Operation Iron Swords - Day 33 - 08 November 2023

Palestinian armed group Hamas launched thousands of missiles at Israel and deployed its militants to infiltrate Jewish settlements near the country’s border with Gaza on 07 October 2023. The 1,200 Israelis killed on the first day would be the equivalent of 36,000 Americans killed in an attack, as a proportion to Israel’s population of 9.3 million people (compared to 332 million in the USA). Israeli President Isaac Herzog stated: “Not since the Holocaust have so many Jews been killed in one day". PM Netanyahu stated "On October 7th, Hamas murdered 1,400 Israelis. Maybe more. This is in a country of fewer than 10 million people. This would be equivalent to over 50,000 Americans murdered in a single day. That’s twenty 9/11s. That is why October 7th is another day that will live in infamy."

It is the second largest loss inflicted on the Israeli forces after the 1973 war, as the Palestinian resistance killed more than 1,400, wounded more than 5,132 others, and captured more than 250, most of them military personnel, some of whom were high-ranking officers in the army.

Butcher's Bill / Oasis of Martyrs

Palestinian health authorities say that at least 10,569 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza, more than four times the number killed in the six-week-long war in 2014. The death toll included 4,324 children [down from 4,800 children previously reported] and 2,823 women, and 631 elderly people. These subtotals fluctuate inexplicably]. The average of children martyrs was six per hour, while female martyrs is five per hour.

In addition, the number of injured rose to at least 26,475 [though some earlier reports had totaled over 32,000 Palestinians injured since October 7th, including at least 6,360 children and 4,891 women]. More than 2,550 were missing, including 1,350 children, and presumed buried under rubble. On the West bank, at least 154 Palestinians had been killed, and more than 1,980 injured. IDF said it was holding 1,500 bodies of terrorists.

More than 1,542 Israelis were killed as a result of HAMAS attacks, including 342 [down from 345 reported a few days earlier] soldiers and officers, according to what was announced by the Israeli army. At least 5,431 were injured. Since the start of the ground incursion into Gaza in the middle of last week, about 31 members of the Israeli army had been killed.

The spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaida, asserted that the number of Israeli deaths was “much greater” than what was announced by the Israeli leadership, and he vowed in a speech to make Gaza the “curse of history” for Israel. Abu Ubaida said, "The Israeli leadership is lying to its public about the number of soldiers killed in the Gaza Strip and in the course of the battles," and he addressed the Israelis, saying, "Watch for more of your soldiers returning in black bags.

Some 241 [down from 242 the previous day] hostages are being held by HAMAS in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said 03 November 2023. About 40 Israelis remained missing.

Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said on Hamas’ telegram account that 23 bodies of the 60 missing Israel hostages were trapped under the rubble. “It seems that we will never be able to reach them due to the continued brutal aggression of the occupation against Gaza,” he said.

Qatar is mediating negotiations between Israel and Hamas for the potential release of 10-15 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for a short ceasefire, Negotiations are under way for the release of a dozen hostages held by Hamas, including six Americans, in return for a three-day ceasefire in Gaza, a source close to Hamas said. "Talks revolve around the release of 12 hostages, half of them Americans, in exchange for a three-day humanitarian pause [other report a one- to two-day ceasefire], to enable Hamas to release the hostages and to enable Egypt an extended (period of time) to deliver humanitarian aid," the source said.

Sources told Al Jazeera that CIA Director William Burns will hold discussions in Qatar on Thursday, while press reports reported details of the ongoing Qatari-brokered negotiations to release a number of detainees held by the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip in exchange for a humanitarian truce. Burns visited Israel last Sunday, and the sources said that he will visit Qatar for the ongoing negotiations regarding the deal to release the detainees.

The New York Times reported that indirect talks mediated by Qatar were close to reaching an agreement to release 50 detainees, but they faltered when Israel launched its ground attack on the Gaza Strip on October 27. Hamas leader Osama Hamdan said that the resistance would force the Israeli Prime Minister to pay the price in exchange for the release of his soldiers.

Israeli Channel 13 reported that Tel Aviv is ready to consider releasing what it describes as security prisoners, in reference to Palestinian prisoners, in exchange for a “large and broad deal” to release detainees and prisoners held by the Hamas movement. The channel quoted Israeli officials as saying, "In light of the attempts of Qatar and the United States to reach small deals that lead to a ceasefire, Israel is ready and willing to consider releasing security prisoners in exchange for a large and broad deal."

At least 2,150 Palestinians had been arrested by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank since the Israel-Hamas war broke out a month ago, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society.

Operational Update

In a briefing, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that "Gaza is the biggest terrorist base ever built by man." "This whole city is one big terror base," Gallant said. "Under the ground, kilometers of tunnels connect to hospitals, to schools, they are interconnected. It contains communication rooms, ammunition depots, places to sleep, and everything to serve as a base of terrorism from which the citizens of the state of Israel and IDF soldiers can be harmed." Gallant said Israel is "gnawing away at this ability," and making progress with forces in the north and the south "advancing into the heart of Gaza City" and "fighting inside the built-up area."

