Operation Iron Swords - Day 45 - 20 November 2023

Major General (res.) Giora Eiland, who served as head of the Operations Division, published an article "Let's Not be Intimidated by the World" Sunday 19 November 2023 in the Yediot Ahronoth newspaper. He wrote that "According to the American narrative, there are two groups of people in Gaza. One is the Hamas fighters, who are brutal terrorists and are therefore mortal. Most of the people in Gaza belong to a second group, innocent civilians who suffer for no fault of their own. Therefore Israel must not only avoid harming them as much as possible but also act to make their lives easier."

According to Eiland, the narrative should be, "Israel is not fighting a terrorist organization but against the State of Gaza. The State of Gaza is indeed under Hamas leadership, and this organization managed to mobilize all the resources of its state, the support of the majority of its citizens, and the absolute loyalty of its civil administration, around Sinwar's leadership, while fully supporting his ideology. In this sense, Gaza is very similar to Nazi Germany, where a similar process also took place. Being that this is the accurate description of the situation, so it is also correct to manage the war accordingly.

"A war between states is not only won by military combat, but also by the ability of one side to break the opposing side's system, the economic ability, and first and foremost the ability to provide energy, is of the utmost importance. The collapse of Germany at the beginning of 1945 was mainly due to the loss of Romania's oil fields, and once Germany didn't have enough fuel for its planes and tanks - the war was won....

"Israel is not fighting against a terrorist organization but against the state of Gaza. The state of Gaza is indeed led by Hamas, and this organization managed to mobilize all the resources of its state, the support of the majority of its residents and the absolute loyalty of the civil administration around the leadership of Sinwar, while fully supporting his ideology. In this sense, Gaza is very similar to Nazi Germany, where a similar procedure also took place. Since this is the exact description of the situation, then it is also correct to conduct the fighting accordingly."

According to him, "The way to win the war faster and at a lower cost for us requires the collapse of systems on the other side and not just the killing of more Hamas fighters. The international community is warning us of a humanitarian disaster in Gaza and of severe epidemics. We must not shy away from this, with all the difficulty involved. After all, epidemic hardships in the south of the Gaza Strip will bring victory closer and reduce casualties among IDF soldiers. And no, it is not about cruelty for its own sake, since we do not support the suffering of the other party as a goal but as a means. The other side is given the option to end the suffering if they surrender," he wrote.

According to the general, "... we must not, absolutely must not adopt the American narrative that "permits" us to fight only against Hamas fighters instead of doing the right thing - to fight against the entire opposing system because it is precisely its civil collapse that will bring the end of the war closer.... we should clarify the question of who is "them". "They" are not only Hamas fighters with weapons, but also all the "civilian" officials, including hospital administrators and school administrators, and also the entire Gaza population who enthusiastically supported Hamas and cheered on its atrocities on October 7th."

Eiland, former head of Israel's National Security Council, had written in an op-ed for Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper in 2014: "The story we are telling in this conflict is similar to the one we told in Lebanon in 2006. In this story we are fighting a terror organization, and only a terror organization, while the population the organization is operating from is not the enemy. Moreover, during the fighting we even feel obligated to supply Gaza's residents with food, fuel and electricity.... We should have declared war against the state of Gaza (rather than against the Hamas organization), and in a war as in a war.... why should Gaza's residents suffer? Well, they are to blame for this situation just like Germany's residents were to blame for electing Hitler as their leader and paid a heavy price for that, and rightfully so.... Hamas is not a terror organization which came from afar and forcibly occupied Gaza. It's the authentic representative of the population there. It rose to power following democratic elections and built an impressive military ability with the residents' support. Its power base has remained stable despite the suffering."

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

The UN marks November 20 as World Children’s Day.

