Operation Iron Swords - Day 36 - 11 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 1,200, 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 more than 11,078 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 4,506 children [down from 4,800 children previously reported, and Israel’s attacks had killed 4,104 children in Gaza during the current war, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported] and 3,027 women, and 678 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 about 27,500 [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 2,650 were missing, including 1,500 children, and presumed buried under rubble. On the West bank, at least 183 Palestinians had been killed, and more than 2,300 injured [a big jump from the previous 1,980 injured].

Alalam News Network, part of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, reported "War crimes committed in Gaza , affecting 42,000 Palestinians , who are direct victims of this war, including martyrs, wounded and missing, meaning about 2 percent of the total population of Gaza became direct victims as a result of this aggression, either martyrs or wounded, which means that the hospitals of the Gaza Strip are receiving an average One "

Israel revised down the death toll from the October Hamas attacks in southern Israel from 1,400 to 1,200, according to a foreign ministry spokesman. “This is the updated number. It is due to the fact that there were lot of corpses that were not identified and now we think those belong to terrorists ... not Israeli casualties,” ministry spokesman Lior Haiat told AFP. IDF had said previously it was holding 1,500 bodies of terrorists, a total that now would increas to about 1,700.

The leader of the Hamas movement Osama Hamdan confirmed that the number of Israeli army deaths during the battles in the Gaza Strip is double what the occupation announced, Hamdan stated: "We confirm with complete confidence that the number of deaths in the Israeli army is many times higher than what is announced, and the Israelis brazenly admit that telling the truth serves Hamas, so they are lying."

The Israeli army reported the death of 356 soldiers and officers, 43 of them were killed since the start of the ground operation in the besieged Gaza Strip. At least 5,431 Israelis were injured.

The Israeli army said five more soldiers were killed during battles in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Ynet news website cited a military statement saying four soldiers were killed in a booby-trapped tunnel in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza while the fifth died in fighting elsewhere. The number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of ground operations on October 27 rose to 43.

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.

The IDF reported that since the beginning of the war, over 1,540 wanted persons have been arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria Division and the Bekaa and Valleys Division, over 930 of whom are associated with the terrorist organization Hamas.

Based on the Prisoner Club’s statistics, since October 7, Israel had arrested 2,300 Palestinians. Various areas in the West Bank and Jerusalem witness daily raids and incursions by Israeli forces into villages and towns, accompanied by confrontations and arrests, in addition to shooting and the use of gas bombs against Palestinians. By another account, more than 2,280 Palestinians were arrested in the West Bank. For its part, the Israeli army announced the arrest of about 1,430 Palestinians throughout the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, including 900 from the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ).

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that the talks to release Israeli prisoners held by the Hamas movement, which were mediated by Qatar with the participation of the heads of the Mossad and the CIA, had achieved significant progress. The newspaper quoted an Arab diplomat familiar with the details, who said that progress had been made in the talks, but the date on which any agreement would be implemented would depend on the situation on the ground in the Gaza Strip. The talks focused on the possibility of releasing between 10 and 20 women and children, in exchange for a three-day ceasefire and providing humanitarian aid to the northern Gaza Strip.

Israeli Channel 12 said that estimates in Israel indicate that most of the detainees are in the southern Gaza Strip even before the start of the Israeli ground attack. In this context, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper indicated that the Israeli army's estimates, even before the ground operation, indicated that most of the detainees were transferred to the southern Gaza Strip, and pointed out that this is one of the reasons that prompted a decision to begin the ground operation in the northern Gaza Strip.

Operational Update

Older people with medical conditions who have been displaced inside Gaza are struggling with harsh living conditions. “Getting a loaf of bread has become a thing of the past,” an older displaced man told the UN agency for Palestinian refugees from the Khan Younis Training Centre. “Here, there is a shortage of all necessities. There is either no water or it is very scarce and not clean. I suffer from nerve and urinary tract problems. As for using the bathroom, it’s very challenging. We wait in line for an hour or more,” he added.

The IDF is at the Shifa hospital complex, under heavy fire. It is likely that most of the terrorists who were hiding there have already moved south, using their network of tunnels. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesperson, insisted the Israelis were not attacking the Al-Shifa Hospital – but he acknowledged there is fighting around the facility, saying they are targeting Hamas fighters. But he said the eastern side of the hospital is still open – and then he said the Israelis are open to moving babies out of Al-Shifa to another hospital in the Gaza area. IDF spokesman said: "The news about Shifa Hospital is false, they are working in a targeted manner with the terrorists. The IDF will continue to allow patients in Shifa to leave - the western side of the Shifa hospital is open to the passage of Gazans to the south."

The Israeli military urged medical staff and patients remaining at al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip to evacuate. Israeli troops could soon launch an all-out offensive on the hospital. They say a key stronghold of the Islamic group Hamas is housed underneath the medical facility. In a video clip, an Arabic-speaking Israeli military official insisted that their troops have not yet attempted to attack or seize the hospital. The spokesperson said that through the hospital's director, the Israeli military issued its evacuation request to medical staff, patients and civilians taking shelter there. The official said those remaining can still evacuate along the road on its east side, which remains open to traffic.

Dr Mads Gilbert, who regularly works in Gaza, says the situation in hospitals, particularly Al-Shifa Hospital, is very “desperate” as staff and patients are left with no oxygen, food, or water. As fighting goes on in the north, Dr Gilbert says doctors there have said there is “no possibility to access the wounded or the dead”. “I’m sick and tired of these [Israeli] claims that there are Hamas command centres [in hospitals],” Gilbert told Al Jazeera. “We have never seen it. We’ve never seen high-ranking Hamas people in Al-Shifa. We’ve been able to roam freely.”

The head of Al-Shifa Hospital, Muhammad Abu Salmiya, described the day as a "day of war on hospitals," noting multiple strikes, including one on the courtyard and obstetrics department. At least 13 people were killed, and several were wounded in the attacks. Al-Shifa Hospital director Mohammed Abu Salmiya said two prematurely born babies died because of the power outage there. “They were 39 children and now they’re 37 newborns,” Abu Salmiya told Al Jazeera. The babies, who require oxygen devices, were moved from incubators to a bed in another part of the hospital that is “not conducive to newborns”.

Human Rights Watch reviewed satellite images, expressing concern that warnings to civilians without providing safe passage or places to go are insufficient. The group called on world leaders to act and prevent further mass atrocities.

