Operation Iron Swords - Day 87 - 01 January 2024

Contents

NEW - Operations NEW - Operations Maps NEW - By-Standers NEW - Axis of Resistance NEW - Allied for Democracy UPDATED - Oasis of Martyrs UPDATED - Hostages

A senior Israeli official stated that Hamas demands that the withdrawal of IDF forces from the Strip begin in the first stage of the implementation of the agreement, and that after the implementation of the last stage of the agreement a permanent cease-fire be declared and the war will end. Although the Hamas proposal is still very far from Israel's position, Barak Ravid reported in Walla that senior Israeli officials said that it constituted a softening of the organization's public position in recent weeks, according to which negotiations on the release of hostages will only resume after the end of the fighting and the withdrawal of IDF forces from Gaza. The Israeli official noted that now Hamas is ready to immediately begin negotiations on a new agreement for the release of hostages, while the fighting in Gaza continues.

Hamas demands that the withdrawal of IDF forces from the Gaza Strip begin already in the first phase of the implementation of the agreement, which will include the release of about 40 hostages. These are women who remained captive to Hamas, men over 60 years of age, and hostages who are in serious medical condition. Also, Hamas demands that after the implementation of the last phase of the agreement, a permanent ceasefire will be declared and the war will end.

The Hamas proposal was discussed last night by the war cabinet. Israel sent a message through the mediators that the proposal was unacceptable.

Operational Update

On the 87th day of the Israeli operation in Gaza , the new year began with the IDF’s continued bombing of Khan Yunis, the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, and Deir Al-Balah in the middle of the Gaza Strip, while the HAMAS Ministry of Health announced that the death toll had risen to 21,978 martyrs. On the other hand, the IDF announced that the death toll and injuries had increased since the seventh of last October. The Israeli army announced the killing of an officer in battles in the northern Gaza Strip, raising the death toll since the start of the Al-Aqsa flood to 507. The IDF also announced that 2,234 soldiers had been injured, including 355 seriously, since the beginning of the war on Gaza, including 41 soldiers during the past 24 hours in the battles in the Strip. The Israeli army said that 29 of its officers and soldiers were killed by gunfire from their colleagues or in "operational accidents" since the start of the ground operation in Gaza on October 27.

Residents of the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, were able to rescue a baby boy alive, who had been trapped for hours under the rubble of his demolished house as a result of Israeli occupation bombing. After strenuous efforts in which the rescuers used their hands and the lights of their mobile phones, they were able to extract the infant alive from the rubble of stones and rubble. According to rescuers, the infant was trapped under the rubble of the house that was bombed on Sunday evening in the city of Rafah, while the fate of his family is not known.

IDF chief directed substantial forces to Syria and Lebanon borders for the entirety of 2024, as reported by Walla News. The move aims to establish a robust military presence, countering potential threats from Hezbollah and maintaining preparedness for significant conflicts. The Israeli army confirmed the continued withdrawal of the army from northern Gaza and the demobilization of additional forces in the coming days, amid the concentration of fighting in Khan Yunis, south of the Strip. For its part, Haaretz newspaper quoted an Israeli source as saying that the next phase of the war will last 6 months, and that the forces in Gaza are ready to move to the northern front. In a related context, 42 people who were at the “Nova” festival during the Palestinian resistance operation on October 7th filed the first civil lawsuit against the Israeli army, police, and Shin Bet, accusing them of negligence.

The first day of the new year began with the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas) - launching a missile salvo at Tel Aviv. The Al-Qassam Brigades also announced that its fighters targeted an Israeli Merkava tank with an “Al-Yassin 105” missile north of the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, and took control of an Israeli drone that was on an “intelligence mission” in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip.

Al-Qassam Brigades’ operations were concentrated in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood and the Bureij camp. They announced that they had blown up a tunnel with a number of occupation soldiers on Jabal Al-Rayes, east of the Al-Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City, and confirmed that they had left them dead and wounded. It also said that it detonated a minefield with Israeli force after entering the Hebron military site in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City, which led to the killing of 15 soldiers. It confirmed that it targeted 26 Israeli vehicles penetrating the Al-Darraj and Al-Tuffah neighborhoods in Gaza City during the past 48 hours.

For its part, the Al-Quds Brigades announced that it bombed with “Badr 1” missiles a gathering of Israeli occupation soldiers and vehicles, east of the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. It said that its fighters engaged in fierce clashes with the occupation forces in the areas east and north of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.

The military spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaida, said in a press statement that Al-Qassam fighters were able during the past four days to completely or partially destroy 71 military vehicles, amid continuing clashes in various areas of the Gaza Strip. Abu Ubaida added that Al-Qassam fighters killed 16 Israeli soldiers and wounded dozens with varying injuries, and carried out 42 military missions that left a number of soldiers dead and wounded. He continued that during these missions, the invading Israeli forces were targeted with missiles, anti-fortified devices, and individuals, clashing with them from zero distance, and targeting their rescue teams.

Abu Ubaida confirmed that today the Al-Qassam Brigades blew up two houses and two tunnels for Israeli soldiers, and also blew up a minefield for the occupation’s vehicles and soldiers, in addition to two sniper operations and targeting a helicopter in the skies of the Gaza Strip, and shot down two reconnaissance planes and captured a drone. He also said that the Qassam artillery bombarded the headquarters, field command rooms, and military concentrations with mortar shells and short-range missiles in all fighting axes in the Gaza Strip, and rained down the city of Tel Aviv in the center of the entity with a barrage of “Al-Maqadma 90” missiles.

Clashes intensified between Palestinian resistance factions and occupation soldiers in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood and Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip, and in Khan Yunis in the south of the Strip.

The Al-Qassam Brigades began the new year in its first minutes, announced the bombing of Tel Aviv and its environs and the enveloping Gaza Strip with a barrage of missiles. The Al-Qassam Brigades said that it bombed Tel Aviv and its suburbs with a barrage of M-90 rockets in response to “Zionist massacres against Palestinian civilians,” and published a video clip of the rocket launch.