At least 13,300 Palestinians, including more than 5,600 children, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since October 7, the Gaza Press Office said. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The Hamas-run government said 3,550 women were among the dead, with 32,300 more people wounded. The Palestinian Government Media Office in Gaza said the number of missing people had risen to more than 3,750, including 1,800 children still under the rubble. The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced that the number of wounded as 31,000 [previously announced as about 32,000 wounded],

According to a UN official, there have been "likely much more" casualties in "Israel's" war on Gaza than the previously reported total of over 11,000, because there have been insufficient updates since the area's communication networks collapsed. Martin Griffiths, under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator expressed during a General Assembly meeting that as casualty numbers continue to climb, "The actual total, however, is likely much higher as figures have not been updated for five days due to a collapse of communication networks in Gaza."

Israel revised down the death toll from the October Hamas attacks in southern Israel from 1,400 to 1,200. IDF had said previously it was holding 1,500 bodies of terrorists, a total that now would increas to about 1,700.

The Israeli army had reported the death of 375 soldiers and officers, 58 of them were killed since the start of the ground operation in the besieged Gaza Strip. At least 7,771 Israelis were injured. The IDF previously announced that more than 260 soldiers had been injured since the start of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip, including 100 in serious condition.

Israeli army (IDF) announced 19 November 2023 the death of five of its soldiers during ground battles in the Gaza Strip, bringing the total number of casualties since October 7th to 378 and raising the number of troop deaths there to 64 since the ground war began.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry released its first official casualty numbers in fighting, saying 77 people were killed and 251 wounded since the start of the war on Gaza.

Hostages

Some 240 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.

Hamas previously announced that the number of prisoners it held was between 200 and 250 Israelis, and others of other nationalities, during the “ Al-Aqsa Flood ” battle launched by the Al-Qassam Brigades on the 7th of last October. Hamas indicated that among the detainees were “high-ranking military personnel” and that it wanted to exchange them for more than 6,000 Palestinian prisoners, including children and women, in Israeli prisons, but Tel Aviv did not show seriousness in concluding such a deal. The movement released 4 female prisoners “for humanitarian reasons”, two women holding American citizenship, in response to Qatari mediation efforts, and two Israelis, with Egyptian-Qatari mediation.

The Palestinian Prisoners Information Office reported that the number of administrative prisoners has surpassed 2,200 prisoners, marking the highest count since the establishment of the Captive Movement. The Office attributed this to the mass arrest campaigns carried out by the Israeli occupation since October 7. It added that the number of arrests has surpassed 3,000, pointing out that the occupation has put a significant number of arrestees in administrative detention without any charges filed.

The Israeli army announced the arrest of 1,100 activists from the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) in the occupied West Bank, out of more than 1,800 Palestinians, since October 7, the date of the launch of Operation “ Al-Aqsa Flood .” The army said, "Since the outbreak of the current war, more than 1,800 wanted (Palestinians) have been arrested throughout the West Bank, about 1,100 of whom belong to Hamas." It reported that 38 Palestinians were arrested last night throughout the West Bank, "including 20 belonging to Hamas."

US President Joe Biden said he believes a deal is near to secure the release of some of the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza, telling reporters "I believe so" when asked at the White House about a possible agreement. Reuters had reported that Qatari mediators had been seeking a deal between Israel and Hamas to exchange 50 hostages in return for a three-day ceasefire that would help boost emergency aid shipments to Gaza civilians, citing an official briefed on the talks. A rumoured hostage deal between Israel and Hamas will likely involve the exchange of some 50 women and children kidnapped by Hamas in return for Palestinians held in Israeli jails as well as a five-day ceasefire,

Operational Update

According to satellite data imaging, Israel's bombing of Gaza has leveled most of northern Gaza, severely damaging more than half of the structures and big swathes of whole neighborhoods during its 42-day war. Social media videos, images from reporters, and images from the Israeli forces themselves have depicted a shattered landscape, a report by the Financial Times revealed. The complete size of the damage has been calculated using radar signals received by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-1 satellite.

Corey Scher of the CUNY Graduate Center and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University employed algorithms to quantify how many buildings had experienced damage to at least 50% of their structure since the war began. As they proceeded into north Gaza, fortified bulldozers reduced large swaths of land into rubble to set up the troops' forward bases and large numbers of infantry followed, moving through largely deserted small towns, such as Beit Hanoun.

