Operation Iron Swords - Day 37 - 12 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

It is worth noting that the HAMAS Palestinian Health Ministry had not updated casualty figures in 48 hours, citing difficulties in establishing contact with hospitals due to the communications blackout. The hospitals in northern Gaza are under heavy assault by the Israeli military, making it difficult to document casualty figures.

Palestinian health authorities say that more than 11,180 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 4,609 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 3,100 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.

During the night, the IDF, the Shin Bet and the Israel Defense Forces arrested 15 wanted persons throughout Judea and Samaria, including six terrorists from the terrorist organization Hamas. So far, since the beginning of the war, approximately 1,570 wanted persons have been arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria Division and the Bekaa and Valleys Division, approximately 950 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 ).

An American official said that there is a possible prisoner exchange deal between the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel, which was updated by a number of sources over the past few days. This official explained - to the American network "NBC" - that the deal being discussed includes the release of about 80 women and children held by Hamas in exchange for female prisoners held by Israel.

The American mediation, according to Lebanese News Agency, is divided into 3 axes: “ A temporary ceasefire for 3 to 5 days, prisoner exchange , and humanitarian aid .” As for the section related to the exchange of prisoners , an agreement is made to release living Israeli civilian prisoners, including women, children and teenagers, who are held by the “Al-Qassam Brigades” and “Al-Quds Brigades” (without specifying additional details about the number and age), in addition to foreign prisoners, In exchange for the Israeli occupation releasing about 140 Palestinian boys or young men who were arrested “on the basis of unarmed activity.” As well as the release of about 35 or 36 Israeli female prisoners held by the Palestinian factions in Gaza, in exchange for the release of all Palestinian female prisoners in Israeli prisons.

As for humanitarian aid, negotiations revolve around the introduction of 7,000 aid and fuel trucks to all areas of Gaza, in addition to restarting hospitals and introducing new ambulances into the Strip.

Regarding the implementation mechanism, the discussion revolves around stopping [Israel] military operations, except for reconnaissance sorties, but the Hamas movement says that the sorties will be an obstacle that prevents facilitating the process of implementing the deal.

On the other hand, [Israel] demands that the deal begin with Hamas releasing its prisoners, while the movement confirms that this step will not take place all at once.

The information indicates many details that are being investigated, such as the presence of a large number of bodies under the rubble of buildings destroyed by [Israel] in Gaza, and therefore there is no way to hand over any of the prisoners before removing the rubble and verifying the bodies, especially since a number of Israeli prisoners were killed in the Israeli bombing. On Gaza.

The Israeli side tried to be clever by saying that everyone who was captured by Hamas and was not on active duty was a civilian and not a soldier, which was rejected by Hamas, stressing that the soldiers, whether men or women, would remain in captivity regardless of whether they were captured while they were in captivity. Active duty or off duty.

According to the information, there is another clause related to what [Israel] considers the right of the Red Cross to visit the rest of the prisoners not included in the deal, but Hamas rejects this matter.

In a related context, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated - in an interview with the same network - the possibility of reaching an agreement to release detainees held by Hamas. When asked about the possibility of reaching an agreement regarding women, children, and the elderly held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu replied, “It is possible, but the less I say about this issue, the greater the chances of it being achieved.”

Hamas on Sunday said it is suspending hostage negotiations because of Israel’s handling of the al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, a Palestinian official briefed on the hostage talks told Reuters.

Operational Update

Satellite images revealed the extent of the darkness that descended on the Gaza Strip after the war that broke out between Israel and Hamas since October 7. About two-thirds of Gaza's energy comes directly from Israeli power lines, and most of the rest from imported fuel used in the Gaza power plant. But since the outbreak of the war, more than a month ago, Israel has cut off electricity and fuel supplies to the Strip's population of about 2.3 million people.

An analysis conducted by the British magazine The Economist of satellite images taken at night revealed that Gaza's nights have become "the darkest over the past decade." The magazine said that the Gaza Strip has witnessed a significant increase in night lights, more than doubling, since 2012, with the increased need for electricity due to the increase in population. But this increase in night lights was interspersed with a series of declines as a result of power stations stopping work on several occasions and as a result of successive wars.

But no other event over the past decade has caused as much darkness as the current war, according to the new images, which are part of NASA's Black Marble project. The pictures indicate that night lights have dimmed by 90 percent since the start of the war, which means that electricity use has decreased by a similar percentage.

Hezbollah and the Al-Qassam Brigades-Lebanon exchanged missile and artillery shelling with the Israeli occupation forces, amid Israeli admission of casualties among its forces. On the ground, the Palestinian resistance clashed with the occupation forces on several fronts west of Gaza City.

A Palestinian medical source reported the death of patients in the intensive care department of the Al-Shifa Complex in western Gaza, which has been subjected to Israeli attacks and a stifling siege for days that led to it being out of service. A spokesman for the HAMAS Government Information Office in Gaza announced - this evening - the death of two premature infants in Al-Shifa Complex due to the cessation of supplies. While journalist Mustafa Sarsour - from inside Al-Shifa Hospital, told Al Jazeera - that the number of premature infants who died today reached 5.

The spokesperson for the HAMAS Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf al-Qudra, reported that two premature infants and an ICU patient died after the hospital had completely lost power as the last generator ran out of fuel, expecting more to die unless action is taken.

The Palestine Today website reported, quoting the head of the ambulance department at Al-Shifa Medical Hospital, that all intensive care patients in Al-Shifa Complex were martyred, indicating that there was no longer a safe place in the entire complex. He said: We have approximately 700 injured people and we cannot provide any assistance to them, and there is no safe place in the entire complex. For his part, the journalist present in the hospital, Mustafa Al-Sarsur, said that the occupation drones sniped a number of displaced civilians in the courtyard of Al-Shifa Hospital , indicating that the hospital includes about 15,000 displaced people.

Speaking to Al-Hurra website, the spokesman for the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Ashraf Al-Qudra, points out that “all hospitals in northern Gaza are out of service,” attributing this to the lack of “fuel, medical supplies and capabilities, and focused targeting.” There is a complete Israeli siege of Al-Shifa Medical Complex from all directions, and inside and around the hospital are being targeted, according to capabilities.