For its part, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that Israel welcomed the New Year with a barrage of missiles from the Gaza Strip. Israeli media also reported that about 20 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip towards central Israel. According to Israeli Army Radio, sirens sounded in the city of Tel Aviv, Rishon Lezion, Lod, Ramla, Bnei Brak, and the Modiin settlement in the central West Bank. Warning sirens also sounded in the city of Sderot and other areas around the Gaza Strip.

Commenting on the Qassam rocket attack, the expert in military affairs, Major General Wassef Erekat, told Al Jazeera that the bombing of Tel Aviv at this time is a message from the Qassam Brigades to the occupation. He added that the resistance "just as it excelled in choosing the timing of the Al-Aqsa flood battle on October 7, 2023, it renewed the defeat of the occupation from 2023 to 2024, that is, it transferred the defeat to a qualitative shift and said to the Israeli leadership: Just as we defeated you in 2023, here we are opening the year with another defeat."

Military and strategic analyst, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, said that the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) , bombed Tel Aviv and its suburbs with a barrage of missiles in the first minutes of the new year, comes as a symbolic message heralding the occupation to face the harshest confrontation that will make it forget its pain during the past year.

The Al-Qassam Brigades said that it bombed Tel Aviv and its suburbs with a barrage of M-90 missiles in response to “Zionist massacres against Palestinian civilians,” and published a video clip of the operation, while the newspaper “Yedioth Ahronoth” confirmed that Israel welcomed the New Year with a barrage of missiles from Gaza strip. In a military analysis for Al Jazeera, Al-Duwairi explained that the Israeli occupation army began to retreat to the agricultural areas in the Gaza Strip , after being forced to withdraw from various parts in the north, pointing out that during its attempt to get rid of its battles, it intensified its fire targeting until it forced the fighting forces to “break the seam.”

Al-Duwairi explains that “cutting contact” means preventing the opposing forces from continuing direct engagement with them in light of asymmetric warfare, which is what the resistance brigades exploit by increasing the pace of operations, where the enemy is unbalanced and cannot manage the battle well. The military expert indicated his expectation that the Al-Qarara area would witness intensification of confrontations and intensity of resistance operations, as was the case with the Juhr al-Dik area in the north, justifying this by the fact that its land serves the resistance operations that began there.

He pointed out that the third phase that the occupation army is preparing to begin is to control the buffer zones represented on the northern and eastern sides and the Philadelphia Corridor, and has begun to prepare for it by constructing dirt berms with heights of no less than 180 centimeters to two metres, which means descending from the vast tree of war to specific surgical operations.

The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades announced that it blew up a tunnel with a number of occupation soldiers in Gaza , and also ambushed an Israeli special force in the Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip. Al-Qassam said that it blew up a tunnel with a number of occupation soldiers on Jabal Al-Rayes, east of the Al-Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City, and confirmed that it left them dead and wounded. It also announced that it targeted 5 Israeli vehicles penetrating east of the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, amid the continued occupation bombing of the neighborhood for days.

It also announced that its fighters reported - after their return from the areas of clashes in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip - that they had set up a tight ambush for a special Israeli force in one of the houses in front of which the occupation vehicles were stationed in the camp. Al-Qassam explained that as soon as the force members entered the house to rest, Al-Qassam fighters surprised them with bullets and anti-fortified shells, leaving them dead and wounded, then they withdrew from the site. Also in Bureij camp, the Al-Qassam Brigades announced that its fighters targeted an Israeli Merkava tank with a Yassin 105 shell north of the camp.

The spokesman for the HAMAS Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf Al-Qudra, said in a press statement in Rafah that the occupation committed 13 massacres that left 156 martyrs and 246 injured during the past 24 hours. He stressed the necessity of sending medical teams and field hospitals to meet the enormous need, and called on international institutions to work to protect the health system and its staff. He explained that there are 1.9 million displaced people exposed to famine and epidemics, including 50,000 pregnant women in displacement centers who face malnutrition and health complications due to lack of basic necessities.

Al Jazeera’s correspondent reported that the battles are currently concentrated around the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, and that the continued Israeli bombing of the city since this morning resulted in the death of 9 Palestinians and the injury of dozens. The correspondent said that the occupation intensified the bombing of the northern areas of the Gaza Strip, amid continuing fierce clashes, and carried out continuous artillery shelling on the southern neighborhoods in Gaza City.

For his part, Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that there were casualties as a result of the Israeli artillery shelling on the town of Al-Zawaida in the central Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Red Crescent announced that it had transported six martyrs - most of them children - and two wounded after an Israeli plane targeted a house in the Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip. The IDF had targeted an inhabited house in the camp, killing 15 Palestinians and wounding others, according to an Al Jazeera correspondent. In the northern Gaza Strip, an Al Jazeera correspondent reported that 6 Palestinians were martyred as a result of an Israeli occupation aircraft raid on the Bir al-Naja area, west of Jabalia.

During ground operations in the northern Gaza Strip, IDF troops struck terror targets in the area of Abu al-Ata in Shejaiya. These terror targets were used as a compound for conducting warfare by the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations. During the operation, the troops conducted a targeted raid on the terrorist organizations’ command and control center and located large quantities of weapons used by the terrorist organizations in the area of a mosque.

In a separate incident, a terrorist cell attacked IDF troops with mortar shells. IAF aircraft identified the launcher and directed IDF ground troops to destroy the launch post and eliminate the terrorists. During additional operational activity in the area of Khan Yunis, IDF troops identified a terrorist launching rockets. The troops directed an IAF aircraft to strike and eliminate the terrorist.

Overnight, IDF naval troops struck Hamas terror targets and continued to support IDF ground troops in the Gaza Strip.