The Wall Street Journal reported that American officials urged Israel to postpone the escalation of its military operations in the southern Gaza Strip , until it has crystallized plans to protect the large numbers of civilians who were displaced there as a result of the bombing and battles in the northern Gaza Strip.

The newspaper quoted Jonathan Viner, US Deputy National Security Advisor, as saying, “We believe that their operations (meaning the Israelis) should not move forward until they take these people - additional civilians - into account in their military plans.” He confirmed that American officials informed Israel about this, and said that Israel must narrow “the battle zone and clarify the places where civilians can seek refuge to escape the fighting” in southern Gaza.

On Saturday evening, Israel announced the expansion of its ground military operations in Gaza, during a press conference by the Israeli War Council, which announced its move to the second phase of ground operations in Gaza, and confirmed the continuation of the ground incursion until “victory is achieved and the kidnapped are returned,” as they described it. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that they are committed to continuing the war until “a decisive victory is achieved to eliminate Hamas ,” “the kidnapped people are returned,” and “to ensure that Gaza will not pose a threat to Israel,” he said.

There is no accurate count of the number of Palestinians who were displaced from the north of the Gaza Strip to its south, but local and international figures indicate that the Israeli war caused the displacement of about 1.5 million Palestinians out of the total population of the Gaza Strip, which is estimated at about 2.2 million people. This number includes those who were displaced from their homes to areas Inside the northern Gaza Strip, including UNRWA schools, hospitals, and the homes of relatives and acquaintances.

Heavy fighting broke out around the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, where thousands of patients and displaced people have been sheltering for weeks. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday he was "appalled" by an attack on the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza that he said had killed 12 people, including patients, citing unspecified reports. "Health workers and civilians should never have to be exposed to such horror, and especially while inside a hospital," he said.

The Israeli regime’s military is sustaining big damages as it loses at least 15 tanks each day, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Hossein Salami said. Addressing a conference, the IRGC commander said the Zionist regime is desperately attempting to achieve a fake victory against Gaza by killing children and infants and bombing civilians. However, the Zionist forces have exposed themselves to Palestinian offenses inside Gaza, he added. Major General Salami said the Israeli forces have come within reach of the Palestinian fighters, as the Zionist army is losing at least 15 tanks and several personnel carriers and forces every day. The world is changing as Islam is spreading, he stated, expressing confidence that Palestinians will emerge victorious in the battle against the Zionist regime.

Lebanon's Hezbollah movement said it targeted troops in northern Israel with drones, artillery and missiles on Monday, claiming a string of new attacks. Hezbollah fighters targeted soldiers west of Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel "with three attack drones", the Iran-backed group said in a statement, adding shortly after that it had also targeted troops in the area with artillery fire. Hezbollah said it had fired "Burkan missiles" at an Israeli barracks, and also claimed a number of other attacks on Israeli positions.

Israel's army said "three UAVs (drones) were identified striking adjacent" to an army post, without specifying where. It added that "no injuries were reported". In a statement, it said "25 launches were identified from Lebanon toward several locations adjacent to the border", and added that aerial defences "intercepted a number of the launches and the rest fell in open areas".

"Tanks, a fighter jet, and a helicopter struck Hezbollah terror infrastructure in Lebanon" in response to "launches toward Israeli territory", it said, while the army struck fighters attempting to fire "anti-tank missiles" in south Lebanon.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), bombed the city of Tel Aviv and its suburbs with a missile barrage, described as one of the largest barrages since the beginning of the war. Video clips showed crowds of Israelis running towards shelters after the sirens sounded, while an Al Jazeera correspondent reported that rockets and shrapnel fell in Tel Aviv and Holon. The army's Israeli Home Front said that sirens sounded in 129 locations in the greater Tel Aviv area and the coast.

Al Jazeera's correspondent explained that sirens sounded in a wide area extending from Ashdod in the south to Herzliya in the north, passing through the greater Tel Aviv area. Sirens sounded in a vast area from Ashdod in the south to Herzliya in the north. The Al-Qassam Brigades said that the bombing came in response to the massacres committed against civilians. Al Jazeera's correspondent indicated that the rockets were launched from the south of the Gaza Strip, meaning that they traveled about 90 kilometers.