There are 10,000 people “stranded” inside Al-Shifa Hospital, including medical staff, patients, wounded, and displaced people, and they cannot leave or move inside the complex because “they are being targeted,” according to Al-Qudra. He confirms the presence of "dead bodies lying on the ground in front of the emergency department, and the authorities in charge of the complex did not obtain Israeli approval to bury them inside the complex."

He says that the Israeli army requested the evacuation of those stranded inside the hospital, but “without a clear mechanism,” while the Palestinian health authorities demand the evacuation of 600 to 650 patients in need of clinical care to Egypt due to the lack of “treatment for them in any of the hospitals in the Gaza Strip,” but without obtaining a response from Israel.

Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said, “False information has spread that we are encircling Al-Shifa Hospital and bombing it. These are false reports,” adding, “Hamas is lying about what is happening in the hospitals.” Hagari said, "The Al-Shifa Hospital staff requested that we help evacuate the infants from the pediatrics department to a safer hospital. We will provide the necessary assistance." Israel said that doctors, patients and thousands of evacuees who took refuge in hospitals in northern Gaza must leave so that it can deal with Hamas militants who it says have set up command centers under and around these hospitals.

The military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, who is retired from the Jordanian military. said that 70% of the total forces of the Al-Qassam Brigades , the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement “ Hamas ,” are fully or partially engaged in confronting the occupation army penetrating into several areas in the northern Gaza Strip. Al-Duwairi explained in his military analysis on Al-Jazeera that the strike forces in Gaza City have not yet participated in the battle, referring to the Shuja'iya and Al-Tuffah brigades, which are among the reserve brigades in the Al-Qassam Brigades that have not yet entered the ground battle, alongside the Tal Al-Zaatar and Jabalia Al-Balad brigades.

The military expert pointed out that the Shuja'iya and Al-Tuffah brigades were responsible for the capture of the Israeli soldier Shaul Aaron in the aggression against Gaza in 2014 , as they strongly confronted the Golani Brigade, which is the No. 1 Brigade in the occupation army. Al-Duwairi stressed in a forward-looking reading that the Al-Qassam forces and the rest of the resistance factions in Gaza are still cohesive and performing their role wonderfully after 15 days of ground war waged by Israel, despite the pain, destruction and siege. He stressed that the resistance is fine and has the upper hand in the field, and added that the occupation army and its leaders will not be able to defeat or eliminate Hamas.

Al-Duwairi pointed out that the organization of the Qassam Brigades is based on brigades and battalions, and the structure of the battalion varies from one location to another. He pointed out that the Qassam Forces were built on a geographical basis, as the Gaza Strip was divided into regions and each region was allocated a battalion and sometimes a brigade, but this “is not consistent with the global standard, as it is specific.” In Gaza only.”

There are 12 Al-Qassam battalions, regardless of their numbers and components - according to Al-Duwairi - who said that some of them are engaged in a complete and decisive clash with the occupation forces that are attacking from the north and south, and another part is engaged in a partial clash. The battalions that have been fully engaged since 15 days of the ground operation are: the Beach Battalion, the Tal al-Hawa Battalion, the “West Jabalia-Beit Lahia” Battalion, and the Beit Hanoun Battalion.

According to Al-Duwairi, these brigades are equivalent to 35% of the total Al-Qassam forces, and he stressed that they are still cohesive, maintain command and control, and prevent the occupation forces from making any achievements. As for the partial engagement brigades, according to the military expert, they are: the Sheikh Radwan Brigade, the Zaytoun Brigade, the Jabalia Brigade, and the Beit Lahia Brigade, as he pointed out that they have a high combat capability and that 30 to 50% of their strength was involved in confronting the occupation army. Al-Duwairi pointed out that there is a strategic reserve in the Al-Qassam Brigades, represented by: the Rafah Brigade, the Khan Yunis Brigade, and the Al-Wusta Brigade, which is divided into Deir Al-Balah, Al-Nuseirat, Al-Barih, and Al-Maghazi. He noted that these brigades constitute 30% of the total forces of the Qassam Brigades, which is consistent with military concepts that the reserve force must be 30% of the total.

Israel facied a complex landscape of challenges that puts not only its internal situation at risk but also its regional and global posture and image, Israeli military analyst Yoav Limor detailed in a piece published by Israel Hayom. These challenges span from regional security concerns to diplomatic endeavors and include the need to address ongoing tensions in the northern front, the hot situation in the West Bank, the prisoner exchange deal, complications in Western diplomatic support, and its deteriorating economy, as well as the United Nations and international public media.

Among these challenges, according to Limor, is the need to prevent the escalation on other fronts, especially as tensions continue to rise in the north on the Palestine-Lebanon border. He suggested that "Hezbollah, in reality, is not initiating a war, but the challenge from its direction is steadily increasing." This challenge is compounded by ongoing rocket launches from Yemen and mounting pressure from Iraq in support of Palestinians in Gaza. Therefore, Limor suggests that "the Israeli military must maintain deterrence and prevent escalation on multiple fronts to continue focusing on Gaza."

The second challenge lies in the West Bank, where operations and tensions are on the rise in solidarity with Gaza. Consequently, the analyst points out that "Israel must remain vigilant to ensure that the region does not ignite, as leaving the West Bank unmonitored is impossible."

On the Israeli captives held by the Resistance in Gaza, Limor said that the "political and security leadership must go to bed every night and wake up every morning" with the images of the 239 captives in sight. He emphasized the need for both operational and diplomatic efforts to make progress in this matter, noting that "negotiations for a major deal, involving 80 to 100 prisoners in exchange for a ceasefire lasting several days, are ongoing, but the chances of success remain modest."

The military expert explained that "producing legitimacy for the continuation of the operation" has become a diplomatic challenge. While most "Western and regional governments continue to support Israel, they also raise more questions and face increasing public criticism," he explained. This requires Tel Aviv to put in efforts in that arena alongside the ongoing fighting in Gaza, he added.

Economic stability is of utmost importance during wartime and is crucial for the overall success of the ground invasion, especially in financially assisting settlers who have been evacuated, including those in border areas, Limor stressed. In that regard, Limor warned that the economy is deteriorating and criticized Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's performance, sarcastically saying that while the minister "overwhelems the media with the wonders of his actions," he is only producing poor outcomes.