A former Israeli general considered that the army is moving away from achieving the goals of the war, and is sinking more and more into the “ Gaza mire.” He called for reconsidering the course of the war, getting out of dense residential areas, and following the approach of a surgical attack with aircraft based on intelligence information to get out of the “useless nightmare.” from him".

Reserve General Yitzhak Brik wrote in the Israeli newspaper Maariv "With the passage of time, we are moving further and further away from achieving the goals of the war: eliminating the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) and releasing the kidnapped people; and we are sinking deeper and deeper into the mud of Gaza." He said that there are situations in war in which the course of action must be reconsidered, as "it is clear today to the army that at this stage it will not be possible to achieve the goal for which we are striving."

Brik continued, "Just admitting that there is no intention to enter Rafah , where Hamas has complete control, because it is the most crowded place in Gaza and the entire Middle East, where two million refugees live in refugee camps, and their environment is terribly crowded, and therefore it is impossible to attack these camps, with one word." “It is impossible to eliminate Hamas there, whose soldiers are mixed with refugees.”

Brik considered that "the failure to eliminate Hamas rule in Rafah and the failure to control the tunnels underneath it, which are considered the main passage for weapons from Sinai to the Gaza Strip, means that we have failed to achieve the basic mission that we set for ourselves in the war, which is to overthrow Hamas rule." Brik said, "In Rafah, Hamas enjoys freedom of access to Khan Yunis, and from there to the northern Gaza Strip through hundreds of kilometers of interconnected tunnels."

He stressed that even if the army destroyed a thousand tunnel entrances, Hamas has thousands more, "and therefore the partial destruction does not actually affect their movement in the tunnels." Therefore, Brik believes that “the continuation of the Israeli army’s fighting in its current form in Khan Yunis, and in the neighborhoods and cities of the central Gaza Strip, does not add to achieving the goals of the war.” Rather, “the opposite is true, as the fighting there inflicts on us every day heavy losses from the explosives and traps they plant.” We have anti-tank missiles fired at us."

Brik considered that “the time has come to re-evaluate the way of fighting, that is, to change the paradigm and get out of dense population centers, and to surgically attack by aircraft based on accurate intelligence information and with ground raids only.” He said that this is the plan that the army must implement in the third phase of the war and that He does so immediately and "comes out of the useless nightmare."

He also saw that "members of the government from the extreme right declare day and night that the fighting inside the Gaza Strip must continue with all its strength until Hamas is defeated, while they ignore the facts on the ground and live a false reality." He added, "According to their understanding, the Gaza Strip must remain in Israel's hands, whether in the security aspect or in the civil administrative aspect, until the end of the world. The meaning of this approach is that Israel will accept responsibility for two million refugees, and for every disaster that befalls, and a humanitarian crisis will fall on Israel's shoulders."

He continued: "We will thus lose the support of the world in general, and the support of the United States in the war, and we will lose all of our achievements in the war for which we have paid dearly so far." Brik added, "But this is not enough. According to their approach, large forces of the Israeli army will continue to remain in the densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip for many years and will face a guerrilla war with Hamas, which will continue to confront us with traps and fire anti-tank missiles at our forces and cause us heavy losses."

Acts of violence committed by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank reached a record number in 2023. More than 48,000 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque during the past year 2023, according to the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem. An official in the Endowments Department told Anadolu Agency that 3,086 settlers stormed the mosque last December. The raids increase significantly during the Jewish holidays. Israel unilaterally allowed settlers' incursions into the mosque in 2003, despite the protests of the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem and its demands to stop them. For its part, the Wadi Hilweh Information Center (a human rights activist) said in a report, a copy of which was obtained by Anadolu, that the Israeli authorities issued 1,105 deportation decisions during the year 2023.

This morning, the IDF identified a terrorist cell that attempted to launch UAVs toward Israeli territory. The terrorist cell was struck by an IAF aircraft before it was able to carry out the launches and the UAVs that the cell used were destroyed. Hezbollah also attempted to launch hostile aircraft from a civilian area in Maroun El Ras, adjacent to the border with Israel, earlier today. This is a further example of Hezbollah's use of civilian areas for its terrorist activity and its violations of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. IAF fighter jets also struck Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in Lebanon. Furthermore, following the sirens that sounded in northern Israel and the sirens concerning a hostile aircraft infiltration in Avivim in northern Israel, this was determined to be a false identification.

Netanyahu admitted that there are differences between Tel Aviv and Washington over the war in Gaza, stressing that he makes decisions according to what he sees as Israel’s interests only. Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that the United States informed Israel that the US aircraft carrier "Gerald Ford" would leave the region in the coming days, and had sent it following the launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood to protect Israel.

Arab experts agreed that Washington's decision to withdraw the aircraft carrier "Gerald Ford" from the eastern Mediterranean, despite the continuation of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, comes to put pressure on the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the need for it to submit to the American will.

The senior researcher at Al Jazeera Center for Studies, Dr. Liqaa Makki, said that the decision is directed to the Netanyahu government and is a message that Washington will not continue to support Tel Aviv forever unless it complies with the American will and the post-Gaza war plan. Makki added that American support for Israel could gradually decrease, noting that this American offensive naval force served as a deterrent force against any party thinking of attacking Israel. He pointed out that the field data has not changed, as a regional war is still on the cards, especially on the northern front with the Lebanese Hezbollah , stressing that the withdrawal of the aircraft carrier is due to the dispute that has become public between Tel Aviv and Washington.

Makki pointed out that there are indications that the Gaza war will be long, but not necessarily in favor of Israel , expressing his conviction that Netanyahu wants to prolong it until the US presidential elections, which may return former President Donald Trump to the White House again. It is believed that the Gaza war did not reveal all its secrets, “as the resistance is strong and deepens the Israeli internal rift, and makes Tel Aviv look for a scapegoat after failing to achieve its goals.”

