What happened on day 541 of the war?

State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the defense establishment in August 14, 2023 of severe border security negligence, and none of the involved parties took any action to fix the situation prior to the October 7 disaster.

The disclosure was made alongside Englman’s expected issuing of a new report on Tuesday which slammed border security on the northern border during the mid-2023 period.

Although the criticisms themselves were made regarding the northern border, and the reality there has radically changed post the 2023-2024 conflict with Hezbollah, the fact is that if Netanyahu, the IDF, and then defense minister Yoav Gallant had taken the criticisms seriously, it is possible Hamas’s October 7 invasion could have been prevented.

It is by no means certain that former navy commander Eli Sharvit will end up as the next head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), even after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his appointment as successor to the current head, Ronen Bar.

There are several hurdles that may trip up the appointment.

The first is if the High Court of Justice, which has issued a temporary injunction against Bar’s dismissal until it hears the case on April 8, rules that because of a conflict of interest surrounding Qatargate, Netanyahu cannot dismiss Bar.

US Congressman Abraham Hamadeh recently met with members of the family of Elizabeth Tsurkov, who has been held in Iraq for more than two years.

“Yesterday, I met with her siblings who are tirelessly work[ing] for her freedom. It’s time Iraq step up and rein in Kataib Hezbollah and secure her release,” he wrote on the social media platform X on March 29.

Tsurkov holds Israeli and Russian citizenship. She was conducting research in Baghdad and was studying at Princeton University at the time she was kidnapped.

Israel has recently observed a military buildup by Egypt in the Sinai Peninsula, according to a security source who spoke with reporters on Monday.

"Egypt has deployed forces beyond the permitted quota, expanded port facilities, and extended runways at airports," the source said. The source added that all these actions are in violation of the peace agreement.

Regarding the entry of Egyptian forces beyond the permitted quota, Israeli security officials emphasized that "such actions are reversible - it is not a problem to pull tanks back."

Israel has demanded 10 living hostages in addition to the release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander in the first phase of a new 40-day ceasefire hostage deal, a security source revealed to the Jerusalem Post on Monday.

The proposed framework would also require Hamas to provide full information on the conditions of the remaining hostages - a contrast to the latest agreement, which saw Hamas release only general information on 33 hostages. 

In Israel, they emphasize that regarding the entry of Egyptian forces beyond the permitted quota, "such actions are reversible; it’s not a problem to pull tanks back," said the security official.

An IDF drone fell in Kibbutz Nirim area due to a technical failure, the military said on Monday. 

There were no concerns of a security breach, the IDF added. 

Iran is seeking to warn the United States against airstrikes. The warnings come amid US President Donald Trump’s outreach to Iran and also the US positioning warplanes in Diego Garcia.

Iran assumes that the US might be willing to carry out airstrikes if it doesn’t come to some kind of agreement. Iran’s regime wants the US to know that it will strike back if these threats materialize. At the moment, this is dangerous brinkmanship by Iran.

Iran is using the nuclear program to potentially get some concessions, even as it seeks closer ties with Russia and China.

In a joint operation by the Shin Bet, Israel Police, and the IDF, a Palestinian terror cell from Nablus was arrested on Monday, according to a statement by the security forces. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed Major-General (res.) Eli Sharvit as the new head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), the Prime Minister's Office announced on Monday morning.