The sixth challenge is the international public opinion, Limor noted, stressing that the this holds significant influence and impact on the decisions of leaders worldwide. According to him, "Israel is bleeding in this field, which has been constantly neglected," adding that this situation has been spiraling down "over the past year.... While Israel will not win in this arena, it must significantly improve its approach by employing the expertise of specialized individuals and companies in the field of media."

Al-Alam News Channel [paart of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting] correspondent, Ahmed Sahmoud, said: There are still ongoing battles between the Palestinian resistance forces and the Israeli occupation army and its tanks, which are trying to advance on more than one axis of Gaza City, especially the axis of the Shifa Medical Complex and the axis west of Gaza City, in addition to the axis north of the city, and the axis north of Gaza City. Gaza Governorate, from the Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun areas.

He added: These axes are witnessing a violent response from the Palestinian resistance to the armor and tanks of the Israeli occupation, and the army, along with the world, is surprised at how these fighters have persevered for the thirty-seventh day in a row, despite all the bloodshed in Gaza, where no children, civilians, civil and international institutions, etc. were spared. He explained that the resistance is not only confronting the occupation in the field, but also continues to fire missile barrages from various areas in the Gaza Strip into the areas surrounding the Gaza Strip, and some missiles also landed in Tel Aviv.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), published a video recording that it said documents two operations by its members against Israeli occupation soldiers in the West Bank in recent days, one of which is being revealed for the first time. The Brigades explained that the recording shows the Beit Lid Junction operation near Tulkarm on the 2nd of November, stressing that it comes within the Battle of Al- Aqsa Flood , which was launched by the resistance on the 7th of last month. The scenes document the moment of shooting from a speeding car towards a car driven by an Israeli soldier. The soldier is then shown covered in his own blood inside the car after it overturned. The occupation army then admitted that the soldier had been killed.

In the other operation - which the Israeli army did not disclose - the Al-Qassam Brigades said that they were able to lure an occupation army force into an ambush near the town of Balaa in Tulkarm via a burning car. She explained that she detonated an explosive device remotely when the Israeli force approached the car.

Abu Ubaida, the military spokesman for the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), announced yesterday, Saturday, the documentation of “the total or partial destruction of more than 160 Zionist military vehicles since the start of the ground aggression” on the Gaza Strip. Abu Ubaida explained - in a recorded speech obtained by Al Jazeera - that the Phalange "destroyed 25 Zionist vehicles during the past 48 hours," stressing that the occupation tanks are facing violent resistance and fierce clashes that force them to retreat and change the course of the incursion.

The spokesman for the HAMAS Ministry of Health in Gaza, Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, said that Al-Shifa Medical Complex is completely out of service, and cannot provide any health service to the wounded as a result of the Israeli aggression or even to the patients inside the complex, and it is also under siege from inside and outside. Al-Qudra added - in exclusive statements to Al Jazeera Net - that the complex is now still under constant bombardment, and is subjected to a siege from inside and outside. The Israeli bombing targets its external surroundings and everyone who wants to wander inside its courtyards or move between its various buildings, or even wants to reach the gate of the Medical complex.

The Ministry's spokesman indicated that the occupation asked them to evacuate the Shifa Medical Complex, but the response to those who contacted them from the International Committee of the Red Cross was, "If the occupation wants to evacuate the complex, it can only take the patients out to hospitals in the Arab Republic of Egypt because it is absolutely impossible to evacuate these wounded." Or the patients into the street, as happened with the patients and medical teams who were forced by the Israeli occupation, along with the displaced people, to go out of several hospitals into the street.”

Al-Qudra said that a number of children died during this movement because there were no life support devices, and therefore we do not want to repeat this crime on the 650 patients inside the Al-Shifa Medical Complex, in addition to the fact that “it is not possible to evacuate the patients from the complex to the hospitals in the southern Gaza Strip, which are It is also crowded with sick cases and will also stop working in less than two days due to the lack of fuel in its generators.”

The IDF coordinated to transfer diesel fuel for urgent medical use to Shifa Hospital. Early in the morning, an IDF force arrived near the hospital and placed 300 liters of diesel fuel for urgent medical purposes. Later, the IDF released evidence that officials in Hamas prevented the hospital from receiving the fuel. In a recording of a conversation between an IDF officer and a senior official in the health system in Gaza, he says that the Director General of the Ministry of Health in Hamas, Yosef Abu Rish, forbids them and prevents them from getting the fuel.

The IDF is enabling a passage from the Shifa, Rantisi and Nasser hospitals and opened an additional passage to enable the civilian population to evacuate southwards. In recent days, a senior officer in Israel’s Coordination and Liaison Administration to Gaza spoke with the manager of the Shifa Hospital multiple times, and presented him with possible passages from the hospital. IDF soldiers opened and secured a passage which enables the civilian population to evacuate, on foot and by ambulance. The Hamas terrorist organization continues to use civilian structures in the Gaza Strip, including hospitals, for its terrorist activity.

IDF troops are operating in the Al-Shati Camp in the Gaza Strip; IDF killed numerous terrorists in several different battles. Over the past day, IDF soldiers began operating in the Al-Shati Camp in the northern Gaza Strip. During the operational activity, the soldiers killed numerous terrorists and uncovered a large number of terrorist infrastructure in the area.

During one of the battles with the terrorists, IDF troops identified civilians who were located in a building in the area. The IDF secured an evacuation route for the civilians, and as the civilians were evacuating, terrorists fired at the troops from the outskirts of the area. In order to protect the evacuation route, IDF troops responded with light weapons fire and tanks to kill the terrorists.

In another engagement, IDF troops identified a terrorist cell barricaded inside a house in the area and posed a threat to the forces. IDF troops directed an aircraft and fired at the terrorists, killing the terrorists. In addition, following an identification of an anti-tank missile launched from a weapons storage facility inside a building, a fighter jet struck the source of the fire.

IDF forces from the Nahal Brigade operated yesterday in the area of ??the neighborhood and identified four terrorists near them. The forces directed a remotely manned aircraft to the location that attacked three terrorists. The vehicle continued in pursuit of the other terrorist who fled through crowded alleys, and attacked him after a short time.

In recent days, the fighters of the Harel Reserve Brigade's combat team raided the Al-Karman area between Beit Hanun and Jabaliya. During the raid, they destroyed enemy and terrorist infrastructure in the area, including long-range launchers aimed at Israel, anti-tank launchers, tunnel shafts and Hamas observation posts.