Abu Ubaida said: "Our Mujahideen were able to target 60 Zionist military vehicles during the last three days, including 10 troop carriers. Abu Ubaida: One of our Mujahideen was martyred in the attack that we carried out against the enemy forces holed up in Al-Rantisi Hospital. Abu Ubaida: 25 members of the Qassam elite forces. They carried out a complex attack on the enemy forces in Al-Rantisi Hospital and destroyed a tank and a troop carrier and killed four soldiers. Our Mujahideen targeted a Zionist troop carrier with an Al-Yassin shell and clashed with its soldiers and killed at least seven. The goal of the occupation in the war is to destroy and kill civilians. Our Mujahideen confirmed in the areas of clashes that the enemy was bombing its damaged vehicles. From the air, in case they failed to withdraw it, our mujahideen targeted a foot force with anti-personnel devices on Saturday, inflicting certain injuries on it. They heard the enemy’s screams and calls for help".

IDF forces, through the coordinator of government operations in the territories, allowed the transfer of Gazan babies from Shifa' hospital to continue receiving medical treatment in Egypt. The coordination was carried out at the request of the Egyptians, and the director of Shifa' hospital and through UN teams. This action is part of the humanitarian effort that Israel enables at the same time as fighting against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

In response to the launches from Lebanon toward Israel throughout the day, IDF fighter jets struck Hezbollah operational command centers and terrorist infrastructure. Additionally, the IDF struck a terrorist cell in the area of Metula, northern Israel. Following the sirens that sounded in northern Israel concerning a hostile aircraft infiltration earlier this afternoon, a launch was identified that fell in an open area in the Misgav Am area. Additionally, an interceptor was launched toward a suspicious target. No aircraft infiltration occurred.

A terrorist cell attempted to launch anti-tank missiles in the area of Marwahin in Lebanon. The IDF struck the cell. Additionally, in response to the launches toward Israeli territory earlier today, IDF tanks, a fighter jet, and a helicopter struck Hezbollah terror infrastructure in Lebanon. 25 launches were identified from Lebanon toward several locations adjacent to the border. The IDF Aerial Defense Array intercepted a number of the launches and the rest fell in open areas. Three UAVs were identified striking adjacent to an IDF post. No injuries were reported. The IDF struck the sources of the launches.

Further to the alerts that were activated in the area of ??Gush Dan and the Lowlands, two launches were detected towards the territory of the State of Israel. The HNA fighters intercepted the launches with the help of the "Iron Dome" and "David's Sling" systems, the extensive alerts were activated due to fear of intercept fragments. IDF warplanes attacked operational headquarters and terrorist infrastructures of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in response to launches towards the territory of the State of Israel during the day. In addition, the IDF attacked a terrorist cell in the Metula area.

IDF artillery struck in several locations in Lebanon. A number of launches were then identified from Lebanon into Israeli territory in the areas of Arab al-Aramshe, Biranit and Bar'am. No injuries were reported. As a result of the launches toward the area of Biranit, a fire broke out. IDF and Israel Fire and Rescue Services are at the scene. The IDF also struck the sources of the launches.

IDF spokesman, Brigadier General Daniel Hagari : "The mosque in Zeytun is used as a laboratory for the production of IEDs. We located and destroyed terrorist laboratories inside mosques and schools. We are releasing reserve forces in the rear formations. The fighters found a workshop for making rockets inside a mosque in Gaza. When the world celebrates International Children's Day - we have children in Gaza. We made an offensive move in the heart of Gaza City in a way that destroyed the Hamas defense line."

The engineering, infantry and armored forces of the 36th Division fight to defeat the Hamas 'Zaytoon' battalion - one of the main battalions of the terrorist organization operating in the area of the Zaytoon neighborhood in Gaza City, and entrenching itself in the heart of residential neighborhoods, hospitals, schools and kindergartens while hiding and attacking from civilian infrastructure.