HAMAS officials reported on the unimaginable conditions that al-Shifa Hospital was experiencing. "Israel" bombed al-Shifa Medical Complex, in Gaza, with internationally prohibited White Phosphorus, Palestinian Minister of Health, Mai al-Kaila confirmed. The Minister also revealed that 39 children and infants who were administered to the intensive care unit are threatened with death in Al-Shifa Hospital as their oxygen supply is closed to running out. Al-Kaila stressed that "patients in al-Shifa Complex are threatened with imminent death."

Al-Quds Hospital, located in the northern part of Gaza City, is almost completely out of service, as its intensive care unit is the only functional section in the hospital and it is also "threatened to stop [operating] within the [next few] hours," the Palestinian Health Minister explained.

The Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed that tanks and military vehicles are surrounding Al-Quds Hospital from all sides. The Red Crescent explained that the tanks were located 20 meters from Al-Quds Hospital, west of Gaza City, and the occupation forces were firing directly at the hospital, creating a state of extreme panic and fear among the displaced. The military aircraft also launched a belt of fire in the vicinity of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza.

Al-Barsh added that people dying in the hospital are being thrown into the hospital's square since burying their bodies is impossible due to the continued bombing of any moving object or person near the hospital. "Machinery was brought in to dig graves for them inside the hospital's courtyard, but the occupation targeted them. Therefore, mass graves will be dug for them by hand and small machines that can be used for this purpose."

The Israeli occupation had directly targeted al-Shifa and bombarded its vicinity for three consecutive days, according to the Director-general of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Munir al-Barsh. "The occupation wants to achieve a pseudo victory by taking a picture of [its forces] near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City," he told Al Mayadeen.

The spokesman for the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Ashraf Al-Qudra, announced that the Al-Shifa Medical Complex was out of service due to “the Israeli army targeting everything that moves inside the complex.” In statements transmitted by the government media office in Gaza via Telegram, Al-Qudra said, “We are surrounded inside the Al-Shifa Medical Complex at the present time, and there are a large number of marches in all directions.” He also pointed out that the intensive care and pediatric departments and oxygen equipment had stopped working, adding, "We lost two patients and the rest are threatened with death at any moment due to the intensity of the fire inside the hospital."

Al-Qudra pointed out that the Israeli occupation army is bombing the fifth floor of the surgery building inside the Shifa Medical Complex at the present time, and we are unable to move from one building to another inside the Shifa Complex due to the intensity of the bombing and the intensity of the fire."

The occupation forces targeted Al-Shifa Hospital with medium machine guns from aircraft. Electricity and oxygen were cut off from Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, and the hospital became without water or food. The vicinity of the burn and surgery buildings was damaged, and fire broke out in the vicinity of the dialysis building in the Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, as a result of Israeli bombing and targeting.

Director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, Muhammad Abu Salamiya, said that if the role of UNRWA and international organizations is to express concern, then we do not want these people in Gaza, because the whole world is worried and hurting over what is happening in Gaza.

Medical charity MSF International has reported a significant intensification of Israeli attacks on the al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, describing the situation as "catastrophic," with staff facing dire circumstances. "We urgently reiterate our calls to stop the attacks against hospitals and for the protection of medical facilities, medical staff, and patients," the organization emphasized. MSF also expressed ongoing concern for the safety of its staff at the hospital, stating that it remains unable to establish contact with them.

Palestinian activist Saleh al-Jafarawi detailed challenges faced during his journey from al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to southern Gaza, citing difficult conditions and widespread fear among civilians.

The Palestinian factions said that they informed the United Nations of the necessity of sending UN missions to ensure that Al-Shifa Hospital is free of any military manifestations. In a statement, the Follow-up Committee for the Palestinian factions called on international bodies to attend the Al-Shifa Complex beforehand to prevent the Israeli occupation forces from storming it and to prevent them from falsifying the facts.

In turn, the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) warned of the repercussions of the occupation army's escalation of its barbaric bombing in the vicinity of the Shifa Medical Complex in the Gaza Strip , for the fifth time in 24 hours. Hamas said in a press statement that it holds the US administration and President Joe Biden fully responsible for this heinous crime against medical staff, patients, wounded, and displaced people in the hospital and its surroundings. It called on the United Nations and the Arab and Islamic countries to intervene immediately to stop this brutal aggression and to bear political and legal responsibility in protecting civilians and hospitals, which are considered safe areas according to international laws.

For its part, Human Rights Watch said that it did not find anything to confirm the Israeli army’s claims that the Hamas movement’s headquarters is located under Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, stressing that the continued bombing and fighting in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital “raises grave concern about the safety of thousands of civilians.”

The spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, said: “We documented the total or partial destruction of 160 military vehicles belonging to the occupation since the start of the ground aggression, 25 of them within the past 48 hours.” He added in an audio speech that "Israeli tanks are facing violent resistance and fierce clashes that force them to retreat and change the course of the incursion."

He stressed that "the resistance fighters come out from under the ground, above it, and from under the rubble and destroy its armor and tanks. Although the confrontation is unequal, it frightens and terrifies the most powerful force in the region." He noted that "the massacres committed by the enemy in front of the world are the enemy's only achievement in this war, because easy and quick revenge comes to appease its internal front."

Fierce clashes, according to the Al-Qassam Brigades and Al-Quds Brigades, are being waged by the resistance fighters in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, Al-Nasr Neighborhood, Al-Shati Camp, and the Tal Al-Hawa area, and enemy vehicles have been blown up, with Israeli forces falling dead and wounded in direct attacks on these axes.

An incursion that the entity is trying to present as a military achievement by covering up its freedoms, the ambushes that the invading forces are exposed to, and the targeting that the resistance spoke about and published its pictures, through mortar shells, missiles, and Al-Yassin shells, which are now making a difference in the battle.

"There is no fortress that can protect the occupation soldiers from the fire of the resistance fighters", Al-Qassam Brigades broadcast, with pictures of the targeting of a house in the north of Beit Hanoun, in which the occupation soldiers were holed up. They also targeted three military vehicles with Al-Yassin shells southwest of Gaza and three other vehicles northwest of it. The occupation army admitted that an officer in its forces was killed during the battles in Gaza.

The internal battle and the ferocity of the clashes in the Gaza Strip did not deviate from targeting the settlements from the equations of the resistance, as they launched a focused bombardment on the entity’s military concentrations in the vicinity of the Mars military site and the sites of Kissufim and Mars, and also the occupied settlement of Beersheba in response to the massacres against civilians, with the Al-Quds Brigades announcing that it had targeted an Israeli plane. It was of the Etan type and was hit directly.