For his part, expert in Israeli affairs, Dr. Muhannad Mustafa, said that the Gaza war has become clear that, from the point of view of the extreme right in Israel, it is not for deterrence, returning prisoners, or rebuilding Israeli security, but rather a project to restore settlement in the Gaza Strip. Mustafa pointed out the escalation of talk by extremist ministers in Netanyahu’s government regarding the forced displacement of Gazans at first, before voluntary displacement was recently addressed, stressing the existence of Israeli confusion since last October 7, as there are no clear goals.

He pointed out that the Israeli national security system is based mainly on the support of the United States, adding that the deep state in Israel is the one that determines the security strategy, referring to the army, the Mossad and Shin Bet agencies, and some influential ministers such as the Minister of Defense. Mustafa explains that due to Washington's pressure, right-wing ministers in Israel have started talking about the necessity of liberation and independence from the American decision, expecting that there will eventually be Israeli submission to Washington and submission to its pressure.

In turn, military and strategic expert Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi said that the aircraft carrier "Gerald Ford" moves periodically and based on changing circumstances. Al-Duwairi pointed out that he agrees with what Makki said regarding the implications of withdrawing the aircraft carrier, but at the same time he stressed that military cooperation between Washington and Tel Aviv is still at its highest level, and agreeing to sell artillery weapons is the most prominent evidence.

He stressed that there are real convictions established among the Israeli military decision-maker that the maximum effort has been made to achieve the goals, and that this level of war can only continue for weeks, so there is an insistence on entering the third phase of the war. Al-Duwairi denounced the right-wing Israeli ministers’ demand for the return of settlements to Gaza, recalling the experience of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in dismantling the Strip’s settlements, such as Netzarim and Gush Katif, where they were forced to withdraw under the blows of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) and Islamic Jihad.

As the IDF continued its raids on the cities of the occupied West Bank , the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club announced that the number of prisoners since the seventh of last October has so far reached 4,910 prisoners. This comes amid the Israeli forces’ storming of Al-Bireh in the central West Bank, Tulkarm, Hebron, Qalqilya, Nablus, Bethlehem, Kafr Ain, and Shuafat Camp. Clashes also occurred between resistance fighters and occupation soldiers during the raids in Kafr Ain, Tulkarm, Nablus, and Shuafat camp.

In southern Lebanon, the Lebanese Hezbollah bombed Israeli military sites, and the occupation army subsequently announced that 5 soldiers were slightly injured. The Israeli army responded by bombing Lebanese border towns and targeting homes that it said were “Hezbollah targets,” resulting in the killing of 3 civilians in the town of Kafr Kila. Hezbollah also announced the killing of 3 of its members in border clashes without adding any further details, bringing its death toll to 137 since last October 8.

In the Red Sea, the Israeli newspaper Maariv said that the Houthis attacked an American warship in the Red Sea, in response to the American targeting of Houthi boats yesterday. It added that reports indicate an intense exchange of fire between the Houthis and American soldiers. However, a source in the Houthi group denied to Al Jazeera that any clashes had occurred with an American warship in the Red Sea.

Dr. Abdullah Al-Aqrabawi wroate that : "The Palestinian issue enters 2024 under exceptional and unprecedented circumstances in decades, with the war on Gaza–that has been raging since the Al-Aqsa Flood operation carried out by Hamas on October 7–dominating the scene. The current confrontation is the fiercest faced by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in the summer of 2007. Beyond being the broadest and most comprehensive war, the repercussions of this confrontation will shape a new reality for the Palestinian cause, Gaza, influence the Israeli reality, impact internal Palestinian politics, and impose itself on the regional and international environment.

"October 7 marked a turning point in the behavior of the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, initiating an organized and widespread attack covering the Gaza border settlements. The attack targeted Israeli military, security, intelligence sites, and settlements, leading to the collapse of the Gaza Division of the Israeli occupation army. With this attack, the resistance concluded a phase of Israeli attempts to contain it and coexist with its presence in Gaza. Since the Sword of Jerusalem battle in May 2021, the resistance set a new and escalating course to confront Israeli violations in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza.

"On the other hand, Israel’s declaration of war marked a departure from its previous strategy in dealing with Gaza, avoiding a broad and comprehensive confrontation, including a wide ground invasion. Israel defined its war goals as eliminating Hamas, dismantling its military capabilities, and recovering Israeli prisoners held by the resistance. Nearly three months into the comprehensive war on Gaza, despite the immense destruction inflicted by Israel and the complete destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure, the Palestinian resistance continues its armed clashes with the Israeli occupation army across the besieged territory.

"Concerning the goal of eliminating Hamas and dismantling its capabilities, the developments on the battlefield raise significant doubts about Israel’s ability to achieve its objective due to the nature and deep-rooted presence of Hamas in the Palestinian context and particularly in Gaza, which it has controlled for 17 years.

"Israel lacks clear criteria to measure achieving this goal, requiring a long-term security and military control in Gaza, which experts and analysts, including Israelis, doubt its feasibility. Hamas’s ability to continue executing quality operations against the Israeli army invading Gaza, evidenced by visual footage, indicates the dilemma Israel is facing in achieving this goal or enduring the consequences of a prolonged attrition war in the Strip.

"The file of recovering prisoners faces another challenge after Hamas announced its refusal of an exchange deal before a ceasefire and full withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Strip. The Israeli occupation army has already carried out special operations to free prisoners in Gaza but to no avail, incurring losses among soldiers and the intended captives.

"The day after the war, anticipated for months, poses another challenge for Israel and its supporters in Washington. Proposed ideas to address this dilemma have little chance of practical application due to the complexity of the scene in Gaza and the Palestinian and Israeli political environment. As for suggesting the deployment of UN peacekeeping forces, rapid intervention forces, Arab police forces, or multinational forces to maintain stability or govern Gaza or even guard it, these are all theories difficult to implement.