The fighters of Unit 504, the field researchers and the facilities researchers led the main effort of the unit from the beginning of the fighting . Throughout the fighting, the unit's intelligence collection and influence center operates, which works for four main goals: maneuver support, intelligence to incriminate targets, influence and leadership of the effort to evacuate the population south of the Gaza River. As part of the effort to evacuate the civilian population from the northern Gaza Strip, the unit operated a variety of operational tools with the help of which it made over 30,000 calls in a short time, sent over ten million text messages, sent over nine million recorded messages, as well as scattered about four million flyers and leaflets from the air and land calling on the population to evacuate.

The Israeli military published a video of what it described as a Hamas tunnel in the compounds of Al-Shifa Hospital. The Israeli military had released a 3D animated video on October 28, visualising an extensive network of tunnels that led to an elaborate, multi-storey control centre. It said the tunnel is 10 meters deep and 55 meters long. Israel said the findings clearly prove that numerous buildings in the hospital's complex are used by Hamas as cover for terrorist infrastructure and activities. The Israeli military also released a video that it says was taken on October 7 at Al-Shifa Hospital. The military said the footage shows hostages abducted from Israeli territory and proves that Hamas used the hospital as "terrorist infrastructure."

Military analyst Zoran Kusovac quoted a civil engineer from Gaza who suggested that the video is actually clips of two different tunnels spliced together. The first section of the video shows the vertical shaft that goes down. It shows features such as load-bearing concrete columns. They seem to be built with regular civil engineering techniques, which would have required large and loud machines such as concrete mixers. The second part of the clip shows the horizontal tunnel. This displays features characteristic of Hamas tunnels — pre-fabricated pieces connected together section by section.

Meanwhile, Hamas released a statement on social media dismissing Israel's claim that it had found a tunnel at Al-Shifa Hospital. The group said it was a plot to cover up a lie that Hamas has been using the facility as a command center. The group also disputes Israel's claim that Hamas has been keeping hostages at the hospital, calling it a lie to cover up failures in the country's military operations.

The official spokesman for Ansar Allah, Muhammad Abdul Salam, confirmed that the detention of the Israeli ship is a practical step that proves the seriousness of the Yemeni armed forces in fighting the sea battle, regardless of its prices and costs. In a tweet on Sunday evening on the (X) platform, Abdul Salam said: “In solidarity with our oppressed Palestinian people and in support of the valiant Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip, we affirm that seizing the Israeli ship is a practical step that proves the seriousness of the Yemeni armed forces in fighting the sea battle, no matter what its costs and costs.”

He stressed that any concern to prevent the conflict from expanding is to stop the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, pointing out that today’s operation is the beginning. He added: "The world must realize that the crimes of the Israeli enemy in Gaza have exceeded every limit and violated every sacred thing."

The Ansar Allah spokesman noted that: “It is the duty of every free person in this world to move in what he can to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza,” stressing that statements of denunciation and denunciation are useless in a world that only understands the language of force. This evening, the Yemeni Armed Forces announced the seizure of an Israeli ship in a naval military operation in the Red Sea , and taking it to the Yemeni coast.

The Bab al-Mandeb passage, is a chokepoint less than 20km (12 miles) wide from the Yemeni island of Mayyun across to the coast of Djibouti and Eritrea. Every year, more than 17,000 ships pass through it. That’s nearly 50 a day. Many of them have a legal status like the Galaxy Leader, which flies the flag of the Bahamas, is operated by a Japanese company, and had a Bulgarian master and a crew from at least five other countries, none of them Israel. In the complex world of shipping, the ownership of a ship is less important than the flag of the vessel, which signifies its country of registration, and its operating company.

The options to prevent further hijackings are limited to three: sending armed ships to accompany commercial traffic, destroying or severely limiting the Houthi offensive capacity at sea, and persuading them to refrain from attacking. Saudi Arabia is in an uneasy truce with the Houthis, which they are loathe to disturb. Egypt is trying to remain neutral and would not want to get dragged into tensions with the Houthis either. Israel cannot spare any ships for the task. The only force left to deal with the Houthi threat would be the United States Navy.