An airstrike on a building containing Hamas militants in the north of the Gaza Strip, was carried out by soldiers of the 933rd Nahal Infantry Brigade. Also, one of the IDF armored groups was attacked by four ATGMs, after which an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter flew to the site of the clash to suppress the ATGM crews. In another direction, missile launchers and mortar crews and ATGM crews were destroyed. The 7th Armored Brigade, Sa'ar mi-Golan, which took part in the raid, discovered and destroyed a number of underground Hamas tunnels.

Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad, speaking from Beirut, has denied that Israeli forces were making any significant military gains or that they had advanced deep into Gaza City. "They never give the people the truth," Hamad said. He added that numerous Israeli soldiers were killed on Monday and "many tanks were destroyed."

"The Palestinians fight and fight and fight against Israel, until we end the occupation," said Hamad. "I challenge [Israel] if it has been able, to this moment, to record any military achievement on the ground other than killing civilians," Hamad told Al Jazeera television. "Gaza is unbreakable and will remain a thorn in the throat of the Americans and the Zionists," Hamad said.

Abu Ubaida, the military spokesman for the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said that they documented the complete or partial destruction of “136 Israeli military vehicles and their removal from service” by the forces that Israel sent for a ground incursion into the besieged Gaza Strip. He stressed - in a video speech - that Israel had avoided full engagement with the resistance, noting that the Al-Qassam Brigades would continue to "fight and confront the aggression in all the land axes north, northwest, and south of Gaza."

The military spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades added that despite the brutality of the massacres and the Israeli war targeting civilians in Gaza, “we strike the Israeli forces, destroy vehicles, and inflict deaths and injuries,” while “sniper weapons continue to target occupation soldiers and artillery weapons destroy fortifications.”

Abu Ubaida explained the details of the battle on the ground, and said, “We maneuver with the elite forces of our mujahideen, so we turn around to strike the enemy in his rear lines, and set up ambushes for him and his tanks, and destroy the vehicles from scratch, and from the effective range of anti-armor weapons, individuals, and buildings in which the soldiers are holed up.”

He also addressed the issue of prisoners and detainees, stressing that "the enemy refuses to create conditions for the release of prisoners and thwarted the process of releasing 12 of them," noting that Israel "is obstructing efforts to release detainees and foreigners and endangering their lives." Al-Qassam spokesman added, "We reiterate that the only path is a comprehensive deal to exchange prisoners completely, or in parts (in categories and stages)."

IDF troops destroyed a terror tunnel located near a school. IDF ground troops and “Yahalom” soldiers conducted joint activity in the Beit Hanoun area in order to locate and destroy terror tunnels. The troops located a tunnel shaft near an UNWRA school and destroyed it.

Combat engineers fighting in Gaza are destroying the enemy's weapons and are locating, exposing and detonating tunnel shafts. With the expansion of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip, the soldiers are thwarting Hamas’ terrorist infrastructure. As part of the ground forces' activity in Gaza, IDF soldiers are currently working to expose and destroy Hamas’ tunnels. Since the beginning of the fighting, 130 tunnel shafts have been destroyed.

During activities of the soldiers of the 460th Brigade to locate and destroy underground infrastructure, tunnel shafts and the Hamas command centers were destroyed by the brigade's combat engineers. The enemy's preparation for a prolonged stay in the tunnels can be seen based on water and oxygen means found in the tunnels. Soldiers of the Nahal Brigade conducted operational activity at a Hamas training post in northern Gaza. Tunnels were located under the post and after they were exposed, the shafts in the post were destroyed.

IDF troops identified an anti-tank missile launching post in which Hamas terrorists were located. The launching posts were connected via an underground passage to a weapons storage facility. The troops conducted an air strike, damaging the terrorist infrastructure. The terrorists then escaped to the roof of the infrastructure and were killed in an additional strike. Furthermore, a short while later, Hamas terrorist operatives were identified launching mortars toward Israeli territory. In response, an IDF aircraft and a fighter jet directed by the Fire Control Center of the Gaza Division struck the launching post, as well as the terrorists.

IDF soldiers struck a number of anti-tank missile launching posts belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization. Furthermore, terrorists launched an anti-tank missile toward IDF soldiers in the area of Dovev. The IDF responded with artillery fire toward the origin of the launch. Two IDF soldiers were injured – one lightly and the other moderately – and have been evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment. Their families have been notified. Furthermore, earlier today, two launches toward the areas of Shtula and Yiftah in northern Israel were identified. The IDF responded with tank and artillery fire toward the origin of the launches. No injuries were reported.

Israeli forces launched deadly air raids across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, hitting the vicinity of al-Shifa and Indonesian hospitals, as well as Khan Younis, Nuseirat, and Jabalia refugee camps, according to reports from Al Jazeera Arabic and Palestinian news agency Wafa.

