I hope they got the message,” he said.

Israel's prime minister has opened up about the extent to which canceling a US government-requested delegation visit could help soften what Netanyahu says is Hamas' hard line.

3:47 pm: Israeli security forces arrested two relatives of hostages in Gaza on Tuesday. Also, other demonstrators were reportedly arrested. This was reported by American broadcaster CNN, citing an Israeli activist group.

Demonstrators block the main road near the Ministry of Defense. They called on the Israeli government to do more to free the hostages. In its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the terrorist group Hamas killed around 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 200 others. According to Israeli reports, 99 hostages are still being held there.