The Houthis are known for their readiness to take on even stronger enemies. The US targeting them directly could risk a major escalation. Washington could ask Israel to target Houthi ports with long-range missiles, but even that is risky.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced the targeting of the American “Ain al-Assad” base in response to the “crimes” committed by the occupation against civilians in the Gaza Strip. The resistance said in its statement: “In response to the crimes committed by the enemy against our people in Gaza, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeted the American occupation base , Ain al-Assad, in western Iraq, with a drone, and directly hit its target.”

Sources disclosed to pro-Iranian Al Mayadeen that the United States is experiencing unprecedented confusion and is fortifying its forces in its military occupation bases in Syria. This move comes amid fears of operations by the Resistance that have so far resulted in 58 casualties according to the latest US report, as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq continues to target the American presence in both Syria and Iraq, in alignment with Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and in support of Gaza.

The sources confirmed that al-Omar oilfield base, the largest American occupation base in Syria, and the Conoco gas plant base in the northern countryside of Deir Ezzor have seen the arrival of additional reinforcements in weapons and equipment. Deployed hardware included anti-air systems, such as Avengers USAASC and THAAD, specialized in detecting and intercepting low-altitude targets, such as cruise missiles, drones, and loitering munitions.

Since October 17, the two bases have been targeted 18 times, with 10 attacks on al-Omar and 8 on Conoco, the sources added. The frequency of attacks on US troops, 61 as of November 17, has raised alarms, especially since there were approximately 80 similar incidents between January 2021 and March of this year.

These operations and their frequency prompted Washington to take these measures, as both military bases are near the front lines with the Syrian Arab Army and its allied forces. Furthermore, American forces are conducting daily training exercises simulating defense against incoming targets, evacuation procedures for residences and headquarters, and entering safe shelters within the occupation bases, in preparation for possible aerial and ground attacks, the sources revealed.

The initial deployment of Iron Beam is scheduled for 2025, although its development was being accelerated for service as early as 2024. With over 10,000 projectiles launched toward Israeli territory, from various factions since the war on Hamas erupted, the Iron Beam would be a game changer Israel over the past 15 years developed a sophisticated multi-layered defense system, which has been put into active duty as it faces aerial threats from terror groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, various pro-Iranian militias in Syria and the Houthis in Yemen. Among the recent developments, the "Iron Beam" system from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has stood out as a major innovation with a high-power laser to intercept rockets, anti-tank missiles, drones and mortar shells.

More than a hundred Rafael engineers have reportedly been working on this project, considered one of the most significant technological challenges ever faced by the Israeli defense industries, in order to create a fast and effective interception system, with inexhaustible and near cost-free ammunition. Recent tests of Iron Beam in the Negev have shown promising results, with the system successfully intercepting various airborne threats.

In an interview with the Calcalist newspaper, one of Rafael's Iron Beam program managers expressed high ambitions for this new defense system, saying "Our aim is to reach a state where the enemy feels totally powerless. He has to understand that our laser pointers, deployed where needed, intercept and destroy all his attacks, almost instantly after they are launched, long before they reach Israeli territory or threaten anyone else. In such a scenario, the activation of warning sirens might even become unnecessary."

Bystanders

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki expressed deep concern about the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza, stating that Israel aims to "bring to an end the Palestinian people's presence on what remains of its historical land." This revelation came during a diplomatic summit in Beijing, attended by leaders from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia, Palestine, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Leaders at the summit are actively discussing strategies to terminate the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Additionally, they are seeking to exert pressure on Western nations to refute Israel's characterization of its military campaign in the strip as an act of self-defense.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sameh Shoukry emphasized the grave consequences of displacing Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, warning that it poses a significant threat to peace, security, and stability in the region and globally. The spokesperson accused Israel of employing a deliberate policy of obstructing aid entry into Gaza, systematically aiming to compel Palestinians to leave the Strip amidst relentless bombardment and siege.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that European leaders have become “prisoners of the shame of the Holocaust” because of their “unfair” positions regarding the massacres the Palestinians are subjected to by the occupation army in Gaza. He added in press statements after a Turkish government meeting in the capital, Ankara, that “Israel” and its supporters are using all modern means of war against children, women and the elderly, and will be tried before the conscience of humanity.