All bakeries in the north of Gaza have now closed due to “lack of fuel, water and wheat flour” as well as damage from air raids, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Only nine bakeries in the south of Gaza are “intermittently” available, OCHA said.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said its convoy of five trucks and two Red Cross vehicles was hit by gunfire while carrying supplies to health facilities. Two trucks were damaged and a driver slightly wounded before the convoy re-routed to al-Shifa Hospital where it delivered the supplies.

Italian navy ship Vulcano, equipped with hospital instruments and operating rooms, has been deployed to the Middle East to receive and treat wounded people from Gaza, the country's defence minister said. Guido Crosetto said that the hospital ship would first head to Cyprus island and then as close as possible to Gaza to provide emergency medical support to the Palestinian population. Crosetto added that the government is also working on providing a field hospital that will be sent "directly to Gaza in agreement with the Palestinians."

The pace of Palestinian civilians fleeing the combat zone in northern Gaza picked up as Israel’s air and ground campaign there intensifies, UN monitors said. About 15,000 people fled on Tuesday, compared to 5,000 on Monday and 2,000 on Sunday, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians remain in the combat area, many sheltering at hospitals or UN schools.

The British "Economist" magazine reported from the occupied West Bank in which it said that the settlers there are causing chaos, and that the acts of violence committed by them and the Israeli army against the Palestinians have increased sharply since the attack by the Islamic Resistance Movement " Hamas " on Israel on the seventh of last October. Pointing out that because of this violence, the West Bank is approaching the boiling point.

It explained that the Israeli army and settlers have killed at least 155 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Hamas attack last month, noting that this is considered a significant increase from the death rate in the past few months and years. The magazine said that last year was the bloodiest for Palestinians in the West Bank in 20 years, as settler groups became bolder and the army intensified its raids on Palestinian towns and cities. But since the 7th of last month, things have worsened significantly. At the current rate, the four weeks that followed the “Al-Aqsa Flood” will be more deadly for Palestinians in the West Bank than the entire last year.

The magazine stated that the war in Gaza provoked some of the most violent groups of settlers in the West Bank. Some are taking revenge for the Hamas attack, and others are taking advantage of the army's preoccupation in Gaza and the northern front with Lebanon. As a result, Palestinians in the West Bank feel more vulnerable than usual.

The Economist says that the Palestinian Authority, which is supposed to administer parts of the West Bank, is largely unable to protect Palestinian civilians, and that its senior officials strongly oppose the possibility of another intifada, fearing that this would give Hamas an opportunity to become the dominant Palestinian force in the occupied West Bank. The magazine concluded its report with a veteran Palestinian official saying that he fears that one incident could lead to the outbreak of an intifada, adding, "I smell blood in the West Bank. I don't know where it will be, but it is coming: the settlers will do something terrible."

Local sources in Syria reported that the Lebanese " Hezbollah " withdrew about 1,500 of its members fighting alongside the Syrian regime's army. Anatolia Agency reported on Wednesday that the party summoned its members from different regions of Syria within the last two weeks. It indicated that the party's members withdrew from the 46th Brigade in the western countryside of Aleppo, from the city of Saraqib and Qaratin, east of Idlib Governorate, and from the areas of Maarat al-Numan, Khan Shaykhun, Kafr Rumah, Kafranbel, and Hazarin, south of Idlib.

The elements moved first to the Qusayr area, southwest of Homs Governorate, and from there to Lebanon, according to the sources. The sources confirmed the deployment of members of the Iranian-backed groups and the Afghan "Fatemiyoun" and "Baqir" brigades in the places from which Hezbollah members withdrew. The party's decision came after mutual clashes between its members in southern Lebanon and the Israeli army on the southern border since last October 8.

The Houthi group announced the downing of an American MQ9 spy drone in the territorial waters of Yemen. The military spokesman for the Houthis, Yahya Saree, said in a statement: “Our air defenses were able to shoot down an American plane while it was carrying out hostile, monitoring and spying actions in the airspace of Yemeni territorial waters, and within the framework of American military support for the Israeli entity.”

He added, "With God's help, it was shot down with the appropriate weapon," without specifying the type of weapon used. He pointed out that "hostile moves (to the United States) will not discourage the Yemeni armed forces (Houthis) from continuing to carry out military operations against the Israeli entity, in support of the oppression of the Palestinian people."

On the other hand, a US military official told Al Jazeera, "We currently have no information to prove the allegations about the Houthis shooting down one of our drones." About a week ago, the Houthi group announced more than once that it had “launched large batches of ballistic and winged missiles and a large number of drones at various targets of the Israeli enemy in the occupied territories.”

US officials initially denied knowledge of a missing American drone, but then later admitted the event took place when the Yemeni Armed Forces released footage of the operation. "We can confirm that a US military MQ-9 remotely-piloted aircraft was shot down while in international airspace over international waters off the coast of Yemen," a Fox News correspondent reported, citing a senior US defense official.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced targeting the US base in the Green Village deep within Syrian territories with drones. Additionally, US forces in al-Shadadi, also in the depths of Syria, came under attack. Earlier, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq had announced targeting the US occupation base in the Conoco gas field, east of Syria, with a rocket strike.