IDF fighter jets struck a number of terror infrastructure sites of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon, in parallel to artillery strikes. The forces of the Givati Brigade Combat Team, using the guidance of a fighter jet and the intelligence guidance of the Amman and the Shin Bet, eliminated the terrorist Ahmed Tsiam, the commander of the regional Nasser-Rachuan company in Hamas, who was exposed by the IDF spokesman two days ago by holding about a thousand residents of the Strip Gaza as hostages in the 'Rantisi' hospital and prevented them from evacuating to the south of the Gaza Strip. Ahmed Siam was killed while hiding in the "al Buraq" school, where additional terrorists under this command were also hiding and were killed. Ahmed Siam demonstrates once again that Hamas uses the civilians of Gaza as human shields for terrorism purposes.

Brigade 551, the reserve brigade of veteran commandos and paratroopers, is fighting in the Beit Hanon area , destroying IDF and infrastructure of the terrorist organization Hamas and eliminating terrorists. As part of the brigade's activities, the forces destroyed weapons, ammunition and explosives found in a kindergarten in the Beit Hanon area.

An IDF tank attacked a terrorist squad that tried to launch anti-tank missiles at Israeli territory in the Aramsha area. Earlier today an aerial target was detected crossing towards Israeli territory in the area of Kibbutz Kabri, the target was shot down and the incident ended. In addition, two suspicious targets were intercepted in the Lebanese border area. Also, mortars and anti-tank missiles were detected from Lebanese territory towards IDF positions in the northern region, IDF forces attacked with artillery fire the source of the fire and Hezbollah's infrastructure.

Since the beginning of the ground operations, the Air Force, with the assistance and direction of the ground forces, has attacked about 5,000 targets in the Gaza Strip to thwart threats in real time. About 3,300 attacks were carried out by fighter jets, about 860 attacks were carried out by helicopter gunships and over 570 attacks were carried out by helicopter gunships. These attacks help the ground forces in thwarting threats and closing circles of fire in a short time, with the shortest time measured being about 6 minutes from the moment of the call to the attack. Assaults are also carried out very close assistance to the troops.

During the night, the naval forces attacked buildings used by the terrorist organization Hamas against IDF forces in the northern area of the Gaza Strip. Also, IDF warehouses where equipment of the Hamas naval force is located were attacked. At the direction of infantry forces in the Gaza Strip who identified military targets inside buildings in the Shati camp area, the forces of the Sea Arm closed a circle of fire and attacked the buildings.

The IDF, Shin Bet and MGB forces arrested 19 wanted persons throughout the Judea and Samaria Division tonight, of which nine were terrorists from Hamas. During arrests in Beit Pajer in Sheva Zion, three improvised weapons were seized. A hunting weapon was seized in Shvicha in Mensha, during the operation a shot was fired at the force, who responded by shooting and hitting the suspect. During the arrests in Beta in Yehuda, an M16 weapon, a Carlo rifle and a pistol were seized.

During the activity in Kalkiliya in Efraim, there were disturbances that included throwing stones, explosives and Molotov cocktails at the forces who responded with means to disperse demonstrations and shooting, injuries were detected. In the town of Anta, in the village of Jalma and in the cities of Yatta and Kalkilia, the forces confiscated ammunition and military equipment.

So far, since the beginning of the war, about 1,560 wanted persons have been arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria Division and the Bekaa and Valleys Division, about 940 of whom are associated with the terrorist organization Hamas.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Iran-backed Hezbollah that launching a war would result in widespread destruction in Lebanon similar to that in Gaza, where Israel battled Hamas militants. “If it (Hezbollah) makes this kind of mistake here, the ones who will pay the price will be first and foremost Lebanese citizens,” Gallant told soldiers on Israel’s northern border in remarks relayed by his office. “What we’re doing in Gaza, we can also do in Beirut.”

Israel’s leader issued a stark warning to Lebanon’s Hezbollah after the defence minister did the same earlier in the day. “Don’t make the mistake of going to war. That would be the mistake of your life… Your entry into the war will seal the fate of Lebanon,” Benjamin Netanyahu said.

The Wall Street Journal said that Israel is accelerating its efforts to eradicate the Islamic Resistance Movement " Hamas " at a time when calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip are escalating. The American newspaper quoted current and former soldiers and officials as saying that the closer the Israeli forces get to the center of Gaza City, the more they will face Hamas fighters. They will attack them and then withdraw or disappear underground, which will slow their advance. An Israeli captain who led an armored reserve unit into northern Gaza in the first days of the invasion said, "The deeper we go, the more difficult the battle becomes."

The newspaper claimed in its report that Israel’s strategy is based on killing a “sufficient number” of Hamas fighters and leaders to eliminate the movement before it is forced to reduce its military operation, while Hamas’s goal is “stagnation” that enables it to survive, and although it has suffered damage, it is still Strong in Gaza, according to what analysts told the newspaper.

The United States stands with Israel in achieving its goal of what it calls “eliminating Hamas,” while Israeli officials say that they will not accept a ceasefire, or even a temporary official cessation of fighting, until their prisoners held by the movement are released. However, Israeli officials acknowledge that moving quickly in this regard is crucial.

The newspaper quotes the former commander of the Southern Command, Matan Vilnai - who previously led the Israeli forces in Gaza - as saying, “The main issue now is (the factor) of time,” adding, “Hamas may be saving its forces for a fiercer battle inside Gaza City.” As time passes, the Wall Street Journal adds that Israeli army leaders will face a series of difficult decisions, including whether to attack the bunkers and the tunnel network that may contain at least some prisoners, and whether to move its invasion to southern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of residents have taken refuge to escape the fighting.

Ed Arnold, a British researcher at the Royal United Services Institute based in London, says that when Israeli forces reach central Gaza City and stop their advance, they "may become more vulnerable to ambushes and suicide bombings." The newspaper quoted a person familiar with the intelligence world as saying that the US intelligence community has doubts about Israel’s ability to achieve its declared military goal of eliminating the movement, which the United States classifies as a terrorist organization. The person - whose identity was not revealed by the newspaper - added that the Israeli military campaign may harm the Hamas movement and its infrastructure, but it will not be able to eradicate its ideology.

The newspaper pointed out that Israel has so far been unable to harm senior Hamas leaders in Gaza, including Yahya Al-Sinwar - who spent more than 20 years in Israeli prisons - and Muhammad Al-Deif, the “mysterious” leader of the Al-Qassam Brigades, whom Israel has repeatedly tried to assassinate. Israeli officers say that they do not plan to fight inside the tunnels because the passages may be booby-trapped. Instead, the newspaper adds, Israeli forces are demolishing tunnels wherever they find them.