The Turkish President stressed that his country is the only country that "Israel" cannot, no matter how hard it tries, accuse it of anti-Semitism, stressing that there is no such stain in Turkey's past. He stated that "Israel" is trying to break the Gazans' resolve to resist, not only by killing them, but also by cutting off water, fuel, electricity, and communications from them, and also by bombing hospitals.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed the Israel-Hamas war in a phone call, Beijing's state media reported. "The two heads of state exchanged views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and both believe that the top priority is to avoid further deterioration of the situation between Palestine and Israel, especially to avoid a more serious humanitarian crisis," state broadcaster CCTV reported. The phone call comes days ahead of a visit to China by French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and as a delegation of top diplomats from the Palestinian Authority, Indonesia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan meet in Beijing for talks aimed at a "de-escalation" of the conflict in Gaza. According to CCTV, Xi and Macron agreed to "continue to maintain communication on international and regional issues of common concern and contribute to maintaining world peace and stability". "The 'two-state solution' is the fundamental way to solve the recurrent conflict between Palestine and Israel," the state broadcaster added.

The “Coalition of Lawyers for France to Respect its International Commitments” and the “Committee of Lawyers for France to Respect its International Commitments” decided to file lawsuits against European officials and arms companies for their involvement in exporting weapons to Israel in a way that contributes to the killing of civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Pierre-Emmanuel Dupin, an expert in public international law, pointed to two types of measures that could be brought, as “the first will take place before national courts, especially in France, and the second before European courts against other countries that supply Israel with weapons, especially Britain, Germany and Italy.”

At the international level, criminal charges will be brought against the parties responsible for arms deliveries, including weapons companies and government officials (members of senior management and officers), who issue export permits, according to the international expert.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Dupin, who belongs to the coalition of "Legalists for France's Respect of its International Commitments," said that these two groups will be charged before the International Criminal Court with "acts of collusion that enabled the commission of war crimes, which is an indirect criminal charge."

He pointed out that criminal cases are currently being conducted before a Paris court, filed by Palestinian families who lost several members in a missile attack in the Gaza War in 2014. During the investigation, pictures were presented of the remains of missiles carrying components manufactured by a French arms company.

Dupin explained that the obstacle facing them is the length of time for the legal procedures, stressing that there are matters that may speed up their pace, most notably weapons deliveries, citing the attempt of labor unions in the Spanish port of Barcelona to obstruct arms shipments heading to Israel, as well as the question of French representatives in Parliament. Last week, he announced the steps being taken to ensure that the weapons handed over by France are not used to commit these crimes.

France ratified the Arms Trade Treaty (TCA) in 2014, and Article 6 states that a state party must refuse to export any weapon that could be used to commit or facilitate the commission of serious violations of international humanitarian law, or any war crimes and other violations of the 1949 Geneva Convention.

Axis of Resistance

Dismissing the accusation made by the US that Iran is in command of the resistance groups across the region, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said the resistance forces make their own decisions and operate on their own. Asked about the strikes against the American military bases in the region, Nasser Kanaani made it clear at a weekly press conference that the resistance groups in the region do not take orders from Iran. “The resistance groups represent their respective nations… They make decisions and act by themselves,” he stated.

He also advised the US government that instead of making allegations against Iran, it must ask itself why it is detested by the regional nations and why the regional people hold demonstrations against it and the Zionist regime. “Unlike the US that orders its allies what to do and what not to do, Iran has no proxy forces in the region,” Kanaani underlined.

The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi sent a letter to to the leaders of 50 countries, including Russia, China, Turkey, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Kenya and Jordan, in which he called for unifying voices and for free and independent countries to come together to put pressure on the Zionist entity to stop its crimes in Gaza.