The military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, downplayed the statements of the spokesman for the Israeli occupation army , Daniel Hagari, contrary to what was announced by Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades , the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ). Al-Duwairi explained - in his military analysis on Al Jazeera - that the scenes broadcast by the Al-Qassam Brigades of the destruction of Israeli vehicles and tanks reach every home in the world, which adds great credibility to them.

On the other hand, he says that there is no correspondence between Hagari’s statements and what is happening on the ground and what the results lead to. He pointed out that the latter does not provide any videos that confirm the credibility of what he says, nor does it apply to reality, and is not supported by evidence and is not documented.

Regarding the new scenes broadcast by the Al-Qassam Brigades, Al-Duwairi praised the steadfastness of the fighters and their exploitation of the first opportunity through which they were able to strike the vehicles, given the nature of the battle, the geography of the land, the distribution of tunnels, and the mechanism for training the fighters. He stressed the necessity of exploiting the "first opportunity" because it is one of the strength cards of the Al-Qassam Brigades, and they must not abandon it, indicating that the fighters have only one opportunity and "we are still witnessing their success in this context."

He praised the harmony pursued by the Al-Qassam Brigades, according to the scenes, citing the fact that one of its members hit an Israeli tank with an “Al-Yassin 105” shell, at a time when his colleagues continued firing with machine guns. “If the soldier stayed in the tank, he was burned, and if he left, he was killed.”

As for the total or partial destruction of 136 Israeli military vehicles, according to Al-Qassam, the military expert explained that these numbers are equivalent to “a brigade + a battalion,” and include bulldozers, troop carriers, and tanks. He pointed out that the first usually carries two people, the second 11 individuals, and the third between 9 and 10 individuals, so the average reaches Up to 5 individuals.

He explained that this - with a simple calculation - confirms that the Israeli ground forces incurred a minimum of 450 deaths through the destruction of the vehicles, in contrast to what they incurred through sniper operations, direct clashes, and intra-fighting battles, while the occupation army admitted that 34 soldiers were killed since the start of its ground war inside the Gaza Strip .

Regarding the Apache plane firing missiles at Gaza from a long distance, he pointed out that the Palestinian resistance resorted to Kornet missiles designated for armored vehicles, so these planes moved away for fear of being hit.

He commented on the American trend to supply Israel with Rafael SPICE munitions, saying that they are of three calibres: the first is 2000 pounds and has an effective range of 65 kilometers, the second is 1000 pounds with an effective range of 100 kilometers, and the third is 250 pounds with an effective range of 160 kilometers. He explained that they are missiles that do not operate with satellites, and they fall under the framework of modern lethal weapons, and they work against individuals and tunnels, and the error rate is estimated at three metres, before he said that they are an extremely dangerous weapon.

Regarding the implications of the major American involvement in the battle with the military airlift and the presence of experts and advisors, Al-Duwairi said that this indicates that the Arabs were in a state of confusion and lack of awareness during 70 years, as Arab armies suffered five major defeats. He added, "Tens of thousands of Al-Qassam Brigades and resistance factions came and identified weak points so that America and Western countries could move to provide Israel with an air bridge," describing the scene as "Gaza is as if it were fighting the world."

Al-Duwairi, considered the continued firing of rockets by fighters from the Al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) - from Gaza as a “secret that cannot be discovered,” and pointed out that the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation is revealing in both the political and military dimensions.

Al-Duwairi stated - in his military analysis segment on Al-Jazeera - that “the continued firing of rockets from Gaza after 33 days of war and despite the intensity of bombing and fire is “the secret of the Al-Qassam Brigades that cannot be discovered,” stressing that the brigades are still proficient and in control of managing the battle “by time and purpose.” "Whoever you want."

Regarding the “ Al-Aqsa Flood ” operation, the military expert said that it is a turning point in this war after it clearly demonstrated the positions of the Arab and Western countries, “and cosmetics cannot change reality.” As for the military dimension, the strategic expert explains that it is revealing, because it revealed weaknesses and weakness on the Israeli side, after there was a conviction for 70 years that it was the invincible and undefeated army, and it became clear to the world that this army’s military doctrine is based on genocide, criminality, and forced displacement, so that it became “the army.” Morally the worst.

He continued, explaining that the weakness that befell Israel could not be addressed, “so the Western world came to its aid by sending aircraft carriers, submarines, and drones,” stressing that the main weakness that struck Tel Aviv was “Hamas phobia,” as they failed to manage the defensive battle.

Regarding field developments, Al-Duwairi explained that the battle in the northern Gaza Strip turned into an exhaustion, inflicting losses on the occupation army, which in turn focused the main effort towards the Sheikh Ajlin neighborhood in the southwest of Gaza City in order to compensate for the failure on the northern front.

He described the scene broadcast by the Al- Quds Brigades - the military arm of the Islamic Jihad movement - in which one of its fighters appears advancing to a distance of less than 100 metres, and then striking a "Merkava 4" tank "with a razor", as "according to military custom, it is difficult to find someone like him in the special and professional forces in other countries." the world".