"Israel might find itself entangled in Gaza with no one to rescue it. Therefore, if Israel refuses to withdraw from Gaza, the only other option is to remain as an occupying force. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated a preference for this, hoping to prevent Hamas from declaring victory or regaining control.

"It won’t be easy for Israel to opt for this choice. The Palestinian resistance can maintain its ability to continue fighting in open urban warfare at a low cost, especially in urban areas where the resistance enjoys widespread popular support. The absence of a realistic and applicable vision for the day after the war and Israel’s inability to reoccupy the Strip and endure a protracted attrition war will force it to withdraw, but after destroying and reimposing the blockade on Gaza. This will leave Palestinians with the option to continue resistance, imposing new realities that restore Hamas’s position."

Two terrorists - one Hamas and one Islamic Jihad - investigated by Unit 504 of the IDF Intelligence Directorate - revealed how Hamas exploits civilians and civilian areas in the Gaza Strip for its terrorist activity. Zohadi Ali Zahadi Shahin - a Hamas operative in its Shati Battalion admits in his investigation that Hamas stopped Gazans who tried to move southwards to Rafah and transferred them to the Shifa Hospital. At the hospital, the terrorists stayed underground, but when they realized that the IDF was coming to the hospital, they went up to the ground floor where civilians were staying.

Maps

All maps are lies. But it is impossible to comprehend the war in Gaza without reference to maps, otherwise the entire conflict is reduced to an endless series of meaningless acts of random violence and the suffering of civilians. The first characteristic of guerrilla warfare is the loss of a front line. Evidently, different mappers have different ideas of how to depict the war in Gaza, notably those that seek to depict Israeli progress in the ground campaign. Part of the problem is latency. The news that forms the basis of the maps takes time to filter out to mappers, and the cartographers take time in crafting their maps, and it takes time to curate them. Thes processes are uneven among mappers, so their maps may differ in detail. Probably there is some ideological bias, or at least thematic apperception, which is understandable in wartime. It may come as no surprise that al-Jazeera maps depict rather less Israeli territorial progress than other sources. Finally, there remains the epistemological question of just exactly what are the colored in areas depicting. Naively, this might be understood as areas of Israeli control, that are no longer contested by the HAMAS. Or possibly these are areas of Israeli presence, in many of which the possibility of an RPG-wielding HAMAS militant popping out of a tunnel unexpectedly remains a live possibility. With the "zero-range" combat characterized by small unit tactics on both sides, maps may be prey to a fallacy of misplaced concreteness.

Bystanders

Axis of Resistance

Allied for Democracy

Surprisingly, the Supreme Court overturned the “limiting reasonableness” law as part of a judicial amendment proposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , which restricts the court’s ability to review government decisions, amid opposition support and government anger. Israel's Supreme Court invalidated the Reasonableness Standard Law that the Netanyahu government passed in July 2023 as part of its judicial reform agenda aimed at weakening the Supreme Court.

This historic decision by Israel’s Supreme Court rejecting the reasonableness standard law, set a precedent that the Court can intervene in Basic Laws legislated by the Knesset. A great victory also to the protest movement, the Supreme Court's decision to invalidate the law to cancel the reason for reasonableness was by a majority of 8 High Court judges who opposed it - against 7 who supported it.

“A Law repugnant to the Constitution is void.” With his 1803 decision in Marbury v. Madison, US Chief Justice John Marshall established the principle of judicial review, an important addition to the system of “checks and balances” created to prevent any one branch of the Federal Government from becoming too powerful. Nothing stated in the Constitution gave the Court this specific power. Marshall, however, believed that the Supreme Court should have a role equal to those of the other two branches of government. Although no other law was declared unconstitutional until the Dred Scott decision of 1857, the role of the Supreme Court to invalidate federal and state laws that are contrary to the Constitution has never been seriously challenged.

Many Israeli ministers resented the ruling, and directed sharp criticism towards the decision - as well as the date of its publication. "The Supreme Court does not have the authority to cancel fundamental laws, and it goes without saying that not when the war is in full swing," Knesset Speaker Ohana said. Ben Gvir claimed the ruling was "illegal", and the Likud criticized: "a decision contrary to the will of the people".

"The judges actually take into their hands in the ruling all the powers that in a democratic regime are distributed in a balanced way between the three branches of government," responded to the ruling Justice Minister Yariv Levin, one of the leaders of the legal revolution. "A situation in which it is impossible to enact even a basic law or accept Any decision in the Knesset and the government that is not approved by the Supreme Court judges takes away from millions of citizens their voice and the basic right to be equal partners in decision-making," he added, clarifying: "The verdict will not loosen our hands."

"It is unfortunate that the Supreme Court chose to bring a verdict in the heart of the social dispute In Israel precisely when IDF soldiers from the right and the left are fighting and risking their lives in the campaign," the Likud said. "The court's decision is against the will of the people for unity, especially during the war."

Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gabir was indignant and claimed that "the ruling is not legal, and includes the cancellation of a basic law in a precedent manner, in the absence of a source of legal authority, while the judges have a conflict of interest." He also added that "this is a dangerous and anti-democratic verdict in Israel's war effort against its enemies."

It is believed by some that the Israeli Supreme Court's cancellation of the "reasonableness" law will exacerbate the internal political crisis and make matters worse for the Israeli government, and may lead to the exit of Benny Gantz due to an expected right-wing attack on the court.

An Israeli channel revealed what it described as a plan by the Israeli occupation army for the post-war period in the Gaza Strip, which includes dividing the Strip into areas governed by tribes and responsible for distributing humanitarian aid. The Hebrew channel Kan said that according to the plan drawn up by the army and presented in the mini-cabinet meeting, the sector will be divided into regions and sub-districts, where each clan will control a district, and will be responsible for distributing humanitarian aid. She explained that these clans, known to the army and the General Security Service (Shin Bet), will administer civil life in Gaza for a temporary period (without specifying the duration).