"From the battles for independence in 1948 to the battles for independence today, we are being pushed by our older brothers Jimmy, Poza, Rabin, Raful, Uri Ben Ari, and many other great ones," said the commander of the Harel Brigade, Col. Itamar Michaeli, when the troops left for the raid on Merhav Alkarman, "Now is our hour, we have a great privilege to join the ranks of the wall guards, to protect our families and our dear country. We will return to our home only after we finish our work and the reality of the lives of the residents of the south will change."

The Chief of Staff, Lt. Col. Hartzi Halevi, met today (Sunday) with the mayors and local councils in the Gaza Strip and in the south in the city of Ashkelon. "The IDF is deeply committed to the settlements of the south and the surrounding areas, we will do everything to restore security and prosperity in the region," stated the Chief of Staff, "For years the IDF has been working in great partnership with the local leadership that has led this region forward, and we believe in you very much. Thanks to the resilience of the residents and their bravery, we will continue to fight to bring security that will allow a return to the settlements. The entire IDF, and I personally, are focused on only one goal now - to defeat and dismantle Hamas. We failed in our mission to protect the residents, and we are also now responsible for security in the future. We will remember what happened, we will fight and we will not allow such an incident to happen again."

Following the initial reports regarding sirens that sounded in northern Israel, 15 launches from Lebanon toward Israeli territory were identified over the last hour. The IDF Aerial Defense Array intercepted four of the launches, with the rest falling into open areas. IDF soldiers are currently responding with artillery toward the origins of the launches. Furthermore, seven IDF soldiers were lightly injured as a result of the mortar shell launches in the area of Manara.

In response to the fire earlier today, IDF fighter jets struck a number of Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon. Among the targets struck were military infrastructure used by Hezbollah to direct its terrorist activity. In addition, IDF soldiers struck the terrorist cell that opened fire toward the area of Dovev in which a number of civilians were injured. Furthermore, a short while ago, a terrorist cell launched a number of mortar shells toward northern Israel. The IDF struck the cell, as well as an additional terrorist cell in the area of Yarin. Moreover, a short while ago, a number of mortar shell launches toward northern Israel were identified. No injuries were reported. IDF soldiers responded with artillery toward the origin of the launches.

Terrorists launched anti-tank missiles toward the area of Dovev in northern Israel. A number of civilians were injured as a result of the launches. IDF artillery is striking the origin of the launch. In addition, a short while ago, a terrorist cell embedded in a civilian area in Lebanon that intended to open fire toward Israeli territory was struck by the IDF. Furthermore, overnight, an IDF UAV struck a terrorist cell that attempted to launch anti-tank missiles toward the area of Metula.

Hezbollah announced in a statement that it had targeted a logistical force belonging to the occupation army that was about to install transmission poles and eavesdropping and spying devices in a new gathering near the Doviv Barracks. According to confirmed information, more than fifteen Zionists were killed or wounded in the specific double operation that targeted the Doviv Barracks. .

For its part, eight IDF soldiers and two IDF officers were reportedly killed at the targeted site by Hezbollah members, while Hebrew media reported about forty casualties on Sunday on the northern border, between dead and wounded due to Hezbollah strikes. The resistance also targeted a gathering of the occupation army in the Ruwaisat al-Asi site with appropriate weapons, and they achieved confirmed casualties, according to the pictures published by the resistance’s military media. The resistance also announced targeting a gathering of enemy infantry in Birkat Risha and the Zarait barracks, and achieved direct casualties.

As a result of these specific operations, the southern Lebanese border witnessed unprecedented tension, as a result of which occupation aircraft and artillery targeted Lebanese villages and civilian homes. Israeli forces used internationally banned white phosphorus bombs against civilian sites. Lebanese media sources confirmed that more than two hundred and fifty phosphorus shells fell, in addition to several air strikes that targeted the outskirts of the town of Yaroun in the central sector of southern Lebanon.

Egyptian security sources said that a group of foreigners and injured Palestinians who were evacuated from Gaza arrived in Egypt after the reopening of the Rafah crossing. The sources said that several injured Palestinians arrived in Egyptian territory to receive treatment, in addition to 80 holders of foreign nationalities and their families, while others are subject to transit procedures. Evacuation operations through the crossing were stopped for the third time on Friday after obstacles in transporting injured Palestinians from the northern Gaza Strip. The General Authority for Crossings and Borders had announced the resumption of operation of the Rafah crossing, and called on travelers “holders of foreign passports listed on the travel lists” to go to the crossing.

A White House advisor announced the evacuation of more than 300 Americans or permanent American residents and their family members from the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing, after intense negotiations with all parties concerned with the Israeli war on Gaza. Jonathan Viner, a national security adviser, explained in an interview with the American CBS network that the United States believes that there are still a number of Americans inside Gaza. Viner added that the Americans in Gaza are a major priority, stressing the continuation of work until every American who wants to leave the Strip can do so.

The Gaza Strip government suspended the evacuation of foreigners and dual nationals to Egypt due to Israel's refusal to transfer wounded Palestinians to Egyptian hospitals, according to what an official source in the crossings authority. Israel's refusal to evacuate wounded Palestinians came on the grounds that a third of the list of wounded who need to be evacuated belongs to fighters of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), according to a White House official.

Bystanders

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the United States has a special ability and responsibility to contribute to how Gaza is managed. Guterres added to the American CNN network that it is difficult for the Palestinian Authority or Arab countries to assume their responsibilities in Gaza with the presence of the Israeli army. He added that the best scenario is for the revitalized Palestinian Authority to take over leadership in Gaza.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for pressure on the United States to stop Israel’s offensive in Gaza, but said there would be no agreement unless Washington accepted the enclave as Palestinian land. Erdogan returned from the summit of Arab and Muslim leaders in the Saudi capital Riyadh, which condemned Israeli forces’ “barbaric actions” in Gaza.

“We should hold talks with Egypt and the Gulf countries, and pressure the United States,” Erdogan told Turkish reporters on board his return flight from Riyadh. “The US should increase its pressure on Israel. The West should increase pressure on Israel ... It’s vital for us to secure a ceasefire,” he said.