The military expert touched on the new Israeli armored vehicle, "Eitan," and said that it is "wheeled with 8 wheels, weighs 35 tons, is armored with plates, resists bullets, reaches a speed of 90 kilometers per hour, is equipped with a cannon, and can detect 360 degrees around it." He explains that it is considered a new generation, more armored, safer and more technological, and capable of destroying incoming missiles, but he added that it has not yet been tested in the war on Gaza.

As for Israel’s request to purchase 200 American “Switch Blade 600” suicide drones, the military expert stated that they work against individuals and tanks because they carry explosive or penetrating ammunition, noting that they are fired from a ground launcher. Regarding its use in the war on Gaza, Al-Duwairi said that the occupation army wants it to deal with tunnels, or if it discovers gathering points for combat personnel, indicating that its combat role is mainly against traditional armies.

The situation in the Middle East region is very tense. But the possibility of a full-scale direct conflict in the Middle East is extremely small. Although Tehran’s rhetoric is threatening, it has actually received warning signals from the US that its response will be serious. This opinion was expressed November 7, on the air of the FREEDOM TV channel by an expert on international relations, People’s Deputy of Ukraine of the 6th convocation Yevhen Dobryak.

“We must state today the fact that the threat of expanding the geography of the military conflict is still minimal. There is a situation related to the main actors who provoked the conflict in Israel, the attack of Hamas and Islamic Jihad on Israel, which is Iran and their proxy groups in the region, such as Hezbollah, the Yemeni Houthis, the Iraqi Shiite resistance , the Assad regime, etc. There was such rhetoric, especially after the speech of the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, that Hezbollah would not intervene directly and would not invade the territory of Israel. There will be some artillery duels, isolated rocket launches, etc., but they will not go for a full-scale invasion of the territory of Israel,” he said.

According to the expert, the same rhetoric of Iran. “Iran threatens, acts very harshly, etc., but in reality Iran has received certain signals, primarily two aircraft carrier strike groups in full equipment and escort, and the entry of a strategic nuclear missile carrier of the “Ohio” class into the Middle East region, subordinate to the US Central Command, which carries strategic intercontinental ballistic missiles, strategic torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles. In fact, this is a signal to Iran that in case of entering the war, or any serious actions, the response of the US and its allies will be very serious. This is such a restraining factor,” says Dobryak.

As for the activation of the Yemeni Houthis, nothing more will happen, except for isolated rocket strikes on the territory of Israel, some of which landed in Egypt, some of which did not reach Israel. The situation is the same with Syria. Syria also periodically carries out some missile and artillery strikes on Israel, but will not intervene in a direct conflict, the expert believes.

In addition, the visit of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken played a role. “Accordingly, during Blinken’s second tour of the Middle East, he visited Iraq and met with Prime Minister al-Sudan. I understand that this was one of the messages Al-Sudani had to convey to the Iranian leadership. He was in Tehran the next day for talks with the Iranian leadership. Now the American military bases in the north of Iraq, in Syria will be permanently shelled, but to talk about expansion on a serious, global scale and a big war in the Middle East – now this threat is decreasing every day. Because, after all, the deterrence factor of the United States and its allies in the region allows us to say that there will be no full-scale, serious war involving Iran or other players. But, of course, these proxy groups will “spoil the mood” for a long time, not only in Israel, but also in other Arab states, for example, Egypt and Jordan. They are also extremely uninterested in the expansion of the conflict and in prolonging it,” Dobryak said.

The same, he believes, applies to the Sunni monarchies of the Persian Gulf, such as: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar. They are not interested in pedaling this situation, expanding the geography, etc.

Previous rounds of clashes between Palestinian factions and Israel had ended with a return to the status quo of the last few decades. However, officials and analysts say that the October 7 Hamas attack upended any potential for a return to the existing state of affairs. “The conflict did not start on October 7, 2023,” said the Director of the Carnegie Middle East Center, Maha Yahya, referring to the date of the Hamas attack on Israel. She pointed to Gaza being under Israeli siege for almost 20 years, culminating in the uptick of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza following the formation of Benjamin Netanyahu’s current government in Israel – the most extreme in the country’s history.

Palestinians had seen their hopes for an independent state slowly fade over recent years, leading to multiple rounds of violence between various Palestinian factions – some backed by Iran – and Israeli forces. Expanded settlements, occupied Palestinian territories, and no hope of a bright future for young Palestinians have also led to an increase in violence against Israelis. “But the sense of a need to turn the table upside down shuffled the cards,” Yahya told Al Arabiya English. “And what Hamas did on October 7, as horrific as the results were on many fronts, they did turn the tables.”

Apart from the scale and scope of the Hamas attack, which was the deadliest Israel has ever suffered, this was a military operation inside Israeli proper, observers and analysts said. “It’s been a shock to the system … and [Israel] is practically carpet-bombing Gaza,” Yahya said. She added that there was a sense of the West and the US giving the Israelis a “carte blanche” to do what it felt was needed to avenge the death of its own people.

However, the violence will only lead to more violence and a continuous cycle of back and forth, analysts said. Already, Israel has faced attacks from Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq following its bombardment of Gaza, which has killed thousands of Palestinian civilians – men, women, and children.