The head of the “Health Emergency” Committee in Rafah Governorate, Dr. Marwan Al-Hams, suggested that the Israeli occupation army is using new, prohibited and more deadly weapons in its current war on Gaza , based on the amputations and burns caused by the air strikes, ranging between 70 and 100% of the bodies. Victims, and a foul odor unusual in previous wars, and repeated over the past 15 years.

Al-Hams said - in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera Net - that there is several evidence and evidence of unconventional and unusual weapons used by the occupation army during this war. The circle of killing and destruction due to these weapons is wider than before, and leads to large-scale destruction in the vicinity of the targeted place. This raises the number of martyrs and wounded.

It is believed that with the cessation of this bloody, devastating war, which is escalating for the second month in a row, “the tragedy will be greater and deeper,” as there are still bodies of martyrs under the rubble of residential homes and civilian facilities that were targeted by air strikes, and civil defense teams were unable to recover them.

In the interview with Dr. Al-Hams, who, in addition to his chairmanship of the Health Emergency Committee, manages the Martyr Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital, which is the only one in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, he reviews several topics related to the Israeli war on Gaza,

"It is certain that the occupation is using a type of weapons that is unusual in its previous and repeated wars on Gaza since 2008. These weapons cause a widespread cycle of injury and destruction, which increases the number of martyrs and wounded, who arrive in hospitals in torn pieces, without heads or limbs. With burns of up to 70 to 100% of the body. It was noteworthy that these weapons caused the unpleasant odors they left on the body. Personally, as I dealt with cases that reached Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital, this odor stuck to my clothes and remained stuck to them despite repeated washing....

"There is a lot of evidence that confirms the occupation’s use of missiles and missiles that are more deadly to humans and stones. Despite the experience of medical teams in dealing with wars, cases of the teams’ failure to save the lives of the wounded despite their quick arrival have been repeated, given the severity of the wounds that we were not accustomed to in previous wars, and they were not of this kind."

The Izz al-Din al -Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), announced that it had targeted a house where Israeli soldiers were holed up, in addition to blowing up vehicles on all fronts of the Israeli army’s advance in Gaza. Al-Qassam explained - in a blog post on the Telegram platform - that it was targeting a house in which occupation soldiers were barricaded north of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, attaching a video clip showing the moment it targeted the house.

A short while earlier, the Al-Qassam Brigades reported that its fighters were attacking a crowd of Israeli vehicles penetrating west of Erez with heavy-caliber mortar shells. In another blog post, the Al-Qassam Brigades reported that 3 military vehicles were targeted with “Al-Yassin 105” shells in the southwest area of Gaza City. Later, the Brigades reported that their fighters were engaging in fierce clashes and blowing up enemy vehicles in all axes and points of the enemy’s advance in Gaza.

The Israeli army stormed the city of Nablus and a number of villages and towns in the south and east of the governorate with the aim of carrying out an arrest campaign. It also stormed the town of Yatta and various areas in Hebron and Tulkarm, and carried out raids in the town of Anata, northeast of Jerusalem.

Armed clashes and heavy shooting broke out between Palestinian youths and the occupation forces during their storming of the town of Silat al-Dhahr (south of Jenin), after Israeli forces raided a number of homes with the aim of arresting those they described as their wanted persons. An armed clash also took place with the occupation forces after they stormed homes and shops in Qalqilya, carrying out a campaign of raids and arresting a number of Palestinians. For its part, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club said that the Israeli occupation forces arrested 25 Palestinians, including children, in the West Bank.

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah announced that in support of the steadfast people of Palestine in the Gaza Strip and "in solidarity with their brave and honorable Resistance," they have targeted multiple Israeli occupation positions, armored personnel carriers, and Israeli infantry troops across the Lebanese front.

In one of the military statements, Hezbollah announced they had targeted an assembly for the IOF in the occupied Lebanese village of Tarbikha and its vicinity ("Wadi Shomera", "Tel Shuir", and "Badid"). The operation was conducted at 2:00 p.m. using "appropriate weapons", and "achieved direct casualties". Moreover, another operation was conducted at 15:00, using guided missiles against an enemy outpost, and an IOF infantry force in the occupied Mutela area, also "causing direct hits and injuries" according to the statement.

Simultaneously, Hezbollah also announced targeting the so-called Al-Radar military outpost as well as the Zebdine outpost located in the occupied Kfar Chouba hills, using "appropriate weapons" and marking "direct hits and injuries". Soon after, at 16:00, Hezbollah announced the targeting Al-Malikiyah military site also using "appropriate weapons" and "achieving direct hits and injuries".

In turn, Hezbollah released a statement announcing, "with pride and honor", that Abbas Nazir Al-Rashe'eni, who was known as "Abu Zahra", from the city of Hermel and the residents of the town of Sohmar in the Bekaa region had attained martyrdom on the path of Al-Quds.

With the continuation of the war launched by Israel on the Gaza Strip, security tensions were escalating in Iraq following the targeting of American bases in Iraq and Syria by what is known as the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq.” On Friday, the US Department of Defense acknowledged that its bases in Iraq and Syria were subjected to about 46 attacks using missiles and drones, while confirming that 56 Americans were injured as a result of these attacks, which followed Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, which was initiated by the Palestinian resistance factions on October 7.

The US administration had warned against the continuation of these attacks while calling on the Iraqi authorities to protect American interests, which Washington confirms that its bases in the country come in accordance with bilateral agreements between Washington and Baghdad.

Iraq had witnessed a significant decline in the targeting of American bases since Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa al-Sudani took office in October 2022, which puts the Sudanese government in a major dilemma after the US administration warned Baghdad that it would respond to these provocations in light of the continued targeting of Iraq. The rules and the failure of the Iraqi factions to comply with government demands.

Commenting on this, security and strategic expert Fadel Abu Ragheef says, “The strikes directed at American bases constitute a great embarrassment to the Iraqi government, especially since these attacks stopped after the formation of the Sudanese government.” Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Abu Ragheef, who is close to decision-makers in Iraq, revealed that the government is still negotiating with the parties concerned in order to stop these attacks against American interests, indicating that their continuation constitutes great pressure on Baghdad, indicating that if these attacks continue, a strong reaction may be taken. By the United States against the attackers, which may further complicate the situation and drag Iraq into a new spiral of violence. He added that the Coordination Framework Bloc is required to persuade the armed factions to refrain from targeting Washington's interests, which would preserve the country's interest from any dangerous slide that Baghdad may witness, according to Abu Ragheef.