Erdogan, who was on a trip to a northeastern Turkish village when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Ankara on November 5, did not rule out a meeting with President Joe Biden. “The most important country that needs to be involved is the United States, which has influence on Israel,” Erdogan said. But he said he would not call Biden. Blinken “has just been here (in Turkey). I guess Biden will host us from now on. It would not be suitable for me to call Biden,” he said.

Erdogan said the US must accept Gaza as Palestinian land. “We cannot agree with Biden if he approaches (the conflict) by seeing Gaza as the land of occupying settlers or Israel, rather than the land of the Palestinian people,” he said. Turkey is technically a candidate for eventual EU membership and, even if this seems a distant prospect, Erdogan’s portrayal of Hamas militants as “liberators” -- which differs sharply from the bloc’s -- has caused unease.

In its annual report on candidate countries’ progress published this week, the EU said Turkey’s “rhetoric in support of terrorist group Hamas following its attacks against Israel ... is in complete disagreement with the EU approach.” “The European Union thinks exactly the same as Israel regarding Hamas. But we did not think like them,” Erdogan said. “I see Hamas as a political party that won the elections in Palestine. I don’t look at it the same way they do,” he added.

Irish lawmakers have prepared a motion that will see them voting on the expulsion of the Israeli occupation's ambassador to the country next week as opposition to the Israeli occupation continues to grow in the West over its massacres in Gaza. Reports from local media, including the Irish Examiner, suggest that the motion will further call for the imposition of EU-wide economic sanctions on the Israeli occupation and refer it to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate it for war crimes.

Holly Cairns, the leader of the Social Democrats, expressed her concern over what she described as the Israeli occupation's "cruel and disproportionate response" to Operation Al-Aqsa Flood which "has, to date, seen more than 11,000 people killed in Gaza — over 5,000 of them children — and resulted in the collective punishment and mass displacement of millions of innocent civilians."

The motion is expected to call for "the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, on the grounds that the human rights clause in the trade deal has been seriously breached," as well as the suspension of the Israeli occupation's access to the €95 billion Horizon Europe fund for research and innovation. "Given Israel’s failure to cease the deliberate targeting of civilians, journalists, UN staff, and healthcare workers, the Government must withdraw the diplomatic status of the Israeli Ambassador to Ireland," the Irish MP said.

The Irish Examiner hinted at another motion from Ireland's largest party, Sinn Fein, which is expected to call for the referral of "Israel" to the International Criminal Court. Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald underlined that the situation in Gaza was a "moment of reckoning for world leaders, for the European Union; a test of commitment to human rights, peace, and democracy."

"Where is the protection of international law for every child killed in Gaza, for every Gazan mother holding the cold body of their dead child?," she asked, underlining that the Israeli occupation must not go unpunished and continue committing crimes with impunity, calling for the Israeli occupation to be referred to the International Criminal Court. "When the European Commission gives carte blanche to Israel to massacre Palestinians, we say, no, never. They do not speak for us," she added. "The world sees Israeli actions for what they are. Barbaric. Hateful. Cowardly. War crimes."

Matt Carthy, the party's foreign affairs spokesperson, referenced Prime Minister Leo Varadkar's acknowledgment that "Israel's" failure to observe humanitarian law "can't be inconsequential." Carthy urged consequences for "Israel's" actions, including the deliberate targeting of civilians, destruction of civilian infrastructure, mass forced displacement, and denial of essential supplies to the civilian population of Gaza. "Ireland should also exercise our right as a state party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to refer the actions in Palestine and Israel to the prosecutor of the court for the purpose of requesting an investigation into any acts of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide that have occurred in Gaza over the past month," he said.

'If someone violates your right to self-determination, you are entitled to embrace resistance' says UN rapporteur on human rights Francesca Albanese The UN’s special in the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, said that Israel should make peace with the terrorist organization Hamas. “It needs to make peace with Hamas in order to not be threatened by Hamas," Albanese said during a series of speeches and media events in Australia, as quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald. After the October 7 massacres, she said a more limited military campaign to arrest and prosecute those responsible for the attacks would have been better, adding that the UN should have been called to help demilitarize Gaza.

Axis of Resistance

The President of the Republic, Ibrahim Raisi, confirmed that the Islamic Republic of Iran has a clear vision regarding Palestine, and said that Iran declared from the beginning that the Zionist entity is an usurping entity. After his return on Saturday evening from a short and intensive visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to participate in the joint meeting of leaders of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League, Dr. Raisi explained the results and achievements of the visit and said: This meeting was important in two respects: One is that it was held in the presence of all Islamic and Arab countries, and the other is that its topic was the fundamental issue of today’s world and all the peoples of the world.

He added: The Islamic Republic of Iran has careful words to say regarding the issue of Palestine , and I tried to be the voice of the Iranian people and the demonstrators who are calling for the rights of Palestinians in the streets. The Islamic Republic of Iran, since the beginning of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, has had a frank and clear opinion regarding the rights of the Palestinian people. On the other hand, it has always viewed the Zionist entity as a false, usurping entity that has no identity.

Raisi stressed that the passage of time, even if it was 75 years, does not create legitimacy and property rights for a usurping and occupying entity, and said: "The Islamic Republic of Iran, based on the clear and frank opinion of the late Imam and Leader of the Islamic Revolution, considered the issue of liberating Jerusalem and ensuring the rights of the Palestinian people to be the first issue for the Islamic world and a standard for determining and knowing the true positions of countries."

The President of the Republic considered clarifying the Islamic Republic’s point of view towards Palestine and clarifying the dimensions of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the genocide of the Zionists in Gaza , among his other goals for participating in this meeting. He added: The most important fundamental difference between our presence and our speech in this meeting compared to the other participants is that America is considered the culprit. The main role in these crimes is the establishment, survival, arming and support of the Zionist entity in Palestine and the killing of Palestinian women and children.

Ayatollah Raisi also explained his ten solutions and proposals that he presented at this meeting for Gaza’s exit from the current crisis, and stressed the necessity of supporting the resistance as the only way to liberate Holy Jerusalem. He said: We are in this meeting, and contrary to what some say about the future of the Palestinian issue in the form of a two-state solution, we presented A fully democratic solution based on returning to the voices of all Palestinians, including Muslims, Christians and Jews, to determine their fate.