Not a day goes by without Ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich and some Likud ministers demanding the continuation of the war and accelerating it, in light of their threat to resign from the government if the military operation is reduced or talking about a possible role for the Palestinian Authority in the settlements the day after the war on the Gaza Strip. The resignation of these or some of them means the disintegration of Netanyahu's government, but before going to the elections, Netanyahu may face several investigation committees about what happened before and after October 7. In turn, Minister Gadi Eisenkot believes that besieging Hamas is not just a quick military operation, but may take at least a year, and that the most extreme ministers in Netanyahu’s government, such as Ben Gvir, are prisoners of “inflammatory speeches that have no relation to the military reality on the ground”.

Butcher's Bill / Oasis of Martyrs

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.

Regarding what is happening in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) representative Osama Hamdan said that the Israeli aggression there left 313 martyrs and injured more than 3,000, which is a continuation of the plans of the Netanyahu government.

The HAMAS Ministry of Health in the besieged sector announced that the number of victims of the Israeli operation its beginning had risen to about 21,978 martyrs, and the killing of more than 7,700 Palestinian children. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

The number wounded was 57,697. The Palestinian Government Media Office in Gaza had said much earlier that the number of missing people had risen to more than 7,500, including including 4,700 children and women, and this number had not changes in recent weeks.

The spokesman for the HAMAS Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf Al-Qudra, stated that 326 health personnel were martyred in the Israeli aggression, and 104 ambulances were destroyed and taken out of service. He confirmed that the occupation deliberately targeted 150 health institutions and put 30 hospitals out of service, in addition to continuing to arrest 99 health personnel in inhumane conditions.

Lebanese Hezbollah announced the killing of one of its members in southern Lebanon during confrontations with Israeli forces, bringing the party's death toll to 134 since last October 8. The statement said, "With greater pride and honor, the Islamic Resistance mourns the martyr, the Mujahid, Ali Ahmed Saad Jibril, from the city of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon, who rose as a martyr on the road to Jerusalem," according to the official Lebanese News Agency.

The Israeli bombing led to the killing of a number of civilians, and 3 journalists.

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 officially announced number of deaths among the Israeli army since the start of the ground incursion on October 27th to 177, and 505 deaths since the Al-Aqsa Flood operation on the 7th of the same month. Among them are 56 with the rank of platoon commander, 43 with the rank of company commander, 8 with the rank of battalion commander, and 5 with the rank of brigade commander. These officers constitute 23% of the total deaths of the Israeli army in the war on Gaza.

Israeli media reported that 27% of the Israeli military casualties in the war were officers. In detail, the media highlighted that three brigade commanders, four battalion commanders, and other senior officers have been killed in the war so far.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that 29 of the army's deaths were caused by "friendly fire" and operational incidents since the start of the ground war in Gaza, late last October. The Israeli authority explained that "18 army soldiers were killed by friendly fire, two were killed as a result of gunfire (without explanation), and 9 Israeli soldiers were killed in ammunition, weapons, or run-over accidents." The Jerusalem Post newspaper revealed that 15 soldiers were killed in the Strip without their bodies being found.

The Israeli newspaper said that the Military Rabbinate announced that the bodies of 15 soldiers killed during the battles in Gaza had not been found, and said that there was a possibility that they would be detained by Hamas, despite the sensitivity and religious complexity of this announcement. The newspaper pointed out that this matter is not new, but this time the number is large, pointing out that the slogan heard in the halls of rabbis is “zero errors and 100% identification of the killed soldier.”

The newspaper says that the only person authorized to announce the death of a soldier is the Chief Military Rabbi, and this is done after a comprehensive process of collecting and identifying the remains, in consultation with intelligence agencies, medical experts, forensic examiners, and video and photo analysis.

In the event that the remains of a soldier are not present, there are several grounds on which the rabbi can declare the death of the soldier, the most important of which is the information collected by the intelligence services, such as “their interception of a call from the enemy” that includes reference to the death of the soldier, or if the soldier is in a situation from which most of those who die will not survive. They fell into it, or the army learned that the soldier had lost a fatal amount of blood.

If all experts reach the conclusion that the missing soldier is dead, the ruling will be handed over to special teams in the Military Rabbinate made up of rabbis, doctors and lawyers who will confirm the finding, before the case is transferred to the Chief Rabbi for a final decision.

The Israeli army reported that 2,234 soldiers - including 355 seriously injured - have been injured since the beginning of the war on Gaza, including earlier reports of 576 moderate, and 1,161 minor.

At least 12,387 Israelis were injured, according to i24 TV. The IDF updated the number of soldiers injured in the war and attacks on October 7 to 1,683.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper had reported that 5,000 soldiers had been wounded since the beginning of the war on October 7, and that the Ministry of Defense had recognized 2,000 soldiers as disabled so far.

According to some reports statistics indicate that 20% of the Israeli losses were due to friendly fire. Because the nature of the battle has become completely different from what was expected, and it lacks a front line.

Hostages

A Palestinian source told the pro-Qatari al-Arabi al-Jadid newspaper about the attempts to reach a new deal: "The internal consultation between the Palestinian factions is still ongoing to bring about an exchange deal and a ceasefire. So far, no formula for the agreement has been officially formulated. Hamas needs an official commitment from the countries that support In the agreement not to renew the fighting for any reason." An Egyptian source also told the newspaper that "a delegation of Egyptian intelligence visited Israel last Thursday, in an attempt to reach an agreement to end the war." It was also noted that she referred to specific matters in order to get answers from the Israeli side, when "matters are still complex".

According to the report, the Egyptian delegation tried to get an answer regarding Israel's willingness to completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip, in the event of a comprehensive agreement. "The delegation returned without receiving any answers. Israeli officials emphasized that these points will be discussed in the cabinet, after which Egypt will respond."