The director of the Middle East Security Program at the Washington-based Center for a New American Security, Jonathan Lord, said the effectiveness of the US moves to deter Hezbollah and other “miscreants” largely depends on their perception of President Joe Biden’s willingness to use force. With many Americans in Israel, Lord said, Biden would have every legal authority needed to intercede if Hezbollah unleashed its arsenals of rockets and missiles on northern Israel. “Based on President Biden’s words and actions thus far, I wouldn’t test him. There are many Americans in harm’s way in Israel,” Lord said.

Bystanders

Sanad, Al Jazeera’s digital investigation agency, disproved the latest claim by Israeli authorities that there is a tunnel for Hamas fighters under the Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Hospital for Rehabilitation and Prosthetic Hospital, commonly known as the Qatari Hospital. Israeli authorities have often claimed that there are command bunkers and main tunnels running under Gaza hospitals as a justification for targeting health facilities, which are protected in war by international law.

Sanad’s investigation shows that this is simply the access hatch for a water reservoir that the hospital uses to fill therapeutic pools for amputees, water the grounds, and a reserve water source in case of emergency. Sanad analysed satellite footage and archives of the hospital’s construction and spoke to one of the original engineers who built it.

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project has recorded 4,200 demonstrations over the Israel-Palestine war around the world between October 7 and 27. The highest number of these protests were held in the United States and 90 percent of the global protests were in support of Palestine, the organisation reported on Tuesday. More than 10,000 Palestinians have been killed in one month of Israeli military assault.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for the establishment of a Palestinian authority in the Gaza Strip after the end of the Israeli military operation in the Strip. Guterres said during his press conference: “I believe that there is a best scenario, and we must strive to achieve it. It is important to give hope to the Palestinian people. In my opinion, the best scenario is for Palestinian authorities to take over,” he claimed. He explained: "There was no solution, and the Palestinians were losing hope. Perhaps this terrible situation would constitute an opportunity to move towards a solution on the basis of the two-state solution."

In an interview with Al Jazeera, a Spanish minister called on the international community to sanction Israel, which she accused of a “planned genocide” of Palestinians in Gaza. Ione Belarra, the Spanish minister for social rights and leader of the far-left Podemos party, also condemned world leaders for an apparent double standard – saying while human rights abuses in Ukraine have been decried, there is a “deafening silence” on the victims of Israeli bombardment.

“The Israeli state must end this planned genocide against the Palestine people,” Belarra said. “Why can we give lessons in human rights in other conflicts and not here when the world is watching in horror? The deaths of thousands of children, the mothers desperately shouting because they are witnessing the killing of their children." Spain has a large Muslim population of about two million people, according to government statistics. About 50,000 Jewish people also live in the country."

Spain has a good relationship with Israel, but like Ireland and some other European countries, it is among the more sympathetic towards the Palestinian cause. Spain only started diplomatic relations with Israel in 1986, but it has made sympathetic gestures towards Israel, like offering Spanish citizenship to Sephardic Jews. In 2015, the Spanish government announced Sephardic Jews, who were expelled from Spain in 1492, were to be offered citizenship as a way of atoning for the expulsion by Catholic monarchs.

Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Sunday and indicated that the PA would be willing to return to the besieged enclave as part of a future political settlement. “We will fully assume our responsibilities within the framework of a comprehensive political solution that includes all of the [occupied] West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip,” Abbas was quoted as telling United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

How do people in Gaza view the prospect of the PA taking power in the besieged Strip 17 years after Hamas won legislative elections, and then a military battle against Fatah, the political arm of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), chaired by Abbas?

One Gaza resident noted "The West Bank is enough of an example of how life is for other Palestinians under the rule of the PA. The Israeli occupation has an iron fist that strikes at the simplest rights of the Palestinian people in the occupied territories. The only solution, or any next move that should be discussed now, should prioritise the means of how to dismantle years of occupation and military rule across the occupied territories."

Another Gazan said "We have been calling for years for the mere human rights that we need to have a life – like employment, electricity, clean water, freedom of movement and the right to seek medical referral outside. The legitimacy of the PA as a suitable power, and of any other ruler in Gaza, comes into the equation only when we have enough for a good life and survival from this hell."

The Iraqi government donated 10 million liters of fuel to power generators of hospitals in Gaza amid an Israeli military assault on the Palestinian territory. A statement by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani said the move “aims to assuage the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza.” The statement, however, did not specify a date for the fuel shipments or how they would be allowed into the blockaded territory.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi said on Wednesday evening that the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) is a never-ending idea, and whoever wants a different situation must fulfill the rights of the Palestinian people, stressing that Jordan rejects any talk about post-war administration of Gaza through Arab or non-Arab forces. Al-Safadi's statements came during his meeting with a large number of journalists and writers at a symposium hosted by the Amman Municipality Salon, according to what Jordanian media reported.