He pointed out that about 10 side meetings were held on the sidelines of this summit with the heads of Arab and Islamic countries, and he expressed his satisfaction with the statement of the Islamic Republic’s clear position on the issue of Palestine and Gaza, as well as the review of bilateral and friendly relations and international relations during these meetings and other opportunities. He said: We hope that what was done in this visit and in this meeting aims to secure the national interests and the Islamic nation.

A joint meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League was held in Riyadh on Saturday to discuss the ways to help Gaza and stop the Israeli regime’s atrocities against the Palestinian people besieged in the enclave. Asked about a resolution passed at the conclusion of the emergency summit in Saudi Arabia, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said on Sunday that the bulk of the proposals that Iran had put forward in the course of negotiations on a final communiqué have been incorporated in the resolution.

“The tone and phrases of the resolution are strong and sturdy,” the spokesperson said. He noted that the resolution is deemed to be concrete as it has:

1. Called on all countries to stop exporting weapons and ammunition to the Zionist regime;
2. Called on the UN Security Council to promptly pass a resolution condemning Israel’s barbaric destruction of hospitals in the Gaza Strip, the obstruction of medicine, food and fuel and the severing of crucial services like electricity, water, communication and internet access;
3. Demanded an end to the siege on Gaza and allowing the immediate entry of Arab, Islamic and international humanitarian aid convoys into the enclave;
4. Called on the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to complete the investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity being committed by the Israeli regime;
5. Called for the establishment of monitoring units at the Secretariats of the OIC to document all the crimes committed by the Zionist regime;
6. Assigned the Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in its capacity as the presidency of the 32nd Arab and Islamic Summit, along with counterparts from Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Palestine, and any other interested countries (Iran, Malaysia and Pakistan have also expressed their readiness in the meeting) to initiate immediate international action on behalf of all member states of the OIC and the Arab League to formulate an international move to halt the war in Gaza and to pressure for a real and serious political process to achieve permanent and comprehensive peace in accordance with established international references;
7. Called upon member states of the OIC and the Arab League to exert diplomatic, political, and legal pressures, and take any deterrent actions to halt the crimes committed by the colonial occupation authorities against humanity;
8. Condemned the double standards in applying international law (a reference to the Westerners’ double standards on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza);
9. Condemned the displacement of Palestinians from the northern to the southern areas of the Gaza Strip;
10. Fully and absolutely rejected any attempts at individual or mass forced displacement, deportation, or exile of the Palestinian people whether within the Gaza Strip, the West Bank including Al-Quds, or outside their territories to any destination;
11. Emphasized the necessity of releasing all Palestinian prisoners and civilians;
12. Called for a halt to the occupation forces’ killing crimes and the settlers’ terrorism and crimes in the Palestinian villages, cities and refugee camps in the occupied West Bank and all assaults on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and all Islamic and Christian sanctities;
13. Emphasized the Israeli regime's need to fulfil its obligations as the occupying power by ceasing all illegal actions that perpetuate the occupation;
14. Condemned the extremist and racist hate speech and actions by ministers within the Israeli occupying government, including one minister’s threat to use nuclear weapons against the Palestinian people in Gaza, and considering them a serious threat to international peace and security;
15. Condemned the killing of journalists, children, and women, the targeting of medics, and the use of internationally banned white phosphorus in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon; has denounced the repeated Israeli statements and threats to return Lebanon to the “Stone Age”; and has called on the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to investigate Israel’s use of chemical weapons;
16. Rejected any proposals that perpetuate the separation of Gaza from the West Bank;
17. Called for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, the Shebaa Farms, and the Kfar Shuba Hills;
18. Called for the activation of the Arab and Islamic Financial Safety Net to provide financial contributions and support -economic, financial, and humanitarian- to the government of the State of Palestine and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and has emphasized the necessity of reconstruction of Gaza;
19. And has assigned the Secretary-General of the OIC to oversee the implementation of the resolution and present a report on it at the upcoming sessions of their respective councils.

Kanaani also noted that although the OIC summit resolution had a strong text, it contains a number of articles about which Iran has expressed reservations, particularly the articles about the implementation of a two-state solution, the 1967 borders, and the Arab Peace Initiative. “The Islamic Republic of Iran still has reservations about the Arab League’s stance stipulated in the resolution that the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and believes that all Palestinians and Palestinian groups, including the PLO, are the representatives of the Palestinian nation and have the right to struggle against the occupiers and the right to self-determination according to the international law,” Kanaani added.

Osama Hamdan, a member of Hamas' Political Bureau, stressed that all entities and organizations that have acted in complacency in regard to "Israel's" bombing of hospitals in the Gaza Strip bear responsibility for the occupation's continued breaching of international law. The official pointed out the Israeli previous attempts to conceal its responsibility for the bombing of al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, saying that it is currently blatantly targeting hospitals via its warplanes. The leader emphasized that "Israel" will pay a heavy price for targeting hospitals in Gaza both on the battlefield and in international courts.

On the developments on the battlefield in Gaza, Hamdan said that occupation forces are receiving heavy blows in Gaza's streets, stressing the effectiveness of al-Yassin rocket-propelled grenades, in the face of the occupation's armored vehicles. "Gaza will only be ruled by its people", he stressed, after reports indicating that an international force would be deployed to the Strip and official Israeli statements suggesting that "Israel" will reoccupy the Strip once the Israeli aggression ends.

The Resistance movement had expected Arab and Muslim nations to take a stronger stance in support of Palestine. "We expected our Arab and Muslim brothers to play their card of power during the summit in Riyadh, in order to stop the suffering of Gazans," Hamdan said, expressing clear disappointment with the summit's closing statement. Finally, the official reiterated that "facing the Zionist entity is a global humanitarian mission," as he thanked the masses who protested the occupation's crimes in Gaza all over the world.

Hezbollah Executive Council chief Sayyed Hashem Safieddine said the Islamic Resistance has the initiative as the Israeli occupation is deterred by its capabilities. The Resistance will work around the clock and remain vigilant to protect the homeland and the people, Sayyed Safieddine said, emphasizing that this is "a necessity".

Safieddine insisted that "we will continue to bear arms in the face of the enemy, which cannot be trusted," pointing out that what has been happening in the Gaza Strip confirms that "there can be no reliance on any force in the world for protection because we face an enemy that has no values." In a speech delivered during a memorial ceremony in the southern suburbs of Beirut, he said, "We respond to the enemy by confirming that we will work to improve our missile capabilities." "Security and safety are maintained with our arms, blood, and capabilities," renewing Hezbollah's stance on adhering to the principle of an eye for an eye, i.e., any targeting of civilians will be met with the targeting of civilians.