For his part, a member of the Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee, Waad Al-Qaddo, said - in his speech to Al Jazeera Net - that the Iraqi government is facing an unenviable situation, noting that the position of the resistance factions, by bombing American bases, is putting pressure on Washington, which supports Israel in its war on Gaza.

On the other hand, Muhannad Al-Janabi, professor of political science at Cihan University in Erbil, believes that armed factions targeting American bases will not affect American support for Israel and will not dissuade it, especially since their field influence is very limited. Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Al-Janabi confirms that this targeting will harm the Iraqi situation, and that it comes in the midst of disturbance and tension in Iraqi-American relations, indicating that the government will not be able to find a way out of this situation, and that the armed wing of the coordination framework seems to be dissatisfied with the targeting of American bases.

Al-Janabi believes that Al-Sudani will face a major challenge, explaining that those who carry out these attacks are the fundamentalist current of armed factions such as the Al-Nujaba Brigades, Hezbollah Iraq, and Sayyid Al-Shuhada, at a time when other factions such as Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Jund al-Imam, Imam Ali Brigades, and others appear to bee far from these attacks, in what could be called disputes between the Popular Mobilization Forces wing and the factions of the fundamentalist movement, according to al-Janabi.

In turn, security expert Sarmad Al-Bayati believes that the Iraqi government is in a critical position regarding what is happening, and that Washington’s response may come only if there are American casualties, indicating that the Iraqi government will not resort to responding to the perpetrators of these attacks.

As for the member of the Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee, Waad Al-Qaddo, he commented, “The factions have their own entity and support, and without these factions, Iraq would not have been liberated from ISIS , and therefore the justification for these attacks is Washington’s continued support for Israel in its war,” indicating that any government exposure to the factions will cause disruption. In the security stability of Iraq and in the somewhat stable economic situation, according to him.

As for the strategic expert, Fadel Abu Ragheef, he comments that the Iraqi government will not be drawn into a confrontation with the armed factions, which may lead to the opening of an internal front with the political blocs and other parties, according to Abu Ragheef. As the war on Gaza continued, the True Promise Brigades threatened that if American support for Israel continued, the possibility of targeting American bases in Kuwait and the UAE was likely to occur.

Commenting on this, military expert Hassan Al-Obaidi believes that any targeting of American bases in the Gulf states emanating from Iraq will lead to Iraq entering a very critical security phase, which will increase the possibilities of a major American military response against the armed factions, according to him.

As for the possibilities of the American response with the continuation of the attacks against the American bases in Iraq and Syria, Al-Obeidi commented, saying, “I believe that Washington will not resort to the military option currently in responding to the attacks targeting its bases, but if the war expands to Lebanon and Syria, the American response will be inevitable and in all respects.”

Bystanders

The final statement of the extraordinary joint Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh called on “all countries” to stop the export of weapons and ammunition to the Israeli occupation entity, impose the immediate entry of aid convoys, including food, medicine and fuel, into the Gaza Strip, and investigate Zionist war crimes inside the occupied territories.

The statement condemned, “the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, the war crimes, and the barbaric, inhuman and inhumane massacres committed by the colonial occupation government during it and against the Palestinian people in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and demanded the necessity of stopping it immediately, and rejected describing this retaliatory war as self-defense.

The statement decided, “to break the siege on Gaza and impose the immediate entry of Arab, Islamic, and international humanitarian aid convoys, including food, medicine, and fuel, into the Gaza Strip, and to invite international organizations to participate in this process and stress the necessity of these organizations entering the Gaza Strip, protecting their crews, and enabling them to To fully play its role and support the United Nations Agency for the Support and Works of Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), and to support all steps taken by the Arab Republic of Egypt to confront the consequences of the brutal Israeli aggression on Gaza, and to support its efforts to bring aid into the Strip immediately.

The resolution called on the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to complete the investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli occupation entity against the Palestinian people in all the occupied Palestinian territories.

In their statement, the leaders of Islamic and Arab countries also called for “the establishment of two specialized legal monitoring units to document the Israeli crimes committed in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, and the preparation of legal pleadings regarding all violations of international law and international humanitarian law committed by “Israel,” the occupying power, against the Palestinian people. In the Gaza Strip and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, the unit must submit its report 15 days after its establishment to be presented to the League Council at the level of foreign ministers and to the organization’s Council of Foreign Ministers, and then on a monthly basis.

Hassan Khreisha, Vice President of the Palestinian Legislative Council, told Agence France-Presse that things after the end of the war in Gaza will take the form of “civil administration and military rule with the presence of an international community, and the Palestinian Authority will be part of the civil administration of a burned area.” But he added, "I do not think that anyone would accept to go under these circumstances to administer Gaza, and there is no Palestinian, and no sane person, who would accept to return to an American tank or an Israeli Merkava."

In a recent note, the International Crisis Group said that there is little hope that the Palestinian Authority - which is already very unpopular - can return to Gaza after an Israeli invasion, and that it is not “treated as an enemy.”

Axis of Resistance

In his speech before the Riyadh summit, the President of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Sayyed Ebrahim Raisi, said: All our problems will be solved through unity, and we want to take a historic and decisive decision regarding what is happening inside the Palestinian territories. He described the developments in Gaza as “an embodiment of the confrontation between the two axes of honor and evil.” The Iranian president was one of the speakers at the joint meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League on the issue of Gaza, which was held in Riyadh.

Raisi also expressed his appreciation for Saudi Arabia, which holds the 14th rotating presidency of the summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation countries, “in exchange for hosting the extraordinary meeting in light of the current sensitive phase and the dangerous regional developments and circumstances caused by the Zionist entity and its crimes inside the occupied territories,” noting that “it is the business of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation “Islamic Islam is performing a correct role that embodies the meanings of unity and harmony.”

Addressing the extraordinary summit of the OIC in Saudi Arabia, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi stated that Gaza is the scene of confrontation between the axis of honor and the axis of evil and everyone should determine which line they are on. Slamming the US government as the mastermind and main accomplice to the Zionist crimes against the oppressed people of Gaza in the last five weeks, Raisi said, "Now that the international assemblies under the influence of America are suffering from indecisiveness, characterlessness, and the lack of identity, we must take the field."

In his speech, Raisi drew up ten proposals for urgent action to stop the Israeli regime’s onslaught against Gaza and help the Palestinian people in the besieged enclave. The president’s proposals included "stopping the killing of the people of Gaza", "completely lifting the human blockade of Gaza", "the immediate military withdrawal of the Zionist regime from this region", "the termination of any political and economic relations with the Zionist regime by Islamic countries", "the establishment of an international court to prosecute and punish the Zionist and American criminal leaders", "establishment of a special fund for the immediate reconstruction of Gaza with the acceptance of Islamic countries" and "sending a convoy of ships carrying humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people from Islamic countries."