Regarding Israel and others’ promotion of the elimination of Hamas and what comes after it, Al-Safadi said, “Hamas is an idea, and the idea never ends. Whoever wants a different situation must meet the needs and rights of the Palestinian people and achieve comprehensive peace. If the international community does not go in this direction and with a plan that achieves peace, a Palestinian state, and the rights of its people, We will return to war every 5 or 6 years, and no one will witness the stability and security that the whole world demands.”

Al-Safadi stressed that from a principled standpoint and from a standpoint of the higher interests of the Palestinian people and the Kingdom as well, “(Jordan) rejects any scenario that deals with the Gaza issue alone, and this will perpetuate Israel’s goal of separating Gaza from the West Bank, and take us down dangerous paths that are not in the interest of the Palestinian people and their cause.” Al-Safadi said that Jordan today rejects any talk or scenarios that some people are talking about about the post-Gaza phase and the end of the war on it, considering that the scenarios proposed in this context are “unrealistic and rejected, and Jordan will not deal with them.”

Al-Safadi reaffirmed Jordan’s position that any displacement of the Palestinian people from their land towards the Kingdom is tantamount to a declaration of war on Jordan, “which we will confront with all force.” He explained that the displacement option proposed by Israel at the beginning of the Gaza war “failed and did not find acceptance, not only from Egypt, Jordan, and the people.” "The Palestinians, but also from all countries of the world, including the United States."

Le Figaro newspaper said that former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin called for stopping “this vicious cycle of the use of force and revenge,” and working to find more just responses, explaining that the priority must be to prevent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from continuing his “suicidal” logic. Which will make Israel a besieged state.

The man, who was Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2002 and 2003 under Jacques Chirac , said that this response was “neither targeted nor proportionate,” and estimated that the collateral damage in the attack launched by Israel on the civilian population in Gaza was “not accidental, but rather completely predictable.”

De Villepin added that what we are experiencing now is a politics of revenge, pointing out that Israel has the right to self-defense, but self-defense is not a random right to kill the civilian population, as more than 10,000 people have been killed so far, including 4,000 children in Gaza, and he explained that “ "This war that is taking place today is an illusion of a possible peace, and it will not happen. Israel is putting itself in danger with this type of war, and this type of strike, because neither force nor revenge guarantees peace and security, but justice."

Axis of Resistance

Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani said that the dire situation in Gaza necessitates achieving the full ceasefire as a priority. "The dire situation in Gaza necessitates achieving the full ceasefire as a priority, and then, immediate and comprehensive action to facilitate Gaza's reconstruction is needed," Iravani said addressing the 78th Session of the UNGA about the Special Political and Decolonization Committee Agenda item 50: “Israeli Practices and Settlement Activities Affecting the Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories”.

The spokesperson for the Ansar Allah movement, Mohammad Abdul Salam, stressed that the Yemeni armed forces will continue their operations to support Palestinians in Gaza until the Israeli aggression stops, confirming that a hostile US spy plane was downed in the airspace of Yemeni territorial waters. Abdul Salam said on X that this operation reaffirms that the Yemeni Armed Forces are ready to confront any hostile actions violating the country's national sovereignty.

Washington’s main concern so far has been to prevent an all-out war between Hezbollah and Israel. The last time the two sides fought was in 2006, which resulted in no clear winner. Rather, Hezbollah has increased its military capabilities and arsenal while asserting more control over state institutions in Lebanon.

US officials have said that its fresh deployment of military assets at strategic points in the Middle East is all meant to deter Iran and its proxies from thinking about escalating the armed offensive against Israel. While the US has so far ruled out putting US boots on the ground, American officials have privately admitted that Washington will not be a mere spectator if rockets start raining on Israel.

A much-anticipated speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last week eased fears – for the time being – that the Iran-backed group would declare war on neighboring Israel. Nasrallah threatened Israel with dire consequences but did not declare any expanded military operation. The Hezbollah leader is under domestic pressure not to drag Lebanon, already ravaged by its worst economic and financial crisis ever, into another war that would further devastate the country.

Iran, meanwhile, has refrained from launching any direct attack on Israel and has instead preferred to let its proxies do the job on Tehran’s behalf. However, current and former US military officials have not ruled out the possibility of Iran playing a more direct role.

“I think Iran will use whatever proxy platform best supports their objectives of inflicting pain on Israel and pushing back on US influence in the region,” said the former head of the US Central Command, General Joseph Votel. Asked if Iran would call on the Houthis in Yemen to open a front instead of Hezbollah for now, Votel said: “Yemen is further away from Israel and thus harder to impact, which may offer some advantage.”

The former US ambassador to Yemen, Gerald Feierstein, agreed that this was a possibility but said no other group had the capacity to threaten Israel like Hezbollah. “The Houthis are far away; they’ve launched some missiles and drones at Israel, but they can’t do much more than that,” he said. Iran-backed militias in Syria and Iraq could be more of a problem, Feierstein suggested. “But they still don’t compare to Hezbollah.”

Allied for Democracy

Israel's war in Gaza is "the war of the free world", Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen told EU lawmakers in Brussels. Cohen also said that Israel was attacked not only by Hamas but by other groups in the region that are supported by Iran, which he called "the world number one financer of terror".