Raisi referred to the brutal Zionist aggression that has so far resulted in the death of more than 14,000 people and the destruction of infrastructure in the Gaza Strip over the past forty days, as well as the duplicity policies of some Western governments and their deliberate disregard for humanitarian principles, morality and law, saying that what is expected of free and independent countries Especially the Islamic countries are exerting consistent and unified diplomatic and economic pressure on the occupying entity in order to stop its crimes and massacres against civilians and end the siege of Gaza.

The Iranian President stressed that today is a day of divine and human testing for all governments, and called for the use of all available tools to exert pressure, including stopping cooperation and commercial and political relations with the Zionist entity, and playing a greater role in stopping these crimes.

Israeli ships are a "legitimate target", Yemen's Houthi rebels warned, after their seizure of an Israel-linked cargo vessel opened a new dimension in the Gaza war. Sunday's capture of the Galaxy Leader and its 25 international crew came days after the Iran-backed Houthis threatened to target Israeli shipping over the Israel-Hamas war. The Houthis, declaring themselves part of the "axis of resistance" of Iran's allies, have also launched a series of drones and missiles towards Israel. "Israeli ships are legitimate targets for us anywhere ... and we will not hesitate to take action," Major General Ali Al-Moshki, a Houthi military official, told the group's Al-Massirah TV station. Sunday's ship seizure "is only the beginning", Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul-Salam said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, pledging further maritime attacks until Israel halts its Gaza campaign.

Allied for Democracy

Israel's far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has so far been excluded from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's war cabinet, called for lawmakers taking a harder line towards Hamas to be included in decisions about the war. Netanyahu, whose ruling coalition includes parties from Israel's far right, has been managing the war with a small group of ministers from his hawkish Likud party and a centrist opposition group that joined an emergency government shortly after Hamas's deadly attack on southern Israel on October 7.

Finance Minister Smotrich and other hardline members of the broader cabinet have been excluded from much of the decision making, and were particularly critical of a decision last week to accede to a US request to allow limited amounts of fuel into Gaza for humanitarian reasons. "I think this grave mistake necessitates the expansion of the war cabinet," said Smotrich, arguing that letting in fuel gave Hamas a lifeline during the war.

US officials are reportedly becoming increasingly frustrated with Israel’s military and leadership over the targeting of civilians in Gaza, making these concerns clear during calls and meetings over the last 40 days. Israel has launched aerial, naval and land operations all across Gaza as it says it wants to put an end to Hamas over the militant group’s October 7 attacks, the deadliest Israel has witnessed in decades. In the meantime, Israel has forcibly displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians and killed or injured thousands more.

Sources familiar with the discussions between American and Israeli officials pointed to recent comments by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as a sign of the Biden administration no longer being entirely on the same page as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government as it relates to the Gaza operation. That is unlikely to significantly change US policy or support for Israel as some progressive Democrats have been demanding in recent days.

It is unclear who will control Gaza, which Hamas has run for years now, if and when Israel concludes that it has achieved its goal(s). Blinken told reporters that “much more” was needed to be done to protect civilians in Gaza and that “far too many Palestinians” had been killed in the weeks following the October 7 attack. One US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Blinken made it “very clear” to the Israelis what he was saying in private during his two trips to Israel since the attack.

Another sign of diverging views was when Netanyahu claimed that Israel would have some security authority over Gaza if and when the current war ended. But Blinken said Washington was opposed to any reoccupation or besiegement of Gaza. Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian territories and violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank has been another point of contention raised by both Blinken and the Pentagon chief. As recently as Thursday, Blinken told Benny Gantz, an Israeli War Cabinet member, that the Netanyahu government needed to take “affirmative steps to de-escalate tensions in the West Bank, including by confronting rising levels of settler extremist violence.”

Al Arabiya English reviewed 21 readouts from the Pentagon of phone calls between Austin and Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant since October 7. Austin also made a trip to Israel a week after the Hamas attack. In the first four readouts, plus an additional one of Austin’s meeting with Gallant in Israel, no mention was made by the US side of the need to protect civilians or abide by international law of conflict. Austin told Gallant of the importance of “adhering to the law of war, including civilian protection obligations, and addressing the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza” during their October 14 call, a week after Israel launched its military operations.