The Iranian President met on the sidelines of the joint meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the President of the Sudanese Governing Council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan. The Iranian President considered the Zionist entity a major disaster for the Islamic nation and the entire world and said that the roots of many of the calamities in the world, Islamophobia, intimidation from Iran and disputes in the Islamic world and the African continent, are the Zionist entity.

Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, Chairman of the Governing Council in Sudan, explained that strengthening relations between Islamic countries, including Iran and Sudan, is for the benefit of the entire Islamic nation, and said: Today the Islamic Republic of Iran is the only country that openly defends the religion of Islam.

On the sidelines of the joint meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League, during his meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, President Rais reviewed the latest developments in Palestine, stressing the necessity of taking practical action to implement “the decision issued by the Arab-Islamic summit meeting calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.""

He considered housing, lifting the siege on Gaza, and providing aid to the residents of this region as the three main demands regarding Gaza, which the Riyadh meeting should be able to achieve.” Within consultation and coordination on the latest field developments in Gaza, the two sides agreed that the only factor that determines the final status is the resistance force , which continues to defend itself vigorously.

The Zionist regime is on the road to perdition and even the US is incapable of changing the doomed fate of Israel, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Hossein Salami said. Addressing a cultural event in Tehran on Friday, the IRGC commander said the other side of the coin amid the Gaza tragedy and the suffering of Palestinians is the Israeli regime’s “political confusion, constant nightmares and ambiguity about future”. It is impossible for the Zionist regime to survive with such an extent of villainy and a history of cruelty, the commander stated, adding that the Israeli regime is doomed to collapse. He stressed that even the US is unable to save the Zionist regime or extend its existence with artificial respiration.

US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is touring the region like a salesman in an effort to maintain a semblance of credibility for the Zionist entity, the Iranian Minister of Security, Esmaeil Khatib, stated. "Blinken is seeking to secure a ceasefire in Gaza in a way that allows the Zionist entity to save face."

Khatib pointed to "Israel's" initial high hopes of triumphing over the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza, highlighting the fact that it is "now, on the verge of agreeing to a ceasefire in exchange for the release of its prisoners." Blinken said, "Far too many Palestinians have been killed; far too many have suffered these past weeks," as he wrapped up a nine-day tour of the Middle East and Asia. The admission comes after officials working under the Biden administration failed to address "Israel's" bombing and killing of children, to the point where the US President questioned the validity of the mounting death tolls published by the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Raisi noted that the US claim about working for a ceasefire in Gaza is false as proven by its actions, while "Israel" continues to collapse as it is defeated by the Palestinian Resistance. He added that the US is aiming to brush this shame under the rug by helping "Israel" commit genocide supported by European nations. "We cooperate and support any action by Islamic countries, at the regional and international level, to prevent the Zionist regime and the American governing body from killing the innocent, oppressed people of Gaza," he said.

The aggression on Gaza which is carried out by the Israeli occupation is a dangerous, exceptional development; these crimes reflect the brutality of the Israeli occupation, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said during a ceremony commemorating Martyr's Day. Sayyed Nasrallah underlined that the Israeli occupation's crimes were a mere reflection of its brutal nature aimed at subjugating the peoples of the region and breaking their will to demand their rights. "The goal of the Israeli occupation's crimes is to push the people to give up and forget about their land, prisoners, sanctities, and the whole of Palestine," the Hezbollah chief said.

He also affirmed that the Israeli occupation, through its aggression and crimes in Gaza, including the brutal and deliberate killing of civilians, is "sending a message to Lebanon." However, Sayyed Nasrallah explained that "Israel" was making yet another mistake and has not yet learned from its past. "It will not achieve its goal; the massacres it has committed throughout history, including Deir Yassin, bear testament to its failure," he further added. "The culture of Resistance has been on the rise, one generation after another, despite the massacres that culminated in the great operation carried by the al-Qassam Brigades on October 7," Sayyed Nasrallah underlined.

"The Israeli occupation's crimes over the past decades, and even the July 2006 war did not see the Lebanese people abandon the Resistance," Sayyed Nasrallah added, another testament to his assertions regarding the Israeli occupation's failure. "The Israelis must despair when it comes to achieving their goals - not our people whose choices have proven to be those of victory, liberation, and dignity," he stressed, noting "Israel's" own actions doomed its bids for the normalization of ties with some Arab countries.

The leader of the Hamas movement in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, announced that the movement would not accept “custodianship” over the Gaza Strip, rejecting plans to “isolate” Hamas. Hamdan said in a press conference from Beirut, “For those who think that Hamas is going, Hamas will remain the conscience and aspirations of our people, and no power on earth will be able to snatch it or marginalize it,” adding, “America’s plans and the occupation are dreams and part of a psychological war that we hope no one gets involved in.” He also said, "Gaza will always remain a cemetery for tyrants, and we wrote victory on October 7," noting that the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas, and the resistance "are fighting on all fronts and inflicting heavy losses on the enemy's ranks."

Hamdan considered that the Hamas movement will remain and that no force on earth will be able to seize it from its land and its people, stressing that the Palestinian people will not accept a puppet government “or someone who comes as an puppet on a Zionist or American tank.” He warned that Hamas is aware of these plans, saying, "We know that there are those who are discussing with leaders in authority and with leaders in the region the post-Hamas era. This is a moral war that the occupation is waging that complements the war on the ground in Gaza, the West Bank, and everywhere." He added, "If you want to talk about the stage after Hamas, this means talking about the stage after the Palestinian people, meaning after Palestine."

The Islamic Jihad movement - which supports Hamas in the Gaza Strip - rejected any future authority that would be imposed there. Muhammad al-Hindi, deputy secretary-general of the movement, said from Beirut, “They are talking about international forces or Arab forces to govern Gaza. Can anyone govern a city with all this pain and all this destruction? Then if international forces come to rule Gaza in favor of the occupation, the Palestinian people will consider them occupation forces without the slightest.” "Doubt and he will fight her."

He added, "They are talking about the Palestinian Authority... A Palestinian Authority comes on the back of an Israeli tank after all these massacres to govern the Gaza Strip... How? And who will build these cities that were destroyed?... A new Marshall Plan cannot be built," referring to the American plan that was drawn up. To help Western Europe following the devastation caused by World War II.

As for former Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, he proposes a solution based on including the Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements in the Palestine Liberation Organization, and then forming a government approved by the expanded Liberation Organization, so that it bears responsibility for managing the Gaza Strip and the West Bank during a transitional period, and through “strict security understandings.” "With Israel.