A division emerged between the United States and Israel over the future of Gaza after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested - in an interview - that Israel would bear responsibility for security in Gaza “for an indefinite period.” On the other hand, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken reiterated his country’s opposition to any “reoccupation” of the Gaza Strip, although “there may be a need for some transitional period at the end of the conflict.”

Speaking on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Tokyo, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said everyone wants the conflict in Gaza to end as soon as possible and for the civilian suffering to be minimized. "But, as I discussed with my G7 colleagues, those calling for an immediate cease-fire have an obligation to explain how to address the unacceptable result that would likely bring about: Hamas left in place with more than 200 hostages, with a capacity and stated intent to repeat October 7th again and again and again," he said.

The top US diplomat also listed some elements that must be achieved after the war. He said they included:

• No forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza
• No use of Gaza as a platform for terrorism or other violent attacks
• No reoccupation of Gaza after the conflict
• No attempt to blockade or besiege Gaza
• No reduction in the territory of Gaza
• No terrorist threats emanating from the West Bank

A report by the American CNN network stated that a state of anxiety and anger has spread within the corners of the administration of President Joe Biden regarding the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli forces do not show any signs of stopping their continuous attacks, and the number of civilian casualties in the besieged Strip continues to rise.

The report said that a month after the war, some senior American officials privately say that there are aspects of Israeli military operations that they simply cannot defend. There are increasing calls among government employees for the United States to support a ceasefire, and multiple sources told CNN about employees who are appalled by the continuing images of Palestinian civilians being killed in Israeli air strikes. A senior official in the Biden administration said, “This has created great ethical concern... but no one can say that because we are all working according to the president’s will and he is involved in everything.”

An open letter signed by hundreds of USAID employees urges the Biden administration to call a ceasefire, something the administration has so far rejected. “For USAID’s efforts to be effective and to save lives, we need an immediate ceasefire and cessation of hostilities,” the letter said. It added, "We believe that further catastrophic loss of human life can only be avoided if the United States government calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of the Israeli hostages, and the return of water, food, fuel, and electricity to the people of Gaza by the State of Israel."

The US House of Representatives voted 234-188 to censure Rashida Tlaib for her comments about Israel's war in the Gaza Strip against the militant Islamist group Hamas. Twenty-two Democrats joined with most Republicans in the chamber to rebuke Tlaib for her rhetoric about the Israel-Hamas war. Tlaib is the only Palestinian-American member of Congress and one of two Muslim women in the House of Representatives. She had repeatedly condemned Hamas's terror attack on Israel, in which militants killed 1,400 people in southern Israel and took over 240 people hostage. She also criticized US support for the Israeli military as it retaliates with bombardments that, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, have killed over 10,000 people in Gaza and created a humanitarian crisis. "It is important to separate people and government," she added. "The idea that criticizing the government of Israel is antisemitic sets a very dangerous precedent. And it's been used to silence diverse voices speaking up for human rights across our nation."

"Speaking up to save lives — no matter faith, no matter ethnicity — should not be controversial in this chamber. The cries of the Palestinian and Israeli children sound no different to me. What I don't understand is why the cries of Palestinian children sound different to you all. We cannot lose our shared humanity," she added.

US Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse defended US Representative of Palestinian origin Rashida Tlaib because of her position on Israel's war on the Gaza Strip , at a time when the White House condemned her comments. Senator Whitehouse said that condemning Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American in Congress, instead of approving the aid that Gaza desperately needs, and working to stop the conflict in the Middle East, is “pathetic and shameful.”

An alliance of 13 major aid groups including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Amnesty International and Oxfam urged world leaders to push for a ceasefire in Gaza after one month of war. The organisations "call on French President Emmanuel Macron and heads of state... to do everything in their power to obtain an immediate ceasefire," they said in a statement, one day before a humanitarian conference on Gaza is due to be held in Paris. Other priorities should include "concrete measures to free civilian hostages and protect all civilian populations, guaranteeing entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza and respecting international humanitarian law," the groups said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for a significant humanitarian pause in the Gaza conflict to allow for the release of all hostages and the delivery of enough aid to address civilian needs. "I don't need to describe the horrors. This is why we are calling for a significant humanitarian pause that will allow us to release all the Jewish hostages and ... continue to evacuate foreign citizens from Gaza," Trudeau told reporters. "This pause must allow the delivery of real and substantial aid, enough aid to relieve this abominable humanitarian crisis for people and civilians in Gaza."

The G7 group of major industrial countries backed a US call for "humanitarian pauses" in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, foreign ministers said. "We stress the need for urgent action to address the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza... we support humanitarian pauses and corridors to facilitate urgently needed assistance, civilian movement, and the release of hostages," ministers said in a joint statement following talks in Japan. The group also said it recognized Israel's right to defend itself "in accordance with international law."

America's Christian Zionists believe that supporting Israel is essential for the fulfillment of "biblical prophecy" and have been shaping US foreign policy on the Israel-Palestine conflict for decades now.