The source stated that Egypt invited all the Palestinian factions to hold a new round of meetings in Cairo, after January 7th." He explained that Cairo "is working on more than one axis and is trying to bring the Palestinian parties closer together, in order to reach an agreement establishing the unification of the government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and consolidation One government that will accept responsibility."

As for the confidence of Israeli society in the occupation army achieving its goals, it reached only 56% in the third week, then it rose in the fourth week to 70%, then it reached 76% in the fifth week. However, some analysts at the Institute for National Security Studies who conducted opinion polls said that these high numbers may not reflect the true state of Israeli society’s confidence in its army, which has been suffering huge losses since October 7, which increased after the end of the truce. Some analysts at the institute say that the results may express the clear emotional attachment of the Israeli public to the army in difficult times of war.

After the war, when inevitable investigations begin with the leaders of the army and government, they will - according to analysts - affect the standards of public confidence in the army, and then the real damage to Israeli society’s confidence in its army will become apparent. In the end, after weeks of hesitation, massive losses in soldiers and equipment, and a miserable failure to recover any captured soldier, Israel returned to seeking agreement on a new prisoner exchange deal, as President Isaac Herzog declared: “Israel is ready for an additional humanitarian truce to allow the liberation of kidnapped persons.” “The responsibility lies entirely with Sinwar and the leadership of Hamas”.

Despite the numerous demonstrations and statements from the families of the prisoners, a declaration of support for the government in their name was subsequently published in the Israeli media. The statement stated: “The Tikva Forum, which represents the families of kidnapped persons, strongly supports the cabinet, and considers that any demand to stop army operations reduces the chances of releasing the prisoners.” "The kidnapped people were released, and the lives of the fighters on the front were put in danger. The only way to get our loved ones back is to continue fighting with all force and brutality against the enemy." The statement raised many question marks about the role of this forum and the statements and declarations in support of the government issued by it. Then comes the question about the relationship of the two sides of the dispute inside the cabinet to the forum, and the possibility that the parties that demand the continuation of the war and refuse to conclude a prisoner exchange deal have a relationship with the forum, and want to force the families of the prisoners behind Netanyahu.

In an interview conducted by the Israeli “Shomrim” website with “Tzvika Mor,” a member of Tikvah, and the father of one of the detainees from the “Ra’im” party that was held near the Gaza Strip on the night of October 7, and its attendees were shown in the video clips escaping into the desert, Mor said expressively: On the dispute between “Tikva” and the Prisoners’ Families Association: “We saw that we would not have a space to speak in the leadership of Tel Aviv Families. They silenced us in the WhatsApp groups affiliated with this group, insulted us and condemned us, and so we realized that we had to create a platform through which we could speak about our ideas in order to We breathe another spirit into the people.” He added that what prevails among the leadership of the families of prisoners is “the spirit of surrender, hysteria, and inability to withstand. (But) when we live in war, we must not let the enemy see our inability to withstand, our fear, and our unwillingness to sacrifice. This is all what we want to make clear to the people.” Israel”.

However, the dispute did not stop there. According to the well-known Israeli journalist “ Uri Blau ,” one of the participants wrote on the Tikva Forum’s WhatsApp group, saying: “We want them to hear our voice! And not allow evil people to muzzle our mouths and paralyze our thoughts.” For its part, the leadership of the families of the kidnapped did not remain silent, but issued several statements that the Tikva Forum is "part of the toxic propaganda machine whose members have no problem sacrificing their children on the altar of the prime minister."

In the context of that war of words between the two bodies, each of which claims to represent the families of prisoners in the Gaza Strip, Berlie Crombie, who is close to the Netanyahu government and is known among the Zionist right, appeared, as he organized right-wing demonstrations in support of the judicial amendments that had previously divided the Israeli street. He also provided media consultations to Ben Gvir in his recent election campaigns, and stood behind Netanyahu's crowdfunding campaign. Crombie was hosted in the Gaza Strip with Simon Flake, the American billionaire whose family Netanyahu moved into his home in Jerusalem at the start of the war. Under Crombie's supervision, the Tikva Forum launched a crowdfunding campaign, raising about $73,000 to expand the forum's media activity, according to Uri Blau.

Crombie is not the only one who leads this forum. There is also Shmuel Medad, head of the right-wing Honenu organization, whose name was linked to the families of detainees shortly after the outbreak of the war, when Netanyahu met with representatives of several families of prisoners for the first time. Suddenly, Medad, who is not directly related to any of them, entered the line. Despite this, the man told Netanyahu, according to testimonies: “If the issue of rescuing my kidnapped daughter might harm the Israeli army’s victory over Hamas, then I am ready to sacrifice my daughter’s life.” After this meeting, the Tikva Forum, which was unknown at the time, issued a declaration of support for the Israeli army.

Crombie is also not the only link between the Tikva Forum and influential right-wing officials in Netanyahu's government. The Shomrim website explained that anyone who wants to donate to the forum can donate through an association established by Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, who called for the bombing of Gaza with a nuclear bomb at the beginning of the war, and the association is now headed by his brother, Rabbi Ariel Eliyahu. The Eliyahu brothers are the sons of Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the rabbi of the city of Safed, known for his racist statements against the Palestinians. Ariel Eliyahu himself did not hide his opinion opposing the prisoner exchange, as he said on the eve of the deal in which dozens of Hamas prisoners were released, “Conducting an exchange deal means more kidnapped people, more deaths, time for the terrorists to use to recover, and a victory card for Hamas.” The association has received generous donations over the past years. The donations it received from the Ministries of Religious Services and Education exceeded $400,000. This is money at the disposal of the Eliyahu brothers, and it is also available to Crombie, the man who is considered the liaison between Netanyahu and his most extremist minister, Ben Gvir.