For his part, Jamal Al-Fadi, professor of politics and international relations at the University of Gaza, says, “I think that today’s talk, and perhaps the major diplomatic movement led by the US Secretary of State, about what will happen after Hamas in the Gaza Strip, is an attempt to explore the positions of all parties in the countries of the region and the Palestinian Authority, and it is the result of fear.” "The United States lacks a strategic plan and any vision for Israel regarding Gaza." The Palestinian academic believes that "the Palestinian Authority wants a solution in which Hamas is a part or at least agrees to it. Otherwise, it will involve involvement in a civil war or a new internal conflict."

For his part, the director of the Palestinian Civil Commission for the Independence of the Judiciary, Majed Al-Arouri, considers that “it is foolish for any Palestinian to fall into the trap of researching the form of governance in Gaza after the war,” adding, “We all know how the war began, but no one knows how it will end, nor when it will end, nor whether What land will end?" He continues, "Talking now about sharing the cake, especially on the part of the Palestinians, is something that involves a degree of political stupidity and is delving into hypothetical matters with unknown outcome."

Muhammad Al-Bukhaiti, a leader in the Ansar Allah movement from Sanaa, confirmed that what Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addressed in his speech was the rise of the Lebanese front and that the escalation on this front is linked to what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank. Al-Bukhaiti pointed out that this is a message to the Zionist enemy that its continued operations in Gaza will result in an escalation that could lead to a comprehensive war, and this is what both Americans and Israelis fear.

Al-Bukhaiti pointed out that had it not been for the pressure from the resistance axis , whether from Yemen or from Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, or Iran, the hand of the Zionist entity would have been completely freed. Therefore, we stress to the people of the resistance axis their readiness and diligent work in order to help our brothers in Palestine, and that We escalate our military operations because this is a responsibility before God Almighty before it is before the people.

Al-Bukhaiti pointed out, saying: If we do not perform this duty to the fullest extent, we are putting ourselves in front of divine punishment, and we always affirm that what we have lost as Arabs and Muslims, especially as an axis of resistance as a result of the internal wars created by America, is much more than what we have lost or what we could lose in confronting the Zionist entity. Therefore, the operations of the axis of resistance must escalate on all fronts.

Al-Monitor website said that despite the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip since last October 7, Israeli leaders admit that the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) is still far from the point of collapse despite the destruction of the infrastructure in the northern Strip. A senior Israeli military source told Al-Monitor - who requested anonymity - that the movement still retains most of its strength. He added that the movement's fighters are hiding underground and can move between the south and north of the Gaza Strip through the vast network of tunnels that Hamas dug under Gaza.

The Israeli officer said that the Hamas command structure has borne the brunt of the damage so far, while most of the movement's fighters, estimated at 20,000, were not injured. Military experts believe that eliminating Hamas is not an easy matter from a military standpoint, because the resistance factions are still capable of fighting, and it may take months and perhaps even years, according to some analysts.

Allied for Democracy

Israel’s leader ruled out a role for the current Palestinian Authority government in Gaza once the war between Israel and Hamas is over. “There will have to be something else there,” he said when asked whether the PA, which has partial administrative control in the occupied West Bank, may govern Gaza after the war. “There won’t be a civilian authority that educates their children to hate Israel, to kill Israelis, to wipe out the state of Israel,” Netanyahu said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military will continue its battle against Hamas in Gaza with “full force” in a rejection of growing international calls for a ceasefire. In a televised address, Netanyahu said a ceasefire would only be possible if Hamas releases all of the about 240 hostages taken in the attack on southern Israel on October 7. Netanyahu said Gaza will be demilitarised after the war and Israel will “continue to control security there”. Asked what he meant by security control, Netanyahu said Israeli forces must be able to enter Gaza when necessary to hunt down fighters. Such a position appears to run counter to the post-war scenarios floated by Israel’s closest ally, the United States, which says it opposes an Israeli reoccupation of the territory. The British Financial Times newspaper said that Israel's long-term strategy in Gaza is still shrouded in mystery for most Israelis, Palestinians, and even its closest allies in the United States, despite more than a month having passed since the devastating Israeli attack on the Strip. The newspaper added that the ferocity that characterized Israel's response to the attack of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) on October 7 exacerbated the lack of clarity regarding the future of Gaza after the war, as no one knows when or how it will end, and it is not clear what it means. Practically destroying an organization with its political and military arms that, over the past 16 years, was an integral part of the system of management and public services in Gaza.

However, the newspaper said that Israeli officials have indicated that Gaza will be isolated from Israel, and may be squeezed more than ever with new buffer zones and security barriers inside the Strip. It quoted the Director of Regional Security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, Emile Hakim, as saying that thinking about “the next day” currently seems like an intentional or unintentional distraction from what is being done now, “because what Israel does now is what will determine what can be done the next day.”

With mounting international pressure for a ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave this week - the newspaper adds - the clearest indication yet of his government’s thinking regarding the immediate post-war period, saying that Israel “will do this indefinitely... bear security responsibility.” Israeli officials explain that this may include forces stationed in Gaza after the end of the war.

One of these senior officials says, "We will have to have our forces in different regions to enable operational flexibility. We all woke up on the seventh of last month to a new reality. This means for all of us not to think from the perspective of the past." Some in the Israeli security services believe that the situation is closer to the situation in parts of the occupied West Bank in the so-called “Area B”, where Israeli forces exercise security control alongside a Palestinian civil authority, and this is the most likely scenario.

But others on the Israeli right have demanded that the occupation exercise more unrestricted control over Gaza, and even reintroduce Israeli settlements - which most of the international community considers illegal - into the Strip. Members of Netanyahu's Likud Party presented a bill that would repeal legislation passed after Israel's 2005 withdrawal, which prevents Israelis from entering Gaza. “There is no status quo, and nothing is sacred,” Education Minister Yoav Kisch said earlier this week.

Such talk, along with Israel's expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Gazans from the northern Gaza Strip, raised Palestinian fears that it would end up controlling the Gaza Strip. A senior Israeli official says, “I do not think we want to control two million Palestinians, and with regard to the future mechanisms for Gaza, whatever they may be, there are two conditions: the first is that there cannot be a Hamas presence under any circumstances, and the other is that we must maintain operational superiority.” .