"If the enemy's goal is to intimidate us through its crimes, it must realize that these scenes make people more attached to the Resistance to deter it," he said. "No one in this world can stop the tide of Resistance in our region." The Resistance, Sayyed Safieddine said, is the sole guarantor of the people's safety and the region's security. "We cannot rely on the so-called major powers that promote the two-state solution," talks about which are over, he added.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement commented on the resolutions of the joint Arab-Islamic summit held in Riyadh to discuss the situation in Gaza, expressing its strong astonishment at the summit's final statement. In a statement, the PIJ indicated that condemnations, demands, and calls highlighted in the summit's final statement gave the impression that the statement was issued by an entity unrelated to the massacres against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank. It said that, through its statement, the summit of 57 countries appeared incapable of anything except plead and demand.

The PIJ said the summit's final statement reflects the collective evasion of Arab and Islamic countries from their responsibilities and distancing themselves from their duty to protect Arab and Islamic national security. It also accused these countries of abandoning Palestine and its people to the Zionist entity and its Western backers. The PIJ movement expressed its strong disagreement with the final statement's affirmation of adhering to the so-called 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, emphasizing that the prerequisite for peace with "Tel Aviv" and establishing normal relations with it is ending its occupation of all Palestinian and Arab territories, especially as some Arab regimes are rushing toward normalization with the Zionist entity.

The spokesman for the Ansar Allah movement in Yemen, Muhammad Abdel Salam, confirmed that there are many pressure cards in the hands of Arabs and Muslims to pressure the United States to stop the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip and its people, the latest of which is the threat of using force.

Muhammad Abdel Salam said in his statements: "We regret the inability of the Arab Islamic Summit to take a position that supports Gaza, even to the minimum, while we found that some of them did not delay in forming a war and siege alliance against Yemen."

Abdel Salam added: "The requirements of belonging to Islam are that the nation should be for each other, and the aggressive alliance against Yemen was the opposite of that, and Gaza today is asking for the help of Arabs and Muslims, but it has not found much except blindness and betrayal." He continued: "We are here to advise and remind of responsibilities and not to harm anyone. The tragedy of Gaza and the Palestinian issue cannot afford the luxury of debate, and it is not in the interest of the Arab and Islamic regimes except for them to stand as one man and raise one voice in the face of America to stop the aggression of its protege “Israel” against Gaza."

Abdel Salam added: "There are many pressure cards in the hands of the Arabs and Muslims, the latest of which is the threat of using force. If they were honest and took one position, America would have acquiesced and stopped “Israel’s” aggression against Gaza without war."

Allied for Democracy

The Israeli newspaper "Maariv" quoted Nissim Faturi, Vice Speaker of the Knesset and member of the Security and Foreign Affairs Committee in the Israeli Parliament, demanding that the people of the Gaza Strip be deported to Scotland. MK Fattore explained that if the Prime Minister of Scotland, Hamza Yousef, comes, we ask her to receive the people of Gaza, open the Gaza port for her and bring her ships to deport them. The Israeli "Channel 7" had earlier quoted Itamar Ben Gvir, the Israeli Minister of National Security, as demanding that Benjamin Netanyahu deport Palestinian citizens from the Gaza Strip to Scotland, claiming that the Scottish Prime Minister, Hamza Yousef, had announced Scotland's readiness to provide humanitarian asylum for refugees from Gaza. Providing them with the necessary medical assistance.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cast more doubt on his allies about the future of Gaza , indicating that the Palestinian Authority in its current form should not take responsibility for the Strip, But Tel Aviv did not specify in the statements of its officials who should rule the Gaza Strip after the end of the conflict in its favor, as it hoped, saying only that Israel would maintain public security. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said that his authority could play a future role in governing the Gaza Strip, but Netanyahu indicated that he does not want to unleash the current Palestinian Authority rulers in Gaza.

During a press conference, Netanyahu expressed his long-standing complaints about the curriculum in Palestinian Authority schools, which he says fuels hatred for Israel, and its policy of paying salaries to the families of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Netanyahu said, "There will be no civil authority that teaches its children...to eliminate the State of Israel, and there cannot be an authority that pays the salaries of the families of the killers." He added, "There cannot be an authority headed by someone who has not condemned the massacre (on October 7) more than 30 days later."

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the administration of US President Joe Biden contacted Israeli officials, and asked them to clarify what Netanyahu meant when he said, “Israel will continue to have security control over the Gaza Strip.” The newspaper said that Netanyahu kept repeating this phrase about the situation in Gaza after the end of the war several times during recent days, in a statement, in interviews with foreign media, and in a meeting with Israeli officials. In a statement at his press conference last night, Netanyahu addressed the issue of the “day after” the war in Gaza, and said, “We will not agree to give up security control over Gaza under any circumstances,” adding, “The next day, Gaza will be demilitarized, and there will be no Another threat from the Gaza Strip to Israel.”

The Israeli analyst, Eli Nissan, considered that the Palestinian Authority is “weak” and cannot assume this responsibility. Nissan, said in statements to Al-Hurra website that the authority “is weak and did not issue any statement denouncing the massacre and killing that the Jewish people witnessed on October 7th, and Abu Mazen also went to the International Criminal Court in The Hague accusing Israel of committing war crimes.” This means, according to Nissan, that “from Abbas’s point of view, Israel does not have the right to defend itself against Hamas, which means that Hamas is capable of committing massacres, and when Israel responds to that, it is accused of committing war crimes.”

The Israeli analyst, Wadih Awada, considered that Netanyahu wants to keep the separation between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in place. Awada believes in his statements to Maa Al-Hurra that Netanyahu wants to prolong the war because he realizes that with its end, a political war will begin, “as he will fight for his reputation and to remain in power in the hope of surviving the difficult (political) day of reckoning.”

According to the analyst, Netanyahu rejects the return of the Palestinian Authority “because he does not want a two-state solution, so the return of the Authority would be an important step towards that, and it is something the American administration talked about, even if it did not demand its immediate implementation.”