In general, behind the Zionist right that is now sweeping Israeli political society is a wide network of financiers, headed by the American Zionist capital baron Zalman Bernstein, who is a major supporter of funds and projects with Zionist agendas, such as the Tikva Fund, which is an American Jewish fund with a conservative right-wing vision. Its goal is to "support Zionism, the free market economy, and conservative values." The Tikva Fund supports the conservative right in the United States, and also supports Israeli right-wing associations, which formulate right-wing ideas by supporting policy-making centers and public discourse. One of the most important of these centers is the Kohelet Forum, and among its founders is Zvi Hawes, former secretary of Netanyahu’s government and a member of the New Hope Party, later headed by Gideon Sa’ar.

Businessman Sheldon Adelson, who died 11 January 2021, was considered one of the most vocal supporters of the settler right in the occupying state. Adelson had been linked to the corruption cases that Netanyahu was accused of in his first election campaign by funding associations supporting him. In 2007, Adelson founded the right-wing newspaper "Israel Hayom", which in 2010 became the most widely circulated newspaper in Israel, and is known as "Netanyahu's mouthpiece." Adelson supported the Republican Party, and was considered the second largest financier of the Trump campaign after Trump himself. He was also considered a supporter and financier of many Republicans who came before him.

In the meeting held by the War Council with a number of Israeli prisoners who were released from the Gaza Strip, under an exchange deal with the Hamas movement at the beginning of this December at the headquarters of the Israeli Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, the families demanded the speedy release of the rest of their sons, stressing that the army The Israeli forces bombed the homes and places of some Israeli detainees, and they confirmed that they were afraid that Israel would kill them during its war on the Gaza Strip. After these fears were expressed, a state of anger and tension prevailed at the meeting on both sides, and according to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, a number of these released prisoners launched a sharp attack on the Prime Minister, and considered that the declared Israeli goal of eliminating the Hamas movement was like a joke. However, Netanyahu's response was cold, as he said: "This will be part of the considerations, but we must continue the ground maneuvers, as this is the only way to put pressure on Hamas."

After the meeting, an Israeli woman from the Nir Oz settlement, after her release under the deal with Hamas, said: “I was there and I know how difficult life is in captivity. I was in a house when the Israeli bombing was targeting all places. We sat in the tunnels, and we were very afraid, no "Not for Hamas to kill us, but for Israel to kill us and then say that Hamas killed us. Therefore, I strongly request that the prisoner exchange begin as soon as possible. You must return everyone to their homes." Another Israeli woman who was detained said: “Bombs from a plane exploded above us, and the Hamas continued to sleep. Your bombs do not scare them.” A third woman who was released and whose husband is still detained said: “The feeling we had there was that no one was doing anything for us. The truth is that I was in a hideout that had been bombed, and we had to be smuggled out of there while we were injured as a result of the Israeli bombing, not to mention by helicopter.” Which opened fire on us on our escape route”.

One former detainee addressed Netanyahu and the war cabinet, saying: “You claim to have intelligence, but the truth is that we were the ones being bombed.” The Netanyahu government's fears are that these concerns and statements will spread and undermine the consensus on war witnessed by the fragile and divided Israeli society. The Institute for National Security Studies in Israel conducted an opinion poll, and in the first five weeks of the war, the majority expressed their high confidence in the performance of the occupation army, while the percentage of those who trust the Netanyahu government decreased. The Chief of Staff was trusted by 69% of those polled, compared to the Defense Minister, who was trusted by 58%, while Netanyahu himself only received 28% confidence.

Israel had previously estimated there were 116 living hostages in Palestinian custody. Israel declared 19 out of 135 people in Gaza captivity dead in absentia, after announcing its forces had recovered the bodies of two hostages. Israel considers those still held by Hamas to be hostages regardless of whether they are dead or alive.

Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy earlier had told reporters that Hamas still held 137 captives. The resistance released 10 Israeli detainees, 4 Thais and 2 Russian women, who were released outside the agreement. Over the course of 6 days, Israel has received 102 detainees, women and children, including 78 Israelis, in exchange for the release of 234 Palestinian prisoners, women and children.

Eylon Levy, the Israeli government spokesperson, told reporters 01 December 2023:

• Hamas still held 137 hostages from the October attacks, in addition to four others who went missing before the war
• The hostages include two children aged four and 10 months, who, Hamas now claims, are dead
• 117 male hostages are still kept in Gaza, including the two children, as well as 20 females
• 126 hostages are Israelis, and 11 others are foreign nationals
• Foreign nationals are eight Thais, one Nepalese, one Tanzanian and one French Mexican citizen
• Ten of the remaining hostages are 75 and older.
• There are seven missing people since the October 7 attack
• Hamas had released 110 hostages so far – 86 Israelis and 24 foreign nationals.

Some of the rest are soldiers, seized when Hamas raided military bases in Israel. They may end up being held the longest. The Israeli military had not specified how many soldiers were captured, nor their ranks.

According to some estimates, Hamas was initially holding nearly 210 of the 240 hostages, while Palestinian Islamic Jihad was holding the remaining 30. About 40 Israelis remained missing. More than 40 hostages taken from Israel into Gaza on October 7th are not currently in the custody of Hamas, the group responsible for the attack, according to a CNN report based on a diplomatic source briefed on the negotiations, CNN's prior reports had indicated that an estimated 40 to 50 hostages were held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad or other unidentified groups or individuals.

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

The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) and the Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission released a new tally of Palestinians detained by "Israel", revealing that the number of Palestinian prisoners in the West Bank has risen to 4,795. Some 150 women have been arrested thus far, both from the West Bank and the Palestinian territories occupied in 1948. Additionally, more than 255 children had been arrested. Israel said that, since the beginning of the war, approximately 2,550 wanted persons have been arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria Division and the Bekaa and Valleys Division, approximately 1,300 of whom are affiliated with Hamas.