In an attempt to allay the fears of the Palestinians and Washington's Arab allies, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken this week set some criteria for US President Joe Biden's administration for the post-war regime in Gaza. Blinken said, “There can be no re-occupation, and there cannot be any forced displacement of Palestinians from the Strip or reduction of Gaza’s territory, or any attempt to besiege it. Instead, Gaza and the West Bank must be reunited under the Palestinian Authority,” and the Financial Times comments. It is doubtful that this will be achieved. Blinken suggested last week that the United Nations or a coalition of Arab countries could run Gaza for an interim period after the war before handing it over to an “effective and renewed” Palestinian Authority, but diplomats and regional officials are deeply skeptical.

A senior Palestinian official and Arab officials say the only viable option to neutralize Hamas' ideology is to establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

An Israeli political analyst doubted the possibility of achieving victory in the Gaza Strip , and stressed that the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) prepared well for the battle, noting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s talk about a long-term war is “a marketing alternative to a victory that does not exist.”

Nahum Barnea said - in an article in the weekly supplement of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, today, Saturday - referring to the Israeli ground operation in Gaza, “The progress allows for more intensive treatment of the tunnels and the Hamas members who guard them, but it also includes difficult battles with the militants.”

The writer added, "Hamas has prepared for this battle. It is true that it has lost many of its warriors and leaders, but it continues to fight. The backbone of the Supreme Command, headed by Yahya Sinwar, is still working."

Barnea added that the next few days may be the final and decisive stage in both efforts, the battle against Hamas, and the American-Qatari attempt to reach a deal to release the detainees. After this period, “it is doubtful that Israel will be able to withstand American pressure for a ceasefire, especially if a hostage deal is on the table.”

He wondered whether Israel would be able to resume ground maneuvers after the ceasefire? He added, "Previous experience - whether in Gaza or Lebanon - does not give much opportunity for that. The day after the ceasefire agreement, children return to school, residents return to work, settlement reconstruction begins, the world expects a different agenda, and reserve soldiers want to... Return to their homes, their families and their jobs.”

Barnea stressed, “It is important to maintain realistic expectations, as it is not certain that the Israeli army will be able to reach Sinwar and his colleagues in the current round. Even if they are eliminated, Hamas will not disappear, and it is important to remember that we are not alone. We are in "This drama needs the American administration, and we must listen to it." He pointed out that the votes that US President Joe Biden is losing in his country exacerbate his need for an imminent ceasefire in Gaza.

The Israeli writer touched on the ground operation in the Gaza Strip and the talk about the expected victory, saying, “Unfortunately, there is no such victory on the horizon,” considering that Netanyahu’s talk about a long-term war is “a marketing alternative for a victory that does not exist.” He considered that in light of this situation, "it is correct to view every person who is released alive from there (Gaza) as a victory, and every day that the forces advance in the field, without incurring many losses, is a victory."

The anti-Zionist Israeli historian Avi Shlaim does not give up reading what is happening in Palestine starting on October 7th. Rather, he insists that what happened has its roots since 1967. In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, Shlaim emphasized that the only way to understand the Israeli war on Gaza is to understand the historical context, before explaining the reasons that lead him to be convinced that this war is “meaningless.” The professor of international relations at St. Anthony's University, affiliated with the University of Oxford, confirmed that the "revenge" approach used by Benjamin Netanyahu's government "will not lead to any results," presenting his expectations for Netanyahu's political fate, as well as his vision of the Western response to the war on the Gaza Strip and the reasons for support . Absolute for Tel Aviv. Historian and academic Shlaim belongs to the new Israeli historians who are working to reread the origins of Israel and confront the narratives that it promoted. He believes that Israel after 1967 has become a brutal colonial power whose army’s mission is to protect the security of the occupation, and it practices the apartheid system. He expressed his ideas In his books, including “The Politics of Partition” and “A Brief History of War and Peace in the Middle East” (1995), and “The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World” (2001).

"Media attention focused on the Hamas attack. Although, in my opinion, the Israeli reaction is completely disproportionate. I condemn both matters. I condemn the Hamas attack. Because it also targeted civilians, and killing civilians is wrong, but on the other hand, the Israeli reaction was cruel, brutal and completely disproportionate. Then, revenge is not a policy, and is not considered a solution. What Israel is doing is state-sponsored terrorism, and it is much more dangerous than attacking... Israel....

"We must note that Jewish hostility to Arabs in Israel is no longer the same as before, but has increased significantly over the past 20 years, since Israel began moving more towards the right politically. The current government, which has forces of religious Zionism, is the most extreme right-wing government, the most chauvinistic (fanatical), and the most racist government in the history of Israel. As a result of the current war in Gaza, the public will move more toward the right, and become more hostile to the Arabs.

"Israel and its friends around the world confuse “anti-Semitism” with anti-Zionism. I define “anti-Semitism” as hatred of Jews only because they are Jews, and this has nothing to do with Israel. As for anti-Zionism, it is a completely different matter. It is criticism and opposition to the Zionist ideology, which is the official ideology of the State of Israel, especially with regard to the policies dealing with the Palestinians, including occupation, the apartheid regime, and the harsh and violent use of force as we are experiencing these days in Gaza."

Protests escalated in the past weeks against the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, in a number of major American universities. This war placed private universities in the United States facing a delicate dilemma, as they were required to meet the demands of their wealthy pro-Israel supporters, while at the same time preserving the right of their students to express their opinions in support of the Palestinians. A number of wealthy Americans have, or at least hinted at, stopping their donations to prestigious institutions of higher education such as Harvard University in Massachusetts and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

The administration of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suspended a number of students, after demonstrators protested against the Israeli war on Gaza , and occupied an important building throughout the day and some of them refused to leave on time. MIT President Sally Kornbluth sent a letter to all students outlining “the boundaries of campus protest” during a pro-Palestinian demonstration that she described as “disruptive” and “noisy.” The protest continued in one building throughout the day and attracted counter-demonstrators.

When some protesters refused to leave after a deadline was set, the school threatened to take action against them, but after hearing concerns including visa issues, Kornbluth said they would be "suspended from non-academic activities on campus," and it was not clear how many students would be affected. With this decision and when it will happen. “After exhausting all other avenues to de-escalate the situation, we informed all protesters that they must leave the lobby area within a specified period of time, or they would be subject to arrest,” Kornbluth wrote.

This was not the only disturbance that occurred on campus in recent days due to the war that Israel has been waging for more than a month in the Gaza Strip. Brandeis University banned a pro-Palestinian student group this week, while about 20 students were arrested during a protest at Brown University. Columbia University announced that it would suspend two student associations - “Students for Justice in Palestine” and “Jewish Voice for Peace” - from being official student groups until the end of the semester. The two groups organized protests demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. The university accused both associations of repeatedly violating university policies, which led to the organization of an unauthorized event.