He believes that all "this damage to Israel is the result of his strategy, which is based on preventing the achievement of the two-state solution by perpetuating the dispute between Gaza and Ramallah until this strategy exploded in his face."

“In addition to this grave strategic damage, accepting power there now would mean accepting political defeat for all his political project, which is based on preventing a two-state settlement, or squandering the chances of it occurring.” Awada adds that Netanyahu officially rejects the return of the Authority because it did not denounce the Hamas attack, "but the question is: If the Authority had denounced the attack on Israel, would he have accepted the return of the Authority? Of course not. They are just pretexts in order to avert the nightmare of a settlement."

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered in a statement that “Netanyahu, and his followers from the right, are dealing with the Authority as an obstacle to the implementation of these plans, and as a strong obstacle to the official Israeli trend to maintain the separation between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, in order to undermine the unity of the Palestinian people and the unity of their homeland, and any An opportunity to embody the Palestinian state on the ground,” according to the statement.

Nabil Abu Rudeina, Abbas's spokesman, had told Reuters that the Israelis were seeking to "preserve the division between the West Bank and Gaza." He added, "Israeli attempts to separate Gaza from the West Bank will fail, and will not be allowed, no matter the pressure." The Palestinian Authority administered both the West Bank and Gaza but was expelled from the Strip in 2007 after a conflict with Hamas.

Diplomats told Reuters there are also concerns that Abbas, 87, does not have enough power or support from his people to take charge. A diplomat based in Jerusalem told the agency: “At the present time, there is no clear idea regarding what might happen in Gaza once the fighting stops.”

Israeli Minister of Agriculture Avi Dichter said that the displacement of residents of the northern Gaza Strip to the south at the request of the occupation army is a “repetition of the Palestinian Nakba,” which angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , as he asked his ministers not to make any statements that might cause harm to Israel. Avi Dichter - a member of the Israeli security ministerial team - commented on the scenes of the displacement of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza that what is happening is the “Gaza Nakba 2023,” as he put it, in an interview with the Israeli Channel 12.

In response to a question about whether the occupation forces’ request for the people of Gaza to move south was one of the psychological goals of the operation, Dichter said, “This is an operational event, and we must realize that a large number of our soldiers are there, and this is a very densely populated area, and in a crowded place like this you have to reduce the number.” civilian population." The Israeli minister continued by saying, "We are now practically repeating the Nakba, if you like. This is the Nakba of Gaza, and there is no room for waging a war the way the army wants to conduct it if the masses are present among the tanks and soldiers. This is the Nakba of Gaza 2023."

Dichter's statements angered Netanyahu, who quickly asked his government ministers not to utter any statements that might cause harm to Israel. He said in television statements, "You should not say anything if you do not know the impact of that," and added, "Every word has its weight in terms of the media position." For Israel in the world.

Two legal groups in France announced that they will file lawsuits locally and internationally regarding the legal responsibility of arms companies and European officials for exporting weapons that contributed to the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The "Coalition of Lawyers for France to Respect its International Commitments" and the "Committee of Lawyers for France to Respect its International Commitments" said - in a statement - that countries such as Germany, France, Italy and Britain continued to export weapons and spare parts, provide maintenance, and provide technical support and training to the Israeli army, despite reports of violations. International humanitarian law .

The two groups said that there is strong and credible legal evidence regarding the responsibility of European arms companies and European officials for the Israeli army’s violation of international humanitarian law, including its commission of war crimes.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Sunday he opposed an “immediate” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as calls multiply globally to halt the conflict triggered by Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel. “I don’t think the calls for an immediate ceasefire or long pause -- which would amount to the same thing -- are right,” Scholz said in a debate organized by the German regional daily Heilbronner Stimme. “That would mean ultimately that Israel leaves Hamas the possibility of recovering and obtaining new missiles,” he added, calling instead for “humanitarian pauses.”

Leading Republican lawmakers are pushing to deny new funding for the largest humanitarian relief operation in Gaza, provided by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). They allege ties between the organization and Hamas, despite UNRWA's plea for assistance amid the brutal Israeli aggression on Gaza.

US President Joe Biden has reportedly requested $9 billion for urgent global humanitarian aid, including replenishing UNRWA's supplies, but this faces rejection in a bipartisan Senate deal. Some Republicans claim Hamas used UNRWA aid in an attack, an accusation denied by both aid groups and the White House. The political fight may impact the US response to the war and hinder humanitarian efforts in Gaza.

“I have grave concerns about how we’ve been expending humanitarian aid in Gaza,” said Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who said he would vote against any efforts to give more money to UNRWA. “I don’t see a need for it right now, as long as the war is going on,” he said.

The White House has stated that there are no known instances of US aid for UNRWA being diverted to Hamas or any other group in Gaza or the West Bank in recent years. It is worth noting that the US government is considered the largest donor to UNRWA, providing over $371 million this year and more than $1 billion since 2021. The Trump administration suspended funding in 2018, but Biden reinstated it shortly after taking office. UNRWA is currently seeking additional support and is said to play a crucial role in providing humanitarian aid in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.

The organization is facing challenges in the ongoing Israeli aggression, with over 100 of its staff members reportedly killed since Israeli airstrikes began last month. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has urged global leaders to contribute $481 million to address urgent humanitarian needs.

"For UNRWA not to be able to function in Gaza would be devastating under normal circumstances, but to do so now would be exponentially worse. There are no words to describe how horrible it would be,” said Yousef Munayyer, former executive director of the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, as quoted by The Washington Post. “This is just nut-job stuff from Republicans that is absolutely not true and cruel. You want to take food out of the mouths of refugee children? What is wrong with you?”, he added.

If UNRWA is excluded as a means of delivering aid, the method of providing Gaza with assistance becomes uncertain. Due to constant Israeli aggressions and total blockades, UNRWA has been responsible for ensuring that aid entering Gaza through the Rafah Crossing with Egypt is delivered to its intended destinations, handling shipping and storage in UNRWA warehouses.

Even before the current aggression on Gaza, the organization transported food for 1.2 million forcibly displaced Palestinians in Gaza, importing 60% of the territory's food and providing education for over 330,000 children. With about two-thirds of Gaza's population being refugees or their descendants, fears are heightened that the ongoing war could result in permanent displacement, referred to by Palestinians as a "second Nakba".